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Archived News:
JoWooD announces Freak Out - Extreme Freeride, a freestyle skiing game in the
works at Coldwood Interactive due on PC and PS2 by the end of this year and on
PSP in Q1 2007: Liezen, Austria, 16th of August 2006: If you`re in
pursuit of adrenaline, powder snow and pure freedom then look no further; That`s
what you’ll get delivered, with „Freak Out!“ - the ultimate freeride skiing
experience coming to PC, PS2 and PSP.
The steepest slopes, thrilling stunts and dangerous action provide a most
excellent skiing experience. At an altitude of 2000 metres, far away from
civilization, in a battle between you and nature. Who rides the craziest track,
where does the next jump lead to; speed, tricks or staying upright ? Only those
who are willing to push their own boundaries will experience the ultimate
adrenaline rush!
S2 Games announces Savage 2 Clan League,
an automated clan system for Savage 2: A Tortured Soul, their upcoming FPS/RTS
hybrid. Here's the announcement, though the site says "coming soon," so the part
about signing your clan up now is premature: (Rohnert Park, CA) – August
16, 2006 - Developer S2 Games today announced the Savage 2 Clan League (SCL), an
automated clan system for the highly anticipated upcoming PC title, Savage 2: A
Tortured Soul, which launches in November 2006 as a direct download from the S2
Games Website for $29.99 USD.
The SCL will offer fully automated clan administration as well as statistics
tracking and will be tied directly to the Savage 2 game engine and official
stats system. It will provide a comprehensive clan management and ranking system
offering 100% free clan site hosting, XML information distribution for
externally hosted clan sites, fully customizable clan site building tools, and
in-game clan logo support.
“Clans are such an integral part of multiplayer gaming and supporting that
community is absolutely vital – especially for a game like Savage 2,” said Marc
DeForest, co-founder and lead designer, S2 Games. “As an indie developer and
publisher our allegiance is to our fans and our focus is on making an
outstanding and complete game that will live up to their expectations.”
To sign up your clan, visit
http://www.savage2clans.com/.
Turbine announces that the third content module is now live for Dungeons &
Dragons Online: The Litany of the Dead Part One module features five
compelling new dungeons that provide a variety of additional content for
advanced players in the game, including surprises around every corner that will
challenge the most jaded adventurer. The Litany of the Dead Part One is the
first in a series of three planned modules that will provide new content and
features for DDO. Turbine will continue to release additional modules over time
that add new content, features, and other improvements to the hit MMOG.
An updated trial version of Distant Guns is now available, offering an updated
sample of Storm Eagle Studios' naval combat game that incorporates various
improvements and bug fixes. As before the trial allows 30 plays of the game over
a 30 day period using the full game, which can be unlocked via a key that can be
purchased online. The download can be found on
3D Gamers,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
and Worthplaying.
The
Project Xenoclone Downloads offers an updated version of the demo for this
top-down shooter. The update reduces the number of monsters in the demo, easing
its difficulty in an effort to make it more accessible.
- Just Cause
A new Just Cause movie shows off a longer
sample of Avalanche Studios' third-person action game than the recent
mini-clips. this trailer can be found on
3D Gamers,
GameSpot, and
Worthplaying.
- Broken Sword: The Angel of Death
A new movie shows off the
coming fourth installment in Revolution Software's adventure series. The
clip offers high-resolution in-game footage introducing the main characters,
narrated by Revolution's Charles Cecil. The download is available on
3D Gamers,
FileFront, Gamer's
Hell, and
Worthplaying.
- Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
An expanded final
version of the E3 movie (story) for Mythic's upcoming MMORPG
is available on 3D
Gamers,
Warhammer Alliance, Also,
Warhammer Alliance's Q&A with Jed and Leo of Blur Studios talks with the
creators of the trailer.
- Pac-Man World Rally
A new Pac-Man World Rally movie shows
off more of the pill-popping driving game, available on
3D Gamers,
FileFront, Gamer's
Hell, and
Worthplaying.
- Neverwinter Nights 2
GameDaily's
Neverwinter Nights 2 Q&A chats up Obsidian's Chris Avellone in an
article-format conversation: "The fact that you actually have companion
control directly allows you to approach situations much more tactfully than
you did in the first game. You have to pay very close attention to the spell
queue for your companions and who you want for them to attack. Because you
have that sort of control over them, it makes your decisions almost three
times as important as they were in the first game. Alternately, if you
prefer not to take control of your companions, we do have an AI option for
each of them, and the AI tends to be pretty smart as well."
- World of Warcraft
The latest
Blizzard Insider
is live (thanks WorldofWar.Net)
offers a Q&A with lead designer Tom Chilton discussing the future of PvP
combat in World of Warcraft. The interview is available in audio mp3 format
or as a transcript. There is also an article discussing the addition of
outdoor PvP combat in a coming patch.
