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Vivendi Universal E3 Line-Up

May 6, 2004, 6:58 pm EDT
Total comments: 1

VU has a huge variety of games on display this year, but only two GameCube games.

VIVENDI UNIVERSAL GAMES ANNOUNCES GLOBAL PRODUCT LINE-UP FOR 2004

ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT EXPO (E3)

VU Games Showcases 18 Multi-Platform Releases, Including:

Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft(tm) and StarCraft: Ghost(tm);

Half-Life(r) 2; Crash(tm) Twinsanity(tm); Spyro(tm): A Hero's Tail(tm);

Van Helsing;

The Chronicles of Riddick(tm): Escape from Butcher Bay and Fight

Club(tm)

LOS ANGELES, May 6, 2004 - Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games) today

announced its multi-platform product line-up for the 2004 Electronic

Entertainment Expo (E3). The company will showcase 18 highly anticipated

titles, including: World of Warcraft(tm) from Blizzard Entertainment,

marking VU Games' entry into the massively multi-player online

role-playing games category, StarCraft: Ghost(tm), a tactical-action

console game set in Blizzard's epic StarCraft(r) universe;

Half-Life(r)2, the sequel to the 1998 PC hit that won more than 50

game-of-the-year awards; Crash(tm) Twinsanity(tm) and Spyro(tm): A

Hero's Tail, the latest installments from two highly successful original

character franchises; Van Helsing(tm) and The Chronicles of Riddick(tm):

Escape from Butcher Bay, titles based on major theatrical releases from

Universal Pictures this spring; and Fight Club(tm), a gritty fighting

game based on the feature film from Fox Filmed Entertainment.

"VU Games will feature an exciting range of highly creative games at E3,

including hit franchise sequels, movie-based games, and new intellectual

properties," said Bruce Hack, CEO of VU Games. "We are showcasing titles

that target the global marketplace across all major console platforms

and the PC and featuring the company's great big, innovative entry into

the MMORPG business from Blizzard."

The titles listed below will be on display at VU Games' E3 booth (#1200)

located in the South Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center (listed

in alphabetical order):

The Chronicles of Riddick(tm): Escape from Butcher Bay

Experience life behind the eyes of Richard B. Riddick as he sets foot

inside Butcher Bay, the toughest prison this side of hell. Set before

the events of both Universal Pictures' upcoming summer release The

Chronicles of Riddick, starring Vin Diesel, and the 2000 cult classic

Pitch Black, the game tells the story of Riddick's dramatic escape from

the previously inescapable triple max security slam Butcher Bay, home to

the most violent prisoners in the galaxy. Featuring the likeness and

voice work of Vin Diesel, the game is played from a primarily

first-person perspective (with special third-person actions). Using

cutting edge normal mapping technology, the game meticulously recreates

the horrors of the prison with vivid realism. To escape, players will

have to make maximum use of the game's stunning environments, including

using shadows, subterfuge and distractions to avoid patrols. Moving and

attacking in darkness is particularly effective for Riddick as his

haunting "eye shine" gives him the ability to see without ambient light.

However, stealth won't serve every situation and players will be able to

take the action up close and personal. As Riddick, players will be able

to sneak up behind enemies and snap necks or fight face to face using

fists, elbows and grapples. Additionally, players will be able to

capture weapons such as shanks, shotguns, or assault rifles and use

these to cut a swath of destruction through anyone who gets in their

way. Riddick will be available in June of 2004 for the Xbox(r) video

game system from Microsoft.

Crash(tm) Twinsanity(tm) (Titled Crash(tm)Unlimited(tm) in Europe and

Asia Pacific)

A new evil has invaded the island paradise of Crash Bandicoot(r), with

plans of destruction. In a strange twist, Crash reluctantly pairs with

his archenemy, Dr. Neo Cortex, in order to save the world. Through this

unorthodox partnership, Cortex is abused as Crash's favorite weapon when

Crash and Cortex are controlled as one in this all-new gameplay

mechanic. Gamers will encounter reactive enemies, fully immersive

environments and a wacky cast of brand new characters in Crash

Bandicoot's craziest and funniest adventure ever. Crash Twinsanity is

scheduled for release third quarter 2004 for the PlayStation(r)2

computer entertainment system and the Xbox(r) video game system from

Microsoft. Outside of North America this game will be titled Crash

Unlimited(tm).

Dark Age of Camelot: Catacombs(tm)

Introducing Dark Age of Camelot: Catacombs(tm) the 3rd expansion pack to

the best-selling, award-winning Dark Age of Camelot(r) massively

multiplayer online role-playing game. You'll discover an underground

city in each of Camelot's three realms, replete with hidden dungeons,

new mysteries, fearsome enemies and catacombs that can be set up to host

private adventures. With new classes and enhancements to character

customization as well, Catacombs brings a whole new world of challenges

to the Dark Age of Camelot fan. Dark Age of Camelot: Catacombs is

scheduled for release in December 2004.

