Posts by Dragon47

BloodRayne is a dhampir, born from the

unnatural union of vampire and human. Blessed with the powers of a vampire but cursed with

the unquenchable thirst for blood and a weakness to sunlight, Rayne is challenged with her

most personal battle yet in BloodRayne 2.

Features:
*New acrobatic action on

poles and rails offers variations for fast-paced blade and gun combat
*12 fatality

finishing moves like "the cleave" and "stab and behead" let you end feeding sequences with a

flair
*All new highly destructible, interactive environments set in a modern day

city
*Advanced melee combat for deeper, more precise fighting with more than 30 combos.

Do the combo you want, when you want to do it. After earning a combo, it's added to a

reference menu accessible on the Pause screen so skilled fighters can test out all of her

available moves.
*New devastating powers include Enhanced Blood Rage and Ghost

Feed
*Revamped aura vision serves more integral role in game play

Demo

Size:475.7 MB

Official Site

Download

WorthPlaying

Download FilePlanet

Download

FileFront

Pics

http://www.megagames.com/news/…base=665&section=screens&

The latest information to seep through Microsoft's NDAs

regards the marketing process which the company will employ to launch the XBox follow-up

console. The whole process involves a timeline spanning from a period of one year, from fall

2005 to fall 2006, and three different consoles including a fully functional PC

version.

The full release schedule suggests that XBox Next and XBox Next HD will be

released on or around fall 2005 while XBox Next PC will appear in fall

2006.

Microsoft reacted to user backlash at the decision to not include a Hard Drive

by providing two versions of XBox Next, one without a hard drive, keeping costs nice and low

and one with A Hard Drive, to increase functionality for the more demanding XBox

user.
XBox Next PC will be ready one year later and will also additionally offer a CD

Burner, Wireless keyboard, mouse and controller and will connect to a high-definition TV or

PC monitor. The PC version of the console will offer Media Center functionality so users

will be able to view movies, music and photos, the device will also play most available PC

games. Microsoft describes XBox Next PC as an XBox console with the added features of an

entry level PC, without the possibility to upgrade the installed RAM or CPU.

The plan

seems to be a very well thought out attempt to gain the lead from Sony as Microsoft will

have a one year advantage over the PS3 and will also be able to use the XBox Next PC launch

to interfere with Sony's PS3 launch should that take place during fall 2006. There are some

doubts being raised however, claiming that Microsoft may be spreading XBox Next too thin by

releasing 3 different versions. The PC version of the console especially has created some

controversy as it seems to suggest that MS wants to have its cake and eat it. Is the idea of

a fully functional PC/console hybrid for which you will have to buy games and also pay to

play them online such a novel idea? Phantom anyone?

Best Buy made the decision of selling Half Life 2 on Friday night (Nov. 12th) and they are

available for sale at Best Buy retail stores now. A news item on the Best Buy Employee

Toolkit says "Please begin selling Half-Life 2 as the street date has been removed. Again,

please begin stocking and selling Half-Life 2 immediately."

*However*, once

installed, it requires to be authorized through Steam to activate the game. This does not

happen until Tuesday, November 16th, which is the official release date.

Here is a

statement released today by Valve:

---

Half-Life 2 For Sale?
November 13,

2004, 4:57 pm · valve

If you have purchased a copy of Half-Life 2, we are sorry you

are still waiting to play. This is not Valve's choice. Vivendi is insisting that the game

has not yet been released, and has threatened that Valve would be in violation of its

contract if we activate the Half-Life 2 Steam authentication servers at this

time.

Thanks for your patience and we will update you when we have more news to

share.

---

Pics

my newest

creation with an asian touch

Deep Silver and Egosoft have confirmed

further details on the impending launch of X²- The Return on PC CD ROM. Enhancing and

extending the gameplay of the award winning X²- The Threat; the expansion pack adds many

exciting new features and involves players in a thrilling new storyline. X²- The Return is

set for launch in February 2005.

X² - The Return picks up only weeks after the end of

X²- The Threat. The battle at Omycron Lyrae has left the Argon fleet depleted and stretched.

Green pilots are being drafted in as the Khaak continue their attacks on the X-universe. No

one is immune, whole Terracorp convoys are being destroyed and the Paranid have been

hammered by the heaviest attacks.