- Bad Day L.A.
The
Bad Day L.A. Q&A on GameSpot discusses the upcoming action game with a
homeless hero with American McGee: "The only thing I wish we had done
differently was make more of a statement regarding these things. I was
worried that by the time the game was released, the concept of 'fear
culture' in the US would have been replaced by a more sensible worldview. If
anything, since we began development on the game things seem to have only
gotten worse--bird flu, dirty bombs, domestic terrorist cells, and
government eavesdropping, to name a few issues. We probably could have
incorporated these elements into the game's social commentary. I guess we'll
have to wait for Bad Day L.A. 2 to address those new threats. (Badder Day
L.A. anyone?!)."
- Sid Meier's Railroads!
The
Sid Meier's Railroads! Q&A on Hooked on Games talks with Firaxis' Barry
Caudill about the railroading sim: "We felt the Tycoon name had been
overused in the marketplace and didn’t carry the same meaning it did when
Sid first invented the genre. For every solid game like Roller Coaster
Tycoon or Monopoly Tycoon (a vastly underrated game), there are numerous
stinkers like Mall Tycoon or heaven forbid, Prison and Hell Tycoons. Also,
we didn’t want people to assume this was RRT4 because it is much more of a
return to the train-focused gameplay of Sid’s original title... and Sid is
designing this one."
- Field Ops
The
Field
Ops Q&A on Computer and Video Games seeks more information on Freeze
Interactive's FPS/RTS hybrid by interrogating executive producer Mourad
Majeri: "There will be lots of various objectives inside the same mission.
For instance, in Afghanistan, one mission consists of protecting a village
(your position) and at the same time, destroying three different bridges
used by the enemy forces to reinforce their assault. Importantly the player
will face many different and diverse challenges such as: Protect a location
or target, extract a VIP, destruct/destroy a terrorist facility, and
eliminate a terrorist leader."
- Eidos
Living
Legend on Eurogamer is another Q&A with Ian Livingstone of Eidos
discussing the Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival, Tomb Raider,
and changes to E3: "Well, you've got to get a bang for your buck really.
You've got to be able to control costs and show a genuine return for your
investment. E3 has pretty much got out of hand in most people's eyes, and it
was unsustainable. Especially in these days of transition when there's a lot
of pressure on the industry to perform. There's always, when you go through
a transition, a period of uncertainty - what platforms are going to be
successful, et cetera - so there's a lot of high risk at this moment in
time, and publishers in particular are nervous about spending too much money
anyway. So if you can control those costs, it can only be a good thing."
- Africa
RPG
Vault's Africa Q&A - Part 2 continues their discussion of Rapid
Reality's upcoming MMORPG based on the Toto song: "Players can equip a vast
arsenal of swords, spears, axes, bows, shields, helms and armor. The items
in our armory are startlingly fresh and original. Azande swords and Kreish
throwing knives are unlike anything players have encountered in an MMO.
Players can wear leather and chain armor if they wish, or they can opt for
speed and mobility by employing body paints that act like buffs, protective
charms, hunting shirts or other magical protections to ward off blows."
Phantom
Game Service Goes Software Only has details on the revelation on the
Phantom
Entertainment Website that the Phantom console will live up to countless
predictions by never materializing as a retail product, and outlines the change
in plan that will launch the Phantom service as Windows software, gamely
claiming to be pioneering this already crowded field: The Phantom Game
Service brings high-quality gaming to you with an always-on, broadband-connected
gaming service. It delivers convenience, ease of use, instant gratification, and
the broadest range of games, including a large library of the latest releases as
well as hard-to-find games.
The Phantom® Game Service is pioneering a whole new method of distributing games
that benefits consumers, publishers and retailers, and makes the dream of being
able to purchase any game, at any time, from the comfort of the family room a
reality.
The pups got clean bills of health from the vet today, and my grooming even
earned a complement (just call me Monsieur Blue). The doggies had a fine old
time, as they love the vet, which makes my life a lot easier. I even got to test
my recent efforts at training Hudson the wonder dog to heed me better when
things get hairy after a Pit Bull challenged her, and she listened to my orders
to sit quietly rather than match his level of frenzy, which she would formerly
have done. Chalk it all up to watching a few episodes of The Dog Whisperer
(seriously!).
The Joint Task Force Website
(thanks chip5541) has the short and simple announcement that Joint Task Force is
gold, and Most Wanted Entertainment's RTS game is due in stores next month:
The countdown is on!
HD Publishing, Sierra and Most Wanted Entertainment are proud to announce that
'Joint Task Force' is GOLD and is ready to launch mid September 2006!!
The promised Caesar IV demo is now available, offering the chance to try your
hand at building a city in Tilted Mill's upcoming strategy/management sequel.
