Posts by SWAT_OP-R8R
-
-
-
What do you think about this movie?
SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator -
Ubisoft have officially confirmed the stories which we had reported claiming that Far Cry will see a console release. What is surprising however, is that Ubisoft claim the console version will be a completely different game based on Far Cry technology and titled Far Cry - Instincts.
The success of the title and its widespread critical acclaim had more or less sealed the development of console versions but the promise of a new game, for consoles, delivered before the end of 2004 is somewhat surprising.Crytek had already mentioned that Ubisoft was working on an XBox version of the game and had hinted that Ubisoft's Montreal studio was behind it. Ubisoft's confirmation simply confirms states that its Montreal Studio is indeed behind Far Cry - Instincts and promises the same level of excellence on the console version, including non-scripted AI and large environments. The statement does not mention which console(s) the title is being developed for but XBox and PS2 versions are almost a sure thing.
SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator -
Rockstar Games announced the formation of Rockstar Leeds through the acquisition of Mobius Entertainment Ltd., a Leeds, England based developer of handheld video games.
"We were very impressed with the Mobius development team from the time they began work on the Game Boy Advance version of Max Payne," commented Sam Houser, President of Rockstar Games. "They bring a uniquely progressive vision to the titles they develop and we believe this studio is ahead of the industry on next generation handheld development. We are proud to have them join the Rockstar family."
Mobius Entertainment, now Rockstar Leeds, was founded by industry veterans Gordon Hall, Jason McGann, Dave Box and Ian Bowden in December 1997. They have focused their development efforts primarily on titles for the Game Boy Advance as well as Sony's forthcoming PSP handheld game platform. The studio has approximately 30 developers who have created some of the industry's most highly regarded handheld games, including the award winning Game Boy Advance version of Max Payne for Rockstar Games and Remedy; Drome Racers for Lego and THQ; and Pop Idol for Codemasters.
SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator -
EA has announced the return of the Tasmanian Tiger this fall in TY the Tasmanian Tiger 2.
TY the Tasmanian Tiger 2 picks up where the original popular action platform game left off. The cast of characters from down under has grown, and so has the action! The evil Boss Cass is up to his old tricks. After breaking out of Currawong Jail, this feathered villain has re-instated himself as the dictatorial ruler of Cassopolis, a high tech island home to lizards and birds. Now Cass has hatched a plan to take over the world with an army of Uber Reptiles. It's up to our boomerang-wielding hero, TY, and his newly formed team of Burramudgee Bush Rescue mates to stop Cass!
Set in the Outback of Australia, TY the Tasmanian Tiger 2 will offer platform gamers a huge open environment to explore by foot and vehicle. This time around TY is equipped with an arsenal of 21 upgradeable boomerangs, including the Lasharang, Kaboomarang, and Megarang. In addition, the game will feature five different Mech units to help TY fight large numbers of enemies and complete mini-missions. With these Mech units TY will have the ability to swim under lava; shoot lasers, Blastorangs, water or fire; and much more. TY will also be challenged to complete driving and flying missions featuring combat and puzzle solving, with access to helicopters, submarines, and off-road trucks. Unlockable cart racing mini-games will allow gamers to challenge their friends in seven unique cart racing levels.
Under development by Australia-based Krome Studios, the team behind the original TY the Tasmanian Tiger, TY the Tasmanian Tiger 2 is scheduled for release this fall for the PlayStation 2, the Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, and Game Boy Advance.
SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator -
Ubisoft confirmed development of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2, the long-awaited sequel to the best-selling modern military shooter for the PC and consoles. With this title and two other key announcements to come in the next few days, Ubisoft is expanding its lineup of war games to every segment of the military category, from historical to near future, and aggressively positioning itself in the competitive war games market which accounted for 5 out of the top 10 shooter franchises in 2003. The Ghost Recon franchise contributed greatly to the strength of this segment with more than 5 million copies sold worldwide.
Developed by Ubisoft's award-winning Red Storm studio, Ghost Recon 2 launches on next-generation consoles and PC this Holiday season. The game is set in the chaotic battlefields of tomorrow, and will offer gamers an insider's view of the way large scale conflicts will be fought in the near future.
