Apart of the allure of E3 is guessing what is going to be revealed. As if waiting in line for a roller coaster, the anticipation for the main event can be just as exciting as the actual experience. However, similar to anticipating your high school crush to say yes when you ask her out on a date, hearing that resounding “no” can be a lot more painful then never trying at all. There was a lot of great games being showcased at E3 this year, but even when everything is being shown there still manages to be a few highly anticipated games that are absent. Here are the top five games that I thought would surely make an appearance at E3, and what their absence may mean.

5. Diablo 3

Blizzard's epic return to one of their most epic video game series, had an epic no show at E3. In truth, this isn't much of a surprise. Blizzard always holds their own convention, Blizzcon, and they will probably go out of their way for this year's Blizzcon to showcase Diablo 3. My guess is that they felt showing Diablo 3 at E3 would only let it loose in a sea of other games getting just as much attention. I always felt some developers think E3 is just a formality, where people just show what games they have coming out because others are showing theirs. Although, even if that was the case, it would have been nice to finally get my hands on a sequel to the legendary series, even if they had to be extra exclusive with their demonstration, like Bethesda was with Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

4. Untitled Grand Theft Auto

I'll admit, this may have been more wishful thinking then legitimately expecting Rockstar to announce a new Grand Theft Auto game, but it's getting around that time when they usually unveil a new entry into the ultra popular series. It's been more than three years since the last Grand Theft Auto, and even though Rockstar has proven they have been busy, releasing the critically acclaimed Red Dead Redemption and L.A. Noire, they usually announce they are doing another Grand Theft Auto to get the fans excited. Their absence is probably as a result of L.A. Noire being released close to E3. Rockstar can be one of the most seclusive developers in the market, a developer who will wait for one of their games to be released before talking in detail about the next one. Gamers didn't really know too much about L.A. Noire until Red Dead Redemption came out. If that is the case, then fans may have to wait a long time before hearing anything about one of the most beloved series in the industry, since Rockstar still has to release information on their secret operative video game, Agent, before announcing a new Grand Theft Auto game.

3. The Last Guardian

    

The one absentee that probably struck Sony fans the hardest was the lack of an appearance by Team Ico's next game, The Last Guardian. Team Ico have always been known for their unique gameplay mechanics and poetic storylines. Fans have been eagerly awaiting more information between the dynamic relationship of the kid and the dog-like creature in The Last Guardian, and the gameplay approach Team Ico plans to implement. What's more strange is that they are releasing the Team Ico HD collection in September, which will feature Ico and Shadow of the Colossus in HD for the Playstation 3. In the past, when a company releases an HD remastering collection it's usually near the release of a new game. When God of War 3 was about to come out, they released the God of War Collection which included God of War 1 and 2 remastered in HD. It's a similar tactic to what television shows adopt, releasing the previous season a month before the new season comes out so that fans can get caught up, and watch the show on the network to improve ratings. Therefore, one would think that The Last Guardian would be coming out this year, but it's absence unfortunately says otherwise. Fans can only hope Team Ico plans to hold their own press conference within the year to reveal more information on the game. Otherwise, the game must simply not be close to being done.

2. Final Fantasy Versus XIII

This one doesn't make any sense at all. The game was announced at the same press conference as Final Fantasy XIII was announced, yet that game has already been released, and a sequel for it, Final Fantasy XIII-2, was on this year's E3 show floor with a playable demo! How can two games be announced at the same time, but one take long enough to make, that the other game released has already had a pretty polished sequel being showcased all over E3? Square Enix has always been known to announce games years before their release, but the lack of information for this game is still puzzling. I would hope that it's only because they are saving it for the Tokyo Game Show. Final Fantasy has always had a stronger audience in Japan, and they may have felt that it would be wiser showcasing their games that had an American appeal for E3 (Dead Island, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Tomb Raider.) Hopefully, if they do display it at the Tokyo Game Show, they announce a solid release date as well. Don't short-change your American audience! We love Final Fantasy too!

1. Metal Gear Solid: Rising

This is the one game I would have bet my entire paycheck would make an appearance at this year's E3. It had every reason for being there. Konami is releasing an HD Metal Gear Solid collection later in the year for the Playstation 3, which, as stated earlier is usually done when a company has another new game coming out. The trailer that was revealed last year showed gameplay that was polished enough to make me believe the game was progressing at a good enough pace for a live demonstration. Rumors of a Metal Gear Solid V were circulating last year, which could mean it may be the same case as Final Fantasy versus XIII, where we could hear about Metal Gear Solid V before ever hearing about a solid release date for Metal Gear Solid: Rising. On top of it all, Konami barely had any serious console games on display. I'm not sure what to make of it's absence; the footage we saw last year makes me strongly believe the game has to be close to being done, but why would they not show anything? My only guess is the same as Final Fantasy Versus XIII: their waiting for the Tokyo Game Show. Either way, I'm anxious to return back to the Metal Gear Solid world.

E3 is such a huge event, that sometimes it's biggest problem is that it's too huge. Every developer wants to display their best work, and even the biggest hits can get lost in the commotion. That's why some developers wait for another convention, or for their own independent press conference to unveil their games, and gain more exposure. Besides the next Grand Theft Auto, most of the missing games will all probably end up being shown somewhere before the end of the year. Fans will just have to wait, but with so many other awesome upcoming games shown at E3 the waiting will not be as brutal as one may think.