Gamecenter has posted a preview of The Real Neverending Story, the upcoming 3D action adventure in development by German company Discreet Monsters. The screenshots are familiar from the official site, but the article gives a good overview of this game based on Michael Ende's novel, and sports quotes from producer Siggi Kogl.

Also up on Gamecenter is a gallery of new Thief II: the Metal Age screenshots (or game grabs, as they prefer), showing off ten new scenes from Looking Glass' upcoming sneak-m-up sequel.

Hail to the King, baby! Declaring Duke the man of the hour, GameSpot's History of Duke Nukem is online, offering an extensive biography of the toughest bottle-blond you are ever likely to run into, with a look at his storied past, as well as his future.

Word on the Tread Marks site is that this tank racing and combat game from Longbow Digital Arts is now shipping. The game is not available in stores, but can be ordered online via Digital River, who have received their copies.

There are some more exclusive ORB screenshots on incitegames showing off more of the upcoming space sim that puts you in charge of the game's namesake Off-world Resource Base.

PlanetUnreal has posted a pair of new screenshots from Star Trek: Deep Space 9 - The Fallen, and several more on this page, along with word from developers The Collective that they are hiring level designers. Star Trek: Deep Space 9 - The Fallen is their third-person action game based on the Unreal-engine, and the page lists benefits (including donuts), requirements and contact information, though it's not clear if the jobs apply to their current game.

In what turns out to be "interviews day", SOF Center has posted an interview with Rick Johnson, Raven's lead programmer on Soldier of Fortune. Rick talks about how he got started at Raven, his work on the game, and the customary "more." As Soldier of Fortune is nearing completion, here is a quote about something that didn't make it into the game:

Q: Is there something that didn't make it into the game, that you would have liked to see in there?

A: For me, that would be a skeletal system. Last march, we had to make a decision whether to go with skeletal or a compression scheme. At that point, we were thinking the game would ship in about 5 months. With that small amount of time, we concluded it would be too risky to switch our animation system over to skeletal. If we actually knew that we had 11 more months, then we certainly would have switched.

SOF Center has also opened a comprehensive Game Info section and posted a new screenshot of the Slugthrower weapon.

There is an interview on Ground Control up at Federation HQ, talking to Massive Entertainment's president Martin Walfisz on their upcoming 3D action strategy game. The article discusses the factions, units and scenarios developed for the game, which is scheduled for a release in the first half of this year. A couple of new screenshots accompany the discussion.

More demo woes, as PC Gameworld sends along word that the Imperium Galactica II demo they posted this morning (story) has been removed at the request of publisher GT Interactive, because "it had not passed through the normal Quality Assurance channels, and contains some bugs."

As promised, Daily Radar has posted the Allegiance demo to kick off the open beta of Microsoft's multiplayer space-combat game. The demo is about 55 MB, and to play it you need to register at MSN Gaming Zone. Update: Earlier reports that the demo was corrupted turn out to be unfounded, so feel free to resume your downloading pleasures.

More Oni news today, as Gamerush has posted a set of Oni screenshots, all but two of which are new, and two pieces of character art. The lower-right series of shots in particular appear to show off some close-combat sequences frame by frame.

A fresh update to Sid Meier's Dino Diaries has the designer reporting that the resource system for Firaxis' upcoming dinosaurs strategy game is now in place, and explores the various scenario models that could be employed in the game (without reaching a conclusion at this stage of the design).

Inside Mac Games has posted an interview with Oni level designer David Dunn, talking about his work on Bungie's upcoming third-person action title, which will be released simultaneously on Windows and Mac. Here's a bit about the anime influences in the game's design:

This was something we struggled with because of our desire to have realistic environments. Anime environments don't always translate into realistic looking backgrounds so we had to find a good compromise between our architectural designs and our artwork. Many times we chose textures for spaces that had a more anime feel to them rather than the material it would normally have. Also the objects that populate our environments definitely help create the feel we want. You'll see lots of spinning pieces of large machines and various contraptions that definitely have that techy anime look to them.

More talkative news, as a comprehensive interview on Blitz - Disc Arena is now online at Speedy 3D, where SouthEnd lead programmer Daniel Jeppsson answers a lot of questions about their upcoming 3D action game, illustrated with a couple of new screenshots.

