An announcement appeared on the official Half-Life 2 website today, saying that the game was Gold and would be available on 23 Nov.

Shortly after, the announcement was taken down, but not before a screen-capture was taken by Gamers-Depot.com
And then that screen-capture was also pulled.

Read more on GamersHell.com & Voodoo Extreme

Related:
Half-Life 2 reviews start to roll out
ATI HL2 voucher owners to receive Bronze package
Half-life 2 Package Details
Discussion >>

Vivendi Universal Games made the multiplayer version of the demo available today:

OS Windows 98/ME/XP/2000
Processor 1000MHz
RAM 256MB
Disk 950MB
Video 32MB DirectX 9.0c compatible
Sound DirectX 9.0c compatible

The demo includes 4 maps and 5 different types of gameplay, download it from Yahoo! Games Domain (472.2 MB)

This comes one day after Vivendi released an announcement that a bug was found in the single-player demo, and the official website was revamped More ...

Info:
Tribes Vengeance - Single Player Demo
Discussion >>

The next version in futuremark's line of 3d graphics performance benchmarking tools has arrived in the form of 3dmark 2005 (yes, i am aware it's still 2004 ;))

I am just getting over the stringent 3dmark 03, and now this bad boy has come to put all the current graphics cards to shame! You must have a DirectX 9 compatible graphics adapter with support for Pixel Shader 2.0 or later, or this software will not work.

3DMark05 is concentrated on measuring the performance of the DirectX 9 generation of 3D hardware using the technology of next generation games. Earlier 3DMark versions have usually been launched with the introduction of a new Microsoft DirectX version and with the introduction of a new hardware generation. This has somewhat limited how much 3DMark has utilized the new hardware features. At the time of this writing, DirectX 9 was introduced soon two years ago, and there is now DX9 generation hardware available all the way from the very high end to value and mobile parts. 3DMark05 can thereby utilize the features of DirectX 9 to a 100%. In fact, DirectX 9 hardware is required for every game test of 3DMark05, resulting in the ultimate tool for DirectX 9 hardware performance comparison.

3DMark05 highlights:
- Three new game tests, all requiring DirectX 9 hardware support.
- Feature tests focusing on key characteristics of graphics performance.
- The 3DMark05 demo the ultimate display of real-time 3D graphics featuring an original sound track.
- Multiprocessor CPU test. A CPU-intensive run of two game tests, adding CPU loads typical for 3D games and tuned for multiprocessor systems.
- A wide range of benchmark settings and professional tools for image quality inspection, texture filtering quality testing, automated batch runs and a lot more.
Note: The results and final score of 3DMark05 are not comparable with any previous version of 3DMark.

Parts of the Free Version are crippled. For all the features, but must buy the PRO version.

System Requirements:
- DirectX 9 compatible graphics adapter with support for Pixel Shader 2.0 or later, and graphics memory of 128 MB or above.
- Intel® or AMD® compatible processor running on 2 GHz or above.
- 512 MB system memory or more.
- 1.5 GB of free hard disk space.
- Windows 2000 or XP operating system with the latest Service Packs and updates installed.
- DirectX 9.0c runtime installed (download) with the latest updates.
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 installed, for some 3DMark functionality (download).
- Microsoft Excel 2000, 2003 or XP for some 3DMark functionality.
- Microsoft DirectX 9 Summer Update 2004 System Development Kit is required to run the image quality test using the reference rasterizer.

Graphics cards everywhere, run and hide ! ! !

Download 3DMark 05 from majorgeeks (290 MB)
Futuremark Website

Discussion >>

Retail patch v1.1 for Colin McRae Rally 2005 has just been released.

This patch concentrates on the following issues:

1) Any instances of seeing white grass on tracks should now be gone

2) There should be no more flashing sun textures when using "Handicap" on
splitscreen games

3) There is now an option to turn off sun effects within the game, this is
achieved my running the game from a command prompt with the "NOSUN" command
line option

4) All engine tests now give you the same amount of time to complete them

5) You can now go straight back from High texture quality to Medium texture
quality

6) There should be no more flashing sun effects when driving around tracks

7) The random weather in online races will now correctly be random, and not
taken from the previous race

Colin McRae Rally 2005 accelerates the series to a blinding speed that captures the sheer adrenaline of edge-of-control rallying and lets you take the stages at speeds a third faster than before. You won't be spinning off unnecessarily either: the stages have been designed to let you use that speed as you hurtle through the detailed international environments. However, crash out and you'll see the individual damage models for each car in action - right down to scraping the paintwork!

Delivering more cars, more stages, and new challenges, the adrenaline-pumping heart of Colin McRae Rally 2005 is the all-new multi-discipline Career Challenge. Taking players through their very own, full professional rally career, you'll be driving the most diverse selection of rally cars for different manufacturers.

Retail v1.1 patch (16.6 MB)
Colin McRae Rally 2005 Website
Discussion >>

Gamespot has a review of the Latest MYST installment, Revelation (out now - 30 Sept).

They give it a rating of 8.5 or 'Great' and visitors to the site give it a 9.3 or 'Superb':

Myst IV packs in a lengthy, memorable journey that's liable to last you for days, if not weeks, before you finally reach a climactic moment that's quite a payoff for all your effort. And it truly does feel like the end of a journey when it happens. Myst has always been an experience as much as a game. Though the series has spawned countless imitators in the adventure genre, it has continued to stand tall among them, thanks to its highly cohesive design and relentless attention to state-of-the-art production quality.

Former Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel provides an original song and his voice to the game; doing the voiceover for the gateway to the "zen" world of Serenia.

A demo was released in August and a beautifully made official website was launched that lets you play segments of the game without having to download any files.
Completing the puzzles on the website rewards visitors with a video from the developers, visit the site at www.mystrevelation.com

Info:
Myst Worlds
Myst IV Revelation
Buy Myst IV Revelation
Myst III Exile
Uru: Ages Beyond MYST
Discussion >>

A bug has been found in the demo released for Tribes: Vengeance and Vivendi have sent out a public service announcement.

According to GameDaily.com, an incorrect version of the demo was seeded at various file hosts on the Internet:

The team at Irrational Games and Vivendi Universal Games are working diligently to prepare a new version of the demo and anticipate it being ready very shortly. While embarrassing, we realize that an alert like this is a better alternative than putting out a buggy demo. Our sincerest apologies.

GameGossip.com also report that the official website for Tribes: Vengeance has been revamped.
The site now has a brighter look, but appears to contain the same information (last news item was posted on 18 Sept). (Compare sites: New - Old)

Tribes: Vengeance is described as "the ultimate high-flying multiplayer battle experience" and will be released in the U.S. on 5 October.

Info:
Vivendi Universal Games
Irrational Games
TribalWar.com: The Voice of the Tribes Community
Discussion >>

Hlfallout.net received the details from Valve CEO Gabe Newell.

The Steam packages will be available next week (minus the asterisked* products until their release), and Counter-Strike Source will be playable immediately:

Retail Boxes

• Standard Edition — includes HL2 and CS:Source. Ships on six CDs, in one of three box-art packages (Gordon, Alyx or the G-Man).
• Collector's Edition — includes Half-Life 2, Counter-Strike: Source, Half-Life 1: Source, a Half-Life 2 T-shirt and a Prima book sampler. Ships on a single DVD

Steam Packages

• Bronze — HL2* and CS:Source.
• Silver — HL2*, Counter-Strike: Source, Half-Life 1: Source*, Day of Defeat: Source*, Valve's back catalog currently available on Steam.
• Gold — HL2*, Counter-Strike: Source, Half-Life 1: Source*, Day of Defeat: Source*, Valve's back catalog currently available on Steam, Complete Strategy Guide from Prima Games, 3 different Half-Life 2 posters, Half-Life 2 hat, Half-Life 2 postcard, Half-Life 2 stickers, Half-Life 2 Soundtrack CD, Chance to win a trip to Valve! (1 trip offered for every 5000 Gold packages purchased).

*To be made available upon product's release.

HalfLife2.net also has an exclusive interview with PC Gamer's Chuck Osborn who reviewed the game for the world exclusive first review, out in October.
When asked about the multiplayer aspect of HL2, Osborn said:

Counter-Strike: Source is the multiplayer game.
[no deathmatch]...Only CS:S

Discussion >>

A forum posting that falsely announced the price of the new PlayStation Portable got picked up by gaming sites across the Internet yesterday, even making a front page article on the hugely popular Slashdot Games.

In his original post, the hoaxer linked to a non-existent Gamespot article; gamers saw the link but seemingly believed the story without checking the source, the story was then picked up by GCAdvanced.com which started the ball rolling.

Amir0x (who started the story), posted the message on the TorchTheBridge.com forums but later admitted the story was 100% a hoax:

ANYWAY...

As any NON idiot already knew (no offense fellas), this story is...

A 100% COMPLETE HOAX

It was...

a.) An experiment to see how QUICKLY people would jump on a story like this about Sony, despite NO evidence at all and a dead link and even a F***ING MESSAGE IN THE ORIGINAL POST THAT THE STORY WAS FAKE (albeit in small text)

and...

b.) Because I was bored, and wanted to see how many people fell for it!

The PlayStation Portable was recently featured at the Tokyo Games Show 2004, and will have a Japanese release in November, with a U.S. release in the first half of 2005.

More info:
PSP Price 'Hoax' Widely Circulated
PSP price likely fake
Selection of videos of PSP in action from the Tokyo Games Show
PlayStation Portable Preview Video
Discussion >>

The Offical Patch has now been released

Download it here

An Open Beta has been launched for testing of Risk Your Life, a massively multiplayer online role playing game created by Planetwide Games.

To participate, download the game client from Download.com (591.44MB) and sign up for the test here.

From the official press release:

(PRWEB) September 19, 2004 -- Risk Your Life is one of the few MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) that bring you an online Virtual reality atmosphere that is both completely interactive and immersive. RYL is a well-balanced MMORPG developed under a 3D environment that allows players to create their own character, define its role, do battle with it in a virtual world.

"Risk Your Life" is a beautifully rendered MMORPG and the game to beat in its category. "Risk Your Life" creates increasingly difficult and challenging game play and will excite multiplayer online game fans says Michael Williams, CEO of Planetwide Games, Inc.

No longer do players have to face monotonous individual games but they can now interact with hundreds or thousands of other players from all over the world and undertake the adventure of a lifetime together. New features in this version include an all-new Quest-based mission system, which will provide more than 200 quests within the game. Maximum game resolution has been increased from 800x600 to a maximum of 1600 x 1200 to give you an even more detailed look at the world of RYL. Advanced real time 3D and environment effects give you a realistic feel of an amazing fantasy world.

Massively multiplayer online games are computer games in which thousands of players can play simultaneously through the Internet by logging into servers operated by the game’s providers. In 2003, 88 million people played online games worldwide and 198 million are expected to be playing online games by 2008.

Risk Your Life is a persistent universe or role-playing game. In it, players assume the role of a Warrior, Cleric, Wizard, or Thief and explore the many beautiful and exotic locations within the game where they meet other players, complete quests, and fight monsters.

The players start off at level 1, with minimal skills and abilities, but over time they gain experience points, which allows them to advance to level 2, and beyond. As each level opens up, the player can new and more interesting abilities and can survive in battles against more interesting monsters. This level advancement is the hook that causes players to subscribe to the game and maintain their accounts for months or years.

The many features of Risk Your Life include:
- Over 400 quests (or missions) for players to play through.
- Compelling battle system.
- Innovative “skill system” that allows players to define their character’s “class” over time.
- Players can own virtual real estate within the game.
- Players can become feudal lords or leaders of clans or bands of warriors.
- Many thousands of players can play simultaneously.

"Risk Your Life" is available in "Open Beta" as a free download at http://www.download.com/Risk-Your-Life-North-American-Version/
3000-7541-10317196.html?tag=lst-0-2

The retail version of the game will be available in 1Q05.

Info:
Planetwide Games Inc.
Risk Your Life official website
Discussion >>

A first patch has been released for Starwars Battlefront to improve NAT negotiation for online games which may help improve multiplayer performance.

Minor fix to server browser screen.

After downloading the update, double click on Battlefront1_00.exe to install.
The installer will automatically search for the folder where you originally
installed Star Wars Battlefront and install the update. If the update does not
locate Star Wars Battlefront on your system, you may need to reinstall the game
and then run the Battlefront1_00.exe.

Review by IGNIQ'S Richie Cahill
Download the patch here (2.7 MB)
Starwars Battlefront Website

Discussion >>

Story via Counterfrag - The Sims 2 sold 1 million copies in ten days, a high water mark in the 22 year history of publishers EA Games.

