And so, as quickly as it came, E3 2012 is over, leaving us in cloud of awesome (and some less-than-awesome) video game news. Although this year had some fairly dull announcements (i.e. Internet Explorer on Xbox 360) there was a lot of promising footage for a number of games which I have seen very little of. For instance Microsoft’s ace card was of course the return of Masterchief in Halo 4. However the presentation of Halo 4 was marginalized by a very extensive (and rather dull) demo of Smart Glass.

So onto our top picks. These are just our own preferences, based on our own personal feelings and inner gamer tickles. Hit the break to grab what we loved and make sure to give us some insight as to what grabbed you by the eyeballs!

JCWaitWat-Editor:

Despite my strong allegiance to the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Assassin’s Creed III did not make my favourite game of this years E3. This is not because it looked bad or dull, far from it, but purely because it was entirely what I expected which is fine by me. However I am still under the Ubisoft grip as my pick from this years E3 is Ubisoft Montreal’s Watch Dogs, announced during the Ubiasft press conference.

Watch Dogs is set in the future where personal information is more valuable than gold and more destructive than any weapon.  You play as Aiden Pierce, an assassin, who manipulates the electronic world around him to his advantage. For instance, during the demo Aiden hacks the traffics lights causing his target to end up in a car crash giving him the perfect moment to take him down.One of the reasons why this is my #1 game from E3 2012 is because it had never been announced, not even rumoured, before and so the surprise and excitement that comes with a new IP is second to none. This excitement coupled with an original concept and a stunning demo and trailer truly made sitting through the dull announcements worth while.

Logan DX -Senior Editor:

The ending of E3 is always met with a massive sigh of relief from me. The annual showcase always crams more into those short days than most people (myself) can handle. Now that the high has dissipated, I can sit back and breath. So what exactly punched me in the gut, made me contemplate breaking open my piggy bank?

Tomb Raider for one has consistently been impressing me with the “wounded Lara”. I haven’t been excited for anything starring the British adventurer since the first movie, the reboot is a must own for me. Watch Dogs blew me away with its out of nowhere presentation. The techno conspiracy vibe sent shivers down my spine because, well because it could be happening now. The trailers gave me that special giddiness that the first Splinter Cell gave me and I call it my Game of E3 2012. Calling that was a close one because chomping at Watch Dogs’ heels is the Bethesda\Arkane Studios awesome sauce Dishonored. Oh how I loathe decisions some days!

A few other awesome things to come out during E3: the announcement of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, more Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, the Assassin’s Creed 3 footage, South Park: The Stick of Truth and NetherRealm’s new fighter – Injustice: Gods Among Us. The DC Universe’s greatest heroes turning to the dark side, slugging it out? How does that not drive geeks wild?

Sadly there were some disappointments, mostly from Camp Nintendo. The Wii U has failed to excite me and what feels like plenty of others, betrayed by our once revered company. I’ll skip the new lackluster console (friend codes again?) and spend the cash on the excellent games coming to the PS3 and Xbxo 360. Ubisoft also punched me in the face with the new Splinter Cell – Blacklist. Not that the game doesn’t look excellent and fun to play but why muck up series super spy, Sam Fisher? Not only does he not look the part but they fired Michael Ironside as long standing voice actor of the aging butt kicker. Damn you Ubisoft!

Laddie 13- Writer:

There wasn’t much in the way of surprises at this years E3. That being said much of what I did see left me salivating in anticipation of games to come in the near future. Tomb Raider, never a must play franchise for me, has become pre-order worthy and Quantic Dream’s Beyond: Two Souls  has me in a frenzy but what really grabbed my attention was Naughty Dog‘s The Last Of Us.

I’ve been closely watching this game ever since it was announced at the last VGA awards. E3 showed off the first actual gameplay footage that not only looks impressive but also takes the post apocalyptic survival action adventure to a new level. We see our protagonists Joel (whom you control) and Ellie in a fight against what looks to be the real threats in the game, your fellow survivors. With ammo being in short supply you will have to look around for objects lying around to use as weapons as witnessed by the awesome brick in the face scene we were shown. Naughty Dog has a penchant for developing games that are very story driven and I expect more of the same from The Last Of Us,  which will make for an intense gaming experience. There was no mention of when the game will be released but I hope it’s soon!

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• Comparing Assassin’s Creed III on PS3 and Wii U [Video](kotaku.com)

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