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Archived News:
- Duality
Coverage of the ECTS show at Games Domain rolls on with Phantagram gets two-faced, a look at the just-unveiled cyberpunk action RPG Duality by Trilobyte Graphics and Phantagram. Also available is Pan thumbs a lift, a brief report on the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy game by H2G2 and PAN Interactive.
- Awards
The ECTS Game of the Show awards, as judged by a panel of journalists, are listed at Computer and Video Games, with Project Nomad taking home the Best PC Game of the Show trophee, and Anarchy Online (which isn't out in Europe yet) being voted Best Multiplayer Game of the Show.
- Wrap-Ups
If you parlez, you may want to check out French site Ouare Games which has a fairly comprehensive ECTS report online (naturally, you can also stick a Babel Fish in your ear).
There is a "one on one interview with Jeremy Statz" on Horizons Stratics, chatting with the Artifact Entertainment lead world developer about HORIZONS: Empires of Istaria, their upcoming MMORPG (thanks Horizons Vault via VE). Jeremy fires off mostly brief answers on a large range of topics, including the current state of the game and challenges in its development, the game's pricing plans, player names, some of its gameplay features, and more.
- Myth III
There is a new pair of Myth III: the Wolf Age screenshots on MythWolfAge.com, showing off some characters in the 3D real-time strategy game under construction at Mumbo Jumbo Games.
- Pool of Radiance
GameBanshee has posted a dozen new Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor screenshots, including a pair from the cinematic intro for the isometric RPG nearing completion at Stormfront Studios.
- End of Twlight
Five new End of Twilight screenshots are online at Freelancer, illustrating the 3D turn-based strategy RPG in the works at New Media Generation.
Macplay has released a playable demo of Aliens Vs. Predator Gold, the Mac port of the original three-class first-person shooter by Rebellion, available for download from MacGameFiles. The demo clocks in at 59.4 MB and comes with an optional music download of 23.8 MB. Thanks AvPNews for the tip.
GameBanshee has conducted an interview on Darkfall, talking to producer and lead designer Claus Grovdal about the medieval MMORPG being created at Raxorwax. As the game is still early in development, much of the conversation covers design issues rather than actual features, and Claus talks about the dark feel of their game world, player versus player combat, character customization and skill trees, how the game should stand out from other MMORPG's, and more. Three new screenshots accompany the proceedings.
Microids has released a patch for the U.S.A. edition of Empire of the Ants, their 3D strategy game that offers the ticklish pleasure of managing an ant colony. The 1.7 MB patch brings the game to version 1.61 and is said to merely fix the "indoor tutorial bug." Older patches for the UK and other European editions are also still available.
- Global Operations
PC Zone UK has posted about four new screenshots of Global Operations mixed in with a bunch of familiar scenes from the team-based realistic multiplayer shooter in the works at Barking Dog.
- Freedom Force
Likewise, about five new Freedom Force screenshots have been obfuscated with more familiar images in today's PC Zone UK gallery, illustrating the superheroic 3D tactical RPG by Irrational Australia.
- AvP 2
As is their way, five Aliens Vs. Predator 2 screenshots have been added to AvPNews' galleries for Monolith's shooter, starting with the last image on the aforementioned page, and continuing on this one.
- Sierra's Double Dose
Similarly, Sierra Studios has released new screenshots of the week for their upcoming games Empire Earth and Throne of Darkness.
- Fighting Legends
This Fighting Legends Plane Gallery on RPGDot offers over two dozen new screenshots of the massively multiplayer role-playing strategy game being beta tested at Maximum Charisma.
Throne of Darkness Interview #2 is a quick conversation with producer Leif Jensen on the isometric action RPG that is nearing completion at Click Entertainment. Leif comments on the upcoming beta test, how the game stands apart from similar offerings like the Diablo series, what surprises may be left for buyers after the media exposure the game has had over the course of its development, the length of the single-player game, and a few other topics.
Fan site id Pro Quo has posted
an audio recording of a workshop conducted by id Software's Graeme Devine from
last year's QuakeCon 2000 on the topic of Quest, the online game project that
had already by that time been cancelled. They've posted this now because there
has been quite a bit of speculation that some aspects of Quest are being put
into Nerve Software's upcoming unnamed mystery project "based on an original design by id
Software" ( story). If that really is the case, however, it
represents a change in plan by contradicting the very reason Graeme is so
forthcoming about Quest details in his talk, as in the very beginning he says:
"Quest is not coming out... no one's gonna do it, so I can tell you all
about it." The three and a half minute mp3-format recording indeed features details on the concept behind Quest and describes gameplay, and offers an
explanation of how, contrary to popular belief, the online component would not
qualify this as an MMORPG.