The game was released on 17 September and was the first new standalone version of The Sims to be released in 4 years (various add-on packs are available).

The vast success of The Sims is reflected in the fact that the series (the first game plus the add on games) was consistently the biggest seller in the PC Games market for the years 2000 through 2003, with over 41 million combined sales since its release in February 2000.

Another Sims derivative game, The Urbz will also be released in November.

This game moves the Sims out into the big city and will be available for PlayStation 2/Xbox/Nintendo, GameCube and Gameboy Advance.

Info:
THE SIMS 2 EARNS BIG SIMOLEANS FOR EA
The Sims 2 Official site
Buy a copy of The Sims 2
The Sims 2 Released
The Sims 2 Review by ArsTechnica: (8 out of 10)
The Counterfrag.com Sims 2 Review: (94%)
The Urbz
The Sims Series
Discussion >>

Via HomeLAN Fed, we learn that the October 5th issue (U.K., the U.S. issue is out in December) of PC Gamer will carry the very first exclusive review of Half-Life 2.

There is no information about what the reviewers thought of the game, only the teaser image for the cover above.
The review is based on the release candidate sent to Vivendi Universal Games on 15 September.

Info:
Half-Life 2 Reviewed by PC Gamer?
PC Gamer official website
Half-life 2 Pre-load Phase 4
Possible Half-life 2 Delay Over Court Battle
Half-Life 2 Special Edition
Counter-Strike Source Review by IGNIQ
Discussion >>

The fourth phase of the Half-Life 2 preload begins to Steam account holders today.

This will allow users to download the majority of Counter-Strike: Source in encrypted form. No purchase is required to pre-load Half-Life 2, but is required to activate the game. The moment the game is made available, those who have pre-loaded and purchased the game via Steam will be ready to start playing.

Steampowered News

Three days ago, a large file download through Steam was confirmed as the encrypted files containing CS-Source, it's unclear if this announcement is just a late report by Valve to their news page or another, separate batch of files.

Valve appear to be geared up for a very near future release, but as reported on IGNIQ recently, there could be a delay depending on the decision of the publisher, Vivendi Universal Gaming.
Discussion >>

A video preview is available of the PlayStation Portable, which was recently featured at the Tokyo Games Showcase.

The PSP will go on sale in Japan later this year, and will launch in other markets in the first half of next year.

“PSP” will be equipped with a wide screen 480 x 272 pixel (16 by 9) TFT LCD monitor with a backlight, and powered by super chipsets utilizing the latest 90 nm semiconductor technology. For graphics, 3D rendering will be enhanced by the employment of curved surfaces (NURBS) along with conventional polygons. Video quality will also be enhanced with MPEG4, which delivers quality equivalent to DVD video at a low data rate.

“PSP” will have an USB 2.0 port for further expandability and connectivity to other devices, such as “PSP,” PlayStation 2 and many other systems, along with a Memory StickTM slot for network applications and data transportability in a wireless environment.

From the first official press release about PSP

Link to video via Joystiq.com, which also links to some ridiculous photos from the games show of the new PlayStations actually tied onto the girls who were demonstrating them.
Discussion >>

One of my favourites from the old 2000AD comics is being turned into a game for the PS2, XBox and PC.

Rebellion (owners of 2000AD) have announced they will be making Rogue Trooper.

For those that never heard of it before, Rogue Trooper is a genetically enhanced soldier, who was created as the ultimate weapon for fighting on the totally polluted Nu Earth.
His only company is his three friends, Helm, Gunnar & Bagman who were killed in action, but live on in the form of three microchips attached to Rogue's equipment.

The series was created in 1981 and ran until 1984, though he made various comebacks through the years, and his most recent story in 2000AD was in March.
The original story had Rogue roving Nu Earth looking for the man who betrayed his battalion to be massacred, and this is the story the game will be based on.

Details are scant about what the game will be like, but there are some screenshots available on the official site.

Info:
2000AD hero blasts back
Rogue Profile on 2000ADonline.com
Fan site dedicated to Rogue Trooper with lots of good info
Discussion >>

A demo is now available for Chris Sawyer's RollerCoaster Tycoon 3.
It allows you play a demo scenario for 45 minutes as well as three tutorials.

The game will be available to buy from November:

RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 is completely updated and redesigned to take the series to all-new heights. Featuring incredible 3D graphics and the exclusive new Coaster Cam™, you can now see your park from any angle and ride the coasters you build. From street level to blimp, see your park pulse with fun and excitement like never before.

Download the demo here
(184MB)

Info:
Official RollerCoaster Tycoon website
10 things you (probably) never knew about Chris Sawyer's Tycoon games...
Chris Sawyer's Locomotion Demo (Also recently released)
Pre-order RollerCoaster Tycoon 3
Discussion >>

A new Catalyst 4.9 fix has been issued by ATI to combat against a conflict with the new Psychotoxic demo. Starting a game of Psychotoxic may result in the game failing to respond or producing a VPU recover error.

Download the fix from ATI
Psychotoxic Demo

Discussion >>

A new hi-res trailer has just been released for Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas, the next installment in the ever popular GTA series of games from rockstargames. San Andreas will be available on PS2 in North America on October 19, 2004 and in Europe three days later. Though no sign of a pc release until next year *grrrrr*

GTA San Andreas Official Website
GTA San Andreas Hi-Res Trailer #2 (81.3 MB)

Discussion >>

From NuClearVision Entertainment comes a demo of "Psychotoxic". The 3d Action first person shooter that revolves around the Four horsemen of the Apocalypse. You play Angie Prophet an angel and guardian created thousands of years ago to rescue the unsuspecting human race.

The setting is today's New York. Three of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have already caused horrible damage on earth. The Fourth Horsemen is also preparing to return. Violence and aggression are increasing drastically.

Homepages here
and here
Download the demo from 3dgamers (188 MB)

Discussion >>

According to gamewag the next release of ATI's Catalyst drivers (4.10) will be worked to significantly improve the performance of Radeon based cards. A new feature called "Application Detection and Optimization" will handle games differently to try and optimize performance.

As an example, with the release of DOOM III some clever folks figured out a way to significantly improve performance on ATI cards by tweaking some shader settings. What ATI is saying, is that they will take the initiative to figure out these optimizations and do them automatically.

Full story over at gamewag
Ati latest news
Download the latest Catalyst Drivers here

Discussion >>

Gamers who are participating in the Beta test for CS - Source noticed an unusually large download through Steam over the past few days.

It was speculated that it may be the preloading of the encrypted files for the completed game, and this was indeed confirmed by Valve on Halflife2.net.

Thanks to HomeLAN Fed for the story.

Info:
Read a top review of Counter-Strike Source (Beta)
by Dave here (4 out of 5 stars)
IGNIQ.com CS Source forums
Discussion >>

A follow on article on Gamespot.com about an ongoing court battle between Valve and their publishers, Vivendi Universal Gaming, isn't very encouraging about a release date for Half-life 2.

Valve are pushing for as early a release date as possible, but Vivendi, angered by the public statements Valve have made about a release, have the option of delaying until six months after they receive a final version of the game.

Read the article here, and a good analysis is available here.

Info:
Valve vs. Vivendi Universal dogfight heats up in US District Court
Discussion >>

Take to the skies in one of six unique space combat fighters, battling for supremacy in and around space stations, asteroid belts, and bizarre space phenomena!

Void War was released yesterday (24 Sept), download the free trial at the official website (10.6MB)

Info:
VoidWar.com
Rampant Games - Developer website
Preview of Void War
Discussion >>

A CS Source review has now been completed.

Also a de_dust video

Discussion >>

Sales records are being broken at
retailers throughout North America: the game was EB Games' biggest
first-week sales for any Xbox title ever; it broke Game Rush's first-day
sales record for any game; it is the No. 1-selling overall title on any
platform last week at GameStop and is the fastest-selling Xbox game at
EB Games Canada for the first week. Fable even grossed more money than
the No. 1 box office movie last week, Sky Captain and the World of
Tomorrow*.

Read more

Link via Evil Avatar

On a related note, a quest from Fable may be spilling out into the real world; a character refered to in-game called "The Better Bard" has begun posting (reg req) on the official XBox forums, seemingly providing clues to one of the quests in the game.

For a list & analysis of The Better Bard's posts, check here.
(Thanks to dek for the story and link)

Added Sept 25
The Better Bard has admitted he was a hoaxer, going so far as to set up a blog to gloat at Fable fans who believed his posts.
More info: Fable Forum Goers Fall For Huge Hoax

Info:
Fable official website (Flash)
Fable forums (reg. req.)
Fable game information on XBox.com
dek's Fable review
Discussion >>

A demo has been released for the ever popular Multi-player / Single-player futuristic first person shooter, Unreal Tournament 2004.

Reload, rev up and ride out. The new Tournament is faster, higher and meaner. Land and air based vehicles take combat to a new level; while an arsenal of new weaponry, daunting arenas and battlefields and the challenge of the Assault and Onslaught modes make the gladiator blood sport of the future a brand new experience. Buckle up; it's gonna be one hell of a ride!

.1 Minimum System Requirements
-------------------------------

Operating System: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP

Processor: Pentium III or AMD Athlon 1.0 GHz processor

Memory: 128 MByte RAM

Hard Disk Space: 300 MByte free

Video: 32 MB Windows compatible video card*

Sound: Windows compatible sound card. NVIDIA nForce or
other motherboards/soundcards containing the Dolby
Digital Interactive Content Encoder required for
Dolby Digital audio.*

DirectX: DirectX version 9.0b or higher

DirectX is not required for using the software
renderer

Modem: 33.6K baud (for modem/Internet play)

Internet (TCP/IP) and LAN (TCP/IP) play supported.

Recommended System Requirements
-----------------------------------

Operating System: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP

Processor: Pentium III or AMD Athlon 1.2 GHz processor

Memory: 256 MByte RAM

Hard Disk Space: 500 MByte free
(300 MByte for game, 200 MByte swap)

Video: NVIDIA GeForce 2 or ATI Radeon Hardware T&L card with
64 MB VRAM recommended

Sound: Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS

DirectX: DirectX version 9.0b or higher

Modem: Broadband Internet connection

Internet (TCP/IP) and LAN (TCP/IP) play supported.

* Indicates device should be compatible with DirectX, version 9.0b or
higher.

Official UT 2004 Website
Screenshots here
ut2004-demo3334.exe

Discussion >>

Before the game is even released (or announced Gold for that matter), you can pre-order your copy of the Special Edition.

Interestingly enough, the estimated date for pre-release on the page is November 1, which was the guess of IGNIQ forum members back in July.

The package includes a limited-editon DVD-ROM version of HL2, Counter-Strike Source, Half-life Source (digitally remastered version of the first game), a limited edition T-Shirt and a HL2 Prima Book (character backgrounds, the making of and artwork).

Thanks to GameGossip for the link

Discussion >>

An interesting article I found via the Wonderland blog, about Windows Longhorn and the XBox 2:

"Xbox 2 peripherals will all work on PC," said Lester, clarifying that Xbox controllers, steering wheels, and other console-related peripheral functionality will all be brought into Longhorn's portfolio, as will Xbox Live functionality. For game players, this will make for, if nothing else, an added convenience, since playing a game on a PC or an Xbox will [ideally] come down to little more than unplugging the controller from one and plugging it in to the other. For game developers, Microsoft hopes that the introduction of XNA will help standardize development on both platforms--to such an extent that "you won't have to choose between Xbox or PC" to develop games...and, ideally, so that players won't have to choose between the two platforms to play these games.

Read more here

Discussion >>

Knights of Honor is the first Empire Conquering Simulation in real-time, and your goal is simple - become the Emperor of all of Europe by fair or foul means.

Never lose sight of your goal - to rule all of Europe.

Knights of Honor went Gold after more than 3 years in development on the 10th of September, and will be available to buy on the 30th.

Download a demo that includes a tutorial and lets you play two Kingdoms (Bohemia & Scotland)

Demo available in English, German & French here.

Info:
Knights of Honor official site
Black Sea Studios - developers site
Preview of KOH on Fragland.com
Discussion >>

Download a single-player demo of this 3d tactical strategy space game.
The demo allows you to play one mission on three levels of difficulty.

Download it from worthplaying.com (110MB)

Nexus: The Jupiter Incident will be available in October, and will be distributed by Vivendi Universal Games.

Info:
Nexus: The Jupiter Incident official website
HDInteractive - publishers site
Discussion >>

Take off from massive aircraft carriers to shoot down enemy fighters and torpedo Japanese war ships... or man anti-aircraft artillery defending against enemy raids in this high-end, console-like game featuring 20 pulse-pounding missions and spectacular 3D scenery!

