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E3: Dead Pixels Predicts: What We’ll See at E3
Guess what? E3 is in a few days, that’s what. E3 turns the week that holds it into a celebration of all things gaming. This is a time of jaw-dropping announcements, surprising exclusives, system price drops, and incessant fanboy console humping. That last one never stops, it merely peaks during this time of the year.
Remember that game I talked about a few weeks back that I boldly claimed could “redefine horror?” Well, next month could shed some light on it, and there are even rumors of new hardware unveilings like the PSP 2 and Nintendo 3DS that may or may not show themselves next week. There’s a lot of games out there just waiting to wow and amaze us, but what about the horror genre? We like games in general but horror is what we’re all about here.
Speaking of games I’ve talked about recently, Monolith may or may not be working on the next installment in the Condemned series, and if they are, I’m thinking E3 is the perfect time to show us what they’ve been working on. They’ve handed over development of the title to another dev, leaving them to work freely on whatever they please. So please, let that game be Condemned 3. I need some hobo fisticuff action.
F.3.A.R., Dead Rising 2, Dead Space 2, Saw 2, Gears of War 3, and Splatterhouse are guaranteed to have some sort of presence at this year’s event, so what about the unconfirmed titles? Resident Evil 6 probably won’t be there as the direction of the series is still either under wraps or unknown. Plus, Capcom has told us numerous times that we shouldn’t expect the game for quite a long time. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean we won’t see Resident Evil 6, since RE5 was announced at E3 2005, four years before it graced out consoles.
So what else is there? Ever heard of Dead Island? If you answered no I can’t say I blame you since the first person zombie shooter has been silent for some time. I’m always up for a new zombie game so hopefully they’ll either shed some light on the game soon or have mercy and just confirm its demise. Two more titles in similar states are They and Possession, the latter of which was announced around the same time as Resident Evil 5, but since then nothing new has emerged for over two years.
They is a little less mysterious since we know a little about its near future, alien invasion plot as well as its intriguing weapon customization system. Alas, we haven’t heard anything of the game for nearly three years so there’s a chance the title has entered the dreaded Development Limbo, sitting right next to the recently canceled horror title Sadness.
Then there’s Silent Hill 6, which could be good or really bad, depending on your stance on the series turning into a FPS, and being in the hands of yet another unproven developer. And I could include Doom 4 in this list but we’ve been told there won’t be any unveilings regarding that title until this year’s QuakeCon, in August. Instead id Software will be keeping their focus on the highly anticipated post-apocalyptic shooter, Rage, which looks to be “full of 12’s.”
There have also been rumors circulating for a while now that Silicon Knights, the guys behind that Norse mythology driven Diablo clone that’s best left forgotten, have been silently working on a horror game. If this is true than the year’s biggest gaming expo would provide the best opportunity to showcase such a game. Whether or not it’ll be good is another matter.
There is one thing that I’m sure of: motion controls will be there in a very big way. This is the biggest event before Microsoft’s Natal/Wave and PlayStation’s Move launches. I also believe 3D gaming will have a much larger presence, especially since Sony has only recently thrown their 3D hype machine into high gear with the release of 3D games and 3D HDTVs. Then there’s arguably next year’s biggest new hardware release, the Nintendo 3DS, that’s sure to put its I’m Official Hat on and finally show us just what the hell this thing is going to look like.
The rest of the hardware announcement will likely include price drops and, hopefully, a slimmed down Xbox 360, which has been rumored for some time. The new design could only get rid of the giant brick on the power cable and I’d still consider it a major improvement. You may have noticed some “leaked” viral trailers for the PlayStation 4? Not true. There’s no way Sony could release their next console so soon, not only would that decision be a dozen flavors of dumb, it’d also fly in the face of their ten year console life cycle. A PSP 2 is much more likely, especially considering the negative response (not to mention extremely poor sales) of the PSP Go. Will the PSP 2 have 3D? Who knows? I’m guessing yes.
TJ here with what I am hoping to see at E3. I’d really like to see some games that in any normal case we might have to wait several more years to hear anything about. Show me Resident Evil 6, and Silent Hill 6.
