Heavenly Sword
Not one to be limited to the big screen—or his physical body—actor Andy Serkis, best known for his behind-the-pixel work as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings and as the big guy himself in 2005’s King Kong, plays the villain king in Heavenly Sword, and contributed to the story development of this revenge tale. This wickedly fast-paced adventure combat game was one of only a handful of playable PS3 titles at E3, where we became acquainted with its beautiful red-haired heroine, who carries a large sword and knows how to use it. Expect the game in 2007.

Stranglehold
It’s a wonder John Woo hadn’t entered the gaming world earlier. The Hong Kong director’s bullet-gorged opuses are a natural fit for a shooter and, not surprisingly, inspired the likes of Max Payne. But it really takes a next-gen system to provide the destructible environments that would do justice to Woo’s vision. A digitally rejuvenated Chow Yun Fat reprises his role as Inspector Tequila, from Woo’s 1992 hit Hard Boiled. The game comes to Xbox360 and PS3 this winter.

Just About Every Next-Gen Driving Game
One reason why driving games appear so realistic is that players (and developers) have tangible expectations. A physical example is as near as your garage, and you most likely toy with the idea of edging out traffic every day. So we salute auto-game developers for creating their pristine textures, chair-gripping speeds, and true-to-life replay modes. While last year’s Project Gotham Racing 3 remains a hit, some upcoming titles are: Gran Turismo HD (in 1080p!), Formula One 06, and Test Drive Unlimited, etc. 

Super Mario Galaxy
The showstopper at Nintendo’s E3 booth, Super Mario Galaxy puts a new spin on the classic “Mario method” (level start, run-stomp-run, level end, boss, rinse, repeat). Using those new-fangled Wii controllers (remote in one hand and nunchuk in the other), players not only press buttons but point and drag objects and even shake the controllers to move from planet to planet battling Goombas and other baddies. Because it is a 3D world, the camera angles can be a little disorienting, but the animations are wonderful. Launch date is still yet to be announced.

Haze
Ghost Recon publisher Ubisoft has teamed with TimeSplitters creator Free Radical to make a shooter with one flawless pedigree. In a jungle reminiscent of Far Cry, players take on the role of a biomedically enhanced soldier, a trait that will most likely drive the storyline. Character details are frighteningly sharp, and being set 25 years in the future, there should be some interesting weapon and vehicle choices. Developers are touting opponents with “hyper-intelligent” AI. To be released early 2007 for both PS3 and Xbox 360.

Assassin’s Creed
After watching a trailer of this 12th-century adventure game for the Playstation 3, all the excitement about Assassin’s Creed becomes clear. Developed by the folks who created Prince of Persia, the game features open-ended gameplay (an environment that can be explored at will, as in Grand Theft Auto), and it appears much attention was paid to the setting and textures—the background architecture is quite breathtaking. Consider the original storyline (during the Crusades!), and this is one of the most anticipated games for PS3 and overall. Expect the game in sometime in 2007.

SingStar
Think what you will of karaoke, I have seen tall men burst into a room with self-confidence only to awkwardly shift and wither when confronted with the single act of performing Blur’s Song 2 to completion. Karaoke, therefore, is something I respect. SingStar already has been Europe’s sing-along game of choice on the PS2 since 2004, with a catalog that exceeds 300 songs, but E3 marked its first foray into the States, touting a simple, customizable interface on the PS3. No cheesy sound-alikes or random stock footage here; SingStar licensed the actual tracks and videos from the original artists (in high resolution when available), and players are able to pick and choose the songs they want from a downloadable library. SingStar will be a PS3 launch title in Europe, but a U.S. release date is unknown.

E3 2006: Celebrity Deathmatch
While summer movie tie-ins are obvious (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, X-Men: The Last Stand, and, yes, even a topless Jack Black in Nacho Libre), a few developers are continuing the trend of creating games for retro movies, most notably Dirty Harry—at last you can make your own day. Gene Hackman, Laurence Fishburn, and, naturally, Clint Eastwood are adding their star power to the project. Also, a new Indiana Jones title is in the works by LucasArts that will be available in summer 2007, and talks have commenced for a game based on Heat. Not to be left out, TV shows are along for the ride, too: This winter, expect high drama with The Sopranos on PS2 and Xbox 360 and Desperate Housewives (?!) on PC.