Download a free demo from Reflexive Arcade. (9.6MB)

Info:
Reflexive Arcade official website
Discussion >>

Applications for beta testing of Dungeon Lords, a new Combat-RPG, are being accepted now.

The applications will close on October 4th; you can sign up here for a chance to be among the first to play.

Dungeon Lords is expected to be released on 10 Nov in the U.S and 14 Nov in Europe.

Info:
Dungeon Lords official website
Dream Catcher Games
Discussion >>

Disciples II: Rise of the Elves is a milestone in the Disciples universe. For the first time, Disciples fans will be able to play as the elder Elven race as they struggle to reclaim their forests from the four primary forces in Nevendaar. Driven by an unpredictable god who urges them to battle, the Elves begin a massive march towards their fate.

Gallean's Return is a compilation pack of the two previously released expansions for Disciples II, Servants of the Dark and Guardians of the Light.

This free trial is fully featured and allows you to play for three hours.
It's available on the official site of Strategy First, along with trials for the other expansions for Disciples II, download here.

Info:
Disciples II: Rise of the Elves official website
Loadedinc.com Disciples II review (8/10)
Discussion >>

Wacraft 3 and Frozen Throne have both updated patches

Wacraft 3 Patch here

Frozen Throne Patch here

Kohan 2: Kings of War, the real time strategy sequel from Timegate Studios is now available in shops.
The first installment, Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns was TimeGate Studios first game to be developed and was widely praised upon release.

... it plays similarly to the original yet has so much more to it that makes it unquestionably different. The resulting game has a great design, and it offers plenty of depth and complexity.
From the Gamespot.com review (8.5 or Great)

A free demo is also available for download on Gamespot.com, that includes a tutorial and 1 full single-player mission.
Download the demo here (Free reg. req.)

Info:
Kohan 2 official site
Timegate Studios Games List
Discussion >>

From the developers of the Championship Manager series comes a fully functional and time limited (beta) demo of Football Manager 2005.

The Football Manager 2005 beta demo was created on September 2nd, since that time a number of enhancements and fixes have been made to the game. The idea of the beta demo is to give people a taster of the game and some feedback on the general playability of the product. We also use it to help diagnose any problems that people have with hardware, drivers and other programs prior to the release of the game to ensure the final product will run as smoothly as possible.

Football Manager 2005 will be released by SEGA in Europe, for PC and Mac, on November 5th 2004.

Football Manager 2005 Beta Demo (15.9 MB)
More info here

Discussion >>

A "Making of" trailer has been released for Firaxis Games' 3d action, adventure and strategy release "Sid Meier's Pirates!".

Looks like some good old "Monkey Island" style fun. Swash-buckling insults and general groggery ! ! !

In Sid Meier's Pirates! you take the leading role of a Pirate Captain in the 17th century Caribbean amassing fortune and fame in an attempt to seize your rightful place as one of the most revered (and feared!) pirates in history. Test your skills as a sea captain exploring the high seas and exotic ports in a richly detailed 3D world. Overtake the enemy and seize valuable booty. Exchange plank-shattering broadsides in fierce naval battles, and engage in duels with worthy opposing captains.

As your reputation and skills grow, so will the size and quality of your crew, and your ability to take on larger enemy ships, raid and plunder heavily fortified ports, and locate ancient treasure. There's a whole cast of interesting and dangerous characters to meet, mysteries to solve, exotic island destinations to discover, and powerful alliances to forge!

System Requirements:

Operating System: Windows® 98/Me/2000/XP
Processor: Pentium® 1.0 GHz or higher
Memory: 256 MB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 1.2 GB Free
CD-ROM Drive: 4X Speed
Video: 32 MB video card* with Hardware T&L support
Sounds: Windows® 98/Me/2000/XP-compatible sound card*
DirectX®: DirectX® version 9.0b (included) or higher

Official Website here
Related sites here
and here

"Making of" movie trailer (95.9 MB)(320x240, 9:21, AVI)

Discussion >>

A new trailer (hi and low res) for the up and coming 3d simulation rally release, Cross Racing Championship has just been released over at 3dgamers.

Utilizing the next generation of the Invictus engine which incorporates its new real-time physics module, Cross Racing Championship (CRC) will allow the player to experience the thrills of high-speed on and off road racing across vast open terrains.

The player can contest over 60 races across six distinct environments, ranging from icy mountainous regions and lush countryside to parched desert areas and beaches. CRC will appeal to Rally fans and road-racing fans with its crossover approach to vehicles and race circuits.

The game, developed by Invictus is Scheduled for an Autumn 2004 release.

Download the high-res trailer here (66.2 MB)

Grab the low-res trailer here (32.9 MB)

Discussion >>

"Source", the Half-life 2 engine has been licensed out to a new MMORPG to be released from Smiling Gator Productions.

Twilight War: After the Fall will be only the third company to use the engine; Vampire: The Masquerade-Bloodlines will employ it, as well as an un-titled XBox game from Arkane Studios.

Source Engine Licensed for Massive Multiplayer Roleplaying Game (Valve Press Release)

Read more here

Info:
Twilight War: After The fall official website
Featurelist for Valve's Source engine
Discussion >>

Part four of the Elder Scrolls series has been under development since the year 2002, and the best guess is that it will be ready for release in 2006:

details of the project remain scarce, the developer is at least promising "another leap forward in role-playing with its combination of freeform gameplay and cutting-edge graphics."

It is also being touted for both a PC and future-generation console release

Read on

More details about the game will be available in the October issue of the magazine GameInformer.

Thanks to moonshine & dek for links to the story and images.

Info:
Bethesda Softworks
ElderScrolls.com
GameInformer.com
The Elder Scrolls Tenth Anniversary (Aug. 26th)
Discussion >>

A new update has been released for Steam, which includes changes for Steam itself and a Half-life 2 survey.
The update will be downloaded automatically when you launch Steam:

• Removed Exit & Logout command
• Improved authentication system
• Improved UI feedback when Internet connection has been lost
• Improved pre-loading behavior (will no longer pause)
Added new in-game languages: Japanese, Thai, & Russian

More here

Discussion >>

A trailer for Scarface has been released showing in-game footage of this 3rd person action shooter, based on Scarface starring Al Pacino.

Players will travel through the steamy, often violent streets of Miami, the irie islands of the Florida Keys, the Bahamas and various other locales and will interact with a world full of seedy and dangerous characters to procure information, negotiate business deals, smuggle contraband and avoid rivals and DEA on a mission to rebuild their fallen empire

The game will not be released until 2005.

Download the trailer from gamershell (22.1 MB)

Discussion >>

Nintendo have announced their new handheld console, Nintendo DS, will be available in the U.S in November.

This is the first time Nintendo have debuted a new console in the U.S., usually Japan is the first market targeted.

Two screens offer two perspectives on the action at once. The touch screen could make accessing items, moving characters or navigating menus as easy as a tap or drag on the screen. Voice recognition could let players simply tell the game what they want it to do. Chat software will let users transmit text messages, handwriting and even drawings to one another. And wireless functions could link players in the same room – or across the country.

Read on

Info:
Nintendo DS official website
Impressive Lineup of Games Demonstrates Appeal of Nintendo DS
It’s official: Nintendo DS debuts November 21st at $149.99
Nintendo DS to launch first in the USA
Discussion >>

Sony today unveiled the new-look version of the PlayStation 2.
The new version will be released in Europe on November 1st, and will be smaller and lighter than the current model.
Thanks to Ferrago.com for the story

Info:
Sony Germany Official press release (Machine translated)
Sony Announces PSTwo
New, Smaller PS2
Discussion >>

A free PC trial is now available on Gamespot.com for Atari's recently released classic games pack. The trial allows one day's full use.
Grab it here (Free Gamespot Reg. Req.)

Info:
Official page on Atari.com
Atari Announces Anthology (Classic Games for PS2 & XBox)
Atari Flashback (Standalone console based on the Atari 7800)
Discussion >>

A Wings of War playable demo for both single and multi-player is now available on Gamershell.com

In Wings of War, you take the role of a rookie World War I fighter pilot and progress through the ranks, earning medals as you complete missions.

Download the demo here (156.4 MB)

Info:
Wings of War official website
Discussion >>

The demo PC version of Full Spectrum Warrior is now on Gamespot.com

It's based on an actual simulation used to train U.S. Army light infantry troops, but not officially endorsed or commissioned by the U.S. military.

Full Spectrum Warrior was originally released for the XBox, and the PC version was released on 20 September.

Players act as the Squad Leader, providing direction to Alpha and Bravo fire teams. The successful Squad Leader effectively uses cover in the environment and moves his fire teams in a coordinated fashion so they can protect themselves from possible attacks that could come from any direction. Full Spectrum Warrior puts you in the dirt with your men, where danger lurks around every corner.

Check out the demo here. (Free reg. req.)

Info:
Full Spectrum Warrior official website
Trailers for Full Spectrum Warrior
Discussion >>

An official trailer for The Matrix Online is available on Gamespot.com.
The MMORPG set in The Matrix is being published by Sega and will be available on the PC in November.

In November 2004, players can participate in the continuing saga of the Matrix movie trilogy. The Matrix Online picks up where the movies left off and now you get to be part of the story.

Players of The Matrix Online are newly freed "redpills" released after Neo wins the battle for humanity's freedom. Now they're only visitors to a world they thought they knew—a sprawling urban landscape of subways, nightclubs, skyscrapers, and dark alleys. But now they're part of the secret war that goes on underneath the pedestrian surface—a war of survival and control between Machines, Zionists, and Exiles.

Are you ready to walk through the door?

No one can be told what the Matrix is—you have to see it for yourself.

Grab the official trailer from Gamespot (Reg. Req.)
Check more trailers at Gamedaily.com

Info:
The Matrix Online official website
Discussion >>

Well at long last the wait for a demo of Doom 3 is finally over. The demo features 3 levels.

Download it from gamershell (461.2 MB)

Official Doom 3 Website

ID

Doom 3 modlist by IGNIQ

Doom 3 Beta Patch v1.05


Doom 3 Review by IGNIQ members

More Doom 3 News And Discussion from IGNIQ Members


Discussion >>

Southlogic Studios has released a demo for the next line in their Deer Hunter series of 3d Action titles.

Known Issues:
- GeForce 440 MX: Has problems with full-screen anti-aliasing. This is a
driver issue with NVidia drivers 61.77 and 61.76. It can be fixed by
installing driver version 56.64. Newer NVidia drivers released after this
product might also correct the problem. Can turn off the effect in the
"settings" page.
- SiS330 Graphics: White specs throughout game.
- Matrox Parhelia and Milennium P750: Trees have strange coloring

Put your skills and experience to the test! Travel the globe to hunt in six incredibly detailed natural habitats. Hunt five amazingly realistic species of deer including Sambar and Axis deer. Choose from a huge variety of weapons, ammo, equipment, vehicles and transportation to bring down prize game. Play alone or online for exciting multiplayer action. The hunt is on!

Download the fully playable demo (Illinois Area) from 3dgamers (180 MB)

Official Website

Discussion >>

A multiplayer demo for Colin McRae Rally 2005 will be released next week, which will feature both Single and multi-player options.

Full story here

Colin McRae Rally 2005 Single-Player Demo

Official Website

As this years American Presidential election between George Bush and John Kerry seems to be boiling down to the just whos military record is clean, pure and served. There is one company (Kuma Reality Games) that is looking to grab a piece of this action and turn it into a gaming profit.

They are working on a new military simulation title (yet to be named) that revolves arond the February 28, 1969 incident in which Lt. John Kerry’s Swift boat was ambushed by the Viet Cong.

Read the full story here

Discussion >>

Designed for gamers by gamers, the Razer Diamondback features on-the-fly sensitivity adjustment, non-slip side rails, a new ergonomic ambidextrous design, 1,600 dpi for increased precision accuracy and tracking ability, ultra-high speed motion detection for either low or high-sensitivity players and seven independently programmable buttons optimized for gamer response.

The highly stylized new gear is the ultimate optical control devices for today's adrenaline-pumping, white knuckle action PC games.

Read on

Story via RedAssedBaboon gaming blog

Info:
Razer Diamondback official site
Discussion >>

The Sims 2, "The sequel to the best selling game of all time", is now available to buy in shops across the U.S.

In The Sims 2, your Sims now have a purpose in life. Will they aspire to a life of popularity, fortune, family, knowledge, or romance? Give them what they want and they'll lead a long, successful existence; indulge their fears and risk leaving their lives in shambles. Take them to extremes; from being left at the altar and needing a shrink to inheriting a fortune and becoming filthy rich. Witness the big and extreme moments that make every Sims' life uniquely memorable.

