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WPG 08:18 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: General News
(0 comments)
- 'Sid Meiers Pirates!' - Bonus Theme Pack
- This pack allows you to modify the with new sail emblems, flags,
music, and changes to some of the characters you meet in the Pirate
Havens.
- Various Game Trailers
Valve Shows off Half-Life 2 Expansion 04:44 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: Action
(17 comments)
Word from Planet Half-Life is that Valve will be showing off HDR (high dynamic range) lighting technology as well as "The Lost Coast" which I assume will be a commercial Steam download next week on G4TV:
On Wednesday's show, Valve's Doug Lombardi will give an exclusive demonstration of the previously unseen "The Lost Coast," an upcoming expansion that utilizes a brand-new technology that Valve is implementing into the Source engine. Called "high-dynamic range lighting," this new technology enables a leap in lighting realism from even the current high benchmark set by Half-Life 2 and the existing Source engine. Show times, etc are listed here.
The Matrix Online Impressions 04:11 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: MMOG
(2 comments)
Monolith's The Matrix Online opened to a quiet, but seemingly smooth launch (always a good sign when its actually playable day one). Wondering how it plays? A few different sites share their views:
The look and feel of the game shares more in common with Anarchy Online and City of Heroes than EverQuest and World of Warcraft, for obvious reasons. Beneath the slightly green-tinted visuals, though, the game really doesn't feel that different from other online RPGs. Since The Matrix Online is newly released, the world of the game is still sparsely populated, though it still runs a little sluggishly even on a system that far outstrips the game's system requirements. And while there are a lot of different social animations in the game, from assorted dances to handstands and much more (including some two-character animations, which are a nice touch), there isn't a ton of variety to the characters...at least not while they're all still low-level. Starting out, you really don't have many outfits to choose from, either.
Thanks MxO Vault.
CGM Interviews 03:16 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: General News
(0 comments)
Inigo Vinos of Pyro Studios chats with Computer Games Magazine about Imperial Glory, their upcoming 19th century European historical RTS game.
Also, Chris Taylor and Kevin Lambert of Gas Powered Games chat with Computer Games Magazine about Dungeon Siege II, the upcoming sequel to their hit
fantasy action-RPG.
Top-10 Best Selling US PC Games 03:15 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: General News
(6 comments)
The NPD Group released the latest top-10 best selling PC games in the US ending the week of March 12th. Dig it:
1) The Sims 2 University Expansion Pack Electronic Arts $34
2) World Of Warcraft Vivendi Universal $50
3) The Sims 2 Electronic Arts $45
4) Aquazone Desktop Garden 1.0 Allume Systems $15
5) Half-Life 2 Vivendi Universal $51
6) Star Wars: Republic Commando LucasArts $44
7) The Sims Deluxe Electronic Arts $20
8) Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords LucasArts $44
9) Halo: Combat Evolved Microsoft $29
10) MVP Baseball 2005 Electronic Arts $25
Gearbox must be cleaning up with Halo.
RPG Vault Bits 01:36 pm
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: General News
(1 comment)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Nudies 10:44 am
- Andrew Burnes
- Games: General News
(10 comments)
Below you'll find the first 3 screenshots from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Videogame, as based upon Tim Burton's upcoming July movie:
Step inside the magical world of Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory. Based on the Warner Bros. Pictures feature film directed by Tim Burton and the classic Roald Dahl book, this new videogame allows players to explore deep inside the factory and play the beloved story as Charlie Bucket. Find a Golden Ticket and, along with four other children, win a personal tour of Willy Wonka's factory guided by the notorious and reclusive candy-maker himself.
Embark on a fantastic adventure exploring the many extraordinary environments of the factory, including some from the book that do not appear in the film. Discover what happens after the other children, greed-driven and unrestrained, wreak havoc throughout the factory. Then save the chocolate factory from their destruction by solving mystifying puzzles and using inventive candy powers. By helping the Oompa-Loompas and restoring order to the factory, Charlie can earn the respect of Willy Wonka and win an unexpected prize!
(Click to Enlarge!)
SCi Gains Significant Advantage In Eidos Bid 10:35 am
- Andrew Burnes
- Games: General News
(0 comments)
SCi's bid to purchase Eidos came one step closer to reality today as they secured backing for their proposal from 20% of Eidos' stockholders:
Schroder Investment Management has been one of the most active purchasers of Eidos stock over the past year or so, and it has now given an irrevocable acceptance of SCi's bid on behalf of 14.99 per cent of Eidos' shareholders, and a letter of intent on behalf of a further 4.79 per cent.
Under the terms of the offer, this will give Schroder one share of SCi (SEG) stock in return for every six shares of Eidos (EID) stock it currently holds, which valued Eidos' shares at around 53 pence at Monday's closing prices.
Sorry Bono.
