E3 '07: Midway puts press in Stranglehold

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--During Sony's marathon press conference this morning, the publisher announced it had locked down a PlayStation 3/PC-exclusive deal for Midway's Unreal Tournament III until 2008.

More info on this is expected at Midway's own event, which will take place shortly. Also expected is more info on the publisher's other upcoming titles, including Stranglehold, BlackSite: Area 51, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat.

Taking place in the Starlight Room at the Fairmont Hotel, the conference will be beginning a little late, as Activision's press conference ran long.

[4:42] Staff are frantically moving the previous stage sets of sofas and the like. An announcement says that the conference will begin shortly.

[4:48] The lights dim, and a presentation starts. It is for Stranglehold from Tiger Hill Entertainment, and says "Honor is his code." Then, as a man is kicked on the floor, "Bloodshed is his only option." It tells us Chow Yun Fat returns as Captain Tequila in 2007. The trailer for Stranglehold states it will be coming in August and is not yet rated.

[4:49] PS3, 360 and PC will get a demo this month.

[4:49] A collector's edition that features Hard Boiled the movie and Stranglehold the game on one Blu-ray disc is coming.

[4:51] We see some of the gameplay, which features a "bullet time" slowing ability, so the lead character can spray bullets as he evades others' fire.

[4:53] The main character is ambushed by four bad guys, and using his time-slowing mechanism, he picks them off one by one before escaping by jumping through a window.

[4:58] David Zucker takes to the stage to talk about the upcoming titles. A pipeline of new and original IP is coming, and he names some.

[4:58] Coming this fall exclusive to PS2 is Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am from the Adult Swim series.

[4:58] Total Non Stop Action is also coming soon to the 360, PS3, Wii, and PS2.

[4:59] A video shows Ultimate Mortal Kombat on the DS, complete with an evil laugh at the end.

[5:00] Next up is a video for BlackSite: Area 51. It starts with a picture of Earth from space. "It looks like paradise from up here, doesn't it?" says the narrator.

[5:01] The game is coming September 2007.

[5:02] "From down here, it's hell..." Harvey Smith, creative director of the game takes the stage and says we will take on the role of Aaron Pierce, an Iraq war veteran. A bigger demo will be coming in August.

[5:03] "We're trying to create a beautiful thrill ride," says Smith. One of the multiplayer modes will enable you to play co-op with a friend throughout the game. More multiplayer modes will be revealed at a later date.

[5:04] Smith is obviously tired of talking, since he cuts to a video of himself talking. He explains that he wanted to make the user experience easier, so gamers don't have to constantly give their soldiers orders. A lot of the controls will be one button.

[5:06] Susan O'Conner, the writer for Gears of War, is the primary writer for the game.

[5:06] There are three main characters, Mitchell Ambrose, who is like a high school quarterback, everyone's best friend, the kind of guy who would help an old lady across the street. Then there's Grayson, who you get the impression that has been in prison or in the military, and the two are often arguing.

[5:07] Then there's Noah, a female military intelligence specialist, with more of a global perspective.

[5:07] The characters' postures reflect their morale. If they have low morale, they will take cover more and not fight as often.

[5:08] Mark Rein, vice president and cofounder of Epic Games is up.

[5:09] Unreal Tournament 3 will be coming to not only the PlayStation 3, but also the PC this November. "Some of the kids didn't seem to get that," laughs Rein.

[5:10] He loves the modding community, and is really looking forward to seeing what kind of mods users make for the game.

[5:10] Now we're treated to a demo of Unreal Tournament 3, "The Tournament for the Next Generation."

[5:12] And, rather abruptly, after the video ends, the lights go up.