E3 2011

Every year gamers from all over the world sense that certain something in the air, not one you can precisely describe, but can definitely feel. It's a feeling of excitement, wonder, child-hood like joy and agonizing anticipation. I am of course talking about the biggest yearly event in the video game industry, the Electronic Entertainment Expo. This years games that were announced, for the most part, look absolutely jaw-dropping. I've compiled a list of the games I think will certainly have me (and probably you) diving for your wallet, more than ready to slap down the bones required for pre-order. So without further delay, I present you with my most wanted games from this years E3.

Wow. That's pretty much all that comes to mind when I first saw the reveal trailer for this game. Master Chief finally makes his triumphant return and is looking slicker than ever. The game is being developed by 343 Industries, a company owned by Microsoft. That means this is the first game in the halo franchise not being developed by Bungie Studios, but fear not! There are in fact great minds from Bungie working on this game so don't immediately write it off or simply dislike it because of the "new" developers. Halo 4 hits stores sometime next holiday 2012. Which holiday? your guess is as good as mine but if it follows the Halo releases trend, then most likely in November.

Developed by Irrational Games, BioShock: Infinite takes place in the floating city of Columbia. You assume the role as a former Pinkerton agent by the name of Booker DeWitt. It is your mission to rescue a beautiful young lady, Elizabeth, who has been trapped there since she was a child. The two use their abilities together to defeat foes in new and amazing ways that are not only stylish, but smart. The art style of this game looks stunning and just has to be seen in motion to be believed. I've always loved the BioShock franchise and going from deathly deep under water to deathly high in the air is a fresh new take on the franchise. One that I am very eager to experience sometime in 2012.

Jackie Estacado is back as our main protagonist in The Darkness 2. The game takes place two years after the first. Don of the Franchetti crime family Jackie still cannot accept the fact that his girlfriend Jenny was murdered right before his eyes. Two years ago was also the last time he used the powers of the darkness, slaughtering all responsible for her death. The darkness, feeling used and unwanted, wants out, and wants out now. A sudden attack on Jackie's life sparks a full-scale mob war with Jackie and the darkness at its core. You are sent on a hellish journey to uncover your attacker while uncovering more secrets of the sinister darkness. The first one was an actually very fun game, Im not too keen on this new art style but the story, protagonist, and brutal gameplay thanks to the darkness make this game a must have for me. Rip bodies in half and re-embrace the darkness on October 4, 2010.

There was a time for me when many hours of the day were spent playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. That game struck a certain chord with me that I didn't even know I had. It was game that made me feel sorry for people who didn't play or disliked gaming. The amount of freedom and gameplay within this open world, coupled with a goose bump inducing soundtrack made me feel like I was actually in the land of Cyrodiil. Now Bethesda is uncovering even more of their vibrant landscape with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. You play as the dragonborn, a prophesied hero who possess the power to battle against fearsome fire-breathing dragons. The awesome sauce lies within their new shout system in which you learn words that are a part of a phrase. The more words you have within that phrase grants you different power levels of special abilities such as sprinting extremely quick to avoid danger, force pushing your opponents as well as many others. You can dual wield swords as well as spells, enabling you to combine them into one huge death dealing ball of magic. This game is going to be huge and I really don't know if I could be a contributing member of society on 11.11.11.

SSX! Ahhhhhh! Sorry, let me breathe for a second... Okay I'm good. The hands-down best snowboarding franchise makes its long awaited return with EA's SSX. Since the day they announced this generations consoles I've yearned for a next-gen SSX. I'm glad to say my yearning is now over. Thanks EA. All of the SSX games were masterpieces of their generations and will continue to be for all of gaming eternity. Minus Blur, forget about Blur. but the original SSX, SSX: Tricky and 3 were all great games. This reinvention of the franchise brings you back to the slopes in a beautiful way with the graphics the series deserves joined with awesome classic gameplay that looks intact and polished as ever. Each mountain range is based on real-world NASA topographical data so I guess we can finally launch off of a Himalayan mountain jump at 74 mph launching high as hell into the air whilst pulling off uber tricks that put Shaun White to absolute shame. As EA says, "Defy reality. Own the planet with SSX". February 14, 2011

Prototype 2, Gears of War 3, Halo: CE Anniversary, Minecraft, Inversion, Soul Calibur V, Starhawk, Hitman: Absolution, Tomb Raider, Batman: Arkham City.

So there you have it folks, My picks for the top games at E3 this year.If your like me your probably hating the games you currently own wishing you had the new ones.