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Archived News:
Mythic Entertainment announces the completion of development on the Catacombs
expansion for Dark Age of Camelot, their MMORPG: MYTHIC ENTERTAINMENT’S
"DARK AGE OF CAMELOT: CATACOMBS" GOES GOLD
Online Game’s Underground Expansion featuring Graphics Overhaul to Hit Stores
December 7th 2004
FAIRFAX, VA – November 11th, 2004 – Mythic Entertainment, developer and
publisher of the massively-multiplayer online role-playing game "Dark Age of
Camelot," today announced that "Dark Age of Camelot: Catacombs" has gone gold.
This latest expansion to "Dark Age of Camelot," "Catacombs" elevates player
model graphics into a leadership role in the MMORPG market with stunning detail
and the ability for players to customize their character’s appearance. In
addition, Private Adventuring (TM) areas challenge players to solo or group
quest through unique and challenging dungeons. Players can now also choose to
play five new player classes and experience the game from a new perspective.
"Dark Age of Camelot: Catacombs" is scheduled to be in stores on December 7,
2004 for a suggested retail price of $29.99, and has a “T” for Teen ESRB rating.
“'Catacombs' is 'Dark Age of Camelot' as you’ve never seen – or played – before.
Everyone will be blown away by the new character and monster models. It looks
like a whole new game,” said Mark Jacobs, president and CEO of Mythic
Entertainment. “Instanced dungeons have been a mainstay of MMORPGs for many
years, and before that in some standalone games and early MUDs. Our 'Private
Adventuring' areas present 'Catacombs' players with enough challenges to keep
them exploring this subterranean realm of new dungeons and underground cities
for a long time to come, ensuring a 'freshness' to the game that is difficult to
maintain in many MMORPGs. And, as if that’s not enough, there are also the five
new character classes which bring new strategic elements and story to the game.”
For more information on "Dark Age of Camelot: Catacombs," please visit
http://catacombs.darkageofcamelot.com/ .
- Tabula Rasa
The
Tabula Rasa Q&A on GameRifts talks with producer Starr Long about
NCsoft's upcoming MMORPG, discussing the trend of instancing in MMO games,
and what role it will play in Tabula Rasa: "One thing that's nice about an
instanced space versus a public space is that you can set up each instance
space with its own rule set without messing up what is happening in the
consistent/public space. Obviously having each space with completely
different rules would get confusing for the player, but theoretically, and
no one has quite done this yet and it is something we are striving for with
Tabula Rasa, you can have elements that make everyone happy, theoretically."
- FF vs The Third Reich
RPG
Vault Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich Team Q&A #2 continues to gang up
on the SuperFriends at Irrational Games by asking as couple of group
questions of the team at work on the World War II superhero game about
powers, locations, and more.
- Vivisector
The
Vivisector Q&A on Computer And Video Games (thanks Frans) talks with
Serge Roar of Action Forms about their upcoming H.G. Wells-inspired game he
describes as "dynamic, horror-action movie that combines the best components
of both genres."
- Jack Thompson
Jack
Thompson (declines to) speak out on gaming violence on Kotaku.
Apparently his big kick is destruction.
This
Atari UK Support Page features downloads of
an Update 1a Beta patch (direct link) for the European edition of
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. A description of the update can be found on
this
criminally formatted webpage. Thanks Frans.
The Third Wire Project 1 Home
Page now offers a hotfix for Strike Fighters: Project 1 that re-adds the
cockpit art that was mistakenly deleted by the installer for the recently
released Service Pack 3 for the combat flight simulator. Thanks Frans.
- Guild Wars on
Game
Over.
- Half-Life 2 Final Hours Teaser on
GameSpot.
A preview of a preview.
Merscom announces Konung 2 is gold, and that this RPG with RTS elements will be
available early next month: Weson, CT - November 11, 2004 - Got Game
Entertainment LLC and co-publisher Merscom LLC today announced that "Konung 2"
has gone gold. The unique fantasy role-playing game with real-time strategy and
adventure elements is set in a mystical world of magic and legend, alive with
tribes of wild Slavic hunters, noble traders of the Byzantine Empire, and
fearless Viking warriors. Retailing for $19.99 (USD) and rated "T" for Teen by
the ESRB for Blood and Fantasy Violence, "Konung 2" was developed by 1C Company
and is scheduled to arrive on store shelves December 3, 2004.
"Konung 2" adopts the dark and complex atmosphere of ancient Scandinavia,
combining history with classical myths and legends, immortal heroes, magical
artifacts and ancient sorcery. In this tale, good and evil have now transposed,
resulting in chaos and turmoil. Having fallen under the spell of wicked magic, a
new Dark Master now threatens the land and only six warriors, male and female
descendants of the Titans, can stop him in his quest to destroy all that can be
used to return peace and stability. These heroes must summon their courage,
strength, and wits to defeat this new face of evil and his minions, both human
and monstrous.
While continuing the original's tradition of going beyond action-style
role-playing by offering adventure-style gameplay with dozens of quests and a
strong storyline, this sequel to "Konung: Legend of the North" stands entirely
on its own and offers a wealth of new features. Striking improvements include an
enhanced RPG system with a wide range of character skills and features. "Konung
2" also boasts better, more varied, fighting techniques, improved AI, dozens of
quests, detailed dialogue system, additional RTS elements, such as extensive
settlement management, and new monsters.