Ghost Recon 2 will continue the tradition of intensity and realism associated with Ubisoft's Tom Clancy brand, with an emotionally charged storyline, a completely redesigned graphics engine and the most intuitive gameplay to date, to fully immerse gamers into the chaos of a high tech war. The game will offer more action than ever before, as it puts players in command of an elite squad of special forces thrust into a tense political situation in East Asia. In addition, Ghost Recon 2 will offer the intense multiplayer action that gamers have come to expect from Red Storm
SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator -
XBox sales, in the U.S., doubled in the week following its price cut to USD 149 at the end of last month. Although the figures are by no means official, it seems that retailer feedback is strong enough to confirm such a claim. Microsoft also hopes to sustain that rising sales trend with the imminent release of the Halo bundle which has always been a consumer favorite.
It is, of course, to easy to accept such a claim at face value. What Microsoft is forgetting to mention is that the week following the March 30 price cut was the week leading to the Easter break which even though not a major celebration still provides a considerable boost to a teenagers budget. Any sales effect of the current holiday season will be obvious in the results for the whole month of April which will offer a better perspective since we will be able to compare the sales performance of all consoles. To XBox's credit however, most analysts saw the price cut as too restricted, claiming that it would fail to have an impact on the console's sales.
Most console enthusiasts however, will be hoping that the price cut has brought a sales boost to XBox since such a result would make Sony seriously consider a price cut of its own. Sources close to the PS2 manufacturer suggest that if XBox does benefit from the cut, Sony will also reduce the price of the PS2 to USD 149, with plans to offer a 2 game bundle which will make the PS2 cheaper than Microsoft's offering.
What makes things tricky for Sony is that the financial year ended last month and a price change on the PS2 so soon, may create an image of instability for the company. That is, of course, where the strategic brilliance of Microsoft comes in, since they chose that date for the price cut announcement for precisely that reason.
The financial and marketing intricacies involved however are not our concern and the bottom line remains simple, better value for money means more happy gamers.
SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator -
Atari announced an ongoing cross promotional collaboration with Universal Motown Records Group, which will tie-in ReAlign/Universal's hot new band, Dropbox, with Atari's highly anticipated Transformers video game for the PlayStation 2 based on Hasbro's popular Transformers brand.
This marketing relationship will utilize both traditional and non-traditional marketing vehicles to support both the May 11 launch of the Transformers game and the Dropbox album release on April 13. The campaign will include the utilization of Dropbox performance footage and the Transformers game footage in the band's forthcoming new video and Atari's TV advertising spot; radio advertising, in addition to TV; online street teams; and live performances.
Elements expected to be included in this joint campaign include:
- Dropbox's debut single, Wishbone, as well as the band's recording of its version of the Transformers theme song will be available in the game as un-lockable bonus tracks;
- DROPBOX's new music video for "Wishbone," shot by award-winning director, Nigel Dick, and produced by Quentin Tarantino's production company, A Band Apart, will feature TRANSFORMERS game footage;
- A Transformers brochure will be included in 1 million Universal Records music CDs;
- Atari's Transformers TV commercial will highlight the Wishbone sound track and portions of the band's music video;
- Dropbox will be included in Atari's national print advertising campaign for the Transformers game;
- The Dropbox multi-city promotional radio tour will include mention of its tie-in with Atari's Transformers video game;
- Atari's in-store Transformers videos will feature Dropbox's Wishbone single and its version of the Transformers theme song;
-- Universal will develop and produce key account radio commercials which will include a Transformers tag;
To kick off this relationship, DROPBOX celebrated with video game media at Atari's Transformers preview event in February.
Developed by Atari's Melbourne House studio, the Transformers game will be available worldwide on May 11, 2004.
SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator -
The second single player demo for Pain Killer has been released.
This demo comes with the City on Water level.
SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator -
In response to the success of "Unreal Tournament 2004 - Special Edition," which featured the game on DVD, Atari and Epic Games will launch a special two-disc "DVD Edition" of UT 2004 on April 13. The two-DVD set will include the entire game on disc one, while disc two will include several hours of Video Training Modules (VTMs) that teach fans and amateur mod makers how to use the Unreal Editor to create custom game content.
