|
|
 |
Archived News:
Battle for Middle-earth II
demo to premiere on GameSpot has the news that a sample of the Lord of the
Rings real-time strategy sequel is set to debut at Noon Eastern Time on
Thursday. Word is: "The 1.3GB demo allows gamers to choose from two of the three
new factions in Battle for Middle-earth II (goblins and dwarves), and get used
to them on a pair of maps covering a tutorial and single-player skirmish mode."
Oblivion-Lost.com (thanks Tiscali Games) has follow-up on the most recent setback to
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl ( story), GSC Game Worlds
oft-delayed shooter. Here's a bit from GSC's Oleg Yavorsky, though this doesn't
seem to correlate with THQ's assessment that the game is about a year off:
The decision on the project's release date is for the publisher to make.
Even though we are currently at the beta stage with S.T.A.L.K.E.R., it will be
the publisher that makes the decision, when to optimally release the
game.
Ubisoft announces plans for a PC edition of Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII:
London, UK - February 8, 2006 - Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest
video game publishers announced that the action-filled flight combat game
Blazing Angels(tm) Squadrons of WWII will also be released for the PC in March
2006.
"Blazing Angels has impressed us all on Xbox and Xbox 360, and now we're proud
to be able to take it another step further and show how incredible it is on PC,"
said Tony Kee, vice president of marketing at Ubisoft. "Ubisoft Romania will
prove to the market the tremendous capabilities and power of the PC and Media
Center PC in high quality gaming."
In Blazing Angels(tm) Squadrons of WWII for the PC, players test their
air-combat skills as they experience the most famous battles of World War II. As
a squadron leader, players can fly up to 40 WWII aircraft in both single-player
and multiplayer missions. Advancing a great line of graphical and technological
features along with a very intuitive interface, Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII
for the PC provides PC gamers a combat experience in true World War II battles
sites such as England, Germany, France, Morocco, Pearl Harbor, Midway and Tokyo.
Special Features from this DVD version will include:
- Heartpounding single-player campaigns - Over 18 missions
grouped into a compelling historical battle campaign. Over 10 missions in
standalone modes (Mini-campaign, Arcade and Ace Duel)
- Thrilling multiplayer combat - Sixteen player online and
LAN play in 10 game types (Dogfight, Aces High, Seek & Destroy, Onslaught,
Bombing Run, Kamikaze, Historical Missions and Capture the base) in three
multiplayer modes (Solo, Co-op and Squadron)
- Innovative graphical features - Amazing detail featuring
8,000-10 000 polygons/plane and over 70 planes in the sky. Incredible cityscapes
delivering street level detail with accurate models. Over 150,000 high-res
graphical objects in each city, with over 80 unique elements per city featuring
huge textures, for example 512x4096 per building.
- Over 40 flyable High Definition authentic-looking planes -
Over 50 High resolution plane models (8,000 -10 000 polygons per plane). Usage
of large textures for the planes (1024x1024=4Mb of texture per plane). Other
exciting features include multiple plane skins and nose-art, and destruction
details for each plane model and specular mapping
- Static Buildings (I need some marketing help here, this
needs a more compelling description) - Great model variety, with over 80 unique
models per location. High resolution and 3D detail for over 600 building models.
All buildings have multiple damage levels and feature high-resolution specular
maps
- Detailed vehicles and 3D modeled people - High resolution
and 3D detail for over 40 vehicle models, and all vehicle models have damage
levels. Each 3D modeled person has over 10 animated movements.
- Impressive Sound features - Hear all the combat excitement
with the 48 KHz high quality sampled sound and up to 64 3D sound sources 5.1
compatible
Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII for the PC is scheduled for release in March
2006. For more information and updates, please visit
www.blazing-angels.com/uk/
A new Rogue
Trooper U.S. Product Section is online, narrowing the release date of the
upcoming action/shooter to April. Also, a new
Championship Manager 2006 Product Section is online, dedicated to the
imminent release of the next installment in the soccer management simulation.
Thanks Frans.
