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Archived News:
The promised new Link-up edition of America's Army: Special Forces is now
available as a full install of the freeware shooter or a patch to update the
prior version to the new version 2.6.0. The new edition adds a new server
browser, new multiplayer missions, but ends support for Windows 98/ME. The patch
is available on
3D Downloads, 3D
Gamers,
AusGamers,
Filecloud,
FileFront,
GameArena, Gameguru Mania,
Gamer's Hell,
GameSpot, and
Worthplaying.
The full version is available on
3D Gamers,
AusGamers,
FileFront,
GameArena, Gameguru Mania,
Gamer's Hell,
GameSpot, and
Worthplaying.
ATI Technologies now offers new version 6.2
reference driver for ATI accelerators. The new drivers address a variety of
issues, including a lengthy list of game-related fixes.
The demo for The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II is now
available, offering the promised sample of the RTS sequel. Details on the demo
are available in
the read me, and the demo debuted on
GameSpot, with mirrors of the whopping 1400 MB download available on
3D Downloads, 3D
Gamers,
4players.de, AOL Games,
AusGamers,
Computer Games,
FileFront, Gameguru Mania,
Gamer's Hell,
Strategy Informer, VGPro, and
Worthplaying.
Lighthouse Interactive announces the release of an English demo for
Keepsake, Wicked Studios' now-gold fantasy adventure game. Word is: "With the
English version having gone gold yesterday, Lighthouse would now like to invite
fans of adventure games and fantasy settings in general, to breathe in the
unique atmosphere in Keepsake. Players can explore several areas of the
enchanted Dragonvale Academy, probe some of the game’s puzzles and get a feel
for the main character in this 221 MB download." The demo is available on
3D Downloads, 3D
Gamers,
Computer Games,
Filecloud,
FileFront, FileNuts,
Gamer's Hell, and
Worthplaying.
Master Chief
Dual-Wields His Way to Windows Vista (thanks
ToTheGame) is the press release
revealing plans for a version of Bungie's shooter sequel on the next edition of
Windows: "Halo 2," the award-winning sequel to the instant classic "Halo:
Combat Evolved" to make its PC debut on the Windows Vista platform
"Halo 2," the game that redefined first-person combat and multiplayer action for
millions of gamers worldwide, is set to explode onto PCs exclusively for Windows
Vista. "Halo 2" for Windows Vista will be developed by a dedicated Microsoft
Game Studios team in partnership with Bungie Studios.
Only for Windows Vista, "Halo 2" will offer gamers both the single-player
campaign and multiplayer experience of the original, as well as the additional
maps offered in the "Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack." Gamers will also have the
exciting opportunity to build, create and customize their own multiplayer
levels.
"Halo: Combat Evolved" and its sequel, "Halo 2," have achieved phenomenal
success on the Xbox video game platform as gamers around the world follow the
saga of Master Chief in his battle against the Covenant forces. In 2003, the
original "Halo" roared onto Windows PCs. In "Halo 2" for Windows Vista, the
action picks up where the first game ended. Master Chief, with the help of a
small group of marines, has destroyed the religious artifact and artificial
world known as "Halo," and is making his way back to Earth. There, he and the
last surviving Earth forces will mount a titanic struggle against the marauding
Covenant enemy. To date, the Halo franchise has sold more than 14.5 million
games worldwide with over 600 million hours of multiplayer action logged across
Microsoft’s Xbox Live online gaming service.
Got Game Entertainment sends word that WWII Tank Commander is rolling into
stores, and should be available in North America this weekend: "WWII TANK
COMMANDER" ROLLING TO RETAIL SHELVES ACROSS THE U.S. AND CANADA
Non-stop military action game in an easy to pick-up-and-play style for the PC
lands in North American stores this weekend
WESTON, CT – February 9, 2005 – Got Game Entertainment and Merscom today
announced that "WWII Tank Commander", a non-stop military action game for the
PC, will begin arriving this weekend in game retailers across North America.
Developed by Sylum Entertainment Ltd, "WWII Tank Commander" features an easy to
pick-up-and-play style. World War II buffs, tank enthusiasts, and casual gamers
will waste no time destroying enemy armor and infantry, escorting Allied
convoys, rescuing hostages, and helping free Europe from Nazi rule in command of
their Sherman tank in General Patton's Fourth Armored Division. "WWII Tank
Commander" is rated "T" for Teen by the ESRB for Violence. The game debuts for a
suggested retail price of $19.95 (USD).
The gameplay of "WWII Tank Commander" is addictive as you rumble off road,
exploring the historical World War II European landscape. As gunfire, mines,
tracer fire, and explosions rip around you, experience fences, walls, and enemy
obstacles crush beneath your Sherman tank, as you search for alternate routes to
victory in more than 30 objectives over 10 levels, featuring multiple mission
styles with objectives such as Assault, Escort, Defense, and Rescue.
