X-Play's Best of E3 2009

By Andrew Pfister - Posted Jun 08, 2009

Game of Show

It was an extremely close contest in a year where almost every publisher had something to offer, but in the end, Naughty Dog gets the nod for Uncharted 2. It looks absolutely stunning, the story looks a little darker and more complex, and the multiplayer additions of co-op and deathmatch just add more delicious icing. We would like to play this now, please. Like, right this very instant.

Uncharted 2 Preview -- Uncharted 2 Videos

Best PlayStation 3 Game

God of War III
Heavy Rain
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
Demon’s Souls
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Winner)

Naughty Dog's Uncharted 2 emerged as the clear favorite, thanks to a tremendous single-player demonstration at the Sony press conference and a strong multiplayer presence on the show floor. In a very solid year for PS3 exclusives, Nathan Drake and Friends made the loudest noise.

Best Wii Game

Bet you didn't see that one coming. Muramasa took out two established hardcore favorites and then leapt past some Nintendo first-party juggernauts. It was a well-deserved win for Vanillaware and Ignition Entertainment, and a victory for Wii owners longing for a beautiful 2D action game.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade Videos

Best Xbox 360 Game

Alan Wake
Left 4 Dead 2
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction
Halo 3: ODST
Mass Effect 2 (Winner)

Not even the second wave of zombies nor the re-emergence of Sam Fisher could stop the "did I just see that happen?" factor of Mass Effect 2's theater demo. BioWare deserves applause not just for the serious way they're handling their story, but for following through on the idea of importing all of your characters' decisions for the first Mass Effect. Time for a second playthrough.

Mass Effect 2 Preview -- Mass Effect 2 Videos

Best Multiplatform Game

All hail the dark master Tim Schafer and his able Doublefine minions. Brütal Legend might not have been the most technically proficient demo on the floor, but it was one of those instances where we were having too much stupid fun to care. It's a clear labor of love from everyone involved, and has surprisingly excellent voice acting from Ozzy Osbourne to boot.

Brütal Legend Hands-on Preview -- Brütal Legend Videos

Best Original Game

Scribblenauts' puzzles are solved by…well, that's kind of up to you. With a dictionary of 10,000+ functional objects that you can will into existence to help you solve problems, it's just as much a game as it is an at-home creativity test. This is the type of game that helps long bus rides and plane trips go by quickly.

Scribblenauts Hands-on Preview

Best New Hardware

PSP Go
Tony Hawk: Ride skateboard
Sony Motion Control Wand
DJ Hero turntable
Project Natal (Winner)

So many questions remain to be answered (price, date, software support, etc.), but the Natal camera was way more exciting than we thought Microsoft's long-rumored motion project was going to be. The demos were developed enough so that we could play for ourselves, and Peter Molyneux's "Milo" experiment offers an early glimpse at what might be possible down the road.

G4tv.com's Hands-on Natal Impressions -- Project Natal Press Conference Demo Video

Best PC Game

Order of War
Jumpgate Evolution
Left 4 Dead 2 (Winner)

Apparently, it's never too soon for another zomb-ocalypse. There wasn't much competition this year in the PC space, sadly, but that's not to take away from Valve's unexpected L4D follow-up. The undead look just as terrifying in Left 4 Dead 2's broad daylight, and we can't wait to get our hands on that bloody axe.

Left 4 Dead 2 Preview -- Left 4 Dead 2 Videos

Best Handheld Game

If we had a "Benefited Most from Word of Mouth" award, Scribblenauts would win that one as well. By the third day of the show, this truly unique game had to be given more demo kiosks to accommodate everyone. What we like most about Scribblenauts is the creativity face-off between the developers and the players: if you've thought of it, then they've (probably) thought of it, too.

