E3 2009 Awards

For this year’s E3, we wanted to do something a little bit different with our awards. Rather than try to hand them out in a vast array of arbitrary categories, we’ve decided to simplify things. This year we have selected one title as MMORPG.com Game of the Show, and then handed out Editor’s Choice Awards to several noteworthy titles.

Obviously, E3 demos often don’t show enough to say whether these games are truly as good as they might appear. What’s more, we see games at all stages of development. Some titles we saw are barely playable at this stage, while others are on the verge of commercial launch.

Awarding hardware at E3 can be tricky. In 2005, we gave Game of the Show to a title that has yet to launch (Hero’s Journey) and the Runner-Up to a game that never will (Imperator). Clearly, some might call those mistakes in retrospect, but fact is that at the time, those were the two most impressive games on display. Their demos blew the competition away and for at least a day in 2005, they seemed like the ones to watch.

This year, we focused on a few simple questions. Was it fun (if we could play it)? Did it look fun (if we couldn’t)? Did the game’s ideas stand out from the usual public relations clichés? Are they doing anything new and interesting?

And so, we have chosen three titles that really looked like great products with a bright future, and a fourth the went above and beyond, eking out a victory over some stiff competition to take home the hardware for the best MMO at E3 2009.

Let us begin. On page two, you'll find our first Editor's Choice winner. Building all the way to our Game of the Show on page five.