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Wednesday, October 10, 2007
SimCity Societies Screenshots & Trailer
- 0 Comments
Some may take issue with the following:

Electronic Arts and BP have collaborated to include climate change education within SimCity Societies, the next iteration in the genre-defining city-building franchise that has sold more than 18 million games to date. The collaboration brings together world-class game building skills and industry expertise on energy, electricity production and greenhouse gas emissions to highlight the impact of electricity generation on the emissions of carbon dioxide that are linked to climate change. The low-carbon electricity choices and monitoring of SimCity’s carbon emissions provide an entertaining, fully-integrated and accurate look at some of the causes and some of the major solutions available to combat rising levels of carbon and to help address the threat of global warming. SimCity Societies will be available at retailers across North America and Europe November 15.

"Since their inception in 1989, SimCity games have served as excellent creative and educational tools to convey complex subjects. With SimCity Societies, we have the opportunity not only to demonstrate some of the causes and effects of global warming, but also to educate players how seemingly small choices can have a big global impact," said Steve Seabolt, Vice President of Global Brand Development for The Sims Label at EA. "BP was one of the first major energy companies to publicly acknowledge the need to reduce carbon emissions and begin taking precautionary measures. As such, they are the perfect partner to help educate people on this important social issue in SimCity Societies."

The game does not force players to power their cities any specific way, but allows them to make choices, each of which come with advantages and disadvantages. Similar to real-life, the least expensive and most readily-available buildings in SimCity Societies are also the biggest producers of carbon dioxide, an invisible gas that contributes to global warming. Should players choose to build cities dependent on these types of sources for power to conserve their in-game money, their carbon ratings will rise and, at reaching critical levels, the game will issue alerts about the threat of the various natural disasters like droughts, heat waves and others that may strike their cities.

Alternatively, players can strive to create a greener environment and avoid hazards caused by excessive carbon emissions by choosing from a variety of BP Alternative Energy low-carbon power options. Using hydrogen and natural gas plants to wind farms and solar power, SimCity Societies encourages people to learn about some of the causes and consequences of global warming in an engaging, educational and meaningful way. While these power sources maintain nearby property values and keep the cities’ citizens safer from disaster, they also mimic real-life in that they cost players more of their funds, and do not produce as much power as less green options that take up similar space. Informative real-world snippets about power production and conservation will also be available in-game, informing players of global warming issues both virtually and in reality.

"The time was right for this partnership. EA was developing the next iteration of the SimCity series at the same time that we were looking for opportunities to raise awareness about low-carbon power choices," said Carol Battershell, Vice President, BP Alternative Energy. "EA has a powerful reach to the next generation and BP has a suite of low-carbon power alternatives. In our collaboration through this innovative game, we can provide education on the issues surrounding climate change, its association with carbon emissions and the ability to take early positive action through low-carbon power choices."

The SimCity franchise is one of the most popular PC gaming franchises in history, having sold more than 18 million games worldwide to date since the SimCity launch in 1989. Subsequent base game releases include SimCity 2000 (1993), SimCity 3000 (1999) and SimCity 4 (2003). SimCity Societies is being published by Electronic Arts and developed by Tilted Mill Entertainment.


Conflict: Denied Ops Screenshots & Trailer
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In-House: Portal Gameplay Movie
- 3 Comments
The one and only Portal trailer is fab, but it doesn't really show how the game plays:

Merged Crysis 'Very High To Low' Comparison Screenshot
- 1 Comment
Here are the Crysis detail level comparison screenshots merged into one easy to view image:


From top to bottom: DX10 Very High, DX9 High, DX9 Medium, DX9 Low.

Rock Band Trailer
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A look at the various performance locations:

Final Oblivion DLC Available Monday, For Free
- 0 Comments
Bethesda's Pete Hines let us know that they'll be releasing the final ever piece of Oblivion downloadable content on Monday:

Defeat the attacking marauders and become lord of Battlehorn Castle. Located in the Colovian Highlands west of Chorrol, this expansive castle will allow you to live the life of a noble warrior, with private quarters, grand dining hall, wine cellar, barracks, training room and more. And what castle would be complete without a few hidden passages and dark secrets?

First, I wanted to let you know that we are finally releasing the last piece of downloadable content we created for Oblivion. We had mentioned it a long, long time ago but we hadn’t released it, until now. Starting Monday, October 15 it will be available to download via Xbox Live (for Xbox 360) and elderscrolls.com (for PC). And, for one week, it will be free to anybody who wants to download it and play it. So mark it on your calendars and don’t forget.

Fighter’s Stronghold provides the last of four themed domiciles (along with Vile Lair, Thieves Den, and Wizard’s Tower) for the adventurer on-the-go. You inherit the rights to Battlehorn Castle, located on a lovely stretch of the Colovian Highlands, west of Chorrol. Dining Hall, barracks, wine cellar, training room, and your own private Shrine of Julianos. Update your castle furnishings, perhaps even a Dwemer Forge for the aspiring Armorer? Hire a taxidermist to tastfully decorate your new abode with trophies from your adventuring.


There's also an update on PS3 Shivering Isles, here.

