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Archived News:
A new product page for
The
Island: The Earthling is online (thanks Frans) revealing development of a
first-person adventure game based on the novel Inhabited Island by
Strugatsky brothers. Here's a bit of the description of the game, due in the
third quarter of next year: This is the age of mankind’s prosperity. FSG
Pilots (Free Search Group) are exploring the universe. Our Hero – Maksim
Kammerer – is forced to perform an emergency landing on the planet Sarkash,
where, a few minutes after, his ship is destroyed and he becomes a prisoner on
the unknown planet.
It turns out that there is human civilization on this planet. Its level of
development is much like the level of our civilization in the 20th century. A
protracted nuclear war almost completely destroyed the planet’s ecology, and the
surviving population still suffers. Their painfully obtained peace remains very
unstable and a loathsome truth is hidden behind it. Maksim Kammerer must break
through a veil of lies to find out what it is.
Vin
Diesel starring in Hitman movie, possibly game on GameSpot has reports from
the entertainment trades that Vin Diesel has signed on for the role of Codename
47 in the upcoming movie based on the Hitman series. The report that the
smooth-topped actor will play the likewise follicley challenged assassin is
accompanied by speculation that a future Hitman game might be released to
coincide with the movie that would add Diesel's likeness to the game character.
The actor is a gamer with his own company to oversee such projects
( story), said in the story to be one of the reasons for the high quality of
the game tie-in for The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay.
A Trash Beta Patch updates the
open beta of the litter-friendly strategy game to Beta 05Jun15, and there is
also an updated full
client (thanks Frans). The
Trash Forums
offer the change notes detailing what's new and different.
A new World War II RTS Product Page is
online (thanks Frans), dedicated to the frequently retitled WW2 strategy game
from 1C Company. Included are the E3 screenshots from the game. Also, the
Shadowgrounds Website is
online, home to the action game that was named Preyground before recently being
renamed out of deference to the revived Prey project. The site includes some new
screenshots
and the
Shadowgrounds trailer.
- Battlefield 2
The
Battlefield 2 FAQ - Part 2 on IGN gets some further intelligence on the
imminent shooter sequel: "The latest official drivers do not work correctly
with Battlefield 2--neither with the demo nor the full game. You must either
turn shadows off completely, or install the beta 77.30 drivers included with
the installer. It's our understanding that a new set of official drivers
will be released in time for the retail version that will eliminate the
shadow glitch in BF2. On a side note, we also recommend updating your ATI
card to the 5.6 Catalyst drivers."
- Stargate
The
Stargate SG-1: The Alliance Q&A on TotalVideoGames talks with JoWooD
about the upcoming TV tie-in: "The Stargate principle of traveling to other
planets using a gate allows for immediate understanding by any gamers and
boundless stories and situations. We worked closely with the studios and the
producers, writers and cast of the TV show to ensure that the essence of the
Stargate universe has been put in the game. But we’ve invented new enemies
and worlds to make the gaming experience fulfilling both for Stargate fans
and newcomers. One of our self-imposed challenges consisted of making a game
anybody could start playing intuitively and enjoy immediately; and we feel
we pretty much succeeded in that!"
- Civilization IV
The
Civilization IV Q&A on GameSpot asks some post-E3 questions of Barry
Caudill about Firaxis' upcoming strategy sequel: "There will be three game
speeds: normal, quick, and epic. Normal will be just what you would expect
from a game of Civ based on any of the previous versions. Quick, on the
other hand, will have all of the values (tech costs, build costs, etc.)
tweaked to provide a much quicker game that still retains the flavor of a
normal game. It's possibly a one-night experience, but we are still
balancing it. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the epic game speed,
which will provide diehard Civ addicts with a much longer game time that is
balanced to still feel correct."
- EVE Online
MMORPG.COM's
EVE Online Q&A talks with Nathan Richardsson about the science fiction
MMORPG: "In gameplay terms the main difference would be that EVE is a long
term affair for the player, so much focus is around tactics and strategy.
You don't just jump in, but you evolve in EVE, which is the main reason
players stick with the game for a long time even though they might not play
every day. This excludes of course the intense PVP combat in the game. EVE
is a very PVP focused game and the death penalty can be quite severe, which
we think adds that extra excitement to the encounters!"
- Irth Online
RPG
Vault's Irth Online Team Q&A #2 asks some group questions of the folks
at Magic Hat Software about their MMORPG: "There are so many great
creatures... hmmm... the first one that comes to mind is the Ahlki Servant
because just when I'm getting close to killing him, he flies away and I have
to catch him again. Yes that's right; he flies. He is UGLY spelled all in
upper case. He's a mean flying monster who likes to kill playable
characters. He looks part monkey and part demon. He has long, sharp nails at
the end of his fingers and toes, huge bat-like wings, carnivorous fangs, and
a very disagreeable disposition. And did I mention UGLY?"
