January 2004
| Saturday, January 31, 2004 |
Fall Release For Halo 2
 Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 1:04 PM |
Category: Xbox |
Bungie reports that Halo 2 for Xbox will be out this fall!So remember last year when we told you we don't announce release dates until we're confident we'll meet our deadline? Well now were confident. Halo 2 will ship in Fall, 2004. Please make a note of it.
Since you are our most important audience we wanted to tell you first. We've enjoyed your support, your patience and your loyalty, so this is the least we could do.
There will be a fair number of new details and announcements to follow over the next few months, and of course there's always E3. Here at Bungie.net, as you've recently witnessed, were ramping up a campaign of new content, details and snippets of info, just to keep you sated while you get ready for Fall. For an extra-special treat, be sure to check out the first-ever Halo 2 multiplayer screenshot!
True Crime: Streets Of L.A. To Ship For The PC
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 1:00 PM |
Category: Action |
Activision has announced that True Crime: Streets of L.A., already available for the Playstation 2, Xbox and GameCube platforms, will be coming to the PC this spring. The new version will take the driving, fighting and shooting action online with all-new multiplayer features, as well as new weapons and unlockable characters.True Crime: Streets of L.A. will feature online multiplayer gameplay. Using either GameSpy or a Local Area Network (LAN), up to four players can join up and play any of five different multiplayer games. Drawing from the characters in the single player portion of True Crime, gameplay will vary from the "Fast and Furious" style of "Street Racing" mode, to patrolling the city and bagging the most criminals in "The Beat." Other multiplayer games include hand-to-hand combat in "Dojo Master," slaughtering opponents with new weapons such as a rocket launcher or crossbow in "Battle Master," and Los Angeles wouldn't be complete without a high speed car chase. In "The Chase," gamers can play either the police or criminal in a desperate race across the City of Angels.
Also in True Crime: Streets of L.A. players can unlock a special character - Snoop Dogg, the "Dogg Father" of hip-hop. When players unlock his character in "Dogg Patrol" mode, they can play as Snoop and roll through the streets in a custom convertible, complete with hydraulics, while looking for random crimes to solve and criminals to take down. True Crime: Streets of L.A. for the PC has not yet been rated by the ESRB, but it will probably be rated M for Mature.
| Thursday, January 29, 2004 |
Sonic Heroes Hits PS2, Xbox
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 10:30 PM |
Category: Adventure |
Already released on the GameCube earlier this month, Sega of America’s Sonic Heroes is now available for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox platforms.In this groundbreaking title that brings the Sonic series to PlayStation 2 and Xbox for the first time, Sonic Heroes marks the next evolution in Sonic's gaming career. Each team boasts multiple specialized stages with unique missions and CG movies driving each "team" story forward. Experiment with the team formations to learn the best way to defeat enemies, solve puzzles, and navigate the huge environments. Each stage contains multiple paths and missions for tons of gameplay hours. In Sonic Heroes (rated E for Everyone), you can maneuver a team of 3 Sonic characters through massive levels to overcome the infamous Dr. Eggman, all for a price of around $49.99.
Baldur’s Gate Sequel In The EU
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 3:22 PM |
Category: Role Playing |
GameDaily reports that Acclaim Entertainment Ltd. has entered into an agreement with Avalon Interactive that will see it distribute Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox platforms in the UK, France, Benelux and Germany.
Black Isle Studios (a division of Interplay) is developing the Balder's Gate sequel, which is due out in the aforementioned EU countries on February 6. It was released in the US last week.
| Wednesday, January 28, 2004 |
Upcoming Marvel Games, Movies
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 11:42 AM |
Category: Comic Books |
Marvel Enterprises, Inc. has expanded its commitment to bringing their comic properies to the realm of video games.(GameDaily) Ames Kirshen has been appointed manager of game development at the company, an entirely new position at Marvel, in which he will help to drive the growing pipeline of Marvel-branded videogame projects, as well as work in concert with Tim Rothwell, president of worldwide consumer products, to foster new licensing relationships with video game publishers. Marvel also released a list of upcoming games that will feature its characters:- Spider-Man II Movie (Activision): Summer 2004
- The Punisher (THQ): Fall 2004
- Fantastic Four (Activision): 2005
- Iron Man (Activision): 2005
- The Hulk 2 (Vivendi-Universal): 2005
- Marvel Universe MMP (Vivendi-Universal): TBA
In Marvel movie-related news, Comics Continuum reports that Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige said that conceptual artwork for Namor has begun for a potential 2006 release by Universal Pictures. David Self (of Road to Perdition) is writing the script. Feige added that Marvel has six potential 2005 releases, including Elektra, Deathlok, Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, Iron Man and Luke Cage.
