Week of January 1, 2006


Half-Life 2: Aftermath teaser video
January 6, 9:49 AM

We have a 10MB teaser video of Valve's latest, Half-Life 2: Aftermath. While the video does not show much, it does highlight Alyx playing a larger role as well as the Stalkers as a new enemy.

Download the video

TimeShift multiplayer sign-ups
January 6, 9:29 AM

Atari has announced in a forum thread that they are taking sign-ups for the multiplayer aspect of their upcoming FPS TimeShift.

Minimum specs:
· CPU: 2 GHz or equivalent
· RAM: 512MB
· HDD free space: 6GB
· Video Card: 128MB VRAM, pixel shader 1.1 support
· Network: ADSL or better

If you meet the requirements, head on over to sign up.

Battle For Middle Earth 2 Collector's Edition
January 6, 9:22 AM

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced The Lord of the RingsTM, The Battle for Middle-earthTM II Collector's Edition – the first ever Collector's Edition DVD release from the highly successful The Lord of the Rings franchise. The sequel to last holiday's critically acclaimed PC game is filled with exclusive The Lord of the RingsTM game content that will offer fans an opportunity to delve into parts of the Middle-earth they've never seen before.

Scheduled to ship simultaneously with The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II in February 2006, The Lord of the RingsTM, The Battle for Middle-earthTM II Collector's Edition will be available at select retailers and is rated 12+ by PEGI.

Expanding on The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth, the new real-time strategy (RTS) game will allow players to engage in heated battles with Elvin and Dwarve armies plus heroes and creatures that have never been seen in The Lord of the Rings films. The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II Collector's Edition will offer everything the sequel does plus entirely new and exclusive content.

For the first time ever, The Lord of the Rings fans will now have access to all the behind-the-scenes details of creating the blockbuster The Lord of the Rings PC game. The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II Collector's Edition will feature:

Exclusive Bonus DVD with content provided in High Definition (HD)

  • Mastered in HD for the ultimate high resolution experience on your PC
  • Entire musical score including original music created exclusively for The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II
  • In-game cinematics and trailers in high resolution and surround sound
  • "The Making of The Battle for Middle-earth II": The story of the team behind The Battle for Middle-earth series including never before seen videos and exclusive interviews with key development team members
  • "The Art of the Game": The ultimate collection of artwork created for the game, including hundreds of cinematic paintings and key pieces of concept work

    Exclusive In-Game Content
  • All new fire-breathing Dragon – on the battlefield, this impressive unit can only be controlled by players who purchase the Collector's Edition
  • Special graphic treatment for "create-a-hero" units identify Collector's Edition gamers during on-line play
  • Multiple exclusive maps including signature locations from The Lord of the Rings films – such as Weathertop and Argonath

    Exclusive Campaign Map Poster
  • Two-sided, 11x17 colour poster
  • Gorgeous high resolution map of Middle-earth created exclusively for the game – "Good" side lists out all the campaign locations from the good campaign while the "Evil" side lists out its campaign locations and descriptions
  • The perfect companion piece while playing the Good or Evil game missions

    "We believe we've created something very special with The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II, and our team felt passionate about making a Collector's Edition that is truly special for the fans," said Mike Verdu, Executive Producer at EA Los Angeles. "The exclusive content including the behind-the-scenes footage, amazing concept art, cinematic paintings and sequences, the extensive soundtrack, and access to the unique dragon unit adds new dimension to the gaming experience."



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    Twilight War Falls...
    January 4, 5:34 PM

    Sad News for Smiling Gator Twilight War: After the Fall announced that Smiling Gator Productions, who were at work on Twilight War: After the Fall, a Source-engine MMORPG. Word is:

    It's not a Happy New Year here at Smiling Gator Productions.

    Unfortunately, the end of 2005 is also the end of SGP. Our committed funds have run dry and we were not successful in the hunt for additional investment. The websites and email will be disabled in the coming days, so this is our last announcement before we shut down for good. Thanks again to our fantastic forums community for all the support and contributions! We hope you find another project and give them the devotion and incisive comments we've enjoyed reading for the past 17 months.

    The Sims 2: Open For Business announced
    January 4, 9:28 AM

    EA has announced the expansion for The Sims 2, Open For Business. Click on the screenshots to read the announcement and see the first 6 images.

