Xbox 360 will receive ‘Halo 3’

Will there be “Halo 3” for Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox 360? No question. In time for the holidays? Maybe not.

David Hufford, Xbox group product manager for Microsoft, said in a recent interview that “Halo 3” for Xbox 360 is a certainty. “I think people would expect that, don’t you?” he said.

But because the launch game lineup for the new console is being held mostly under wraps for the Electronic Entertainment Expo this week, he was more cagey about the time frame.

There has been widespread speculation that a revamped, prettified version of Microsoft’s best-selling “Halo 2” will be ready for the Xbox 360 launch come fall, with better graphics, a bit more content and perhaps a tweak to the game’s online play. That makes “Halo 3” a post-launch title, possibly ready in time for the holidays, possibly not.

Hufford did nothing to squash that rumor, describing “Halo 3” as something the team at Bungie Studios would be working hard on – possibly even after the launch. Having “Halo 3” ready this year would be uncharacteristically fast for the developers, who have operated on a much longer cycle than the teams that put out yearly titles like the “Jak” and “Ratchet & Clank” series for Sony.

‘Zelda’ big at E3

Speaking of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the nation’s biggest video game trade show is taking over the Los Angeles Convention Center this week. The big buzz is around the next- generation consoles, of course, and there should be plenty of sneak peeks at the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 (expected to hit the United States in the middle of next year).

In the Nintendo booth, the biggest hype was expected not from the new “Revolution” console (also due mid-2006) but from the next “Legend of Zelda” game. The franchise is ditching the cartoony look from one of the best console games ever, “The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker,” in favor of a more realistic look.

Link – looking much more like the teen Link images that floated around before “Wind Waker’s” final look was known – is in 3-D glory, and early shots show him fighting from horseback, among other innovations. People already are talking about this one.

Other games getting some buzz include Electronic Arts’ game based on “The Godfather.” The preliminary screens released for the Xbox 360 version are stunning – dreamy, moodily lit dialogue and action poses with some of the best-looking human reproductions ever for a console.

‘Guild Wars’ takes top PC spot

NCSoft proves again that it knows how to do an online world game right.

The company’s “Guild Wars” trounced the competition to take the No. 1 PC game sales slot in the week ending April 30, topping EA’s “Sims: University” expansion pack and Blizzard’s long-running best seller “World of Warcraft.”

“Guild Wars” has gotten a lot of hype for the beauty of its graphics, the speed at which players can max out their characters’ abilities and fighting strength, the ability to jump instantly into combat at any time and grab computer-controlled henchmen to help you and the complete lack of a monthly fee, which is very rare for an online world game.

PS2 to get Bible quiz game

Looking for an antidote to “The Guy Game” and any game involving the Playboy Mansion? Crave Entertainment hopes you’ll buy “The Bible Game” instead, a PS2 title due in October that will make you a contestant in a quiz show about Biblical topics with up to three of your friends or family.

‘God of War’ sequel is likely

All signs point to a new “God of War” title, after the epic Greek- based action adventure title that swept critics off their feet this spring. “God of War 2” isn’t expected until next year, which has caused speculation among analysts and industry writers that it’ll be a PS3 title.