At the tail end of this week, I turn the page on 36 and look ahead to see what 37 has in store for me. At that point, it’s official. I’m in my late-30’s. And yet, it’s somewhat encouraging that this peek into the wild woods of Geriatric Park comes at the end of my favorite week of the year.

The 2009 E3 (the Electronic Entertainment Expo) launched in LA yesterday with the big Xbox 360 conference, and the megaton charges that Microsoft lobbed were heard loud and clear (and streaming) a full coast away making my day and more importantly, tightening my grasp on my youth.

No matter how old I get nor how many new responsibilities I draft into the fold, I always look forward to the next great video game experience. I used to call it my vice, as if there were some reason that I should hide my passion, but I’ve stopped that. I work hard “damn hard” and I lead a very fulfilling life. But at the end of the day, when the world quiets and my children are nestled all snug in their beds, I like to steal a slice of time and journey to the world of make-believe. I may never keep the tax man at bay, but I can save the princess this day.

As I did last year, I’m planning on running a series of posts over the next week or two. While the actual conference (where developers allow the press (and public) to get some hands-on time with this holiday’s big title) doesn’t officially begin until tomorrow, tradition calls for the three big game console manufacturers – Microsoft (Xbox 360), Sony (Playstation 3/PSP) and Nintendo (Wii/DSLite) to host their own press conferences. These events are usually star-studded and serve to spotlight a hand-selected series of major releases on the hardware and software fronts.

I’m planning to run 6 posts. One for each of the conferences, where I’ll give you my thoughts on what stood out the most, and then I’ll chase that with three additional posts, where I give a rundown of the 5 games I’m most looking forward to playing per system. Now, I don’t own a PS3 and that likelihood is now slimmer than it’s ever been before (that’s what the loss of gainful employment will net you) but a guy can dream so I’ll include Sony in the mix as well.

Today is Microsoft’s turn, so without further adieu, here’s what I thought about their announcements.

5. Never Say Never Again

There is no question that the Xbox wouldn’t hold the market share it does now without the original Halo a system seller if ever there was one. The original Xbox launched alongside Bungie’s FPS adventure and it was that title, with its expertly crafted single player campaign and robust multiplayer suite that moved units and pushed Microsoft into a viably competitive slot. Going toe-to-toe with Sony’s big dog, the Playstation 2, was a fool’s errand and there was no way an upstart like the Xbox was going to wrestle the crown from Sony in that round, but all Microsoft wanted was a space on the fight card. They took their losses (in the mouth and the wallet) but when the bell rang, they were still standing, and that’s exactly where they wanted to be.

Microsoft quickly gobbled up Bungie and set them to work making what they do best, Halo games. And that partnership was lucrative, with Bungie producing two excellent sequels and furthering the fan base, thus locking in more potential consumers for Microsoft’s hardware and luring the Sony hardcore away to see what all the fuss was about. It was a smart, strategic maneuver that paid off beautifully for both companies.

But, like most big dogs are apt to do, Bungie wanted freedom from its leash and asked the alpha male for some time to stretch. With the release of Halo 3 in fall 2008, they found themselves amicably emancipated from Microsoft and they pledged that while they would continue to support the Xbox, they wanted to broaden their horizons and try their hand at something new. While the door wasn’t shut on Halo, after all – the property belongs to Microsoft (not Bungie), it appeared that future installments would be guided by another development team.