March - April

4-30-4

Hello all, today is my birthday.

Nokia has announced that the hit title Call of Duty from Activision will be coming to the N-Gage handheld video game system by the end of 2004. Call of Duty is a first person World War II action shooter.

Bungie.net has undergone a significant overhaul. The home of Bungie, the studio developing Halo 2 for the Microsoft Xbox video game console, has new content, new technology and a new layout. And shortly Bungie.net will also feature new screenshots from Halo 2 with more updates to come.

4-29-4

A post to the JoWooD Gothic Forums by Iomar Eisenwolf, one of the board moderators, follows-up on a post to that thread translating a German interview that states the developers at Piranha Bytes are currently solely concentrating on Gothic III. Concerned about the implications this news holds for the English version of the Night of the Raven add-on for Gothic II, Iomar's inquiries have lead to discouraging news: "Bad news concerning the add-on. I've talked with Plex if there will be an English [sic] version of the add-on (Nacht des Raben), and he said that's a very difficult question. Many political problems are here within and it's not sure if there will be ever an english addon. this is out of the hands of JoWooD and Atari doesn't respond. Seems that the add-on is temporary on ice or it died long before." Thanks RPGDot.

4-28-4

The forums on Halflife2.Net have some details translated from an article on Half-Life 2 from German print PC Games magazine. The post offers hidden-text descriptions of the screenshots in the article, and word from Valve's Gabe Newell that they are planning to release the game in late summer, along with apologies for the September 30 fiasco, attributing the delay to bad scheduling, rather than the source code theft.

A playable demo is now available for Neighbors from Hell 2, showing off the sequel to the game where the good neighbor policy involves setting tricks and traps, not mowing your lawn, and all that sort of stuff. The demo is a 31 MB download that features a level not included in the retail game, available on ActionTrip, Adrenaline Vault, Boomtown (registration required), GameCenter.cz, Gamer's Hell, and Worthplaying.

Xbox 2 Specs?

4-27-4

The Kult: Heretic Kingdoms Q&A on RPGDot talks extensively with the 3D people at 3D People about Kult, the upcoming RPG formerly known as Cult.

4-26-4

Epic has released the UT2004 UnrealScript Development Environment (direct link), and word from Epic's Steve Polge is: "UnrealScript coders should also download the UT2004 v3186 UnrealScript source code, from http://unreal.epicgames.com/Files/scripts3186.zip." These files are mirrored on 3D Gamers. Further: "Both programmers and level designers will find the Level and Mod Optimization guide useful, http://unreal.epicgames.com/Files/optimization-guide.txt. The following web sites also are great resources for UT2004 mod authors: http://udn.epicgames.com http://sv3.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/unr_main.php http://wiki.beyondunreal.com/wiki/ http://www.psyonix.com."

4-25-4

Painkiller multiplayer demo due May 3 on GameSpot has word to expect the multiplayer demo for Painkiller on May 3: "The demo will allow players to blow each other to bits in two modes: the self-explanatory Deathmatch and Voosh, a Deathmatch variation where players are given random weapons--but unlimited ammo--for a limited time. It will also feature two maps: DM-Sacred and DM-Cursed and will include all the updates and optimizations from the upcoming 1.1 patch."

There's a Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow Walkthrough on GameShark, focusing on the Xbox version of the game.

4-24-4

Sierra's Half-Life 2 Teaser Trailer Page now offers a trailer comprised of various previously released Half-Life 2 gameplay movies, all collected into one clip that runs for about a minute. Also, Blackhole Motorsports now offers downloads of a the introductory movie for Richard Burns Rally, showing off the upcoming rally racing game. The 89 MB clip is mirrored on 3D Gamers and GameCenter.cz.

A new version 0.3 of the Star Wars-themed Galactic Conquest mod for Battlefield 1942 is now available, downloads can be found on 3D Downloads and Gamer's Hell. Also, a new minor version of the BF1918 World War One-themed mod is now available.

