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Archived News:
VU Games announces the completion of development on the PC edition of Men of
Valor, 2015's Vietnam War first-person shooter. The PC version should be in
stores on October 26, a week after the Xbox version: LOS ANGELES, CA
(October 11, 2004) – Vivendi Universal Games and 2015 Inc. announced today that
the PC version of their upcoming first-person action game Men of Valor has gone
gold and will ship to retail stores in the United States on October 26th. The
game will be released on the Xbox video game system from Microsoft on October
19th. A Macintosh operating system version will be published by Aspyr Media,
Inc.
A multi-player demo and more information about Men of Valor can be found on the
official website at
http://www.menofvalorgame.com/.
Men of Valor is an historical action experience that portrays infantry combat
during the Vietnam War. Combining the latest Unreal technology with the gameplay
expertise of 2015 (developers of the award-winning Medal of Honor: Allied
Assault), the game immerses the player in the humid jungles of Southeast Asia in
the most controversial conflict of the modern era.
Men of Valor follows an African-American Marine through the early stages of the
conflict in Vietnam to the Tet Offensive. Touching on the some of the most
familiar scenes of the war as they exist in the popular imagination, the player
guides his group of fellow soldiers through the hardship and confusion of the
battlefield, bonding with them as they do their duty for their country with the
heroism and valor typical of the American soldier, but unsung during the
turbulent times.
HomeLAN Fed has a
story up based on an article in the new print issue of
PC Gamer, where Climax CEO Karl Jeffrey
says that work continues on Warhammer Online in spite of the termination of
Warhammer property owner Games Workshop's financial backing of the project
( story). Apparently Games Workshop still is otherwise
(non-monetarily) supporting the project, and Climax hopes to make a release in
about 18 months.
Again digging into the new PC Gamer
magazine as a source,
HomeLAN Fed reports the latest issue of the print mag has a confirmation
that Vampire: The Masquerade -- Bloodlines, Troika's upcoming Source-engine
vampire game, will not feature multiplayer support. Let's say it together...
that sucks.
NCsoft sends word that the DVD edition of Lineage II is appearing in U.S. and
Canadian stores this week: Lineage II Collectors DVD Edition: Each
limited edition game pack will come with a DVD containing the full version of
Lineage II and the Chronicle I: Harbingers of War expansion featuring castle
sieges, a 159 page strategy and hint guide, an updated map of Aden, and a
22-inch tall 3D Paper® collectible figurine. The DVD also contains several
trailers including a preview trailer of the Chronicle 2: Age of Splendor fall
2004 update and other NCsoft games. More information about Lineage II can be
found at http://www.lineage2.com.
RPG
Vault's S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl Q&A wanders off the RPG topic
for a group Q&A with the developers of GSC Game World's upcoming
first-person shooter, asking a question about enemies, and another about
locations.- The Matrix Online
GamerGod's
The Matrix Online Q&A Part Two continues this three-part conversation
with Toby Ragaini, lead designer on Monolith's upcoming MMORPG: "Each
district is between 1 and 2 million square meters, providing a huge,
seamless space that you can run across without getting a single load time.
Only when you decide to enter another district (via hard-line or subway)
will you have to pause for a load."
- Guild Wars
The
Guild Wars Q&A on GameSpot discusses ArenaNet's upcoming MMORPG with
Jeff Strain: "The dual-class system provides richness of strategy by
allowing us to make the professions strongly themed, in terms of strengths
and weaknesses, without locking players into a specific play style. For
instance, a warrior/ranger and a warrior/elementalist are both good
front-line tanks (melee fighters that can absorb a lot of damage), but each
has different specialties that make for a unique gameplay experience."
- SuperPower 2
GamersInfo.net's
SuperPower 2 Q&A chats up Jean-Rene Couture about Golem Labs' upcoming
sequel of global domination: "From a technical standpoint, every game of
SuperPower 2 is multiplayer. It's just that when you start a single player
game, you're the only player connected. But every game starts a server, a
message browser, etc. And in every multiplayer game, the AI is still present
because there are 193 countries in the world, and it won't happen often to
have 193 player games."
- Codename: Panzers
There's
a
Mario Kroll Q&A on The Armchair Empire talking about the World War II
tank combat on tap in Codename: Panzers: "I’d say Panzers is more of a
refinement of the genre. We’ve gotten rid of the clichéd features like
resource foraging and placed the focus on tactics and a broader gameplay
experience. We’ve done everything we can to make the player feel like he’s
really part of the battle, not just “Commanding from Above.” While the “raze
your enemy” RTS standard can be a lot of fun, we’d like to think our varied
mission objectives are a bit more sophisticated and interesting."
