Well this will end my E3 coverage here on the Blog. I had a really great time, met some really awesome people and played a ton of incredible games.
To help ease the pain of wading through all the coverage I’ve compiled a huge list of all the games I played as well as a sentence or two of impressions with a final recommendation for the game.
The full list is available after the break.
Also, I wanted to point out this link to all the audio recordings I did during E3. There are lots of goodies there including an interview with Peter Moore and a demo of Mass Effect.
You can also hear my radio interviews Post-E3 with In-Game Chat as well as Evil Avatar Radio Episode 65 (once it’s posted).
Next up on the ol’ ba-schedule is PAX in Seattle at the end of August. I’m not sure how much I’m going to “work the show” but I’ll still be posting stuff about it. I mean, how much can a game change in 6 weeks?
| Game Name | Platforms | Impressions | Recommendation |
| Assassin’s Creed | 360, PS3 | Splinter Cell meets Kingdom of Heaven in a richly detailed crusades era game. Rich graphics, unique controls and lots of variety will keep this game interesting. | Instant Purchase |
| Blacksite: Area 51 | 360, PS3 | Part Half-Life, Part Doom, Blacksite: Area 51 is a mindless shooter that offers plenty of “big” moments. Graphics, controls and audio are all solid. | Wait for Reviews |
| Burnout: Paradise | 360, PS3 | It’s all about crashes and driving fast, and the latest Burnout delivers both in gorgeous glory. If you own a VisionCam/Eyetoy the game will snap a pic of you at the moment of impact. Sweet. | Instant Purchase. |
| Call of Duty 4 | 360, PS3, PC | Infinity Ward is back, and they made a game that’s not set in WWII. And the game is fucking awesome. Shit blows up, bullets fly, and the graphics will make your eyeballs bleed. | Instant Purchase |
| Crysis | PC | Your PC will cry when you put the disc in, but if you have the gears to run it you’ll be treated with some of the most impressive visuals to date. And it’s not just about the looks, as the gameplay features a few new tricks added to the FPS genre. | Instant Purchase (with a new PC) |
| Devil May Cry 4 | PC, PS3, 360 | From the few minutes I played DMC4 it seemed fairly straightforward. Nothing groundbreaking here, and graphically it was a mixed bag. | Wait For Reviews |
| Enemy Territory: Quake Wars | 360, PC | A prequel to the Quake franchise, ET:QW tells the story of the Strogg invasion in a classic multiplayer setting. Solid graphics with a unique mission system may make this multiplayer only title worth checking out. But I can’t help feel I’ve done this all before. | Wait for Reviews |
| Eye of Judgment | PS3 | A card game that requires cards and a $600 piece of electronics plus a $50 accessory kit? Top that all off with a game that has very limited depth and mediocre graphics. Very disappointed in this one as I had high hopes. | Wait and see. |
| Fable 2 | 360 | Fable 1 may have failed to live up to expectations, but Peter Molyneaux hopes to correct that with Fable 2 by catering to both hardcore and casual gamers with the hint of online co-op. | Wait for Reviews |
| Fallout 3 | 360, PS3, PC | The game is still a year away, and I may just lock myself in a Vault while I wait for it. I need this game now. | Instant Purchase |
| Ghost Squad | Wii | Using the Wii Zapper I was able to take back a hostage filled ranch. Boooya. I miss the big machine gun of the arcade, but the WiiZapper worked well. | Rental. |
| Guitar Hero 3 | 360, PS3, Wii | It’s Guitar Hero…but with more master track based songs and a brand new battle mode. Still…something wasn’t quite…right. | Purchase for Fans |
| Halo 3 | 360 | It’s Halo. The fans will love it. The haters will hate it. That said, the single player experience looks darker, grittier and more squad based. And yes the graphics do look better. | Instant Purchase for Fans. |
| Halo Wars | 360 | An RTS designed for a console, set in the Halo universe with incredible graphics and lots of action. | Purchase |
| Heavenly Sword | PS3 | A visual masterpiece in both looks and animation. The game is fast, fluid and fun. God of War be damned, this sets the new standard. | Instant Purchase (with a PS3 if need be) |
| Lair | PS3 | The long awaited dragon game will finally hit PS3 soon. Unfortunately the graphics fall short of expectations, and the controls and gameplay are simply uninspired. | Bargain bin…maybe. |
| Little Big Planet | PS3 | A game that has absolutely no point, yet provides hours of enjoyment? That’s LBP. Sharp graphics, simple controls and realistic physics make this game a blast. | Instant Purchase |
| Lost Odyssey | 360 | Your standard JRPG with a bit of action flare, it looks good and throws some twists into a proven formula. | JRPG Fans Only |
| Madden 08 | Everything | It’s Madden. It looks good on Next-Gen Platforms. Doesn’t feel all that different. | Sports fans will buy anyway. |
| Mario Galaxy | Wii | This is the Mario game we’ve been waiting for. Graphics are vibrant and you’ll be feeling vertigo in no time jumping from planet to planet. | Instant Purchase |
| Mass Effect | 360 | An RPG by the RPG gods at Bioware, the graphics are nothing short of jaw dropping while the character dialog and emotion are something rarely achieved in a video game. | Instant Purchase |
| NiGHTS | Wii | A revival of the classic Saturn franchise, NiGHTS looks to mix things up with some platforming elements and unique puzzle style boss battles. It has a long way to go but it is starting to shape up nicely. | Wait for Reviews |
| Postal 3 | 360, PC | Still a bit off, but using the Source engine Postal 3 looks to keep the over the top brutality and humor evident. Lets just say one of the weapons is a rabid animal and an addicting internet song. | Wait and see |
| Project Gotham Racing 4 | 360 | PGR now with Motorcycles and weather effects fail to impress all but the hardcore PGR fans. | Wait and See |
| Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles | Wii | Using the new Wii Zapper I successfully shot Zombies in the head. Over and over and over again. And the bastards didn’t die. And if they did die I couldn’t tell if they did because it was a muddy mess. | Rental if you won’t he gun |
| Rock Band | 360, PS3 | Take Guitar Hero, add drums and vocals and weekly album updates and you’ve got Rock Band. The funny thing is, this game feels more like Guitar Hero than Guitar Hero 3 does. | Instant Purchase |
| Stranglehold | 360, PC, PS3 | This is the true successor to Max Payne. Destructible environments, lots of cover, sliding on railings and 360 spin moves with doves make this an absolute blast to play. | Instant Purchase |
| Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune | PS3 | Drake has a treasure chest full of photo realistic graphics and lush jungle environments. The controls could use some work, but the game is shaping up to be a solid 3rd person action/adventure. | Wait for Reviews |
| WiiFit | Wii | Time to work off that beer belly and do some Yoga. The WiiBoard (used with WiiFit) is solid, but a bit uncomfortable for those with larger feet. The demos they showed didn’t really sell me on the need for the WiiBoard. | Wait for Price |
| World in Conflict | PC | The most detailed RTS you can find to date, laser guided missiles, napalm bombs and nukes make this an explosive title. Another title that may make your PC cry. | Instant Purchase (with the new PC you bought for Crysis) |
| Virtua Fighter 5 | 360 | Looking sharper than the PS3 counterpart and sporting an online mode as well as an option for the arcade stick makes this the best VF game to date. | Instant purchase for fans. |
| Zelda: Phantom Hourglass | DS | Incredibly deep Zelda game with plenty to do. Stylus only controls can make it difficult to play in certain situations. | Instant Purchase |
