INTERPLAY - E3 2002

The Interplay/Titus/Virgin booth was located off the beaten path at E3.  Their numerous booth bunnies were sure to catch E3 patrons attention and bring them into the area.  Interplay's had a good lineup of X-box titles.

Hunter: the Reckoning - Hunter the Reckoning was at last years E3 show.  It looked good last year, but it has been spit shined for this year's E3.  that makes sense though, since the game is practically done and has already gone gold.  This game plays a bit like an old hack n slash action game (ala Golden Axe) and with controls similar to Akari Warriors and has a little Gauntlet flavor to it with a little Buffy and Castlevania themes.  Phew!  That's a lot of stuff! Your character has a weapon attack using swords and axes and also has a long range attack using shotguns and other weapons.  Overall, it is a fun action game that looks sharp and is a great multi player game for the X-box.

Balders Gate: Dark Alliance - Another E3 classic.  This overhead D&D game features magic and conventional attacks and has a lot of exploring.  The version at E3 didn't have any interaction with other characters or plot elements, but it looked and played solid.  One possible gripe might be that each area is populated by the same creature, so you end up fighting 20 giant rats in one area, all of them looking identical.  Makes you want to call the game "Clone Wars."  While it was fun to play on the show floor, I couldn't tell how the game would be after a few hours.  Time will tell.