Archived News:
A bit later than planned, the
Day of Defeat Website now offers a list of mirrors for the full version 1.0
Half-Life Day of Defeat client for Win32 and Linux. Each download is in the 170
MB range, and word is that old beta version 3.1 installations should be removed
before installing the new release. This is the same version of the mod that will
be in the upcoming retail boxed version of DoD.
Activision sends word that the demo for Star Trek: Elite Force II, Ritual's
upcoming sci-fi shooter sequel, is code complete, and is expected to be released
tomorrow. There is a
preview of the demo on Ritualistic going into much detail about what to
expect, some of which might be considered spoilers. The ETA for the release is
about midday (Eastern Time), but as always, these things are subject to change.
Icculus has released the
first beta Linux client for Devastation, Digitalo's Unreal-engine first-person
shooter. Word is: "You need the retail disc, and a win32 system to
install/patch the game before copying it to your Linux system. We're hoping to
take win32 out of the equasion before the end of the beta, but you will
definitely need a legal copy of the game and a valid CD key." A further
note accompanying the 3D
Gamers mirror of the file points out that the version of the Windows client
that this seems to require is not actually out yet, which obviously limits its
immediate usefulness should that actually be the case.
The Call
of Duty Q&A on GameSpot talks with Infinity Ward's Vince Zampella to
learn more about the upcoming World War II combat franchise in the works at this
developer comprised of much of the team behind Medal of Honor: Allied Assault.
They discuss the single-player campaign, missions, the game's modified version
of the Quake III engine, and much more. Included are two new screenshots. Here's
a bit on the type of combat that will be featured: "Call of Duty is all
about fighting as a group--it's not about one-man armies. Fighting alongside
friendly soldiers--even friendly tanks en masse, in some missions--is the core
theme for many missions. The scale is generally squad-level (small groups of
four to eight tasked with a specific goal), but it does scale up to larger
numbers depending on the mission at hand. There are a few missions where you
will be without squadmates watching your back or helping you achieve objectives
in a very real, tactical sense."
This Star Trek Elite Force II
Downloads Page now offers a new gameplay trailer from Ritual's upcoming
sequel to Raven's Trekkie shooter. The mpeg-format file is 21 MB, and mirrors
can be found on 3D Gamers,
FileShack (registration required), Gamer's
Hell, Happy
Puppy (registration required), Tiscali
Games, and Worthplaying.
Now that UT2004 rumors have begun floating around, French site Factornews
has blabbed that they've had confirmation of this title for a couple of weeks
now, offering a screenshot of the game's name on an Excel spreadsheet of
Infogrames E3 appointments as their evidence.
A demo for Unreal II: The Awakening is now available, offering a sampling of the
single-player first-person shooter sequel created by Legend Entertainment. The
content of the demo is the game's first mission "Sanctuary" (thanks Tiscali
Games). The file is a 154 MB download, available on 3D
Gamers, FilePlanet
(registration required), Gamer's Hell,
Happy
Puppy (registration required), FileShack
(registration required), and Worthplaying.
A new single-player demo for Vietcong has been released, following up on the
multiplayer demo for Illusion Softworks' Vietnam War shooter
( story). The demo offers the game's "Crash In The
Jungle" mission that features a chopper crash and a rescue mission. The 100
MB demo can be downloaded from 3D
Gamers, FilePlanet
(registration required), FileShack (registration required), Happy
Puppy (registration required), Gamer's
Hell, and Worthplaying.
A new movie trailer for Breed is now available, showing off some of Brat
Designs' upcoming futuristic first- and third-person shooter. The trailer is a
31 MB download, which can be found on 3D
Gamers, FilePlanet
(registration required), FileShack (registration required), Gamer's
Hell, Tiscali
Games, and Worthplaying.
The Public
Enemy Website now offers downloads of a fix for the Linux server for this
Half-Life modification that prevents if from being locked up by malicious users.
They are also now keeping a listing of servers that are running the mod.
A post on PlanetUnreal (thanks
the_culture) has quotes from Epic concerning future plans for the Unreal
Tournament franchise, which may or may not be inspired by the recent appearance
of a UT2004
pre-order page ( story). Either way it sounds like we'll be
learning more about this all quite soon, as reflected in the quote from Steven
Polge: We'll be announcing what's happening next with Unreal Tournament at
E3. Don't worry, any new UT related products shipping in the next 18 months will
be compatible with UT2003, and so will serve to extend the life of the platform
your mod is built on rather than replacing it.
And a follow up from Mark
Rein: If there were going to be a UT2004 it would be fully backward
compatible with 2003 so mod makers wouldn't have to worry about that. But that's
all I can say for now :)
Metal
Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes announced for GameCube on GameSpot offers news
of the official title of the upcoming GameCube MGS game "currently in
development at Silicon Knights, the development team behind Eternal
Darkness." Word is: "Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is scheduled
for release later this year in North America, but it will be on display at
E3." Also, the
official press release confirming this morning's Colin McRae 04 report
( story) is now available, saying: "Set to be the rally event
of the year, Colin McRae Rally 04 is due to be published by Codemasters this
November for PlayStation 2 and Xbox." Finally, the
first screenshots of Counter-Strike on the Xbox are now available, showing
off characters, gameplay, and a giant watermark. Update: Worthplaying
has posted the non-watermarked versions of those shots.
