Overview
West HallE3 2006 was the final "real" E3 before the event went to a smaller scale event. For what appeared to be the last show of its kind, E3 went out with a bang in 2006 thanks to an onslaught of next-gen content that swarmed the show floor. The Xbox 360 was about to enter its second year on shelves and the PlayStation 3 and Wii were just a few months from joining the party. And aside from the consoles, there was the PSP and DS, which had both been out for less than a year at that point and were each featuring an excellent lineup of titles.
Nintendo confused the industry as a whole a few days prior to the show by officially naming their new console the Wii. Many thought, or hoped, it to be a joke, but it was not. The motion controllers that set the system apart were the primary focus of Nintendo's press conference. Titles like Wii Sports, Super Mario Galaxy, Red Steel, and a Wii version of Twilight Princess showed that there were all new ways to play games. The line on the floor to get a hands on demo of 27 different Wii titles reached upwards of five hours long. The Wii was easily the hottest thing at the show this year.
Booth Babes BannedNot far behind though was Sony's full unveiling of the PlayStation 3, which was much more easily accessible on the show floor in comparison to the Wii. Titles such as Gran Turismo, Resistance: Fall of Man, Heavenly Sword, Heavy Rain, Motorstorm, and Warhawk were all playable and showcased the power of the new hardware along with some implementation of the all-new Sixaxis controllers. Sony stunned many attendees with the announcement that the system would retail for $599.99 in the United States.
Microsoft, having a jump start on the competition, focused completely on blockbuster titles such as Halo 3, Mass Effect, Blue Dragon, Crackdown, Fable 2, Forza Motorsport 2, Dead Rising, and the earth shattering announcement that Grand Theft Auto IV would be coming to Xbox 360.
One game that quickly garnered a lot of discussion, but was not playable on the floor, was Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed. Konami once again had attendees stopping in their tracks with their Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer, which had the shocking ending of Snake's apparent suicide. As if Kojima wasn't surprising enough fans with this trailer, Solid Snake also made his debut in the trailer of Super Smash Bros. Brawl over at the Nintendo booth. Other notable games on the floor for E3 2006 were Crysis, Rainbow Six Vegas, Spore, LocoRoco, God of War II, Okami, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Guitar Hero II, New Super Mario Bros., Final Fantasy XII, Supreme Commander, Too Human, and Metroid Prime 3.
Games of the Show
South HallThe games listed below not only include those playable on the show floor, but any game referenced at the show. This would include video presentations, announcements, advertisements, or any other official reference to the game from its developer, publisher, or platform. They are listed mainly according to the publisher of the game, with a few exceptions where the publisher did not attend the show. An example of this would be a hardware company such as Nintendo or nVidia showing a game not developed or published by them. In several situtations, games either changed their title or even their publisher before they were released. For historical accuracy in chronicling E3, such games will be listed with their original names and publishers, and linked to the corresponding page of the final game.
2K Games - PreyActivision - Half PipeSouth HallAtlusCapcomEAKonamiLucasArtsMicrosoftMidwayNamcoNintendoSegaSonySquare EnixTecmoUbisoft - Splinter Cell DAVivendi - ScarfaceGame Critics Awards
The Game Critics Awards are decided by an independent group of North American media outlets. They have selected the most promising games of each Electronic Entertainment Expo since 1998, and have thus become recognized as the most respected "Best of" awards that come out of the annual show. Games qualify for nomination by having hands-on playable versions of the game at the show. For more information, see the Game Critics Awards page.
BEST OF SHOW
Best of Show - 2006Wii - Nintendo
BEST ORIGINAL GAME
Spore (PC) - Maxis / Electronic Arts
BEST HARDWARE/PERIPHERAL
Wii - Nintendo
BEST CONSOLE GAME
Gears of War (X360) - Epic Games / Microsoft
BEST PC GAME
Spore (PC) - Maxis / Electronic Arts
BEST HANDHELD GAME
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (NDS) - Nintendo
BEST ACTION GAME
Gears of War (X360) - Epic Games / Microsoft
BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE GAME
Assassin's Creed (PS3) - Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft
BEST ROLE PLAYING GAME
Mass Effect (X360) - Bioware / Microsoft
BEST RACING GAME
Excite Truck (Wii) - Monster Games / Nintendo
BEST SIMULATION GAME
Spore (PC) - Maxis / Electronic Arts
BEST SPORTS GAME
Wii Sports (Wii) - Nintendo
Best SportsBEST FIGHTING GAME
Heavenly Sword (PS3) - Ninja Theory / Sony
BEST STRATEGY GAME
Supreme Commander (PC) - Gas Powered Games / THQ
BEST PUZZLE/TRIVIA/PARLOR GAME
Guitar Hero II (PS2) - Harmonix / Red Octane
BEST ONLINE MULTIPLAYER
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (PC) - Splash Damage / id Software / Activision
Exhibitors
- 1C Company
- 2K
- 3T Productions Ltd.
