That season is here again, the season where we all put on our rubber pants due to the over excitement caused by E3 and related announcements. E3 starts next week, and while the show isn't as big and crazy as it used to be, the announcements and games being shown are no less important. I could spend all night writing about what games I'm looking forward to seeing, but I have instead decided that brevity is the best course of action and wittled the list down to a top three.

Fallout 3

Bethesda has had a legacy dropped into its lap and thus far fans of the series and gamers alike have been cautiously pleased with the results. The game strays from its roots as a fully 3D First/3rd person action RPG with real time and turn based combat elements tied together. Though it does not stray far from the source material where it counts most, and that is mood and setting. The post apocalyptic feel is palpable, and the staples of the Fallout universe are closely followed with all the most recognizable aspects present in just about every glimpse we've seen of the game thus far, from errant bottles of Nuka-Cola, to wandering Ghouls, and the main protagonist's iconic jumpsuit. Though when resurrecting such a revered franchise it is hard to make everybody happy all of the time and there are a few features lamentably absent from the game. No longer are you able to target the crotch of an enemy for a crippling blow, or deftly strap explosives to a small child using them as an unwitting meat bomb. That said the new features being added to the mix are quite welcome and we just have to take the good with the bad.

The game is looking great so far, the special and, drool inducing, survival editions of the game are some of the best looking box sets seen for a game in years, and the level of gore looks as if it will meet the promise of matching the original games pound for pound. I for one can not wait to see what new features will be shown off at E3 for a game that, if it keeps its promises, is looking to be an easy GOTY 08 contender.

Left-4-Dead

As a big fan of the zombie genre, I must say that I'm very excited from what I've seen of Left-4-Dead thus far. A co-op game where working together is the key for survival in which dozens of zombies will be swarming you at any given moment seems like a match made in heaven. Throw in the fact that you can have other players take the roles of specific zombie "boss" creatures and you have an even tastier concoction where the hardest choice is going to be, which side do you want to play on first? If I could name one feature as my favorite, I'd have to say the fact that if you have to take a wiz in the middle of the game you are no longer crippled by the fact that you can-not pause an online game. You can simply just hit a button that will allow a bot to take over for you for a few minutes while you do your business, and then come back and press the button again when you are ready to continue playing, this is absolutely groundbreaking and should have been thought of sooner!

Valve is setting to release a game that will do for co-op game-play what Counter-Strike did for team combat, and with the way that Left-4-Dead is coming along they may accomplish just that.

Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 2

From multiple award winning developer Relic, Dawn of War 2 continues their likewise award winning Warhammer 40K series and blows it into entirely new directions. Gone is base building, and in it's place is more focused squad management. Your units now level and can pick up more powerful weapons on the battlefield from the bodies of fallen foes.. or friends. In recent years Relic has been becoming one of the undisputed champs of the RTS genre, even shaking the mighty Blizzard's throne. It even looks like DoW2 is shaping up to be a direct challenge to Blizzard and a shot across StarCraft 2's bow.

Which game will win? Well we've chosen our horses here in the office and are just waiting to see which game will come out on top. Though one thing is certain, when two titanic studios such as these clash in an attempt to outdo each other, there is always one easy to determine winner, and that is us gamers.