Unleash your creativity -- generate unique Sims with the new Create-A-Sim, packed with a vast selection of facial features, hairstyles, and outfits. Build dream homes and design neighborhoods with new building, design, and home furnishing options. Make films with the all-new movie-making feature. Create the cast, set the stage, take control of the camera, and capture your own screenplay in action. Zoom in close to record every detail as your very own Sims sitcom unfolds.
From the official press release

The Sims 2 is the first new stand-alone version of the game to be released in four years.

Requirements:
With T&L capable video card + 32 MB of video RAM:

* 800 MHz processor or better
* 256 MB RAM if Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows 98 or Windows 2000
* At least 3.5 GB of hard drive space

Non-T&L capable video card (an Intel Extreme Graphics or a Radeon 7000/VE Series):

* 2.0 GHz processor or better
* 256 MB RAM if Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows 98, or Windows 2000
* At least 3.5 GB of hard drive space
More information on graphics cards here

Info:
Review on SFGate.com
Official website
The Sims 2 trailer
Discussion >>

A demo of the World War II FPS Mortyr 2 is now available on Gamershell.com (111.3 MB)

Info:
Mortyr2.net - Official site
Discussion >>

A new build of the poplular, free and constantly updated Ad-aware has been released. Download it from majorgeeks

Your next line of defense against spyware, adware and other forms of intrusive software.

First step:



Take back the web, ditch "Internet" Explorer and download Mozilla's Firefox browser. With a built in pop-up blocker, tabbed browsing, better security, keeping your system safe by not loading shady active-x controls, live bookmarks with rss integration and a wealth of plugins to customize Firefox the way YOU want it. All this plus ease of use, friendly interface, constant updates and care poured in by the dedicated Mozilla team. And last but not least by a long shot...IT'S FREE...

WHAT are you waiting for, get Mozilla Firefox and feel the freedom

Discussion >>

A single player demo of the much welcomed expansion to last years "game of the year" Call Of Duty has just been released. Featuring the intro level of the expansion which itself sports 13 new single-player missions, 11 multi-player missions and 3 new modes.

I loved Call Of Duty, a class game through and through. From its cinematic musical score , realistic graphics and gameplay, to the real ww2 scenarios.

The best of Battlefield 1942 and Call Of Duty combined

Minimum System Requirements

- 3D Hardware Accelerator Card required - 100% DirectX® 9.0c compatible 32MB
Hardware T&L-capable video card and the latest drivers*
- English version of Microsoft® Windows® 98/ME/2000/XP
- Pentium® III 800MHz or Athlon® 800MHz processor or higher
- 128MB of RAM (256MB or more recommended)
- 8x Speed CD-ROM drive (1200KB/sec sustained transfer rate) and latest
drivers
- 225 MB of uncompressed free hard disk space (plus 400MB for Windows® 98/ME
swap file, 600MB for Windows® 2000/XP swap file)
- 100% DirectX® 9.0c compatible 16-bit sound card and latest drivers
- 100% Windows® 98/ME/2000/XP compatible mouse, keyboard and latest drivers
- DirectX® 9.0c (not included)

IMPORTANT NOTE: *Some 3D accelerator cards with the chipset listed here may not
be compatible with the 3D acceleration features utilized by Call of Duty™
United Offensive™. Please refer to your hardware manufacturer for 100% DirectX
9.0c compatibility.

SUPPORTED CHIPSETS:
- All ATI® Radeon™ cards
- All nVidia® GeForce™ chipsets
- Matrox® Parhelia™

Download the demo from 3dgamers (220 MB)

Call of Duty And United Offensive Website

Discussion >>

ID Software allowed a gaming magazine to publish some screenshots from Quake 4

- BoingBoing.net

The scans have been taken down from the original link, but are available here.

Discussion >>

Gabe Newell posted on the hl2fallout.com forums:

Yes, the RC went to VU yesterday.

, but due to scepticism of any announcements from that account, he also confirmed it to halflife2.net.

Mr. Newell's hl2fallout.com forum account was recently hacked and used to make a false Gold announcement.

Link via waxy.org

Info:
Half Life 2 - Coast gameplay movie
Building the Ultimate PC for the arrival of Half Life 2
IGNIQ.com HL2 Fact list
Half Life 2 - Stage 3 Preload
Discussion >>

Conflict: Vietnam follows the progress of four US soldiers, cut off from their unit and behind enemy lines during the 1968 Tet Offensive. Tasked with fighting their way back to friendly lines, they are faced with day-to-day survival in a hostile environment where the enemy could be hiding anywhere and everywhere.

Download the demo from Gamershell.com (247.1 MB)

Info:
SCi Entertainment
Official Conflict: Vietnam site
Official Conflict Series site
Discussion >>

A demo is now available of Shade Wrath of Angels by Cenega Publishing:

Shade: Wrath of Angels is a 3rd person perspective action, horror, adventure game where intrigue grips the player as our hero begins to unravel the mystery surrounding his brothers’ disappearance.

The game is set for release on October 1, check out the playable demo on Gamershell.com (83.5 MB)

Minimum System Requirements:

Operating system: Win 98SE, ME
Processor: Intel PIII - 700 MHz
Memory: 128 MB RAM
Video card: 32 MB GeForce2
Sound card: SoundBlaster compatible sound card
Hard disc: 2 GB free space on HDD
Other: MS DirectX 9

Recommended System Requirements:

Operating system: Win 2000, XP
Processor: Intel P4 - 2 GHz
Memory: 512 MB RAM
Video card: 256 MB GeForce4
Sound card: EAX compatible sound card
Hard disc: 4 GB free space on HDD
Other: MS DirectX 9

Info:
Official Shade site from Cenega
Discussion >>

From the official Novalogic press release:

November 16th 2004 should be marked on the calendar of all Joint Ops fans, as that date sees the release of Joint Ops: Escalation, the first expansion pack for the Number 1 Selling, world record breaking, large scale FPS.

The conflict in Indonesia has spilled over to other parts of Asia where rebel troops have gained support in the war against the newly reinforced Joint Ops forces. Set against a backdrop of South East Asia that includes Airports, Radar Tracking Stations and Rocket launch facilities, players enlist once more to take part in intense large scale modern FPS combat, in games of up to 150 players online.

As the battles shift to different locations, new vehicles enter the fray: Attack Choppers and Battle Tanks make their debut, along with Mobile SAM Launchers and Dirt Bikes. Players will also be able to make airborne insertions into hot zones via Parachute.

Joint Ops: Escalation will also feature:
• Ceramic Body Armor.
• Optional 3rd Person weapon view for select vehicles.
• New emplaced weaponry for enhanced base defense.
• Over 25 new maps, including new Co-Op and Training missions.

Set in Indonesia in the near future, Joint Ops is the record breaking, largest multiplayer Modern Combat FPS game ever released. Developed using NovaLogic’s enhanced Black Hawk™ engine, with superior multiplayer technology, Joint Ops lets gamers play revolutionary 150 player games, across vast terrains online over NovaWorld.

Joint Ops: Escalation ships in November on PC CD ROM. For updated info on the game, visit the Joint Ops web site: www.jointopsthegame.com.

Info:
Official Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising Website
Free demo (249.8mb)
Discussion >>

This will be of huge interest to fans of the original 1997 PlayStation game: a new game for the PS2 centered around the character of Vincent Valentine called Dirge of Cerberus:

The only information currently available on the game is that its story involves a mysterious group called the DGs attacking peaceful towns in the world. The game will take place one year after Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, the CG movie that recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival and is slated for release next year on DVD and the PlayStation Portable's UMD format.

While Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII is slated for release on the PlayStation 2 in 2005, Square Enix lists the game's genre as "undetermined," which suggests that the game is still in the early stages of development.

From Gamespot.com

More info:
PS2 Final Fantasy 7 Spinoff
Square Enix planning FFVII spin-off? - First rumour of the game
Square Enix - Final Fantasy Developers
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children - CG Movie
FFOnline - Unofficial guide to the series
Guide to Final Fantasy VII
Discussion >>

An editor is now available to create maps & mods for Painkiller.
It's available on 3dgamers.com

To use the editor, a patch is required: painkiller_update_v1.3.5.exe
Info:
Painkiller: Official Website
Buy Painkiller from DreamCatcher games
Painkiller: Single And Multi-Player Demo
Discussion >>

Mods for DOOM 3 are constantly being produced, we have compiled a list of all the ones we've seen so far, with links to reg-free downloads wherever possible:

• Pentagram Flashlight Mod - replaces the default spotlight from your flashlight with a pentagram texture
• Classic music mod - Changes the menu music to old Doom music
• Plasma shotgun mod - Adds plasma shotgun to game
• Parallax mapping mod - adds parallax mapping technology to the graphics engine in doom 3
• Shadow legion gun mod - Adds flashlight to most weapons
• No f.e.a.r. mod - Adds new visual effects to enhance fear
• Nex doom mod - The gore has been increased, enemies no longer vaporize
• Battle ready v1.2 mod - Increases game difficulty with several effects
• Super-doom 3 v0.4a mod - Adds 3rd person mode, new sounds and weapons
• Doomer v0.2 mod - Features several weapon adjustments plus custom bullet holes
• Old school sound mod - Replaces all of the sounds in the game with sounds from the classic doom
• Hello kitty flashlight mod - Changes the image of the flashlight projection
• Ghob mod - Increases muzzle flash for all weapons
• Cams mod - Makes weapons more powerful
• Decal mod - Allows all decals to remain
• Hyper mod - Enhances all weapon power
• Battle ready v1.3 mod - New particle and lighting effects
• Classic sounds mod - Replaces Doom 3 players and weapon sounds with original Doom
• Chainsaw dm mod - Lets you have chainsaw deathmatches and increases run speed by 30 percent.
• Fight club mod - focuses on hand-to-hand combat. the walking and running speeds have been slowed, there are no weapons other than fists and flashlights, head shots do four times as much damage as other shots, there are no gibs, and the flashlight now has ammo.
• Mortal Kombat flashlight mod - Replaces the usual spotlight from the flashlight with a lighted mortal kombat logo.
• Third person mod - Allows you to play the game from a third-person perspective.
• Rroject brian mod - zombies come back to life after a short while unless you dismember them with the chainsaw, the bfg explosion is much brighter, grenades are less bouncy, the shotgun is more powerful, the chaingun clip has been increased to hold 200 rounds, and more.
• Grenade launcher mod - Replaces the rocket launcher with a grenade launcher.
• Fluffyinsanity sound mod - Replaces some of the weapon sounds with louder, more powerful sound effects.
• Duct tape mod - Allows you to use your weapon + flashlight simultaneously
• Falkens light mod - Enhanced flashlight mod
• Bloody Mess Mod - Makes weapons more powerful, stops enemies disappearing once killed
• Expspice Mod - Includes several visual effects such as increased gore, slow burn time for dead enemies, permanent shell casings and bulletholes, and more.
• Enhanced Doom 3 Mod - Replaces the sounds, makes enemies ungibbable, and updates the physics for more spectacular effects.
• Sentry Minion Mod - Flashlight equipped sentry follows you around and helps you.
• Nitro Gore Mod - Increases the gore effects in the game and makes corpses remain after being killed.
• Pistol Flashlight Mod - Adds a flashlight to the pistol in the game.
• Ultra Extreme Quality Mod - Enables self-shadowing for all characters and monsters to increase the quality of the graphics.
• Ungibbable Mod - This mod makes the bodies remain where they fall.
• Cel Shader Mod - Gives the game a unique cartoonish cel shaded look.
• D-link Sound Mod - Updates the sound effects for all the weapons in the game, making them louder and conveying their power more effectively.
• Doom 3 Upgrade Mod - Increases the run speed, ammo and health capacity, fire rate, and damage of all weapons.
• Fireball Mod - Lets you throw fireballs like the hellknights. You have an unlimited supply and yours are more powerful.
• Laser Site Mod - Adds four different laser sights to the weapons in the game.
• Flamethrower Mod - Adds a flamethrower to your available arsenal.
• Machinegun X Mod - Increases the power and ammo capacity of the default machine gun, also updates the look and firing effect of the gun.
• The_1s Weapon Mod - Replaces the machine gun with a grenade launcher, makes the chaingun fire plasma rounds, the pistol fires shotgun slugs, and more.
• Classic Shotgun Mod - Brings the shotgun from the classic doom games to doom 3.
• 32 Player Mod - Eliminates the 4 player limit for multiplayer games, allowing up to 32 people to play simultaneously on a single server.
• Super Doom Mod - Adds a flamethrower, third-person mode, adjustable camera angles, new textures, respawning zombies, parallax mapping, a preliminary version of co-op, and more.
• Demonic Powers Mod - Gives you the power to launch the same ranged attacks that some of the demons use.
• UAC Sentry Mod - Programs a Union Aerospace Corporation sentry to follow you around and offer assistance.
• Radioactive Mod - 2 mods in one. Radioactive mod adds new glowing effects to bullets and grenades, flares, updated weapons, and more. Afraid of the dark mod is similar but without the glowing radiation effects on all of the weapons.
• Easy Grenade Toss Mod - Makes it easy to throw grenades on the fly by simply clicking the right mouse button. Grenades are also less bouncy for more accurate throws.
• Super Turbo Turkey Puncher 3 Melee Mod - Removes all projectile weapons and adds a big bounce fun gun to get people out of your way.
• Mini Rocket Arena Mod - Spawns all players in an empty arena with no pickups, every weapon except the bfg, and a limited supply of ammo. Also players no longer take fall damage and will not be hurt by rocket jumping.
• Flares Mod - Changes grenades into flares that can be thrown into dark areas to provide illumination for a short period of time.
• No Beep Mod - Removes the beep noise that occurs when you shoot someone in multiplayer games.
• Chainsaws Only Mod - Removes all weapons from the game other than the chainsaw, and also doubles the run speed for all players.
• Rocket DM Mod - Takes away all weapons except the rocket launcher, speeding up the running and walking rate, and changing splash damage values to allow for rocket jumping without killing yourself.
• Instagib mod - Makes all weapons strong enough to kill with a single hit.
• Golden Gun Mod - Takes away all weapons except the pistol, which is now powerful enough to kill with one shot in the Multiplayer Deathmatch game
• Battle Ready Mod - Gameplay balances have been tweaked to make the game more difficult, and several new particle and lighting effects have been added.
• Flashlight Deathmatch In the Dark Mod - Puts you in a completely dark map with no health and only a flashlight. One hit is enough to kill, so it is to your advantage to find your enemies before they find you.
• Mycelo's Weapon Enhancement Mod - Adds several gameplay changes by tweaking the weapon dynamics.
• Beefy Sounds Mod - Makes the Shotgun, Pistol, Chaingun, Machine Gun, Rockets, AND Plasma shots/impacts sound MUCH better than the default fire sounds.
• Enhanced Gore Mod - Blood stays around much longer, all wounds bleed (amount and length dependant on weapon and enemy), and gib effects have been enhanced.
• MegaEfx Mod - Enhances the visual appeal of the game by upping the visual effects throughout.
• Poly Modifier Mod REG REQUIRED*** - Smooth out the polygons in some of the cinematic models.
• Fragger Mod - Adds new visuals to the doom 3 experience with new skins for the bad guys.
• Power Up Destroyer Mod - Disables all the powerups in multiplayer games.
• True Zombie Ressurection Mod ******REG REQUIRED - Zombies will randomly come back to life after you think you've finished them off.
• Delta Mod - Enhances the gameplay experience by providing better AI.
• TH-lights Mod - Combines enhancements from other light mods including flashlight-to-weapon additions and colored flashlight glow effects.
• TETS Gore & Quality Mod - 3 new decals, weapon effects, and gore tweaks. Doesn't actually change the gameplay.
• Plasma Sentry Bot Mod - Sentry armed with plasma gun follows you around
• Enh@nced-DOOM 3 Mod - Adds many tweaks to the weapons to make the game more challenging, and is based on a combination of previous mods.
• Flares Mod - Changes grenades into flares that can be thrown into dark areas to provide illumination for a short period of time.
• Dr. Blood Mod ****REG REQUIRED - Increases the blood, and associates wound sizes with weapon calibre
• Awesome Sauce Mod - Re-skins weapons and adds different sounds & effects to enhance gore effect
• Xio's Skinpack - Updates and increases the detail to the character and weapon skins of the game
• Doom3[CC] ******IN DEVELOPMENT - Project to create a closed caption option for DOOM3
• DoomXL ******REG REQUIRED - Adds new types of weapons such as homing rockets, flashlight flares, and sentry sidekicks
• Homing Rocket Launcher Mod ******REG REQUIRED -

