Crysis

It's hard to believe that a year ago we were wondering how the PC would keep up with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. But thanks to Crysis, the PC looks to outdo its console rivals before one of them even gets out of the gate. There was simply no game on the show floor that graphically came close to Crysis. It's so good that Microsoft showcased it as a Windows exclusive during its E3 press conference, and the Crysis demo stations at the show had no shortage of admirers and gawkers.

We must note that Crysis had some frame rate issues, a result of EA and Crysis using dual DirectX 9 cards to simulate what the DirectX 10 version will look like to the best of their abilities. Still, even while it was stuttering, Crysis showed more graphical pizzazz than anything else at the show. The carrier deck battle against the alien Hunter was incredibly atmospheric, but the jungle level that was shown was jaw-dropping. Everything from the lighting, shadowing, and rich and deformable vegetation, to the little motion blur when you whip around, combined to create an incredible scene.

She's a beaut.

Check out the atmospheric battle against the alien Hunter atop a US Navy aircraft carrier.

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Crysis is the next game from Germany's Crytek, makers of 2004's excellent Far Cry, and the great thing about the team is that if you compliment them for the awesome technology in Crysis, they almost get defensive about it and explain that they developed the technology to allow for better gameplay. Indeed, the demo showed how you'll continually make tactical decisions, so this isn't a brainless run-and-gun shooter. Do you sacrifice firepower for speed? Or will you use stealth rather than brute force? Yet perhaps the bigger question is, how long will we have to wait for the game to ship? Crytek says they're aiming for this winter, and while you'll be able to play the game using existing DirectX 9 hardware, you'll have to wait for Windows Vista and DirectX 10 video cards in order to see the game at its absolute best.

Finalists

Assassin's Creed (PS3)
Halo 3 (X360)
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)
Supreme Commander (PC)