Every year for the past, oh I don't know, 10 years I've sat down in front of my computer roughly one week before E3 and written down my thoughts about what I think will feature at the show. Sometimes I get it right and other times I'm so far off-base that it makes my mother-in-law look like a gaming insider. This year I'm a little more gimped than normal, since I'm not actually living in the States anymore and am working from my new self-facilitating media node (ie, my bedroom).

Still, I've still got both index fingers on the pulse of the gaming universe (I write news for GameSpy.com, don't you know) so I feel just as confident as ever in spewing forth my predictions about next week's show. There are some obvious shoo-ins and some not-so-obvious long shots that I'll be taking, but most importantly, I'm asking you all to leave your own predictions via the comments system at the bottom of the page. I want to know just how switched on you kind gentlefolk really are to the E3 buzz.

Tragedy: This year no one will have to be subjected to such subpar Nintendo shenanigans.

Prediction #1: I'm playing it safe with this first one. Nintendo will publicly apologize for its appalling turnout last year, either via a witty speech from Cammie and/or Reggie (watch out for a glib Wii Music jab or two), or via Mr. Miyamoto wearing a colorful t-shirt with the words "Sorry! We F***ed Up!" across the chest. Then (and this is the real part of the prediction) a new Zelda and Mario game will be announced. No, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks doesn't count. I'm talking about new full-on Wii-based Mazza and Link adventures. Nintendo badly needs to win back its core demographic and this is the way to do it.

Prediction #2: Sega's Aliens vs. Predator will make nearly every media outlet's "Best of E3" awards. I'm big on this game, and indeed, the franchise as a whole. Based on what I know of Rebellion's ability to craft an atmospheric shooter using this rich and awesome sci-fi license, I'm going to be really surprised if AvP doesn't completely rock people's socks right out of the LA Convention Center.

Prediction #3: Sony will at some level announce a new piece of hardware. The smart money is leaning towards a new iteration of the PSP (some are calling it the PSP Go!) that completely does away with the need for those annoying little UMDs and features touch-screen technology as well as a slide-out control panel. The other long shot is that a new revision of the bulky PlayStation 3 hardware may well debut; cutting down the form factor by up to 25-30 percent, along with reduced power consumption and perhaps adding in new standard hardware features (bring back the bloody PS2 backwards compatibility!).