Latest Articles (Page 3365)

Here's a tricky one: What does Namco's R: Racing have in common with Hideo Kojima's whimsical Zone of the Enders PS2 shoot-'em-up? Anybody? You there at the back? No? The answer is that in both cases the actual game was far less interesting than a bundled trinket found elsewhere in the box. In ZOE's case, the accompanying Metal Gear Solid 2 demo was more than enough to rob us of £40. And in R: Racing's case, it's the Miyamoto-penned Pac-Man Vs. multiplayer game that dominates our thoughts whenever we peer at the shiny GameCube box perched atop the TV.

We love black humour, gallows humour, call it what you will. Those moments of utter despair lightened up by a sideways glance and sharp monotone quip, and it's difficult not to crack a wry smile at 3D Realms' hapless attempts to make another game. Every time the Formula 1 results come in, any gamer seeing the list of DNF drivers can't help be reminded of the delicious irony of the game that Did Not Finish also happens to share those telling initials. Yes, 3D Realms' interminably delayed PC shooter Duke Nukem Forever is a game now well into its seventh year (and counting) of development, yet it's still showing no signs of even being reasonably close to being completed. You couldn't make it up, you really couldn't.

Ubisoft has shelved plans to release a third single-player demo for Crytek's tropical first-person shooter Far Cry, according to a post to a fan forum from an official spokesperson. The "Boat" demo had been expected on March 15th.

Unreal franchise owner Epic Games has acquired Scion Studios, the new company founded by Americas Army designer Michael Capps, in a move which will double its development capacity.

It's not even lunchtime, and you're reading this week's instalment of 'What's New'. Wonders genuinely never cease around here, do they? Neither does the torrential rain outside the window, the endless "whooping" as high scores tumble, and the monotone rumbling of an empty stomach. However, there are a few things we've encountered lately that do cease. The jingle-jangle of cash in the pocket, for example, after a spending splurge encompassing a magnificent eBay NES bundle, the latest Japanese Winning Eleven game, and certain popular Xbox dance mat titles. Or the flush function of our trusted toilet - that's ceased too, although we've fashioned an alternative out of a big bucket and a nearby bath tap. (Any plumbers in the audience?) Oh, and apparently the rain has now ceased as well. Great. Stop sabotaging our elaborate introductions Mother Nature you INDOMITABLE TART!

Nintendo UK launched its ambitious £10 million giveaway today, promising to give buyers of the GBA SP or GameCube a money-off voucher book worth up to £250. The vouchers give £10 off Soulcalibur II, 1080° Avalanche, F-Zero GX, Eternal Darkness and Mario Party 5 on the Cube side, and Golden Sun 2: The Lost Age, Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising and Metroid Fusion from the GBA line-up.

Since Halo did quite well for them, Microsoft has always made a point of supporting big Xbox releases, even if they're actually third party titles. As such it wasn't too surprising this morning when we heard about a new Xbox Live Starter Kit bundle featuring Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow. With the game set to debut on Xbox next week - the PC version following a week later, and PS2/Cube versions a ways off - the new Starter Kit will cost just £59.99 / €89.99 and consists of a 12 month subscription to the online service, an Xbox Communicator headset, and a copy of Pandora Tomorrow.

Not content with brother Ratchet grabbing all the headlines, everyone's favourite tempestuous platform hero (and darling of the Sony first-party line-up) is back and busily lusting after his former crown. Unfortunately though, it sounds like the residents of Haven City have finally had enough of the poor tortured Eco-warrior, who, lets face it, spent more time knocking them down and blowing their town up than actually fixing things for them in his last outing. With their city ripped almost to shreds, they've banished him to the surrounding wastelands - along with his wisecracking sidekick.

Following last week's influx of Ratchet & Clank 3 info, you'll be pleased to hear we've exhausted our limited repertoire of "Up Your Arsenal" gags. Which is just as well, really, because linking Insomniac Games' provocative subtitle to the latest weapon we've heard about - the Infector - would more than likely incur the wrath of just about every moral man in the audience. Instead, we'll have to make do by fleshing out your knowledge of Sony's latest platform hope without resorting to petty innuendo. Drat.

Let's not beat about the bush here. We didn't like last year's Shinobi remake. Not one bit. While there are certainly a small minority of people who enjoyed the mechanics of the game, we found the gameplay to be repetitive and hackneyed, the presentation to be poor and ultimately, the whole experience was tedious, frustrating and unrewarding - not exactly a compelling package in a videogame.

Digital Extremes has this week announced Pariah, described as a story-driven, single-player, run-and-gun FPS with survival elements and "in-depth combat". The game is due to be published by Groove Games in the USA and Hip Interactive Europe in PAL territories on PC and Xbox, and should make its full debut at this year's E3 in May.

