Genre: Stealth Action
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Release Date: September 2006

There are tons of Splinter Cell games, or at least it feels that way. Somehow, Ubisoft can keep a new one hitting every 18 months (or so) and still leave the gameplay feeling fresh and fans satisfied. The upcoming Splinter Cell: Double Agent seems to be no exception to this general rule. Plenty of what goes on in the story and gameplay should feel familiar to fans of the Splinter Cell titles, but there are also some striking differences from previous entries in the

Genre : FPS
Publisher: Eidos
Developer: Rocksteady
Release Date: Jun 13, 2006

We first saw Urban Chaos at E3 2005, when it was named Roll Call. Since then, it's seen a name change, but the general themes remain intact: it's a police-based first-person shooter with a focus on ... well, on not dying. It's not squad-based, it's not particularly tactical; it's more about time limits, action-based bonus objectives, popping gangbangers' heads like zits with a shotgun, escorting NPCs to a given objective, and getting set on fire 53 times in rapid succession.

In single-player mode, you are

Genre: Survival Horror
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Release Date: Winter 2006

I’m excited about Silent Hill: Origins for a whole host of reasons. I’m a rather embarrassingly large Silent Hill fanboy, for one thing. More importantly, if Konami manages to follow halfway through on their claims at E3, we’ll finally see a 3D game on the PSP that isn’t saddled with an awkward-ass control setup that requires yet lacks a second thumbstick.

That said, Origins was only present at E3 in the form of a remarkably vague trailer, and offered no gameplay to speak of. Thus, everything I’m

Get the Hard Truck Apocalypse: Rise of Clans trailer off WP (145mb)

Clans have risen. The remains of humanity gather in cities forming tribes that work and fight together to survive.

Become part of one of these clans in the apocalyptic world of the first official add-on of Hard Truck Apocalypse. Developed by Buka Entertainment and Targem Studio, this add-on standalone brings what media & consumers were demanding… Multiplayer mode!! Play over Internet or in a local network with many friends in savage truck battles in this futuristic like Mad Max world.

Create a clan or join one already created,

Genre: Action/Platform
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Backbone Entertainment
Release Date: Fall 2006

Wouldn't you know it? The people who loved the 2.5D action of Sonic Rush (which includes yours truly) are about to be thrown another bone: Sonic Rivals is coming to the PSP. For those wondering what it's like, picture non-stop servings of the two-player versus mode zone-races in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Now imagine the aggression turned up a notch, and there you go.

Sonic, Shadow, Silver and Knuckles the Echidna will each be getting their own storylines, and will participate in one-on-one races through

Genre: Action
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Epic Games
Release Date: TBA

Microsoft's theme for E3 2006 was to show off all of its big titles in playable form, and when it comes down to big titles, they don't get any bigger than Gears of War. Last year, we got an early look at one of the single-player levels, but this year, we got to see a much more complete version of the single-player mode. We also got the chance to go hands-on with one of the multiplayer modes.

The madness all started off when Cliff Bleszinski from Epic

Genre: Racing
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Eutechnyx
Release Date: June 2006

Add an extremely popular movie franchise to one of the most popular genres, and you end up with a game that promises to fly off of the shelves. It helps that the movies are speed-oriented adrenaline fests full of pedal-to-the-metal racing and customized top-of-the-line automobiles, as those are the things that lead to success in the racing genre.

The newest "Fast and the Furious" movie is focused around drifting, a type of racing that requires the drivers to intentionally come close to losing control, while literally sliding around

Genre: Social Interaction/Dating
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Backbone Entertainment
Release Date: Spring 2007

Okay. I don't know about you guys, but I, like, so totally hated high school. Check this: in a school full of nerds, I still didn't fit in! What kind of ironic garbage is that? I was, like, a complete and total prodigy anywhere else, yet a doofus at the actual place of learning I was eventually sent to. What a joke.

(…wow, "ironic?" Like, ohmigod, total vocab word alert! I should seriously save it.)

Anyway, if you're, like, like me, then you seriously want to check

Genre: Real-Time Strategy
Publisher: TBA
Developer: Left Behind Games
Release Date: Q4 2006

From Troy Lyndon, the developer of the original John Madden Football, comes a new RTS set in the universe of the hit Christian book series, "Left Behind." Lyndon, who has served the ministry for a number of years and has a track record full of game development and managerial experience, is perhaps the perfect choice for executing the new Christian-driven game, Left Behind: Eternal Forces. Without the religious theme, Eternal Forces would have been a solid RTS with some interesting gameplay mechanics and a

Genre: Action
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Release Date: Q1 2007

The Prettiest, Noblest Assassin

If you set aside all things Nintendo in their own special, line-hundreds-deep category, the non-Wii-related star of E3 2006 belonged to Ubisoft. The Assassin's Creed demo chamber barely contained the frenzy of last-minute glimpse-seekers during the waning hours of the show. As if the situation weren't dire enough already, Steven Spielberg and a small entourage arrived just in time to commandeer the room for 30 precious minutes while all of us who didn't direct "Munich" hassled the PR people for a good position