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Archived News:
A demo for Dreamfall: The Longest Journey offers the chance to sample Funcom's
adventure sequel that was released earlier this year. The demo tops out at a
staggering 3.5 GB, which can be problematic for many browsers that choke on files
larger than 2 GB (an old-fashioned FTP client, if not a download accelerator,
may be in order for this one). The ginorous file can be found on
3D Gamers,
FilePlanet (registration required),
GameSpot, and
Internode
Games Network.
This week's Steam Message acknowledges the extended Steam outages that
resulted from the recent storms in the Seattle area, which has taught Valve they
need some help from the department of redundancy department: It was a
busy and windy week here at Valve. As most of the community knows by now, last
week a major windstorm hit the greater Seattle area. Power outages are fairly
common in the area, but the magnitude of this storm knocked out our datacenter,
resulting in about 20 hours Steam interruption. This was very frustrating for
everyone here and we know it was frustrating for you as well. We learned a lot
and are taking steps to make sure that when the next storm like this hits our
area 15-20 years from now *fingers crossed*, people will still be playing games
on Steam while we are buying flashlight batteries.
A post on the RPG
Codex Forums offers a couple of screenshots from Dropship, the upcoming
project from Michael McCarthy (Troika) and
Laidback Gaming that was
originally mistakenly thought to be titled T-BAR 3/4 ( story).
Word is the game is a turn-based action/RPG set around the moons of Saturn in
the year 2109.
LucasArts sends along word of an Easter egg, or rather a Christmas egg, in LEGO:
Star Wars II - The Original Trilogy that unlocks a Santa Clause
character: Ever wonder how Santa Claus manages to work his way down
chimneys way too small for him? Or how he seems to stop time in order to visit
all of the world's good boys and girls every Christmas morning? LucasArts and TT
Games know the answer: Santa Claus is a Jedi Knight whose amazing Force powers
allow him to pull off such spectacular feats. A long time ago, he came to us
from a galaxy far, far away to exile himself from the Jedi purge led by Darth
Vader. (No... that's not official canon.)
But what would have happened if jolly ol’ Saint Nick had stuck around to assist
the Rebellion? Find out by creating him in LEGO Star Wars II: The Original
Trilogy. Here’s how:
Step 1: At the Mos Eisley Cantina, enter the following two codes:
CL4U5H (for Santa hat and red clothes)
TYH319 (for white beard Extra)
Step 2: Go to the Character Customizer and create the proper costume. Use
a human head, the appropriate red clothing...and don't forget the red cap! Santa
can wield the weapon of your choice -- we recommend the green or red lightsaber
to seasonally complement his shiny red duds. (Remember, the color of his
lightsaber decides whether his Force powers are naughty or nice.)
Step 3: In the Extras menu, activate Disguise 3.
Step 4: Enter the character-based level of your choice in Free Play.
Step 5: Spread holiday cheer to a galaxy in pieces.
A new Sacred 2 Website is online, as a
German home to Ascaron's upcoming RPG sequel, offering an
English Section as well. There are
11 new screenshots along with the game trailer released at E3. Also,
the Plumeboom Website is online as home
to Fireglow Games' casual line.
A new movie from The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar is online,
offering another look at Turbine's upcoming MMORPG set in Middle-earth. One or
both of two versions of the clip can be found on
3D Gamers,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
GameSpot, and
Worthplaying. Also, a new Tomb Raider Anniversary movie shows off the
upcoming remake of the first installment in the adventures of the boobelicious
archaeologist. The clip offering a mix of cinematics and gameplay is available on
3D Downloads, 3D
Gamers,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
- Crysis
The
Crysis-Online Q&A with Jack Mamais (thanks
Voodoo Extreme)
discusses Crysis, Crytek's eagerly anticipated first-person shooter: "There
really aren't any classes, per se, in Power Struggle. The player has
equipment available from the start and he is able to make up his own class.
For instance, if the player purchases a sniper rifle plus a repair kit he is
essentially a sniper/engineer. All of our research for elite teams like
Delta Force indicated that these individuals are adept at many things so we
tried to add this aspect to Crysis. Additionally, there will not be health
kits or medics because every player is equipped with the Nano suit which
heals in Armor mode."
- Warhammer Online
IGN's
Warhammer Online Q&A talks with Steve Perkins (who's terribly fond of
small gherkins) about Mythic's upcoming MMORPG: "There are probably more
similarities between MMO players and Warhammer fans than there are between
MMO gamers and conventional PC and console gamers. Both an MMO and Warhammer
are true hobby experiences requiring a significant investment of time,
money, and attention. You are giving over a part of your life (mainly your
valuable free-time) to this experience and it helps define you as a person.
Thus, I believe a Warhammer player will find it an easy transition to get
into an MMO, and it will be even easier for them to get involved with a
Warhammer MMO. When they see how their fantasy world has been brought to
life with such care and attention to detail, they will truly be hooked."
