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wii
game of the show
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| Super Mario Galaxies |
| Nintendo / Wii |
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Nintendo calls Super Mario Galaxy a "platformer for the new generation." What makes the game such a treat from the first moment you play is that instant feeling that anyone who simply appreciates the joy of a great game can fall in love with Super Mario Galaxy. It's a game for every generation. Mario scampers around with his familiar charm and vigor, jumping and but stomping in that way that puts a smile on your face. The Wii controller livens up the old mechanics, while creative new scenarios maintain a necessary sense of progression to the series. The Wii may be a technological dwarf side-by-side with Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but this acceptable fact becomes irrelevant as you soak in the delightful visual tricks and unique sci-fi setting that sets this latest Mario dramatically apart from anything before it. BF
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| Runners Up |
| #2: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess |
| Nintendo / Wii |
| #3: Sonic Wildfire |
| Sega / Wii |
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playstation 3
game of the show
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| Assassin's Creed |
Ubisoft / PS3
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The PS3 field wasn't a crowded one, but that shouldn't diminish Ubisoft's accomplishment with Assassin's Creed. This crusades-era assassination sim offers stunning graphics, a new setting, and imaginative play mechanics. While most of its competition could be described with "just like [name of PS2 game], but prettier," Assassin's Creed defies simple explanation and stands on more than just visuals. CL
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| Runners Up |
| #2: Heavenly Sword |
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SCEJ / PS3
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| #3: Resistance: Fall of Man |
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SCEA / PS3
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xbox 360
game of the show
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| Mass Effect |
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Microsoft / Xbox 360
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Galactic peace won't win itself in BioWare's new RPG Mass Effect. As a human in a galaxy where humans are a genuine oddity, it's your job to unravel the mystery behind a series of mass extinctions and, if at all possible, thwart them. Methods both fair and foul can be used, and how you behave in the game will impact the storyline. Already, the game is shaping up to be a doozy; a new conversation system allows players to select responses to other character's dialogue while it's being spoken. This means no awkward pauses between characters' speech and a level of realism never before seen. Plus, you know, there are also lots and lots of space guns and plenty of bad guys who will serve as excellent targets. GO
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| Runners Up |
| #2: Gears of War |
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Microsoft / Xbox 360
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| #3: Dead Rising |
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Capcom / Xbox 360
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gamecube
game of the show
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| The Legend of Zelda: TP |
| Nintendo / GameCube |
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The most awaited Zelda game ever? Quite possibly. After the gaming community was torn apart over differences in opinions concerning Wind Waker, Twilight Princess promises to bring us all together again as the Zelda game nobody will be able to dislike. Link's quest to help a mysterious girl named Midna will take him all across a sprawling world, as well as into the Twilight Realm, where he'll transform into a wolf. Stunning graphics, epic battles (including sword fights taking place on horseback), and the promise of some "revolutionary" new methods of controls for the Wii version thanks to the system's Remote and Nunchuk options. EP
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| Runners Up |
| #2: Super Paper Mario |
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Nintendo / GameCube
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| #3: Baiten Kaitos Origins |
| Namco / GameCube |
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playstation 2
game of the show
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| Okami |
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Capcom / PS2
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Thanks to its flavorful setting, unorthodox hero and stunningly original Sumi-e style brush-painted graphics, Okami looks and feels like nothing you've ever played. But this is no mere visual novelty piece - at its core you'll find a Legend of Zelda-style adventure epic that offers a lengthy quest, time-tested play mechanics and plenty of breathtaking spectacle. Okami may be the standout masterpiece of the PlayStation 2's last and best generation of software. CL
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| Runners Up |
| #2: God of War 2 |
| SCEA / PS2 |
| #3: Final Fantasy XII |
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Square Enix / PS2
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xbox
game of the show
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| Justice Leagure Heroes |
| Warner Bros. Int. / Xbox |
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Comic book fans have been waiting a long time for a game that does polygonal justice to its penned and painted counterparts, and it has finally arrived. Behold a 3/4-view action-adventure with as much emphasis on art and animation as any other aspect of the game - and this is one seriously cool game. JLH makes all those top-down X-Men games look like so many animated dingle-berries. What's more is that not only can you play a single-player game with keen adjustable AI, but a friend can assume control or retire at any time during the game, uninterrupted. The gameplay itself is everything you'd expect coming from Snowblind Studios, and the story comes by way of the Emmy-winning writer, Dwayne McDuffie. DH
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| Runners Up |
| #2: Lego Star Wars II |
| LucasArts / Xbox |
| #3: Thrillville |
| LucasArts / Xbox |
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nintendo ds
game of the show
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| Castlevania PoR |
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Konami / NDS
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I love Metroid-vania as much as the next vampire slayer, but I'd be lying if I said I was dying for yet another 2D castle crawl on DS. Bloodlines and IV being my favorite Castlevanias (after Symphony), I'd much rather see a Morris in the driver's seat and a more open 2D landscape, which is exactly what we're getting with Portrait, along with single-player character shuffling shifting between Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Orlean, on the fly. Jonathan uses a whip (pause for group "ahh... ") and Charlotte is a nimble little witch that double jumps and floats down on a broom: Pure 2D magic. Set amongst the bleak backdrop of WWII, Portrait is the second best way I can think of to celebrate 20 years of Castlevania. And according to Iga, we haven't seen anything yet. He remains utterly bent on creating the ultimate next-gen 3D Castlevania before moving on to a next-gen side-scroller. DH
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| Runners Up |
| #2: Final Fantasy III |
| Square Enix / NDS |
| #3: Zelda Phantom Hourglass |
| Nintendo / NDS |
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psp
game of the show
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| Utimate Ghosts 'n Goblins |
| Capcom / PSP |
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Driven by the same play mechanics that Fujiwara has summoned us with in the past and powered by the full brunt of the PSPs formidable pocket-sized power, Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins is a resurrection of biblical proportions for GnG fans the world over. What really makes Ultimate tick is the careful integration of an inventory screen from which to pluck devices when the going gets tough such as an arsenal of shields and spells, along with a ledge grab, level by level saves, and rejuvenation points. The trick is altering the formula while maintaining the series integrity - an objective not only achieved but honed to precision. DH
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| Runners Up |
| #2: MGS Portable Ops |
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Konami / PSP
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| #3: Death Jr. The Root of Evil |
| Konami / PSP |
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pc
game of the show
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| Spore |
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EA / PC
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For the second straight E3, Spore was easily one of the most intriguing titles at the show. Descriptions of Maxis' upcoming hybrid strategy game could read in a fashion not dissimilar to the basic template of the contemporary RTS or life sim: early life evolved and corralled across a world that grows in geographic and social complexity, expanding from a crude pamphlet-sized settlement to a bloated catalog of sophisticated industrialization wrought by insatiable globe-spanning inhabitants. However, alongside its quirky and colorful art style and interface, Spore differentiates itself from the typical strategy or life sim game by allowing its players to delve really deep - on a primordial level, and across the internet - into the creation, evolution and proliferation of personally crafted artificial life. MG
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| Runners Up |
| #2: Crysis |
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EA / PC
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| #3: Huxley |
| Webzen / PC |
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