|
      |
          |
|
NEWS D&D RPG fanatics rejoice: ToEE is nigh...
Following in the footsteps of its best-selling, award-winning Neverwinter Nights, Atari recently announced that the World of Greyhawk, one of the most popular Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings of all time, will make its first interactive appearance with the upcoming release of Greyhawk: The Temple of Elemental Evil. Developed by Troika, creators of the critically acclaimed Arcanum, Greyhawk: The Temple of Elemental Evil will feature an exciting party-based single player campaign. It will include an engaging storyline based on the classic D&D adventure of the same name as well as a faithful translation of the latest 3rd Edition D&D rules. "The World of Greyhawk has been a staple of the Dungeons & Dragons universe for more than 20 years and we are extremely pleased to be the first to bring this exciting world to life with one of the most popular and exciting D&D modules ever made -- The Temple of Elemental Evil," said Larry Sparks, Vice-President of European Marketing. "Greyhawk: The Temple of Elemental Evil will return players to D&D's roots with the genre-defining adventure that started it all while taking full advantage of the popular 3rd Edition rule set, party-based adventuring and tactical turn-based combat." The World of Greyhawk and its inaugural adventure The Temple of Elemental Evil was first introduced with the release of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rule set in 1985. Developed by Gary Gygax, Greyhawk became the first complete D&D campaign setting detailing an entire world of adventure including detailed accounts of continents, countries, cultures, folklore, personages and much more. Greyhawk lore and arcana have since pervaded nearly every aspect of today's dynamic D&D universe from spells to monsters to famous characters, providing players with a more rich and robust playing environment. Scheduled for release in September 2003, Greyhawk: The Temple of Elemental Evil finds adventurers in a fight for their lives as a simple rescue mission uncovers a much more sinister plot with far-reaching implications. As the story unfolds, adventurers will travel the world of Oerth, discover the besieged village of Hommlet, survive the filthy shire of Nulb and ultimately penetrate the ruins of the Temple of Elemental Evil, a beacon of darkness and despair in a world without hope. Greyhawk: The Temple of Elemental Evil will feature all of the game play aspects from the 3rd Edition D&D rule set including an entire host of feats and skills. The product's traditional turn-based combat engine [huzzah!] will allow more effective coordination of the large party configurations possible within the game. In addition, adventurers can expect an entire host of classic D&D creatures straight from the pages of the Monster Manual, including lizard men, hill giants and a slew of demons. - 31/7/03 Unreal 2 coming to da 'Box Atari is bringing Unreal II: The Awakening to the Xbox video game system from Microsoft this Christmas. The Xbox version of the game will include console specific enhancements and exclusive multiplayer modes playable on Xbox Live! The Xbox version is in development by Tantalus and Legend Entertainment (an Atari studio) in concert with Epic Games. The game is being modified and tweaked to create better than ever performance and controls specifically designed for the Xbox. In the game, players jump into the scarred combat boots of a grizzled lawman of the future to battle a torrent of bizarre alien creatures and hard-hitting enemy soldiers. The mission: win a brutal galactic race to collect powerful artifacts and stop a malevolent plot to awaken an ancient power. The player will be dispatched to unique worlds with exotic new settings that range from stunningly realistic outdoor terrain to spine-chilling alien cities, archaeological dig sites and more. The player will be armed with a devastating arsenal, ranging from familiar alien-bashing favourites like the Rocket Launcher and Combat Assault Rifle to all new exotic alien variants modified by your cantankerous ships engineer. Those weapons will come in handy versus a large bestiary of creatures, including the fearsome Skaarj from the original Unreal along with a host of all-new enemies, such as the Drakk and the Izarians. Unreal II: The Awakening for Xbox will include a robust multiplayer component both on- and off-line. Two players will be able to join forces in split-screen co-op mode to battle through the epic single player campaign as a team of mercenaries. Online play will be supported through Xbox Live! and will feature an all new class-based, team-oriented multiplayer mode. Under the hood lays the latest Unreal technology from Epic Games, creating the best graphics available on any system. The advanced particle system creates the illusion of blazing fire, drifting smoke and weather effects. Enemies in the game use new AI to find cover during fire-fights, work together in teams and react believably based on the calibre of weapon the player is carrying. Unreal II: The Awakening for Xbox is expected to ship for December 2003. Additional information about the game can be found online at www.unreal2.com, which features downloadable and streaming game play movies, screenshots and other game information and background. Please contact your territory PR Manager for further details. - 24/7/03 Jedi Academy 'free gift' for Australian gamers For our many Australian readers, this may be of interest, particularly for those who love Star Wars collectables.
