Sega to pitch sports-heavy lineup at E3

Sega joined the massing pack of publishers announcing their E3 lineups. Though most of the games on its list were well known, the publisher did announce several new titles, including the newest installments in several ESPN franchises.

Sega confirmed ESPN NHL 2005, ESPN NBA 2005, and ESPN College Hoops 2005 will join the previously announced ESPN NHL 2005 on its Visual Concepts-developed sports roster. Two new nonsports titles were also unveiled, including the brawler Spikeout Battle Street and Amazing Island, which was previously released in Japan.

Another Japanese favorite, Otogi 2, is now definitely coming to America, and it appears Puyo Pop Fever will now be GameCube-exclusive in the US, despite being released for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 across the Pacific. Three of the games on Sega's list--Headhunter: Redemption, Blood Will Tell (then called Dororo), and Altered Beast--were also on display at last year's E3.

The complete list is as follows:

Altered Beast (PlayStation 2)
Amazing Island (GameCube)
Astro Boy (PlayStation 2)
Astro Boy: Omega Factor (Game Boy Advance)
Blood Will Tell (PlayStation 2)
ESPN NBA 2005 (Xbox, PlayStation 2)
ESPN College Hoops 2005 (Xbox, PlayStation 2)
ESPN NFL 2005 (Xbox, PlayStation 2)
ESPN NHL 2005 (Xbox, PlayStation 2)
Headhunter: Redemption (PlayStation 2, Xbox)
Otogi 2 (Xbox)
Puyo Pop Fever (GameCube)
Sega SuperStars (PlayStation 2 with EyeToy)
Spikeout Battle Street (Xbox)
Virtua Quest (GameCube, PlayStation 2)