May 9, 2005 - E3 is coming up on us like nobody's business and we've been closely following all the titles that are going to be unleashed. Some of these we've just seen snippets of videos while others we've had a chance to check out in person, but either way there are several games that we're dying to see more of. Many companies are holding back some juicy details about anticipated games for E3. There will also be several games that will have playable demos for the first time ever. To keep you in the loop, here is a short list of the top 5 games that we're itching to get some time with.

In the list you'll see some familiar names popping up here and there. While it's possible for a new developer to amaze us with some new hotness, it's usually the established developers that have been cranking out good games that kick in that Pavlonian instinct in us. These are the folks that have made a game that turned us into videogame addicts as we explored every last morsel of what it had to offer. After tasting greatness, we want more and if these guys have given us our fix we'll certainly be knocking on their door.

If E3 was to be considered any sort of animal, it would be a beast. A large, snarling beast and the nature of this beast is to hold back the good stuff until you're directly in its clutches. So even though the trip into this heart of darkness may be rough and make us sore all over, it's bound to give up the goods and make us know why we go there, year after year. Because we know that the games that remind us why we're in the industry will be there, making themselves look all pretty, and we'll fall back in love one more time.

So here they are, our most anticipated games for E3 2005:

RANK #5	BLACK
Published by Electronic Arts | Developed by Criterion Games
Why We Picked It: Black wowed us last year with its behind-closed-doors presentation and a year later we're dying to find out more about this first-person shooter. The guns have some brutal effects to them and much of the environment can be ruined after a glorious fit of destruction. The feeling of it is so spot on that now what's left is the actual game and that's where we're curious to see what developer Criterion has been doing for the past year. If this is likely going to be one of the last and biggest FPS titles for the PS2, then I had better be going out with a bang. An explosion so loud and so furious that by the time the next generation rolls around we'll still be hearing the ringing in our ears.
Genre: FPS | Release Date: Winter 2005

RANK #4	FINAL FANTASY XII
Published by Square Enix | Developed by Square Enix
Why We Picked It: With Final Fantasy X-2 and the online Final Fantasy XI taking up lots of its time, it's been a while since Square Enix has developed a proper new single-player entry for the series. But instead of sticking with convention and serving up a familiar dose of action to the fans, director Yasumi Matsuno has helped to create a new battle system that packs in much more strategy. Group members can be given scripts for how they should approach a battle so players can define general strategies. Range has been given more importance in the battles and the camera itself is now free to swing about. With the option to see enemies on the regular map and avoid them if possible Final Fantasy XII looks to be taking an evolutionary new step for the franchise and makes this even more of a title to watch.
Genre: RPG | Release Date: Q4 2005

RANK #3	KINGDOM HEARTS II
Published by Square Enix | Developed by Square Enix
Why We Picked It: Mixing up Square Enix with Disney resulted in the happiness on a stick that was Kingdom Hearts. So when the folks behind the Final Fantasy games decide to pair up once again with the internationally recognizable Disney character you know it's going to be good. With an improved camera system that uses the right analog stick there game will be easier to see and with an option to pair up Sora with another character there will be some interesting new powers to use. By building up his meter, Sora can now merge with another member in the group to form a powerful combination. And just like Square mixing with Disney, the pairing up is bigger than the sum of its parts.
Genre: RPG | Release Date: December 2005

RANK #2	OKAMI
Published by Capcom | Developed by Clover Studios
Why We Picked It: From the minds of the mind-bendingly creative and beautiful Viewtiful Joe comes an adventure that's sure to make ol' Joe look old-fashioned. Every time we've seen a video of the game we're convinced that this team is truly on to something with this title. The fluid and gorgeous cel-shading and the dreamy quality of the world makes the game look so fresh and original that we desperately need to know how well it plays. It looks like it takes several sources from Japanese mythology and uses an engine to render it all as if it were some divine watercolor, but what does that all mean? Only some hands-on time will tell.
Genre: Adventure | Release Date: TBA

RANK #1	SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS
Published by SCEA | Developed by SCEI
Why We Picked It: A few years ago a little game called ICO came along and has grown to become a cult hit with fans that frequently hold it up as an example of how videogames can be an art form. With Shadow of the Colossus it looks like we'll be pleasantly surprised once again. Instead of fighting hordes of grunts in a game and figuring out puzzles like many adventure games, Shadow of the Colossus is all about tracking down the gigantic colossi and then climbing up them to take them down. The scale of the colossi is truly epic and climbing up them to stab them to death is an adventure unto itself. Now our only concern is whether the rest of the game spent in between colossus kills will be just as fantastic and interesting.
Genre: Third-Person Adventure | Release Date: Q3 2005