After hearing before the release of Half Life 2 that 1] There would be no multi-player aspect and 2] You would require an internet connection, i was very much dissapointed. I thought however that Valve ((after having more than enough time to test Steam)) would be able to carry off this authentication with as little annoyance as possible, i really believed this however, after hearing from most of the people i know who have purchased the game, about 40 % of them do not have an internet connection and were forced to lug their pcs to a friends' house in a vain attempt to play the game they have been waiting all these years for, only to find that the authentication either would not work or it took them 12 or so hours to complete it while running up an internet bill in the process. I still know many people who bought the game on the day it was released and still have not played it!

As far as i can see, Valve must have been fully aware this would happen and chose to ignore it or treat it as another step in the never-ending Steam beta testing, completely disregarding the people who buy their games and the people who put them were they are, the people who made them a success! This absolute negligence of customer care and satisfaction is quite simply appalling in my opinion. I have been fortunate enough to play what i consider to be the best game ever made, only because i have broadband and a good pc. I really feel for all the people left behind in Valve's so called "Anti-Piracy" world. Despite people voicing their concerns, Valve have opted to ignore the pleas of it's loyal customers and simply moved on with business as usual. Whatever bit of respect i had for the company is leaping out many windows at an alarming rate and i don't believe i am alone.

I would like to know what other peoples' feelings are on the matter. Have you bought Half Life 2 and still not played it, please let us know of your experience...

Discussion >>

According to Planet Half Life, Doug Lombardi has announced that the official Counter-Strike Bot will be released for Counter-Strike: Source on Monday (January 17th).

The Bot features enhanced abilities and will be available for all owners of Counter-Strike: Source. Also included in Monday's release is an updated version de_tides, rebuilt by Turtlerock Studios.

Visit Steampowered for latest news and check out their forums.
CS: Source mods posted by IGNIQ member Dek
Are you addicted to Counter Strike ?

UPDATE: Confirmed by Valve

Discussion >>

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas review by Richie, up now!

Check it out here.

Discussion >>

"This special version of Softimage|XSI allows you to create custom content for Half-Life 2 (characters, level props, etc). Detailed info can be found at the Softimage website. Be sure to grab the add-on as well."

Download here

Discussion >>

"A large map set in an abandoned motel-like building. This map should be good for 12-18 players and includes gameplay inside and around the "motel". The main hall on the ground floor is usually the center of the action with its multiple entry/exit points, and vertical gameplay with the attic above. The map also includes a basement/laundry area accessible from the main floor or through a sewer pipe from the small parking lot outside. Have fun!"

DM_Motel

"Eight - ten player HL2DM map, DM_Industry."

DM_Industry

"Objective based Half-Life 2 deathmatch map. Click additional information for objective details."

Heart Of Revolters

"Final release of the DM_Depot level for Half-Life 2 Deathmatch."

DM_Depot_RC1
Discussion >>

ARUSH Publishing, in conjunction with Groove Games, today announced that the North American version of the multi-platform video game release, "Playboy: The Mansion," has been sent off for manufacturing.

Developed by Cyberlore Studios for Playboy, "Playboy: The Mansion" invites players to virtually step into Playboy Founder Hugh Hefner’s slippers and run the famous Playboy empire. Available for the Ps2, Xbox and PC, the game is rated M for Mature by the ESRB, and is scheduled to ship to stores on January 25, 2005.

Gamers are now one step closer to virtually walking through the doors of the Playboy Mansion, and experiencing a world of photo shoots, celebrity-filled parties, and midnight rendezvous in the grotto,” said Jim Perkins, president of ARUSH Publishing. “Beyond the sexy fun that players expect from the Playboy brand, 'Playboy: The Mansion' is filled with simulation depth, and we are extremely pleased with the final product.

Playboy: The Mansion Website
Developers Cyberlore
Groovegames Publishers

Discussion >>

Ever want to make your very own customized Half Life 2 spray logos? SprayR 1.0 is a tool that allows you to do just that. RC 6 (release candidate) has just been made available for download which adds new features from the last build and also includes bug fixes.

Download from one of many mirrors and create your own :)
Full changelog here

Discussion >>

A surprising game to be made into a mobile version, Sorrent Inc. in partnership with Atari yesterday announced the launch of Baldur's Gate for mobile.

Even more surprising, Gamespot and PC Mag have given it a good review.

From the press release:

The mobile version of BALDUR'S GATE is a completely new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS adventure, written specifically for the platform. The seven-level game challenges players with treacherous dungeons and powerful monsters, while engaging them with compelling interactions with the non-player characters they'll discover throughout the Forgotten Realms.

"With the mobile launch of BALDUR'S GATE, Sorrent's production team has once again created a top-rated title specifically for mobile phones that is extremely faithful to the franchise on which it is based," said Wim Stocks, EVP of sales and marketing, Atari. "We're thrilled to offer fans a way to play this favorite title wherever they are."

Sorrent.com: Baldur's Gate | Instructions to download Sorrent games to your phone.

Discussion >>

Gamespot have a preview of the XBox version of DOOM 3 from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

While not a full review, their overall verdict is that the game looks as impressive on the XBox as it was on the PC:

[...] this console take on Doom 3 definitely appears to stand up to the PC original, though obviously in a somewhat lower resolution than the PC version is capable of.

