An update of the official Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast site brings a new inventory section that exhibits the various gadgets you'll encounter in Raven Software's imminent light-saber wielding action game. Also, available for download now are three different screensavers, and last but not least, a Stormtrooper Skin for Quake III Arena has been released (6.8 MB direct link), an MD3 model that was created by Brelan "3-Demon" Duff.

The Battle Realms Battle Pack 2 patch is now available in German (incremental, comprehensive) and French, bringing Liquid Entertainment's 3D RTS in sync with the English version 1.10j of last month (story). Also, Bohemia Interactive has released Operation Flashpoint version 1.46 patches for the Polish edition (although the ftp link is broken, so here is the correct one) and Czech edition of their soldier sim, following on Monday's English patch (story). Finally, JoWood Productions has issued French patches for both Gorasul: the Legacy of the Dragon and Zax: the Alien Hunter, as well as Rally Trophy patches in Italian, Spanish and French flavors. Bon appetite!

• Task Force Dagger
  Zombie Studios has posted four new Delta Force: Task Force Dagger screenshots (and a familiar one), revealing more from the just announced tactical shooter they're developing with NovaLogic (thanks [GUN]Legolas).
• Desert Siege
  The official Ghost Recon site has been updated with three new Desert Siege screenshots, showing off the imminent tactical shooter expansion by Red Storm Entertainment, and another three shots are up at LoadedInc.
• Freedom Force
  Half a dozen new Freedom Force screenshots are online at GameSpyDaily, depicting more areas in the 3D tactical combat RPG nearing completion at Irrational Games.
• Might & Magic IX
  ToTheGame serves up four new Might and Magic IX screenshots, while a Russian preview on CRPG.ru (that you might like to read via Babel Fish) sports another 25 screenshots of 3DO's imminent 3D RPG sequel.
• Morrowind
  There are no fewer than 39 new Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind screenshots on BonusWeb, offering more scenes in the 3D role-playing game being crafted at Bethesda Softworks.
• Sudden Strike 2
  A Sudden Strike 2 preview on Belgian site BGN (for which Babel Fish provides no assistance) is illustrated with a dozen new screenshots captured from a press build of the isometric RTS by Fireglow Studios.
• Ghost Master
  A brief look at Ghost Master on Computer and Video Games is accompanied by seven new screenshots of this odd-ball 3D management strategy game by Empire Interactive.
• WarCraft III
  If you're worried you'll overlook the rows of WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos boxes once Blizzard's 3D RTS arrives on store shelves, they have now released the box image to help you recognize it.
• Neocron
  Another pair of Neocron screenshots is up at RPG Vault, showing more from the sci-fi MMORPG being beta tested at Reakktor Media.

SWAT: Urban Justice Developer Diary #1 kicks off a new series of developer diaries on Action Vault about Sierra's recently announced squad-based shooter. This first installment penned by executive producer Rod Fung is rather brief and provides an introduction to the game, its backstory and the role of the player, as well as some of the new features and the new 3D graphics engine that are being created for it. Four new screenshots are also included.

Lost Continents Interview Part 3 on RPG Vault continues one of their trademark marathon series of Q&As, these on the topic of Lost Continents, VR1's upcoming MMORPG with the pulp fiction-inspired setting. The respondent is game designer Keith Baker, who, with some help from his colleagues, addresses subjects like the game's use of quests, how they plan on keeping expeditions "fresh," NPCs, character death, grouping, the game engine, server technology, sound and music, the interface, and more.

Paul Jaquays updated his .plan file, the id Software designer announcing he is departing the company, almost five years to the day after he joined them. Admitting his "heart just isn’t in it any more," when it comes to working on id's trademark shooters, Paul goes on to announce that he's taken a position at Ensemble Studios, home to another id Software alumnus, Sandy Petersen. He caps off the update with a postscript: "… and don’t worry about Doom, the guys who have been doing all the really cool stuff for the game are still busting their chops hard as ever on it."

As promised last week (story) The First Hours of Command & Conquer: Generals on Gamespot is online, offering the first word on the next installment in Westwood's C&C series with a behind-the-scenes look at the genesis of the project similar to their in-depth final hours articles that chronicle a game's completion. The article describes an "all-new Command & Conquer, with a modern conflict inspired by events relevant to today." Set 20 years in the future, the game involves the United States and China versus "a rogue terrorist-like state, the Global Liberation Army." The huge article goes on to describe how the project was proposed and green-lighted, the decision to go with a fully 3D RTS, how the events of September 11 impacted their plans, and on and on in indescribable detail, culminating in the relentless march towards alpha status. Included are a bunch of screenshots, and numerous quotes from various folks at EA Pacific, the new name for Westwood's former Irvine, CA studio where most of the development takes place. According to the plan GameSpot outlined last week, an actual preview of the game is to follow this coming Monday.

