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Archived News:
Myelin Media announces development is all in on STACKED with Daniel Negreanu,
and their game based on the phenomenal success of Texas Hold 'em Poker is due in
stores next week: Myelin Media LLC, a publisher of interactive
entertainment software, today announced that their Texas Hold ‘Em game, STACKED™
with Daniel Negreanu, has gone gold for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment
system, Xbox® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and the PC.
The most advanced poker simulation ever created, STACKED boasts an exclusive
learning artificial intelligence solution, involvement from seven of poker’s
most successful and charismatic players, as well as support for massive
sanctioned online tournaments.
The first poker video game to capture the strategy and excitement of the game
that has taken the world by storm, STACKED has exclusive license to the
university-developed Poki AI system to deliver a remarkably advanced
single-player experience. A learning system, Poki observes how each player
approaches the game, devising and implementing new strategies for victory and
encouraging the player to vary their style of play. Also, featuring seven of the
world’s most successful poker pros, players will have the opportunity to go
head-to-head against Josh Arieh, Jennifer Harman, Erick Lindgren, Juan Carlos
Mortensen, Evelyn Ng and David Williams, each with a custom AI style that
matches their real-world play style.
Further, STACKED takes Texas Hold ‘Em online like never before with MTV STACKED
Masters, a breakthrough online system that lets players host large scale
tournaments and single game tables with a group of friends. Sanctioned
tournaments will be regularly announced on the game’s official web site, letting
top ranked players compete in a multi-table ladder structure with hundreds of
other players for a shot at poker immortality in the MTV STACKED Masters Hall of
Fame.
STACKED is rated T for Teen by the ESRB and will be available on May 30th at a
suggested retail price of $29.99. For more information about STACKED with Daniel
Negreanu, please visit stacked.mtv.com.
The Might and Magic Website
is now accepting sign-ups for closed beta testing of Dark Messiah of Might and
Magic, the upcoming Source-engine first-person combat game. Word is: "There are
limited places so you may not get in but good luck to those who do get in!"
ATI Customer Care now offers new version 6.5 reference drivers for RADEON
accelerators. The update promises performance improvements and compatibility
fixes.
- Battlefield 2: Armored Fury
The
Battlefield 2: Armored Fury Q&A on GameSpot discusses the upcoming BF2
booster pack with Tom Galt of DICE Canada: "Servers do become fragmented
with each release, and that is a predictable result when you release
optional content such as expansion packs or booster packs into a player base
as large and diverse as the Battlefield community. We do our best to cater
to the larger audience by identifying what most players like about existing
content and what they think is missing. Then we try to fill those gaps as
best we can, and get the word out as much as possible."
- Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
The
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic Q&A on GameSpot talks about multiplayer
with Romain de Waubert de Genlis, producer on the upcoming first-person M&M
action game: "In team-based games, you have to fulfill a role within your
team, and your teammates need to be able to clearly understand what that
role will be by briefly looking at you. For example, if a team member is in
need of healing, it should be easy for them to find a healer. The same goes
for your enemies. When you see a group of three guys coming at you, you must
make a tactical decision: Who do I kill first? The ranged damage dealer? The
healer? Should I use my slowing abilities so the melee classes don't get to
me? These kinds of questions are easily answered by the class you have
chosen."
- Age of Mourning
RPG
Vault's Age of Mourning Update Q&A #2 discusses the revived MMORPG with
new developer Loud Ant Software: "We were seeking to enter the MMOG market
but did not want to develop from scratch. This opportunity fit our needs
perfectly. After having the project analyzed by a few development /
consulting firms in the same industry, it turned out this was the proper way
for us to go. The work required to bring our own title to market now is not
large, and will allow us to enter the market fairly quickly, possibly by the
end of the year."
I'll have what Spot is having... touches on something that came up here the
other day: I definitely am one of those people who doesn't eat as well as his
dogs, though thankfully neither I nor the dogs are
obese (thanks Mike Martinez). It occasionally gives me pause that I'm so aware of the
role of nutrition in maintaining good health when it comes to the doggies and so
unwilling to put this into practice when it comes to my own diet.
Valve announces Half-Life 2: Episode One is gold, and the first installment in
what will turn out to be a trilogy of follow-ups to their shooter sequel is due
next week: HALF-LIFE® 2: EPISODE ONE AVAILABLE JUNE 1
Valve Launches First of an Episodic Trilogy
Bellevue, WA, May 22, 2006 - Valve®, developer of the blockbuster series
Half-Life® and Counter-Strike™, announced Half-Life® 2: Episode One has gone
gold. Episode One is the first in a trilogy of episodes that will conclude by
Christmas of 2007.
