"I was shocked. Fascinating videos, screens, previews and stories are good, but nothing can be compared to a 15-minute direct experience of the Zone (after having waited for seven hours!). From the very beginning, when observing the developers playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R., looking at "You Are Empty" and "Boiling point" running in the background, the graphics of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. seemed rather poor. But when I sat down at a computer to participate in a multi-player competition, I was very pleasantly surprised. There were 10 players. Everyone had planted himself at a separate computer and started the game. The server was created via GameSpy Arcade and the session took place at a familiar level - the deserted factory (however of course with new objects and, in general, in a more up-to-date state). This multi-player demo had probably been prepared just shortly before the exhibition, therefore there were some rather unpleasant moments every now and then, namely when the game crashed. But it did not matter. Deathmatch was being played. Before spawning on the map, the player could buy a weapon of his choice. With each kill you gained more money. 300 Rubbles per kill (reminds you of something? ).

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth Q&A; 02:02 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - games: action (0 comments)
Game Chronicles interviewed Bethesda's Dennis Cheng about Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth:

As for presentation, what has the development team accomplished in terms of creating an appropriately daunting auditory and visual experience?

Dennis Cheng: In terms of auditory experience, Call of Cthulhu has a unique music and sound effects system where there are small layers of sounds and music that can be continuously added or taken away depending on the gameplay situation. This provides truly modular audio feedback to the player depending on how Jack's health is, or whether or not there is danger about. In terms of visuals, the overall look and feel of the game is one of a dark and oppressive environment. I think our artists have really brought the Lovecraft universe to life with some of the creatures and environments we have. All this coupled with our audio and visual sanity systems makes for a really compelling game.

Brothers in Arms / Gearbox Live Chat 01:53 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - games: action (0 comments)
PC Gamer sends word that they have some hot live man-chat planned with the guys from Gearbox tonight:

Just letting you know that we're hosting a developer chat with Gearbox to talk about their current project, Brothers in Arms. The chat will be held at 6:00pm PST (9:00pm EST) on #pcgamer in the Gamesurge IRC network, and will last for an hour. Users will be able to submit questions to moderators starting from 4:00pm PST. Attending will be:

Randy Pitchford = President of Gearbox
Marc Tardif = Producer
Col. John Antal (US Army ret.) = Military Advisor
Mike Neumann = Script Writer

Also, at the end of the chat, we'll be making an awesome surprise announcement, so users should definitely come! Many thanks ahead of time for posting this on your respective new sites. Email me if you have any questions.

The Getaway: Black Monday Preview 02:30 am - Andrew Burnes - consoles: ps2 (0 comments)
GameInformer checked out Black Monday, the sequel to the rather ropey The Getaway:

The Getaway: Black Monday takes place two years after the first game. This time, however, you'll be introduced to three new faces. The first is Ben Mitchell, a police sergeant with a shady past. Two years earlier he shot a teenager in the back and was suspended from the force. He's just rejoined the force after the leave of absence, but must deal with a daily barrage of criticism from the other officers in his division. But as a trained officer, Ben is quite skilled with firearms, a fact that you quickly learn whenever he's involved in a firefight. He has deadly accuracy using a wide variety of weapons and can also withstand quite a bit of punishment.

The second new character is Eddie O'Connor, a man who prefers to let his fists do the talking and has a tendency to take jobs as hired muscle. As such, he's adept at hand-to-hand combat and even the toughest thugs are usually reduced to unconscious masses at his feet. The last new character is Sam, a troubled 19 year old woman with a penchant for getting in trouble and computer hacking. Lacking the physical fortitude of the other two characters, Sam is more skilled at sneaking around via some neat stealth missions as well as putting her computer skills to the test.

The European review press liked this even less than the first...

GunGriffon: Allied Strike Preview 02:26 am - Andrew Burnes - consoles: xbox (0 comments)
IGN checked out GunGriffon: Allied Strike, an update to the Sega Saturn's GunGriffon:

GunGriffon: Allied Strike isn't all that different from the original game. It's got better graphics than before, though even using the powerful Xbox, GameArts has somehow managed to create a very plain, often wincingly unpretty game, and it's got more variation in crafts and mission types. There are a healthy assortment of AWGS, and a slew of basic missions ranging from defending moving escorts and protecting downed vehicles to raiding and power plant attacks.

