Said Michael Bell, Encore's CEO, "Encore's game lineup is bigger and better than ever. With premium titles such as Daredevil and value titles such as Grooverider, coupled with a gaming pipeline of close to a dozen titles from JoWooD, Conspiracy Entertainment and Prolific Publishing, Encore's E3 presence will be our most exciting yet."
Marvel's "Daredevil" Comes to Life
Gamers will scale the heights of high-action combat and adventure when they join Daredevil - "The Man Without Fear," one of Marvel Comics' most popular Super Heroes - over the rooftops and through the sewers of New York's Hell's Kitchen. Daredevil will battle Kingpin, ruler of the East Coast underworld, and Bullseye, the assassin who never misses. The game will also feature Elektra, a beautiful yet ruthless assassin, martial arts expert and Daredevil's femme fatale lover. With cool Hell's Kitchen scenery and backgrounds based on original Daredevil comic book art, unique weapons, and numerous power ups and hidden secrets, this game will bring Daredevil's comic book persona to life.
Platform: Console systems
Availability: Q4 2003
Price: Approximately $50
Expected ESRB Rating: Teen
Racing Action with "Grooverider: Slot Car Thunder"
Grooverider: Slot Car Thunder brings the nostalgia of slot car racing to console systems for the first time. Easy to pick up and play, Grooverider offers players four ultra-fast tracks in each of the five race locations, multiple race modes with up to four competitors, and speedways with 360-degree loops, booby traps and surprises. As players progressively unlock cars ranging from 1920's British race cars and American stock cars to Formula X Indy style cars, they can turn up the voltage in three difficulty modes. They can also improve their racing destiny with power-ups including charged spikes, power boosts and mines.
Platforms: Xbox and GameCube
Availability: Summer 2003
Price: Approximately $20
Expected ESRB Rating: Everyone
Encore recently signed a publishing agreement with JoWooD for several games, including the titles listed below. In addition, Encore will publish Wildlife Park, Far West, Industry Giant 2 Expansion Pack, and Pusher.
"AquaNox 2: Revelation"
Years of neglect have resulted in an Earth that is no longer fit for habitation, so humans have descended into the depths of the oceans. In AquaNox 2: Revelation, a brand new adventure in the best-selling AquaNox line, players take on the role of William Drake, an undersea adventurer who is drawn into a deadly search for a long-lost treasure and the family history that surrounds it. Players will encounter high-energy action and extreme combat in sinister underwater cities as they complete 30 epic missions. Features of the game include 100 mission targets, 50 enemy units, 4 vessels and 20 different weapons.
Platform: PC
Availability: Fall 2003
Price: Approximately $40
Expected ESRB Rating: Mature
"Cold Zero"
In this action thriller, players take on the role of John McAffrey, an unpredictable and vicious man who has turned to a life of violence after being blackmailed by the Italian Mafia. Players must complete -- and survive -- 16 terrifying missions around the globe in an underworld where grisly death and sadistic thugs lurk around every corner. In this world of double-crossing and deception, players can choose from 100 different weapons, various camouflages, and stealth or all-out action to complete their missions.
Platform: PC
Availability: Fall 2003
Price: Approximately $40
Expected ESRB Rating: Teen
"Chaser"
The setting: 2044 on the planet Mars. The mission: to find out who Chaser really is and why he is being hunted. Full of plot twists, turns, thrills and chills, Chaser is a first-person shooter with authentic weapons and a variety of photo-realistic environments. Players are lead through environments ranging from a space station to freezing Siberia, from the haunting landscapes of Mars to futuristic cities in the U.S. - all in a challenging quest to determine Chaser's identity. The game features numerous multiplayer modes, so that online gamers can play against each other in real time.
Platform: PC
Availability: Fall 2003
Price: Approximately $40
Expected ESRB Rating: Mature
"Neighbors from Hell"
As part of a new reality TV show, players of this game get revenge on their "in-game" neighbor, an unpleasant, obnoxious and annoying fellow. This revenge is enacted by creeping around the neighbor's house and performing practical jokes on the unsuspecting resident -- without getting caught. Every time the neighbor falls into one of these traps, the player is rewarded with applause and laughter from the "reality TV show" audience.
Platform: PC
Availability: Summer 2003
Price: Approximately $30
Expected ESRB Rating: Everyone
An Ultra-Realistic" Marine Aquarium"
Marine Aquarium 2.0 from Prolific Publishing is an incredibly realistic, high-resolution marine reef tank featuring 3-D fish created by renowned artist J.D. Sachs. Users can select up to seven different fish to simultaneously feature on their screen from 26 exotic species. These fish are actual 3-D models, swimming randomly, not flat images dragged across the screen - they move and turn just like real fish. Variable lighting, bubbles, and sound effects add to the experience, making Marine Aquarium 2.0 at once fascinating, beautiful and soothing.
Platforms: PC/Macintosh hybrid CD-ROM; Macintosh OS X and OS 9
CD-ROM; DVD format (120 minutes)
Availability: Now
Price: Approximately $20 for CD-ROM formats; $15 for DVD