|
|
 |
Archived News:
A Sniper Elite demo is now online, offering the chance to test out Rebellion
Software's first- and third-person sharpshooting shooter. The 630 MB download
includes the Karlshorst mission that requires the player to rendezvous with an
informant in Berlin. The demo is available on
3D Downloads, 3D Gamers,
FileFront, Gameguru Mania, and
Worthplaying.
Update: The demo actually offers three missions in total.
This The Sims 2: Open for
Business Czech Fansite reproduces a poster found in the box for The Sims 2:
Open for Business revealing the next planned add-on for the people sim. The
no-brainer continuation of the series will be called Family Fun, and the images
on the poster indicate this fun will include new bedroom furnishings and
matching family outfits with which to traumatize your virtual offspring.
A new SWAT 4:
Gold Edition Product Section (thanks Frans) reveals plans for a Gold bundle
for SWAT 4, the tactical police shooter sequel. The Gold Edition of SWAT 4 will
include the original game along with The Stetchkov Syndicate add-on. The
bundle's release is expected this spring.
The EA FTP Server is
now host to new patches for Battle for Middle-earth, updating the Lord of the
Rings RTS game to version 1.03. The manual patches are only necessary if the
game's automatic update function is not a viable option. Even though it's for
the original game rather than the sequel, for some reason the patch is noted on
the
Battle for Middle-Earth II Website. Full details on what's new can be found
in the patch
notes. Thanks Frans.
VU Games announces a
F.E.A.R. Test Server Program (thanks Ant) where potential changes to the
multiplayer aspect of Monolith's first-person shooter will be tested. Word is:
"The developers will be on themselves trying the changes alongside players.
After testing players will be asked to visit the new testing forum for their
feedback."
GameDaily BIZ
reports that Utah's bill to equate violent video games with pornography has
passed a vote in the state's House of Representatives. The bill still needs to
be ratified by the State Senate, but even those who have already voted for it
acknowledge this bill may not pass Constitutional muster: Added Rep. Ross
Romero, (D-Salt Lake City), "Although violence may not be what we should be
looking to have our kids look at, it does have certain constitutional
protections, unlike pornography."
Hogue and other politicians believe that the bill has a good chance of standing
up in court nonetheless. Rep. Lorie Fowlke (R-Orem) pointed out that HB 257 is
the most narrowly defined legislation of these kinds of violent games bills. "I
think it is worth a try," she said. "Otherwise we give up and say the court will
always determine our values."
A new
producer's letter on the Battle for Middle-earth II Website (thanks Frans)
has the latest from Mike Verdu about their Lord of the Rings RTS sequel. In this
journal Mike discusses the game's multiplayer component, urging those who may
feel intimidated by playing online to give it a shot.
- id Software
The
id Software Q&A on Worthplaying talks with id's CEO Todd Hollenshead
about what they are working on: "The new IP project is the main focus of the
development team at id. We have the other projects that we're working on,
like Wolf, ET:QW, and our efforts in the mobile phone games, but those are
all using other teams as the primary development resource. I'm not sure when
we'll begin discussing details of the new IP, but it will be the next game
developed entirely by id and it WILL be cool."
- The Godfather
PALgaming's
The Godfather Q&A is the latest in-house Q&A from EA about their
upcoming mob movie game, discussing my old stomping grounds of Hell's
Kitchen: "Hell’s Kitchen is generally a run down yet colorful section of New
York City, with a mix of residential and industrial elements. Industrial
sections of cities are generally more dangerous than your average
residential neighborhood, and Hell’s Kitchen was no exception. Historically
it was a densely populated and tenement area set among slaughterhouses,
warehouses, and factories."
- UFO: Extraterrestrials
The
UFO: Extraterrestrials Q&A on RPGDot talks with Michal Dolezal of Chaos
Concepts about UFO: Extraterrestrials, their upcoming out-of-this-world
turn-based strategy game: "The story is quite important. The player gets
information mainly from captured aliens. Scientists make the captured aliens
speak so that the player gets information on how the aliens conquered Earth,
what exactly happened on Earth, why the aliens landed on the Esperanza, why
the aliens attack especially Esperanza's mines and refineries, what are the
alien's weak points, where is their headquarters, what to do to get into
their headquarters, where aliens have built their Starport on Earth and many
other questions which I will have to keep secret."
- Dreamfall
Minstrum.net's
Dreamfall Q&A talks with Funcom's Jorgen Tharaldsen about their upcoming
adventure game sequel to The Longest Journey: "Because we had to, for Funcom
our goal is to be amongst the leading developers in the world, and we focus
on two genres which is adventures and MMO games. To make another point &
click adventure would have meant that we would have targeted the game
towards a niche in the market. By opening up the target and mixing the best
of point & click with lots of things from the modern action mechanics we are
broadening the scope of adventure games. Adventure games used to be biggest
genre of all, but because it was the same mechanics over and over it meant -
especially in the US - that the following shrink down. In many countries in
Europe it's still very popular, but in order to put the budget we're putting
into it we had to increase and had to make what we call a modern adventure.
So that's our goal, to try to innovate the genre. We should see if it works,
but it looks good so far."
Frogster
Interactive now offers a new patch for the German edition of Mad Tracks,
updating the Deutsch driving game to version 1.1. Thanks Frans.
We're off to a party today, celebrating the older of the Smurfs' ninth birthday.
He's a sports nut, so we hope the game we found that tests your pitching skills
(that can even be played indoors) strikes (heh) his fancy. And here's hoping I
can be competitive if we play, since I have a rotator cuff injury from my days
as a weekend warrior. I'll just need to rely on my changeup.
|
Twitter 
