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There will be no quick reprieve for The Playing Fields. Despite the interests of former Spectrum R-Type developer David Wainwright, currently Manager of Hi2's games business in Oxford, the infamous TPF basement was gutted earlier this month by two burly fellas from the repo company. Across two days the pair removed the bar contents, furniture and countless hi-spec PCs and servers and transported them away in - what we're reliably informed was - a very old Transit van. The fate of the servers hosting The Playing Fields' website is currently unknown. Although David Wainwright posted prolifically to a thread on the topic of re-establishing TPF, when we caught up with him last night, he admitted that he had "nothing planned at present." "[Hi2 is] looking at a number of dotcom fire sales and TPF is one of them." After courting former members of staff about their previous positions and serious financial discussion, Wainwright - calling himself 'rtype' on the hastily-erected TPFAlumni.com web-forums - appeared to lose interest, having initially responded to a comment about how the business should have been run. Wainwright admitted that he knows relatively little, asking, "seriously, how many staff does it need?" amongst other things. Eventually, having spoken to former staff members Manuel Boissiere and Geoff Richards, Wainwright stopped commenting, and between what he told us and the physical gutting of the venue, we doubt The Playing Fields will be up and running under Hi2's direction any time soon. Related Feature - The Playing Fields closes its doors

Computer Exchange or CEX, the popular UK-based games retailer, has withdrawn all of its Nintendo GameCube stock, including consoles, software and accessories. It seems that Nintendo has applied some pressure above store-level, and the company is no longer to stock GameCube paraphernalia. We spoke to a couple of stores - one in Watford - and neither was able to elaborate on the withdrawal. Nobody at Computer Exchange was available to comment either, but the company has confirmed that its stores will no longer feature GameCube material. After Sony's court victory over Channel Technology last week, the goalposts have been moved as far as the grey import market is concerned, and we fear CEX won't be the only victim. Related Feature - The War Room

Headhunter is the second big Dreamcast game in as many months to be released in Europe exclusively. Unfortunately, like those fantastic-looking Japanese RPGs that we can see but never touch, it's slightly less exciting when you get your hands on it. Described (mostly by the American press) as an MGS-killer, and the sting in the Dreamcast's tail, Headhunter amounts to an immense and beautifully detailed adventure through a near-future dystopian society. It does live up to its billing. Eventually. Like Metal Gear Solid (and to a greater extent its elusive sequel), Headhunter is an extremely deep game. In terms of story and setting, it arguably has Solid Snake and the boys beat. The game begins with what will turn out to be one of its staples - off-the-wall news broadcasters painting their bleak picture of life under the privatised Anti-Crime Network. In a culture where bodily organs are more valuable than their weight in gold, and with so little left to privatise, the government has handed over powers of censorship, media control and propaganda to Christopher Stern. The ACN quickly develops into a lucrative business, with a training programme open to any civilian. It's into this picture that you - Jack Wade, a former ACN "Headhunter" - now step. After watching a back-to-back showreel of broadcasts plotting the life of Christopher Stern, the game begins with his death. For reasons which aren't immediately clear, at the same time you are bound to some sort of electric chair in the depths of a supposedly governmental installation, and after ripping yourself from the shackles and disposing of some guards you make a daring escape against the clock, fighting to get out before noxious gases overwhelm you. This is real "thrown in at the deep-end" stuff, and you find yourself running aimlessly through the corridors until it becomes obvious that this tactic will leave you dead.

Showing once again that they have a $500m marketing budget and aren't afraid to use it, Microsoft yesterday announced a co-promotion deal with popular beat combo Linkin Park. The partnership will see "substantial promotional support" for the Xbox on Linkin Park's new Projekt : Revolution tour, as well as crosslinking between the Xbox and Linkin Park websites. On top of that fans will be able to win Xboxes signed by the band and buy Xbox-emblazoned Linkin Park merchandise. Linkin Park are said to be "huge fans of Xbox", while Microsoft for their part declared that "Xbox couldn't tour with a cooler group". And with Projekt : Revolution set to become an annual event (assuming the band lasts that long), Linkin Park's brand management company babbled something about how "the relationship between Linkin Park and Xbox will help further establish and communicate the identities between artist and brand". Aw, bless. Related Feature - European Xbox advertising kicks off

