With E3 on the horizon, we can't help but think of all the ways the gaming convention has touched us in the past. Whether watching at home or walking the show floor, we all remember the annual event in some way. Before we head off to E3 2012 to make new memories, some of GR's attractive staff members decided to share their favorite moments. We remember it like it was just yesterday...

One of my most memorable E3 moments actually comes from well before I was in the gaming industry. Back in 2002 I was still way too young to think about writing for a gaming outlet, let alone to cover E3, so I ended up just following it on the internet. I still didn’t know a ton about the industry, since I was relatively young, but I was still interested in gaming enough to want to watch every video (which, in 2002, was actually a pain), and to read every news story. The biggest reveal I remember was for The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. I remember reading about the controversial “cel shading” and having no idea what it meant, and I had to scramble to try and figure out why everyone on my message board was going insane. When I eventually saw the trailer – and watched the footage – my eyes glazed over. It was one of the first games I remember of that generation that said “screw reality, let’s make a cartoon!” and I was absolutely in love.

I'd like to say that my favorite E3 memory was my first one in 2004 or E3 2005, in which I made good on my goal of breaking into the press. No, it was 2006. That was my first pretty hardcore E3 (lots of late nights and early mornings, and unhealthy habits, like chain-smoking), in which all of the sound and fury of new console hardware all culminated in a very fateful Monday and Tuesday. Sony left a room of thousands high and dry with the announcement of the exorbitant PS3 price. Nintendo dazzled by opening its press conference with every reason why Wii would eventually change the industry. But it was Microsoft's press conference that year that gave me the most optimism.

From Cliff Bleszinski's subdued introduction to Gears of War, to the announcements of Halo 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV, I witnessed a presentation that wasn't always flawless (remember Live Anywhere?), but that laid the groundwork for Microsoft's plans for the console generation, and why it has managed to dominate. Even if I probably use my PS3 more often than my Xbox 360 for gaming, it was impossible to not feel like a major blow had been struck that year. I definitely needed a cigarette after it.

Odd as it may sound, E3 2011 was the first major convention I ever attended, let alone covered. This was right around the height of my fanatical League of Legends obsession – and as luck would have it, I had a meeting in the Riot Games conference room already lined up. Getting to talk to the developers was thrilling on its own, but what put it over the top was getting to see not one, not two, but three upcoming champions all at once.

I got to see Yorick, The Gravedigger, in his original form, with an absolutely massive character model that made Nautilus look dainty (Yorick’s model size was scaled way back for the final release). Seeing Skarner and Leona in sketch form had my mind brimming with expectations for how they might play; as LoL players can attest, pondering the possibilities and getting hyped for a new champion can be just as exciting as playing them for the first time. To some, it might seem like getting enthused over a simple patch – but to a diehard LoL fan, it was utterly exhilarating.

After a few E3s they all start to blend together, but my favorite E3 moment would have to be my first, in 2006. I wasn't covering the show for work, but I had offered to help write up a few things for a site that I was volunteering at. There’s nothing like going to your first E3. You’re excited, you have no idea what to expect, and you’re swamped with random appointments, but you don’t really care. I was blown away by the sheer spectacle of it all; the huge booths, the lights, the booth babes, the amount of sweaty nerds in one place - it was like… Vegas.

It’s hard to remember what the big surprises were that year, since I was too busy trying to see everything on the floor and Kentia Hall. Oh Kentia hall, I miss you. Little did I know that once I started covering the show for GameSpot and now GamesRadar, it becomes very difficult to see the entire show floor, so I treasure that first year when I got to wander around aimlessly without worrying about deadlines.

Like a proper journalist I was given a special assignment during E3 2007: go to the beach with a video camera and ask women in bikinis if they're excited about E3. As I approached the beach it occurred to me I could be mistaken for a filthy deviant (rather than an intrepid game journalist innocently canvassing ladies in swimwear).

While deciding whether being mistaken for a sex pest was a worthwhile risk, I spotted a seal sunning itself further up the shoreline. As a stranger to wild seals I thought I'd get a picture. No one else was paying it much attention. I got pretty close to the seal when I was attacked by a loud voice, "Step away from the seal, sir!" Many people looked in my direction. I had failed to notice a police patrol car on the beach. The police were addressing me through the vehicle's roof-mounted mega-phone. Again with the voice, "Step away from the seal, sir!"

I slinked away. Now a bit self conscious, I didn't want to ask women in bikinis about E3 anymore. I retreated to the hotel. But later I got to meet Shigeru Miyamoto so it was all fine in the end.

My first year actually attending E3 was loads of fun, but the strongest positive memories I have come from experiencing it from home. Take for example E3 2006, when Nintendo had a fairly good press conference with tons of new games, but the presentation had no mention of Super Smash Bros. I was very disappointed, but it turned out Nintendo was saving one surprise for last, as that same night they revealed Smash Bros Brawl.

The supremely epic trailer was over two minutes long and unveiled so many new characters, stages and moves. It was the type of video too packed with info to comprehend all of it the first time, demanding multiple viewings, which I obliged. And just when the video seemed over, the game’s first guest character, Solid Snake, jumps out from his cardboard box and joins the fray. Once it was done, I was yammering excitedly to whoever would listen about the game, with it overshadowing anything else E3 2006 had to offer.

It might make you laugh, but going hands-on with Dead Island was my favorite memory of E3 2011. After everyone saw that trailer, the game was a hot ticket and the Deep Silver booth was inundated with people hoping for a peek. I waited around for nearly 30 minutes until I got into a co-op session with the development team and a few other journalists.

After the session they gave me a nice little hardcover notebook with the cool Dead Island logo on the cover. I didn't really want it, but the insistence with which they shoved it into my hands made me think I should just say "thanks" and walk away. When I sat down to organize my swag bag, a non-press guy saw the notebook. "Whoa, where did you get that?" he asked. "Oh, you want it?" I said. He lit up, and I felt great making this guy's afternoon with some notebook I would have wastefully jammed in the bottom of a desk drawer.

Enough of us sharing memories of E3s past, what about all of you? What are your favorite memories of the show? The return of Kid Icarus? Seeing Modern Warfare for the first time? Riiiiiiidge Racer? We'd love for you to share with us in the comments below.

If you're looking for more E3 news, check out The 51 biggest games we expect to see at E3 2012 and the top 7 biggest, best, and most shocking E3 surprises .