Archived News:
Icewind Dale II Interview on Sorcerer's Place interrogates Black Isle Studios associate producer Doug Avery about their upcoming isometric role-playing game (thanks RPG Vault). After an introduction to the previous games in the series, Doug talks about how this installment will continue it, new and familiar areas in the game world, implementing 3rd Edition D&D rules, new gameplay features, sound and voice-over enhancements, new items, weapons and spells, interface changes, and a variety of other topics.
- Elite Force II
This newly opened Star Trek Elite Force II product page on Gaming.StarTrek.com sports four new screenshots of the just-announced sci-fi shooter sequel by Ritual Entertainment (thanks Voodoo Extreme).
- FireStarter
The official FireStarter site has been updated with a dozen new screenshots and six new concept images to illustrate this arcade first-person shooter by GSC Game World.
- Chrome
This one slipped through the cracks last week, but when the official Chrome site was re-opened it also offered a baker's dozen new screenshots of the futuristic first-person shooter in the works at Techland (thanks SpecForce for the reminder).
- Chaser
German site PC Pointer has posted five new, high-res Chaser screenshots, showing more from the sci-fi first-person shooter being developed at Cauldron.
- Gore
4D Rulers' official Gore site has been updated with a single new screenshot to show off the new flamethrower in their upcoming multiplayer shooter.
- Xenus
Deep Shadows has issued another pair of new Xenus screenshots, offering new scenes in their 3D action role-playing game in development.
- Paradise Cracked
Four new screenshots of Paradise Cracked are online at Computer and Video Games, showing more from the 3D role-playing tactical combat game by MiST land.
- Prince of Qin
Both Game Over and XGR have posted five new screenshots each of Prince of Qin, the just-announced isometric action RPG by Object Software (story).
- HoveRace
As is their way, GSC Game World has added another four new HoverRace screenshots to the official site for their upcoming futuristic combat racer.
- Shadowbane
There are five new Shadowbane screenshots (and an older one) on GameSpyDaily, showing off the 3D fantasy MMORPG being beta tested at Wolfpack Studios.
Raven Software lead programmer James Monroe updated his .plan with news of updated dedicated servers for Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, which are now available for download from Jedi Knight II.net. Both the Linux and Win32 version 1.02b servers have been updated to address two crash bugs.
Rage Software sends word of a Mobile Forces development update in the forums of community site MobileForces.org, discussing progress on their upcoming vehicular first-person shooter. Among the changes since the release of the playable demo are rendering, networking and stability improvements, a new 'pre-game time' option, better bot AI, animation and texturing improvements, a new team identification option, and more.
Action Vault is the latest site to preview Vivisector: Creatures of Dr. Moreau based on checking out the seemingly ubiquitous press build of Action Forms' upcoming first-person shooter. After an introduction of the game's premise, the article offers impressions of the gameplay, weapons and equipment, the ModBeasts you'll have to do battle with, the graphics and sound, and the customary more. Five new screenshots are also included.
Edgies has released the first patch for Dark Planet: Battle for Natrolis, available for download from Ubi Soft's official site, to upgrade their new 3D real-time strategy game to version 1.0001f. The 4.8 MB download improves unit control and adds new hot-keys, brings networking, mini-map and scrolling enhancements, and applies a bunch of bug fixes.
Mythic Entertainment has released a new version 1.49 upgrade for Dark Age of Camelot, and this large auto-update includes "the new Darkness Falls dungeon, as well as some features to make it a bit easier to protect your Relics, and lots of other fixes and tweaks." Also, there is an April game update for Asheron's Call, expanding Turbine Entertainment's 3D MMORPG with new content and plenty of other improvements and fixes (thanks Arcadio). Finally, a new patch for the ongoing beta test of Black Moon Chronicles is available, adding over two dozen bug fixes to Vircom Interactive's isometric MMORPG.
There's a Duke Nukem Manhattan Project Preview
on GameSpot with a look at the upcoming side-scrolling Duke game based on
getting to play with that nine-level press build. They offer impressions of the
gameplay, levels, monsters, weapons, movement and controls, and more. Included
are 16 new screenshots, and there are another
21 screenshots on BonusWeb.
Strategy Gaming Online's
Crusader Kings Q&A is a very detailed discussion of the upcoming
strategy game in the works at Paradox Entertainment that was just announced
earlier today ( story). Topics include the game's historical
setting, the ability to transfer saved games from the Europa Universalis games,
the impact of family relationships on diplomacy, successions, counties, the role
of Dukes, the rarity of games set in medieval times, and more.
GameSpyDaily has word of the release of the level editor for Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, which is now available for download from FilePlanet (registration required). The modest 2.3 MB package includes the MoHRadiant editor and related utilities, along with a test map and some tutorial documents.
XGR's Jeff Hutt Interview
is another of their audio interviews, this time out chatting with the CEO of
LithTech, purveyors of several different flavors of LithTech game engine. Topics
will include all these engines, games that use their technology, the future of LithTech,
and more. The show starts at 9:30 PM EDT, SHOUTcast-compatible
media player required.
CDV has released the first details on Cossacks II: Napoleonic Wars, the sequel to the acclaimed real-time strategy game by GSC Game World who is developing this title as well. It will use a 3D engine and be situated in 16th through 19th Century Europe, focusing on the Napoleonic Wars as the subtitle suggests. Thanks ToTheGame for the tip.
