News by: Corey Owen

Monday, May 10 – Microsoft kicked off E3 with a bang in front of a packed house at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium. When Microsoft comes, they come big, and this year was no different. They had plenty of big announcements and several great in-depth looks at some of the upcoming blockbusters. All the big boys were there, including Jay Allard, Peter Moore, and Robbie Bach, each with a specific area of Xbox's future to discuss. So without further ado let's explore the future of Xbox.

They got off to a quick start, showing great-looking trailers for Fable,

Virtua Fighter 5 will elevate the arcade fighting genre to all new heights as the game promises to take true advantage of the capabilities of the next generation hardware. Virtua Fighter 5 raises the bar for console fighting games including all the features fans know and love plus enhanced gameplay mechanics, additional characters and new fighting styles, as well as newly redesigned 3D environments.

Virtua Fighter 5 will deliver fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping action as players head into battle, taking on a host of popular characters. The game will introduce two new dynamic characters, El Blaze and Eileen, complete with new fighting techniques

BorderZone, PC: BorderZone is an action role-playing game that challenges players to assume the role of Olaf, one of the few remaining humans on the planet Terra. Forced to leave the safety of their outpost, gamers venture on quests and into battle, controlling up to five characters simultaneously while amassing weapons, survival skills and magic. Players create Olaf from several disciplines, including thief, magician or soldier. Characters are further developed in the game through group affiliations, moral classes and professions. Developed by Saturn-plus.

Nintendo GameCube Release Schedule 2003
March 2003
7th March 2003: Broadband Adaptor
7th March 2003: Modem Adaptor
21st March 2003: Metroid Prime
21st March 2003: Metroid Prime Pak

April 2003
4th April 2003: Luigi's Mansion (Player's Choice)
4th April 2003: Super Smash Bros. Melee (Player's Choice)
4th April 2003: Pikmin (Player's Choice)

May 2003
3rd May 2003: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
3rd May 2003: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker: Limited Edition Pak

June 2003
20th June: Game Boy Player
20th June: Wario World

Autumn 2003
Autumn: Soul Calibur II

October 2003
October: Pokémon Memory Magic
October: F-Zero GX

November 2003
November:

From Software's Armored Core 4 will allow players can create their own original mech by switching components such as the head, arms, and legs of the mech's body, with a few hundred components to choose from, including changing its color to give it an exclusive looks. By accepting and successfully completing missions, the player can purchase even more powerful parts to make his mech stronger.

"FromSoftware is a very talented team that specialize in developing mech-based combat games," said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of Marketing, SEGA of America, Inc. "Building on the success of Chromehounds, we believe that Armored Core

Get the Quake Wars: Enemy Territory trailer off WP (26mb)

Serving as the prequel to id Software’s legendary QUAKE II, Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars is the ultimate online team and objective-based multiplayer experience. Set within the epic QUAKE® universe in the year 2065, the game pits the Allied troops of the Global Defense Force (GDF) against a new Axis of Evil – the barbaric and technologically advanced Strogg - during their initial invasion of Earth.

Gamers choose to play as Human or Strogg in one of five unique character classes. Employing an arsenal of weapons, vehicles and deployable armaments,

Desert Law, PC: Desert Law is a new spin on the traditional real-time strategy that immerses players into a post-apocalyptic world where gasoline is the new world currency. Players can have anything if they have gas to pay for it, or gamers can loose everything with one tactical mistake. Mankind is rebuilding civilization off the scattered remains of pre-doomsday technology, with unfamiliar equipment and knowledge, which it inherited from ancestors. Disorderly gangs roam the wastelands, and if gamers want to survive, they will have to fight to stay alive in this mad world. Players can choose from more than 50

Vivisector, PC: Vivisector: Beast inside is a unique mixture of 3D Action/Horror that blends an immersive interactive story with intense, high-adrenaline action. In the year 1878, the mysterious Dr. Morhead built a laboratory on the remote Soreo Isle and resumed his experiments aimed at the creation of animals that look, feel and behave more like humans. The game features an intuitive scoring system that encourages exploration and effective game play. Character development system allows players to upgrade their skills and weapons while battling bizarre never-before-seen enemies, each with unique abilities, tactics and firepower. Developed by Action Forms.

