Hey Got Gamers,

Anyone can do a best of/worst of E3 list, but I wanted to do something a little different. I still did a best/worst list, but I found some hidden jewels in both categories that I wanted to share with you. There are some great things that I didn’t put on my list, but you’ve probably already seen those on the 20 best of/worst of lists that you’ve read before this.

The Best of E3:

1. Gran Turismo 5

With 3D capabilities, head-tracking via the PlayStation Eye camera, over 1000 cars, 20 tracks, split screen, video integration with Youtube, your own soundtracks and PSP connectivity; the next Gran Turismo installment appears to be the Swiss-Army knife of gaming. However, I find that the really impressive part is that they found time and a way to add NASCAR, World Rally, Super GT, and F1 to this game. It’s clearly they’re trying to be everything to everyone, and a lot of it works very well. It may not be the best game of all time, but all this content certainly makes it one of the best things at this year’s E3.

2. The Nintendo 3DS

It was clearly the biggest announcement of this year’s E3, but add a thumb stick, wi-fi capabilities, 3D movies/games, a 3D camera, and the ability to adjust the 3D to 2D, and you have the best piece of technology of this year’s E3.

3. Forectek “Power Glove”

I have 2 words for you: Power Glove! I am sure that’s not what the people at Forcetek want me to call it, but it’s like something right out of The Wizard. The best part about this system  is that the inventors have come from the physio-therapy world, and this “power glove” is only part of a full exo-skeleton that they’re currently working on. Therefore, and I stress in theory, gamers with disability could use this technology to play games that they may not otherwise be able to play… in theory.

4. NBA JAM

NBA JAM is Boom-Shacka-Licious! It’s easy to control and feels exactly like in did when we were playing the original NBA JAM at our local arcades. My one complaint? Toronto’s team is made up of Bosh and the Raptor mascot. Now don’t get me wrong, because I love the Raptor. He does have a great 3 point shot, but why no love for Calderon, Evans or DeRozan?

5. Kevin Butler’s Appearance

It’s Kevin Butler… what more do you want?

6. Life Size Nobel Team Statue

This was the most impressive thing leading into the LA Convention Center’s West Hall. Even the most dedicated Nintendo fanboy had to stop and take a picture with it.

7. Limbo

You probably have yet to hear about this game, so I won’t ruin the surprise. Just watch the trailer for this one because it looks sick!

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The Worst of E3:

1. That scripted banter between Microsoft’s engineer Laura (aka – Lollipop) and her sister via VideoKinect.

I have yet to meet someone who saw this live, or on TV, that didn’t feel awkward watching this.

2. Gaming Journalist who get a little to Fanboyish on the job.

I am a member of the world’s professional video game media. I take pride in my work, and I always do my best to remain professional at all times. However, I didn’t feel like all of thegaming media at E3 lived up to this easily attainable standard. Don’t get me wrong, I did meet countless professional gaming journalists at this year’s event. However,  I could rant and rave over 5 – 10 so called “journalists” that I really found embarrassing. I was going to rant about them here, and then I found out that Mitchell Dyer already did that extremely well, so I am just going to point you towards his excellent post.

3. Demos that were not really Demos

All our little gaming hearts broke when we saw this random actor try and fail to sync his movements with that of the Star Wars Kinect trailer.

4. Ubisoft’s Battletag

I understand that developers and publishers have to come up with new ways to differentiate themselves from everyone else, but there is a line that you can cross in this situation. Why has Battletag cross that line? It’s not because Battletag is a bad product. It seems to work perfectly as a game of laser tag, but this is E3. It is the world’s biggest event for all things video game related and Battletag is a not a video game.

5. The VirtuSphere

Imagine having to get into a giant metal sphere, and having to strap on a bulky VR helmet, every time you want to play a game. In this new world of the 3DS, I fear the VirtuSphere is rolling in the wrong direction.

6. Sketchy Gaming Peripherals

There were sketchy gaming peripherals on sale at a couple of dozen booths throughout E3. There were literally more plastic wii-mote steering wheels than you could ever shake a PlayStation move controller at. I took a picture of these though because I thought they spoke volumes about what I meant regarding sketchy peripherals. Here are 2 inflatable go-karts that you could use to play racing games on the Wii.

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7. EA’s New Gun Club Reward Program

Fish swim, birds fly, and EA makes great first person shooters. Heck, I personally think that EA’s Battlefield series is one of the best shooter franchises around. However, I also think that in a world were many use gaming as a easy target for public ridicule, and a scape-goat for social issues, calling your rewards program the Gun Club creates the wrong public image. And to be honest, as a gamer myself, I don’t think it correctly reflects who we are as gamers.

Honorable Mention

1. The 2K Sports Bar

In the center of the 2K booth, on the floor of the South Hall, was a real sports bar. Jersey’s on the wall, beers on tap, liquor at the back. It was a full on Sports bar that 2K was using to impress bigger fish than me. Pardon the pun, but having this real bar hidden away from the show floor was a sobering sight. However, it’s not something that is directly tied to playing a video game, so it only gets an honorable mention.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010 at 3:36 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.