E3 2009 sure had its ups and downs

by Wyatt Fossett on June 11th, 2009 at 5:34 PM

We all know that E3 is back.

For those unaware, the Electronic Entertainment Expo is an event held annually where developers get to show off their new titles and projects to industry heavyweights. The past few E3s have been slightly lacklustre, with very little access granted to civilians. Intending to rectify this, E3 was big, bad, and stronger than ever this year.

I watched all of the press conferences live over the Internet, due to my inability to go there myself this year. I would like to share with you my ups and downs of E3 2009.

First off, my least favourite of all the titles would have to be Metal Gear Solid: Rising for the Xbox 360. I know that the release of this MGS game is groundbreaking for Xbox owners. But to make an MGS game not based on Snake as the first title for the Xbox is weak. On top of that, Kojima and company are not even making this title an Xbox exclusive.

Now, there were also tons of games geared towards 11-year-old girls that I didn’t find entertaining or exciting as well, but let’s face it, they are going to sell.

I am rather excited about Assassin’s Creed 2, which was plugged and advertised tremendously throughout E3. The on-stage gameplay demo opened the eyes of everyone watching and awed even those who weren’t fans of the first installment.

Special info that was revealed included the Online Franchise mode in Madden NFL 10. The new Metroid game for Wii, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction, Mass Effect 2, Grand Slam Tennis, The Beatles: Rock Band, and Dragon Age: Origins are among my most significant titles that were revealed. Oh, and the new PSP Go, featuring slide-out controls, great resolution, and on-board 16GB hard drive (with new games that include new Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo, and other titles).

My choice for the game of E3 is the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up title. For the new TMNT game, think Super Smash Bros. with Ninja Turtle characters. This may seem odd as a pick for game of the show, but both Super Smash Bros. and TMNT hold huge places in my heart.

Wyatt Fossett can be reached on Twitter at twitter.com/SheriffEarp.