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Archived News:
Steam News
announces the re-release of Darwinia is now available online: "Introversion's
Darwinia is now available to gamers worldwide via Steam. Darwinia is a
captivating mix of multiple genres including real-time strategy, arcade, and
puzzle games.
Click here
to get your copy now."
The first RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Soaked! patch is now available, squashing bugs
while adding in-game advertising to the theme park sequel's waterlogged
expansion. The download is available from
Atari Support. Thanks Frans.
The Command and
Conquer: First Decade Website is online (thanks Frans), dedicated to the
upcoming commemorative real-time strategy collection. All the other sites in the
C&C family now redirect to this site as well.
- Splinter Cell: Double Agent
The
Splinter
Cell: Double Agent Q&A on Eurogamer is an article-format Q&A with Julien
Gerighty, co-producer on the Xbox 360,
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent Q&A on GameSpot talks with
Mathieu Ferland and Daniel Roy and
IGN's Splinter Cell:
Double Agent Q&A talks with Daniel Roy of Ubisoft about the
just-announced installment in the stealthy shooter series: "The Double Agent
concept is indeed persistent throughout the game. That being said, this is
not a simple 'black or white' morality scale like you see in RPGs… Depending
on your actions and choices, the story structure does change dramatically,
to the point that major characters (not to mention thousands of innocents)
will live or die. Sam Fisher remains a 'good guy'… But he's faced with a lot
of painful choices where there's not always a right and a wrong answer."
- Sam & Max
The
Sam & Max Q&A on TotalVideoGames.com discusses the upcoming return of
the dog-and-bunny show with Telltale's Dan Conner: "A very cool thing about
Sam and Max and Comics in general is that each story can be stand alone, but
be part of a larger world. That is our how we will be approaching it at
Telltale."
- Frontier Developments
The
David Braben Q&A on TotalVideoGames.com talks with Frontier's David
Braben about his split with Ian Bell, the good old days, and what the future
holds: "Sales on the PC are decreasing, even though usage is perhaps not.
Piracy is rife and perhaps the root cause of the decline in sales. This
consequent lack of sales means publishers are reluctant to publish a 'risky'
(ie innovative) game on PC as it is unlikely to sell very many units. We've
seen the same thing happen on the Amiga, ST, Archimedes, and many earlier
formats, but the PC may still survive. It is possible that online play will
help keep it alive, as will online services like Valve's Steam."
A new Rugby 06 movie is now available, showing off some of the rough-and-tumble
action from the upcoming sports simulation. The clip is a 91 MB download,
available on
3D Downloads, 3D
Gamers, and
Worthplaying.
Destroy your
PC and receive $1000 from StarForce (thanks Andrew) is an offer from the
copy-protection maker in an effort to combat what they feel may be unfounded
rumors about their software: There have been a lot of rumors in the
Internet concerning DVD/CD writers malfunction after installation and star-up of
StarForce protected applications. Some have even mentioned that should such
“malfunctioning” drive be placed in any other PC without StarForce protection
installed it will fail to work as well.
...
After the installation and start-up of StarForce protected product the problem
with (CD/DVD read-write malfunction) must exist and be reproduced in any other
configuration.
If you can be the first to reproduce this situation in our office, we will be
happy to award you with $1000.00 US, cover your trip to Moscow and pay 2 days’
lodging.
The Neverend Website
now offers downloads of "Der Patch 1.1," the first update for the German edition
of Mayhem Studios' RPG (thanks Frans). The update addresses a problem that could
cause the game to crash, while beefing up the opponents in some areas.
Frogster Interactive offers their own der patch, this one for Keepsake,
updating the German edition of Wicked Studios' adventure game to version 1.2.
The page has an outline (in German) of the five fixes offered in the patch.
Thanks Frans.
Farmington student
dies while shoveling snow is a sad story that was bandied about in the
forums today (thanks xXBatmanXx)... In the past I have referred to being a candidate for a shoveling
heart attack, being a middle-aged fellow (though being skinny as a rail keeps me
from fitting the classic mold), but reading about something like that
happening to an 18-year old is quite sobering. I'm definitely going to feel
justified in giving into my lazier impulses next time the snow falls.
