E3 06: Vivendi lays out E3 lineup

New Crash and Spyro games announced as part of publisher's lineup for next month's big trade show.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. VU Games may have changed its name to Vivendi Games, but the company’s announced E3 lineup features some familiar faces.

Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon both have new games ready to debut at the show, but while the former’s next expedition is exclusive to the DS, the latter will be breathing fire on the Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, DS, and Game Boy Advance.

The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning will recap the purple dragon's origin story and include flying levels for the first time in the series, as well a stronger focus on combat. The console and GBA versions of the game will be developed by Krome Studios (Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, King Arthur), while the DS edition of the game will be handled by Amaze Entertainment (Lord of the Rings: Tactics, DS and GBA versions of Ice Age 2: The Meltdown).

Crash Boom Bang! will be the orange Bandicoot's debut on the DS and looks to be an entry into the party-game genre, with 40 different minigames, wireless multiplayer, and a communication system that allows players to pester each other (or conspire against each other) midgame.

Crash Boom Bang! will also let players bet on the outcome of the matches, earning points that can be traded in for 80 different game-altering items. Vivendi has enlisted development studio Dimps (Dragon Ball Z Budokai, Sonic Advance) to handle the bandicoot's latest, and expects to release the game in October with an E for Everyone rating.

Vivendi is also pulling from other avenues of entertainment for recognizable source material, as the company's E3 lineup features the PSP version of 50 Cent: Bulletproof, the returning Scarface, the recently announced Eragon, and a PSP game based on the upcoming Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx film Miami Vice (not to be confused with the games based on the kitschy '80s TV show).

Developed by UK-based Rebellion (Rogue Trooper, Snood 2: On Vacation), Miami Vice puts players into the shoes of Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs as the two narcotics officers go undercover to bust a drug ring. Taking its gritty tone from the upcoming movie, Miami Vice will require players to operate on the wrong side of the law in order to maintain their cover, gain credibility on the street, and put themselves in a position to bring the drug runners down. Miami Vice is set for a July 28 release.

PC games will also have some high visibility at Vivendi's booth this year, as the company will be showing off already announced titles like World in Conflict, Caesar IV, Joint Task Force, and Freestyle Street Basketball. The announced lineup is rounded out by the company's newest acquisition for the PC and Xbox 360, TimeShift.

59 Comments

  • CrashMocella

    Posted Sep 17, 2006 5:58 am PT

    the legand of spyro looks better than Crash Boom Bang

  • ocd_2389

    Posted May 5, 2006 7:01 pm PT

    i can't wait for E3 to dish out the goods on the ps3 can i get an A-MEN!!

  • ocd_2389

    Posted May 5, 2006 7:00 pm PT

    [This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

  • ocd_2389

    Posted May 5, 2006 6:57 pm PT

    [This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

  • loic54

    Posted May 2, 2006 5:31 pm PT

    waiting 4 it!!!

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Apr 24, 2006 5:31 am PT

    crash on the DS.....hmmmm. hopefully it's better than the crash game for GBA.

  • SoralinkGS

    Posted Apr 24, 2006 1:00 am PT

    Scarfaceon Xbox 360? I didn't know that....i thought that was an current gen only game....

  • samekila

    Posted Apr 23, 2006 11:42 pm PT

    my xbox sets right beside my 360 and I play it all the time there still is a few hundred games I need to get on it to plus what ever comes out later thats good but yeah this list is crap I like crash back in the day but not so much now and god bulletproof sucks man the wait for gears of war and red steel is killing me

  • samekila

    Posted Apr 23, 2006 11:38 pm PT

    my xbox sets right beside my 360 and I play it all the time there still is a few hundred games I need to get on it to plus what ever comes out later thats good but yeah this list is crap I like crash back in the day but not so much now and god bulletproof sucks man the wait for gears of war and red steel is killing me

  • crazy590

    Posted Apr 23, 2006 9:25 pm PT

    i love crash even though hes gotten old and his games suck now
    but i like him the new one better be great or there will be a serious downfall in the series

  • shortmerv1

    Posted Apr 23, 2006 7:36 pm PT

    i can't wait to

  • rafaelszpo

    Posted Apr 23, 2006 4:39 pm PT

    Hey, Crash Boom Bang is the name of a song from Roxxette! XD Will the song be featured in the game? XD

  • metdevthegamer

    Posted Apr 23, 2006 11:54 am PT

    50 Cent: Bulletproof on the PSP? What a waste of time and money; it's going to suck worse than the console version, if at all possible. Besides that, the other titles in the lineup sound decent.

  • JJOR64

    Posted Apr 22, 2006 6:14 pm PT

    I hope the new Crash game will be fun.

  • Doolum

    Posted Apr 22, 2006 4:57 pm PT

    yeah.too bad there is no Crash or Spyro announced for the PSP

  • vaejas

    Posted Apr 22, 2006 2:38 pm PT

    YAY sequels!!

    Waitasec.. Has the whole world gone topsy-turvy???

    Crash on the DS? The Playstation almost-mascot exclusively on Nintendo's handheld? Roffle. On the 'Cube, sure... he fits nicely alongside Sonic. And Spyro gets the "every-current-gen" treatment? I guess they know their demographic is under 20.

    Good PC lineup at least.

  • ocdog45

    Posted Apr 22, 2006 2:11 pm PT

    good stuff

  • thatguytony

    Posted Apr 22, 2006 1:14 pm PT

    Wow another company beating a dead horse. Looks like some one is taking a page from EA's book. What astounds me is that anyone actually gives a crap about Spyro and Crash after all the crappy games.

  • NeoJedi

    Posted Apr 22, 2006 12:45 pm PT

    Nice lineup there... I wonder what Miami Vice will be like...