In an unusual twist, we had to do a little last-minute shopping this evening: we
are usually a bit more together than that. Of course, one can't get pears too
far in advance, or it just turns into the gift of fruit flies.
The Live for Speed Website
now offers a new version V of Live for Speed S2 Alpha. The patch adds a number
of fixes and improvements, including a new auto-updater that will make this the
last manual patch many users will need for the game. A new full installer if the
unlockable trial edition of the racing simulator is also available. Thanks
Frans.
A new 1701 A.D. patch is now available, updating the U.S. edition of Related
Designs Software's strategy/management sequel to version 1.01. The update
includes the same changes, improvement, and fixes included in the recent German
patch, as
detailed here. The download is available on
3D Gamers,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
Strategy
Informer, and
Worthplaying.
EA announces a
Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars: Kane Edition, a special edition of the
coming RTS sequel with some special content. Both editions of the game are due
for PCs in March 2007, with the Kane Edition carrying a $59.99 MSRP, $10.00 more
than the standard edition: LOS ANGELES, Calif., December 22, 2006 –
Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced Command & Conquer 3
Tiberium Wars™: Kane Edition (C&C 3: Kane Edition) - a special, numbered
collector’s edition for the PC that will ship in March 2007 simultaneously with
Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars™ (C&C 3). Filled with an enormous amount of
exclusive content, C&C 3: Kane Edition will be the definitive collectible for
any Command & Conquer™ or Real-time Strategy (RTS) game fan.
C&C 3: Kane Edition will include an exclusive bonus DVD featuring a behind the
scenes documentary, deleted scenes and a blooper reel from the live action video
shoots, a series of gameplay strategy videos from the game designers themselves,
and more. C&C 3: Kane Edition will also feature exclusive in-game content
including five new multiplayer maps and three unique unit skins—one for each of
the three factions in the game. Fans will also enjoy five exclusive wallpapers.
“The Command & Conquer fans are among the most dedicated in the world. It’s very
exciting to be able to create a special bonus edition of C&C 3 with our fans in
mind,” said Mike Verdu, Vice President and Executive Producer at EALA. “The
exclusive maps, strategy tutorials, special unit skins and ‘making of’ video
provide hours of enjoyment to anyone who loves Command & Conquer. The ‘blooper
reel’ is just flat out funny. I can’t wait for Command & Conquer fans to get
their hands on this game.”
The
World of Warcraft Community Site (thanks Scott) describes the actions taken
by Blizzard against World of Wacraft cheaters in the month of November, when
they busted out the banning stick and whacked some 105,000 accounts and removed
more than 12 million gold pieces from the economy that were the product of
cheating and gold farming: In our continued efforts to combat cheating in
World of Warcraft, more than 105,000 accounts were closed and over 12 million
gold was removed from the game economies in Europe, Korea, and the US in the
month of November. The closed accounts were associated with activities that
violate World of Warcraft's Terms of Use, such as using third-party programs
that allow cheating, and farming gold and items. These types of activities can
severely impact the economy of a realm and the overall game enjoyment for all
players.
We will continue to aggressively monitor all World of Warcraft realms in order
to protect the service and its players from the harmful effects of cheating.
Please note that selling World of Warcraft content, such as gold, items, and
characters, can result in a permanent ban of the involved accounts from World of
Warcraft.
Many account closures come as the direct result of tips reported to our GMs in
game or emailed to our
Hacks Team by legitimate World of Warcraft players. If you suspect that a
World of Warcraft player is using an illegal third-party program to farm gold or
items, or is otherwise violating our Terms of Use, please report the suspected
infraction via one of the means listed above. All reports will be investigated,
and those that prove false will not result in corrective action.
The Myth War Online
Website details the Christmas Carnival that's coming to their virtual world
on December 24. Also, the
Guild Wars Support/Game
Updates page outlines the most recent updates to ArenaNet's MMORPG (thanks
Frans), including word on the Winterday/Wintersday festival that's getting underway:
The Wintersday Festival has arrived! Kamadan, Lion’s Arch, Droknar’s
Forge, and Ascalon City are decorated for the occasion, and over the coming
days, holiday activities will begin as special guests arrive to join the fun.
Everything leads up to the big Winterday celebration on January 1, which will
take place every three hours in Lion’s Arch and Kamadan (on the hour in Lion’s
Arch and 15 minutes past the hour in Kamadan). Be sure to collect Candy Cane
Shards for use in the big celebration!