4-23-4

NVIDIA Launches GeForce 6 Series - Biggest Performance and Feature Leap in Company History is the press release with the announcement that accompanies the spate of previews in this morning's Tech Bits. The release offers technical info as well as the usual use of phrases like "Industry-leading" and "revolutionary" in touting what they call "the biggest generation-to-generation performance leap that we have ever seen with a new GPU." Word is: "Retail graphics boards based on the GeForce 6800 models are slated for release in the next 45 days." The release also quotes industry luminaries John Carmack and Tim Sweeney on the new hardware:

"As DOOM 3 development winds to a close, my work has turned to development of the next generation rendering technology. The NV40 is my platform of choice due to its support of very long fragment programs, generalized floating point blending and filtering, and the extremely high performance," said John Carmack, president and technical director of id Software

And:

"The NVIDIA GeForce 6 Series is a great leap forward in PC graphics, bringing next-generation Microsoft DirectX 9 rendering performance to new heights while continuing forward with the high-definition floating-point rendering, driver performance, and stability NVIDIA is famous for," stated Tim Sweeney, Founder EPIC Games. "As the first GPU supporting the new Pixel Shader 3.0 programming model, the GeForce 6 Series enables games to use entirely new rendering approaches and obtain higher performance per-pixel lighting, shadowing, and special effects than previously possible."

4-22-4

id Software Hires Intern from Guildhall at SMU...

Van Helsing Trailer #2 on Gamer's Hell.

4-21-4

This Frozen Throne Ladder Page (thanks Kurtz) has details on how to check out the beta patch for the next version of Blizzard's RTS sequel. There is an English-only beta server running the new version, and word is: "As additional participation incentive, we will be running a clan ladder, Random Team, and FFA based competition where winners will be awarded spots in the World of Warcraft Beta. The competition will officially start on Tuesday, April 20 at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time (PST) and end Tuesday, April 27 at 6:00 PM PST. The competition will work such that the ten (10) highest experience contributors of each victorious clan will be awarded spots in the World of Warcraft Beta."

Sierra Entertainment's Half-Life 2 Page has been updated with a new box shot, though it cannot be said for certain that this represents the final cover art for the retail release of Valve's shooter sequel.

4-20-4

There's a The Trenches Q&A on All-Interviews.com talking with Evan Murphy about The Trenches, a Half-Life modification set during World War One.

4-19-4

The promised demo for Warlords Battlecry III is now available on GameSpot DLX (registration required). Here's word on the sample of Enlight's strategy game: "Choose between two of the game's 16 playable races--the dwarves and the swarm--and four of the 28 hero classes, and jump into out four campaign battles or two skirmish maps." The 266 MB download is also available on ActionTrip, FileFront, and Worthplaying.

4-18-4

Mojo StormStout's Warcraft III Strategy Guide now has details on what to expect in the next Warcraft III Patch, which "will include several new features, fixes, and balance changes, including an updated matching system, completely anonymous free-for-all play, clan ladders (The Frozen Throne only), improved player and clan profiles, and a new Neutral Hero -- the Goblin Tinker." They also unveil plans to beta test the patch:

To further test the patch, we'll be making a beta version available in the next few days. We hope you'll take this opportunity to join us for the beta test and try out all the new features and functionality going into the game. Stay tuned to www.blizzard.com for more information on the Warcraft III patch beta test.

4-17-4

A new patch is now available for the Macintosh edition of Command & Conquer: Generals, updating it to version 1.01. Word is: "This update for the Retail English game fixes stability issues with some ATI Radeon video cards (in particular 9000 models), addresses multiple monitor cursor controls, increases performance of in-game movies, and speeds GameRanger sub-launch times." The 2.8 MB patch can be found on Mac Game Files, Extremesims.com (direct link), and Aspyr's FTP Server (direct link).

4-16-4

U.S. Army and UbiSoft Join Forces in Unprecedented Agreement to Deploy ``America's Army'' Brand Worldwide has the announcement of plans to for UbiSoft to publish console games based on the America's Army shooter for the PC beginning in the summer of 2005. Word is: "This historic agreement marks the first time that the U.S. Army has ever exclusively licensed its brand to a game maker and will dramatically expand the reach of 'America's Army' to the vast console game market." The release goes on to reiterate Ubi's militaristic ambitions: "This agreement marks the third major announcement from UbiSoft in the past few days and fires off the defining round in the company's quest to own the military games segment of the video game market. 'America's Army', 'Brothers in Arms (TM)' and 'Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (TM) 2' are evidence of UbiSoft commitment to bring the gamer quality titles from every segment of the military category, from historical to near future, and aggressively position itself in the competitive military games market which accounted for 5 out of the top 10 combat franchises in 2003." In an America's Army-related aside, John Kerry: The video game (thanks Hump) is a Salon.com take on the political implications of the America's Army video game that offers a startling factoid: "A third of the country's young people have an elevated view of the Army, not foremost for anything it's actually done lately, but because of the computer game they played, which just simulates it."

