X05: MotoGP, Atari Line-Up, Halo vs. DOA4

Among the many announcements being made at Microsoft's X05 conference are a new MotoGP game from THQ, a handful of titles from Atari, and a surprise crossover between two big Xbox franchises. - Climax is developing an Xbox 360 MotoGP: Ultimate Racing Technology for THQ. The game will be the fourth installment of the series, after the third game on Xbox was critically acclaimed. "Over the last few years, we've worked hard on taking the MotoGP URT franchise forward with innovative gameplay features and jaw-dropping graphics," said Climax president Tony Beckwith. No release date or specific features were mentioned. - Atari's lineup of games announced at X05 included several previously-announced games for Xbox, as well as a few unrevealed ones such as Alone in the Dark for Xbox 360. The developer is Eden Games, whose previous works include the V-Rally series of racers and Kya: Dark Lineage. The game will reportedly feature an advanced physics engine and a free-roaming environment, which may signal a change from the past graphic adventure titles in the franchise. - Recent rumors circulating that a character from the best-selling Xbox franchise Halo may make an appearance in Tecmo's brawler Dead or Alive 4 have proven true, as developer Bungie has confirmed the news. The teams have declined to say which character will make the cameo appearance, with news of that likely to debut soon -- though Team Ninja's predilection for female fighters, as well as a teaser image from Bungie, points to assistant AI Cortana -- but did mention that Bungie will handle the character's backstory as it relates to the DOA4 world, while Team Ninja will design the character's moves.