Latest Articles (Page 3423)

Nintendo has shed some light on Cube title Kirby's Air Ride in Famitsu, and it sounds quite good. Instead of a platformer, Air Ride will have players struggling to keep a handle on Kirby, whose warp star is seemingly out of control and speeding away on its own. The A button is used for braking, drifting and charging up power for some sort of headlong dash. You'll also be able to half-inch abilities from enemies (by swallowing them, we'd imagine), allowing Kirby to smack things around with a sword, to throw bombs, and to douse himself in flames. What's more, as the screenshots tottering around the net confirm, there will be a four-player split-screen mode to enjoy.

A Japanese gaming superpower could be on the cards, after it emerged last night that Namco is keen to re-open merger talks with Sega.

We would have brought you something about this last night, but having sat there looking at a zeroed teaser counter for about ten minutes, we got bored and went to the pub.

Codemasters is today confirming that it has commissioned tactical strategy title Operation Flashpoint 2, currently in development by Bohemia Interactive, and has pencilled in a release date of late 2004, suggesting that this isn't a mere case of reinventing the wheel.

Apparently somebody did go to SCORE 2003 this year (it's an independent retail trade show thingamajig), and that somebody was an Infogrames representative, who told the assembled ranks that Enter The Matrix is going to appear on multiple discs - for each format. According to IGN, the PS2, Xbox and GameCube versions will each be a two-disc product, which sort of makes sense, while the PC version will be a six CD offering. Yes, six. In a double-DVD-style case. And what's more, PC owners will have to pay extra for the privilege of owning this monstrosity. Hello? Earth to Infogrames? Use a DVD?

A demo of Splash Damage's Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory free multiplayer add-on is currently undergoing a private beta test according to publisher Activision (do they still count as a publisher, given that it's free?), and a public release of one map is on the cards for next week. Good news, eh? Yes.

Before the Fellowship, there was only one. And he was a short, scruffy little git who wouldn't look out of place at a garden centre. The Hobbit! To celebrate his coming (not for a while, mind), Vivendi sent us this rather lovely trailer for the game (18MB), showcasing plenty of in-game footage - and looking pretty interesting too, despite our pessimism about Vivendi's Tolkien games in general (which they kind of asked for with the lacklustre FOTR). Take a look for yourselves, just make sure you have the latest Windows Media codecs before you do.

The official Vice City website has been updated with a new PC section, showcasing a few new screenshots, and information on the game including the long-awaited system specifications. According to Rockstar, the game is being built "from the ground up" to fit the PC this time around, and there will be all sorts of new features including player skinning, custom radio stations, a replay mode and lots of other bits and bobs. It all sounds rather excellent.

Activision has announced the first console title to bear its Call of Duty umbrella brand. This Call of Duty (helpfully there's no subtitle or anything) is in development at California-based Spark Unlimited, and is due out on PS2, Xbox and GameCube next year. It's been in development since late 2002, and is totally different to Infinity Ward's previously announced FPS.

TDK has joined the long line of publishers rushing to tell us what we can see at this year's E3. Their stand will be in the South Hall (ooh!), booth #1400 (great stuff), and we should be able to see Outlaw Volleyball, Conan: The Dark Axe, Knights of the Temple, The Haunted Mansion and Corvette - the latter being the next branded racing game in line with the Mercedes-Benz-based WorldRacing on Xbox.

Midway has revealed some details about its intriguing new survival horror title, The Suffering. Set in a maximum-security prison, the player assumes the role of the rather naffly named death row prisoner, Torque, as the ghosts of past executions besiege the prison. Accidentally released during all the fracas, Torque sets off across the game's nine levels to discover his past and confront not only the apparitions running amok, but other prisoners and prison guards. The player's actions during the game will determine which of three endings they will end up seeing.

According to the New York Post, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs is working on a game about himself. In the game, players will have to build up a massive entertainment corporation by signing acts, marketing them and acquiring assets. "The line between the entertainment and marketing and advertising world has virtually disappeared," reads P. Diddy's marketing firm's press release. "And this new game will have Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs' likeness in a top-of-the-line video game, which will reach the elusive youth and urban markets," they continue.

Wanadoo seems incredibly excited about Pro Beach Soccer, a new arcade sports title developed by fellow Frenchmen Pam Development. The game is aimed at football fans and arcade gamers alike, and apparently combines "a wide variety of acrobatic feats with a sound and light extravaganza" - blimey.

EverQuest leash-holder Sony Online has announced that its massively multiplayer online first person shooter PlanetSide has reached the open beta phase, and that 30,000 new players have been introduced to the environment to help test it ahead of the game's mid-May launch in the US and Canada.

LucasArts has launched its E3 website, giving us an idea of the developer/publisher's plans for the trade show next month. Although this is by no means a definitive list yet, the site should be updated over the course of the next few weeks with more and more. To begin with, we're told that epic tactical RPG Gladius, Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy and Star Wars Galaxies will be on display. And while we're on the subject, hamsters on the rumour treadmill claim that the latter may have slipped until the end of 2003. Eek!

And so it begins. E3 kicks off roughly this time next month, running from May 14th to 16th at the LA Convention Centre - sorry, Center - and publishers are starting to send us their line-ups. Codemasters is first, then, exhibiting at booth #746 in the South Hall (not that you care), and their stand is described as the firm's "biggest E3 presence yet".