| Tuesday, January 27, 2004 |
June 1st Date For Driv3r
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 11:26 PM |
Category: Racing |
Atari, Inc. announced that it has moved the ship date of Driv3r, the latest installment of the popular story-based street racing game franchise, from the end of March to June 1, 2004. Says Bruno Bonnel, Chairman and CEO of Atari, Inc.,The Driver franchise set the benchmark for the driving adventure genre, as the incredible legacy of Driver and Driver 2 has combined to sell more than 12 million units worldwide. We believe that this additional time will give our marketing team the ability to exploit DRIV3R’s full potential, meeting the high expectations of gamers, media and shareholders. Driv3r is in development by the UK-based Reflections Interactive Ltd. and is said to include over 30 full motion video sequences that feature the voice talents of Michael Madsen, Ving Rhames, Michelle Rodriguez and Mickey Rourke.
Ready At Dawn Studios Forms
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 9:16 PM |
Category: Developer |
A new console game development studio has been formed by a few former Naughty Dog and Blizzard employees, called Ready at Dawn Studios. Didier Malenfant (former Senior Programmer at Naughty Dog), Andrea Pessino (former Senior Software Engineer at Blizzard) and Ru Weerasuriya (former Senior Artist at Blizzard) head up the new company's Management team. Ready at Dawn Studios is based in Tustin, California and claims to be well into development on its first title. However, the team is still looking for a few employees to fill some remaining positions.
Details On 3rd Title In Thief Series
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 1:10 PM |
Category: Stealth |
GameDaily sent some news that sheds some new light on the upcoming Thief: Dark Shadows (or is that Deadly Shadows?).Thief: Dark Shadows is in development by Ion Storm with an eye towards a spring release on the Xbox and PC platforms. A third-person perspective will be added to previously solely first-person title, allowing gamers to "switch seamlessly" between both on the fly. Once again playing as master thief Garret, gamers will apparently "rouse an ancient hidden evil," that will have them "standing alone between the City and the forces that would crush it." You can keep checking Ion Storm's website for more info, although there's no much info on the game there right now.
| Wednesday, January 21, 2004 |
Far Cry Singleplayer Demo Released
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 2:22 PM |
Category: First Person |
The eagerly-anticipated singleplayer demo for Far Cry has been released!Gamers depart for paradise gone wrong with the launch of the single-player demo of Far Cry, Ubisoft's highly-anticipated action shooter featuring a beautiful tropical paradise seething with danger at every turn.
The single-player demo offers an action-packed glimpse into the Far Cry world showcasing all the technically-advanced gameplay and jaw-dropping scenes from the full version of the game. Featuring a huge beach-laden level, the demo proudly showcases Far Cry's critically-acclaimed CryENGINE, huge game environments, deadly A.I., and the longest view-distance ever witnessed in a first-person shooter.
As of 9AM on January 21st, gamers can experience firsthand the incredible power of Far Cry's proprietary CryENGINE. The CryENGINE powers the game's non-scripted AI allowing players to play the demo again and again utilizing different tactics and strategic approaches to the level each time. Far Cry redefines the meaning of re-playability. Players will experience an unprecedented level of immersion as they uncover the game's many intricacies and unbelievable attention to detail. Also, before Far Cry is available this coming March, a multiplayer demo will be released. Visit farcry.ubi.com for more information on that.
You can download the singleplayer demo for Far Cry from my fave game demo/patch/etc. download site, 3D Gamers. 3D Gamers removed the DirectX 9 distribution (needless for most of us), so their copy is 32 MB smaller.