There's a Dark Age of Camelot
preview on Frictionless Insight featuring another set of hands-on
impressions from helping beta test this upcoming MMORPG. The experiences
described come from hopping around between a few different characters in a few
different realms to provide a broader overview, and on tap are descriptions of the game's
character classes, professions, monsters and combat, as well as the approach DAoC takes to NPC interactions, questing, and the all-important consideration of
how player-versus-player conflicts are handled. Also included are several new
screenshots.
There's a new
C&C: Renegade Mini-Playtest report on Ferrago.co.uk where they attended
an event called EA Play that was held just outside London concurrent with this
weekend's ECTS festivities. They recap getting to play
around a bit with Renegade, the upcoming first-person shooter set in the
Command & Conquer universe, describing what they felt was an authentic
presentation of the C&C setting, and giving some quick first-hand
impressions of gameplay. There are several screenshots with the article, though
none of them are new, but never fear, there are five new C&C: Renegade
screenshots mixed in with the dozen shots in this PC Zone gallery.
Creature Isles Announced on
PC.IGN.Com is an article from ECTS that seems to have missed the actual
first mention of this Black & White add-on that appeared several weeks ago
( story), though it still offers some details about the project
that we have not seen prior to this. They saw a presentation by Lionhead's Peter Molyneux (or as they put it Molyneaux) who described to them the game's
main focus, which seems to be procreation, as they quote him as saying: "Overwhelmingly
what the fans said is they'd like to see their creature have sex with another
creature." They also briefly discuss the crocodile, a new creature that
will be added: "whose goal is to breed with the female on the island just
like you and several other creatures that you're competing against"
(everyone whose goal it is to breed with a creature raise your hands). They also
describe how your creature's will be given a "Tyke" until its
proven worthy of parenthood (this part is a bit confusing). Regarding a release schedule, they have this to say:
"Creature Isle has been in development since shortly after the release of
Black & White earlier this year, and Lionhead is expecting the expansion to
be released between November 2001 and February 2002."
There's an
Evil Twin Q&A on WORTHPLAYING that seems to be a canned press interview
conducted by Ubi Soft about progress on Evil Twin, which is In Utero's upcoming
action adventure game about a youngster and his battles in an imaginary world
where he exists as a superhero. The interview discusses all of the influences
that contribute to Evil Twin, a project that demonstrates that distinctive flair
that so many French games seem to share, and goes on to also discuss platform
choices, the number of characters populating the game, comparisons with other
games, creative challenges they are encountering, and more. There is also a
gallery of 19 new Evil Twin screenshots accompanying the Q&A.
Geek Girl's Guide 2 Games'
Armalion Interview talks with Holger Breitbach, the project manager at
Ikarion Software on Armalion, an upcoming RPG/RTS game based on a German pen
& paper RPG of the same name that uses a system called Das Schwarze Auge
(The Black Eye). The Q&A covers how the mixing of the strategy and
role-playing elements will be accomplished, a bit about planned character
classes, experience, quests, how multiplayer play will be handled, and more.
GeForce3 Ultra due 'within six weeks' on GameSpot UK is a report out of ECTS that announces: "Graphics chip maker nVidia will boost the
power of its top-of-the-range GeForce3 graphics processor with new versions
within the next six weeks, according to sources within the company." Here's
a bit more of what they learned about plans for a speedier than ever version of
the current king-of-the-hill accelerator family: Several new
versions of the GeForce3 graphics processor -- widely regarded as one of the
fastest available for mainstream PCs and Apple Macs -- are expected. Alongside a
new high-end chip, nVidia will also launch cheaper versions that will be
designed to appeal to budget-conscious buyers. Graphics cards based on the
GeForce3 typically sell to hard-core gamers who are prepared to pay a premium
for the high performance. GeForce3-based graphics cards, such as the Elsa
Gladiac 920, cost around £300.
