ESPN

The Electronic Entertainment Expo descended on Los Angeles showcasing the future of video games. Hundreds of titles were on display and we tried to absorb as much as we could about all of them. Like the lineup of games itself, our E3 2008 experience was a mixed bag of exciting promises and solid indifference.

Getting to play and ask questions about Madden 09 at the same time on the show floor is the best way to cover a game. After talking to a smattering of folks who worked on this year's game, we're convinced that this franchise has finally turned the corner on next generation systems.

The grass on the field looks better than ever, even though you'd never have blades of grass that big in real life. It's one of those "Reality vs. Fun" things where it's better to see what looks cool than what looks realistic.

The new camera movement before the snap is a nice dramatic touch on each play, but slightly moving the camera during a play so you can see the entire field is a huge change. This means no more blind passes to the sideline. I've tried to "break" this system by sending a running back on a swing route to one sideline and running my quarterback toward the opposite sideline, but camera moves to accommodate this smoothly.

Online leagues are going to be huge this year as well. Playing with 31 of your closest friends with stat tracking and trades will bring even more people into the online Madden experience. You can be as strict or as loose as you want on trades. You can make it so that players have to have similar ratings or have played in a similar amount of games, or both or neither. This is so you can prevent the same problem of some nutjob in your fantasy football league making a dumb trade that ruins everything. And if you win your league? You'll even get a custom trophy icon next to your profile name.

This year, Tiger Woods 09 is all about learning the game of golf. You're given expert tips and instruction from Tiger's swing coach Hank Haney who ends up getting more props in this game than Tiger himself. When you play through a round, Hank will come in and not only show you what you did right and wrong, but he'll give you a chance to re-play some of those holes.

The idea is to tune your game the same way he fixes Tiger's game round to round and to teach you some of the nuances. You can customize your clubs so that you can have a larger sweet spot or get more distance.

The point is, Hank Haney will help you find your style of play and then it's up to you to tune your clubs and play the way you want.

I'm not convinced that the French art of parkour is a sport. I mean, I used to be a kid and where I come from we call that "playing." But that stuff makes for an intriguing video game concept in Mirror's Edge because running and jumping have never looked so good. This is a first person title that casts you in the role of a messenger that has to literally jump from rooftop to rooftop in a huge urban environment. You're not superhuman so don't expect any forcefields or things like that and carrying objects like shotguns will make it tough to jump for distance.

There's a lot more plot and gameplay to be revealed but so far jumping around skyscrapers like we saw in the Matrix has my attention. Normally this slow drip of information about a game that looks awesome is infuriating. On this occasion I'm going to give the developers at DICE the benefit of the doubt because that's the group responsible for the beloved Battlefield series of games. Any game they work on is going to be airtight.

There are so many games to talk about coming out of E3 that it's tough to keep track and go in depth with all of them. Here's some quick thoughts on some that we saw and that we'll be bringing to you in the near future:

Shaun White's Snowboarding
It feels like no other boarding game of any kind in terms of gameplay. This open-mountain game with MMO elements will surprise lots of folks. Also we interview Shaun himself and his enthusiasm for this title is infectious. Get ready for a lot more where this came from.

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The Force Unleashed
I was a doubter but now I believe in the power of the Force in this one. It feels like the Star Wars game you've always wanted but didn't know how it was going to get here. Throwing TIE Fighters like snowballs using the Force is probably one of the best experiences you'll have this fall.

Prince of Persia
New character, new powers, new concepts, no enemy fodder and a female companion mean this franchise is being totally re-launched to fit with the upcoming movie. I think it'll all work.

Rock Band 2
Same game with more music that I recognize. This is not a bad thing. Plus the news that Guitar Hero and Rock Band are going to allow instruments from one to work with the other is thrilling to my wallet.

NBA Live 09
Very impressed by the work they've invested in this year's game. The Team DNA is most exciting because it means you'll have to balance what you like to do with the personnel you have on the floor. Plus if the pick-and-roll control can avoid the artificial intelligence boobie traps that usually sink good ideas, Live 09 might just close the gap on NBA 2K.

Halo Wars
I tend to avoid real-time strategy games on consoles, but little Warthogs and Master Chiefs running around is irresistible. This game makes me feel like a kid again with toys strewn all over my bedroom floor ... except these move.

Spore
After hearing and NOT seeing so much about this game over the last few years, I have to say this title is finally living up to the hype. Overwhelming customization options, legitimate gameplay and a reliance on what will be a huge and enthusiastic community mean Spore may be the perfect storm of PC gaming