E3 2008 was massive for Square Enix. They didn't announce any new games, or wow anyone with new trailers for their highly anticipated games. However, they did drop the bomb that Final Fantasy XIII would no longer be exclusive to the PlayStation 3, as it would also be appearing on the Xbox 360.

Since then, support for Square Enix has dropped considerably, and not just amongst loyal Sony supporters. Consistent rumours about Final Fantasy XIII delays and the game's production values, as well as other reports about the company have tarnished Square Enix's reputation in the West. What better place to try and rekindle the love affair than at the biggest trade shown in the world, E3.

Square Enix have already got off to a bad start by announcing that many of their Japanese staff won't be travelling to E3 due to scares about Swine Flu. This includes Tetsuya Nomura and the Kingdom Hearts team, so right off the bat this means that very little will likely be shown about Final Fantasy Versus XIII. It could also rule out the long awaited announcement about the next Kingdom Hearts game; Kingdom Hearts 3.

Of the products that Square Enix have outstanding, Final Fantasy XIII and Dissidia: Final Fantasy are probably the biggest. However, Dissidia is well known to most Square Enix fans now, and there isn't much else that can be learnt. Final Fantasy XIII could also have a very small showing, as the demo provided more than enough hype for the product at the moment and since it's not going to be out for at least a year, Square Enix may decide to keep it relatively low key.

They could surprise us though, and provide more information on the mystery game (now known as Nier which appeared last month in Official PlayStation Magazine. This game is definitely going to be appearing on the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, but much more could be disclosed at this year's E3.

Other than that, there is also The Crystal Bearers. After a long hiatus, Square Enix started revealing information about this game, which is highly anticipated for the Nintendo Wii.

In short, it wouldn't be too difficult to expect a relatively small showing from Square Enix this year. If anything, they could use E3 to promote a new game, other than hype existing ones.

TAGS: E3 2009, Square Enix, Musings, PS3, Xbox 360, Sony PSP, Sony, Microsoft