- 4A Games
- 10tacle Studios (Asia)
- 10tacle Studios AG
- 3001 AD
- Absolute Quality
- Academy of Art University
- Action Forms Ltd.
- Activate Interactive
- Activision Publishing, Inc.
- Advanced Duplication Services
- Aerosoft
- AGEIA Technologies
- Agetec, Inc.
- AI.implant
- Aicomax
- ak tronic Software & Services GmbH
- Akella
- Alchemic Dream Inc.
- Allegro Rainbow
- Alliance Distributors
- Alliance NumeriQC
- A.L.S. Industries, Inc.
- Amp'd Mobile
- Animation:Master
- Ankama Studio
- The Ant Commandos, Inc.
- AOL Games
- Apaja Online Ent.
- Apple Computer
- ArcadeMX Inc.
- Arcadia Festival
- Arcana Studio
- Artplant
- Ascaron Entertainment UK LTD
- Aspyr Media
- Atari, Inc.
- Atlantic
- Atlus USA, Inc.
- Audiomotion Studios Ltd.
- Auran Games Pty. Ltd.
- Australia Games
- Autodesk
- Axis Animation
- Azuradisc, Inc.
- Babel Media
- bad brain entertainment GmbH
- BAWLS Mints
- Belle de Mai Media Park
- BenQ-Siemens
- Bensussen Deutch & Associates
- Barazy Mobile Entertainment AB
- Bert-Co
- Bethesda Softworks
- bhv Software GmbH & Co. KG
- Big Ant Studios
- BigWorld PTY Ltd.
- BioWare/Pandemic Studios
- Blitz Games
- Blizzard Entertainment
- BODYPAD
- BradyGames
- Breakthrough New Media
- Brighter Minds Media, Inc.
- Buena Vista Games, Inc.
- Bug-Tracker
- Bugbear
- Buka Entertainment
- Canadian Pavilion
- Capcom Entertainment Inc.
- Capital Game
- CCP
- CD Projekt
- CDV Software Entertainment AG
- CH Products
- CMP Game Group
- CMY Multimedia
- CNET Networks & Entertainment
- Codemasters
- Codeplay Software Limited
- Colorzip Sea
- Compedia
- Computer Games Magazine
- Coolit Systems Inc.
- Cosmi Corporation
- Crave Entertainment
- Creative Mind Interactive
- Custom Red Software Studios
- Cutting Edge Closeouts
- CyberPlanet Interactive Co., Ltd.
- D&H Distributing
- D-Box Technologies Inc.
- D3 Publisher of America
- Darwin Dimensions
- Deep Silver
- Defcon Skins
- DemonWare
- Denki
- Destination Software, Inc.
- Develop
- Diamond Comic Distributors
- Digital Leisure
- Digital River
- Disc Go Technologies
- DISCover
- Distribusoft
- Ditan Corporation
- Dolphin Electronic Co. Ltd.
- DreamCatcher
- dreamGEAR
- dtp Entertainment AG
- E-Game For Less, Inc.
- e-sport GmbH
- E3net Co., Ltd.
- ECD Systems, Inc.
- eGames, Inc.
- Eggfinity Inc.
- Eidos, Inc.
- Electronic Arts
- eMagin Corporation
- Emergent Game Technologies
- Emplast Security Products
- Empower Technologies
- Enium Co., Ltd.
- Enterprise Ireland
- Entertainment Liquidators of Canada
- Enzyme Testing Labs
- eReal Games
- ESEL International Co. Ltd.
- Espresso Education
- ESTsoft Corporation
- Etranges Libellules
- ETRI
- Eutechnyx
- Eversim
- Exent Technologies
- Exit Games
- Extra Live
- F4G Software
- FANATEC
- Fatal1ty
- Fillpoint
- Fire International Ltd.
