E3 2010 Best in Show Picks

E3 has come and gone faster than a lot of us had hoped. Some surprises were in store among the updates on games we had already been looking forward to. We got some hands-on time, we saw some sexy animated pixels fly by our computer screens with all-new trailers, and were taken aback by (or grossly unhappy with) new pieces of hardware from all three mega million dollar babies (Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony). Our team got together and we each chose our favorite game at E3 this year. What were your favorite surprises and games at E3?

E3 ’10: Hands-On with Hunted: The Demon’s Forge

It's been what feels like a long, long time between the release of solid co-op games these days. The last enjoyable one off the top of my head that I played extensively was Resident Evil 5, and that was already well over a year ago. Oh, and Borderlands, which is certainly fun, but moreso in the way that you and some friends can "hang out" and do a ton of mindless (the story is as generic as generic gets and you know it) but really fun missions.

That's why when Bethesda announced they were publishing inXile Entertainment's upcoming co-op title Hunted: The Demon's Forge, I've kept my eyes peeled ever since. These games are too few and far between, unfortunately. Luckily, at E3 I had the chance to get some hands-on time with an extremely polished demo of Hunted and walked away with impressions of probably the game I am hands-down most excited to own from E3.

SEGA E3 ’10 Preview: Sonic Colors and Sonic the Hedgehog 4

Sega's has a massive presence at E3, with a lofty sum of the Seganian Army dedicated to four upcoming Sonic games that have been, should be, and will be receiving some props and attention for putting Sonic back on the right track that he had strayed ever so far from in the past few years. The Sonic games present at the Sega E3 booth this year were Sonic Colors - one for the Wii and one for the DS, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, the Kinect title Sonic Free Riders, and also a port of the Dreamcast favorite Sonic Adventure for XBLA and PSN. I was able to get a bit of hands-on time with Sonic Colors for the Wii and the first episode of Sonic the Hedgehog 4.

Kingdom Hearts: BBS Interview Summary with Director Nomura

We stepped into the Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep presentation and were surprised to be face to face with none other than Tetsuya Nomura who was sitting there with an entourage of translators. Both Stephanie and Dave had assumed that we were in for a demo of the game itself just like all of our previous appointments had been thus far. So when we sat down with Nomura, we flipped out our notebooks and prepared to absorb in any juicy information we could pry about the upcoming PSP Kingdom Hearts title, Birth by Sleep.

E3 ’10: Hands and Feet-On with Dance Dance Revolution

As a long-time fan of the Eurobeat-styled Dance Dance Revolution franchise, I've been skeptical and unhappy with the recent years' bombardment of Britney Spears and Sean Paul-style music that the older style has been slowly replaced by. Never having experienced motion controls before added to the DDR mix, I took a shot at the charming DJ Naoki song called "Let's Get Away" to see if the franchise can be redeemed for the fans who prefer the Eurobeat jams from the not-so-recent releases.

E3 ’10: Ivy the Kiwi? by Former Sonic Team Head Yuji Naka

Ivy the Kiwi? was created by Yuji Naka former head of the Sonic Team for the original Sonic the Hedgehog game, now head of Prope. With such a massive notch like creating Sonic under his belt, he's now gone on to create his first fully original game of his own. Ivy the Kiwi? creates a slight edge of its own genre by what feels like platforming puzzle game where the main character, Ivy, is a flightless bird who is born into the world without her mother in sight. That's where the question mark in the title comes in -- IS Ivy a kiwi? Poor Ivy doesn't know and is saddened to be without a mother so she goes on to find her.

E3 ’10: Hands-On with Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar

Stealing a grand section of the E3 show floor with a larger-than-life-sized set of adorable farm animals was Natsume's latest Harvest Moon title Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar for the Nintendo DS. Yes, yes I know. A good percent of you reading this are having the passing thought, "Another Harvest Moon game? There better be something wildly new with this one, like cows in space or online multiplayer." Luckily I can at least promise part of that passing wonder you just had. Grand Bazaar finally features an online multiplayer with a little more meat to it.

E3 2010 Nintendo Press Conference Live Tweet Recap

Here's a live tweet recap from Heart1lly for those of you who may have missed Nintendo's press conference. Quite possibly the most exciting of all the press conferences, we get a look at the new Zelda, Kirby, Metroid, Donkey Kong and of course the Nintendo 3DS!

Upcoming First-Party 3DS Games

Nintendo isn't fooling around: in addition to giving details on their newest handheld, the 3DS (learn more about it here), the company also unveiled a stellar line-up of first-party titles -- many of which are directly aimed at pleasing long-time followers, specifically those with a taste for some of Nintendo 64's greatest games. Check out the games that are both playable and were merely demoed at E3 after the cut below.

Nintendo Unveils the 3DS

I'll admit: when I first heard about the 3DS a few months ago, the word "gimmick" definitely fluttered around in my head. However, after Nintendo's fabulous E3 presentation and reveal of the upcoming new hardware, I only have to say one thing: I've already started saving up for one. Although I'm still not personally convinced that I need to play my games in 3D, the new features (not to mention the stellar line-up of titles for the system) is enough to have me sold. Just when I thought I couldn't love my DS any more, Nintendo comes around and brings something even better to the table.