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Hundreds of games were on display at E3 2010, with many hitting Nintendo platforms. For those not there, sifting through the heaps of announcements and games shown would be a monumental, as well as tiring, task. As such, Noah, Tidman and I want to show you the golden pathway to the best games at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo.
For the selection process, we only chose games that will be releasing this year. With that in mind, we left out all 3DS games, since we still have no firm release date on the handheld. Also, the games appear in alphabetical order, not by preference.
Believe the hype, people. These games are all that and a bag of chips. They sing sweet melodies that just make you want to do the Mario. And they will rule your life later this year.
Batman: Brave and the Bold
WayForward appears to be creating a video game that perfectly encapsulates the cartoon it’s based on. You have the gorgeous, hand-drawn 2D animation, which is becoming the studio’s calling card. But even better, there appears to be some hilarious moments awaiting players. We got to see Batman and Robin turned into cats, scratching and clawing their way through a boss battle. Meow! (Translated from cat talk, that means the game looks to be awesome.)
— Evan
Conduit 2
High Voltage plans to correct all the wrongs of the first game with this sequel, as well as improve on the good stuff. That means a more interactive single-player experience (and bigger bosses), better matchmaking for online play, and some killer new weapons. We liked what we saw, and now we want more.
— Evan
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Obviously, Retro Studios can do no wrong. I may have been a little cold toward the title at first, but after playing, I am bananas (Yeah, I just went there.) over Donkey Kong’s comeback.
— Evan
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Sky
The next entry in a long-running, highly lauded series coming exclusively to DS? Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Sky looks to continue along this top-tier RPG series with flair. Whether it’s Akira Toriyama’s distinctive art style or the prospect of spending hours in RPG bliss, this is one that every RPG fan should be looking forward to.
— Tidman
Epic Mickey
Forget all your perceived notions about this game. When Epic Mickey releases this holiday season, it will definitely be a must-buy. Mickey’s new adventure on Wii could be his best to date, and looks to show everyone the old mouse has a few new tricks up his sleeves.
— Tidman
Ghost Trick Phantom Detective
At this rate, the Phoenix Wright team can do no wrong. I’m an unabashed fan boy of all their attorney adventures, though. But puzzle and adventure game fans, regardless of legal fetishes, should be completely psyched for this heavily supernatural, darkly comic and surprisingly challenging game. You only got four minutes– to save someone’s life.
— Noah
GoldenEye 007
You have every reason to be skeptical of this one. But this doesn’t look or feel like a quick cash-in. Everything from the script to voice acting to level design has been redesigned for the new millennium, and it’s looking top-notch, even on the Classic Controller Pro. Our fingers are crossed for the inclusion of solid, nunchuck-and-remote support, too. And if you played the multiplayer back in the ’90s, you’ll totally love revisiting your old killing grounds.
— Noah
Kirby’s Epic Yarn
It came out of nowhere. It doesn’t use the tried-and-proven Kirby gameplay. It even completely changes the graphical style to a unique new craft motif. None of that matters. Kirby’s Epic Yarn will make believers of everyone after it releases. It may be different, but it was also one of the best reveals from the show this year.
— Tidman
Lost In Shadow
You may not have heard of this one before the show, which is a crime because it’s a fantastic title. Even early on in the game, the graphics shine and draw you into an imaginative world that must be experienced. The puzzle aspects provide an ingenious use of lighting and require you to approach the platforming in new ways. If you’re not excited about this game yet, you should be.
— Tidman
Metroid: Other M
Can Team Ninja rock out a true, next-generation sequel to Super Metroid? Believe it. The Metroid Prime trilogy had its fair share of high production values and great atmosphere, but Team Ninja’s Other M feels like the true successor to the SNES classic. It’s more cartoony and talky, but it’s still creepy, exciting, and occasionally a little scary. Bonus: the remote-flipping controls work.
— Noah
Monster Tale
Ellie falls into the Monster World. She meets Chomp. The unlikely duo venture out into a lushly detailed 2D environment. Enemies and clever bosses try to stop them, but to no avail. Nothing will stop them. And hopefully, nothing will stop you from playing this game, which is filled to the brim with love and gaming sweetness.
— Evan
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
Let’s just get this out of the way. Professor Layton may be the best new character of the past decade. He wears a top hat, solves everything and now will be traveling in time. I think attempting to describe how cool the man is might be impossible. Well, maybe Luke can help us out?
— Evan
Super Scribblenauts
I’m a bit of a language freak. I love big vocabulary and superlative adjectives are even better. Fifth Cell has combined the best of both worlds into a very polished and improved sequel to last year’s “it” game that didn’t quite deliver on all its promises. Yet Super Scribblenauts is just as good for first-time word smashers as well as veterans, thanks to how vast and deep you can layer adjectives on top of your nouns, and the inclusion of better directions and hints means the death of creative roadblocks!
— Noah