Portions of Doom 3 have been retooled for the Xbox, though Microsoft described these changes as very subtle. One example we were given is that the game's opening sequence--a long walk through a calm outer space base--has been shortened down to about two minutes or so, which should get players into the gunning action much quicker. The game's control also has a few good tricks up its sleeve. The left trigger is used as a run button, you'll have a dedicated flashlight button, and you'll be able to use the D pad to quickly select one of four weapons. This quick-select feature can be reconfigured as you proceed through the game, so you'll always be able to ensure that your four best weapons are readily available.

Read on

Discussion >>

GamersHell.com posts that Russian retailer Gameshop.ro has the expansion pack available for pre-order, with a release date of 11 March, meanwhile EB Games have it listed for release on 3 March.

Link

More info:
DOOM 3 Resurrection of Evil screenshots
DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil Details
IGNIQ forum dedicated to DOOM 3
Discussion >>

Engadget posts that the XBox 2 may include a price-hike, bucking the usual trend for new versions of existing electronics products:

[...] Microsoft, which may bump the price of the Xbox 2 above the current $299 ceiling for console launches. One analyst speculates that a version with accessories might go for as much as $400.

Read more

Discussion >>

A post over on kotaku reveals a Hip-Hop based multi player online game is in development.

The game doesn't have a name yet, but it's being developed by 404 Gaming, and they've signed up D.J Pooh, the writer for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and the movie Friday to be its Senior Executive Writer.

It'll be interesting to see what this will be like.

More on kotaku and the 404 Gaming site
Discussion >>

Half-Life 2, Source Engine and Source Dedicated Server updates are available and will be applied automatically when Steam is restarted. The changes include:

Source Engine

* Improved the performance of writing out save games. This will reduce the pause when you pass over an autosave trigger in Half-Life 2, or when you press the quicksave button
* Improved the performance of writing out the thumbnail image for save games. This will also reduce the pause when passing over an autosave trigger or pressing the quicksave button
* Increased cache memory usage for machines that have greater than 512MB of physical memory. This will reduce hitching due to cache thrashing.
* Optimized the sound cache manager, which will reduce hitching as a result of sound cache thrashing
* Minor optimization to the world renderer and world collision
* Minor optimization to the way that asynchronous sound files are loaded
* Optimized the way that sounds were loaded that are trigged by acting sequences
* Optimization to reduced the number of times model sequences are iterated on per frame
* Fixed rcon packet bug that was accepting negative packet lengths
* Fixed rcon server failing on server restart


Half-Life 2

* Weapon script files are preloaded at startup, instead of when they are accessed. This will reduce some hitches while playing Half-Life 2


Linux Server

* Added "-pidfile" command line argument to output a pid file on startup


Condition Zero

* Fixed "Your server is out of date Please update and restart" error

Discussion >>

5 new screenshots of Doom 3 - Ressurection Of Evil have been posted, showing off the games lighting, shadows and general all around creepy look and feel that players of Doom 3 are all too familiar with. The expansion for the next-generation fps by ID is not due out until the end of the year.

Check out the screens here
DOOM 3 Xbox Collectors Edition & Release Date Rumour
Doom 3 SDK 2 Final
Doom 3 Mods list
Download Doom 3 demo

Our second collective game review is now available; IGNIQ members gave Half-Life 2 our highest rating, 5 stars or "Exceptionally Good. Best of its genre."

Thanks to everyone who posted opinions to make up the review.

Half-Life 2 by IGNIQ forum members
Discussion >>

Fans of the popular Half Life mod "Natural Selection" will be pleased to hear that the game has been confirmed to be in the works for a Source engine conversion.

So the next project is likely going to be NS on the Source engine. We don't know for sure if we're doing this, as we haven't had time to evaluate how much work it will be, but everyone on the team is excited to do it, so I think it will happen. We don't know yet if it is going to be a straight port over to Source, or if we're going to redo a lot of the artwork/animations, or if we're going to change a lot of the fundamental gameplay (flamethrowers, physics, etc.). We need to look into it more, see how many months it's going to take (the bad part) and then make a decision. As soon as we know, we'll let you guys know. NS on Source will be done primarily by the current NS team. I'll be doing the game design and overall direction, but the NS team will be doing all the actual work.

Check out the post over at unknown worlds by the game's developers

Discussion >>

Browse our archives:

Igniq.com Weekly News Archives

Archive for this week:

15.1.05 Does Valve Really Care About Its Customers ?
14.1.05 Bots And New Map for CS: Source Coming Monday
 Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas Review Posted
 Softimage|XSI Half-Life 2 Mod Tool
 HL2 DM Maps
13.1.05 Playboy: The Mansion Goes Gold
12.1.05 SprayR 1.0 RC6 Released!
11.1.05 Baldur's Gate For Mobile
 Doom 3 XBox Impressions
 Rumour: Resurrection of Evil March Release
 Xbox 2 May Include Price Hike
 Hip-Hop MMOG In The Works, GTA Writer Recruited
 Half Life 2 / Source Engine Update
9.1.05 Resurrection Of Evil - New Screenshots
 Half-Life2 Collective Review Posted
 Natural Selection Announced for Source