This week, we talk about the next game from BioWare, weigh in on the future of Agent and ask which new console will reign supreme this holiday.

Next Mass Effect game to be revealed in 2013

BioWare has already stated that work has begun on the next title in the Mass Effect universe, though other than its existence, nothing is known about it at all. We’ve heard that it might get an official reveal somewhat soon, however, given that Mass Effect 3 came out almost 18 months ago. We first saw ME3 at the VGAs; might we see the next one there as well?

Andrew 20% With the next Dragon Age still over a year away, I don’t think we’ll be hearing anything about the new Mass Effect game this year. While both games are being made by different teams, BioWare is a company that likes to focus on one big release at a time.		Shawn 50% BioWare did just show off the new Dragon Age at E3, and it does tend to focus its marketing on one title at a time. I don’t see that as something that would preclude a teaser or introduction trailer for Mass Effect sometime this year, though. It will surely be an 8th-gen title, so it could be a great title to drop a video for as the console launches arrive.
Graham 10% Yeah, not yet. We probably won’t see the game until Dragon Age is at least mostly finished; now that it’s not in the middle of a trilogy, there’s no need to have a drawn-out drip of information.		Lucas 50% I’d like to think BioWare would focus on the new Dragon Age to make it not bad like the second game, but Mass Effect being what it is, it probably won’t take much of a break. I feel like there’s a pretty equal chance of it being announced this year or next year. (Or later?)

Agent to be re-revealed by E3 2014

Rockstar has stayed silent on Agent for the last two years, while many became convinced it was canceled. However, the trademarks for Agent were recently renewed by Rockstar, leading to rumors about a new reveal of Agent looming in the next year. After we heard more about other long-absent titles such as Thief and Final Fantasy XV at E3 this year, might Agent make the same move next year?

Andrew 55% It seems Agent is still alive after all these years, which is good news, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the PS3 exclusive make the leap to the PS4. We definitely won’t see it revealed again at next year’s E3, but I could see Rockstar making an announcement about it early next year. At the same time, it doesn’t like to rush things, so it could also be a while before it is (re-)revealed.		Shawn 30% The renewal of the trademarks tells me that Rockstar still considers Agent to be an IP worth protecting, but it tells us nothing about its actual status. Until we hear anything about it directly, I have to believe that Rockstar has killed it for the time being. I would love to see it revived by next year for the PS4 though, as it sounded like a Rockstar game I would actually be interested in.
Graham 50% Maybe! Like Andrew said, it’d be a pre-E3 announcement, but the company likes releasing a marquee title a year, and with GTA V this year, next year could be time to take a risk.		Lucas 75% I don’t follow Rockstar enough to know what else it’s doing other than GTA V, so sure, why not?

Xbox One to outsell PlayStation 4 in 2013

Ever since incurring the wrath of what seemed like every console owner in the US at E3, Microsoft has stepped back from a number of its least popular decisions in recent weeks. With these features no longer an issue for consumers, and a larger fan base in the current generation of consoles, can Microsoft continue its sales domination by beating the PlayStation 4 in sales this year?

Andrew 50% It’s hard to say, honestly. I think that, despite Microsoft’s shortcomings, the Xbox brand is still pretty huge. Whether or not those people who love the 360 are willing to shell out $500 for an Xbox One is uncertain, but it will certainly do well. That being said, the PS3 overcame a rocky launch with some excellent exclusives, and the PS4, with a price tag $100 cheaper than the next Xbox, is looking like a good choice if you only have money to buy one. Having said all that, I’m going to remain on the fence about this one.		Shawn 35% Microsoft has a very strong fanbase in the US and has largely backtracked on the decisions that gave the Xbox One such a rapidly negative reputation. That said, the PlayStation 4 is $100 cheaper, the economy still hasn’t recovered and the PlayStation still has a massive amount of brand awareness and loyalty itself. I think sales will be close, but the Xbox One just won’t start out very quickly.
Graham 45% I’ll leave the door open for this reason: the European and Japanese releases may be delayed and the PS4 could experience launch shortages, causing skewed numbers. Otherwise, global sales of PS3 and 360 were neck-and-neck, and the lower PS4 price, complimented by the less-important-than-you-think increased goodwill, should let it take an early lead.		Lucas 25% From what I’ve seen on Twitter and elsewhere from people involved in retail, PS4 pre-orders (and backorders) seem to be much more prominent. Besides, people are still fairly upset with Microsoft, regardless of the backpedaling.

Current 2013-14 Season standings:

Andrew 0

Lucas 0

Graham 0

Shawn 0

Scores are centered on a zero point to account for occasional panelist changes.