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Archived News:
Iocaine Studios announces the availability of a LAN demo for ThreadSpace:
Hyperbol. The online demo was released a while back ( story),
which uses Steam authorization, just like the full game. Now
the LAN demo
(direct link) offers the chance to check out the game on networks that do not
have Internet access. Word is: It has all of the tutorials and normal
demo maps included. We still encourage users to install the normal demo since
the really great part of the game emerges online, but for those that can’t run
Steam, there is now an alternative.
Hyperbol was originally designed as a LAN party game, so it's only fitting that
we release a version of it ideal for LAN party distribution.
The Relic Forums
offer the news that a new patch for Company of Heroes is now available, updating
the World War II real-time strategy game to version 1.71. The new version
includes general fixes and tweaks and balance changes for the Allied War
Machine. The various language editions of the download can be found on the
Company of Heroes Updates
Page, and one or more are mirrored on
3D Downloads,
ActionTrip,
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
and The Patches Scrolls. The update is also available automatically for owners of the
Steam
edition.
Boll 'Tunnels'
Into Game Business announces that German developer
Replay Studios is creating a game called
Tunnel Rats, based on an upcoming Uwe Boll Vietnam War movie that is not one of
the director's signature adaptations of game properties. The game is expected to
be released for PCs and Xbox 360 early next year in conjunction with the movie's
release. Word is: "Tunnel Rats is a first-person shooter set during the
Vietnam War that tells the story of a young G.I. who escapes from a POW camp and
journeys through a heavily fortified valley in the Cu Chi province," said Marc
Moehring Managing Director and Co-Founder, Replay Studios. "It not only depicts
his actual physical path through the merciless jungle and claustrophobic,
trap-ridden tunnels, but also his emotional and psychological journey as the
horrors he witnesses--and participates in--slowly deprive him of his ideals,
morals and sanity."
The game will take place over 10 levels of jungles and tunnels based on the
movie. Players will have over a dozen weapons to choose from as they make there
way through the game's environments.
"The game mainly takes the setting, atmosphere and philosophy of the movie, and
tells the parallel story of different characters in a similar situation," said
Moehring. "Like the film, it is very dark, violent and dirty, and depicts war as
the madness that it is. In the end, it's all about survival in a situation where
everything you know and believe in goes to hell, and a fight for an impersonal
goal becomes a very personal experience, one that changes you forever--if it
doesn't kill you."
The movie, which was penned by Boll and Dan Clarke, stars Michael Pare, Nate
Parker, Brandon Fobbs and Erik Eidem. Boll said all of the actors from the film
have signed on to have their likenesses appear in the game. He said the game
will incorporate Jessica de Rooij's score from the movie as well as additional
music composed specifically for the game.
Demiurge Studios has been enlisted
by THQ's Kaos Studios to apply their experience with Unreal technology to
optimize Frontlines: Fuel of War: July 25, 2007 – Cambridge, MA – With
their proven expertise with the Unreal Engine 3 technology, Demiurge Studios has
been enlisted by THQ’s New York-based Kaos Studios to optimize the gameplay
experience in Frontlines: Fuel of War.
With the truly immense outdoor environments in their upcoming title, Kaos needed
to make sure that the game will excel in multiplayer formats and vehicle use.
Demiurge’s extensive prior experience with UE3 was a natural fit to work
hand-in-hand with Kaos’ artists and designers to ensure F:FoW experiences
first-rate Alpha and Beta periods.
“Kaos has put together an incredible game in Frontlines: Fuel of War,” said Al
Reed, Studio Director at Demiurge. “We’re excited to use our know-how to help
them smooth out such an enormous gamespace.”
By fine-tuning the UE3s frame rate and memory capabilities, Demiurge is ensuring
Kaos’ capacity for developing and running its huge in-game world as efficiently
as possible. Frontlines: Fuel of War is slated for release in Fall 2007.
MindArk announces they've licensed Crytek's CryENGINE 2 for an upgrade to
Entropia Universe: (Gothenburg, Sweden/Frankfurt, Germany) – July 25, 2007
– Entropia Universe, the safest virtual world utilizing a real cash economy, has
signed a license agreement to use the stunning high-tech game engine CryENGINE
2®, from German developer Crytek, creators of "Far Cry®" and upcoming "Crysis®."
This will make Entropia Universe the closest-to-reality looking massively
multiplayer online game ever seen. The transition to an Entropia Universe
platform built around this new technology is expected to be finished by
mid-2008, and will be available to all Entropia Universe partners.
Creator MindArk PE AB's CEO Jan Welter Timkrans explains, "The upgrade of
Entropia Universe will be built around the spectacular features supplied by
CryENGINE 2®, offering a complete and immersive experience to Entropia
participants. It will create synergies between the proven and safe Real Cash
Economy backbone, the Entropia storyline with colonists fighting to establish a
new world, and the very life-like visuals supplied from CryENGINE 2®." He
continues, "When we saw what the engine was capable of, we immediately
understood that it would be perfect for Entropia, as both MindArk and Crytek are
pioneers in their respective fields."