4-15-4

New patches are now available updating Operation Flashpoint: Resistance and the Op Flashpoint Game of the Year edition to version 1.96. There is a 1.8 MB patch to update version 1.91 of either Resistance or the GotY edition on the Codemasters Website and mirrored on 3D Gamers. The 12.8 MB patch to update any version of Resistance is on this Codemasters Downloads Page and mirrored on 3D Gamers. The 7.3 MB patch to update the Game of the Year edition is on this Codemasters Webpage and mirrored on 3D Gamers. Finally, the 1.6 MB new Win32 dedicated server can be downloaded from Codemasters or the mirror on 3D Gamers.

4-14-4

PlanetDungeonSiege notes the launch of the official Dungeon Siege II Website, which reveals the sequel's story. They also note an update to the Siegeworks site, which Gas Powered Games uses as a home for mod resources for Dungeon Siege. It's been updated with several new mods for the game, so check in if you're into the community scene for Dungeon Siege.

An update to the Code of Conduct for Shadowbane players has been posted to the Community Website for Shadowbane, Ubisoft's fantasy MMORPG, reflecting newly-updated naming policy information. There's also new discipline information added that reflects the new disciplines added in the 2.0 patch, like the Archmage and Thrall. Find out more Shadowbane goings-on if you're into the game by visiting the official site.

The City of Heroes Website notes the release of the latest Beta Report by the Jeremy "Gaffer" Gaffney, Third Party Executive Producer, on the ongoing beta test of NCSoft's upcoming superhero MMORPG City of Heroes. You can learn all about how the test is going if you check this out.

4-13-4

A short "Psyche" intro movie for Half-Life 2 is now available, accompanying the pair of longer gameplay movies. The 6 MB Bink movie can be found on 3D Gamers, GameCenter.cz, and Gamer's Hell. Also, a trailer for Chaos League is now online, word is: "This video shows what you can expect to see in Chaos League, such as the different teams that will be available, different stadiums and mouth-watering graphics, along with some footage of in-game matches." Mirrors of the 28 MB clip are listed on the Chaos League Website. Also, pair of a new Soldiers: Heroes of World War II have been released, showing off Best Way's upcoming WW2 action/RPG. The promo movie and the gameplay trailer can both be found on 3D Gamers. Finally, a new Gorge Tour movie is up on the revamped Official Website for the upcoming space action game in the works at New Media Generation. The 17 MB clip is mirrored on 3D Gamers and Gamer's Hell.

A new version 0.2 of the Empires modification for Battlefield 1942 is now available. The ChangeLog outlines what's new and different in the update, and their download page has a list of mirrors. Word is: "This FPS/RTS hybrid mod features a commander for each team who builds the team's base and issues orders from an overhead view while everyone else plays from the traditional first person perspective. Teams must fight to control resource nodes to buy bigger and better vehicles and aircraft. It features many bug fixes and enhancements over 0.1 including a new commander interface with fog of war, new player models, increased stability, new dropship with vehicle capture and deploy ability, two new maps, and more. Read the included changelog.txt for a full list of changes."

4-12-4

Atari to Launch "Unreal Tournament 2004" DVD Version in North America in Response to Overwhelming Demand is the press release announcing plans to issue another DVD edition of Unreal Tournament 2004. The new two-DVD edition will launch on April 13, but "will not include the limited edition tin box and Logitech Internet Chat Headset that were included in the Special Edition."

Ubi Heating up a Baker's Dozen on IGN has the rumors that they have picked up about all this teasing from Gearbox on Warstory.net: "According to several sources in the know, it's temporarily called Baker's Dozen. The name isn't finalized just yet, but that one, according to our sources, might be replaced by Baker's Drop or something similar. Either way, it is not called War Story. Look for an announcement in the next week or so."

4-11-4

Happy Easter everyone.

The Warcraft III Bonus Maps Page now offers downloads of a new "Funny Bunny's Egg Hunt" map for WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne, offering the chance to face off with the dreaded evil bunnies (cue ominous music). Here's the description: "Hunt for eggs on Bunny Island. The Easter Bunny will share his eggs if you can catch up with him. Be careful, though: the island hosts a gang of evil bunnies who will try to stop you."

QLAN2 begins tomorrow: "Swedish QLAN2 is kicking off on Friday the 9th at 12:00 AM. The CPMA tourney is looking quite interesting with both fazz & ANAKiN signed up to participate and plenty of eager ProMode fans packing their bags and getting ready for 4 days of gaming. The LAN also features an OSP Duel Tournament, OSP Team Deathmatch Tournament, CPMA Duel Tournament, Capture The Flag Tournament and a Rocket Arena 3 Tournament."

Warner correcting Matrix Online DVD gaffe.

