This year our five attending GCM editors scoured the E3 showroom floor for the best of the best. We did things a bit differently this year. Rather than nominate a bunch of games and vote later we chose our WINNER right there on the showroom floor. No more waiting for the developers, publishers, or readers. What follows are the TOP 20 GAMES of E3. Yes - we only gave out 20 awards for Best of Show, so if a game got mentioned you can be sure it blew us away.

We'll also be naming a few titles worth HONORABLE MENTION in each of the competing genres. While there can only be one WINNER there were a few close calls on the showroom floor and a few titles are definitely worth keeping your eye on. And as always, at the bottom of the page we will have our annual BEST PICKS for each E3 Attendee.

ENJOY!

Best Xbox 360 Game of E3 2006: GEARS of WAR - Epic Games / Microsoft
GEARS OF WAR nailed this title with very little effort, although I'm sure the developers would disagree. They've been busting ass to create what is easily the best looking, best playing, and just the best Xbox 360 title in the entire library. With rivoting solo and intense multiplayer action, this will be the game to buy the day it ships and if you don't already have a 360 you now have your single best reason to buy one.

HONORABLE MENTION:

  • ROCKSTAR PRESENTS TABLE TENNIS - The best PONG game you'll ever play.
  • Best 360 Shooter of E3 2006: LOST PLANET - CAPCOM
    At first it's easy to dismiss this as "just another RTS" and in some ways that might be true, but when you throw in parallel worlds and dinosaurs, you have the ingredients for either a great strategy game or a failed Sci-Fi series (anyone remember "Sliders"?) There is a whole lot of work going into this project before it ships this August so definitely keep your eyes on this one until then.

    HONORABLE MENTION:

  • BIOSHOCK - Perhaps the perfect blend of RPG, Action, Shooter, and Adventure.
  • Best Music Game of E3 2006: GUITAR HERO II - RedOctane / Activision
    How do you follow-up the most addicting game of 2005? By adding 75 new songs and support for bass guitar for starters. If there was a favorite song of yours that wasn't in the first Guitar Hero chances are it's making it into this one. Even though we only got to sample five songs, the game was just as fun as ever and judging from the long lines at the Sony booth and massive crowd at the RedOctane booth, demand for this title will be insane when it ships later this year.

    HONORABLE MENTION:

  • TRAXION - A PSP music game that generates gameplay from your own MP3's...what more could you ask for?

  • Best FPS Game of E3 2006: CRYSIS - Crytek / Electronic Arts
    If watching the developer play this game on the massive screen at the Chinese Theater didn't impress us (which it did), the playable demo at the EA booth blew us away. I can't even begin to comprehend what the hardware requirements for this game will be, but when you can shoot off individual leaves from their stem, video games just got a reality check. Toss in some amazing light and shadows and one of the coolest boss battles of the show and you have the makings of a masterpiece. If you loved FAR CRY then CRYSIS is the next evolution of FPS gaming.

    HONORABLE MENTION:

  • PREY - Looking even better than last year with trippy levels and variable gravity.
  • Best Military Action Game of E3 2006: HAZE - Free Radical / Ubisoft
    This game was so secret we didn't know it even existed until we were "drafted" by two burly soldiers who sat us down to watch a training video. The game was still in its early stages but there is no mistaking this is going to be the next-generations FAR CRY. With bark and leaves flying everywhere during jungle combat, it's almost ironic to see a buttlerfly land on the barrel of your rifle once you finally stop shooting.

    HONORABLE MENTION:

  • CALL OF DUTY 3: This third installment puts you closer to combat than ever before.
  • Best Action-RPG Game of E3 2006: MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE - Raven Software / Activision
    You don't have to love comic books to love this game (but it might help). Imagine 140 of your all-time favorite superheroes and supervillains from the Marvel vault being unleashed in a single game. Now put that game on the next-gen PS3 and Xbox 360, throw in some cooperative and versus multiplayer, origin stories for the heroes, hundreds of combat moves and team-based combos, and you have the "ultimate" action-rpg of the year.

