Particularly in the spotlight this year, six blockbuster games are expected to wow fans and rack up record sales:

• Beyond Good & Evil: Based on an original idea by Michel Ancel and developed by Ubi Soft's in-house studios, this title blends an ambitious, fluid new gaming experience with an epic storyline. Its Jade engine ensures that players benefit from the most advanced technologies available in the industry today.
• Far Cry: This cunningly detailed action shooter - which boasts a meticulously designed, next-generation Far Cry engine - pushes the boundaries of virtual combat to shocking new levels.
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time:

Pop Idol, set to be the mass-market game of the year for PlayStation 2 and PC, will be exclusively presented from a themed stage on the booth. Codemasters will challenge show-goers to see how well they can perform as a virtual Pop Idol singer as they control the in-game voice of a contestant through the music-based rhythm-action gameplay.

Every in-game performance is judged by a computer-generated Simon Cowell, and there may be some very familiar Idols faces at Codemasters' E3 booth too...

Codemasters will also unveil the next level for its power-brand games including Colin McRae Rally, Operation Flashpoint and LMA Manager.

Premiering

Genre: Role-Playing
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: BioWare
Release Date: Q1 2009

I first remember hearing about Dragon Age back around the time when Jade Empire came out. It was what Bioware was pointedly not discussing at E3 2006; it was first an MMORPG, then it was not, and then it was again. Every project they were involved with was, for a time, either thought to be Dragon Age or initially viewed with irritation because it obviously wasn't.

It's odd to live in a world where the game actually exists. It feels like a dream or a trap or

American Conquest

Blitzkrieg

Cossacks: Back To War

Coassacks II: Napoleonic Wars

"Rapala is the gold standard when it comes to quality sport fishing games, and Fishing Frenzy is the natural progression for the franchise," said Dave Oxford, Activision Publishing. "Fun Labs has refined the controls for fishing enthusiasts while making the game easy to learn and action-packed for amateur anglers."

With their hands on authentic gear, players will feel like they have an actual rod in their hands as they cast, jig the bait, and reel in fish. Players can battle for their favorite trophy as they angle for 25 of the most sought after species of fish in the world, all

Death Track: Resurrection is a racing/action title set in the not too distant future where traditional sports have been replaced and a new, violent entertainment rules. The attention of the world’s population is drawn to the main event of the year, ‘The Survival Race’, the biggest and most brutal race on the calendar. This is a world tournament that takes place in the largest cities across the globe and attracts the most powerful vehicles and world-renowned drivers on the circuit. Spectacular road battles and insane driving keeps the crowds screaming for more and the lure of fame and fortune attracts

Get the Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason Trailer off WP (23mb)

The main hero Alexander Nesterov is a meteorologist occasionally caught inside an old nuclear ice-breaker North Wind, frozen in the ice desert many years ago. This steel creature once fought for its life and freedom, but has fallen into an ice trap and all the creatures on its board lost not only their natural look, but a right to die. Cryostasis is a story about a drama of a Captain and his Ship evolving in the atmosphere of animal fear.

Features :

• The game develops with help of a unique system called

"The video game industry has enjoyed tremendous success this past year due to the release of more 'AAA' titles, the introduction of the GBA SP and the price drop of consoles," says Darren Richardson, President and Chief Operating Officer of Mad Catz, Inc. "These events have further fueled an increase in consumer demand for accessories of all the video game systems. Mad Catz is well positioned to increase its share of the market and is excited to showcase high quality, cutting-edge peripherals at this year's E3 event."

Some of the innovative products the Company will reveal at E3 include:

RetroCON(TM) (PlayStation(R)2)

Classically designed

"We are very excited about our 2003 release schedule and look forward to having these titles on display for the world to see during this year's E3 show," said Rod Cousens, Global President and Chief Operating Officer for Acclaim. "As the global audience for interactive entertainment continues to expand, we have focused our resources on creating a lineup that will appeal to the masses and hardcore gamers alike."

Acclaim's E3 product lineup includes:

ALIAS

Based on ABC Television's hit drama series, "Alias" is a third-person action adventure video game that allows players to step into the role of the series' lead character, Sydney

Red Faction 2 (PlayStation 2)

Alter Echo (PlayStation 2 XBOX)

MX Superfly (PS2

Get the NecroVision Trailer off WP (56mb)

The year is 1916. Young American joins UK Army to experience an adventure of his life and soon realizes that greater evil is hiding beneath the Great War storm. He has to face the underground world of vampires, demons, evil genius creatures and even become one of the demons to rescue the human and vampire kind from forces of darkness.

NecroVisioN is a next-gen first-person shooter taking place in a variety of locations from battlefields of World War I to much darker and brutal underground world of vampires and demons. Sceneries range from realistic

Men of War takes place in Europe and North Africa during the height of World War II, the story unfolding across three different campaigns played out through the eyes of Soviet, Allied and German soldiers. Each campaign has its own scenario and structured timeline bringing a different story of the war to life.

