At the 2012 E3 video game show in Los Angeles this week, the curtain will go up on several huge games. Halo 4 starts a new trilogy; The Last of Us introduces a post-apocalyptic zombie world from the creators of the Uncharted franchise; and we’ll finally get to see the new titles for the Wii U.
Yet many games that fans desperately want to see won’t be at E3. The following is a list of games that likely won’t make this year’s show, though they are heavily rumored to exist in some form. It would be great to include Star Wars Battlefront 3 or Gears of War Kinect to the list, but these titles have been cancelled, and there’s no use trying to wish them back from the dead. Instead, we’ll focus on titles that still offer a glimmer of hope.

Agent

Originally intended as a PlayStation exclusive, Rockstar’s long-rumored stealth action Agent is said to be going multi-platform, which may be adding to its development time. Set during the Cold War in the 1970s, the game hasn’t been in the news much since it was originally announced in June 2009. With Grand Theft Auto V on the bubble for a 2012 release, Rockstar developers probably have their hands full. Gamers just want to know if this game will be cancelled or not.

Duke Nukem Forever 2
Duke Nukem Forever was pretty terrible, despite and because of its decade-long development cycle. But developer Gearbox couldn’t have bought the Duke Nukem license just to release a single title. Now that the Duke Nukem name is under Gearbox control, it would be great to see what the studio can come up with on its own. If nothing else, we’d love to see some of the amazing weapons from the Borderlands franchise in a Duke Nukem environment.

Half Life 3

Half Life 3 is the top game on many fanboys’ wish lists. Unfortunately, according to developer Valve, there’s no way gamers will get a new Half Life at E3 2012. Although Valve has never denied the existence of Half Life 3, it seems that the company has moved on to more profitable franchises, like Portal, at least for now. Still, we have to assume a new Half Life is in some stage of development. After the cliffhanger ending of Half-Life 2: Episode 2,Valve wouldn’t leave fans stranded—would they?

Mirror’s Edge 2

It’s no secret that the first-person running game Mirror’s Edge didn’t sell well when it was released in 2008, despite high praise from fans and critics alike. EA has discussed a sequel many times over the years without ever actually committing to one. Now, rumors have it that a sequel using the Battlefield 3 engine (to save on development time) is in the works. Mirror’s Edge has sold well on the iPad, but isn’t it a bit late for a sequel?

Splinter Cell Conviction 2

In an interview with Gamasutra, Ubisoft admitted that a sequel to Conviction is coming, but we haven’t heard anything new about the title since 2010. At E3 2012, fans are expecting only a name reveal and a few preliminary details, especially since Ubisoft is currently focused on Rainbow Six: Patriots—which, unfortunately, probably won’t be at E3 this year either.

Update: A new Splinter Cell was announced at E3. It’s called Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Check out the official video from E3.