For more information, visit www.Konung2.com.
A post on the
DreamCatcher Forums (thanks
HomeLAN Fed) confirms
a slight delay in the availability of the Battle Out of Hell expansion for
Painkiller, People Can Fly's first-person shooter. The add-on's U.S.
availability is now projected for November 22 (with the possibility of it being
released by the 19th), with replication problems blamed for not shipping today
as planned ( story). There's no word on how, if at all, this
impacts the expansion's stated European release date of November 24.
A new patch for Ground Control II: Operation Exodus is now available, updating
Massive Entertainment's real-time strategy sequel to version 1.0.0.8 if the
automatic update ( story) is not the upgrade path you wish to
follow. The U.S. version of the patches are up on
this Sierra
Entertainment Downloads page and the other language versions are in
this FTP
directory. The various files are also all mirrored on
3D Gamers.
A new patch for Evil Genius is now available, updating Elixir Studios' bad guy
simulator to version 1.01 by addressing a number of bugs and other issues. The
3.6 MB download can be found on this
Sierra
Entertainment Downloads Page and mirrored on
3D Gamers,
FileFront, Gameguru Mania,
Gamer's Hell, and
Worthplaying.
Magitech Corporation announces development of Takeda 2, a sequel to their
real-time wargame set in feudal Japan. Some screenshots can be found on
3D Gamers, and
the Takeda2 Website is online as a
homebase for the project, which carries this description: Like (its)
predecessor, Takeda (released Nov. 2001), Takeda 2 is set in feudal Japan,
during the Sengoku period characterized by civil war between rival Samurai
lords. A turn-based world-mode allows players to view their domain, maneuver and
create armies, monitor characters and cities, engage in diplomacy or sending
ninja against enemies. A real-time 3D battle mode puts the player right on the
field, in charge of army divisions for filed and castle battles of epic scale.
Characters are important also, as the player will have to work to keep them
happy as they develop their skills and ambitions both on and off the
battlefield.
Merscom announces that Terrorist
Takedown has shipped in North America: CHAPEL HILL, NC - November 11,
2004 – Merscom LLC today announced "Terrorist Takedown" for PC has shipped to
retail across North America. Many mark this month as the 25th anniversary of the
War on Terror as it was on November 4, 1979 when 66 Americans were taken hostage
at the U.S. Embassy in Iran. To help honor those fighting this war, Merscom is
donating a percent of profits from the sale of each copy of this arcade-style
military action game to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) which
was founded in the wake of the Iranian hostage crisis. This very special charity
pays tribute to those fallen Special Operations personnel by providing college
scholarship grants to their surviving children. Published by Merscom, "Terrorist
Takedown" was developed by CITY Interactive and is distributed to retailers by
Atari. The game is rated "T" for Teen by the ESRB for Strong Language and
Violence.
"Merscom believes it’s important to not only provide great entertainment, but to
also remember those brave men and women fighting the War on Terror so the rest
of us can continue to enjoy these freedoms we so often take for granted," said
Merscom Director, Lloyd Melnick. "We’re proud of the entertainment value of
‘Terrorist Takedown’, and particularly proud to have the opportunity to donate a
portion of its proceeds to the SOWF, and to honor those who defend of our
country and way of life."
Steeped in today's headlines with vivid 3D environments and powerful special
effects, "Terrorist Takedown" is nonstop military action. Take control of AH-64
and UH-1 helicopters, operate High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles
(HMMWVs), and fire heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, and more as you strike
at known terrorists and their sponsors. In 16 heart-pounding missions, you must
defeat the terrorists and protect our homeland.
The Zoo Tycoon 2
Website lists "Now Available" as the release date for the zoological
simulation sequel, though apparently the fervor surrounding the big
America's Favorite
Zoo Contest extravaganza has kept this changed release information, which
happened Monday, from hitting the newswires (thanks Frans). Here's the deal on
the game: Zoo Tycoon 2 cranks up the excitement, challenge and fun of
building the ultimate zoo with 30 animals in incredible detail with more fun
animations, a dazzling array of building tools and objects, including
themed-buildings, moats, photo mode options, easier terrain altering options and
rivers. Gameplay has been enhanced from the original title, with a new zoom mode
and 3D graphics that allow players to keep an even closer eye on the action and
craft more creative zoos.
Sierra
Entertainment's The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay - Developer's
Cut Product Page is online, dedicated to the upcoming PC port of the game
tie-in with the Diesel-powered science fiction movie. A pair of new screenshots
are among the site's images. Thanks Frans.
Limitless Horizons specifies February 25, 2005 as the release date for Mourning,
their upcoming MMORPG, which previously carried the more general "Winter 2004"
target: "November 11, 2004 - Limitless Horizons Entertainment LLC today
announced that its eagerly awaited massively multiplayer online role-playing
game (MMORPG) Mourning® will be launching in the United States on February 25,
2005 with subsequent launches occurring in Europe and Canada at a later date."
