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Archived News:
The Unreal Tournament
2004 Preview on IGN offers a detailed look at some of the maps in the
upcoming UT 2003 sequel. In addition, they also offer a look at the gameplay
modes on tap, including the following on the role of the newly added vehicles: But
even though some of the maps seem too large to accommodate smaller groups of
players, the team behind the game have come up with an intriguing solution in a
new team-based mode called Onslaught. This large-scale, vehicle-focused game
concentrates and focuses the action so that 12 players can have as much fun as
32. Each team has a power core that they need to protect. Between the teams'
power cores a number of smaller power nodes are scattered across the map. Each
node is linked to one or more other nodes between the two team-owned nodes.
A post called Steam
Status on the Steam Users Forums (thanks Frans) by Valve's Erik Johnson has
word on what the future holds for the Steam broadband delivery service as they
wind down the project's beta test. Here's a portion of the update, which is
followed by further details about features planned for after the beta is reset:
The Steam beta is now drawing to an end. This means that there are some
significant changes coming to the way that Steam will be run.
The next major release of Steam will be the first step towards converting the
entire Half-Life user base to Steam. This means that we will be resetting the
Steam account database from scratch. After this, you will need to have a valid
CD-Key to access games via Steam, so you will want to treat your Steam account
as permanent. One CD-Key will grant you access to all of the games currently
available in the Steam beta. The Friends database will remain intact, so if you
create an account with the same name when the beta ends, you will retain your
Friends list.
The next step will be to release the remaining three Half-Life 2 movies, fix the
remaining issues with the Riot Shield in Counter-Strike, and any remaining
issues with Steam. This will happen almost immediately after the Steam beta
ends.
Games
Convention '03 Impressions, Part Two Gamers With Jobs offers more from the
show, with impressions of Spellforce, Söldner, Thief III and UFO: Aftermath.
Also from the Games Convention in Leipzig RPGDot and MMORPGDot have posted
previews of Darkfall
Online, and the Xbox versions of Deus
Ex: Invisible War, Thief
III, and Arx
Fatalis.
iBeta Software Quality Assurance
(thanks HomeLAN Fed)
is now accepting sign-ups from those interested in beta testing Hidden &
Dangerous 2, Illusion Softworks' WW2 shooter sequel. They have posted the
criteria for testers, which includes the ability to adhere to a somewhat rigid
testing schedule.
This Sierra FTP
directory has a bunch of videos showing off The Lord of the Rings: The War
of the Ring, the upcoming Tolkien-inspired RTS game in the works at Liquid
Entertainment. Also, two of the trailers, one "good" the other
"evil," have been mirrored on 3D Downloads ( good
and Evil)
and Worthplaying
and all four QuickTime movies are mirrored on 3D
Gamers.
EA Announces
Plans for The Sims Double Deluxe announces the following: "Electronic
Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) today announced plans to release this September The Sims™
Double Deluxe, the ultimate compilation of the top-selling PC franchise, The
Sims™. The Sims Double Deluxe delivers the original #1 PC game of all time,
The Sims, as well as The Sims™ Livin' Large and The Sims™ House Party
expansion packs all in one value-packed product. With the most Sims content ever
assembled in one place, now is the best time to join The Sims phenomenon."
Do
Video Games Now Draw More Women Than Boys (thanks GameSpot)
reports on the results of an Entertainment
Software Association study with some interesting findings: Challenging
the stereotype that video gaming is the domain of teenage boys, an industry
group on Tuesday reported that more women over 18 than young boys are playing
games and the average age of players has risen to 29.
A poll released by the Entertainment Software Association and conducted by Peter
D. Hart Research Associates found 26 percent of game players are women 18 or
older, while 21 percent are boys 6 to 17.
Video gaming has traditionally been seen as the province of teenage boys locked
in dark rooms and twitching away at their game consoles, although in recent
years the industry has worked to publish games catering to kids, women and older
gamers.
3D Gamers has word
that Alien Blast: the Encounter is the new name of Alien Raid: the Encounter,
the upcoming 360° arcade shooter from Made by KIDDIES. To commemorate the
occasion, they have released a version 0.07 (Bond, James Bond) demo from the
game, offering three levels from the retail version.
Buena Vista Interactive's
Highly Anticipated TRON 2.0 is Now Available at Retailers Nationwide is the
press release announcing that Monolith's shooter based on the cult classic
science fiction movie is now available in North America as promised. Here's a bit: Developed
by critically acclaimed Monolith Productions, TRON 2.0 takes place in the
present day, approximately 20 years after the events of the film. Playing as Jet
Bradley, son of ENCOM programmer Alan Bradley from the TRON film, gamers are
digitized into cyberspace and will race on light cycles, battle corruption both
inside and outside of the computer world, and explore locations including the
Internet Hub, Firewall, Corrupted Server and Light Cycle Game Grid.
