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Archived News:
The World of Warcraft Community Site
(thanks Bronco) has word on the conclusion of the closed beta testing of World
of Warcraft, Blizzard's upcoming MMORPG: The closed beta test is coming to
an end. This Friday, October 29, at 3:00 PM PDT, the closed beta servers will go
offline as we prepare to run another stress test. All active closed-beta
accounts will remain active, and closed-beta testers will be receiving an email
with instructions on what to do to continue playing in the stress test. We will
post more information about the stress test in the days ahead, so please stay
tuned to WorldofWarcraft.com.
After a false start earlier today ( story)
Aspyr now offers the official
announcement of Rebel without a Pulse (thanks
HomeLAN Fed), the debut title
from Wideload Games: AUSTIN, TX (October 28, 2004) - Aspyr Media, Inc., an
entertainment publisher delivering fun in the form of games, music and DVDs, and
game developer Wideload Games, Inc. today unearthed their upcoming game, Stubbs
the Zombie in "Rebel without a Pulse". Guaranteed to turn some heads, this
third-person action game is an original IP by Bungie Studio veterans that uses
an updated Halo™ engine to deliver a stirring tale of one man's hunger for love,
justice...and brains. The game will be a cross-platform release, including Xbox,
PC and Mac, and will be published worldwide in summer, 2005.
In this game, players take on the role of the rebel himself – Stubbs, a
wisecracking Zombie who takes on an ultra-modern city of the future using
nothing but his own carcass and the weapons of his possessed enemies. The game’s
tongue-in-cheek humor, innovative combat and strong storyline keep Stubbs the
Zombie’s gameplay as bizarre and unpredictable as its namesake.
The
Myst Worlds Website (thanks Frans) announces plans to release a patch for
Myst IV Revelation sometime next week. Word is: "The patch will address
technical issues and some balance issues discovered after launch," and the
update goes on to outline some of these issues.
- Brothers In Arms
Eurogamer.net's
Brothers In Arms Q&A talks with Steven Palmer of Gearbox about their
upcoming World War II shooter: "We've seen in this market that there's room
for improvement in the genre, so the way we've improved it is by bringing in
a really compelling story, by letting you live through history more
accurately than you've seen in other games. We've recreated the environments
with meticulous detail that truly represent what the environments look like,
and we're giving you the ability to interact with your squad in a realistic
manner as well as choosing real tactics, so instead of being pressed along
in scripted events through the entire game it's up to you to make tactical
decisions and to make leadership choices using your squad. We've also given
players a really simple interface, so that solves the problem of having
something way too complex. We kept it simple, authentic, tactical and most
of all fun."
- The Elder Scrolls
The
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Q&A on GameSpot talks with Todd Howard of
Bethesda Softworks about the next installment in their RPG series: "It takes
place after Morrowind, but really has nothing to do with the Morrowind story
at all. We like each game to stand on its own, so it's in another part of
the world with an all-new story. The story itself deals with the death of
the emperor and a demonic invasion into this world from "Oblivion."
Oblivion, in the Elder Scrolls world, is essentially hell. It's another
plane of existence where the evil gods live. So the game takes place in both
Tamriel, the land of men and elves, and Oblivion, the land of demons."
- Nexus
The
Nexus: The Jupiter Incident Q&A on
Gamesradar (thanks Frans) discusses Mithis' space strategy game with
Zslot Nyulaszi: "The basic concept was an admiral-sim. What would you do if
you were a space-fleet admiral? The idea was a game that is not about empire
building but low-scale battle tactics. It's a mixture of the classical war
games and the elite-like space-simulators. The result is a fleet-simulator.
Later I realised that a strong storyline is needed so I added some adventure
game elements to improve the fun factor of the otherwise 'boring' empty
space."
- The Punisher
The
Punisher Q&A on
Computer and Video Games talks with associate producer James Tsai about
Volition's upcoming Punisher game: "The enemies are inspired by the comics,
but The Punisher's look is more taken from the movie, except for his face,
where we've made him slightly older. In terms of the action and the
violence, I'd say it was very heavily inspired. It's a very intense,
intimate, close-up experience - y'know, stabbing guys in the face with
knives, blowing limbs off with shotguns kinda violence. Whereas the movie
was intense in terms of being action-packed, it doesn't have the level of
gore we're putting in."