Shadow The Hedgehog Officially Announced; Nudies 10:13 am
- Andrew Burnes
- Consoles: General News
(6 comments)
Although there was a mini-trailer a few weeks ago, Sega has only just officially announced Shadow The Hedgehog, a darker spin on the venerable series:
Shadow The Hedgehog allows players to collect an arsenal of weapons, vehicles, and objects to rocket through more than 50 unique missions. In his feature debut, Shadow is tormented by a dark past, struggling to discover his true identity. He is caught in a complex battle between aliens, the G.U.N. army, and Dr. Eggman, and discovers that he may be the very element that will tip the scales between good and evil forever.
"Since we first introduced him in Sonic Adventure 2, we have wanted to feature Shadow in his own game," said Takashi Iizuka, Game Director, SEGA Studio USA. "We maintained Shadow as a mysterious character and now fans can control his destiny by engaging in a unique gameplay experience that offers a multitude of possibilities!"
Is he an android created by Dr. Eggman? Is he the original Shadow simply suffering from amnesia? Or is there an even more sinister explanation? Now, gamers will decide in a race against time by choosing between any number of routes by which to unveil the secrets of his past. Multiple endings will reflect critical decisions at every stage of the game. Gamers have ultimate control over Shadow's past, with the potential to rewrite his history time and time again.
(Click to Enlarge!)
Guns eh?
SoulCalibur III Announced; PS2 Exclusive 08:32 am
- Andrew Burnes
- Consoles: PS2
(30 comments)
As rumours suggested there is a new SoulCalibur title in development, and yes, it is exclusive to the Playstation 2:
Featuring three all-new characters, a groundbreaking character customization system and original gameplay modes, "SOULCALIBUR III" continues the storyline of legendary fighters in pursuit of the all-powerful Soul Edge.
"'SOULCALIBUR III' expands upon the landmark achievements of the franchise, and is undoubtedly one of the must-have games for PlayStation 2 owners in 2005," said Yoshi Niki, Business Unit Director with Namco Hometek Inc. "With a robust character creation system, jaw-dropping graphics and a large selection of fighters, 'SOULCALIBUR III' gives players the ultimate opportunity to immerse themselves in one of the most beloved series in gaming."
Screens, trailer, and all that lark available over on Worthplaying.
Xbox Shortages Continue; 1 Million Xbox Nexts For EU Launch? 06:50 am
- Andrew Burnes
- Consoles: Xbox
(28 comments)
MCV today has more on the Xbox hardware shortages that are plaguing the US and EU, while also quoting a publisher source who states that a million Xbox Nexts will be available for the European launch:
"We have been told to expect roughly one million Xbox 2s in Europe alone by the end of the year, and 1.5 million by the end of March," a senior source at a major US publisher told MCV. "Microsoft is making a huge commitment, no question."
The source also suggested that Xbox 2 would not be backwards-compatible with current-gen software, fuelling speculation that many publishers were now deliberately holding back key releases to ensure they are made 'next-gen ready' to insure against ongoing shortages.
World of WarCraft Peformance Guide 01:15 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: MMOG
(1 comment)
Anandtech smacked up a nice performance guide for Blizzard's cash-cow massively multiplayer role playing game, World of WarCraft: The balance between GPU and CPU performance isn't all that matters to World of Warcraft. Memory size is also a very important factor in building a smooth running WoW box. As with any high end gaming box, less than 512MB of memory is simply unacceptable for WoW. However, the requirements here are a little more strenuous than usual. We found that ideally, you need 1GB of memory to have WoW running on a machine that has other applications running in the background. While you can get by with less than that, for the best overall performance, the sweet spot is 1GB. With memory prices at the lowest that they will be for the next few months, making that 1GB or more upgrade is a bit easier now than it was before or than it will be later on.
They have some cool mouse-over screen shots that compare DirectX7 and DX9 graphics as well.
Hardware & Tech Nuggets 01:00 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- hardware: General News
(0 comments)
Game Reviews 12:45 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- Games: General News
(16 comments)
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory enters the realm of 'best game evah' mention:
The only PSP game I really, really want is Wipeout: Pure...
In Other News... 12:30 am
- Robert 'Apache' Howarth
- In-House: In Other News...
(28 comments)
On one hand I'm not surprised that VU stopped supporting Tribes Vengeance. It didn't sell very well; not too many people play it online and to be honest -- it didn't seem all that buggy. On the other, it's just good practice to fully support your products, especially if you promised to do so. Not that promises really count for anything in the game world, but fully supporting your games builds consumer loyalty which is something you really can't put a price tag on. Irrational did develop Tribes: Vengeance and should be included in the equation somewhere as well, but if no one is going to flip the bill for them to patch it (it isn't their brand after all) not much is going to happen. R.I.P. Tribes.
Today's question is: What game company do you think has the best support? Does their stuff sell better as a result? The PSP launches today! Anyone get one yet?
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