Notable Announcements of E3 2009
So given the rapid pace at which games are being announced, I thought I’d throw together a quick list of my noteworthy announcements and demos from this E3 that’s I’ve had the opportunity to catch. A little googling guide for us working folk, if you will 
Feel free to add your favorites!
Rock Band Beatles - Ringo and McCartney might have had that “I am just being paid to be here” look when they briefly presented the game at E3, but that doesn’t take away from the awesomeness of having playable Beatles tunes in your living room.
Shadow Complex - This XBL side-scrolling action game from the creators of GOW actually looked pretty cool, with great graphics, awesome-looking big bosses, and inventive mechanics like the foam-gun creating serious potential for a new XBL-style Contra.
Left 4 Dead 2 - More zombie fun! All right!
Splinter Cell: Conviction - Although I was not a big fan of the earlier Splinter Cells, this title looks truly re-invented in terms of graphics, gameplay, and just about everything else, so I am actually eager to check it out when it comes out this fall.
Halo fans will obviously rejoice at the news of not only Halo: ODST, but also another new title entitled Halo: Reach
Full integration of XBL with Blast.FM, Facebook, Twitter, SkyTV (soccer fans just went to heaven) - the best of the internet media comes to your living room. Funnily enough, you can start seeing how this is a living room version of the very strategy that Apple has been pursuing for the iPhone. Which begs the question: will ex-bitter rivals Apple and Microsoft have to work together some day to converge the living room/portable application spaces?
Full integration of XBL with NetFlix, and upgrade of all movies to full 1080p with no download - die, cable companies, die!
And, of course, the unbelievable Project Natal, on which there is a whole separate post. Definitely the biggest news of this E3.
Not too much from EA - the company still hasn’t shaken nearly enough of the trappings of a financially-driven publishing behemoth), - having said that, EA is still the publisher of a few of my most anticipated titles, namely, Mass Effect 2 and Brutal Legend, both of which revealed new trailers and gameplay. Sabateur also looked borderline interesting, although there is only going to be so much room in people’s stealth action budget come this fall.
There also two very notable MMO titles on display this E3.
The first, of course, is The Old Republic, which delivered a sweet-looking FMV - we will see how the actual gameplay stacks up.
The second, a new announcement, looks very interesting indeed. It’s called APB (which strangely stands for “All Points Bulletin”), looks like a GTA3 MMO, and is very notably (for an MMO, at least) - level-less, which means that progress is entirely measured in items, equipment, and bling. Perhaps most importantly, this one is scheduled not only for the PC, but also the Xbox 360. Here is hoping consoles finally get a blockbuster MMO that they deserve. Definitely one to watch over the next 6-9 months (shipping date is currently early 2010).
Ubisoft featured Joel McHale, arguably the only person at E3 so far that is a polished professional presenter. Kudos!
Ruse - this new strategy game looks great, and unlike other strategy games, places its main focus on battlefield deception tactics.
Assassin’s Creed 2 - this sequel looks to fix the repetitiveness issues of the first title, and takes place in one of the most stunning locations possible - Renaissance Italy. The new playable demo looks awesome.
Nintendo didn’t offer much that I personally was excited about, but fans will probably appreciate the new multi-player Mario, Mario Galaxy 2, and a new Metroid title.
God of War III - there are many titles this E3 that are trying to capitalize of GoW’s awesome formula (Bayonetta, Dante’s Inferno), but I am still most excited about this new installment of the original.
Lost Planet 2 - squad based gameplay, and my game one favorites, mech suites and grappling hook - I’ve been sold on this one since it was first announced a little while back. Of course, there is a new awesome trailer coming out of the E3, so google away!
Borderlands - another one of my watchlist games, this FPS/RPG combo continues to look cool with its attractive art style, thousands of guns, and strong storytelling. New trailer available.
Two new episodic games from Lucas Arts based on the Monkey Island series!!! - any fan of classic adventure gaming just peed his pants. Now I gotta go shower and change, so I will wrap up here for the time being.
— Update —-
Ahh, dry pants, that hits the spot. So where did I leave off? Ah, yes, here are the rest of the games that got me semi-excited this E3.
Alan Wake, an action-adventure thriller looks interesting in terms of its storytelling potential.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is obviously exciting to fans; more importantly, it looks like the series has finally stepped up to reinvent itself in terms of gameplay, taking on a more modern look and feel reminiscent of God of War. While there will certainly be loud cries about Konami doing away with the classic Castlevania flavor, as far as I am concerned that aroma has long grown stale, and I am glad to see some changes for this next iteration, even if they aren’t 100% unique. Names like Patrick Stewart and Hideo Kojima, which are lending their efforts to this title in terms of voice acting and design, respectively, give me all the more confidence that this may be the best Castlevania in a while when it hits consoles in 2010.
The live demo of Uncharted 2 looks pretty compelling (though still not compelling enough to make me buy a PS3, since no price cut has been announced).
The PSP is getting an installment of the always solid Jack and Dexter, subtitled “Lost Frontier”, and the equally solid Ratchet and Clank: a Crack in Time is coming to the consoles.
Finally, a follow up to Eco and Shadow of the Colossus entitled The Last Guardian, featuring a boy and his giant birdo-dogo-dragon pet rounds out my list of noteworthy games for this year’s show.
Overall, much of the excitement still surrounded the well-established, previously announced titles - there weren’t many notable new original games announced at this E3. For better or for worse, that is a reflection on where the game industry has evolved to in the last 5 years. The main theme for this upcoming batch of games seemed to be continued emulation of the recent proven successes in game design - visceral, over the top action of God of War, “climb everything” mechanics of Assassin’s Creed, and the cover mechanics of Gears.
