Archived News:
Enlight Software has released a playable demo for Restaurant Empire, offering an
appetizer version of their game to simulate the challenges of running an eatery
from hiring the chef to selecting the cuisine. The demo is a 142 MB download,
available from 3D Gamers,
FilePlanet
(registration required), Gamer's
Hell, and Worthplaying.
Continuing to sample the services industry, a Casino Inc. demo was released prior to the weekend, but that version suffered from a corrupted zip file. A fixed version has now been
released offering the chance to manage your own casino in exchange for a 115 MB
download. The file can be found on 3D Gamers,
Gamer's Hell,
and Worthplaying.
The Doomsday HQ (thanks Ant)
now offers a new version 1.7.7 of the Doomsday Engine, which uses a modified
version of the DOOM source code. The new version offers texture fixes along with
word that the project is now registered
on SourceForge.Net as part of their release under the GNU General Public
License.
A new version 1.1 of CodeRED - Battle For Earth,
a stand-alone game that utilizes the publicly available Quake II source code, is
now available. The new release offers five new DM levels, upgraded graphics, and
all new weapon ("The Equalizer"), improved bot code, and more.
Eidos Interactive sends word that Praetorians has gone gold, though no projected
in-store date for Pyro Studios' Roman-themed RTS game is offered. Likewise,
Strategy First sends word that Galactic Civilizations has gone gold, and that
Stardock's remake of their OS/2 space strategy game is expected to ship March
25. The Galactic Civilizations announcement is accompanied by some quotes:
"'With Galactic Civilizations our goal has been to create an epic strategy
game where players can play over and over again with each game being a different
experience,' said Brad Wardell, Project Lead on Galactic Civilizations at
Stardock. 'We feel that the final version has achieved this goal and look
forward to players giving it a try.' 'Galactic Civilizations is one of Strategy
First’s most eagerly awaited titles of this year,' says Steve Milburn,
Director of Marketing for Strategy First. 'The previews and hype on this game
have been incredible and we can’t wait to ship it to stores so the fans will
get a chance to see what they’ve been waiting for.'”
Though not mentioned on the official Vulpine
Website German website MCV Online
is reporting that Vulpine GmbH is insolvent (thanks YiYas).
According to a Babel Fish
translation of the report, a creditors meeting is scheduled for next month to
determine more about the company's fate. Vulpine is the creator of the Vulpine
engine from the Vulpine GL Mark benchmark program, Burns
Entertainment Software's seemingly dormant Game
of Death, and NuClearVision Entertainment's upcoming Psychotoxic:
Gateway to Hell.
New
Medal of Honor Games Announced on Computer and Video Games follows up on
last week's revelation of Rising Sun, the first of a pair of upcoming console
Medal of Honor games ( story), by saying that the console
project's "formal" unveiling today will be accompanied by the
announcement of a new PC game follow-up to the World War II shooter, Medal of
Honor: Allied Assault.
Blockbuster Brand Jumps Back into Action with Prince of Persia the Sands of Time
is the announcement of the next
installment in the platformer adventures of the acrobatic monarch. Word is the
game will ship for all platforms by the end of this year, and Factornews
has posted some rendered images from the game. "Here's a bit on the game
from the press release: "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time takes place
within an exotic, mysterious world representing Persian architecture, animals
and attire. After his father invades the palace of the Maharajah, the Prince,
tricked by a treacherous vizier, uses a magic dagger to release the dangerous
Sands of Time from an ornate hourglass. With the aid of a beautiful, mysterious,
and potentially untrustworthy ally, players embody the Prince to recapture the
Sands of Time and restore peace to the land."
The official Line of Sight:
Vietnam Website has opened for business (thanks 3D Gamers)
dedicated to this upcoming special forces sniper game set during the Vietnam
War. Similarly, CTU: Marine Sharpshooter
Website (thanks Gamer's
Hell) is online, devoted to GrooveGames' upcoming value-priced game, also
centering around the exploits of a special forces sniper.
- Captain Scarlet
HomeLan Fed's Captain Scarlet
Q&A talks with Batfish's Philip Harris about their plans to bring
the adventures of the cult-classic TV series to computer screens.
- Far Cry
Doupe.cz's
Far Cry Q&A talks with Cryotek producer Christopher Natsumee learning
what he's prepared to reveal about Far Cry, their upcoming first-person
shooter.
- Postal 2
Postal
2 Developer Q&A on Worthplaying catches up with Vince Desi to
discuss their upcoming Postal sequel and to do some male bonding.
- Relic
Gameplanet's
Alex Garden Q&A talks with the Relic programmer about their company,
the development of Impossible Creatures, progress on HomeWorld 2, and more.
- The Sims
The Armchair Empire's
Chris Trottier Q&A talks with this Maxis designer about The Sims,
the Sims Online, asking about popularity of the series, and supporting the
online game (quote for MCO subscribers: "Most massively multiplayer
online games have a life of about 5-10 years").
- NetSphere
The NetSphere Q&A on The Adrenaline Vault talks with JC Entertainment's David Kim about their upcoming mecha-themed first-person shooter.
- Strength and Honor
Strength and Honor
Q&A on Gamer's Hell talking with Ryan MacLean, lead programmer for
Magitech, discussing their upcoming Japanese-themed real-time wargame.
- GDC
HomeLan Fed's
Game Developers Conference Q&A chats with Game Developer's
Conference director Alan Yu about the show, which kicks off this week.
Remember there's an ongoing Galactic
Civilizations Game Giveaway on UGO offering the opportunity to win an
advance copy of the upcoming space strategy game signed by its developers at
Stardock Software. You can participate on
UGO and locally
here as well as on Caster's Realm,
Gamer's Pulse,
and PC Gameworld, and
since five copies being given away on each site, signing-up at each will
increase your chances of winning. This contest is open to U.S. residents only.
Commensurate with the latest beta release, the Purge
Online Manual has been updated to version 1.3.8.
Happy 03/03/03 (or if you prefer to write it in the European method, 03/03/03).
I think I managed to track down the source of my soaring CPU usage, it seems the
"auto-protect" function of Norton Antivirus 2003 was bogging things
down, especially when collecting mail, which turned Outlook from being a system
piglet into full-blown system hog. I've got NAV's auto-protect turned off now,
but still have email scanning turned on, so I guess I'm protected against most
virus intrusions, but I guess if I can't get NAV's behavior under control I'll
have to start exploring alternatives.
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