It's been an incredible first day of E3 and I scarcely know where to begin! Well, gotta start somewhere, so hit the jump to check out my impressions.

This being my first year at E3, I can't make any comparisons to the spectacles of ages past, but it made quite an impression on me. The floors were full of loud music, big screens, flashing lights and of course, lots of games and booth babes. The show was more of a half day today, so we didn't get to check out everything yet, but thats why the event goes on for two more days, right?

I can be completely honest in saying that before the event, I really didn't expect anything interesting out of Nintendo. After today, I find myself pleasantly surprised. Matt, Mark and myself got a chance to check out New Super Mario Bros. Wii and all I have to say is that this is exactly what the Mario franchise has needed. To break it down, it goes back to the side-scrolling format of the handheld Mario games and Super Mario World. The game itself feels a lot like SMW and this is a great thing. Four players can work together or compete through the levels of the game and works well either way. The camera follows the player farthest ahead which means lag behind and you'll lose a life. Co-op players will want to stick together while those looking to beat out their friends will want to race ahead. Lose a life and you'll float back into the game literally in a bubble. If everyone is wiped out simultaneously then you'll lose the level and have to start over. The graphics look great, combining 3D characters in a 2D world. We'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more information as it comes out.

I also got a chance to play through a bit of Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles for the Wii as well. I'll start off by saying that the only other RE game I've played was 5, which I loved. I can't speak for the story at all, but the game plays like those light gun games you'd find at arcades. Combined with the ambiance sound, camera angles and dark lighting, this made for a fun light gun experience that definitely had the survival horror feel of RE. The graphics aren't too bad for a Wii title though naturally it doesn't come close to the look of RE5. It is two-player as well, which is probably one of the best features. Definitely another Wii title we'll be following.

Sony had a lot to show off this year between all the new great titles coming out and the unveiling of the PSP go. Check out Mark and Matt's impressions for what they thought about the PSP go. I got a chance to check out a few of the upcoming PSP and PS3 games today.

White Knight Chronicles, which has been in works for a while now by Level-5, is finally slated to come out later this year. The game looks gorgeous on the PlayStation 3 and I'm sure there isn't much they showed off that hasn't been revealed already. Multi-player will be a key selling point to this RPG, especially for grind and loot fans like myself.

I got a chance to beat Mark and Matt in the multiplayer demo for Uncharted 2 as well. Nothing much to say here. The game looks good and plays like your average third-person shooter. I do have in my possession, a beta key for the game though, so stay tuned for a chance to win it.

Over at Sony Online Entertainment, I got a chance to talk with one of the guys who work on EverQuest 2 about the next big game update, due out this month. More lore, cinematic cut-scenes and player-written books will be entering the game as SOE tries to bring players closer to the lore which definitely won't be a bad thing. They did confirm that the next expansion is already underway, but they aren't releasing any details yet.

DC Universe Online was playable over at SOE as well and I sat down with it for a little while on the PS3. Breaking away from the standard mold of slow paced MMOs, DCU is an action game and plays like one. Combat is real-time and unlike every other MMO on the market, when you hit the attack button, your character immediately attacks. PvP is entertaining and plays out more like a brawler than an MMO and the storyline missions have you working alongside figures like Batman and Wonder Woman working for the JLU. We'll be following this game as well, so keep watching for more details.

Atlus brought all its latest works including Persona, Devil Survivor and the latest Trauma Center. I got to sit down and play a few of their titles, including their latest acquisition, Shiren the Wanderer. You can tell how recently they got the rights to the game as I was playing it in Japanese. This Wii title is yet another hardcore title where the penalty for death is severe. The 2D top-down view and dungeon exploring has a sort of old school Dragon Warrior feel to it. Combat takes place on the same screen and everything is turn based, though it feels very real time. Time itself only moves when you move so every move counts. You can obtain party members who you can directly control or set up macros much like FF12's gambit system to tell them what to do. Death, as I mentioned, is something to be avoided. If any of your characters is slain, it's game over. You lose your entire inventory and have to start over so  care has to be taken when exploring the game's randomly generated dungeons. If you're a fan of hardcore tactical RPGs, this is one title to keep an eye on.

Steambot Chronicles: Battle Tournament is the latest game in the series which heads to the PSP. If you're into giant fighting robots, it does the job. Customizable parts, arena battles, and newspaper delivery all are a part of the game.

I also had the opportunity to get some hands on with Demons Souls, the action RPG Atlus is bringing to the PS3. It looks even better than it did in the screen shots and plays great. Enemies are diverse and require different strategies and the blood stains allow you to see how players have gotten killed, giving you clues as to what not to do. Controls are simple and easy to get the hang of. Another reason for me to get a PS3...

The highlight of the afternoon for me however was getting into the closed doors session with BioWare's upcoming action RPG, Dragon Age: Origins. We got to see a new trailer and some game play as well and I had a chance to sit down and play it for a little bit. Check back later for my impressions on the game.

With one down and two to go, E3 is looking to be pretty exciting this year. The industry has a lot to prove and it certainly looks like it may just very well succeed. Keep checking the site all week for all the latest on the Electronic Entertainment Expo!