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NCAA 10 (360, PS3, PS2, PSP)
• Publisher: EA Sports
• Developer: EA Tiburon, EA Canada
• Release Date: July 14, 2009
• What We Saw:

It’s NCAA football from EA Sports. Based on our hands-on time playing the game (no demo was given) this is a game that you already know if you’ll love it or hate it because it’s clearly continuing with the same basic gameplay principles that it has maintained for years. That is to say, the on-field play is very quick, even frenetic, and the UI is loaded with information. It’s difficult to say if anything with regards to the AI is improved, though the blocking animations did seem to be more varied and have improved flow. That said, the feeling that you can get locked into a blocker is still very much alive and as frustrating as always. We did not spend any time on off-the-field gameplay.

• What We Think:

Todd: This series long ago moved in the direction of focusing more on feature bloat than authentic on-field football action. This is arcade action football and I’m much more interested in what the Madden guys are doing.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Developer: Nintendo
• Release Date: TBD
• What We Saw:

Nintendo had a massive booth dedicated solely to their new 2D Mario game. Similar to its DS predecessor, New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a sidescrolling platformer with adorable 3D characters. With new power-ups, four-player co-op, and the ability to eat your friends while riding Yoshi, Nintendo is obviously aiming to stick an injection of new ideas directly into the core of your nostalgia.

• What We Think:

Mitch: Being inside the NSMB Wii booth made me giddy. Everyone who watched and played the game had a grin that spread ear to ear, and I found myself laughing and joking with complete strangers as we teamed up to throw each other across chasms and fought over who got to ride Yoshi. Four player Super Mario Bros. is complete chaos in the best way, and without any ugly waggle controls it felt natural to use the Wii remote like an NES pad. Any moment of spare time I had at E3 was spent playing or watching NSMBW. I couldn’t get enough, and the lack of a release date breaks my heart. It’s old, it’s new, and it’s gonna be mine.

Danielle: I seriously can’t get the music out of my head. It’s infectious. Oh, and the game is absolutely amazing, while we’re on it – it’s everything that I love in a proper 2D Mario – tight controls, insane environments; plus a wonder mish mash of co-op and competitive play. The only thing I didn’t like was the slight lag when one player dies – this screwed up my jump a few times and ended up killing me as well as my comrade. Otherwise, this was a game of the show contender for me.
Brandon: What can I say? I'm not a big Super Mario Bros fan, and I'm ok with admitting that, despite the tremendous hit to my gaming credibility that will ensue. Still though, I can see how four player co-op would be fun and the controls are simple enough for newcomers and veterans alike. I'll just watch from afar.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 (PS3)
• Publisher: Tecmo
• Developer: Team Ninja
• Release Date: Fall 2009
• Trailer
• What We Saw:

We watched a developer led play session that had Ayane from the Dead or Alive series busting some fat ninja moves as well as Ninpo powers to dispatch of other ninjas and pesky werewolves. The ninjas appeared to be no match for her skills, but those pesky werewolves continued to fight even when half dismembered. Of course, Ryu will be playable, as will Rachel from the original Xbox Ninja Gaiden game and Momiji from Ryu's DS outing, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. In addition to the new characters are new levels and new enemies, adding about 40% more content on top of Ninja Gaiden 2. Two player on-line co-op will be available, complete with double ninpo powers for twice the ninja ass kicking. Look for the game to drop in the fall with a demo released on PSN prior to the game's release.

• What We Think:

Brandon: Well, it sure looks pretty. Ninja Gaiden has always been above my pay grade as I find the difficulty curve way too steep. Still though, I've seen and read enough about the games to think that, based on what I've seen, fans of the Ninja Gaiden series will be pretty happy with what is delivered in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 and hey, co-op makes everything better, including slicing off werewolf legs.