Another E3 = New Games (Xbox 360)

Every year I watch E3 and am excited about what is to come.  I read a lot of game blogs so typically what is revealed is not much of a surprise.  With all that said there are a lot of games that are coming out (or have come out recently) that I want to get so here is my got to have em' list.  Some I will wait for a price drop that will eventually come, others I have to get day one.  So here we go:

Xbox 360

Halo Reach
I love Halo, I really believe it is the standard of multiplayer games.  It takes skill to compete and it takes time to understand.  Every once and a while I still put the disc in just to play a couple of rounds before moving on to the next thing.  Even the expansion Halo:ODST was a great game, probably the best campaign of all the Halo games and with the addition of Firefight made it well worth the price I paid.  If you take the great campaign of Halo ODST and the great Multtiplayer of the past games, this could easily be one of the best buys of the year.  This is a definite Day 1 purchase of course all the games fall in September which is my birthday so money is not going to be an issue for this purchase.

Gears of War 3
I am not a huge fan but love to play the game.  I look forward to the what is to come and really look forward to the epic battle that awaits with this 3rd installment.  I can pass on the Multiplayer...  I bought Gears 2 on Day 1 but this one I will wait on.

Kinect
No this is not a game, but this is another Day 1 purchase.  I am excited for the technology and really want to see it as it develops.  This is really the next integration for xbox and if this works well and succeeds could possibly be the item to make the 360 last beyond the next next gen console.  With this I am excited to see Kinectimals.  This should be a great starter game to try out with.

Dead Red Redemption
This is a game I didn't really know too much about but loved GTA IV and would love to play this game.

Fable III
I am totally pumped for this game.  I enjoyed Fable II  and really dug deep into its world.  I only wish I could play it some more but it seems that this will continue the story that I loved so much from the past.  I am sure I will spend hours and hours exploring and completing this game.  One funny thing is that I always try to be a good guy but somehow, through my choices, I always seem to be right in the middle.  The one thing I hope they change in this one is the multiplayer.  Fable II allowed multiplayer but you could not play as the person you created leaving it very empty and almost worthless.  Allow for this and the multiplayer would be awesome.  If you were able to have more join in the fun there could be some awesome epic battles that could come into play.  This is a Day 1 purchase if money is accessible.

Fallout New Vegas
I am not a big RPG fan but I was suprised with this game.  Once I got past the tutorial, I could not put the game down.  I completed it and at the end I found out you could have a dog which I did not get so there were aspects of the game I hadn't touched.  I traded Fallout 3 in but have threated to get it back so I can finish the expansion packs.  Fallout New Vegas looks to be very simular which is a good thing.  I plan on allowing this game to suck my life away once again.  My only beef is multiplayer, there was none but in Fallout 3 that was kind of the point.  If somehow Fallout New Vegas can integrate this I think it would be a welcome benefit.

To end this post I was disappointed in one thing and this is really silly but I would have loved to see an announcement by Rare for Viva Pinata: Kinect.  I loved viva pinata: Trouble in Paradise and played it until I wore my wife out with it.  The tech would have been perfect for this and I think its a miss for Microsoft to not have it developed.  If they could use Kinect, with the cards from the second game, better multiplayer with each individual garden, more trading possibilites and downloadable content that add more pinatas, this would be a game that could succeed beyond the first year.  I loved Trouble in Paradise so much that I bought it twice so I could play it again.  Next year bring on the Viva Pinata: Kinect and some expanded possibilities and this would be a Day 1 purchase for me.

The New Xbox 360

I am a gaming nut, I love games.  I don't know why just do.  They are my relaxation tool but my real problem is that I love them too much.  Xbox recently revealed Kinect and with that they revealed a new Xbox 360 and... I want it.  Why?  I don't know why but I just like it and want it.  I have owned a 360 since 2005 and probably had every chip set since.  At one point I owned two 360's sold one to my brother in law and then bought another 360 during Christmas at Walmart's Black Friday and turned in my old one to get a PS3.  I have also upgraded my wifi and hard drive so I thought I was pretty much set, but no I want the new one and the funny thing is I want to keep my old one.  Such a dilemma.

