War, space and music wow crowd at game show

By Scott Hillis

SANTA MONICA, California (Reuters Life!) - Whether you want to blow away enemy soldiers, wail on drums in a rock band, or firm up your sagging muscles, the star attractions at the video game industry's annual show had something to offer.

Highly anticipated titles like Microsoft Corp.'s "Halo 3" and Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.'s "Grand Theft Auto IV" have been on radar screens for months, so games that impress the most at E3 tend to be ones that surprise with unusually crisp graphics or cool gameplay.

"Call of Duty 4", a war-themed shooter from Activision Inc., drew gasps and applause from audiences that were wowed by its ultra-realistic depiction of modern combat.

For those looking to get lost in a deep story, Microsoft's "Mass Effect" for its Xbox 360 console offers a galaxy-spanning plot with some 16,000 lines of dialogue. Oh, and it boasted some of the best visuals at the show, to boot.

"'Mass Effect' is the most impressive game I've seen so far," said Dan Hsu, editor-in-chief of gaming magazine EGM.

"It's just crazy how much back-story is built into the game. It's just really epic, something gamers can be lost in for weeks."

There was lots of love for "Rock Band", an ambitious music game that lets players, drum, strum or sing along to dozens of modern and class rock songs. Promising weekly downloadable songs, the game's luster was dulled only by a price that is widely expected to be at least $200 for all the peripherals.

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