E3 2009 Introduces A Slew of New Games to Gamers

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3 made an early appearance this year to show off what gamers around the globe have been waiting for, more games. After last year's blunder, some were worried that E3's flair had died down, though this year proved that it was anything but.

Sony reintroduced gamers to many hit titles mentioned last year and earlier this year, such as Naughty Dog's Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Santa Monica Studios' God of War 3 and MotorStorm: Artic Edge alongside some classic goodies, Final Fantasy VII and Metal Gear Solid, which are to be sold on Sony's online store, the PlayStation Network. These were just the tip of the iceberg though as Sony would continue to announce title after title and a new PSP system (th PSP Go!) over the course of these four days.

Nintendo took many by surprise, seeing as they were the source of a lot of last year's disappointment. This year they managed to repent by showing us trailers for 3 new Mario titles (one for the DS and 2 for the Wii), Kingdom Hearts 358/2 (DS), Golden Sun DS (Do you have to ask what it's for?) and the biggest surprise of them all, a brand new Metroid title for the Wii being made in conjunction with Team Ninja of Ninja Gaiden fame.

Microsoft felt a bit lacking this year, following the Nintendo format of last year's E3 by displaying a new motion sensing peripheral and a few new games, Left 4 Dead 2, Halo: Reach, Forza 3 and Crackdown 2. Realistically if it weren't for the third-party developers, Microsoft would have definitely fallen behind. There's not much excitement to be gained by that however, since most of them were multiplatform titles.

-Chad

Random Awesome Character: Riku

This week, the spotlight is on Riku, a main character from the Kingdom Hearts series. His personality is a little difficult to explain. On one hand, he cares for the well-being of his closest friends. But, he's also a loner & pushes away the people he loves most. Through is faults, Riku is loved by his friends. Riku goes as far as trying to kill his best friend Sora, but that doesn't stop Sora from caring for Riku. Riku also has personal demons clouding his mind. He's torn on whether to indulge in the light, or get consumed by the darkness. Ultimately, he chooses the middle road, gaining abilities from both.

-Jesse