Another year, another E3. Shrapnel Games unfortunately will not be able to attend E3 this year. Fear not though! For in this news release they unveil several of their upcoming titles that shall be released in 2003 and 2004. By no means a complete list, expect plenty of surprises to be announced over the coming months. And so, without further ado, their upcoming games below...

Sammy Studios Announces Lethal Skies II (PS2): “Lethal Skies II is a thrilling title that will bring gamers a fast-paced, graphically rich jet combat game,” said John Rowe, president of Sammy Studios. “Players will be able to immerse themselves into this game’s single-player mode as an elite pilot commanding a powerful air fleet, or compete with friends for Ace status in 2-player mode.”

Sammy Studios Unveils The Seven Samurai (PS2): “Seven Samurai 20XX is an exciting video game title on many levels,” said John Rowe, president of Sammy Studios. “It takes a film that has transcended generations and recreates it as an intense action game set in the future, and pays proper homage to the masterpiece that inspired it as a collaborative and artistically-driven effort.”

Publisher and developer Strategy First Inc. announced today that their new real time tactical game Nexagon: Deathmatch has gone gold. "We're wrapping up the last few details now and the team is really happy with what we've managed to cook up,” says Guy English, Lead Programmer on Nexagon: Deathmatch. “Nexagon has been a really fun project to work on and we're sure people are going to have a blast playing it."

Ubi Soft today announced XIII, the most stylish FPS ever, now has its own dedicated teaser web page. XIII is a stunning, conspiracy-driven thriller set in a highly stylized graphic-novel world. Fans can log on now and get a sneak preview of one of the most anticipated games of the year. The website features new screens, character images, an interactive storyline and an exclusive high-quality trailer. XIII is scheduled to ship in Fall 2003 to all consoles and PC and the full XIII website will launch in June 2003. Ubi Soft today also announced that Far Cry, the most unpredictable and technologically innovative FPS, now has its own dedicated teaser web page.With features such as its stunning graphics, unique tropical setting, unprecedented long-range view distance, freely explorable indoor and outdoor environments, authentic physics-on-demand, perfect variety of gameplay, frighteningly realistic AI and an universally acclaimed pick-up-and-play level editor.The website features new screens showcasing the amazing graphics and effects, while an exclusive downloadable movie trailer offers a first look at the game's tropical setting infested with deadly enemies.

A first-person action game currently in development for all major console gaming platforms, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines will - for the first time on next-generation console systems - allow players to become the Terminator Series signature icon, Arnold Schwarzenegger as the original Terminator. This marks the first time Arnold Schwarzenegger's voice and likeness has ever appeared in a home videogame.

One of interactive entertainment's most critically and commercially successful action arcade series returns this fall in Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike from LucasArts. Available for Nintendo GameCube, this thrilling third chapter once again features the intense flight battles of Luke Skywalker and his elite unit of X-wing starfighter pilots and adds highly desired multiplayer capability and character-based and ground combat to the series for the first time.

Add one more reason to buy an Xbox video game system today: a new, lower price. Effective immediately, Xbox video game system will retail for $179.99 in the United States and $249.99 in Canada. Right out of the box, Xbox enables the most advanced online and offline gaming experiences with its built-in hard drive and built-in Ethernet port. With an attractive new price, a tremendous lineup of games, and the rapidly growing Xbox Live online gaming community, Xbox represents the best choice for a wide range of consumers. In addition to this new price, Xbox is featuring an impressive line-up of new games for the coming year this week at E3, as well as enhancements to its online gaming service and innovative new entertainment products to expand the definition of video game entertainment.

Unsigned Independent Developer LogicalVice, an Orlando based Interactive Entertainment and Games Studio announced today its plans to release a multi-genre video game for the PC/X-BOX. The game, "BoomTown" is based on a loose interpretation of the American Wild West frontier, its players, and the mystique of witchcraft, and is scheduled for the 3rd quarter of 04. Boomtown will host single player campaigns and multiplayer online scenarios in a third person default, or first person perspective. Running on Epic Games' Unreal Warfare and the Karma Physics Math Engine it infuses a fresh look and an untapped genre with action packed scenarios and gaming modes like Last Man Standing, Dueling, Siege, or 25 Card Draw. It is six-shooters and sorcery. It is bullets and blood sacrifice. It is a game that will reshape the vivid landscape of pulse-pounding, white-knuckle action.

Players will saddle up as one of 25 frontier personalities. Choose from Bryce Blackburn, a steely gunslinger that makes "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" look more like "The Meek, The Lame, and The Puny" to Elspeth, the spiritual leader of a displaced witches' colony capable of hurling an arsenal of deadly spells. Bryce, Elspeth, and an assortment of other colorful characters will traverse stunningly detailed terrain, eerie settlements, and amazingly textured towns either on foot or more quickly by horseback, stagecoach, or train. In addition, over 30 different weapons will be at the player's disposal. Classic western favorites like the Colt 45 Peacemaker and Parker Shotgun will announce their presence with authority. Finding mystical alternatives like the Angelic Bone Sword and Mace of Devouring will unlock a whole new way of disposing of your enemy.