XGR.COM's MS IGF 2002 Interviews Part III concludes their audio coverage of the show, talking with Dan Davis about Rise of Nations as he demonstrates the upcoming RTS game. The interview will air tonight at 9:30 PM EST, SHOUTcast-compatible media player required. Meanwhile XGR.COM's Impossible Creatures Preview continues their coverage of the show by offering hands-on impressions of the upcoming Dr. Moreau game. GameSpot UK's Freelancer Preview offers their impressions of the upcoming space opera in the works at Digital Anvil, in particular describing all the freedom the design will allow, while discussing features to help you keep this from getting you lost. There are further Freelancer impressions on Games Domain that go into more detail about what gameplay will entail. Also on Games Domain is a Rise of Nations Preview that looks at Big Huge Games' recently-announced RTS game with another pretty account of what they've seen, describing similarities and contrasts with other such games. Capping off a triple play on Games Domain is a preview of the upcoming Inner Sphere and Clan Mech Paks for MechWarrior 4. Finally, FiringSquad's Microsoft IGF Roundup is online with brief looks at the entire line-up of games that were on display.

• Renegade
  Westwood Responds on Penny Arcade has them putting the screws to Westwood's Cliff Hicks as he answers some point-blanks questions about Command & Conquer: Renegade.
• Medal of Honor
  There's a Medal of Honor Q&A on PlanetMedalOfHonor chatting with Jon Olick, a programmer at 2015, to discuss Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, though there isn't much about their future plans he's able to discuss.
• Red Shark
  Blue Monday's Red Shark Q&A talks with Vlad Suglobov, CEO of G5 Software, about Red Shark, their alternate history action game that puts the player in the role of a time traveler kicking some World War II ass in a modern-day helicopter.
• Call of Cthulhu
  There's a Call of Cthulhu Q&A on Calling Cthulhu asking Andrew Brazier of Headfirst Productions 10 questions cooked up by the denizens of the alt.horror.cthulhu newsgroup. This might not withstand a lot of traffic though, as it's on a free host.

GameSpot's Farscape Q&A talks with senior producer Alan McDairmant of Red Lemon about Farscape, their upcoming action/RPG based on the science fiction television series of the same name. The conversation covers the origins of this project, challenges presented by trying to adapt a TV show to a game, what flexibility they have in working with the license, how much combat will be on hand, weapons, enemies, puzzles, character development, the participation of the cast as voice talent, and more.

Strike Force Center now offers a new version 1.75 of the Strike Force modification for Unreal Tournament. The new version has been completely reworked, and requires the full 110 MB installer, even if you have used a prior version of the mod (the new release is described as "a whole new experience"). Key features include 10 "real world" maps, locational damage, muzzle flashes and tracer fire, "super fast" server browser, over 22 weapons, four game types, and more.

As promised, the multiplayer beta of Global Operations has now been released for download from FilePlanet (registration required), allowing you try out the team-based tactical shooter by Barking Dog that went gold earlier today. The beta weighs in at an average (these days) 96.6 MB and contains the Quebec map, playable through the in-game browser and GameSpy Arcade. Update: There are mirrors on Shacknews (registration required), 3D Gamers, AusGamers (Australia), GameArena (Australia), Tiscali Games (Czech Rep.), NGI (Italy), Fragland.net (Belgium) and BonusWeb (Czech Rep.).

Tesseraction Games announces flagship game "Enigma: Rising Tide" is the press release announcing a new MMO game called Enigma: Rising Tide in the works at Tesseraction Games. The game is described as an "alternate history, World War II-era, cinematic naval combat game that will support fast-paced, massively-multiplayer, ship-to-ship battles in a huge persistent world embroiled in an ongoing virtual war." The plan is to distribute the game for free, with "plans to release upgrades and expansions every three months for the life of the game at no charge to subscribers." The game's target platform is not actually specified in the release, but a phone call to the developer confirms that this is a PC title, as can be pretty well inferred from the description of the distribution scheme. Update: Action Vault has a movie-style Enigma: Rising Tide poster in two resolutions.

Electronic Arts sends word that Global Operations, the team-based tactical first-person shooter developed by Barking Dog Studios, has gone gold, "and is on schedule to ship Tuesday, March 26." They also note that "a downloadable public beta test featuring the Quebec map will be available at www.ea.com this Saturday, March 9," but we have confirmed with the folks at FilePlanet that the demo will indeed still be appearing there this afternoon.

Coinciding with the announcement below, NovaLogic has also released the first four screenshots of Delta Force: Task Force Dagger, the tactical shooter sequel by NovaLogic and Zombie Studios. The images show both indoor and outdoor scenes.