Empire Earth(r) 2

>From the discovery of fire to the technological frontiers of the future,

Empire Earth(r) 2 will serve up worldwide conquest on an epic scale. In

the sequel to GameSpy.com's 2001 "PC Game of the Year," gamers will take

control of a fledgling civilization and strive to forge the greatest of

all empires. Empire Earth 2 builds upon the success of its predecessor

by adding unique units, powers, leaders, and inherent bonuses to all of

the game's 14 different civilizations. The game's new Crown System will

provide temporary, but potent, rewards for players who demonstrate

excellent military, economic, imperialistic, or cultural ability. A war

planning screen will help teammates coordinate their efforts by allowing

them to use a map of the world to diagram troop movements. Multiplayer

competition will feature nine different game types, including new

additions to the series such as "Hot Spots," which force gamers to

capture and hold positions of strategic importance. Lastly, Empire

Earth 2 will include popular player-requested features like recorded

games, improved tournament support, multiplayer co-operative scenarios,

and advanced statistics reporting. Empire Earth 2 will be available the

first half of 2005, for the PC.

Evil Genius(tm)

In this clever and entertaining strategy/life simulation game created by

Elixir Studios, the player assumes the role of a wicked mastermind bent

on achieving global domination through the construction of the ultimate

doomsday device. A tongue-in-cheek take on the 60's spy thriller genre,

Evil Genius(tm) offers the player the chance to be the villain and

control a secret island fortress complete with powerful (and strangely

dressed) henchmen, mindlessly loyal minions and a wide range of

hilarious gizmos. All the everyday tasks of the megalomaniac are

available to experience as players build a secret base, train minions,

gain infamy and notoriety by completing daring missions, toy with the

forces of justice by setting clever traps, torture captives with

ingenious devices, and develop evil super weapons to complete a

nefarious master plan. Evil Genius is scheduled for release in

September of 2004, for the PC.

Fahrenheit(tm)

Fahrenheit(tm) is a spectacular psycho thriller, set in New-York. For no

apparent reason, ordinary people are randomly killing total strangers

with the same ritual and pattern. Lucas Kane becomes one of these

murderers. Finding himself in control of Lucas, the player is haunted by

strange visions and the desperate need to find out what is happening to

him. At the same time he must keep one step ahead of the police,

especially Inspector Carla Valenti and agent Tyler Miles. A constant

interaction with the storyline makes the story change as a result of

your decisions. Fahrenheit gives gamers the unique chance to play both

hunter and hunted, which in turn leads them to speak, explore, interact,

fight and confront unknown dark forces. The final countdown has already

begun. Fahrenheit is scheduled for release winter 2004, on the

PlayStation(r)2 computer entertainment system and PC.

Fight Club(tm)

Players will be immersed in this gritty visceral world of fighting by

playing as one of the many characters from the Fight Club movie. The

extreme realism of the game will have players feel every punch and kick

by delivering shocking visuals of broken bones, blood stained ripped

clothes and real-time facial deformation in fully interactive

environments familiar from the movie scenes. A no-holds-barred

realistic fighter, the game will portray the brutality of street

fighting while encompassing the artistic style, settings, storyline and

characters from the movie with an extremely realistic fighting system

and jaw-dropping special effects. With 3 different fighting styles and

intuitive controls, ability to create fighters and online gameplay, the

game will create a deeply rewarding yet challenging and unique

experience for fighting fans of all levels. Fight Club is scheduled for

release in fourth quarter 2004, on the PlayStation(r)2 computer

entertainment system and Xbox(r) video game system from Microsoft.

Ground Control(r) II: Operation Exodus

Ground Control(r) II is a real-time tactics game set in a gritty

science-fiction universe. It delivers explosively fast game play

focusing on combat tactics with full use of the 3D battlefield. Weather

and other environmental effects also affect the unit's performance on

the battleground. In the war torn year of 2741, Captain Jacob Angelus

of the Northern Star Alliance (NSA) becomes the central figure in the

fight against the warmongering Terran Empire. In an attempt to crush the

NSA permanently, the Terran Empire sends in an alien race of powerful

warriors - the Virons. It soon becomes apparent that the situation is

bleak for the NSA and that their only hope is to embark on an Exodus to

another part of the galaxy. Jacob Angelus must find a way to let his

people survive. Ground Control II: Operation Exodus will be available

in early July 2004, for the PC.

Half-Life(r)2

1998: Half-Life sends a shock through the game industry with its

combination of pounding action and continuous, immersive storytelling.