Unreal Tournament 2004 is the third installment in the mega-selling franchise. The Special Edition DVD SKU sold out at major retailers across the United States in the first three days of availability.
Unreal Tournament 2004 was developed by Epic Games in conjunction with Digital Extremes. The game builds on the success of past installments, taking the franchise to the next level with the introduction of the hyper-charged Onslaught mode, the return of the fan-favorite Assault mode, and the introduction of land-, air- and space-based vehicles.
In Unreal Tournament 2004, players suit up as the ultimate techno-gladiator of the future, taking their fates into their own hands as they battle up to 32 other players in action-packed, frag-filled arenas. UT 2K4" contains new maps for all established game modes, including Capture the Flag, Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Bombing Run and Double Domination. In addition, Unreal Tournament 2004 contains all of the maps, mutators and game types -- such as Mutant, Last Man Standing and Invasion -- from Unreal Tournament 2003 and the free downloadable bonus packs for that game.
Unreal Tournament 2004 CD edition is currently available worldwide. The two-disc DVD Edition will be available April 13. The new DVD Edition will not include the limited edition tin box and Logitech Internet Chat Headset that were included in the Special Edition.
SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator -
Ubisoft announced a long-term deal with Gearbox Software to publish a new military franchise: Brothers in Arms. With its breakthrough squad-based combat mechanism and unprecedented realism, the first game in the series is poised to revolutionize the WWII genre when it ships on consoles and PC starting Holiday 2004.
Created by Texas-based Gearbox Software, Brothers in Arms is the most realistic and authentic WWII shooter ever. While other WWII games have sugarcoated the war experience, Brothers in Arms is based on a true story and will immerse gamers into the gritty, uncensored and emotionally-charged side of war. The game puts you in the shoes of Sgt. Matt Baker, a D-Day paratrooper squad leader, and asks you to lead the squad as you balance their lives with the success of the mission. The true stories and historical events you experience on your perilous journey take you through real battlefields meticulously recreated from aerial reconnaissance images, US Army Signal Corps photos and eye-witness accounts of war-torn Normandy. Players of all skill levels can battle their way through this intense experience because of Brothers in Arms innovative and accessible command and control system.
SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator -
America Online and Warner Bros. announced that the popular AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) service will be seamlessly integrated into The Matrix Online. This marks the first time that players in a massively multi-player online game can link an existing AIM identity to a new in-game character, creating seamless real-time communication with other Matrix players as well as other AIM buddies - whether inside or outside of The Matrix Online.
The integration of AOL Instant Messenger into The Matrix Online will enable players to see the online presence of fellow gamers and communicate with them at any time. Players who are jacked into The Matrix Online will be able to send instant messages to their friends in real time, regardless of whether or not they are playing. This will enable players in the game to chat real-time with their online friends who are not currently playing the game to ask them for gameplay tips and tricks or alert them to jack in and join a mission.
With 195 million registered users, AOL Instant Messenger adds a whole new dimension to online game play. As long as a consumer has an AOL, AIM, ICQ or Apple iChat account, he or she can receive a message from The Matrix Online players in real time from any location. Whether receiving a message via the Internet or their PDA or cell phones, players will be able to remain in character without revealing their AOL or AIM screen name.
The Matrix Online is a massively multiplayer online game where tens of thousands of players will be able to log into The Matrix world to take an active role in continuing the saga of The Matrix movie trilogy. It is currently being developed by Monolith Productions in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and the Wachowski Brothers, creators of The Matrix trilogy. The game will be a re-creation of the virtual world of The Matrix, employing cutting-edge 3-D graphics, networking and server technology. Gameplay in The Matrix Online will be based on intricate and exciting wire-fu combat, an extensive mission structure, social interaction and a completely customizable skill and ability system.
SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator -
ValuSoft, a division of THQ, announced the release of Battle for Troy for PC. This epic battle of the Trojans versus the Greeks will be available at retailers throughout North America for USD 19.99.
Although the game does immediately bring the upcoming summer blockbuster to mind, this game is not officially associated with the movie. It is however a smart move from the developers and they seems to have gotten their release timing spot-on.
