March 2004
| Wednesday, March 31, 2004 |
Is Far Cry Worthplaying?
 Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 9:40 PM |
Category: First Person |
worthplaying.com posted up a cool review for Crytek's Far Cry. Here is a slab off the review:Adding to the realism is the fact that every tree, bush and blade of grass moves in the wind. Also as you walk through the jungles, shadows from individual leaves of the trees are cast onto your weapon in real time. Amazing! You can go anywhere you can see, which, thanks to this game’s amazing draw distances – around 2 kilometers - is close to anywhere. There will be times when you get so immersed in the game that you start reaching for a can of bug spray before you remember that you are only playing a game. Check out the full review of Far Cry. I just bought the game myself and it looks damned cool.
Methane Discovered On Mars
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 9:50 PM |
Category: Science |
CNN.com reports that scientists have confirmed the presence of Methane On Mars. Here is a peek at the article:Since methane has a relatively short lifetime on Mars for atmospheric gases, about 300 years or so, scientists believe there must be some process at work to keep replenishing its concentration in the atmosphere. I find that quite fascinating though I bet it's all just volcanic gas.
Men Of Valor Screenshots
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 9:39 PM |
Category: First Person |
Shack News has some new spiffy screenshots showing several locations from Men Of Valor which is an Unreal engine powered FPS set in the Vietnam conflict. The game is in development at 2015.
Painkiller Gone Gold!
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 9:44 PM |
Category: First Person |
inside3d posted the news that Painkiller has Gone Gold and the game will be in stores April 12. Check out the official Painkiller site for more info.
Worthplaying Reviews Conan: The Dark Axe
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:05 PM |
Category: Action |
worthplaying.com has a new review for Conan: The Dark Axe. Here is a little bit of what they have to say about the game:Conan is a mix of exploration and action, though admittedly you are far more likely to be swinging your battleaxe at a group of foes rather than aimlessly wandering or searching for a key or switch. Combat in Conan is based on button combinations using four buttons, A, B, and the left and right triggers. Combos are performed using these buttons and are fairly simple to execute, putting the emphasis on using the right combo for the situation rather than concentrating all of your efforts on hitting the buttons in perfect timing. View the rest of the review and get better informed about this anticipated game title.
Star Trek Prequel Trilogy
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:01 PM |
Category: Movies |
ign.com has an article posted about the possiblity of a Star Trek Prequel Trilogy. Here is a chunk off the article itself:It would be a trilogy of films without an Enterprise. It wouldn't go where no one had gone before. It wouldn't feature the tightly-knit crews and personalities that made the more successful films so good. And it would probably break continuity something terrible. A convoluted time-travel plot à la the Enterprise series wouldn't be out of the question either. To read the rest of the article beam your browser right here.
Fishing Academy Mod Reviewed
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 8:30 PM |
Category: Mods |
Morrowind Summit has a new review up for the very cool Fishing Academy mod which they did up for thier plugin's: mod of the week feature. Here is a taste of the review:This is an absolutely amazing mod in that it breaks totally new ground for Morrowind. Without "corrupting" traditional lore in any way, it adds (through Max’s superb scripting) completely new "dimensions". Why hasn’t fishing been there all along is the natural question - after all there are fish and fishing rods in the game? But his mod provides so much more than merely the capability of angling for would-be fisher-persons. If your a Morrowind fan like myself then check out that Fishing Academy mod if you haven't already.
Bunny Ears On Mars?
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:58 PM |
Category: Science |
Every now and then something weird shows up in the news. This time its Bunny Ears on Planet Mars. What looked to be a set of pointy ears or some kinda demonic skull stuck in the red sand is probably just a piece of rubbish left over from Rover Opportunity's landing. Thanks Looney2ner for spotting the article.
New Spellforce Interview
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:45 PM |
Category: Role Playing |
Gamers Pulse has an interview. with Martin Löhlein, senior producer and product manager for Spellforce: The Order Of Dawn. A snipping from the interview:It is not yet time to go into detail here, but we will provide lots of additional content and increase the replay value even more. The add-on campaign picks up one of the stories from the worlds background history. If you read through the stuff on the SpellForce website, you will surely be able to guess which background story is taken to a new conclusion in the add-on. Check out that interview if your into that kinda stuff.
| Wednesday, March 24, 2004 |
New Painkiller Screenies
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:23 PM |
Category: First Person |
Shack News posted up a total of thirty nine, new multiplayer screenshots for the upcoming Painkiller game that is due out on April 12th of this year. Looks pretty cool methinks!
