With E3 now a good two weeks (plus) past, I thought it time to offer my impressions from the show. Granted, I spent most of it cooped up in a small presentation room with the project manager, PR director, and assorted journalists, but I was able to roam freely for a little while, untethered by a punishing schedule.

In general, this E3 was more about games than hardware. While a 'Battle of Handhelds' was staged, I didn't see much of that - I checked out the PSP through a glass casing (sleek and pretty, and I'm definitely getting one), but the line for the Nintendo DS was ridiculous, and I had no time to wait in line for anything. Quite suprisingly, none of the hardware manufacturers had any news regarding their next generation consoles, and thus the games remained the show's primary focus. Which was good.

Of the three, Xbox was probably the console blessed with the widest range of original, high-quality titles. Not counting multi-platform games, there was Fable, Jade Empire, Knights of the Old Republic 2, DOOM 3, Conker: Live and Reloaded, The Chronicles of Riddick, Star Wars: Republic Commando, Halo 2 (which I didn't get to see, but its presence was noticeable in other ways), and more. Of course, most, if not all, multi-platform titles looked their best on the Xbox, including Burnout 3, Prince of Persia 2, Mercenaries, and Silent Hill 4.

PlayStation 2, and Sony, had a more muted presence (PSP notwithstanding), with few must-have titles on display - not counting a good-looking, but not spectacular, Final Fantasy XII, and Killzone. Metal Gear Solid 3 looked rather blah, Getaway 2 wasn't all that different from its predecessor - competent but unspectacular - and Gran Turismo 4, while technically cutting edge, made me shrug. Sony may just need the PSP to maintain excitement about their brand, especially since the PS3 isn't due until 2006.

The GameCube may not have had the numbers, but they had the quality, and with the new Legend of Zelda title (video only, unfortunately) and Resident Evil 4, they made me giddy with excitement about the future of the platform - however limited it may prove to be.

Here, then, are the individual games that were standouts:

Resident Evil 4. Oh yes. Simply being a true Resident Evil sequel (it's been a while; Zero and Outbreak don't count) was enough for me, but this game breaks new ground. The viewpoint and controls are smooth, intuitive, and revolutionary; the graphics are some of the best to ever emerge from the current generation consoles; and the whole package oozes fear. A class act through and through, and probably my pick for game of the show.

Jade Empire. I didn't get a chance to play it, but I've seen enough to know that this game will be a part of my library come December. An Xbox RPG, it has a fantastic setting (mythical China), some intriguing characters, fast-paced role-playing combat, and a great story. Plus it looks mighty pretty.

Prince of Persia 2. While I can't make my mind up completely about the previous one - did I love it, like it, or find it annoying and frustrating? Or all three? - the sequel looks absolutely fantastic. Darker, more violent, more stylish, and much, much prettier, it's a game I can't wait to play.

Half-Life 2. Again, video only, but from what I saw, this game has the gameplay to back up the astonishing visuals. Still, it's difficult to get too excited about a game that was due in September of last year. At this point, I'm sick of hearing about it. I just want to play it and judge for myself.

DOOM 3. Playable on the Xbox only (as far as I could tell), it looked good. Not amazing, not groundbreaking, not revolutionary...but good. I like the setting, the claustrophobic corridors, the shadows, the monsters - the whole DOOM atmosphere - and I look forward to playing it, but it doesn't have me squealing like a schoolgirl in anticipation. (Not anymore, at least.) We've heard and seen too much for too long, and they need to release this one already.

Burnout 3. I loves my racing games, and I gots to have this one. It looks stunning, controls beautifully, and if Burnout 2 is any indication, this could end up being the ultimate arcade racer. Outrun 2, unfortunately, pales in comparison. Definitely the racing game of the show, and miles ahead of Gran Turismo 4 in the 'pure fun' department.

Mercenaries. I didn't see enough of this to get a good impression of how it plays, but it looks sweet, and the concept is rock solid: GTA meets Freedom Fighters. And from what I've read so far, it seems like a very intriguing game from a highly prolific - and talented - developer. In fact, Pandemic Studios were behind some of the most talked-about games of the show, and appear to be on a solid winning streak.

Killzone. The PS2's only FPS of note, Killzone is due for release quite soon. Visually stunning, it also controls extremely well, and features intelligent - and scary-looking - opponents. Nothing revolutionary, but it doesn't have to be as long as its fun. And this was fun.

Black. I know nothing about it, I've seen absolutely nothing, no one is allowed to talk about it - and that just makes it so much more exciting in my book. We'll probably all end up being disappointed, but, hey, isn't that what breathless anticipation is all about? It's a first-person shooter (sort of, maybe, I think), it's for the PS2, it's from Criterion, and it's coming out next year.

City of Villains. I play City of Heroes, but who wants to be a wussy do-gooder when you can be a maniacal big bad? This MMO expansion looks yummy, and I'll definitely pick it up when it's released next spring.

World of Warcraft. All right, so it looked the same as it did last year (and, honestly, the year before that), but it will most likely be a highly enjoyable - and polished - experience. I don't know how long it will last, seeing as there's a multitude of MMOs on the way, but I'm not too concerned about that. Bring it on, already!

The Sims 2. Yes, I played the first one waaay too much, and yes, the expansion packs were all crap (and don't get me started about that online thing), but this one could offer something new and original. I remain cautiously optimistic. And it does look promising.

The Movies. It might not work - in fact, I'm very doubtful that it will; Peter Molyneux's games have a tendency to sound fantastic on paper - but if it does, it'll surely rock my world. And, hey, it's inventive, original, and daring, and there's not nearly enough of that to go around.

The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age. It's the concept more than anything else that has got me excited: playing a party of original characters, you interact with the characters and storylines from the books...I mean, the movies (EA only has the license for the three films). EA only showed a battle against a cool-looking Balrog at E3, but this LOTR-meets-Final-Fantasy title tickled my fancy. A bit.

There you go. Unsurprisingly, almost none of my picks - sans Jade, Killzone, and Movies - are original titles...quite simply because most of the games at the show were either sequels, spin-offs, remakes, licenses, or expansions. Love it or hate it, this is where the industry is heading at the moment, and while it does limit creativity in some ways, it can also lead to more polished games, as developers build on and evolve past successes. Heck, at the Funcom booth we were showing Dreamfall (a, uh, "spiritual successor" to The Longest Journey), and Alien Invasion (an expansion pack to Anarchy Online). Incidentally, next year will be a banner year for Funcom. Just wait and see. There will be surprises galore. And also much more Dreamfall-y goodness.

Ironically enough, my single most anticipated game of 2004 was nowhere to be seen - not surprisingly, since Take Two are in the enviable position of having a guaranteed smash hit on their hands: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. I just can't wait to be transported back to the early 90s in a fictional California...  ¶ 12:43