- Void War
The
Void War Q&A on FileFront looks into the void by talking with Jay
Barnson of Rampant Games about their space combat game: "The seed of the
idea for Void War came from grousing with friends about multiplayer space
combat games. Dogfights in space were just boring – with no ‘physics’ of any
kind like gravity and lift (we were also combat flight sim fans), and no
cover, it was just a test of who could spin and aim and fastest. We kept
waiting for someone else to come out with a game like Void War, and after a
few years I got tired of waiting and started writing it myself."
- Vendetta Online
RPG
Vault's Vendetta Online Team Q&A #2 quizzes the developers of the
space-based MMORPG about memorable aspects of the game and its development.
- Vanguard: Saga of Heroes
Vanguard.Okratas.com
offers their second Three Question Thursday with an abbreviated conversation
with Steve Burke, designer on Vanguard: Saga of Heroes.
The
Axis & Allies Designer Diary #1 on GameSpot kicks off an oddly timed series
that will keep us abreast of the latest tales of development of the RTS game in
the week or so before it appears on store shelves. Also,
The Wargamer's Supreme Ruler 2010 Diary #4 (thanks Frans) continues this
series by George Geczy of BattleGoat Studios who lists a bunch of features he
feels will raise the bar for future strategy games. Finally,
RPG Vault's
Mourning Peek #44 is online, offering "A double dose, with the Lead Designer
and Project Manager on the Newrosoft and Quad project on separate topics."
Thirdwire announces that Wings Over Vietnam is gold, and that their military
flight sim is headed to stores. Frans notes that the games
official website and
product page are each online, offering more info on the project.
This
CDV Software Entertainment Support Page now offers downloads of a new
version 1.2 patch for the German edition of Zoo Empire. Thanks Frans.
EA's Armies of Exigo Website now offers downloads of a new multiplayer demo
for Armies of Exigo, rounding out the sample of Black Hole's fantasy real-time
strategy game that began with this past summer's release of the single-player
demo ( story). The 450 MB download is mirrored on
3D Gamers,
Computer Games,
FileFront, FileShack
(registration required), JustGamers,
Gameguru Mania,
Gameplanet,
Gamer's Hell,
GameSpot DLX (registration required), and
Worthplaying.
Stalker Oblivion-Lost.com has the English translation of a post by THQ's Max
Stellar to the
official German forum for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl commenting on
the just-announced delay for GSC Game World's upcoming first-person shooter
( story). Saying a press release would probably show up with more
detail on this shortly, he describes the complications testing the game's
dynamic life simulation system: Simply put: The developers have to play
through S.T.A.L.K.E.R. again and again and examine how the other stalkers and
creatures react and how this influences the whole course of the game. I am glad
that THQ does not release the title under time pressure, but offers the
necessary time that the development requires, so that GSC can live up to the
high expectations.
A new patch for Men of Valor is now available, updating 2015's new military
first-person shooter to version 1.2.
This update offers
a download link along with a list of what's changed with the patch, which
includes a number of bug-fixes. The 9.2 MB download is mirrored on
3D Gamers,
FileFront, FileShack
(registration required), Gameguru Mania,
GameSpot DLX (registration required), and
Worthplaying.
A new Battlefield 2 movie is now available, showing off the upcoming modern
combat installment in DICE's multiplayer military shooter series. The 46 MB
download shows off some air-to-ground and air-to-air combat, available on
3D Gamers and
Worthplaying.
Also, a trio of new movies showing off Sid Meier's Pirates! are now available,
showing off a cutscene from the upcoming seafaring remake as well as two takes
on a swordfight. The clips can be found on
3D Gamers.
The
Dragonshard Sign-Ups Page on Atari's Betatests.net is where to submit an
application if you are interested in participating in closed beta testing of
Dragonshard, Liquid Entertainment's upcoming Dungeons and Dragons real-time
strategy game. Word is: "The beta start date is to be determined, but will be
announced here shortly."
We've received no official announcement, but several reports have rolled in that
the three day Guild Wars
World Preview Event slated for this weekend is now underway. Here's a bit on
what's going on: ArenaNet and NCsoft are proud to announce the second
Guild Wars World Preview Event! During the last three days of October, players
from around the world are invited to play Guild Wars and enjoy a completely new
Guild Wars experience. The World Preview Event offers two new regions, new
cooperative quests, a new strategic battlefield for arena combat, new items and
monsters, and the ability to level-up your character. And for the first time you
can start forming guilds, experiencing guild warfare, and building your guild
rank.