    HONORABLE MENTION:

  • BIOSHOCK - Perhaps the perfect blend of RPG, Action, Shooter, and Adventure.
  • Best PC Multiplayer Game of E3 2006: ENEMY TERRITORY: QUAKE WARS - Splash Damage / Activision
    Chances are this award would have gone to CALL OF DUTY 3 if they had something more than a movie showing, but since I actually got to sit down and play ENEMY TERRITORY in an 8-on-8 team-based war for nearly 20 minutes I have to let experience dictate this award. I enjoy a casual wargame every now and then but I'm not a fanatic about it - until now... This game, with its objective-based multiplayer, breathtaking scenery, and insanely detailed soldier and vehicle units, is the PC game to watch if you like fragging friends and foes online.

    HONORABLE MENTION:

  • CALL OF DUTY 3: This third installment puts you closer to combat than ever before.
  • Best RTS Game of E3 2006: WORLD IN CONFLICT - Massive Entertainment / Sierra
    As much as I hate to give an award to a game that I will probably be seeing at next year's E3, WORLD IN CONFLICT was easily the best-looking and best-playing RTS title on the showroom floor this year. Building on the Ground Control II engine, this game asks, "what if the Cold War had heated up?" then puts you in 1989 to find out. With all sorts of realistic weapons from the era (including devastating nukes), this is the next evolution of RTS gaming.

    HONORABLE MENTION:

  • GENESIS RISING - A sleeper-hit phenomenon that mixes organic ships, blood as a resource, and graphics that rival Eve Online.
  • Best Simulation Game of E3 2006: SPORE - Maxis / Electronic Arts
    While Evolution and Intelligent Design are being debated in schools and in congress, Will Wright wants to blur the two by making you "god", having you create life at the single cell level and evolve it into something that can travel space and explore (or conquer) the galaxy. It's SIMS meets CIVILIZATION on a scale like no other and when every person playing is automatically contributing to the global online universe, the only limits to this game are in your own mind.

    HONORABLE MENTION:

  • NONE NOMINATED
  • Best RPG Game of E3 2006: FINAL FANTASY XII - Square-Enix
    It's been a long time coming but after playing FINAL FANTASY XII and seeing the new real-time combat, intelligent scripting for your party, and the epic scope of story and visuals, this is easily the crowning achivement in RPG titles for current gen systems. Of course Final Fantasy XIII is just around the corner for PS3 and only a poet could put those visuals into words. Until then, prepare for the ultimate RPG with some clever new gameplay twists.

    HONORABLE MENTION:

  • NEVER WINTER NIGHTS 2 - Personally, my favorite RPG of the show but this amazing RPG got beat by FFXII with a single vote.
  • Best Fighting Game of E3 2006: VIRTUA FIGHTER 5 - SEGA
    I've never been a big fan of the Virtua fighter series but this fifth installment is shaping up to give DOA and TEKKEN a run for the money. Detail physics and facial responses to combat look like they have been stripped right from Fight Night Round 3, and the gameplay looks like it will blend a great deal of tactics with reflexive "twitch" gaming.

    HONORABLE MENTION:

  • YAKUZA - Also from SEGA, this game is showing a great deal of promise with intense fighting action and realistic physics.
  • Best Adventure Game of E3 2006: INDIANA JONES 2007 - LucasArts
    Everybody loves Indiana Jones and in 2007 we'll hopefully be getting a new movie to go along with LucasArts new state-of-the-art video game. Using the new Euphoria behavioral simulation engine not only do people act and react differently each time you interact with them, so do physical objects. Bottomline - you can play this game infinite times and it will never unfold in exactly the same way twice. The ultimate hero gets the ultimate adventure with the ultimate game engine in 2007.

