Latest Articles (Page 3430)

Ubi Soft has shed some more light on the GameCube and GBA versions of Splinter Cell this afternoon. Confirming that the duo will link up, Ubi Soft also announced that the Shanghai studio responsible for the PS2 version is behind the GameCube version, and that both will be released on June 5th in Europe (May 6th in the US).

Cartoon violence is a difficult subject to tackle. Broadly speaking, we have two different schools of thought. On the one hand, people will often argue that cel or toon shading and similar techniques detach games like GTA from reality, and thus exclude them from the sort of Commons witch-hunts we've seen in the past. "Why not focus on more brutally realistic titles like The Getaway and their wanton take on real-life violence," Vercetti followers may bitterly muse.

On a grey Tuesday in winter, it's always nice to be able to pluck out some random piece of research to make us feel better about having a hobby that involves sitting down and staring at a screen for hours on end. We're part of a revolution, honest.

GAME does not stock either the GameCube broadband or modem adapter required to play Phantasy Star Online, a game they are otherwise happy to sell you, Eurogamer has learned this morning.

A report in Taiwan's Commercial Times claiming that Sony was in talks with manufacturing companies to begin production of PS3 consoles with a view to a 2003 launch has been categorically denied by the company.

The Sims spent its sixth straight week at the top of Chart-Track's All Formats listing, despite fierce competition from Capcom's Resident Evil Zero, which was forced to settle for the No.2 slot.

"The real question is, as we start '03, what are we going to do differently?" according to Nintendo of America's marketing veepee George Harrison. Well, the real answer certainly isn't delaying key titles, but according to IGN, Nintendo is slipping two of its biggest in order to spread out its release schedule.

Microsoft has unveiled "point release 1" for MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries. The 5MB file is available from this, rather businesslike location, and adds a number of bug fixes, tweaks and so on to Cyberlore/FASA's mech title. OK, so we're not sure exactly what's in it, but you can blame Microsoft for that. Suffice to say, owners of the game will want to download it anyway.

JoWooD has announced a new "virtual gameshow title" called Neighbours From Hell this afternoon. Due out "later this year" on the PC, the game sees players controlling cheeky neighbour-from-hell Woody, as he tiptoes from room to room, evading the gaze of next door's watchful pets, carrying out increasingly mischievous feats of neighbourly disaffection. The "traps" he sets require precise timing and "a healthy dose of cunning, creativity and skill".

Capcom has announced two new Onimusha titles, with a spangly, all-singing, all-dancing website packed with movies and info to celebrate the fact. The "sound off" button will be in the bottom left area of the screen.

Microsoft has announced a sequel to in-house snowboarding sim Amped, which will take the series online and expand upon the 'realistic' dynamic used in the first game.

Halo 2 has been delayed until Q1 2004 according to developer Bungie and leash-holder Microsoft. With the Xbox now strongly established, presumably neither company sees the need to make the Christmas rush. After all, wasn't that sort of thinking to blame for the copy-and-paste level design that blights the middle of the first game?

We're not sure we understand this one, but according to IGN, Midway is planning an exclusive sequel to Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance this summer on a Nintendo platform. Just not the one you'd expect.

Much as we love Grand Theft Auto, we've always had our doubts about Rockstar. Not the developer, which shines like a beacon across the whole of Scotland, but the company as a whole. There's definitely an Umbrella Corp. vibe about the place, with seedy goings-on and outbreaks of concentrated evil (State of Emergency, for example), timed to inflict massive damage in the aftermath of a big release.

DICE has patched Battlefield 1942 again, bringing the WWII online FPS up to version 1.31. The latest release conquers a server crash bug, which occurs right after the occasional map switch, removes the default remote admin password so that foolish operators can't be exploited, and solves the "Coral Sea" bug problem, where players could hide inside objects. On the client side, you can no longer exploit the game to see through walls. It's not all that interesting, really, but you should still download it.

Despite finally getting around to telling us about its online plans today, Sony spectacularly failed to mention in its press release that not only will its online gaming trial be broadband-only, but that the rest of the service will be broadband-only too, unlike its US offering where a narrowband service is supported too.

