As always, Activision has an impressive booth at this year's E3 but GCM editors were given a much more private showing of a few select products at the eFocus gathering the night before the show. With more than a dozen exciting new titles spanning all the popular systems, Activision is gearing up for a very successful year.

Call of Duty (PC)
Call of Duty is an intense first-person action game that allows players to experience the movie-like intensity and gripping combat of World War II as never before – through the eyes of ordinary soldiers, fighting as part of a squad through the chaos of battle.

Developed by many of the same people who worked on Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Call of Duty delivers the gritty realism and cinematic intensity of WWII’s most epic battlefield moments – from the perspective of citizen soldiers and unsung heroes representing an alliance of countries, who together helped shape the course of modern history. Throughout the game’s 24 missions, players will be part of a squad, who bond together to take on enemy forces and achieve mission objectives through pivotal WWII battles and authentic military campaigns.

Perhaps the singple most unique aspect of this title was the squad and enemy AI that exhibited almost human-like characteristics. In the case of squad AI you really get a feel for working in a team and actually build relationships with other members of your squad. Combined with real-world military tactics, Call of Duty is going to change the way we play war games when it arrives this Fall.

IMAGES

Disney’s Extreme Skate Adventure (PS2/Xbox/GameCube)
Disney’s Extreme Skate Adventure has everyone’s favorite movie characters hopping on their skateboards and taking it to the streets as they ollie through the world of Disney’s “The Lion King,” catch big air in the jungle of Disney’s “Tarzan” and rail-grind as Woody in “Toy Story 2.” Disney’s Extreme Skate Adventure is the only game that allows players to test their skateboarding skills in these large and imaginative worlds while incorporating Activision’s powerful Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 game engine. Disney’s Extreme Skate Adventure lets players perform skating tricks just like the pros – but using non-traditional boards like tiki masks and frying pans, solving puzzles as they go.

Not only was this one of the most charming games I saw at the Activision booth it was also one of the most fun and easy to learn skateboarding games I have ever played. While maintaining the partial complexity of the Tony Hawk engine, the tricks are easy to figure out and even the youngest of gamers will be doing huge combos. The best thing about this title is its mass appeal for all ages. The characters and Disney environments will appeal to the kids, but the challenging gameplay easily scales itself to the older more experience gamers. Don't let the Disney name throw you off - this is going to be one of the hottest Summer sleeper hits.

IMAGES

Pitfall Harry (PS2/Xbox/GameCube)
If you are old enough to have owned or played an Atari 2600 then chances are you are no stranger to Pitfall Harry. Harry is almost as old as PacMan, and has a strange way of reappearing on each generation of gaming hardware. His last adventure took place on the PS1 and now he is back for an all-new adventure on all the latest systems.

Pitfall Harry features over 50 levels of fast-paced action and puzzle solving adventures, the game challenges players to swing, fight, climb and crawl through eight types of treacherous South American environments including lush jungles, dark tombs, ancient Aztec ruins and glacial mountains. Pitfall Harry also includes favorite features from the earlier Pitfall games such as vine swinging, gaping chasms, crocodiles and scorpions. Gamers can overcome the obstacles using all of the tools in Harry’s arsenal including a sling, dynamite and ice axes, and rescue those in distress from deadly foes like snakes, scorpions and spiders.

With a clever mix of action, adventure, and puzzle solving combined with new special abilities, new and dangerous enemies, and a good assortment of clever mini-games, Pitfall Harry may be giving Lara Croft some stiff competition when it releases this Fall. IMAGES

Vampire: The Masquerade—Bloodlines (PC)
Bloodlines continues the famous White Wolf gaming tradition in a new role-playing adventure, combining intense first-person shooter combat with an open, non-linear world, rich character development and an immersive storyline. The game plunges players into the dark and gritty vampire underworld of modern day L.A. as a creature of the night, interacting with and battling mortals and other creatures of darkness with an incredible array of vampire powers, skills and traits. Based on Valve’s Source™ Technology—the same game technology used to power Half-Life 2®, Vampire: The Masquerade—Bloodlines is being developed by renowned RPG developer Troika Games and is based on White Wolf ’s World of Darkness.

Incredible single player RPG gaming is only matched by a new online team-based aspect where you can choose to become either a vampire or a vampire hunter. With intense combat and team-based mission objectives, Bloodlines could change the face of online Gothic gaming. You'll have to wait until 2004 to find out.

IMAGES