Having the opportunity to attend E3 is something I never thought would happen to me. I love video games and being part of an event like this is just amazing. So once it was official that I was registered and had received my confirmation it was like a high-kick of happiness to the face. When I then learned that I would be attending the event with assistant editor, Michael Smith (my roomie for the week), and the Avault Podcasters, Mark, Billy and Chris, I was totally stoked that we’d all finally get to meet in person.

When I arrived in Los Angles and met up with the Avault Podcasters, we quickly said our hellos and nice to meet yous, and then shot off to Monday’s press preview events. We grabbed some lunch at the famous taco truck, and I have to say they are some of the best tacos I have ever had in my life! Everyone that went to the Microsoft Press conference on Monday received a new Xbox 360 Slim (yeah!), but we didn’t get invited to that one (boo!). Our day was still full, however, as we did attend the EA press event, the Ubisoft press event, and the Activision press event/party/rock concert (which was %^&*ing insane)!

Then the next two days where filled with many meetings and much game playing. The following are the ones that stuck out to me the most, and are definitely on my Going to Play/Going to Buy list:

- Dead Space 2 – Going to Buy – After watching the videos of this game at the EA press conference and the private meeting with the developers, I’ve decided that this is a game I am going to buy. I love survival horror and they showed off some insane action and suspense. The first thing I am going to do when I get home is buy the first Dead Space and get caught up with the story.

- Medal of Honor – Going to Play/Going to Buy – This is a fantastic looking FPS! EA is leaving WWII and heading into present day, war torn Afghanistan. The only thing that threw me off for this game during the demo, is that it is basically like a COD game. I will only play the snot out of this game if a lot of my buddies play this with me.

- The Old Republic – Going to Buy (and abandon all pretense of a social life) – They premiered a trailer that showed the Republic kicking Sith butts, and was geared toward characters that do not use a light saber. I loved this trailer because I love Stars Wars and am proudly going to play a non-force using character. The only problem I had with the trailer was the lack of gameplay footage, but I’ll have a chance to see that tomorrow when I get hands on with it.

- Ghost Recon: Future Solider – Going to Buy – This is a beautiful third-person shooter that leans more on the tactical side rather than on the shoot the hell out of everything side.

- Zelda: Skyward Sword – Going to Play – Even though I sold my Wii, I want to play. The presentation and hands-on demo were truly amazing. The sword play thanks to Wii Motion plus is nice, but the greatest new ability is being able to roll the bomb like you are bowling in Wii Sports.