As our esteemed Editor-in-Chief John Bye put it on the company mailing list, "it's not exactly rocket science" to work out that something's changed. EuroGamer's former webserver Chunky has been put to rest, and the site has moved to its new home on Tony. Tony's a hefty beast, with lots of CPU speed and plenty of RAM. He's also in a princely facility with lots of bandwidth and speedier response times than Chunky's roomy basement in the centre of London… Regular users will probably start to notice a speed increase shortly. For the moment, the DNS is still propagating; so all traffic is being routed here from the old server temporarily. Apart from that, we've finally added search functionality to EuroGamer. The search form appears below the menu on every page and allows you to search our database of news and features, with information dating back to September 1999, when the site launched. We hope to bring you more improvements in the future. For now, enjoy the search engine!

Army Men : Operation Green is the latest in a long line of Army Men products, including several handheld releases. Ever sceptical when it comes to 3DO franchises, last week we caught up with Pocket Studios CEO and founder Steve Illes and grilled him on the topic of his company's latest release. Continuing the long-running battle between Green and Tan, this latest release features "a true isometric engine with beautiful backgrounds and models", and a "completely new and very sophisticated" AI system. "Every enemy has his own set of instructions and they're much tougher than in earlier games in the series." Indeed, Operation Green seems to have more in common with Commandos II than previous Army Man incarnations. Your Tanned enemies won't know what hit 'em, and if you fancy yourself as a plasticized Solid Snake, "it's possible to sneak up and despatch them silently." "You have seven basic weapon types including bazooka and flame-thrower. The Tan have really fortified their defences - so you'll see watchtowers and machine gun bunkers, heavy artillery, mini-thermo-nuclear devices, troops piling out of helicopters and trucks, fanatical troops that will run at you and blow bombs up. All this whilst dodging mines and barbed wire fences. The green army will drop supplies and ammunition for you - you're certainly going to need it." When asked about the emergence of decent Army Men software on the GameBoy, Illes admitted that Pocket Studios don't mind sticking to tradition "if it means getting good scores", but that he is confident of Operation Green's success. "There are lots of different mission types to keep the player interested. It's not just shooting everything in sight - the player has to rescue hostages, find secrets and deliver supplies. "The individual levels are huge and we would be very surprised if a player found everything on a level on the first few goes. There's plenty to explore and there are plenty of secrets to be found. We hope there's enough to keep the player coming back for more." Operation Green has been in development since April 2001, and was released in the US just before Christmas. It's currently scheduled for release in the UK in early 2002. Related Feature - Army Men : Operation Green screenshots

Nintendo has slashed the cost of its GameBoy Advance handheld by a third in Europe. The company today announced a global price drop for the system, effective February 1st, 2002. After more than six months at €150 (£90), the console begins a new life at €99 (£60), also dropping to 8800 yen (€75 / £45) in Japan and $79.95 (€92 / £55) in the States. As part of the webcast that announced the GameCube's impending arrival in Europe, Nintendo of Europe MD David Gosen told viewers that the GBA has been a huge success worldwide, and at this new price that success is set to continue. The webcast also listed a new portfolio of games for 2002, including the just-released Advance Wars and the highly anticipated trio of Golden Sun, Super Mario Advance 2 (now subtitled Super Mario World for simplicity) and Diddy Kong Pilot. Other software releases include Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 from Activision, Sonic Advance from Infogrames, Colin MacRae Rally 2.0 from Ubi Soft and the continuously-resold-but-ultimately-laughable Star Wars : Jedi Power Battles from THQ. Nintendo promises over 50 titles published by third parties in 2002, and at its new price point, we can obviously expect even more in the long run. Related Feature - The War Room

Nintendo's worldwide webcast this morning confirmed the European release date of May 3rd for the company's GameCube videogame console, and as rumoured the machine will cost a paltry €249, or £150 in the UK. It's the cheapest console launch ever, with the exception of the GameBoy line, and analysts have even suggested that Nintendo is actually breaking even on each unit at this extraordinarily low price, although consumers may have to wait until 2003 for a price-drop.

