Breakdown at X03!

There was less than a handful of new games for Microsoft Xbox announced on the first night of X03 in Nice, France. Codemasters’ Race Driver 2 we already knew about - we told you about it last week - and Rallisport Challenge 2, both due in 2004 for the Xbox, were touted by Microsoft as ‘new game announcements’. Well, Race Driver 2 should win a few fans – a continuation of Codemasters’ fine Toca-based series is most welcome, simply because of the quality of what’s gone before. But Rallisport Challenge 2? Does the original RC really warrant a sequel? Rallisport Challenge was an underwhelming experience at best, but the sequel is going online with the XSN Sports service, so as long as the handling is authentic, the going looks good for the sequel. The screenshots look nice, anyway…

But the biggest surprise – and the game that caught everyone’s eye – had to be Namco’s Breakdown. We’d heard about it before, but not much had been officially disclosed until last night, when the game – making its debut appearance in Europe - was revealed to X03 attendees. Breakdown is a first-person adventure/beat ‘em up game featuring hand-to-hand fighting as well as weapons-based combat. With a strong storyline concerning amnesiac Derrick Cole, a mysterious laboratory, a selection of super-warriors, and some stunning-looking visuals, Breakdown really looked the part. Namco’s decision to premiere the game in Nice, instead of waiting for the Tokyo Game Show later this month, was the correct one, we reckon. Breakdown is certainly one to watch for in 2004.