Scribblenauts Hands-on Preview

Best Downloadable Game

Anyone who's familiar with Epic's Cliff Bleszinski knows how much of a Metroid fan he is. That shines through in Shadow Complex, a 2D action/adventure that is lovingly inspired by the likes of Super Metroid and the modern Castlevania games. With a big map and meaty campaign, it's another great example of offering games that are substantial over a downloadable service.

Shadow Complex E3 09 Live Preview -- Shadow Complex Videos

Best Fighting Game

Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny
Tekken 6
Tatsunoko Vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars (Winner)

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom isn’t Marvel vs. Capcom 3, but as spiritual successors go, it’s a welcome surprise that’ll ensure that fighting game fans finally use their Wiis for something other than Super Smash Bros. and paperweights. TvC opens up the legendary animation house to some serious crossover ass-kickings from Ryu and friends. If you’ve wanted to pair up Ken Masters with a character from G-Force, this is your game.

Tatsunoko Vs Capcom E3 2009 Trailer

Best RPG

Pre-planning a trilogy before the first game was released was a risky move for BioWare. But what we saw from Mass Effect 2 indicates that the gameplay refinements and the dark, desperate tone of the second installment is going to pay off in a spectacular way. This was definitely one of the most jaw-dropping demos of E3.

Mass Effect 2 Preview -- Mass Effect 2 Videos

Best Sports Game

Don't listen to EA marketing, it's not a "fighting game." It's a true-and-black-and-blue boxing game that features some of the world's greatest fighters and some really impressive collision detection. Round 3 was among this generation's first graphical showcases…Round 4 looks like it'll continue that tradition.

Fight Night Round 4 Preview -- Fight Night Round 4 Videos

Best Music Game

It would be one thing to just include the Fab Four's classic tracks as downloadable content for Beatles: Rock Band. It would be quite another to craft a digital tribute to history's most influential band, complete with a beautiful animated intro, memorable venues, and Beatle-specific instrument controllers. The lack of importing is a bummer, but we'll manage. Somehow.

The Beatles: Rock Band Preview -- The Beatles: Rock Band Videos

Best Racing Game

The theatrical element is what put Split/Second over the top. To dismiss it as some sort of Burnout clone would be a disservice, as Split/Second does its own thing with a showy, destructive glee that we really hope doesn't get old after seeing it three or four times. But the E3 demo earns a spot on our racing radar.

Split/Second E3 09 Live Preview -- Split/Second Videos

Best Booth

Sony
Nintendo
EA
MTV Games (Winner)

Funny enough, it was just one game that clinched it for MTV Games. The Abbey Road studio stage for The Beatles: Rock Band was like re-creating the Parthenon for a God of War III demo (and then destroying it, naturally). Whoever came up with this idea deserves some sort of award. If only we had such a thing.

Biggest Surprise

Project Natal
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction
Metroid: The Other M (Winner)

Most of the pre-show rumor mill was focused on a new Mario (got two!) and a new Zelda (got one later in the day!), but all was curiously quiet on the Metroid front. When the trailer for Other M rolled near the end of the press conference and the Team Ninja logo appeared, it still took a few seconds to sink in that we were seeing the Metroid franchise back in Japan, and in the hands of a most unexpected tag-team.

Metroid: Other M E3 Trailer

Best Trailer

Left 4 Dead 2
Final Fantasy XIV
Star Wars: The Old Republic (Winner)

The prevailing sentiment after EA's press conference was along the lines of "That was the best Star Wars movie since 1983." Whatever points we docked for relying solely on CG were made-up for by just how completely f-ing awesome that CG was, and if nothing else, it succeeded in establishing a great tone for The Old Republic.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Cinematic Trailer

Best Technical Achievement – Software

EA's been trending toward a more persistent sports experience with recent innovations in the FIFA and NHL franchises. Now it comes to a head with Madden 10's all-encompassing Online Franchise mode, which taps into fantasy sports addiction and allows you to manage your digital jocks from pretty much anywhere on the planet. This is huge not just for Madden, but sports games across the board.

Madden 10 Online Franchise Video