As expressed in my E3 2009 predictions, this was my first year at the show after many, many years of wishing and hoping that I could attend one day. If I had some sort of checklist of things to do before I die, E3 would've been pretty high on that list, so it's nice to finally check it off. But I think I'll only check it off halfway, because I definitely need to go at least one more time.

That need is derived from more than just attending a cool expo that shows off something I love. As it turns out, I'd want to go back just to interact once again with all of the people there, especially my fellow staff members.

Aside from Mike Gamin (who wasn't in attendance at the show), I hadn't met a single person on the site in person. To say the least it was a great pleasure to meet and work with everyone. We had a fantastic time together from the beginning of the show until the end of the show. Our epic Pictochat session, ColesLOL, Brawl, and just our general daily exchanges will stay with me for a long time.

Another part of E3 that made it a very interesting experience was meeting other people I work with on a very frequent basis. These people are the PR members of the companies that make games for Nintendo consoles. Having talked to these people on the phone and through email over the past few months, it was nice finally being able to put a face to a name and a voice.

Because I was in charge of booking all of our E3 appointments, it also fell on me to field all problems, questions, and concerns that arose while at the show. While it was tiring to keep track of so much, it was also a ton of fun. I had the opportunity to flex a little muscle and get our staff members into events they weren't otherwise invited to.

Now that I've rambled on some, I may as well get to the more important stuff: the games. First and foremost, Nintendo absolutely blew me away at their press conference: two new Mario games, a new Metroid game, Golden Sun 3, and a new Mario vs. Donkey Kong game. I walked out of Club Nokia grinning from ear to ear. How could I not be excited about those titles? It was great to then get over to the Convention Center, do a bit of writing, and get out on the show floor at its opening to play those games.

Hitting Nintendo's booth blew me away even more. There was a vast selection of titles, many of which were not even mentioned at the press event. Sin & Punishment 2, Picross 3D, Spirit Tracks, Span Smasher, Line Attack Heroes, Fossil Fighters, and Glory of Heracles were all on the show floor. Of course they weren't all amazing (though a number of them were), but most were very good.

The real stand-out Wii games in the Nintendo booth for me were Sin & Punishment 2, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Span Smasher and Wii Sports Resort (Basketball and Table Tennis rocked). Spirit Tracks and especially Picross 3D were my favorites for DS in the booth.

I can't say I was truly blown away by too many other games outside of Nintendo's booth. Probably the most impressive and notable DS game for me outside of Picross 3D was Scribblenauts. I could not believe what I was playing. The game is so unique and inventive, it's awe-inspiring. Even if the game's puzzles turn out to be overly boring, just playing with the game's robust item dictionary would be a blast (Editor's Note: "Keyboard Cat", "Kraken", and "Time Machine" = Comedy!).

The Conduit was also present and definitely blew me away graphically. I couldn't believe it was a Wii game when I was playing it because everything was so smooth. From the framerate, to the graphics, to the combat, it all felt and looked great. I was fairly skeptical of the game coming into it, so I was definitely wowed.

I played a number of intriguing games, some of which I could see myself buying at the right price, but most of it wasn't earth-shattering. I did have the pleasure of playing a bit of Bayonetta and Brutal Legend, both of which were awesome, and both of which I will undoubtedly be buying on release.

In closing, E3 was an absolute whirlwind, and an absolute blast. I was able to share the experience with my wife, and people I'd like to now consider my friends: the NWR staff. Thanks for all the fun guys, looking forward to next year!