E3 2008: Best of Show

It is true that E3 2008 didn’t have many surprising titles or blockbuster announcements. The show was really geared to showcase some incredible titles that are making their way to retail over the next 10 months. Of these titles shown, only a handful can truly be seen as outstanding. Here you will find our listing of the Best of Show for E3 2008. As in previous years, this list is not given in any order.

Fallout 3
Bethesda wowed and amazed the press with their Fallout 3 showing. Those who had appointments were able to spend an entire 30 minutes with the game. Players were able to go exploring, follow the story line, or stand with their jaw dropped on the floor in amazement. If this game doesn’t become game of the year when it is released later this year, there is definitely something wrong. Yes, it is that good.

Flower
Sony was showing Flower in a meeting room to select members of the press. There we witnessed some amazing visuals, incredible gameplay, wonderful graphics, and a unique experience. All of this will be made available over the PlayStation Network when Flower is released.

Retro Game Challenge
Xseed Games announced about ten days ago that they would be bringing the hit Retro Game Challenge, for the Nintendo DS, to North America. This is a title that I have never heard of but quickly fell in love with it. Players start off with the choice of one retro 80’s game that is a spoof of a classic. The first one available is a Galaga clone. Players are given specific challenges and once they unlock those another game is opened up. There is even a Dragon Quest 2 spoof that has 10 hours of gameplay and a storyline. In addition, Xseed is in talks with several gaming magazines to try and include several articles for players to read. There will also be tips and tricks for each of the games available.

Dead Space
EA showed off Dead Space—a survival horror title in space that reminded me of the setting and atmosphere of Run Like Hell. RLH turned out to be a very bad game so the similarities end there. Dead Space is referred to as an Action Dismemberment Game. What this means for the player is that in order to survive, they will need to attack the monsters by cutting them down limb by limb. This is sure to be bloody fun when it is released later this year.

Spore
I spent quite a bit of time with Spore at E3 2008 and I feel like it is going to be great. However, the reason it is on this list is mainly due to the iPhone version. EA Mobile is working on an iPhone version of Spore that will launch the same day as its bigger brother on the PC and Mac. Spore for the iPhone takes the first 30 minutes of gameplay and stretches it into eight to ten hours of fun. You control your character by tilting the screen around. The implementation is definitely better than Sega’s Monkey Ball and you can completely give your creature its own unique look and feel. Also, while nothing was announced, it is all but certain that other elements of the Spore universe will appear on the iPhone in the near future. My only complaint is that Apple has not opened up the SDK to allow for playing your own music from within the game. EA assured me that when Apple opens up this feature, they will update Spore if this happens post-launch.

Puzzle Quest Galactrix
The latest in the Puzzle Quest series completely redefines the experience and is the very best puzzle title shown at E3 2008. The game will feature the same RPG elements of the first title and will provide players with a Science Fiction theme. About the only thing negatie is the lack of platforms D3 is launching it on. It will only be available on PC, Nintendo DS, and Xbox 360 Arcade when it comes out in Q1 2009. This game screams to be on the iPhone and I was given a wink to wait and there just might be other platforms announced.

As you can see, there were some very great games at E3 that covered a very large range of different genres. When it came to big AAA titles, E3 2008 did not disappoint.