Bill Gates‘ apperance in E3 is a big surprise and wows gamers with lots of game titles such as Halo 3.

Gates, making his first appearance at E3, joined Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division, on stage to announce a barrage of new game titles coming to the Xbox 360 and Windows Vista platforms.

Microsoft announced that it will have 160 Xbox 360 titles by end of 2006. The stunningly smooth high- definition graphics and sophisticated level of gameplay in these titles are proof positive that the development community is hitting its stride with the console�s powerful hardware and programming tools.

Gates and Moore dazzled the crowd with an initial look at �Halo^� 3,� the hugely anticipated sequel to the highly successful and critically acclaimed �Halo� franchise. Enthusiasm for �Halo 3� has been building since its predecessor, �Halo 2� � launched by Microsoft Game Studios in 2004 � rewrote history books by becoming the biggest launch in U.S. entertainment retail history, with ＄125 million in sales and 2.4 million copies sold in the first 24 hours. In this third chapter of the �Halo� trilogy, Master Chief returns to finish the fight, bringing the epic conflict between the Covenant, the Flood and the entire human race to a dramatic, pulse-pounding climax.

Microsoft Game Studios also showcased exclusive Xbox 360 titles �Gears of War� (Epic Games Inc.), �Fable�2� (Lionhead Studios) and �Forza Motorsport� 2� (Turn 10). Ubisoft�s next-generation version of �Tom Clancy�s Splinter Cell Double Agent�� will also debut on Xbox 360. In addition, Microsoft Game Studios showed �Alan Wake� (Remedy Entertainment Inc.) and �Shadowrun�� (FASA Studio), both slated for Xbox 360 and Windows Vista. Bringing the Microsoft vision of Live Anywhere to life, �Shadowrun� is the first cross- platform Xbox 360 and Windows Vista-based game featuring team-based combat that ushers gamers into a new dimension with a revolutionary blend of modern weaponry and ancient magic.

more...