Is it just me or did E3 seem underwhelming this year?  There wasn’t really anything at any of the Big Three’s press conferences that blew me away.  Sure, there were some things that surprised me, but nothing that really made me go, “Holy shit!”  I guess its ok though, because there were a TON of great games being shown and/or announced and a bunch that I didn’t really anticipate being excited about that ended up piquing my interest.  Off the top of my head, here’s my take on the things that caught my eye:

Xbox 360 Dashboard update - Seems to me like XMB inspired navigation with a suspiciously Mii-like avatar identity.  Hmmm…very curious.  Its too early to tell, but it seems like Sony is catching up and Microsoft is borrowing a bit from their competitors.  The next 12 months will be interesting indeed.

Final Fantasy XIII on 360 - Wow, I didn’t see this coming!  Can’t complain though.  Anything that gets their game to a bigger audience is great, it will allow SquareEnix to continue making great games.  All the Sony fanboys need to stop crying and grow up.  You know what makes someone a “real” gamer?  Enjoying ALL games, regardless of what system they’re on!

Nintendo - I agree with Giant Bomb, they seem to be heading down the road to foregoing the hardcore gamer altogether to focus on casual and toy-like games.  I guess I see where they’re coming from on the business side of things, but this makes it no less heartbreaking.  Nintendo is the very reason I (and many people my age) became gamers in the first place.  I can’t really think of anything that I am excited for from the Big N for the foreseeable future.  Its awesome they're innovating, they shouldn't stop, but PLEASE Nintendo, don’t alienate the fans that have kept you alive in the video game market for over 20 years!

PSN movie and TV downloads - Cool.  I’m the kind of guy who likes having a physical copy of my movies though, so I probably won’t ever buy a movie this way, especially since the majority of the movies available for purchase are in standard-def.  Lame.  Now rentals, those I might use someday.

Gran Tourismo TV - Come on guys, you’d have GT5 the full game done way quicker if you weren’t pretending to be television producers.  I guess its cool for people that would enjoy it, but it seems like it’s a bit too close to focused marketing for my taste.  I guess it depends on what the final line-up of content ends up being.

Resistance Retribution - This is probably the only game that came completely out of nowhere for me.  I’m not sure how I feel about the third person perspective, but I’m really interested in seeing how this one turns out.

Ratchet and Clank Quest for Booty - I’m stoked!  I knew there would be a new Ratchet game but I didn’t think it would come so soon and the fact that it will be a smaller, cheaper PSN title is very cool.  Here’s hoping for more “episodes.”

Infamous - This is one that I didn’t expect to be interested in but the video seemed really cool.  Seems a bit too similar to Force Unleashed though with all the lightning powers.  We’ll see how the reviews turn out.  I’m wondering what the hook will be for me.

Fallout 3 - Another one that surprised me.  It’s looking really cool.  I just might buy it, we’ll see how the review are.

Prince of Persia - I like the new art style.  This one is on my radar.  Don’t know if I’ll buy it, but I want to see more.

Sonic Unleashed - I don’t know man.  I am pretty skeptical of Sonic games these days, and the whole were-hedgehog thing sounds a little retarded.  Not sure where the hell this idea came from but we’ll see.  I’ll read the reviews but I'm not hopeful.

LittleBigPlanet - Sackboy is pretty cool.  I won’t be making many levels myself but I’m tempted to get this game to play all kinds of insane creations from other people.  The Sony sales numbers presentation was awesome!

Siren: Blood Curse - I had no clue about this game before E3.  The trailers look amazing!  It really looks like a Japanese horror movie.  I like the downloadable episode idea.  And it comes out this week!  I’ll definitely buy it.

Soul Calibur IV - About what I expected.  Looked awesome, anxious to play as Darth Vader and the Apprentice.  I’m getting it.

Lego Batman - Stoked!

Bionic Commando Rearmed - Stoked again!  Probably even more so than for the new Bionic Commando game.

Geometry Wars 2 and Portal Still Alive - Awesome on both counts, I’m just disappointed that they will be 360 exclusive.

De Blob and Flock - These games looked really cool and fun.  Looking forward to seeing more of them.

Puzzle Quest Galactrix - More Puzzle Quest?  Yes, please!

Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band 2 - Where will it end?  I don’t have the money to keep up with a yearly music game war, never mind Konami's music game.  I haven’t even bought the first RB yet.  As cool as GHWT sounds, I’m going to have to go with Rock Band when the time comes because they have a much bigger song library and the first game, second game, and all their DLC will be compatible with each other.  I don’t have the creativity, time, or patience to create my own music anyway.

Resident Evil 5 - Definitely buying it.  Not sure yet how much I’ll like the co-op though.  We'll see exactly how much a part of the gameplay it is.

God of War 3 on PS3 confirmed - This will be the greatest game ever made.  That is all.

Giant Bomb interviewing Alex Navarro - Loved it : )  It must feel so weird for him to be on the other side of things.

Mega Man 9 - They’re making another old school Mega Man game!!!  REAL Mega Man!!!  OMG!!!

Castlevania Judgement - A Castlevania fighting game?  Ummmm….what?  In the words of Dr. Evil, riiiigggghhhht…..  How bout no!!!  This series needs to just stop and stay 2D on the DS.  2D is the only way Castlevania will ever work.  Now if they made a true sequel to Super Castlevania IV on XBL and PSN, then they’d have something amazing.

Eternal Sonata coming to PS3 - Awesome!

PixelJunk Eden - Looks really cool, did not expect to be excited about it.  I will be buying it.  Also, trophies!

The Force Unleashed - What can I say that I haven’t already said previously?  I am chomping at the bit to play this game.

Resistance 2 - Totally stoked for this game, especially since it will have trophies.  It looks great!

Bioshock PS3 - Another one I am really looking forward to after hearing so many great things about it.  With trophies.

Killzone 2 - This one has me interested, but I don’t see too much to make it stand out to me.

MK vs. DC Universe - I gotta admit, the more I hear and see of this game, the more intrigued I become.  I was skeptical when I first heard about it, but I am slowly getting excited about it.

GameSpot’s Kristin Reilly - She is really hot, and she’s into video games!  I haven’t missed an episode of On the Spot since she started doing the show.  Kristin you are my dream girl!