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Archived News:
The
Battlefield Vietnam Website (thanks
BattleField Central)
has a report on plans to release a version 1.02 patch next week to address a
crash to desktop issue and a related client disconnect problem introduced with
the version 1.01 update. They also discuss the
HomeFront Mod, some
comics on
Northern Brigade from 420th Inf.
Div., and more on plans for the upcoming version 1.1 patch:
Meanwhile, DICE has been hard at work on moving the 1.1 update forward.
Today we are featuring a screenshot from "The Defense of Con Thien", the free
map bundled with 1.1. The view below is from the middle of the DMZ (or
Demilitarized Zone), and takes in the desolation of the area as well as the NVA
defenses above. As you can see, the DMZ is a killing zone, littered with the
wreckage of downed vehicles and surrounded at both ends by artillery pieces,
stationary machine guns and watchtowers (US-owned defenses are not pictured).
Not a safe place to venture on foot, the DMZ is best crossed in vehicles and in
force (lest you catch a bullet in your brain pan).
A new version 1.1 update for the
Alien Swarm modification for Unreal Tournament 2004 is now available. The
update address a number of issues, including voting problems. Here's how the mod
is described: "Alien Swarm is an overhead view tactical squad-based shooter for
UT2K4. Set in the the [sic] distant future, the players take the role of a
Commander in the Interstellar Armed Forces. They must guide their squad of
marines through Swarm infested colonies, overrun bases and outposts, to achieve
a variety of objectives. Featuring Assault Rifles, Heat Tracking Guns, Sentry
Guns, Flamethrowers and more. Supports co-operative multiplayer."
Caen on
Interplay We're still here on GameSpot (thanks Frans) has an update on the
status of the troubled publisher: When an actual person was reached at the
Interplay offices, they would not confirm that they even worked there. Instead
calls were passed along to the personal voice mailbox of CEO Herve Caen, who has
been nowhere to be found throughout the week.
That is, until now. Last night, GameSpot talked with the surprisingly affable
Caen, who denied the end was nigh for Interplay. His proof? "You can see our
stock is trading, so we're still here."
But when asked whether or not Interplay was facing eviction from its Irvine, CA
offices and laying off staffers, Caen's answers grew less direct. "I can't
comment one way or the other," he said. "I'm bound by disclosure rules because
we're a publicly traded company, so I can't say anything outside of press
releases or official SEC filings." When asked when the next official SEC filing
would be, Herve said, "I can't answer that--if I tell you, I'll have to tell
everyone."
When asked why closure reports were coming from within Interplay, Caen demurred,
saying "the Internet, it's a wild place." He did, however, say there would be
some sort of announcement in the near future. "We're working on a lot of deals,
a lot of solutions. You'll hear from us soon."
This
NovaLogic Downloads Page now offers downloads of the opening cinematic for
Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising, the upcoming multiplayer shooter. Word is it
"Features locations, vehicles and charactors [sic] from the final game!" Also,
the
Star Wars: Battlefront Media Index on GameSpot now features a couple of
movies as part of
their planets overview for the upcoming Star Wars shooter, these are
mirrored on 3D Gamers,
Filerush (torrent), and
Worthplaying.
Also, four new Axis & Allies movies are now available, showing off the World War
II RTS game in the works at TimeGate Studios; The three clips are in
this Infogrames
FTP directory, which are mirrored along with the intro movie on
3D Gamers. Also, the
Cuban Missile
Crisis Game Official Site has the E3 trailer from the upcming Cold War game,
mirrored on 3D
Gamers. Finally, the
Massive Entertainment Website now offers downloads of a "Making the
cinematics of Ground Control II" movie, though it seems difficult to get through
to the FTP server at this time.
Oxygen Interactive announces plans to
publish a pair of new first-person shooters in the works at
Atomic Planet Entertainment:
Vietnam: The Tet Offensive and SAS: Against All Odds (thanks Frans). Here's the
deal: Vietnam: The Tet Offensive / SAS: Against All Odds
Oxygen Opens Fire With Atomic Titles
Further expanding their burgeoning release schedule, Oxygen have now added two
new FPS titles to their release schedule, with PS2 and PC versions in
simultaneous development. Due in September, Vietnam: The Tet Offensive will
feature a range of action-packed missions and an innovative damage system,
packed with accurate historical details. Following a month later, SAS: Against
All Odds boasts counter-terrorist missions based on contemporary politics, with
stealth-heavy, tactical gameplay.
