Archived News:
The Empire Earth The Art of Conquest
Preview on PC.IGN.Com is their first look at The Art of Conquest, Mad Doc
Software's upcoming expansion for Empire Earth, Stainless Steel Software's RTS
game. They go into how the new Japanese campaign is both different from and
similar to the other EE campaigns, the use of scripted events, new units, new
civilization powers, and more. Included are a half dozen new screenshots.
There's a Rise of Nations
preview on PC.IGN.Com that continues today's mini-flurry of such looks at
Big Huge Games' upcoming RTS title (this was actually posted yesterday, but in
their registered-only section). They offer an extensive description of
gameplay, including first-hand impressions of the massive armies, a brief
description of combat, multiplayer play, and more. Included are 10 new
building images and some quotes from Brian Reynolds, the game's lead designer.
7FX has released a new movie of Team Factor, their team-based tactical shooter that is already available in parts of Europe. This 35.1 MB clip is an alternative, unused intro movie for the game, and it sports a minute and a half of cinematic and in-game footage in MPEG format.
GameSpot's
Battlefield 1942 Preview is online, offering first-hand impressions of
Digital Illusion's upcoming World War II action game based on getting to
participate in its ongoing beta testing. They offer background on the game,
describe the limitations of the beta test, and offer impressions of the pair of
missions being tested, contrasting the differences between the European and
Pacific campaigns, offering impressions of the vehicles, the roles players can
assume, and more.
Action Vault's
HomePlanet Development Report #1 is written by Alexey Medvedev project
leader on Revolt Games' upcoming space combat game. In this debut installment
Alexey describes how the idea for the game was conceived, like so many of our
generation, "spontaneously in the heat and sultriness of a closed office
during summer." He describes how the idea for the game blossomed, going
into the balancing act between too much and too little they faced when it came
to writing the game's script.
Activision sends along word that Raven Software is working on a patch for Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix, their recent mercenary first-person shooter. The patch will not only address various issues in the game, but also add four new maps titled Kamchatka Factory, Airport Warehouse, Hong Kong Streets, and Barn. Here are two high-res screenshots from each of the four levels.
Now that the retail game has been released, DreamCatcher Games sends along the final playable demo of Gore, the first-person shooter developed by 4D Rulers. The hefty 101.0 MB download offers the starting section of the single-player campaign as well as two multiplayer maps (UMC Cube and Vertigo) playable in Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Tactical and Capture the Flag modes.
German site Krawall Gaming Network has conducted an interview on Gothic II, talking to producer Michael Hoge about the third-person role-playing adventure in the works at Piranha Bytes. The article is only available in the site's and company's native German, so here is an approximate Babel Fish translation, and topics covered in the conversation include a look back at the original Gothic, improvements in the sequel, incorporating player feedback in its development, their relation to publisher JoWood, comparisons to other 3D role-playing games, and more. Also online is a hands-on Gothic II preview based on exercising a recent press build (stick another Babel Fish in your ear), and everything is illustrated with a few new screenshots.
There's a
Commandos 3 Q&A on Computer and Video Games with a timely conversation
with Pyro Studios CEO Ignacio Perez about Commandos 3, their World War II
strategy sequel that was just officially announced this morning ( story).
The conversation covers his role in the game's production, how he feels
Commandos 2 turned out, changes planned for Commandos 3, the story, updates to
their engine, locations, new classes to be added, multiplayer support, and more.
Following on the game's completion ( story), the (musical) German official Arx Fatalis site now offers the final playable demo of this first-person role-playing game by Arkane Studios and new publisher JoWood Productions. The demo weighs in at a massive 156.4 MB and as in the original demo it features a small portion from the beginning of the full game, but it is entirely in German so be prepared for some guesswork wenn Sie nicht sprechen. Thanks Tels for the tip.
Eidos
Enlists New Commandos is the press release officially announcing Commandos 3,
"the latest instalment (sic) in the multi-million selling Commandos
franchise," though this is really just for the record, as there have
already been indications that this project is in the works, not the least of
which being the release of Commandos 3 screenshots ( story).