"'WWII Tank Commander' is pure pick-up-and-play addictive," said Got Game
Entertainment founder Howard Horowitz. "If you’re ready to be the hero in
command of a powerful Sherman tank, immersed in non-stop World War II action,
engaging the enemy and fighting the good fight, then this is the game for you."
To further your battlefield immersion, “WWII Tank Commander” also features
AMD64-optimization and the knock-out sound of EAX(R) ADVANCED HD(TM) 4.0, with
any Creative Lab's sound card, to make the campaigns of "Patton's Best" come
thrillingly alive.
For more information, visit
www.WWIITankCommander.com.
Preparing
for release day on the Galactic Civilizations II Website (thanks Frans) is a
diary entry related to completion of the space strategy sequel, including
preparations for digital distribution, as well as a bit on plans for a demo:
The demo version obviously needs to get done. A lot of people won't buy a
game without at least trying out the demo. The demo won't show up before release
though. We want all our development effort put first to the people who are
buying the game sight unseen. Those people have put faith that we'll treat them
well and I want to make sure we do what we can to make sure they feel like they
aren't let down.
So once the game's released, we can put together a demo pretty quickly. Even
though the game requires 2 CDs to install, I really am hoping we can put
together a demo that is less than a 200 meg download. Maybe even less than 100
megs. The tough part will be deciding what's in the demo.
The America's Army Community
Rally Point has a SITREP on plans to release a new version 2.6.0 update for
the Army's first-person shooter. Uncle Sam sends word to expect the "Link-up"
update later today, and here's word on the included multiplayer maps and an
improved server browser that will coexist with the existing GameSpy
browser: The U.S. Army invites all America’s Army players to ‘link up’
with gamers around the world with the new America's Army: Special Forces
(Link-Up) game made available today for download at
www.americasarmy.com. Multiplayer
gaming in America’s Army has been greatly enhanced with the implementation of
the new Master Browser System (MBS), allowing players to easily find other
players and get into the action. When fully deployed the Master Browser System
will offer players the ultimate America’s Army gaming solution with features
ranging from match-making to dynamic content delivery to detailed gaming stats
to communications tools such as buddy lists. America's Army: Special Forces
(Link-Up) also contains two new multiplayer missions -- Dusk and Border.
The Movies Expansion in
Production on IGN has word that in spite of the cancellation of the console
editions of The Movies, a recent forum post suggests an expansion for the
PC edition of Lionhead's cinema simulation is in the works.
A new installment in Shawn's
log on the SiN Episodes Website discusses the release of the
official
Emergence video showing off the first installment in SiN Episodes. Word is
Ritual is just days away from the beta testing stage of the upcoming shooter
sequel.
Thanks Frans.
- Splinter Cell: Double Agent
A new
Splinter Cell:
Double Agent Website is online as home to the new adventures of silent
Sam Fisher.
- Flight Simulator X
A new
Flight
Simulator X Website has launched as home to the upcoming Xth installment
in the high flying series. Included are 8 new screenshots.
- GTR 2
The
German GTR2 Product Section is online, including some new screenshots
from the upcoming racing sequel.
- Paradise
What says French paradise more than a Jerry Lewis
Film Festival? The
French Paradise Website, which replaces the previously multilingual home
to the upcoming adventure game. The site offers 13 screenshots and a
movie trailer.
SEGA officially announces Rome: Total War Gold Edition ( story).
Word is: SAN FRANCISCO (February 8,
2006) – SEGAÒ of America, Inc. today announced that Rome: Total Warä Gold
Edition will be available at retail outlets across the country beginning
February 15, 2006 for a suggested retail price of $39.95. This official
compilation combines the critically acclaimed real-time strategy game Rome:
Total War and its expansion, Rome: Total War - Barbarian Invasionä, giving new
gamers the opportunity to enjoy the greatest Total Warä games ever made in one
amazing package.
“The Total War franchise has become synonymous with epic warfare and
unprecedented scale, and Rome: Total War is the best in the series so far,” said
Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of Marketing, SEGA of America, Inc. “The
press and fans have expressed incredible enthusiasm for the gameplay in Rome and
Barbarian Invasion, and we are pleased to present a collection that allows new
gamers to experience both critically acclaimed titles at once.”
Since its launch in September 2004, Rome: Total War has achieved unprecedented
critical acclaim, earning the Strategy Game of the Year award from the Academy
of Interactive Arts & Sciences* and from leading Internet magazines, GameSpot
and IGN. Barbarian Invasion also garnered the Expansion Pack of the Year award
from Computer Games Magazine in 2005.
In Rome: Total War, you are put in charge of one of three Roman families. You
must increase your family’s power in Rome through diplomacy, economic skill, and
of course, war! Fight epic battles of awe-inspiring scale, commanding 10,000
men, while negotiating a century-spanning campaign across Europe and Africa.
Ultimately you must take Rome and forge the greatest empire of the ancient
world.
The official expansion, Barbarian Invasion, turns the tables and challenges you
to destroy the Roman Empire. Rome has passed its zenith and the mighty empire
now lies weak and crumbling. As one of several new barbarian factions, will you
show mercy to Rome or crush your oppressors with the same callous and calculated
tactics they used to enslave you? Rome will be your prize; claim it!