The figurines are an exclusive bundle with the Star Wars: Jedi Academy PC game for a month, before they are sold separately, at about $50,000 each. Jedi Academy synopsis: The Separatists, led by the powerful Dark Lords of the Sith, fight back with their own formidable droid armies. As this terrible conflict rips across the galaxy, Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala and Obi-Wan Kenobi are swept into the turmoil of war and the rising shadow of the dark side. - 29/5/03 id Software Confirms DooM 3 for Xbox id Software and Activision confirmed today that DooM 3, arguably the most anticipated game of the year, is headed to the Xbox. Built on id’s revolutionary new 3D graphics engine, DooM 3 draws players into the most terrifying and riveting 3D gaming experience ever created. First released in 1993, DooM is widely recognised as the catalyst for the first-person action genre. Since its inception, the franchise has been one of the industry’s best-selling PC series. A release date for DooM 3 for Xbox is not yet available, but rest easy in the knowledge that PC gamers may be able to take on Xbox gamers in the new future. - 29/5/03 'Need for Speed' gets Gran Turismo nod We just got a press release from Electronic Arts that confirms the NFS franchise is finally going to offer vehicle upgrades in the form of 'NFS Underground'. It is slated for an early 2004 release, so take that as an April/May '04 launch. The game allows all sorts of tweaking and addons: We're talking bodykit mods, engine tuning and aftermarket parts from real manufacturers - can't wait to build a killer HKS-modded Supra... Races will take place a night, which reminds of Tokyo Highway Battle, and will include drag racing too. And, in a nod to GT series, you'll have to earn cash to pay for new parts. Is Digital Polyphony's time as the top dog finally up? Here's the full release: Enter the adrenaline-filled world of high performance street racers in the latest game from the award-winning Need for Speed franchise, Need for Speed Underground from Electronic Arts. The new EA GAMES title is under development by the award winning Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2 team. The game features a breakthrough sensation of speed, developed by an OSCAR® nominated special effects expert, and a spectacular graphic presentation showcasing an exciting lineup of licensed cars and aftermarket performance parts (mods) from top manufacturers. Need for Speed Underground allows gamers to build a completely unique exotic ride by earning cash to pay for custom body kits and a host of car mods by winning events. But just creating the ultimate custom street racing machine will not get a racer to the top; it takes a certain amount of attitude and razor sharp driving skills to compete in the tough world of urban racing. A number of diverse events set in gritty, nighttime environments make up the heart of street competition. Players become complete street racers by perfecting skills in each event; by nailing the perfect shift in drag racing, and by putting their street cred on the line, racing through the city streets late at night. The game features 20 fully-customisable licensed cars from Mitsubishi Motors, Subaru, Toyota and other top manufacturers. There are hundreds of ways to customise one's ride with aftermarket parts from dozens of providers including AEM Inc., Audiobahn, Bilstein, Dazz Motorsport, DC Sports, Eibach, Enkei, GReddy Performance Products Inc., HKS, Holley, Injen, Jackson Racing, MOMO, Neuspeed, Nitrous Express Inc., O.Z, PIAA, Skunk2 Racing, Sparco, StreetGlow, Turbonetics Inc. Need for Speed Underground
is slated to ship for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system,
the Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance, the Xbox video game system from
Microsoft, and PC CD-Rom and will ship in the beginning of next year.
