Day 1 at CES is a trip. Being used to conventions like E3, Anime Expo and Comic-con you become accustomed to everything roughly close by and local to the convention center. Then there are sometimes you learn the hard way that it doesn’t always work that way.

Taking a shuttle down to the Aria hotel, Capcom rented out a nice area and showed off a few upcoming games:

*Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

*Marvel vs Capcom 3

*Okamiden

*MotoGP 10/11

*Bionic Commando Rearmed 2

With 5 games to preview including the newest Marvel vs Capcom 3 build before release, and so little time to play, it was all about enjoying ourselves and getting a feel of the game.

First off, with the nerds and fanboys in us, we just had to play Marvel vs Capcom 3 first. It featured all of the announced characters up to Phoenix and Haggar, but to finally get hands-on with the new characters was great. The game was set to versus mode only, so in picking X-23, Zero and Wesker, I spent the time trying to get used to them as quickly as possible because it was kill or be killed and I obviously did not want to lose. Zero’s combo abilities are endless and taking what I learned in Tatsunoko vs Capcom, I applied it figuring out the changes. X-23 is roughly Wolverine (well duh she is a clone after all lol) with very few changes. What I like most is her level 3 special which includes invisibility and an extra slash with does high damage. I can keep going on and on and if I could, I would of played this one all day but I can guarantee this is one game fighting fans shouldn’t miss. It releases next month for both the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360, so you better pre-order your Limited Edition now while its available to get the exclusive goods including 2 DLC characters about a month before they release to everyone else.

I never got a chance to play the first title, so starting on the 2nd is a better late than never to start. One of the newest features to the game was the ability to jump which was not in the first. Sadly, being spoiled by the jump ability in so many games would have made it a little tough to resist pressing that X button. To compensate for all the purists and for those hardcore fans who must complete everything for achievements/trophies, there is one for not jumping at all in the game. You have a standard goal: smash through enemies using weapons, grenades and even the environment to your advantage as you cut down enemies using your faithful arm as a grappling hook to help you navigate the stage and get from point to point. Available both on the  Playstation Network ($14.99) on February 1st Xbox live arcade (1200 Microsoft points) on February 2nd you can expect plenty of action with the ability to co-op.

Amazingly enough, this game is at the top on my wish list for games this year. Okami was a game I’ve beaten 3 times, twice on Playstation 2 and once on Wii and now the game gets not only more interesting, but cuter at the same time? Chibiterasu is just too cute, but in that cool way especially having the same abilities as his mother Amaterasu. He is weak at first, so Chibi teams up with multiple children to help him along his adventure which takes place 9 months after the events in Okami. Now Chibiterasu must find the God’s resting place in order to gain their powers to wipe out the demons. This is done by solving puzzles, fighting and using the celestial brush to proceed.

The demo had us teamed with Kurow, Chibi’s new (4th) partner in the game. A mysterious boy found inside a fallen star that landed on Ryoshima Coast,  he has a unique way of speaking and does things his own way, forcing Chibiterasu to accept him as a partner. We  Galestorm ability which allows you to control a nearly flying Chibiterasu using pain strokes to soar in the sky against the wind, after landing Chibiterasu and Kurow proceed to a village where dark clouds are gathered, using the paintbrush you remove the clouds or use them to proceed. We also saw Chibi learning the Thunderstorm ability after facing the Thunder band in a mini game. An important part to the game is solving puzzles that require team work with Chibiterasu and his child partner, so working together will be key, and the abilities of the paintbrush. The game will be released March 15th 2011 on the Nintendo DS.

Racing games have never been my strong point, but I can manage. MotoGP has always been a game in a class all by itself. I tried adding a little of my so-called Grand Turismo 5 “skill” but found myself utterly missing turns and falling into last place before getting the rhythm of the game. That same rhythm which also includes speeding and leaning my character in on a straightaway, missing a turn and smashing him into a wall. This actually felt pretty good in a mean way, but after that, I got more accustomed to the game. Using your gas and your brake you must begin turning much earlier and lean into the side you wish to turn (which this game doesn’t penalize you by just dumping you on the floor) and by learning the style to riding, you can lead the pack. By the way, don’t try to take shortcuts, as you will just be tossed off your bike as I found out the hard way. Another nice feature is that you can tune your bike thoroughly find a set tuning that benefits your racing style. MotoGP is fun for first timers and pros in the game but it has a slightly difficult learning curve that can keep you in the lead.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is a mystery and logic based puzzle game. In Ghost Trick, players control the ghost of the deceased protagonist, Sissel. His main goal is to solve puzzles which then unfolds the mysteries of the events in the game. As Sissel’s ghost, you gain more ghost abilities as you progress through the game. One cool feature is having the ability to possess things to manipulate a situation.

The game itself has a similar feel to Capcom’s Ace Attorney Series in terms of the puzzles and solving mysteries. There’s also many different puzzles to solve that unlocks many scenerios in the story which will easily keep players going for hours and hours of puzzle filled adventures. The game releases on January 11th, 2011 for the Nintendo DS so be sure to check this one out.