Scribblenauts is the Best Game of E3?

My friends and I don't play many handheld games, so even though Scribblenauts looks original and fun I didn't feel it was worth mentioning. BUT, considering some of the big dogs of the video game world (GameSpot, IGN, and GameSpy) have unanimously chosen this small, portable GameBoy DS game as the Best of E3 (!?!?), I guess I might as well write something about it.

It appears to be a typical side-scrolling game (ala Super Mario Bros.) which some neat twists thrown in. As stated by Wikipedia:

"Scribblenauts is an exclusively side-scrolling game controlled entirely with the Nintendo DS stylus. The player controls a character called Maxwell, who must collect objects called "Starites". Maxwell is guided by tapping the touchscreen, or if the player taps an object, Maxwell will pick it up."

The most amusing feature of the game is the ability to "summon" a vast array of objects to use. For instance, if a player sees a gap in the terrain ahead, he can type in "bridge" and a bridge appears that allows the player to place it over the gap and cross safely. You may assume that the number of objects is limited, but that was the appeal and attraction of the game at E3. People were constantly trying to find words that the game would not recognize, but were amazed at the extensive vocabulary packed into this little handheld game. *video below*




Not impressed? Well, the guys who called this the "Best of E3" have a pretty good track record. Here is a list of their previously announced "Best of E3".

IGN Best of E3 Winners
2009: Scribblenauts
2008: Fallout 3
2007: Fallout 3
2006: BioShock
2005: Spore
2004: Halo 2
2003: Half-Life 2
2002: Metroid Prime
2001: Star Wars Galaxies
2000: Metal Gear Solid 2

Gamespot Best of E3 Winners
2009: Scribblenauts
2008: Fable II
2007: Little Big Planet
2006: BioShock
2005: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
2004: Splinter Cell 3

Gamespy Best of E3 Winners
2009: Scribblenauts
2008: Spore
2007: BioShock
2006: BioShock
2005: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
2004: Half-Life 2

Tetris as a Sport ?!?!

Alexey Pajitnov (the creator of Tetris) is mighty proud of his work. He has every right to be considering how eternal the game is.

1. Tetris is played to this day (unlike say Doom or MS Flight Simulator)
2. Tetris makes up ten percent of all games sold on mobile phones
3. Tetris always ranks within the top 10 of the "Top XXX Video Games of All Time" lists published by various magazines and websites.

That may seem crazy, but it can be proven how good it is. Pick up Tetris and play it. One hour can go by easily before you realize you're playing a game that is over 20 years old. It's just that good. Well, the ol' Alexey thinks that it should be a sport.

As stated by Henk Rogers President of Tetris Company (a company co-founded by Alexey Pajitnov to market Tetris), "We are going to turn Tetris into the first real virtual sport," Rogers said. "Sports like baseball and football were created at a time when our future was a lifetime of physical activities and physical fitness. But now that's not as important, it's more about mental fitness today."

Interesting, but not far-fetched. In South Korea, video games have become so popular that StarCraft is a televised sport. It would be interesting to see something like that happen in the U.S., but in all likelihood, even considering that more and more people are playing video games today, it would be a long, hard road.

E3 '09 Surpirse: Just Cause 2 Looks Amazing!

The first game (Just Cause) was good, but not all that popular. It's sequel was a low-profile title that looks to be one of the best kept secrets of E3. The following video is kind of long, but even if you watch just the first 30 seconds, you will see how freakin awesome it looks. *video below*

E3 Preview: PS3 Exclusive M.A.G.(Massive Action Game)

I almost forgot to mention this game from E3. M.A.G. is a PS3 exclusive. It's name stands for Massive Action Game and instead of supporting a typical 16 player game (ala Halo 3), it will support 256 players. That is not a typo. There will be 256 players (128 per team) fighting for one objective. Surprisingly it looks very good and at E3 the creators of the game showcased some of the features of the game. *video below*

M.A.G. E3 '09 Gameplay Footage

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Video Games | MAG | E3 09: Conference Gameplay Footage

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

E3 '09 Spotlight: BioWare reveals Knights of the Old Republic (online game)

Title says it all. This is BioWare making a Star Wars game. And an online Star Wars game in the same vein as WoW. Which translates into Gaming-Awesomeness. The video below does not show gameplay footage, but the video is freakin awesome looking regardless. People are saying this cinematic is better than Episodes I - III combined.

"

Video Games | Star Wars: The Old Republic | E3 09: Jedi vs Sith Cinematic HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

E3 '09 Spotlight: Sony Press Conference (Motion Sensing Controller)

Sony's Press Conference for E3 wasn't much better than Nintendo's, but there was this interesting peripheral that Sony is going to be promoting. It actually looks very cool, but demo's always do.

Sony Motion Sensor Eye Toy Peripheral

E3 '09 Spotlight: Nintendo Press Conference (New Super Mario Bros. for Wii)

Despite Nintendo showing off the WiiMotionPlus (they also showcased it last E3),this is the best thing (in my opinion) that Nintendo had to offer. Which doesn't say much about the future of the Wii.

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Video Games | New Super Mario Bros. | E3 09: Conference Footage

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

E3 '09 Spotlight: Microsoft Press Conference (Misc)

Rundown of other misc announcements:


Radio Stations on Xbox live courtesy of Last.fm

Netflix Upgrade (can browse Netflix on Xbox Live and select movies to watch without having to go to Netflix.com with your computer)

Facebook on Xbox 360

Twitter on Xbox 360

Metal Gear Solid: Rising on Xbox 360!

E3 '09 Spotlight: Microsoft Press Conference (Halo: ODST and Halo: Reach)

Here is a video showing gameplay from Halo: ODST and towards the end of the video is a sneak peek of Halo 4 aka Halo: Reach.

FYI: Halo 3: ODST is a stand-alone expansion for Halo 3. It will use the same levels as Halo 3 for multiplayer but will play slightly different since you won't be playing a Master Chief. Wikipedia does a good job of describing the game here.

Halo: ODST (Gameplay) and Halo: Reach (Trailer) Video

E3 '09 Spotlight: Microsoft Press Conference (Splinter Cell: Conviction)

This game will be awesome! If you try to tell me it is just the same old Splinter Cell, then you didn't watch the video. *video below*

Splinter Cell: Conviction Gameplay Video

E3 '09 Spotlight: Microsoft Press Conference (Project Natal)

Microsoft is worried about sales figures of the Wii. Wonder why?

Systems sales worldwide (as of June 1, 2009):

Wii = ~50 million (released Winter 2006)
360 = ~30 million (released Winter 2005)
PS3 = ~22 million (released Winter 2006)

Microsoft unveiled their answer to Nintendo Wii's success at E3 '09 during their press conference. Introducing "Project Natal". *Video below*


Project Natal Promo Video




Project Natal Demonstration



Hate to say it, but Tony Hawk's new "skateboard-controller" (shown during E3 right before Project Natal was revealed) is not as impressive. *video below*

Tony Hawk Ride Promo Video