There's a rumbling in the great Northwest, and I'm not talking about tectonic plates. I'm talking about Gamestock 2001, the third annual Microsoft press event offering a sneak peek at the company's highly-anticipated first-party Xbox software and PC titles.

The press was treated to 8 Xbox titles covering a wide range of of gaming genres. Unfortunatley, the Xbox hardware units on hand were not fully completed and were missing several features that will be found on the retail release. Still, playable demos of each title were up and running, which means that we've played the Xbox and you haven't. Hehe.

The 6 PC titles they showed look to continue Microsoft's recent resurgence in the world of PC gaming with an emphasis on innovation and smart design.

What games caught our eye? We're so glad you asked. On to the goodies!

Xbox games!

PC games!

World's Top Video Games Artists Showcase Creative Talents at Microsoft Gamestock 2001

"At this year's Gamestock, the industry's top game artists reveal how they are taking video console and PC gaming to new creative heights and broadening the enthusiasm for gaming to even larger audiences around the world," said Ed Fries, vice president of games publishing at Microsoft. "The Microsoft-published games featured today build on a core of great gameplay by adding a strong story, great characters and by trying to reach our audience at an emotional level as well as an intellectual one."

Microsoft also announced that Liverpool, England based Bizarre Creations has joined the long list of world-class design studios agreeing to create exclusive games for the Xbox video game system. "We are delighted to welcome Bizarre to the Xbox family, " Fries said. "They love to push the bounds of what's possible in video gaming, which makes them a perfect fit for Xbox." Bizarre is best known for its critically acclaimed racing titles Formula 1 and Formula 1 '97 Championship Edition.

At Gamestock, Microsoft showcased its premiere line up of Xbox games. In Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, leading games artist Lorne Lanning creates a completely unique action/adventure experience for gamers as they travel through vibrant worlds featuring the popular duo, "Abe" and "Munch." Sci-Fi fans will be enthralled with the creations of developer Jason Jones in Halo, where stunning visuals and intense action will provide a one-of-a-kind video game experience. Meanwhile, rising artists Jeff Petkau and Jon Mavor combine to showcase their visionary talents with stunning graphics on Azurik - Rise of Perathia, one of the deepest and most immersive 3-D action/adventure games for the Xbox.

PC gaming fans will be delighted with the works of such renowned game developers as Chris Taylor, Dungeon Siege; Alex Garden, Sigma: The Adventures of Rex Chance; and Mitch Gitelman, MechCommander 2. Taylor blows away anything previously experienced in a role-playing game by giving players unlimited resources in Dungeon Siege. In Sigma, Garden expands the real-time strategy genre by allowing players to create their own units consisting of entirely new species by blending the best parts of any two animals on the planet. And in MechCommander 2, Gitelman satisfies the desires of real-time strategy gamers while still appealing to the hundreds-of-thousands of worldwide Mech fans with his latest installment. Sim fans will soar to new heights with Flight Simulator 2002, while others will be able to see the world without leaving their homes in Train Simulator.

On Xbox, sports fans will finally be able to experience their favorite sports as if they were actually in the game, instead of being an observer on the sidelines. In NFL Fever 2002, developer Pat Cook presents the most stunningly realistic players and settings ever seen on a video game system. And Carl Schnurr will delight expert and novice snowboarders alike with Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding, simply the most realistic snowboarding title ever created that allows players to perform the most radical tricks possible on real mountains.