NEWS - Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Pre E3 2005: THQ Announces Lineup
THQ Announces E3 Line-Up THQ announced today plans to unveil high-profile upcoming releases for current and next-generation console systems, Windows PC and handheld/wireless devices at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles from May 18 - May 20. THQ will showcase titles aimed at core gamers for Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox video game system on the show floor and will be demonstrating several Windows PC exclusive titles including Company of Heroes and Titan Quest. In addition to these never-before-seen core gaming titles, THQ will be featuring three other highly acclaimed original properties, including Juiced, Destroy All Humans! and the sequel to its critically acclaimed franchise Full Spectrum Warrior. THQ will also present its current generation system product portfolio geared at the mass market, one of the most expansive in the industry, including Disney Presents a Pixar film The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer, Tak: The Great Juju Challenge, SpongeBob SquarePants: Lights, Camera, PANTS!, Scooby-Doo! Unmasked and BratzTM: Rock Angelz. These titles and many others will be available for hands-on demonstrations in the THQ booth, #1046, in the South Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center May 18-20. "THQ comes to E3 2005 with an extremely diverse and well rounded line-up highlighted by internally developed titles for next generation console systems and sequels to several of our top-selling licensed and original franchises for current generation systems. Titles like Company of Heroes and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Winter Assault are already winning critical praise from game enthusiast media, furthering our emergence as a leader in the PC space," said Brian Farrell, president and CEO, THQ. "At the same time, our continued dominance of the mass-market segment is evidenced by the strong performance of our market leading licensed brands." In addition to showing products that will establish their position as a leader in development for the new next-generation Xbox video game system, THQ will also demonstrate their commitment to establishing new brands in the high-end PC marketplace by showcasing a number of Windows PC titles including: Company of Heroes: Developed by acclaimed internal THQ studio Relic Entertainment, Company of Heroes redefines the RTS genre, delivering a visceral WWII gaming experience and bringing to life the sacrifice of heroic soldiers across war-ravaged, dynamic battlefields. Through a rich single player campaign, players experience the cinematic intensity, courage and bravery of ordinary soldiers thrust into extraordinary events. Players can also compete in 2-8 player multi-play experiences via LAN or internet. Company of Heroes is scheduled to release in 2006. Titan Quest: Developed by Iron Lore, lead by Age of Empires co-creator Brian Sullivan, Titan Quest is an all-new action RPG set in the mythical worlds of ancient Greece and Egypt. Titan Quest takes players on an epic adventure of good versus evil where they will battle mythical monsters on a journey to save mankind from the Titans, parents of the Olympian gods Zeus and Poseidon, who have escaped captivity and are wreaking havoc on the world. Titan Quest is scheduled to release in 2006. Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War - Winter Assault: The highly anticipated expansion pack to internal THQ studio Relic Entertainment’s critically acclaimed real-time strategy hit Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, features a deeper single-player experience, a brand new fifth race – The Imperial Guard – and even more intense Dawn of War action. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Winter Assault is based on the world of Warhammer 40,000 - the dark, futuristic, fantasy universe from Games Workshop, and is scheduled to release in fall 2005. STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl: Developed by GSC Gameworld, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is a survival first-person shooter (FPS) that takes place in the "Exclusion Zone" of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Utilizing GSC’s proprietary X-Ray engine, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.’s Life Simulation System creates a living, adaptive world that provides a unique experience to each player with random generations of events and tasks. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is scheduled to release in 2006. In addition, THQ will showcase titles for the huge installed base of current-gen console systems including: Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers: Pandemic Studios’ Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers, sequel to the award winning Full Spectrum Warrior, takes the tactical action genre to the next level, delivering the most innovative and authentic military gaming experience to date. Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers combines squad-based combat and real-time tactical action, thrusting players into hostile urban war zones in which your team’s new mission is to capture and control the northern city of Khardiman, a city besieged by warring factions. Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers is scheduled to release for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft, PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and Windows PC in early 2006. MotoGP 3: The MotoGP franchise has established itself as the definitive motorcycle racing game for the Xbox and PC. MotoGP 3 has taken the thrill of the first two titles and doubled it, extending the franchise beyond the realms of Grand Prix racing through the introduction of street racing in Extreme Mode. Extreme Mode will feature 16 new tracks, 16 new bikes, a currency system and full bike customization. The MotoGP circuit racing will include 17 official MotoGP tracks and 24 official riders. Multiplayer features include up to 16 players online for both Xbox Live and PC. MotoGP 3 is scheduled to release for Xbox and Windows PC this summer. Juiced: Juiced immerses gamers in the lifestyle and culture of the street racing scene. Showing off modding and driving skills will earn respect from rival crew chiefs, granting players access to high-profile race events where they will bet against other drivers for cash and race them for pink slips. As notoriety grows, players will form racing teams, opening up never-before-seen crew races where managing your drivers is key to beating rival crews. The game’s extensive online options include six-player crew racing and pink slip races where someone will lose their car. Juiced is scheduled to release for Xbox, PlayStation 2 and Windows PC on June 13, 2005. Destroy All Humans!: The plot for world domination by extraterrestrial life begins as developer Pandemic Studios transforms conventional expectations of playing the human defending against an alien invasion to allow them to act as the alien hell bent on infiltrating and taking over all of humanity. Packed with non-stop action, advanced alien weaponry and abilities, and humorous science-fiction mythology, Destroy All Humans! uncovers an open ended world where the player can unleash massive destruction from a UFO or land at any point to walk among humans as the 3rd person alien. Destroy All Humans is scheduled to release for Xbox and PlayStation 2 on June 21, 2005. Also at E3, THQ highlights its catalog appealing to the mass-market audience by delivering exciting adventures appropriate for gamers of all ages: Tak: The Great Juju Challenge: With the Tak franchise having shipped more than 2 million units worldwide, Tak is back with another highly anticipated adventure as the top teams from Tak’s world come to compete in The Great Juju Challenge. Representing the Pupanunu tribe are Tak and Lok who, for the first time in cooperative gameplay, face great adversity in the form of wild animals and menacing new tribes. This exciting adventure combines unique puzzles, time-based strategies, and a robust combat system allowing players to hone their skills to rise against the toughest competitors and receive the grandest reward ever given by the Great Jujus! Tak: The Great Juju Challenge is scheduled to release for PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox, Nintendo DS and GameBoy Advance this fall. SpongeBob SquarePants: Lights, Camera, PANTS!: In the first multiplayer game based on SpongeBob SquarePants, up to four players can engage in classic SpongeBob-style madness. Fans play in both competitive and cooperative gaming environments to win the ultimate chance to become a cast member as one of 10 different character roles in a special episode of "The Adventures of Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy." SpongeBob SquarePants: Lights, Camera, PANTS! is scheduled to release for PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Windows PC and GameBoy Advance this fall. An additional SpongeBob SquarePants adventure, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Yellow Avenger, will be available for Sony PSP and DS this fall. The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer: Following The Incredibles’ defeat of Syndrome in the Walt Disney Pictures presentation of the Pixar Animation Studios film, a new threat emerges beneath the ground with a diabolical plot to pollute the major cities of the world and rule over humanity from below. Fans will be able to pick up from where the film left off and relive the glory days as Mr. Incredible and Frozone, superhero best friends who team up to tackle a new villain, The Underminer. The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer is scheduled to release for PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, DS, GameBoy Advance, and Windows PC/Mac this fall.Source: http://www.teamxbox.com