MOD PACKS

• Killer DOOM Pack
  Includes:
  
  ungibbable mods
  weapon mods
  the Hellish Complex map
  UAC guards
  increased gore mods, and more.
• Illumine Mod Pack
  Includes:
  
  Third Person View v0.1 Mod (157 KB)
  B4SHED_T0_D34TH Mod (194 KB)
  Bog Decal Mod (25 KB)
  Cold Breath v0.3 Mod (3.2 MB)
  CougarMod (988 KB)
  Demonic Powers v1.0 Mod (21 KB)
  Illumine Mod (1 MB)
  Plasmagun Radar v1.0 Mod (23 KB)
  Scary Realism v1.3 Mod (45 KB)
  Super Turbo Turkey Puncher 3 Melee Edition v1.0 Mod (4.9 MB)
  UAC Mars City Incident v1.0 Beta Mod (45 KB)
  Super Turbo Turkey Puncher 3 Melee Edition v1.0 Mod (235 KB)
  Afraid of the Dark Mod (341 KB)
  RadioActive Mod (344 KB)
  A Slight Edge Mod (477 KB)
  
• The GamersHell DOOM 3 Mod Packs Collection
  (mod descriptions contained in each separate mod file):
  
  Pack 1
  Pack 2
  Pack 3
  Pack 4
  Pack 5

If you have a cool mod not included here, send an email to either Rob or Gary or post it in here. It will be added shortly after with a credit to the sender.

More DOOM 3 links:
DOOM3.com
id Software
Tried & tested DOOM 3 cheats
Collective IGNIQ Review of DOOM 3 (4 out of 5 stars)
Discussion >>

Create your city and defend it in a hostile medieval setting!

Monte Cristo, developers of Medieval Lords: Build, Defend, Expand have released a playable demo of the 3d strategy release.

In a medieval setting, you are the administrator of a city and must make it thrive through the course of time, in spite of the various attacks it undergoes, and the geographical and climatic constraints of the immediate environment. Listen to your population, organize your city and make it thrive.

Minimum Configuration
• Pentium 1,4 GHz
• 256 MB RAM
• GeForce 2 - 64 MB Graphic card
• Sound card DirectX® 9 compatible
• 4x speed CD-ROM
• 1,2 GB free disc space

Recommended Configuration
• Pentium 1,7 GHz
• 512 MB RAM
• GeForce 4 - 64 MB Graphic card
• Sound Card, DirectX® 9 compatible
• 4x speed CD-ROM
• 1,2 GB free disc space

Official Website

Related sites here
and here

Grab the fully playable demo from 3dgamers (231 MB)

Discussion >>

Gamershell.com have announced a 14 day free trial for EVE Online, the massive multiplayer RPG from CCP games.

Read the story here and generate a key for the trial here.

Once you have the key, you can download the game client here (464.1 MB)

Info:
EVE Online official website

Discussion >>

Nvidia is partnering with Blizzard Entertainment to add World of Warcraft to Nvidia's "The Way It's Meant to Be Played" program.

To promote the partnership, Nvidia are giving away 1000 places in the closed beta test for World of Warcraft.

The places will be chosen randomly from everyone who applies; to get your name in the list, sign up here.

Info:
World of Warcraft official site
About Nvidia's "The Way It's Meant To Be Played"
Discussion >>

The official website for the upcoming action game, Terrorist Takedown, is now online at www.terroristtakedown.com

Terrorist Takedown will be available on 1 November.

The features:

* Take the helm of deadly Apache and Huey helicopters and Humvees

* Fire off machine guns and rockets to destroy terrorists and their sponsors

* Seeped in today's headlines with realistic Middle East environments

* Nonstop arcade action as you pursue cold-blooded warriors across sand dunes, training camps and fire fights

* 16 awesome missions thrust you into an array of modern combat scenarios

* Fully realistic sound effects, including military dialogue

* Extremely detailed 3D environments bolstered by a spectrum of special effects

---

ADDED
An official trailer is now available from Gamershell.com

---

Info:
New Website/Screens: Terrorist Takedown
Merscom.biz - publishers of Terrorist Takedown
Discussion >>

The OMENS OF WAR expansion for EverQuest will be available in Europe on 14th September. This expansion will be available from Ubisoft exclusively on download at a price of €29.99.

EverQuest players can purchase this expansion at the following online retailers:
http://shop.ubi.com (this site is available in English, German and French)
http://www.dlgamer.com (English and French)

Read more at Gamershell

The features for this expansion are:

Level Cap Increase

Develop your character beyond level 65. Unlock new innovative items, powerful spells, and thrilling quests.

Epic Weapons 2.0

Earn specialized, hand-tailored Epic Weapons with the completion of any of 16 epic quests. New epic quests will challenge even the toughest and most experienced Norrathians as they journey alone, in groups, and in raid groups to win these valuable items. Designed for higher level players, each weapon will be unique in design and will have specialized characteristics.

Guild Tribute System

Enhanced tribute system allows you to turn your loot into favor points for your whole guild to enjoy.

Task System
Whether you're on for a few minutes or a few hours, you can always advance your character by completing tasks using this new system!

Custom PC Titles

This extension of our title system provides new flexibility in displaying the titles you've earned and creates new opportunities for you to earn more!

Extra spell slot

For the first time, characters can earn an additional spell slot allowing for even more versatility.

Increased number of buff slots to Player Characters

Be battle ready with more room for buffs and effects that you can earn as you take on the challenges that Omens of War has to offer.

Voice macros

Set up hot keys that will send voice messages to your group, letting them know vital information about your character's status.

Improved Graphics

Discover rich new zones with detailed environments featuring expanded graphical elements, improved spell effects and all-new graphically-improved monsters to fight.

All-New Content

New disciplines, AA's, items, spells, quests and tradeskills continue to make EverQuest the most-compelling and persistent online world ever created.

More info:
Everquest official website
Omens of War Expansion official site
Official Everquest F.A.Q.
Discussion >>

A PC playable demo is now available of the game CSI: Dark Motives, adapted from the CBS T.V. series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
Download the demo here (official website)

Info:
Official site for the original Crime Scene Investigation game
Official site for the T.V. series
Discussion >>

Rome Scenery, a new mod for the highly reputable (and equally expensive) Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 has been released and is available over at Lago Sim.

Rome, the Eternal City, cradle of civilization, capital of an empire extended to the limits of the known world.
Lying on the famous Seven Hills, Rome is now the Italian capital, visited every year by millions of tourists, watching its marvellous pieces of art and the ruins of a glorious past.
Founded by the legendary Romolus on the Palatino Hill, Rome has been the centre of the World for ages, place of the temporal and spiritual power, centre of cultural exchanges.

New techniques to save frame-rates, a never seen territorial extension of the scenery, including Fiumicino, Ciampino and Urbe airports.
All the airports are highly detailed in 3D, extensive use of photo-realistic textures, for full integration of the airport with its surroundings.

WARNING!
If you have an old ViMacore version and you see an error message during launch of Flight Simulator 2004 click ´NO´ Flight Simulator will run normally.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENT
FS 2004
Pentium IV 1.5 GHz or equivalent
256 Mb RAM
250 Mb of free space on HD
Video card 64 MB 3D accellerator
Sound card
Windows 98 - ME - 200 - XP


FEATURES
- more than 2000 sq/km of terrain included
- completeley 3D reproduced city
- 1 arc/sec mesh for the whole area
- Runways, taxiways and aprons reproduced with high details using customized textures with rubber and wear and tear marks
- Lights systems and Calvert designed with 3D objects and totally controllable by the pilot
- Airports buildings designed with 3d studio MAX and compiled following the native FS2004 techniques
- Photo-realistic textures for buildings and objects at all airports
- Animated fingers controlled by the pilot
- Animated airports handling objects
- Customized AFCAD layout
- Completely designed to reduce the impact on frame-rates
- Airports completely integrated in the surroundings area terrain
- navigable water surfaces
- modular development ready for new expansions

Game available over at Lago Sim

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 Website

Discussion >>

The revolutionary new Tiger Proofing course alteration technology allows you to modify course dynamics and call out your PGA TOUR® rivals by adding lengthier Tiger Tees, tighter fairways, dramatic undulations to greens, deeper bunkers, higher rough, and more. An enhanced EA SPORTS™ Game Face featuring non-proportional bone scaling and texture blending creates incredibly realistic looks, right down to the bags under your eyes. After making a name for yourself on the TOUR, tee off against legends including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Ben Hogan to see how you stack up against the all-time greats

The game will be available in shops on 20 September for the XBox, PlayStation 2 and PC.
It will retail at $49.95 for consoles and $39.95 for the PC.
More info available here.