Avni Yerli, Crytek's Managing Director says, “We are thrilled to have been
chosen by such a well regarded and successful industry leader as MindArk to be
their future engine provider for Entropia Universe. We think the combination of
our CryENGINE 2® technology and their extremely popular virtual playground will
result in a new kind of rich and immersive experience that has not been possible
until now. It will also expose a wide new audience to the stunningly realistic
graphics, environmental physics and believable animations which are made
possible by the award winning CryENGINE 2® together with some of the most recent
advances in PC hardware and operating systems.”
Valve announces that Turtle Rock Studios will be attending QuakeCon next month
to show off Left 4 Dead, their upcoming multiplayer shooter: Left 4 Dead,
the forthcoming survival co-op game from Turtle Rock Studios and Valve, will be
shown at QuakeCon 2007 in Dallas, Texas August 2nd thru 5th. The game will be
playable by attendees and members of the design team will be on hand to answer
questions about this much-awaited title coming soon to the PC and Xbox 360. For
more information, please visit www.l4d.com.
The Showdown: Scorpion Website is
online as home to B-COOL Interactive's upcoming first-person shooter. The
Flash site offers images, forums, and a gameplay movie.
- World in Conflict
Three new World in Conflict trailers
offer a triple-feature from Massive Entertainment's upcoming strategy game.
The download is on
3D Downloads and
Gamer's Hell.
- Fantasy Wars
1C
Publishing now offers a new trailer for Fantasy Wars, showing off the
strategy game formerly known as Mythic Wars. Thanks The Patches Scrolls.
RPG Vault's GodsWar
Online Q&A - Part 1 chats with Yii Ting about IGG's upcoming
mythology-inspired MMORPG: "GodsWar Online sets its storyline in the realm of
Greek mythology. While entering the game and creating their characters, players
can choose from two poleis [city-states, the singular is polis - ed.], Athens or
Sparta. They are hostile, and players fight for the honor and advancement of
their respective realms. The map geography is inspired by the Greek semi-god
era. The size of the gameworld will be comparatively small at first, but more
areas will be added in successive updates - Egypt, Asia Minor and Persia are
planned for the near future. Players can even organize an activity like
expedition to Troy."
Telltale and GameTap unveil plans for Sam & Max: Season Two, continuing the
episodic return of the anthropomorphic detective duo this fall. This time around
the episodes will appear on
Telltale's Website one day after premiering on
GameTap: SAN RAFAEL, CA – July 25,
2007 - Interactive entertainment pioneer Telltale Inc. and GameTap, the
first-of-its-kind broadband entertainment network from Turner Broadcasting
System, Inc., today announced that the groundbreaking Sam & Max episodic game
series will return this fall for another round of online mayhem.
Sam & Max Season Two follows the highly successful and critically-acclaimed
debut that ran from Fall 2006 through Spring 2007. Each episode will premiere
exclusively for play on GameTap, followed by a downloadable release on
Telltale's website the next day.
"Season One was a great success, but it's just a starting point for us," says
Telltale's CEO Dan Connors. "The episodic model presents so many opportunities
to innovate and engage the audience in brand new ways. Just wait until you see
what Telltale and GameTap have in store with Season Two."
"GameTap and Telltale successfully proved the idea that games can work in a TV
show format," said Ricardo Sanchez, vice president of content and creative
director for GameTap. "The Sam & Max episodes continue to be among the top
titles played at GameTap and we expect that Season Two will be an even bigger
draw."
Sam & Max Season Two will feature the same quick wit and bizarre scenarios
Telltale's team and Sam & Max creator Steve Purcell delivered the first time
around—and more! "We're keeping the general structure and gameplay, and focusing
on telling farther-reaching, crazier stories," says Telltale's design director
Dave Grossman. "You'll see some changes to the world, too; improvements that
were born out of player feedback and our own desire to make the most fun games
anyone has ever played."
Some of these changes are evident in the first Season Two render, released
today, which is set in Stinky's, the diner down the street from Sam & Max's
office that remained closed for the entire first season. Additional game assets,
including glimpses of brand new characters and environments, will be revealed at
San Diego Comic-Con starting tomorrow at the panel, "Episodic Games and Comics –
Made for Each Other" (11:30-12:30 in room 1AB).
The landmark Sam & Max Season One is currently available at
www.telltalegames.com and
www.gametap.com as well as other download
services, and will be coming to retail stores in August courtesy of The
Adventure Company in North America and JoWooD in Europe. For more information
about Sam & Max, including a four-part retrospective feature celebrating the
duo's 20th anniversary, visit
www.telltalegames.com/samandmax.
Hellgate Resistance is accepting signups for what they are calling preorders
for Hellgate: London, Flagship's upcoming action/RPG. The page is only
looking for email addresses to notify when the game is available, so it's
actually a pre-preorder. They also say this will include a chance to participate
in the game's beta testing, saying: "Signing up for the pre-order will also
automatically register your name on the waiting list for the Hellgate: London
beta test."
