Wow…What a week! E3 2009 was a huge, huge, HUGE success for pretty much everyone involved and since I was on-hand to check out the new titles, I thought I’d deliver a bit of insight into which ones I actually got some playtime with and which where my personal favorites. Before I get to that though, I’d like to deliver the biggest of internet shout outs to my colleagues and friends at both GameTrailers and EpicBattleAxe. To a man (and woman), everyone stepped up and busted ass to make E3 2009 a fantastic experience. Of course, it helps that some interesting console news and absolutely huge titles served as the subject matter for us to cover, but nonetheless, I’m taken back by how great of a job everyone did on both sides. Totally awesome stuff!!!

Now, if you’re interested in checking out a general synopsis of my thoughts on the show, you can view an abbreviated version in this week’s edition of the EpicBattleCry podcast. If you, like my wife and mother, but unlike most people, would like to check out extended versions of my thoughts, ramblings, and musings on the HAWT SHIZZLE, you can do so below. Either way, I thank you in advance for understanding that there is NO WAY to cover every game (actually, there is, but I don’t have the time…), and knowing that my opinions are, uh, OPINIONS and aren’t meant to flame the fire of fanboyism that fuels the beloved console war…

Here we go!

-COMPILED IN THE MOST RANDOM ORDER POSSIBLE, CLICK EACH TITLE TO WATCH GAME MEDIA ON GT:

SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2
Ok, so, here’s the deal…Coming into E3, I, like many, though Nintendo absolutely NEEDED to show off some huge titles for the hardcore gamer in order to not COMPLETELY LOOSE the respect of the audience that sustained them over the last 20 years. That said, I knew going in that I’d be good to go with any sort of a follow up to one of my favorite games of all time; Super Mario Galaxy. Well, SMG 2 was announced and honestly, I couldn’t be happier! Sure, it’s pretty much more of the same, but when the same equates to pure AWESOME, that’s quite alright with me. Plus, it’s the first true sequel in quite a while for the franchise and we’ll get to ride Yoshi in the new outing…DUDE….Sign me up!!!

MASS EFFECT 2
I went into E3 09′ with high hopes for Mass Effect 2. Well, it didn’t live up to them…it COMPLETELY BLEW THE DOORS OFF OF THEM! Seriously, the demo I got from BioWare’s Casey Hudson nearly made me shed some man tears…The new combat engine, the environments, the cinematics, the increased interactivity, and most importantly, the depth of the story and characters within made me say “dear God” about 20 times….Add in the fact that Shepard’s fate heading into ME3 is completely in your hands (no, really…he may or may not even be in the third game based on your actions in part 2) and you can see why this will easily be my front-runner for GOTY…I simply can’t wait to experience Mass Effect 2.

THE LAST GUARDIAN
I’ve been catching some flack in the comments for the latest EpicBattleCry for not mentioning The Last Guardian in our recap. Well, we missed mentioning it…what can I say. It’s not for lack of interest because, as anyone who knows me knows, I hold both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus up as prime examples of what is attainable within the realm of interactive entertainment. The ambience, the story telling, the character design, the immersion factor…All through the roof. Of course, I expect that trend to continue with The Last Guardian and already consider it a must own for anyone with a PS3. That said, I do think the lead character looks a bit out of place…something about the color palette or the actual shape of the lead character seems to stand out…and not necessarily in a positive way. I dunno, the team behind this consists of pure geniuses in my opinion, so I’ll trust that they know what they’re doing…Only time will tell.

GOD OF WAR III
God of War III needs to be bundled with the PlayStaiton 3 when it launches. The game will account for a huge increase in sales for Sony’s struggling system, so why not make it a sweet deal by packaging the two together? Honestly, GOW III is exactly what it needs to be; GOW II with better graphics and more over-the-top gameplay. I can’t count how many times I heard the phrase “that’s bad-ass” when watching the game be played by the masses on the show-room floor. It looks good, plays good, and is a solid addition to the franchise while bolstering Sony’s lineup of quality console exclusives. I’d tell you to check it out, but something tells me most of you already will;)

UNCHARTED 2
I was blown away by Uncarted 2. One of my buddies in the industry signed on with Naughty Dog recently and is working on the co-op portion of the game. I came to the title’s section within the Sony booth, saw him, and after catching up, got a one-on-one demonstration of the game in action. My jaw hit the floor…Seriously, this title encapsulates the industry-wide effort to transform the cinematic action experience into a playable action experience. I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride and holding on for dear life…somehow, that ride managed to be fun, intense, and funny all at the same time. It was, in a word, “epic”. Again, a must have for PS3 owners and in my humble opinion, reason enough to get the console if you don’t already have one.