Hungarian developers Philos (the brains behind Aztec strategy game Theocracy and the forthcoming Imperium Galactica 3) have announced their latest project is .. a paparazzi simulator. Yes, you too can now stalk the streets as an unscrupulous tabloid photographer in search of compromising pictures of celebrities accepting bribes, sunbathing topless, offering money to prostitutes and snorting cocaine. The game will be played out from an overhead view as you sneak up on your target, before switching to a first person perspective looking through the telephoto lens of your camera as you snap off the requisite shots. The more spectacular your photographs, the more copies the magazine that runs them will sell and the higher your fees will become, allowing you to buy better equipment and juicier tips from your informants. Along the way though you will have to avoid alarms, fences, dogs, and bodyguards who won't think twice before smashing up your equipment and exposing your film. Rumours that the end of game boss is a diminutive kung fu kicking Icelandic pop star have yet to be confirmed. It's certainly an .. um .. interesting concept, but the early screenshots we have seen so far actually look quietly impressive. Whether the gameplay can match the graphics remains to be seen, but we'll certainly give them ten out of ten for creativity. Related Feature - Imperium Galactica 3 interview

Rally Trophy takes us back to a time when racing upturned skips with wheels was an entirely acceptable notion, and lets us put mechanical beasts of the 60's and 70's to the test in one of the most impressive rally games to grace our screens in recent times. It's a true car enthusiast's game, with eleven classics such as the Mini Cooper, Ford Escort and Cortina faithfully and intricately re-created. Seven cars remain locked away along with most of tracks when you first start the game up, meaning you must prove your worth in the championship if you're to fully appreciate the scope of the game. Jumping straight into a race is simple enough, as the menu system remains uncluttered and curiously low on customisation options, certainly not going to the lengths of Colin McRae Rally 2.0, for example. The handling in Rally Trophy is definitely an acquired skill, and actually succeeding requires a massive amount of skill and patience in most cases, even when the game is on the Novice skill setting. As you hurtle forwards and come towards your first corner in the game, you'll soon realise just how tricky these old timers are to manage on the road. The drivers you come up against seem to be in possession of unnatural talent, and as the cars have realistically rudimentary handling it can all take some getting used to in order to get anywhere close to a winning time. Coming directly up against the other drivers in the arcade mode offers a better chance of success, and is more immediately satisfying than the mammoth task of tackling the championship.

The space combat genre is traditionally a rather stagnant one, with the likes of Starlancer and Freespace offering remarkably little progress over the venerable Wing Commander series apart from bigger explosions, flashier weapons effects and higher resolution backdrops. Now Russian developer Revolt Games is trying to break out of the space sim straitjacket with a novel sounding new game called HomePlanet.

Italian developers Naps Team are working on a GameBoy Advance follow-up to their critically acclaimed PSOne action-adventure game Gekido. Harking back to the classic beat 'em ups of yore, the game is reverting to a 2D side-scrolling view of the world and will include an enhanced dose of adventure game elements as well as plenty of hyperkinetic action. Gekido Advance (aka Gekido : Kintaro's Revenge) is set a year after the PSOne game's finale, with evil omens apparently foretelling the return of an evil presence. Now you must guide Tetsuo, adopted son of Shinken master Ushi, as he seeks the source of this evil in an isolated farming village, indulging in frequent over-the-top bouts of fisticuffs along the way. Naps are describing it as "the first real fighting adventure game", and judging from the screenshots we've seen so far it should be worth keeping an eye on. Related Feature - Gekido screenshots

IGN is reporting that Nintendo will make a handful of modifications to the GameCube hardware before its release in Europe. In a move that can hardly fail to surprise, Nintendo will be offering full-screen 50Hz PAL and even 60Hz NTSC support. Another potential addition is an RGB SCART connector. Says IGN, "Since progressive scan TVs are pretty much non-existent in Europe, you'll be able to activate the 60 Hz mode by holding down the B-button during boot-up, which is normally reserved for 480p." IGN's sources claim that Rogue Leader is the first game to include a confirmed 60Hz mode. Someone pinch me. Related Feature - May 3rd, £150, GameCube