The game is being developed by EA Black Box. - 8/5/03 True Crime pays quite well... Indeed, as the headline would suggest, True Crime: Streets of L.A is enlisting big name talent to do the voices, suggesting Activision is pouring heaps of money into the game. Let's hope it's money well spent... Christopher Walken, Gary Oldman and Michael Madsen will lead an all-star voice cast of top Hollywood talent in Activision upcoming crime game True Crime: Streets of L.A. The actors were specially selected to add their distinctive voices and talents to True Crime: Streets of L.A.'s vast line-up of gangsters, street hustlers, social deviants and reluctant heroes. Available this spring (Fall/Autum in the States & Europe) for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. A more comprehensive list of cast members follows:
Inspired by Hong Kong action flicks and American crime dramas, True Crime: Streets of L.A. puts the player in the shoes of Nick Kang, a rogue ex-cop whose personal vendetta with the L.A. underground nets him as many enemies within the "Force" as with the syndicates he's sworn to destroy. Blending multiple genres into a single action game, True Crime: Streets of L.A. allows players to engage in car chases, shootouts, foot pursuits and hand-to-hand combat as they try to take down the mob. Additionally, the game allows players to explore a living, breathing re-creation of the City of Angels, complete with hundreds of miles of authentic streets, popular L.A. landmarks and plenty of purple suede-wearing pimps for players to pulverise. - 23/4/03 Easter Xbox bundle for Oz Australian readers take note, we've just been informed of a new special deal being offered for a limited time, one which includes two very fine games indeed: Halo and Amped anyone? Here's the press release: Hot Box countdown to take off Sydney – This weekend sees the arrival of Hot Box, the Xbox Easter Promotion which is sure to turn up the heat on value. The Xbox Hot Box will go on sale 3 April 2003 for a limited time and will include over $200 worth of gear, plus ten $10 Xbox game cash back vouchers – all for only $59.95 with the purchase of an Xbox console. Buy the Xbox Hot Box when
you purchase an Xbox console and you will receive: "All of this for the
recommended retail price of only $59.95 when you purchase an Xbox console
– this is great value!" said Alan Bowman, Regional Director,
Xbox Australia. "Consumers can take home a superior console at a
great price and now they can take home a box full of value too –
everything you need to get started on some serious home entertainment!" - 9/4/03 Activision announces Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy Activision sent us this today, and it sounds as though Raven is looking like the Star Wars coder of choice at present. And what's this of Sith Maul's double-ended light-sabre, hmmm? More news on Jedi Academy as it happens... Sydney, Australia -- April 8, 2003. Continuing the epic legacy of the critically and commercially acclaimed Jedi Knight action game series, LucasArts announces Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy for Windows PC and the Xbox video game system. Expected for release spring 2003, this latest chapter in one of interactive entertainment's most celebrated game series extends the partnership between LucasArts and Activision, through its developer Raven Software. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is the follow up to Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, the top selling premium priced PC game in Australia, America, United Kingdom and Germany upon initial release in 2002. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is a dynamic single and multiplayer action experience featuring an all-new epic story. Players are immersed in the role of apprentice at Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy where they learn the power - and danger - of the Force. Amidst a multitude of complex and richly detailed Star Wars environments, including twice as many unique locales as those in Star Wars: Jedi Outcast, players face a variety of powerful and insidious enemies. For the first time in a Jedi Knight series game, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy allows players to create and customise their own characters by choosing various characteristics including species, gender, clothing, and physical attributes such as hair and facial features. In addition, players can create a custom lightsaber, selecting from hilt and blade colour. As apprentices progress in their training, different lightsabers will become available, such as the double-bladed lightsaber or dual lightsabers. "With the overwhelming success and critical acclaim of Star Wars Jedi Outcast, continuing an alliance with Activision and Raven Software was a clear and very easy decision," says Simon Jeffery, president of LucasArts. "As they did with its best selling predecessor, Raven will bring to Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy innovative, dynamic, and challenging gameplay that honours the well-respected legacy of the series." Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy begins shortly after the conclusion of events in Star Wars: Jedi Outcast. Players create a Jedi apprentice character and join the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4 to learn the ways of the Force under the tutelage of Luke Skywalker and Kyle Katarn. While the young apprentice embarks on various missions to hone their skills and abilities, a mysterious group is discovered creating havoc throughout the galaxy. Until order is restored, the fate of the Jedi Academy - and the future of the Star Wars galaxy itself - hangs precariously in the balance. While players will be able to accomplish more by using the lightsaber in Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, they also will have a variety of weapons - new and old - at their disposal including a blaster, blaster rifle, Wookiee bowcaster, Imperial repeater, and a Destructive Electro-Magnetic Pulse gun. A unique level selection system allows players to choose their own path through the game as well as the missions they undertake to improve their Jedi skills. The game will add several new multiplayer modes and enhance existing modes that were most popular in Star Wars Jedi Outcast. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy will be published and distributed by LucasArts in North America. Activision will publish and distribute the game in all other territories worldwide. - 8/4/03 News from the Edge©™ Quentin Taratino rocks: It's that simple. He is one of the last of a dying breed. The breed of directors that are imaginative, creative, not afraid of bad publicity and who, most importantly, care. From that masterpiece of styling and ultra violence known as Reservoir Dogs to the original cult classic Pulp Fiction, he has delivered gritty, in-your-face action direct from the streets. Now, Taratino is moving in a whole new direction, with his next film, Kill Bill. He's paying homage to Hong Kong fantasy action films, going to the extremes of having Uma Thurman take on 75 ninjas in one fight! To make matters even stranger, Vivendi is right behind him with the game of the film. The word on the street is that Quentin is eager to have input into the game, offering detailed advice and giving developer Black Label Games (Vivendi's mature game development house) access to key scenes from the movie. Acclaim is really pushing their new driving game, Burnout 2, hard. They are offering to pay any speeding fines incurred by UK drivers on the UK release date of the game. Acclaim said that they just want to ease the pain of the poor drivers who were speeding to buy the game. No Burnout 2-related deaths have been reported thus far, so it looks like Acclaim won't be sued out of business. In related news, it seems that we are facing the world's first automotive Easter Egg of sorts. Some clever bunny has gone and apparently toyed with the European version of the new BMW M3's software. There is a sequence of commands that allow the clutch to be dropped at 4000rpm. This effectively creates a "burnout" mode that the electronically controlled manual transmission normally wouldn't allow. Now all we need is something to trigger the rocket launchers beneath the headlights and the minigun in the boot and we're all set! Lots of people are hardcore. The most 'kore person on this earth is arguably John Carmack, but… We have now found a new owner for the mantle of hardcore, with a capital Hard. A 24-year-old South Korean man played himself to death at his favorite Internet Café. Yep, that's right, played. For approximately 86 hours straight. That's three-and-a-half days, people, during which he didn't eat, drink or even move for the entire time. He collapsed once and then went to the toilet, where he was later found dead. Funnily enough, he wasn't even playing -- he was farming online worlds for high-value items to sell on E-bay! Hasn't anyone learnt anything from Diablo? Flash Me www.newgrounds.com Newgrounds is like having an acid trip whilst simultaneously entertaining Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson and, strangely enough, Salvador Dali. It's weird, tasteless, violent, insane, abstract…the list goes on and on. But despite all of this, it's still hilarious. When you hear someone laughing uproariously and then say, "That's not funny!" you can be sure that they're either talking about John Callahan or Newgrounds.com. The words "politically correct" aren't in Newgrounds' vocabulary. The twisted mutants who came up with this make Trey Parker and Matt Stone look tame by comparison. This has really made me very depressed, so let's move on to the… Oversite Committee http://bluesummers.net Anyway, Bluesummers.net is a shrine to Trigun's biggest badass, Legato Bluesummers. Most amusing is the little buttons in the "Support Legato" section, with "Love Me" and "Someone Needs A Hug" scrawled all over them. One man's obsession is another man's news column. www.mortality.net They also host forums for every major D&D developer and even have communities set up for the artists who work tirelessly to produce quality artwork for the slavering hordes of obsessed, pale-faced geeks that live and breathe RPG. The color scheme is nice, too. members.tripod.com/~afeldspar/ www.tekkenzaibatsu.com www.bash.org Just remember that hackers, phreakers and the like are notorious for really not giving a hoot about being polite, so some of these quotes are pretty coarse. If you're feeling really good about yourself, go to the search section, type in "deltree" and see what comes up. Heheheheh... Small Print The Greek Government has now officially banned computer gaming. Internet Cafés and LAN parlors are now illegal, but you can still play privately at home. Lawyers and the public are desperately trying to overturn the decision. - 7/12/02 News from the Edge©™ Ahhhh! (evil, maniacal laughter) It…Is…ALIVE! Thought you'd seen the last of me? Not a chance in hell! After being captured and thrown into the hell known only as the Microsoft R&D area, thanks to an impromptu turn on my way to the lavatory, I was subjected to horrendous experiments involving the Excel 2020 prototype source code and several dozen 9-volt batteries. I persevered, and lived to tell the tale. Believe me when I say that scaly things with tentacles knocking on the inter-dimensional barrier are nothing compared to the horrors of… Badly written arithmetical source code! When you have seen 1+1=3, you too will know the outer limits of fright…Or not. But enough about my petty troubles and on with (insert cheesy 60s style reverb here) News from the Edge! Ever wanted a Remote Control Rodent? Thanks to the wonders of modern science, it's now a possibility. After placing electrodes into the brain of said rodent, scientists could control its mousy movement by creating sensations to the whiskers in order for it move left and right. After some consideration, they decided on sending a burst of pleasure from the pleasure center to make it move forward. Now that's what I call motivation! Maybe I should launch an ad campaign for the US Government… Something like, "Uncle Sam is Big Brother" (see the original theatrical release Blade Runner poster). Why, you may ask? Because the Pentagon has confirmed plans to trial a massive project designed to snoop on all of America's private and public data, collecting it for "a grand centralised database", supposedly to stop further domestic terrorism on American soil. Hah! They just want my vintage Elvis MP3's... Well, you're not getting them, y'all hear? They're mine, mine, mine! Okay, now that I've taken my pills and had a good lie down… Seems that Valve, those gods of gaming responsible for the modern miracle that is Half-Life, are now going about revolutionising the Internet with their new hyper-fast broadband network, codenamed STEAM. It will eventually allow for gamers to pay for their games over the 'Net and then download them in a few minutes, ready to play. While STEAM is still not fully operational, from what we've seen, it looks like Valve is definitely taking a step in the right direction. For ages, Flash has been the number 1 choice for animators on the web. Surprisingly enough, a lot of people don't know just how much fun Flash can be, which is why I am pleased to present our new Flash Animation Section -- drum roll, please, maestro: Stressed? Tense? Then chill out with the original irreverent, high bandwidth and amazingly cool Flash animator, Joe Cartoon. Think South Park, but with a healthy dose of esoteric information, mixed with the tasteless, violent, yet hilarious antics of that pioneer Flash site, newgrounds.com. Or, if you prefer something a little more subtle, then how about… Joshuadavis.com? This guy is the one of the most original and just plain intriguing users of Flash around. He's worked on countless projects and just plain rocks. Check out his huge database of animations and especially his "once-upon-a-forest" and "praystation" sections for an idea of just how creative and wacky this master of all things Flash is. Now, a Flash section just isn't complete without some truly mindless violence, and there is no better place for such things as sfdt.com, otherwise known as "The Stick Figure Death Theatre". The Stick Figure craze started years ago, when one man started putting out .gif animations of stick figures dying in all kinds of amusing ways. Then, to his surprise, the idea caught on, and people started sending in their own animations. Soon, he was being snowed under, and so, sfdt.com was born. With the advent of Flash, stick figure deaths have taken the leap into the next dimension. There is no better evidence of this than the Xiao Xiao series. Created by an unknown Chinese artist, this series mixes Kung Fu, the Matrix, weird humor and smooth animation to great effect. For more sticky goodness, why not check out stickdeath.com, while you're at it. Oversite Committee: BMWmovies.com While the films are really only ads, they're really cool ads with well-known actors, so we can let that pass. The site has just entered its second season, with new films such as Beat the Devil (starring Gary Oldman as Satan), Ticker, and Hostage (produced by Ridley Scott, and directed by John Woo). The site hosts trailers and information on the films and the full products can be purchased from the site. Securityarms.com That's all from me, folks, so, once again, this is Martin Kingsley, Gameblitz correspondent, reporting live from the Edge. Small Print: - 2/12/02
|
||||
'Greyhawk:
The Temple of Elemental Evil' for the PC is releasing in September 2003.
Activision
Asia-Pacific will bundle one Star Wars Jedi Knight character figurine
with each copy of Star Wars: Jedi Academy on the PC. Three characters
in total, not visible from the outside of the box, will be randomly boxed
with the game.
