LONDON, — Xbox today announced the line-up of Xbox Live-enabled games
that will be available when Xbox Live officially launches on 14th March. With
six great games to choose from, gamers have no shortage of opportunities to
begin building their legend on Xbox Live.

As well as the special demo versions of “MechAssault“,
“MotoGP” and “Whacked!”
included in the Xbox Live Starter Kit, the following Xbox Live online-enabled
games will be available at retail on 14th March:

  • “MechAssault” (Microsoft Game Studios)
  • “Unreal Championship” (Infogrames Inc)
  • “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon” (Ubi Soft Entertainment)
  • “Whacked!” (Microsoft Game Studios)
  • “NFL Fever 2003” (Microsoft Game Studios)
  • “Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO” (Capcom)

In addition, the following Xbox games, also available on the 14th March, offer
downloadable content via Xbox Live:

  • “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cellâ„¢” (Ubi Soft
    Entertainment)
  • “ToeJam and Earl III: Mission to Earth” (Sega
    Europe)
  • “MX Superfly” (THQ)

Here’s a little run down on each of the Live titles that will be available
at launch in the UK. . . .

Live-enabled Games:

“MechAssault” (Microsoft Game Studios). In “MechAssaultâ„¢,”
players pilot the most powerful weapon of the 31st century, a 40-foot-tall walking
tank known as a BattleMech. In this third-person action game, players can destroy
every structure in the world. Players choose from 10 BattleMechs, ranging from
quick 30-tonners to menacing 100-ton war machines, all with different weapon
configurations and armament. Players will challenge themselves in more than
20 single-player missions. “MechAssault” also launches as one of the
premier titles on Xbox Live. Players can enjoy an onslaught of high-intensity
multiplayer action, with enough downloadable content to keep the destruction
fresh for a long time to come.

“Unreal Championship” (Infogrames Inc.). The latest
addition to the “Unreal” universe will immerse console gamers in the
adrenaline-packed first-person frag-fest that has revolutionised PC gaming.
Designing the game specifically for Xbox and the Xbox controller, developer
Digital Extremes has incorporated console-specific features such as joypad-activated
special moves, double jumps and power-ups to keep gamers glued to their couches
with knuckle-whitened tension.

“Tom Clancy’s Ghost Reconâ„¢” (Ubi Soft Entertainment).
Eastern Europe, 2008. War has broken out on the borders of Russia, and the fate
of the world hangs in the balance. That’s when the call goes out for the Ghosts:
an elite handful of specially trained Green Berets, armed with the latest technology
and trained to use the deadliest weapons. Their mission: Spearhead the way for
a NATO peacekeeping force and keep the lid on the conflict before it mushrooms.
Live play encourages communication between you and your squad – even if
they live around the world.

“Whacked!” (Microsoft Game Studios). “Whacked!”
is a fast and furious combat game in which eight demented contestants are pitted
against each other in the world’s most irreverent and dangerous game show. When
contestants take the stage, all hell breaks loose as free-for-all combat ensues.
Contestants must use power-ups and zany weapons such as giant staplers and rubber-ducky
grenades to flatten their opponents to win a once-in-a-lifetime grand prize.

“NFL Fever 2003” (Microsoft Game Studios). Easy
to pick up and start playing, “NFL Fever 2003″ delivers all the action
and excitement of the National Football League, allowing gamers to create, play
Live and control their ultimate NFL team. With the opportunity to earn all the
accolades and honours of an NFL superstar, “NFL Fever 2003″ challenges
hard-core football fans and gamers to be the best in the world. The realism
and gameplay of “NFL Fever 2003″ provide gamers and football fans
with the ultimate NFL experience.

“Capcom vs.SNK 2 EO” – (Capcom). It’s the ultimate
clash of the fighting champions. The two heavyweights of the 2D beat-em-up genre
squaring up once again for the biggest fight of them all. In the red corner
is Capcom, developers of the greatest fighting series of all time – Streetfighter,
and in the blue corner we have SNK home to the phenomenally successful King
of Fighters series. Get ready to take on the world in this brawl buster of epic
proportions.

Games with downloadable content:

“Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cellâ„¢” (Ubi Soft Entertainment).
“Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell” has won numerous awards, including the
E3 Game Critics Award for best action game and the ECTS overall best game of
the show award. The tension-filled stealth action espionage thriller also earned
the highest game review score ever given by Official Xbox Magazine, a 9.6, which
earned it an Editor’s Choice Award. Downloadable content of this game will be
available for Xbox Live.

“ToeJam and Earl III: Mission to Earth” (Sega Europe).
ToeJam and Earl III delivers a comic adventure of cosmic proportions, blending
phat beats, risquè humour and truckloads of attitude into one seriously
funkified quest to save the universe. The game also features special downloadable
characters and additional levels via Xbox Live.

“MX Superfly” – (THQ). Racing and freestyle explode
with the latest instalment in the number one MX videogame franchise. MX Superfly
brings the attitude of the sport to life with huge jumps, death defying tricks
and the true moto psychos of the world! Access new rides and two new tracks
via Xbox Live.

About Xbox Live
Xbox Live is the first comprehensive, online game service fully dedicated to
fast-action broadband gaming experiences. Xbox Live will allow gamers to play
multiplayer Xbox games with other gamers everywhere via a broadband Internet
connection. With a built-in hard drive and Ethernet port, the Xbox console was
built from the ground up to be an online gaming system so there’s no need to
buy additional peripherals.

Xbox Live will enable all gamers to find and play with their friends easily;
talk to other players during game play through the Xbox Communicator headset;
and download current statistics, new levels and characters to their Xbox hard
drive.

About Xbox
Xbox (http://www.xbox.com/) is Microsoft’s
future-generation video game system that delivers never before seen gameplay
experiences. With more than three times the graphics performance of other game
consoles, top-quality DVD playback, Dolby 5.1 surround sound to make games and
movies come alive, and a hard disc that opens up new kinds of gameplay, Xbox
is the video game system that delivers more of what gamers want. Xbox is now
available in Europe for an estimated street price of €249.99/£159.99.

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader
in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing.
The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower
people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.

 

Filed under: Xbox Live

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