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Archived News:
The Wild Earth Website has word that
Super X Studios' IGF-winning wildlife game is now available (thanks Frans), and
they are offering a trial version of the game for a 48.8 MB download. Word is:
Wild Earth sends players of all ages on a breathtaking safari through the
plains of Africa. Their mission: to explore the wild and capture on film the
essence and beauty of the natural world around them. Your photos become an
integral part of articles that are created from your own experiences!
As noted in the
Atari
Forums, the
Navy Invader Mod (direct link) is now available for Act of War: High
Treason, Eugen's RTS sequel. Here's how they describe this resource-free game
mode: "The Navy Invaders Mod allows you to pit your naval strategic genius
against one or more A.I. opponents trying to destroy your base with hordes of
aggressive warships!"
A Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway Teaser Site
is online, offering a preliminary home to Gearbox Software's upcoming World War
II shooter sequel. To start things off, the site offers one new screenshot.
Also, a new Star Trek
Games Website is live as home to Bethesda Softworks' upcoming Trekkie games.
Included are new
Star Trek
Legacy screenshots and a new
Star Trek Legacy
FAQ. Finally, the
Madden NFL 07 Homepage is online with the shocking revelation that the
football series will continue, and offering a
Madden NFL 07 Blog
penned by Matt Leinart.
EA Settles Engineer
Class Action on Overtime (thanks Frans) has news that the class action suit
against EA about overtime compensation ( story) has been settled.
If this seems familiar, it's because it is, as this has been reported before
( story), though perhaps this is the settlement of a different
case. In any event, the story is remarkably similar to the older one, including
the stipulation that this must be approved by the courts before being official,
though the newer settlement is for $0.7 million less, and the overflow charity
is now the Ronald McDonald House.
- Age of Conan: Hyborean Adventures on
GameSpy.
Several features.
- Enemy Territory: Quake Wars on
GameSpot.
BTW, this is TV
Turnoff Week… I'm not really doing my part, maybe some of
you are doing better.
As
announced here, a new patch for The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for
Middle-earth II is now available, offering the promised ( story
and story) version 1.03 update for the Tolkien-inspired RTS
sequel. The update is available automatically from within the game, or for
download from the EA
FTP server, and details are in
the change notes. The patch is mirrored on
3D Downloads, 3D Gamers,
Strategy Informer,
VGPRO,
and Worthplaying.
A new patch for Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords is now available,
updating the space strategy sequel to version 1.1. The patch is available along
with change notes on the
Galactic
Civilizations II Website.
EA and Lionhead
Return to Eden With Black & White 2 Battle of the Gods Expansion Pack has
word that Lionhead's god game sequel expansion is shipping, and will be
available over the coming few days: REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--April 25, 2006--The battle for Eden rages on! Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS
- News) and Lionhead Studios today announced that Black & White® 2: Battle of
the Gods has begun to ship to retail outlets and will be available April 28,
2006 via the EA(TM) downloader at www.downloader.ea.com.
The Battle of the Gods expansion pack for Black & White® 2 offers players a host
of new challenges in a darker, more sinister game world. In the expansion pack,
players return to Eden where something strange has happened: The Aztecs have
raised their own evil deity, which must be confronted head-on for control of the
land. Players have the freedom to choose how they will rise to this new
challenge -- by countering the evil deity's actions with good deeds or
attempting to defeat him with extreme evil.
A new
Battlefield 2 Community Update (thanks Frans) has plans for the upcoming
version 1.3 patch for the military shooter: Although the 1.3 patch is
still being worked on we wanted to provide a peek at what you can expect with
the coming release:
NEW FEATURES
• Co-op: Co-op Mode allows you to play Single Player levels
on the Internet and LAN with both AI controlled bots and human players. Several
new options have been created that will allow the server creator to modify how
the bots behave in game.
• Air dropped vehicles: Squad members can now send a request
up the chain of command for a vehicle to be dropped at their location.
BUG FIXES & GAME PLAY TWEAKS
• Prevented ban list from being cleared in the event of a
server crash.