Nintendo's GameCube console will launch on May 3rd in Europe, backed by one million units, more than 20 software titles and at an industry-busting €249 (£150) price tag. As many expect the PlayStation 2 to drop to £150 at some point this year, this move creates an interesting rift between relatively the inexpensive GameCube and PlayStation 2, and the much more expensive Xbox. The PlayStation 2 stands to do well; it's DVD-playing capability becoming an important aspect of the package once again. Indeed, with £330 the cost of a DVD-playing Xbox, consumers may shy way from the more expensive Microsoft console, and it will make matters more difficult for the Redmond-based console debutant, especially in the home entertainment centre department, where its rumoured HomeStation device hopes to thrive. If Microsoft aims to make its mark this Christmas, it may have to take another financial blow and lower the Xbox price to £250 or less. Meanwhile, Microsoft has a better outlook in the States, where it still costs the same as a Sony PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's GameCube sells on its own merits £100 below. Planned price cuts may come into play later this year. Microsoft is also rumoured to be working on an Xbox revision, which would help cut costs in the long run. Thanks to Nintendo's unique position in the market place, its GameCube stands to make more money than either of its main rivals. Market share is almost a moot point. Not even the Xbox can hope to topple the PlayStation 2 without a price shift, though, and even then it's debatable whether or not it can catch up with Sony's black box. The question of the Internet remains. PlayStation 2 will feature Internet (broadband and narrowband) capability soon enough, with network connectivity to boot. This puts it in the same position as the Xbox, but if Microsoft stand firm on the issue of keyboards, mice and actual web access, it will take over in the functionality department. E-mail and internet access are no enemies of Sony - Microsoft wants to avoid being categorized as a cheap-PC-in-a-box. Nintendo continues to do its own thing, and whether it makes sense or not, it still makes us go all giggly. Whether we'll need Xboxes to sit amongst our PlayStations and GameCubes later this year, Microsoft has yet to show us. Related Feature - May 3rd, £150, GameCube

David Gosen of Nintendo will host a live webcast on Monday morning where he will announce a release date of May 3rd for his company's GameCube console. To lessen the blow, he will follow that up with the surprise announcement of a €249 pricetag. £150. The GameCube will retail for £50 less than the PlayStation 2 and half the price of Microsoft's Xbox at £300. One million units will be available at launch, and more than 20 software titles will be available from launch day, although games like Super Smash Brothers Melee and Pikmin will be held off a while. As for shortages, Nintendo will have one million units across Europe. The rumour and hearsay is now allegedly over, C&VG reports this evening. Earlier today the website received "rock solid" confirmation of the details above. So far we have confirmed everything except the Euro-to-Sterling conversion quoted by C&VG. We will have to wait and see whether or not the £150 price tag sticks. Related Feature - Another GameCube launch rumour

Eastern Europe has become a hotbed of cutting edge game development over the last decade, with recent hits such as Operation Flashpoint, Cossacks and Serious Sam coming from what used to be the other side of the Iron Curtain. But by comparison things are a bit quiet in Poland at the moment, with only a handful of studios (such as Earth 2150 developers Reality Pump) getting any attention overseas... "It's hard to say whether being based in Poland is an advantage or disadvantage", we were told by Krzysztof Marcinkiewicz, PR manager of Wrocaw-based Techland. "It's true that financial support for game development isn't very high in our country, but there's no reason to consider Polish companies as less significant business partners, [although] many publishers from Western Europe and the USA still perceive our market in this way."

Deep underground in a secret government research laboratory, Paul Anderson's vision of Resident Evil is ready. Starring popular evening dress-bound Milla Jovovich as Alice and The Fast and The Furious star Michelle Rodriguez as Rain, the film concerns the release of a deadly virus which could wipe out the human race.

In one of the more bizarre examples of university research we've come across, the Social Science Research Network has published an in-depth paper studying massively multiplayer games and, in particular, the economy of Norrath. The findings are certainly thought provoking, with the study concluding that Everquest's Platinum Piece is worth about one cent on average, somewhat more than the Japanese Yen. The bad news is that the economy is in a state of collapse, with 29% deflation in the last year and the currency devaluing faster than the Argentine Peso. Given the lack of taxes and interest rates in Norrath and an infinite supply of indestructible items, this is perhaps not surprising. Even more eye-opening though is the estimate of Norrath's Gross National Product as a staggering $135m a year, or more than $2,000 per capita (about on a par with Russia). Meanwhile a survey of players' characters revealed that their levelling and looting was earning them about $3.42 an hour on average. Playing full time would therefore earn you an annual "wage" of around $12,000. Of course, all of this is largely theoretical, as the vast majority of players don't auction off their avatars, cash and equipment, but it does make you wonder if Swedish developers Mind Ark (who are currently working on Project Entropia, a massively multiplayer game with a full economy, including the ability to exchange in-game and real world cash) might not be on to something after all... Related Feature - Project Entropia interview

