Longtime readers of GameCritics.com know that for the last few years, our E3 coverage has used different formats; none of which we were too thrilled about. For 2003, we've come up with new idea called the E3 Hype-Worthy Awards (or Hypies for short). Ain't that just the cutest? We aren't very big on giving out awards, but hopefully this idea will stick around longer than the others.

As a disclaimer to readers, please be aware that all awards are based on incomplete builds and demonstration-friendly versions of these titles. These are not reviews of final copies, and the games covered in these awards could change for the better (or worse) by the time they hit retail.

If that warning isn't enough, know that GameCritics.com doesn't take this award stuff too seriously in any case, so please don't bombard us with email about how your favorite title should have won so-and-so category or how another didn't deserve theirs. The awards are for pure entertainment (for readers) and marketing purposes (for game publishers) only. Otherwise, all bets are off.

Hype-Worthy Blue Ribbon Selections

These are the crème-de-le-crème of E3 2003. The following is a list (in no particular order) of the 10 most hype-worthy titles that were on display at the LA Convention Center. Without further adieu…

Prince Of Persia (Multiplatform)

Erin: Ubi Soft's Prince Of Persia managed to quietly impress everyone who played it despite the huge over-saturation of 3D action titles at E3. With flawless mechanics, gorgeous backgrounds and silky-smooth animation, this game was easily one of the most polished of the show. The Prince had an array of cool moves: acrobatic leaps, wall-running and fluid sword-and-dagger fighting combos and finishers. The game's environments allowed a high degree of interactivity, including the subtle swishing of the curtain as the Prince ran past. Prince Of Persia one gimmick is the ability to control time and to rewind short portions of the game itself—as in, the point just before the Prince foolishly leaps off a ledge to his demise. Hence the game's subtitle: Sands Of Time. If all the levels were as sweet as the demo, Prince Of Persia will definitely be a must-have game.

Soul Calibur II (Multiplatform)

Brad: With Soul Calibur often touted as the "best fighter of all time," the sequel had some serious shoes to fill—but fill them it does. Everything you hear about Soul Calibur II is true. The gameplay and characters are skillfully balanced, with an engine that's both approachable to novices and deep enough to keep veterans honing strategies for months. The design and variety of combatants is wide enough to satisfy any player, and there is a wealth of versus modes to encourage replay. Additionally, the mission master mode has an insane amount of unlockable extras to earn, from art to new weapons, giving the single player experience serious legs—traditionally fighting games' biggest weakness. To top it off, the programmers have outdone themselves by giving the game an amazing level of production no matter which system it was running on. PlayStation 2, GameCube or Xbox… they all looked outstanding. The colorful explosions, weapon trails and completely convincing animation please the eye, accentuated by a camera that never, ever obstructs the action. It's clear to see that Namco has created a true masterpiece of masterpieces.

Halo 2 (Xbox)

Gene: The first installment quickly became my favorite videogame of the current generation, so there were huge expectations to be met for Halo 2. Fortunately most of them were met. While Half Life 2 was generating the most buzz at E3, Bungie's sequel probably will stand its own. The level of action and immersiveness was much more epic and grand in scale. The lighting is much more dynamic in the game, and so are the textures. The physics engine seems to have been beefed up, not just including vehicles, but parts of the environment as well (skeleton frames of cars). Master Chief (the protagonist) also has the ability to hold two guns, John Woo style. Another addition is the ability of non-playable friendlies to drive the famous Warthog jeep, while the player can ride shotgun or in the gunner's seat. Unfortunately, it almost turns the game into a rail shooter. However, if history is any indicator, the artificial intelligence of the Marines will pick and choose their own path, thus making each ride a new experience. That's one thing I was disappointed in not seeing, a true showcase of the game's AI. It's what remains to be seen, it's what makes the series so special and it's what gets me hyped up the most.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PlayStation 2)