There's a Mobile Forces Preview at ActionTrip based on their opportunity to check out an early build of Rage Software's upcoming Unreal-engine multiplayer shooter. They describe the "awesome" vehicles, neat physics tricks, full AI 'bot support, game environments, the "dynamic" class system, weapons, system requirements, and more. Included are 19 new screenshots.

New Task for `Delta Force' is the press release announcing Delta Force: Task Force Dagger, a new installment in the tactical shooter series by NovaLogic. Task Force Dagger is being co-developed with Zombie Studios (creators of Spec Ops and Spec Ops II), and is projected for a May 2002 release on the PC. Here are the scant few details available on the game so far:

Utilizing NovaLogic's updated Land Warrior engine, ``Task Force Dagger'' has been designed by Zombie as an entirely new game with new characters, weapons, and single and multiplayer levels. One of the new features that has never previously been seen in a ``Delta Force'' game is the ability to play as one of 10 Special Operations forces -- from Delta Force and Marines Force Recon to SEAL and British SAS.

Neocron Q&A on Player2Player.net talking with Jens "Nemesis" Bremmekamp about Neocron, Reakktor Media's upcoming science fiction MMOG. Topics include a brief overview of Neocron, what the target audience is for an MMORPG that offers so many shooter elements, their launch plans, customer support, PvP gameplay, unique features, the use of boobies, skills, and more.

Blizzard has issued a new patch for the WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos beta, updating their 3D RTS to version 1.10. This release is only available through the auto-updater, and WarCraftIII.net serves up the Release Notes listing the numerous additions and changes. Thanks HomeLan Fed.

GameSpy.com Previews Another War offering impressions of this upcoming isometric RPG set in the war-torn Europe of World War II in the works at Mirage Interactive. They start off describing the game's storyline, and go on to give an account of character creation, the extensive reliance on the old point-and-click, interacting with NPCs, combat, the game's surprisingly light-hearted approach to this dark period in history, and more. Included are some new screenshots.

There's an Asheron's Call 2 chat log on AC-2.net recapping last night's chat session discussing Microsoft's and Turbine's upcoming MMOG sequel. The log is in an orderly Q&A format, and topics covered include how they will be selecting beta testers, more on factions, races, how much gameplay will resemble the original game, PvP, NPCs, and more.

PlanetQuake3.net's Fred Nilsson Q&A talking with this id Software artist/animator who usually maintains a pretty low profile. Topics include his job at id, what he did before joining on there, how he got going with his project to rework some of the Q3A maps, how he got his job, cool things about working at id, what his typical day is like, his favorite Quake III Arena modification, and more.

There's a Dark Planet Q&A on TFH Gaming talking with Laurentiu Rusu, producer on Dark Planet: Battle for Natrolis, Ubi Soft's upcoming RTS game. They discuss how they will make this game stand out from other RTS titles, pressure to create a game that sells well, new technologies, influences for the game's different races, unit balance, working with Microsoft, and more.

The Armchair Empire's Emperor Rise of the Middle Kingdom Q&A talks with Ed Beach, the producer on this upcoming city-building game set in ancient China. The conversation covers the game's influences, historical accuracy, political considerations, the influence of the zodiac, combat, religion, and more.

• New NVIDIA Linux Drivers
  NVIDIA's Linux Page now offers downloads of a new NVIDIA Linux driver version 1.0-2802 which feature GeForce4 and Quadro4 Support, improved IGP and mobile support, overlay support for Quadro products, MPEG acceleration for GeForce4 MX, anisotropic filtering support, and more.
• Flashes...
  Analyst: Transmeta needs a new niche... Comdex: Not icy, but still Siberia... It will be raining chips at CeBit...

Calling the move the "next strategic step in the U.S. video game market," Sony to Launch PlayStation 2 Online Game Service (thanks Andy S.) announces plans to launch online services for the PlayStation 2 console system in August, while Holes found in Sony's online game plan expresses some skepticism about all this. Pre-Orders for Linux for PlayStation 2 (thanks DigitalBackSpin) is taking advance orders for this kit which includes a hard drive and an Ethernet adaptor, in addition to the operating system and all those accompanying penguins (which "is practically chickens!"). A Perfect 3D World on Xen Gamers examines that newfangled 3D stuff and how it's working out, including commentary from several developers, including BioWare. Microsoft explains Japanese Xbox recall on GameSpot is a follow-up explaining erroneous reports of a recall of Japanese Xbox units because they were causing scratched disks, dismissing the "small number of inquires" about scratched disks since this "is primarily a cosmetic circumstance that does not affect performance."

Console Reviews

• Halo (Xbox) on BarrysWorld.
• Metal Gear Solid 2 (PS2) on GameFaction.

The Monkey Mod Homepage now offers a new version 1.40a of the Monkey Mod for Kingpin. In addition to several customizable gameplay features, the mod's primary goal is to offer cheat protection, as it detects ASUS see-thru drivers and hacked EXE/models/OpenGL, etc.