Rust Hosts New Kingpin Site
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 9:21 PM |
Category: First Person |
gamedesign.net has a new hosted site that is dedicated to Kingpin which includes editing tutorials and other assorted Kingpin stuff. They also have a interview with Rafael Piaz who is one of the Kingpin programmers. The new site is called Kingpin_Xatrix's Turf and if your into Kingpin then go see what it's all about.
Lineage 2 Beta Preview
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:05 PM |
Category: Massively Multiplayer |
Telefragged has a spiffy new preview up for Lineage 2 a new MMORPG which uses a modified Unreal Engine. What Telefragged did was take the beta for Lineage 2 out for a spin. Check out the preview to find out what it's all about.
Spellforce Review On MyGamer
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:20 PM |
Category: Role Playing |
MyGamer.com has a new review up for Spellforce. I took this quote from the review:The RPG elements work very well with the game. It's a bit simplified compared to a game like Neverwinter Nights, but it works in a decent fashion. The RTS element of the game is standard fare as RTS games go, but not as polished as the RPG elements. Check out that review for Spellforce: The Order Of Dawn.
Kiltron Interviewed About Fakk 2 Project
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:31 PM |
Category: Action |
I posted before about this mod but for those who don't know, Between Heaven and Hell is an upcoming Heavy Metal Fakk2 unofficial Add-On that continues off where the original Fakk2 left off. I spotted that Thearrel "Kiltron" McKinney updated the The Mean Arena with the news that homelanFed.com interviewed him about this project. Just so you know, Kiltron works for Ritual and is working on this Unofficial add-on during his spare time. Anyhow go read the interview...tis cool.
A Thief In Deadly Shadows
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:03 PM |
Category: Stealth |
gamespydaily.com has some new eye candy from Thief: Deadly Shadows in the form of these very cool looking screenshots. Also check out the official Thief: Deadly Shadows site for more information on this stealthy game.
Croteam's 5th Report
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 8:38 PM |
Category: First Person |
Croteam went and posted up thier 5th weekly report on thier site. Here is a clippage from the update:Game Developers Conference 2004 is just around the corner and it's only a few days until Serious Engine 2 is shown for the first time to the public. Check it out on the Croteam site.
Midway Launches Psi-Ops Site
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 8:25 PM |
Category: Action |
Midway Games announced the launch of the official website for Psi-Ops today. A quote from thier press release:Your mind is the ultimate weapon(TM) in Psi-Ops, an action/adventure game that melds the extensive use of Psi (mind) powers with traditional weapons combat. Providing gamers unique gameplay attributes that set it apart from others in the genre, Psi-Ops casts players as Nick Scryer, an elite American Psi-operative soldier that must take down The Movement, a terrorist organization set to overthrow world order. Scryer must fight strategically against The Movement by using his Psi powers; Telekinesis, Mind Control, Pyrokinesis, Mind Drain, Aura View and Remote Viewing, in order to win a very serious “mind game” against an amassed army of brainwashed terrorist super soldiers and powerful Psi agents. Psi-Ops will be available June 2004 for the PS2 and the Xbox.
Is Firestarter Worthplaying?
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 9:58 PM |
Category: First Person |
Ok I'm sending ya'll back to worthplaying.com to check out the review of Firestarter. Now for the typical cut and paste:Enemies aren't waiting in the shadows in Firestarter. No, they fade in to the level with ample warning. Many times their introduction into the level will break away from the action to show what the new baddie looks like. Yet another break in the flow of the game. You can see where the enemy is with a handy map that also highlights new ammo and gems, which are the crux of the action in each level. I bought this game just recently and I'm not sure if I should've or not but at least the price was right.