With no one to spare, Argon intelligence turns to

Jules Brennan - for help. A mysterious ship with the power to appear and disappear at will

has been seen. The Yaki pirates have taken advantage of the weak Argon fleet to carry out

raids on Argon facilities and a machine left by an ancient species has been stolen. What

does this machine do? Will the races of the X-universe survive the merciless attacks from

the Khaak? And will the reason for their onslaught be discovered?

X² - The Return

fires the player into a galaxy at war. To survive the player must learn new skills. Manning

turrets to defend convoys, flying escort and attack missions, piloting stealthy spy

missions, building super factories and commanding fleet sized actions. And with every new

mission comes a new twist in the plot.

KEY FEATURES:

- For The Fans: a chance

to uncover some of the biggest secrets in the X-universe in a new fast paced and twisting

plot. With a story over six times larger than X² - The Threat, The Return is more than an

expansion pack.

- Complex Building: Ability to connect factories to form large

industry complexes. This way the player can now build gigantic constructions and make more

money than ever before.

- Improved Menu System: A new graphical quick menu system,

allows for complete and easy control of many advanced features, while not interrupting

control of the ship.

- Build Your Own HQ with lots of new strategic command

features.

- New Ships & Weapons, including; factory tugs; anti missile defence

systems, & rapid fire lasers.

- Fully Customisable Controls: Players can define his

own profile & many new keys are

introduced.

Official Site

[URL=http://www.megagames.com/news/show.cgi?&idtype=pc&database=661&section=screens&]Pics[/U

RL]

Nintendo is watching its

main console rivals hogging the gaming limelight with their GTA:SAs and Halo 2s and reaping

the cash rewards and must be thinking how on earth it could have missed the point of next

generation console gaming.
An original and innovative company such as Nintendo however,

can only plan ahead and 2005 is destined to be the year of the handheld wars. When

considering raw power and marketing genius, Sony's PSP seems to have the advantage but, as

far as handhelds are concerned, Nintendo is the undisputed champion and the DS seems to

carry all the innovations. With pedigree of such quality you would have to be a very brave

or foolish man to write off Nintendo's new baby.

Has the Japanese giant learnt from

its recent marketing blunders? Will the lessons learnt be enough to assist the DS in its

battle with PSP and Gizmondo? Maybe a look at Nintendo's list of titles coming in early

2005, can give us a hint as to how DS will fare, as well as what the company plans for the

GC and GBA as well.

The new games will attempt to make the most of the touch-screen

and wireless capabilities of the new Nintendo DS, in order to spotlight the innovative

features and push home the gameplay advantage Nintendo reckons it has over its competitors.

Likewise, owners of Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance SP will also be given new tools

in order to bring that advantage to the company's other platforms. New tricks, like using

bongos to control characters in Donkey Kong Jungle Beat for GameCube and an internal gyro

sensor in WarioWare Twisted! for Game Boy Advance SP will be the first such

tools.

Nintendo DS

Feb. 14: WarioWare Touched! from Nintendo
March 14:

Pokémon Dash from Nintendo
March: Yoshi's Touch & Go from Nintendo
March: Atari

Classics from Atari
March: Pac Pix from Namco
Q1: Need for Speed Underground 2 from

Electronic Arts
Q2: Metroid Prime Hunters from Nintendo
May: Ultimate Card Games from

Telegames
June: Ultimate Brain Games from Telegames
New titles for Nintendo franchises

like Mario Kart, Animal Crossing and Advance Wars remain in development.

Nintendo

GameCube

January: Resident Evil 4 from Capcom
January: Virtua Quest from

Sega
Feb. 8: NBA Street Vol. 3 from Electronic Arts
Feb. 14: Star Fox : Assault from

Nintendo
February: Winnie the Pooh from Ubisoft
March 14: Donkey Kong Jungle Beat from

Nintendo
March: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory from Ubisoft
March: Dragon

Ball Z Sagas from Atari
Q1: Mortal Kombat : Deception from Midway
Q2: Donkey Konga 2

from Nintendo
Q2: Fire Emblem from Nintendo
Q2: Geist from Nintendo and an all-new

adventure of The Legend of Zelda from Nintendo is in development.