In each mission, you'll choose the kind of AWGS you like best, a main weapon, sub weapon, rocket pod, and missile set. You'll also be able to choose what kind of AWGS you want to escort you. The setup menu gives very basic descriptions of each unit's strengths and hints at its weaknesses. You'll select the vehicle based on its armor, speed, radar range, rollerdash time, and flight time. The descriptions clarify which units are older, and which are new, so old-time fans can pick their sentimental favorites.

25 To Life Preview 02:24 am - Andrew Burnes - consoles: xbox (0 comments)
TeamXbox got the chance to check out a pre-alpha build of 25 To Life, Avalanche's multiplayer-enabled action game that allows you to experience life on both sides of the law:

A live demo of 25 to Life was then presented which went over some interesting gameplay possibilities for the final version of the game. One absolute certainty is a "create-a-hood rat" and "create a pig" mode which allows you to choose from a host of physical profiles in order to build a goodie or baddie that is unique to you. You can, for instance choose corn rows to go along with the full jogging suit, or choose to go fresh-baldy to compliment some truck jewelry. The create-a-playa' opens up possibilities of clan gaming that force every member to look exactly alike, which not only builds team unity but also keeps friendly fire to a minimum. There was also mention of the ability to create custom tags that would be unique to each clan. These tags could then be used in multiplayer matches - possibly in a Territories-type match?

New Harvest Moon Coming 02:15 am - Andrew Burnes - consoles: gamecube (1 comment)
A new title in the horribly addictive Harvest Moon series is on the way for GameCube:

The company has announced Harvest Moon: Song of Happiness (Bokujou Monogatari: Shiawase no Uta in Japanese) for the Japanese GameCube.

The big news with this sequel is that it lets you choose your main character from the start. You can now choose to be either a girl or boy (it's actually somewhat hard to tell which is which in the images we've seen so far). At least we can be sure there won't be a Harvest Moon: Song of Happiness for Girls somewhere down the road.

Worthplaying Goodies 02:12 am - Andrew Burnes - games: general news (0 comments)
Yay for sweet-looking PSP WipeOut!

• Sony Europe's PSP Lineup - Screens
Ape Academy - Everybody's Golf - Fired Up - Football - Formula One - MediEvil - Ridge Racer - WipEout Pure - WRC
• 'Banjo Pilot' (GBA) - Screens
• 'Cossacks II: Napoleonic Wars' (PC) - Screens
• 'NBA Street Vol 3' (PS2/Xbox) - Screens
• 'Runaway 2' (PC) - Screens
• 'Space Rangers 2: Dominators' (PC) - Screens
• 'StarShift' (PC) - Screens
• 'Sudden Strike III: Arms For Victory' (PC) - Screens
• 'Zoo Keeper' (NDS) - Screens

• 'Flat-Out' - v1.1 Update Patch
• This update patch brings your retail game to v.1 and addresses graphical issues, enables multiplayer destruction derby, fixes 5.1 sound not working on some setups, force feedback problems, and a few other fixes and tweaks.
• 'Football Manager 2005' - v5.0.2 Update Patch
• This update brings your retail game to v5.0.2 and it fixes lots of bugs and tunes the game more realistic like the player position bug.
• 'Ground Control II: Operation Exodus' - Bonus Multiplayer Map
• This ReaperMoor bonus map, created by Massive's Andreas Palmgren, needs to be installed in the standalone copy in the game's Custom_Maps folder.
• Various Game Trailers
• 'Dragonshard' (PC) - Trailer (2)
• 'City of Heroes Issue #3' (PC) - Trailer
• 'StarShift' (PC) - Trailer
• 'NBA Street Vol 3' (PS2/Xbox) - Trailer

In Other News... 02:03 am - Andrew Burnes - in-house: in other news... (20 comments)
[Many swear words] My NForce 2 died on me yesterday; the Andy hardware curse continues! Anyone have a clue how long the warranty period on ABIT motherboards is? I'd love to get it replaced, but I can't find the info anywhere. If it's out of warranty I'll probably get this ASUS board, unless anyone has horror stories about the thing.

I'll be playing UTXMP today, so look out for me online.

How many pieces of hardware have died on you? Are you cursed too?

