E3 2010 Awards

Long time no see, huh?  Sorry.  The summer before college has gotten the best of me, but I'm back and ready to give you some great stuff.  I know you probably are getting a bit tired of E3 stuff (I know I am a bit), but I thought that I'd finish it with my awards for this year. A lot of gaming websites and even the E3 conference itself give out awards to the best games at E3, and I'm doing the same.  Now, to clarify, all of my awards are given on the basis of knowledge of things  not seen at E3, as I wasn't there.  So things like gameplay and other things are purely from a observational standpoint.  I have not gotten to experience the majority of the things that showed up at E3 (with the exception of Microsoft's Natal, which I did get to try out at my local Microsoft Store).  This isn't a bad thing, though.  My award reflect in many ways the quality of how the developer and the publisher showed off their games.  So let's get to it, shall we?


Best Graphics
Kirby: Epic Yarn
     -The reason a game like Kirby: Epic Yarn recieves this is because it represents more than just something pretty to look at.  It shows a risk taken in favor of graphical flair and perfection, not realism.  Not only does this end up looking way more intriguing to play, but it goes to show graphics don't have to be realistic to be the best. Runners-up: Killzone 3, RAGE, Gears of War 3

Best Online Multiplayer
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
     -Never in a million years did I think a phenominal single-player series could win an award like this.  Brotherhood's new multiplayer component is anything but tacked-on.  Ubisoft has crafted the perfect unique game variants to bring the great free-running and stealth mechanics of Assassin's Creed to multiplayer.  Finally, a multiplayer game that rewards smarts and tactics rather than blind killing.  Runners-up: Halo: Reach, Gears of War 3, Medal of Honor

Best Offline Multiplayer
Goldeneye
      -I don't even need to see any gameplay of this in action to know that this game is going to be the best offline multiplayer experience since...well...Goldeneye 007 for the 64.  Since the moment I heard that I could relive those great memories of my 64 days, this game has always had this award.  In fact, would an award like this exist if not for Goldeneye 007? I don't think so.  Runners-up: Dance Central, Rock Band 3, Kinect Adventures

Best Motion Game
Dance Central
     -As much as I hate giving an award to a Kinect game, Konami has really tapped into all the REAL potential of Kinect.  Not the things we've seen in the Wii already hundreds of times.  I mean the ability to sense the entire body and use it.  Dance Central shows you dancing.  Not an avatar doing complicated motions.  YOUR MOTIONS.  This is such a great way for using motion, and in my opinion is the next generation of DDR.  Runners-up: Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, Sorcery, SOCOM 4

Best Music/Rhythm Game
Child of Eden
     -Man, what a trippy experience this game is.  It's the games that not only use music and rhythm well that get an award like this, but it's the ones that use it as the core for the game's design.  Just like Rez before it, Child of Eden is pure eye-candy covered in chocolate ear-candy.  Oh, and did I mention it doesn't need a plastic guitar?  That's right.  Motion controlled.  I'm sold.  Runners-up: Rock Band 3, Dance Central, Power Gig

Best Fighting Game
Mortal Kombat
     -Wow.  Somebody actually realized that the old Mortal Kombat games were good.  So after making some pretty crappy sequels (especially the ones with certain Detective Comics superheroes), Midway actually figures out we want the stuff that used to be good.  Mortal Kombat looks great, and the new additions, such as tag teaming and extra-gory fatalities make a gamer realize that the best sometimes is just more of the same.  Runners-up: Marvel vs. Capcom 3, any other fighting game you can think of

Best RPG
Star Wars: The Old Republic
      -BioWare seems to have some type of contract to constantly win this award every year, because just like Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect, and even the old KOTOR games, BioWare has crafted such a masterpiece already with their first MMO, The Old Republic.  One of the highlights that pushed me to give this award to them was the introduction of starships.  Customizable starships that each player gets.  I get a starship too? Great bribe, BioWare.  Runners-up: Fallout: New Vegas, RAGE, Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Best Action Game
Bulletstorm
     -I don't think this award needs much explaining.  Action games are meant to be just that: action-y.  Bulletstorm's very cool idea of scoring for creative kills and it's very over-the-top nature make it a great action game.  It's everything that an adrenaline junkie would kill for, and on top of that, it's got the likes of Cliff Blesinski working on it.  Runners-up: RAGE, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Bodycount

Best Adventure Game
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
     -Every time I critique something, I try to take my Assassin's Creed fanboy perspective out of my mind. But everytime I try to be unbiased, Ubisoft has to go and make everything awesome again, forcing me to make Assassin's Creed the best adventure game AGAIN.  The singleplayer demo showed off shows the great improvements that Ubisoft is trying to make to an already near-flawless series, and I've already explained multiplayer.  Runners-up: Dead Space 2, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Portal 2

