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Archived News:
Ubisoft Shares Up on Vivendi Talks: Report (thanks Mike Martinez) follows up on
reports that VU Games was exploring the possibility of helping Ubisoft stave off
the unwelcome advances of business suitor Electronic Arts. The story quotes a VU Games
denial: "In view of the rumors reported in the press, Vivendi Universal
denies that any negotiations are taking place concerning the takeover of
Ubisoft."
Another update to
The Matrix Online Website discusses how skills will operate in Monolith's
upcoming MMORPG, describing how discipline sets can be "downloaded" and
introducing the "Awakened" discipline. Also, the
Stolen Designer Diary #2 on GameSpot has more thoughts from Blue52 art
director Jaid Mindang on the upcoming stealth game. as well as "Hollywood
scriptwriters, pizza boxes, (and) Dizzie Gillespie." Finally, the
Community Diary 1 on the
Lionhead Website (thanks Frans) touches on a few of Lionhead's projects,
including Black & White 2 and The Movies.
The
Street Racing Syndicate Website is now online (thanks Frans), dedicated to
Eutechnyx' upcoming import racing game. The site offers some new info and
screenshots along with a low resolution of a previously released cinematic trailer.
DreamCatcher Games sends word that the gold edition of Enigma: Rising Tide is
headed to North American stores on January 28, 2005. Here's the official
description of the game: "Enigma: Rising Tide is the most exciting naval command
simulation ever played. The Gold Edition puts gamers back in the Captain’s seat
with new missions and new weapons for the ultimate battle experience. Waging war
as one of three factions (US, German or the League of Free Nations), players
will earn control of a naval fleet of destroyers, submarines, patrol boats, and
battleships. They must deploy every weapon in their command in order to claim
victory over the toughest AI in any naval game to date. Weapons included in this
mighty arsenal include historically accurate deck guns, AA guns, torpedoes,
depth charges, hedgehogs and most important of all, sheer guts."
Version 4 of Garry's Half-Life 2 Mod
is now available. The mod adds all manner of tools to help play with the Havok
physics in the shooter sequel, including a Ragdoll Poser, "Hacked in" Depth of
Field, the ability to bind characters and objects, and more.
The Ministry of Action Website
offers an updated version of Action Half-Life, a mod that enjoyed a good deal of
popularity in its heyday. The mod has been updated by some loyal fans looking to
continue the project, which ceased development when the team embarked upon the
Action Unreal Tournament project. The new version includes a new map as well as
all sorts of tweaks and bug fixes.
Game Maker Ubisoft Soars as Bidding War Looms (thanks
HomeLAN Fed) has word
that Ubisoft shares have jumped in price amid speculation that Vivendi Universal
may step in and help Ubisoft fight off a rumored hostile takeover bid by games
publishing giant Electronic Arts ( story). Here's a bit that
outlines the scenario, though it is pointed out that this may result in a
bidding war: French newspaper L'Agefi, citing a source close to the
matter, said that Vivendi (EAUG.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) and Ubisoft had
held preliminary talks on the issue.
A merger between Vivendi Universal Games and Ubisoft would create the largest
video games group in Europe, with sales of more than 1 billion euros ($1.33
billion), although it would still be dwarfed by Electronic Arts.
Analysts said the tie-up would be encouraged by the French government which
would be concerned about seeing French games technology fall in foreign hands.
Vivendi declined to comment while Ubisoft, Europe's third-largest independent
video game publisher, had no immediate comment.
French site
GameKult
is reporting that a court decision has terminated the grace period under which
bankrupt Titus Interactive was operating, forcing the liquidation of the
troubled publisher, a move that also signals an end to operation of Titus
subsidiary Interplay. The article is in French, so a run through
Babel Fish can
offer a rough translation. There is no uncertainty to the article, but no
external source is provided for these reports of the demise of Titus, Interplay,
as well as a couple of French subsidiaries, though the
Raging Bull Investor Forum offers a French press release that also reports
on the end of Titus. Thanks Pope Viper,
No Mutants
Allowed, and
Duck and Cover.
Start the Strategizing on
IGN announces that Hearts of Iron II is shipping to stores, and that Paradox
Entertainment's World War II strategy sequel should now be available in North
America. Here's a bit on the game: Hearts of Iron II presents tons of new
features including a redesigned map and interface, updated battle mechanics,
re-worked technology tree, fine-tuned diplomacy and trade system as well as
gameplay details like co-operative multiplayer. The game also includes, apart
from the four major campaigns, battle scenarios optimized for one or two
evenings of gaming, as well as different multiplayer settings.
