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 LAST UPDATED: 29 June 2000
E3 Expo Delivers Exciting New Star Trek Games
News and pictures by Jim Brumbaugh, direct from E3
 The annual E3 (Electronics Entertainment Expo) event in Los Angeles reigns supreme for everyone interested in entertainment software products. For fans of Star Trek, two companies did their best to make the second day of the Expo an especially gratifying one. Early in its second day, the folks at Activision wanted to stir up some excitement for their upcoming Star Trek titles and accomplished it big time with a 90-minute autograph session for fans from Star Trek: Voyager's Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew, pictured). New game titles highlighted at the show were Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force (pictured), a first-person shooter, Star Trek - Bridge Commander, a space simulation featuring both missions and combat, and the previously-unannounced Star Trek Away Team, a real-time, squad-based strategy game.
Behind the public area, the press were also treated to a status report on the upcoming Star Trek ConQuest on-line game, which is expected to go into a public beta test in the coming weeks.
In the afternoon, Simon & Schuster stole the show with an appearance by Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Commander Kira (Nana Visitor).  Visitor signed autographs, greeted fans and posed for photographs for approximately 60 minutes. Titles vying for attention at the Simon & Schuster booth included: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Fallen, a first-person shooter set in the DS9 universe; - the follow-up to The Fallen, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Dominion Wars, a real-time tactical space combat strategy game; and Star Trek: Starship Creator - Warp II, the next installment in the series which has enhanced features and all new ships to commmand and missions to conquer.
While Day Two of E3 was packed with Star Trek star power, Day Three proved just a "normal" workday. It began by paying a visit to the folks at LucasArts who, unlike many other E3 exhibitors, keep their game displays locked behind closed doors for viewing by those who only have arranged appointments in advance. Their future releases include: - Star Wars: Episode I - Obi-Wan, an action title in which the player takes first-person control of the Jedi leader from Padawan learner to Jedi Knight (PC); Star Wars: Episode I - Starfighter, a space combat action-adventure title (PS2); Star Wars: Episode I - Battle for Naboo, featuring 16 levels of combat against the evil Trade Federation (N64); Star Wars Super Bombad Racing, a cart racing title featuring eight big-headed characters racing through various Episode I locales (PC, Mac, PS2, Dreamcast); and Star Wars: Episode I - Jedi Power Battles, an action-arcade title in which the player clashes with opponents from the Sith and the Trade Federation (Dreamcast).
The Interplay booth is similar to LucasArts' in that it, too, is kept behind closed doors, accessible only to those who have made the proper arrangements. In addition to popular titles like NeverWinter Nights and Virtual Pool 3, Interplay's lineup included Star Trek: Starfleet Command Volume II: Empires at War, a stand-alone product featuring an all-new engine and brand-new fleet combat missions, and Star Trek New Worlds, a real-time strategy game set in the Star Trek universe.
 Aside from these titles, there were plenty of other sci-fi products on display at the show. These included Hasbro's X-COM: Alliance, Starship Troopers and Galaga Destination; products from Fox Interactive, including Alien Resurrection, Titan AE, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Planet of the Apes; and offerings from Mattel Interactive, including Earth 2150 and Creatures Playground.
Jim Brumbaugh is a regular contributor to Star Trek Communicator, Star Trek Monthly, Star Wars Magazine and many other topline print magazines. His next report includes visits to LucasArts for updates on their Star Wars plans, plus news on what Interplay are planning for their Star Trek titles. Many other products will also be discussed here, so be certain to check back often for more E3 updates!
Links: E3 features 450 plus vendors and is is the industry's recognized forum for new product introductions. Over 2,500 products made their debut at E3 in 1999. Special thanks to those companies who helped Jim with his above report.
Company Links: Activision -- Interplay -- Fox Interactive -- Hasbro -- LucasArts -- Mattel Interactive --Simon and Schuster Interactive
Additional gaming links on the VZSciFi Site
Game Previews: Cultures | The Never Ending Story | Legends of Might and Magic | Wireless Games (WAP)
Reviews: Tachyon: The Fringe
Archived Reports: E3 2000 Report by James Brumbaugh
Transferred reports: Kalisto Entertainment's Highlander game greenlit -- see Highlander Datafile
If you have news you would like to share with our thousands of members about your SF project or you are interested in advertising inworld or on our web site, drop us a line!
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