MICROSOFT RELEASES
XMAS GAMES CHARGE
Copyright 2002 Microsoft Corp Press Release
[ November 5th 2002 ]
With
18 of the world's most wanted games heading only
to Xbox by the end of the year and almost 200
in all, it's going to be a green Christmas in
Europe. Titles like Splinter Cell, Blinx, Sega
GT 2002, and the Live-enabled Unreal Championship,
and Mech Assault have tantalised gamers for months,
and they're almost here – but only for Xbox gamers.
The power of Xbox makes these games a giant step
forward, but it also means that Xbox is the only
console powerful enough to make them possible.
Xbox-exclusive
games have already been receiving awards and accolades.
From Splinter Cell (ECTS Game of the Show 2002)
to Blinx ("It's so rare for a game to be this
inventive, to have such a unique feel, and to
be so intriguing.[1]") to Mech Assault (one of
the first games to utilise Xbox Live), these titles
combine great graphics with intuitive and innovative
gameplay to truly push the power of Xbox into
new directions.
Christmas
isn't the end of the flow of great exclusive games
for Xbox. Following hot on the heels of the Christmas
titles are games like Dead to Rights, Panzer Dragoon
Orta, Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, Toejam
and Earl III: All Funked Up, and Star Wars: Knights
of the Old Republic, all due by the end of March
and exclusive to Xbox. In total, 36 Xbox-exclusive
games will be released in the period between September
2002 and June 2003. Almost 200 games will be available
in total for Xbox by the end of the year. Multi-platform
franchises such as FIFA 2003, 007: Nightfire,
Timesplitters 2 and Colin McRae Rally 3 are here
for Christmas and are better on Xbox, due to enhanced
features like powerful graphics, a hard disc for
faster game access and deeper gameplay, and Dolby
5.1 surround sound.
"It's
never been a better time to be a gamer, specifically
an Xbox gamer," said Michel Cassius, Director,
European Publishing. "Eighteen of the world's
most wanted games are available this Christmas
- but only Xbox gamers will be able to experience
the excitement. These exclusives join an already-strong
portfolio of titles, the breadth and depth of
which is especially remarkable since Xbox has
not yet even reached its one-year anniversary
in Europe. The games portfolio is a great reason
why Xbox is the best-value video game system available
today.
For one
thing it's what you get out of the box," said
Cassius. "Xbox comes with a hard drive built in,
a broadband adapter built in, and the most advanced
graphics and sound capabilities ever seen in a
console. Those capabilities are what make these
exclusive titles possible only on Xbox, and that's
why you won't see them on any other platform this
Christmas. It's clear Xbox is the best value available
in gaming, with the broadest and deepest portfolio
of games."
Christmas
Exclusives The line-up of Xbox-only games this
Christmas offers something for every gamer - from
driving to action/adventure to sport titles, each
game has been designed with Xbox in mind to deliver
groundbreaking game experiences. Games from Microsoft
Game Studios:
Blinx:
"To label this game "original" doesn't cover the
half of it", said the critics, and Blinx truly
does push the platform genre into new directions
with its innovative time control system. MechAssault:
"Life as a 100-foot-tall mech robot is great fun,"
said gaming press, and it's even more fun when
battling other 100-foot-tall mech robots via Xbox
Live.
MechAssault
is a 3rd-person action/shooter, where environments
are not only fully destructible, they're your
weapons.
Quantum
Redshift: Quantum Redshift is a futuristic racing-combat
game with mind melding graphics and fast action,
where you battle for victory in the ultimate tournament
of speed and daring.
In addition
to games from Xbox, there's a host of exclusive
titles this Christmas from third-party publishers
- all built from the ground up to take advantage
of Xbox - including: Splinter Cell (Ubi Soft):
Putting the gamer into the shoes of an anti-terrorist
commando.
Splinter
Cell (recently named Game of the Show at ECTS
2002 and console-exclusive to Xbox this Christmas)
features incredibly realistic environments and
deep gameplay that pushes the Xbox hardware into
new gaming directions. Unreal Championship (Infogrames):
"The best-looking blast to date heads exclusively
to Xbox," said gaming press, and it's going online
via Xbox Live.
Unreal
Championship offers explosive gameplay and amazing
graphics, and offers it online via Xbox Live -
it's an experience action addicts have been craving.
SEGA
GT 2002(Sega): "To put it simply, whether you're
well into cars or simply fancy a quick race once
in a while, you're going to love this game!" said
the press about SEGA GT 2002. The game features
more than 100 current and classic high performance
vehicles, created using the exact handling and
performance specifications from their real-life
counterparts. With astounding vehicle control,
incredibly deep gameplay and multiple modes to
conquer, Sega GT 2002 is one of the most realistic
driving experiences available, and it's only on
Xbox.
Championship
Manager 02/03 (EIDOS): Championship Manager 02/03
updates the most successful football manager simulation
series with current team and player data as well
as an all new transfer system. Xbox is the only
console that can handle the complex and deep gameplay
offered by the Championship Manager series.
Other
third-party games that are console-exclusive to
Xbox include: Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller (Sega);
Deathrow (Ubi Soft); Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
(Ubi Soft); Transworld Snowboarding (Infogrames);
and WWE Raw (THQ)
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