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Archived News:
The gold rush continues, as Battle
Realms: Winter of the Wolf Goes Gold is the press release with news that
Liquid Entertainment's RTS expansion is being duplicated for retail
distribution. The add-on, which will include the original Battle Realms game, is
slated to be in stores November 5. Here is how the release describes this:
"Winter of the Wolf is the prequel to the critically-acclaimed, Battle
Realms. The story recounts the history of the proud Wolf Clan and their rise
from slavery under the tyrannical Lotus Clan. The Wolf Clan has suffered for
decades in the brutal depths of the shale mines. Now, heroic Wolf Leader,
Grayback must unite the fragmented Wolves leading them in their struggle for
freedom, and saving their land from a fierce, magical winter. Players will
journey through dark mines and snowbound forests in 12 all-new missions."
Also, the
German Ubi Soft Website (here's a Babel Fish
translation) has word that Settlers IV: The New World has gone gold, though it's
not clear if this is just the German version of the upcoming Settlers IV add-on.
November 28 is offered as the in-store date for this release.
The debut release of the Natural
Selection modification for Half-Life is now available. Here is how the mod
is described: "Multiplayer-only Half-life mod where one team plays marines
and the other plays aliens. The humans must keep their cool and work together to
assault an alien-infested spacecraft or colony. Marines vs. marines and aliens
vs. aliens scenarios will also be supported in the near future." They have
posted a complete list of mirrors for the mod as well as the dedicated server
software.
The
Platoon Download Page now offers the playable demo of this upcoming Vietnam
war game for the price of a 100 MB download. Here's the accompanying
description: "The moment has come for you to try out Platoon for yourself.
Take command of more than a dozen soldiers throughout an entire mission from the
game. It will be up to you to secure a road for a passing convoy. You'll have to
run a sweep-op to clear any mines laid on the road as well as confront any
Vietnamese troops lying in wait to ambush you!"
The Dawn of a New Age 'Age of Mythology' Available Now
is the press release with word that Ensemble Studios' latest RTS game is now in
stores. Here's their thumbnail sketch of the game: "'Age of Mythology'
envelops players in a world where heroes battle mythological creatures and gods
meddle in the lives of mortal men. Survival is ensured by harnessing the powers
of Greek, Norse and Egyptian gods and more than 40 mythological creatures, such
as Cyclopes and Minotaurs. Lush cinematic scenes take 'Age of Mythology' players
on an epic journey of heroism, action and excitement as they delve into an
immense 3-D world that features realistic sunlight shimmering across beautiful
oceans and verdant forests. Varied game modes and settings suit fans of all ages
and experience levels."
The Freelancer Preview on
PC.IGN.Com offers hands-on impressions of Digital Anvil's upcoming
outer-space action game after having it shown off for them by producer Phil
Wattenbarger. They start with the cinematic introduction that sets the story,
the accessible controls, weapons, the interface, the types of enemy encounters
featured in the missions they sampled, planets, missions, plans for persistent
player-run servers, and more.
There's a James
Bond 007: NightFire Chat Transcript on GameSpyDaily recapping an online
session with Gearbox Software's Randy Pitchford and John Vifian of Electronic
Arts to discuss the upcoming James Bond game. The extensive log covers a variety
of topics, and is fairly easy to follow, though it is in a fairly unedited
format.
RPG Vault's City of Heroes Design Journal #10
is written by Cryptic's Rick Dakan discussing suspension of disbelief in their
upcoming superhero game. He discusses the ever-present understanding that games
are not real, creating realism in a computer environment, playing upon the
players' willingness to suspend their disbelief, factors that can harm
believability, and more.
The Dragon's
Lair 3D Preview on GameSpy.com looks at the upcoming remake of the laserdisc
arcade adventures of Dirk the Daring. They discuss the original game's "pseudo-interactive
cartoon bliss," how the update will offer areas familiar to players of the
original, how movement is less limited than the original, weapon upgrades,
items, controls, the inclusion of a "making of..." video for the
original game, and more.
There are three new Mistmare Movies on the official site for Arxel Tribe's upcoming RPG, showing off an offensive spell, a defensive spell, and combat school. Also, Esprit STR V4.0 has a new gameplay movie showing off capital ship combat in O.R.B.. There are three new Heath movies on Gamer's Hell showing off gameplay from GMX Media's upcoming RPG, demonstrating "different aspects of the game." Finally, the Medal of Honor Allied Assault has another four movies showing off the now-gold Spearhead expansion for the World War II shooter, these taken from the Causeway level.
- Xenus
There's a Xenus
Q&A on Gamersclick talking with Deep Shadows' Alexander Khrutsky
about their upcoming first-person shooter. Topics include the idea behind
the game, the engine, environments, role-playing elements, weapons,
vehicles, factions, mission objectives, AI, and more.
