Black
Developed by Criterion - Published by Electronic Arts. Black is being touted as a revolutionary first-person shooter that makes you feel as close to the power of your weapon as possible. It's being described as some as doing to the FPS genre what the Burnout series has done to the racing genre. The game has alread earned high praise from the media who were lucky enough to see an early build at E3 '05.

Perfect Dark 0
Developed by Rare - Published by Microsoft. The original Perfect Dark on the N64 was one of the most highly-acclaimed FPS shooters of all time and this prequel has been one of the most heavily sought-after games in recent memory. Rare hasn't quite been the same as the Rare of old in recent years, but they can redeem themselve with a blockbuster release of PDO, which has been *heavily* hinted at by many Microsoft officials in the know. Story: A secret war has begun - between shadowy corporations bent on world domination. Joanna Dark and her father Jack are caught up in the fight for the future of the planet. A routine bounty hunting mission rips open a global conspiracy that will change Joanna's destiny - forever.

Halo 3
Developed by Bungie - Published by Microsoft. Whether it's touted as Halo 2.5 or Halo 3 (or both) another installment in the highly popular Halo franchise is guaranteed to be released early on in XBN's lifecycle because it's easily A) One of the most anticipated sequels of all time B) a lock to sell millions of units and console C) the one franchise that signle-handidly helped Microsoft compete with Sony and Nintendo. The story has purposely been left unresolved and many lofty features the Bungie team hoped to include in Halo 2 were left out.

Dead or Alive 4
Developed by Team Ninja - Published by Tecmo. The heads of Team Ninja and Tecmo have both expressed great admiration for Microsoft's upcoming next-gen console and have hinted at strong support. DOA4 has been confirmed by Itagaki himself and will feature the best graphics ever seen in a fighting game, online play, and (likely) new characters and moves. Where DOA Ultimate was essentially an online update to DOA3, DOA4 will be a completely new game in the popular franchise.

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivian
Developed and Published by Bethesda. The sequel to one of the best-selling Xbox RPG's will yet again release early in the life of Microsoft's console. The developer promises an open-ended RPG with great depth and upgraded visuals, AI, and an even grander game world.

Ninja Gaiden 2
Developed by Team Ninja - Published by Tecmo. Ninja Gaiden for Xbox was one of the greatest action games of all time, sporting razor-sharp graphics, unbelievable combat, and great gameplay. The sequel will likely see the light of day towards the middle of XBN's lifecycle. Expect a whole new adventure for our hero, Ryu, with new weapons, new environments, updated graphics, and more online competitions. Many of the compaints of the first (difficulty and camera) will likely be addressed in this much-anticipated sequel.

Madden NFL Football 2006
Developed by Tiburon - Published by Electronic Arts. This upcoming version of Madden Football will be the only game that included actual licensed NFL teams, stadiums, and players. Say what you want about EA, but you have to admit that Madden series has evolved into an extremely high-quality product, with accurate graphics, gameplay and tons (and I mean tons) of modes. It's time for the Madden series to receive an engine overhaul for the next-generation of systems, so expect this XBN version to be as close to lifelike as you've ever seen in a sports game. Online play will be awesome as well.

The Godfather
Developed and Published by Electronic Arts. You play as an original member of the Corleone family in this GTA-styled game based on the popular Godfather movie franchise and your goal is to successfully complete missions to rise in the ranks of power in the your mob family. EA wants to one up the GTA series with better graphics and a "create your own adventure" type of story where your actions and decisions result in a unique story centered around you. Will this be the first true GTA-killer? Did I just say that? I'm such an ass.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Developed by EA Canada - Published by Electronic Arts. Anyone who's seen the early test renders of what a next-gen Need for Speed may look like can attest to the fact that this return to its roots can end up playing and looking awesome! The emphasis this time around will be on police chases like in Hot Pursuit because running from the police is cool nowadays, right? But don't think it'll end there. Expect multiple game modes, including old-school racing and a robust online mode.

Battlefield 2: Modern Combat
Developed by Digital Illusions - Published by Electronic Arts. The original uber-online World War II game, Battlefield 1942, was supposed to be released on Xbox, but never saw the light of day for whatever reason, unfortunately. To make up for it, Electronic Arts has scheduled a next-generation console release of a new version of Battlefield for XBN. Expect this game to feature tight graphics and center around the online experience (huge battles, clans, etc.). Don't expect controls or gameplay to be highly complicated because this franchise is surprisingly easy to learn, but difficult to master.

Fable 2
Developed by Big Blue Box - Published by Microsoft. Haven't had your fill of sequels yet? Good, 'cause here's another. Sure, Fable didn't live up to its hype--didn't deliver on its graphics, open-endedness, or much of anything else, but what it did do was create a fun little RPG that sold well enough (over 1 million!) to warrant work on a sequel. Eventhough this game took forever to come out, Big Blue Box still had features that were left out, and they will likely try to fit some of those things into the next iteration; whenever it comes out.

Burnout Revenge
Developed by Criterion - Published by Electronic Arts. What else can be said about a franchise that has improved with each iteration? The most recent, Burnout 3, was easily one of the best games of 2004, although sales were lackluster. With tons of cars, modes, and hours of fun to have, Burnout 3 proved its worth and Criterion proved its skill. Burnout 4 will raise the bar of super fast-paced street racing even higher.

Project Gotham Racing 3
Developed by Bizzare Creations - Published by Microsoft. Not much has been said about this new version of Project Gotham Racing, but hints have been all over the place, and all the signs point to a next-gen online-enabled PGR at launch. While PGR2's sales left much to be desired, its quality is unquestioned. It integrated online play and features like few games before it. The second-best selling Xbox launch title will have a sequel on XBN that will wow just as much as the first did on the Xbox.