Throughout two extensive campaigns, each with eight challenging missions, players will take command of nine unit types including spearmen, swordsmen, archers, cavalry and healers to create an invincible army. Selecting their allegiance, players raise their sword to command their Trojan army to protect Helen and her new kingdom from the relentless Greek onslaught. Alternately, by taking command of King Menelaus' Greek alliance, players take their place deep inside the Trojan horse as a raging warrior to lay siege against a rebellious Troy and restore the honor of their crestfallen king.
ValuSoft is bringing real-time strategy game play to the market at a price point typically overlooked by other publishers, states Doug Clemmer, President of ValuSoft. Battle for Troy allows players to quickly engage in cunning attacks and full-scale battles without the rote memorization and hours of trial-and-error typically found in real-time strategy games.
Throughout the game, players will build their legions by snatching hordes of gold and collecting mystical relics to remain in favor of the divinities. Amassing armies, gamers will rely on their heroes to wisely unlock special attacks to defeat the opposing forces.
SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator -
Atari announced the launch of the Company's first online software service that delivers its back-catalog titles over the Internet to Atari fans worldwide. The service will distribute the software to personal computers in pure digital form, bypassing the need to install from a disk.
Unlimited access to Atari's growing e-catalog of games, productivity software, and kids' software is available at the site that has been set-up for the service, which will cost USD 14.95 per month.The Atari On Demand service uses the EXEtender Turnkey technology solution from Exent Technologies Inc., which powers leading online game services in North America, Europe and Asia.
The Atari On Demand subscription service, powered and operated by Exent, opens up Internet access to a large and growing selection of Atari's back catalog, offering value packages for the Atari gaming enthusiast and casual user alike. With a broadband connection, Microsoft Windows operating system, and an international credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover), customers can join the service from any place on the globe. The Atari software is delivered using Exent's innovative streaming technology, which ensures that bandwidth utilization is kept to a minimum and that the customer's computer can handle application-specific requirements prior to delivering the software.
SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator -
Ultimate Arena announced that the beta version of Xfire is now available.
Xfire automatically tracks when and where gamers' friends are playing PC games online. With one click, gamers can instantly join their friends' games. Xfire also supports in-game Instant Messaging notification, which alerts friends playing online when a buddy is ready to jump in.Xfire users can:
- Join a game already running with one click
- Automatically be alerted when their friends are playing online
- Find and play with friends of friends
- Inform friends that the user is interested in playing a particular gameXfire's user-friendly interface lets gamers know when, where, and what game their friends are playing at any time. Xfire supports numerous server and non-server based First Person Shooter, Real Time Strategy and Role Playing games.
Games supported by Xfire currently include: America's Army: Operations, Battlefield 1942, Counter-Strike, Dark Age of Camelot, Dark Age of Camelot - Shrouded Isles, Diablo, Diablo II, Dungeon Siege, EverQuest, Halo, Lineage, Medal of Honor Allied Assault, Meridian 59, Neverwinter Nights, PlanetSide, Quake, Quake III Arena, Starcraft, The
Temple of Elemental Evil, Unreal Tournament, Unreal Tournament 2003, Warcraft III, Wolfenstein - Enemy Territory, XEvil, Call of Duty, Final Fantasy XI, and more.SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator -
Microsoft has used GDC to announce the launch of its XNA platform, advertised by the colossus as "a powerful next-generation software development platform." For any one who knows Microsoft however, it is clear that things are not as straightforward. XNA will cover games for future iterations of all Microsoft game platforms, including Windows, Xbox and XBox 2 and Windows Mobile, based devices.
As is the case with most all-in-one systems it promises to free developers from spending too much time writing mundane, repetitive boilerplate code. Instead, XNA promises to allow game creators to spend their time where it matters most, on the creativity that differentiates their games. It can, of course, be argued that the creation of the same old repetitive code may be part of what makes games unique and that the way each developer tackles aspects of the game creation process also add to that uniqueness. It may also be argued that making all games technically identical may reduce the gaming experience to a generic process but Microsoft has a long time ahead of it to prove all these arguments wrong.The Trojan Horse of this package however, may be the introduction of the Xbox Live development tools to Windows developers, for functionality such as billing, security, login, friends and matchmaking. Microsoft claims that the tools will make it easier to create the same social, unified online gaming experiences on Windows that game players have come to expect on Xbox, for some, see EA, a scary thought.