Westwood has released a new movie of Nox on the official site. The 25 MB download shows about a minute and a half of gameplay and cinematic footage from their upcoming isometric action RPG. Thanks Vault Network.

EuroGamer has posted a long interview with Jake Simpson, programmer at Raven Software. The five-page article covers how he got started in game programming, his early days at Midway, the work on Heretic II, Soldier of Fortune, and Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force, insights into working with id Software's engines, and starting up the recently announced "Project 3" on the Playstation 2. Two new screenshots of Soldier of Fortune's Capture the Flag mode accompany the piece.

A new version 3.13 of the Quake III Arena Server Configurator is now available, and updated version of this Win32 Q3A front-end for server operators that can store configurations in an Access database and creates config (.cfg) files directly from the database with a host of user-friendly options (though it's a Win32 program, the .cfg files can be used on any platform server).

There's a Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri demo for Macintosh on MacGameNews as a 18 or 24 MB download. A mirror is available at Inside Mac Games.

id software's Graeme Devine updated his .plan with some tips for those having trouble with their Q3A CD keys, the cause often apparently due to unsuccessful attempts to use a key generator:

Okay. I see a lot of people with “awaiting CD Key authorization” questions.

In almost all cases, this is due to the IP address of the authorize server being wrong because the hosts file on the client has somehow been altered. You can test to see if this is your problem by going to a DOS prompt and typing the following:

ping authorize.quake3arena.com

If you get the following, then your system has an invalid entry somewhere redirecting the authorize requests to the wrong IP address.

Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=32
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=32
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=32
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=32

If you’re running Windows 95/98, then in almost every case editing the file called “hosts” which resides in your c:windows (or wherever you’ve installedwindows) directory and removing any lines that mention authorize.quake3arena.com can fix this.

Various cracks and CD key gen utilities (none of which actually work) appear to be the culprit, adjusting your hosts file without your knowledge or consent.

Two months old, but apparently unnoticed sofar, Buka Entertainment has released an updated multiplayer demo of Storm, their upcoming futuristic combat flight-sim. This version fixes some problems from the initial E3'99 demo, and takes a very reasonable 18 MB to download. In related Storm-y news, Gamers Central has posted a preview of the game, along with several new screenshots.

GA-Source has posted four new screenshots of Hired Team: Trial, the multiplayer-only version of the first-person shooter in development by New Media Generation. Word is a new demo of the game is expected later this month.

Yesterday's release of the bTV day 4 movie (story) included another 50 seconds of Halo footage, which is now available separately as a 6 MB download on halo.bungie.org, and once again it's recommended viewing.

After a two month hiatus, a new Experience update is online at Voodoo Extreme, with Patrick Moynihan of The Whole Experience talking about the progress in development of their upcoming first-person action game, since the release of their Dagoth Moor Zoological Gardens demo.

Gamers' Crypt has posted an interview on Project Entropia, a 3D massively multi-player RPG in development by Swedish company Mind Ark. More information can also be found on the newly opened official site.

New Overdrive Details and Screenshots is a story on GA-Source which provides just that on the first-person auto-combat game in development by Russian company Buka Entertainment. The game looks to combine elements from Carmageddon, Quake and GTA into a new mix.

As promised, PC Gameworld has posted the demo of Imperium Galactica II - Alliances, the upcoming space-combat strategy game by Digital Reality and GT Interactive. The demo has three scenarios, weighs in at a whopping 132 MB, and comes in your choice of English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. If you need another preview to decide whether or not to download it, try this one at Daily Radar.

Epic Designer Alan Willard updated his .plan with a clarification that the "B" in the bonnet of the 405B patch for Unreal Tournament released Tuesday (story) is just a version number, and does not stand for beta, pointing out that:

This patch is as finalized as the 402 patch was. While the patches haven't gone through the same extremely intensive testing as the release version of the game, we do extensively test them both internally and with an external group of beta testers before releasing them.

And no, don't email me asking how to be a beta tester!!!!!!!!

A post on the Shugashack has word from Zoid explaining why a packet loss indicator was not included in the final Quake III Arena point release (story), which was expected since a Graeme Devine .plan update mentioned "Packetloss on the scoreboard" as one of the bugs they were "looking at." Zoid's explanation points out the impact of packet loss is harder to gauge in Q3A (and lesser) than it was in QuakeWorld, and also notes that packet loss is also reflected to some extent in your ping.

