Microsoft, E3 | featured news

...with Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, Electronic Arts and Ubisoft starting things off early with press conferences and showcases galore, we've already seen a lot of gaming goods. Here's a look at some of the games that have already wowed us...

For Apple and Zynga, this E3 was a magical event. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo all retreated within the crumbling walls of aging franchises and spin-off sequels. Under attack from mobile and social games, the Big Three console vendors are stumbling through the year 2012. Nintendo had a notably disappointing Wii U showcase and Sony’s Vita lacks the powerful slate of new titles it needs. We may be drifting towards a scenario where Nintendo shrinks to a rump company focusing only on portable gaming – and knocks out Sony’s PS Vita in the process.

Today at its Xbox 360 media event in Los Angeles, Microsoft dropped a big piece of news: the launch of a slimmer version of the Xbox 360,…