VGB Op-Ed #2 – Our Personal E3 2010 Picks of the Show

VGB E3 2010 Picks of the Show (Nintendo. Image credit to AP)
What are your personal favorite E3 2010 games that were shown or revealed at gaming’s biggest expo this year?

There is plenty to choose from, and chances are that no two gamers will have a list of titles that exactly matches another person’s list.

That is why these Opinion Editorial lists are “personal”. So right now I present to our fellow readers my personal favorites. I’ll get everyone else to chip in their own lists as well, when they get around to writing them, and post them after my list.

Josh’s E3 2010 picks of the show:

1. Kirby’s Epic Yarn (Wii)
THE PINK PUFFBALL COMETH! This game just looks flat out AWESOME. I couldn’t love the art style more than I do for this game. Highly innovative both graphically AND gameplay-wise because of the visuals. Plus it’s KIRBY! How can you go wrong? A definite must by for me and my surprise pick of the show!

2. Metroid: Other M (Wii)
This is by far my most anticipated game right now. I simply LOVE the Metroid series and can’t wait for this new take on the franchise. You can read my reviews of several Metroid games including 1, 2, Super Metroid, Metroid Prime and Prime Pinball at VGB Reviews List. The most exciting aspect of Other M is the fact that they are FINALLY delving into Samus’ story in a much deeper way, and doing it with top-notch CG movie scenes and high-quality action throughout. The pedigree of Team Ninja is high, but if you MIX IT with the pedigree of Nintendo/Retro Studios, then you have one HELL of a mix. I anticipate this to be one of the greatest games ever, if my humble opinion. Simply because they are FINALLY bringing Samus into the third-person perspective, and doing it in kick-ass style.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)
FINALLY a Zelda game that really is innovating! This hasn’t truly happened since Ocarina of Time and I couldn’t be happier. I also think the art-style is quite beautiful, even if you don’t really notice it on first glance. Excited about this one even though I didn’t play Twilight Princess (which I pre-ordered along with the guide at launch, just haven’t actually gotten around to playing it yet).

4. Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS)
“!!!!”
That’s what I said when I saw this. I could NOT BELIEVE that they actually did it and that it turned out to be THIS. I’m still kinda wishing/hoping Retro Studios might be doing a Wii take on Kid Icarus, but this game looks AWESOME, so I take it without complaint! Fast, fluid, action-packed gameplay that melds shooters/action adventures/platformers into one. I was awe-struck! Hooray for Pit! Now where the HELL is EarthBound?!?!

5. Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)
Another game that came out of absolutely NO WHERE and freakin’ blew my socks off! Granted it’s pretty much Donkey Kong as we know and love him. But it just looks so great to be returning to fantastic 2D design. And the new elements along with cool visuals will elevate this to GREAT status as far as I’m concerned. Hopefully there is 2-player ONLINE Co-Op. That would seal the deal. Don’t forget to check out my Donkey Kong Country review. That classic is still one of the best games of all time as far as I’m concerned.

6. Disney Epic Mickey (Wii)
I simply LOVE everything I’ve seen about this game so far. Bringing the cool of Mickey back but doing it in some very unique ways. The creating/erasing feature is really innovative. Hopefully everything will be fleshed out enough and paced well enough to elevate this to great status. Love those side-scrolling levels!

7. Sorcery (PS3)
I’ve only recently began reading Harry Potter since last year, because the girl I like loaned the books to me, and they’re pretty good. I just finished Prisoner of Azkaban. I always was curious about the series but never curious enough to pick the books up myself over something else, so it took her giving them to me for me to give the series a real shot. I’ve still yet to watch the movies outside of the first one though. I bring this up because in Sorcery, it’s like you ARE Harry Potter…. ON POWERDRINKS! So freakin’ awesome. Even though playing a title called “Sorcery” where you are literally conjuring spells still twings (is that a word? :P) my Christian spirit a bit to the “I shouldn’t be liking this” side, I nonetheless can’t help but to still love the concept. And the most interest part of the game is how things really had impact when spells were “flung” with the PlayStation Move controller. It was like you could feel them “hit”. And this whole concept is something that simply WOULDN’T WORK without Move. Because it’s only cool because YOU are actually doing it as if you were holding a real Wand. That makes Sorcery definitely a Move killer-app IMHO. Hopefully there will be enough meat on the adventure and enough interesting aspects though to make it feel like a fully-fledged game and not a Move tech-demo or somesuch.

8. Hard Corps: Uprising (Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network)
WHO DOENS’T LOVE CONTRA!?! This is a series that NEEDS to be revived, and this game just might do it. While I didn’t see anything that blew me away, all the right pieces are in place and I can’t imagine Arc System Works (of Guilty Gear fame) dropping the ball on this one. I love me some Contra so I’m hoping this game will be great despite being a downloadable title.

