With powerful new game engines and brand new hardware on the horizon, E3 2013 was filled with glimpses of the next-generation of gaming. It was a big year that included a ton of mouth-watering announcements that would make any geek do the Harlem Shake.

Luckily enough, I was fortunate enough to attend this year’s events and got to witness a ton of upcoming goodies and play a number of amazing new titles.

Here are a list of all the titles I was able to either get some hand-on time with, or witness behind-closed-doors demonstrations of while at E3 2013, including some thoughts and impressions.

After giving it a read-through, I want to know what some of your stand-out moments of E3 2013 were. Share them in the comments below!

Let’s get to the games.

Arma 3

I wish some of my more PC-dedicated staff had the chance to get their hands on the Arma 3 demo on the E3 show floor, as my background primarily lies in console shooters. But that’s not to say that I didn’t absolutely love it.

Knowing fully well what the Arma series is all about, I knew that engaging enemies in this hardcore, tactical FPS could not be taken as lightly as some of the encounters you might find in games like Call of Duty or Battlefield. Keeping that in mind, getting into my first firefight was truly exhilarating. The realism in the way my soldier moved, the way he shifted between various stances, and the way he handled his weapon all made for one of the most authentic military experiences I’ve ever experienced.

During their stay at E3 2013, Bohemia Interactive announced that Arma 3 would be entering beta testing this June 25 and will include new scenarios that will include a co-op and multi-team wave defense situations.

If you’re a PC gamer at heart, I definitely suggest staying tuned to learn more about the upcoming beta.

Battlefield 4

Of course I played Battlefield 4! Twice, actually. I’d tell you what I thought about it here, but why not get my full, in-depth impressions right here?

I will say, however, that I was entirely impressed by the simple fact that DICE even had Battlefield 4 multiplayer playable on the show floor, despite it still being early in the development process. So, kudos to them.

You can check out the multiplayer briefing shown to all players before participating in 64-player battles on the show floor, including two commanders.

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Battlefield 4 will drop on the current-gen Xbox and PlayStation, as well as PC October 29, later on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Call of Duty: Ghosts

I got to preview Call of Duty: Ghosts before the happenings of E3 2013 during a special “All Access” event. Similarly to above, you can catch everything that went down right here, including this tech-demo below.

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Surprisingly to me, I feel that Infinity Ward went with a less action-packed gameplay reveal, and instead, focused on the story, theme, and general tone of the game, which is much, much darker this time around. On the other hand, I’m also not that surprised, considering writer/director Stephen Gaghan’s involvement with the project.

Of course, we got to meet Riley the dog and saw how he will play a role in your squad. IW showcased a stealthy mission using him as a point man (or dog) and we also got to see some under water gameplay, which, again, showed off the more stealthy elements of the game.

While what we did see sure looked fantastic for a Call of Duty game, I’m itching to see some more action packed sequences and to learn more about how some of the new features like sliding and leaning might make a difference in Call of Duty’s gameplay.

Naturally, I’m also very anxious to see some multiplayer, but as studio head Mark Rubin said, that probably won’t happen until August.

Call of Duty: Ghosts hits current-gen consoles and PC November 5, later on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Command & Conquer

Victory Games, the mind behind the remake of the classic RTS, gave me a behind-closed-doors, hands-on experience with Command & Conquer on the PC.

Being a complete RTS noob (a few matches of Warcraft 3 and StarCraft is the entirety of my RTS gaming history), I still had tons of fun with C&C. It was really simple to pick up, yet it sounds like Victory Games is ensuring tons of depth at the same time. It also looks very pretty, utilizing the power of DICE’s Frostbite technology.

The guys at Victory stressed that C&C is very much a “live” service, meaning that when the game ships, that’s not the end. The team plans to bring new content and updates consistently throughout the game’s life cycle, so you’re looking at a game that will just keep getting better and better.

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The free-to-play title will be entering beta testing soon, so be sure to sign up here.

Dead Rising 3

The biggest sellers about this zombie sequel is it’s giant, completely open world with no loading screens, hoards of zombies, and the ability to use anything and everything as a weapon, according to developers Capcom Vancouver.

It also helps that this Xbox One exclusive is getting proper SmartGlass support, which you can use as a navigation device, or to call in ordinance to help you out, on top of a number of other cool things.

Also, you better hope your mom doesn’t yell at you to do the dishes while playing Dead Rising 3, as zombies will pick up on any loud noises you make (also to be used as a distraction) thanks to the Kinect, if you so choose to add that functionality, that is.

Dead Rising 3 is expected to release later this year.

Destiny

At last, Bungie sheds a little more light on their mythic, science-fiction, shared-world FPS, Destiny, to tell us what the game is all about and to show us what it looks like in action.

Their E3 2013 demo consisted of a small co-op exploration mission through a dark tunnel that later turns into a full on public event that has additional fire teams working together to take out some really big baddies in a more open-ended environment. We got a look at a few class abilities, how looting and equipment works, and finally, how the party system works. Best of all, we finally got to see what combat looks like, and it’s pretty awesome.

We can’t wait to learn more about destiny, including more about the game’s social aspects. Until then, check out the E3 2013 demo below.

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Destiny hits all Xbox and PlayStation consoles, current and next, some time next year.

The Elder Scrolls Online

Playing The Elder Scrolls Online basically felt like a typical World of Warcraft experience, but wrapped in The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim’s user interface. In both senses, it was very familiar, which you may find good or bad.

