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

Halo is a sci-fi shooter that takes place on a mysterious alien ring-world. Packed with combat, Halo will have you battling on foot, and in vehicles, inside and outdoors with Alien and Human weaponry. Your objective: to uncover Halos horrible secrets and destroy mankinds sworn enemy, the Covenant.

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Virtual-On Marz (PS2)

Mech combat meets street brawling in a lightning-fast weapon-intensive arena-based Battle Royal. As a member of “Marz,” a Robotic Special Forces unit, players are thrust into the pilot’s seat of a giant mech known as a Virtuaroid (VR), an immensely capable machine built specifically for combat. Blasting through a variety of missions on various planets, players will set out to defeat enemy VRs, locate new areas, attack enemy locations and convoys, defend allied bases, and fight alongside other VRs in explosive 2-on-2 battles. Along the way, rival characters will appear, gigantic boss enemies will attack, and headquarters continuously

Red Faction 2 (PlayStation 2)

Alter Echo (PlayStation 2 XBOX)

MX Superfly (PS2

"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

"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

Tantalus Interactive today announced an impressive line-up of titles to be premiered at this year’s E3. Four Tantalus games will make their mark at the show, a noteworthy achievement given that Tantalus is comprised of less than forty developers working out of Melbourne, Australia. Since its establishment in 1994, Tantalus has released close to twenty games, including the highly successful Manx TT Superbike on Saturn and more recently Space Race on PlayStation2.

Spearheading the Tantalus charge this E3 is Top Gear Rally on Game Boy Advance, a ground breaking racing title that looks set to rate as the best in its

American Conquest

Blitzkrieg

Cossacks: Back To War

Coassacks II: Napoleonic Wars

SEGA’s legendary mascot Sonic The Hedgehog® makes his historic multi-platform debut and embarks on his biggest adventure ever, with his trademark blazing speed and a new gameplay twist in “Sonic Heroes.” Sonic and his friends have evolved, adopting a configuration feature that lets gamers control three playable characters simultaneously, using Sonic’s speed, Knuckles’ power, and Tails’ ability to fly, to conquer massive worlds. This team-based gameplay marks the next evolution in Sonic’s gaming career, taking platform gaming to a completely new level. Using the three formations and the powerful moves that each team member has, Sonic and his friends combine

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.

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