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Archived News:
Brothers in Arms
Hit the Road on IGN announces that Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 has
shipped to stores, saying both the PC and PlayStation 2 editions of Gearbox
Software's World War II first-person shooter have shipped.
Vivendi Universal Games announces that Nexus: The Jupiter Incident is
available in U.S. stores, offering additional content compared with the European
edition:
Vivendi Universal Games Announces Nexus: The
Jupiter Incident Available at Retail
New Modifications Available Since Game’s European Release
LOS ANGELES, CA - (March 17, 2005) – Vivendi Universal Games today announced
that Nexus: The Jupiter Incident is now available at retailers nationwide.
Developed by Mithis Entertainment and published by HD Interactive BV, Nexus
– The Jupiter Incident is a real-time mission-based tactical space game
featuring spectacular real-time battles with breathtaking motion picture
quality. Players will focus on tactics and action as they control up to 10
battleships encountering aliens, unknown solar systems and other phenomena
in the struggle to save Earth.
Since its European release the Nexus community has produced a number of mods
with the games’ tool kit. Gamers can visit
NexusTheGame.com
to get an updated and complete list of available mods. The full mod kit is
provided with the game and contains the tools and documentation related to
ship modelling: a Nexus model viewer, a couple of sample models from the
game, and a doc file describing the modelling guidelines and the usage of
the model viewer.
“Nexus is the sci-fi game that captures the essence of perfection, with
outstanding graphics, sound and game play and is a true out-of-this-world
experience,” said Philip W. O’Neil, President of North America, Vivendi
Universal Games. “We are very excited that Nexus has received numerous
outstanding review scores.”
At the dawn of the 22nd century, the conquest of space and the colonization
of the solar system are being monopolized by several huge and ambitious mega
corporations. Although extremely delicate and vulnerable, equilibrium is
maintained by these companies. It has now been 60 years since the terrible
catastrophe that befell Noah’s Ark, the first colony ship of mankind.
At the very edge of the solar system the companies make a discovery which
will shift the technological advantage and upset the balance. And so a new
conflict is born: “The Jupiter Incident”. Players will step into the shoes
of Marcus Cromwell, a young but already famous captain and his legendary
spaceship Stiletto and find themselves in the middle of this conflict.
Nexus: The Jupiter Incident has been rated “T” by the ESRB and carries a
suggested retail price of $49.99. More information on the game can be found
at www.nexusthegame.com.
The Egosoft Website
(thanks Frans) has details on how the X2:
The Return, their space combat expansion, has become X3: Reunion, a full-fledged sequel:
EGOSOFT today announces the beginning of a new era
for the X series of space combat/trading games. The planned expansion for
the award winning PC CDROM title, X²: THE THREAT known as X²: THE RETURN has
been cancelled. The essence of the expansion pack has been used to give
birth to the next generation of X game, in the form of X³: REUNION, the
first multi format product, set in the X universe.
During the creation of X²: THE RETURN, it became
apparent to EGOSOFT that the expansion pack had taken on a life of its own.
With so many ideas from the fan community, waiting to be implemented into an
already crowded expansion game and development of the X³ engine moving at a
rapid pace behind the scenes, the conception of a full, stand alone game
became the logical choice.
X³: REUNION utilises a new generation game engine, developed to immerse
the player into the most realistic, living universe, ever experienced.
Extensive development has gone into the X³ engine, making full use of
DirectX 9 technology, to create dramatic visual effects and stunningly
realistic starships. The economy model in X³: REUNION is more complex than
any previous X game. Coupled with the massively enhanced A.L. (Artificial
Life) system, X³: REUNION will present players with an ever changing,
evolving universe; where a player’s actions really can shape the future of
the universe. Community involvement has been extensive, throughout the
development process and the launch of X³: REUNION will see many innovative
fan creations in the final retail game. X³: REUNION will also be the first
chance for players to experience the thrills of deep space trading on a
format other than PC, with the launch of a console version (TBA).
The Pterodon Website
describes plans for a new free add-on for Vietcong called Red Dawn. They offer
the first screenshots from the
project, and the downloads page
has a gameplay video (thanks Frans).