Best Sequel
Portal 2
     -The highly addicting Portal was amazing, and the sequel is looking to be more than that.  Valve has pretty much proven they know how to do a sequel and do it right, and Portal 2 is no exception.  With new gameplay mechanics that amplify the already presented mechanics of the portal gun rather than replacing them, Portal 2 looks to be tons of fun.  Oh, and did I mention that it's a full game now?  Runners-up: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Dead Space 2, Halo: Reach

Best Shooter
Halo: Reach
     -I give this award to Halo: Reach and not other more unique games like Bulletstorm because Halo: Reach shows true mastery in the shooter genre.  Where Bullestorm is great in action and Gears in co-op and third person action, Halo has become a staple of shooters.  E3 showed off the new and improved firefight mode that triumphs over it's predecessor, along with several new weapons and even some space action.  Let's face it.  When you wanna play a good shooter, the fall-back will always be Halo.  Runners-up: Bulletstorm, Gears of War 3, RAGE

Best New Hardware
Nintendo 3DS
     -Is any explanation necessary for this?  Really.  Was there any other hardware at this E3 that was more phenomenal than the 3DS? The ability to project a 3D display without glasses is not only a gaming marvel but a technological marvel.  If this were shown off at a more tech-oriented show like CES, I would have given it to the 3DS then.  Oh, and the fact that almost every legendary game from Nintendo's back catalogue is going to be remade for this system makes this hardware a MUST BUY.  Runners-up: No one. 

Best DS Game
Super Scribblenauts
     -Scribblenauts is such a great idea.  Take a game with a premise that you can create anything by just entering a word and you have a masterpiece.  But that was Scribblenauts.  Super Scribblenauts takes this awesome sauce one step further by adding adjectives.  So now "Cthulu vs. God" could be "gigantic purple Cthulu vs. hip illuminous God".  It's the perfect timewaster and the perfect game for the DS platform.  Runners-up: Dragon Quest IX, any other big DS game at the show

Best PSP Game
God of War: Ghosts of Sparta
     -Well, considering that this and that stupid Nintendogs ripoff were the only major PSP titles shown, this award was pretty damn easy.  All things considered though, Sony knows where they can sell the most games, and that's with super popular franchises like God of War.  Although the PSP has not had the best of lifecycles, it's portable take on God of War a couple years ago is often cited as the best game for the system.  Here's hoping gold can be struck once again.  Runners-up: You're kidding me, right?

Best Xbox 360 Game
Halo: Reach
     -The reason Halo is so good and popular has to do a lot with the platform it's always been on: the Xbox.  There would be no Halo without Xbox, and vice versa.  Halo: Reach is not only looking fantastic in its own right, but it's built for the Xbox user to enjoy.  Bungie's dedication to deliver a great multiplayer game designed for Xbox LIVE and its continual support for their community mirrors a Blizzard-PC fan situation.  Just like Halo 3 before it, Halo: Reach is sure to be the must-buy for the MS platform.  Runners-up: Gears of War 3, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, Call of Duty: Black Ops

Best PS3 Game
Infamous 2
     -Last year, PS3 gamers were given the gift of Uncharted 2.  This game took a good game and turned it into a great and even legendary game.  Sucker Punch, the minds behind inFamous 2, want to apply the same level of polish and improvement to their sequel, and it shows.  Infamous 2 really highlights the ye olden days of the PS2.  Great games, great sequels, and overachieving developers.  Just like Uncharted 2, Infamous 2 looks to be one hell of an upgrade.  Runners-up: Killzone 3, Sorcery, Twisted Metal

Best Wii Game
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
     -When people think of Nintendo, they think of one of two things: Mario or Zelda.  Mario had his turn with Galaxy 2 earlier this year.  Now Zelda returns, and the new iteration looks to be a masterpiece.  The reason this game really shines for this platform is because it's taking advantage of all the Wii has to offer.  It's too bad that many of Nintendo's iterations of their IP's such as Mario or even Twilight Princess didn't use all of what the system has to offer.  Skyward Sword incorporates everything so well and keeps it's Zelda roots impressively.  Runners-up: Kirby: Epic Yarn, Goldeneye, Metroid: Other M

Best New IP
Sorcery
     -Many times the hardcore player finds themselves puking at the numerous motion games shown off at game conferences.  They all seem to be kiddy games and sports games.  Well, let me present Sorcery, the first truly hardcore game that uses motion.  No.  Not SOCOM that has the ability if you want it.  Not a port of something.  A real, hardcore motion game.  Sorcery appears to be a great use of motion mechanics without an alienation of what makes a game great: RPG elements, great graphics, great environments, and a lot of other things.  Here's hoping this game turns out well, as it'll be one of the biggest disappointments ever if it doesn't.  Runners-up: Bulletstorm, El Shaddai, Dance Central