Valve's debut title wins more than 50 game-of-the-year awards on its way

to being named "Best PC Game Ever" by PC Gamer and launches a franchise

with more than eight million retails units sold worldwide. Now:

Half-Life 2. By taking the suspense, challenge and visceral charge of

the original, and adding startling new realism and responsiveness,

Half-Life 2 opens the door to a world where the player's presence

affects everything around him, from the physical environments to the

behaviors - even the emotions - of both friends and enemies. The player

again picks up the crowbar of research scientist, Gordon Freeman, who

finds himself on an alien-infested Earth being picked to the bone, its

resources depleted, its populace dwindling. Freeman is thrust into the

unenviable role of rescuing the world from the wrong he unleashed back

at Black Mesa. And a lot of people - people he cares about - are

counting on him. The intense, real-time gameplay of Half-Life 2 is made

possible only by Source, Valve's new proprietary engine technology.

Source provides major enhancements in the advanced facial animation

system, physics, graphics and AI. Half-Life 2 will be available for the

PC.

Leisure Suit Larry(tm): Magna Cum Laude

Developed by High Voltage Software, Leisure Suit Larry(tm): Magna Cum

Laude is the coming of age story about Larry Lovage, nephew of Larry

Laffer, the series' original lovable loser. In Magna Cum Laude, Lovage

starts as a pathetic loser enrolled at Community College who spends most

of his time in his dorm room, or on campus striking out with women.

After hearing about a reality TV dating show visiting his college

campus, he resolves to revitalize his life and win. Over the course of

the game, Larry sets out on an epic search for love (or its equivalent)

and finds that things don't always go as planned. The Leisure Suit

Larry videogame franchise began in 1987 with The Land of the Lounge

Lizards, the first of seven games in the series. Since then, the

Leisure Suit Larry games have sold millions of units worldwide and its

games are considered collector items. Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum

Laude will be available in October 2004 for the PlayStation(r)2 computer

entertainment system, the Xbox(r) video game system from Microsoft, and

the PC.

Men of Valor(tm)

Men of Valor(tm) is an historical action experience that portrays

infantry combat during the Vietnam War. Combining the latest Unreal

technology with the gameplay expertise of 2015 (developers of the

award-winning Medal of Honor: Allied Assault), the game immerses the

player in the humid jungles of Southeast Asia in the most controversial

conflict of the modern era. Men of Valor follows an American Marine

through the early stages of the conflict in Vietnam to the Tet

Offensive. Touching on the some of the most familiar scenes of the war

as they exist in the popular imagination, the player guides his group of

fellow soldiers through the hardship and confusion of the battlefield,

bonding with them as they do their duty for their country with the

heroism and valor typical of the American soldier, but unsung during the

turbulent times. Men of Valor will be available in October 2004 for the

Xbox(r) video game system from Microsoft, and the PC.

Predator(tm): Concrete Jungle

Gamers will hunt down their prey in an urban killing zone as they take

on the legendary role of the lethal Predator within this 3rd person

action extravaganza. The intergalactic hunter has its sights set on

Earth in this new console game. In Predator(tm): Concrete Jungle, the

gripping tale of the fearsome alien's history on Earth unfolds between

two separate time periods, first the 1930s and then in the 2030s, as the

Predator embarks on a mission of revenge upon an organized crime empire

and its leader who seek to conquer all Predators. Taking inspiration

from the popular film franchise, the game allows players to roam a vast

city landscape stalking human prey while armed to the teeth with

hunt-adapted vision modes, cloaking technology, and extraterrestrial

weapons of annihilation. Predator: Concrete Jungle will be available in

the fourth quarter 2004 for the PlayStation(r)2 computer entertainment

system, and the Xbox(r) video game system from Microsoft.

Red Ninja: End of Honor(tm)

Red Ninja: End of Honor(tm) is a third person action game that

cohesively blends a variety of game-play features including action,

adventure, stealth, and seduction and fighting. All these elements have

been placed into Japan in the 1500's, here the power of the samurai

class is fading and the use of the Ninja has become necessary to hold

any political power in this chaotic time. Kurenai is a young girl who's

world is destroyed when she and her father are attacked by the deadly

Black Lizard Clan, a group that captures her and brutally hangs her by a

wire and leaves her to die. Miraculously, she survives and is rescued

and adopted into a clan where she obtains complete mastery of her unique

weapon, the Tetsugen (steel wire). Kurenai has pledged her undying

loyalty to her new family. She now lives to avenge her father's death

and will go to any means necessary to destroy the Black Lizard Clan.

Red Ninja: End of Honor is scheduled for release in the Fall of 2004, on

the PlayStation(r)2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox(r) video

game system from Microsoft.