NVidia has not confirmed the names of the new processors, but they are expected
to follow the same convention as for the GeForce2. This would see the new
high-end chip adopting the GeForce3 Ultra moniker, while the budget versions
will be GeForce3 MX. "It's not rocket science to figure out that we'll
apply the same model we used for the GeForce2," said the source, who asked
not to be named. Buyers can expect a wide differential in prices for cards based
on the new chips; graphics cards based on the high-end GeForce2 Ultra can still
cost up to £270, while those built on the GeForce2 MX 400 can retail for less
than £90.
- Imperium Galactica 3
GameSpot's
first look at Imperium Galactica 3 preview from ECTS is up, saying
"The third game in the 4X space strategy series puts new emphasis on
graphically stunning tactical ship combat reminiscent of Homeworld."
The preview has 15 new screenshots, almost triple the number that have been
released previously all combined.
- Global Ops
GameSpot's
Global Operations update describes what they saw at the show of Global
Operations, Barking Dog's upcoming tactical shooter, saying it "builds
on the appeal of the most popular multiplayer mod on the Internet,
Counter-Strike, and takes it to a new level of polish and
sophistication."
- AquaNox
GameSpot UK's ECTS 2001
coverage rolls along with lots of coverage from the show, including a
photo gallery, AquaNox Hands-On
impressions and Alfred Hitchcock-The Final Cut Hands-On impressions.
- Iron Storm
GameDomain's
ECTS coverage has a load of new articles from the show, including an
Iron Storm update that has new screenshots from this alternate
history WW1 shooter from "French newcomers Wanadoo."
- NY Race
Get out your Leeloo Dallas multipass, there's a first look
at NY Race on GameSpot talking about what they saw of this futuristic
cross-platform racing game based on The Fifth Element. The preview
offers a bunch of new screenshots from the PC version, and some streaming
gameplay movie footage (though the movies don't seem to be working, at least
not right off the bat). Another set of impressions on NY Race can be found
on Ferrago.co.uk.
- IL-2 Sturmovik
GameSpot UK's ECTS IL-2 Sturmovik Impressions
discusses what's being shown of this upcoming Eastern-front flying combat game,
and 50 of the 102 screenshots in the
included gallery are new.
- Breed Movie
There's a Breed in-game video
on BonusWeb from ECTS with basically the same footage that was previously
released in March (story), except it has a new soundtrack.
- EGDC
Preceding ECTS was the European Game Developers'
Conference: Demis Outlines The Future Of Artificial Intelligence In Gaming
on GameSpot UK is online, in which the "Republic
creator predicts game AI could eventually write its own storylines and
plots." Also, Gaming - The Next Generation
on GameSpot UK seems to be trying to make a point about realism in
games, or something like that.
- Wrap-ups
There's
a Sunday ECTS Diary on EuroGamer recapping their experiences at the show
from yesterday, discussing, among other things Ghost Recon, Warrior Kings, World of
Warcraft, Comanche 4 and Call of Cthulhu.
Spanish companies Pendulo Studios and Dinamic have released a playable demo of Runaway: A Road Adventure, available for download from GameSpot Spain (but beware that their ftp server apparently doesn't allow resumes). This demo weighs in at a hefty 134 MB and allows you to play a part of Chapter 5 from this point-n-click adventure, which takes place near an abandoned mine in the Arizona desert. The demo is entirely in Spanish, so be prepared for even more guesswork than is common in this game genre, and the file includes Spanish distributions of DirectX 8 and Windows Media Player 7, but it works fine on an English-language system as long as you've already got those components installed.
There's a Matt Powers
interview on PC Game Central talking with the executive producer at
Infogrames about Unreal II, the Unreal sequel currently in the works at Legend Entertainment.
Topics include the role of the executive producer in game production, the
pressure to make Unreal II live up to expectations, an overview of the game's
story, the game's emphasis on the single player experience, comparisons to the
upcoming installments in both the Quake and DOOM franchises, and more.
There's a Cliff Bleszinski Interview
on Tolstiy's Place talking with CliffyB about several general topics
surrounding his role as lead designer at Epic Games, also going into things like
his reaction to criticism, how his mood impacts his work, the changing nature of
both level design and first-person shooters, and more. Interestingly, the only
specific game mentioned in any questions is Jazz Jackrabbit, as they inquire
about the possibility it will inspire a remake.
