While titles like Watch Dogs, The Last of Us and Halo 4 grabbed headlines at this year’s E3, there were a few games expected to make a splash that were M.I.A. See which games’ absence was noticed by us most.

Overstrike

Traditionally a Sony second-party developer, Insomniac Games announced to much fanfare at last year’s E3 it was working on its first multiplatform title with Overstrike. The co-op shooter sure to be punctuated with the developer’s trademark insane weaponry was nowhere to be found at E3 this year, though. This silence comes on top of no new announcements concerning the project since its initial announcement. Hopefully this game hasn’t been put on the back-burner as the game looked interesting in its reveal.

Agent

Officially announced during Sony’s 2009 E3 press conference, this PlayStation 3 exclusive looked to take players into a “world of counter-intelligence, espionage and political assassinations” during the Cold War and was being developed by Rockstar North. There’s been little developments since then outside of a few leaked screen shots and a confirmation the game still exists a little over a year ago.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII

It wouldn’t surprise me if Final Fantasy Versus XIII has been outright cancelled. After originally being shown off in 2006, there’s been little update on the progress of Versus. Meanwhile its companion, Final Fantasy XIII, has already been on store shelves for several years and has even received a second part in Final Fantasy XIII-2.

Grand Theft Auto V

Another Rockstar title lands on the list. Though the developer has traditionally shied away from gaming’s biggest stage, Grand Theft Auto is a blockbuster series on a scale of its own. Many question if the latest entry will join the already crowded 2012 fall release lineup or if it could slip into next year. With no announcement, I’m thinking the latter is more likely, though it is possible Rockstar just wants the spotlight all on GTA.

Ryse

Originally announced as Codename Kingdoms in 2010 and renamed Ryse at last year’s E3, this Crytek-developed title was nowhere to be seen this year. Billed as a hardcore title for Kinect, Microsoft certainly could have used another original first-party game like Ryse at its presentation this year. Crytek has released Crysis 2 and announced a third in the time since the announcement, so hopefully this hack and slash has not been forgotten.

The Last Guardian

Team ICO has been working on the The Last Guardian for six years and yet there is no solid date on when the game will be finished. Lead-designer on the project Fumito Ueda has left Sony, but is still working on-contract to finish the game, and Sony Santa Monica has reportedly been brought in to help finish the title. With all this work being put in and Sony’s assurances, I doubt the title will end up in the realm of vaporware, but at this point the behind-the-scenes story of the game’s development may end up being more interesting than the final product. Hopefully we’ll hear more at Tokyo Game Show.