E3 has come and gone and, to celebrate, I slept most of the weekend. Like Kirstie Alley shoved into a size-6 miniskirt, E3 Week is exactly what we do here at the office on a daily basis, just smooshed into a much smaller timeframe. While I got a chance to see nearly every sports game on the floor, I missed a few things either through lack of time (such as the 2K Sports next generation presentations) or because they simply weren't being shown (notably: Gran Turismo Mobile for PSP, Road to Sunday, and several EA Sports games like FIFA, March Madness and NBA Live 06). One not-so-conspicuous absence was the lack of news from 2K Sports regarding its football plans. Unless the company has a huge surprise in the works, it looks like we'll be waiting another year for the successor to ESPN NFL 2K5.

　　Of course, we can't talk about E3 without talking about the XBox 360 stuff on hand, what little of it there was. Of the games I saw behind closed doors, I was at once most excited and most troubled by Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06. Excited because the game looks gorgeous, and the new twist to the swing mechanic should give the game some legs; troubled because even if this game has more legs, with six courses and nine PGA Tour golfers to play there won't be very far to walk. In terms of pure graphics, NBA Live 06 may have been the best looking sports game shown at E3. How will it and games like Madden, FIFA, etc., play? Will they feature the same modes as their current-gen counterparts, new features, or a pared down list in order to meet launch day release? Unfortunately, E3 didn't answer those questions at all.

　　From what Bob and Alex tell me, both NHL 2K6 and NBA 2K6 for XBox 360 are looking pretty good and Amped 3 is shaping up to be a nice little wad of insanity. There was also Nintendo's sports offerings--both Mario Baseball and Super Mario Strikers have built some buzz. In fact, because our HQ was directly across from the huge Nintendo E3 booth, I saw on a daily basis just how big an impression those two games made on those roaming the floor.

　　Which E3 sports games impressed you the most? Which ones are you most looking forward to playing?