So this month has been a bit of a blur. So many things going on. The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) was back in full force this year after last year's watered down presentation and there have been a lot of announcements as far as new video games coming out over the next 12 months. For this blog, I want to discuss the three biggest announcements that have crossed my ears during this year's E3 conference.

Coming to the PS3 is the new God of War 3. It is the final chapter in the Kratos saga. Things are finally coming to a close in the story as Kratos and the titans bring the fight to Zeus and Mt. Olympus. The demo shown on the E3 floor displayed Kratos and one of the massive titans going up against Helios, the sun god, and his multitude of minions. The action and intense gore has been increased in this latest installment as Kratos eviscerates mythical creatures with no remorse. From the small Harpies to large centaurs, no one is safe from the fallen god's wrath. Mini button sequences make their way back into the game as displayed during a battle with one of the centaurs, as Kratos cuts and slashes at the beast, only to finish him off by disemboweling him. The demo ends with a high octane battle as Kratos battles fiercely with a chimera, slashing and chopping the creature apart one animal at a time. The graphics have been upgraded in a major way to take full advantage of the PS3's power, showing such details as shadows over Kratos's body, fur on the creatures and more rich and stand-out backgrounds. God of War 3 is scheduled to release March, 2010.

The biggest announcement to come out this year (to me at least) was Sony losing one of it's exclusive series to a competing console. Final Fantasy XIII was announced to be released for Xbox360 and during the conference, we got a chance to see this bad boy in action. Typically, gamers complain that all they get to see from RPG's during the conference are cut-scenes and in-game movies and typically, they are right. This year, Square-Enix decided to up their game a little and show off some actual game footage. The graphics were stunning and the flow of the battle system seemed similar to that Final Fantasy X-2 set up, only with a bit of an adrenaline boost. The demo shown during the conference was of the game's heroine, a young girl wielding what appeared to be something similar to the gun blade that was popularized in Final Fantasy VIII. She battles along side 5 teammates against a mech creature of overwhelming proportions. During the battle, they show the characters able to simultaneously attack the mech creature using a mix of physical and magical attacks. Also revealed during the battle was a familiar and welcomed face who missed out on appearing in Final Fantasy XII: the summon monster Odin. It was not stated how the summons would play a role in this particular installment of Final Fantasy, but suffice to say, we are glad to see the old crew making a return. Final Fantasy XIII is scheduled for release Spring 2010.

Finally, over in the Capcom booth, Capcom vs Tatsunoko for Nintendo Wii was revealed. The demo offered fans 20 different characters to choose from, boasting players from the Capcom world such as Ryu and Chun Li (Street Fighter), Mega Man and Roll (Mega Man), and even Batsu (Rival Schools), and characters from famous Tatsunoko shows such as Ken the Eagle and Jun the Swan (G-Force: Guardians of Space). The game play is similar to Marvel vs Capcom. Teams are constructed of two characters. Players are allowed to switch between characters during the match by "tagging" in and out. Players can perform ground combos in, what seemed to be, an easy fashion. Air combos and juggling was also displayed and all characters seem to possess at least two different ultimate special moves. The graphics are similar to the recently released Street Fighter 4 where character models are rendered in 3D but the fighting plane is on a 2D field. During the floor show, fans were given the opportunity to try out the new remote control for the game which looked similar to an arcade joystick set up. Sporting 8 buttons and a control stick, the new control made the game look to be more enjoyable than trying to use the Wiimote or cIassic controller. Release of Capcom vs Tatsunoko in America on the Wii is yet to be announced.

It is looking to be a good year for gaming and I am looking forward to adding some new and great titles to my gaming library. Until next time, stay cool everybody ;)