Game Boy Advance

SP

Jan. 10: The Legend of Zelda : The Minish Cap from Nintendo
January: Banjo

Pilot from THQ
February: Rave Master : Special Attack Force from Konami
February:

Shaman King: Legacy of Spirits Soaring Hawk from Konami
February: Ace Combat from

Namco
February: Klonoa 2 from Namco
February: Winnie the Pooh from Ubisoft
March

21: WarioWare Twisted! from Nintendo
March: Mario Party Advance from Nintendo
March:

Backyard Baseball from Atari
March: Pac Pinball from Namco
April: Pokémon Emerald from

Nintendo
Q2: Fire Emblem 2 from Nintendo
Q2: Ultimate Pocket Games from

Telegames

Nintendo DS

http://www.megagames.com/news/…base=680&section=screens&

Pics

Halo 2 The

Facts and Figures

As most have noticed by now, Halo 2 had a phenomenal first day

of sales all over the world, in Europe the game broke all sorts of entertainment records as

far as sales and money made are concerned. Now that we have the facts and figures for the

U.S. it is also apparent that the movie industry is being pushed into second place by the

gaming industry. Strangely enough, the entertainment industry that is pirated the most seems

to be making more money than those that complain about piracy the most, it is unlikely

however, that a gaming company executive makes as much money as his music industry

colleague.

Halo 2 broke entertainment retail records in its first 24 hours on store

shelves. Microsoft Game Studios announced that the highly-anticipated game sold through 2.4

million units in the U.S. and Canada, driving cash register receipts to the USD 125 million

mark.

Halo 2 has blown the roof off of any other sales day in the history of

GameStop, said Dan Dematteo, president and chief operating officer at GameStop. In just one

day, we sold more than half a million copies of Halo 2 - more than any other game in history

in its first day of release. Halo 2 has become more than a pop culture phenomena - it's

become a pop culture frenzy.

Not only has Halo 2 exceeded video game sales records,

but entertainment records as well. Halo 2 has generated more money on day one than any of

the biggest movies in box office history including Spider-Man 2 (Sony), Harry Potter and the

Prisoner of Azkaban (WB) and The Matrix Reloaded (WB). In addition, Halo 2 surpassed this

past weekend's box office favorite, The Incredibles, which grossed USD 70.5 million (U.S.)

in three days compared to the USD 125 million pulled through by Halo 2 in one

day.

The first 24 hours of Halo 2 sales have taken our breath away, said Peter Moore,

corporate Vice President, Worldwide Marketing and Publishing, Xbox. Across North America,

2.4 million copies of the game were sold through, representing USD 125 million in total cash

register receipts for retailers. It's no longer just a huge game for us but has become a

seminal milestone for the entire industry.

The First Day

Microsoft needed

Halo 2 to do well on Tuesday, not just for the profit it will bring but rather for the

prestige it would bring to a console that needs exclusive games. Never before have a console

and a game depended on each other as much.

Leave it to the Master Chief to come

through for its green buddy in style. Monday night's launch events across the U.S. were a

resounding success, confirming that Halo 2 is set to make XBox sales history while GTA:SA

will have already begun to feel the Chief's hot breath on its back. So what if some gamers

have already started complaining about the cartoony feel of the game, the quality of the

weapon sounds, texture glitches or the use of the online matchmaking feature, they are

clearly the minority.

Across the U.S. approximately 7,000 midnight madness events

were packed to capacity with fans of the game hoping to get their hands on the USD 50 game.

Microsoft's USD 100 million estimate for first day sales seems very realistic as gamers

begun gathering from as early as 5 pm in order to ensure they got their copy of Halo 2

first. Some had set-up XBox console's and projection systems in order to play the original

Halo while queuing.

It is widely expected that a strange case of the green fever may

grip the U.S. causing many employees to call in sick for the rest of this week; strangely

enough the only company not too worried about this is Microsoft itself. The apparent success

of the Halo sequel guarantees that its new system (XBox 2), when it arrives, will have at

least one big name title to launch with it, while the recent success of Fable will also help

Microsoft's push for console dominance.