4-10-4

Ubisoft announced its plans for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2 for the PC and consoles. In development with Ubisoft's Red Storm studio, this military shooter will be released this Holiday season. Obviously more on this during E3.

Rockstar Games has announced the formation of a the Rockstar Leeds studio after the acquisition of Mobius Entertainment limited of Leeds England. Rockstar Leeds will continue the work of Mobius Entertainment in the developing games for handheld platforms such as the Nintendo Game Boy Advance and the upcoming release of the Sony PSP.

4-9-4

Konami Digital Entertainment has announced that another installment in the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise is on the way with Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. Currently scheduled for release in June of 2004, the latest addition will recreate the trading card game on the popular handheld with 800 unique cards including three Egyptian God cards.

Once again Tom Clancy stays on top of the board trumping James Bond for a second week. The top games from ChartTrack are:
Pos Title Publisher
1 Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow UbiSoft
2 James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing Electronic Arts
3 Sonic Heroes Sega UK
4 Far Cry UbiSoft
5 LMA Manager 2004 Codemasters

4-8-4

The Urban Terror team has released version 3.4 of the popular counter-terrorism mod for id's Quake III. This is the final version of Urban Terror for Quake III and is available as a 12MB patch or a 414MB full download.

PlanetWarcraft reports on the latest news on the next push for World of Warcraft, the upcoming MMORPG from Blizzard that's now in beta testing. The next push, they have learned, will add visible cloaks for characters to wear, and improved memory usage which will make memory-heavier areas work better. They've posted screenshots of the new cloaks in action.

4-7-4

Vivendi Universal Games confirmed a GBA version of its Van Helsing game is in development. The game was previously announced for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Based on the upcoming motion picture featuring vampire hunter Van Helsing, the game ships on May 7.

THQ Wireless has released MotoGP Ultimate Racing Technology 2 for download from all major carriers. The game includes nine tracks and various MotoGP riders and features race types such as quick, career, time trial and stunt mode, which includes wheelies and endos.

4-6-4

EverQuest II will be the first MMORPG to feature for non-playable characters. The voiceover will be comprised of more than 130 hours of dialogue and approximately 1.5 million words (the equivalent of more than 65 feature films' worth of content, according to publisher Sony Online Entertainment).

4-5-4

Unreal Tournament 2004 (PC) is reviewed on All Out Games.

Matrix Games and Destroyer Studios have announced that Starshatter, a space combat simulator, will be published in North America by Matrix Games in the summer of 2004. Starshatter includes both fighter combat and starship combat by putting the player in the shoes of a fighter pilot or a starship commander.

Nintendo has updated the European web portal for its game products. http://www.nintendo.co.uk now features new game content and features such as special Lounge sections where registered users can access in-depth reviews, interviews and features for the latest Nintendo games. An Ambassador Program has also been enabled which will allows registered members to invite others to view content on the site. Members earn credits toward purchases from the Nintendo Stars Catalogue for each person that visits the site from their invitation.

The ChartTrack results for the UK game sales have been released and Tome Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow is the new leader.
Position Title Publisher
1 Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow UbiSoft
2 James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing EA
3 LMA Manager 2004 Codemasters
4 Far Cry UbiSoft
5 Sonic Heroes Sega UK

Sarbakan Studios has announced that the company has just wrapped production on a new series of online titles for Warner Bros Online. Top properties such as Scooby-Doo, Batman and Looney Tunes will all see new online mini-game going live shortly. Scooby-Doo now has three new mini-games to be hosted at the Scooby-Doo official web site. Batman will see the mini-game Batman: Ice Age go live at the Warner Bros web site. And finally, the lovable Looney Tunes will get four new mini-games, Daffy Wide Receiver, Marvin’s Space Bowling, Carrot Sweeper, and Looney Mahjong.

4-4-4

Macrovision Corp has announced that it will be holding a special session at this years Electronics Entertainment Exposition, E3, that is being dubbed “Hacker U”. In the new, first of its kind workshop, Macrovision will demonstrate to game developers the tools are are used by hackers to create “free” version of retail titles and how the Macrovision SafeDisc technology can help.

Akella has announced the launch of the official web site for the upcoming nautical simulation title PT Boats: Knights of the Sea. The key features for this release are a dynamic sea, historically accurate World War II ships, the ability to control any member of the crew and a multiplayer mode.

The Pirates of the Burning Sea Website has been updated with an article on the Sloop class, the first ship any player of Flying Labs' pirate-themed MMORPG is likely to learn. Accompanying this descriptive article are six screenshots of the sloop, and a new desktop wallpaper.