- Kornelia
The
Kornelia Q&A on The Guildhall at SMU talks with the cyberathlete about
the gaming scene, women as gamers and developers, and what she is up to.
Strategy First and Guild Software announce pre-orders for
Vendetta Online, though details on
subscription pricing for the upcoming space-based MMORPG do not seem to have yet
been finalized. Here's the announcement: Montreal, Canada. October 11th,
2004. Publisher Strategy First and developer Guild Software are calling all
spaceship pilots to pre-order Vendetta Online today. Take advantage of this
offer to secure your entry into a galaxy where a fully real-time combat system
brings an intense, immersive feel to interstellar warfare.
About Vendetta Online
As pilots in the Vendetta universe, the progression of the player's character
will be up to each individual. The starting Nation affiliation gives the player
certain benefits and liabilities that fit the particular culture of that Nation,
but this merely serves as a starting point for the character. If the user wishes
to be a peaceful trader, military pilot, guard for hire, dastardly pirate, or
whatever the player imagines, this is all up to the behaviors and play style of
the user. There are both lawful and lawless places in the universe and many
different factions (including a pirate faction) with differing motives and
shifting alignments. Choose your friends carefully and watch your enemies
closely!
Vendetta Online offers players combat which is fully real-time and based
entirely on “twitch” skill. The forward progression of a detailed storyline
allows for great plot variation contingent on the actions you take. The vast
number of choices in Vendetta Online makes playing a truly unique experience.
Come and explore the Vendetta Online Galaxy.
Vendetta Online is available for pre-order at GameStop, EBGames and at Apple and
will shipped on November 1st, 2004 to all major retailers for $29.99USD. The
game is rated TEEN/Fantasy Violence by ESRB. To find out more about Vendetta
Online, please visit
www.strategyfirst.com or
www.vendetta-online.com.
Aspyr Media, Inc. Ships
Pitfall: The Lost Expedition for The PC is the press release announcing that
the latest adventure of Pitfall Harry has landed in stores: Dozens of
hazardous levels force Harry to maneuver through lush rain forests,
creature-ridden caves and vast glacial mountains. While racing through a vast
landscape of forests, ancient ruins and subterranean mines, you have to learn
quickly how to discern friend from foe in this dynamic obstacle-filled world.
With fast-paced action pathways and a host of obstacles and challenges, you must
face the consequences of every decision.
The Arena Wars
Website now has a new version 1.1.1.0 patch for exDream's RTS game, adding
balance tweaks along with various fixes. There is also an updated version of the
game's demo on this
page with the English/German sample of the game likewise updated to version
1.1.1.0. Thanks Frans.
TotalGames.net reports that
Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude has been banned in Australia, denying the
polygonal pervert his chance to go down under. Word is: "The Office of Film and
Literature Classification reported that the game contains 'obscured and/or
implied sexual activity and obscured and partial nudity involving stylised,
animated characters', as well as implied 'oral favours'." Thanks Mike Martinez.
Atari sends word that
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is gold, and the theme park simulator is due
worldwide during the first week in November: BEVERLY, MA - October 11,
2004 - Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) announced today that RollerCoaster Tycoon 3,
the highly-anticipated next addition to the best-selling RollerCoaster Tycoon(r)
franchise, has gone gold and is on target for a U.S. in-store date of November
2nd and a November 5th launch date in territories outside the U.S.
RollerCoaster Tycoon(r) 3, the #1 Tycoon series with over eight million units
sold life-to-date worldwide*, is a complete update for the franchise with
stunning 3D graphics and the ability to see the park from the eyes of a guest
and ride all the rides with the new CoasterCam(tm) feature. The game features
amazing crowd scenes with enhanced park guests and characters, over 170 rides
including new-to-the-franchise roller coaster types, realistic day and night
cycles with superb lighting effects, extensive still-picture and movie-making
capability to allow players to share the fruits of their creativity, a Sandbox
Mode and many other new features which build upon the
fun and addictive nature of the original games.
In addition, a new Fireworks MixMaster(tm) lets players create pyrotechnic
masterpieces and synchronize them to music using pre-set in-game songs or
selections from their own music files. And, as with all the other customizable
elements like exchanging rides and people, in RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, players
will be able to trade firework shows with other players.
In addition, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 will also include the ability to assign
music from the player's own library to rides in the park, import roller coaster
designs from previous games in the franchise, and features various weather
effects.
- Pirates!