Gene: Undeniable in presence was the eccentric Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. What little clues it had concerning the game's ongoing saga, they were intentionally vague and ambiguous. Whatever Kojima has up his sleeve, it's clear that he has again hijacked the attention of most gamers' curiosities and excitement. The game introduces new gameplay elements, including the added element of camouflage. The player can also hang off branches (the game seems to take place in a jungle setting) and pick off enemies from there. Once again proving that Kojima knows the Emotion Engine inside out, the graphics are a marked step above the last sequel, and above the rest of the PlayStation 2 pack. There are amazing grass physics (yes grass), detailed footprints in the mud, little details like empty bullet casings dropping in the water and Gran Turismo 4-like lighting. If there's any doubt that this game was the crowd-pleaser of the show, at each hour the trailer played, the floor around the huge screen was packed. Cameras were flashing and rolling. And then comes the scene where Snake dives off a waterfall. High fives were thrown, hugs were given and there were smiles all around. Forget The Matrix—Kojima has us.

Boktai (Game Boy Advance)

Erin: Konami easily led the GBA field in innovation with Boktai. While the game itself is a rather generic isometric perspective action-RPG, it uses a neat new technology that incorporates the surrounding light-levels into the gameplay. Thanks to a solar sensor on the back of the cartridge, the game is sensitive to whether it is being played in light or darkness. Certain monsters, for example, can only be killed by being "exposed" to sunlight. Boktai is the first game to exploit such a unique idea, but we would expect no less from its designer, who is none other than Metal Gear Solid's Hideo Kojima. Personally, I'm looking forward to observing all the GBA SP owners wiggling upside-down with their systems to try and catch the sunlight.

Fable (Xbox)

Chi: Introduced at last year's E3 as Project Ego, this ultra ambitious role-playing game (RPG) coming out of UK-based Big Blue Box Studios (a satellite of Lionhead Studios) is now officially titled Fable and already had a mountain of hype attached to it before going into E3 2003. Real-time demonstrations show Fable as being well on track as an innovative RPG that melds the non-linear gameplay from Morrowind with the soulful accessibility of The Legend Of Zelda series. Players are given the freedom and opportunity to build their reputations as a boastful hero or murderous rogues; get married and become an adventuring absentee husband (much to the chagrin and nagging of your stay-at-home wife); and slowly grow visibly older—with your choice of actions during your lifetime affecting your appearance. Of course, these features are just the tip of the iceberg.

Freedom: Soldiers Of Liberty (Multiplatform)

Chi: To say that there were many military style third-person shooters at E3 would be an HUGE understatement. There were literally dozens and dozens that made each one seem more and more indistinguishable from the next. So I knew Freedom: Soldiers Of Liberty was special when all it took was several minutes of gameplay for me to see it was a standout title. I should have expected no less from IO Interactive, the Denmark-based team that graced us with the tour-de-force Hitman series. So what made Freedom so unique? The game is set in the fictional world where the Soviets came out on top of Cold War and have invaded the United States (remember the movie Red Dawn?). Players assume the role of a civilian-turned-freedom-fighter trying to reclaim lost soil. What really blew me away were the large sprawling and layered battles that brimed with action from handheld firearms, armor vehicles, helicopters and artillery. As many as 64 soldiers could populate the environment and a player can command and fight side-by-side with up to 12 intelligent AI (artificial intelligence) allies with unique personalities. Utilizing the Hitman 2 engine, the controls and physics of Freedom are guaranteed to be tight. The sky's the limit in terms of what IO Interactive can do with the engine and, with early impressions of Freedom, it appears they are taking it to the moon.

