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You don't have to dream of scaling walls and sneaking up and killing people in order to want to play the upcoming "Assassin's Creed 2." Of all the so-called "hardcore" titles at E3 this year, this one may be the most exciting, since the game is set in Renaissance Italy. Players get to roam through Venice, Florence and Tuscany in environments so beautifully rendered that they almost feel like taking a European vacation, in which they are required to stick sharp metal objects into a few of the locals.

The game's other historical draw is that just as James Bond had "Q" creating gadgets to help his job, the player's "Q" is none other than Leonardo Da Vinci.

"One of the things a lot of people don't necessarily know is that Leonardo started his career as a military engineer, and we're going to use that in the game to upgrade the abilities of the assassin," says Patrick Plourde of Ubisoft.

Less like a vacation but still riveting is the game "Batman: Arkham Asylum," which features the caped crusader trying to escape from an insane asylum filled with all his enemies.

Developers say big-time Batman fans will love all the well-known supervillains and Bat-gadgets in the game, but they will not comment on specifics.

"We spent a long time really crafting something to surprise people and we really don't want to spoil the surprises because they're mind-blowing," says Paul Crocker of Rocksteady Studios. "We don't want to limit Batman and ever make him feel weak, so from the outset you can get to faraway locations, grapple around. There are a bunch of other gadgets we use in the game and we can't tell you what they are but they're awesome."

Two other franchises beloved by hardcore gamers are going exclusive to the next generation of platforms. Halo, which is only playable on XBox 360s, provided a first glimpse of "Halo 3: Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST)." Developers say it takes place chronologically in between "Halo" and "Halo 2." Yet another new Halo title, "Halo: Reach," is being worked and will be due out next year.

On the Playstation 3, "God of War III" continues the tradition of wild atmospheres, mammoth mythical creatures and very gruesome battles, but fans need to wait until 2010 before it is available.