In addition to more than 30 enormous levels of story-driven single-player
gameplay, players can challenge themselves or up to eight others in 16 levels of
light cycle racing. They can also compete individually or as teams with up to 16
opponents in 20 different gladiatorial disc combat arenas.
A blurb on the front page of FilePlanet
(thanks Frans) manages to use the word "exclusive" three times in one
paragraph, reinforcing the idea that their upcoming release of the Call of Duty
demo is, well, exclusive. Word on the demo of Infinity Ward's upcoming World War
II shooter is that it will be released this Sunday (August 31) for their paying
subscribers only. If history is any indication of how this will work, a more
public release can probably be expected a week or so after.
- id Software
Gamer.nl's
DOOM 3 Interview @ QuakeCon is a video of a QuakeConversation with Todd
Hollenshead and Tim Willits of id Software conducted during the show. The
clip has an appropriate setting in a gloomy bar, and is interspersed with
clips of DOOM 3 and the assembled masses as Tim and Todd discuss DOOM 3 and
Quake IV.
- Driver 3
The Driver
Q&A on UGO talks with Martin Edmondson of Reflections about their
work on Driver 3, the next installment in the ongoing adventures of Tanner
the wheelman.
- Halo
There's a
Halo Q&A on Worthplaying talking with the ever-accessible Randy
Pitchford of Gearbox software about their ongoing work on the upcoming PC
port of Halo. Word is: "Halo will be launching really soon. Expect an
official press release about the launch date any-minute-now™."
- DS: Legends of Aranna
There's a
Legends of Aranna Q&A on Computer and Video Games talking with Dr.
Ian Lane Davis, CEO at Mad Doc Software, about the upcoming Legends of
Aranna add-on for Dungeon Siege. Topics include the expansion's new
campaign, new spells, new weapons and armor, new character race, and more.
Thanks Frans.
- Peter Molyneux
There's a
Peter Molyneux Interview on GameZone talking with the top dog at
Lionhead talking about what's what, focusing primarily on plans for Fable.
The Q&A is in German, but as always, a rough translation can be found
via the services of Babel Fish.
This Ubi
Soft Downloads Page (thanks Frans) is now offering up the demo of Warlords
IV: Heroes of Etheria, a sample of the latest installment in this turn-based
strategy series. The demo features a single map, playable solo or multiplayer,
though multiplayer support is limited to play on a single computer. The demo is
a 142 MB download. the demo is mirrored on FileFront,
Gamer's Hell,
IGN, Jucaushii.ro,
and Worthplaying.
A German demo for Yager is now available, offering the chance to check out Yager
Development's upcoming futuristic action/adventure/aerial combat game. The
download is just a shade under 200 MB, available on 4Players.de
and mirrored on 3D Gamers, Computer
Games Online, FileFront,
Gamer's Hell,
and Worthplaying.
- T3: War of the Machines
Jolt.co.uk's
Terminator 3 - War of the Machines Q&A talks with Atari's Aron
Drayer about the upcoming PC game based on the Terminator franchise,
discussing classes, weapons, gameplay, and more in quite a bit of detail.
- Gangland
HomeLAN
Fed's Gangland Q&A talks with Adam Gregersen and Benedict Ødemotland
of MediaMobsters about Gangland, their upcoming action/strategy game in an
organized crime setting.
- Face of Mankind
There's a Face
of Mankind Q&A on FOMK OGaming talking with Thomas Seufert of
Duplex-Systems about his work as a level designer and programmer on Face of
Mankind, their upcoming MMORPG.
- Realm Online
Stratics
Central's Realm Online Q&A talks with Scott "HyJinks"
Wochholz, CEO of NorseMan Games, "a company which just purchased The
Realm, one of the oldest MMOs in North America."
Attention fight fans! Soul Calibur II and Mortal Kombat: Tournament
Edition each should now be available in stores. Also, HomeLAN
Fed's kill.switch Q&A talks with Namco associate producer Alvin Muolic
about their upcoming console action game.
Ultimate Arena
is running a promotion where they are rewarding the players most successful at
playing Jonathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel and his mad skillz in their online
gaming/gambling service.
Blizzard Entertainment has posted help wanted ads on their Employment
Opportunities Page for World of Warcraft as they look to hire a Community
Manager, a Senior
Game Master, and a Game
Master. There are also several new listings (as well as some previously
existing ones) are up on the Jobs
at BioWare Page.
We get a lot of spiders around here and they get very busy at night (in fact
there's a big wolf spider who takes advantage of the moths attracted to the
light from my office at night by setting his trap right outside the window near
the light). I therefore don't take it personally when I get tangled in spider
webs in the morning when we go out to the car so I can drive MrsBlue to the
train, but this morning, after accidentally leaving the window to the car open
last night, I managed to get ensnared in a web that had been set between the
drivers seat and the steering wheel. I don't want to sound paranoid, but I think
the eight-legged freaks are out to get me.
Although admittedly half of that span has gone without updates, the fifth
anniversary of loonygames is now being
marked! Where does the time go?
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