PSP Sees Rough Start 05:36 pm - Jeff Tom - consoles: psp (1 comment)
C|Net have posted a news story on Sony's PSP launching in Japan, with a rough start in the handheld's launch. Here's the intro:

The electronics giant is set to begin selling the handheld game machine in Japan on Sunday. But the PSP will arrive with a meager selection of games, none of the planned multimedia functions, a history of delays and questions about technical issues such as battery life.

Battlefield 2 Preview 05:34 pm - Jeff Tom - games: action (0 comments)
GameSpot have slapped up their Battlefield 2 preview, taking a look at the on foot and commander view. Here's a clip:

The next game will make plenty of changes to the standard Battlefield formula. Like in the previous games, matches will take place between two opposing teams--in this instance, US Army troops pitted against either Chinese insurgents or a fictitious mercenary faction known as the Middle Eastern Coalition. But this time around, each side will have a whopping seven playable classes, including special forces, sniper, assault, support, engineer, antitank, and medic.

EverQuest 2 "Secrets" 03:50 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - games: mmog (1 comment)
Tentomhammer published a Things you wish you knew earlier in EverQuest 2 guide covering undocumented, yet handy game commands, secrets and general information that might not be known now, but will likely be common knowledge once people learn the ins and outs of SOE's latest offering.

Thanks Slashdot Games.

City of Heroes Issue 3 Update Details 03:40 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - games: mmog (0 comments)
Gamespot scored some details from Cryptic Studios' Jack Emmert about the upcoming issue #3 update for its comic book inspired massively multiplayer role playing game, City of Heroes:

The next update will add many new features to the online game, including "epic archetype" characters--all-new character classes that will be unlocked and playable from level one, once one of your current characters reaches level 50.

Emmert explains that these characters are not only endowed with original powers, but that starting over from level one will enable players to experience the updates to lower-level content that Cryptic has constantly added to the game since launch.

RPG Vault Morsels 03:27 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - games: general news (0 comments)
Today from Ye Ole Vault:

• gameNgame Event Report
• Guild Wars Media #6

Rob Pardo (Blizzard) Interview 03:20 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - games: mmog (1 comment)
Monday on the The Gamesome Mac you can listen into a live interview with Blizzard's new main man Rob Pardo who talks turkey about World of WarCraft. Here are the details:

You can hear The Gamesome Mac live on MacRadio from 6 to 8 pm Pacific Time, 9 to 11 pm Eastern (Tuesday from 0200 to 0400 UTC), and on demand thereafter. Tune in at The Gamesome Mac's web page, where you'll also find archives of past broadcasts, including last year's interview with Blizzard's [ed - Bill is no longer with Blizzard] Bill Roper. QuickTime 6 and a 56K or faster Internet connection are required.

WoW User Interface Customization tool 01:54 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - games: mmog (2 comments)
Blizzard released a user interface customization tool which allows players to mess around with their GUI. Just an FYI:

The interface of World of Warcraft is built from XML files which describe its look and layout, and Lua files, which contain scripting functionality. This document is a short introduction into modifying these files to customize your interface. Customizing the interface is a very technical endeavor, and you should not attempt it unless you have a good working knowledge of XML and Lua.

UTXMP Released 12:05 pm - Andrew Burnes - games: action (12 comments)
UTXMP, the eagerly anticipated conversion/enhancement of Legend Entertainment's Expanded Multiplayer mode for Unreal 2, has now been released to owners of Unreal Tournament 2004. The 276MB first release contains the original maps plus several more, and all other content from Legend's excellent gametype.

Grab it from one of the following locations:

• Beyond Unreal
• FilePlanet
• Multiplay.co.uk (UK Only)
• Multiplay.co.uk (Worldwide)
• Worthplaying

For a full rundown on all the extensive features in this excellent mod, check out the official site.

Conflict: Global Terror Announced 09:18 am - Andrew Burnes - games: action (0 comments)
Autumn 2005 will see the release of the fourth Conflict game from SCi, Global Terror:

CONFLICT: GLOBAL TERROR, due for release in autumn 2005, is set in the very near future and focuses on the increasing threat of terrorism gripping the World. Developed by Bath-based Pivotal Games, CONFLICT: GLOBAL TERROR takes the Conflict brand in a new direction from previous installments of the best-selling games series.

Teaming up once again with the original Desert Storm Delta Force - Bradley, Foley, Connors and Jones - your four men now form part of an elite anti-terrorist unit tasked with minimising the worldwide threat from active global terrorist groups. The game takes place across the world, in a number of different and hostile locations and against a merciless and corrupt enemy; this is your squad's greatest challenge to date.