Microsoft is retroactively
extending the warranty period for Xbox 360s purchased in the United States
and Canada from 90 day to one year, as it is most everywhere else. This will
include refunds for those who have already paid for repairs that would have been
covered under this warranty: REDMOND, Wash. - Dec. 22, 2006 - In a move
to benefit customers, Microsoft Corp. announced today that it will change the
Xbox 360 warranty from 90 days to one year from the date of purchase in the
United States and Canada. Microsoft extended the warranty in these territories
to be consistent with the standard one-year Xbox 360 warranty that is available
throughout most of the world. The news is reason to celebrate this holiday
season; it applies to both would-be purchasers and those who already have Xbox
360 and are still within their first year of ownership.
Effective today, the one-year warranty is now the standard for the Xbox 360
console. Customers who experience hardware issues with their Xbox 360 within one
year of purchase can have their consoles repaired at no cost. Moreover, the new
warranty policy is retroactive, so consumers who may have already paid for an
out-of-warranty Xbox 360 repair within one year of purchase will be eligible for
reimbursement of their console repair charges.
Customer satisfaction is a central focus and priority for the Xbox 360 system,
said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of Global Marketing for the Interactive
Entertainment Business at Microsoft. In addition to jaw-dropping features such
as high-definition graphics, an amazing catalog of over 160 games, and social
online and entertainment experiences on Xbox Live., the Xbox 360 system now
offers this extended warranty upgrade. It is truly the industry's most
compelling home entertainment offering.
Customers who have already paid out-of-warranty repair charges within their
first year of ownership can expect reimbursement checks for the amount of their
console repair in approximately 10 weeks. Reimbursements will be automatically
distributed, so customers need not contact Microsoft. Customers who have
questions regarding this policy change or experience any hardware issues should
visit
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/contact where they can check their
warranty status, find troubleshooting information for common issues and find
Xbox support contact information.
Matrix Games announces
the release of a new patch for For Liberty!, updating the revolutionary strategy
game to version 1.75 with "a number of tactical and strategic AI improvements,
on top of some battle tweaks to improve on the game’s realism even further. The
update also includes a brand new 'realistic' ruleset feature where the readiness
recovery rate is halved." Accompanying the update is a new free standalone
edition of 1848, a game based on the Hungarian Independence War of 1848-49, free
thanks to the sponsorship of the Hungarian Ministry of Education.
This page
has downloads of the patch and 1848.
TheSims2.com now offers a new "body
shop" patch for The Sims 2: Pets (thanks Frans). Word is: "This patch allows the
Body Shop that came with The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack to be compatible with
previous Expansion Packs."
This FTP directory
offers downloads of a new patch for Panzer Elite Action as a 38.9 MB download
(thanks Frans). The
fix list
lists everything that's new and different in the update, warning: "Users with
the 1.43.87 patch will not be able to play multiplayer games with previous
versions of PEA "
The ValuSoft
Technical Support Website features a new version 1.04 patch for Sprint Cars
Road to Knoxville, Johnny Knoxville's favorite racing game (thanks Frans).
The patch notes have word the patch fixes Xfire support and minor game play
issues.
The French
Silverfall Forums (thanks Frans) now offer a new patch to update the French
variety of Monte Cristo's fantasy-themed RPG to version 1.13. The patch is an
88.6 MB download, accompanied by an extensive list of changes, all en Français.
The Desert Law
Downloads Page features a new patch for the German edition of Desert Law,
which we cleverly deduce indicates that Arise's post-apocalyptic strategy game
is probably now available in Germany. Thanks Frans.
A new Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars movie offers a high-resolution look at
EA's coming installment in the long-running RTS series. The minute-long clip can
be found on
3D Downloads, 3D
Gamers,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
and Worthplaying.
Also, Battlestations Midway is on display in a new movie from this upcoming
World War II action/strategy game, the clip is available from
3D Gamers and
Worthplaying.
The
Voyage Century Q&A on MMORPG.COM talks with Daniel Lin about this upcoming
free-to-play MMORPG: "Reality is the largest difference for the Voyage Century
comparing to other online games. It will make the players feel the real society
and create own histories in the game. There are plenty of aspects worth
expecting. The guild activity will be very attractive. In the game, players will
taste the feelings of territorial reign and feelings of superiority for we
embody largely the interest of the guild war in the game. As I talked about
before, this particular MMO focuses on nautical life in 15-18th century, which
we realize was a very important period in the West. It will attract the large
number of players who have dreamed about sailing voyage from their childhood,
plus players excited to play the role of pirates, possibly after being
influenced by novels and movies."
Today is the first day of Winter, in the Northern Hemisphere at least. Though
winter storms have raged elsewhere in the country and the world, things have
been particularly mild in the normally blustery northeast so far. In fact, last
night we received the lowest utility bill ever since moving into this house.
They are projecting a normal-sized bill again for next month, so this probably
represents an adjustment to how the billing is normalized over the course of the
year, but it was nice nonetheless.
R.I.P.:
Mike
Evans, original Lionel Jefferson, dead.
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