REDMOND, Wash.
March 13, 2001 The worlds top video and computer game artists
provided a sneak preview today of how they are turning dreams into games at Microsoft®
Gamestock 2001. Using the unrivaled technological power of the Xbox video
game system and utilizing their industry-leading expertise in PC games development,
Microsofts developers showcased the companys lineup of Xbox and PC games, due
to be released later this year.
"At this years Gamestock, the industrys top game artists reveal how
they are taking video console and PC gaming to new creative heights and broadening the
enthusiasm for gaming to even larger audiences around the world," said Ed Fries, vice
president of games publishing at Microsoft. "The Microsoft-published games featured
today build on a core of great gameplay by adding a strong story, great characters and by
trying to reach our audience on an emotional level as well as an intellectual one."
Microsoft also announced that Liverpool, England based Bizarre Creations has joined the
long list of world-class design studios agreeing to create exclusive games for the Xbox
video game system. "We are delighted to welcome Bizarre to the Xbox family,"
Fries said. "They love to push the bounds of whats possible in video gaming,
which makes them a perfect fit for Xbox." Bizarre is best known for its critically
acclaimed racing titles such as Formula 1 and Formula 1 97 Championship
Edition.
At Gamestock, Microsoft showcased its premier lineup of Xbox games. In Oddworld: Munchs Oddysee,
leading games artist Lorne Lanning creates a completely unique action/adventure
experience for gamers as they travel through vibrant worlds featuring the popular duo,
"Abe" and "Munch." Sci-Fi fans will be enthralled with the creations
of developer Jason Jones in Halo, where stunning visuals and intense
action will provide a one-of-a-kind video game experience. Meanwhile, rising artists Jeff
Petkau and Jon Mavor combine to showcase their visionary talents with stunning graphics on
Azurik Rise of Perathia,
one of the deepest and most immersive 3-D action/adventure games for the Xbox.
PC gaming fans will be delighted with the works of such renowned game developers as
Chris Taylor, Dungeon Siege; Alex Garden, Sigma: The Adventures of Rex
Chance; and Mitch Gitelman, MechCommander2. Taylor blows away
anything previously experienced in a role-playing game by giving players unlimited
resources in Dungeon Siege. In Sigma, Garden expands the real-time
strategy genre by allowing players to create their own units consisting of entirely new
species by blending the best parts of any two animals on the planet. And in MechCommander
2, Gitelman satisfies the desires of real-time strategy gamers while still appealing
to the hundreds-of-thousands of worldwideMech fans with his latest
installment. Sim fans will soar to new heights with Flight Simulator 2002,
while others will be able to see the world without leaving their homes in Train
Simulator.
On Xbox, sports fans will finally be able to experience their favorite sports as if
they were actually in the game, instead of being an observer on the sidelines. In NFL
Fever 2002, developer Pat Cook presents the most stunningly realistic players and
settings ever seen on a video game system. And Carl Schnurr will delight expert and novice
snowboarders alike with Amped:
Freestyle Snowboarding, simply the most realistic snowboarding title ever
created that allows players to perform the most radical tricks possible on real mountains.