Archived News:
WarCry has a brief report on
answers to a couple of questions they posed to NCsoft about the just-announced
plan to close Auto Assault at the end of August ( story). They
quote NCsoft PR Director David Swofford on the numbers game: "After a while it
gets to the point where the return we're getting on what we're putting into it
is just not matching up. We just didn't have that many people in the service."
Noting that NetDevil (who they could not reach for comment) chose to take over
the reins of JumpGate from 3DO in 2001 ( story), they also probed
for the possibility that the game's developer would pull off a similar U-turn
with Auto Assault, but NCsoft, owners of the game's intellectual property, would
not speculate on the chances of that happening. On a semi-related note, there's
an Auto Assault
retrospective on GameZone.
A new patch is available for Overlord to bring this action/adventure game from
Triumph Studios to version 1.1. Additionally, there is a corresponding updated
version 1.1 demo for the game, as well as a patch to update the original
version of the demo. All three downloads are available from
Codemasters. The retail
patch is mirrored on FileNuts,
Gamer's Hell,
The Patches Scrolls, and
Strategy
Informer. The demo patch is mirrored on
FileNuts and
Gamer's Hell. Finally,
the updated full demo download is mirrored on
FileNuts.
Oblivion-Lost.de reports that the version 1.0004 patch for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.:
Shadow of Chernobyl is imminent, quoting GSC Game World's Anton Bolshakov as
saying that the patch has been undergoing approval for some time now at THQ, and
that since they have not received any programming bug reports, they expect the
patch to be available within "a matter of days." Thanks Bill.
The new issue of
Postal
Nation, the online newsletter from Running With Scissors, has a bit on their
next effort at getting under Jack Thompson's thin skin, as there is a brief
mention of their pork on a third postal game: As I write this, we are
fully engaged in developing POSTAL III. Josh is finalizing the new Postal Dude
model and has made many striking refinements to the look of the character
showcasing his age and his RWS attitude.
Wild Hare Entertainment got a wild hair somewhere and announced August as the
release window for Instinct, their upcoming first-person shooter. This
acknowledges the delay to the game, which was due in 2006 when it was first
revealed last September ( story), and also offers some new English
language details on the project: Richardson, TX – July 3, 2007 – Wild Hare
Entertainment today announced the release of INSTINCT for the PC in August 2007.
This fast-paced first person shooter (FPS) features state-of-the-art 3-D
graphics and an intense storyline that engrosses the player in its world.
Created by the best developers that the Russian Federation has to offer,
INSTINCT maintains the deep and vivid story with the original Russian voices.
The same appeal that moviegoers have for foreign films is brought to life to
create a truly unique experience.
Shawn Russ, Director of Operations for Wild Hare Entertainment states, “INSTINCT
is the new face of horror in first person shooter (FPS) games. Players are
introduced to a world where a deadly virus has been released into a military
base that the player was assigned to secure. The virus mutates average human
beings into bloodthirsty monsters intent on killing you, the player. Instinct is
a heart-pounding FPS that will keep players captivated from beginning to end.”
INSTINCT was developed by Digital Spray Studios and distributed by Noviy Disk.
It features High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging, cutting-edge depth of field
mechanics, physics with incredible realism, and dynamic lighting and shadows.
Instinct allows players to see the story through the eyes of three playable
characters. The players step back and forth through time to see every event
unfold and uncover every secret of Instinct’s complex, action-packed
world.
City Interactive announces Art of Murder: FBI Confidential, a point-and-click
adventure due by the end of the year. According to the announcement, the
game will involve traveling outside the Bureau's jurisdiction: City
Interactive announces the launching a point & click adventure game in the fourth
quarter of this year. Art of Murder: FBI Confidential is created by the team who
already have such hits as „Schizm”, „Sentinel” and „Reah” to their name. Art of
Murder is the first City title which aspires to win a place among the best
adventure games in the world - says Marek Tymiński, CEO of City Interactive.
The player takes on the role of an FBI agent, whose task is to solve a series of
macabre murders of wealthy, well-to-do citizens. The victims are killed with an
unknown device, and the murderer removes their hearts afterwards. The adventure
begins in New York, but the clues will lead the player to, among others, the
Peruvian city of Cusco – the ancient capitol of the Inca empire, and the verge
of the Amazon jungle.
The first screens already exhibit the atmosphere of dread which will accompany
the player throughout the entire game. The new City Interactive game is a title
intended especially for fans of adventure games, who enjoy the unsettling, dark
atmosphere of thriller movies.
Another unofficial patch for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines is now
available, bringing Troika's action/RPG to version 3.8. Another batch of fixes
and tweaks are included in the update, which can be found on its official home
at The Patches Scrolls and mirrored
on Gamer's Hell.
A new patch for the German edition of Secret Files: Tunguska is available to
bring this edition of the adventure game to version 1.03. Downloads can be found
on
FileFront and Gamer's
Hell.
GamersGate announces today marks the
launch of sales for Global Conflicts:
Palestine, a "serious game" about the decidedly serious situation in the
middle east. A demo is also now available for the game is available on
Gamer's Hell (though it
bears noting that the thrust of serious gaming is to provoke thought beyond fun
and games). Word is: "Gamers will assume the role of an up-and-coming freelance
journalist experiencing both sides of the conflict and deciding what story the
media should tell. Through exploring real life environments, interacting with
people and being exposed to their stories, gamers will be thrust in a highly
interactive, completely unique adventure unlike any game available on the market
today."
The Combat Mission:
Shock Force Order Page is now accepting preorders for Battlefront's upcoming
military strategy game, offering a $10 discount for the early commitment.
The official Aion: The Tower Of
Eternity Website is now live as a home base to this upcoming MMORPG (thanks
Gamer's Hell). The site offers
screenshots and info, explaining the game's goal of invigorating the MMO genre
with PvPvE gameplay.
The introductory movie from Empire Earth III is now available to, well,
introduce the upcoming installment in this real-time strategy series. The clip
can be found on
3D Downloads,
FileFront,
Fileshack, Gamer's Hell,
and
Strategy Informer.
The Digital Paint
Website has the release of an updated build 19 of Paintball 2, the freeware
first-person shooter based on the tactical combat game. The new version of the
Quake 2-engine game includes tweaks and bug fixes. The site also mentions
Digital Paint Cup, an
upcoming four-on-four Paintball 2 tournament.
The World
of Warcraft Community Site offers a WoW trivia quiz that offers the
opportunity to win Killer NIC and Killer K1 cards, and may just qualify you for
a 12-steps program. This is open to US residents only. Thanks Ant.
It's Independence Day here in the States, when we celebrate our nation's
foundation with fireworks and cookouts. True to the latter we have some outdoor
cooking planned, though the weather is a bit threatening. On the other hand, a
storm might suppress the fireworks a bit, which would be good for the nerves of
my beloved Hudson the wonder dog, whose only fear is of explosions.
Interestingly, however, there were some fireworks last night, and her reaction
was noticeably less extreme than usual, so we can hold out a little hope that
she's getting better in this regard, perhaps inspired by the Gunnar-man, who
fears absolutely nothing.
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