The 446 MB download is co-premieres on
3D Gamers and
FilePlanet (registration required), and it is mirrored on
3D Downloads,
ActionTrip,
Boomtown (registration required),
Computer Games,
Filecloud (registration required),
FileFront, Gameguru Mania,
Gamer's Hell,
GameSpot (registration required),
Strategy
Informer, and
Worthplaying.
New F.E.A.R. patches and servers are now available, bringing Monolith's
frightening first-person shooter to version 1.07. The update paves the way for
the release of the free F.E.A.R. Combat multiplayer game (expected for release
tomorrow), adds three new maps, along with other new features and bug fixes. The
story on the F.E.A.R. Website
outlines a possible issue with the patch for owners of direct download versions
of the game. The patches are accompanied by new Win32 and Linux servers,
available on
the Sierra Website and mirrored on
3D Gamers,
Gameguru Mania,
Gamer's Hell,
The Patches Scrolls, and
Worthplaying.
A new
F.E.A.R. Combat Guide (thanks Frans) is now available as an introduction to
tomorrow's free F.E.A.R. multiplayer game. This Prima guide is a 2MB Adobe Acrobat file.
New English patches for Darkstar One are now available, updating Ascaron's space
combat game to version 1.2 beta. There are separate patches for the U.S. edition
and the U.K. edition, available on
The Darkstar One
Forums (thanks The Patches Scrolls).
EA Expands Dark Age
of Camelot With Labyrinth of the Minotaur (thanks Frans) announces a seventh
expansion for EA/Mythic's MMORPG: REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Aug. 16, 2006--Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS - News) announced today
Labyrinth of the Minotaur, the seventh expansion to the epic fantasy MMORPG Dark
Age of Camelot. Currently in development at EA Mythic (formerly Mythic
Entertainment), the expansion is scheduled to ship in the US in late 2006 for
the PC.
"I can't think of any better way to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Dark Age of
Camelot than with the release of a new expansion for the players," said Walt
Yarbrough, Producer of Dark Age of Camelot. "This exciting, story-driven content
will bring new thrills to an already vibrant and thriving game world. There is
no better time to be playing Camelot than right now!"
The ancient race of Minotaur has returned to Camelot, and they seek the help of
the mightiest warriors from the three warring Realms. Powerful Minotaur Relics,
long hidden and sealed away, have been unearthed, and their corrupting influence
now threatens the world of Camelot.
To combat this growing evil, Labyrinth of the Minotaur introduces the first new
playable race to the Realms in two years -- the Minotaur. Half man, half bull,
the Minotaur's strength is so great he can wield two-handed weapons with a
single hand. The introduction of this new race will allow even the most seasoned
players to experience the world of Camelot from an entirely new
perspective.
ANACONDA reveals a new adventure game called Gray Matter being created by Jane
Jensen, inarguably a legend in the world of adventure gaming. The game will be
unveiled at the Leipzig Games Convention, and here is what they are revealing in
the meantime: Hamburg, Germany: August 16, 2006 – ANACONDA is bringing a
star developer to the Leipzig Games Convention: Queen of adventure gaming, Jane
Jensen, author of the immensely popular “Gabriel Knight” trilogy, will
exclusively announce and present her adventure game project “Gray Matter” at a
press conference. ANACONDA will publish “Gray Matter” worldwide in the 4th
quarter of 2007. Following the press conference, Jane Jensen will give
autographs at the ANACONDA Theatre (hall 5, booth G02) – a one time chance for
adventure fans to grace their Jane Jensen games with the game designer’s
signature and meet the queen of adventure games in person. The signing will
start at 12:30h.
Claas Wolter, ANACONDA/dtp PR Manager is sure gamers will jump at the chance:
“Adventure gaming fans should not miss this one-time opportunity – this is Jane
Jensen’s first visit to Germany in many, many years – and “Gray Matter” is her
first adventure game since 1999.”
Publisher dtp announces Red Ocean, a first-person shooter in the works at
Collision Studios that puts the player in the role of a diving instructor and
treasure hunter contending with terrorists and water "in all 3 states of
aggregation." Here's word on the game, due in February 2007: Hamburg,
Germany: August 16, 2006 – German publisher dtp entertainment AG today announced
Red Ocean, a new action game: the first person shooter will be release under the
ANACONDA label in February 2007.
Red Ocean combines innovative shooter gameplay with unique underwater elements.
Players take on the role of diving instructor and treasure hunter Jack Hard, who
stumbles upon a secret Russian cold war research station deep underneath the
ocean surface. As he discovers, it is controlled by a terrorist organization –
and before he knows it, he gets caught in their nefarious schemes.