9. Metal Gear Solid: Rising (Xbox 360, PS3)
I feel like I shouldn’t even be allowed to put this game on my list given that I have ONLY played the first Metal Gear Solid game (still planning on playing the others. I own MGS2: Substance, still need to track down and play Snake Eater: Subsistance… One of these days! *shakes fist*) but HOT DAMN if this game didn’t look incredible! The slicing feature is AMAZING and looks truly innovative, something that really hasn’t been done before. This game should really be higher on my list simply cause of it’s pure awesomeness and cutting power. The power of cheese. *SLICES*

10. Twisted Metal (PS3)
In my youth I had a Nintendo-fueled bias and innate hatred toward this PS1 classic (talking: Twisted Metal 2) as my siblings and friends battled each other and praised the game while I sat in back with a scowl on my face and stroked my Nintendo 64/SNES. I played Twisted Metal 2 a few times myself though and couldn’t get into it (but I loved the music). A decade later, I am flat-out EXCITED at seeing this game and this series return to glory. The game looked fast, furious, and interesting. Fun as heck as well, and Sweet Tooth captured my attention AND nostalgia despite being a hater back in the day. Now THAT’S some powerful stuff. Looking forward to this one.

11. Killzone 3 (PS3)
I didn’t play Killzone or Killzone 2 and I don’t currently own a PS3, but HOLY HELL this game looks AWESOME! The cinematic, graphical fidelity is unparalleled. That alone would be enough. But what REALLY sold me on this game was the Jetpack. Best FPS platforming since Metroid Prime? Damn straight. The jetpack TRULY makes the game look incredible and aptly mixes platforming and aerial combat into this already high-impact shooting series. Color me impressed!

12. Mario Sports Mix (Wii)
Multiple Mario Sports games in one game?! HECK YEAH! This game just looks super fun. Hopefully it’ll be online since I only have one Wii Remote and most of my real-life friends aren’t Wii fans. 🙁 But it’s been a while since we saw a Mario sports game (or a proper “Mario Basketball” that wasn’t developed by Square and on a handheld :P) so I was grinning like an idiot at this game’s reveal.

13. Devil’s Third (Xbox 360, PS3)
Oh Itagaki. While I loved the first Xbox Ninja Gaiden, I never got around to playing the successors (though Dragon Sword for DS I did play and beat and it was awesome!) and I think they milked it too much following the first game. My bro also wasn’t too impressed with Ninja Gaiden 2. He said it got lamer. Enter: Devil’s Third. This game has a very interesting mix of fast-paced action and is literally Ninja Gaiden taken up a notch. It looks like Itagaki is finally going to truly innovate like with the original Ninja Gaiden on Xbox 1, and that’s something that has me excited. Curious to learn more about this one and see more proper footage.

14. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
I didn’t play the first Force Unleashed game but holy freakin’ crap this game looks INCREDIBLE! It’s like they took the awesome concepts of the first game and ACTUALLY delivered on them while making them FREAKIN’ BAD-ASS! Not only that but the graphics are extremely impressive. Simply everything about this game oozes cool. I definitely want to check it out (and the first) and I’m not even a Star Wars fan. So that’s saying something!

15. InFamous 2 (PS3)
I didn’t play the first Infamous but I completely dug the new trailer for this game shown at Sony’s E3 2010 conference. I really love the in-depth storytelling and style used. This game has caught my attention.

16. Quantum Theory (Xbox 360, PS3)
Wondering why Gears of War 3 isn’t here instead? Honestly, I’m not a big Gears fan just like I’m not a big Halo fan. Maybe it’s because I don’t play competitive multiplayer games and haven’t played a war game EVER (yes that includes Call of Duty 4 and Modern Warfare 2). Whatever the case, this game has me interested. It’s Gears but MORE INTERESTING IMHO. I love the idea of the “Diablos” in the game, this living tower that’s alive and devouring the environment, and then as you fight (this game is a Gears-clone) you’ll be moving and taking cover through MORPHING environments with changing cover. Add some Contra-style bosses and Japanese touch on everything along with cool powers and moves, and you got my interest. This game looks awesome! Copy or not.

17. Final Fantasy XIV Online (PC, PS3)
I’ve never played an MMO but given that I’m a big fan of the Final Fantasy series, I always wanted to play FFXI. I did play it briefly then got charged by Square Enix even though I didn’t mean to sign up . . . thus there was always a bitter taste in my mouth. But this new game looks like it’ll be a much better product overall. And I may not be able to resist taking the plunge this time. Hopefully, if I do play it, i can start out from the beginning and get a fresh start along with everyone else.

18. Resident Evil: Revelations (3DS)
NOTHING about this game has been revealed. But give me Resident Evil with 3D graphics with the developer promising secrets around every corner, and make it a NEW RE game, and you’ve DEFINITELY got my interest. I’m a huge RE fan so I can’t wait to find out more about this title. Also seeing the graphical fidelity of the screenshots for this game have me super excited. Because they look like Resident Evil 5 quality! :O

19. Dead Space 2 (Xbox 360, PS3)
Another series I never played (sigh), I always wanted to as I am a big fan of horror videogames (Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Fatal Frame …. and Dead Space 1. I haven’t played it but I know I’d like it!). This game looks like they’ve amped up the first one in every way. So likewise, I REALLY want to go play Dead Space 1 now so I can get ready to dive into this!

20. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (Xbox 360, PS3)
Castlevania with Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima executive producing and a Western developer making it? This game looks really good from what I’ve seen of it previously, and I’m hoping we get to see more at E3 2010. While the previous 3D Castlevania titles for last gen looked great, this game may be able to truly succeed where those games failed. I’m not the biggest Castlevania fan but even I want to see a really great 3D one. And this looks like the one.

Ferry’s E3 2010 picks of the show:

1. Nintendo 3DS
“Nintendo 3DS plays 3D games without the annoying glasses. Takes 3D pictures. Plays 3D movies. Supports continuous online interaction/downloads via Wi-Fi. The list of features goes on. I haven’t seen the 3D effect myself, but it’s basically IMAX 3D on a smaller screen. It still supports DS and DSi games too. If it gets a Virtual Handheld download service for classic GameBoy (Color/Advanced) games, it’ll be a Nintendo fan’s dream come true. But even if it doesn’t expand the download service beyond DSiWare, then you still get to play new 3D titles like: Kid Icarus, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, Paper Mario, Nintendogs/cats, PilotWings, StarFox, Professor Layton, Resident Evil, Assassin’s Creed, Ninja Gaiden, Kingdom Hearts, Dead or Alive, Metal Gear Solid, etc.”

2. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
“This is one of the few times I’ve found myself to be extremely pleased a developer is releasing a new game in a series yearly. This direct sequel in the same timeline as Assassin’s Creed II is looking jaw-dropping action-packed! In Brotherhood Ezio returns as he plots to bring down the Templars in Rome. He’s joined by friends and ally assassins. You would do well to click the link on the game name above to watch the gameplay trailer, it looks to be yet another awesome adventure! Ubisoft added multiplayer for the first time too.”

3. Portal 2 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
“GlaDOS says: ‘I think we can put our differences behind us, for science… you monster!’ 2011 can’t come soon enough to give us both single- and co-op multiplayer portal action with a dark comedic undertone. Just the way we like our murderous robotic AI’s.”

4. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West (Xbox 360, PS3)
“While everyone was expecting Ninja Theory’s next game to be a sequel to the fantastic Heavenly Sword, they prefer working on original titles. Based on Journey to the West, as Monkey you are stuck working with Trip to escape an empty Earth where robots have destroyed almost all humans. The survival/romance story reminds me of 2008’s Prince of Persia.”

5. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii)
“I’m so pleased LucasArts still has in-house talent after they fired pretty much everyone. Force Unleashed II is shaping up to be yet another awesome Force-powered action game. Expect more mind AND matter manipulation powers than you can shake a lightsaber at.”

6. Child of Eden (Xbox 360 Kinect, PS3)
“I don’t care what Tetsuya Mizuguchi calls it, I’m calling it REZ 2 and it is glorious! Move support is being considered for the PS3, but Kinect motion controls have already been shown for the Xbox 360 version of this synergy between audio, movement and shooting. This is going to be quite a trip!”

7. Halo: Reach (Xbox 360)
“Bungie’s last hurrah for the Halo series promises to deliver their most action-packed FPS to date. Master Chief may be out of the picture, but with a whole SPARTAN team taking the trip with you, 4-player online co-op promises to be a hoot. Oh and multiplayer is great to if the Beta’s anything to go on.”

8. Mortal Kombat 2011 (Xbox 360, PS3)
“Haven’t been a fan since Mortal Kombat 2 on the SNES in the 90’s. But the renewed 2.5D gameplay and super gory fighting style will take me back to the fighting series in 2011.”

9. Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)
“I still need to relive part of my childhood by playing Donkey Kong Country 1, 2 & 3 on the Wii’s Virtual Console. I’m already looking forward to Donkey Kong Country 4’s platforming. I think Metroid Prime creators Retro Studios will do a good job.”

10. God of War: Ghost of Sparta (PSP)
“It’s going to be a while before we see another God of War game on the PS3. So the PSP getting its second Kratos action-adventure later this year hits the bloodlust sweet spot.”

11. Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom (Xbox 360, PS3)
“I really missed having Team ICO’s The Last Guardian at E3 2010. But Game Republic’s Majin made up for it with its big focus on monster-and-boy co-op adventuring and puzzling. I hope they keep the Engrish-talking monster, makes that big plant-troll quite endearing.”

Other favorites of mine that get a honorable mention:
12. GoldenEye 007 remake (Wii)
13. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (Xbox 360, PS3)
14. Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360)
15. Crysis 2 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
16. Metroid: Other M (Wii)
17. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii)
18. RAGE (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
19. F.E.A.R. 3 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
20. Fallout: New Vegas (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
21. Call of Duty: Black Ops (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
22. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS)
23. Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 (Xbox 360, PS3)
24. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 (Xbox 360, PS3)
25. Super Scribblenauts (DS)

What are your favorite games shown off at E3 last week?