Alpha Black Zero Preview
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 9:47 PM |
Category: Action |
worthplaying.com has a new preview online for Alpha Black Zero. Here is a clippage from the article:Alpha Black Zero is a fast-paced mission based 3rd person tactical shooter with a gripping storyline to test both your fighting abilities and your intelligence. Dozens of different enemies, all possessing strong Artificial intelligence, will punish your mistakes across huge and challenging levels. We had a chance to play a press build, and were literally blown away ... Wow, that preview sounds pretty cool. This is anouther game I gotta check out when it ships...
| Wednesday, March 17, 2004 |
Rust Interviews Realdespair
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:08 AM |
Category: Mods |
gamedesign.net posted up an Interview with Realdespair, one of the regulars from the RUST community who answered some questions from RUST, on the art of mapping and being a good mapper. Check out that interview for a change of pace from the official news items.
New Bloodrayne 2 Screenies
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:02 PM |
Category: Action |
worthplaying.com has some new screenshots of Bloodrayne 2 which is being developed for PS2, Xbox and the PC. Get yourself over there and check out those new screenshots.
Sedna May Be The 10th Planet
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 9:46 PM |
Category: Science |
CNN.com reports that scientists may have discovered the solar system's most distant object, more than 3 billion kilometers farther away from the sun than Pluto. Behold Sedna the 10th Planet!
CSI: Dark Motives Review
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:51 PM |
Category: Forensics |
worthplaying.com has a new review online for CSI: Dark Motives. Here is a piece of the review:UbiSoft’s PC port of the “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” television series was such a smash hit in Q1 2003 that fans began hankering for a sequel or expansion pack immediately upon completion of the game. The wait has finally come to an end, with the series’ next installment, CSI: Dark Motives, hitting store shelves at the end of the month. All of the winning components from the original game are back, paired with extra goodies to make it more challenging, as the main gripe about the first title was that it was too short. So if your a fan of the CSI show maybe you should check out that review and or get the game.
Rainbow Six 3: Athena Sword Review
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:33 PM |
Category: Tactical |
Gamespot has a review of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Athena Sword, the add-on for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield. Here is a slice of the pie, I mean review:Once again, you have to uncover what they're up to in a series of disparate missions that take place in exotic locales that would make James Bond envious. There's a swanky Italian art museum set in an ancient medieval fortress, as well as the historic and beautiful old city of Dubrovnik, Croatia. Follow that up with a couple of trips to a ritzy Monaco hotel, wrap it all in the heart of Athens, and you've got a tour of duty worthy of 007 himself. I'm sure if your a Rainbow Six fan you'll definitely want to read that review.
Mars Was Once Wet & Other Info
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:39 PM |
Category: Science |
There's been a lot of Mars stuff lately in the news for obvious reasons and I gathered some of the interesting ones for ya'll to check out. In this article Mars Rovers show deserts similar to Earth. Now if you click on the next link right here you can view images from the Mars Exploration Rovers. Next is the article where Rover failed to dent a Martian rock. Here is an olde article about ice discovered on Mars via NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft and a newer article about liquid water that was once on Mars.
Spellforce Add-on, Story & Screenshots
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:04 PM |
Category: Role Playing |
RPGDot has some info on the Spellforce: The Order Of Dawn add-on that is called Spellforce: The Breath of Winter. On the official site there is also a story from the expansion called winterdragon and some new screenshots to check out. Use the arrow buttons on the top of the page to navigate the screenshots.
Bloodrayne 2 Preview
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:01 PM |
Category: Action |
gamespy.com has a preview online for Bloodrayne 2 that is in developement for Ps2, Xbox and the PC. Ok here is a clip from the preview:The original BloodRayne was one of the surprise sleepers of the last year, racking up over half a million sales after all was said and done. That wasn't bad at all for a game that many of us dismissed as mindless T&A, and from a publisher that hasn't been known for solid 3D action games. Umm yeah it had T&A but I thought it was pretty solid for what it was, tho the 'no save' thing kinda irks me. Anyways go get the full preview and get informed about the sequel.
| Wednesday, March 10, 2004 |
Far Cry Gone Gold & New Demo Available
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 8:41 PM |
Category: Gone Gold |
Ubisoft's upcoming FPS for the PC, Far Cry, has gone gold and is scheduled for release on March 23. Furthermore Ubisoft has released a new SP demo entitled Research and plans to release another SP demo titled Boat on March 15. Far Cry will also ship with the Sandbox editor, designed to allow gamers to create their own maps, re-construct game levels, and switch from editing to playing on the fly with one simple command. Get that Research demo from Gamers Hell!