The
Sid Meier's Pirates!
Q&A on HomeLAN Fed talks with producer Barry Caudill about this upcoming
return to the high seas: "It’s thrilling and scary all at the same time. The
challenge of taking this great game that people have loved for over 17 years
and trying to make an even better game, is quite daunting. But, we finally
decided that the time was right and that technology had advanced to the
point that we could really bring the world of Pirates! to life in a whole
new way, and make significant improvements to a game that is already so well
liked."
- Lineage II
The
Lineage II Q&A on FileFront chats with Aaron Rigby, North American
producer for the MMORPG: "In the home territory of Korea, the game was
geared for (and attracted) a very broad range of player types. In North
America, however, Lineage II has really become a favorite of the hardcore
and PvP gamers. We get all play styles within that group from aggressive to
cautious and there is a good bit of symmetry that has evolved between these
types of players, since each can use the other to progress faster through
the game."
- Vanguard: Saga of Heroes
The
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes Interview on Warcry News Network is an
article-format interview about the upcoming MMORPG conducted during the
recent Vanguard Summit.
- Stolen
HomeLAN
Fed's Stolen Q&A talks with a bunch of the folks involved in the
development of Blue52's upcoming stealth game: "Stolen is set in a large
gloomy metropolis called Forge City. All the locations you will have to
penetrate and steal from are in or around this city. The settings throughout
are varied. Your first mission takes place in a huge museum with extremely
detailed exhibits of all shapes and sizes. Further into the game will take
you to various ominous locations, including an enormous prison, a towering
skyscraper and even a large communications area, high in the mountains that
dominate the Forge City skyline. "
- Spider-Man 2
The
Spider-Man 2
Postmortem Q&A on Music 4 Games rehashes how the music turned out in the
superhero game sequel.
Looking Back Developing The Sims 2 on GameSpot offers a postmortem on Maxis' little-people sequel (thanks
HomeLAN Fed). Also,
the new World of Warcraft
Diary on The Unofficial World of Warcraft Site offers a journal entry from
Jeff Kaplan on the topic of how raids will be handled in the upcoming Warcraft
MMORPG. Finally, the
Knights of Honor Diary #6 offers another abbreviated profile of one of the
developers at Black Sea Studios about their recently released "Empire Conquering
Simulation."
THQ and Actor Thomas Jane
Join Forces to Deliver Maximum Punishment (thanks Frans) has word on the
participation of actor Thomas Jane in the upcoming games based on the Punisher
cinematic tour-de-force. Included in the release is word on plans for a PC
version of the game: " The company announced a PC version is being developed in
tandem with the console products and is scheduled to launch simultaneously. The
Punisher, developed by THQ's internal developer Volition Inc®, will feature
Marvel's darkest antihero Frank Castle as he takes on his greatest enemies from
a history that spans over 30 years."
CheckYour6.net has a new version 3.7 of the PHPAdmin tool that allows the
administration of multiple Counter-Strike servers.
The Doom 3 [CC] project is
underway: "to provide deaf and hearing impaired gamers (of which there are many)
the facilities to play and enjoy this superb game by providing them with a full
text transcription of every piece of audio from every level in the game,
including audio logs, video disks, environmental sounds, enemies and NPC
conversations. In addition, a full modification to the game itself is in
production to include closed-captioning of every piece of audio, written in the
game engine and displayed as text on screen during gameplay."
Americans win gold at world video game championships in SF (thanks Mike
Martinez) has the results of the Counter-Strike competition: "Team3D defeated
the Titans of Denmark in the counterterrorism-themed PC game, where operatives
stake out ramshackle buildings with high-powered sniper rifles and other weapons
to take out their foes." Also,
Bjorn3D's 2004 Pumpkin
Carving Contest is this year's edition of the long-running contest.
We bade a fond fondue to the Smurfs last night, a bit earlier than originally
planned. This is probably for the best, since MrsBlue does not have today off
from work (today is the celebration of Columbus Day here in the states, as well
as the more politically correct, as well as more obscure Indigenous People's
Day), which would have left me trying to single-handedly wrangle the youngsters
along with this update. In any event, a fine time was had by all, and I think I
have definitely inspired a new Giants fan (which has been pointed out in the
forums to be a questionable gift to bestow upon a child).
Anyway, with the holiday, things will likely be quiet today... speaking of
holidays, happy Thanksgiving to those celebrating up in Canada.
R.I.P.:
'Superman' Star Christopher Reeve Dies (thanks Halsy) and
Space
trailblazer Max Faget dies (thanks Mike Martinez).
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