Eidos Interactive has announced the establishment of Fresh Games, a company to take responsibility for "unlikely and unusual" localization projects from Japan. The Fresh line-up will begin with Mr. Mosquito, Mad Maestro and Legaia 2 : Duel Saga (the sequel to Sony's RPG Legend of Legaia), all of which are due for American release in Spring 2002. We tried to get hold of an Eidos representative this morning, but none was available to comment on the European situation. "Fresh Games is considered a boutique label, created solely to expose gamers to unique and captivating gameplay experiences that traditionally have been unavailable outside of Japan," says Eidos CEO Mike McGarvey. We're sceptical - we did just report on the eventual arrival of a Japanese RPG in Europe… after eight years - but Fresh Games seems to want to "change people's perceptions of what constitutes a great game." This move will improve Eidos' PlayStation 2 catalogue, and may even result in some decent, non-standard PS2 releases for us to enjoy. Whether the games will be full retail or reduced has yet to be commented upon, but our instinct is full retail.

Sony is readying the PlayStation 2 for its South Korean launch on February 22nd. The date, coincidentally shared with the Japanese launch of Microsoft's Xbox, will see Sony's black box make history as the first console officially released in the territory. The traditionally black market-led console market in Korea will benefit from the creation of Sony Computer Entertainment Korea (SCEK), and their continuous support. PlayStation 2 will launch at a cost of 358,000 won (£189 / €310), compared to £199 (€323) in the UK and the equivalent of £205 (€333) in the USA. with fourteen launch titles including Metal Gear Solid 2 : Sons of Liberty and Onimusha. For reference, Metal Gear Solid 2 has yet to be released in Europe, so it's clear that Sony is going after Korea with a Japanese-level imperative. They have already spent over two trillion won establishing SCEK.

Interplay's disintegration continues today with the announcement that they have reached an agreement with Bioware over the lawsuits which the Canadian developer had filed against them as part of a long-running dispute over distribution of their Baldur's Gate games. Not only did the old guard at Interplay allegedly sign away US distribution rights to Vivendi without Bioware's consent, but new owners Titus and their Virgin subsidiary were accused of owing Bioware money from European sales of the game. Now the whole mess has been sorted out, with Interplay president Herve Caen trying to put a brave face on things by declaring himself to be "very pleased with the outcome of this situation". As a result of the deal Neverwinter Nights will now be published by Infogrames, as we first predicted last November when Bioware terminated their contract with Interplay. The press release also mentions that "other matters have been resolved to both parties' mutual satisfaction", which presumably means that Interplay / Titus have handed over a large suitcase full of used $10 bills to Bioware at a quiet crossing point on the Canadian border. Neither of these moves is exactly positive for the ailing publisher, whose CEO and founder Brian Fargo quit yesterday. Despite this, Herve Caen is said to be "looking forward to a successful and mutually beneficial relationship with Infogrames and Bioware on this and other titles". For their part Bioware seem understandably relieved to get the whole mess behind them. "We're delighted that we have reached an amicable settlement agreement in our dispute with Interplay", Bioware CEO Ray Muzyka told the press. "We look forward to completing the development work on Neverwinter Nights and having Infogrames publish this product." As yet there's no word from Infogrames on all this, but the last we heard Bioware were still determined to get the game out this spring. After all the drama and setbacks the title has already faced, we'll believe it when we see it... Related Feature - Bioware ditches Interplay