Ray Livingston, Product Manager for SCi Games said; "Without giving away too much at this early stage, CONFLICT: GLOBAL TERROR has taken all the best bits from the previous three games and added a whole lot more. We are conscious of keeping fans of the previous games happy while at the same time attracting a new audience to the Conflict brand and we're sure the result will do just that."

Just in case you can't get enough of it on CNN...

Oddworld Leaves Behind Oddworld 09:12 am - Andrew Burnes - games: general news (4 comments)
Over on Computer & Video Games it is revealed that Oddworld Inhabitants - development studio behind the Oddworld series of games - will be leaving behind their popular universe to begin a new IP known as Citizen Siege, a near-future title that tackles current-day issues:

"We'll continue the Oddworld brand, but with the atmosphere of the world today we were inspired to birth another universe. This one's Earth in the future - and not too far in the future. It's a very intense gaming experience, and it's about martial law and the diminishment of civil liberties. It hits far closer to home than Oddworld does. I expect that if we're blessed enough to see it through that there'll be quite a few senators and congressmen who'll be really pissed off. And I hope they are, because we're really pissed off at their behaviour.

When we asked Lorne if these plans were for Xbox or Xbox 2 he told us, "We have plans for both Xbox and Xbox 2, and of course PS2 and PS3. We missed out on PS2 with Oddworld Stranger's Wrath because we got on board so late in the day, but we don't intend to miss the opportunity again."

Unity Falls Apart 04:01 am - Andrew Burnes - consoles: gamecube (8 comments)
Gaming genius Jeff Minter has revealed that Unity, a unique title in development for the GameCube, has been canned:

Lionhead Studios and Jeff Minter have come to a mutual decision to cancel their collaborative project Unity with immediate effect. Unity was always an ambitious and experimental project and as is the case with such endeavours they do not always come to fruition.

Both Lionhead and Jeff are disappointed that it has been necessary to take this step despite significant publisher interest. However, a shared commitment to excellence and originality meant both sides agree that the cancellation of the project was in everyone's best interests.

Relations between Jeff and Lionhead remain strong and both sides have enjoyed working together over the past two years.

Commenting on the decision to halt work on Unity, Peter Molyneux said, "Everyone at Lionhead has the utmost respect and admiration for Jeff's unique talents. However, we've both been in the industry a long time and it was becoming increasingly apparent to us that we would not be able to finish Unity in an acceptable time frame. On a personal level, I have very much enjoyed working with Jeff."

Jeff Minter responded, "Everyone at Lionhead has been incredibly supportive and the decision to stop working on Unity has been a difficult one for us. But being realistic, I felt it was better for everyone concerned that we cease work on Unity. I'd like to thank Lionhead for all their help and support over the past two years."

More on this sad news can be found here.

Xbox Stock Runs Dry In U.K. 02:46 am - Andrew Burnes - consoles: xbox (3 comments)
MCV continues its coverage of the U.K. 'hardware crisis' by today reporting that no further Xbox stock will enter into the country before the end of year:

And while Sony was able to rope in Russian Antanov aircraft to try and ease its slimline PS2 drought (MCV 3/12), the resulting increased consumer demand for Xbox left Microsoft with no further room for manoeuvre: "There's no plane I can send anywhere - we've done all we can," admitted UK Xbox boss Neil Thompson.

"The market share has been incredible - demand is much greater than we expected," he said. "But it's upsetting as I want to fulfil demand and wish I could deliver more - I am totally committed to getting in more product just as fast as we can." The UK Xbox chief also slammed suggestions of poor planning, blaming the knock-on effect of Sony's problems: "We did plan ahead by putting various initiatives in place; but we didn't plan for the PS2 shortage, which has had a significant impact."

The Xbox chief also revealed that new stock will comprise solely of the less aesthetically-pleasing black unit.

Matrix Online Pricing 01:04 am - Andrew Burnes - mmog: role-playing (35 comments)
The Matrix Online is setting itself up for a big spanking in the MMO market thanks to their premium monthly fee, which just happens to be the same as Blizzard's:

The game itself will cost $49.99, with WBIE charging a subsequent monthly subscription fee of $14.99 to players.

