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Men of Valor is a new first person shooter developed by 2015 and based around the Vietnam War. The game follows new recruit Dean Shepard and his squad of Marines through the war-torn jungles of Southeast Asia during America's occupation. The 328 MB multiplayer demo includes two maps (jungle, urban), and three multiplayer gameplay modes. Combining the latest Unreal technology with the gameplay expertise of 2015, Men of Valor transports the player to the humid jungles of Southeast Asia in the most controversial conflict of the modern era. The storyline follows the player through the major actions in the conflict, from search and destroy missions around Danang airbase to the Tet offensive and the counterattack on Hue. A cast of AI controlled characters accompanies the player through the missions, and he learns their value and mourns their loss as the war progresses. The game will support a cooperative mode that allows the player to experience the entire tour of duty with his friends, and various multiplayer modes allow the player to experience the war from the perspective of North Vietnamese Army or Viet Cong guerillas as well as US Forces. Download the Multiplayer Demo here (328 MB) Men of Valor Homepage here Related sites here and here Discussion >> 
Map and mod tools have been released for the expansion to Call of Duty - United Offensive. Giving modders the chance to to create maps and generate new content for the expansion. The map & mod tools for Call of Duty: United Offensive are now available, offering prospective mod authors the ability to create and modify new content for the recently first-person shooter expansion by Gray Matter Studios. The package comes with installation instructions, the Graydient level editor, various resources, documentation, and more. Call Of Duty(tm): United Offensive(tm) Map & Mod Tools =============== IMPORTANT NOTE: These tools are not supported by Activision(r) Customer Support. The Call Of Duty(tm): United Offensive(tm) tools are not designed to run on Microsoft Windows(r) 98 or ME. They are only designed to run on Windows(r) 2000 or XP. Install the Call of Duty(tm): United Offensive(tm) Tools to your Call of Duty(tm) directory. This is where the game is installed. The default location is typically "C:\Program Files\Call of Duty". IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have Call of Duty(tm): United Offensive(tm) installed to anything other than the default game path (C:\Program Files\Call Of Duty\) you will need to manually set your path in the game settings. Follow the instructions below: 1. Open the editor (Graydiant) 2. In File > Game Settings > Edit... 3. The following settings need to be changed to the location that Call of Duty(tm) is installed: basepath (.exe location) SP Map source MP Map source rshcmd remotepath entitypath Autosave Directory SP Map Path (.map location) MP Map Path (.map location) All of these entries need to be set to the actual installed locations. Call of Duty: United Offensive map and mod tools (19.7 MB) Call of Duty: United Offensive SP Demo (220 MB) United Offensive Website Discussion >> 
Worthplaying.com have a new batch of screens from Half-Life 2. Check them out here (*Warning - Screens may contain spoilers*) Link via evilavatar.com Another selection of screens is also available on Gamershell.com Info: HL2 Goes Gold, Briefly Half-Life 2 Package Details Revealed First HL2 Review Coming in October Half-Life² Forum Discussion >> 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 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
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.
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!
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
Steam Packages
*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.
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...
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 >>  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.
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.
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.
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.
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 >> Archives
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