  • MadonnaProject

    Posted Apr 22, 2006 12:35 pm PT

    "Sorry but Microsoft has STOPPED making Xbox's, they aren't supporting it anymore so why should 3rd parties?"

    ....uh thats because there is still quite an ESTABLISHED base of users woo are STILL playing the xbox. these millions of people might or might not have moved upto the 360. and companies dont make games for whatever console is being manufactured at the moment or is the latest, they make games for what console they think it would be most successful on sales wise.

  • owner211

    Posted Apr 22, 2006 11:09 am PT

    The original playstation ones were the best. But now they have just gotten more and more crappy.

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Apr 22, 2006 8:42 am PT

    wow an eragon and another 50 cent video game.....

  • Paul_TheGreat

    Posted Apr 22, 2006 8:13 am PT

    That list is crap.

  • PeterLauder

    Posted Apr 22, 2006 6:27 am PT

    woo e3

  • KiLLer_ba

    Posted Apr 22, 2006 1:44 am PT

    Hopefully they will make Crash & Spyro games good this time around

  • alberto2045

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 8:48 pm PT

    another crash nice like a mice but I really think that the Crash games on PS2 are not good but on PS1 hells yeah

  • dramin

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 7:39 pm PT

    it's sad to see those horrible franchises coming back, but at least they look more pc centered for e3

  • Fallout_red

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 5:42 pm PT

    Eeragon and World in Conflict look really promising.

  • Mrjoemama

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 4:59 pm PT

    Hmmmmm, looks like THQ has beat Nintendo to the DS's "party" game genre first, I thought we'd see Mario Party DS with some wi-fi.

  • dennis_phong

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 4:19 pm PT

    I really hope the crash game does well

  • SCARFACELP

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 3:55 pm PT

    Well at least it shows that some companies besides Nintendo still want to make platformers. To be honest though these two franchises have been terribly botches as of late. They should have put their developers to work on a new ip and let poor spyro and crash rest...for a whlile longer at least. Those two mascots have not seen a good game sinces way back in the ps1. Is it just me or does no one remember that their bst games were their debuts? Nintendo better deliver with the new mario for the Rev , because if they don't all we will have when it comes to a decent platformer will be the one for the Ds , I mean come on, the last great platformer we got was Mario 64 . After that we've received some good ones like Ratchet and Clank and jack and Daxter but that's it. And those were hybrids of shooter and platformers. They were still good but not real challenging when it came to the platforming element. The challenge came from the shooting(and racing with jack) part of those games . That is why i'm saying that we have not gotten a great platformer since mario 64. The block levels you had to pass to get to fight bowser were great. To me that was the best part of the game even though the rest of the game was great. I hope Nintendo releases a game for the virtual console made up of nothing but those levels. That would be platforming bliss. Besides a new spyro and crash wont be any good , unless the original developers would make it. And as far as crash goes , Naughty Dog won't. Too bad really. and hold on now don't get mad , i read the article crash will be a party game not a platformer. well isn't that even worse?

  • sabru8

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 3:41 pm PT

    looks somewhat promising.

  • diggyzoom

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 3:35 pm PT

    they both should be on the psp

  • Wallace_Green

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 3:17 pm PT

    not intrested.......................oh Timeshirt sweet

  • Orasion_Seiz

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 3:00 pm PT

    nice lineup of new games especially the new Crash game

  • wytefang

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 2:44 pm PT

    Wow..more of the same, good ol' console gaming, it never fails to not surprise. Yawn.

  • Father_Time89

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 2:35 pm PT

    So wait the new Crash will be a clone of Crash Bash? I hope it's going to be good, the crash series has gotten worse ever since naughty dog stopped making the crash games and moved to the Jak games.

  • Mrjoemama

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 2:33 pm PT

    Sorry but Microsoft has STOPPED making Xbox's, they aren't supporting it anymore so why should 3rd parties?

    The PS2 is an entirely different beast, since it has sold FAR more units than any other system this generation and there are still some VERY big titles set to hit later this year (GH2) and next year (GoW2).

  • blackIceJoe

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 2:16 pm PT

    Nice but not that good of news Crash has never been as good as the one's on the PS and that stinks.

  • MadonnaProject

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 2:02 pm PT

    Spyro games sell like hotcakes actually, so do crash games, which is why theyre bringing them out still. Crash twinsanity was a decent game in my opinion.

    and LOADS of people still play their original xbox, the company might have stopped making it (i dont know why tho) but there are still games lined up to come out for the xbox and the ps2, WELL into 2007.

  • ninjacat11

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 2:00 pm PT

    BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! Down with Spyro!!!!
    *throws tomato at Vivendi*

  • cesarotromundo

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 1:48 pm PT

    WHO WANTS ANOTHER CRASH GAME???? they get worst everytime.. just give them up! and who still plays xbox!... I tell you who, no one! get real.... 360 owner dont want current generation games, just portable and next gen!

  • gertish

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 1:44 pm PT

    neat

  • paradyme777

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 1:29 pm PT

    Not to impressed, not to much stuff for the next generation to show off.

  • Blazer88

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 1:20 pm PT

    I'm not impressed either.

  • frankeyser

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 1:15 pm PT

    does blizzard keep them alive?

  • ufopuller

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 1:11 pm PT

    Great stuff

  • Bluestorm-Kalas

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 12:59 pm PT

    Eragon is a good book but books and movies generally suck as video games...no offense

  • viniciusdcs

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 12:58 pm PT

    yay there's a new Crash game.

  • gohantech00

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 12:53 pm PT

    Sounds decent. Hopefully they can deliver an awesome Spyro game, because I've been craving some new platforming action lately. Plus, Scarface looks interesting, even though I haven't seen the movie yet.....

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