Enchanted Arms

Genre: RPG
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: From Software
Release Date: August 2006

Come On, What Was Wrong with [eM] -eNCHANT arM-?

Horse armor and wizards' towers won't keep Oblivion players saddled up forever. Well, maybe they will, but at some point, you'll need to take a breather and find something other than shutting down Oblivion Gates to do with your Xbox 360 role-playing time. Excellent RPG alternatives remain scarce, much as they always were on the original Xbox, so it was disappointing to find the Enchanted Arms demo station somewhat under-mobbed next to the tangle of squirming E3 attendees trying

Play the ultimate doubles game with the biggest names in tennis! Join #1 ranked Roger Federer, the world famous Maria Sharapova, and over a dozen other well known and up-and-coming tennis stars in the smashing follow-up to the popular Smash Court series!

Learn how to play from the pros – each one plays with their real-life styles. Don’t want to use Martina Hingis and her All-Rounder style? Once you perfect your approach shot, try your skill at one of the inventive mini games, or take aim for the #1 spot on the Pro Tour. Any way you slice it, Smash Court

Genre: Rhythm/Music
Publisher: MTV Games
Developer: Harmonix
Release Date: September 2008

Rock Band launched at the end of 2007 to great hype and anticipation, quickly becoming the holiday gift for those who could afford the hefty price tag ($169.99). Garnering an average of 93% at Metacritic and moving over three million units, it would seem that MTV Games' gamble has paid off. Coming this September is the inevitable sequel, Rock Band 2, and the devs have taken fan feedback into account to figure out how to optimize the hardware and software experience.

First thing's first — the

Genre: 2-D Platformer
Publisher: Number None
Developer: Number None
Release Date: Q3 2008

At just about every turn, Braid thumbs its nose at your expectations.

To hear one describe it, you'd think that it's all been done before, but the approach in this 2-D platformer title is fresh and new. The player journeys through a series of five worlds in Braid, collecting puzzle pieces along the way. The platforming sequences pay homage to everyone's inspiration, Super Mario Bros. — right down to a creature coming out of the castle at the end and proclaiming, "I'm sorry, but the

Genre: RPG
Publisher: Bethesda
Developer: Bethesda
Release Date: Fall 2008

For those unfamiliar with the awesome Fallout world setting, imagine that the future we had pictured in the '50s had actually come true. Household robots and ray beams exist, and there is still that bizarre '50s sense of misogyny and racism that is somehow both hilarious and offensive at the same time. Unfortunately, one of the other big '50s predictions — the entire world would blow the crap out of each other in a nuclear war — also came true. Most of the world is a

In this groundbreaking role-playing adventure game from Big Blue Box and Lionhead Studios, your every action determines your character's skills, appearance and morality. Your character's life story is created from childhood through to adulthood and on to old age. Grow from an inexperienced child into the most powerful being in the world, spoken of by all and immortalized in legend. Choose the path of righteousness, or dedicate your life to evil, and see yourself transform into a reflection of your actions and decisions. Age leaves you wizened and battle leaves you scarred.

With experience comes advancement and physical change, whether it

Gaming's notoriously naughty squirrel - Conker - arrives on Xbox with a bang in an all-new Xbox LiveTM enabled team-based shooter, "Conker: Live and Reloaded." Featuring intense deathmatch and campaign storyline modes via Xbox Live and system link, players can compete as one of six combat specialists across multi-mission campaigns covering Old War and Future War. The warfare promises to deliver the non-stop action, humor, gratuitous violence and innuendo Conker is famous for.

Also included is the critically acclaimed single-player game, "Conker's Bad Fur Day," completely recreated for the Xbox with stunning graphics and unparalleled attitude.

Before there were roofs overhead, there were dank, dark caves echoing with the grunts of their prehistoric inhabitants. Before organized crops and farming, every new fruit and berry picked off the tree could either be sweet, delicious sustenance - or deadly poison. Every roar in the distance necessitated tribal unity; every rock shard and broken stick could be a weapon; every flame needed to be preserved. Before there was history, there was "BC."

"BC" is an original third-person action/adventure game that hurtles players back millions of years to the beginnings of humankind. Members of a tribe take part in an epic

The epic saga continues with "Halo 2," the much anticipated sequel to the highly successful and critically acclaimed game "Halo: Combat Evolved." In this sequel, the battle comes to Earth, and Master Chief, a genetically enhanced super soldier, is the only thing standing between the relentless alien Covenant and the destruction of all humankind.

Pushing the Xbox hardware to its very limits, "Halo 2" will expand on everything that made the original game great, plus add a wealth of technological and gameplay advances. Significantly improved graphics, enhanced AI, destructible and interactive environments, and an advanced real-time lighting engine are just a

Microsoft Corp. is introducing a series of enhancements for its Xbox videogame system, including music software and online-gaming options that underscore the software giant's plans to use videogames to move more broadly into digital entertainment, Tuesday's Wall Street Journal reported.

