Best Action-Adventure Game: Prince of Persia
Starting the franchise over, Ubisoft is ready to take players through the adventure of Prince of Persia once again. Offering up an incredible supporting AI and improved combat, this new look Prince of Persia is out to reclaim his mantle as the best action-adventure game this holiday. With gorgeous graphics to boot, we have to admit that he has a good shot at doing so.
Other Notable Contenders: Tomb Raider: Underworld, Lord of the Rings: Conquest, Saint’s Row 2
Best Platformer: Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts was the biggest question mark on our list for E3. We didn’t know if it was going to be a stellar game due to the changing of the gameplay. Now focusing on platforming through the use of vehicles, Banjo and Kazooie are out to defeat the nefarious Gruntilda once and for all. After putting in a good thirty minutes with the create-a-vehicle portion of the game, it’s obvious to state that Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts is going to offer up countless hours of gameplay for the hardcore game.
Other Notable Contenders: LEGO Batman, Naruto: The Broken Bond
Best Strategy Game: Halo Wars
While it wasn’t as graphically as impressive as it looked through video and screenshots, the one thing we can say about Halo Wars is the accessibility the game contains. Having some of the simplest controls for any RTS on the consoles, Halo Wars is user-friendly and should have Halo fanatics excited when they have the ability to have a handful of Spartans on the field defeating Covenant troops.
Other Notable Contenders: Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3, Tom Clancy's EndWar
Best XBLA Game: Mega Man 9
Mega Man 9 isn’t a step back in terms of where the franchise is going, but rather a launching pad to spring forward with the series. Going the route of 2D, Mega Man 9 was the most addicting title on the show floor at E3 due to how hard it was. Yes, the difficulty is tough enough to have attracted us back a few times to try our hand at beating the level.
Other Notable Contenders: UNO: Rush, Portal: Still Alive, Geometry Wars 2
Best Other Console Title: Flower (PlayStation 3)
Flower is one of the prettiest and most original ideas at E3. Not only did it have music that captured the essence of what was occurring on the screen, but the graphics had many in awe because of the way the grass blades moved in the wind. While it won’t attract the masses who favor a gun in their character’s hand, what Flower shows is that games can be much more than about war and violence.
Other Notable Contenders: Little Big Planet, Killzone 2, Resistance 2, Spore, Animal Crossing
Biggest Surprise: Final Fantasy XIII on the Xbox 360
Final Fantasy XIII’s announcement for the Xbox 360 served as a stunning revelation of where the Xbox 360 could be heading. Already having the most role-playing games for any one console, the Xbox 360 now has the mother of all Japanese RPGS on its system and this announcement could now pave way for many more Square-Enix titles to show up on the Xbox 360.
Other Notable Contenders: Netflix Partnership, Exclusive Fallout 3 Content on 360, No New Halo Game Announced, iD Software and EA Team-up
Game of the Show: Fallout 3
This is always the most difficult category to agree on, especially considering the quality titles we got to go hands-on with at this year’s E3 show. The reason Fallout 3 ultimately won out was the massive scale the game takes place on, featuring over 100 hours of gameplay and some of the coolest weapons ever seen in a video game. After putting nearly an hour into the game it was the one title that we talked about the entire way back to the office; this game is going to be of epic proportions, and there shouldn't be a single gamer out there who has not pre-ordered this one.
Other Notable Contenders: Fable 2, Gears of War 2, Left 4 Dead, Resident Evil 5, Mirror’s Edge