The main Soviet campaign sees two student comrades, Smirnov and Kuznetzov, join the army and quickly become brothers in arms as they rise through the ranks and experience the rigours of war. The whole story unfolds across three campaigns, with five German and five Allied missions completing the

Crash Commando, a PS3 title exclusively for download on PlayStation Network, is a side scrolling multiplayer shooter game pitting two arch-enemy commando factions - the Grunts and the Jarheads - against each other in an all-out fight for world supremacy. Developed by EPOS Game Studios, Crash Commando is a fast-paced, humorous multiplayer game with over-the-top, slap-stick action that features exaggerated gore and effects. Combining the thrill of frenzied multiplayer combat with the straightforward nature of a classic side-scrolling platform title, Crash Commando is accessible to all players and it is the perfect combination of modern, sophisticated technology and

Leading Australian games developer Ratbag is planning a sequel to its highly successful Powerslide – the futuristic racing game that propelled the company into the international spotlight five years ago.

Visitors at the E3 games expo in Los Angeles will be given a sneak preview of Powerslide Slipstream, which takes video game motor racing to a new level of intensity and excitement.

In a significant development, Ratbag is self-funding the new game after acquiring publishing rights from Infogrames.

Ratbag Chief Executive Officer, Greg Siegele, says the company has further enhanced its proprietary Difference Engine® technology to provide the new game with even greater

Get the Theatre of War 2 Trailer off WP (13mb)

Theatre of War II covers events of 1943, the operations in Tunisia. Recovering from their losses after the crushing defeat and subsequent retreat after the Second Battle of El-Alamein, the German Afrika Korps - reinforced and now supported by the Italian Army - prepare once more to put steel against steel with the Allies. The Axis forces, under the command of the legendary General Erwin Rommel, have an all too brief opportunity to seize victory from the clutches of their earlier failures. However, their military operations were severely prolonged, and

Set some time in the 21st century, a mysterious purple ray hits Earth, turning anyone touched by the light into a monster or zombie. With zombies roaming the streets, unaffected people lucky enough to have been inside a building when the ray hit are anxiously holding their collective breath, waiting for someone to rescue them. As The Last Guy, you are the survivors’ last hope to survive this global crisis. Actually, the hero of the game is himself a zombie from the Himalayan mountains, on a quest to save the remaining humans from the zombies that have infested it.

Go forth

Microsoft Corp. debuted its lineup of ambitious new games for the Xbox® video game system at a pre-Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) media briefing today, wowing a packed house at the Grand Olympic Auditorium with titles that redefine innovation and plug an ever-expanding audience of gamers into the Digital Entertainment Lifestyle.

Sensationally rendered thrillers such as "Halo 2," one of the most ambitious video games ever; the first three Xbox games from Rare Ltd., "Conker: Live and Uncut," "Kameo: Elements of Power" and "Grabbed by the Ghoulies"; and the highly anticipated sequel "Project Gotham Racing® 2" showcased the depth, breadth and quality

Europe, at the beginning of the 20th century: The beautiful dancer Mata Hari has collective manhood at her command. The performances of the native Dutch girl as an oriental nude dancer are an overwhelming success in the unbounded luxury and enjoyment of life of the Belle Epoque.

Mata Hari’s gamy presentations on wild parties of the ‚Belle Époque’ attract influential circles from industry and politics among the attractive Swiss Oscar Samsonet. He concludes that exotic dancer Mata Hari would be perfect for his further plans. Samsonet appeals to her thirst for adventures and baits her with easy money: Mata Hari becomes

Get the Italian Job Trailer off worthplaying (6mb)

The Italian Job is about mastermind thief Charlie Croker (Mark Wahlberg), who pulls off an amazing gold bullion heist from a heavily guarded palazzo in Venice, Italy, only to be double-crossed by one of his crew, Steve (Edward Norton). Seeking revenge, Charlie recruits Stella (Charlize Theron), a beautiful nerves-of-steel safe cracker. Together with his former gang, Charlie and Stella follow the backstabber to California where they plan to re-steal the gold by manipulating traffic signals and creating havoc on the streets of Los Angeles.

A contemporary remake of Paramount's 1969 classic by the

The highlights for The Adventure Company will be Cypher: The Sequel to Traitors Gate and Mysterious Journey II: Chameleon. Several other titles, namely Crystal Key II: The Far Realm, Jack the Ripper, and Forever Worlds will also receive a lot of attention at E3.

E3 2003 Product Lineup

Cypher: The Sequel to Traitors Gate (PC only)
Developed by: 258 Productions AB
Release Date: Fall, 2003

CYPHER: The Sequel to Traitors Gate is an adventure game that combines brain-teasing challenges and broad exploration. The game features rich and beautifully rendered environments with a strong and believable main character, Raven. This heroic figure has a