Delta Force - Black Hawk Down E3 2005 Preshow

The Battle of Mogadishu that took place on October 3, 1993, would have faded into history if not for reporter Mark Bowden, who researched the battle extensively and eventually turned the account into the best-selling book Black Hawk Down, which led to the Ridley Scott movie of the same name. Delta Force - Black Hawk Down is an upcoming PS2 and Xbox first-person shooter based on the battle, in which 100 elite US Army soldiers were caught in a vicious battle against thousands of Somali militia. NovaLogic released a PC version of the game in 2003, and the console versions have been in development for some time now. However, the console versions are nearing completion, and NovaLogic is showing off the latest on the games at E3.

In the game, you will get to battle around the Somali countryside as well as the mean streets of Mogadishu. NovaLogic says it spent months researching the conflict and worked with three former Special Forces commandos to get the details down. The game has 16 single-player missions, as well as multiplayer support for up to 50 on Xbox Live and up to 32 through Sony Online, which is the largest for a PS2 game. Both versions also take advantage of voice recognition, so you can issue commands to your computer-controlled teammates. As expected, the weapons and vehicles in the game are historically accurate, and you have 28 different weapons and pieces of equipment to choose from.

There are significant differences between the two versions, beyond that. The PS2 version, developed by UK studio Rebellion, is being built on Rebellion's Azura engine. It features unique character skill-development progression, where your trooper will have stats for weapon accuracy, reload speed, movement speed, and more. The multiplayer mode will support up to four players in split-screen, and there will be 25 multiplayer maps, 10 cooperative missions, as well as two-player split-screen co-op. It will also have seven multiplayer game types, including deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag, team tag, tag, and flag ball.

The Xbox version of the game will also feature split-screen support, and you can have up to four players in split-screen co-op. There are four unique player classes (sniper, gunner, close-quarters battle, and medic) and eight multiplayer modes, including deathmatch, search and destroy, capture the flag, and team king of the hill. Both versions will also have maps that are unique to that platform.

Both versions of the game should ship this summer, and NovaLogic says it will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides college grants and other financial aid to children of Special Operations personnel killed during combat or peacetime.