    HONORABLE MENTION:

  • LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS is breaking all the rules when it ships for GameCube and Wii on the same day.
  • Best New Hardware of E3 2006: SONY PLAYSTATION 3 - Sony
    With only two new systems on the way it was either going to be this or the Wii. Sony will dominate the high-end video game market when it launches this November with built-in Blu-Ray, backwards compatibility, and interconnectivity with the PSP. Oh yeah - and about two dozen kick ass games so you aren't stuck watching movies on it. If the 1080p hi-def support doesn't make your eyes bleed then wait until you get your hands on the motion-sensitive controller.

    HONORABLE MENTION:

  • Wii - Okay, I guess any system that people stand in line for 6 hours to "touch" deserves a mention. Personally, I didn't like it.
  • Best Console Action Game of E3 2006: TOO HUMAN - Silicon Knights / Microsoft
    Self-described as Diablo meets Devil May Cry, TOO HUMAN builds on the latest Unreal engine to create a fanciful futurisitc world where you struggle alone against alien invaders. Technically, this game is a marvel in that it uses advanced scripting to control the camera angle at all times. It pulls out for gunfire and zooms in for melee and you never have to tweak it.

    HONORABLE MENTION:

  • ASSASSIN'S CREED - This game probably would have won if we had been able to see more than the short trailer on the wall.
  • Best Action-Strategy Game of E3 2006: RAINBOW SIX VEGAS - Ubisoft
    Let's face it - the last few RB6 games have sucked wind, but the franchise is back in the capable hands of Ubi Montreal and from what they were showing at E3, this game is going to reinvent the franchise. Terrorists have taken over parts of Las Vegas and you must infilitrate with your team using all new weapons, gadgets, and tactics. The casino and hotels offer up some interesting environments that are fairly original for this genre. Solo or multiplayer - this game is like winning the jackpot.

    HONORABLE MENTION:

  • WARHAMMER: MARK OF CHAOS
  • Best Import Game of E3 2006: SINGSTAR - Sony
    Already dominating the UK and European venues, SINGSTAR is a Karaoke style game that has you single over music videos. With 300 songs already available in the UK and Sony's unique marketing strategy for after-purchase content, there is no end to the fun you can have when SINGSTAR ships for PS3 end of this year.

    HONORABLE MENTION:

  • NONE NOMINATED
  • Sleeper Hit of E3 2006: PARAWORLD - Sunflowers
    At first it's easy to dismiss this as "just another RTS" and in some ways that might be true, but when you throw in parallel worlds and dinosaurs, you have the ingredients for either a great strategy game or a failed Sci-Fi series (anyone remember "Sliders"?) There is a whole lot of work going into this project before it ships this August so definitely keep your eyes on this one until then.

    HONORABLE MENTION:

  • EARTHWORM JIM - This upcoming PSP title might just be the best game in the Jim series yet.
  • Best Original Concept of E3 2006: OKAMI - CAPCOM
    We've been drawing on our NDS for more than a year now but Capcom is bringing the pen to the PS2, or at least a virtual pen with their new game OKAMI. The world has become a lifeless place, as shown in the game's use of Hokusai-style Japanese woodblock print visuals. Playing as Ama Terasu, a sun god who takes on the form of a wolf, your goal is to bring life back to the world by defeating lots of beasts. With each beast you defeat, the world's life force is restored just a bit, with colors and eventually people appearing.

    HONORABLE MENTION:

  • LEGO STAR WARS II: THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY
  • BEST OVERALL PC GAME of E3 2006: SPORE - Maxis / Electronic Arts
    While Evolution and Intelligent Design are being debated in schools and in congress, Will Wright wants to blur the two by making you "god", having you create life at the single cell level and evolve it into something that can travel space and explore (or conquer) the galaxy. It's SIMS meets CIVILIZATION on a scale like no other and when every person playing is automatically contributing to the global online universe, the only limits to this game are in your own mind. SPORE might not reinvent the sim genre but it will likely spawn it's own mutant variation.