- Rising Kingdoms
RPG
Vault's Rising Kingdoms Team Peek #1 offers thoughts on Haemimont Games'
upcoming strategy game from Ivko Stanilov: "My favorite multiplayer map? Far
Central. The four colonies in the center make it a great strategic
experience. They are very important assets, but at the same time, it can be
better to leave them to your enemies and develop your base instead. Each
player also has two nearby colonies, which are much easier to protect, so
you're never completely out of the game."
- Blackfoot Studios
The
John
Sonedecker Q&A on Ghost Recon.Net discusses start-up Blackfoot Studios
with founder John Sonedecker, formerly of Red Storm and Battleborne: "I
still firmly believe that there is a want and a need for a game like Rainbow
Six/ Rogue Spear as well as the original Ghost Recon in the market place.
Heck, I would even love to see those games remade and updated with some new
content. I do believe, however, that if something like that came along, it
would be developed more along the lines of Ubi’s Il-2 series of sims. They
might make less money and appeal to less people, but the dev budgets would
also be lower to compensate. Not less quality, just less money spent."
Marc Ecko Getting Up on PC and Xbox on GameSpot is a story based on Atari's
financial reports saying that Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure is
heading to the PC and Xbox, after previous reports indicated the urban-themed
graffiti game would be released exclusively for the PS2.
Steam News
has word on a minor Source update available from the Steam service (thanks
Frans) that addresses the following issue: "Fixed 'steamclient.dll not found'
error when running a listen server with LAN mode disabled."
As noted in this press
release, an updated version of the Salvo! demo is now available on the
Salvo! Downloads Page.
There are separate demos for PCs and Macs, each updated to the gold code for the
age of sail game.
A multiplayer fix is now available for Nexus - The Jupiter Incident, Mithis
Games' space combat game. The update addresses a retail authentication problem
literally, by updating the IP address for the multiplayer authentication server
in your registry. The fix is available on
3D Gamers and
FileFront.
Sony Online
Entertainment Announces Depths of Darkhollow(TM) Expansion for EverQuest
(thanks Frans) announces yet another expansion for EverQuest, the long-running
MMORPG. Here's the deal on the add-on, which is due for online and retail
distribution: EverQuest: Depths of Darkhollow will have players
adventuring in raw, bleak caverns and facing the most formidable monsters yet.
Featuring new lands with beautiful graphics, a bold new storyline, and fierce
new creatures including Sporali, Clockwork Gnomes and the frightening
Werewolves, EverQuest: Depths of Darkhollow is the next great expansion pack for
the fantasy adventure that is EverQuest. For the first time ever, players will
have the ability to play as a monster and experience EverQuest lore first hand
through the eyes of another character while they do battle against their ancient
foes. Players will also utilize Spirit Shrouds to don the form of a lower level
creature to join newbie friends in battle. EverQuest: Depths of Darkhollow is
bursting with new adventures and features for players of all levels.
The Adventure Company announces ECHO: Secrets of the Lost Cavern is gold, and
headed for North American stores on June 21: Toronto, June 15, 2005 – The
Adventure Company, a leading publisher of adventure games, today announced ECHO:
Secrets of the Lost Cavern has gone gold for Windows® in North America. This
unique adventure game will ship to retailers June 21, 2005.
In ECHO: Secrets of the Lost Cavern, uncover the mysteries of a forgotten time.
Delve into an inspiring world of exploration and enlightenment as you embark on
a quest filled with puzzles and intrigue. Venture across beautifully rugged
landscapes and use your wits and keen awareness of the terrain to survive the
vast wilderness. In a harsh and primitive world, take on the role of Arok, a
young boy who embarks on a perilous journey that leads him away from his clan to
the heart of one of mankind’s forgotten wonders. Encounter many fascinating
characters along the way, but only help from a chosen few will reveal the
secrets of the lost cavern.
Game Features
• Solve a multitude of engaging puzzles and participate in
enchanting shamanistic ceremonies
• Explore captivating photo-realistic environments including
far-reaching landscapes and the depths of magnificent cave systems
• Use your resources cleverly to survive the wilds of nature:
hunt, fish, and fend off predators that may threaten your quest
• Create masterful works of art whose stories will help you
along your journey
• Access the in-game encyclopedia filled with historically
accurate data on the Paleolithic period
Developed by Kheops Studio, ECHO: Secrets of the Lost Cavern has an ESRB rating
of “E” for Everyone. For more information, or to download the trailer, visit
http://www.adventurecompanygames.com/tac/echo/index.html.