Halo 2 Coverage

Launch

Pi

cs

It doesn't

take long for an avid-or wickedly clever-gamer to be chafed by the limitations of videogame

software or hardware. But those who make the games-and those who dig deeper-know that

there's much more to gaming than conquering the bad guy. Behind the alluring graphics and

deceptively simple game play lurks a hidden world. How far can you go? Farther than you

might imagine. Whether you want to modify your console controller to work on other consoles,

create your own text adventure, or modify your Game Boy, there's plenty of fun you can have

for cheap or free, using the creative exploits of the gaming gurus. And gaming guru Simon

Carless shares the best of them in his new book Gaming Hacks (O'Reilly, USD 24.95). Several

sample hacks, including Make a Profit in Vana'diel, Hack the Dreamcast Virtual Memory Unit,

and Put Your Face in DOOM, are available by following the download tab above.

People

love playing games, whether it be on their console, their PC, or elsewhere, but it's also

fun to go beyond the game and hack about in its innards, says Carless. His new book isn't

about a particular game or console, or any particular gaming era. Instead, it explores and

celebrates a few of the most interesting nooks and crannies of the gaming world-whether new,

old, or positively ancient.

We've collected a hundred hacks for gamers from game

developers, expert players, and fans, representing dozens of rabbit holes related to

playing, collecting, modifying, and enjoying the world of video games, explains Carless.

Some talk about classic games. Other explore modern consoles. Still more cover PC games.

There's something here for everyone-from an old idea in a new dress to an unknown concept

or wacky idea that you'd never have considered...until now.

Everything from social

exploits and tips to be used in MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) to

soldering-iron heavy hardware hacks is covered in this guide. I really wanted to delve

deeply into the obscure, arcane, and little-known backwaters of gaming, and present a lot of

the best hacks, exploits, and esoteric facts in one vaguely canonicaltome! confesses

Carless. Drawing from the author's extensive experience and that of other game gurus, the

book compiles a host of insanely rare, intriguing, and un-compiled information in one place,

as Carless says. There's no other gaming book that's really like this.

Gaming Hacks

shows hardcore gamers how to configure the best FPS (first-person shooter) peripherals, hack

the Nuon DVD Player/Gaming System, modify their Game Boy, watch movies and listen to music

on their Sega Dreamcast, and much, much more. The book also includes detailed software-based

looks at MMO titles, FPS games, machinima (real-time movies created using game engines),

emulation, save-game hacking, and many other miscellaneous subgenres and topics,

including:

- Play classic games just as you remember them

- Become a hero,

villain, or tycoon online

- Seek out, buy, and play real arcade games in real arcade

cabinets

- Play imported games without hardware restrictions

- Create and play

your own games in less than a week

- Hack, mod, and overclock your favorite

console

Gamers who want to go far beyond the obvious will discover an indispensable

guide in Gaming Hacks. You don't need to be a gaming guru to pick it up, but you'll be one

when you put it down.

Pur

chase Book Online

Make a Profit in

Vana'diel Hack

the Dreamcast Visual Memory Unit

Put Your Face in DOOM

Speedrun Your Way

Through Metroid Prime

Download, Compile, and

Create an Inform Adventure

ATI has released version 4.11 of its Catalyst driver

suite for the Radeon family of graphics cards. This new version resolves issues with games

such as Halo, Breed and Joint Operation Typhoon Rising as well as fixing some Control Centre

issues.
The full list of resolved issues is as follows:

Call of Duty: Corruption

is noticed when playing a saved game under Windows XP with an ATI RADEON 9100 PRO IGP series

installed and having a variety of graphic options provided by the game are set too

high.
Everquest: Playing the game under Windows XP with an ATI RADEON X800 XT Platinum

Edition installed results in the game displaying a black screen when setting the texture

quality option to high and having all radio buttons selected.
Myst URU Ages Beyond Myst:

Attempting to turn 180 degrees and head towards the barb wire fence displayed within the

game results in the system failing to respond. This issue is known to occur under Windows XP

with an ATI RADEON X800 XT Platinum Edition installed.
Rainbow six3: Athena Sword:

Playing the game under Windows 2000 with an ATI RADEON X700 installed results in the game

failing to retain its resolution option of 1600x1200 if you Alt-tab out of the game and then

Alt-tab back to the game.

