Sopranos Lead THQ's E3 Charge

Next-gen game starring Tony and the gang heads a roster heavy on franchises and sequels.

Of all the major publishers, it's THQ that probably has its hand in the most non-game pies. The company's line-up for the Electronic Entertainment Expo next week is a testament to the crossover between video games and movies and television.

The biggest news for the company ahead of next week's event is that it has landed the exclusive rights to make games based on popular mob drama The Sopranos. Much like EA's The Godfather, The Sopranos sees you assume the role of an underling in the New Jersey crime scene, at a time when hostility is on the rise with neighbouring Philadelphia.

The other expected hit for THQ this year is Cars, which adapts Pixar's latest movie of the same name.

But it's not all tie-ins for the company. The company has sequels brewing for its popular WWE SmackDown vs Raw and Destroy All Humans! series and there's original content too, in the form of urban action/driving game Saints Row and a new shooter based on escalating tension between the East and the West.

Below is a rundown of all the games THQ has confirmed it'll bring to E3:

• Saints Row - rise through the ranks in this urban action game
• Frontlines: Fuels of War - near-future East-vs-West shooter
• WWE SmackDown Vs Raw 2007 - more wrestlers, more action
• the Sopranos - TV's favourite mob family goes interactive
• MotoGP 06 - speedy bike series makes Xbox 360 debut
• GTR - PC hit GT series game comes to consoles
• Supreme Commander - real-time strategy in the 37th century
• Company of Heroes - World War II real-time strategy
• Titan Quest - RPG from Age of Empires creator
• Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War: Dark Crusade - new expansion
• Cars - video game adaptation of Pixar's new flick
• Destroy All Humans! 2 - they're back and stuck in the '60s
• SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature From the Krusty Krab - more cartoony fun
• Monster House - adaptation of upcoming spook house CG movie
• Bratz: Forever Diamondz - high fashion with the Bratz girls
• Barnyard - adaptation of Bruce Almighty director's new movie
• Avatar: The Last Airbender - adaptation of kung-fu cartoon
• Juiced: Eliminator - Juiced creators return for second high-speed racing squeeze
• Alex Rider: Stormbreaker - spy antics based on new movie

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games