    HONORABLE MENTION:

  • PREY - Looking even better than last year with trippy levels and variable gravity.
  • BEST OVERALL CONSOLE GAME of E3 2006: GEARS of WAR (360) - Epic Games / Microsoft
    GEARS OF WAR was the undisputed winner for this ultimate award. Epic Games has been busting ass to create what is easily the best looking, best playing, and just the best Xbox 360 title in the entire library. With rivoting solo and intense multiplayer action, this will be the game to buy the day it ships and if you don't already have a 360 you now have your single best reason to buy one.

    HONORABLE MENTION:

  • ASSASSIN'S CREED (PS3) - This could be the system-seller game of the PS3.
  • BIOSHOCK - Perhaps the perfect blend of RPG, Action, Shooter, and Adventure.

  • As the yearly tradition goes GCM selects our favorite picks from the show. This year we're posting the picks from all the writers who attended, so without further ado...

    Mark's Picks for Best of Show
    Most Impressive Booth:Electronic Arts' 360 Theater
    Best Booth Design:Vivendi Universal
    Friendliest Booth:Activision
    Loudest Booth:EA
    Longest Demo Line:Nintendo Wii
    Worst Booth:Nintendo
    Hottest Booth Babe(s):Tecmo
    Best Personal Demo:Gears of War
    Best Party:Steel Lounge
    Rising Star:Webzen
    Most Innovative Game:Spore
    Best Swag:PSP Headphones from IceMat Audio
    Top 3 Games I Most Want:Gears of War, Guitar Hero II, Call of Duty 3


    Mat's Picks for Best of Show
    Most Impressive Booth: NCSoft
    Best Booth Design: Microsoft
    Friendliest Booth: Tecmo
    Loudest Booth: NCSoft
    Longest Demo Line: Wii
    Worst Booth:Nintendo
    Hottest Booth Babe(s): Tecmo
    Best Personal Demo:N/A
    Best Party: Steel Lounge
    Rising Star: Left Behind Games
    Most Innovative Game: Spore
    Best Swag: Red Octane (Guitar Hero 2 T-shirt)
    Top 3 Games I Most Want: Spore, Dead Rising, Mercenaries 2


    Mike's Picks for Best of Show
    Most Impressive Booth:Nintendo (gamers waiting in line to see the Wii were treated to floor-length interactive TV screens with Nintendo reps who would chat and even play rock-paper-scissors)
    Best Booth Design:Sony (with booths for individual games like Songstar)
    Friendliest Booth:Bethesda (fresh brownies and bottled water!)
    Loudest Booth:Blizzard (Does a trailer for World of Warcraft really need to be that loud?)
    Longest Demo Line:The Nintendo Wii - if you weren't in line first thing in the morning, you weren't getting in. Period.
    Worst Booth:Crave Entertainment
    Hottest Booth Babe(s):The Webzen Dancers
    Best Personal Demo:Tabula Rasa by NCSoft
    Best Party:The Steel Lounge
    Rising Star:NCSoft
    Most Innovative Game:Spore
    Best Swag:PSP Siberia Headphones from IceMat>
    Top 3 Games I Most Want:Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy XII, Spore


    Roger's Picks for Best of Show
    Most Impressive Booth:Nintendo
    Best Booth Design: Ubisoft
    Friendliest Booth: Sony Online Entertainment (SOE)
    Loudest Booth: EA's 360 Theater
    Longest Demo Line: Nintendo Wii by far
    Worst Booth: 2K Games
    Hottest Booth Babe(s): Tecmo
    Best Personal Demo: Haze
    Best Party: Steel Lounge
    Rising Star: Sunflowers
    Most Innovative Game: PS3 Formula One 06 w/ Rear-view PSP
    Best Swag: PSP Headphones from IceMat Audio
    Top 3 Games I Most Want: ParaWorld, The Legend of Zelda (all versions), Haze


    ATTENTION PUBLISHERS AND DEVELOPERS
    If you are listed as a WINNER and would like to use our E3 award logo in your online or retail marketing
    program you may download the 2"x3" 300dpi hi-res TIF version (1.5 MB)
    Our GCM logo is available as a 150dpi medium-res TIF version (218 KB)
    -- Other sizes and formats are available upon request. --