Archived News:
There's a Galactic Civilizations preview
on GameSpot discussing Stardock's upcoming space strategy game that's a
remake of an OS/2 game of the same name. They describe how they feel the game
stands out due to how its traditional gameplay elements are executed, they give
impressions of gameplay, draw the obvious comparisons to competing games, and
offer their usual excessive screenshot gallery.
The Knights of the Old Republic Developer Diary #2
is online, offering thoughts on character models and animation in the upcoming
Star Wars RPG as they begin a series of three such diary entries probing the
nuts-and-bolts of the design process. Update: This article has since been moved to their subscriber-only
section.
The Mace
Griffin: Bounty Hunter Preview on Computer and Video Games offers brief
impressions of the GameCube version of the upcoming shooter that will also be
making its way to the PC.
An update to The Camelot Herald
called "The Dreaded 'H' Word" (thanks PC.IGN.Com)
offers the latest on the long awaited housing feature in Mythic's MMORPG. The
update describes how the system has been revamped since it was first outlined
way back when, and goes on to say they expect closed testing of housing to being
in three weeks. They also have posted a screenshot of a house from each of the
game's three realms.
A report on HomeLan Fed
has word from Ubi Soft that the release date for Will Rock, Saber 3D's upcoming
first-person shooter, has been pushed back from March to this summer. The reason
for this is simply given as allowing more time to improve the game.
FilePlanet
(registration required) is offering downloads of a demo for Sabotage, a first-person shooter from
Insane Logics "that emphasizes stealth and the art of infiltration."
The 92 MB demo version offers two levels, neither of which is actually 100%
complete. The story for Sabotage is described like this: "In a futuristic
society, dominated by large transnational companies, a man (sentenced) to death
is offered the opportunity to be freed if he is able to (sabotage) an enemy
corporation." Mirrors are now available on FileShack
(registration required), FilePlanet
(registration required), Gamer's Hell,
Tiscali Games,
and Worthplaying.
Publisher Strategy First sends along some new Screenshots
from Chrome, showing off Techland's upcoming science fiction first-person
shooter. Accompanying the visuals is a
feature list describing the story and what to expect from gameplay. Chrome
is scheduled for release this summer.
Following the unofficial announcement the Freelancer is gold ( story),
comes the official press release announcing this, which includes the game's
projected North American in-store date of March 4. Here is the remainder of the
release's description of the game: "Set in the outer reaches of the
planetary system, Freelancer combines the action of 3-D space combat, the
exploration of a dynamic, living universe and trading in a rich galactic
economy, where players' decisions drive the adventure. Developed by Digital
Anvil, the epic adventure challenges players to determine their own reputations
and choose their own distinctive styles of play. Players can choose to act like police
officers, traders, pirates or explorers for different gameplay experiences. The
open-ended style of gameplay gives gamers a choice between following a linear
storyline or determining how the story will unfold. The multiplayer
component enables players around the globe with their own servers to fly
missions or explore space together. An enhanced mouse and keyboard interface
simulates the realistic feel of flying a spaceship while making the game
accessible to a wide range of gamers. For more information about Freelancer,
visit the official site at http://www.microsoft.com/games/freelancer/."
On a related note, German site Station-Network
is hosting downloads of a Freelancer video from a German PC Games
magazine CD that they've received permission to distribute. There is also a new
Freelancer preview on Game Revolution.
The Arx Fatalis Website now
offers new version 1.16 patches for the various language versions of Arkane
Studios' first-person RPG. The update tweaks a few things and addresses several
bugs and other issues with the game.
- Glympse
RPG Vault's Glympse
Q&A, Part 1 offers a glimpse at Sojourn Development's "online
world of technology and magical energy" through a conversation with
David Cerra, who introduces the game. Meanwhile, the Jason
Yarnell Q&A on Massivemultiplayer.org chats with the president of
Sojourn in detail about prospects for the game's success.
- Alpha Black Zero
HomeLan Fed's Alpha Black Zero
Q&A chats with Yesse America of Khaeon about Alpha Black Zero, their
upcoming Serious-engine tactical FPS.
