E3 is practically here--and oddly, a few important, highly anticipated games are coming out around this time, a move that intrigues me, and one that makes it easy to make pre-release conjectures (some of which, interestingly, aren't really legitimate worries, and some that are, judging from what I have seen and played). One of the biggest, The Sims 3, comes out next week. It's an interesting release date, because coverage on major sites may get buried alongside E3 news. Luckily, I spent dozens and dozens of hours with it, and you will see the review up on Monday morning when the review embargo lifts. Sadly, most of our video equipment was all packed up, but we did manage to cobble together a video review, though it won't feature our snazzy greenscreen set. We went old-fashioned!

EA likely doesn't care about coverage getting buried--The Sims 3 is bound to sell like hotcakes. After all, it is the second sequel to the best-selling PC game of all time. A few other games are also on their way next week, like Fuel and Red Faction: Guerilla. I have played through Fuel's single-player component, but because we were given code that plays only on a debug unit, and there weren't pre-release online sessions, I haven't been able to play an important aspect of any modern racing game--multiplayer. Additionally, we were given PS3 code, but not Xbox 360 code. That means you won't see a review for Fuel until after E3. You will probably see Red Faction this week, though. The query that's easy to make, though, is the one you ask when a film isn't screened for critics: is the game released during that week because the publisher is worried about negative buzz? I certainly wondered it, but honestly, a few observations have led me to believe that we shouldn't rush to such dismissals.

So even though the review is done and written, I am still messing around with The Sims 3, so I have a proposal for you. Respond to this blog with a link to a photo of yourself; if you are one of the first five people to do so, I will try my best to recreate your likeness in sim form and post a shot of the resulting Sim here. I have had some success with likenesses; my virtual Chris Watters and Shaun McInnis are spot on, though to be fair, Chris and Shaun themselves created them. So let's have some pre-E3 fun to keep ourselves occupied!

I also have a few thoughts on the first half of 2009.

Winners:

Strategy games. Dawn of War II is one of my favorite games so far this year. The single-player is unusual but fun, yet it's the online component that is fast and furious enough to keep you enamored. RTS? Fast and furious? Oh yes indeed. Not so fast and furious, but no less wonderful: Empire: Total War. A bit buggy at release and somewhat different from its predecessors in some ways for sure, yet still supremely addictive and worth playing.Also worth playing: The RTS/action hybrid Battlestations: Pacific, Men of War, and the underappreciated (and now free) BattleForge. Last year's strategy pickings were slimmer than they should have been; this year has offered several good several strategy titles already!

Tower Defense. Who could have imagined that Plants vs. Zombies would have become so beloved so quickly? And how about the amazing Comet Crash on PSN, a potential game of the year candidate? The recent Swords and Soldiers on WiiWare also has tower defense elements and is quite wonderful. Just when you think a genre really has nowhere to go, game designers prove that creative minds can always find a way to breathe new life into old concepts.

Dumb Fun. Ninja Blade is one of my personal favorites yet this yea, and its mixed critical reaction really surprises me. It isn't deep, it isn't serious, and it isn't trying to be like Ninja Gaiden, so stop comparing them! It is, however, a trip. It's been a hit in the office, though it's hardly perfect--yet I just get a rush when I play it. And here I thought I could never like quick-time events again. And how about The Dishwasher? There's a game that is just pure fun (and quite difficult), and shamefully underselling. Excitebots? Hell yeah. Just all fun. What's wrong with just--being fun? Nothing, I tell you, Nothing!

Hidden Gems. Here's where those games come that some folks can't quite wrap their heads around. They often come from lesser-known devs and explore concepts and mechanics that make your head spin. They might have some technical issues, and won't be everyone's cup of tea, but they deserve credit for being exactly what they are. Cryostasis is this year's best example. It's slow to unfold, but it draws you in. It's for the thoughtful gamer that doesn't need every moment to be filled with bullets and blood, the gamer that likes a sense of place and time, the gamer that likes mystery and doesn't need a quick payoff. So far, it's my favorite story this year. Necrovision, Zeno Clash, Deadly Creatures,Trash Panic, Zubo--don't overlook them because they sound weird or have little buzz. They may not be for you, but they deserve consideration.

Killzone 2 and inFamous. I made up a category just for them. It's the category of AWESOMENESS.

Losers:

Strategy Games. For every up, there's been a down. Let's start with Stalin vs. Martians, the worst game so far this year. Please stop giving this game a reader review score of 10 because you think it's funny. It's not funny when you do that. It just isn't. Or Stormrise, possibly the second-worse game so far this year, and a shocking misstep from a developer known for great strategy games. Demigod is fun, but it's not a complete product. Nor is it perfectly functional, even now. I got some flack from certain quarters over that review; people wanted us to go easy on it, as it came from a publisher known for its commitment to customer service. But as always, we don't review a product based on what it could be in the future--I have to tell it like it is. And it was broken. And it's still not fixed. Connection issues are still a major issue, the pantheon stats are still not fully functional, and there are other scattered problems. In other words, it is the perfect example of why no developer or publisher gets the benefit of the doubt--and why you should never, ever, ever trust that a game will be fixed in the future, or blindly trust the proposed timeline for those fixes. Stardock recommends using a third-party program called GameRanger to help with the connection issues. And you know what? That's unacceptable. Anyway, we also got disappointing expansions for Company of Heroes, Red Alert 3, and World in Conflict--shocking developments for three games that set high standards for the genre. Which brings me to:

Expansion Packs. Those two games I just mentioned belong here, along with Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate. I realize not every expansion can be as awesome as The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria, but even the most forgiving fans should still expect more than a quick grab for their buck.

Sequels. There are some wonderful exceptions, some of which I noted above (oh, and Street Fighter IV of course), but there are also some real drags in this regard. The Godfather 2 isn't good. I know there are folks out there that stand by that game vehemently (just as some stood by last year's appalling Mercenaries 2), but it's so flawed, so broken, so devoid of personality, and so contrary to what the license stands for. Puzzle Quest Galactrix is another one that dropped the ball. Neither F.E.A.R. 2 nor Riddick: Dark Athena are bad games; actually, both products are good. Yet when compared to the originals, they suffer somewhat. Moody, sure, but they aren't special in the way their predecessors were. And Bionic Commando is less a sequel than it is a reimagining, nor is it bad, but it doesn't live up to series' standards of quality and fun.

Humor. Night at the Museum is a great way to earn 1000 achievement points in 2 hours, but as hard as it tries, it isn't good for a laugh. Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust's humor is awful. I like dirty jokes as much as anyone else, but you can't leave out the joke part; being dirty isn't funny on its own! And of course, Stalin vs. Martians belongs here too. It thinks it's so clever, but how wrong it is. Of course, there was some truly funny games this year, like Prinny: Can I Really be the Hero; Eat Lead; and Wallace & Gromit. But clever humor seems to be a lost art in games. Giants: Citizen Kabuto, LucasArts adventure games like Grim Fandango, Armed & Dangerous--we need more of these nowadays. Games that tickle us.

What are your winners and losers so far this year? And don't forget to show me your photo, so I can create you in The Sims 3! Also, check our E3 page, and follow me on Twitter. I will be getting possible questions to ask developers and publishers on my E3 appointments in real-time on my Twitter through the week, so keep an eye out!