Either way, the interface was simple to use, and being a bit of an MMO noob, It was really easy to pick up. If you’ve played any Elder Scrolls game, then you basically know how to play The Elder Scrolls online. I quickly learned how to customize my character, edit his skills, take on quests, and do well in combat. Customization was very liberal, allowing me to equip whatever I wanted, just like the original games. Of course, this maybe covers not even 5% of the game in its entirety, but it seems like its off to a good start, so far.

One thing that stood out to me was the music, which brought back memories of my days endlessly exploring Skyrim.

Check out the brand new trailer below that also debuts first-person exploration and combat and be sure to sign up for The Elder Scrolls Online beta right here.

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The Elder Scrolls Online is coming to PC, Mac, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 Spring 2014.

The Evil Within

The Evil Within marks the return the master of horror, Shinji Mikami, director of the original Resident Evil, and boy, is it scary.

Unlike more modern “survival-horror titles,” The Evil Within features some truly horrific creatures that hunt and stalk you in extremely claustrophobic environments with little resources.

It was surprisingly refreshing to see a return to horror roots during the demo, featuring main protagonist, Detective Sebastian, trying escaping a sadistic, torturous situation in the dark, underground chambers of mental hospital.

As for the gameplay, expect familiar Resident Evil 4-style movement and shooting, but with the horror turned up to 11.

The Evil Within comes to haunt you sometime next year on the PC as well as the current- and next-gen Xbox and PlayStation.

Need for Speed: Rivals

Visually, Need for Speed: Rivals was one of the more impressive titles I had the pleasure of going hands-on with. This game is truly beautiful, not in a photorealistic way like Grand Turismo, but when it comes to lighting, weather effects, and the gorgeous scenery, Rivals is a sight for sore eyes.

Ghost Games is keeping more of the same open-world feel of the previous Need for Speed from Criterion games, Most Wanted. However, the studio is placing a much larger emphasis on cops vs. racers. You’ll get to play as either and rank up both sides, using special abilities like EMP’s or spike-strips.

In the demo we played, racers were tasked with collecting points by performing crazy stunts or winning races, while the cops’ purpose was to bust the racers before they could dump all their points in to a safe house.

While, initially, you aren’t actually “racing,” you can easily initiate one between yourself and any other players, both real and AI, with the simple click of a button. Of course, winning one of these races it a great way to earn a bunch of bonus points. This is how Ghost Games’ “AllDrive” technology blurs the lines between single player and multiplayer.

Check out some of the latest E3 2013 gameplay footage.

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Need for Speed: Rivals races to the PC, as well as to the current- and net-gen PlayStation and Xbox November 19.

Titanfall

Clearly, a lot of FPS geeks have the hots for this guy right here. But when you know the creators behind the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series are at the helm of this project, you have every right to be.

Titanfall is a multiplayer-based FPS set in the far future where jetpack-wielding infantry and giant mech robots face off in intense, fast-paced battle.

If you haven’t checked out the premier gameplay, be sure to do so. It’s pretty darn awesome. You’ll see a lot of familiar mechanics that are present in almost every multiplayer FPS, but the gameplay takes a turn in a much different direction.

Not only can you call upon the aid of a giant mech to either pilot or command as a friendly companion, but even infantry with their ability to jetpack and scale walls quickly, along with devastating weaponry, can make for aggressive opponents that are not to be underestimated.

Studio head Vince Zampella told us that much effort was put into making sure the gameplay was crazy-fun, but completely balanced on all fronts at the same time.

Check out the demo below.

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Titanfall is set for a 2014 release on the Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC.

Wolfenstein: The New Order

Developers Machine Games are putting an over-the-top, yet more emotional spin on Wolfenstein this holiday season.

The demo we were shown began with some of the more intense dialogue that will be experienced in during your play through, reminding me of some of the nail-biting scenes from Quentin Tarantino’s film, Inglorious Bastards. The main protagonist, B.J. Blazkowicz, even has his own bit of over-the-top dialogue here and there that really adds to the playfulness of this Nazi-killing shooter set in an alternative 1960’s.

Speaking of Nazi’s, there are a ton of them to kill and a ton of weapons to do it with.

The second half of the demo showed off some of the crazy, sci-fi weaponry you’ll be able to use to tear the heads off giant Nazi robots with. There’s plenty of action to be had in this modern take of a classic shooter.

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Wolfenstein: The New Order hits all Xbox and PlayStation consoles, current and next, this December.

World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition

World of thank, an originally PC-exclusive, is soon making its Xbox 360 debut.

We got to sit down with developers Wargaming to talk about tanks – different kinds of tanks, how to blow up tanks and how not to get your tank blown up. It’s a simple minded, fun-filled title that can get very competitive and in-depth at the same time.

With the studio’s free-to-win philosophy, upgrades are earned, not purchased, though you can get better quality tanks by purchasing in game gold. The thing is, if you buy yourself a better tank, matchmaking will hook you up with better players who have similar tanks, so you’re not always doing yourself a favor.

Of course, all tanks (all five different classes of them) are authentically re-created to be historically accurate, and each one can be researched to customize and upgrade differently.

With the Xbox 360 Edition, Wargaming promises a better UI for console play and tuned controls.

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Beta applications for World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition are now open. Sign up here.

E3 2013 Photos

Lastly, some E3 2013 photos I snapped while at the LA Convention Center and at the Call of Duty: Ghosts “All Access” event.