- The Punisher
The Punisher Q&A on Gamebiz
talks with Volition's Sandeep Shekar about their game about the vigilante
sometimes known as Frank Castle: "We've got a great story written by
Punisher comic scribes Garth Ennis and Jimmy Palmiotti. It starts off with
an attempt on the Punisher's life, and takes him through three crime
syndicates, island bases and a violent whirlwind tour of Manhattan. The
Punisher tries to track down the man who's trying to kill him, and ends up
stopping a nuclear terrorist, preventing a Yakuza invasion of the city, and
saving hundreds of innocent lives."
- Trash
Experience
Gaming's Trash Q&A does some trash talking with Inhuman Games' Mark
Currie about this upcoming RTS game: "Trash is an RTS game that combines
gameplay elements from many other games, including C&C, Starcraft, Warcraft,
Total Annihilation, and even Sim City. Trash offers unique ways to
coordinate with your teammates, by letting you share resources, technology,
and base infrastructure."
Dreamcatcher Games announces that Aerial Strike: The Yager Missions, the
airborne combat game also published under the name Yager, is headed to North
America by the end of this month: Despite all of the superior
technological advancements of the future, security on Earth remains at risk. In
Aerial Strike: The Yager Missions, players assume the role of Magnus Tide, pilot
of one of the deadliest machines in the galaxy: the fighter ship Sagittarius.
Taking control of Sagittarius’ multiple weapons and capabilities, players enter
a world of extreme fighter pilot action, forcing futuristic rivals to pay the
ultimate price in a daring quest to save the world.
This radical action game offers intense aerial combat with a combination of dog
fighting missions and ground attack objectives. Players will soar through 22
huge levels, adapting their strategies around multi-faceted terrains, including
deep canyons and enormous mountains. They will maneuver a wide range of crafts,
from agile fighters to huge battleships and carriers. When outside of the
Sagittarius, players can get behind the controls of a gun turret for a more
hands-on approach at fending off an onslaught of enemies.
Aerial Strike: The Yager Missions is developed by Yager Development. It has an
anticipated ESRB rating of ‘T’ for Teen and will retail for $19.99 USD. This
title will ship in North America on January 27, 2005. For more information visit
www.dreamcatchergames.com.
ToCA EDIT (thanks
Blackhole Motorsports) offers downloads and information for RBRNet 2.0, a
mod to allow up to 12 players to compete simultaneously in the racing game
either online or over a LAN.
Game Developers Choice
Awards Nominations are now being accepted for the 5th annual Game Developers
Choice Awards. Word is: "The nomination period will run until January 14th.
Please refer to the Schedule
for full details on important dates." Also, finalists for the
Slamdance - THE BIG C competition
for independent titles have been announced. They say: "The ten finalists have
been invited to showcase their games at the 2005
Slamdance Film festival in Park City,
Jan. 21 to 28. The games will be evaluated by judges from Activision Value
Publishing, Penny Arcade and NCsoft. There will be a Jury Award and an Audience
Award, each worth $5000 in cash and prizes, presented on January 24."
The Gamespace League has details
on Australian ISP Netspace Online Systems' new Half-Life 2 DM and
Counter-Strike: Source leagues that are offering cash prizes.
EverQuest II players may be interested in TenTonHammer.com's updated
Paladin guide and
City Writ Guide.
I've been suffering from some discomfort in my gut lately, it's doubtful at this
point that this is still related to my Christmas pudding experience. It's pretty
mild, though it was fairly unpleasant when it first struck the other night...
thing is that MrsBlue thinks the symptoms sound like a kidney stone, which I
guess I should be rooting against, since it's my understanding that passing such
a stone is one of the more painful experiences that can be found outside of
childbirth. On the other hand, I guess it's better to have something routine
that's painful, rather than something more serious. Of course optimism demands I
presume it's actually nothing, and will go away on its own... hey, it's worked
for other things, why not this?
Gunnar's big adventure yesterday went swimmingly... he did nothing to provoke or
upset the cats and dogs he was visiting, made friends with everyone, and even
avoided spoiling the welcome from his godparents (the Devicers) by not having
any accidents in the house. He's one pretty happening puppy.
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