Presenting to members of the videogame industry assembled for a convention here this week, Microsoft described software that can let consumers record, mix and organize digital music on the Xbox. The company also announced enhancements to its online-gaming service, called Xbox live, that lets players set up online games and check scores from their personal computers and cell phones as well

Aquanox 2 (PC)

Chaser (PC)

Cold Zero (PC)

You are the leader of an elite squad of Republic Commandos, your mission is to infiltrate, dominate, and ultimately, annihilate the enemy.

Steel Battalion: Line of Contact gives players the opportunity to once again use the most elaborate controller interface ever created to partake in futuristic military warfare. Ultra realistic visual effects and mech battles in the first or third person perspective create the ultimate mechanized military combat experience.

Comic-styled characters have exactly that – character, each animated down to the individual finger bone. But there's nothing comic about the way they do battle with the player, pairing up in teams to deliver one of the freshest racing game AIs ever seen.

Its water technology is making waves too, leading to the most attractive recreation of the sloshing wet-stuff yet seen in a game. Highly optimised Environment-Mapped Bump-Mapping (EMBM) technology provides the sparkle and reflections, while physics leads to waves interacting in ways that deliver unique gameplay for every level and floating objects that react in a convincing

"TRINITY brings an all new intensity and cinematic quality to the first-person action genre," states Larry Goldberg, executive vice president, Activision Worldwide Studios. "Run-and-gun gameplay takes on a whole new dimension when players can warp around the map in the blink of an eye, see through walls and tackle enemies with deadly acrobatic manoeuvres."

As the "Nightstalker," players possess an incredible array of enhanced bio-technical and neurological abilities including special "Flash" powers that enable the character to jump, run and fight with

Using the latest Unreal Technology from Epic Games, developer Zombie Games is creating an ultra-realistic game world spanning Middle Eastern cities and towns to the secret military bases in the frozen backcountry of Russia to other global hotspots in the Philippines, Bosnia and Western Europe.

Game Features

• Various single player gameplay challenges, such as hostage rescue, demolition and body guard
• Fight alongside (and sometimes against) international special forces from the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, France and Germany
• Approximately 20

Genre: Fighting
Developer: Nihilistic Software/EA Canada
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release Date: October 2005

When Electronic Arts first announced what was formerly known as their Marvel vs. EA project some months back, to say that fans—both of comics and of fighting games--were skeptical was an understatement. Already, EA was fighting a losing battle with popularity; the X-Men aside, the last time Marvel characters had been in a fighting game was Marvel vs. Capcom 2. A lot of people had been perfectly happy with that title, and had long awaited a sequel to it. This license (along with Capcom quitting the

Sail the Caribbean, marauding all on the high seas or ally your ship and crew as a privateer in search of riches - the life you choose is up to you. Face dogged enemies, raid unsuspecting villages, woo fair maidens, avoid capture or dig for buried treasure. Discover what it takes to become one of the most famous pirates in history!

Genre: Action/Puzzle
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Developer: Namco Bandai
Release Date: Fall 2007

No seismic shift occurred between the original Katamari Damacy and We Love Katamari for the PlayStation 2, and the PSP iteration, Me & My Katamari, did little to disrupt the balance of simplistic gameplay and quirky storytelling established back in 2004. Beautiful Katamari for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 looks to continue this trend of complacency, expanding the role of the multiplayer game while generally maintaining the same style and feel of its predecessors.

As in previous Katamari entries, the name of the game is

"Halo 2" is the sequel to the highly successful and critically acclaimed game "Halo: Combat Evolved." In "Halo 2," the saga continues as Master Chief, a genetically enhanced supersoldier, is the only thing standing between the relentless Covenant and the destruction of all humankind.

Pushing the Xbox hardware to its very limits and utilizing Xbox Live in a way that Bungie believes will redefine online play, "Halo 2" will expand on everything that made the original game great. At its heart a compelling and captivating story, "Halo 2" makes revolutionary advances in design and technology.

Released in November 2001, "Halo:

id Software and Activision, Inc. confirmed today that id Software's DOOM 3, the most anticipated game of the year, is headed to the Xbox video game system from Microsoft. Built on id's revolutionary new 3D graphics engine, DOOM 3 draws players into the most terrifying and riveting 3D gaming experience ever created. id Software and Activision will feature a new trailer of the PC version at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, beginning Wednesday, May 14, in Activision's booth #1224 in the South Hall.

SOULCALIBUR II

SOULCALIBUR®II is the ultimate sequel to one of the most revered weapons-based fighters of all time. Set for release in August 2003, the game will be available on the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the Nintendo GameCube and the Xbox . More than 15 warriors, both familiar and new will battle each other in search of Soul Edge - including a character named Necrid, created by Todd McFarlane exclusively for the home console versions. Also, each console will have special guest characters exclusive to that platform, such as Tekken's Heihachi for PlayStation 2, The Legend of Zelda's Link for the

Genre: Racing
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Turn 10
Release: October 29, 2009

I didn't know what to expect at the Forza Motorsport 3 demo at E3, and not only because I haven't played the previous two iterations, but because we weren't actually told beforehand that the hush-hush appointment would be the Forza 3 demo. After checking out the game and chatting with one of the lead designers, though, Forza 3 certainly looks to be an impressive piece of work.

The developer immediately set forth the very interesting argument that there is no such thing as "arcade" versus "simulation"