Best Design
Dead Space 2
     -The reason Dead Space 2 gets the award for best design is because its developers seem to know the exactly correct mix of action and horror to make for one hell of an exciting game.  Dead Space was a design marvel in itself.  An engineer stuck on a space station full of zombie/alien freaks that can only be defeated by cutting limbs off was great.  Dead Space 2 takes this and puts it on a full space station.  It's frightening.  Runners-up: Bulletstorm, Gears of War 3, Metal Gear Solid: Rising
 
Best Gameplay
Metal Gear Solid: Rising
     -Just a trailer.  One trailer.  It showed a little more than a minute of gameplay.  And I'm already confident that this award can only be given to this game.  The trailer showed the ability to cut anything in almost any way.  Raiden took down enemies by the normal hack-and-slash, but also through cutting supports of a porch to make it collapse on enemies, slowing time down and cutting an enemy in about 5 different pieces, and even cutting up a robot to take it's electricity filled spine for resources.  Cool.  Uber cool.  Runners-up: Bulletstorm, Sorcery, RAGE

Best Trailer
Portal 2
     -Nothing can get a gamer more excited than hearing that lovely and cold voice of GLADOS.  The trailer that everyone, I mean EVERYONE was waiting for shows up not only at the Sony conferences of all places, but with the voice of GLADOS right from the beginning.  "Let's put aside our differences for science. You monster."  Not only that, but the absolute tease of all the new goodies of the game I know made me giddy.  Runners-up: Star Wars: The Old Republic, Halo: Reach, Metal Gear Solid: Rising

Best Setting
Dead Space 2
     -It seems that Visceral Games have done something they've already done, and that's make a setting that just fits with the entire game.  They did it in Dead Space, and it's sequel's move to The Sprawl, a gigantic spacestation, looks awesome.  It's like the Ishimura times a hundred.  And keeping with what made Dead Space so good, The Sprawl is eerie and scary as all get out.  No competition here in my mind.  Runners-up: Gears of War 3, Kirby: Epic Yarn, Call of Duty: Black Ops

Biggest Surprise of Show
Ocarina of Time and others being remade for 3DS
     -Although Portal 2 at the Sony conference was very surprising, the onslaught of news after the Nintendo conference was baffling.  Almost ALL of the greatest games of the 64 era are not only being remade for the 3DS, but they will all have 3-effing-D.  Oh yeah, and upgraded graphics that apparently are comparable or even BETTER than the Wii.  Ocarina of Time? Star Fox? MARIO KART? And even some ports?  METAL GEAR SOLID 3!?!!!!! HOLEEE MOTHER OF GODDDDD.  Runner-ups: Portal 2 announcement, Halo: Reach space combat

Biggest Disappointment of Show
Microsoft Kinect
     -It saddens me that this had to be the biggest disappointment, but it certainly was.  Kinect started off with a terrible opening with Cirque du Soleil, and the only games shown off were things that were either things everyone has played on the Wii already, or a fitness or dance game.  Now, some games were great, like Dance Central.  But for the hardcore, Kinect wasn't worth anything.  E3 is a hardcore gaming conference.  NO ONE wanted to hear about all the casual crap that Kinect has.  Oh, and there's also the thing about not being able to sit down while using Kinect.  MS has assured us you can, but no games have been made with that in mind.  Great.  Exactly what I want to do after a tough day of work.  Stand in my living room.  Runners-up: No Rockstar this year, Rock Band 3

Best of Show
Nintendo 3DS (And the entire Nintendo conference, for that matter)
     -This should have happened a while ago.  Everyone was super tired of moms in pant-suits playing Super Mario Bros Wii and dying constantly.  They were tired of things you attach to your finger (or God knows where else) to do...whatever you're supposed to do with that.  Nintendo held all their cards till this year, though.  They brought the hardcore goodies, and they brought it in full force.  Kirby's back.  Zelda is back.  Goldeneye is back.  Oh yeah.  And that thing they showed off.  You know, that thing.  THE 3D-MOTHER-EFFING-S.  This hardware is perhaps the most amazing piece of hardware to come out of an E3 ever.  It's technological capabilities are phenominal.  It's graphical ability for a portable are dumbfounding.  It's gigantic list of games in development is exhilarating.  Nintendo dominated this year's E3.  They proved that graphics and HD don't mean anything when you have tried and true games with developers with the highest pedigree.  Runners-up:  Star Wars: The Old Republic, RAGE, Bulletstorm