October 2003
Manhunt Hands-On Preview
 Posted
by
Christian 'Fraust' Wilson
at 2:35 PM |
Category: General |
Anyone anxious to find out more about Manhunt, the cool looking action game by Rockstar Games can check out a new hands-on preview from IGN. Here a bit of what they had to say.Cash's controls are solid, with smooth mechanics and a good range of moves. Cash creeps by default, but can run if needed. He can stick to a wall and peak around a corner, a la Metal Gear Solid, and he can arm himself and pop out from behind a corner and shoot, too. Or he can crouch and pop too. Cash carries only three classes of weapons simultaneously, a one-off item, such as a bag or a shard of glass, a hand weapon, such as a baseball bat, and a gun, including shotguns, rifles and others. Also, he can lean, face first, around a corner without having to put his back up against it to see what's going on. The game looks rather disturbing and fun, I'll be first in line at the store to pick this one up! You can read the rest of the preview here.
| Thursday, October 30, 2003 |
Jedi Academy Top Of The Pops
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 7:46 PM |
Category: Developers_Corporate|x|PC_Action |
Raven's Project Administrator, Kenn Hoekstra sends word that Jedi Academy tops NPD Techworld's list of top-selling PC games in the U.S. for the month of September. Here's the whole Top 10 list:- Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
- Command & Conquer: Generals Zero Hour
- Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII
- Halo: Combat Evolved
- EverQuest: Lost Dungeons Of Norrath
- Medal Of Honor: Allied Assault BreakThrough
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: Century Of Flight
- Battlefield 1942
- The Sims Deluxe
- Temple Of Elemental Evil
If you haven't already done so, check our updated list of Jedi Academy reviews.
| Wednesday, October 29, 2003 |
Napster Reborn
Posted
by
Christian 'Fraust' Wilson
at 7:09 PM |
Category: General |
The wait is over. Napster is back and ready to take over the music industry like it did when it came out. Using a similar payment system like iTunes, Napster also allows you to pay for a premium service and download all the songs you want a month. Boasting 500,000 songs in its library, Napster is available now and can be downloaded from the Napster website.
Napster or iTunes, which is the best service? We'll be looking at both in depth and letting you know which is the best on the block.
Happy Birthday PS2!
Posted
by
Christian 'Fraust' Wilson
at 5:26 PM |
Category: General |
Here's a quick little note for you. The lovable Playstation 2 was released in the United States three years ago today. I remember it like it was yesterday. Waking up early to get to the mall for 6am so I could get home and spend the day playing the brand new console. We've seen a lot of great games since then and there's sure to be more between now and 2005-2006 when the Playstation 3 is expected to hit the market. Happy birthday PS2!
On a related note, the new PS2 has hit stores. It's not a completely new system, but it does add a built in IR port, DVD-RW and DVD+RW read capability, progressive scan DVD playback, and an ultra quiet fan. Gone is the iLink port (also known as IEEE 1394 or Firewire) since nothing has really used the port. It retails for the same $179.95 price tag.
| Thursday, October 23, 2003 |
Grand Theft Auto Goes To Court
Posted
by
Christian 'Fraust' Wilson
at 1:05 AM |
Category: General |
Thanks to two kids from Virginia who killed a woman and badly wounded another back in June, Rockstar Games, Sony Computer Entertainment, and Take-Two Games are now involved in a $246 million lawsuit. The grounds are on the claim that Grand Theft Auto trains people to shoot at people and vehicles. Rockstar has the following statement.The Company believes that the claims against it are without merit and are similar to lawsuits brought and uniformly dismissed by courts in other jurisdictions where the plaintiffs' sought to hold entertainment companies responsible for the violent behavior of individuals who used those company's products. The Company intends to defend vigorously the action against it and seek a dismissal of the action. You can read more about this absurd lawsuit at IGN. If the games train people to kill, and the series sells copies by the truckload, why aren't there millions of killers out there now? Gee, I wonder...
Castlevania Hits PS2
Posted
by
Christian 'Fraust' Wilson
at 12:43 AM |
Category: General |
Can you feel that unsettling mood in the air? Yes, you guessed right, it's Castlevania creeping up on us once again. This time it is the Playstation 2 exclusive Castlevania: Lament Of Innocence and it's in full 3D. Wait, don't go yet! It's not like the Nintendo 64 Castlevania games, this one is really good, I promise! It's the perfect mix of vampire killing and 3D action and it's available now. Lament Of Innocence running at the usual $49.95 price tag and is rated M for Mature.
| Saturday, October 18, 2003 |
Our Tron 2.0 Review
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 1:16 PM |
Category: (default)|x|PC_Action |
It's been a while since we knocked out one of our "award-winning" game reviews, but that doesn't mean we've stopped playing games in the interim. Not by a long shot! And to help quash those incipient rumors of our apparent dry spell, we've just finished a great new review of Tron 2.0. Here's a little intro to get you going:The unique story, look, and concepts of the film made it an instant classic in the hearts of many. Though this grandfather of computer animation is considered primitive by today's standards, Tron is still a very unique movie experience.