2K Games announces that Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword is now
available in stores, expanding Sid Meier's turn-based strategy game with a
variety of new content. Additionally a second playable demo for the add-on is
now available, offering the chance to play the first 100 turns of the
Charlemagne campaign. The new demo debuts on
GameSpot and mirrors can be found on
ComputerGames.ro and
Gamer's Hell, and here's the release announcement: NEW
YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--2K Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive
Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO - News), announced today that Sid Meier's
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword(TM), the latest expansion pack for the
critically acclaimed Civilization IV(TM) series, is now available. Developed for
the PC by the Company's world-renowned development studio Firaxis Games(TM), Sid
Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword sets a series milestone by showcasing
the largest amount of expansion content in the history of the Civilization®
franchise.
Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword is the second expansion pack for
Sid Meier's Civilization IV - the 2005 PC Game of the Year and a major
commercial success, selling over 1.5 million units worldwide since its October
2005 release. This expansion focuses on the late-game time periods after the
invention of gunpowder and delivers eleven challenging and decidedly different
scenarios created by the development team at Firaxis Games, as well as members
of the Civilization Fan Community. Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword
also includes ten new civilizations, 16 new leaders, five new wonders, and a
variety of new units that will offer even more fun and exciting ways for players
to expand their civilization's power as they strive for world domination.
"Given the overwhelming critical and commercial success of Sid Meier's
Civilization IV, we were inspired to provide these loyal fans with the series'
most robust expansion pack ever," said Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K. "By
featuring more content than any other Civilization expansion pack, Sid Meier's
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword is a must-have for all Civilization fans and
will set a new industry-wide bar for expansions."
Key features include:
• Expanded Epic Game: Firaxis Games delivers a massive
increase in new units, buildings, and technologies to the epic game with
additional focus on the late-game time periods.
• New Game Scenarios: The expansion will deliver 11 new
scenarios, many containing themes never before included in the Civilization
series, custom designed by the team at Firaxis and select members of the Civ Fan
Community. Stand-alone downloadable demos available for the space-themed Final
Frontier scenario and the historical Charlemagne scenario are available at
http://www.2kgames.com/civ4/beyondthesword/.
• New Civilizations: The expansion pack includes ten new
civilizations, such as Portugal, Babylon and Netherlands and their associated
unique units and buildings.
• More Civilization Leaders: Sixteen new leaders including
leaders for the ten new civilizations, as well as additional leaders for
existing civilizations. Abraham Lincoln, Boudica, Hammurabi and Sitting Bull are
just a few of the new leaders.
• Corporations: A new gameplay feature allows players to
create corporations and spread them throughout the world. Each corporation
provides benefits in exchange for certain resources.
• Espionage: Now available much earlier in the game, this
expanded feature offers players many new ways to spy on opponents, stir citizen
unrest and defend their government's secrets.
• Events: New random events such as natural disasters,
pleas for help, or demands from their citizens will challenge players to
overcome obstacles in order for their civilizations to prosper.
• New Wonders: Five new wonders await discovery including
the Statue of Zeus, Cristo Redentor, Shwedagon Paya, the Mausoleum of
Maussollos, and the Moai Statues.
• Expanded Space Victory: Winning the race to Alpha
Centauri will now require more strategic planning and tactical decision making.
• Apostolic Palace: An ancient version of The United
Nations, the Apostolic Palace will become available earlier in the game,
providing a way for players to win a diplomatic victory more quickly. New
resolutions will also be added which will expand the available diplomatic
options.
• Advanced Starts: A major fan request; this new feature
will enable players to "buy" components of a custom-tailored empire and begin
play in the later part of the game, allowing them to experience many of the new
features of the expansion pack in a shorter amount of time.
• Enhanced AI: The AI has received many enhancements,
making it tougher to beat on the higher difficulty levels. The ways in which the
AI will attempt to achieve victory have also been expanded.
Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword requires the full version of Sid
Meier's Civilization IV and is now available for PC for $29.99. The title is
rated "E10+" for Everyone 10 and older. For more information please visit
http://www.civilization.com/.
The Linux Game Publishing Beta
Tester Page is where to register if you are interested in beta testing the
Linux edition of X3: Reunion, the most recent installment in Egosoft's space
combat series. Thanks Ant and
LinuxGames, where they have details on participation.
New patches are now available for Space Force: Rogue Universe, updating the
various language editions of the Provox Games' space combat game to version 1.1.
All five downloads can be found on The
Patches Scrolls and the USA edition is also mirrored on
Strategy Informer.
The Asheron's Call Q&A
on GamersInfo.net talks with Andy Cataldo, Turbine's Online Community
Manager for Asheron's Call: "One of the first pieces of this was the
introduction and continuing development of The Colosseum. This is something that
everyone can take part in that has rewards that players can immediately see as
well as some that they have yet to discover. This is the kind of system we like
where things can be very open ended and allow us to adapt and change as the
players give us feedback. I would expect to see more cool and exciting things
along these lines in the coming months."
I've been up since 4:00 am after suffering from a severe bout of heartburn that
woke me up and would not go away. I scavenged the last of the Pepto from a
bottle of that, and then had to try and get relief from seltzer, which helped
just enough to allow me to fall off to sleep for a couple of moments again. Of
course I should have just gotten up at that point and bought more Pepto or
updated or something, but that would have been smart.
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