Genre: Action RPG
Publisher: Square-Enix
Developer: tri-ACE
Release Date: Q4 2005

One of the pleasant surprises about E3 was the presence of the special Radiata Stories localized demo. This game caused quite a stir when it was launched in Japan, debuting at #2 on the sales charts and receiving some astronomical review scores from Famitsu. Import fans were more divided on it; while the game was enjoyable, it was almost totally unlike anyone's expectations. A lot of the micro-management that fans expect from RPGs was simply not there, replaced with what was obviously an experiment in Western-style, open-ended gameplay

Genre: Racing
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Pseudo Interactive
Release Date: Q4 2005

Now this will involve thinking way back, the length of which being painful for some to attempt, but think back to when you were little. Remember how you had the Matchbox cars and imagined them racing each other and doing whatever was necessary to cross the finish line first? Missiles making opponents fly into heaps of rubble, explosions, and ridiculous amounts of violence? Maybe it's just my childhood that was as strange…

In either case, Pseudo Interactive has captured that same wanton destructive glee and digitized it in the

Genre: Simulation, MMO
Developer: Wild Tangent
Publisher: Wild Tangent
Release Date: June 20, 2005

My meeting first appointment at E3 turned out to be my meeting with Wild Tangent. It was an appropriately odd start to what was a very odd week; after all, going into the meeting, I knew nothing about the developer other than a rumor about them having made an RTS played via WinAmp’s browser. It turns out that they specialize in making fairly simple PC games, the sort of stuff that you can run on basically any computer or just play online. These are the

Genre: Sports / Golf
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: EA Redwood Shores
Release Date: Fall 2005

In the mist of video franchises for more popular sports such as football (Madden) and basketball (NBA Live), EA's Tiger Woods series of games has always been somewhat off to the side, discreetly making strides for those who like their sports a little quieter than most. They simultaneously strive for both accurate simulation and for accessibility, with the random fun feature thrown in for good measure. The series is now making its way to the next-generation systems, and we were able to take a

Genre: Action
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Silicon Knights
Release Date: October 1, 2006

Chad "Wudi" Crawford: Admittedly, not much is known about Too Human at this point. Could it be the 360's God of War? It's possible, but definitely too early to call. I can't help but feel good about this title, though. Chalk this up to the short but oh-so-sweet trailer that showcased the cybernetic god Baldur's impressive melee and ranged combat capabilities as he defends mankind from an onslaught of robotic war machines. With Silicon Knights (developers of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Eternal Darkness) behind it,

Genre: Action
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Splash Damage
Release Date: TBA

David Nadler: Splash Damage kicks ass. What more can I say? I love Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, and this should top it by a long shot. They've got a good game engine, they've obviously got game design talent, and the style of gameplay is right up my alley. I'm an online FPS player, and this is one of the few FPS games coming out in the near future that holds any interest to me.

Matt Mefford: The long-anticipated title from Splash Damage is coming! As the makers of Return to Castle

Genre: Sports
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: EA Sports
Release Date: February 21, 2006

Geson Hatchett: The most intuitive and fun boxing series to hit the TV screen since the original Punch-Out! is set for another go. This one's coming to next-gen systems, too, so it'll look all shiny. The promised more robust career and rivalry aspects of the game are sure to be welcome additions, as is the augmented realism. At this point, there's nowhere for Fight Night to go but up.

Bill Lange: Say what you will about EA, but their digital pugilists never disappoint. Combine Round 2's incredibly

Genre: FPS
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: March 20, 2006

Geson Hatchett: The pack-in cartridge with the Nintendo DS contains a demo of Metroid Prime: Hunters, a glimpse at the future of first-person shooters. On those merits, many people have been waiting for this, myself included. In addition, Metroid's proven itself to be a viable franchise even in 3D, and merely the promise of another installment is reason enough by itself to salivate.

Joe Keiser: Metroid Prime: Hunters seems to be stuck in the nightmare tunnel of a release date that is to be forever pushed back, but all