PlayNC Marvel
Entertainment, Inc., NCsoft Corporation, NC Interactive, Inc., Cryptic Studios,
Inc. Settle All Litigation (thanks Frans) is the press release announcing
the settlement of the suits and counter-suits between Marvel and NCsoft/Cryptic
over the super-powered MMORPG City of Heroes/City of Villains
( story and story). Here's word on the settlement,
presumably the result of some hard work by the Law Offices of Nelson and
Murdoch: AUSTIN, Texas, December 12, 2005—Marvel Entertainment, Inc.,
NCsoft® Corporation, NC Interactive, Inc. and Cryptic Studios™, Inc. are pleased
to announce today that they have amicably settled all claims brought by Marvel
and all claims brought by NCsoft, NC Interactive, Inc. and Cryptic Studios, Inc.
The parties' settlement allows them all to continue to develop and sell exciting
and innovative products, but does not reduce the players' ability to express
their creativity in making and playing original and exciting characters.
Therefore, no changes to City of Heroes® or City of Villains'™ character
creation engine are part of the settlement. The parties have agreed that
protecting intellectual property rights is critically important and each will
continue aggressively to protect such rights in accordance with all applicable
laws. While the terms of the settlement were not disclosed, all parties agree
that this case was never about monetary issues and that the fans of their
respective products and characters are the winners in this settlement.
In the meantime, Sigil Games continues development of a Marvel-branded
superhero MMORPG ( story).
Some Splinter Cell: Double Agent screenshots and a gameplay movie are now
online, following the official announcement (below) of the next installment in
the stealthy third-person shooter series. The movie can be found on
the
Ubisoft FTP server (direct link), and the screenshots are posted on
3D Gamers.
As noted on the Splinter
Cell: Chaos Theory Website more Splinter Cell 4 teasing can be found on the
Splinter Cell 4 - Beware of Sam
Fisher Website (thanks Frans), and even more to the point, Ubisoft also
sends along the press release finally officially announcing Splinter Cell:
Double Agent, saying the next installment in the stealthy Tom Clancy-branded
game is due for the PC and consoles in spring 2006: LONDON, UK - 14th
December, 2005 - Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game
publishers, announced Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell® 4 (working title), the fourth
blockbuster in the Tom Clancy Splinter Cell franchise, will officially be called
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent(tm). The game will be available Spring
2006 for the Xbox 360TM video game and entertainment system from Microsoft,
Xbox® video game system from Microsoft, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment
system, Nintendo GameCube(tm) system and Windows® PC.
Following the Tom Clancy Splinter Cell franchise tradition of innovation, Tom
Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent will completely revolutionise and reinvent
the spy action genre by introducing an unprecedented double agent concept and an
entirely new breed of game play that adds an exciting new dimension to the
gaming experience.
"Ubisoft is excited to have re-imagined the Splinter Cell franchise by
introducing Sam Fisher as a double agent, expanding the depth of his character,"
says John Parkes, EMEA marketing director at Ubisoft. "Throughout the course of
the story, gamers will be forced to make critical decisions which will not only
affect how the story plays out but also have very different consequences."
With the entirely new direction of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent,
Ubisoft has reinvented the best-selling and highest rated espionage franchise.
The revolutionary double agent concept immerses players in the world of
international espionage more completely than ever, expanding the story and depth
of Sam Fisher's character and involving players' emotions by drawing them deeper
into the gaming experience. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent will push
the limits of each platform based on its respective technological capabilities,
taking advantage of a collaborative development effort between Ubisoft's
award-winning development studios in Montreal, Shanghai and Annecy, France.
Across all platforms, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent will have the
features that have defined the Splinter Cell franchise - amazing graphics, fluid
animations, advanced artificial intelligence and open level design. Furthermore,
each platform will feature exclusive content and offer a unique game play
experience.
About Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent
Veteran agent Sam Fisher is back. But he's never faced an enemy like this
before. To stop a devastating terrorist attack, he must infiltrate a vicious
terrorist group and destroy it from within. For the first time ever, experience
the relentless tension and gut-wrenching dilemmas of life as a double agent. As
you infiltrate a terrorist organization in its American headquarters, you must
carefully weigh the consequences of your actions. Kill too many criminals and
you'll blow your cover. Hesitate too long and millions will die. Do whatever it
takes to complete your mission, but get out alive.
Key Features Include:
* Dual objectives to fulfil: NSA government agents and
terrorists will each want you to accomplish opposing tasks at the same time.
* Discover the tension of being a double agent: Use actual
tactics employed by today's real-life double agents to sabotage the terrorists'
plans.
* Explore a branching storyline with multiple endings: Your
choices have an impact on how the story and game play unfolds.
* A world of international espionage: Missions from all over
the world, from Asia to Africa to the heart of the US. Experience extreme
situations: underwater or in a sandstorm, hiding behind the dust or smoke - and
even skydiving.
* New authentic gadgets: Master the latest weapons and
gadgets used by NSA government agents in addition to black-market terrorist
weapons.
* Innovative online play: The critically acclaimed
multiplayer action of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is back with entirely new
innovations for each platform.
The Settlers: Heritage of Kings
Website (thanks Frans) announces the upcoming release of Legends, the
English edition of "Legenden," the Settlers V add-on that's been available in
German for some time now. Word is: “Legends” is the second expansion disc
for the critically-acclaimed PC RTS game – The Settlers: Heritage of Kings. It
features:
• Four new campaigns with a total of 18 maps
• Five additional single-player maps
◦ Three for instant action featuring
large-scale battles
◦ Two construction-based only maps
with no enemies to encourage the player to create their perfect settlement
• Ten new multiplayer maps
As noted on the BYTE Software Website,
work is underway on Specnaz 2, an sequel
to the special forces shooter (thanks Frans). The
Specnaz 2 Website offers some preliminary
details on the weapons, game modes, and theaters of operation from the game.
There is also a screenshot gallery, but unfortunately that is broken at this
time.
A new high-resolution War on Terror movie is now available, offering a look at
Digital Reality's upcoming action/strategy game. The 140 MB download can be
found on
3D Downloads, 3D Gamers,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
and Worthplaying.
The first Rome Total War: Barbarian Invasion patch is
now available on
Totalwar.Com, updating the historical RTS expansion to version 1.6. Word is:
"This patch is for the English, Spanish, French, German and Italian versions of
Barbarian Invasion. There are a numerous areas of code that were looked at for
the patch fix. Check the
readme for details." There's also a new patch updating the original Rome:
Total War to version 1.5, word is: "This patch is for the English, Spanish,
French, German and Italian versions of Rome: Total War. You need to upgrade your
version of RTW to version 1.3 before you install the 1.5 patch. If you do not,
the patching process will not work and your game is unlikely to function. This
readme details the main fixes made to the game. Other minor fixes and
balances have been carried out." Thanks Frans.
The Infinite
Interactive Patches Section now offers downloads of a new patch to update
the turn-based strategy sequel to version 1.03. Not getting too caught up in
this whole 'information age' thing, the
Infinite Interactive Front Page
offers this minimalist description: "A new patch is now available for any
previous version of the game, with lots of fantastic new features."
A new patch for MetalHeart: Replicant's Rampage is now available, updating
Numlock Software's post-apocalyptic RPG to version 1.2 (thanks Frans). The
update is available
on this
support page, where the patch notes detail a variety of changes, tweaks, and
fixes.
Matrix Games announces
the release of a
new patch for
PureSim baseball 2005 updating the sports simulation to version 1.20. Here's
word on the patch, which includes all the changes from version 1.10: "This new
update improves simulation speed, improves the AI contract negotiations, as well
as improving the roster management AI. Also nine minor bug fixes were
implemented."
New Development For An
"Arrested" Future on Dark Horizons (thanks Ant) has a glimmer of hope for
fans of Arrested Development, saying Showtime is in talks to pick up the
quirky sitcom. The story is based on information first revealed by The Hollywood
Reporter, and word is that while interest has been expressed, there are concerns
that the show's ensemble cast may carry too high a price tag for the cable
network. Maybe we can get Bob Loblaw into the negotiations?
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