By Brett Molina and Mike Snider, USA TODAY  We played -- and watched -- a lot of video games during the Electronic Entertainment Expo. And after some careful consideration, we've narrowed down our top titles of the show.  Our results are based on all games, regardless of whether they were playable or not.  Let's kick things off with Game Hunters top 5 games of E3 2011:  1. BioShock Infinite. Talk about a great first impression. Gorgeous setting, fascinating cast and faster-paced action compared with previous BioShock titles.  2. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The first sighting of a dragon during Bethesda Softworks' demo was astonishing. Like Fallout and previous Elder Scrolls entries, it seems Skyrim will feature a huge world to explore and plenty of incredible enemies to vanquish.  3. Mass Effect 3. The final chapter of BioWare's intergalactic action RPG will lean a lot more on combat, as well as the scale of environments. And it's hard not to love holographic knives.  4. Batman: Arkham City. The Dark Knight's next adventure feels much larger, with more villains (Penguin, Two-Face) and even more tricks up Batman's sleeve.  5. Battlefield 3. This could very well be Call of Duty's first real competitive test. The first-person shooter looks beautiful, and the multiplayer seems to strike a balance between keeping things fresh yet sticking to the core of Battlefield.  E3 2011 hosts a few surprises as well, whether it be a hidden gem on the show floor, a big-name game that snuck up on us, or another intriguing industry trend.  Here's a look at our top 5 surprises from the show:  1. With major publishers talking about releasing fewer, better games, I was definitely surprised at how many great-looking games we have coming our way the rest of this year and next. Among the new releases coming that I'm looking forward to: Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Rage and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception.  2. Obviously, I'm ready to gear up for Gears of War 3, but I was really surprised at how fun the multiplayer mode was when I test-drove the new building features in Horde mode.  3. Already loved the look of El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron, even if the name is a mouthful. But the third-person action game, directed by Takeyasu Sawaki (artist on Okami and Devil May Cry), had a supple flow when I played it. Watch for a story in the coming days.  4. Not technically a surprise, but I am still enamored with Journey, the PlayStation Network game from Thatgamecompany (Flow, Flower), coming this fall. I had a chance to explore the sandy, copper-colored world with my burgundy-caped character surfing the dunes toward various landmarks. Anticipating many mysteries to unravel. (An online beta begins next week; stay tuned to Game Hunters for free access.)  5. Sony's PlayStation Vita handheld looks good and is priced to get recruits from the outset -- fingers crossed that economic atmosphere isn't too foreboding. Looking forward to spending quality time with Sound Shapes, the newest game from Everyday Shooter's Jonathan Mak (see our video interview here).  1. Wii U. Once getting past the size and concept of that controller, the console seems to hold a lot of potential. Imagine a Madden where you can call plays from the controller, or a Legend of Zelda where you manage your inventory from the touchscreen. I'm very curious to see how developers take advantage of the technology.  2. Tomb Raider. This might be the jolt this franchise needs. It stars a more realistic Lara Croft hoping to jump-start her archeology career in an adventure that appears darker and more dangerous.  3. Metro: Last Light. THQ's spooky first-person shooter could be one of the sleeper hits in the genre. Visually, it looks incredible, from how developers use light and dark to concrete slowly chipping away from an obstacle during a firefight. More details on Metro soon.  4. Bastion. E3 always hosts that one intriguing downloadable title. In this case, it was this action platformer featuring a fascinating narrator dictating events as you play. Combined with the hand-painted art style, this game could become the Xbox Live Arcade's big downloadable hit. Stay tuned for a preview of Bastion coming soon.  5. Sonic in 3-D. The Sonic the Hedgehog games -- whether the platforming is side-scrolling or three-dimensional -- always feel dizzying. But that feeling was amplified when sporting 3-D glasses and tearing through a level at blazing speeds. A very cool experience.
Game Hunters shares its best of E3 2011 - Game Hunters: In search of video games and interactive awesomeness - USATODAY.com - Game Hunters: In search of video games and interactive awesomeness