BioWare is looking for some "top-notch talent" to join its development team. BioWare has quite a few positions open ranging from Senior Writers to 3D Graphics Programmers. If you're interested in a position you can stop by booth #2021 at the Game Developers Conference in San Jose to get more information or drop off your résumé.

4-3-4

The theme for Big Blue Box's upcoming Xbox role-playing game Fable has been composed by Danny Elfman. Elfman, three-time Academy Award-nominee and GRAMMY-winner, is best known for his contributions to the soundtracks of dozens of films including Chicago, Batman, Spider Man, Men In Black, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Beetlejuice. The musician worked with a hand-picked orchestra and recording team to produce a theme that suits the magical world of Albion, where the events of Fable take place.

Limitless Horizons' official Website for the upcoming fantasy MMORPG Realms of Torment has been updated with new screenshots of the latest build. Check them out for some great in-game footage.

4-2-4

PlanetAvP reports a new Predator game from Vivendi Universal Games is due this year. The publisher confirmed this news in a recent conference call and VUG sources reaffirmed such plans to PlanetAvP. With a release date still up in the air, it's known the game is set to appear on the PC, PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

4-1-4

Microsoft Game Studios has announced that they are developing Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict for the Xbox and it is currently scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 2004. Based on the best selling Unreal franchise and developed by Epic Games Unreal Championship 2 will boast an intense melee combat system, an optional 3rd person perspective and unique character combinations.

3-31-4

NCsoft and Cryptic Studios, the development team behind City of Heroes, have revealed some new information on pre-order bonuses and the upcoming City of Heroes beta program. Check out the official site for details.

Datel has announced that its Xbox USB Keyboard Converter is available now exclusively through its CodeJunkies Online Store. Selling for £4.99 (UK) ($6.99 USD, the Xbox USB Keyboard Converter allows you to use any USB keyboard on your Xbox, specifically for Xbox Live game such as Sega's Phantasy Star Online.

3-29-4

3-27-4

PlanetQuake sent word today that both QuakeCon and id Software have updated their sites with the official announcement for QuakeCon 2004. The event will run from August 12-15 at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas. Registration will begin on April 14th. For more information, check out the official QuakeCon site.

Sam Fisher is back in a single-player demo for the sequel to Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Pandora Tomorrow. Take to a train on a search and capture mission and sneak your way through a Docks level in this demo,

Electronic Arts has announced that it will be shutting down Earth & Beyond before the end of the year. They'll maintain the servers, but in the meantime, the developers have been redistributed to other projects. This marks the second massively multiplayer title that EA has closed due to lack of sustained interest, the first being Motor City Online. Earth & Beyond was a neat idea and it was graphically rather stunning, but ultimately the level-grinding treadmill that earned the nickname "Ever Quest in Space" proved too slow to really keep people engaged. Exploring a vast fantasy world is one thing: Space (as rendered in E&B didn't seem to have enough variety. If you're still interested in multiplayer space combat and exploration, you ought to check out EVE Online instead. FilePlanet Subscribers can get a free 10-day trial right now. It's not perfect, but it's a pretty compelling game in its own right.

3-26-4

Atari's Unreal Tournament 2004 Support Page is now online.

3-25-4

The Steam Website announces the availability of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero via the broadband delivery service, the long-awaited release of the enhanced version of the tactical teamplay shooter. The game is available for online purchase at a special price of $29.99 through April 1. Accompanying the game's release is a new Steam update as well as new Dedicated Server install files.

3-24-4

Toby Ragaini on The Matrix Online on GameSpy is online, as: "GameSpy talks with the Lead Designer of The Matrix Online about wire-fu, the Merovingian and what death means in a world where absolutely nothing is real."

Swedish site Gamereactor has tidbits about Half-Life 3 they say they picked up on a visit to Valve to check out Half-Life 2. A rough translation courtesy of Online Translation has vague word from Gabe Newell that they are already bandying about ideas for another Half-Life game.

3-23-4

Halo 2 screenshot.

3-22-4

The Unreal Tournament 2004 Game Server Rental Program is underway announcing: "We at Atari, Inc and Epic Games, are proud to provide the Unreal Tournament 2004 ® community with an exciting game server rental service and tools that ensure your gaming experience with Unreal Tournament 2004 ® goes hand-in-hand in growing your clan, squad, guild etc. You can control your servers through our automated manager interface!"

3-21-4

A new version 1.8.2 build 074 of the Kquery server browser is now available. The new version includes an update to support BF:Vietnam, stability and speed improvements, and bug fixes.