When we first encountered the Toyota Pod it was part of Polyphony Digital's peculiar-looking Gran Turismo Concept. Few details were released on the Pod's design and capabilities, leaving us to find whatever detail we could in screenshots. Thumbing through a back issue of Future's T3 magazine, however, reveals an instalment of 'technofile' dedicated exclusively to the strangely-shaped contraption. One glance and we knew you would want to know more. After all, who wouldn't want to hear about a futuristic space car with rotating pod seats and rudimentary emotions. Although we fear a lot of the Pod's individuality may be lost in the translation to the small screen, may it be immortalized forever on these fine pages. Toyota's Pod has a uniquely-shaped front end, which includes all the features of a face. Headlamps and wing mirrors form the car's eyes and ears, and the U-shaped groove on the front represents the mouth. Rear-mounted antennae acts like a waggly tail. The car's abilities stretch to the chameleonic. Changing colour playfully as you approach, you may enter an orange Pod. By sensing your pulse rate and the amount of sweat you're producing, the Pod adjusts its colour to warn outsiders of your mood. A red Pod should be avoided, but a blue one may need comforting. Pod is in tune with its own receptors too. The Pod sheds tears from its headlamps and turns blue if it gets a puncture, and other damage may evoke a different response. The Pod will stop short of running you down itself, but it will take an active role in calming you down in case of annoyance. Brake angrily or accelerate madly and the Pod will play soothing music from the dash and display a warning message. It will also douse you with cooling air. The Pod's name is taken from its seating interior. Each of the car's four passengers have a swivelling 'Pod' chair, complete with the ability to face the other four, and built in head speakers and subwoofer for the seat of your pants. Every seat comes with its own LCD screen enabling you to select from music, movies and other entertainment. As for the car's roadworthiness, all we know is that you control it with a joystick. Related Feature - Gran Turismo Concept 2001 Tokyo preview

Sony really doesn't like The Third Place. As if any more evidence were necessary, yesterday's news of the Europe-bound Final Fantasy Anthology was slightly inaccurate. It was previously thought that the FF Anthology package would survive the Atlantic crossing intact, but this morning this preview on PlayStation.com was brought to our attention. It puts a completely different spin on yesterday's announcement… According to Sony's official website, Final Fantasy VI is finally destined for the PlayStation, and included in the package will be a PS2-only demonstration version of Final Fantasy X. Its partner in crime, the even-more-elusive Final Fantasy V, however, is nowhere to be found. European gamers have been waiting eight years for Final Fantasy VI, and now we may never see its predecessor, or any of its predecessors. Far from a launching point for a collection of reasonably-priced Super NES conversions for hardcore RPG-heads, this is simply a vehicle for the promotion of Final Fantasy X on the PlayStation 2, a game that Sony will be holding back until the Summer. Sony should be doing more to win our hearts back in light of the horrific public image blows it's presently taking. Several of the biggest PS2 releases of the American festive period are still waiting in some warehouse - pointlessly waiting - for an opportunity to spread their wings in Europe. Metal Gear Solid 2 : Sons of Liberty has been delayed until March. Final Fantasy X until Summer. And as for ICO, all we know is Q1. Are you prepared to go to the trouble of importing them? Then you're breaking the law. Far from alienating its hardcore fans, Sony would rather imprison them. For the rest of us, it's another few weeks to wait. Final Fantasy VI is due to arrive in February. Related Feature - Final Fantasy X preview

British publisher Bam! has announced a licensing deal with Aardman, Oscar winning creators of the classic Wallace and Gromit series of short films and more recently the Mel Gibson claymation movie Chicken Run. The deal gives Bam access to the likes of The Wrong Trousers and Creature Comforts, and a multi-platform Wallace and Gromit game is already under construction for unspecified console systems, with a 2003 release on the cards. Beyond that there is the possibility of Nick Park creating fresh new characters for future titles. "We strongly believe that Aardman's intimate knowledge of its characters and its superior storytelling skills, combined with our proven development and marketing expertise, will result in a range of excellent video games", Bam's Anthony Williams opined. "Not only will these games allow fans to interact with their favourite characters, but it will introduce a whole new audience to the adventures of Wallace and Gromit."