MODERN WARFARE 2
If it’s seeming like my takes on this year’s crop of E3 titles are overwhelmingly positive, it’s because the games themselves were overwhelmingly kick-ass. If you expect that trend to stop with my report on Modern Warefare 2, you might as well stop reading. Seriously, has anyone nailed an FPS action title like this yet? I got a behind-closed-doors demo of the game, but it was more or less an extended version of what was shown during the Msoft presser…and, like that showing, it was AMAZING. This game is intense, and the sweet set pieces used by Infinity Ward to immerse you in the action are bigger, better, and more bad-ass that in CoD: MW…If you can believe that. The level shown ran the gauntlet of emotion by going from stealthy tension to visceral action within a few moments of one another. This is one game you might have to take in doses…unless you have nerves of steel or the medication to compensate.

DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS
I’ll be honest, as big of a fan of BioWare as I am, I was nervous about Dragon Age: Origins going into E3. Why? Well, the concept seems good, the prequel book I read was awesome (seriously, go check it out), and the pedigree from which it hails is by far one of the best in the industry. Despite that though, the whole Marilyn Manson “sex and violence equals awesome” thing along with the simple fact that the game’s graphics were looking janky at best left me more than a little concerned. Well, I sat in on a presentation and also got some hands-on time with the game and can tell you that I came out optimistic. The presentation was just alright to be honest…it was focused on which party member chic you wanted to bang (which was silly) and how you wanted to handle one of the world’s more mysterious characters, but while I wasn’t too impressed with either, it was meant to show how YOUR CHOICES will truly impact the game world, its characters, and pretty much everything in-between. Hopping on the 360 version, I’m happy to report that the controls are more action/RPG than straigh-up RPG and translate rather well. The main thing here for me is that the console controls don’t get in the way…that is, that they don’t DETRACT from the game. They don’t have to be stunningly good, they just don’t need to inhibit the experience. Thankfully, I don’t think they will…Am I pumped for Dragon Age? Yes, I am…I will give it the benefit of the doubt considering the reasons above, and will hope that the richness of the world draws me in and delivers a compelling experience overall.

STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC
I didn’t see the game in action. I, like you, saw the new trailer. It was quite possibly the coolest 2 minutes of SW ever. I knew several people that had nerd-gasms…it was that good. I did find it odd how detached the visual style of the trailer was from that of the game, but I guess it’s just meant to set the stage for how epic this whole Old Republic thing is gonna be…and judging by this trailer, it’s gonna be PRETTY DAMN EPIC!

NHL 10′
I am a HUGE fan of NHL 09′. Quite possibly one of my favorite sports games of all time. So, naturally, I was jacked to get some hands-on with the follow up and talk some trash with the game’s producer who I’ve interviewed a few times now….Again, happy to report that NHL 10′ is rocking…the First Person Fighting thing works rather well and, while far from perfect, progresses the mechanic in a positive direction while offering up something fresh and unique. Toss in new board play mechanics, enhanced passing, deking, and shooting controls along with richer atmosphere and the ability to cause some major mayhem on the ice and you’ve got a recipe for greatness yet again. Considering that many NHL 09′ players took their game online with the rather awesome EA Sports Hockey League, a good amount of energy has been spent simply FIXING the issues experienced with the game in multiplayer. Adding tons of new goalie animations to compensate for exploits has been the fix, and it seems to be working well from what I’ve seen. I can’t vouch for a completely exploitation-free iteration of the title online, but I can say the team is hard at work on making it a huge step up from last year. Gonna drop the puck on this one as soon as it comes out!

FORZA MOTORSPORT 3
Speaking of catching flak, I also got my bones busted by the peanut gallery for referring to Forza Motorsport 3 as being “okay” in the recent EBC. Well, guess what? In my opinion, it is just “okay”….RIGHT NOW. I need to see more. Perhaps it’s the limited exposure I’ve had, or the cool, but slightly unrealistic approach to content customization they brought to the table (are you REALLY gonna spend all that time to paint your car and produce stylized video edits of your races???), but my opinion at the moment is that is seems good, but not the one title in a sea of awesomeness that I’ll be running out of the office to get. I hope they impress me and make a fantastic, accessible, and memorable racing experience for us all to enjoy.

GRAN TURISMO PSP
Oh look…Another racing game…but this time, it’s on the go! Uh…literally…OK, enough of the puns and lead-ins, one of the most popular gaming franchises (and certainly one of THE most popular racing franchises) is hitting Sony’s PSP. I got to go hands-on with Gran Turismo PSP and only have this to say: Buy it. If you like the series at all and own a PSP (or are entertaining the idea of buying a PSP Go!), then you pretty much NEED this game. It’s a complete package with an absurd amount of vehicles and things to do…It will take you FOREVER to experience the whole game, and plus, it’s a blast to play. All of the flying around on planes I do is about to be a lot more fun…and go a lot faster.

LOST PLANET 2
Honestly, I didn’t see much of Lost Planet 2 at E3 2009, but what I DID SEE was pretty impressive. I know this is a hot title, so I wanted to mention it, and from what I’ve seen, it will be a solid action title. Big enemies, cool environments, plenty of action…it all looks good thus far. I wish I had more to say, but I don’t…we’ll see how the final product turns out then, eh?