LucasArts announces plans for Mercenaries: "an open-ended third person combat-action game this fall for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox video game system from Microsoft. Set in North Korea where a coup has plunged the troubled nation into chaos, an elite private military company has dispatched a lone mercenary to track down 52 fugitive members of the old hardliner regime --- before they can launch a nuclear attack."

3-20-4

A new version 0.31 of the Eve of Destruction modification for Battlefield 1942 is now available. Here's word on the updated release of this Vietnam War-inspired project, and what its future holds with Battlefield Vietnams release: "The Eod Team is glad to announce the release of EOD .31. This small patch will correct several bugs discovered since .3. It also contains many tweaks such as increased deviation on the Light Machine Guns (M60 and RPG) and coop tweaks including the additional support of 2 maps. We have also added the M35 Guntruck. With the release of Battlefield Vietnam many have asked the status of EOD. At current we, like many in the community, are looking forward to evaluating the updated engine and tools available and make an informed decision afterwards."

A new version 3.9.70b of the MultiEx Commander resource extraction utility is now available. the new release adds support for new formats, layout changes, code optimizations, bug fixes., and more.

3-19-4

Reuters reports that a 13 year old boy in Hong Kong flew into a rage when his father pulled the plug on his video game. The boy then grabbed a kitchen knife and threatened his parents by waving the knife around wildly. The father overpowered the youth and no one was injured. The incident occurred when the boy refused to stop playing his video game and go to bed at midnight, when the father pulled the plug.

Former Microsoft technology executives Herb Marselas and Chas Boyd have announced that they have founded a new, independent game development studio name Emogence. First up for the fledgling studio is a first person role playing game titled Grafan which is slated to drop in 2004 for the PC platform. Marselas, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, worked for Microsoft as the development lead for Direct3D graphics as well as with Ensemble Studios and Bungie Studios (both Microsoft companies) on the 3D engines for Age of Mythology and Halo 2. Boyd, co-founder and chief architect, was previously the chief architect for the Microsoft Direct3D graphics API.

Relic Entertainment has announced some new details for their upcoming tabletop turned video game Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War. The new title from a previous “Game of the Year” developer will include features such as 2 to 6 player LAN or Internet play, 4 unique race with their own strategies, an improved resource model and improved melee and ranged combat.

3-18-4

Codemasters has announced that IndyCar Series 2005, which is scheduled for release in the summer of 2004, will include the capability for racers to compete online for both the Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation 2 video game consoles. IndyCar Series 2005 is officially licensed by the Indy Racing League.

3-17-4

Blizzard has sent me an update to the official web site for StarCraft: Ghost with 10 new screen shots from the hotly anticipated action title. StarCraft: Ghost is expected to ship in 2004 with a T rating by the ESRB on the Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo GameCube and Sony PlayStation 2 video game consoles.

Ubisoft has announced that Crime Scene Investigation 2: Dark Motives will be available for the personal computer platform in March of 2004. This is a sequel to the popular Crime Scene Investigation also from UbiSoft and is based on the hit prime-time television show of the same name and was developed under exclusive license from CBS Consumer Products.

3-16-4

The Xbox version of Doom 3 will feature a two-player co-op mode for the single-player campaign. Vicarious Visions CEO Karthik Bala disclosed this information in an interview with GamePro. Like the PC version in development with id Software, Doom 3 for the Xbox is expected in late 2004.

Koei announced Crimson Sea 2 for the PlayStation 2 has gone gold. The game ships to North American stores on March 30. Taking place two years after the events of the original Crimson Sea, Crimson Sea 2 sees IAG Commander Live-D organize an assault on an alien menace. The title includes three new two-player modes. Players can work together to bring down an enemy and clear a stage in co-op mode, battle head-to-head deathmatch-style in Versus mode, or try to outscore their human opponent in competition mode.

3-15-4

American McGee has joined Trevor Chan at Englight and will serve as creative director. Previously chief creative officer at Carbon6, McGee was working on his dark version of The Wizard of Oz. Disney Films and Jerry Buckheimer recently acquired the rights to develop a film trilogy based on that franchise. "Trevor Chan has developed one of the most impressive independent development and publishing houses in the industry," said American McGee. "His attention to detail and creative genius were shown with hit computer game brands like Capitalism, Seven Kingdoms, and Restaurant Empire. Together, we will send a very strong message to the market that Enlight is a home for design teams and game creators that want a publisher who will support and encourage their talents."

Video game publisher Ubisoft and Sony Ericcson Mobile Communications have announced a major product promotion within Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow. The two companies have combines to put the P900 smart phone and the T637 camera phone into the hands of protagonist Sam Fisher as tools in his war on terrorism. This deal is the latest incarnation of a growing trend in advertising and product placement within interactive entertainment software.

