Alan Rose
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Guild Wars: Nightfall announced
by Alan Rose 
{ 3 years ago }
NCsoft has announced the third Guild Wars campaign, Nightfall, which will have an exclusive PvP preview for current members on July 28-30. Like its predecessors, Nightfall is a standalone module with a new continent to explore, and will only require the earlier games if you have characters to transfer. However, veterans might be tempted to start fresh with one of the two new professions -- the angelic Paragon or the scythe-wielding Dervish, both of which are previewed at GameSpot. Visit the game's official web site for more details on the Nightfall preview event, as well as updates on the Guild Wars Factions Championship.
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Neverwinter Nights 2 delayed
by Alan Rose { 3 years ago }
GameBanshee is reporting that Atari's Neverwinter Nights 2 has been delayed until late October. According to a representative from Obsidian Entertainment, "the sheer size and scope of Neverwinter Nights 2 and its 50 to 60-hour single player campaign" is what prompted the KoTOR 2 developer to push back the release date. NWN2 had an impressive showing at this year's E3, taking home Best RPG awards from both GameSpot and IGN. Look at it this way, the delay will give you more time to play Infinite Dungeons.See also:
New trailer for GUN Showdown (PSP)
by Alan Rose { 3 years ago }
GameTrailers has a new preview vid for Gun Showdown, the PSP extension of last year's multi-platform romp through the Wild West. Short-lived as the original adventure was, developer Neversoft was praised for the game's compelling narrative and addictive gunplay. Showdown retains the familiar free-roaming style, but UK-based Rebellion has added new story missions, quickplay modes, and a variety of wireless multiplayer content (including Texas hold 'em) to GUN's portable cousin. Get back in the saddle at the end of Q3.See also: Metareview - GUN (Xbox)
New Civ IV patch won't melt your Mac
by Alan Rose { 3 years ago }
If you're currently playing the Mac version of Civilization IV, you should download Aspyr Media's new patch. The update fixes a power hungry bug that causes excessive CPU usage, particularly in Power Mac and iMac G5s. Inside Mac Games discusses some additional Civ IV issues that Mac gamers should be aware of.Why it's OK to suck at games
by Alan Rose { 3 years ago }
Clive Thompson over at Wired wants us to know that thrills can be experienced in defeat when it comes to certain video games. A study conducted by psychologists over in Helsinki (the same place where they produce that hair restoration formula) shows that gamers experience a measure of joy even when failing to complete an objective in a particular game. While playing Super Monkey Ball 2's bowling mini game, test subjects hooked up to biosensors elicited "positively valenced high-arousal" after rolling gutter balls. In other words, watching a trapped monkey plummet to his death is cool. Thompson validated these results by playing the game himself and experiencing the same loser high.
Is it a sign of good game design when positive feedback mechanisms accompany all possible outcomes, or do these studies simply underscore our ability to laugh at ourselves in the midst of failure? The article also mentions Burnout Revenge and GTA as examples of games that provide pleasure even when you're failing to accomplish your goal. What other games succeed in this way?
Ad critic retro: Perfect Dark (N64)
by Alan Rose { 3 years ago }
One of the nice things about hanging on to old gaming magazines is the archive of classic ads they provide. I found this promo for the original Perfect Dark in the 10th anniversary issue of Entertainment Weekly (Spring 2000). Rare's sultry heroine is ready for war against the evil dataDyne corporation and those menacing Skedar -- notice the subtle alien presence in the upper right-hand corner.
But how does this Joanna Dark model stack up (pardon the pun) against the lovely ladies who portrayed Ms. Croft? Her hairstyle and skin-tight, black leather outfit certainly seem to have inspired the wardrobe department for the Aeon Flux movie and game.
It's interesting to note that a key promotional element persistent in today's gaming ads is absent here, which is a little surprising given the influence of the Internet on the gaming community at that time. Maybe Rare was too busy making a kick-ass game to bother with a web site (anybody remember if there was one?). In retrospect, it didn't really matter as Perfect Dark became one of the most popular and successful titles for the Nintendo 64. In fact, it was so good, I bet they'll make a sequel some day!
Update: Thanks to RyanH for helping my tired old eyes. There is indeed a tiny "www.perfectdark.com" URL embedded in the fine print. Also, thanks to NothingShocking for posting URLs of the game's viral marketing campaign.
But how does this Joanna Dark model stack up (pardon the pun) against the lovely ladies who portrayed Ms. Croft? Her hairstyle and skin-tight, black leather outfit certainly seem to have inspired the wardrobe department for the Aeon Flux movie and game.
It's interesting to note that a key promotional element persistent in today's gaming ads is absent here, which is a little surprising given the influence of the Internet on the gaming community at that time. Maybe Rare was too busy making a kick-ass game to bother with a web site (anybody remember if there was one?). In retrospect, it didn't really matter as Perfect Dark became one of the most popular and successful titles for the Nintendo 64. In fact, it was so good, I bet they'll make a sequel some day!
Update: Thanks to RyanH for helping my tired old eyes. There is indeed a tiny "www.perfectdark.com" URL embedded in the fine print. Also, thanks to NothingShocking for posting URLs of the game's viral marketing campaign.
