By now, everyone’s seen the big E3 presentations about Project Natal and Milo (Crown Price of the Uncanny Valley, who will someday become sentient and wipe out the human race) and the like. But here are the real items of interest for me:

1) The game generating the biggest buzz from game critics isn’t a big expensive high-tech shooter, but Scribblenauts for the DS. You solve puzzles by writing words using the stylus, which the game then conjures into the gameworld — and if you can think of it, the designers have probably included it and made it interact with everything else. Scribble “Cthulhu?” It’s in the game. “Keyboard Cat?” In the game. Want to see God fight a Kraken? It’s in the game. It looks amazing, and I can’t wait for its October release. Official trailer is here.

2) Telltale Games is singlehandedly bringing back the adventure gaming pleasures of my misspent youth. In addition to Sam & Max and Wallace & Gromit, they just announced new monthly episodes of Tales of Monkey Island starting in July, bringing back most of the voice cast from Curse. The downside? It’s only available for Wii and PC, meaning I’d have to either buy a Wii or a new PC to replace my 3.5 year old laptop to play it. (Or Sam & Max Season 2. Or Strongbad. You’re killing me here, Telltale…)

On top of that, LucasArts is re-releasing Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition this summer as well — to XBLA, so I can play it. Finally, a Lucas special edition I can get behind. I’ll happily re-live that part of my high school years in widescreen hi-def. (But only that part, mind you.)