Spyro(tm): A Hero's Tail

Spyro must save the Dragon Realms from the Evil Red Dragon who has

planted light-sapping Dark Gems all over the Dragon Realms in an attempt

to capture and control the world. With the help of his allies, Spyro

must seek out and destroy all of the Dark Gems to return the lands back

to normal and to save the Dragon Realms from the evil dragon's

tyrannical control. Full of brand new dragon powers and abilities,

gadgets, real-time morphing environments and five playable characters, A

Hero's Tail is the greatest Spyro adventure yet! Spyro: A Hero's Tail

is scheduled for release fourth quarter 2004 for the PlayStation(r)2

computer entertainment system, the Xbox(r) video game system from

Microsoft, and Nintendo GameCube(tm).

StarCraft: Ghost(tm)

StarCraft: Ghost(tm), Blizzard Entertainment's upcoming tactical-action

console game, refines the epic experience of StarCraft(r) to the level

of the individual soldier. Engage the StarCraft universe face-to-face as

Nova, a deadly Ghost operative in the employ of the Dominion. With the

help of a determined group of allies, follow story-driven missions that

take you from massive planetary battles through dangerous solo

operations to an unexpected turn of events that leaves the fate of the

universe in your hands. Featuring a revolutionary new style of gameplay

that showcases Nova's physical and psionic abilities, as well as an

arsenal of sophisticated weaponry, off-planet call-downs, and vehicles

straight out of the StarCraft strategy game, StarCraft: Ghost will be

available for the PlayStation(r)2 computer entertainment system, the

Xbox(r) video game system from Microsoft, and the Nintendo GameCube(tm).

Tribes(r): Vengeance

In Tribes(r): Vengeance, the next installment in the Tribes franchise

gamers become immersed in a roiling galactic thriller. Throughout the

game, the player catches glimpses of myriad interrelated stories that

unfold behind-the-scenes and is given the opportunity to experience the

full scope of the single-player story through multiple viewpoints and

characters. Utilizing the Vengeance Engine powered by Unreal technology,

the world is brought to life with characters that have facial

expressions and fully-realized personalities, vehicles that kick up dust

as they pass by, and weapons that display spectacular effects. Tribes:

Vengeance will also build upon the Tribes series' legendary online

multiplayer action by continuing to focus on team-oriented goals and

fluid movement. Developer Irrational Games has hired one of the Tribes

community's leading developers to head up the design and creation of the

game's multiplayer component. Particular focus is being given to making

Tribes: Vengeance easily accessible to the video game modification (MOD)

community. Irrational Games and VU Games have worked together to ensure

that Tribes: Vengeance's game modification tools are easily accessible

and robust. Tribes: Vengeance will be available in the fourth quarter

of 2004, for the PC.

Van Helsing(tm)

Van Helsing, the third-person action game, transports players to a new

world of fantastical reality set in 19th century Transylvania - home to

the legendary Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and the Wolf Man. As the

renowned monster hunter Van Helsing, players must hunt down and destroy

the evil that inhabits these ancient lands before darkness engulfs the

world. As players progress through Transylvania and the strongholds of

Castle Frankenstein and Castle Dracula, they'll encounter untold fiends

and evil minions including the legendary dark prince Dracula,

Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolf Man and Igor as well as a host of

original creatures created for the game including stone gargoyles, fell

spirits and banshees. Van Helsing will be available May 7th for the

PlayStation(r)2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox(r) video game

system from Microsoft, and Nintendo's Game Boy(r) Advance.

World of Warcraft(tm)

In World of Warcraft, Blizzard Entertainment's upcoming online

role-playing experience set in the award-winning Warcraft(r) universe,

three years have passed since the aftermath of Warcraft III: The Frozen

Throne(tm), and a great tension now smolders throughout the ravaged

world of Azeroth. As the battle-worn races begin to rebuild their

shattered kingdoms, new threats, both ancient and ominous, arise to

plague the world once again. Being "massively multiplayer," World of

Warcraft allows players to assume the roles of Warcraft heroes and

interact with thousands of other players online as they explore,

adventure, and quest across a vast world. Whether adventuring together

or fighting against each other in epic battles, players will form

friendships, forge alliances, and compete with enemies for power and

glory. World of Warcraft is being developed for PC and Mac and is

currently in the closed-beta phase of testing.

Behind-Closed-Doors - By Appointment Only:

VU Games and Monolith Productions will provide the media a sneak peek of

the latest action-packed project from the developer that created

award-winning games like Aliens vs. Predator(tm) 2, the No One Lives

Forever(tm) franchise and Tron(r)2.0. This project might be described

as The Matrix meets The Ring, an intense close-quarters combat

experience with rich atmosphere and an engaging story presented entirely

in first person.

Talkback

KDR_11kMay 06, 2004

Evil Genius is the only one out of those that I'm really waiting for...

Got a news tip? Send it in!
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