Info:
Official site from EA Sports
Gamespot preview
Discussion >>

Atari will be re-releasing their classic console games in a single pack for the XBox and PlayStation 2.

The Atari Anthology will include 85 games that were originally released for the Atari 2600 system.

Capturing the nostalgia and sheer fun of the original video game revolution, ATARI ANTHOLOGY is scheduled to hit retail shelves in November at the competitive price point of $19.99 that could make it irresistible for holiday shoppers.

Read the official press release from Atari here

Atari also recently announced a new Flashback console, also to be released in November, that is a replica of the original Atari 7800 system and will include 20 classic games built-in.
Discussion >>

Yet another Half Life 2 trailer has been released (rolling eyes)
Ah well, still something to wet the appetite, even though ones appetite could not really get any wetter in my opinion. This video showcases the beautiful and mind-blowing detail in the Half Life 2 scenery and finds Gordon driving along a desolate beach in his buggy whilst tackling big mean aliens and some other forms of nasty entities...

It appears G-Man is as concerned about the release date as much as you or i...


Check it out over at gamershell (166 MB) (Bandwidth capped at 100 kb /s)

The IGNIQ.com Half-Life 2 Fact list: by Rob

Check out IGNIQ's Half Life 2 Forum for more news and info Discussion >>

Some previously seen footage from an ati gameplay clip. The resolution is boosted and quality of the clip is done by rad tools

Check it here

The third stage has begun! This time they're preloading models!
Update your STEAM NOW!

Discussion >>

You play as Daniel, the leader of the Children of the Phoenix. He has come to the Imperial capital in order to gain an audience with the Emperor. The Emperor has granted his request, but first Daniel must successfully complete a traditional combat trial.

Tribes: Vengeance is due in shops on 12 October.
Download this single player demo here (382MB)

Specs:
Minimum Specification: Windows® 98/Me/2000/XP operating system

1. ATI® Radeon™ or equivalent DirectX® 9.0c-compliant 32 MB 3D video card with
hardware T&L and pixel shader support
2. Microsoft® Windows® 98/Me/2000/XP operating system
3. 1.0 GHz Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD® Athlon™ processor or equivalent
4. 256 MB RAM
5. 915MB of uncompressed hard disk space for game files
6. DirectX® 9.0c (included)
7. DirectX®-compatible sound card and speakers or headphones
8. 4X CD-ROM drive
9. Microsoft® compatible mouse and keyboard

Recommended Specification: Windows® XP

The recommended specification is exactly the same as the minimum specification
with the following changes:

1. Windows® XP
2. ATI® Radeon™ 9600 or equivalent DirectX® 9.0c-compliant 128 MB 3D video card
with hardware T&L and pixel shader support
3. 2.5 GHz Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD® Athlon™ or faster processor
4. 512 MB RAM or more
5. 24X or faster CD-ROM drive



Info:
Official Tribes: Vengeance website
Discussion >>

The official Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords website was updated by Lucas Arts with release dates for the follow-up title to last year's award-winning rpg.

X-box owners will see the game hit the shelves in December of this year however, pc owners are not quite so lucky in having to ring in the new year before getting their hands on this much anticipated release. February 2005 will see the official launch of the pc format of KOTOR 2.

Full story

Check out the latest video over at gamershell (5.4 MB)

Knights Of The Old Repuplic 2: The Sith Lords - Website

Medieval Lords is a new city builder from Monte Cristo, allowing you to create your own medieval kingdom from a simple village to a city that will go down into the ages.

Download the demo here (230 MB)

Requirements:
Min:
• Pentium 1,4 GHz
• 256 MB RAM
• GeForce 2 - 64 MB Graphic card
• Sound card DirectX® 9 compatible
• 4x speed CD-ROM
• 1,2 GB free disc space

Recommended:
• Pentium 1,7 GHz
• 512 MB RAM
• GeForce 4 - 64 MB Graphic card
• Sound Card, DirectX® 9 compatible
• 4x speed CD-ROM
• 1,2 GB free disc space

The game was released in the U.S. on 2 September, and a U.K. release is expected on 15 October.

Info:
Official site
Discussion >>

In the land of Aden, there exists a large and colorful online community of humans, elves, dark elves, orcs and dwarves. Players shuffle for their place in the Lineage II society, pledging alliance to clans and exacting revenge on others. With intense player-vs-player combat and large scale castle sieges at their disposal, players take control of their online world and create a dynamic 3D game that is as beautiful as it is treacherous. Large and lush 3D landscapes, intimidating monsters, dozens of individual and clan quests, a vibrant in-game society, and free massive content updates add up to a must-have PC game for your collection.

A second gameplay trailer for Lineage II is now available from Gamedaily, check it out here.

Info:
Lineage.com
Lineage2.com
Developer interview (2002)
More trailers
Discussion >>

This single-player demo for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War lets you lead humanity's finest--the Space Marines--in a full early campaign level. The demo also contains 2 skirmish maps, and a tutorial mode! In skirmish play, players get to hone their Space Marine strategies against the computer AI.

Download it here (319MB, Rated Mature)

The real-time strategy game recently went Gold and will be hitting the shops on 20 September.

Info:
Official Warhammer 40K website
Discussion >>

Two and a half months after the game was first scheduled for release, development on ShellShock: Nam '67 is finally complete. Eidos announced today that the game has achieved gold status and has been sent to the factory, and it's on track for its September 14 ship date.
More on Gamespot

The game proposes to be as true to the nature of the Vietnam conflict as possible: "Shellshock goes where G.I.'s had to, but no game has dared to before."

Criticism has followed, because Eidos seems to be revelling in the most base aspects of the war with their promotional emails:

. . . they seem to stress the lowest common denominators of the game turning it into something more exploitative than thought-provoking.

Emails with headings like “You Always Remember Your First Kill” or “The Base Camp” talk about the joys of killing and the wonders of meeting a “mama san” and then provides links to screen shots of the action.
Read more here and here

Info:
Shellshock official website
Discussion >>

The RedAssedBaboon Gaming Blog points to an article from Empire Online about the status of the official movie based on DOOM 3.

The original director for the planned movie, Enda McCallion, will be replaced by Polish director Andrzej Bartowiak:

It was to be McCallion's debut feature, but according to Universal, the music video director has bowed out for 'personal reasons'. So, step up to the plate, Mr Bartowiak. You may remember him as the man who pointed the lights and lenses on such films as Falling Down, Lethal Weapon 4, and the staggeringly well shot Thirteen Days. Pretty good, eh? Well, we've got to be honest and include the fact that his CV as director has slightly less sparkle: Cradle 2 The Grave, Exit Wounds, and Romeo Must Die. All, it must be said, films that float comfortably within the B-osphere.
Read the article

Info:
A recent interview with Todd Hollenshead of id software about the movie
Andrzej Bartkowiak on IMDb.com
Discussion >>

These are the official catalyst drivers released from ati not the beta test ones done by Doom 3 patch!

Grab them here

If footie is your thing then you will be pleased to know that EA Sports have made available a fully playable demo of FIFA 2005 for download. I am always more than a little pessimistic about EA Sports games though as it just seems to be a large undeserving, money making mechanism that sells the very same game with each passing year. Every release is dated inaccurately also. Take for instance Tiger woods 2004, this game was released in late 2003. Clearly this is an advertising ploy into making the customer believe the game is somehow newer and/ or less dated than it actually is, like the way companies are STILL flogging you that whole "ONLY 799.99" crap, as if somehow you are NOT paying eight hundred. I see so many people rushing out to the stores every year to buy these sports games in their latest form, which to me hold no noticable difference than the last, at least not enough reason to give it a new title and charge an appauling amount of money for what really should have been called a "mod"...

But enough of of what I think, it's YOUR cash and don't let ME tell you how to spend it :)

====================================================
1.System Requirements
====================================================
Minimum:
700 MHz Intel Pentium III or equivalent
128 Megabytes of RAM (256 MB for Windows XP and Windows 2000)
DirectX 9.0b Compatible 3D accelerated 32 MB video card or equivalent (see supported chipsets in section 9)
350 MB free hard disk space and additional space required for DirectX 9.0b installation
32X Speed CD-ROM/DVD-ROM
DirectX 9.0b Compatible Sound Card
MS compatible mouse
Keyboard

Required Operating Systems:
Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows XP or Windows 2000
Note that Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 are not supported.

Required Software:
DirectX 9.0b

====================================================
2. Installing FIFA 2005 DEMO
====================================================

Double-click the Setup.exe file to begin the installation process. Follow the onscreen dialog for installing the demo.

The "Typical User" install (default setting) will install FIFA 2005 DEMO to C:\Program Files\EA SPORTS\FIFA 2005 DEMO (where "C:\" is the drive that your current operating system is located).

====================================================
3. DirectX 9.0b
====================================================
If you try to run the game without DirectX 9.0b installed, you will be prompted to upgrade before the game installation begins.

DirectX 9.0b can be found on the Microsoft website: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx

Note: If you already have DirectX 9.0b (or higher) installed, it is not necessary to reinstall it.

DirectX and supported hardware
We recommend that FIFA 2005 DEMO be run with DirectX 9.0b compatible sound cards and video cards.

We also suggest you update your sound card and video card driver to the newest release from the vendor or chipset website.

====================================================
4. Uninstalling FIFA 2005 DEMO
====================================================
The simplest method of uninstalling FIFA 2005 DEMO is to use the "Uninstall FIFA 2005 DEMO" shortcut in the Start Menu (usually "Start Menu/All Programs/EA Sports/FIFA 2005 DEMO/Uninstall FIFA 2005 DEMO").

Windows also has an "Add/Remove Programs" Icon in the Control Panel that you can use to uninstall the game.

====================================================
5. Memory Requirements
====================================================
a.) Memory requirements in Windows
FIFA 2005 DEMO requires a minimum of 128 MB of RAM to run the game (256 MB is required for Windows XP and Windows 2000).

Note: The more system memory available, the better the game will perform in all areas.

b.) Running the game under stressful Windows conditions
At Electronic Arts we strive to bring you the best in graphics, audio and gameplay. We are always pushing the envelope of computer performance. While we have made every effort to ensure that FIFA 2005 DEMO multi-tasks with all Windows applications, we recommend that you shut down other applications (including virus scanners) and run FIFA 2005 DEMO by itself when possible.

c.) Virtual memory
We recommend that you let your operating system automatically manage the amount of virtual memory.


Check out the demo for this "new" game from 3dgamers (86.1 MB)

Official FIFA 2005 Website

Discussion >>

Visitors (46.1 mb):

This singleplayer Half-Life mod features an original storyline involving Dr. Alan Green, who had recently published a book exposing the events of the Black Mesa Incident. As Dr. Alan Green, you make your way through 25 different maps spread out over 7 levels. If you're itching for a Black Mesa story before the release of Half Life 2, try out this mod.

Vampire Slayer Chapter VI Mod - Windows Linux:

This latest and likely final version of the Vampire Slayer Mod pits vampires against slayers in a multiplayer environment. The vampire players depend on their speed and dexterity to get close enough to deliver a lethal blow, while the slayers use their diverse arsenal of weapons to ultimately drive a stake through their hearts.

---

Added
Check out the new IGNIQ.com Half-life² Factlist

---

Discussion >>

Multiplayer Freedom Mod v4:

This mod allows you the freedom of choosing whatever skin you want, regardless of which side you are fighting for. You can also switch skins in-game by bringing up the in-game menu.

Red Oktober CNQ Map:

This very large map for Call of Duty is suitable for over 20 players. In this map, the Axis are attempting to push the Russians back across the Volga River.

Requirements for both:
128 MB RAM, 8X CD-ROM, 32 MB VRAM, 1400 MB disk space, DirectX v9.0.

Info:
Call of Duty official website
Discussion >>

A new mod has been released for Max Payne 2, featuring 6 new levels. The levels of The Big Reveal take place after the end of Max Payne 2.

Thank you for downloading this file, "The Big Reveal" Mod for Max Payne 2 : The Fall of Max Payne. This mod has been made by Clement Melendez ("Corwin") during summer 2004 with the Remedy Editing Tools.

Please don't diffuse informations about the story ending on the web, it would be nice.

Reveal's official page : http://perso.club-internet.fr/regine.bardet/ You'll find some DMW levels there too.

Hope you'll like this mod, it makes me work during holidays :)
(If modding is can possibly be compare to work).
More seriously, I've done something I'm pretty proud of (or sort of) so I hope you will have fun.

