E3 2010: Gamesblog’s 15 most-anticipated games

APB (EA, PC) A stupendously ambitious massively multiplayer online crime shooter, in which players form gangs of criminals or cops then do battle in the streets of a bustling city. Comes with customisable characters, music, weapons and guns, so players can totally and uniquely define themselves in the game world. Photograph: Public Domain Photograph: guardian.co.uk Assassin’s Creed: the Brotherhood (Ubisoft, PC, PS3, Xbox 360) Acrobatic hero Ezio has now qualified as a Master Assassin (pending the results of his stabbing exam) and must take on the Templar Order in renaissance Rome. The game looks absolutely beautiful and the addition of a multiplayer mode is hugely enticing. Photograph: Public Domain Photograph: guardian.co.uk Bulletstorm (EA, PC, PS3, Xbox 360) Absolutely insane sci-fi blaster from little-known Polish studio People Can Fly. Features 100% more giant man-eating plants than any other E3 shoot-'em-up. Photograph: Public Domain Photograph: guardian.co.uk Civilization V (2K Games, PC) The empire-building super sim is back, boasting a new hexagonal tile system (you won’t find many E3 games boasting that ) and fresh battle features such as ranged bombardment. It’s the style of bombardment we’ve all been waiting for! Photograph: Public Domain Photograph: guardian.co.uk Dead Rising 2 (Capcom, PC, PS3, Xbox 360) The original game was a hilarious parody of the 'survival horror' genre, with thousands of zombies attacking a mall, and only shop window dummies and lawn mowers to hit them with. This one introduces combination weapons – so a garden rake and a car battery combine to create: an electrified zombie prod! No home is complete without one. Photograph: Public Domain Photograph: guardian.co.uk Epic Mickey (Disney, Wii) This surprisingly dark RPG platformer is massively at odds with what you’d expect from a Mickey Mouse game. There are rumours that Disney has toned down the initial vision of designer Warren Spector (the legendary talent behind complex sci-fi games such as System Shock and Deus Ex), so are we going to get a rhythm action dancing sequence with Goofy and Donald? Let’s just wait and pray. Photograph: Public Domain Photograph: guardian.co.uk Fallout: New Vegas (Bethesda, PC, PS3, Xbox 360) The follow-up to Gamesblog favourite Fallout 3 is set to provide yet more post-apocalyptic hijinks. New Vegas is sure to be filled with ghostly night-stalking mutants and corrupt gangs of greed-stricken freaks. It may also contain things you won’t find in current Vegas. Photograph: Public Domain Photograph: guardian.co.uk Gears of War 3 (Microsoft, Xbox 360) Gears of War is the brain-dead shooter series that splits Gamesblog right down the middle. Keith loves it, Greg hates it. But with souped-up visuals, awesome weaponry and the promise of a rip-roaring finale to the Gears story, the E3 hordes will be very much on Keith’s side. For once. Photograph: Public Domain Photograph: guardian.co.uk The Last Guardian (Sony, PS3) The latest adventure from Fumito Ueda, the creator of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, looks to be another emotional and highly stylised fantasy quest. If anyone can make a whole game out of protecting a giant feathered monster, this lot can. Photograph: Public Domain Photograph: guardian.co.uk Little Big Planet 2 (Sony, PS3) The sequel to Media Molecule’s gorgeous craft-it-yourself platformer promises a massively overhauled editing feature, allowing users to create all kinds of games from racers to cooking sims. That’s right, cooking sims! Photograph: Public Domain Photograph: guardian.co.uk Lost in Shadow (Hudson, Wii) Set in a huge gothic castle, this intriguing platformer has you controlling a shadow boy who can only move through shadowy areas. You need to manipulate the light sources in each room to create darker areas and allow him to progress. Much more promising than we’ve made it sound. Photograph: Public Domain Photograph: guardian.co.uk Pro Evolution Soccer 11 (Konami, PC, PS3, Xbox 360) Let’s face it, PES is standing in Last Chance Saloon, propping up the bar and asking for one last shot at the big time. The dev team know they’ve fumbled the ball, but it’s a game of two halves, so can they steal it in extra time? Hang on, that’s an unholy mess of metaphors. Photograph: Public Domain Photograph: guardian.co.uk Rage (Bethesda, PC, PS3, Xbox 360) At last, the hotly anticipated new project from Doom creator Id Software. Featuring the developer’s new id Tech5 engine, it’s a post-apocalyptic shooter with racing elements. Come on, own up – who's been re-watching the Mad Max trilogy? Photograph: Public Domain Photograph: guardian.co.uk World of Warcraft: Cataclysm (Blizzard, PC/Mac) Everyone’s saying this could be the last expansion pack for the astonishingly successful massively multiplayer online RPG. Featuring two new races to control, plus a whole host of quests and dungeons, is WoW going out with a 'wow!'? Photograph: Public Domain Photograph: guardian.co.uk Super Scribblenauts (Warner Bros, DS) Cutesy 'emergent' puzzler Scribblenauts caught everyone off guard at last year’s E3, coming out of nowhere to swoop a whole load of 'best of show' awards. The sequel promises more doodling fun, this time with added adjectives! That’ll mean nothing if you haven’t played the first one. Photograph: Public Domain Photograph: guardian.co.uk