British publisher SCi has announced that Xbox adventure title Galleon is now scheduled for release in June of this year - a further small slippage for the oft-delayed title, which was previously scheduled for spring.

This year's World Championship Snooker title will be going online on PS2, Xbox and PC, publisher Codemasters announced today, and will also include a myriad other improvements and additions - like an updated trickshots section and a Classic Match mode.

Microsoft has just announced Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict, a sequel to one of the console's first online games currently in development at Epic Games and due out in Q4 2004.

Sega Europe has announced plans to distribute Sammy's PS2 slasher Seven Samurai 20XX across PAL territories, which won't come as much of a surprise to those with a good handle on the state of the two companies' relationship.

Flagship Studios - the developer founded in 2003 by ex-Blizzard staffers David Brevik, Max Schaefer, Erich Schaefer, Bill Roper and Kenneth Williams - has revealed that its first project will be published by Namco Hometek. "When looking for a publishing partner, it was critical for us to find a company that shares our passion for making great games," Bill Roper is quoted as saying.

Eleven years after the release of the original, Revolution has confirmed that work is underway to make a sequel to Beneath A Steel Sky, following the discovery that the company registered the URL on March 4th.

We've had 'Crash does Mario Kart' and we've had 'Bomberman does Mario Kart', so it was inevitable that sooner or later one of those pesky cartoon types was going to make a play in this direction. It may even have happened already for all I know. But whether or not it had, it has now, it will have soon now, or [give up now -Ed].

Publisher Electronic Arts has announced that it will be switching off the servers for its massively multiplayer sci-fi title Earth & Beyond on September 22nd, just over two years after the game was officially launched.

When Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance was first released, it made more than a few RPG fans uncomfortable. While we were happy to see a new game based on the revered Forgotten Realms universe, we weren't so happy about the choice of genre - unlike the previous games to bear the Baldur's Gate name, Dark Alliance was a straightforward hackandslash. Where 'die' had once been the singular form of 'dice', now it was merely something to scream at hordes of goblin archers...

Another week, another handful of interesting reviews, some of which flirt with controversy, some of which flirt with obscurity, and some of which are just plain flirtatious. I've left out the one from a (mostly illiterate) reader who demanded that I suck his... - you get the idea - for failing to recognise the brilliance of P.N.03. Did I not say nice things about it anyway?

German publisher CDV has announced provisional results for the full financial year 2003, revealing an expected loss of some €10 million for the company following the cancellation of some projects in development.

For the second time in two days we're reporting on a downloadable freebie for a game that isn't even out yet. Even more coincidentally, it's another add-on level for a multiplayer-only first-person shooter - this time crafted for Unreal Tournament 2004 by the hand of level contributor Chris Blundell. Which means that it's official in an unofficial sort of way.

Earlier this year Vivendi-Universal Games' website was briefly updated with an alleged line-up of its planned 2004 releases, which included a number of games we couldn't remember having previously heard about. One of those titles was simply dubbed "Predator", and seemed to be aimed at the PS2 and Xbox console markets.

PC gamers waiting for Activision's True Crime: The Streets of LA to appear on their format can at least console themselves at the prospect of a new multiplayer mode with daft Activision-based character skins. According to the game's producer Brian Clarke, True Crime PC will benefit from nine new skins borrowed from other Activision titles, which can be used in single or multiplayer modes once unlocked.

Typical. I'm on my way out the door (towards the kitchen - I obviously wouldn't brave the outside world), and suddenly I hear an annoying sound effect that heralds the release of the Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow single-player demo.

Sega and Nokia have this week announced another N-Gage breakthrough. "Another one?" I hear you cry. Well, yes. That's what it says. Say hello to Pocket Kingdom: Own The World, a first-of-its-kind "massively multiplayer online mobile game" (or MMOMG, presumably).

Killer 7 has done a roaring trade in hype thus far, largely thanks to its unusual cel-shaded look (which isn't a phrase we get to type very often). In fact, it almost feels a shame to lift the veil this week and find a mere game lurking underneath. Then again, it's also nice to finally appreciate the Capcom Five's outstanding enigma in more familiar terms. Isn't it? Oh all right then, you win, we don't really know how we feel about it any more. Whatever. The following ought to give you an idea of what it's like...

Publisher Take-Two Interactive has announced that one of its founders, Ryan Brant, is to resign as chairman and director in order to focus on the publishing business, and will be replaced by financial expert Richard Roedel.

A little while ago we took a look at a quirky little Sims-alike called Singles: Flirt Up Your Life, which shocked and appalled us by failing to live down to our gutter-crawling expectations.