According to one of our spies at Sony, the console giant's controversial court case against the makers of the Messiah mod chip is at an end. Channel Technology's Messiah was given a right royal roasting by Judge Jacob Dean yesterday, before he went on to make some interesting (and potentially devastating) comments. The Judge commented that under the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988 the upgrade was not 'specifically' designed to circumvent the console's copy-protection mechanism, but also dealt with defeating the region control aspect of the same protection, and thus allowed arguably legal functions such as the use of imported games. After a gargantuan effort however, Sony's representing barrister Adrian Speck fought the flow and eventually forced the following ruling. According to Judge Jacob, the Messiah defeated the copy-protection mechanism, and this part of the design specifically (his emphasis) dealt with the use of backup material as a function. Acknowledging that indeed it may be useful to have a backup as permitted under the aforementioned Act, and there could possibly be cases of 'where necessary', the Judge pointed out that the practice of 'swapping' backup disks between people would be uncontrollable, and would do enormous damage to Sony, depriving them of £25-45 on average. Piracy therefore becomes the main factor for consideration above all other, and on this basis alone the Judge awarded Sony the Summary Judgement. Further comments stated that Sony licensed games for the territory that they were issued in, and the licensing did not allow for exportation and sales in foreign countries. Therefore whether intended for private domestic use or not, they were not allowed by Sony to be played outside of the licensed territory. This is important, the Judge stated, because the technical reason for that decision is based upon the fact that a game run without permission makes a copy of copyright material in memory, and this copy is 'infringing' because it is an unauthorized copy. This statement is both shocking and controversial, because it effectively says that purchasing games abroad or importing them is illegal. The region-dodging Messiah chip also allowed for multiregion DVD playback, and this ruling could have implications for the DVD market. The Sony Vs. Channel Technology case could be even more damning in the future, because it sets a worrying precedent. The other defendant in the case was Neo Technologies (first and second), but they submitted to Summary Judgement and as such they were not an issue to be dealt with by the court. The outcome of the Summary Judgement against Channel Technology was an order of various limitations of which an affidavit must be made, and also Sony's legal costs (£45,000 after discount) and damages (£15,000 on the basis of supplied upgrades). We find the latter ruling somewhat harsh, because as far as we know Channel never actually sold any, although Neo patently did. This judgement does mean that in future companies will have to think more carefully about whether or not to make modifications to equipment that plays licensed regional and copy-protected material in digital form and produces a copy in memory. The repercussions on the mod chip industry will certainly be interesting to watch, but the ruling does mean that in future, we may have even more trouble getting hold of region-free consoles. Bah. Related Feature - Messiah to the rescue

At first sight Shadow of Zorro looks like a promising swashbuckling action-adventure game, putting you in control of the legendary masked swordsman as you sneak, slice and skewer your way through 1820's California. The game begins with the arrival of a new police chief, who Zorro's father quickly recognises as a Spanish collaborator who helped Napoleon's armies a decade earlier and took part in a notorious massacre. Before long Capitan Montero is up to his old tricks again, and it's up to you to uncover his evildoing. A competent, if slightly long-winded, tutorial introduces you to the game's simple controls using what amounts to an underground assault course. Movement is achieved using the left analogue pad, while the camera angle can (theoretically) be adjusted with the right pad. With a couple of button presses Zorro can clamber over obstacles, leap across gaps, edge his way along precarious ledges, lurk in the shadows and swing from chandeliers. Probably. I never got that far, because the tutorial appears to be broken towards the end, with a seemingly impassable barrier that I can't get over, round or through. Once you get into the game itself things soon take a turn for the worse. Probably the biggest problem is your view of the world, which varies between Resident Evil style dramatic camera angles and a Tomb Raiderish third person chase cam. Sometimes you can't even see Zorro because he's far off in the distance or hidden round a corner, and in one particularly bad case (which I can only put down to shoddy level design) he vanished behind a large building and the camera failed to switch perspectives at all. In another spot the camera had a tendency to try and show you the action through the ceiling of the room below. This makes your average horror survival tripe look like a masterpiece of game design by comparison...

With such a resourceful competitor as Microsoft, Nintendo must be finding it hard to keep schtum on the subject of the GameCube launch. Generally when panicked by a handlebarred stag, companies leap to and kick the wraps off their retail schedule, but not the Big N. According to a number of rumours, Milia is no longer the launching point of the GameCube in Europe. Nor will the Nuremburg Toy Fair on the 30th of January be. MCV reported last week that April 5 is the retail target, whilst other sources point to May 3rd. Let's not forget however that these rumours often have little basis in fact. Still doing the rounds are rumours of a November date, for instance. If Nintendo is aiming for April 5th, we can only surmise that this must be the earliest possible launch date. There is little reason to delay the already much-delayed console with increasingly ferocious Microsoft and Sony advertising campaigns threatening to engulf any GameCube promotion like napalm. Strong word has it that Nintendo will announce the GameCube's European release date on Monday. Update - Nintendo will make an announcement concerning the GameCube's European release date in a webcast at 9AM GMT on Monday the 28th of January, a company spokesperson has told EuroGamer. The webcast will be made available from NintendoGameCube-Europe.com. That website will go live on Friday the 25th January from 8AM GMT. To view the webcast, you will need Windows Media or Real Player, or Quicktime if you prefer. Related Feature - Nintendo President retires