- Fireglow
- Firemint
- Fishlabs Entertainment GmbH
- Flyin Studio, Inc.
- Focus Home Interactive
- Fogware Publishing
- Foundation 9 Entertainment
- France @ E3
- Freedom of Teach
- Freeze Interactive France
- Frima Studio
- Frogster Interactive Pictures AG
- Fugitive Interactive
- Funcom
- Future US, Inc.
- Fuzzeyes Studio Pty. Ltd.
- G4
- Gaijin Entertainment
- Game Bundesverband
- The Game Factory
- Game Factory Interactive
- Game Infinity
- Game Informer Magazine
- Game Outlet Europe
- Game Source, Inc.
- GameDaily
- Gamefederation
- GameHI Inc.
- GameINSTINCT
- Gameloft
- Gamepark, Inc.
- GamePort
- Gamer Graffix
- GamesIndustry.biz
- GameSpot
- GAMESweet Software, Inc.
- GameTap
- GameTrailers
- GameTronics
- GAMEVIL Inc.
- GameZone
- Gamingmouse.com
- GC 2006
- Genuine Games Ltd.
- GeoLogistics Americas Inc.
- German Pavilion
- GestureTek Inc.
- Get-Well Gamers Foundation
- GF Game Corp.
- GLobal Gaming League
- Global Software Publishing
- Global Video Games
- Glu
- GOPRO (International) Ltd.
- Greenstreet Software Ltd.
- Griffin International
- Griffin Technology
- Groove Games
- Guangzhou Jetion Computech Co. Ltd.
- Guppyworks
- Guru Gaming Inc.
- Hands On Mobile
- Hardcore Gamer Magazine
- Havok
- Her Interactive
- Hi Rez Studios
- High Moon Studios
- Hildebrandt Technologies
- Hjemmet Mortensen AB
- Honey Bee Electronic Int'l
- Hong Kong Pavilion
- Honor Games International
- Hori USA, Inc.
- Hudson Entertainment
- Humagade
- Hybrid
- Hybris Film
- I-play
- iBeta Quality Assurance
- iBloks
- Idea Games
- IDG Entertainment
- IDIGICON
- IGN Entertainment
- Illuminate Labs
- Immersive Education
- InfoSpace
- Innex, Inc.
- Intec Europe
- Intel Corporation
- InterServ International Inc.
- inXile entertainment
- IR Gurus Interactive
- IronMonkey Studios
- Ironstar Helsinki
- IT GlobalSecure, Inc.
- ITE
- ITI Techmedia
- ITPIA Co., Ltd.
- ITT Educational Services Inc.
- J.F.J. Disc Repair
- Jadestone Group
- JAKKS Pacific
- JC Entertainment Corp.
- Jetro
- Jungle Peak Studios
- K2Network, Inc.
- Kaolink
- Kemco USA, Inc.
- Keystone Game Studio
- Kheops Studio
- Koei Corporation
- Konami Digital Entertainment
- Krome Studios
- Kukan Studio
- Kutoka interactive
- Kynogon
- Lager Interactive Inc.
- Lapland Studio
- Learn By DVD Ltd.
- Left Behind Games
- Like Dynamite GmbH
- Liquidations.com
- Lockpick Entertainment
- Logic3 International Ltd.
- Logicworks
- Logitech
- Logrus International
- Look-Kid Soft
- LucasArts
- Lyon Game
- Macrovision, Inc.
- Mad Catz, Inc.
- Majesco Entertainment
- Marjacq
- Massive Entertainment
- Massive Incorporated
- Massmulti Interactive
- Mastertronic Group Ltd.
- McCabes
- MCV
- Mecca Electronics
- Microsoft Corporation
- Midas Interactive Entertainment Ltd.
- Midway
- Mistic Software
- MIZI I.N.G. Co., Ltd.
- Mobile Distillery
- Mobilico AB
- Monte Cristo
- Move Interactive
- MumboJumbo
- My My Box
- Mythic Entertainment
- Namco Bandai Games America
- Namco Networks
- Natsume
- Navarre
- NCsoft
- Ndoors Corporation
- Neogames
- Neowiz Corporation
- Netdragon Websoft Inc.
- New Era Group of Companies
- Nexgen Studio
- Nineyou.com
- Nintendo of America
- Nobilis
- Nokia N-Gage
- Nordic Game
- Nordic Game Resources AB
- Northern Light Game Network
- NordicGen
- NPD Group
- nVidia
- Nyko Technologies
- O3 Entertainment
- Octagon Entertainment Inc.