StarCraft: Ghost (Multiplatform)

Thom: Running the real risk of getting lost in the crowd, it seemed like a big departure for Blizzard to put out a third-person action game for the consoles. Like many of the more recent third-person titles, StarCraft: Ghost aims to offer up a blend between action and espionage in a war-torn world. The real difference in the game is the StarCraft license, and how well it's implemented. The characters look and sound just like they do in the real-time strategy game, and the player should have great fun identifying structures and vehicles, rendered in appropriately huge scale to the main character. Aside from the license, StarCraft: Ghost also has some nice additions to gameplay, giving several neat new maneuvers—including the ability to cling from almost anything you can hang from and then take aim with a sniper rifle. Given the complexity of some of Nova's actions, it was a great job by Nihilistic to make them look as realistic as they do. In the playable demo, there was some question about overly-linear level design as well as some dodgy AI, but knowing Blizzard's policy of not releasing a game until it's well-done, it's a good bet that StarCraft: Ghost will deliver the complete package when it hits the shelves.

Half-Life 2 (Xbox, PC)

Thom: This was the real blockbuster title of E3. Shown behind closed doors and boasting the longest viewing line, Half-Life 2 could have been a gigantic bust or could vault itself to one of the biggest games of the year. Thanks to an extremely impressive physics engine and some incredible graphics, Half-Life 2 became one of the biggest hits of E3. Highlights of the videos included a weapon that could use just about any object in the game as a weapon, outdoor lighting that verged on the unbelievable and a physics engine that left jaws hanging and tongues waggling. It was an appropriate coming-out party for the sequel to one of the most innovative and well-loved games in recent memory, and one that proved that Valve will continue to be pushing the boundaries of what's possible graphically and as a simulation. But as impressive as it might have been, the real test of how well Half-Life 2 lives up to its predecessor will be in how it deals with creating a compelling story, as well as non-player character AI. But with what we've seen at E3, we can tell at least that the framework is there for another stunning experience.

Dino Crisis 3 (Xbox)

Brad: The Dino Crisis series has never gotten the amount of respect that it deserves in my opinion. The first game was flawed but had potential. The sequel not only corrected its mistakes, but also completely revamped the entire structure in the process. If this pattern of genesis holds, then Dino Crisis 3 will undoubtedly be the best yet. To me, the people behind the big lizards try harder and are more willing to take an honest look at what they've produced. Resident Evil may be the bigger franchise, but with dull sequel after dull sequel, it might not be on top for too much longer. A successor will need to be found. Besides transforming itself from top to bottom, the demo on display had a high level of accessibility while providing the kind of reflex-response action that seems to be disappearing these days. "Pick-up-and-play" is a deceptively difficult quality to achieve, and doubly so with complex action games. The jetpack mechanics worked wonderfully, and the game seems to have taken on almost Sega-like characteristics, although even at this rough state it handled better than Gunvalkyrie or Burning Rangers. After long years and many attempts, I think we may finally have a jetpack shooter that works.

Critics' Personal Picks (In No Particular Order)

Brad Gallaway:


1. Prince Of Persia (Multiplatform)
2. Dino Crisis 3 (Xbox)
3. Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy (GameCube)
4. Soul Calibur II (Multiplatform)
5. Final Fantasy X-2 (PlayStation 2)

Chi Kong Lui:


1. Fable (Xbox)
2. Freedom: Soldiers Of Liberty (Multiplatform)
3. Halo 2 (Xbox)
4. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PlayStation 2)
5. Breakdown (Multiplatform)

Erin Bell:


1. Prince Of Persia (Multiplatform)
2. F-Zero GX (GameCube)
3. Wario Ware (Game Boy Advance)
4. Legend Of Zelda: The Four Swords (Game Boy Advance)
5. Boktai (Game Boy Advance)

Gene Park:


1. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PlayStation 2)
2. Halo 2 (Xbox)
3. Prince Of Persia (Multiplatform)
4. Soul Calibur II (Multiplatform)
5. Gran Turismo 4 (PlayStation 2)

Thom Moyles:


1. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PlayStation 2)
2. Soul Calibur II (Multiplatform)
3. Pikmin 2 (GameCube)
4. Starcraft: Ghost (Multiplatform)
5. Half-Life 2 (Xbox, PC)