Here's the deal:
Vietcong Red Dawn is a new official add-on for
Vietcong. The add-on was released throughout the United Kingdom with the
cover DVD of today's issue of the PC Gamer computer magazine, and will
furthermore be released with gaming magazines in other countries. Vietcong
Red Dawn will be available for free download from the 25th of March 2005.
The add-on contains a new Vietcong cooperative campaign, new multiplayer
maps, one new single player mission, AI bots for the multiplayer mode, and
completely new theme music.
This
Blizzard Entertainment Press Release announces that World of Warcraft, their
MMORPG, has hit a staggering 1.5 million subscribers worldwide, achieving a peak
of a half-million players concurrently. In case you were wondering, 1.5 million
subscribers at an average rate of $14.99 a month equates to over a quarter of a
billion dollars a year in gross revenue.
The Silent
Hunter III Website now offers downloads of new version 1.1 patches for the
just-released naval combat game. There are separate patches for the boxed and
downloaded games separated into two different territories for each. Word is:
"During multiplayer, even if the SHIII version 1.0 is compatible with the SHIII
version 1.1, we highly recommend to play the game with the same server version."
Ubisoft
unveils its 2005-2006 product catalog and adds to its financial prospects is
a press release revealing the development of several unannounced projects to be
published by Ubisoft. Here is a summary of the new PC games on the list:
• Nebelreich addon (English port)
• 187 Ride or Die"
• New chapter of Brothers In Arms
• Far Cry add on
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 3
• Peter Jackson's King Kong
• Prince of Persia 3
• Silent Hunter 4
• Heroes of Might & Magic 5
• Splinter Cell 4
• The Settlers mission pack
• Product with Might & Magic brand
A new English demo for Gothic II is now available, offering another
sample of Piranha Bytes' RPG sequel following the German demo for the game. The
demo offers the game's intro and the first chapter of gameplay. The 381 MB
download is available on
3D Gamers, Gamer's Hell,
and Worthplaying.
The preliminary Total Overdose
Website is now online, following up on the movie trailer released last week
for Deadline Games' upcoming action game set once upon a time in Mexico. The
site offers that movie, some info on the game, and the first screenshots from
the project, which can be seen in a Flash-devoid environment on
3D Gamers.
The World of Warcraft Community
Site (thanks Ant) has details on how characters can be optionally moved from some
eligible realms in Blizzard's MMORPG. Word is: "Players with characters on
high-population realms will now have the option of transferring their characters
to a low-population realm. Dispersing the population across all the available
realms will reduce lag and queues and improve the overall play experience for
our players." Also, the
Auto Assault Forums
are online, dedicated to Netdevil's upcoming automotive MMORPG, and
the Recon section on the official
website discusses the game's "destruction" feature. Meanwhile,
the Shadowbane
Website offers a list of planned improvements in the works for Wolfpack's
MMORPG. Finally, WBIE announces the conclusion of beta testing for The Matrix
Online, saying the spoon-free MMORPG will launch next week:
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and SEGA
have just revealed that upon the launch of The Matrix Online on March 22,
2005, a specialized role playing live events team will propel the game's
storyline with prominent Matrix character action.
As part of the unique continuing story based nature of The Matrix Online, a
specialized Role Playing Live Events Team has been put in place to assume
the roles of the actual Matrix characters and support the continuation of
the storyline within The Matrix Online, a massively multi-player online game
co-published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and SEGA. Within the
context of the storyline, players will interact, battle and eventually team
up with the main characters from The Matrix saga, as the experienced Live
Events Team will actively role play their Wachowski Brothers approved,
continuously written parts, including Morpheus, The Oracle, Seraph, The
Merovingian and more.
Further, the Live Events Team will also be responsible for producing and
implementing large scale story events that are real-time gameplay
activities, which progress the story in The Matrix Online. Sample activities
that the Live Events Team will produce are:
• Choreographed, Live interaction with characters from The Matrix saga, including Morpheus, The Oracle, The Merovingian and more
• In-game story relevant contests
• High-profile missions with Matrix characters, inclusive of key players from the game
• Supporting player organized events
• Speeches, riots, parties, duels and more
Jack into The Matrix Online next Wednesday to play with the actual characters and see the future of the Matrix unfold.