As noted in Chris
Stockman's .plan, RITUALISTIC's
Chris Stockman Q&A is online, talking with the Ritual Entertainment designer
about Elite Force II, the recently announced Next Generation follow-up to Raven
Software's Star Trek Voyager first-person shooter. They discuss his feelings
about this project, a bit on the story, balancing realism and style in the
game's art, the use of classes in multiplayer play, whether Activision QA will
actually test this game (as opposed to Sin), and more.
Another new game has been announced by Strategy First, as Strategy
First and Object Software join forces to bring players back to the Qin Dynasty
(thanks HomeLan Fed) is the press
release revealing work on Prince of Qin, "an action RPG set in the last
years of the Qin Dynasty 2,200 years ago. This title balances team fighting with
various strategies and tactics and offers great challenges in more than 100
unique locations that accurately depict society and architecture, as it existed
in China at that time." Update: Object Software's official Prince of Qin site is online with plenty of game information and media (thanks ToTheGame).
This
Strategy First Press Release (thanks ToTheGame)
has the announcement of Crusader Kings,
an upcoming strategy game that will make use of the engine from the Europa
Universalis series. Here is a bit from the release describing the game,
which is scheduled for release during the Fall of this year: "Unlike Europa
Universalis, Crusader Kings is a simulation of a medieval feudal society,
involving laws, commissions and religious influences. Playable nations consist
of Christian monarchies, principalities and empires, from which players choose
between Knight Templars, Knights of St. John, The Teutonic Order, The Order of
Calatrava and The Order of Santiago. With Feudal lords and bishops that rule the
various provinces, players must amass as much prestige and wealth as possible to
obtain a powerful dynasty. They must defend their territory, by using the
evolutionary combat system that simulates the various styles of combat, from the
basic rudimentary style to the more advanced techniques of that time period.
Contrary to Europa Universalis, honor and power are more important to a player
than the expansion of the nation’s borders."
GameSpy.com's G.I.
Combat Developer Diary Volume One offers thoughts from Eric Young,
executive producer on GI Combat, a World War II RTS game in the works at Freedom
Games. He describes the history of this game that had been in the works at
TalonSoft prior to being cancelled by Take Two Interactive, the formation of
Freedom Games to continue the project, elements of the game that were redesigned
along the way, and hooking up with a new publisher. Included are some new
screenshots.
HomeLan Fed's Age Of Wonders II
Q&A chats with Lennart Sas of Triumph Studios
about progress on Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne, their upcoming
fantasy-themed TBS sequel. Topics include the reasons for creating the
follow-up, the main goals of their game design, the main campaign, the two new
races they are adding, the updated magic system, new units, the new scenario
editor, graphics enhancements, how development is progressing, and more.
A bit later than anticipated ( story), Microids has now released an updated demo of Warrior Kings, the new 3D real-time strategy game by Black Cactus. Still weighing in at a whopping 249 MB, this demo has been brought in sync with the retail version 1.2 and adds over two dozen bug fixes and other improvements. There is a mirror on 3D Gamers.
There are brief but hands-on previews of IGI 2: Covert Strike on Gamer's Pulse and ELiTeD.net, looking ahead to the stealthy first-person shooter in development at Innerloop Studios. Taking a press build for a spin, both articles offer impressions of the game's setting, gameplay, enemy AI, limited selection of weapons the player can carry at one time, mission design, graphics engine, and more.
Sony Online Entertainment Brings Best-Selling EverQuest(R) Brand Exclusively To PlayStation(R)2 Computer Entertainment System
reveals plans to bring the
crack-like MMORPG to the PS2 in a game called EverQuest Online Adventures, for
which some screenshots and concept art have been posted on
GameSpyDaily.
Also, GameSpot's
Resident Evil Media Index has been updated with eight new Resident Evil
gameplay movies, bringing the total number of RE flicks they've posted to 38.
Console Reviews
The UT Jailbreak Website now
offers downloads of a service pack for the recently released Jailbreak III
modification for Unreal Tournament. This release is network compatible with the
previous one (so neither servers nor clients should run into compatibility
problems for having upgraded or not), and offers some frequently-requested
features, a bunch of bug fixes, a "vastly" faster server browser, and
more.
Amid a bit of confusion (as seen in the last three headlines on the website), a
new version 4.6b of the Espionage Tournament Edition of Action Quake
2 is now available. Version 4.6 adds a boat-load of new features, while the
4.6b update adds an "extra improvement for Espionage CTB mode."
3DGaming.de's Q3Radiant Tutorials Index
offers German-language tutorials on creating and editing maps for games that
utilize the Quake III engine. Also, Raven's Mike Gummelt updated
his .plan with word on upcoming modification support for Jedi Knight II.
As you may have noticed, we suffered through another spate of downtime
yesterday. We appreciate all the suggestions about how to address this (even the
polite ones), and rest assured that preventing recurrences of such problems in
the future is right up there with our top priorities right now. A few comments
seem to indicate that there's an impression that the two recent crashes in close proximity to each other
are part of some larger pattern, which is not the case, as our uptime record
(aside from this pair of incidents) has been just about impeccable for some time
now (though this is obviously not the right time to try and take pride in that).
Play Time: BabyBoom.
Thanks Sharon.
Link of the Day: Project
E.U.N.U.C.H. Thanks theAntiELVIS.
Story of the Day: It's National Workplace Napping Day.
Thanks Dax.
Wild Science: Lesbians:
We made our baby deaf on purpose. Thanks Mike Martinez and Anvil.
Follow-up: Story of Possible Life on Mars Overstated, NASA Says.
Thanks zombie69. "Oh no, look at those cavemen go..."
|
Twitter 