Attempting to rotate the display 90 degrees and play an

OpenGL game under Windows XP may result in the game failing to launch.
CATALYST CONTROL

CENTER: Moving the media player from the primary desktop to the secondary desktop results in

the Overlay Aspect sliders becoming disabled when moving the media player back to the

primary display adapter.
CATALYST CONTROL CENTER: Playing a DVD with Theater mode enabled

and a secondary display device connected along with clone mode enabled results in the Aspect

Ratio option for full screen not working.
CATALYST CONTROL CENTER: Setting the Theater

mode option to Same as All and playing a media file results in all the buttons for the

overlay or standard setting option being greyed out.
CATALYST CONTROL CENTER: Assigning a

hotkey to increase the overlay gamma results in the hotkey not functioning properly when

playing an MPEG using the Windows Media Player.
CATALYST CONTROL CENTER: Playing a media

file under Windows 2000 using the MS Media Player with Theater mode option set to Theater

mode results in clone mode failing to be applied.
CATALYST CONTROL CENTER: The Apply

button in the Custom settings of the Advanced mode found under the CATALYST CONTROL CENTER

Video standard settings is grayed out when playing a media file.
CATALYST CONTROL CENTER:

Attempting to set the default colour settings may occasionally result in the default colour

setting not being applied. This issue is known to occur under Windows XP with an ATI RADEON

9500 or 9800 installed.
CATALYST CONTROL CENTER: Attempting to add a custom timing

specification such as; 960x724 for the HDTV device properties page, results in the custom

timing not being added to the HDTV resolution menu list.
CATALYST CONTROL CENTER:

Defining a custom view and hiding some of the aspects results in the Advanced View hiding

the same aspects.

Release Notes

Download w/o

Control Centre(Size:26.1 Mb)

Download with

Control Centre (Size:29.1 Mb)

Nintendo today announced its line-up for the Q1/Q2 2005 boosting an incredible number of 36

titles. The games are developed for the Nintendo DS, GameCube and Game Boy Advance SP. You

can check the full list by pressing 'read more', but here are a few examples: Need for

Speed Underground 2 from Electronic Arts for the Nintendo DS, Resident Evil 4 from Capcom

for GameCube and Shaman King: Legacy of Spirits Soaring Hawk from Konami for the GBA

SP.

Press

Release

If you thought Monday night's North American launch could not be matched in

Europe, think again. In the U.K. alone Halo 2 broke all records by generating more

opening-day cash than any movie or game in U.K. entertainment history. If GTA:SA did well

last week, yesterday's launch all over Britain beat movies such as The Titanic and the

Harry Potter trilogy, confirming that Green Fever has now spread to Europe.

If it's

not hard to see why a storyline involving super marines taking on religious fanatics from

another planet would do well in the U.S., it is quite a bit harder to figure out how the

same game can generate a similar European response. The answer? Halo 2 is a well made,

honest straight-forward shooter with an engaging storyline, it's as simple as

that.

Now that most of us have a copy of the game it would be interesting to hear

from people who have tried the game about their Halo 2 experience. Has it been all you

expected or has the Master Chief disappointed you in any way? It would also be interesting

to share your experiences of Halo 2 on XBox Live, has online play improved the game or has

it confused and frustrated you at

all?

Pic

Codemasters confirmed its

support for the PlayStation Portable (PSP), the forthcoming handheld video game system from

Sony Computer Entertainment.

Colin McRae Rally and TOCA Race Driver, two of the most

successful motorsport properties in video gaming, will take Codemasters' take on racing

physics, car handling and gripping gameplay onto PSP in spring 2005.

Both Colin McRae

Rally and TOCA share an excellent heritage with the PlayStation formats, having evolved

through the PlayStation generations. TOCA first appeared on PS one in 1997 and Colin McRae

Rally the following year. Combined the two series have shipped over 12 million

copies.

A special edition of Colin McRae Rally 2005 will lead Codemasters' PSP

publishing schedule, for the first images from the PSP version of the game follow the

download tab above. This benchmark of rally games will come to Sony's handheld format with

over 30 rally cars, a diverse range of rally events, cups and championships to create a

world of rallying for players on the move.

With a variety of gaming modes, including

4WD Championship, Career and Multiplayer modes over the wireless network, the game's

structure will offer the perfect mobile rallying experience. The game's structure enables

players to pick up and play for as long as they wish whether it be hours or 5 minutes at a

time their progress will be updated without having to wait for a save point. Colin McRae

Rally 2005 on PSP is being developed by Six By Nine, the team responsible for the hugely

successful PC editions of Colin McRae Rally 3, 04 and 2005.

