The final list has been decided, and here, according to a pack of 30 judges from around the games journalism community (yours truly included), here's your list of the best games of E3 2009. Can't say I disagree with any of the picks...they were all in my list of nominees. Some minor disagreements here and there, but overall this is one giant list of kick ass games for you to look forward to.
Best of Show
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
(Naughty Dog/Sony Computer Entertainment America for PlayStation 3)
Best Original Game
Scribblenauts
(5TH Cell/Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment for Nintendo DS)
Best Console Game
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
(Naughty Dog/Sony Computer Entertainment America for PlayStation 3)
Best PC Game
Star Wars: The Old Republic
(BioWare Austin/LucasArts)
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The Game Critics Awards nominees were announced this week. You've probably already seen the list, but I'll include it at the end of the post for your convenience.
Before I get to that, though, I wanted to take a look at some of my top picks that didn't make the final nominations list. The way the system works, 30 E3 judges (one from each publication), send in their picks for each category. 3-5 picks are required for each, and the higher up in the list you have something, the more "points" it gets into the final total. With the points tallied, the 5 games with the most points for each category are entered as nominees and the final voting process begins.
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CLARIFICATION: The Game Critics Awards ballot I filled out was to create the list of nominees. I submitted 3-5 picks for each of the categories below, but in the interest of brevity I've just included my top pick for each category. It may end up that some or all of my top picks won't be final nominees in the awards, since it's based on a consensus of the judges.
With that out of the way, here are my top picks for each category:
Best in Show: "Splinter Cell: Conviction"
Best Original Game: "Scribblenauts"
Best Game, Console: "Splinter Cell: Conviction"
Best Game, Handheld: "Scribblenauts"
Best Game, PC: "Alpha Protocol"
Best Hardware/Peripheral: "Project Natal"
Best Action Game: "Modern Warfare 2"
Best Action/Adventure Game: "Splinter Cell: Conviction"
Best RPG: "Alpha Protocol"
Best Racing Game: "Split/Second"
Best Social/Casual Game: "Ricochet" (Project Natal's ball-bouncing game)
Best Online Multiplayer: "MAG"
Best Graphics: "Uncharted 2"
Best Sound: "Uncharted 2"
Notable runners-up include: "Brutal Legend," "Heavy Rain," "DJ Hero," "Lost Planet 2," "Homefront" and "ModNation Racers." I was a little bummed not to see a downloadable games category this year, as "Shadow Complex" and "PixelJunk Shooter" definitely deserve nods, but there's always next year!
We've been reporting live from the show floor at E3 all, week, and if you'd like to play catch-up, you can get all our E3 news stories right here.
If you're tight on time, though, why not fit in a week's worth of gaming insanity into a bite-sized video? It's called being productive!
Oh, it's also my very first on-air piece for MTV, so it's got that going for it, too!
See ya next year, E3!
BioWare games are known for some pretty risque moments, letting you bed multiple characters throughout your adventure. So how are they handling sex in The Old Republic? We went right to the source.
Sorry, no hot twiliek action.
At the end of our interview with Cammie Dunaway of Nintendo, we asked what games she was looking forward to that WEREN'T coming out on a Nintendo platform. Her answer may surprise you! (Well, not really, I kinda said it right there in the headline).
And you thought she was just into puppies and knitting!
It's just Modern Warfare 2, not Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Why the name change? We spoke to the devs to get the scoop.
So there you have it. Kinda weird that Infinity Ward would be the ones to lose the name, considering it was their baby to begin with, but that's business, right?
The final day of E3 is here, and we spoke once again with Sam Houston of GamerDNA to find out what's hot on TweetMyGaming.
And that's it for the wrap-ups from E3! Thanks to the folks at GamerDNA for comin' out!
By Locke Webster
NamcoBandai must be on a mission to prove that "Soulcalibur" is the most malleable 3D fighter on the market. Last year, the developer turned us on our heads after announcing that Yoda, Darth Vader, and The Secret Apprentice would join the ranks of world fighters. And this year, Kratos is jumping into the arena to show off his moves with the Blades of Chaos.
Kratos’ presence in the fighter may be quite the surprise, but it’s not entirely unexpected given that "Broken Destiny" marks the series’ first entry on the PSP (let alone any portable system) and the revered character makes for an excellent tie-in to the Sony brand. Unfortunately, Kratos was unplayable in the build on hand, though we can assure you "Broken Destiny" runs fantastically on the PSP.
A top hot wearing, mustache sporting, and otherwise odd looking character named Dampierre also joins the roster of fighters, though he was unplayable as well.
By Locke Webster
Microsoft’s new Games On Demand service will be heading our way in August, providing players with an array of proper 360 titles to be downloaded over it’s Live service, but that’s not the only bright idea headed to Microsoft’s console: prices for the Games-On-Demand titles will be listed in real currency.
Microsoft’s Director of Digitally Distributed Games, Scott Austin, showed off both the Games On Demand and Avatar Marketplaces behind closed doors today and was quick to point out that the prices listed for games like "Bioshock", "Mass Effect", and "Lego Star Wars" came up in dollars, not points ($19.99 for "Lego Star Wars", though game prices will vary). Players still have the option of viewing game prices in MS Points, but we’re sure that most players will opt out of doing the mental conversion every time they purchase a new game online.
When asked if we could expect to see prices in dollars across the rest of the Marketplace, Austin quickly responded, “If there’s enough demand for it, it’s certainly possible.”
Consider this polite demand.