Codemasters announces that the PC edition of
Colin McRae Rally 2005
has entered the starting gate. Here's a bit New York (October 28, 2004) –
Codemasters, a leading global publisher of interactive entertainment, announced
today that its internationally acclaimed rally game, Colin McRae Rally 2005, has
shipped to North American retail outlets for PC-DVD. A console version of the
game is also available on the Xbox® video game system from Microsoft.
Just when drivers thought a McRae game couldn’t offer more detail or visual
splendor, Colin McRae Rally 2005 crosses the finish line a winner once again:
the new hood-cam and an improved chase cam gives a real sensation of speed and
undulation. Enhanced damage and scenery visuals include new individual damage
models for every car. Should a driver crash into a tree, it will shudder and
even drop leaves!
Colin McRae Rally 2005 features 30 cars, including the Subaru 22B STI, Audi
Sport Quattro Rallye, MG Sebring Special and the 1967 Morris Mini Cooper S.
Modeled with extraordinary attention to detail, the vehicles are authentic and
handle the road according to how each would perform under realistic
conditions.
It turns out the news about the release of the version 1.1 patch for Rise of
Nations: Thrones & Patriots was just a wardrobe malfunction, as the
Big Huge News Page (thanks
Frans) has word on what went wrong as well as plans for a beta patch to follow
the actual release of this first update: The release of patch 1 for
Thrones & Patriots is still pending, despite the accidental posting of the
download instructions on our site. Our apologies for the false alarm. The patch
change list has been posted however,
click here to check
out the fixes that this patch will introduce.
A beta balance patch is in our near future, where expert players will have the
opportunity to test out proposed balance changes and offer their input. More
information on that will be forthcoming, following the real release of
patch 1.
HomeLAN Fed has a
story up based on a
Yahoo! News Story that is no longer available revealing Rebel Without a Pulse as
the title of the upcoming debut title from Wideload games, the developer started
by Bungie alumni. The Yahoo link was apparently to
MacCentral, where as of this writing
there's no longer any trace of this story if it was posted there. Word on HLF is
that the Widleoad team is handling the Mac version and Aspyr will handle the PC
and Xbox ports. Here's part of the quote that they have preserved from this: Based
on an updated version of the same engine technology used in Bungie's first
person shooter "Halo," "Rebel Without a Pulse" puts players in control of a
wisecracking zombie named Stubbs, "who takes on an ultra-modern city of the
future using nothing but his own carcass and the weapons of his possessed
enemies." The game is rife with tongue-in-cheek humor, a strong storyline and
innovative combat techniques.
NCsoft sends along details on plans to beta test the upcoming City of Villains
expansion that will add evildoers to the mix of goody-two shoes in City of
Heroes, their comic-inspired MMORPG: AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 28, 2004—
NCsoft® Corporation (KSE: 036570.KS), the world’s leading developer and
publisher of online computer games today announced preliminary beta testing
plans for the highly anticipated City of Villains™ massively multiplayer online
computer game. The plan will reward long time players of City of Heroes™ with
beta testing slots for City of Villains, slated for release next year.
Created by Cryptic Studios™, City of Villains is the sequel to the hugely
successful and critically acclaimed City of Heroes, which launched in April of
this year.
The program will give priority to those who have been subscribed to City of
Heroes the longest. A percentage of slots will be reserved for City of Heroes’
veterans, players who have subscribed to City of Heroes for at least 12 months.
Those players will automatically earn a slot as a Villains beta tester. Players
with at least six months of time in City of Heroes will receive the next level
of priority consideration for the beta testing program. Higher character level
is not necessarily an advantage in the selection process.
“We are announcing the plans today due to the overwhelming amount of requests
we’ve received from our subscribers,” said Jack Emmert, lead designer for City
of Heroes. “It makes sense for us to offer this incentive to our most dedicated
players. Who else would be more capable of assisting us in the beta test than
the folks most familiar with the way City of Heroes works?”
Emmert added, “We’ll be announcing more details at a later date, but the bottom
line is that the longer you’ve subscribed to the game, the better your chances
will be of getting a first-look at City of Villains.”
City of Villains will provide players with a chance to play the “bad guy” in the
comic-book inspired world created by Cryptic Studios. Take on the role of
super-powered villains and create your own character using thousands of power
and costume options. Then battle heroes and become a true menace to society
while plotting your way to world domination.
A second patch is now available on the
Richard Burns Rally
Website, updating the rally racing game to version 1.02. The
read me has details
on the 8 MB download, which addresses a number of bugs, including the redbull
animation, AMD crashes, replay slow-downs, glass shader errors, and more. Thanks
Jeff.
