The Electronic Entertainment Expo is only a few weeks away and rumors are in high demand. This time around we've got some juicy rumors for you from all three major consoles. In fact, some of these rumors delve into launch titles for the next generation of consoles. Read on to find out what could be going on with some old school Rare franchises, renewed Nintendo franchises, and quite a bit more.

Rumor: Rare is in the early development stages of a new Killer Instinct and Battletoads game to launch with Microsoft's next console in 2005.

Bryan says: This rumor seems to keep popping up every six months. We all know Rare's Killer Instinct development team is torn between 2D and 3D. They've stated this on their website many times. We also know that Rare has interest in developing a new KI and Battletoads. They recently asked fans to write in concerning which franchises they should bring back on the Xbox. Needless to say, KI and Battletoads were both repeatedly mentioned.

If this rumor had stated the games would be releasing on the Xbox, I would probably shoot it down right there. However, since it mentions Microsoft's next console, it makes this tidbit a real possibility. Rare has their hands full right now, but they like to do things right, no matter how long they have to delay a game. With nearly three years to complete these two games, while still working on their current Xbox projects, an Xbox 2 launch seems plausible.

Rumor: Resident Evil 0 will be hitting the PlayStation 2 this fall due to GameCube sales falling well short of Capcom's initial projections.

Bryan says: The fact that Resident Evil 0 didn't sell as well on the GCN as it would have sold on the PS2 is a no-brainer. It was a valiant attempt by Nintendo and Capcom to eliminate the age barrier surrounding the GameCube, but there just wasn't enough support from other, more mature software.

The only thing keeping this rumor in check is the contract Nintendo and Capcom have in regards to Resident Evil games. RE0 and future sequels were supposed to be GameCube exclusive. Now obviously there is an end to this contract, as well as loop holes for games like Gun Survivor and RE: Online. I wouldn't be surprised if either the contract is up, or Capcom found a way out of it. The only remaining question would have to deal with the prospect of Capcom releasing RE: Online and RE0 around the same time later this year. If one of them hits late summer and the other around the holidays it's possible. Otherwise I wouldn't hold my breath for this one.

Rumor: Nintendo and Retro Studios are already knee-deep into the development of a sequel to Metroid Prime. Nintendo has plans to release the game this holiday season.

Bryan says: Nintendo has made it clear that they want to increase their share in the console market as soon as possible. While Metroid didn't meet their sales expectations, it was very well received by the media. Frankly, any game that includes a big Nintendo franchise will boost GameCube sales. Since Zelda has already released, with F-Zero and Star Fox in development, Metroid is the next apparent step.

Assuming Retro started work on the new Metroid immediately after Prime was completed, would thy have enough time to polish it up for a holiday release? If they plan to use the same basic engine it could be done. Now that Retro has a solid handle on the GameCube, it becomes even more of a reality. If Nintendo can round out the year with another Mario, in addition to another Metroid, they just might make up some of that lost ground.

Rumor: The first trailer for Metal Gear Solid 3 will be on display at E3 2003.

Bryan says: Hideo Kojima is hard at work on something. Everyone seems to think it's Metal Gear Solid 3, and no one has reason to believe otherwise. Therefore, it would be a logical assumption for the first real sign of the game to come in the form of an E3 trailer. Konami did it with Metal Gear Solid 2, so why not allow the sequel to do the same?

Sony also needs something to hype up at their annual E3 press conference. The last two years their big name games have been Madden and SOCOM. While Madden will likely be shown with new online features (headset anyone?), SOCOM is finally out of the picture. Jak II will make its presence known, but you still need something huge. MGS3 would be the missing piece to round out Sony's press conference.

Rumor: Dimps is well underway with a sequel to Dragonball Z: Budokai. This time around the game will hit PS2 and Xbox with online play. Expect the game to hit around the holiday season.

Bryan says: No one has to tell Infogrames and Dimps that Dragonball is hot right now. With GT just getting started on Cartoon Network, the anime won't be dying down anytime soon. In addition, some of the major complaints with the original Budokai revolved around its lack of online play, and the fact that it only followed the first half of the series. This leaves two big features for a sequel.

The only problem here is that Infogrames already announced a GameCube port of Budokai to release late this summer. While it wouldn't make sense to leave the holiday season baron of a PS2 Dragonball game, why not scrap the GCN port and instead release Budokai 2 on both systems? Something is missing, and we won't know the truth until Infogrames can be questioned at E3. Stay tuned on this one.

Rumor: Sony is in talks to have Grand Theft Auto 4 and Tekken 5 release on the PlayStation 3 as launch titles. Both games will include online play.

Bryan says: This is a big one. We already know that Rockstar has shifted the true sequel to GTA3 from the PS2, to the more powerful PS3. We also know that Namco was recently hiring programmers for a new game in the Tekken series. Given the amount of time both developers would have before the launch of the PS3, this rumor makes sense.

Online play is another matter. Capcom has already proved it can be done with modern fighting games. Since the PlayStation 3 is supposed to be super powerful in comparison to the PS2, Namco should be able to pull off a new Tekken with online play. This scenario becomes even more of a reality when you factor in a two year development cycle. Rockstar would have even more time since the US release of the PS3 will likely come several months after the Japanese release. Both titles would make a killer combination for the PS3 launch lineup.