BIOSHOCK 2
Much to my surprise, I didn’t see hardly ANYTHING from BioShock 2 at E3. I know it was there behind closed doors, but I wasn’t assigned to it and thusly missed the chance to check it out. Evidently, the game is amazing, as other industry peeps were buzzing, which isn’t much of a surprise. BioShock 2 is easily one of the most highly-anticipated games in the industry right now, and unless something catastrophic goes down, it should be one of the best titles of the year.

ASSASSIN’S CREED 2
When I got to the Ubisoft booth at E3 09′, I was really stoked to check out AC2. I mean, take a great game concept from the original, toss it into a sweet new setting, and add more bad-ass things to do. What can go wrong, right? Fortunately, not much went wrong and I’m happy to report that fans of the original should place this one right next to the top of their “must have” lists moving forward. The combat, while sparse in the demo I saw, seemed a bit more refined while the environmental navigation seemed even more polished than before. This game should simply rock…I hope it lives up to expectations.

HALO 3: ODST
Was I the only one not impressed by Halo: ODST? I can hear the hate mail hitting my inbox already, but I’m just being honest. I thought it was…”eh”. Don’t get me wrong, the prospect of playing MORE HALO, what with it’s sweet controls, balanced gameplay, and guaranteed good time, is enticing…but I just wasn’t blown away by anything I saw from this title during E3. Dunno, maybe that will change, but for now, I’m interested but reserved….After all, there’re A LOT of games to compete with out there…even if you’re Halo.

TMNT SMASH UP
Being the life-long Turtles fan that I am, you can imagine that ANYTHING to do with the Turtles makes me go out of my shell (I had too….). Smash-Up on the Wii is no different. I got to play it, and uh, it’s Super Smash Bros. Brawl with the Turtles and related characters…which is a good thing. The graphics seemed really bad though, but we all know it’s GAMEPLAY that rules the day…in that department, Smash-Up delivered a fun (albeit frantic) experience that I’ll look forward to having on the Wii once it comes out.

BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM
Batman fans DESERVE a good game. Hell, any super hero fan deserves a good game after all the crap they’ve had to endure. So, will Arkham Asylum live up to expectations and deliver the experience fans crave? I got some hands-on time with it and am happy to report that this will probably be the most POLISHED Batman title to date. The game seemed authentic…From the voice work to the environments to the combat…it felt like you were controlling Batman within a Batman world. That said, some odd physics, pretty pathetic AI, and overly simplistic level design threw up some red flags. Will they be fixed before the title’s August launch date? You’re guess is as good as mine.

CASTLEVANIA: LORDS OF SHADOW
Whoa! Where did THIS come from??? Even being on the inside, I knew NOTHING about this title pre-E3. It was my biggest pleasant surprise of the show as it looks to be a great addition to the storied Castlevania franchise. Sure, hardcore fans will bitch that it’s not 2D and all of that (and who can blame them), but something about the game looks really, really good…If you’re going to pull an old-school franchise into the next generation, do it in a big, bold way…Bionic Commando and Golden Axe kinda felt flat IMO, and I’m hoping this title shows off what’s capable with a great concept, enough development time, and some TLC.

THE BEATLES: ROCK BAND
I love the Beatles…I mean, I’m pretty sure you have to be void of a soul to NOT love the Beatles, so you can imagine how much I want The Beatles: Rock Band in my living room NOW. There’s not much to say about the game’s reveal at E3 other than A) It was UH-MAZING to have Sir Paul and Ringo there B) The intro to the game is freaking fantastic C) You play Beatles songs, some of the most beloved, known, and cherished pieces of modern music on Rock Band…I’ll be playing this eight days a week.

SPLINTER CELL: CONVICTION
I’ve drifted away from the Splinter Cell franchise over the years…for some reason, I’ve grown disinterested. Well, that’s not the case any more…Conviction looks amazing and I think they’re addressing all of the reason I (and a lot of other gamers) grew disinterested in the franchise. If I had to pinpoint a specific area, I’d say that the game’s pacing had grown weary…and predictable. Splinter Cell had gotten too formulaic. So, they basically threw said formula out the window and now deliver an experience based on letting YOU decide how to approach each situation (unlike prior titles which allowed choice, but sorta HIGHLY RECOMMENDED a method based on punishing outcomes) and, most of all, fixed that damn stupid running animation…I’m looking forward to this one for sure.

Ok, I know that’s nowhere near a complete list, but like I mentioned, these are the titles I either got personal hands-on time with and can give you impressions on, or titles I’m just so jacked about I had to mention. Other titles I encourage you to check out are Dark Void, The Conduit, Brutal Legend, Brink, Golden Sun DS, and Darksiders. Please feel free to comment, lemme know what you’re excited about, or take me to task for missing the game you have tattooed on your forehead (or your ass). Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed E3 2009! It sure is a great time to be a gamer!!!!