I Want to Believe Award
Flower
Usually game demos are laced with PR delusions of grandeur about how a game is going to change the industry or transcend the medium. Flower was full of that, for sure, but the difference was I actually bought every single word Jenova Chen was saying. Talk of satisfying the dreams of a flower, interactive poetry, abstract symbolism – sign me up. Now. Flower was the warmest, most welcoming surprise of E3. I dug every angle of the atmosphere; from the serene setting, to the relaxing music, right down the fulfillment of beating the level. The simplicity of the gameplay may complicate an idiot’s ability to enjoy it, but that shouldn’t hurt the potential artistic value.
I Believe Award
PixelJunk Eden
The aesthetic was mesmerizing – from the moment I saw the demo reel from GDC I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. The actual experience was gratifying, it felt and, most importantly, worked exactly like I thought it would. Once learned the gameplay is rock-solid and ever so rewarding through its wildly imaginative presentation. I love games that strive to engage the player through reflexive marriage of audio visual components, and Eden looks to knock it out of the park in that field. Top it off with remote-play, youtube functionality, three player co-op, full trophy support, leaderboards, and a likely $10 price? Believe!
I Already Believed, but now I believe Twice as Much Award
Little Big Planet
In a way I was almost fatigued from all the coverage it’s received over the last two years. That all changed when nearly everything I saw and/or played at E3 was comprised of entirely new material. Ghost enemies, a sound editor, the low rider level, indestructible co-op, a freaking boss, the coolest press conference I’ve ever seen? Awesome work by the guys at Media Molecule, LBP is a media darling, for sure, but it deserves every single bit of praise garnished upon it’s bulletproof acclaim.
Rube Goldberg Award for Potential Creativity that is as Limitless as it is Pointless
Flock
The demo contained a sample from the level editor where the team had designed an intricate, drawn out mechanism for the relatively simple task of moving a sheep about two feet to the left. It was like playing Mousetrap when you were a kid, only it actually worked.
PLEASE GOD NOT AGAIN Award
Sonic Unleashed
I’ve mentioned this countless times, but you’d be hard pressed to find a more persistent Sonic fan than myself. I’ve suffered through complete runs of Heroes, Shadow, and Sonic 2006 – each leaving me with a distinct feeling of inestimable wasted opportunity. At first, Unleashed looked to shed this stigma with genuinely awesome mechanics relating to the hyper fast day time levels. Later, however, they jabbed a knife in by showcasing the horribly unimpressive night-time WereSonic levels then twisted the blade by saying it was a 50/50 split between day and night gameplay. My poor heart can’t take this, Sega, when will you finally give us a pure Sonic game?