- Robin
Hood: The Legend of Sherwood
The Robin
Hood: The Legend of Sherwood Q&A on Worthplaying talks with Martin
Kuppe, one of the designers on the now-gold game based on the legendary
exploits of Robin Hood. They discuss the game's inspirations, the size of
parties, robbery, fatigue, the game world, the 2D graphics, player progress,
enemies, and more.
- Elder
Scrolls III: Tribunal
There's an Elder
Scrolls III: Tribunal on Gamers Pulse talking with Ken Rolston, producer
on Bethesda's upcoming Morrowind add-on. They discuss this project's origins,
new locations, integration with the original game, and more.
- Homeplanet
The Homeplanet
on PC-Gaming.com talks with Revolt Games' Michael Rakhaevand about their
upcoming space simulator. They discuss his role in development, influences,
the story, clans, enemies, weapons, combat, missions, how far along the
project is, and more.
- Republic
HomeLan Fed's Republic The Revolution
Q&A talks with Elixir about their upcoming insurgency simulation.
They discuss the idea behind the game, research, characters, factions, AI,
OGEs, the absence of multiplayer support, post-release plans, and more.
- O.R.B.
The O.R.B. Q&A on
Esprit
ORB talks with Paul Thibault about their now-gold space strategy game.
They discuss base strategies of the game's races, downplaying
micromanagement, game balance, team modes, resources, ship crews, and more.
- Sphere
There's a Sphere
Q&A on RPGDot talking with Stepan Zotov, producer on Nikita's
upcoming MMORPG. They discuss the GUI, helping newbies, player models,
NPCs, reputation, combat, and more.
- Hitman 2
The Hitman 2 Developer
Q&A on GDXBOX.COM talks with IO Interactive's Jacob Anderson,
discussing the assassination sequel's reception, difficulty, the mature
subject matter, locations, their moment of fame on the Howard Stern show,
and more.
- UFO Aftermath
Gamer.nl's
UFO Aftermath Q&A is a conversation with ALTAR Interactive's Martin
Klima and Jiri Rydl about the UFO-fighting strategy game. They discuss all
the comparisons this project inspires, the audience for turn-based games,
the story, replayability, and more.
- World War II: Panzer Claws
The World
War II: Panzer Claws Q&A on Gamersclick talks with Mike Orenich
about ZUXXEZ' upcoming WW2 RTS game. They discuss mod support, research, the
reason for separating the Russians from the Allies, music, missions, and
more.
- Devastation
HomeLan Fed's Devastation 3D Artist Q&A
continues their series discussing Digitalo's upcoming Unreal-engine game by
cornering Milton Cadogan. They discuss his role in production, influences,
teamwork, his feelings about this project, and more.
The Weekly Wednesday Beta Report #18
on the Star Wars Galaxies Forums (thanks Weas) has word they are
"slowly ramping up" beta 2 of Star Wars Galaxies, the upcoming Star
Wars MMORPG. The article offers some words of discouragement for those who would
participate expecting "fun," a "cup of tea," getting out
from under the NDA, and similar stuff. There is also a description of what a
significant milestone this beta phase represents.
Deviant
PC's Unreal Tournament 2003 Mapping Guide Part 2 is now online, offering further
mapping tutorial madness.
We've received the following help wanted: "Tyka Interactive is looking for
commercial quality talent for hire. Our organization is working on a new
commercial game that will be built on the UT2K3 engine. We want to hire the best
in the industry and only the best. If you have experience with UT2K3 and you
have worked on/with prior commercial teams or projects please contact us. At
this time we want to hire our freelance (at home) team. Departments: Code,
model, texture, animation/import, maps, meshes. Serious inquires only with
commercial talent and expertise please contact: tyka_jobs@hotmail.com
- send any sample work along with your resume."
There's a Natural Selection
Q&A on Gamer's Hell talking with Ned ‘MonsieurEvil’ Pyle about the
Natural Selection modification for Half-Life. On a related note, they are also
hosting downloads of a Natural Selection Windows Server.
Boo! sorry, if I scared you... anyway happy Halloween!
In spite of having the proverbial fool for a lawyer, I managed to pretty much
slide on my speeding ticket yesterday. In fact, I slid so well that it can no
longer even be described as a speeding ticket, as, in exchange for my guilty
plea, the charge was reduced to driving with a broken speedometer. As has been
my previous experience, the N.Y.S. Trooper involved was very courteous, albeit
still quite intimidating. The most interesting part was just how small a town
court this was in, though the court was quite elaborate compared with the town
offices, which are literally the tiny back portion of a strip mall pizzeria/travel
agency. Opie? Aunt Bea?
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