Electronic Arts announced today that film actress Shannon Elizabeth has joined the ranks of Hollywood talent enlisted by EA and will lend her talents to the videogame James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing. Ms. Elizabeth will provide her likeness and voice for the first original interactive Bond girl to be cast, "Serena St. Germaine". Her character will be an integral part of the original storyline in this new installment. James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing is scheduled for release under the EA GAMES brand this fall for PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox video game system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCube, and Nintendo Game Boy Advance.

Blizzard Entertainment gave show attendees an exclusive look at one of "Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne's" highly anticipated single-player campaigns. With the multiplayer beta test nearing completion, the campaigns are among the last of many new features that are being finalized in preparation for the expansion set's launch this summer. In "The Frozen Throne," players revisit the war-torn world of Azeroth. Several months have passed since Archimonde and the Burning Legion were defeated at the battle of Mount Hyjal, but a new threat has arisen throughout the land. More facts below!

Colin McRae Rally 04 (PS2/Xbox): Now, as McRae competes in the new season driving for Citroen, Codemasters is set to take it to the limit in Colin McRae Rally 04. Due this winter for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, Colin McRae Rally 04 will have players driving on the very edge of control as the series' sublime car handling combines with new championships, custom rallies, new single and multiplayer gaming modes, and unique car part testing challenges to win advanced technology for your car... We serve up E3 screenshots showcasing the detailed environments and stages through the fresh international rally courses. See them here!

Battlefield Command: Europe at War 1939 - 1945 (PC): Bringing innovation and a new graphical standard in the tactical strategy genre, Battlefield Command comes from Russian game development company 1C, creators of the acclaimed flight simulator series IL-2 Sturmovik, and will be published by Codemasters exclusively for PC in the spring of 2004... A selection of screenshots showcasing the different settings from the European theatre - including authentic uniforms and weaponry, vehicles, planes and military hardware. You find E3 screens here!

Dragon Empires (PC): Codemasters' Dragon Empires is the next generation of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG) for PC and set to deliver an alternate reality that is immersive, compelling, hugely exciting in its scope and breathtaking in its visuals. Not just for the MMORPG hardcore, its genre-leading landscape engine creates a world that is begging to be explored. Due to launch in the spring of 2004, Dragon Empires' world is Fortitude, a magical fantasy world where thousands of players will socialise, trade and fight with each other through Player Vs Player and Clan Vs Clan combat. Screens showcasing the stunning visuals of Fortitude throughout the seasons. Staggering scenery and intriguing landscapes spread over five very different mystical empires. Have a look at new E3 shots here!

You thought it was all over after 'Cossacks : European Wars'? You were wrong! With 'Cossacks : Napoleonic Wars' one of the most successful strategy games of the past years returns to the real-time battlefield - with reinforcements. Meet Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France and probably the most ingenious strategist in European history! This worthy successor combines the qualities of Cossacks : European Wars and Cossacks :The Art of War with the advantages of the third dimension! Enter the battle on the side of one of 10 great European nations and rewrite European history in 6 exciting campaigns. Experience your Waterloo - or leave the field victorious! Some E3 screens below!

Set in a virtual, persistent online universe in which millions of players around the globe can participate, The Matrix Online will feature cutting-edge graphics, real-time martial arts combat and a rich storyline that picks up where The Matrix Revolutions, the third chapter in The Matrix film trilogy, leaves off. The game is currently being developed for the PC by Monolith Productions, an award-winning independent game developer, and EON Entertainment, the company owned by the Wachowski Brothers, creators of The Matrix trilogy... Earlier today we tossed up the announcement for The Matrix Online, now we got some screens for you to enjoy!

Kicking off the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), co-publishers ARUSH Entertainment and Groove Games today announced that Massachusetts developer Cyberlore has begun development on Playboy: The Mansion. Gamers worldwide will get the chance to build Hugh Hefner's Playboy Empire on their PCs and console gaming systems in late 2004.

Rockstar Games, the world-renowned publishing division of Take-Two Interactive Software is proud to announce Manhunt, the next project from Rockstar North, the developers behind the global blockbuster Grand Theft Auto franchise. Manhunt will be available for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system and is expected to hit retail shelves in North America in Fall 2003. Manhunt will continue in the tradition of world-class gameplay, incredible production values, and sardonic sense of humor that has become synonymous with Rockstar North. Details surrounding the game remain shrouded in secrecy. To date, Rockstar has only admitted this: Manhunt explores the depths of human depravity in a vicious, sadistic tale of urban horror.

Mindscape today delivered a double volley with the announcement of Agassi: Tennis Generation for PS2 and Game Boy Advance, due to be released in July for only £19.99, around the time of the Wimbledon 2003 Tennis Championships.