Microsoft put on one heck of a spring showcase. Dubbed X10, this Xbox 360 press event in San Francisco was full of news, incredible game demos, and superior grilled cheese hors d'oeuvres. If you weren't excited about the 2010 Xbox 360 lineup before this week, you should be now. If you still aren't, maybe you just haven't heard all of the great news yet. No worries. We've compiled a list of the 10 biggest stories to come out of the show to get you up to speed.

10. Halo Reach Boxart Rocks

The most impressive game at X10 was undoubtedly Halo: Reach. Bungie didn't show a heck of a lot, but everything we saw made it clear that Reach really will be that "generational leap" that the studio is promising. They say it will be the definitive Halo game. We're inclined to believe.

9. Fable III is as Dirty as You Are
Whether you take Peter Molyneux's talk about Fable III's new "Touch" system as dirty or not is entirely up to you. There's nothing dirty about a tossing a child in the air or holding hands with a stranger. Is there? It's just a videogame, right?

8. Dead Rising 2 Xbox Live Exclusive

Dead Rising 2 is coming to both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Those that stay faithful to Microsoft's console, however, will get a bonus. Prior to the North American release on August 31, those with Xbox Live will be able to download Dead Rising: Case Zero. This little episode will bridge the gap between the events of Dead Rising 1 and the upcoming sequel.

7. Crackdown 2 Delay?

As recently as just a month or so ago, both Microsoft and developer Ruffian were insisting that Crackdown 2 would be ready for release in the first half of 2010. Then came X10 and suddenly the message changed. Now, you can expect to get your Crackdown 2 fix before the end of the year.

6. Left 4 Dead 2 DLC Insanity

OK. You played Left 4 Dead. Now you have Left 4 Dead 2 and want to purchase some more downloadable content. Valve has your back. Showcased at X10 was the upcoming The Passing add-on.

5. Perfect Dark XBLA Lives!

Back in the day, things like laptop guns and expansion packs were all the rage. These days of yore also featured a developer named Rare at the top of every sales chart as it delivered N64 hit after hit. One of these, Perfect Dark, is now making its way to the Xbox Live Arcade.

4. Final Fantasy XIII Wins Our Hearts

Our resident Final Fantasy Fanboy Ryan Clements had been skeptical about the next Square Enix epic. No towns? What's the deal with this battle system? Then he sat down and got some extended time with the game and came back gushing. Now every RPG fan at IGN is excited, too. What can we say? Joy is infectious.

3. Alan Wake Finally Coming into Focus

It's been a long strange journey for Alan Wake. Announced at X06 four years ago and then nearly forgotten as development studio Remedy worked silently on it, Alan Wake finally has a release date and is starting to make waves. It's coming out in May and it looks fantastic. There will even be a Collector's Edtion for those with a little extra cash to burn.

2. Fable III is NOT an RPG

Upon walking in to X10, we were handed a sheet filled with announcements and release dates. Tucked down at the bottom was a little blurb about how Fable III would be hitting store shelves later this year. Oddly enough, the sheet described it as an action-adventure game.

Wait, isn't Fable III an RPG?

1. Halo: Reach Beta Dated

It's coming and soon. This May is so completely stacked that you should already have it marked on your gaming calendar. Alan Wake will finally see the light that month. So will Lost Planet 2. But before all of that jazz, the Halo: Reach public beta will take place.

Announced at X10, anybody with a copy of Halo 3: ODST will be able to hop on and try their hand at a little Halo: Reach multiplayer on May 3, months before the final game hits store shelves.

Source: IGN