For more information about Rome and the Total War series, visit
www.totalwar.com.
Gamecloud
reports that the pending lawsuits between Xfire & Yahoo ( story
and story) have been settled. The source of this is
the Xfire's forum, but neither that post, nor subsequent follow-ups have
uncovered details on the settlement.
- Prey
Prey
for Something Different on Next Generation asks Human Head's Chris
Rhinehart to pray tell of their upcoming first person shooter: "When we
were first talking about Prey, we wanted the ability to walk on walls and
walk on the ceiling. Because we're dealing in alien environments, we can do
that - it's part of the alien structures. While we were doing this, we
decided we didn't need ladders or anything more either, so we trimmed those
out of the design. If you want to get from a low-point to a high-point,
we've got these wall-walk surfaces. You're basically kind of stuck to them,
so if you get shot, you're not going to get knocked off of it. Originally,
we made it so you would fall off of them, but that was totally not fair. The
only way you can get off of these surfaces is if you walk off of it or jump,
so you just hit the jump key and you'll flip off."
- TimeShift
Gamecloud's
Timeshift Q&A talks with Matthew Karch of Saber Interactive about their
4D first-person shooter: "In some respects it has made the game harder and
in some it has made it easier. It is harder because we have had to design
the game very differently than standard shooters. The ability to control
time has required us to come up with creative ways to place opponents and to
ensure that the level of difficulty is just right. From both a design and
programming standpoint, the time features have made the game much more of a
challenge than a standard shooter."
- Neverwinter Nights 2
Shacknews'
Neverwinter Nights 2 Q&A talks with Ferret Baudoin of Obsidian
Entertainment about the D&D RPG sequel: "We started with the Aurora engine
as a base, but many parts of it have been rewritten completely. But having
Aurora has freed us up to do a great deal. We've got new spells, new feats
and a new ruleset we're using. The AI has also been taught a few new tricks
which should make dungeon romping a tad more exciting. (Insert DM cackling
when those fun little tricks are revealed!)"
- Auto Assault
The
Auto Assault Q&A on GameSpot discusses 'Polishing, Tweaking, and
Last-Minute Additions' in NetDevil's upcoming MMORPG with Scott Brown:
"Players are really having fun with the destructive nature of the game. It
seems to be a great deal of fun to drive around and destroy just about every
object in the world. Auto Assault is still a role-playing game, however, and
as such, people also seem to enjoy the dynamic loot system, which generates
a large variety of unique loot."
- C&C: The First Decade
Gamecloud's
Command & Conquer: The First Decade Q&A discusses the just-released RTS
compilation with EA's Louis Castle: "One of the things that I found
surprising is that even when you are certain you have designed every
possible combination of units or strategies, minutes after letting a group
of fans play, you find out you didn't find half of what's possible. This
single aspect of RTS keeps me coming back again and again. It is a puzzle
that has no closed solution set."
- EverQuest: Prophecy of RO
The
EverQuest: Prophecy of RO Q&A #2 on MMORPG.COM continues to discuss the
upcoming MMORPG expansion with lead designer Travis McGeathy: "The ability
to set traps will be available to players through a series of new
disciplines and spells that players can learn. By using these abilities,
players can place a trap where they are standing and when an NPC comes
within range of it, the trap will trigger and cause harm to the NPC. There
are a wide variety of traps that players can set, ranging from simple bear
traps to magical wards. Player-set traps can only be triggered by NPCs in
most cases, even in PvP environments."
- Lord British
An
audience with Lord British on GameSpot is a Q&A with the designer about
his career and joining the AIAS hall of fame: "Hmm. I have three games that
I'm really the most proud of. They're Ultima IV, Ultima VII, and Ultima
Online. I think what you'll see--especially in the first two examples-- that
I'm most proud of, is trying to imbue in the computer games not just game
mechanics, but also a sense of literary storytelling. To try to create
settings and characters and reasons to be there and things to do while
you're there that go beyond 'fight the next monster, collect the next level
of treasure, cash it in and then level up."
- Music
The
Stephen Rippy Q&A on Music 4 Games talks with the composer about the
soundtrack for Age of Empires III.
TheSims2.com now offers downloads of a new patch for The Sims 2: Nightlife,
updating the expanded edition of the wee people simulator to version 1.2.0.355
(thanks Frans).
As noted in
Ryan Gordon's .plan,
Icculus.org offers downloads of a new patch for OS X Postal 2, updating the
Mac edition of Running with Scissors' first-person shooter to version 1409.2.
This EA
Sports Page now offers downloads a new roster update for the PC edition of
Madden NFL 06 for those unable to install it automatically. The update is
required to compete online. Thanks Frans.
Ran quite late after being slowed with some ear pain, and ended up crossing over
into the future, hence this morning update instead of last night's evening
round-up.
Damn, we don't have hovercars yet?
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