Star Wars Battlefront Announced
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 1:23 PM |
Category: Xbox |
LucasArts has announced their new game, Star Wars Battlefront, along with this information:Star Wars Battlefront gives you the chance to play as a soldier in intense multiplayer battles with up to 32 people. Choose your allegiance and pick a soldier from one of four different armies. Fight on ten legendary planets and use a variety of weapons and vehicles, including X-wings, snowspeeders and AT-ST’s. Keep your wits about you and victory may be within your reach. Experience the chaos of battle as you fight the greatest wars in the Star Wars universe. You can head to the Star Wars Battlefront product site for screenshots and more game information.
| Saturday, January 17, 2004 |
Pandora Tomorrow Debuts At Sundance
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 9:59 PM |
Category: Pop Culture |
Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow will premiere at an event coinciding with the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. Published by Ubisoft, Pandora Tomorrow was also recently featured on MTV's Ultimate Video Game Countdown.Ubisoft, Motorola and Xbox Live, three top companies who market to the entertainment industry and consumers, come together to host an after-hours lounge at the Motorola Lodge. There they will debut the game to an audience of celebrities, filmmakers, entertainment executives, musicians and influential trendsetters. The event, which takes place on January 18th, will provide access and a first opportunity to play the eagerly awaited stealth-action game in a relaxed lounge environment.
To bolster the cinematic feel of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow, Ubisoft invested heavily in production value, bringing in cinematic artists, skilled voice actors, top quality sound, skilled scriptwriters and even commissioning an original score. The final result: a totally immersive experience - which becomes even more compelling when gamers take the game online to play against other game fans from around the world, using voice chat to communicate to one another. The scheduled unveiling of Pandora Tomorrow marks the first time a video game has debuted in or around a film festival and demonstrates the increasing prominence of video games in the entertainment pantheon.
Top Selling PC Games
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 11:10 PM |
Category: PC Games |
NPD Techworld has released a list of the top selling PC games for the last week of December, 2003. The top 10 were:- The Sims: Makin' Magic Expansion Pack
- Call Of Duty
- Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection
- The Sims Deluxe Edition
- The Sims Double Deluxe
- The Sims: Superstar Expansion Pack
- Age Of Mythology
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: Century Of Flight
- Halo: Combat Evolved
- The Sims: Vacation Expansion Pack
Wow, that's a lot of The Sims! You think that's a popular game franchise or something? ;)
Medieval: Total War Battle Collection Ships
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 11:00 PM |
Category: Strategy |
Activision announced the release of the Medieval: Total War Battle Collection, an all-new compilation of the Creative Assembly's critically acclaimed Medieval: Total War and the expansion pack Medieval: Total War Viking Invasion.Cited as the "Best Game of All Time" by PC Gamer (UK), Medieval: Total War allows players to take control of one of 12 European powers as they attempt to rewrite history through a mixture of epic battles, trade, diplomacy and resource management. Featuring a powerful 3D engine, the game supports real-time 3D battles of more than 10,000 troops and over 100 unique unit types, including knights, infantry and siege engines, in terrain as varied as deserts, forest, plains and mountains.
The Medieval: Total War Viking Invasion expansion pack adds new levels of gameplay to the award-winning Total War formula, as well as a completely new campaign map, units, weapons and features. The game places players in control of eight new factions, including the Vikings, Saxons, Scots, Irish, Welsh and Picts as they set out to raid, pillage and conquer the British Isles just as they did over 1200 years ago. Medieval: Total War Battle Collection is currently available for $29.95 in the US and is Rated T (Teen - with Blood and Violence) by the ESRB. You can visit The Creative Assembly's Total War series website for more information.
Lock On: Modern Air Combat Patch
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 10:46 PM |
Category: Flying |
Ubisoft announced their first patch for Lock On: Modern Air Combat.Players will find radar and weapons performance improved; in addition, improved AI tactics, enhanced TrackIR2 and force feedback joystick support are now ready to take flight. System support is also improved for Windows 98 and ME. The version 1.01 Patch is now available for download.
Sonic Battle For GBA
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 10:39 PM |
Category: Game Boy Advance |
THQ Inc. and Sega of America have announced the release of Sonic Battle for the Game Boy Advance in the US. Gamers will be able to play as one of eight characters in total as they fight in a dozen different arenas. Story, Challenge and Battle modes are included, as is the ability for up to four players to clash when using the GBA’s Game Link Cable. Sonic Battle has an MSRP of $29.99 and is Rated E (Everyone).
Play FFXI Online
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 10:33 PM |
Category: Role Playing |
Square Enix U.S.A., Inc. has stated that its PlayOnline service has now surpassed 500,000 registered users for Final Fantasy XI in North American and Japan combined. The massively multiplayer game was released for the PC in the US on October 28, 2003, while the PlayStation 2 version is scheduled to be released in May, 2004. Square Enix added that the total community population is at nearly one million online characters.
Nominations Open For GDC Awards
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 10:25 PM |
Category: Developer |
Nominations have opened for the 4th annual Game Developers Choice Awards. Submissions will be accepted through January 23, from all those directly involved in the development and design of videogames. The winners will be presented by the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) at a March 24, 2004 ceremony taking place at the Game Developers Conference.
| Saturday, January 10, 2004 |
Top Home Video Rentals
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 9:34 PM |
Category: PlayStation 2 |
Home Video Essentials posted a list of the top renting video games for the week ending January 4, 2004. The top 10 are all for the Playstation2 console:- Need for Speed: Underground
- True Crime: Streets of L.A.
- Tony Hawk’s Underground
- Medal of Honor: Rising Sun
- SOCOM II: U.S. Navy Seals
- Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2
- Manhunt
- Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
- Madden NFL 2004
- The Sims: Bustin’ Out
Need for Speed: Underground brought in an estimated $705,499 in weekly rentals, while True Crime: Streets of L.A. garnered some $501,352.
Ridley Scott In The Driv3r's Seat
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 3:31 PM |
Category: Pop Culture |
Atari, Inc. has announced that they signed Ridley Scott Associates (RSA), a commercial production company owned by the filmmaking duo of Ridley Scott and Tony Scott, to produce a three-minute live-action film inspired by the upcoming videogame Driv3r.(GameDaily) Run the Gauntlet is the title of the short, and a rough cut will be debuted at a U.S. launch event on January 13 in San Francisco, California. A series of 30-second “vignettes” will be released as previews for each one-minute episode of the film, with the two promoting Episode I of the film scheduled to be released on www.driv3r.com on January 23. Episodes II and III will be released in February and March. Driv3r, in development by Newcastle, UK developer Reflections Interactive, is due out for both the Playstation2 and Xbox platforms in March.
Rainbow Six 3 For Playstation2
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 9:11 PM |
Category: PlayStation 2 |
Ubisoft announced that Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 (already available for the Xbox and of course for the PC) will be released for the PlayStation2 this spring.About Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 for the PlayStation 2:
In Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 for the PlayStation 2, the first title in the wildly popular series for next-generation consoles, players lead an elite team of multinational counter-terrorist operatives in 15 intense missions against deadly, intelligent foes. When a terrorist plot threatens to tilt the balance of peace between the United States and Saudi Arabia, Team RAINBOW is the only answer. In locations around the world - from the Caribbean to Venezuela, Croatia and New Orleans - execute Team RAINBOW's missions with deadly force and precise tactics in order to protect the innocent and ensure peace.
Key Game Features: - Immersive storyline with spectacular events that directly affect gameplay.
- Groundbreaking voice-command technology: instantly issue orders to your squad, like "Open and Frag" and "Breach and Clear," and hear them respond through the headset.
- Amazing online multiplayer gameplay with three adversarial modes for at least eight players - exact number to be determined.
- Exclusive new split-screen mode for offline two-player collaboration.
- Exclusive new mission and multiplayer maps.
- Squad-based, action-oriented gameplay keeps the excitement flowing - lead an international team of four elite operatives, each with their own look and personality.
- Movie-quality cinematics enhance the immersion in the world of Team RAINBOW.
- Incredible graphics and lighting effects.
- Trademark Tom Clancy realism.
Rainbow Six 3 for the PlayStation 2 is developed by Ubisoft's Shanghai studio.
| Thursday, January 1, 2004 |
Happy New Year!
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 10:24 PM |
Category: General |
HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone! Can you believe it's 2004 already?! We here at Mindless Games hope this will be a wonderful year for one and all, with lots of great games to enjoy!
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