- On Games
- Outerlight Ltd.
- Outrageous Intl. HK Ltd.
- Oxygen Interactive
- PAN Vision
- Parallax Factory
- Peer 1 Network
- Perforce Software
- Performance Designed Products
- Phantom EFX
- Phenomedia Publishing GmbH
- Philips Accessories
- Philips amBX
- Phoenix Games (Holland) B.V.
- Piggyback Interactive, Ltd.
- Play Ten Interactive
- Playlogic Entertainment, Inc.
- Playseats
- Playware Studios Asia
- Pollux Game Labs
- Prima Games
- Pyramat LLC
- Q8 Intelligent Systems
- QA International
- Qmotions, Inc.
- Qualcomm
- Quazal Technologies
- Radical Entertainment
- Raildriver
- Razer USA Ltd.
- Real Outlet, Inc.
- Real Time Worlds
- Rebellion
- Red Mile Entertainment
- Redeye Studio
- RedOctane
- Reef Entertainment
- Rondomedia GmbH
- Royal Electronics
- RTI Research Technology Int'l
- Runestone Game Development
- Russian Mobile Entertainment
- S.A.D. Software Vertriebsund Produktions GmbH
- Saitek
- Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
- SanDisk Corporation
- Sandio Technology Corp.
- Sanuk Software Co., Ltd.
- Sapphire Technology
- Sarbakan
- Scanavo Ltd.
- Schanz Consultants & Interactive
- Scottish Devlopment International
- SDW Games, Inc.
- Seasky Netjoy
- Sega of America
- Selectsoft Publishing
- Sennari
- Serious Games Initiative
- Sierra Entertainment
- Sigil Games Online
- Simutronics Corporation
- Singapore Game Exchange Alliance
- Singapore Telecommunications Limited
- SK C&C Co., Ltd.
- SkillJam Technologies Corp.
- Skyworks
- SMART BrainGames
- SN Systems
- SNK Playmore USA Corp.
- Software Industry Promotion Agency
- Sonopress
- Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc.
- Sony DADC
- Sony Ericson
- Sony Online Entertainment
- Southbend Interactive
- Spectravideo PLC
- Spectravideo USA Inc.
- SpeedTree
- Spelplan
- Spherex Inc.
- Spinning Reality
- SplitFish Gameware
- Sprint
- Square Enix
- StarHub Ltd.
- Strange Agency Ltd.
- Strategic Marketing Partners
- Subsilo
- Sulake Corporation Ltd.
- Sunflowers GmbH
- Superscape
- SVG Distribution
- Sweden at E3
- Swordfish Studios
- Sygna Media
- Tab Distribution
- Taiwan Games Pavilion
- Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.
- Tantalus Interactive
- TechExcel
- Techland
- Tecmo, Inc.
- Terraplay
- Themis Group Inc.
- THQ
- Thunderbird Games
- THX
- TimeGate Studios
- Tips & Tricks Magazine
- Tool
- Tooned In
- Topics Entertainment
- Topware Interactive
- Torus Games
- TPLD Ltd.
- Track7Games
- Tri Synergy
- Tribal Nova
- True Player Gear
- Turbine, Inc.
- Turtle Beach
- Twentieth Century Fox
- U.S. Army
- U.S. Games Distribution Inc.
- Ubisoft Entertainment
- UCC Distributing
- UGO Networks, Inc.
- UK Pavilion
- Ultimate Game Chair
- Univenture
- University of Abertay
- Universome
- Userjoy Technology Co., Ltd.
- Vancouver Film School
- Verizon
- VIA Technologies Inc.
- Viva Media, LLC
- Vivendi Games
- VMC Game Labs
- Vonage
- Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
- Wave Generation
- Webzen Inc.
- Western Digital
- Wicked Witch Software
- WildTangent, Inc.
- Windward Mark Interactive
- Windysoft Co., Ltd.
- Winking Entertainment
- WIT Entertainment
- Wizarbox
- Wizards of the Coast
- Wolfking
- World Deals Inc.
- Wow Wee Ltd.
- WOW4M Corporation
- XPEC Entertainment Inc.
- Xtreme Ltd.
- Z-Best Audio & Video Inc.
- ZBoard
- ZeitGuyz Game Developers
- Ziff Davis Media
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