LOS ANGELES — May 9, 2006 — Today at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Microsoft Corp. and top publishers worldwide unveiled the highly anticipated games lineup for the Microsoft® Windows® and Windows Vista™ operating systems. Microsoft also announced plans to bring the Xbox Live® game and entertainment network to the Windows platform.

Microsoft Game Studios and other leading publishers, including Electronic Arts Inc., NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., THQ Inc. and Funcom, will provide groundbreaking gameplay experiences for Windows Vista gamers across numerous genres, including role-playing games (RPGs), first-person shooter (FPS), real-time strategy (RTS), massively multiplayer online (MMO) and simulation. The showcase lineup for Windows Vista will include the following games:

• “Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures” (Funcom) is an online action-RPG with a mix of a deep, story-driven single-player experience and massive and brutal multiplayer end game, bringing to life the ultimate representation of the “Age of Conan.”
 
• “Alan Wake” (Microsoft Game Studios) is a psychological action thriller from Remedy Entertainment Ltd. Cited as one of the best titles of E3 2005, “Alan Wake” introduces a deeply engaging and suspenseful story line in a free-roaming open world that invites players to unravel the riveting plot and experience intense combat that combines the use of light with more conventional weapons.
 
• “Company of Heroes” (THQ) is a World War II RTS from Relic Entertainment, the creators of game-of-the-year winners “Homeworld” and “Dawn of War,” that brings the cinematic intensity and dynamic battlefields of World War II to life through a truly visceral gaming experience.
 
• “Crysis” (EA) is an original FPS based on new intellectual property developed by Crytek, the makers of the award-winning “Far Cry.” In Crysis™, players battle an invading alien force in a number of environments against a backdrop of rising international tension and rivalries.
 
• “Flight Simulator X” (Microsoft Game Studios) is the 10th edition of the popular simulator that immerses players in a beautifully rich and realistic world, offering gamers a completely new and innovative experience with dozens of new aircraft, scenario-based missions and spectacular graphics.
 
• “Halo® 2 for Windows Vista” (Microsoft Game Studios), the game that redefined first-person combat and multiplayer action for millions of gamers worldwide, is set to explode onto Windows Vista.
 
• “Hellgate: London” (NAMCO BANDAI Games America) is an action-RPG that combines the depth of third-person role-playing games with the action of first-person shooters. Developed by Flagship Studios Inc., which includes the creators of the revolutionary “Diablo” series, the game offers infinite playability through dynamically generated levels, items, enemies and events.
 
• “Shadowrun” (Microsoft Game Studios) brings the Microsoft vision of “Live Anywhere” to life. “Shadowrun™” from FASA Studio is the first cross-platform game for Xbox 360™ and Windows Vista. It is a multiplayer, FPS that propels team-based combat into a new dimension with a revolutionary blend of modern weaponry and ancient magic. “Shadowrun” will be available when Windows Vista is launched.

Continue At Source