On the input front, as part of XNA, Microsoft will develop a common controller reference design and unify input APIs and button standards across multiple platforms. The result will be a family of common controllers for Windows and Xbox game players. In addition, the move will fuel a whole new wave of compelling, cross-platform input devices from peripheral manufacturers.
In graphics and audio, many tools such as PIX (an analysis tool) and XACT (an audio authoring tool), previously available only to Xbox developers, now will be available on Windows as part of the XNA development platform. Likewise, innovations from Windows such as High-Level Shader Language (HLSL) will come to Xbox. The DirectX API and the Visual Studio development system will continue to be the baseline environment for both platforms. Collectively, these tools and technologies will enable movie-quality graphics while forming the impetus for new software that will help developers cope with the looming complexity of high-definition video and audio.
It is certain that with Microsoft backing XNA and with the immense resources at its disposal, this new platform will become very attractive to many developers, we will all have to wait and see if it will be adopted by enough developers to create a problem for PS3.
SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator -
These are times of fear. These are times of chaos. These are War Times. Follow the tumultuous era of the Second World War through the actions of Germany, Great Britain, the USA or the USSR; each nation is totally different and uses unique strategies in their attack and defense and all the campaigns are based on real historical events, bringing an unparalleled realism to the fight.
Use the impenetrable German offensive squads, complete with the most powerful ground units, weapons and artillery. Conquer special missions with the USAs elite soldiers army and advanced vehicles. Stay on the defensive with Great Britains unparalleled defensive units and radar detection. Or knock em dead with the Russians unstoppable firepower on land, air or in the sea.
The War Times demo allows you to play 2 single player missions, one from each campaign. As the Germans you will be called upon to settle a base in Crete and destroy the Allied presence. As the Americans you will be asked to defend the Rhine from the German advance. The demo also includes 2 multiplayer maps for LAN play only (one 2 player map, one 4 player map) where players are only allowed to play the German army. Players have access to all their units.
Features
*3D graphics give the player full freedom of movement with several kinds of cameras and zoom levels.
*Four nations to choose from: Germany, USA, USSR and Great Britain, each of them with exclusive units, buildings and tech-trees.
*More than 80 different units and 70 structures to build.
*32 mission campaign replaying real acts of the Second World War, accompanied by spectacular full motion videos.
*Powerful multiplayer game: Cooperative gameplay and the possibility to share allied units of different nations on more than 35 multiplayer maps.
*Military units of every nation are unique: each military unit has its own properties and special abilities.
*Battle on the ground, sea and air.
*Spectacular soundtrack and incredible sound effects.
*A powerful map editor allows you to create new and exciting missions easily and quickly.SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator -
The world of Lineage II is established with three kingdoms at its center which encompass the two large continents. Aden, the new kingdom was established after Raoul, the young king successfully quenched a civil war. Elmore, the military superpower, is located in the northern part of the continent. It boasts that it is a direct descendent of ancient
Elmore Aden kingdom. Gracia is located across the ocean on the west. It is currently embroiled in a chaotic battle among blood relatives trying to take over the throne. While these kingdoms buffer each other's power, within each kingdom since each manor has strong desire for self-rule. Therefore the kingdoms are vulnerable to the potential of internal strife as well.You have been thrown into this chaos. However, unlike those weak ordinary people who pass each day by praying, you have the power to protect yourself. In Lineage II, developing a character is not an end by itself. Rather, it is used as an instrument to obtain the power you need to fulfill your will in his world. Become a king and rule over this world. Your own hand will write your own history in this world.
SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator -
Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising is set to take the multiplayer
community by storm! With 29 modern combat land, sea and air drivable
vehicles and over 35 weapons you'll be caught up in team-based
multiplayer combat in no time. Set in Indonesia in the near future,
choose to fight for either a Joint Operations force or an Indonesian
Rebel group, against a backdrop of stunning environments. Use the early
morning sun glare at your back in combat for an advantage or super
foliated canopy coverage at dusk to remain undetected in the dense
jungle environment. Large scale multiplayer games, including the new
Advance & Secure mode, are hosted online via NovaWorld or on LAN. DON"T
RE-LIVE HISTORY...MAKE IT!SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator
