Hundreds of video games set for debut on display at expo

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- The focus of this year's E3 Media and Business Summit was the hundreds of video games that will be debuting in the coming months and years.

It was a decidedly different theme than last year's event, when questions about the still-unreleased PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii were all anyone could talk about.

A sampling of the hundreds of games that were on display at the show this year:

• "Assassin's Creed" -- Ubisoft Corp.'s newest action franchise drops a stealthy killing machine named Altair into the middle of the Third Crusade in medieval Jerusalem. Altair's main power is his incredible athleticism: he can scamper up walls and fling himself across rooftops. Of course, he has some lethal fighting moves when needed. This one's due in November for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Windows PCs.
• "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" -- Infinity Ward, which was responsible for the original "Call of Duty" set during World War II, updates its acclaimed first-person shooter franchise with laser scopes, deadly radiation and other byproducts of modern war. The game takes hyperrealism to a new level with smooth, razor-sharp graphics and a steady stream of intense, cinematic battle moments.
• "Killzone 2" -- Sony Corp. finally revealed more on this long-awaited sequel to the popular original. The graphics shown in a demonstration were impressively fluid and realistic as a cadre of soldiers lead an attack through gunfire and explosions on the alien stronghold on the planet Helghan. It's expected for the PS3 only sometime in 2008.
• "Rock Band" -- The makers of "Guitar Hero" are about to unleash an even more ambitious version of computerized karaoke with a game that includes a drummer, guitar, bass and a singer. The band's performance is measured by how well players can match their tunes to what's playing on the screen. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game, expected by the holidays, also will allow gamers to post their performances online and download entire albums such as The Who's "Who's Next."
• "The Simpsons Game" -- Talk about good timing. This latest spin on the enduring animated TV show has nothing to do with the upcoming movie. But that's probably a good thing, as most video game movie tie-ins tend to be terrible. A demonstration showed a living, breathing virtual Springfield where the whole Simpson family gets special powers to help save the world. It's due by the end of this year for the Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3.

Wii Fit -- Nintendo Co.'s ongoing efforts to turn non-gamers into rabid video game fanatics continue with this new twist on exercise. The Wii game, expected early next year, will measure the player's body mass index, and offer aerobics, yoga and other heart-pounding activities.