MINIMUM SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS

1Ghz PIII/Athlon or 1.2Ghz Celeron/Duron processor
32MB AGP graphics card with hardware transform & lighting support
256MB RAM
1.5 GB hard drive space
Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
DirectX 9.0
Keyboard and mouse

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS

1.4Ghz Athlon or 1.7 Ghz Pentium 4, Celeron or Duron processor
64MB DirectX 9 compatible AGP graphics card with hardware T&L support
512MB RAM
1.5 GB hard drive space
Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
DirectX 9.0
Keyboard and mouse

The mod is available over at gamershell (72.5 MB)

Max Payne 2 official Website

Max Payne 2 playable demo from 3dgamers (3 levels, 1 DMW map) (246 MB)

Max Payne 2 review by IGNIQ'S Dave Dalley

Discussion >>

Id have released the first patch for their flag-ship first person shooter. It is a beta so there is no technical support for the patch. Robert A. Duffy has announced that the game SDK, the Linux dedicated server and the demo will be made available in the coming weeks.

The patch deals with stability, interface, network/multi-player and rendering improvements.

See the full changelog here

Grab the patch from gamershell (17.3 MB)

Doom 3 mods pack no.6

Boost Doom 3 performance by 40% on ATI cards

Doom3 Console commands

Wanna play Doom 3 under Windows 98 ?

Doom 3 expspice mod

Doom 3 Re-made Map

Doom 3 editor

How is doom running for you?

Doom3 Duct Tape Mod

I stumbled across this article on how to turn an old nes (nintendo) console gamepad into a pc joystick by changing the plug on it to a usb (universal serial bus) connector.

The guide is designed for those who particularly liked the nes gamepad or for people who play nes games via an emulator on their pc and wish to take it to the next level.

Check out the guide over at joystiq

Discussion >>

Pacific Storm, Takes on the story of the U.S. Pacific navy station bombing at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 by the Japanese. Developed by Lesta Studio

Now you can take part in all major Pacific battles of the World War II in the Pacific Storm game that is a mixture of RTS, war-game and simulator. All major and important sea battles of World War II, which took place in the Pacific Ocean, are included and you can play either for the USA or Japan.

Check out the Movie of actual gameplay (720x576, 2:23, WMV) over at 3dgamers

Official Website

Related

Discussion >>

A BETA level editor is now available for Joint Operatons: Typhoon Rising.
Download it free on gamershell.com (Note: follow the instructions at the bottom of the page)

Info:
Joint Operations free multiplayer demo
Joint Operations official website
Discussion >>

Via Gamershell

Cornutopia, a U.K. based game developer, recently made available a demo of the new version of their space trading and flight simulator, Flatspace.

Flatspace v1.06 contains some gameplay enhancements such as a previous/next target cycle control, a limited range for missile lock and better intelligence for the computer controlled ships

In the demo access to all of the upgrades in the game, as well as an arcade sub-game are disabled. The demo also only lets you buy/sell weapons and missiles but no other equipment.

Download the v1.06 demo here - (16.MB)

Info:
Flatspace official website
Cornutopia official site
Discussion >>

Perpetual Entertainment, a games developer and publisher which recently received a $6.5 million investment, has been given the rights to produce a Star Trek Massively Multi-Player Online Game (MMOG):

Players will encounter characters, places, and situations from their favorite Star Trek movies and television series; will explore incredible new worlds; and will cooperate with or battle friendly and hostile races throughout the game,” said Chris McKibbin, President of Perpetual Entertainment.

"Fans of Star Trek have been longing for a game that lets them participate in and explore the Star Trek universe," said Terri Helton, Executive Vice President of Viacom Consumer Products. "We have been searching for the right partnership for our time-honored Star Trek to create a game that not only appeals to fans but a broader audience as well. Perpetual’s experience, technology and vision for this game make them the clear choice."

The game will be scheduled for public beta testing in 2006. Story via Slashdot

Info:
Perpetual Entertainment official website
StarTrek.com - Gaming
Sci-Fi Universe - First website to post news about the game
STGU Forums - New Star Trek Game leaked?
Discussion >>

A recent report by an investment banking & brokerage firm stated:

…we also expect three PC games to break the million-unit threshold in 2004, including… November's Vivendi-Universal (V-Not Rated) release Half-Life 2.

Vivendi Universal replied with a no-comment when asked about the release date but release candidates are being sent by Valve to Vivendi on 15 September.
Read the story in Gamespots Rumor Control
Discussion >>

A new pack of Mods for DOOM 3 is available now from Gamershell.com.
It's the sixth pack they've made available so far, all of which can be downloaded here.

This new pack contains:
# DOOM 3 Allied Marine Squadmates v0.31A Mod (47 KB)

# DOOM 3 Boom Beta 3 Mod (3.1 MB)

# DOOM 3 Classic CyberDemon Mod (6 KB)

# DOOM 3 Enh@nced v2.5 Mod (4.4 MB)

# DOOM 3 Mycelos Weapon Enhancement v1.0 Mod (1.5 MB)

# DOOM 3 No Attack v0.1 Mod (108 KB)

# DOOM 3 PolyModifier v0.1b Mod (373 KB)

# DOOM 3 CougarMod v1.5 (304 KB)

# DOOM 3 Last Man Standing Mod (2 KB)
Discussion >>

A demo of this add-on to the Blitzkrieg real time strategy game is available now.
The demo includes 4 missions, but excludes new 3D units and sound effects of the full version.

The Ostfront Demo is now in-line with the full version of OSFRONT: Barbarossa. You can now experience the full range of game play changes. Range and LOS increases, re-textured vehicles, enhanced shooting resolution and ballistics, revised vehicle speeds and turret traversing and many more....All this with 4 missions.

Download the demo here

Info:
Blitzkrieg official website
Active Gaming - Developers of Ostfront Barbarossa
Discussion >>

An open BETA test has begun for Battalion: Head 2 Head from Urban Squall.
The game is completely browser based and allows you to battle against other players to gain control of a map:

Battalion is essentially a mix between traditional real time strategy games and chess. It is a turn based multiplayer strategy game: multiplayer in that you compete against other human beings, turn based in that each player goes sequentially until one of several game end conditions are satisfied.

The simple graphics may put off some gamers, but the gameplay is pretty addictive.
Check it out here - link via gamershell

Info:
Battalion Tutorial
Discussion >>

A free demo of this shooter from Reflexive Arcade has been released.

Thousands of aliens, giant spiders, mutant lizards, and more are on the attack - can you survive the onslaught? You will consistently unlock new and better perks that improve your ability to use a devastating arsenal. Crimsonland features 3 modes of play, Internet high score posting, and endless hours of pressure packed fun.

Requirements:
OS: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Me, Windows NT
Processor: PII-300
Memory: 64 MB
DirectX: Version 8.1
Display: 8 MB

The game is rated Mature for blood and violent content.

Download the demo here (6.70 MB)

Info:
Official Crimsonland website
Reflexive Arcade website
Discussion >>

An update to the Natural Selection Mod for Half-Life has been released.

Natural Selection v3.0 beta 5 includes a lot of bug fixes but also gameplay and Combat-specific updates:

Gameplay changes:
O Players who issue the 'kill' command in console cannot restart the timer by issuing 'kill' again
O Commander can now click on switches to activate a door or elevator.
O "slowresearch" cheat now slows down recycling of buildings.
O Alien attacks apply a reduced knock-back effect. If a player is in the air and receives knockback damage the effect is 50% of what it was in beta 4a, if the player is in Heavy Armor (HA) the knockback is reduced an additional 50%.
O Changed knockback of Skulk Bite from 300 to 225.
O Increased jetpack maneuverability, jetpackers are now immune to stomp, and carried items/ammo affect lift less
O Knockback never affects friendly players.
O Parasite and Xenocide now get damage boosts from primal scream.
O Weapons reload exploit fixed.
O Marines are prevented from putting anything but Resource Towers on Resource nozzles.
O Reduced time it takes to throw hand-grenades (thanks BrigadierWolf!)
O Changed hand grenade so it is thrown gently when crouched.
O Movement chamber range increased from 400 to 500.
O Alien resource nodes don't play gurgling sounds until a minute into the game. (prevents commander from listening for starting hive)
O Movement chamber energy bonus increased from 10% to 25%.
O Changed healing spray effectiveness vs. players: changed from 16 to 13 + 4% of target max health. (both for healing friendly players and attacking enemy players)
O Increased Gorge armor from 40 to 50.
O Increased Onos carapace armor bonus from 150 to 350. (makes it closer 50% like all the other aliens)
O Changed hand grenade physics to make them more effective at attacking indirectly.
O Increased redemption chance from 35% per second to 45% per second. (still happens when at or below 40% health)
O Increased spit damage from 25 to 30.
O Grenade launcher cost lowered from 20 to 15.
O Ammo packs now drop when a weapons is dropped (intentionally or upon death)

Combat-specific Gameplay changes:
O Aliens always respawn as skulk, even if they were previously a higher lifeform.
O Dying with a larger lifeform gives you back the points spent on it.
O Unchained alien lifeforms, like regular NS:
- Gorge costs 1 level
- Lerk costs 2 levels
- Fade costs 3 levels
- Onos costs 4 levels
O Lifeform evolution times set to a smaller percentage of those in regular NS.
O Aliens can now only choose a lifeform once per life in Combat.
O Players spawn in waves, with a maximum wave size of 5 players
O A wave starts when there is no wave in progress and a player dies
O The wave finishes when 5 seconds + (number of dead players - 1)*4.5 seconds have elapsed.

Read the complete changelog here
Download the new version here

Info:
UnknownWorlds Entertainment - Developers
Discussion >>

Locomotion is a new game designed and developed by the creator of the best-selling RollerCoaster Tycoon series. Your goal is to build and operate a transport network by linking passengers and cargo to their destinations. A timeframe of one hundred years is covered (1900-2000) with the specific vehicle types, buildings, industries, and background music.

The free demo allows you to check out the game and is available either with or without music.
Grab the demo at Gamershell.com (123.7 MB with music, 29.9 MB without)

Info:
10 things you (probably) never knew about Chris Sawyer's Tycoon games...
Discussion >>

A number of videos have been released for United Offensive (the new expansion for Call of Duty). There are two interviews with developers Ken Murphy and Doug Pearson who discuss both the campaigns and what to expect from the multi-player end.

There are also three official trailers and 18 videos of actual in-game play to wet your appetite in anticipation of getting your hands on it. If Call of Duty was anything to go by than i shall stake my claim on a copy of this expansion from my local games purchasing type location post haste.

Check out the videos over at gamespot (you will need to register)

United Offensive Website

Developers Website

Discussion >>

Download the trailer for the just released Conflict Vietnam. The game follows the lives of four soldiers: Ragman, Junior, Hoss and Cherry who have been separated from their squad. It is a third person shooter where you control all four soldiers in an attempt to find a safe path through this jungle-terrain and back to your unit while trying to avoid the carnage going on around you.

With this game we have once again pushed back the boundaries with some of the richest jungle environments you will have ever seen. Whereas Conflict: Desert Storm I & II were often about longer range combat, with Conflict: Vietnam it gets up close and personal.

We have a triple-A certified hit on our hands

- XBM

A 400mph vomit-stream of napalm-scented action

- XBOX

Hot or Not? BOILING!

- – Official PlayStation 2 Magazine

Official Website and trailer here

Grab it from Bittorrent here

What IS Bittorrent ?

Related sites here

and here

Discussion >>

The Demo has just been released!

Go Grab it here

And Tell IGNIQ what you think?

Discussion >>

Techland, the Polish company behind Xpand Rally, announced today that the game has gone Gold and will be available in European stores on 24 September:

There is still no decision made regarding the North American publisher although the game should be available soon via Internet stores.
The retail version of Xpand Rally will offer a comprehensive career mode with over 70 races and more than 800 tuning parts for 35 rally cars.
Multiplayer game with up to 4 players on LAN and Internet provides several racing modes including off road free style.
Photorealistic graphics, dynamic tracks surrounding, realistic car damage model and driver’s injuries simulation are the other hall marks of the game.
For all moding enthusiasts a set of editing tools allowing the creation of users’ own tracks and cars is also provided with the game.

Read the announcement on the official Xpand Rally website

Info:
Download a free multi-player demo of Xpand Rally
Xpand Rally Screenshots
Techland.com.pl
Discussion >>

IGNIQ- Are asking you what are your favourite half life mods and not so favourites.
Also what ones would you like to be seen done by the new half life 2 engine. I Myself will be reviewing these mods within the next week.

Discussion >>

Well i have had service pack 2 installed now for a little while and everything has been going reasonably well, until i tried to use Bittorrent. I have been using Bittorrent now for quite a longtime and have found it an invaluable tool for spreading files and conserving bandwidth. But now i am not getting high speeds like i once did. And after a little reading i have discovered that service pack 2 sets the TCP-connections to 10 connections max simultaneous, this being done supposedly to avoid the fast spread of worms, viruses and the like.

