he UP had the honor of going to this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, Calif. We saw and played tons of awesome new video games that are still in the early stages of development or are set to hit store shelves later this year.

By the last day of the three-day convention, some booths were littered with “best of E3” tags by big names in media like G4, IGN and Gamespot. The best-of-show was based on the games’ playability, visuals and overall awesomeness. Unfortunately, some of the really cool games we saw didn’t win a best-of-show by the big dogs.

We may not have given out stickers or ribbons, but we’ve compiled a list of the UP’s best-of-E3 in the only way we know best. Here’s our top 10:

10. Crusader of Kings II

You probably haven’t heard of the first one, but if you are a big history buff you should get to know this game. In Crusader of Kings II you assume the role of a ruler who actually existed in history, and the choices of who you can be are vast. The game mixes RPG (role-playing game) with RTS (real-time strategy) gameplay. Things that actually happened in history happen to you in the game. It’s so detailed that you even have to pick a suitor for your daughter and hope she has an heir to continue your bloodline. Talk about pressure.

9. Prime World

If you like tower defense games, then you’ll love Prime World. The game is very similar to League of Legends but with a few cool added features. In Prime World, you can customize your skill sets. There are so many skills to choose from for each character that the combination possibilities seem endless. In a match, once you destroy an enemy tower, terraforming takes place, which changes the environment around that tower to whatever your hero is. It’s a really cool thing to watch and gives you that extra feeling of satisfaction. Best part: It’s 100-percent free to play.

8. PayDay: The Heist

This first-person shooter was very easy to pick up and play as its gameplay resembles games like Call of Duty. PayDay features a campaign mode and multiplayer mode, where you work together with your friends to successfully pull off a bank robbery. The game is as much about strategy as it is a shooter. Killing hostages can result in point reductions, as you are meant to use the hostages in exchanges with the police. This game pays tribute to bank heist movie scenes from big blockbusters like Die Hard and Heat. You can even play bank heist missions that are just like scenes from those movies. This is about as close as you’ll get to actually doing it in real life … sigh.

7. Star Trek

This Star Trek game takes place during the new Star Trek story line as you assume the role of Captain Kirk or Spock. The good thing is that this isn’t a movie-based video game, but rather a video game inspired by a movie. The creators at Digital Extremes are working closely with the 2009 Star Trek film making team, and it features an original storyline by that same writing team and award-winning God of War writer Marianne Krawczyk. The demo made the game look awesome. We can only hope it stays awesome and doesn’t pull a Tron: Evolution.

6. XCOM

2K Games has had this game in production for a few years now. Unfortunately, the game was scrapped and redone a year ago. At this year’s E3 we got a glimpse at what the new XCOM has become. To put it simply, it’s like Mass Effect-meets-X-Files set in 1962 — and we have no complaints about that. You take the role of an agent of a government agency called XCOM whose task is to stop a living synthetic race of aliens from destroying Earth. Oh 2K. You always seem to know what game plots pull at our heart strings.

5. Mass Effect 3

The final chapter is almost upon us. As sad as that is, the third installment in the Mass Effect franchise looks just as amazing as expected. The game plays a lot like the second one, but this fight with the Reapers comes to Earth. Old teammates make a return, assuming they didn’t die in your other play-throughs, and you get to use a new weapon called the omni-sword, which allows you to pull off awesome melee moves. There is a really cool live-action trailer for the game floating around the Internet. We encourage you to watch it. Hopefully the eventual movie will look similar to it.

4. Dead Island

If you’re looking for a new zombie game to get hooked on, this would be it. You are trapped on an island full on zombies. But of course you are immune to the zombie effect, so you go on a zombie-killing rampage trying to escape Dead Island. The game supports up to four multiplayers as you and your friends go on a zombie-killing binge in this open-world-style game. The game has all the blood, guts and insanely disgusting zombie kills you could ever imagine. If you’re wondering if it’s okay to tear up over a video game, yes it is. We did.

3. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

This game was probably one of the most anticipated games of E3 — and the demo did not disappoint. There are over 150 dungeons to explore throughout the game’s world. And if that doesn’t get you excited, the combat system was given an upgrade. The developers added cut scenes of finishing moves to break up the action and make it less routine. They also added the feature of using yelling powers such as dragon’s breath, which allows you to breathe fire like a dragon. It’s probably safe to say this is the Elder Scrolls we’ve all been waiting for.

2. Assassin’s Creed: Revelation

This is the final chapter in the story of Ezio before the franchise moves on to Assassin’s Creed 3. Ezio is older in this game and comes packed with a new arsenal of weapons including the hookblade, which can be quite bloody. Altair also makes a return as he is a playable character in the game. If you were wondering if it would be boring to be running around renaissance Italy for the third time as the same character, the answer is no. The storyline continues to keep you immersed in the game as you run around climbing buildings like a spider monkey.

1. BioShock Infinite

Out of all the games at the expo, BioShock Infinite is hard to ignore as the most impressive. What makes this game different from the others in the franchise is that this one takes place in the sky rather than underwater and the Big Daddy’s are like giant iron eagles, which actually makes them more intimidating. The game has some of the classic powers like fire and ice but also includes some new ones like a swarm of birds instead of bees. The game seems more fluid and fast-paced and we can’t wait to get our hands on it. Even if you’ve never played a BioShock game before, after you watch the trailer, you’ll want to play this one.

What game featured at E3 2011 are you looking forward to the most? Tell us at upressonline.com

Other awesome games that we couldn’t fit on the list

• Prey 2
• Dance Central 2
• Street Fighter X Tekken
• Star Wars: The Old Republic
• Mario Kart 3DS