This week’s E3 Expo in Los Angeles will bring an avalanche of details about the hottest new videogames of the next 12 months. Here’s an advance glimpse of the games that’ll be on show.

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Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light

Sometimes, the old way is the better way. Gamers who long for the days when enemies ambushed you from out of nowhere will be well served by this new, retro-styled Final Fantasy for the Nintendo DS.

Released in Japan last year, it’s developed by Matrix, the team that handled the Final Fantasy III and IV remakes for the Nintendo DS. These guys know old-school, perhaps a bit too much: When Chris got his hands on the game last year he found it daunting.

Vanquish

Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami takes a few sly jabs at Americans in this third-person shooter published by Sega. Platinum Games zeroes in on Western tastes by offering its take on the run, cover and shoot of Gears of War . But the game is still distinctly Japanese. There is, after all, no dearth of robots in the trailer.

Of course, cultural stereotypes flow both ways; The American citizens doing the old duck-and-cover in the clip in question look fairly well-fed.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

The best thing about Ninja Theory’s Heavenly Sword was the motion-capped acting. Now, with 28 Days Later scribe Alex Garland and mocap thespian Andy Serkis on board, the Cambridge studio aims to get the gameplay to the same high standards.

Its post-apocalyptic riff on the Chinese novel Journey to the West cribs from solid videogame source material — Ico . Players control Monkey — the game’s hero, who is on the hook to protect his captor, a girl named Trip — as they trek through the overgrown, robot-plagued ruins of Western civilization.

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock

And you were ticked when Neversoft gave Guitar Hero character Judy Nails a boob job? This year, Activision goes the extra mile to differentiate its blockbuster series of music games from the competition by giving characters the power to transform into axe-wielding fantasy heroes.

There’s a method to the madness: Players can now embark on a quest to save rock ‘n’ roll from the forces of evil with the aid of the legendary Gene Simmons. And because Guitar Hero has deigned to get all medieval on our asses, the game is doubling down on its commitment to metal with an exclusive new tune from Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine.

Tentatively raise your devil horns.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

The year 2027 is a time of great innovation and technological advancement. It’s also, apparently, a time when architects, city planners and interior decorators are totally in love with the look and feel of Blade Runner .

The long-awaited follow-up to Ion Storm’s pioneering cyberpunk shooter imagines a future where the daring go transhuman, augmenting their bodies with technology to make themselves stronger, smarter, or simply more wicked looking. Does that Van Dyke come in a 30-GB model?

Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures

You may be totally over Star Wars , but your kids or younger siblings are probably just falling in love with Lucas’ universe — Jar Jar, midi-chlorians and all. Luckily, they’re getting a game worth their affections.

Sony Online Entertainment’s new free-to-play MMO lets kids pal around in a world modeled on the popular Cartoon Network show. While there, they can pass the time playing a huge array of Star Wars–themed mini-games. And, if they’re flush with virtual currency, they can buy new outfits and other virtual swag to customize their character.

Be a good role model: Teach your younglings that rat tails are always a serious fashion faux pas.

Transformers: War for Cybertron

The Autobots and Decepticons weren’t always refugees. Before they brought their fight to Earth, they battled over energon cubes on their home planet. This new game from High Moon Studios goes down before the events of the original animated series, which means you care way too much about Transformers lore.

There’s more good news. Because the game takes place a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, you can be sure that Sam Witwicky hasn’t been born yet.

Rock Band 3

Harmonix wants to make you into a rocker. The latest evolution of its hit music series makes it easier than ever to jam a house party.

But if you’re serious about honing skills and actually learning to play a real instrument, Harmonix is all about giving you the tools to make that dream come true. New keytar and guitar peripherals simulate the sensation of playing music as never before. This goes double for Pro Mode, where players tickle keys and fret strings note-for-note with the actual song.

Take that, Jack White.

Call of Duty: Black Ops

With Modern Warfare maker Infinity Ward gutted, Call of Duty fans will have to get their fix from Treyarch. Black Ops rewinds a bit from modernity, taking us to the Vietnam era, when ground wars against communist creep flared up all over the world.

Of course, as part of a top-secret military unit, none of the bad guys you shoot in the head will be mourned in the history books. Especially the zombie history books, which are a total whitewash.

Kane & Lynch: Dog Days

After all the mayhem that Adam “Kane” Marcus and James Seth Lynch caused in the United States, it makes sense that the escaped convicts would flee to Shanghai. Besides, China makes for awesome videogame levels, what with all that neon and livestock to shoot.

This sequel to the 2007 cooperative third-person shooter gives Lynch something to care about –- a woman. You’d think the guy would clean himself up a bit once he found a girlfriend, and yet that wifebeater shirt looks like it has stains from the last game.