Hardware manufacturer Hercules is jumping on the ATI RADEON 9800 PRO-powered graphics board bandwagon by introducing their latest model, the Prophet 9800 Pro, the marketing for which does not include gratuitous and completely unnecessary use of capital letters, thankfully.

Vivendi Universal has released a trailer of the forthcoming HULK game, showcasing Banner's exploits both calm and angry. The game aims to combine elements of stealth during our green friend's quieter moments with the expected smashing the crap 'em up mechanics - and the latest trailer shows that aspects of the game have promise. We particularly liked the visual style, and the ability to pick up enemies and slam them around like rag dolls. You can download the 11.2MB WMV trailer here, and you'll need the Windows Media 9 codec to play it back. But it's worth it, as HULK could potentially be as good as a film licence should be.

Maxis is running a competition for budding mayoral legends with their "Wow" contest. All you need to do is send your city to Maxis, and their panel, including Will Wright himself(!), will judge the most impressive creation. The prize? An EA game of your choice, a SimCity 4 T-shirt and your city uploaded to the official website for the world to marvel at. Wow.

In Japan, Sony is to release a new model of PlayStation 2 (SCPH-50000) on May 15th for 25,000 yen, the platform holder has announced. The new model is focused on DVD playback enhancements, and will finally introduce progressive scan support, as well as reducing fan noise through "new design and improved airflow".

French developer Gaming Side has revealed details about its 3D shooter, Hill Project. The focus is on an apparently action-packed game that takes the player from the Earth to the Moon, during which time they're charged with destroying waves of drones, huge bosses and navigating asteroid fields.

Various sources this week report that Xbox Live is about to benefit from a keyboard adapter, in line with what Live service director John Thomson said last August about including the keyboard option "for game developers who aren't interested in incorporating voice chat features". According to C&VG, the adapter is going to be made available in the US for virtually nothing via Xbox.com, "for use exclusively with Phantasy Star Online".

Fresh from the release of a freely downloadable expansion campaign, Ensemble Studios has announced a full-blown expansion pack called Age of Mythology: The Titans, so-called because it lets players call upon the might of the Titan gods (such as Atlas and Cronus). The expansion will also introduce a fourth culture, the Atlanteans, to existing Greek, Egyptian and Norse mythologies, with 12 new scenarios, 12 new god powers, 18 new human units and 10 myth units and online multiplayer support thrown in for good measure. With the pack due out before the end of the year in the US, it shouldn't be ages to wait over here either.

Back in August last year, we got very excited about Square's plans to release a new Seiken Densetsu (Mana) title on the GameBoy Advance, after we heard that it would be a new title and not some questionable old rehash. In fact, "excited" is probably an understatement. "So happy we pranced around the office with red streamers in our hair operating an imaginary ring menu magic system and calling ourselves Sprite" is closer.

Ubi Soft has revealed a few details of the PC and console remake of 80s classic Prince of Persia. Most intriguing is the effort to create an extremely detailed animation system, and a physics system capable of animating hair, clothing and wall hangings in real time.

Also from GameSpot this morning comes news of the promised 'enhancements' to the GBA version of Donkey Kong Country. As previously reported, these take the form of a couple of mini-games with two player functionality. However, they sound as uninviting as Mario Advance's so-called multiplayer. They are Funky's Fishing (catch as many fish as possible within a given time limit) and Candy's Dance Studio (a simple rhythm-action game). The report also confirms the addition of stat tracking, unlockable character art and a save-anywhere feature. Perhaps most interesting though is a Donkey Kong attack mode, which will measure in-game performance according to various factors and perhaps even add some replay value to this otherwise fairly limited package.

Mother 1, 2 and 3 (that's the Earthbound series in North America) are now GBA-bound, according to a Nintendo advert showing on Japanese TV screens at the moment. GameSpot reports that Mother 1 and 2 are scheduled for release on June 20th in the region, although it's not clear if they will be a compilation title or separate releases, with Mother 3 in development. We never got our hands on the 16-bit Earthbound back in the day, which was a source of much resentment for us (believe you me), so the prospect of a re-release, whether domestic or as eminently importable US releases, is very exciting. Mother!

It's true, we don't normally indulge in "rich media", and we're pretty sure you can guess why. Still, there are occasions, particularly with games that we like, that we feel compelled to break with tradition. War of the Monsters is one such game, due out this Friday, and held in pretty high regard around here. So, since you're beginning to wonder what we're alluding to, here are a couple of QuickTime VR files showing off scenes from the game in three whole dimensions. Or thereabouts. That's here (730KB, Kineticlops shocking Congar) and here (550KB, Ultra-V attacks Robo-47 from behind). These come courtesy of our chums at PlayStation.com, who actually have a total of 12 of the things, with more coming in the week.

ChampMan 4's reign at the top has lasted just two weeks, as Ubi Soft's all-conquering Splinter Cell finally hit the all-important No.1 spot, some 19 weeks after its initial Xbox debut.

InfogramesNotAtari has decided to push the Dragon Ball Z franchise with the announcement of a new adventure RPG for the GameBoy Advance based on the popular franchise.