Introduction

Well, its that time again, when many of the games that will be coming out for the next couple years are gathered together in one place. There is no way for me to see every game at E3, but I try to get around to see the biggest games and at the same time keep an eye out for interesting games from the smaller companies and those occasional new games Here are a few of the games I got to see on the second day.

Sidenote from Garrett, who put this article up: Baff told me, that many games just were tech demos only, so no real impression could be given and we don't want to tell you things we haven't really seen!
We have hoped to get a glimpse on Arx 2 also, but it is being shown to publishers only. Also, Baff could sit down with DW Bradley and chat about his new RPG Dungeon Lords, which is not really to be presented yet either, and there's no news about it other than that the engine is pretty much finished and that RPGDot will be one of the first site to get new info!

Pirates of the Caribbean

Game Info
Developer: Akella
Pulisher: Bethesda
Platform: PC, XBox
Release Date: Late june
Who showed the game: Pete Hines (PR Manager)

For those who played Sea Dogs, you will find this very familiar. There have been some nice improvements since then though. The landscape has been fleshed out, you can now travel across land with your officers. Islands now have more than one place you can land, handy in case you need to sneak into a town for some reason. There are now options for quickly traveling to the important places in town.

As long as you have enough officers, you can have up to 4 ships in your fleet. Travel across the map is now in real time with other nearby ships visible, so you can actively seek out battles or flee from pirates. Your crew is now visible and active on the deck of the ship adding another level of realism on top of the improved water effects. It is also possible to get into battles in the middle of extreme weather, such as fog and water spouts. The cannons added to the front of the ships will change strategies a bit too. There have certainly been enough improvements to make any pirate happy.

Call of Cthulhu

Game Info
Developer: Headfirst
Pulisher: Bethesda
Platform: PC; XBox
Release Date: Early 2004
Who showed the game: Chris Gray (Producer)

Fans of Lovecraft will feel right at home in Call of Cthulhu. Your vision will blur at all the worst moments. You take location specific damage, so if you get shot in the leg, you will start to limp. You can take flesh wounds or break bones, which you will need bandages or splints to heal. Enemies will communicate with each other to track you down. They will even take advantage of shadows or noisy areas to sneak up on you.

Mythica

Game Info
Developer: Microsoft
Pulisher: Microsoft
Platform: PC
Release Date: October
Who showed the game: Steve Cherrier, Mike Lee & Greg Graham

Mythica is shaping up to be an interesting MMORPG. You get to play as an immortal seeking godhood. After you meet up with your friends, you can go off on a quest in a private area created specially for your party. By doing good things for your followers, you gain power and more followers. Followers will also occasionally join in the battle to fight for you. Players can group together to cast devastating spells to defeat the toughest opponents. You can destroy buildings and wreck havok on the bad guys (or the good guys, if thats your thing), all without having to worry about someone running through and stealing kills or the good loot.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

Game Info
Developer: Troika
Pulisher: Activision
Platform: PC
Release Date: 2004
Who showed the game:

Set in Los angeles, you can choose from 7 clans: Toreodor, Brujah, Nosferatu, Gangrel, Malkavians, Tremere, Ventrue. You can also choose from different backgrounds that will effect our character. Depending on your clan and abilities, you will have different options in conversations. As a Toreodor you can seduce people, as a Nosferatu you can scramble their brains, etc. You also get a variety of ways of accomplishing your missions, you can kill, sneak, or talk your way through.

More picture from other booths: