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News site Game Revolution recently got some email from a guy complaining to them that a vanity search on Google returns a page about The Blair Witch Project 2 game, which so happens to have a character with his name.

He has threatened to sue the site because apparently people who Google him think the page is about him, and that he's a nutcase:

... when folks type in my name to find me, they connect me with the Blair Witch crap that makes me look foolish--among my colleagues. This is not a pleasant experience. I am being placed in a detrimental position via your(?) web site. I am afraid we need to do something that seperates me from what you are doing. Welcome to the world of law & order?

What do you think I might do about this short of grabbing a fancy lawyer?
Full email exchange | The offending page

Via Boing Boing
Discussion >>
By Rob





Download the latest build of ATI's Catalyst driver suite for WIn2k/XP here (23.7 Mb)

Discussion >>
By Dave



Sid Meier's CivilizationChris alerted us to an NDL press release announcing that their Gamebryo 3D graphics engine, previously seen on Sid Meier's Pirates, will also be used for Civilization IV:

Using the Gamebryo graphics engine, Firaxis will deliver new 3D graphics, advanced multiplayer gameplay and stunning new features to the next iteration of the Sid Meier’s Civilization series. To be published by Take-Two’s publishing label 2K Games in late 2005, Sid Meier’s Civilization IV ® will continue its great design and award-winning originality while adding new challenges and game-play experiences.

Read on

More info:
Firaxis product page for Civ 4
civfanatics.com - First Civ4 Screenshots!
Civ 4 Details Included In Publishers' Announcement (27 Jan)
Discussion >>
By Rob



Half-Life 2
I have just came from a 2 hour stint of playing the new beta Capture the Flag mod for Half Life 2. Personally i find no appeal in the regular Deathmatch, it just seems to me to have no structure, just people going around killing you then you kill them and then you do it all over again. It's kind of like the pen-clicking game between Homer and Bart ((there really is no winner))It is very addictive with a wealth of maps already assembled and i have found very few bugs within the 2 hours i was playing so even though it's beta it is certainly very stable and thoroughly enjoying.

Richie discovered this addictive little package earlier.
Download the installer from the official site. (42 Mb)
By Gary



Massive INC., the company behind a system that inserts ads into games, today announced a major deal with 10 of the top game publishers in the world to use their technology in 40 planned titles.

The Massive Network will officially launch on the 28th of March with Splinter Cell Chaos Theory and the MMO Anarchy Online.

Massive are going straight after the 18-34 male demographic, who typically have a lot of disposable income, and are increasingly moving away from television sets to the Internet and games; the gamer audience is also a very good target for advertisers because typically they are highly alert while they play, and are more likely to pay close attention to the screen - unlike the usual passivity of people watching television:

"In terms of effectiveness, we've completed three research studies so far," Davis said. The studies show the effect of advertising on brand recall, said Davis, and "[players] notice everything in the game, so they really pay attention to the ads."

More in the press release

More info:
Massive Incorporated official site
Massive INC. Press Release
Video Game Ad Network Gears Up For Launch
In-Game Ads: Is It Really Good For Gaming ?
Discussion >>
By Rob



Walk of Game

SAN FRANCISCO - Hollywood has its Walk of Fame. Now the video game industry is honoring its icons with Walk of Game.

Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell — the man who produced the minimalist but memorable game "Pong" — and "Donkey Kong" creator Shigeru Miyamoto were among those honored Tuesday with a star on the inaugural Walk of Game section on the floor of a downtown shopping and entertainment center.

More here



Discussion >>



XBoxGamespy have the specs for the follow-up console to the XBox, which will include three 3.0 GHz PowerPC cores, an optional hard-drive and a USB 2.0 camera.

Full specs below, though its important to note that they are not official from Microsoft, and Gamespy says they are based on alpha development kits and current projections of what the final hardware will be like:

# CPU - Xenon's CPU has three 3.0 GHz PowerPC cores. Each core is capable of two instructions per cycle and has an L1 cache with 32 KB for data and 32 KB for instructions. The three cores share 1 MB of L2 cache. Alpha 2 developer kits currently have two cores instead of three.

# GPU - Xenon's GPU is a generation beyond the ATI X800. Its clock speed is 500 MHz and it supports Shader 3.0. Developers are currently working with an alpha 2 GPU. Beta GPU units are expected by May and the final GPU is slated for a summer release. The final GPU will be more powerful than anything on the market today; in game terms, it would handle a game like Half-Life 2 with ease.

# System Memory - Xenon will have 256 MB of system RAM. Keep in mind that this number should not be equated to typical PC RAM. The Xbox has 64 MB of system RAM and is a very capable machine.

# Optical Drive - As many have speculated, Xenon will not use Blu-Ray or HD-DVD. Games will come on dual-layer DVD-9 discs. While the media is the same as that of the current Xbox, the usable space on each disc is up to 7 GB. The drive is slated to run at 12X.

# Memory Units - Xenon will use 64 MB to 1,024 MB memory cards. 8 MB is reserved for system use, leaving a 56 MB to 1,016 MB for user data.

# Hard Drive - As many have speculated, Xenon's hard drive is optional. 2 GB of the drive will be used as game cache. The final drive size is still being determined.

# Camera - Xenon will have a USB 2.0 camera. It's capable of 1.2 megapixel still shots and VGA video. Photos can be used in-game and for gamer profiles. The camera can also be used for video chat. It's unknown if the Xenon camera will allow for EyeToy-like gameplay. Developers are currently using a simulated camera driver.

# Sound Chip - Xenon does not have an audio chip in the traditional sense. Decompression is handled by hardware, while the rest of the chores are handled by software. DirectSound3D has been dropped in favor of X3DAudio. The former was deemed too inflexible.

Read on

More info:
Xbox 2 specs revealed, sort of
Xbox 2 Specs Leaked Onto The Net
Discussion >>
By Rob



Nvidia
Nvidia have finally updated their NZone page with new official Beta drivers. There has not been a budge from Nvidia in months with regards to driver updates. Hopefully anyone experiencing problems and issues with the last build will have them resolved with the new Forceware 71.84 build. I know i'll be downloading them but i always must stress that they are beta so if you have trouble with them Nvidia have no official support available so once again use at your own risk.

You can download 71.84 for Windows 2000 / XP here. (17.9 Mb)

If you are using Windows 98 or ME (God help you) you can get the drivers here. (10.7 Mb)

Full release notes here.

Discussion >>
By Gary



Namco/WarhammerNamco, the developer behind games like Tekken and Ridge Racer, has acquired the license to publish games based on the classic tabletop Warhammer franchise.

No titles have yet been announced, but multiple games are mentioned for the PC, handheld and console markets:

“'Warhammer' is considered among the greatest fantasy gaming brands in the world,” said Grantley Day, Director of PC Development for Namco Hometek Inc. “We plan to extend its rich characters, environments and lore to the video game arena, with some blockbuster titles for the PC.”

Games Workshop created the "Warhammer" world more than 22 years ago, as the setting for its wildly successful tabletop fantasy wargame of the same name. Since then the game has been released in 6 editions, had dozens of supplements, and been the basis for tens of thousands of unique model soldier designs, making it one of the most well documented and detailed fantasy settings in existence. The world itself is a dark and forbidding fantasy realm, where Elves, Orcs, Dwarfs, Undead, and many other races clash constantly in mighty battles seeking domination over each other. Meanwhile, the insidious forces of Chaos strive to undermine the basic fabric of society both from within and by the direct invasion of its legions of daemons, beastmen and warped human champions.
More on the press release

Perhaps one of the games in the pipeline from this new deal will be a revitalized Warhammer Online - originally planned by Climax Development, but since discontinued.

More info:
Warhammer official site
Namco Seizes Warhammer
Namco nabs Warhammer license
Discussion >>
By Rob



I'm Still Seeing BreenA cool machinima music video created using the Half-Life 2 gaming engine and featuring a singing G-Man is available for download on Machinima.org:

Some background on the video: After I completed Half-Life 2, I thought it was one of the more exceptional games I had played. Around each corner, there was yet another experience that would forever be burned into my gray matter. Afterwards, I found myself playing through some of the more exciting levels again and thought to put together a music video around it. I had been itching to put FacePoser to work, and it became obvious that a music video would be a good place to give it a try. I tested putting HL2 visuals to a song by Breaking Benjamin called "So Cold", which had been in my head for a few weeks.

Still Seeing Breen
Discussion >>
By Rob



Dungeons & DragonsThe Israeli Defence Forces have a bizarre policy which marks any potential recruit who mentions that they like Dungeons & Dragons as "detached from reality", and limits them to low security clearance positions by default:

"One of the tests we do, either by asking soldiers directly or through information provided us, is to ask whether they take part in the game," he says. "If a soldier answers in the affirmative, he is sent to a professional for an evaluation, usually a psychologist."

More than half of the soldiers sent for evaluation receive low security clearances, thus preventing them from serving in sensitive IDF positions, he says.
Read on

Via Metafilter
Discussion >>
By Rob
Fraps v2.5.3 Released - 6.3.05  Email to a friend



Version 2.53 of the popular in-game recording and benchmarking software has been released. This release marks Fraps 5th year of development.

Changes in this build include:

2.5.3 - 3rd Mar 2005
- Fixed crash under Japanese Windows, SW: Galaxies, and other games
- Fixed alpha blending of mouse cursors under OpenGL
- Fixed green frame at start of split AVI's


Download the latest version here (686 Kb)

Discussion >>
By Gary
Archives

Browse our archives:

Archive for this week:

12.3.05 Man Threatens Suit Over Character With Same Name
11.3.05 ATI Catalyst 5.3 Drivers
10.3.05 Civilization IV to use Gamebryo 3D Engine
 Half Life 2: Capture The Flag
9.3.05 "Massive Ad Network" To Launch 28/March
 'Walk of Game' Honors Video Game Icons
 Gamespy Posts XBox 2 Specs
 Nvidia ForceWare 71.84 — Beta Drivers
 Multiple Warhammer Games In Pipeline From Namco
7.3.05 I'm Still Seeing Breen - HL2 Music Video
 Like D&D? Don't Apply to Join the Israeli Army
6.3.05 Fraps v2.5.3 Released





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