• 3D Wars ASUS AGP-V6600D vs. Elsa Erazor X compares both GeForce 256 cards and their accompanying stereo glasses.
• SoundBlaster Live! Platinum soundcard is reviewed on Ars Technica.
• FC-PGA Overclocking-The Next 300A? on HardwareCentral looks at overclocking possibilities.
• This page for that misnamed ZDTV Penultimate Gaming Machine story does include the expected RealPlayer components not found in the link posted for this on Wednesday (story).

Daily Radar's Preview look at DroneZ gives a thumbs up to what they've seen of this unusual-sounding upcoming action title in the workZ over at Zetha GameZ, which in spite of not yet having a publisher, they feel has a shot at being one of the sleeper hits of 2000. The preview includes some Q&A with the project's development leader Giovanni Caturano.

GA-Source Previews Allegiance with a look at this upcoming space combat game from Microsoft. The hands-on preview is timely, since the game is slated to accept registrants for open beta testing later today on this page (story).

• Battlezone II: Combat Commander on Daily Radar.
• Chain of Command on Computer Games Online.
• Close Combat IV: Battle of the Bulge on PC Gameworld.
• Crusaders of Might and Magic on Desslock's RPG News and GameSpy.com.
• Descent 3: Mercenary on Gamecenter.
• Gabriel Knight 3 on Game Revolution.
• Homeworld on RTS Domain.
• Independence War Special Edition: Defiance on PC Gamer UK.
• IntelliMouse with IntelliEye on Eurogamer.net.
• Interstate '82 on GameSpot UK.
• Odium on Vault Network.
• Panzer Elite on Well Rounded Entertainment.
• Quake III Arena on PC Gameworld.
• South Park: Chef's Luv Shack on GameSpot.
• Team Fortress Classic on Games Domain Review.
• The Wheel of Time on BigKid and PC Gameworld.
• Ultima IX: Ascension on PC Gameworld and GamesFirst.
• Urban Chaos on Gamecenter.
• Wild Wild West: The Steel Assassin on GamesFirst.

• Hellhound's UT gameplay strategies are online, the third in their three planned UT guides...
• There's a shot of the Soldier of Fortune level editor in action on ClanWorld looking like a hall-of-fame spider web...
• Scripts...The death of gameplay in Tribes is a column bemoaning the impact of automation in TRIBES...
• Aussie Gamers List looks to be a list of Aussie gamers (not a bad summary, eh?)...
• @Home threatened with discussion-group blackballing is a CNN article with details on a proposed UDP (Usenet Death Penalty) based on @Home's refusal (at least prior to threats of the UDP) to close holes allowing the relay of spam. Thanks Phil "Cain" Hall...

After yesterday's update I've heard from loads of fans of William Shatner's singing, in spite of his terribly sporadic history of album releases (though no explanations have emerged, logical or otherwise, of how one names one's own price for groceries). Turns out The Captain James T. Kirk Singalong Site (thanks ORB-Martyr) offers RealPlayer versions of the tunes from Bill's classic LP, The Transformed Man, as well as a page devoted to Spock Sings, the classic (and nearly as bizarre, if not more so) Leonard Nimoy album, and a few other examples of Trek cast members boldly going where few sci-fi stars have gone before. Taking that a step further is The UberPage of the First Church of Shatnerology (thanks Chris) with musical offerings, as well as other brilliant Shatner related links, including the aforementioned singalong page, the Shatner 2000 campaign, former LoD The William Shatner Simulator, the inevitable Second National Church of Shatnerology, and for religious equal time of course, the Temple of Shatner.

Link of the Day: MY HOEMPAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!! This brought tears of laughter to my eyes. Thanks HardNews.org.
Story of the Day: 'Spiderman' Mugger Flees From Cops. Wow. Thanks Ivan "PurpleCajun" Bickler.
Bonus Story: Researchers clone monkey by splitting embryo. Paging Doctor Mephisto. Thanks Uncle Duke.
Bonus Story II: Mothers Busted in Bus Stop Pokemon Brawl. More gaming violence. Thanks LeX.

Site Status: More reports of connectivity problems clearing up. This will probably be the last of these updates.