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:

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.

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

American Conquest

Blitzkrieg

Cossacks: Back To War

Coassacks II: Napoleonic Wars

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

"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

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”

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