Best of E3 '10

Child of Eden is hard to put into words. Think Jimi Hendrix meets Wolfgang Amadeus meets meets Boom Boom Rocket meets LSD and you sort of have an idea of what was going through Tetsuya Mizuguchi's mind when he created Child of Eden. It's less of a game than it is a rapid romp through an aesthetically stimulating, rhythmical world on rails. Child of Eden is also one of the first games to utilize Microsoft Kinect, adding an intimate feel of connection (hence the name Kinect) with the game. The innovation of Child of Eden makes it one of E3's best games this year.

If you're old enough to remember Rare's thumb numbingly great game GoldenEye 007, then you should immediately know why this makes the list. In this Nintendo Wii rendition of the original, Daniel Craig takes the place of Pierce Brosnan as the face of the protagonist in order to make the game relate to today's Bond audience. Much of the game's story and gameplay has also received a face lift, but how much so will have to be seen when the game is released on the Wii later this year. I think I speak for all gamers when I say Bond never dies!

The Xbox Slim is Microsoft's attempt at both raising the 360's success rate, and combating the PS3 for best console Batman would buy. With it's new sleek, glossy design, the Xbox Slim takes the cake for most Dark Knight-esq product. Furthermore, at a 17% reduced sized from the original Xbox 360, more ventilated openings, and less wattage, this redesigned Xbox aspires to never RROD on you again. I know, you've heard that line before, but this time Microsoft can assure you 100% that you'll never see the red rings again! Well, this is mainly due to the fact that the Xbox Slim is literally not capable of displaying red lights. But hopefully, no problems will be found regardless of the error detection system. In addition to these features, the Xbox Slim also sports more USB ports, built in Wifi, and touch sensitive eject and power buttons. Get your $299.99 ready, cause you can get your grubby hands on this new box by the end of the week!

One of the more surprising, and aesthetically pleasing titles of E3 2010, Rage is Id Software's ace in the hole. Unlike predictable Id titles of yesteryear, Rage promises to combine innovation along with the signature Id horrifying game play a la Doom into one bloody package. Enough cannot be said of Rage's beautifully terrifying graphics, which make Rage without a doubt one of the more prettier games shown at E3 this year. Expect this game to be on the tip of hardcore gamers' tongues until it is released sometime in 2011. 

Zelda is just one of those "event titles" that commands your attention with every release. And this one is no different. One of the more exciting tidbits about this game is that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the first Zelda title made exclusively to take advantage of the Wii's motion controls. While the last Zelda did so, it was developed as a Gamecube title first, then ported over to the Wii. This means that we should see a slew of new innovations for link to use through the Wii's motion technology. Will Link's adventures ever get tiresome? Find out in 2011! 

If you're like me, then you're wondering "where was the first Crysis??". Oh, it was on the PC? Well no wonder I never heard about it, who cares about PC games? Now that the sequel is making its way onto consoles, expect big noise to be made from this title. The graphics are unlike anything every seen before, and the action is as chaotic, yet coordinated, as a Micheal Bay movie. Prepare to dodge hordes of huge robotic monsters, fiery debris, and 90 story buildings later this year!  

The Metal Gear Solid series is without a shadow of a doubt one of the biggest franchises ever in gaming history. With that said, how can one not hang on every Kojima word when he discusses new changes to that oh so familiar world? With Old Snake out of the picture, the game has shifted to the fast paced "lightning bolt action" of Raiden. The interesting part about this Metal Gear is the ability to slow down time and cut your enemies into bits and pieces in any direction you choose. Furthermore, you can cut many of the background objects in half. For instance, the trailer shows Raiden foregoing the need for a chop shop and slicing a van into little geometric pieces with his nifty sword, as well as precision cutting a watermelon to the delight of a group of children. Kojima also promises Rising to have elements of stealth as well, but it's up to the gamer to choose how he/she wants to play. Expect this game to hit store shelves sometime next year.

It's been over 10 years since the last MvC was released on the Dreamcast. Despite this lengthy amount of time, MvC2 has proved its staying power by being a fan favorite 2D fighting game selling in the hundreds on eBay. That is until MvC2 was released with online play as DLC on Xbox Live and PSN, which helped to further revitalize the classic fighter. Needless to say fans are going crazy with the new footage of MvC3 shown at E3. While the final roster has not been announced, you can expect loads of memorable characters from both the Capcom and Marvel universes to grace your HD screens sometime in 2011. 

Microsoft's Kinect still remains one of the hottest commodities, even in the midst of newer gaming announcements at E3. While the launch lineup of 15 games isn't exactly catered to the hardcore gaming crowd that makes up the majority of the Xbox 360s base, there are promising games and features of Kinect that make it very worthwhile. For example, Child of Eden and Kinect Star Wars seek to add a more hardcore gamer approach to motion technology. Also, Kinect allows for sitting at home and using your hands to scroll through the Xbox dash, Netflix que, and even works with the new ESPN app. Voice technology is also integrated, meaning you can now simply say "eject" when you wish to open the disc tray, or "pause" while watching a movie. You will even be able to video chat with your friends in a new way and share media with them as you do so. Ah, Kinect, taking the activity out of motion, gotta love it! 

And finally we come to the big kahuna of them all - Halo Reach. The beta that has come and gone only solidified the awesomeness of the definitive Halo title, and made us salivate in anticipation even more. The new Halo Reach trailer shown at E3 depicts epic amounts of battle in wide open locals similar to Halo: Combat Evolved, and climaxes with a giant battle in SPACE! Does it get anymore epic than that? Furthermore, Reach takes the firefight mode established in ODST and puts it on steroids. New features like air strikes, matchmaking, and weapon drops make firefight an entirely new experience. With a revamped graphics engine, new and improved modes and features, and new abilities, Halo Reach is shaping up to become to climax of video games in 2010. If you're not standing in line Sept. 15th, then I really don't know what you're doing with your life!