Microsoft shows first demos of Xbox 2 software tools

Created by David Woo of Pseudo Interactive, attendees were first
treated to officially the shiniest car we've ever seen, a Saleen, sat in a
virtual garage. The camera twists and turns, headlights flash, and actual,
proper real-time reflections cause a minor stir amongst the crowd.

Fiddling with on-screen settings, the car is
launched full-tilt down a narrow corridor. Yeah, yeah, very fast, still
shiny, whatever... But just when our trusty cynic-o-matic is about to fire
into action, the highpoint: the car slams into a wall, smashing in the
most astonishingly realistic manner we've ever witnessed aside from the
real thing. Honest to goodness: 'Wow!'

And to underline the point, the clip is
rewound and played back in slow motion, with the camera zooming around in
real-time offering myriad vantage points. Hundreds of shards of metal and
glass spray out from the area of impact; bodywork crumples,
concertina-like, as the car deforms, contorts and pirouettes out of
control.

But most surprising of all, perhaps, 'Crash'
has also turned out to be the gameplay experience of the show. Yes, we've
played it - we have, to all intents and purposes, played the world's first
Xbox 2 game. With J Allard. And we'll bring you our full impressions plus
amazing exclusive details on the next iteration of the demo
later.