Of course I am obsessive and typically my obsession leads to the purchase and getting what I want.  It's a sickness but I have learned to control it by actually having the money to buy it these days.  Here is just a taste of some of my obsessions:

Macbook pro
Honda Element
PS3
Wii
Xbox
Comics
Big Screen TV
Video Games (Fable, Halo, Gears, Infamous, etc)
soon to be xbox 360 and Kinect

My obsession is expensive so now I must save money to indulge in that obsession.  Patience is key and it won't be long before another 360 graces my shelves.

Pixar List

I was reading an article I found via IGN that listed the Pixar movies from worst to best.  I believe I agree with some of their selection but I would have a different order.

1.Toy Story - The #1 spot was probably hardest to fit in.  Pixar has really put hit after hit after hit out and its difficult to figure out which one is the best.  Toy Story started it all, it really needs its props, if it were not the good story telling and animation then Pixar would be sunk.  It's context in time, its foundation of what was to come make it most likely to be #1. 2.Wall-E - This is definitely one of the best.  When you can take a movie and put no dialog and people still are flocking to see it you know it was made for success.  This movie is one that tugged the heart strings, and even gave you the ending you expected.  The animation and direction was so stellar it definitely deserves this spot.
3.Monsters Inc. - I always thought this was one of Pixar's best, although I see that not everyone agreed.  The animation was beautiful, one that no one could match when it came out.  The voice acting was awesome and the overall flow of the movie was solid.  The only bad thing was the end, what happened to boo and Sully in the final scene, what was to come?  Hopefully a sequel will tell the story but even if we never know it still wins a top 3 spot in my heart.
4.Ratatouille - I believe this was one of the pinnacle movies for Pixar.  At this point everything they touched was gold.  I think that people were expecting this flick to fail.  I don't remember the movie being as pushed as the others in the past.  This movie was even better than expected, one that I can see having more stories to tell.
5.Up - One of the only cartoons that brought me to the verge of tears.  The beginning of this movie really made you think about how quickly life comes and gos and so do some of your dreams.  There are so many elements to this movie I don't have time to really explain them all, but this could easily be a top 3 pick for most people not here because I love Monsters Inc and Wall-E way too much.  But it was still a good delivery for Pixar.
6. Finding Nemo - Another surprise hit for me but I really didn't understand the concept through the commercials.  I knew it was Pixar which was good enough for me to go see it.  I was impressed.  The visuals are truly stunning and this became the movie that said Pixar was not even close to being finished.  It could have moved up but this movie came out during my sons infancy so I saw this movie everyday and everynight, but to show its test of good quality, now that its been a couple of years since I have seen I can now watch it again. 
7. Toy Story 2 - This was one of the risk of Pixar.  Sequels are hit and miss, this definitely was a hit.  I would have liked it more but I did not like Jessie, maybe I am the only one but she really annoyed me...
8. The Incredibles - This really belongs in its own category.  This is almost a Pixar 2 or some other studio.  The story telling was completely different and even the graphics took a different turn.  This was a better movie than an 8 but that is because it doesn't fit what Pixar has been doing.  Even at that it was a great movie another great win and with the extra benefit of Boundin' (probably the best short Pixar has ever done) makes this a must have movie.
9. A Bugs Life - This movie really has a bad rep of course it came out between Toy Story and Toy Story 2 so its chances of being a stand out was little to none.  This was a great story and great animation and was one of the first to have to stand out to other computer animated movies.  It definitely exceeded any other offerings but being the middle of two other great movies made it not able to stick out.  This would be another great sequel and might show how good the original is but I don't see it getting that type of treatment it will always be a small diamond amongst the huge diamonds.
10. Cars - This was and remains my least favorite Pixar flick.  The funny thing is that it is still awesome.  Of course it did well in theaters but it really was not what I expected.  I couldn't imagine a movie about cars who talk it just didn't fit but somehow Pixar made it happen.  Even though this is still a great movie, I am not looking forward to its sequel.  I hope that this sequel will not be the one that starts its downfall because I still enjoy the stories and look forward to so many more to come.

For the article that I refer to go to: http://techland.com/2010/06/21/toy-story-3-vs-wall-e-vs-incredibles-so-whats-the-best-pixar-movie-anyway/

What is your list?

What do you think?