Having already built up a range of sports and motorsports titles, these new
additions provide a logical extension of the range. As Publishing Director Kevin
Hassall explains: "These are two easily-accessible, high-quality titles,
combining pick-up-and-play gameplay with subject matter that everyone can
understand. With a mass-market retail price and full-price gameplay, with these
as with our sports titles we're delivering quality and value-for-money to casual
and dedicated gamers alike."
Development is already well under way at Atomic Planet Entertainment, with teams
who have already proved themselves with high-quality action and adventure
titles. "It is great to be working with such an ambitious, and fresh new
publisher as Oxygen" says APE MD, Darren Falcus. "Their philosophy of developing
quality products at an impulse buy price point fits in nicely with our goal of
creating great games for the mass market. After many years of development, we
are finally reaping the rewards of our investment in our cross platform
technology and tools which allow us to make games in a shorter timescale, whilst
maintaining a high quality."
Oxygen have assigned a six-figure TV advertising budget to add real firepower to
the planned PR and marketing campaign, which will cover on-line, lifestyle,
specialist, in-store and TV/radio.
If the tone of Singles Flirt Up Your Life wasn't racy enough to start with for
your tastes, then you may take interest in plans to push boundaries further with
the first expansion for the lifestyle sim that will celebrate the
complex joys of the threesome (which should actually be "menage a trois"):
SINGLES: FLIRT UP YOUR LIFE - MENAGE ET TOIS ANYONE?
BASINGSTOKE, England (June 4th, 2004) - Who ever said 'three's a crowd',
certainly didn't know about DEEP SILVER'S up coming add on to their
controversial 2004 PCCD title SINGLES: FLIRT UP YOUR LIFE.
Yes, the SINGLES are back in SINGLES: THREESOMES (working title). Some say that
'Size isn't everything ...'! RUBBISH. Size is everything. SINGLES: THREESOME
enhances the original game like a well fitted Wonder Bra, taking the already
plentiful assets and increasing upon them for all to see and admire.
We've upped the number of characters in the game and made them even more diverse
than ever. SINGLES: THREESOMES further enhances the 3D graphics engine to really
show off your SINGLES at their sexiest. Add to this, more life like character
movements, hundreds of new objects for your love den and a changeable wardrobe
of clothes for your SINGLES, it surely can't get any better? But it does. We
have a great new story that takes your SINGLES out of the flat and into new and
exciting locations. Oh, and we've increased the sex appeal. SINGLES: THREESOMES
is more sexy and flirtatious than an E3 Bunny Girl booth babe after several
vodkas.
- Full Spectrum Warrior
There's
a Full
Spectrum Warrior Q&A on FSWCenter talking with Pandemic's William
Henry Stahl, talking about how the PC version of the military shooter will
compare to the console version.
- Witcher
RPG
Vault Witcher Q&A is a conversation with Michal Kicinski and Ryslaw
Chojnowski, offering "An introduction to CD Projekt's action-oriented
fantasy RPG based on a best-selling European literary property."
- UFO: Extraterrestrials
The
UFO: Extraterrestrials Q&A on Strategy Informer talks with Michal
Dolezal, producer on UFO: Extraterrestrials, Chaos Concepts upcoming
xenophobic strategy game.
- D&D Online
Vault
Network's DD&O Q&A talks with lead designer Ken Troop about what to
expect from Dungeons & Dragons online when the MMORPG version of the seminal
RPG goes live.
The German
Blitzkrieg Website announces that the Burning Horizon stand-alone expansion
for Blitzkrieg is now available in Europe, sort of coinciding with the 60th
anniversary of the D-Day invasion this Sunday. Word is the North American
edition should be available on June 8. Also,
EA Ships Harry Potter and
the Prisoner of Azkaban Videogame is the press release announcing
availability of the latest game based on the bespectacled young sorcerer, though
it looks like
EBgames has had it listed for a week now. Thanks Frans.