Madden 07 Hall of Fame edition announced
by Alan Rose { 3 years ago }
On August 22, PS2 and Xbox 360 owners will be able to throw down $60 and $70 respectively for a Hall of Fame Edition of Madden 07. For $10 more than the standard editions, EA Sports is offering a John Madden career retrospective, the first season of Madden Nation, and production featurettes with ESPN's Trey Wingo and bands featured in the game's soundtrack. No horse armor?Seriously, what extras would you like to see in this special edition that would justify the extra cash? Some Dallas Cowboy cheerleader or Oakland Raiderette videos might be a step in the right direction.
Gray is White - the new LOTR RPG
by Alan Rose { 3 years ago }
Just before its summer press event, Electronic Arts officially unveiled Lord of the Rings: The White Council, the next gen RPG formerly known as Project Gray Company. Scheduled to ship at the end of 2007, White Council features an original storyline based on J.R.R. Tolkien's literary works, and will include an open-ended world with gameplay elements from previous LOTR console titles.
At the beginning of the year, EA developer Jim Norwood confirmed the existence of a new LOTR RPG -- and even dropped the name, "The White Council". After the game's web site launched in April, keen observers may have also noticed that many members of The Return of the King and The Third Age design teams were on board with Gray Company. It was just a matter of putting two and two together, although many of us still missed the connection (like an M. Night Shyamalan flick). A new introduction on White Council's web site explains: "We really wanted to get the web site up and running so we could start talking with everyone about what makes a cool RPG." Hopefully, you've all given EA some good feedback on constructing the ultimate RPG before they apply the Tolkien license.
A pair of Dark Messiah previews
by Alan Rose { 3 years ago }
With Ubisoft's Dark Messiah of Might and Magic arriving in two months, GameSpot and IGN have taken the lead in providing extensive previews of the Source-powered FPS-RPG hybrid. Both reviewers had a chance to play the E3 demo and were equally impressed with the efforts of developer Arkane Studios. Messiah appears to be solid in the AI department, while the battle effects and environmental interaction are also pleasing. Multiplayer previews will follow in the next few weeks.See also:
Quake Wars pushed back to 2007
by Alan Rose { 3 years ago }
The Strogg invasion originally planned for this holiday season has been postponed. Activision has confirmed that Enemy Territory: Quake Wars will not be shipping in 2006, which supports a comment made earlier this week by Splash Damage lead designer Paul Wedgewood.In a GameSpy developer diary, Wedgewood wrote, "Unfortunately, sometimes effort isn't all you need -- sometimes you just need more time. To ensure the quality we want, we've decided to push the release out of 2006 to allow for extended testing, feedback and game balancing." We were impressed with the Quake Wars LAN demo at this year's E3, so it should be pretty solid by the time it ships.
EA's second half lineup for 2006
by Alan Rose { 3 years ago }
Electronic Arts has confirmed their release list for the remainder of the year, and according to studio president Paul Lee, "this is an extraordinary time to be a gamer."EA Sports titles include 07 editions of NCAA Football, Madden NFL, NASCAR, NHL, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, and NBA Live, while the EA Sports Big label will deliver the third iteration of NFL Street. FIFA 07 has not been confirmed, but even though EA has already released two other FIFA games this year, plan on seeing the franchise's flagship title updated in Q4.
Next gen and portable versions of The Godfather are also due to arrive in September, followed by Need for Speed Carbon, Superman Returns, and shooters Battlefield 2142 and Crysis. How many of these games are on your list?
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[via Pro-G]
Gates to headline CES 2007
by Alan Rose { 3 years ago }
The Consumer Electronics Association has confirmed that Bill Gates will be a keynote speaker at CES 2007 in Las Vegas. Motorola's Ed Zander and Disney's Robert Iger are also on the keynote playbill. The Microsoft chairman recently announced that he will be stepping down from his daily role in the company at the end of next year, but will continue to work part-time for the software giant he co-founded. Just make sure you report any "part-time" or supplemental income to the unemployment office, Bill!
Rise of Legends tourney announced
by Alan Rose { 3 years ago }
Intel, ATI, and Logitech will be sponsoring a Rise of Legends tournament that includes $100k in prize money. Qualifying events will be held between September and November, and the top eight combatants will be invited to the final round in January to determine the "ultimate champion". Visit the official site for details.Professional gaming has been a frequent topic of discussion in recent months:
New Bullet Witch media
by Alan Rose { 3 years ago }
TeamXbox has a new five-minute gameplay video from Bullet Witch, a futuristic action-adventure from Japanese developer AQ Interactive. You play a gun-toting, spellcasting witch who runs around in stilettos blasting demons that have invaded Earth. Sounds a lot like Hellgate: London, and the various third person angles and gunplay reminds me of Brute Force.
Bullet Witch has slipped a few times, and the linked article mentions a July 27 release date in Japan. However, it also says the game is only 80% complete at this point, so Japanese gamers might be waiting until the end of the summer. No news on a North American release, but GameTrailers has some additional vids.
Ricoh device reads, writes Blu-ray and HD DVD
by Alan Rose { 3 years ago }
Ricoh has apparently solved the Blu-ray vs. HD DVD dilemma, and plans to introduce an optical device that reads and writes both next gen storage formats. The secret is a special diffraction plate that automatically compensates for thickness variation in the protective layers of each format, allowing a single laser to read data stored on either type of disc.
It seems unlikely that Sony or Toshiba will ever incorporate Ricoh's technology into their new players, but hopefully we'll have many third party players to choose from. If nothing else, this should spark good water cooler debate. How many of you have already started purchasing movies in the new formats?
