Microsoft Flies Into E3 With New Versions of Popular PC Game Titles

 

PRESS
RELEASE: MAY 9, 2000

 

MICROSOFT
FLIES INTO E3 WITH NEW VERSIONS OF POPULAR PC GAME TITLES

 

REDMOND,
Wash. – May 9, 2000 – Coming off of a successful 1999 season as
one
of the fastest-growing PC game companies, Microsoft Corp. arrives at
next
week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles with new
versions
of its popular PC games and innovative titles that have already
received
industry praise as sure-fire hits. From fall and holiday 2000
releases
such as "Combat Flight Simulator 2", "MechWarrior(tm)" and

"Links(tm) LS 2001" to next year’s
lineup, which includes "Dungeon Siege"
and
"FreeLancer," the company moves further toward its goal of becoming
the
worldwide games leader.

 

"The
slate of PC games we’re bringing to E3 2000 is our strongest ever,"

stated Ed Fries, vice president of Microsoft’s
Games Division. "Our
commitment to
gamers worldwide is reflected in our work with some of the
best
developers in the industry — including Chris Roberts, Alex Garden,
Chris
Taylor and Bruce Shelley — in addition to our strong pool of
in-house
talent led by Jordan Weisman."

 

At
this year’s show, Microsoft will demo some of its most anticipated
products
for 2000:

 


"Combat Flight Simulator 2: WWII Pacific Theater." The second in the
hit
CFS series soars beyond flight
simulation by allowing players to feel what
it
was like to be a young pilot fighting in the fiercest air battles of the

World War II Pacific theater. Extensive realism
guides this tour, from the
advice of former
U.S. and Japanese pilots right down to the chipped paint
and
bullet holes in classic planes such as the American Corsair and Wildcat

as well as the Japanese Zero and George. Scheduled
availability: 2000
holiday season.

 


"MechWarrior." For the first time in the 16-year-old BattleTech
universe,
the player isn’t a grunt private,
but rather the commanding hero in the
center
of a complex story of betrayal, revenge and honor. Tearing through
tundra
forests and icy arctic worlds are more than 20 giant 80-ton war
machines,
all of which can be customized with new weapons, armor and
sensors.
More than 30 unique missions keep the tactical thinking and
adrenaline
flowing. Scheduled availability: 2000 holiday season.

 


"Crimson Skies(tm)." "Crimson Skies" is a fictional
adventure title set
in 1937 that centers on
a dashing air pirate who always gets the girl. The
most
popular game this year at Microsoft’s Gamestock event, it tempts
players
to steal the Spruce Goose and buzz the movie lots of the Nation of
Hollywood
or rescue damsels in distress while seeking the lost treasure of
Sir
Francis Drake. Twelve other exotic fighting planes can be commandeered
for
more than 24 fast-paced missions. Scheduled availability: September 2000.

 


"Age of Empires® II: The Conquerors." With five new civilizations,
four
new historically based campaigns and
25 new technologies, the latest in the
"Age
of Empires" series offers a worthy descendent to the best-selling PC

game of the 1999 holiday season. The richest,
deepest Age of Empires
expansion pack ever
created, "The Conquerors" lets players turn a tiny
village
into a mighty empire in a real-time strategy game set in the Middle
Ages.
Players relive the epic reigns of Attila the Hun, Montezuma, El Cid
and
other well-known rulers. Scheduled availability: September 2000.

 


"Links LS 2001." The most extensive upgrade ever in the 10-year
history
of "Links," this
tee-to-pin challenge offers the highest level of realism
ever.
From the golfers themselves to over 2,000 unique pieces of
vegetation,
gamers can see the time and care spent re-creating every
detail.
The Arnold Palmer Course Designer Architect lets PC golfers
re-create
their own home courses with the same vivid detail. Scheduled
availability:
fall 2000.

 


"Motocross Madness(tm) 2." The sequel to PC Gamer’s 1998
"Racing Game of
the Year," "Motocross
Madness 2" brings extreme action to 40 indoor and
outdoor
tracks, from the Bank One Arena in Phoenix to the jungle of Costa
Rica,
co-designed by pro-rider Stephane Roncada. Gamers can choose from 16
licensed
bikes in environments where the photorealism also pushes the
extreme.
Top 100 rankings are updated daily on Microsoft’s Zone.com.
Scheduled
availability: June 2000.

 

Other
2000 titles to be shown at E3 include the following:

 


"Allegiance(tm)." An Internet-only space combat game with
incomparable
online graphics and a variety
of team roles. Currently available.

 


"Baseball 2001." The first PC-based baseball game that combines the

features of the award-winning Baseball Mogul
simulation technology.
Currently available.

 


"Casino." Ten popular casino games that challenge players to improve

their skills and earn the chance to win virtual
tickets to see real Las
Vegas shows.
Scheduled availability: fall 2000.

 


"Conquest: Frontier Wars." A visually stunning 3-D real-time game of

galactic domination and deep strategy. Scheduled
availability: 2000 holiday
season.

 


"Loose Cannon." An action game combining intense, mercenary-style
action
on foot and in vehicles, with
mission choices from hostage rescues to
assassinations.
Scheduled availability: 2000 holiday season.

 


"MechCommander(tm) 2." A 3-D real-time strategy game of power,
tactics
and treachery set in the popular
BattleTech Universe, in which players
command
a company of mercenary MechWarriors. Scheduled availability: early
2001.

 


"Metal Gear Solid." The heralded console "Game of the
Year" that captures
the flavor of a
true espionage adventure and debuts on the PC platform.
Scheduled
availability: September 2000.

 


"Midtown Madness(tm) 2." The race sequel that hits the roads of San

Francisco and London. Scheduled available:
September 2000.

 


"StarLancer(tm)." The prequel to "FreeLancer," which
combines the action
of first-person space
warfare with the drama and intrigue of a WWII air
combat
movie. Currently available.

 

Two
Microsoft® products destined for store shelves in spring 2001 will also

have a high profile at this year’s trade show:

 


"Dungeon Siege." Players journey from secret underground lairs to

towering mountains in fantasy role playing games (RPGs)
set in a continuous
3-D world – with no
loading screens. Unlike other RPGs, it allows gamers to
gather
a party of up to 10 characters or face challenges alone. The Siege
Editor
feature can be used to create awesome fantasy worlds.

 


"FreeLancer." The 1999 winner of four E3 "Best of" awards,
including Best
of Show, "FreeLancer"
is developed by Chris Roberts, creator of the "Wing
Commander"
series, one of the most successful game franchises in history
(more
than 9 million licensed units sold).

 

Microsoft
remains at the forefront of online gaming through Zone.com
(http://www.zone.com/),
the leading multiplayer gaming site on the
Internet,
with more than 13 million registered users, approximately 700,000
unique
users per day, and more than 125 games available to play.

 

Founded
in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in

software, services and Internet technologies for
personal and business
computing. The
company offers a wide range of products and services
designed
to empower people through great software – any time, any place and
on
any device.

 

#########

 

Microsoft,
"MechWarrior," "Links," "Crimson Skies,"
"Age of Empires,"
"Motocross
Madness," "Allegiance," "MechCommander" and
"Midtown Madness"
are either
registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the
United
States and/or other countries.

 

StarLancer
is a trademark of Digital Anvil.

 

The
names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks
of their respective owners.

 

 

 

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