Five games getting big buzz at E3

13 hrs.

Winda Benedetti

The biggest video game show of the year has just barely gotten under way?and yet ... so much has already happened.

The Electronic Entertainment Expo ??or E3 for short?? officially opened its doors at the Los Angeles Convention Center Tuesday,?drawing more than 40,000 analysts, journalists and game business types to peruse massive displays from a couple hundred?game companies.

But with Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, Electronic Arts and?Ubisoft starting things off early with press conferences and showcases galore, we've already seen?a lot of gaming goods. Here's a look at some of the games that have already?wowed us:

'Watch Dogs'
While sequels seem to be the name of the (video) game (business) these days, we've been pleasantly surprised by the splash that a few brand?new game properties have made at the show already and look forward to seeing more unique, original games in the days to come.

"Watch Dogs" was a game that set Twitter alight when it was revealed on Monday?during Ubisoft's press conference.?The open-world game lets you play a mysterious?hacker with the ability to take over the inner-workings of a city. It looks like a game that has a lot to say about our digital times.

Here, check out the gameplay trailer that started the buzz.

'Beyond: Two Souls'
We've been waiting to hear what that creative powerhouse Quantic Dream has been working on and were thrilled by the unveiling of "Beyond: Two Souls" during Sony's press conference Monday night. The game stars superb actress Ellen Page in the role of a woman with mysterious powers and will, we're told, explore themes around death and the afterlife. Also, it seems players might get to make things go boom. And that's always fun.?

Here, check out the chilling trailer:

'The Last of Us'
Sony looks like it might just have a?hit on its hands with "The Last of Us" ? an apocalyptic action/survival game created by the folks who brought us the fantastic "Uncharted" games. Certainly the crowds attending Sony's press conference Monday night were excited to see the gameplay footage featuring the two main characters ?? a man named Joel?and a young?girl named Ellie ? as they struggle to survive in a world gone mad.

In this game,?a plague has wiped out most of Earth's?population ? and those who are still around are willing to do anything to survive (turning to?cannibalism?included).?Here's a look at some of the gameplay that got everyone excited:

'Pikmin 3'
We haven't had a chance to control swarms of?Nintendo's adorable?ant-like Pikmin for eight years now and were excited to see them make a return in a trailer for "Pikmin 3." The game is one of the titles Nintendo is using to show off the powers of its Wii U machine and its?GamePad controller.

Players will use the touch-screen on the Wii U's GamePad to manage swarms of colorful Pikmin. And we were excited to see at least one new type of Pikmin ??? Rock Pikmin ??? which you can toss about to break things.

Check out the trailer:

'South Park: The Stick of Truth'
Forget all your fancy high-res games.?This game from the creators of the TV show "South Park" .... actually looks pretty good. Yeah, not exactly what you might expect from a game featuring characters that look like they're drawn by fourth graders.

South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone took to the stage during the Microsoft press conference to introduce their game ? which appears to do a good job capturing the hilarious,?irreverent tone of the show. The game will launch on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC March 5, 2013. The Xbox 360 version?will include Kinect?integration.

If you're offended by images of Jesus with a machine gun?then you probably shouldn't watch this trailer (or, you know, the TV show).

Follow us into E3
Of course there are lots of other games making a solid?showing at E3 so far. Check out?"Dead Space 3,""Halo 4,"?"Gears of War: Judgement,"?and?"Tomb Raider."?

And we'll be bringing you more as the week progresses.?In-Game has a team on the ground at?E3 in Los Angeles. So check back here to?catch our breaking game coverage. And for even more fast and furious news check out our?In-Game Facebook page?as well as our Twitter feeds:?@ToddKenreck?and?@WindaBenedetti.

In-Game editor Todd Kenreck will also bring you ongoing snapshots from the E3 floor via his @ToddKenreck Instagram account. And don't miss the E3 experiences from video producer Matt Rivera who will be posting via his Twitter and Instagram accounts here:?@MattMRivera.

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