Chad Grenier Interview & Contest
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 8:14 PM |
Category: Mods |
Hellchick of Activision sent us the word that Callofduty.org has an interview with Infinity Ward level designer Chad Grenier running here. Chad talks about mapping for Call Of Duty and what he'd like to see in community maps and the Call Of Duty Official Map Contest. Also Activision would like to remind everyone that the mapping contest is open until March 26th and there's 3 weeks left to go (with a pre-sign up of March 20th so be sure to let them know that you'll be submitting a map if your interested). You can discover more about the contest on the mapmaker competition site.
Fakk2 Add-On Sample Map
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 6:52 PM |
Category: Mods |
Between Heaven and Hell is an upcoming Heavy Metal Fakk2 Add-On that continues off where the original Fakk2 left off and puts Julie right in the middle of all new environments. Kiltron updated the The Mean Arena with the news that he's added new screenshots to the Fakk Maps page and for the first time, a sample playable level called Tomb Of Dispair is available for download.
Six New Star Wars Battlefront Screenshots
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:06 PM |
Category: Action |
Star Wars Battlefront Just added 6 new Battlefront screenshots making a total of 18 on this gallery page. Battlefront is an open-ended multiplayer action game that is due out this fall for PC, Xbox and Ps2. Both console and PC players will be able to participate in the most memorable Star Wars battles set in over 15 environments across 10 diverse planets.
New Conan Screens & Trailer
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:18 PM |
Category: Action |
I see upon the worthplaying.com site that they have posted the news about some new Conan: The Dark Axe screenshots and there's a new development trailer for download. Check out that Conan stuff right on this particular page.
Full Spectrum Warrior Preview
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:03 PM |
Category: Tactical |
Jolt Online Gaming recently posted up a informative new preview of Full Spectrum Warrior which is a new tatical action game that is being developed for both the Xbox and the PC by Pandemic Studios. I copied this part of the preview:In the game you take on the role of a squad commander. Under your command are two US Army fire teams, each comprising four light infantrymen. Where FSW deviates from the norm is in the fact that you merely direct the action rather than participate in it. Make no mistake though, from what we've seen FSW can be just as tense and personal as any other squad-based shooter, if not more so. Take the full tour of the preview to see what else this game has to offer and I must say it sure looks good by going by the screenies..
First Conan: The Dark Axe Review
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 9:32 PM |
Category: Action |
I wasn't expecting this yet but I found a review on RPGDot for the new Conan-The Dark Axe game which was released in Germany already on a multi-language CD. Here is a piece of this first Conan review:Combat has rarely been so detailed and well done, from the animations to the controls and the pace of the action. However, the camera sometimes puts the action in picture from strange angles, but that's nothing to really worry about, because it happens very rarely and you can still fight easily, as Conan auto-targets the closest enemy or other item which can be attacked or destroyed (such as crates, chests, walls to open secret doors and others). Get yourself psyched for Conan-The Dark Axe by reading the review.
Days Of The New Releases Live Bootleg
Posted
by
Christian 'Fraust' Wilson
at 9:00 PM |
Category: Music |
Fans of Days Of The New will be pleased to hear that the band has released an official bootleg of a solo acoustic show. Performed by Travis Meeks and his trusty acoustic guitar, the CD includes ten classic songs from the Days Of The New library and one new song. They are offering it through the band's website for $10 (plus shipping). Visit the website or just click here to go directly to the treasure!
On a side note, the band is currently finishing up deals with a new record label and the long awaited "Purple" album is expected to get released sometime within the year.
