For instance, Halo: Anniversary. I know the Halo games get a lot of hate nowdays (maybe later I'll go into why I think most of it is entirely unfounded), but the series has a special place in my heart. Halo: Combat Evolved may not have been the first game I ever loved (that honor goes to Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back), but it was the first game I ever loved for more than just its entertainment value. It had an awesome sci-fi war story with a great plot twist, a deep mythology, and a intricately-crafted atmosphere enhanced by one of gaming's best soundtracks. None of the games since have quite lived up to Halo's campaign (though some would understandably argue Reach's superiority), but I still love the series all the same. I am hesitant now that Bungie's not making it, but 343 really looks like they love the series and know what they're doing, so the announcement of Halo 4 got me excited, and the stuff about Halo: Anniversary has me downright giddy.
A new Fable game... I'll have to see. I really liked Fable II, and I would have liked III equally had it not ripped almost everything directly from its predecessor. I'd probably buy (definitely at least rent) a Fable 4, but if this turns out to just be some sort of simple motion distraction in the Fable universe like it kind of looks, I'll pass.
The Assassin's Creed: Revelations trailer was really, really, really good. It tells me little else about the game itself, but I'm one of the few, it would seem, who sees immense value in cinematic trailers. It may not say much about the gameplay, and it's true that the makers could be trying to misrepresent the game, but in an established series like Assassin's Creed, a quality cinematic trailer tells me their focus on the story and its presentation stands strong, and that's enough to get me excited. Plus, it's Assassin's Creed: worst case scenario in terms of the gameplay, it's not different enough from the already-awesome gameplay of the last two games. I can live with that complaint.
Speaking of cinematic trailers, I cannot stress enough that any Star Wars fan must see the new trailer for The Old Republic. If you're not a Star Wars fan, I weep for you. That's all I can really say about it; just watch it and stand in awe as I did.
I was actually impressed with Nintendo. I know a lot of people will be crying "gimmick," as they always do when something innovative happens, but even the Wii had potential. The problem was that it has been squandered and misused, not that it has no potential for greatness. The fact that the WiiU (admittedly a really stupid name, but at least it doesn't lend itself as easily to dirty jokes) is getting some of the releases currently on the 360 and PS3 says a lot about its ability to keep up. I'm hesitant, but hopeful. Also, the Skyward Sword trailer was fantastic, and I'm always happy about the other classic Nintendo franchises as well.
Uncharted 3 looks fantastic. The new trailer really got me excited, and really, all you need to tell me is that there's more Uncharted and I'm there. But it actually looks like a bit more of a personal story, which I wouldn't mind at all. Other than that, Sony didn't have much that caught my eye, though the TV that eliminates split-screen by having both players see different things on the same screen somehow is more than a little impressive.
I admit to not having played a Tomb Raider game in my life. The last few have looked very interesting, but not interesting enough to take precedence over the games I really, really wanted. My poor little wallet couldn't take any more. Before the recent games, I was kind of driven away from the games being little more than a pair of giant breasts shooting things; Lara's sexualization has always been a spot of shame on this medium, in my opinion. Which is why I love the trailer for the next Tomb Raider game. By going into Lara's past, they're allowing a lot more room for character development and good storytelling, and they really seem to be humanizing Lara instead of making her an unstoppable sex goddess (and thus staying closer to the intent of her original design). And the humanization and development of once-exploited characters is something I definitely approve of.
On a more depressing note, it looks like Spyro the Dragon is set to have his once-good name splattered in feces again. Seriously, someday I will buy the rights to both Spyro and Crash Bandicoot and bring those franchises back to glory, because this is just awful.
Unfortunately, my internet connection kind of sucks, so I haven't had a chance to see some of the stuff, let alone the full press conferences; I still need to browse some of the trailers for new games, I still need to see the trailers for Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, and a few other games I'm interested in. I'll update this post if anything else really catches my attention.
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