Cinescape (thanks Hammer) is reporting a change in plans for the
perennially-in-development DOOM movie, which is now in the works at Universal
Studios after Warner Brothers' option on the project lapsed. Word is: The
same producers that tried to get the film greenlit at Warners remain on the
project with Universal, namely Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and John Wells. What's
changed is that the two men now have a finished script (by Dave Callaham), a new
studio and a director attached (Enda McCallion in his directorial debut.)
Callaham adapted his version of DOOM from the upcoming storyline of DOOM 3, the
latest video game in the franchise scheduled for release next month. The third
game reimagines the property using the latest computer graphics technology and
advanced game engines to deliver more of a survival horror feel rather than the
all-out carnage that the first two DOOMs became known for.
Promode.Org now offers a new version 1.31
of CPMA, Challenge Pro-Mode Arena, described like this: "Partly a maintenance
build for 1.30 with a few minor updates to the new NTF gametype, but also the
revision and update of most of the netcode tweaks to date. timenudge, the
adaptive cg_nudge, xerpClients, the 50ms hack, etc, have now all been combined
into a single cvar that basically just does everything for you."
A new beta 4 of the
AirBuccaneers modification for Unreal Tournament 2004 is now available. Word
is: "With this release, the rowdy and semi-coherent crew of Air Buccaneers
crashes into the UT2004, leaving sootmarks on its clinically futuristic
surfaces. It's dirty, smelly, and nearly magnificent: Air Buccaneers Beta 4!"
- "Microsoft today announced that a new Xbox® action-strategy game,
Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders, is in development by Phantagram and is
heading to retail shelves in fall 2004. The first Xbox Live™-enabled
action-strategy game to blend large-scale strategic battles with fast and
fierce hand-to-hand combat, Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders takes players
to the forefront of an epic battleground."
- Fable
to unfold in September. Thanks Mike Martinez.
Red Baron's Full Canvas Jacket Q&A on GamerDad talks about this fan-created
Direct3D update for Red Baron 2. They discuss how the project can be purchased,
and the incredible level of difficulty it presents.
This Majesco Games Jobs
Section now features three new openings the developer/publisher is looking
to fill, as they seek a graphic designer, a producer, and a product manager.
- An Alida PC demo is now available, offering a sample of this adventure
game set on an island shaped like a guitar. The 37 MB demo can be found on
GotGameEntertainment, mirrored on
Gamer's Hell
and Worthplaying.
There's also a 9 MB HellChess demo on
Gamer's Hell...
- "Far out! Eidos announces a stunning soundtrack for ShellShock: Nam ‘67™
with an explosion of groovy original tracks to help create the atmosphere of
sixties Vietnam. Percy Sledge, Sonny and Cher, Roy Orbison, The Monkees, The
Small Faces, John Lee Hooker and The Troggs, among, others will all be
providing tracks in the game to recreate the spirit of base camp."...
- Method's Turf is the
relocated home for Kingpin: Final Crime, an unofficial sequel to Xatrix
Entertainment's Kingpin...
-
Slashdot | E3 Movie Cache Highlights Microsoft's Apprentice Spoof.
Thanks Ant...
-
Virtual real estate boom draws real dollars. Thanks Mike Martinez...
-
Tech giants go for the games. Thanks Mike Martinez...
We have a new resident in our back yard, as a cardinal I noticed over the
weekend has clearly made a home out there, at least for the time being. We get
tons of birds around here, but cardinals are not so common, so this is neat...
I've quickly learned to recognize his call, which is about as ugly as he is
handsome, a loud persistent peep peep peeping that makes it very easy to locate
where he is at any given time. I started calling him Stan after famed St. Louis
Cardinals baseball player Stan Musial, but since MrsBlue once had a cat named
Stan, I've renamed him Lou, after Lou Brock. I thought this was a better theme
to follow than Cardinal Fang or Cardinal Biggles, since nobody expects the
Spanish Inquisition!
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