Gears of War
Developed by Epic. What's being described as a third-person action game where you will be able to ride creatures and shoot stuff is yet another Unreal 3 engine-based game from Epic Games. You know it's going to look mindblowing. The question remains: How will it play and what will differentiate it from the rest of the 3rd-person action pack?

Code Chronus
Developed by Team Ninja - Published by Tecmo. Code Cronus will focus on the relationship between Kasumi and Ayane. It begins at early childhood and moves on throughout the course of their lives. It will be an Action-Adventure game for Xenon. (credit: Das Scotter)

Kameo
Developed by Rare - Published by Microsoft. "Blending the heady thrills of exploration and puzzle-solving with the adrenaline rush of real-time 3D battles, Kameo: Elements of Power is an ambitious title from the makers of GoldenEye and Banjo-Kazooie. The concept mixes combat action with creature transformations, letting the title's female star morph into monsters and use their special powers against others." -IGN This title was supposedly transferred over from Xbox to Xbox 360 dev kits in an extremely short period of time and probably made more "edgier" with some bits of generic rage sprinkled on for good measure.

Condemned
Developed by Monolith - Published by Sega. "You are an FBI agent on the hunt in this gripping and sickening hunt for serial killers. The game is played in first-person perspective, and with the use of the Havok 3.0 physics engine and other advanced techniques, players can utilize anything in the area as a weapon when they've been cornered by their prey. -IGN" Early screenshots looked solid, though unspectacular (is that even a word? well, it should be).

Dark Sector
Developed by Digital Extremes. An early trailor showed Dark Sector off as a first-person shooter based in a futuristic, sci-fi setting. Digital Extremes are the well-known creators of the Unreal Championship franchise, so expect lots of brutality and guns. Dark Sector was also one of the first revealed next-gen titles and the early trailor showed high amounts of polygons per scene.

Quake IV
Developed by Neversoft/ID - Published by Activision. Continuing the Quake series from the second iteration, where you battled the Strogg, Quake IV now gives you access to vehicles and teammates to wage your war against the enemy on their homeworld. Using the beautiful Doom III engine and including a fast-paced Quake III style multiplayer mode, this new version of Quake should invoke all sorts of fond memories of the fragging days of 'yore.

More:

Shadowrun RPG
Mistwalker RPG #1
Avalon (vehicular combat)
Marvel vs. EA
FIFA Soccer 2006
NBA Live 2006
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 2006
SSX 4
Urbz 2
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
James Bond: From Russia with Love
FIFA Street 2
DOA: Xtreme Sports 2
Tony Hawk's Underground 3
Ultimate Spider-Man
Call of Duty 2
Retribution FPS
Splinter Cell 4
Tomb Raider Next
Prince of Persia 3
Mistwalker RPG #2
Q Entertainment Title #1
Bioware (Unreal Engine) Title #1
Ghost Recon 3
Fuzion Frenzy 2
King Kong
Killing Day (Ubi Soft)
Game Republic Title #1
Game Republic Title #2
Phantagram Title
Conker 2

Possibles:

Sabreman Stampede
B.C.
Sega Football 2K6
Killer Instinct
Rallisport Next
Citizen Zero MMORPG
New Banjo
New Top Spin
New Amped
New Links Golf
Brute Force 2
Amusement Vision Game
True Fantasy Live Online
Soul Calibur Next
Panzer Dragoon Next
Vanguard
Factor 5 Title
Silicon Knights Title
Sega Arcade Racing Title
Digital Illusions Title
City of Metronome
Huxley MMOFPS
Oddworld Fangus
Virtua Fighter 5
Darkness (Starbreeze)
Obsidian Title (Unreal Engine)
Omikron: The Nomad
F.E.A.R.
Infraworld (Quantic Dream)
Project DIMITRI

At Microsoft's house last week, we met with five major executives for the most impressive and thorough set of demos we've ever experienced in gaming history. Vice President Of Japanese Goodness and all things English (OK, that's not his real title) Peter Moore spoke to us, showd us games, and outlines the major elements that are crucial for the Xbox 360.



"We have four must-haves for Xbox 360 games," said the subburnt, well-muscled Moore. "First, every game must have 720p minimum, and some developers want to go higher, which is fine by us. Second, every game must have 16x9 with no letterboxing allowed. Third, Every game will support Dolby 5.1 surround sound, and fourth, every game will will be anti-aliased with our built-in 2X anti-aliasing tools."

But that's really just the groundwork for Microsoft. Moore expounded on "Showcases." People will very soon be watching videogame tournaments, he said. You can watch Project Gotham Racer 3 in Spectator mode to simply watch and learn how pro gamers do it. In the future, hundreds of players can watch a tournament or a special battle, or another kind of special event.

Moore explained that episodic content will be a regular thing. Traditional publishing will change with free and paid-for downloadable content, with episodes coming every year or six months from various publishers.

Microsoft, he added, will publish at least three first-party games at launch Gears of War, Project Gotham Racing 3, and Kameo, plus, Perfect Dark Zero, which will have 64-player online capabilities..

"We have 160 Xbox 360 games in development right now, with 4,000 test units in developers hands across the world," Moore explained. "We'll launch 25-30 games until the new year and we're already tracking games into 2006 and 2007. We'll support Xbox 1 until end of year 2006, and there will be 85 Xbox games on the E3 show floor to prove it. But Microsoft's first-party teams will only be working on Xbox 360 games from here on out."

Microsoft also danced around the subject of backward compatibility--for the time being. "The obvious point that comes up that's always interesting to talk about is backward compatibility and it's something we will talk about at E3," said Bach. "We haven't been public with what's happening there for a lot of different reasons and that will end on Monday night. That's one of the few things I am bound by my own NDA not to discuss."