The E3 2006 Preview

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Activision will bring together dozens of classic super heroes yet again this Fall with Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, expected to be a combat/action title with RPG elements. The game is being developed Raven Software.

House of the Dead 4
Those bloody zombies are back again, infesting yet another house. House of the Dead 4 has yet to be officially announced for the Xbox 360 (it’s currently only in arcades in Japan), but fans are hoping Sega will reveal something about the title at E3.

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent
In this latest Splinter Cell title from Ubisoft, players will be able to team up with a friend and complete the entire campaign mode in cooperative multiplayer. The game will hit current-gen systems as well as the Xbox 360 in Fall. It’s expected that the first playable demo will be present at E3.

Madden NFL 2007
Another year, another Madden. 2007 is expected to feature way more Live content than previous endeavours, as well as even more realistic gameplay. EA will launch the title sometime next season.

Resident Evil 5
Capcom is expected to reveal plenty of new information about this mysterious zombie installment in LA. All we know for sure is that the disc will remain much the same as Resident Evil 4 in terms of gameplay and will hit store shelves early next year.

Saints Row
You guessed it, another GTA rip-off. Thankfully though, early demos show off more visual and gameplay features than current-generation games could pull off, so hopefully it won’t be just another cheap cash-in. The game is being developed by Voilition and will be published by THQ in the Fall.

Gears of War
Yes, it’s another action game, but it also has the potential to be a whole lot more. Microsoft promises this FPS, developed by Epic Games, will also feature original RPG and puzzle elements, and fully-interactive environments. The game is stunning visually, and will likely be one of the big M’s more original titles when it hits store shelves in the Fall.

Stranglehold
The title may be lame, but Stranglehold could be one of those rare games that successfully blends common cinematic trends into a video game. Considering the game is being created under the watchful eyes of action-flick aficionado John Woo, it could just serve as the perfect distraction while waiting for those Jackie Chan films from the online rental store. Expect Stranglehold to feature plenty of martial arts and gun-fight combat when Midway ships it this Fall.

The Darkness
Gamers will take on the role of a pissed-off hitman with supernatural powers in this action/adventure title from the creators of the popular Chronicles of Riddick Xbox game. 2K will release Starbreeze’s first next-gen project early next year.

Mass Effect
The hopes are high for this sci-fi RPG from Bioware, the famous parents of Knights of the Old Republic I and II. Though perhaps it’s doubtful, we’re crossing our fingers Microsoft’s E3 booth will feature the first playable demo. After all, the game isn’t really so far away from release with a late Fall ship date.

That’s all for this month. See you at E3