The Medal of Honor Allied Assault Website now offers a complete walkthrough for the three sub-missions in Operation Overlord, the third mission in this World War II shooter. It is warned that these walkthroughs contain out-and-out spoilers. Also, while not exactly timely, 3DSpotlight's Operation Flashpoint tweak guide is now online, offering tips on how to improve the game's performance.

PlanetQuake3.net's Stone Lance Q&A talks with this programmer on the Quake III Rally modification for Quake III Arena, discussing his role on the team, why their mod offers so little in the wary of car sounds, plans for new cars, working with the Q3A engine, and more.

The Piranha Games Website has been updated with word of a new position they have available for a texture artist. Applicants should have a solid résumé, and must complete an art application test.

• Beach Head 2002 on GamesFirst.
• Black & White: Creature Isle on Ferrago.co.uk.
• Civilization III on ESCMag.
• Command & Conquer Renegade on Game Revolution, GamePen, and the weslovian gazette.
• Cossacks: the Art of War on MGON.
• DemonWorld: Dark Armies on GamesFirst.
• F/A-18 Precision Strike Fighter on CG Online.
• Fighter Ace III on PC.IGN.com.
• Gothic on Gamer's Pulse.
• Incoming Forces on Gamer's Hell.
• MotoRacer 3 on GameZone.
• Serious Sam: the Second Encounter on Stratos Group.
• Star Trek: Bridge Commander on HomeLan Fed and Ground Bridge Commander.
• Strange Adventures in Infinite Space on The Underdogs.
• Worms Blast on Computer and Video Games.

• Abit Siluro MX440 Video Card on TweakTown.
• Ascent AC7000E Cooler on Digital Explosion.
• ATI Radeon 8500 Video Card on Maximum3D.
• AVC Skived Copper Cooler on Overclockedcafe.
• Dynatron DY1206BH-625 Cooler on BurnOut Pc.
• Evercool CUC-610 Cooler on Overclocker Cafe.
• GlobalWIN SAK38 Cooler on Legion Hardware.
• Globalwin TAK68 Cooler (in video) on 3dGameMan.
• Hercules 3D Prophet FDX 8500 LE Video Card on t-break.
• Hercules Gamesurround Fortissimo II Sound Card on GiBTEK.
• Logitech Z-560 4.1 THX Speakers on Gamers Depot.
• Plextor 40-12-40A CD-RW on Hardware-Unlimited.
• Socket A Cooler round-up on GideonTech.
• VIA VPSD P4PA-UL Motherboards on VIAHardware.
• VisionTek Xtasy 6964 Video Card on Viper's Lair.

• There's a Captions and Subtitles in videogames and PC games Petition that's looking to remind developers who are dropping subtitles and other visual aids from their games that these are essential to the enjoyment of playing to many hearing-impaired gamers...
• HomeLan Fed's Machiavellian Interview talks with the folks at Maverick Developments about Machiavellian, an upcoming project they're working on using the Half-Life engine, discussing the participation of Stephen Fry as a voice actor, and their intentions to make this project a commercial release...
• Birdman's Lair has posted a new set of drivers for the SpaceOrb controller that offer Medal of Honor: Allied Assault support...
• After trickling the results out like precious nectar, GameSpy's 30 Most Influential People in Gaming list is up, testing Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle by choosing influential developers to poll in compiling the list...

As someone who gets up before dawn, there's an annual realization that strikes sometime in the autumn as the shortening days begin to delay the sunrise to the point where its appearance is depressingly late. This time of year represents the opposite side of that coin, as it is getting more noticeable every day that the days are getting longer (or at least they offer more daylight, you know what I mean) with the sunrise occurring earlier and earlier. It's not enough to make me want to frolic in a meadow, or anything, but to me this is one of the most welcome signs of spring.

By Popular Demand: Texas Woman Charged With Allowing Hit-and-Run Victim to Die in Broken Windshield. Thanks dbodine, first of very many to send in this very grisly story.

Play Time: The Kill Everyone Project (Flash required). Thanks Gryndyl. Sort of the online version of that RPG mentioned here recently (story).
Link of the Day: Coreyanity. Thanks Chris Johnson.
Story of the Day: Fox News Deems Hollywood Pulse Legit News Site. Thanks Nicholas C. Weaver.
Story of the Day II: Florida Students Admonished for Fainting. Thanks theAntiELVIS. Frighteningly, oxygen depravation will only make these kids even stupider.
Weird Science: Astronomers Find Universe Is Beige. Thanks Xombie.
Weird Science II: Hacking with a Pringles tube. Thanks Tony.
Wild Science: Report: Spies may read LED lights. Thanks jlf.
Wild Science II: Direct view of extrasolar planet imminent. Thanks [MP] Wolverine [MP].