Half-Life 2: Episode One advances the 15-million unit selling franchise and
launches the first in a new, three-part series that leads far beyond City 17.
Half-Life 2: Episode One does not require Half-Life 2 to play, and will be
available via Steam® and at retail stores in North America for just $19.95 on
June 1st. Also included in Episode One is a first look at Episode Two, which
will ship by year's end.
"Given the rapid changes in PC gaming, we expect episodic games will have the
same impact on single-player gaming that Counter-Strike had on multiplayer,"
said Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve. "The frequent releases of
upgraded technology and new content works better for both consumers and
developers, and is one of the key reasons Counter-Strike grew to be 80% of the
online action market. We decided that a follow-up to Half-Life 2 delivered in 18
months with our first episode was more in tune with what our customers want than
waiting 6 years for another monolithic product."
Episode One offers a new single player experience created by Valve, and is
designed to be four to six hours in length. Stepping into the hazard suit of Dr.
Gordon Freeman, you face the immediate repercussions of your actions in City 17
and the Citadel. Alyx Vance and her robot, Dog, will accompany you in your
efforts to aid in the human resistance's desperate battle against the
totalitarian alien menace of the Combine.
In addition to the new single player experience, two multiplayer games are
included. And those who purchase Episode One will have free access via Steam (www.steamgames.com)
to Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, the interactive technology demo that introduces High
Dynamic Range lighting to the Source™ Engine, Valve's award-winning game
technology.
The promised multiplayer demo for Rush for Berlin is now available, offering a
sample of the alternate-history World War II real-time strategy game from
Stormregion. The demo co-premieres on
3D Gamers and
FilePlanet (registration required),
and the download is mirrored on
3D Downloads,
Boomtown (registration required),
Computer Games,
FileFront, FileNuts,
Gamer's Hell,
GameSpot (registration required),
VGPRO
and Worthplaying.
Accompanying word is: "Over the coming weeks, players from different countries
will play off against each other in a worldwide tournament that will determine
who is the 'Best Rush for Berlin Player'! The ladder competition will play out
on Gamespy Arena and the winners will share hundreds of dollars worth of
prizes!"
A new Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter patch updates GRIN's special ops shooter
sequel to version 1.10, offering tweaks and bug-fixes. There are different
patches for the boxed and download versions of the game, so make sure you get
the one that applies to you. The patches can be found on
the Ghost Recon
Website.
A new version of the Prey E3 movie is now available, upping the ante by offering
a high-definition 1280x720 edition of the trailer for Human Head's upcoming
first-person shooter ( story). The clip is available on
3D
Downloads, 3D Gamers, and
Worthplaying.
- Battlefield 2: Armored Fury
The
Battlefield 2: Armored Fury Q&A on FiringSquad talks with Tom Galt of
DICE Canada about the upcoming BF2 Booster pack: "When concepting [sic] the
Booster Packs, we spent a lot of time browsing the forums for content
suggestions by the community. Something that came up again and again were
new theaters, and the USA was at the top of the list. This was a great fit
for us; after spending the last several years making levels in the Middle
East and Asia, everyone on the team was eager to explore other settings. I
think people are a little bored of fighting over oil now, and an invasion of
America by the Chinese and the MEC really mixes it up and keeps the
experience fresh."
- The Ship
There's a
The
Ship Q&A on working-title chatting with Chris Peck about Outerlight's
upcoming shipboard mystery game: "The idea was always to make a commercial
title. The mod was made as a tool to show publishers how the gameplay
worked, we decided to release the mod online to get some feedback from the
public, and found that was amazingly useful in helping us refine the
gameplay, although there were alot [sic] of great suggestions we didn’t have
time to implement, as we shifted the game from the HL1 engine and onto
Source (HL2). The other reason we made the mod was financial, at the time we
had a small team and limited funds (being that the company is totally funded
from money we raised ourselves, rather than publisher funds), and the HL1
engine was free and easy to use, so provided an excellent platform on which
to make a demo."
- Tabula Rasa
The
Tabula
Rasa Q&A on Boomtown is an article-format Q&A talking with Richard
"Garriot" Garriott about NCsoft's upcoming MMORPG.
Got to make a return trip to the train station after dropping off MrsBlue this
morning, because she forgot her wallet. I figure this is "training" of a sorts:
She's working up to adding one more circuit to this course, and it will be
almost as easy to drop her off in the city directly rather than at the train
station.
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