Alright so it has been a couple of months since E3 and because I have noticed the past few years that games I was very excited about at the show didn’t always live up to the hype I have decided to post my most anticipated list after the bright lights and excitement of the show have died down a bit. We are right on the cusp of the holiday buying season which has a ridiculous number of games releasing in hopes of holiday dollars and then just beyond that economic promised land we have the relatively new launch window in which a number of games that were delayed out of the holiday season go for a more profitable launch so now is as good as any to reflect back on what looked awesome and what I am still looking forward to in the coming seasons. My criteria for this is not just what looked cool at E3 but what I am planning on buying when it is released based on what I saw and experienced at the show. Lots of things looked cool but the following list is the list of games I can’t wait to get my hands on and will pay money for on day one. Obviously, this is my opinion and thus not meant as any kind of objective list of the best games at E3 if there even could be such a thing to begin with. Feel free to drop a line in the comments with your most (or least) anticipated games.

10. Borderlands the Pre-Sequel

Taking place between Borderlands and Borderlands 2, the Pre-Sequel looks (and feels) very much in line with the previous entries. As a fan of those games I feel like this is a very good thing with Gearbox taking the line that if it isn’t broken don’t fix it but maybe throw in some new characters, weapons, abilities and low gravity for good measure. My hands on time with the Pre-Sequel was multi-player and it was just as fun as Borderlands 2 if not more so. The lower gravity allows for an extra layer of strategy and gives extra options when in the midst of violence and that is always good when it is implemented well. Here it is and I am really looking forward to jumping into this when it launches on October 14, 2014 on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

9. Dying Light

I was kind of skeptical of this title going in because I felt like I got pretty burned by Dead Island thanks to an awesome trailer and a less awesome actual game. Given that this shares team members and pedigree with that game, it was not unreasonable to be concerned. After getting hands on with this, however, I am pretty excited. Now I should mention that I was excited after some hands on with Dead Island as well but in fairness I had much less time with that than I did Dying Light. I played a couple of different scenarios and one of them a couple of different times and I feel like there is enough here to keep it fun and exciting so long as the rest of the game continues what the demo starts. It is possible it won’t but I am optimistic on this one. Also, Dead Island 2 looks like it might have improved as well. Dying Light will be releasing February 28, 2015 on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC.

8. Rainbow Six Siege

Payday 2 seems to have touched a nerve in gamers and AAA franchise teams have noticed. Of the games that appear to be influenced by Payday, Rainbow Six Siege impressed me the most. This offers squad based competitive scenarios that pit an anti-terrorist team against various sorts of baddies and allows for robust planning and strategy before the action starts and then plenty of options once the bullets are flying. With different tools and goals for the different teams, Rainbow Six Siege looks like it will be a lot of fun for players and have enough variety and options to keep it all fresh. I am not super keen on a lot of competitive multi-player games out there but Rainbow Six Siege looks like it is going to deliver the goods. I am just sad that those goods won’t be delivered until sometime in 2015 on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

7. Far Cry 4

After a private guided tour through some sections of the game, I am pretty stoked about Far Cry 4. The cinematics look great and all that but the game play is what really sold me here as there are tons of options and batshit crazy things you can do here up to and including using an elephant to wreak havoc on a village. Evidently you can also ride the elephant. I dug Far Cry 3 a lot and the newest installment looks to be bringing even more quality to the table. It looks pretty fantastic visually as well. Look for this one just before Christmas on November 18, 2014 on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, Ps3 and PC.

6. Sunset Overdrive

This was a game I was seriously excited about last E3 when it was shown at Microsoft’s press conference and I was really excited to get hands on time with it this year. I played a piece of the multiplayer mode and it was roughly as fun as it looks, which is to say it was very fun. The unique locomotion combined with zombie-like mutant monsters made it feel a little like Insomniac duct taped Jet Set Radio onto Dead Rising 3 and threw in a bit of Ratchet and Clank for good measure and the result was a seriously fun time with a basic tower defense sort of set up. The portion I played was co-op in which we had to defend our territory from an onslaught of monsters and it was a blast. I can’t speak to the single player experience but I can say that the controls were intuitive and the weapons, enemies and environments were all great. Luckily we only have to wait until October 14, 2014 for this one although it is exclusive to the Xbox One.

5. Assassin’s Creed Unity

If there is ever a franchise that gives me pause when it comes to managing E3 anticipation it is Assassin’s Creed. The series is kind of a roller coaster for me and even if I think it looks awesome I have to temper my excitement with the very real possibility that we could end up with a game like Assassin’s Creed III. On the other hand, Assassin’s Creed IV was fucking awesome. So here we have Unity, a bit of a new take on things with added verticality and co-op multiplayer, a number of features players have been asking for and a reworked combat system. It has all the makings of either a glorious success or disastrous failure. After a one-on-one guided play demonstration I am leaning more toward the success end of the continuum because it looks like it is really tapping into next gen power and delivering a lot of things people have wanted for a long time. It is a big departure from what we had in IV but it looks like a departure in the right direction. And if you really want more of IV then Assassin’s Creed Rouge is there for you. Unity releases on October 28, 2014 for PS4 and Xbox One.

4. Mortal Kombat X

This is kind of a no-brainer. The last Mortal Kombat game was badass and this one looks like more of the same. It looks like it advances the story a bit after the last game basically retold the previous games in the franchise and we are getting a lot more options and variety in terms of fighters and fighting styles. No release date has been announced but holy shit this looks cool. It will release on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3 and PC.

3. Witcher 3

Witcher 3 is a game I have been salivating over for a couple of years now. It looks very robust, very fun and very beautiful. I have yet to get hands on with it but what I have seen suggests that some of the annoying control and UI issues with Witcher 2 have been fixed. February 24, 2015 cannot come fast enough. Witcher 3 will be available for PS4 , Xbox One and PC.

2. Dragon Age Inquisition

I absolutely adore Bioware games and the first Dragon Age is one of my favorite RPGs ever so going into this I was a little biased. Dragon Age II was not terrible but it had some problems so I was very happy to see the demo at E3 in which it appears that the things that worked in both games have been integrated into one super game that will hopefully deliver on the promise that the series as always just fallen short of. With gorgeous graphics, a huge open world, intricate characters and a new combat system that offers both an action approach and a strategic approach, DAI looks to be a perfect melding of installments and I cannot wait to head back to Ferelden on November 18, 2014 on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC.

1. Batman Arkham Knight

The release delay for Arkham Knight was already sad and disappointing but after seeing the theater presentation at E3 which included Batmobile gameplay, it was downright heartbreaking. I want to play this thing right now and not wait until whenever the hell in 2015 it is releasing now. If Rocksteady feels like it needs more time to work on it then far be it from me to argue but damn it looks awesome and I can’t wait to play it. I realize that Arkham Origins was meant to provide a bit of a hold over for that but I really did not care for it so seeing a true sequel to Arkham City on the horizon makes the wait that much more unbearable. It looks fantastic and the action looks insane. The wait is going to be torture. Arkham City will play on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

So there are my top ten picks. As always share your opinions in the comments and understand that these are not the only games I thought were awesome but my ten favorites.