- Chrome
The
Chrome Preview on ActionTrip offers hands-on impressions of Techland's
upcoming first-person shooter: "Chrome is a tactical FPS game that
takes place in the future during the colonization of the newly discovered
solar system of Valkyria. The player is cast in the role of Logan - one of
the finest highly-trained mercenaries of the 25th Century. He has a standing
of four long years in the so-called Expedition Corps and another four in the
SpecForce, making him the perfect candidate for the lead role." There
is also another quick preview of the game on XGR
and another longer one on GameAxis.
- EVE
The EVE
Online: The Second Genesis Preview on Ferrago.co.uk is the latest look
at CCP's upcoming outer-space MMORPG based on getting to participate in the
beta test. Here's a bit: "The graphics are perhaps the most outstanding
thing about the game. The screenshots show off how lovely the textures and
models are, and how beautifully glowing the space that the developers have
created is. To see them moving, and in high resolution on a reasonable
computer at solid framerates, is something to behold."
- PlanetSide
The
PlanetSide preview on Worthplaying and Gamers
Europe's PlanetSide Preview offer the latest sets of impressions from
the beta of SOE's upcoming MMOFPS.
The Night Elves have been revealed, a new race that will be playable in
Blizzard's World of Warcraft, and a
few screenshots are available to show them off. In further related news, a
post to the World
of Warcraft Forums (thanks Mystics Network)
has word on plans for beta testing of the Warcraft-themed MMORPG: The
beta is expected to begin sometime in Q3 (Sometime between August and October).
It will be done in stages. That is all the information we have at this time,
please watch the World of
Warcraft site for any news.
No accompanying announcement has been made yet, but it's interesting to note
that the official Star
Wars Galaxies Website no longer mentions the planned console versions of the
upcoming Star Wars MMORPG. This may be an innocent oversight, but up until
recently, Xbox and PS2 logos adorned the site in addition to the PC-CD logo that
remains. Thanks The International House of
Mojo.
There's a
Freedom: Soldiers of Liberty Preview on GameSpy
with impressions of IO Interactive's upcoming third-person combat game set in an
alternate-history where Russia were the ones to drop the big one, having nuked
Germany to bring World War II to a close. Along the way they describe how the
game, previously known as The Battle for Liberty Island, will differ on both of
its target platforms: "Freedom: Soldiers of Liberty is being developed as a
single-player game for the PC, but console versions will have a four-player
split-screen mode with virtually the same gameplay mechanics. The Xbox version
is expected to have better graphics and textures."
- BF1942 Secret Weapons
HomeLan
Fed's BF1942 Secret Weapons Q&A talks with Mikael Rudberg about
development on the upcoming Secret Weapons expansion for Battlefield 1942.
Along the way they discuss how they decided which of these secret weapons to
feature: "Our thinking was that if the weapon were featured heavily in
battle then it wouldn’t be some much of a 'secret weapon'. Of course, we
found a lot and from there we looked at what each vehicle could add to the
Battlefield experience. Every vehicle had to add a new dimension to
Battlefield and not just be different."
- Men of Valor: Vietnam
The Men
of Valor: Vietnam Q&A on GDXbox.com talks with Sierra producer Ross
Perez about 2015's upcoming Unreal-engine shooter that will place the player
in the steamy jungles of the Vietnam War.
- Mythica
The Mythica
Q&A on PC.IGN.Com talks with Matthew Wilson, Joel Manners, and Hal
Milton about Mythica, the upcoming Norse-themed MMORPG that will offer an
enhanced single-player component.
- Warhammer Online
RPG
Vault's Warhammer Online Q&A talks with Robin Dews about progress on
bringing Games Workshop's tabletop fantasy game to computer systems as an
MMOG.
- Postal 2
Boomtown's
Postal 2 Q&A offers a Q&A with Running With Scissors' Vince Desi
about their Postal sequel, talking about the comedic carnage it contains.
- Damn Dirty Apes
HomeLan
Fed's Damn Dirty Apes Q&A chats with Graeme Laws of DarkmonthStudios
about their recently announced cartoon-themed war game. In addition to the
Q&A we have posted up some new local
screenshots of the game.
Further supporting the crack analogy by offering the first hit for free, Westlake
Interactive is now accepting entrants into the public beta testing of
EverQuest for the Macintosh (thanks Loadedinc).
The sign-ups are being accepted on Sony's EverQuest
On The Mac Beta Site.
A new public beta of the Neverwinter
Nights Linux Client is now available. In beta 5 server
browsing and chat have still not been implemented, but the update does fix the
problem of shadows and floor triggers not being visible with some graphics
cards, adds a recommended SDL library, and provides improved handling of
international characters. The file has been mirrored on 3D
Gamers.
A translation of the German text on AreaXbox
indicates that Valve is working on an Xbox version of Half-Life 2, but that
details on this will not be released until after E3. Meanwhile, GameFaction
is reporting that they have received some manner of confirmation that plans are
in place for Colin McRae 4 for the PS2 and Xbox, and that more details should be
forthcoming soon. Meantime, they have posted the
first screenshots from the game.
A new version 1.14 patch for Restaurant
Empire is now available, adding a couple of new features and addressing some
bugs in this food services simulator. Thanks 3D
Gamers, where there's a mirror of the English patches as well as the French
patch found on
this page.
The manual for the retail release of Day
of Defeat is now available (thanks Unrealik)
in your choice of English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish languages.
Oh joy! MrsBlue came home yesterday with a favorite harbinger of the warmer
months: Girl Scout cookies! Our silly Samoa experimentation behind us (apologies
to John Cash), we are again fully in Thin Mint mode. I think we're going to have
to start buying a couple of extra boxes a year though, as every year there seem
to be one or two fewer cookies in each box... I'm concerned it won't be long
before they are selling these individually.
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