Six-hundred dollar hardware. Partially naked booth babes. A whole lot of Wii. Fan-boy central. Opinions that are formed by mostly nonsense. Press conferences that go on and on. Lots of noise and headaches and parties to make it all feel better. Lots of games that you'll never want to play. Lots of great games that will blow you away. Not enough surprises. Sequel after sequel. War and gun metal and first-person shooters. Welcome to E3 2006.
individual awards

action
game of the show
Gears of War
Microsoft / Xbox 360
Runners Up
#2: Okami
Capcom / PS2
#3: God of War 2
SCEA / PS2
fps
game of the show
Bioshock
2K Games / Xbox 360
Runners Up
#2: The Darkness
2K Games / Xbox 360, PS3
#3: Crysis
EA / PC
character action
game of the show
Super Mario Galaxy
Nintendo / Wii
Runners Up
#2: Sonic the Hedgehog
Sega / Xbox 360, PS3
#3: Arthus and the Minimoys
Atari / PS2, PC
fighting
game of the show
Virtua Fighter 5
Sega / PS3
Runners Up
#2: Smash Bros. Brawl
Nintendo / Wii
#3: One Piece Grand Adventure
Bandai Namco / PS2
open world
game of the show
Crackdown
Microsoft / Xbox 360
Runners Up
#2: The Darkness
2K Games / Xbox 360, PS3
#3: Crysis
EA / PC
rpg
game of the show
Mass Effect
Microsoft / Xbox 360
Runners Up
#2: Final Fantasy XII
Square Enix / PS2
#3: Blue Dragon
Microsoft / Xbox 360
movie-based
game of the show
Indiana Jones 2007
LucarArts / PS3
Runners Up
#2: Eragon
VU Games / Xbox 360, PS2
#3: Arthur and the Minimoys
Atari / PS2, PC
mmo
game of the show
Huxley
Webzen / PC
Runners Up
#2: Age of Conan
Funcom / PC
#3: Tabula Rasa
NCsoft / PC
racing
game of the show
Test Drive Unlimited
Atari / Xbox 360
Runners Up
#2: Excite Truck
Nintendo / Wii
#3: IGPX
Bandai Namco / PS2
tv-based
game of the show
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja
Bandai Namco / PS2
Runners Up
#2: One Piece: Grand Adventure
Bandai Namco / PS2
#3: Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
Midway / PS2
survival horror
game of the show
Dead Rising
Capcom / Xbox 360
Runners Up
#2: Alone in the Dark
Atari / Xbox 360, PS3
#3: Silent Hill Origins
Konami / PSP
shooting
game of the show
Warhawk
SCEA / PS3
Runners Up
#2: Metal Slug Collection
SNK / PSP
#3: Starfox Command
Nintendo / NDS
strategy
game of the show
Maelstrom
Codemasters / PC
Runners Up
#2: LOTR Battle for Middle Earth II
EA / PC, Xbox 360
#3: Warhammer Mark of Chaos
Namco Bandai / PC
simulation
game of the show
Spore
EA / PC
Runners Up
#2: Brooktown High: Senior Year
Konami / PSP
#3: Viva Pinata
Microsoft / Xbox 360
alternative
game of the show
Viva Pinata
Microsoft / Xbox 360
Runners Up
#2: Eye of Judgement
SCEA / PS3
#3: Loco Roco
SCEJ / PSP
sports
game of the show
Wii Sports
Nintendo / Wii
Runners Up
#2: Super Swing Golf Pangya
Tecmo / Wii
#3: Virtua Tennis 3
Sega / Xbox 360
non-playable
game of the show
Final Fantasy XIII
Square Enix / PS3
Runners Up
#2: Golden Axe
Sega / PS3, Xbox 360
#3: Metal Gear Solid 4
Konami / PS3
biggest surprise
game of the show
Golden Axe
Sega / PS3, Xbox 360
Runners Up
#2: Fable 2
Microsoft / Xbox 360
#3: Super Mario Galaxy
Nintendo / Wii