RPG Vault's The
Chronicles of Spellborn Diary #3 continues the voyages of fictional
character Kytel Greymane who introduces the skill and combat system in Spellborn
International's upcoming MMORPG.
The UK, German, and French editions of the new version 1.9.3 patches for
World of Warcraft
are now available. Downloads of one or more of the patches can be found on
3D
Downloads, 3D Gamers,
4players.de,
FileFront,
Strategy Informer, and
Worthplaying.
- Huxley
A new Huxley movie is now available, offering
another look at Webzen's upcoming MMOFPS. Three different versions of the
clip are available on
3D Gamers,
GameSpy,
FileFront, and
Worthplaying.
- Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter
As
noted here, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter is on display in a new
gameplay movie from GRIN's upcoming installment in the tactical shooter
series. The All Along the Watchtower clip is available on the
Ghost Recon:
Advanced Warfighter Website.
- WWII Tank Commander
A new WWII Tank Commander movie offers
the first such look at Sylum Entertainment's upcoming arcade shooter that
puts the player in the bumpy driver's seat of his own tank. The download is
available on
3D Downloads, 3D
Gamers,
FileFront, Gamer's
Hell, and
Worthplaying.
- The Godfather
A pair of new movies from
The Godfather
show off a car chase and a bit of the Jersey area from the upcoming mob
game. The clips are available on
3D Gamers,
FileFront, Gamer's
Hell, and
Worthplaying.
- Battle for Middle-earth II
Another Middle-earth Monday on
the Battle for Middle-earth II Website offers a new "super powers" video
from the upcoming Lord of the Rings RTS sequel. Thanks Frans.
- Prey
The
Prey Q&A on TotalVideoGames tracks down Human Head's Timothy Gerritsen
to discuss the upcoming shooter: "We really like the idea of exploring the
concept of a Native American within a sci fi setting, however, those are
really the only elements of the original story that remain. We changed the
nature of the story quite a bit to make it focus on the character of Tommy
more. He's really just a man who is trying to survive a situation well
beyond his initial understanding. It's more of a horror story intertwined
within the story of Tommy. He rejects his heritage and the strength of his
culture, but events rapidly get well beyond his personal problems and force
him, reluctantly, to take the mantle of a hero."
- Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The
IGN The Elder Scrolls
IV: Oblivion Q&A chats up producer Gavin Carter about Bethesda
Softworks' upcoming RPG sequel: "NPCs will engage in a whole host of
activities. They converse with each other with dynamically generated
conversations. You'll see them practicing their skills all over the world.
Fighters Guild NPCs will fight against fully Havok-enabled practice targets.
Mages Guild NPCs will mix potions and practice their summons and other
spells in the guildhall. Other NPCs will go shopping, till their fields,
pray at churches and shrines, hunt deer, drink in the pubs, and plenty
more."
- Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter
There's a new
Weapons Q&A on
the Ghost Recon Website discussing the armory in Ghost Recon: Advanced
Warfighter: "We have 8 primary weapon bulks, 4 secondary weapons, and 2
auxiliary weapons. The actual number of weapons you will see in the game is
actually bigger thanks to our mod system. For instance, in some games, you
will have the choice between a plain rifle or a rifle with a grenade
launcher attached. In GRAW PC, you select a basic bulk, and then outfit the
weapon with the mods that you need."
- Call of Juarez
The
Call of Juarez Q&A on GameSpot talks about the upcoming Western with
writer Haris Orkin: "Call of Juarez brings many great themes of the West
together in the conflict of two iconic characters. Reverend Ray is a
reformed gunfighter who found religion and is now making amends for his past
sins by preaching the word of God. Billy Candle's a brash teenager who ran
away from home after a knock-down fight with his stepfather (Ray's brother).
When his parents are murdered, the evidence leads Reverend Ray to believe
that Billy's the guilty party. Ray's sure that God wants him to be his
instrument of justice, so he straps on his old Colts and tracks Billy across
south Texas. It's a story of spiraling violence, greed, lost treasure, lost
souls, and redemption."