Now, over 20 years later, Tron revisits today's generation in the most attractive form for all ages: a computer game. Sounds good, so far! How did the game rate? Head to the rest of our Tron 2.0 review!
A Bard In Exile?
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 8:24 PM |
Category: General |
Vivendi Universal Games has signed on to publish inXile entertainment (ex-Interplay CEO Brian Fargo’s new developer start-up) in North America. VU Games will distribute inXile’s first game, The Bard’s Tale in 2004. However, the role-playing game's name is still pending final trademark blessings here in the U.S. Whatever it ends up being called will be released on all of the usual console platforms, as well as on the PC.
State Of Emergency 2 Announced
Posted
by
Christian 'Fraust' Wilson
at 7:10 PM |
Category: General |
VIS Entertainment have announced a sequel to the popular State Of Emergency game that was released a few years ago on the Playstation 2 and later on Xbox. Working out a deal with shareholders to give them the funds necessary to make the game and find a publisher (that's right, Rockstar is not behind the game this time around) they are expecting to release the game sometime in 2004. (Xbox Addict) "This special arrangement is a demonstration of the faith which our investors have in VIS," commented Chris van der Kuyl, President and CEO of VIS. "Now we will concentrate on bringing State of Emergency 2 to market while negotiating with publishers from a position of strength. The first game topped the UK and US charts at its launch last year and sold well in excess of one million copies. We are confident that the sequel will be even more successful." I was disappointed with the original State Of Emergency but only because the gameplay wasn't nearly as deep as I was led to believe. With a few adjustments that I'm sure the sequel will provide, this could turn out to be quite an addicting game.
Unreal Tournament 2k4 Goodies
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 1:55 PM |
Category: General |
Atari, Inc. and Epic Games have released a few details concerning the next game in the Unreal Tournament franchise, Unreal Tournament 2004:The PC game is scheduled to ship in time for the 2003 holiday season and will carry an MSRP of $39.99. The standalone game will offer new maps, modes, characters, weapons, technology and even vehicles. Consumers who own Unreal Tournament 2003 can receive a $10.00 rebate when purchasing UT 2004, after submitting relevant proof of purchases.
A special edition of the new title will also ship, entitled Unreal Tournament 2004 DVD Special Edition. The $59.99 priced set will feature the game along with a second disk that will feature over 150 hours of Video Training Modules from 3D Buzz that aims to teach users how to create custom game content. Also included in the bundle will be a Logitech headset and a UT 2004 window sticker, all housed in a commemorative tin. Hey, ya gotta love those chatzkies! Also, see our related news update about Unreal University.
Tom Clancy'S Rainbow Six 3 For Xbox Goes Gold
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 1:47 PM |
Category: General |
Ubisoft has just announced that Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 for Microsoft's Xbox console system has reached gold master status and is expected to hit store shelves in the coming weeks.Eagerly anticipated as the must-have Xbox and Xbox Live game for the holiday season, the game has already enjoyed a massive pre-sell campaign, as tens of thousands of orders in the first weeks of the offer signal that the game will be a huge success for 2003.
Completely redesigned for next-gen console players, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 gives players the opportunity to command an elite, four-man international anti-terrorist squad, and features trademark realism of the Clancy games, immediate, immersive close-quarters action, state of the art in-game cinematics, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell-quality graphics and a nail-biting plot ripped from today's headlines. A voice-activated command system and comprehensive Xbox Live multiplayer capabilities are said to round out an exciting experience for Xbox players this year.
| Thursday, October 16, 2003 |
An Unreal University Degree
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 6:10 PM |
Category: General |
Epic Games has announced the details for their very first Unreal University. This will be an intensive workshop devoted to learning how to create mods using Unreal Technology. Here's a bit of the announcement:The university will take place on November 8-9, 2003 at North Carolina State University, and will attract modders from across the country who want to learn how to develop their own content using the Unreal Technology. Unreal University is being sponsored by Epic Games, NC State's Center for Digital Entertainment, NVIDIA, AMD, Alias. and Atari, Inc. People interested in finding out more about Unreal University can visit www.makesomethingunreal.com; registration, schedule information and other specifics can be accessed at cde.ncsu.edu/uu. The cost of the seminar is $25, which includes meals and a t-shirt.
The Unreal University class presenters will include Epic Games developers and artists, as well as Jason Busby, creator of the www.3dbuzz.com site and the www.masteringunreal.com site. To help modders before, during and after the course, the 3d Buzz Mastering Unreal site contains more than 100 hours of free downloadable Video Training Modules (VTMs) geared toward educating users on how to program and build content using the Unreal Game Engine. So, you can go to school to learn to make cool stuff with Unreal, get fed and wear the t-shirt, all for $25! As long as you live in North Carolina, or at least within traveling distance to make it to the classes, that's a great deal!
iTunes Now Available For PC
Posted
by
Christian 'Fraust' Wilson
at 4:16 PM |
Category: General |
Mac users have had a great library of songs available to them via the iTunes music service. The service has been given much praise and now PC users can get in on the action. As of today, PC users can download the iTunes software and starting buying music. The best part is, this thing is identical to the Mac version. It works great and is sure to gain tons of new subscribers on the PC platform.
This might actually help me finally jump into the digital music scene. I'm still partial to Napster though and already have my account preordered. I think I'll be trying both. It's a good time to be a music fanatic.
| Wednesday, October 8, 2003 |
Peter Gabriel To Write Songs For Myst Series
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 11:58 AM |
Category: General |
Ubisoft has teamed up with Peter Gabriel to add a distinctive sound to its Myst franchise of games. Gabriel will provide the song, Burn You Up, Burn You Down for the November release of Uru: Ages Beyond Myst. He will also provide an original composition for the next game in the series. Said Peter Gabriel:When Myst came out I thought it succeeded well in creating a feeling of other worlds in which mystery and imagination were the compelling elements instead of the usual action packed 'shoot 'em ups'. I think there is some similarity with the way I try and create worlds of sound. I, and my collaborators, are very much looking forward to working with the Myst team. As most everyone knows, Myst is one of the most widely recognized game brands in history, with more than 12 million copies sold worldwide. As a long-time fan of Peter Gabriel's music, I can certainly attest that anything he's associated with is certainly worthy of our rapt attention in its own right.
No Half Life 2 In 2003
Posted
by
Christian 'Fraust' Wilson
at 5:28 PM |
Category: General |
Thanks to the hacker who infiltrated Valve's email system and stole the source code for Half Life 2, we won't be seeing it on our PCs this year. The game has been pushed into next year and is expected to boost sales for the publisher, Vivendi Universal. Vivendi was hoping that Half Life 2 would boost revenue this year after the disappointing sales of Hulk.
While we must suffer this delay, remember that it is necessary for us to fully enjoy the game. Without changing the code, anyone could make cheats for the multiplayer component and completely ruin the fun of playing online. At least there are some more games on the horizon that we can enjoy in the meantime. Doom 3 anyone?
BioWare Makes Fast 50 List
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 3:32 PM |
Category: General |
BioWare Corp. has been named to the latest Deloitte & Touche Canadian Technology Fast 50 list. The list, which ranks firms according to five-year revenue growth from 1998 to 2002, ranks BioWare 45th, with growth of 781.6 %.
Max Payne 2 Goes Gold
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 2:04 PM |
Category: Console_PS2|x|Console_XBox|x|Developers_Corporate|x|PC_Action |
Rockstar Games has announced that Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne for the PC has just gone gold:The Remedy Entertainment-developed sequel will hit North American stores on October 15 and will be available to European consumers on October 24. The title will also be released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox platforms on December 3. Head to Remedy Entertainment's website and the Max Payne 2 forums for more info and community involvement!
| Wednesday, October 1, 2003 |
BioWare Goodies Aplenty
Posted
by
William 'Phoebus' Mull
at 5:59 PM |
Category: Console_XBox|x|Developers_Corporate|x|PC_RolePlaying |
BioWare has posted their official premiere trailer for Jade Empire, as well as Jade Empire FAQ, as part of their BioWare Wednesday celebration. Also, you simply must check out their Demonflesh Golem -- he/she/it's truly a nightmarish creation in the upcoming Neverwinter Nights expansion pack: Hordes of the Underdark. Speaking of which, rpgvault.ign.com has posted another pair of cool abilities that characters will be able to use in HotU. And if you want to start your own Neverwinter Nights / HotU fansite, BioWare is generously providing Fan Site Kits that include all of the info and multimedia elements you'll need to get your site up and looking spiffy in no time.
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