Friday, February 28th. It was a cold day. Not as rainy and mucky as this one, mind, but pretty chilly and not altogether enjoyable for those of us who had to trudge to the video shop to return the rather lamentable Four Rooms. However, it was the day that we asked you who it was that developed mechtacular action title Battle Engine Aquila - a question so easy, the answer so resoundingly obvious, that we didn't even really need to throw in erroneous, barely amusing options like "Lost Boys and Golden Girls" - which four of you went for. Lost Toys! They made it! And the rest of you realised this and went into the draw. But as you know, there can only be three winners, and the names [oh just bloody say it already - Ed]

Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantino's first film, is to become a PS2 and Xbox game courtesy of SCi, who announced the acquisition of rights at their Annual General Meeting this morning. "Reservoir Dogs will be developed by SCi on Sony PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Xbox," the announcement reads. "The game design will remain faithful to the original movie with gamers able to play all of the key characters, including the infamous Mr Blonde. As well as a significant amount of combat action, the game will also include strong driving sequences." So it's a GTA clone, then? Nice to see art imitates art imitating art.

Sony has press released the news that PS2 online trials commence on March 31st. Those of you hoping to get onto the trial will need to own a PS2 (obviously) and have a broadband connection. As announced recently, sign-ups for PS2 online will be fielded by regional websites - in the case of UK gamers, UK.PlayStation.com (click Register).

UK-based developer Bits Corp has signed an agreement with Kotobuki System, a division of Kemco, to make "an innovative new stealth-action videogame to be unveiled at the upcoming E3 games convention in May". No more details are available, but it's bound to be a console release.

Ideal world, right? We'd have Guilty Gear X2, Paris Dakar Rally 2, Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven, Capcom Vs SNK 2: EO (for the Live factor), MGS2: Substance, ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth, Evolution Worlds, Phantasy Star Online, Resident Evil Zero, Sonic Mega Collection, Master of Orion III, Phantasy Star Chronicles and Shining Soul. 13 games. Pretty good week, we'd say.

Reports on the net this morning say that Operation Flashpoint will support Xbox Live when Bohemia Interactive's console port of the thoughtful FPS hits the ground. However, the original comment from publisher Codemasters which prompted the stories doesn't seem to say that at all. In a statement to a confused user on the OpFlash message board, a customer service fella commented: "We cannot confirm that Operation Flashpoint will be playable over Xbox Live at this stage, but it is obviously something that we are considering." So there you have it.

Various sources report today that Deus Ex: Invisible War is in development for PS2. This isn't too surprising, as we seem to recall Eidos and Ion Storm announcing this in the first place. Whether that's the case or not, it's certainly out in the open now, thanks to a little PS2 logo under supported platforms on the Eidos Deus Ex website.

Despite failing to get Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness out the door, and despite Sports Interactive's insistence on more time for CM4, Eidos chairman John van Kuffeler is apparently extremely pleased with the company's financial earnings so far this year. Blood Omen 2 on the Cube must've been a big hit, then.

Nintendo of Europe (via IGN, insultingly) has announced that the PAL version of Metroid Prime will boast a few improvements over its NTSC sibling. According to reports, the game has been toughened up, with stronger enemies who can take more shots and don't drop as many health/ammo power-ups, a greater rate of health loss when strolling on acid or lava, and doors which require multiple shots just like SNES Super Metroid. The hint system has also been refined, so it'll be a good 10-15 minutes longer before hints appear to guide puzzled players.

Enclave II is in development for PS2, Xbox, GameCube and PC. This according to developer Starbreeze Studios, which, despite having canned non-paying publisher Swing last month, has been flying the flag for its now publisher-less sequel.

Capcom has been churning out Resident Evil games to the greasy horrification of weak-minded gamers like myself for many years, but with Resident Evil Zero the publisher has finally faced up to the problems that its interminable survival horror series is responsible for. Today, the publisher launched a Resident Evil Zero terror helpline for those in the UK, aimed at calming the zombie-addled minds of petrified gamers as they sit, huddled next to the radiator, with a flaming rag stuffed into a bottle of hooch and a look of stark raving lunacy smudged across their faces.

Microsoft will continue to bombard games journalists with marketing statistics until the sun goes down on humanity, but even if God Himself announced that he was using Xbox Live, we're pretty sure it wouldn't match up to the news of EA's critical, newfound allegiance to Nintendo.

Blizzard has released a 23.6MB DivX movie of World of WarCraft, the developer's rather good-looking MMORPG based in the land of Azeroth. The three-minute movie is a non-stop procession of the game's chunky, yet gloriously detailed world visuals, with all manner of battles and other events going on, a huge variety of different environments - from quaint RPG-style towns (with obligatory taverns) to the fiery bowels of the earth - and it's all accompanied by a Lord of the Rings reject soundtrack which conveys much the same spirit. Are we excited? Yes! WOW!

Fans of US-made PC action titles will be pleased to hear that they have a new developer to keep tabs on. Skylab Entertainment (sounds interminable) has been formed by chaps from the original teams at Ritual and GOD Games, and says it is dedicated to developing "the next generation of interactive entertainment for tomorrow's gaming systems," with one title already underway.