There's a very short three question Q&A
with Bill Roper on Worthplaying reproducing the Blizzard Insider newsletter
where Blizzard Bill talks about the ability to alter the appearance of the
legendary heroes in Warcraft III, the story behind the creation of the Warcraft
III trailer, and their hopes of expanding their three noteworthy franchises
(StarCraft, Warcraft or Diablo) into the realms of TV and movies.
GameSpy.com Previews World of Warcraft
after getting to check out Blizzard's just-announced ( story)
MMORPG at ECTS. Here's a bit from the first-hand impressions they've posted
after a private demonstration of the game: A keyword for the development
team right now is "individually cool" and this means that they're only
adding new races and character customizations if they're different enough from
what's already there for you to think, "yeah, that cool".
Blizzard seems to be heading in the right direction with this plan as rather
than create a plethora of races all very similar they are going to create
several vibrant races easily distinguishable, not just by appearance but also by
characteristics. While you customize the look of your online character a fully
rotatable 3D image of the character dynamically changing with each choice you
make so you can see the effects your customization is making until you're
satisfied your hair looks right and your beard is just trimmed to the mage look
for this season. This customization is all done with modelled 3D deformations to
the character rather than just a change of skin textures like in some other
games. Of course you'll probably not want your online self to look exactly like
yourself (especially if you're playing as an Orc) so the styles available are
all vibrant and individual. The developers explained to us that they weren't
going for the ultra-realistic look with World of Warcraft as the Blizzard style
has always been slightly towards the squat figures of comics. Once your
character is tailored to your own personal tastes its time to go online and
battle the evil foe.
There's a Multicast
Spectator Mode / Voice Communication preview CS Extreme with another look at
the new upcoming Counter-Strike/Half-Life features. Also, there's a De_Torn:
Special Feature on Valve ERC with a preview of this Counter-Strike map they
call "one of the most hyped and sought after" from the upcoming
Counter-Strike 1.3 release.
The HeadHunters Q3 homepage
announces that "After 3 loongass years of crying, toiling, and some
playing," the first Quake III Arena version of the
HeadHunters modification has been released. The page also has a patch that was
quickly issued to address a dedicated server crashing bug, and they also have
the address of a server that's up to check out this capture the heads mod.
Coming soon to a petition near you, but still un-Foxed for the time being, a new
version of the Quake Matrix
modification for the original Quake. Quake Matrix offers Matrix style jumping, slowed
bullets, two new enemies in single player (Agents and Soldiers), multiplayer
support, custom sounds and skins, and more.
Lesson 4 in the Neverwinter Vault Modelling Course
is online, continuing the bizarre trend of having more editing news lately about
this yet-to-be-released game than all those that are already available combined.
A new beta version 3.3 of the MultiEx Commander resource-extraction utility on XENTAX.COM.
Half-Life Center
interviews with LPlasma from the Desert Crisis Half-Life modification.
- An announcement on RPGvault.ign.com
has word that the recently announced Atriarch beta test (story)
is now underway...
- Those who signed the "save Jane's Attack Squadron Petition (story)
will be pleased to see a story called Jane's Lives On
on FGN that says Xicat Interactive now has the Jane's license and
"The (first) game that will use the Jane's license is (Jane's) Attack
Squadron being developed by Mad Doc software." Thanks Phil...
Well quite the small Blizzard of activity yesterday (I slay me). Planning your
big announcement during a relatively quiet trade show during a US holiday
weekend definitely helps you get the lion's share of the spotlight, and then
there was also the new Serious Sam game announcement, so it was definitely not
your usual quiet Sunday. That went a step further when I had the most unusual
confrontation in a parking lot yesterday when a group of three women berated me
for parking too close to them (imagine!), and I was actually physically
threatened by an 80-something year-old woman. Very surreal.
The holiday I'm referring to above, if you are unfamiliar, is Labor Day,
which of course is celebrated in the US and Canada by having everyone take off
work for the day (well, almost everyone, I'm sure I'm not the only one working).
It doesn't make that much sense on the surface of it, but the holiday was
originally thought up by a labor union, and proposing a holiday where you don't
get to skip work makes even that much less sense, so there it is.
Link of the Day: Enable Manual Crash Feature
on Windows 2000 (Windows Registry Guide). Thanks [AGHLTFC]Ray_M[AsS].
Media of the Day: Ballmerfunk
Music Video (QuickTime required). Thanks EvilToast. The sequel to the classic Dance
Monkeyboy.
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