Snow E3 2005 Preshow Report

While it's fairly safe to say that Snow won't get the PTA's seal of approval, this new game from 2K Games and Frog City Software will definitely appeal to fans of games where you get to be the bad guy. That's because Snow will let you live out your drug kingpin dreams, as you play an out-of-work actor looking to carve out a drug empire during the heady days of the 1970s and '80s. 2K Games is showing Snow off at E3, but we've got the initial details on this new game.

Snow is billed as an edgy business strategy game, which makes sense, since your job will be to order other characters to procure, smuggle, and distribute the goods (starting with marijuana and ending with cocaine). In addition, it's up to you to establish corrupt law firms and nightclubs (so you can launder your money), as well as to compete against rival gangs for market share. The drug business is pretty much like any other business, save for the fact that you can take out your enemies the permanent way.

You will also have the chance to build up infrastructure at various points along your product pipeline. It all starts in Mexico and Columbia, which is where the goods are produced. You then have to get them over the border somehow. After that, it's all about distribution and keeping your hands clean. The challenges that you'll face will be in putting together the right team that can run your organization. In return, you'll get plenty of new rewards, such as new characters and equipment, over the course of the game.

The presentation of Snow is remarkable. The game is told through cel-shaded graphics, which gives a completely graphic novel-style look and feel to it. Snow is being billed as the first story-driven empire-building game for the Xbox, and you'll definitely get the chance to lead the life of crime. It certainly is an intriguing and different style of game from what we're used to. We'll have more details from the show, and you can look for the game in early 2006 when it ships for the PC and the Xbox.