Gaming

Disclaimer: Trying to list my top 10 favorites from E3 was no easy task so I am sure there were couple of great games which I simply couldn’t list due to trying to keep this list as basic as possible, here is the list!

10. Mafia II

Well to start off the list I can’t think of any other worthy game besides Mafia II. The game mainly was under the radar for quite a while and since the original Mafia came out in 2002 which came through as extremely underrated yet enjoyable. The sequel has been in the works for since 2007 and we will finally get to see the game this August. Thankfully to my own surprise the original studio which developed the original previously known as Illusion Softworks and now as 2K Czech will also be in charge of the sequel. From the looks of it this is will be the biggest game I’ll be looking forward this summer.

9. Civilization V

If any of you are even remotely familiar with PC gaming, a little name of Sid Meier will always ring a bell for his famous Civilization franchise. Its sequel is meant to follow the same footsteps of its predecessors giving us an enjoyable strategy game to look forward to. One of the biggest upcoming changes is the fact that the game will run on an entirely new engine so if you haven’t upgraded your PC in a while I suggest for you to do it now in order to be able to enjoy the game in all its glory on September 24th.

8. Medal of Honor

The first shooters genre has been largely dominated by Call of Duty franchise and we began having some of uprising studios coming and trying to steal that spotlight from Infnity Ward. The folks over at DICE who brought us the famous Battlefield franchise along with EA Los Angeles will join forces together to bring a re-boot of Medal of Honor. EA Los Angeles will focus on the single player portion of the game, while DICE will work on the multiplayer component. The beta is already going at full speed for those who pre-ordered the game which is set to release this October.

7. Rock Band 3

How much we all came to love Harmonix. Be it when they re-invented the music franchise with launching Guitar Hero or Rock Band the studio has done some magical things to the music genre and this holiday they are sure to do that again. There are so many new features Harmonix is going to implement in the game from introducing a keyboard to making a more realistic guitar controller which allows you to play the game just like you would play a real guitar allowing all us rock stars to actually learn how to play a real guitar by playing Rock Band 3. I find this idea to be extremely interesting and somewhat daring, but this is what makes Harmonix such a wonderful studio.

6. Gran Turismo 5

When original Gran Turismo came out it showed us a new way to experience racing like never before with each sequel improving on the game’s realistic formula. Gran Turismo 5 has been in development since 2006 and is hopefully set to release this November. Perhaps one of the biggest surprises at E3 is the fact that the game will support 3D. I have stuck to the franchise for a while now and I am certainly interested in it once it comes out.

5. Rage

One of the biggest breakthroughs in this year’s E3 is Rage. I was surprised to see myself so drawn to the game by just watching couple game play demos. Developed by the famous id Software which brought to us Doom and Quake franchises which launched the first person shooter genre will hopefully be able to achieve that same effect as the previous games did. The game takes place in a typical post apocalyptic world like we came to expect from Fallout and certainly looks like plain and simple fun.

4. Fallout: New Vegas

I think one of the games which I’ll be going to get during a midnight launch will be without a doubt Fallout: New Vegas. I have been keeping my eye out on the game since its original announcement and by just judging the demo from E3 this game will deliver as much as Fallout 3 did. Although not a direct sequel to Fallout 3 meaning we won’t see any characters from the game, but the game will feature familiar environments in Las Vegas. But what is there say to about the game which has not said before? See the demo for yourself!

3. Epic Mickey

Besides Rage Epic Mickey absolutely surprised me with its amazing platforming and being Disney’s fan as a child this game is sure to bring out some of those nice and warm memories we had as kids following Mickey and his adventures. The game will completely show us an entirely new Mickey and work with Pixar to show us a new and an enjoyable experience. Besides being a platformer the game will implement several RPG elements and throw in some 2D sequences which will keep the game fresh and unforgettable.

2. Dead Space 2

As I am nearing the top of my list it’s harder and harder for me to decide which games to put on the list, but Dead Space 2 was astonishing. The game is set out to make us as scared as the original game did where we played as Isaac an engineer set out to inspect a mining ship where some “weird activity” has occurred. When I played the original game during the night in dark I nearly flinched and jumped from my couch every time I saw a shadow or heard footsteps. Just watching the demo this game will have the same impact. If you are a fan of the survival horror genre won’t be disappointed next year.

1. Portal 2

Can you say you are really surprised? The original Portal was a breath of fresh air when it was bundled with Orange Box and the game was beloved by gamers everywhere. The sequel was to my own surprise announced during Sony’s E3 conference which shocked people everywhere considering that Gabe Newell made so many statements in the past saying that Valve games won’t have any future on PlayStation 3. It was pretty difficult to believe when Gabe said not only the game will be released on PlayStation 3, but also feature the same Steam features and Valve support which the PC version will which is music to my ears. Valve has done an amazing job of trying to make all of their games available across all platforms be it PC, Mac, Xbox 360, and now PlayStation 3. The sequel of the game alone will take place hundreds of years into the future where you are once again trying to escape from Aperture Science Lab and GLaDOS.