I was not happy with this at all, i like that security has been the main focus point in sp2 but in saying that i don't want my dam machine locked down by Microsoft in such a way that i cannot even use a p2p application to upload and download files to my fellow friends and companions across this vast space we refer to as the world wide web.

There is a German developer named lvlLORD who has come up with a fix that allows you to change the max connections with a little patch:

What's this all for?
After almost everybody knows the <>, I used a day to create for educational purpose a fix for this argumentative feature.

Unfortunately there exists no REG-key which could easily be set (would be so nice and easy, right? *smile*). The file TCPIP.SYS in the directory C:WINDOWSSYSTEM32DRIVERS and C:WINDOWSSERVICEPACKFILESI386 has to be changed (system dependend eventually in C:WINDOWSSYSTEM32DLLCACHE, too).

I am seriously considering uninstalling to avoid all this nonsense (though i may try the patch first). But if you would like to choose security over workability and compatabilty then service pack 2 might be exactly what you are looking for. I guess it is a case of working out which option is best for you and what you use your pc and internet for...

And how much control (or lack of) you wish to have (or not have) ;)
See here for a list of known apps affectedIf you want to try out the patch then get it here
If you want service pack 2, get it here

Want to make a slip-stream sp2 xp cd ? Check out this guide

Discussion >>

Red Storm Entertainment, developers of Ghost Recon 2 have released an in-game movie of actual gameplay (640x480) of the sequel to Ghost Recon (2:39, WMV9).

The game is not scheduled for release until early 2005 but let us take a quick peak at the storyline. In my experience to date, anything with the name "Tom Clancy" tagged to it has been no more than a disgusting propaganda infested insult to anyone with a shread of intelligence to work with. But let us not pre-maturely jump to conclusions before we see the plot.

In the wake of one of North Korea's worst famines, an insidious North Korean general influences the government to secretly divert humanitarian aid to beef up its army, slowly gaining power in the process.

Fearful that North Korea is amassing huge quantities of military weapons, the new Chinese regime eliminates arms sales to North Korea. In response, the North Korean government initiates secret overtures to Russia, who strikes a quiet alliance. In the midst of another North Korean famine, food riots begin rocking the countryside and the rogue North Korean general assumes complete control of the army. Blaming China for the famine, he begins charging north to seize Chinese territory with tacit support from its new Russian ally.

China moves to respond, but limits the level of escalation, fearing open conflict with Russia and a possible nuclear exchange. Instead, China officially agrees to a multinational force to safeguard the China-North Korean border. Unofficially, the Ghosts and other special forces go in. Their mission: cripple the North Korean threat and depose the rogue general.

Oh well, i thought this one may be different (REALLY, i did). What can you do. Though if an insulting mud fest of distorted morality is really what you want then you should be right at home here..each man's meat...well you know the rest (or do you...!)

Grab the trailer from 3dgamers (42.9 MB)

Ghost Recon 2 Official Website

Ghost Recon Official Website

Ubi-Soft's GR2 Section

Discussion >>

More sign ups have been announced for the BETA test for the PC version of the board game Axis & Allies.

The real time strategy game will be coming out sometime before the end of the year; this BETA test invitation will be closed on September 9, so sign up soon at this site.

Info:
Official Atari website for Axis & Allies
TimeGate Studios - Developers of Axis & Allies
Atari's Betatests.net - Home Page for the Atari Betatesting Community
Discussion >>

LucasArts announced today that Star Wars: Battlefront has received Gold status and will be on shelves 21 September.

The game has been described as "a Battlefield 1942-style war-action game set in the Star Wars universe".

From the official press release:

Prepare for battle. LucasArts is excited to announce that the highly anticipated action/shooter, Star Wars Battlefront has officially GONE GOLD on PS2, Xbox and PC and is scheduled to blast its way onto store shelves on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 --- day and date with the Star Wars Trilogy, which marks the first time all three classic films will be available on DVD.

Info:
Star Wars: Battlefront official website from Lucasarts
Discussion >>

An official update from Valve:

The second phase of the Half-Life 2 preload begins to Steam account holders today.

This will allow users to download the majority of the audio of Half-Life 2 in encrypted form. No purchase is required to pre-load Half-Life 2, but is required to activate the game. The moment the game is made available, those who have pre-loaded and purchased Half-Life 2 via Steam will be ready to start playing right away.

Recent developments:
Half-Life 2 pre-load begins
HL2 Fans Hopes Raised by False Announcement
Half-Life 2 going Gold is a complete hoax!
Discussion >>

Well,

To whoever it may concern Microsoft has officialy launched their Windows Media Player 10 after months of beta testing, and also public testing as it was available for download in the early stages of its "development".

I downloaded it to see what the changes were.

First let us see what Microsoft say about it:

A whole new look giving you quicker and easier access to your favorite digital media.

Translation: A few licks of a lighter shade of blue paint here and there to give foundation to the word "sleak"

A world of music at your fingertips. With Windows Media Player 10, you are just a click away from the world's largest collection of digital music.

Translation: A list to online distributers of poorly encoded mp3 tracks who will charge you an abomination to download them.

Smart Jukebox Features,
Remove the hassle of organizing even the largest digital media collections.

Nah, i'd rather hire an escaped mental patient to stab me in the face with a rusty fork than let Microsoft manage my music collection the way "I" would like it.

The only good thing i'll say is that they have finally given users the option of ripping their cds to mp3. In the past all you could do was rip them to wma (Windows Media Audio) Thus helping Microsoft further in taking over the world with one foul swoop/ or bite...

I have never liked Windows Media Player. I think the most useless feature would have to be the "Media Guide", you might remember it from such useless news broadcasts as "J-Lo to split with new hubby", or "P-Diddy releases new line of "Who gives a f***?"

If you really want to try it out than grab it here

But i would highly recommend Quintessential player. It is a free no-nonsense audio player that has supported every format i've thrown at it.

I want something to simply play my music, not an overly bloated advertisement-jukebox that serves no purpose on anyones' desktop.

Discussion >>

Maps and mods recently released for DOOM 3:

Added: Also check our list of links to reg-free DOOM 3 mods.

Outerlimits2 Map

The map is a space station theme with a main indoor area and one outdoor
area. There are several secret rooms in various locations (walk through walls)
and bonuses in each.

Wastemyhate Map

This Map take Place in a Castle Style Area what was
somehow Teleported to Hell, some UAC Soldiers was also
Teleported with it, but they dont survived long fighting
the Demons.....

BattleReady v1.3 Mod

1. Much harder gaming experience.
2. Stronger monsters that deal more damage.
3. New particle effects for most weapons.
4. Enhanced lighting effects for weapons and monsters.
5. Weapon tweaks.
6. Blood decals stay around 5 minutes.
7. Bullet casings stay around 5 minutes.
8. Custom made bullet wound decals.
Guns now leave marks representative of their calibre.
-pistol
-machinegun
-chaingun
-shotgun
-plasmagun
9. Reworked zombies.
-extremely tough [600 - 1000 health]
-headshots bring them down.
10. Player max health and armor levels raised.

MegaEfx Mod ver. 0.9

This Doom 3 mod enhances the visual appeal of the game by upping the visual effects throughout. Blood, debris, and decals all stay around longer, and the weapon effects such as sparks, lighting, smoke, etc. have all be increased.

Advanced Sentry mod

This mod creates a sentry to fight for you with just the toss of a grenade.

Fragger Mod 1 (BETA)

This mod is about improving the visuals in Doom 3 by adding new skins and other
things that make the graphics really stand out. How good is having a really
good system if all you see are grey demons? Also, you'll see no flashlights,
night vision or anything that helps you see better. No radars or anything like
that. This game is about atmosphere (atmosFEAR?), and it's supposed to be dark.

DOOM 3 Quake 3 Map Converter:

This program allows you to convert your favorite Quake 3 maps into Doom 3.

TinMan Squad Mod

This mod for Doom 3 lets you call upon the help of AI controlled friends to assist you in blasting your way around.

Death Is Coming Map

Your Mission:
Just find the Exit
That's it!!!!!!!

PolyModifier v0.1 Mod (BETA)

This mod applies smooth to the models in Doom3, giving
it smooth look. this mod is for all of you that hated
those spikes in the cinematics or while playing.

Maps and mods recently released for Far Cry:
Far Cry SP Devil's Coast Map

This custom single-player map has a great atmosphere and two unique endings. Sequel maps are currently being developed.

Far Cry Enhanced Realism v1.4 Mod

This mod for Far Cry adds many tweaks to the weapons and gameplay to give the game a more realistic feel. Works for both single and multiplayer.

Far Cry Sexy Valerie - Cleavage Edition

This skin for Far Cry lets you spice up the character of Valerie Cortez by showing a bit more cleavage than usual.

Maps and mods recently released for Battlefield 1942:
BF 1942 Surreal Alpha 22 Mod

Version 22 of the Surreal Alpha Mod adds new weapons, vehicles, and more.

BF 1942 RealPlane Mod v1.65

5 new planes all with RealPlane corrected armaments, new eye candy effects and
killer AI

BF 1942 Remagen Map v1.0

This map is based on the Battle for Remagen bridge in March 1945, where the US
soldiers fought the Germans in the air and on the ground for control over the
last bridge over the Rhine.

BF 1942 Merciless v1.6 Mod

This is the full install of v1.6 of the Merciless mod for Battlefield 1942. It adds new textures, sounds and more to your Battlefield 1942 experience to ensure the highest possible historical accuracy.

Discussion >>

United Offensive, the expansion pack to the WWII shooter Call Of Duty, has gone Gold and will hit the shops on September 15.

Going Gold means a game is finished the development stage for code, content and packaging and is ready for delivery to manufacturers.

The expansion will include 13 new single player missions, 11 new multiplayer maps and 3 new modes of play. It will be available on PC-CDROM and will cost 29.99 USD.

Info:
Official Call of Duty: United Offensive site (Flash)
Gray Matter Studios - Developers of United Offensive
Register for updates on this game from Activision
Call of Duty: United Offensive Official Movie
Discussion >>

A new high and low-res video has been released featuring in-game footage of this highly anticipated release from the Medal of Honour franchise.

Grab the hig-res clip from 3dgamers here (13.4 MB)

Grab the low-res clip here (10.9 MB)

Moh - Allied Assault Website

Moh - Breakthrough

Moh - Spearhead

Discussion >>

LucasArts launches today new updates to the Star Wars: Galaxies game that includes new quests and new ways to become the Jedi class of player:

Previously, players became Jedi characters using "holocron" items that hint at specific professions to master. That is, in order to have a Jedi character, players previously had to master several of the game's many professions (including hand-to-hand combat fighters, crafters, and entertainers) in order to unlock a "force-sensitive" character slot, essentially starting an all-new Jedi-to-be character from scratch.

With the new system, players will instead undertake a series of quests that Sony Online and LucasArts hope will be infinitely more compelling than repetitively trying to master professions. Becoming a Jedi will be the object of a lengthy quest that can be unlocked only by acquiring a certain combination of "badges"--distinctions that players earn for accomplishing various tasks in the game, including mastering specific professions, exploring certain wilderness areas, and others.

Read Gamespot's first look at the new content here and a review from GamePro.com here

A new mod is also available for Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy on the PC; the Jedi Academy Force Mod III - Return of The Sith

This mod lets you choose from nearly 30 different character classes including Wookie, Stormtrooper, Gungan, Jedi Sentinel, Battle Droid, Mandalorian, and Sith Zealot. All the classes have been balanced with different skills and abilities, so there's sure to be something for everyone.

Download the mod free here (Reg. required)

Info:
Star Wars: Galaxies official site
Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy official site - single player demo
Discussion >>

An update to the beta Counter-Strike Source has been released by Valve.
Steam users who have it installed will receive the update automatically when they start Steam.
Changes in the update:

• Improved consistency of hitboxes between the server and client
• Fixed glows showing through map geometry
• Fixed grenades getting stuck in props
• Fixed rendering errors with DX8 and anti-aliasing
• Fixed playerlist in-game UI: will now properly display players
• Fixed skywalking exploit on De_Dust
• Fixed alt-tab video corruption bugs
• Fixed player hovering over ground on round restart
• Fixed reload animation bugs on AWP and Scout
• Updated scoreboard to display 32+ player games properly
• Updated weapon sounds
• Updated weapon model textures
• Updated player hand texture
• Reduced effectiveness of flashbangs behind the player
• Added Friends list to in-game UI
• Added sv_password for servers

From the official Steam news

Discussion >>

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