The Witcher Official
Website now offers a new "making of" trailer from CD Projekt's upcoming RPG.
The clip is available in high and low resolution, and offers insight into the
creation of Geralt, the game's main character. They have also posted
a new
music clip from the game (direct link). Also,
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle For Middle-earth Website now features high
and low resolution versions of a new "Fellowship Club" clip from the upcoming
Tolkien-inspired RTS game (thanks Frans). The clip concludes with the
announcement of the game's release date, saying it is due on December 6. In a
final bit of movie-related news, Digital Extremes says to expect a new trailer
from Pariah tomorrow, showing off more of their upcoming first-person shooter.
The Rise of Nations:
Thrones & Patriots Website has details on the recently promised
( story) first patch for Big Huge Games' RTS expansion, which is
available though the in-game auto-update feature. No manual version of the patch
is yet available, but the post includes instructions on how to re-execute failed
installations. Thanks Frans.
- Neverwinter Nights
The
Neverwinter Nights Q&A on Neverwinter Vault talks with Jay Watamaniuk,
Rob Bartel, and Diarmid Clarke about the recently revealed plan to offer
premium Neverwinter Nights content for sale online: "Our aim is to keep the
cost of these modules reasonable - we're going to strive to ensure that the
content is always priced so our fans will feel they're getting a good value
for their money. Initially, the modules range in price from $USD 4.99 to
$USD 7.99, which you'll be able to pay by VISA or MasterCard. Once you have
purchased a module at the BioWare Store, you can go back anytime, log in
with your BioWare Community account, and download the product. Future
products available on the BioWare Community site may have different pricing
depending on what kinds of products are offered, and what sort of features
they have."
- Tabula Rasa
HomeLAN
Fed's Tabula Rasa Q&A talks with Richard "Lord British" Garriott about
NCsoft's upcoming MMORPG: "I think it will stand out for sure. Our game
plays and feels very different from a 'traditional' MMP. Finding an audience
was a little tricky at first (as it is with many projects at startup), but
we made the design refinements we needed to and are now very confident and
excited about launching Tabula Rasa to our audience."
- Flight of Fancy
The
Flight of Fancy Q&A on GBase talks with the folks from Russian Developer
Gaijin Entertainment about
Flight of Fancy,
their upcoming game that offers the opportunity to take on the role of a
dragon: "Yep, it will be a simulator of flight of a dragon, but with some I
shall add an arcade. We try to transfer a maximum of sensations from the
present flight, to give the player to feel, that it can fly, as in dream!
Playing for the winged pangolin you should fly by many grounds, carrying out
set of tasks. In game you will battle to other dragons, to attack locks of
forces of evil, and in every possible way to help humanity upon which
henchmen of black magic have fallen."
Multiple Vulnerabilities in Quake II Server (thanks Ant) has word on
security issues with the Quake II server, saying: "Due to unchecked input at
various stages in the server, remote users are able to cause the server to crash, reveal sensitive information or potentially execute arbitrary code."
The City of
Heroes costume competition is underway. Also, sign-ups for the
Savage Devastation 2
Tournament are underway, "It involves playing CTFS, CCTF, 1 flag CCTF, TWCTF
and TWRA3 in one almighty competition." Finally,
Todd Hollenshead's .plan has an update on the id Software tattoo
competition.
A second demo release of the
Dark Forces modification
for Jedi Academy is now available, following up on the first release from a
couple of years ago that still utilized the Jedi Outcast engine. As implied by
the name, the mod features levels and gameplay inspired by Dark Forces, the
original Star Wars shooter.
A preliminary Nexus: The Jupiter Incident modding kit is now available, offering
the tools and documentation required to create new ships for the forthcoming
space combat game. The 17 MB download is available on
3D Gamers and
Worthplaying.
Also, the downloads section of the Flash
Invictus Games
Street Legal mini-site now offers downloads of an unsupported car
development kit for Street Legal Racing. Use of the program will require 3D
Studio Max. The download is mirrored on
3D Gamers. Finally,
modTrack is online, offering a resource
for modification teams to try to keep their projects on track.
Hats off to the Sox and congrats to their fans on a stirring sweep in the
series. I can't imagine a better way to put the curse behind them than the way
all this played out... it's sad to contemplate generations of fans never getting
to see their team reach the promised land, so this puts that to rest. Now I
guess we have to start looking out for the Cubs fans, huh?
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