The unique twist: players will deal with water in all 3 states of aggregation:
in liquid form it not only enables you to approach enemies unnoticed by diving
but can also conveniently drown a baddie. At sub-zero temperatures it quickly
becomes a dangerously slippery surface and hot steam is nothing to mess with
either – whether above or below the water line, Red Ocean is sure to take your
breath away.
Red Ocean is being developed by Collision Studios.
The Patch 1.4 Statement from DICE ... on the EA Forums (thanks Ant) has
word that the release date for the next Battlefield 2 patch
( story) is now TBD, so clearly things have taken a turn for the
worse for a patch that was planned for release yesterday ( story).
To help make up for the delay they have posted some patch notes outlining the
numerous planned bug-fixes, including another stab at the red/blue nametag bug
that has plagued the game since its release. The Battlefield team follows-up
this news with
a statement on what's up, and a warning about the leaked beta patch:
As many of you are now aware we have made the choice to take some extra
time with the 1.4 patch before release. During our standard final processing of
the 1.4 client update we came across an issue that, although it does not
compromise stability, we felt needed to be addressed in order to meet our goal
of improving the overall player experience with Battlefield 2. It has come to
our attention that a beta version of the 1.4 client has leaked to the general
public. It should be noted by players that this file is not final and being such
could cause damage to players systems. We want to warn players to avoid the use
of any client files that are not distributed by EA/DICE or one of our trusted
partners. Once we have set a new schedule for release we will communicate this
information to everyone.
Following yesterday's revelation that Company of Heroes is gold
( story) come the official announcement via a
THQ press release:
AGOURA HILLS, Calif., Aug. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- THQ Inc. (Nasdaq:
THQI - News) today announced that highly anticipated Company of Heroes(TM),
developed by internal studio Relic Entertainment, has reached the gold master
stage of development and is now entering manufacturing. Powered by Relic's
proprietary next-generation Essence Engine(TM), Company of Heroes(TM) delivers
stunning cinematic visuals, completely destructible environments, and the some
of the most realistic artificial intelligence to date. The game is scheduled to
be in stores for Windows PC on September 14, 2006.
The first patch for the German edition of Star Wolves 2 is now available,
updating Xbow Software's space combat game to version #1. The download is
available on
3D Downloads, 3D Gamers
and
FileFront.
A new Company of Heroes movie shows off Relic's now-gold World War II RTS game,
offering a mix of gameplay and cinematics. The clip is available on
3D Gamers,
GameSpot,
Strategy Informer, and
Worthplaying.
Also, a new Sword of the Stars movie shows off more of Kerberos Productions'
upcoming 4X space game, the "Repensum est Canicula" movie includes both
cinematic and gameplay footage. The clip is available on
3D Gamers,
Strategy Informer, and
Worthplaying.
- Eidos
Changing
Times on GamesIndustry.biz (thanks Mike Martinez) is a Q&A with Ian Livingstone,
talking with the former Chairman and current Product Acquisition Director of
Eidos about their plans for the Leipzig Games Convention: "The beauty about
being an independent publisher is that you can support any platform, of
course, and we are going to support all three. It's quite apparent that it's
going to be a much closer race this time around. Sony has had a recent
history of being the clear winner, and I don't think anybody believes that's
going to be the case this time. It's going to be a much closer race and
significantly, I think Nintendo, with the Wii console, is going to be right
back up in the thick of it. It's quite interesting that they've decided not
to go head-to-head with Microsoft and Sony, with the high quality
interactive cinematic action adventure games; they've gone for gameplay over
graphics instead. I think that's quite an interesting move and it could be
very successful for them."
- TimeShift
The
TimeShift
Q&A on FiringSquad talks with Matthew Karch of Saber Interactive about
their upcoming 4D shooter, learning how the change in publishers has
impacted the project: "Developing TimeShift was a challenge on nearly every
front. It was a challenge coming up with the timeshifting mechanic and
creating a consistent set of gameplay rules, it was a challenge implementing
them and it was a challenge balancing them so that they smoothly enrich
gameplay instead of breaking it. Happily, we’ve answered all of these
difficult questions with solutions that make logical sense while being a
blast to play."
- Company of Heroes on
GameSpot. Designer Diary #5 - Building a Better Real-Time Strategy
Battlefield.
- DEFCON on
PC Format Blog.
- Neverwinter Nights 2 on
Games Radar.
- Tiger Woods 07 on
IGN. Next-Gen
Courses.
Bethesda Softworks
has a bunch of new job openings listed, as they seek a new Associate Producer,
Sales Director, Project Manager, and PR/Marketing Manager. That page also lists
other developer positions they still have open.
Off to the Vet with the pooches. It is no coincidence that I groomed them up
yesterday, not doing so seemed like going to the people doctor without bathing
or Dr. Toothy without having brushed my teeth.
R.I.P.:
Character actor Bruno Kirby, 57, dies.
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