Archived News:
The game started shipping yesterday ( story), but if you haven't obtained a copy of Max Payne yet, you may still like to check out the last pair of short gameplay clips at Italian site Multiplayer.it, where they have posted a 16 seconds and a 30 seconds movie, as usual in QuickTime format. Also, Belgian site SpelletjesGarnaal offers a Max Payne movie featuring nearly eight minutes of streaming or downloadable Windows Media Player footage that is accompanied by a strangely out-of-sync soundtrack and more expletive-laden commentary than usual (thanks Max Payne Zone). Also, Snowball Interactive has released two short Fatherdale gameplay movies in self-running Bink format, showing off their upcoming isometric RPG. Finally, in anticipation of the game's release next month, Fever Pitch Studios has posted the initial concept version of the Conquest: Frontier Wars intro movie as a 2 minute AVI clip.
- AvP 2
PC Zone UK has posted a dozen new Aliens Vs. Predator 2 screenshots, along with word that a playable demo of Monolith's first-person shooter is planned for an August 23 release, although AvPNews.com clarifies that this will not be a PCZUK exclusive.
- Myth III
Fansite MythWolfAge.com has added four new Myth III: the Wolf Age screenshots to their gallery for this 3D real-time strategy game in the works at Mumbo Jumbo Games.
- Iron Strategy
There are five new Parkan: Iron Strategy screenshots on the frontpage of GamesBrasil, offering more scenes in the 3D action strategy game under construction at Nikita.
- Zorro
German site SpieleCity has posted ten new screenshots of Zorro, the third-person sword-wielding action adventure in the works at In Utero.
- Laser Squad Nemesis
The official Laser Squad Nemesis site sports the first two screenshots for this play-by-email squad-based tactical combat game by Codo Games (thanks Freelancer).
- Etherlords
Also from Freelancer comes another quartet of Etherlords creature images from the upcoming 3D turn-based strategy game by Nival Interactive.
- Freedom Force
There are three screenshots of Freedom Force, as well as a brief development update on Irrational's 3D tactical RPG, up at VoodooExtreme.
- Battlecruiser Millennium
3000 AD has released nine new Battlecruiser Millennium screenshots, depicing a forest area on a planet in their imminent space sim.
- Mystery of the Druids
Half a dozen new Mystery of the Druids screenshots are online at GameSpot, showing more from the 3D adventure that will be published by CDV.
GameZone.com has conducted a
Q&A with Alan Emrich of Quicksilver, talking with him about their upcoming
4X (or 5X, as they have dubbed it) strategy game Master of Orion III. Alan provides
details on the plot, and overall gameplay in MOO3, as well as how fan interaction
is shaping the game and how user friendly the experience will be.
RPG Vault's Black
Moon Chronicles: Winds of War Interview talks with Francis "Drake"
Lahaie, the lead designer of this "cartoon-based" massively multiplayer
title. The interview covers a number of topics, which range from gameplay-specific
information to more general things, such as the background of the development
team and how they plan on licensing the game to ISPs around the globe.
GameSpot has a
preview of Heroes of Might & Magic IV online, taking a look at the latest
HoMM title from 3DO. The preview is quite detailed, and contains details on
the new monsters, towns, heroes and other changes since the last release, accompanied
by new in-game screenshots and model renders, and a streaming video interview
with the game's executive producer.
Tonight at 9:00 PM EDT, XGR.com will broadcast their interview with Mitch Gitelman,
the producer of MechCommander 2. More details are
available on their site. To listen in you'll need a Shoutcast-capable
audio player.
We try not to report on things of this nature until an official statement is
made, but enough places are claiming to confirm this that it warrants our attention.
According to multiple sources and multiple gaming sites, TORN, the upcoming
3D RPG from Black Isle Studios that would have used an original universe instead
of a licensed one, has been put on hold and much of the development team has
been let go. It is unknown at this time whether or not this will have any affect
on the other titles in development at Black Isle. Again, this has not been officially
confirmed, but the number of off the record sources speaking out on it would
seem to suggest that there is some truth here.
I'm not sure how we missed this, but you can now sign up to play the "pilot
episode" of the oddball conspiracy
game Majestic (thanks FGN Online by way of Ray Marden). The pilot is the free, first chapter
of the game, and if you want to play the full version you'll have to sign up
for EA's platinum service.