- Chrome
The Chrome
Q&A on HomeLan Fed talks with Pawel Zawodny of TechLand abo0ut
Chrome, their futuristic shooter, discussing how the project is progressing
since their previous Q&A on the subject.
- The Road to Rome
Action Vault's
Battlefield 1942 The Road to Rome Q&A #2 asks the following
collective question of the development team on the WW2 shooter expansion:
"What are a couple of your favorite tactics in when playing
multiplayer, both in the original (Battlefield) 1942 and in Road to
Rome?"
- Warrior Kings Battles
The Warrior Kings Battles
Q&A on ActionTrip chats with Ian Turnbull of Black Cactus about
their upcoming RTS sequel, their new publishing deal, and more.
- Purge
GameSpyDaily's
Purge Online Q&A chats with Freeform Interactive's Adam (apparently
mono-named like Cher), who discusses their upcoming online FPS/RPG.
- C&C Generals
The Generals
Q&A on gamigo.de is their conversation with Harvard Bonin of EA
Pacific about C&C Generals, discussing future support, and specifics
about their expectations for the RTS game in Germany.
A post on Lancers Reactor (thanks
Nelson) has word that Freelancer, Digital Anvil's space sim that began
development a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, has gone gold and has
been released to manufacturing. There is no projected release date accompanying
this unofficial announcement.
The 1503 A.D Homepage
now offers downloads of the 1503 A.D. demo, offering a sampling of SUNFLOWERS'
upcoming 1602 A.D. sequel. The 165 MB demo is mirrored on Computer Games Online
and Gamer's Hell. Update:
There is also now a new 1503 A.D.: The New World Preview
on GameSpot.
The
Gladiators Website now offers a version 3.1 patch for the multiplayer demo
for The Gladiators: Galactic Circus Games, Eugen Systems' 3D RTS game, addressing
an invalid key error message. A new full demo install is also available, and
these files have been mirrored by 3D Gamers.
On the heels of the announcement that the North American Blitzkrieg demo will be
released next week, PC Games Online
is now offering downloads of the German demo for Nival Interactive's WW2 RTS
game. The demo is just under a 100 MB download, and mirrors are available on Tiscali Games
and GameSurf.
Yahoo! News - Nintendo to Give Games Away, Cut Prices
(thanks the_culture) reports that in order to boost sales, "Nintendo, which
once dominated the U.S. video game market but has fallen to third place behind
Sony Corp's dominant PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Corp.'s upstart Xbox, said it
would offer one of four games for free with the $149.95 GameCube."
A new version 0.25 alpha of the Desert Combat
modification for Battlefield 1942 is now available, providing compatibility with
the recently released version 1.3 BF1942 patch. In addition to 1.3
compatibility, the new version adds some gameplay tweaks and fixes, and
installing the update requires that alpha 0.2 f the mod previously be installed.
A new version 1.1 of the Spatial Fear: Prologue
modification for Unreal Tournament is now available. There is a large list
of what's new and changed in the update, which is available as either a 43 MB
patch, or as a 96 MB full installer.
Infogrames' Unreal II:
The Awakening Support Page is now online, offering technical support and
troubleshooting help for the Unreal sequel, as well as a couple of gameplay
tips.
- CDV Software sends word that American Conquest should be available in
stores, though the ship date announced when the historical RTS game went
gold (story) is still a week off, but a patch for the game
has also already been released (story)...
- GMX Media sends word that in addition to the recently announced deal for
them to distribute Enigma: Rising Tide in Europe, that they have also
signed-on as the U.S. distributor of Tesseraction Games' naval MMO game...
- New 'Matrix' video game blurs lines.
Thanks devilbunny...
Well that brief thaw was so neat and refreshing... I just hope it doesn't
constitute the entirety of spring and summer, because we're buried in snow here
again. I am not sure what's wrong with me shoveling before the crack of dawn (it
seemed like a good idea at the time), but I have no one but myself to blame for
my aching back. Creak... hobble...
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