On a related note,
RPG Vault's Mourning Peek #46 is online, asking the musical question: "What
kinds of penalties will befall the vanquished in the PvP-oriented online world
title from Newrosoft and Quad?"
Aspyr announces that the
Macintosh edition of Call of Duty: United Offensive is Gold, and the MacOS
flavor of the World War II expansion is slated to ship on November 22. They are
currently accepting online preorders.
New York-based developer Black Hammer Game announces a split with publisher
Strategy First: New York, NY – Black Hammer Game Inc., one of New York’s
leading independent game developers, has announced that it terminated its
relationship with Strategy First Inc. in July 2004. Consequently Strategy First
will no longer be publishing its upcoming PC turn-based strategy title
“Supremacy: Four Paths To Power”. Strategy First is no longer authorized to
represent Black Hammer Game, Inc.
Supremacy: Four Paths to Power is a unique turn based strategy game of
interplanetary combat. The game casts the player in the role of one of four
Commanding Officers (COs), each with their own abilities and strategies. No
matter which CO is selected the goal is the same – conquest of the galaxy! They
will have to manage resources, produce units, capture planets and space
stations, and ultimately, defeat their enemies.
- KOTOR 2
The
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II The Sith Lords Q&A on GameSpy
talks with Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart about
the upcoming RPG sequel: "We've spent a lot of time and effort trying to use
as much of the Star Wars universe as possible in various ways. Hopefully,
there will be things that hearken to both the movie lover and the
super-hardcore-reads-every-Star-Wars-novel fan. Those kinds of things are
all over the game in the naming of the items, to the look of certain areas,
to one-liners that are spouted off by many of the characters in the game."
- NWN
Neverwinter
Nights Lives On on IGN chats with BioWare's Tom Ohle about the new
premium Neverwinter Nights content being sold in the newly launched BioWare
store: "BioWare aims to be an industry leader in providing downloadable
episodic content—in this case, for the Neverwinter Nights series but other
products will be considered in the future—to enhance the gameplay experience
and expand on the rich storylines of the game and its expansions."
- PoP: Warrior Within
The
Prince of
Persia: Warrior Within Q&A on Worthplaying is an in-house Q&A where
Ubisoft discusses the storyline in the upcoming return of the running
regent: "We worked closely with the artistic team and level designers to
make sure that the gameplay itself worked with the story, as opposed to
independently of it. We wanted to avoid the level-cutscene-level formula
prevalent in most games. So the story is going to progress WHILE the player
plays. The team worked really hard to minimize those passive moments where
the player just sits back and watches things happen. In Warrior Within you
literally play the story."
- BloodRayne 2
The
BloodRayne 2 Q&A on FileFront
talks with Majesco's Liz Buckley about the vampiric action sequel:
"BloodRayne 2’s combo system is the biggest improvement since it adds so
much to the depth of play. The original game’s combos were all randomized
once you earned them but in BR2 the system gives the player full control
over every move while broadening Rayne’s move set. That includes high, mid
and low attacks, evasive maneuvers, over-the-top special combos, jump
combos, and blade, gun and kick combos too."
- Blitzkrieg: Rolling Thunder
GamersInfo.net's
Blitzkrieg: Rolling Thunder Q&A with CDV's Mario Kroll is about the World
War II expansion: "Rolling Thunder will include an eighteen-mission campaign
based on the actions of General George S. Patton in WWII. Specifically
featured will be Operation Torch and related action across North Africa,
Operation Husky, the offensive in and through France, the Battle of the
Bulge and various less commonly known missions in Germany."
- Vanguard
A
new Three Question Thursday on Vanguard.Okratas.com talks with Mike
Butler of Sigil, the title setting you up to find the five question Q&A
about Vanguard: Saga of Heroes lengthy.
A second Worms Forts Under Siege demo is now available, allowing another chance
to try your hand (or lack thereof, in the wormy sense) at the next installment
in Team 17's spineless strategy series. The demo features eastern and western
medieval levels, a solo Camelot map, and a multiplayer samurai map. The 145 MB
download can be dug up at
3D Gamers,
FileFront,
FilePlanet
(registration required), Gameguru Mania,
Gamer's Hell,
JustGamers, and
Worthplaying.
The first patch for Need for Speed Underground 2 is now available, updating the
import tuner racing game to version 1.1, though there's no word on what the
update does. The various language versions of the patch can be found on this
EA FTP server, one or more
of which are mirrored on
3D Gamers,
Boomtown (registration required),
FileFront, Gameguru Mania,
Gamer's Hell,
JustGamers, and
Worthplaying.
The update should also be available automatically from within the game.
New Release is ready
is the forum post heralding the availability of the new version of the
Neotokyo modification for Unreal
Tournament 2004. Here's the deal: "Neotokyo takes place in and around a
fictionalized Tokyo approximately 30 years in the future. Mankind has begun to
fuse with technology. Government and corporate corruption have transformed Tokyo
into a deadly dystopian nightmare."
Today is Veteran's Day here in the U.S., and Remembrance Day in Australia,
Canada, New Zealand, and the U.K. Hats off to those who have served their
countries.
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