What original games were at E3 2011?

E3 2011 was a year of few surprises. We are getting late in the console life cycle so it's less likely for publishers to introduce big new franchises. So this year there were many sequels and very little original IP. I'm as excited for Mass Effect 3, Uncharted 3 and Elder Scrolls V as the next guy but I wanted to see what new names showed up at E3 2011.

This is not an exhaustive list. There were a few games I left off and likely a few I missed completely. If you know any games that deserve some recognition please leave some suggestions. If there are enough games I may have missed I'd be obliged to do another post to give them their due. Without further delay, here are the original games of E3 2011.

Papo & Yo:

Papo & Yo is probably the most original game in addition to being a new IP. Papo & Yo follows Quico, a young boy who lives in a favela with his robot Lula. He also has a best friend, who's name is Monster. Monster is a big pink rhino looking thing, but he has a bigger problem. Monster is addicted to frogs. Frogs fuck Monster up, I'm talking bad trip, every time. Quico's main goal is to help his best friend kick his froggy habit.

The story is essentially a parable for the relationship one of the creators had with his father. Which makes being excited for this game a little awkward but not any less interesting. The game play looks unconventional, in the trailer you can see some platforming with rocket boots and moving buildings around by carrying around cardboard boxes, similar to that scene in 'Inception'. Papo & Yo is due out sometime in 2012 only on PSN. The game was being demoed at E3 so I'd say sooner than later.

Bastion:

Bastion was made by just a handful of guys but looks and sounds like a AAA studio production. One of Bastion's more stand out features is its narrator. There is an omnipresent voice detailing all your actions as you play. In the game play I've seen it's a really cool effect. Bastion also offers an incredibly beautiful and detailed world.

I think most of this game will be better explained by just playing it. Thankfully we won't have to wait much longer. Bastion is set to debut as part of Microsoft's Xbox Live Summer of Arcade starting in July.

Dragon's Dogma:

What if there was an alternate universe where the Elder Scrolls series was made in Japan? Dragon's Dogma looks like it would be pretty much that. The game looks very pretty and has you up against massive enemies like griffins, hydras and, of course, dragons.

Dragon's Dogma isn't coming until 2012 and that is after Skyrim ships later this year. Will 'Dogma' feel lesser than the obvious comparison to Skyrim? We'll know when it ships but I think this game looks pretty badass. Sure, you have to take into account some inevitable Japanese story weirdness and odd game play decisions but I believe Dragon's Dogma can still hold up.

NeverDead:

NeverDead looks campy as hell. Or just Japanese. Maybe it's a mixture of both. Imagine if your character could never die. I'm not talking infinite lives, in NeverDead you'll have your limbs blown off and horrible things happen to your body but you just won't die. There are parts of the game where you'll be flopping around on the floor like a fish, legless, dual wielding pistols and killing demons.

In the trailer I saw the third person camera is less than stellar. That's probably more Japanese than camp I'm afraid. NeverDead is due out by the end of this year and while it doesn't look like this one will win any awards it's probably good for a few ridiculous quotes. Like, "I will kill you if you touch any of my stuff, like this!"

Ruin:

Ruin will likely be one of the stars of the PS Vita launch lineup. Ruin is a Diablo-esque game that will have a version on the PS Vita as well as the PS3. You can switch between them pretty quickly right were you left off, a really cool little feature.

Ruin will also have some social features that should make that 3G PS Vita a little more appealing. With really no ETA on Diablo III Ruin should be good enough to hold you over until then.

There you have it. Some original titles at this year's E3. I don't doubt there was more new IP than just these 5 games so please, leave some suggestions for more new games at E3 2011 in the comments below.