The Pacific Fighters
Website now offers a new patch for Pacific Fighters, updating the World War
II combat flight simulator to version 4.01. In addition to the assorted client
patches, there is a patch to update the Pacific Fighters dedicated server
to version 4.01 as well.
Black & White 2:
Miracle-tastic on IGN is a small developer diary penned by Adam Langridge of
Lionhead Studios about their upcoming god game sequel, discussing the miracle of
fire. Also, a Fable:
The Lost Chapters Diary on IGN written by Dene Carter, lead designer of
Fable: The Lost Chapters, who "contemplates the additions going into the
Northern Wastes of this extended edition of Fable for the PC along with the
Necropolis and silly habits of the designers."
- Star Wars Battlefront II
The
Star Wars
Battlefront II Q&A on Gamecloud catches up with Shara Miller of
LucasArts to discuss Pandemic's upcoming Star Wars combat sequel: "The
single player campaign for Star Wars Battlefront II will feature more
challenge, and a new focus on the player’s actions rather than just on the
reinforcement count. The campaign revolves around the evolution of the 501st
Legion, starting from a division of clone soldiers and becoming, through the
course of many battles, Vader’s personal elite team of stormtroopers. The
legion’s rise to success is 100 percent dependent on the player’s
achievements in each mission."
- Auto Assault
The
Auto Assault Q&A
on Worthplaying talks with Netdevil about their upcoming MMORPG: "How
about driving a heavily-armed, blazing fast vehicle customized by you into
an enemy base swarming with opponents on-foot and in vehicles, then laying
waste to everything...seeing bodies flying into the air, explosions
demolishing buildings...carnage that you've created. To add to the fun,
you've got built-in voice-chat, so you can call in your friends for back up
and then coordinate your attacks. These are the staples of a top of the line
action game and just a very tiny example of what you can do in Auto Assault;
they're available in a true MMO world for the very first time."
- Pirates of the Sword Coast
The
Pirates of the Sword Coast Premium Module Q&A on NWN Vault talks with
Rob Bartel about this premium NWN module: "The module is being developed
in-house here at BioWare with Keith Hayward, Jonathan Epp and myself heading
up the design efforts, Adrien Cho serving as our technical artist, and Bruce
Venne is managing a robust internal QA team. There've been plenty of
contributions from other BioWare staff, of course, as well as an extensive
body of art content provided by a team of external contractors. As for
community contributions, we've also had the pleasure of working quite
extensively with the DLA team on a number of the custom art resources and we
have plans to extend and build on that relationship with future modules.
Composer David John has also returned with another excellent theme song for
the module. In terms of the sheer amount of manpower involved, this has
definitely been our most ambitious premium module yet. "
Beta 2 thoughts on the
Galactic Civilizations II: The Dread Lords Website (thanks Frans) has
details on how beta testing for Stardock's space strategy sequel is progressing.
The update discusses the process, offers up a couple of screenshots, and
provides a scheduled for the future, including plans for beta 3 in August and
the release of the game in February 2006.
Dark Horizons has
reported that gamesploitation director Uwe Boll has added the Postal franchise
to the vast collection of game titles he will be committing to celluloid. A
follow-up on
Gamecloud debunks this, as they contacted Vince Desi of Running With
Scissors, who says that no deals for a Postal movie have been signed, though
there has been some interest in pursuing such a project.
Thanks Mike Martinez and Eye 4N Eye.
- The Hot Coffee mod for San Andreas on
Gameguru Mania unlocks the
game's buried sex games.
- The CodeRED
Website now offers a new version of the CodeRed modification of the
Quake engine.
- New Multi Theft Auto screenshots are
online, showing off more of the upcoming GTA: San Andreas modification.
Today's the day that Batman Begins, well, begins. Batman is in the
pantheon of my favorite superheroes, and while the two Tim Burton movies had
their moments, the dark knight has never quite overcome the campy treatment the
franchise has received in the 60s TV series and then after at the hands of the
dread Joel Schumacher (holy rubber nipples Batman!). This one looks like it has
the ability to overcome the combined horrors of the past, and I am optimistic
enough that I will try to make it out to see a matinee showing today.
Besides (jumps up and down on couch)... I LOVE Katie Holmes!!
R.I.P.:
Dungeons & Dragons illustrator, Minneapolis native, dies.
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