- Take Command: 2nd Manassas
Take
Control of the Battlefield in “Take Command: 2nd Manassas” on GameZone
is a Q&A about the upcoming American Civil War sequel: "The affect on
gameplay is that there are now real consequences to the way the player
fights the battles. If the player commands troops irresponsibly it will
affect his ability to fight in the later battles. The player must always be
mindful of his men and carry out his orders but not to the point of
annihilating his entire command in doing so. The player will no longer
needlessly throw his men at the enemy because he will need those men to
fight another day."
Steam News
has word that Dangerous Waters and Space Empires IV Deluxe are both available
via Steam. Word is: " S.C.S
- Dangerous Waters™ is a groundbreaking naval simulation game, available via
Steam for $39.95.
Space Empires IV Deluxe, a grand strategy title in the space 4X (explore,
expand, exploit, and exterminate) genre, is available via Steam for just
$19.95."
Strategy First now offers a new patch for Dangerous Waters, updating the
naval combat game to version 1.03, which allows non-Steam players to play
against owners of the newly released Steam edition of the game. Thanks Frans.
Wow, surprising number of stories today (checks calendar)... Nope E3 is still an
awfully long way off.
Experience the
First Decade of EA's Groundbreaking Command & Conquer Series is the press
release announcing the availability of Command & Conquer: The First Decade, the
collection of ten year's worth of C&C games: REDWOOD CITY,
Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 7, 2006--Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS - News) is
pleased to announce Command & Conquer(TM) The First Decade, one of the largest
PC franchise compilations to date, shipped to stores nationwide today.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the special collector's edition includes a
dozen of your favorite Command & Conquer(TM) (C&C) games spanning the last ten
years plus a bonus DVD of commemorative video features.
New NVIDIA ForceWare
version 81.98 Reference Drivers for WinXP are now available (thanks Thomas).
These WHQL certified drivers add support for GeForce 7800 GS AGP, offer
application compatibility fixes, mixed vendor support for NVIDIA SLI, and more.
The manual US/Aus version of the new World of Warcraft version 1.9.3 update is
now available, the download can be found on
3D Downloads, 3D
Gamers,
Filecloud,
FileFront, FileNuts,
GameSpot,
Strategy Informer, VGPro, and
Worthplaying.
A new patch for Black & White 2 is now available, updating Lionhead's god-game
sequel to version 1.2. The update can be found on
the EA FTP Server and
mirrored on
3D Downloads and 3D
Gamers,
Boomtown (registration required),
Filecloud,
FileFront,
GameSpot, and
Worthplaying, but there are no details yet on what the patch does.
The Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords
Website has word that Stardock's space-based strategy game is now gold. Word
on availability is that the game should be in stores as of February 21.
SilkRoad Online (thanks Ant and
Digg) is an MMORPG that promises free play "forever." The game's title
refers to the silk trade routes between Rome and China back in the old days.
Word is: The world of SilkRoad is largely divided into 2 regions. One is
the world on the basis of actuality and history of Chan'an, Tunhuang, Hotan,
Teheran, Baghdad and Constantinople which were the major trading pathway
crossing from east to west, and the other is the fantasy world from Takla Makan
to Hotan, Gollyun Mountain, Himalayas and Cheonchukguk (India) which lie south
and north.
Both themes cross over east-west and south-north and have been completed into
the fantasy SilkRoad world with coexistence of actuality and fantasy.
This pop-up page on
the Tesseraction Games Website has the
results of one of the developer's legal battles, declaring victory in their lawsuit against GMX
( story), leaving only their lawsuit versus DreamCatcher
( story) on the docket. Word is: Tesseraction Games has
been awarded summary judgement against GMX Media Commercial Director Mike
Bright. This represents the first victory in the 2 year long lawsuit against UK
publishing group GMX Media. Summary Judgement against GMX Media Software Ltd. is
expected to be awarded before the end of the quarter. The lawsuit includes
additional defendents, both corporate and individual, that were dismissed for
venue in US Federal Court. The dismissed portions are currently being re-filed
in the UK. We are very pleased with this outcome and are looking forward to
prevailing in all aspects of this enforcement effort. Developers need to stop
being willing to roll over when their rights are being violated by
publishers.