Sonic's new adventure unfolds from a storybook of the classic tale, Arabian Nights, the last several pages from the book have gone missing, and it's up to Sonic to re-create the story. The vibrant environments provide for a refreshingly new look to the franchise filled with brightly colored mosaic tiles, glistening oases, swaying palm trees, and crumbling stone columns. Sonic activates specific areas in the prismatic environment to pull off new tricks and stunts, in addition to interacting head-on with various obstacles by jumping, dodging, and dashing.

Ascension to the Throne, PC: Ascension to the Throne is a classic turn-based strategy game with traditional RPG elements. In a world of fantasy, players will act as the last offspring of the ancient family Illiar, rightful rulers of Eden. After being cast far beyond the borders of the country, players will explore a new fascinating world, full of foes and friends as they crush hordes of enemies and find new followers to regain the title and ascend to the throne. The game features a combination of real-time movement around the game world with turn-based battles of up to 22

Axle Rage, PC & PlayStation®2: Axle Rage combines third-person action with motorcycle mayhem and hand-to-hand combat. Set in the dark post-apocalyptic city of Nailsdale, the game puts players in the role of Axle who’s been thrown into a whirlwind of dangerous events connected with the mysterious and highly addictive drug ‘miro’. Axle Rage uses a third-person fighting system and a unique style of motorcycle combat. Players will engage in fast-paced motorcycle battles and toe to toe combat using objects at hand as make shift weapons, special combo moves and white-knuckle daring to claim their spot as king of the road.

Featuring Miyasato Family, payer can select one of the two brothers and one sister, who are superbly depicted by CG. In addition, popular domestic and overseas courses are faithfully detailed, such as “St Andrews Links” in England. The title contains many replayable elements, such as putting golf and and challenge missions

El Matador is a 3rd person "tactical action" game with stealth features. It takes proven features of the genre and enhances them with the latest technology, to provide the player with an opportunity to experience the excitement of espionage first hand.

The storyline, which weaves its way throughout the adventure, combines all the essential features of surprise, unexpected twists and dramatic developments. It is a tale of corruption, revenge, moral ambiguity and ultimate justice. The timeline progresses automatically, as shown in clips which pop up throughout

Get the UFO: Aftershock trailer off Worthplaying (43mb)

After the alien invasion, the Council of Earth successfully fought the Reticulans and moreover discovered their secret plan: to cover the Earth with "Biomass", a network of alien organic tissue that, the Reticulans hoped, would become conscious and endowed with immense psychic powers. The Reticulans who invaded the Earth are not true representatives of their kind, they are a breakaway faction that burned the bridges and chose this backwater part of space to conduct its experiments.

The Reticulans would construct a large satellite (several kilometres across) with a closed ecosystem and move the

Creature Conflict: The Clan Wars (PC)

El Matador (PC)

Stimulate your brain again with new A-ha! experiences.

Game modes such as “A-ha! Change”, “A-ha! Movie”, and “A-ha! Cut” from the previous product will be renewed with newly created episodes. Also, it contains brand-new game modes, “A-ha! Search” and “A-ha! Sentence”. You’re A-ha! level will be rated in “A-ha! Charts”

Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today debuts Resident Evil Outbreak for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. One of the most talked about titles of the year, Resident Evil Outbreak supports both single player and online multiplayer game modes set within the Resident Evil world. Resident Evil Outbreak is played from the viewpoint of ordinary Raccoon City citizens. Now players can experience the horror with up to four concurrent players on network mode or enjoy various scenarios with one-player in off-line mode. Capcom plans to release Resident Evil Outbreak this winter. The Resident Evil series is

Get the Gooka: The Mystery of Janatris Trailer off WP (21mb)