E3 2011: Best PC games of the show so far

The turnstiles of E3 2011 have just opened as I write this, but a torrent of trailers and breaking news has already hit, thanks to yesterday's run of conferences from Microsoft, EA and Ubisoft.

The turnstiles of E3 2011 have just opened as I write this, but a torrent of trailers and breaking news has already hit, thanks to yesterday's run of conferences from Microsoft, EA and Ubisoft. Here's your quick guide to the hottest PC videos and announcements of the show so far.

Bioshock Infinite

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The E3 2011 trailer for Bioshock Infinite gives us our first proper taste of how free-roaming and vertigo-inducing combat will be in the floating city of Columbia. The sense of speed and peril associated with using the skyhook to surf the city's golden rails is astonishing. Add to that some death defying leaps, gorgeous environments and a monstrous shotgun and you have one of the most exciting trailers of the show so far.

Battlefield 3

The stand-out moments of the EA conference provided us with eight minutes of in-game single player action. Where the Call of Duty demonstration showed a bombastic but all too familiar linear action sequence, Battlefield 3 gave us a vast, roaming tank battle that showcased the startling power of the Frostbite 2 engine. The engine itself got its own impressive video, and we also got a brief look at the Operation Metro multiplayer map. To top it all, a release date of October 25 was announced, along with news that there will be a beta in September.

Tomb Raider

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The E3 2011 trailer above gave us our first look at the new Lara Croft. She may be younger, but she already seems more human than the backflipping, dual-pistol wielding tiger slayer we're used to in the old games. The start of the game was also demoed live on stageat the Microsoft press conference, a spark of excitement in an otherwise lacklustre showing from Microsoft.

Far Cry 3

Yesterday Ubisoft announced the existence of Far Cry 3, and provided a generous dose of in-game footageto prove that the game is well in development. Graham got to see the game and talk to the developers, you can read all about that in his Far Cry 3 preview. It's a game that plans to combine the open world style of Far Cry 2 with the original game's luscious jungle locales.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

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For all the obvious problems with CG trailers, mainly the fact that they have little to do with the game they're promoting, sometimes they're too spectacular to ignore. Bioware matched last year's tremendous cinematic with the latest one above. Can someone please pay them to re-make Episodes 1 to 3?

We'll get to see much more of The Old Republic on the show floor. Bioware confirmed at the EA conference that they'll be showing raids for the first time.

Hitman Absolution

Before any of the conferences started, IO Interactive bundled Tim onto a helicopter and flew him to a secret cinema location to listen to some opera music and get a good look at Hitman: Absolution. You can read his preview impressions for more information on the exciting assassin sim. IO also released a brutal teaser trailer.

From Dust

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This enigmatic god game has been in the works for years, and we're hoping to get a proper look at it over the next few days. Until then, we've only got the haunting trailer above to go on.

That's not all, of course. We've also seen some new footage of Mass Effect 3. We expect to see much more of that very soon. Graham is seeing Skyrim right now, but if you're really eager to see some dragons in action, check out GT's E3 2011 Skyrim demo, and Tom's frame-by-frame breakdown of that demo.

That's all for now. Stay tuned to our E3 2011 Day Two Liveblogto stay at the bleeding edge of every new PC announcement and trailer. Don't forget to leave a comment, and let us know what you've enjoyed the most from the show so far, and what you're looking forward to. After all, E3 2011 has only just started. The best is yet to come