Gamestock roundup

Every year Microsoft hosts a sparkling event to show off all of its upcoming games titles. Previous years have been somewhat quiet affairs, but now, as Microsoft ramps up the PR machine for the release of its uber-console, the X-box, things are

Every year Microsoft hosts a sparkling event to show off all of its upcoming games titles. Previous years have been somewhat quiet affairs, but now, as Microsoft ramps up the PR machine for the release of its uber-console, the X-box, things are bigger and brighter. Journalists have been flown in from all over the world to chat with developers, get the dirt on how the latest titles are developing, and, most of all, play the newest, hottest games around. Here's what we've seen so far.

Top of the list would have to be Bungie's Halo, shown off this time around not as a movie but as a working game on an X-box prototype. Gameplay looks as smooth as all of the movies we've been watching for months suggest, though the one time PC-only game will first be released on Microsoft's console. Dungeon Siege is another game convention star that's been waxing for some time, and it too is looking bigger and better. Chris Taylor, the game's designer, is looking to blend stunning 3D action with Diablo-style gameplay, along with player-editable mapping and an intuitive interface - a real gem for all you dungeon-bashers out there.

MechCommander 2 is also shaping up to be something special. The sequel eschews the isometric viewpoint of the previous title, instead offering aspiring commanders a wide range of truly stupendous 3D terrain and 'mechs. It looks so good that it really is quite difficult to spot the difference between Mechwarrior 4 and MechCommander 2. Other titles continuing proud traditions include Microsoft Flight Sim 2002 and Zoo Tycoon, from the same people who brought you the strangely popular Roller Coaster Tycoon.

On the console front, things look just as good. Apart from Halo, you can look forward to Amped, a snowboarding sim to beat all snowboarding sims, with entire mountains rendered for your thrashing pleasure. Staying with a sporting theme, NFL Fever 2002, which features arguably one of the best sporting AIs ever - and it looks good too. Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee and Azurik push 3D adventure gaming into new and colourful places, while the game codenamed Project Gotham should keep racing fans happy.

Still, for my money, the game to hang out for is Halo. Of course, how long we'll have to wait for a PC version is yet to be known, and no doubt Microsoft is hoping that anticipation of Halo will be amongst the driving factors of X-box take up. We'll wait patiently for both the console and the game, as well as everything else that Microsoft is touting at GameStock, and let you know as soon as they reach the atomic offices.
Microsoft Games