e3

Friday Poll: Are today's video games too violent?

I once took out 861 infected villagers, crawly creatures, chainsaw-wielding weirdos, and bosses in a single session of Resident Evil 4. That's a lot of splatter, chest holes, ammunition, and blood bursts. That's a lot of violence.

Some of the new games unveiled at E3 this year make my personal splatterfest record look pretty tame. The Splinter Cell: Blacklist trailer is age-restricted. I counted at least a couple dozen kills over the course of the trailer, most of them up close and personal.

CNET Executive Editor Molly Wood's rant on the amount of violence in the new … Read more

E3 2012: Looking for next-gen

Help me, please. I'm waiting for the future to arrive.

I feared a lull at this year's E3 before I even got on the plane. Games pushed back, executives claiming no new hardware. "No new hardware" is a mantra I've heard a lot lately, from colleagues as well as from industry insiders. Even from gamers, who certainly don't like the idea of spending up for a new console.

Well...we need next-gen. And it's bound to arrive. But when? Please say soon. I've been patient. … Read more

Hands on with Sony's Wonderbook: Not a book at all

LOS ANGELES--Call it a toy, call it an experience, but I'm not sure you should call it a book. The J.K. Rowling-created "Book of Spells," the launch title for Sony's Wonderbook platform announced at E3 2012, was originally touted during the kickoff Sony press conference as being a way to bring reading to life.

I had a chance to check out the Wonderbook at Sony's E3 booth, and I'm not sure reading really entered that much into the equation. It is, however, a fun augmented-reality toy with some beautiful animations. … Read more

The best games of E3 2012

LOS ANGELES--With another E3 almost in the books, we're taking a look back at the best games of the show. If you notice, more than half the games here don't have a number at the end. This year we're rewarding originality, innovation, and games that captivate.

Click through to our gallery of games, and if you don't see a title you think should be there, be sure to sound off in the comments section below.

Microsoft aims for the jugular with Xbox ecosystem

LOS ANGELES--It's been a big year for the people behind Microsoft's Xbox 360 video game console, and its growing ecosystem. Month after month, the machine tops the console sales charts, and it boasts some of the most anticipated exclusive games in the industry.

This week, of course, the Xbox team is cheek-by-jowl with all of its partners and developers, and its competitors. It's E3 week, after all. And at its Monday media briefing, and at its mammoth booth at the Los Angeles Convention Center here, Microsoft has been touting its latest attempts at separating the Xbox from … Read more

Hands-on with Madden 13 at E3: Kinect's killer app

Normally, a new version of EA Sports' Madden Football is an E3 non-event. Not so at E3 2012: in fact, it became a sort of poster-child for future-forward gaming.

Admittedly, the second-screen Madden prototypes on Xbox SmartGlass shown briefly at Microsoft's press conference aren't real (yet), but Madden 13 does feature integrated Kinect features and completely new player physics, dubbed Infinity Engine.

The most interesting part of the Madden's Kinect feature-set is that it doesn't use the camera: instead, it relies on voice commands as a way of controlling pre-snap adjustments on offense and defense. Joe Montana seemed to pull it off well during Microsoft's keynote, but I needed proof. I tried it in a relatively quiet E3 show floor booth, and it not only worked, but it could end up being a feature I actually use. … Read more

Five lessons from E3 2012

LOS ANGELES--I've lost track of how many E3 shows I've been to. It doesn't matter. What's important is that the show used to be larger, more vibrant...and more relevant. What happened?

If you boil down this year's show, new hardware was scarce and new software didn't fill the gap. Still, trends were present and lessons, too, that I hope get applied to next year's show. Yes, it was an odd year this year. … Read more

Nyko wants the PlayPad to be the new standard for tablet game controllers

LOS ANGELES--E3 might have left out new hardware this year, but third-party accessory manufacturer Nyko was busy putting together a few items that have a lot of potential.

But perhaps the most promising item is the PlayPad and PlayPad Pro, a result of Nyko's partnership with Nvidia and working with Google that aims to standardize controller inputs on Android's Ice Cream Sandwich tablet platform and beyond.

It's a smart initiative because it not only gives developers the comfort of knowing their Android tablet games will have a proper amount of control, but it also gives players the … Read more

Here's what Batman: Arkham City on Wii U plays like

LOS ANGELES--Two Wii U games stole the show at the Nintendo press conference on Tuesday, Ubisoft's ZombiU and Warner Bros. Interactive's Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition. I was able to sneak in some time with the latter on Wednesday and found out what exactly "Armored Edition" means.

To be clear, the Wii U version of Arkham City is mostly the same game you've played on the other consoles. Sure, all the DLC available up until now is packed in, but those looking for a separate experience different than Rocksteady's epic won't find it. … Read more

What's the best game controller?

Update: Voting is now closed. Thanks for helping us choose a winner. Stay tuned for an upcoming CNET Top 5 on console controllers.

All this E3 coverage recently has me thinking it's time for a Top 5 on console game controllers.

I have my thoughts, and I'll be sure to poll our CNET editors for their opinions too. In fact, I'll probably have the final Top 5 span the best game controllers of all-time, just to keep things interesting.

But I also want to know what you think. To keep it manageable, I'm restricting this reader'… Read more