Planetwide Games announces
that RYL: Path of the Emperor goes live today,
including what they are calling the "largest tournament award in MMORPG
history." Here goes:
RYL: PATH OF THE EMPEROR LAUNCHES TODAY WITH
LARGEST MMORPG TOURNAMENT AWARD IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY
Skill-Based Player vs. Player Tournament to Culminate in $1,000,000 Grand
Prize Costa Mesa, CA, March 17, 2005 – Planetwide Games announced today, St.
Patrick’s Day 2005, that RYL: Path of the Emperor will be the first
Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game to offer a $1,000,000 Grand
Prize to the winner of a Player vs. Player Skill-Based Tournament.
Players who purchase the RYL: Path of the Emperor video game either online
or in retail stores such as EB Games and Gamestop will be qualified to
participate in the tournament in which one player will win the $1,000,000
Grand Prize. The RYL qualifying tournament will start July 1, 2005 and will
end April 30, 2006, culminating in a Final Tournament event to be broadcast
live and to take place in conjunction with the E3 Video Game Expo in May
2006.
Planetwide Games is also proud to announce RYL: Path of the Emperor has gone
gold, pay to play throughout North America and is available for immediate
download at www.ryl.net.
With the support of over 500,000 North American RYL Players and RYL
Founder’s Guild members who have already downloaded the Open Beta of RYL:
Path of the Emperor, Planetwide Games is able to successfully deliver this
next generation MMORPG video game with superior graphics and challenging
game play.
“Planetwide Games is pleased to be able to bring North American and
English-speaking users one of the world’s most popular video game properties
with 8.2 million registered users worldwide. Early indications are
demonstrating that online video game players from around the world cannot
wait to show off their game skills and have the opportunity to become the
Emperor and win $1,000,000,” said Kevin Donovan, President Planetwide Games.
“RYL: Path of the Emperor has become a live interactive global community.
RYL is also the first fantasy MMORPG to be comprised of true Player vs.
Player and Guild vs. Guild action. RYL’s 100% realistic 3D gameplay complete
with ever changing weather and environmental effects and intuitive combat
system is quick and clean allowing players to move more easily through the
levels, much more so than in any other MMORPG.”
The RYL: Path of the Emperor $1,000,000 Tournament will qualify players who
will compete on the RYL Tournament server based upon Top RYL Game scores
throughout the year with the qualifying tournament ending April 30, 2006.
Interested players can view more details about the tournament rules and
regulations at http://www.RYL.net.
GMX Media announces a street date for Hellforces (at least in the U.K.),
the upcoming devilish shooter that previous carried a spring 2005 date. Turns
out the game will arrive just has spring has sprung:
LONDON, UK - GMX Media is today announcing the
street date and the unveiling of the box art for its new action packed FPS
“HELLFORCES” , a blood and guts zombie killer. Licensed by Buka
Entertainment, Hellforces is due for release on 25th March.
The story so far…
Experimenting with alternative power sources, the biophysicist Henry Alfred
Cole has found a way to extract the soul from a human body and use the soul
as a power source. The soulless bodies however turned into zombies. Hellish
creatures started filling them to change dramatically the essence of the
host body.
A daemon from a parallel world, Baphomet, installed himself in one soulless
body and soon founded the cult of Lucifer. The aim of this cult was to open
the gate for Lucifer to come into the humans’ world. The number of followers
of the cult increased at a catastrophic rate; Satanists all around the world
were joining their ranks.
Our hero is concerned with the fate of his missing friend, who had had a
meeting with the leader of a satanic sect just a day before his
disappearance. His persistent investigations become a threat to the Satan
worshippers and Satanists start hunting after him. The creepy truth about
the fate of his friend will reveal itself in the mansion of the
biophysicist...
Save the earth from the heresy and the minions of Lucifer!
Key Features:
• 24 weapons types and diverse special equipment, including a night
vision device, binoculars, movement sensors and loads more!
• Infinite crowds of monsters, gallons of gore, kilograms of ammo.
• Perfect graphical realization with advanced DirectX 9 effects.
• EAX technology allows advanced 3D sound effects of outstanding
quality.
• Multiplayer via LAN.
More information at:
http://www.gmxmedia.net/hellforces
Codemasters'
ToCA Race Driver 3 Product Page is online, dedicated to the next installment
in the racing series that was revealed yesterday. Included in the site are the
first screenshots from the game and
the official
press release from the project:
Coming this winter for PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC,
race drivers will be competing in a massive variety of the world’s most
aggressive motorsports, complete with explosive damage effects, head-to-head
online multiplayer racing and a game engine rebuilt for a greater degree of
simulation.