    Devil May Cry 3 to be released, enhanced
    January 3, 2:27 PM

    Capcom, a powerhouse in the multi-billion dollar video game industry, today announced Devil May Cry®3: Dante’s Awakening Special Edition for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system will join Sony’s “Greatest Hits” collection. Featuring a redesigned package, the special edition will feature a horde of additional content, new options and an additional playable character. In Devil May Cry 3 players take on the role of Dante, the world’s toughest demon slayer, in a fast-paced thrill ride filled with complex storylines, striking graphics and unadulterated stylistic action. The game carries an “M” rating for mature audiences by the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) and is planned for release on January 24 at retailers throughout North America for a suggested retail price of $19.95.

    Several thousand years have passed since the demon warrior Sparda raised his sword against the unholy world to save the human race. Victorious and assured that evil forces had been confined, Sparda joined mankind and fathered Dante, a half human-half demon son infused with the power of a supernatural lineage. However, Dante was not the only son Sparda had sired. As devoted as Dante was to defeating the forces of evil, his twin brother, Vergil, was consumed by power and upheld the legacy of his sinister ancestors. One moonlit night, a mysterious tower materialized beside Dante's “Devil May Cry” investigative agency. On the rooftop stood his brother along with his inhuman minions goading Dante into a confrontation.

    Devil May Cry 3 unfolds an earlier chapter in Dante's history, before the original Devil May Cry, to the fateful clash between Sparda’s twin sons, divided by the divergence of their chosen paths. Along the way, Dante encounters formidable foes and unusual characters including a mysterious man named Arkham and a female hunter named Lady whose mission is to take down all demons, including Dante. These precursory events disclose the complex roots of Dante's character and reveal insight into his clouded past.

    Devil May Cry 3 preserves the fast-paced action that has made the series so popular. In addition to its strong roots, the game increases the intensity of gameplay with a new "style" system, which adds an additional level of depth. Depending on preference, players can choose to use short-range, long-range, defensive or evasive play styles. Each system has its own range of gameplay features and players can choose to power up their favorite style for increased special attack abilities. The range of options available in Devil May Cry 3 immerses players in a non-stop, thrilling escapade.

    Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening Special Edition includes a wealth of exclusive new features:

  • New playable character – play as Dante’s evil twin brother, Vergil, with his own unique “Dark Slayer” fighting style

  • New “Jester” enemy – previously featured only in cut scenes, Jester has been implemented as a new boss character

  • Turbo Option – this new feature boosts the game speed by 20%

  • Two continue system options

  • Original yellow orb system – use yellow orbs to restart from the last checkpoint

  • New gold orb system – continue unlimited times and use gold orbs to resume from the same spot or replay from the last checkpoint if there are no gold orbs left

  • Adjusted difficulty levels offer more balanced gameplay as players choose from five options including a new Very Hard mode

  • Bloody Palace Mode – Dante is pitted against an onslaught of enemies in this survival mode

  • Movie Mode – Unlocked cut scenes can be viewed either one at a time or all in a row

    The elements above bolster the impressive offerings of the original Devil May Cry 3:

  • Unrelenting, hard-core gothic action

  • Fresh new character design – Dante appears younger, but still has his stylish swagger and rock star good looks

  • Huge arsenal of weapons – Handguns, powerful shotguns, tricked out guitars and much more

  • Combo system – Equip Dante with up to four different weapons that can be swapped at anytime, allowing the freedom to develop a range of fighting moves and combinations

  • Customize up to six different fighting styles

  • Trickster – Evasive style which allows Dante to deftly dodge enemy attacks with speed and finesse

  • Swordmaster – Close-range specialty maximizes the impact of up close attacks with the blade

  • Gunslinger – Long-range style that lets Dante blow away enemies with his fire arms

  • Royal Guard – Counter attack and guard expertise against strong enemy power

  • Quicksilver – Unlockable style that allows Dante to stop time and cause massive damage to enemies

  • Doppelganger – An unlockable that produces a replica that fights alongside Dante

  • Enhanced graphics – Fully textured rich backgrounds utilizing 3D polygons as well as real time rendering for in game cut scenes and intro movie

  • Multitude of demonic enemies – More ferocious than ever before with powerful weapons, the ability to transform and fly and other challenging surprises

  • Obtain orbs throughout the game to purchase new weapons, fighting techniques, increase strength and more

  • Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic II support

  • Hidden weapons, items, characters, difficulty levels and more



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    UT2K7 on PC First & Demo Plans!
    January 2, 5:57 PM

    This just in from the Atari Forums about the highly anticipated Unreal Tournament 2007, will it be a PS3 launch title or will the PC get it first. Here is a direct quote from one of a producer at Epic Games:

    PC first. We're not scheduled to be a ps3 launch title, not certain where those news sites are getting that from. There will be a pre-release demo (on the PC at least).