Codemasters' most

extensive motorsport game is also coming to the handheld, in a PSP edition of the acclaimed

TOCA Race Driver 2: The Ultimate Racing Simulator. With real performance cars, real damage,

real physics, and real driver AI, the PSP edition is being created by Sumo Digital, the

company responsible for developing the home edition of Outrun 2, and utilises the latest

TOCA game engine created by Codemasters' renowned motor racing game studio.

TOCA

Race Driver 2 on PSP will cram in all 15 different motorsports as featured in the

PlayStation 2 edition including GT Sports Car Racing, Street Racing, Rally, DTM, V8

Supercars, Global GT Lights, Rally Cross, Formula Ford, Open Wheel Grand Prix, Classic Car

Racing, Super Truck Racing, Stockcar Oval Racing, Ice-Racing, Convertible Racing, and

Performance Cars along with over 30 different global championships and 52 circuits. Most

significantly, even on PSP, the game will display up to 21 cars racing on track

simultaneously and have WiFi-enabled LAN play for up to 8 players.

The PSP editions

of Colin McRae Rally 2005 and TOCA Race Driver 2 will launch in spring

2005.

Pics

Electronic

Arts announced that The Urbz : Sims in the City has shipped to retail outlets worldwide

under the EA GAMES brand. Following the record-setting launch of The Sims 2, the development

team at the celebrated Maxis studio today launched The Urbz : Sims in the City , the newest

entry into the award-winning franchise for the PlayStation 2, the Xbox, the Nintendo

GameCube and Game Boy Advance, with a DS version also being prepared.

In the three

console versions of the game, take your sims from the suburbs and place them in the heart of

the big city. The Urbz: Sims in the City has a completely new urban look, attitude and feel

that The Sims franchise has never before explored. It's all about reputation: which gets

you access to the coolest people and hottest places; then use your new-found influence to

style the city in your own image. Explore nine unique districts and renovate multiple

apartments as you work to become the biggest player in the city.

Take a job working

for The Black Eyed Peas in the Cozmo Street district while listening to nine exclusive

tracks recorded specifically in Simlish by the record-breaking band a first in videogame

history.

In the Game Boy Advance version, players explore the city of Minniopolis,

searching for a way to save the town from the vindictive Daddy Big Bucks. Players complete

up to eight mini-games and mingle with over 30 characters, all the while maintaining their

reputation.

The game will also ship on the Nintendo DS as a launch title for the new

handheld.

Official Site

Pi

c

The bloodletting is set to begin as both major games featuring

Valve's Source engine are about to go head-to-head on November 16, 2004. Activision has

chosen that date to launch Vampire : The Masquerade Bloodlines for the PC, a date,

strangely enough already in use by Valve for the Half-Life 2 launch.

Troika are

really claiming the game as a revolution in FPS gameplay since there is a very strong RPG

element. Since S.T.A.L.K.E.R. has been delayed again it is clear that Vampire will get the

chance to pitch its flag on that particular innovation although Deus-Ex and System Shock may

complain even though their RPG element was extremely limited compared to Troika's promising

title.

An all-new RPG adventure, Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines is filled with

rich character development, an intriguing storyline set in White Wolfs World of Darkness,

and mind-blowing graphics powered by Source - Valves next generation engine technology. It

will take a vicious array of vampire disciplines and a healthy penchant for blood, for

players to survive the dark and gritty undying world of modern day L.A. Selecting from one

of seven clans, gamers will interact with other characters, decide with whom to ally

themselves, and watch as darkness takes over their soul while a mysterious plot

unfolds.

Pics

Microsoft

needed Halo 2 to do well on Tuesday, not just for the profit it will bring but rather for

the prestige it would bring to a console that needs exclusive games. Never before have a

console and a game depended on each other as much.

Leave it to the Master Chief to

come through for its green buddy in style. Monday night's launch events across the U.S.

were a resounding success, confirming that Halo 2 is set to make XBox sales history while

GTA:SA will have already begun to feel the Chief's hot breath on its back. So what if some

gamers have already started complaining about the cartoony feel of the game, the quality of

the weapon sounds, texture glitches or the use of the online matchmaking feature, they are

clearly the minority.