Here's the word on the game, which is planned for a Summer 2003 release: Commandos
3 is a tactical action strategy game set against the backdrop of World War II
where you must take control of an elite group of Commandos as they venture deep
into enemy territory. Commandos 3 aims to take the stunningly detailed graphics
and absorbing gameplay of the series to a whole new level. The game features an
improved graphics engine, more realistic AI (artificial intelligence), and a
greater variety of enemies and equipment. The structure of the game has been
completely revamped; it is no longer mission based and instead features a strong
narrative that drives the player through the game. Commandos 3 also promises to
be more accessible and easier to play than previous games in the series.
Gamers.com's Rise of Nations Preview
(thanks HomeLan Fed) offers a look at
Big Huge Games' upcoming RTS game based on a demonstration at Computer Gaming
World's offices. They offer brief separate impressions from a few editors, an intern, and the guy who fills the vending machines. There is an additional preview of the game on Frictionless Insight offering an overview and impressions of the game based on checking it out at E3.
As promised, the official Age of Mythology site has now opened sign-ups for the multiplayer alpha test of this 3D real-time strategy game by Ensemble Studios (thanks Tiscali Games). The alpha test will include two civilizations playable on two multiplayer maps, it is to commence early July, and a whopping 10,000 testers will be randomly selected from those who sign up until Sunday, June 30 (11:59 PM PST).
The Armchair Empire's NOLF2: A Spy in HARM's Way Q&A
is a group conversation with several of the folks at Monolith working on the
upcoming sequel to No One Lives Forever, their espionage-laden first-person
shooter. Topics include music, system requirements, the LithTech Jupiter engine,
modification support, characters, the script, cutscenes, inspirations, whether
having played the original will add to enjoyment of the sequel and more. On a
related note, there's also a Lithtech
Technology Q&A on Gamersclick chatting with LithTech CEO Jeffrey
"The" Hutt about the Lithtech engine(s).
There is a movie trailer of Aliens Vs. Predator 2: Primal Hunt on GameSurf.de, showing the upcoming tri-species FPS expansion by Third Law Interactive in motion (thanks Tiscali Games). The movie sports a bit under a minute of cinematic and gameplay footage in AVI format and requires a 9.2 MB download.
HomeLan Fed's Soldiers Of Anarchy
Q&A chats with Carsten Strehse, lead designer on Soldiers of Anarchy,
Silver Style's upcoming paradoxically-titled RTS game. Topics include how the
idea for the game originated, some background on the development team, the
storyline, standing out from competing RTS games, maps and missions, favorite
units, unique gameplay elements, mod support, where development stands, and
more. Included are some new screenshots.
Star Wars® Jedi
Knight II®: Jedi Outcast™ Is Alpha on Westlake Interactive is word that
the Mac version of Jedi Knight II has reached the Alpha stage, "advances in
both networking and the MP code have already been made," and they expect
things to continue to move smoothly.
There's an Evil
Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick Preview on GameSpy.com where they look at the
upcoming installment in Ash's battle versus the baddies from the Necromonicon
ex Mortis that will occur on both the Xbox and the PS2.
Console Reviews
- New HyperSnap-DX
A new Version 4.51.01 of the HyperSnap-DX
screen capture utility is now available.
Sign-ups are underway for Clan
Network's Sum of All Fears Tournament, sponsored by Ubi Soft and Red Storm
Entertainment offering posters, t-shirts, and strategy guides for the
winners.
The Blizzard Entertainment Employment Opportunities
Page now features openings they are looking to fill for a trio of artists and
a pair of animators. Also, the Stainless Steel Studios
Jobs Page has details about openings for QA game
testers, positions that will last "approximately 3 to 4 months or upon
completion of the testing project."
A change of the hamster's water bottle was all that was required to the little
rodent running again, which kicked the mail server back to life. Also, thanks to
the anonymous poster on our forums who identified the problem that was causing
only half the news page here to load for me. Turns out it was not my browser,
but rather an error in our source code that for some reason, only just recently
evidenced itself. There is more than a little irony in the problem, as it was
the malformed comment "<!-- worst source code ever>" that was
causing my browser to suddenly choke, which should be written "<!--
worst source code ever -->" to be a proper HTML (SGML) comment, though of
course that diminishes the delightful paradox of the original.
Link of the Day: Intuitor Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics.
Thanks Zdim.
Story of the Day: Daredevil, 77, says driving days are over.
Thanks Buzzrick.
Image of the Day: APOD 2002 June 20 - Bright Galaxy M81.
Thanks again Zdim.
Wild Science: Robot on the run.
Thanks Chad Van Walsum.
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