3-14-4

Epic Games' Unreal Tournament 2004 has gone gold and ships on March 15 worldwide.

3-13-4

EA Sports a division of Electronic Arts, has announced that MVP Baseball 2004 has shipped to retail outlets nationwide. The new titles was developed by EA Canada and is available for the Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo GameCube and Personal Computer. MVP Baseball 2004 is rated E by the ESRB and carries a suggested retail price of $49.95 for all console versions and $39.95 for the PC version.

Eidos has acquired Hitman developer IO Interactive. With the acquisition of the Danish development house, Eidos has secured (IO Interactive earlier worked with Electronic Arts on Freedom Fighters) a talented team of developers. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

3-12-4

ELSPA has released its top twenty list of the best selling software titles in the United Kingdom for the week ending February 28th, 2004:
JAMES BOND 007: EVERYTHING OR NOTHING
FINAL FANTASY X-2
SONIC HEROES
NORTON INTERNET SECURITY 2004
NEED FOR SPEED: UNDERGROUND
THE SIMPSONS: HIT & RUN
PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME
LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING
FIFA 2004
MEDAL OF HONOR: RISING SUN
FINDING NEMO
GRAND THEFT AUTO: DOUBLE PACK
MAFIA
THE SIMS: BUSTIN' OUT
EYE TOY: PLAY
TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 2004
CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER: SEASON 03/04
LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION
BAD BOYS II
BALDUR'S GATE: DARK ALLIANCE II

3-10-4

The official Web site of Wish, the upcoming fantasy online RPG from Mutable Realms, has been updated with a new Bestiary addition, the Greater Demon. You can see a concept shot and read more about the creature.

Infinium Labs says that it plans to show off a working version of its Phantom gaming system at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles (May) - and the unit will be playable. This will mark the first time that the system will be shown in working condition to the media since it was announced. Further details when we have them.

3-8-4

NVIDIA passed along word that id Software has recommended the GeForce FX graphics processing unit for its upcoming action game, DOOM 3. This week a number of the company's add-in card and system builder partners have begun to display a special sticker on their retail packaging and company Web sites to promote this recommendation to consumers, says NVIDIA. This new sticker and a few details and screens from DOOM 3 can be found here.

The Star Wars Galaxies Web site features the latest Friday Feature, on an event known as Nym's Scavenger Hunt. This guide can give you clues on how to retrieve the four discs from a sunken transport and win a Player City prize. There's a second feature this week too, an advanced guide to skill mods.

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Digital Illusions said in 2003 annual financial report that its ultra popular shooter, Battlefield: 1942 (and its expansions) sold more than 2.8 million copies by the end of December 2003. The financial report also revealed that the new Battlefield: 1942 WWII Anthology, will be released in the spring of 2004. The combo pack serves up the original game, two expansion packs, and free content from the Internet. You can learn more about what DICE had to say in its financial report.

Blizzard Entertainment has released six brand new screenshots from its upcoming online role-playing game, World of Warcraft. These new shots show off large groups of players in the game - no doubt of great interest to fanatical followers of this game. Hit the link above to check them out.

Microsoft Game Studios has announced that it will launch Zoon Tycoon 2 in time for the holiday shopping season. Zoon Tycoon 2 is the sequel to the popular and award winning Zoon Tycoon published by Microsoft and developed by Blue Fang Games. Zoon Tycoon 2 cranks up the detail with a 3D graphics engine, 30 animals, dozens of buildings, tools and objects and a new zoon feature.

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THQ has released Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mayhem for the PS2, Xbox and GameCube to North American retail outlets today. Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mayhem lets gamers of all ages take Scooby and Shaggy on an all-new adventure based on the classic cartoon series. Players will lead their favorite teenage sleuths through Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mayhem to solve a mystery using Scooby and Shaggy, each with his own unique abilities, including crawling though holes, donning scuba gear for underwater exploration and climbing to retrieve out-of-reach items.

Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced that Rise To Honor, an action title starring action movie superstar Jet Li and famed action director Cory Yuen, has been officially released today, February 17, 2004. Developed by the Foster City California division of Sony, Rise To Honor features the likeness, style and voice of Jet Li combined with the remarkable direction of Cory Yuen to create a martial arts action game that is so realistic is blurs the line between action game and action movie. Rise To Honor has been rated T by the ESRB.

nVidia Corp has announced a 64-bit software technology that will be optimized for use with future versions of the Intel Xeon processor with 64-bit extensions. The new software is available as part of the nVidia ForceWare Unified Driver Architecture and features 16 lanes of PCI-Express capability that are dedicated toward graphics processing. This should be welcome news to Intel and Intel fans as the companies current 64 processor technology has failed to perform with that of rival AMD has continues to accelerate.