HomeLAN has conducted a
Q&A with Dan White, the marketing manager at LithTech, Inc.. Naturally
the questions focus on the LithTech engine, and Dan provides information on
the latest release and comments on the engine licensing business. He also confirms
that the engine will be ported to the Nintendo Gamecube, and says that Ghost
Ops, which was recently shown in a LithTech engine demo, was a prototype created
by Monolith and is not actually being developed as a full game at this time.
AVault has posted additional
details on Game of Death, the upcoming horror title from BURNS Entertainment.
According to their news update, the game will be powered by the Vulpine
Engine, and will be released for the PC in December of 2002, with Mac, Playstation
2 and Xbox ports coming later. The update also contains details on the game's
plotline.
The Blizzard Entertainment
Warcraft III page has word that Warcraft III, the upcoming installment in
their hit RTS game series, will not be making it into stores in time for its
planned 2001 release. Saying: "We firmly believe that this additional
development time will prove invaluable, ensuring that Warcraft III will expand
upon the legendary gameplay experience previously found in the critically
acclaimed Warcraft series, "the report goes on to say "Our development
team is hard at work finalizing the product and we look forward to bringing you
an outstanding, real-time strategy game in 2002."
Part two
of GameSpy.com's interview Neal Hallford is online, continuing the
conversation about Dungeon Siege with the Gas Powered Games designer that began
with yesterday's
part one ( story). Topics in the follow-up include the key
characters in the storyline, the role of deities in the game, and more details
about the social, political, and economic structure of the Kingdom of Ehb in
which the upcoming RPG is set.
Gone Gold Previews Majestic
with some thought on the upcoming game that can embroil you in a mystery that
involves the game phoning, faxing and emailing you (I send you this file in
order to have your advice?). This is a hands-on report, based on getting the
chance to let chapter one of the game play them as they check out the beta. The
preview tries to make the impressions it offers generalized, as they avoid
spoiling any of the game's plotline.
The Wargamer Previews
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon with another report on progress on this upcoming
tactical first-person shooter based on the recent invasion of Red Storm
Entertainment's offices to check it out. In addition to the hands-on
impressions, the article also boasts a dozen new screenshots.
There are some
new developer comments on the Star Wars Galaxies Online website written by
Ryan Palacio, a systems designer at work on the upcoming MMORPG set a long
time ago in a galaxy far, far away. The journal offers a glimpse at what a week
in his life is like as progress on the game continues, but in a unique twist,
each day is presented as a comic strip. Also, part
six of the Mimesis Online Developer Diary on RPGDot has been posted,
offering thoughts from Tannhauser Gate's Derek Handley on how pen and paper
role-playing has contributed to the development of their upcoming CRPG, "and
why there is a lack of headphones in the company." Finally, the
Fatherdale Developer Diary, part 5 on RPGDot is written by Sergei Klimov,
lead designer on Fatherdale showing "how the dialogues for an NPC guard,
who can be in different states, are constructed" in this upcoming RPG.
Word on Gone Gold is that the US
version of Settlers IV, the latest iteration in the joys of settling series that
has been available for a while now in Europe, has gone gold, and is off to
duplication for distribution. Word on availability is that it "will be
shipping by the end of this month... around 07/30 or 07/31."
Word on HomeLan is
that those who sign up for the new Game2K1
ISP by July 31 will receive a discounted monthly rate "for life."
Paul Jaquays updated
his .plan with a QuakeCon 2001 Map Object Model contest News Update that
includes a reminder about the August 3 deadline, and a listing of the judges for
the competition. Also, Westwood's
Earth & Beyond website has an article on the development of the tools
for this upcoming space game, showing how quickly and easily many aspects of a
mission's composition can be altered.
After receiving about one million of those Sircam worm emails, my anti-virus
software finally flagged one single infected email as suspicious. This may be
because my mailer is already quashing suspicious attachments, but it still seems
odd. Loony found an
article on Wired that helps explain why so many copies of the worm/virus are
flowing into the Blue Tower (probably even beyond what is already the most
prodigious attack I can recall), as it not only sends the worm to entries found
in the victim's email address book, but their temporary Internet files as well,
which probably means other website operators are probably enjoying an extra dose
of Sircam love too. Anyway, if the article is to be believed, the worst of this
hasn't even hit yet... yeesh!
Link of the Day: ToxicToons
(Flash required). Thanks Dan Leadbetter. Gross and immature, just like we like
it.
Story of the Day: Shark Patting by Sightseers May Prompt Whale Ban
(Reuters). Thanks [MP] Wolverine [MP].
Wild Science: NASA Unveils New Supercomputer for Climate Study.
Thanks Tech Extreme.
Media of the Day: This Reuters Photo.
Thanks Ant.
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