Wargaming.Net announces a new beta version 2.0.190 patch for Massive Assault
Network 2. The update includes several improvements to the online strategy game,
including chat changes, an increased turn limit, and more. The patch can be
found on the
M.A.N.2 Downloads Page along with an updated full beta.
The
announcement for Rebel Raiders:
Operation Nighthawk finally offers official word on this arcade flying game
first revealed last summer ( story) that's already available in France. Word is: Rebel Raiders
: Operation Nighthawk is taking place in a distant future, in a time when the
solar system has been conquered by the human beings. All states have come
together to create the World Nations Union. But through the centuries, this
government became more and more inhuman and tyrannical. A small group made of a
few brave nations has decided to take its independence. This important event has
involved the most devastating conflict the World has ever lived.
The World of Warcraft
Patch Notes on WorldofWar.Net outline the release of the new version 1.9.3
of Blizzard's MMORPG.
Thanks Mike Martinez.
- Galactic Civilizations II
A new
Galactic
Civilizations II: Dread Lords Diary celebrates the gold announcement for
the space strategy game. The lengthy journal (there's probably a lot of
caffeine in their systems from crunch time) describes the run up to gold
status, AI, reviews, the hassle of including support for pre-XP editions of
Windows, and a couple of gold screenshots.
- Empire Earth II
The
Sierra
Entertainment Downloads Page offers part one of a diary movie featuring
Dan McClure and Matthew Nordhaus discussing Empire Earth II: The Art of
Supremacy, Mad Doc Software's now-gold RTS expansion. Thanks Frans.
- Star Wars: Empire at War
The
Star Wars: Empire at War Q&A on Computer and Video Games talks with
Petroglpyh's Chris Williams about the upcoming Star Wars RTS game: "When a
game draws upon a story as well known and loved as the Star Wars trilogy,
the developers are faced with a tricky balancing act. On one hand, you need
to create an awesome gameplay experience that offers players the freedom to
make meaningful choices but you also need to deliver an authentic Star Wars
experience that remains true to fans' expectations. You run the risk of
making a great game that doesn't feel very much like Star Wars, or a
mediocre game that's extremely faithful to the source material."
- World of Warcraft
Blizzard
comes in from the cold on GamesIndustry.biz is a Q&A with Blizzard's
Shane Dabiri and John Lagrave about troubles European users are having
logging into World of Warcraft: "Right now, we are working on a solution on
multiple fronts. One of the things we're doing is working on hardware
improvements, the system infrastructure that supports World of Warcraft
itself. We're upgrading all the hardware continuously. On the bandwidth
side, we're also working with network providers in Europe to get the traffic
routed better and to deal with issues on their end. Because of course we put
a huge burden upon the demands for the Internet in Europe, and they've had
to react. So we've been building up relationships with the various network
providers here."
- EverQuest: Prophecy Of Ro
Gamecloud's
EverQuest: Prophecy Of Ro Q&A talks with Sony Online's Travis McGeathy
about the upcoming MMORPG expansion: "Prophecy of Ro picks up where Depths
of Darkhollow left off. Mayong Mistmoore has ascended to godhood and his
corruption is spreading through the pantheon. In desperation, Druzzil Ro,
the goddess of magic, turns to the very mortals who freed Mayong to now stop
him before he can bring about the destruction of the gods and enslave
Norrath. She opens a series of portals the planes where she hopes mortals
will uncover the knowledge they need to put an end to Mayong's plans."
- Apogee
The
Apogee Legacy Q&A #5 on the 3D Realms Website continues this series
looking back at the old days of Apogee, talking with Frank Maddin about
Crystal Caves, Monster Bash, and Shadow Warrior.
Pirates Ahoy! has a new Post Build 12 edition of this modification for
Pirates of the Caribbean. There is no read me at this point, and details are not
available at this time.
And I enter the sports desert. I'm not an Olympics or NCAA fan, the NFL is over, and the
Knicks are adding extra vacuum to the term suck. When do pitchers and catchers
report?
|
Twitter 