• Fixed issue with players not properly ranking up on servers
where they continuously play.
• Fixed bug where friendly vehicles show up as valid targets.
• Friendly Vehicle lock: Lock-on weapons do not lock on to
friendly vehicles. The box with an X through it will still appear, but a lock
tone will not sound and then if fired, the missile will not track the friendly
target.
Keep in mind this is only a part of what 1.3 will include. Our live team is
working diligently to provide the best update possible in preparation for the
release of the Armored Fury booster pack!
Lighthouse Interactive announces Ship Simulator 2006, to set sail in Europe
mid-June.
The
product section for the game has some screenshots and
the official website offers info and
movies (thanks Frans). Here's word: Ship Simulator 2006 is a
revolutionary new game that puts players at the helm of some of the most varied
and detailed ships to be found at sea, where they will need to perform a
multitude of tasks, all set within a stunning 3D environment. Players will take
control of a wide array of ship types, from massive cargo ships to speedboats,
yachts, water taxis and even the mighty Titanic. The waters you sail are also as
varied as the ships, from the biggest harbours in the world, such as Rotterdam
and Hamburg, to the calm aqua marine waters of the Thai Phi Phi Islands. Gamers
will experience how challenging it is to steer the Titanic through shallow
water, or just how it feels to navigate a cargo tanker or tug boat - including
how diverse the controls are.
Furious Soccer
Acquisition is the press release announcing Soccer Fury, a game that doesn't
quite pay homage to the hooligans that make with the occasional riot, but is
close, as it features three-on-three soccer combined with martial arts (of all
things). The Soccer Fury Website is
live, with some info and concept art, and here's a bit: Created in
collaboration with award-winning developer Digital Legends Entertainment, Soccer
FuryTM is just one of NCsoft's new multiplayer games that will be part of an
online gaming hub at PlayNC.com. All PlayNC titles will be fully-featured, high
quality PC games that are playable over the Internet.
Soccer FuryTM is a three-on-three arcade action game combining street soccer
with spectacular fighting techniques. Tap into a devastating arsenal of martial
arts, trick moves and team tactics as you power your way up the field and tear
down the opposition in epic online pitched battles.
No rules. No limits. No mercy. Nothing can stop the frenzied action from
reaching fever pitch, as teams compete for wins and fight for goal glory. Played
out in the lawless back streets of the urban jungle, Soccer FuryTM players live
purely for the passion and recognition that comes with being the best!
America's Army in
Mac Platform No Longer Supported is an article uncovering how Mac support
has been dropped along the way for America's Army, pointing out that that Linux
and Mac support are in the hands of portmaster Ryan Gordon.
Ryan's. plan file sheds light on this: The problem, though, is that
I'm a busy, busy guy. There are paying clients that are waiting for me to give
them my attention, and my TODO list is continuing to grow. There are clients I
work for, too many pro bono ports that I think are important, personal projects
and experiments, open source stuff that needs love and care...I really do try to
make everyone happy, and spend almost every waking hour in a debugger to do so,
but as all the people still emailing me for UTPG updates can tell you, sometimes
things just get flat out dropped. There are only so many hours in the day, even
when I use each at maximum efficiency.
Sadly, the ArmyGame project is about to teeter into this category.
2.7 is coming soon, and I'm still fighting with the 2.6 clients. Future versions
of the game will be adding more middleware that I can't keep up with and for
which no one will be footing the bill. The Army, I think, probably sees these
freebie ports as a nuisance, since they're almost always late, and all they see
are complaints from the Mac and Linux users about delays in a project they
thought they axed several releases ago.
To be clear, there aren't plans to abandon the Linux server at this point, but
at this time, the non-Windows clients are basically gone.
What you can do: nothing. Please don't email anyone about this, don't offer to
send money. It's just how this goes for now. The client may resurface at some
point, but don't hold your breath at this time. 2.6 might still make it out the
door, 2.7 probably won't.
Apple's Boot Camp had nothing to do with this, either, as some forum people have
apparently decided. That being said, lucky you if you have an Intel Mac: you can
boot to Windows to keep playing. Linux users can try their luck with Wine,
Cedega, or Windows itself.
