New Xbox games on the horizon

From...

by Atomic Dawg

(IDG) -- The recent Xbox unveiling at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was not an all-hardware event. Activision and THQ made launch title announcements, and the latest demos of Malice by Argonaut Games and Munch's Oddysee by Oddworld were on hand to show what the Xbox will be able to do.

Activision finally came clean on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2x for Xbox. The game's slated to ship among the first wave of launch titles in 2001. Although the game is not at the demo stage yet, Activision is looking to add online features to the skateboarding gameplay, including multiplayer contests and tournament hosting.

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In another not-surprising-but-cool announcement, THQ acknowledged that it is targeting WWF Raw Is War as part of its initial Xbox launch lineup. The Rock himself was onstage to help Bill Gates promo the new Xbox design, and although he didn't mention the game specifically, he and 35 WWF superstars are slated to make the WWF Raw Is War show. A few tidbits were leaked about the game that will only have meaning to wrestling game freaks. This time you can actually grab onto an opponent's clothing, making grappling even more realistic. Gamers should also look for audience interaction and reaction when the fight spills out of the ring and into the stands.

While much has already been reported about Munch, Oddworld's Munch's Oddysee was one of the featured Xbox games demoed at the Las Vegas event. According to Microsoft the Xbox demo system was only running at 1/5 the power that the final unit will be capable of producing; however, Oddysee still looked awesome. The character graphics were amazingly sharp, even when the gameplay view zoomed in for an eyeball close-up, and the dynamic lighting effects caused by Slig weapons-fire were very tight.

Malice: A Dark and Comic Fiery Tale by Argonaut Games also made a good showing for itself. This odd action/adventure game stars a character named Alice who swings a sort of high-tech hammer that she can turn into a creative variety of tools and weapons. Alice is on a 30-level quest to defeat an ancient Fire God, and she must evolve into different forms to accomplish this challenge. This early demo showcased great-looking, Toy Story quality character graphics.

Malice, Munch's Oddysee, WWF: Raw Is War, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2x join Microsoft's own Halo on the growing list of Xbox launch titles.

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Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2x for Xbox
(GamePro.com)
Microsoft, Intel cozy up to consumers
(The Industry Standard)
Microsoft to demo Xbox gaming system
(InfoWorld.com)
Show brings the gadget world to Las Vegas
(IDG.net)
Xbox to bring 5,000 jobs to Hungary
(GamePro.com)
Xbox's sound
(GamePro.com)
Microsoft pushes into $20 billion videogame market
(The Industry Standard)
Microsoft ships Xbox developer kits
(IDG.net)

Microsoft

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