Hot new titles due out for Xbox players in '03
By Marc Saltzman
If you unwrapped an Xbox this holiday, you're probably having fun playing some of the solid titles available, such as "Halo" or "NFL Fever 2003."
But the best is yet to come because dozens of new titles for Microsoft's green 'n' black video-game machine will be introduced this year.
Here's a brief look at what to expect this spring. Each game is an Xbox exclusive and sells for about $50.
"Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" (LucasArts, due in March) — Set roughly 4,000 years before the events of "The Phantom Menace," this deep-yet-accessible role-playing game (RPG) brings Star Wars fans to the beginning of the epic conflict between the Jedi and the evil Sith.
Players first create a hero (or heroine) and then set out on an intergalactic journey along with other adventurers, who can include humans, aliens and droids.
In addition to the single-player campaign, which takes about 50 hours to play, "Knights of the Old Republic" features a handful of mini-games such as racing pods and manning gun turrets during space battles.
"Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus" (Microsoft, due in March) — This title features acrobatic, martial-arts style combat in a variety of virtual arenas. Players can flip off walls or swing around polls before delivering deadly blows to their opponents.
Players also must build and harness their "Chi" (life energy) throughout the game and use it to make special devastating attacks.
Despite its supernatural flavor, this hand-to-hand combat game ushers in a new era of realism thanks to subtle touches such as clothes that rip, fighters who bruise and even bones that break. Ouch.
"Brute Force" (Microsoft, due in April) — 3-D shooters meet tactical squad-based combat in "Brute Force," a stunning action game for one, two or three fighters who can play cooperatively or competitively on the same screen.
"Brute Force" is played from a third-person perspective. The graphics in this game are nothing short of spectacular — they push the Xbox hardware to its limit.
Despite its name, the game isn't all about brute force. Game missions include seek-and-destroy, reconnaissance, hostage rescue and assassination scenarios, each requiring different tactics, skills and weapons. And the various squad members enjoy their own attributes, too.
"Panzer Dragoon Orta" (Sega) — Sega's "Panzer Dragoon Orta" lets players soar through the skies on the back of a deadly dragon, all the while avoiding enemy fire and navigating treacherous environments. The word "dragoon" refers to a dragon and its rider.
Players have access to an extensive arsenal of biological and technical weaponry, and they can activate "berserk mode," which unleashes deadly attacks on unsuspecting adversaries.
This 3-D action/adventure features 10 sprawling worlds, with multiple branching paths on each level.
"Midtown Madness 3" (Microsoft) — Forget traditional NASCAR, Grand Prix or Rally simulations. "Midtown Madness 3" puts players behind the wheel of different vehicles and lets them race like madmen through the streets of Paris and Washington, D.C.
The latest game in this popular series features more than 30 vehicles, multiple game modes and tons of hidden routes, shortcuts and hideouts.
The Career mode is the most interesting out of the game play types because players must drive through 50 missions as a limousine and cab driver, pizza deliverer, cop, secret agent and more. Online play via Xbox Live also is planned.