The Matrix Online's January 18, 2005, launch will mark the end of the MMORPG's long and winding road to release. The first bump in that road came in February, when the game's original publisher, Ubisoft, parted ways with WBIE. The game remained in limbo until May, when Sega announced that it would publish the game, with developer Monolith Productions and WBIE providing support. Warner Bros. further displayed its commitment to the game by buying Monolith in August.

I don't play these games, although I'd hazard a guess that when your game isn't of the same quality as the leading competitors, setting yourself up with an identical monthly fee isn't exactly going to attract players, or even players from other games of similar ilk.

Project Snowblind Quickie 12:47 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - games: action / roleplaying (3 comments)
GamePro has a very quick preview of Crystal Dynamics' Project Snowblind:

Originally conceived as a spinoff of the Deus Ex series, Project: Snowblind is Crystal Dynamics's (the Legacy of Kain series) first foray into the first-person-shooter playing field. Since development began, Snowblind's connection to Deus Ex have been severed, leaving the game to stand on its own merits rather than rely on the franchise's name to carry it. Luckily, it's shaping up to be a killer offering that's most notable for its tasty assortment of unique weapons, multipath and destructible urban environments, and nano-enhanced super powers.

HomeLan Bits 12:38 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - games: general news (0 comments)
Two bits from Homelan this morning:

• Act Of War: Direct Action Impressions
• Games In 2004-2005 Q&A;: J�rgen Tharaldsen

Hardware & Tech Nuggets 12:20 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - hardware: general news (0 comments)

Reviews & Previews

• Arctic Cooling NV Silencer 5 Video Card Cooler - SystemCooling
• ATI Radeon Mobility 9800 - Beyond 3D
• Danger Den TDX Water Cooling Kit - [H]ard|OCP
• EPoX EP-5EGA+ - [H]ard|OCP
• MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum - [H]ard|OCP
• Mushkin 1GB PC2-4200 - ASE Labs
• OCZ Modstream 520w - AuphanOnline
• Razer Diamondback Optical mouse - VIA Gamer's Arena
• Silverstone LC05 Mini-IXT Case - hi-tech reviews
• SteelPad Qck+ mouse mat or pad - A1
• Ultra 500W Titanium ATX PSU - Viper Lair
• VisionTek XTASY X800 XT - Bjorn3D
• Xtrac Mouse Gear - Gamers Europe
• Zalman CNPS7700-Cu Silent CPU Cooler - Hardcoreware
• Zalman CNPS7700-AlCu Heatsink - PimpRig

  Other Stuff
  

• Basic System Buyer's Guide - Holiday Season 2004 - Mikhailtech
• Five AMD Athlon 64 Models - Which One to Choose? - Digit-Life

Game Reviews 12:15 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - games: general news (1 comment)

PC

• D-Day - PC.IGN - 5.2/10
• Football Manager 2005 - Pro-G - 9/10
• Men of Valor - GamePro - 3.5/5

  Xbox
  

• GoldenEye: Rogue Agent - GamePro - 4/5
• Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders - AVault - 4/5
• NBA Live 2005 - PlayMoreConsoles - 7/10

  PS2
  

• ChoroQ - Gamespot - 4.0/10
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - PlayMoreConsoles - 9/10
• NHL 2005 - Armchair Empire - 8.1/10
• Sly 2: Band of Thieves - PlayMoreConsoles - 8/10

  GameCube
  

• Call of Duty: Finest Hour - GamePro - 3/5
• Metroid Prime 2 - Eurogamer - 9/10

  GBA
  

• Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories - 7.7/10
• Metal Slug Advance - Gameboy.IGN - 8.4/10
• Need for Speed: Underground 2 - Gameboy.IGN - 8.0/10

In Other News... 12:01 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - in-house: in other news... (68 comments)
TGIF! News is slowing down a bit with the holidays creeping up on us and no more major releases in sight, but there are quite a few outstanding games keeping me busy, so I don't mind so much. I had planned on getting our World of WarCraft review up today, but to be honest I haven't really seen enough of the game to review it yet. I missed out on the whole beta thing, so it will take me a little time to catch up. The score really isn't in question, but I'd like to see more of it before I pass my verdict. Could it beat Half-Life 2's 9.5? If the endgame is as much fun as the lowbie / mid level stuff, maybe! On the other end of the scoring spectrum, today's question is:

What were some of the biggest losers of the year? Any platform, hardware, software or anything else gaming related you can think of.