Britney Gets Gummed
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 12:27 AM |
Category: Pop Culture |
I was reading my newspaper and read about this link to a site called GumBlondes and thus I had to check it out. Seems this crazy Canadian dude does portraits of famous blondes by appling chewed gum to plywood. Sounds damned wacky and kinda ickyfried but wouldn't you know it, this guy's art actually looks pretty amazing considering what it's made out of. Just look at this piece of Britney Spears. That's some well done artwork! I mean I've seen stuff in oils / pastels / acrylics / watercolors. etc, that sucks compared to some of these gum paintings. Now I bet you didn't realise you'd ever see Britney rendered in chewing gum. I know I didn't.
Prince Of Persia Sequel And Movie Deal
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 12:06 AM |
Category: Adventure |
Gamespot posted up some very good news for Prince Of Persia fans. At the D.I.C.E. Summit in Las Vegas, Ubisoft Vice President Tony Kee confirmed that a sequel to Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is in the works. Secondly legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer has bought the film rights to The Sands of Time so theres going to be a movie as well as a new POP game. Go to the article and read the rest of the story.
UT2004 Goes Gold
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 12:34 PM |
Category: Gone Gold |
Atari sent out a press release to inform the gaming population that Unreal Tournament 2004 has gone Gold. You can expect to see Epic's multiplayer FPS in stores "worldwide" on March 15th! Here is a slice of the press release:In the game, players suit up as the ultimate techno-gladiator of the future, taking their fates into their own hands as they battle up to 32 other players in action-packed, frag-filled arenas. Unreal Tournament 2004 contains new maps for all established game modes, including Capture the Flag, Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Bombing Run and Double Domination, as well as all new arenas for the new styles of play. In addition, Unreal Tournament 2004 contains all of the maps, mutators and game types -- such as Mutant, Last Man Standing and Invasion -- from Unreal Tournament 2003 and the free downloadable bonus packs for that game. You can read the full press release in this article thanks to Blues News.
New Conan Trailer Available
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 12:06 PM |
Category: Action |
I see they announced upon the Conan-The Dark Axe site that a new 110.2 MB trailer is available on Gamers Hell and can be downloaded right here. For a good look at the game via other media have a look at Gamers Hell's gallery of screenshots.
American McGee Gets Interviewed
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:24 PM |
Category: Developer |
ign.com has a spiffy interview with American McGee posted up for us all to check out. The game designer talks about joining forces with Trevor Chan's Enlight studio, the state of his OZ game, other projects and a lot more! Here's a piece of the interview:Trevor's abilities are amazing when it comes to the types of games he does. I look at those sorts of games and scratch my head. I don't want to go anywhere near working on them or conceiving them. It works the other way around as well. The ideas that we can bring to what the other is doing, we already find a tremendous value in shared knowledge of different types of game genres and in terms of things like interface design, simplicity of use, level of detail in the world and so. There's been a lot of really neat cross-pollenization already. Get over to ign.com and read the full, two page article.
Solar Screenshots On PC Gameworld
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:39 PM |
Category: First Person |
PC Gameworld has some screenshots for Solar which is a FPS game set in the near future and is a battlefield gaming experience allowing both single player and multiplayer modes over vast terrains, with up to 32 players. Single player games use multiplayer maps with the addition of advanced AI bots to simulate multiplayer gaming styles. Also check out this article that contains a link to a 35 second high-res DivX trailer for Solar.
Return Of The King Rules!
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:36 PM |
Category: Movies |
I didn't watch the Oscars but I was very glad indeed to learn that Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King won big time and took 11 out of 11 Oscars in a sweep. I was hoping it would take best picture but wasn't holding my breath. Anyways the Daily Record has it all in this article.
Area 51 Preview On Gamespot
Posted
by
Darren 'Doom Dude' Finch
at 10:09 PM |
Category: Action |
Gamespot has a preview up for Area 51 which is a new action title that will be coming along for the PS2. Here is a clip from the article:The now-fully 3D first-person shooter features a properly fleshed-out story that's more than a few shades sinister than the arcade games. You'll play as Ethan Cole, who is a HAZMAT (or hazardous material) specialist and the leader of a small Special Forces unit sent in to investigate Area 51 in the wake of a distress call from the installation. From the sounds of the call, a viral outbreak has caused the facility's fail-safe mechanisms to lock down the premises, thus trapping scientific and military personnel inside. From what the preview reports, this particular game is sounding pretty cool.
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