With an 8-year heritage, the TOCA series has captivated a wide breadth of
racing gamers. To appeal across the board, TOCA Race Driver 3 will deliver
individual game modes that are specifically designed to satisfy the
speed-freak and the motorsport simulation fanbase, using all the juice from
the enhanced engine.
For those who know their friction circles from their piston rings, there’s
the new Pro Career mode where you follow a career in a specialist racing
discipline - including GT, Off Road, Touring Cars, Historic, Open Wheel,
Rally and Oval.
With each discipline representing a different genre of motorsport, you’ll
progress through championships that cover the breadth of that discipline. If
you want to make it as an Open Wheel race driver, you’ll start off in
Go-Kart events before progressing to Formula 1000, then further
championships including Formula BMW, Formula 3, and all the way up to join
the BMW WilliamsF1™ Team!
A new Pariah movie is now available, this weapons video "shows the
grenade launcher, a scavenged weapon that can be upgraded to launch remote
detonators and powerful magnetic cluster bombs." The clip can be found on the
Pariah Media Index
on GameSpot and mirrored on
3D Gamers,
Filerush (torrent), and
Gamer's Hell.
- Enemy in Sight
Atari
targets Enemy in Sight on GameSpot is a Q&A about Illusion Softworks'
upcoming shooter with Atari executive producer Peter Wyse: "You start off as
a private in the American army called into duty to fight against Russian
forces in European battle theaters. You will start off as basic infantry but
will distinguish yourself in battle and you will find yourself quickly
rising through the ranks. Along the way you'll receive training in a variety
of different weapons and vehicles. And as the game progresses you'll be
advancing the front line from England, on the south-west coast near the town
Plymouth, to Germany in the in the south-west mountainous area near
Baden-Baden, and finally to the Czech Republic near the White Carpathians
area, nearby Slovakian borders. Along the way you'll discover more about who
actually started this war and their reasons for doing so." Included are
the first screenshots from the project.
- Lineage II
RPG Vault's
Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle Team Q&A #3 talks with the team behind
NCsoft's MMORPG about pleasant surprises experienced during development or
playing of their MMORPG sequel.
Pivotal Games now offers a
mini-diary discussing progress on Conflict: Global Terror, the next installment
in the Conflict series. Also, the Adellion
Website features a new progress report on the upcoming MMORPG written by
HonourBound's Paul Hutson. Thanks Frans.
Shrapnel Games announces patches for a pair of sims from ProSIM: There's
a new Armored Task Force
patch, updating the mechanized combat game to version 1.05. Likewise there's a
new patch for
Raging Tiger updating this "second Korean War" strategy game to version
1.14. In addition to those patches, each download page also offers enhancement
downloads for its respective game.
PenStarSys.com Hardware Workshop and LanFEST 2.1, Page One recaps "30 hours
of gaming mayhem" that was held in early February. Also:
GameRiot 2005
Starts (thanks Mike Martinez) announces: "Games Media Properties announced
today that GameRiot will begin its fourth
national tour starting in Spring 2005. The gaming festival will tour eight
cities March, April and May, kicking off 2005 for GameRiot, which will host 85
events in 30 markets, with thousands of gamers expected to attend. GameRiot will
display many new and not-yet-released titles, including Unreal Championship 2:
The Liandri Conflict and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory."
Tram Design
announces March 20 as the release date for version 1.0 of the DeGeneration
modification for Return to Castle Wolfenstein.
The
Gearbox Software 'Contractors of Gearbox' Program is seeking new
participants for their CoGs program.
Today is the actual Saint Patrick's Day, though it seems as though a
majority of the celebrations may have already taken place, as last Saturday our
normally quiet block was filled with cars parked by celebrants visiting a local
party, and I'm guessing a lot of the actual parties were held over the weekend.
Of course there are going to be a lot of folks celebrating today, some of whom
also partied on the weekend (hell, some of them have probably been partying
since the weekend), so if you have to hit the roads today, please be careful.
And if you choose to hit the bottle, please don't hit the roads.
R.I.P.:
Lyn
Collins, 56, Singer With James Brown, Dies (registration required).
Yakety Yak!
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