This year at E3 we saw the return of some previously mentioned games from last year’s E3 listing as well as some new original properties. While many new games were announced, this listing usually gives credit to those that were actually shown in playable form at this year’s E3 and that will actually be in retail stores in the not too distant future. Therefore, here are the top game picks for E3 2006.
10. God of War 2
-One of the biggest surprises to come out of nowhere last year was God Of War which was developed by Sony and became one of the biggest hits for the Playstation 2. Now God Of War 2 let’s you control Kratos on a new adventure as a full fledged Greek God. GOW 2 controls look similar to the last game and feature the return of the blades of chaos that will allow gamers to pull off full fledged combos and unique attacks. Kratos will also now have the ability to use pegasus wings and fly to specific areas. God Of War 2 looks quite good and should be out for hopefully the holiday season.
9. Too Human
-This game comes from Sillicon Knights who previously worked on Eternal Darkness for the Nintendo Gamecube. This game was a dream project for the developer but could never be realized until the current next-gen consoles came out. Players take on the role of the Cybernetic God Baldur to rip apart foes. He’s not actually a God, but rather is powered by cybernetic enhancements, allowing for upgradeable powers.The game gives you the option to either upgrade and be more robotic to fight your opponents or to stay ‘Too Human’, the option is yours. This game may no longer be with Nintendo but it’s certainly looking very impressive with the Xbox 360.
8. Red Steel
-This is an exclusive first-person action / adventure game from Ubisoft for the Nintendo Wii. This game takes full advantage of Nintendo’s Wii controller to allow gamers to use the controller to sword fight in real time or use the controller to pin point exact locations on a bad guy’s body to shoot. The title utilizes the Wii’s free-hand style controller for innovation control mechanics, including allowing players are able to hold swords or guns normally or side-armed depending upon how they hold the controller while playing. This game will be available when the Nintendo Wii launches in November.
7. New Super Mario Bros.
-Once again, a familiar face from last year’s list makes a return. The first new 2D Mario platformer since Super Mario World has arrived. New Super Mario Bros. is loaded with features and characters that could only exist in the Mushroom Kingdom, including all-new power-ups like the Blue Shell, in which Mario can ride, and a massive Mushroom that makes him ultra-huge.
6. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
-Samus returns in a new adventure for The Nintendo Wii. This time the game will hopefully be ready for the Nintendo Wii launch date and features Samus in much larger environments and open areas than the last title. Samus will also have more control over her ship and will be able to use the new Wiimote (controller) to be able to kill her opponents better than ever.
5. Crysis
-A next-generation project by CryTek, makers of the dazzling FPS Far Cry. This game is running on the new CryENGINE 2 technology. The game is one of the the first announced to run on the advanced DirectX 10 architecture. This game features a battle between North Korea and the USA that gets interrupted on an island when a asteroid hits and breaks open to reveal an alien invasion. The game will allow you to change weapons to react to different environments that will be harsh and hard to react to. This title is looking for a release date sometime in 2007 on the PC.
4. Spore
-The evolution of Sim Life continues with an all new game from Will Wright. In this game, you develop creatures that can evolve over time into societies and can do battle or socialize with other civilizations. Beginning in the primordial ooze, players create a character from DNA that will grow, survive, and mate as it evolves from a single-celled organism to a fully-formed member of an establishing species. This might be the fitting ending of the sim games from Will Wright and so it’s only fair to go all out with this final evolution of a game.
3. Super Mario Galaxy
-Not to be biased, but being a huge Mario fan, it’s great to see Mario back and better than ever in a new Mario game for the Wii. From what I’ve seen so far of the game, it might not be the graphical upgrade that many fans were expecting for a next-generation title but looks just as good if not better than Super Mario 64 did which to this day is still a classic game for Nintendo. So far the gameplay details are still a bit sketchy but from what we’ve seen, Mario goes off to different galaxies and can move freely in a full 360 degree turn around each planet which is quite impressive. Look for this game to either make the launch date of the Wii this November or be slightly delayed until early 2007.
2. Gears of War
-Gears of War is brought to us from Cliffy B. and Epic Games, the makers of Unreal Tournament. Microsoft is hoping this title becomes another killer App. like Halo was and have major expectations of this game. It’s a third person tactical shooter title and runs on the Unreal 3 engine. Gears of War thrusts gamers into a deep and harrowing story of humankind’s epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet. Gears of War is not your typical shooter in that you must often duck and shoot and rely on your environments to help you defeat your opponents. Teamwork is a big part of the game and we hope the expectations are reached with this title when it comes out in 2007.
1. The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess
-For a game that was rumored to be released numerous times, the wait was certainly worth it. The game will be launched simultaneously on both the Nintendo Gamecube and The Nintendo Wii and will take full advantage of the Wiimote by allowing players to sword fight, shoot arrows and fish with the new controller. The game will be the killer app. for Nintendo on launch day and will help sell the Nintendo Wii to many delighted children and adults alike. It’s no wonder that this title has made our list at number 1 for the second consecutive year.This year was so big and with so many new games announced that I have created a new section for games that showcased amazing trailers, were simply announced or simply didn’t have enough room to make our top 10 but will be given significant recognition. Here are the games broken down by console.
PS3:
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots
Gran Turismo HD
Formula One Racing
Tekken 6
Assasin’s Creed
WarHawk
Devil May Cry 4
Heavenly Sword
Killzone
Virtua Fighter 5
Final Fantasy XIII
XBOX 360:
Mass Effect
Fable 2
Dead Rising
BioShock
Forza Motorsport 2
Dead Or Alive 4
Halo 3
Nintendo Wii:
Sonic Wild Fire
Wario Ware: Smooth Moves
Wii Sports
Fire Emblem
Project H.A.M.M.E.R.
Elebits
Duck Hunt
Resident Evil Wii Title
Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam
Nintendo DS:
Star Fox DS
CastleVania: Portrait of Ruin
Yoshi’s Island 2
Diddy Kong Racing
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of The Minis
Phoenix Wright: And Justice For all
PSP:
Killzone Liberation
Ranchet and Clank: Size Matters
Silent Hill Origins
Tekken: Dark Resurrection
Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Metal Gear Solid: Portable OPS
PC:
Command And Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
BattleField 2142
NeverWinter Nights 2
World Of Warcraft: The burning Crusade
HellGate: London
Multiple Consoles:
Unreal Tournament 2k7
EA and 2K sports franchises
Hitman: Blood Money
Tom Clancy’s Rainbox Six Vegas
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Double Agent
Resident Evil 5
Huxley
Call of Duty 3
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
X-Men: The Official Game
Smackdown VS. Raw 2007
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