Seriously!
Downloads now offers a new patch for Serious Sam 2, updating Croteam's
shooter sequel to version 2.070. The update addresses some bugs, and
incorporates the Serious editing tools in the release. The patch is mirrored on
3D Gamers,
Gamer's Hell, and
Strategy Informer.
TheSims2.com offers a new patch for Sims 2: Family Fun Stuff that's
compatible with all language editions of the wee people expansion. The update
addresses a couple of bugs. Thanks {fpv].
- Project Offset
The
Project Offset Website now offers new even-larger high-definition
versions of the recent trailer showing off Offset Software's upcoming
first-person shooter. The site now offers a huge 1280x720 edition and an
even huger
1920x1080 edition
(direct link) of the GDC 2006 clip. Thanks Frans.
- Cossacks II: Battle for Europe
A new Cossacks II: Battle
for Europe movie is now available from the upcoming RTS expansion. The movie
is available on
3D Downloads, 3D
Gamers, Gamer's Hell,
and Worthplaying.
- Hard to be a God
A new Hard to be a God clip shows off the
upcoming futile attempt to generate sympathy for deities. The clip is
available on the Burut Website
along with the movie from last year's E3. Thanks Frans.
- X-Men: The Official Game
A pair of new X-Men: The Official
Game movies show off the Iceman and the Silver Samurai from the upcoming
mutated movie tie-in. The clips are available on
3D Downloads, 3D
Gamers, Gamer's Hell, and
Strategy Informer.
The latest installment in
Shawn's Blog on the SiN Episodes Website reminds us that Sin Episodes:
Emergence is currently being preloaded over Steam. The update then goes on to
discuss how they are gearing up for the second installment in the episodic
shooter sequel.
The Deer Drive Downloads Page
offers the try before you buy release of this hunting game. The download is 23
MB and the full version can be purchased from within the trial version. Thanks
Frans.
- Star Trek: Legacy
The
Star Trek: Legacy Q&A on GameRadio.de talks with Gary Conti about the
upcoming Star Trek game: "Right now I can’t mention the exact number of
missions. What I can tell you is that there will be a similar amount of
missions that occur in each era (Enterprise, TOS, and TNG), and that while
your foes may be of a different race between eras, you will be pursuing the
same greater goal throughout the Campaigns. During specific missions, you
will be involved with (to name a few) search and rescue, search and destroy,
defensive coordination, subversion, stealth, and capture objectives."
- Titan Quest
The
Titan Quest Q&A on
1Up talks with Iron Lore about their upcoming action/RPG: "The plot
changed as the physical requirements of the game changed, and by physical
requirements I mean the realities of production. Settings we originally were
working toward including in the game, and found plot reasons for including,
had to be deleted. Sometimes it was for budget reasons; sometimes because
other aspects of the game were working so well they naturally became
extended. This in essence is quite similar to what happens when I'm writing
a film: I explore scenes. I write more dialogue than will ultimately be in
the finished product, but I have to write those extra parts to get at the
essence. Not to sound glib, but every creative process is unique -- and the
same."
- Diver: Deep Water Adventures
The
Diver: Deep Water Adventures Q&A on Strategy Informer jumps in headfirst
to discuss the upcoming diving game: " I guess nothing more than we have
announced, but we are planning to work in two directions and issue two
different products on underwater themes – sequel of “Diver” which is going
to be a multi-platform military underwater simulator with more action based
on historical events and another one is a sport diving simulator exclusively
for divers. We hope the gaming world will accept and love them!"
- Big Huge Games
VGM
Daily's Podcast 50 is part one of an interview with Brian Reynolds of
Big Huge Games.
Something has been going on with the ads here the last few weeks that was more
than a little out of control. I've gotten the powers-that-be to address this,
and as far as I'm able to tell, the weird multiple pop-ups and full screen
pop-unders have been eliminated (at least for now). There are other discussions
to be had to get further progress on such issues, but hopefully these things are
under control for the moment.
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