Squaresoft has announced that the European release of Final Fantasy X will be delayed until Summer 2002 due to the extraordinary task of localising the game for non-English language versions. Although obviously an English language version of the game exists - and very nice it is too - us Brits won't be treated to it in lieu of the extensive localisation period. Bah. However, Spong.com is reporting that a demo of Final Fantasy X will accompany the Springtime release of the Final Fantasy Anthology in Europe. Don't get your hopes too high though, Final Fantasy Anthology isn't a complete collection of existing FF games; it's the combination of Final Fantasy V and VI, two of the best pre-PlayStation Fantasies in the series. Remade and mastered for PSone owners in the States and Japan, the games will be available in the UK shortly as a two-piece bundle. Whether a soundtrack CD will be included as per the American release, we cannot say. Either way, fans of Final Fantasy will have something to look forward to shortly. Our only wish beyond Anthology is for Final Fantasy Chronicles to be released. Chronicles consists of Final Fantasy IV as well as the remastered version of Chrono Trigger, neither of which were released in Europe. Whatever Square's plans, Anthology should do extremely well on its release. Expect to see a myriad gushing reviews streaking through the specialist press. Old-school Final Fantasy is irresistible. Related Feature - Final Fantasy X preview

Unfortunately for you, I have been instructed to stop opining on the subject of the European Xbox advertising campaign. This means no more handlebarred stag jokes, and even fewer pube-covered bars of soap. And no green squiggles. That said, I am permitted to report on "Mice Day", a new Xbox game from Mediaquest and Microsoft previewed by select journalists in Tokyo recently. Along with several speeches from company representatives, the press was treated to footage and a television advertisement for Mice Day. The advert apparently concerns a group of martial artists on the beach. According to Core Magazine's photo diary of the event, there were cute Japanese singers, bustling executives and even more. As far as we can make out, it's a Commandos 2-style strategy / action game set in a house with four mice to control. The challenge is to get hold of some cheese. Although completely unhinged to the popular Western rodent, Stuart Little fans might like the look of this.

Ever wondered what the product of a 500-million-dollar advertising campaign would look like? Microsoft has the answer! The slogan for its new Xbox advertisements is simply "play more", dreamt up by Harvey Eagle and those working under Europe's Xbox's advertising manager. Four one-page adverts have been produced and can be found at C&VG online. In a short interview with Harvey Eagle, C&VG do pose the question, are you not just trying to out-weird The Third Place, Mr. Eagle? Far from it, he responded. Images of an ocean ray with what look like footholds, a hairy bar of soap, a stag with handlebars and a glass of false teeth with a straw and lemon are entirely symbolic. They embody the experience of using Xbox. The adverts may aim to shock and appal, but the minimalist playmore.com website (shouldn't that be playmore.eu.com or something?) is even more of an enigma. The cryptic front page offers little explanation, although it does describe the site as "the online experience for Xbox". "Create your own artificial life form, release it into the pool and play," the site continues. Once created, my little slithery Mugwum line appeared, floating in a Flash animation. After a second or two I realised his direction corresponded to that of my cursor, and that I could make him do silly movements all over the screen. Amongst the various other creatures in the pool were some very big ones. Hovering over one, I discovered that it was named "Office Olympics". Office Olympics is a little minigame where you have to hit the left or right cursor key to stamp pieces of paper with "playmore.com". Based on your proficiency with the stamper, the game gives you a rating. I was a "Loser". It's extremely weird to say the least! And green. There are also some green-squiggle-wallpapers to be found, as well as a screensaver. Like Nintendo, Microsoft has built its advertising campaign on an idea. Instead of "Gaming 24:7" though, Eagle says they "want to champion play". With green squiggles and deformed animals, no less. All I can say is, is this why we're paying two-hundred-and-ninety-nine-&*$%ing quid? Related Feature - Europe foots the bill for Microsoft