Microsoft Corp. highlighted its next wave of highly anticipated titles for the Xbox� video game system today to a packed house of journalists and retailers from around the world, as well as cheering game fans, who rattled the rafters in the historic Orpheum Theater. With blockbuster games such as "Star Wars�: Knights of the Old Republic " (LucasArts Entertainment Company), "Brute Force" (Microsoft Game Studios), "NFL Fever 2003" (Microsoft Game Studios), "Unreal Championship" (Infogrames) and "Panzer Dragoon� ORTA" (SEGA� of America, Inc.), Microsoft previewed its top Xbox games that will be shown at this week�s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) and available to game fans this holiday season.

Microsoft also provided a glimpse of its future blockbuster games, including "Project Ego" (Microsoft Game Studios), a groundbreaking role-playing adventure game from Peter Molyneux, in which the player�s every action determines the skills, appearance and morality of the main character. Microsoft also showcased "Ninja Gaiden�" (Tecmo�, Inc.), created by the celebrated developer, Tomonobu Itagaki. The game features the return of character Ryu Hayabusa, a deadly Ninja assassin, in a neoclassic adventure featuring extraordinary new worlds, deadly new weapons, Hollywood-style movies and interactive 3-D environments.