Across the U.S. approximately 7,000 midnight madness events

were packed to capacity with fans of the game hoping to get their hands on the USD 50 game.

Microsoft's USD 100 million estimate for first day sales seems very realistic as gamers

begun gathering from as early as 5 pm in order to ensure they got their copy of Halo 2

first. Some had set-up XBox console's and projection systems in order to play the original

Halo while queuing.

It is widely expected that a strange case of the green fever may

grip the U.S. causing many employees to call in sick for the rest of this week; strangely

enough the only company not too worried about this is Microsoft itself. The apparent success

of the Halo sequel guarantees that its new system (XBox 2), when it arrives, will have at

least one big name title to launch with it, while the recent success of Fable will also help

Microsoft's push for console dominance.

For further, on the spot, coverage of Halo 2

launch night, read what Palo Alto High School's online journalists had to

report

Halo 2

Launch Coverage

Pi

cs

Kuju Entertainment announced its first

title for Sony's eagerly anticipated PSP portable platform. The impressive multiplayer

arcade flight combat game (working title: Project Interceptor) is moving from prototyping

into full production.

Jonathan Newth, Managing Director of Kuju commented, We're

extremely pleased that Sony has given us the support to proceed with 'Project

Interceptor'. Developing the prototype has been an enjoyable and instructive experience and

we're looking forward to exploring the PSP's potential. He continued, Now we'll certainly

be talking to publishers who are keen to have early PSP titles.

Whilst most of the

main game features remain under wraps, Kuju confirms that Project Interceptor will feature

multiplayer dogfights using the PSP's networking capability.

The PSP is expected for

launch in PAL regions in the early part of 2005 following its first scheduled major public

appearance at the Tokyo Game Show in the autumn of 2004 The PSP marks Sony's entry into the

lucrative portable gaming market.

However, as it often the case, Sony's offering is

more than just a machine for playing games. Whilst this will be its main purpose, the PSP

will also play movies, music and perform other, as yet unconfirmed

functions.

Pic

Research out today shows

that consumers are moving away from the TV to more interactive forms of entertainment in

Europe too. MegaGames has already reported on the U.S. trend which has seen the important

male 18-34 demographic favoring online gaming to TV viewing.

Traditional forms of

entertainment such as the TV and board games are being overlooked in favour of newer, more

interactive technology, according to research undertaken on behalf of BT.

The

research shows that rather than slouching on the sofa in front of the TV, watching

programmes, over half of all the online console gamers questioned, would rather give up soap

operas and comedies than their online games. And it's not just committed gamers who feel

this way - approximately 77 per cent of 11-16 year olds would rather play computer games

than traditional board games.

Online gaming adds a new dimension for both console and

PC gamers alike. With the launch of online games such as Halo 2 or Killzone you can play

against and talk to gamers from all over the world at the same time. Global rivalries are

strong online, with a third of UK gamers (31 per cent) choosing the US as the nation they

most like to beat online followed closely by the French (18 per cent) and Germans (11 per

cent).

Online gamers see themselves as part of a community of like-minded individuals

and are a very sociable bunch - 58 per cent like to play online against new people and 27

per cent prefer online gaming as they compete against real people whilst 50 per cent enjoy

it as it brings people together. Moreover, 17 per cent of online gamers would find a world

without online gaming almost impossible to live in.

BT is committed to driving uptake

of online console gaming in the UK and offers broadband packages designed to enable

consumers take their console online. This week, BT announced it is offering new subscribers

to BT Yahoo! Broadband and BT Broadband the chance to claim a limited edition online gaming

kit for their PlayStation 2 or Xbox video game system.

Duncan Ingram, managing

director broadband and internet services BT Retail, of BT said: This research shows that

consumers are looking for more interaction when it comes to home entertainment. The advent

of broadband brings a whole new social experience to console gaming by allowing gamers to

take their consoles online and play against a community of gamers from all over the world.

Just as ATI was announcing the availability of its

new chipset family for AMD 64 desktop platforms, the Radeon XPress 200, another more

important ATI innovation is being prepared for its market debut.

ATI is reported to

be experiencing some problems with its new secret weapons but the company is expected to be

able to showcaae it within a couple of weeks. According to most industry analysts it is more

than likely that ATIs Hypermemory technology, will make it to a pre-Christmas launch, good

news for a company that has gradually taken over the graphics market and is now in a very

comfortable position.

