Now that the static has had time to subside, the news and previews out of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E³) have had their time to gather excitement and fanboys have had time to sit and back the games they have never seen with their own eyes or played at all, while haters can now divisively criticize elements of the gameplay and graphics from the impressions off a YouTube video.

Following the trade show, there is the perennial overview of the show in the Game Critics Awards, getting a collective agreement on the Best in Show for various categories that run the gamut of the gaming world. From major outlets like Newsweek, Kotaku and IGN the various reporters and game journalists submit their votes, tally them, and then display the best of the hype machine that is E³. Here is a breakdown of this year’s winners:

Best of Show
Fallout 3
(Bethesda Softworks for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Best Original Game
Mirror’s Edge
(DICE/Electronic Arts for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 36)

Best Console Game
LittleBigPlanet
(Media Molecule/Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 3)

Best PC Game
Spore
(Maxis/EA)

Best Handheld Game
Resistance: Retribution
(Bend Studio/Sony Computer Entertainment for PSP)

Best Hardware/Peripheral
Rock Band 2 Ion “Drum Rocker” Set
(ION Audio/MTV Games for Xbox 360)

Best Action Game
Gears of War 2
(Epic Games/Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360)

Best Action/Adventure Game
Dead Space
(EA Redwood Shores/EA for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Best Role Playing Game
Fallout 3
(Bethesda Softworks for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Best Racing Game
Pure
(Black Rock/Disney Interactive Studios for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Best Sports Game
Madden NFL 09
(Tiburon/EA for All Systems)

Best Fighting Game
Street Fighter IV
(Capcom for Arcade)

Best Strategy Game
Tom Clancy’s EndWar
(Ubisoft Shanghai/Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Best Social/Casual/Puzzle
LittleBigPlanet
(Media Molecule/Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 3)

Best Online Multiplayer
Left 4 Dead
(Valve/EAP for PC, Xbox 360)

There is also a very interesting breakdown given of each platform and developer on the website, showing that EA has, once again, taken the most wins away from this year’s E3. For the most part, there is a lot on this winners list to get excited about, showing a good variety of games that are actually planning on being released this year, which is a bit of a change from years past. Here are some interesting statistics from the E³′s of old.

Lifetime Achievement Award
Spore
(Maxis/EA)

While a lot of games have been at E³ for years, or at least have shown up in the last decade and never actually graced the stage in recent memory (looking at you Mr. Nukem and Mr. Wake), not many games have been at so many of the expos and actually been given an award at almost every showing. Spore won four awards at the 2005 E³, including Best of Show and Best Original Game in the same year that the first Killzone 2 trailer was shown.

Who Needs Awards? Award
Wii/DS
(Nintendo)

Continuing to spit in the faces of naysayers around the world, Nintendo is doing very well for itself. E³ awards be damned, Nintendo is the most successful company in games right now and it is doing it without having been given an award for the Wii console since it was first launched, where it received Best in Show and a few launch games grabbed the awards. Despite not having any award winners this year, it’s expected to have another great year. The last game that received an award was last year’s The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the DS.

Best Genre Overlord
Madden Series
(Electronic Arts)

In the last 10 years, 7 of the Best Sports Game awards have gone to a football game. Out of those 7, 5 have been part of the EA Madden series of games. 2 have been SEGA’s 2K series. The real question is, how much have the genres of sports really progressed if these games continue to dominate year after year. Not one other major sports genre has taken the seat of football, although Wii Sports did win when the Wii was first launched, and the Tony Hawk series grabbed a couple in its later years.

The awards in general tend to be more of a mock-up of good concepts and really well placed hype. A lot of games that get the nod early in their development are usually based off of high quality trailers, good design concepts or interesting ideas, and very often closed door play sessions with the gaming media. With games like Freelancer, Black & White and Doom III taking the Best In Show awards in the past, it is good to keep in mind that some games don’t necessarily live up to the hype, but will always retain their fans.