E3, which took place this year from June 2 to 4 in Los Angeles, California, is the gaming industry’s biggest event. As always, the who’s who came out to showcase current games and those upcoming for the year.

The event is a great opportunity to share new advancements and innovations in gaming technology. One of the major attractions at any E3 is the media briefing sessions by the Big Three: Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony. We in the media as well as a majority of gamers around the world wait with great anticipation to see and hear what each will bring to the table for the current and coming years – new games, peripherals, and innovations in how we experience gaming.

First up at this year’s E3 was Microsoft. At last year’s media briefing, Microsoft was a major success; the company presented a great line up of games, introduced the New Xbox Experience, and made waves by announcing that Final Fantasy XIII would be coming to the Xbox 360, thus putting an end to any exclusivity for the PS3. So how did Microsoft "bring it" this year? Here are my impressions.

They started off by introducing The Beatles: Rock Band. There was some general information about the game and the announcement that the list of songs available for download would extend across all of the group's albums. (More good news: proceeds from the sale of the song "All You Need is Love" will be donated to the charitable Doctors Without Borders.) Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr appeared to speak about the game, but didn't say much – really, someone at Microsoft should have done a better job of prepping them. All Ringo could say was, “Game is good ... graphics are really good ... we’re great.” Paul jumped in with, “Thanks for having us on your game show.”

After a brief assurance to the crowd by John Schappert, the Corporate VP at Xbox, that the company's presentation would be about the games and not about their impressive sales and revenue numbers, it was Tony Hawk's turn to dish on his latest offering. The skateboarding legend and commercial powerhouse introduced his new game and the tool that would control it: a skateboard-shaped peripheral akin to a Wii Balance Board. The board appears to be responsive, translating real movement into virtual action quite well. This is a game I may consider investing in.

Next up was Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 2 – an exciting arrival, as its predecessor was one of the best (and most genre-defining) military First-Person Shooter (FPS) games. I watched a demo of the game – amazing. Game-play is fast and intense, and the graphics look fantastic. The release date is set for this November.

The highlight, however, was Final Fantasy XIII, a game that many Xbox 360 owners have been patiently awaiting and that won't disappoint them. Seeing it demonstrated live filled me with a warm and bubbly feeling, and I coasted on it into the next phase of the briefing: exclusives. These games, available only for Microsoft systems, comprised a number of Live Arcade games, which can be digitally distributed to XBox users. Shadow Complex, a side-scrolling action shooter, and Joy Ride, an arcade racer, both looked fun enough, but were slightly underwhelming. Crackdown 2 and Left 4 Dead 2, on the other hand, will no doubt help strengthen the 360’s appeal, as will Splinter Cell Conviction (the long-awaited next chapter in the Tom Clancy-themed series). A demo of the latter game illustrated its innovative features: the real-time integration of the game's objectives into each level's environment; opportunities for stealth movement and complex attack planning; and an expanded arsenal of abilities for Sam, the avatar, who is now equipped to execute more brutal take-downs.

After demonstrating two more games, Halo 3 ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper) and Alan Wake, an eerie horror game – both of which are sure to be great titles for the Xbox 360 – Microsoft moved on to Xbox Live and its new additions. By partnering with Facebook, Twitter, and other communications initiatives, Xbox 360 has raised the bar for online experience. Having seen how these applications have been so seamlessly integrated, I can say that the Xbox Live will provide both an easy and rich interactive experience.

Where new technologies are concerned, Microsoft's new Project Natal is an exciting development. This motion control technology enables games to recognize body movements and vocal and visual cues, thereby eliminating the need for a physical controller. An interactive demo of Project Natal, created by Lionhead Studios, included two phenomenal segments: in one, a character named Milo was shown engaging in a full, comprehensive dialogue; in another, a gamer drew an image on a piece of paper and then held it up to the camera, which translated on screen as the paper being passed from the gamer to Milo; he then accepted it and identified the image that had been drawn there. I was awestruck – the possibilities for such a technology, for gaming, are seemingly limitless.

Finally, Microsoft made the huge announcement of a forthcoming Metal Gear Solid game: Metal Gear Solid Rising. Still in development, all that the presentation confirmed was that Raiden will be the lead character, and the game will, according to presenter Hideo Kojima, introduce a “new Metal Gear experience.”

Overall, Microsoft definitely delivered. Here’s hoping that the Xbox 360 can do the same.