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ELSPA has released its list of the top twenty best selling software title across All Formats in the United Kingdom for the week ending February 14th, 2004. And they were:
1 SONIC HEROES
2 NEED FOR SPEED: UNDERGROUND
3 NORTON INTERNET SECURITY 2004
4 THE SIMPSONS: HIT & RUN
5 FIFA 2004
6 BALDUR'S GATE: DARK ALLIANCE II
7 MAFIA
8 LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING
9 MEDAL OF HONOR: RISING SUN
10 THE SIMS: BUSTIN' OUT
11 EYE TOY: PLAY
12 GRAND THEFT AUTO: DOUBLE PACK
13 LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION
14 GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY
15 TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 2004
16 CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER: SEASON 03/04
17 LEGACY OF KAIN: DEFIANCE
18 X2 THE THREAT
19 FINDING NEMO
20 SSX 3 ELECTRONIC ARTS

Electronic Arts announced that Battlefield Vietnam for the PC has gone gold and should be ready for retail in North America on or around March 15th. Developed by Digital Illusions Canada, Battlefield Vietnam takes the team-based gameplay that made Battlefield 1942 such a hit and brings it to the jungles of the Vietnam conflict. The game offers units for both the United States and North Vietnamese armies, online multiplayer, and a soundtrack ripped right from the era when the war was in full swing. Look for it in stores March 15th.

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The official Warlords Battlecry III Web site features nine new screenshots of Enlight's upcoming turn-based fantasy RTS in action, so check them out if you're waiting for this game.

VU Games has opened the official site for Van Helsing, the upcoming game based on the upcoming movie of the same name featuring the legendary hunter of all things evil. The game lets players explore 13 Transylvania areas, battle a variety of bad guys (Dracula, The Frankenstein Monster, The Wolf Man and 22 others), use a wide variety of weaponry (tojo blades, dual pistols, gatling gun, unlockable elephant gun), utilize several kill moves and gives players extra unlockable content. Check out the site for screens, movies and more information.

Wargaming.net has released a new patch for Massive Assault, their sciifi strategy title. It adds the scoring system to single player, rebalances for three difficulty levels, hot-seat mode now has save options, and there are numerous multiplayer enhancements.

Shane DeFreet, Activision Community Liaison, has posted an update on the IGN boards, talking about progress in Troika's upcoming Vampire: The Masquerade RPG, Bloodlines. He talks about experience and how it's gained from quests, as well as how quests will offer multiple solutions.

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Another new WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne bonus map is now available on the Warcraft III Bonus Maps Page. Called Hearthglen Hills, the map is described like this: "Once a thriving mining region, Hearthglen Hills is now overrun with vile creatures who scrounge for what little gold remains." Thanks Worldofwar.

The Operations 1942 Half-Life modification is now available, along with the first patch for the mod, updating it to version 1.2. As can be inferred from the name, gameplay is set during World War II, featuring stealthy solo play that features the player as a "secret commando."

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This Eidos Interactive Support Page offers downloads of a new version 1.2 patch for the North American version of Deus Ex: Invisible War. The update includes all the changes from the version 1.1 patch, as well as additional performance optimizations, graphics fixes for NVIDIA GeForce FX 5950 owners, and fixes for the "fuzzy appearance" of the bloom, sniper scope, vision biomod, and other full-screen effects. The update is mirrored on 3D Gamers, ActionTrip, Adrenaline Vault, DeusExZone, FileFront, GameCenter.cz, Gamer's Hell, and GameSpot DLX (registration required).

A new movie is now available, showing off the tire-shredding gameplay from Xpand Rally, Techland's upcoming rally racing game. The clip is available in two sizes, which can be found on 3D Gamers, Blackhole Motorsports, and Fappin.

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A new version 3.74 of the Qtracker multi-purpose server browsing utility is now available. Full details on the update, which adds support for Unreal Tournament 2004 and game type server-side filtering for Unreal Tournament 2004, can be found here. Word on the server-side filtering is: "All other games will receive this enhancement in the next release."

A new version 2.004 of the Multi Theft Auto Grand Theft Auto: Vice City modification is now available, required for server operators only. Word is: "After much testing and tweaking Aerons latest version is ready for download, It supports all the new features of the 0.3.1 server such as displaying IPs and wildcard ban management, and has a new script specially designed for gangwars."