Although the Canadian graphics company will not reveal detaiuls

of what is, after all, its secret weapon, the latest information suggests technology which

will allow a PCI Express, card to use system memory to store textures and enable graphics

processing. This sounds like a trick that ATI may have picked up while preparing its

graphics board for the XBox 2, although it is hard to tell until further details of this

technology are released. The performance impact of Hypermemory is expected to be significant

but the most important aspect may turn out to be pricing which will become much more

flexible since cards will not have to carry as much RAM as they do today.

Meanwhile,

the Radeon XPress 200 chipset series supports Socket 754 and 939 AMD desktop processors and

is comprised of integrated graphics and the pin-compatible Radeon XPress 200P, which allows

for high performance add-in graphics. The chipset will also feature:

- Broad

connectivity through four SATA ports with RAID 0 and 1 support, eight USB ports, one PCIe

16X graphics slot and four PCIe 1X slots
- Rich multimedia with support for high

definition audio, onboard DVI and VGA outputs for multi-monitor support and ATIs LCD

Enhancement Engine for improved LCD response time
- High reliability through PCI

Express-based Gigabit Ethernet, VPU recover, TPM 1.1 and 1.2 authentication, and support for

AMD virus protection
- Support for up to 1Ghz HyperTransport with additional overclocking

flexibility.

Following the phenomenal success of

the PlayStation 2 version of Pro Evolution Soccer 4, Konami of Europe will be unleashing the

game for the Xbox and on PC-DVD on November 19 across Europe with both versions boasting

fully competitive online gameplay. In a move which is likely to please football fans all

over the world Konami decided not to wait as long as it did last time to port the game to PC

and XBox. Building on the very good PS2 sales, Konami feels confident enough that the title

will perform optimally across all platforms.

The move online comes as an answer to

persistant requests from fans of the PES series. The Xbox version of the game will use the

Microsoft Xbox Live service to facilitate full online matches allowing for one-against-one

matches pitting Pro Evolution Soccer 4 fans all over the globe against each other.

Similarly, the PC-DVD version of the game will support LAN network play and online play via

TCP/IP connections, again allowing one-against-one matches with a hooked up

opponent.

Both versions are highly anticipated, and are key to Konami of Europe's

plans to take its legendary football series forward. Other new additions to the series

include club teams from Italy, Spain and Holland under official license from them, and

all-new gameplay mechanics, including new free kicks, improved player AI, and more

individuality to the way players move and control the ball. Pro Evolution Soccer 4 also

features an on-screen referee for the first time, and will step in to break up fracas during

heated matches.

With the PlayStation 2 version rightly acknowledged as the most

realistic and intuitive football game for any system, Konami of Europe is delighted to be

able to introduce Pro Evolution Soccer 4 to an even wider audience of fans, and for those

fans to be able to spread the word via online play, commented Martin Schneider, Marketing

Director for Konami of

Europe.

Pics

DreamCatcher Games

announced Painkiller: Battle Out Of Hell has reached gold status. The Expansion Pack for the

award-winning Windows FPS, Painkiller, will begin shipping to North American retailers on

November 11th and will begin releasing across Europe on November 24th.

Picking up

where the game's story left off, Painkiller: Battle Out Of Hell offers multiple features to

extend enjoyment of this spectacular shooter. Using code from the 1.5 update, the Expansion

Pack includes an additional single-player chapter with 10 levels, as well as new multiplayer

modes, maps and models. It will also offer an amplified arsenal of un-deadly weapons, bigger

and badder bosses and the map editor Software Development Kit.

Painkiller fans re

going to be very happy with Battle Out Of Hell, said Richard Wah Kan, DreamCatcher's CEO

and President. The levels are bigger, the gameplay is more intense, and if you can believe

it, the monsters are even more terrifying.

A shooter in its purest form, Painkiller

boasts truly inspired graphics and some of the most intimidating level bosses ever seen.

Utilizing the Havok 2.0 physics engine, the game continues to achieve new heights of

physics-based game play while the latest version of the PAIN Engine cranks out an

unbelievably high polygon count, and exciting new features like heat and haze distortion,

light blooms, spectacular pixel mapping, new shader effects, tweaks for the latest video

cards and an improved networking

core.

Official Site

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