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Archived News:
Raven, id, and Activision announce that Quake 4 is gold, and is due to ship in
the U.S. on October 18: QUAKE 4 PC TO HIT STORE SHELVES IN MID-OCTOBER
Mesquite, TX – October 3, 2005 – id Software™, Raven Software and Activision,
Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) have confirmed Earth’s invasion of Stroggos with the
announcement that QUAKE 4™ PC has entered manufacturing and will begin shipping
to retail stores nationwide on Tuesday, October 18. The long awaited sequel to
QUAKE II®, QUAKE 4 enlists gamers in the role of Matthew Kane, a member of the
Earth Defense Force’s legendary Rhino Squad, to penetrate deep into the heart of
the Strogg war machine and engage in a series of heroic missions to destroy the
barbaric alien race.
“On October 18, QUAKE is dialing it up to 4.0 on the Richter Scale with this new
chapter in Earth’s war against the Strogg,” said Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id
Software. “Fusing an epic war-story driven single player campaign, and
fast-paced QUAKE III Arena® inspired multiplayer, QUAKE 4 delivers a gaming
experience fans will be raving about for years.”
Developed by Raven Software and executive produced by id Software, QUAKE 4
begins only moments after the events of QUAKE II, with the Earth’s fleet
launching a massive offensive to the planet Stroggos. As Matthew Kane, an elite
member of Rhino Squad, gamers invade the alien stronghold, fighting alone, along
side other Marines, and in mechanized walkers and hover tanks as they encounter
the Strogg and their disturbing amalgamations of man and machine. Built on id
Software’s revolutionary DOOM 3® technology, QUAKE 4 also features fast-paced
multiplayer competition modeled after the speed style and feel of QUAKE III
Arena.
For more information, fans can visit
www.quake4game.com. QUAKE 4 has been rated “M” (Mature) by the ESRB.
This Battlefield 2
Preview on IGN outlines more of what to expect from the version 1.03 patch
for DICE's multiplayer shooter, saying the patch is to be released tomorrow. The
preview doesn't really say much that wasn't revealed in the recent update about
the patch ( story), so there are no further details about
point-farming changes and such, but there is a little on the Wake Island 2007
map and word that the patch will weigh in at around 175 MB.
Namco announces that Sniper Elite is gold, and Rebellion's sharpshooting
simulation should be in stores for the PC, Xbox, and PS2 last month, though
suspecting that using a time machine for shipping may be a bit optimistic, we
imagine the game probably won't actually hit store shelves until this month:
SANTA CLARA, Calif., (October 3, 2005) – Leading video games developer
and publisher Namco Hometek Inc. today announced that “Sniper Elite(TM)” has
gone gold. A realistic sniper simulation set in the final days of World War II,
“Sniper Elite” puts players in the midst of an international race for nuclear
weaponry and features authentic sniping mechanics and online play for up to
eight players. Developed by Rebellion in the UK, the game will be available for
the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, Xbox(R) video game system and
PC this September.
“Sniper Elite” depicts the end of the European theater of World War II. The
Germans are nearly defeated and the Western Allies and Soviets have begun
preparing for the next war. Players assume the role of an OSS agent sent behind
enemy lines in an Allied bid to keep German atomic weapons research out of
Soviet hands. Taking place in war torn Berlin, a single bullet could change the
course of history.
“The unique gameplay in ‘Sniper Elite’ offers an experience few games can
compare to,” said Jeff Lujan, business director, Namco Hometek Inc. “’Sniper
Elite’ was designed around the core sniper tenets of stealth, accuracy and
instinct. These mechanics carry over to the multiplayer gameplay and deliver an
online experience like no other. And, with an expansive single-player campaign,
‘Sniper Elite’ should offer players countless hours of gameplay.”
Utilizing advanced sniping mechanics, “Sniper Elite” delivers an unprecedented
battlefield experience. In taking aim at their adversaries, players will need to
factor wind speed, heart rate, position and gravity in ensuring that their aim
is true. With dynamic mission objectives and open environments, the single
player campaign spans 28 levels that allows players the creative freedom to
complete objectives in almost any manner utilizing their honed sniper skills.
The battle for freedom goes online with “Sniper Elite’s” different multiplayer
modes. Virtual snipers can go online to take on players from around the world in
a massive game of cat and mouse for up to eight players. Multiplayer modes will
include Frag’N Tags, Assassination, Deathmatch, and Team Deathmatch. Going
online will also give players the chance to compare their “Sniper Elite(TM)”
scores against people from all over the world. Players can also progress though
the game’s story with a friend in split screen cooperative mode, using advanced
team strategies, choosing to divide and conquer or stick together for additional
firepower to achieve their goals.
“Sniper Elite” is rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB. For more information on
“Sniper Elite,” please visit www.namco.com.
Cenega announces that UFO: Aftershock is gold, and that the counter-UFO strategy
sequel is due in stores on October 21: UFO: Aftershock is one of the
major strategy and tactical game releases this year. Now, after almost two years
of development of this unique game by ALTAR Interactive, we are proud to
announce that UFO: Aftershock has reached the Gold Master stage today, 3rd
October 2005, with the press getting their hands on the Gold Master review
version the same day. The game will officially release on Friday 21st October,
2005.
UFO: Aftershock follows directly from one of the endings of the first title,
where the player agrees to hand over the Earth to the Alien scientists, who are
trying to change the planet into a giant living organism. The Council of Earth
and their followers take refuge on an orbiting satellite prepared for them by
the aliens, but not all the survivors of the original invasion were relocated.