I’m a Dead Space whore, so naturally I can’t wait to see anything at all for Dead Space 2.
Saw 2 I’m actually pretty excited for. I had a good time with the first game.
Gears 3, YES. Dom with a beard. That’s all I really need to say.
I’d like Warner Brothers or Day 1 or whoever is behind the naming to say, ok, we admit, F.3.A.R. Is a stupid cliche’ name for the game so we are going to call it F.E.A.R. 3. And then they would apologize to me for me having to tag something fear 3, f.e.a.r. 3, f3ar, and f.3.a.r. just so I make sure I cover all ends of the search box.
I’d really like to see something for BioShock 3. I want to know the direction they’ll be taking the next game.
Deadly Premonition 2? (Fingers Crossed)
One game I’m anticipating the eff out of is The Secret World. I would love to see a big reveal for that. A zombie, vampire, cult, magical mmo? Sold.
I have a sneaking suspicion we might see a Left 4 Dead 3 teaser. But we’ll see. At least something for the upcoming L4D1 DLC.
That’s my time, I’M OUT!
So what do foresee at E3? Say that aloud, it rhymes. Let us know what your predictions by posting a pants-wettingly hilarious or extraordinarily clever comment below.
Let’s start with the good news. Lockbox looks far better than its misleading marketing materials suggest, a supernatural horror movie so darkly lit and color graded that you’ll have to squint your way through jump scares. It’s also anchored by reliable genre performers. That’s also about where the good news ends with this rote adaptation of Knifepoint Horror Podcast story “Winthrop.”
The empathetic Carla Gugino gives her all as Ellen, a saint of a woman with boundless patience who takes on life’s hard luck with a kind smile. After giving up her career as a fashion designer to become caretaker for a dying mother, she’s then forced to reinvent herself once more when her caretaker role ends. That catches us up to the events of Lockbox, where Ellen is asked to take in a cousin she hasn’t seen in quite some time who’s dealing with severe PTSD.
Just as Ellen finally establishes a real connection with Winthrop (Lou Taylor Pucci), it’s interrupted by the arrival of peculiar neighbor Vahna (Katharine Isabelle), who spells clear trouble. When Vahna shows up dead, it sets in motion a supernatural battle of possession.
Image Credit: Aura entertainment
Director Daniel Stamm (The Last Exorcism, Prey for the Devil) and screenwriter Justin Yoffe approach Lockbox in the broadest of brushstrokes, dooming it from the start with clunky storytelling and woefully underdeveloped themes of heady topics like PTSD. Winthrop is a character that comes loaded with emotional baggage and trauma that’s piled on throughout his tragic life, but much like its title, his interiority and history are treated like a tightly guarded secret meant to prolong the supernatural mystery.
The problem here, though, is that Lockbox is too sparse to sustain mystery at all, and it instead robs Winthrop of characterization. It winds up trapping the talented Pucci without anywhere to go, toggling between wounded animal and mentally disoriented.
From there, Lockbox bounds through plot developments without any sense of stakes or purpose, peppered by a smattering of haphazard paint-by-numbers jump scares. The only unwavering constant is Ellen’s resolute faith, and Stamm seems to leave it entirely to Gugino to guide confused audiences through this inconsequential story right up until its supernatural climax.
Image Credit: Aura entertainment
To give more credit, Lockbox at least injects an unconventional exorcism here; just don’t expect much in the way of explanation. When the film finally reveals the meaning behind its title, it dangles a fascinating carrot it has zero interest in delivering. More than a severe lack of fleshing out its characters beyond plot drivers or devices, this faith-based flick also seems terrified to offer any worldbuilding whatsoever.
Yoffe’s script stretches the short story beyond its means instead of fleshing it out, and Stamm fills out the gaps with cheap CGI scares and overwrought performances; Isabelle’s Vahna is beyond cartoonish in her villainy. It’s also pretty nonsensical, treating only Ellen’s faith with the utmost sincerity and largely squandering its typically reliable talent. So much so that the final imagery, pure sunkissed saccharine sentimentality, leaves you with the feeling that this horror movie might be better suited as an entry in Chicken Soup for the Soul.
Lockbox releases in select theaters on July 3, 2026.
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