Tekken leads out Namco troops

Tekken 5, Time Crisis: Crisis Zone, Ace Combat 5 and XenoSaga Episode II will be amongst the biggest hitters on Namco's E3 stand this year, the publisher announced today, along with the likes of Death by Degrees, Dead to Rights II and a clutch of RPGs.

Rumours of Tekken 5's E3 appearance have been circulating for a while, but we still haven't seen anything concrete (despite a couple of close shaves), and Namco isn't discussing any details yet - although common sense suggests it will probably follow its predecessors onto PS2 exclusively, and within the next year or so. Likewise The Adversary, about which the only thing we know is that Namco owns the trademark (god bless the US Patent & Trademark Office website).

Namco's happy to discuss everything else though, be it Ace Combat 5 (to be published by SCEE in Europe during Q1 2005), Death by Degrees (again, due in Q1 2005 from SCEE), or Time Crisis: Crisis Zone, which includes a John Woo-inspired double-GCon2 mode for single-players with a pair of guns. [I told them I needed two. -Ed] On that front we're also promised a game where bullets can smash up virtually everything from windows, doors, beams and statues to PCs, shelves and tables and the items resting on top of them.

The RPG quota is quite impressive too - Cube titles Tales of Symphonia and Baten Kaitos will be on display, as of course will the second XenoSaga episode, which looked mighty impressive in a recent trailer, and should be out in early 2005 according to Namco.

Other titles on the list include former 3DO property Street Racing Syndicate, about which the publisher is making quite a song and dance, Taiko Drum Master, which is about making a song and dance (although we hope the girls on the booth remember their ear plugs if they have to stand next to it for three days), and Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2, which is due out from SCEE in Europe this month - May 28th.

All in all it's a pretty impressive line-up, and for once we're not snorting derisively at the claims of "best ever". We only hope that the likes of Star Fox 2 and Donkey Konga - both of which are being handled by Namco - make an appearance on the Nintendo stand and don't skip the show completely.

Namco's E3 line-up - Booth #1300, South Hall

• Ace Combat 5 (PS2)
• Tekken 5 (platform TBC, probably PS2)
• XenoSaga: Episode II (PS2)
• Dead to Rights II (PS2, Xbox)
• Time Crisis: Crisis Zone (PS2)
• Tales of Symphonia (Cube)
• Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 (PS2)
• Street Racing Syndicate (PS2, Xbox, Cube)
• Death by Degrees (PS2)
• Ghosthunter (PS2)
• Baten Kaitos (Cube)
• The Adversary (platforms TBC)
• Taiko Drum Master (working title)