The game starts many years later in their orbital home, with no sign of the
aliens and a failing life support system – the player must find out what
happened to the Earth and to those who were left behind on its surface,
preparing for all manner of surprises along the way.
UFO: Aftershock is a mixture of squad based tactical action and global strategy.
The player controls the actions of elite ground troops, alongside the running
and construction of an intricate network of interlinking bases from which to
operate and expand the tactical maneuvers needed to succeed.
Main features:
• Global strategy intertwined with tactical missions
• Strategic resource and base management
• Advanced tactical SAS (Simultaneous Action System) and RPG
system
• Encounters occur inside and outside structures, with a
broad range of terrains and multi-level buildings
• Amazing technologies and items to be researched and
developed
• All-new system of leveling up and training your troops
• Fearsome new enemies and powerful allies
• Diplomacy – an important strategic element
• Strong storyline
• Destroyable environment
The Strategy First Website now
features trial versions of many of the games in the developer/publisher's
catalogue. The trial versions each offer the ability to play their respective
games for three hours, after which unlimited play may be unlocked by the
purchase of an online key. Word is: "Over twenty Strategy First titles are now
available to try. Check out games from the widely popular 'Jagged Alliance' and
'Disciples' series. New releases are also available, such as 'Star Fury' from
the renowned Space Empires franchise."
- City of Heroes
The
City of Heroes Q&A on Coldfront talks with CuppaJo, CoH Community
Coordinator for NCsoft about the MMORPG: "Issue 5 was the one where players
had the least amount of confidence that it would turn out ok in the end. I
know that both Bridger (the UK CC) and I talked about the issue at length
when we got the patch notes internally and tried to prepare for the reaction
to the global defense changes. In some ways it was all that we had feared,
but in others, I actually felt like Issue 4 was harder. I know emotionally I
was prepared for I5 better than I4. The main way it affected my work was the
sheer number of PMs and moderation. It was like this in I4 as well. I could
get over 200 PMs a day easy for the first few days. As it is I average 82
PMs a day normally and I do my best to answer all of them. That said – I
wouldn’t even want to think about how many PMs Statesman probably gets."
- DAoC: Darkness Rising
Gamecloud's
Dark Age Of Camelot: Darkness Rising Q&A talks with Mythic's Sanya M.
Weathers about their upcoming MMORPG expansion: "Competition is nothing but
good for the players. Innovations in MMORPGs inevitably appear across the
genre, and lead to more fun for everybody. We’ve dug a little deeper into
our chosen niche of realm versus realm warfare, so I’d say the competition
has helped us to focus on what we do best: team combat."
- Ryzom Ring
The
Ryzom Ring Q&A on 4players.de is the English edition of a Q&A about the
upcoming MMORPG expansion that's also available in
German and
French: "For the near future the simple answer is no. In order to
preserve the Ryzom universe, we will not allow players to create their own
art and audio work. There is also the matter of having to check every little
piece of player-created art or sound to be sure that it doesn’t violate
someone else’s copyright; we need to figure out how to make that work before
we can implement player-created art."
- Horizons
GamersInfo's
Horizons: Empire of Istaria Q&A talks with Amon Gwareth of Tulga Games
about their MMORPG: "As a programmer, I find the AI and behavioral systems
created for the game more interesting than the results. I enjoy seeing the
reactions of players when they encounter new situations or behaviors. When I
redid portions of Lesser Aradoth, I introduced a mixture of aggro,
non-aggro, and social spiders to the forest. It was great to me when the
first players explored it and found that not all monsters behaved as they
expected."
The Torc Interactive Website
announces downloads are now available for a new 64-bit
tech demo for
Dreadnaught, a sample of this upcoming first-person shooter to show off
AMD64 processors. The demo can be played on 32-bit systems, but contains
enhancements specifically for 64-bit computing. The downloads page also offers
screenshots and movies showing off the difference between the 32-bit and 64-bit
versions of the game. Here's word: "The Admiral Ushakov is an old Soviet Kirov
class nuclear missile cruiser which disappeared in the Barents sea 4 years ago
and was believed lost at sea with all hands. It reappeared off the coast of
Iceland recently and is believed to have fallen into terrorist hands and is
being used to carry out some sort of research. You are a US Special Forces
operative sent to investigate, and if necessary steal or destroy the research
and scuttle the Kirov. The demo kicks off once you’ve made your way into the
interior of the ship."
The Knights of
the Old Republic 2 page on nZone (thanks Fantaz) now offers downloads of six
files that will update the movies in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II -
The Sith Lords with higher-resolution versions. Here's word on the unsupported
update: "This asset patch is supplied for use AS IS and is not officially
supported by LucasArts or Obsidian Entertainment. LucasArts and Obsidian
Entertainment will not offer customer support in the installation or application
of these assets and are not responsible for any problems which may arise from
their use. Although we have tested these assets, they are offered AS IS. Use
this patch AT YOUR OWN RISK."
3000AD announces that the Gold edition of Universal Combat is gold, and will be
shipping soon via their e-commerce partners. UC: Gold is described as "a
stand-alone follow up title to the original Universal Combat game released in
February 2004. It contains the full original game plus several enhancements,
updates and features." They also announce the release of a new patch for
Universal Combat: A World Apart, updating the space combat follow-up/expansion
to version 1.00.07. The
Version Control
File outlines what's new.
Sundown tonight marks the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, so happy new year to all
who are celebrating!
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