E3: Microsoft Shows Off Exclusives, MGS Rising

Microsoft announced and showed off several exclusives for the Xbox 360 at its E3 press conference today, including a multi-year agreement for first-release rights of Call of Duty downloadable content. Microsoft's Xbox 360 press conference at E3 on Monday began with a high-octane trailer and live demo for Treyarch's multi-platform Call Of Duty: Black Ops. The franchise follow-up to Infinity Ward's was clearly chosen to debut for its remarkable visuals. An atmospheric underground tunnel section was followed by a level where the player hijacked and helped control the guns and combat in a Hind helicopter. Following the demonstration, the company's Don Mattrick, SVP of its Interactive Entertainment Business unit, took the stage and announced that all Call of Duty add-ons and map packs will launch first on Xbox 360 in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Mattrick then introduced Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima, who premiered the first footage of Metal Gear Solid: Rising for Xbox 360 in association with a Kojima Productions producer Shigenobu Matsuyama. The game features a blade-heavy protagonist that can cut all elements of game levels, including scenery, cars, and enemies, with the ability to aim angles on cuts to slice and dice enemies. Microsoft's Phil Spencer then announced that all demonstrations from now on would be Xbox 360 exclusive, before bringing on Epic's Cliff Bleszinski. Cliff and Epic co-workers demonstrated 4-player co-operative Gears Of War 3, using the visually spectacular latest Unreal Engine 3 build, and players handing weapons off to each other. Following a trailer of Fable 3 introduced by Microsoft Game Studios and Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, the company's Spencer returned to introduce a new Xbox 360-exclusive collaboration with Crytek - thanks to a teaser trailer for Codename Kingdoms, with blood and blackened battlefield scenes. Next up was Bungie's Marcus Lehto, who showcased the first campaign trailer for Halo: Reach, with team-based base invasion and the protagonist escaping into space at the end of the clip -- revealing space combat gameplay along the way.