Viva Piñata: Party Animals Screenshots
- 0 Comments
Mario Party, with Piñatas:


Mass Effect Screenshots
- 2 Comments
The aliens of Mass Effect:


Legendary: The Box Screenshots
- 2 Comments
New shots from the 'cock:


More Legendary assets here.

Flight Sim X: Acceleration DX10 Screenshots
- 1 Comment
A whole load of DX10 screenshots from the soon-to-be-released Flight Sim X expansion pack:


Call of Duty 4 Demo Screenshots
- 1 Comment
Three screenshots from tomorrow's hottest demo *hint*


Unreal Tournament 3 Randomness
- 6 Comments
While we write our visit reports, here's a little randomness to keep you entertained:
  • Planet Unreal posted a bunch of photos. Here's one of me in case you're curious (dude in the middle with black shirt, blue jeans and glasses, in between JCAL and Nick)
  • More photos from Destructiod
  • UT3 details at Beyond Unreal. Includes mini-previews of the maps included in the demo.
  • UT 3 impressions at Firing Squad
Battlefield 3 Leaked
- 13 Comments
Thanks to Lunkens for the poop that Digital Battle has a little Battlefield 3 scoop:
A tipster sent us PDF document which looked like an outline of features for Battlefield 3. The three page document is apparently prepared for investors which should get it by December of this year. It details basic features of BF3, and are as listed:
  • Two playable factions, NATO and MEC (Middle Eastern Coalition)
  • Will ship with 8 maps, each supporting up to 40-players per team
  • Set in year modern day
  • Possible public beta in “Summer 2008″
  • Release in late 2008
When asked if this was real, EA replied: "No comment".
Call of Duty 4 Demo Requirements
- 8 Comments
Activision has sent out the minimum and recommended system requirements for the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare PC demo due out tomorrow.
Recommended Specs

CPU: 2.4 GHz dual core or better is recommended
RAM: 1GB for XP; 2GB for Vista is recommended
Harddrive: 8GB of free hard drive space
Video card: 3.0 Shader Support recommended. Nvidia Geforce 7800 or better or ATI Radeon X1800 or better

Required (min) Specs

CPU: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 2.4 GHz or AMD(R) Athlon(TM) 64 2800+ processor or any 1.8Ghz Dual Core Processor or better supported
RAM: 512MB RAM (768MB for Windows Vista)
Harddrive: 8GB of free hard drive space
Video card (generic): NVIDIA(R) Geforce(TM) 6600 or better or ATI(R) Radeon(R) 9800Pro or better

Stay tuned to VE3D for further details on the demo!
Timeshift Demo Tomorrow
- 5 Comments
Thanks to Rob (not me!) who noticed that there's a countdown timer on NVIDIA's NZONE site that suggests that a demo for Timeshift is coming out in 1 day, 10 hours and 29 seconds from the time of this post.
In-House Episode 2 & Portal Screenshots
- 20 Comments
Now that Portal and Episode 2 have been completed here are the promised spoiler-free'ish screenshots (if you've watched any of the trailers or looked at past screenshots you should be OK):

Half-Life 2: Episode 2

Portal
HL2's Alyx Vance Tramp Stamped?
- 22 Comments
I'm thinking Alyx might've gotten a little wild in-between Half-Life 2 Episode 1 & 2, as she now looks to be sporting a tramp stamp on her backside. Oh, and here are a few other early Episode 2 screenshots:


Unreal Engine 4 in Development
- 22 Comments
In Tim Sweeney's rather unassuming office, there's a table with a giant pad of graph paper etched with numbers and arcane scribbling. Some assumed it to be the formula for cold fusion. Others imagined it might be ways to alter the time/space continuum. Later, it was revealed to be code for the Unreal Engine 4...


Unreal Tournament 3 Demo on Friday (or so)
- 30 Comments
I just got back from Epic moments ago and thought I'd share this little morsel with you. It looks like the Unreal Tournament 3 demo will be released this Friday. They were putting the finishing touches on it last night; didn't want to release it the same day as the Call of Duty 4 demo (Thursday), so Friday appears to be the big day for the UT3 demo. Stay tuned for the full hands-on preview after I type it up (cough).

ETA for the PS3 demo? Never!

U.S. Soldiers Finish The Fight
- 15 Comments
Halo 3 being used to link families from across the world:

U.S. soldiers might soon be trading their M16s for plasma ray guns or virtual footballs, thanks to Microsoft. The tech company revealed Tuesday that it is in the process of equipping USO centers around the world with Xbox 360 consoles so that armed forces personnel can play games such as Halo 3 or Madden NFL 07 during time off.

The soldiers also will be able to chat with loved ones back home using headsets linked to the Xbox Live online service.

Some soldiers in Iraq already have gotten their hands on Halo 3, a first-person shooter game for the Xbox 360 in which players assume the persona of super warrior Master Chief. Microsoft and game developer Bungie Studios helped the armed forces set up stations in the country where soldiers can play the game online, according to blog reports.

We all like to hate on Halo, but this story is pretty cool.

Valve Opens The Orange Box
- 1 Comment
It's official:

Valve, a leading entertainment and technology studio, is pleased to announce the availability of The Orange Box for PC on Steam.

The Orange Box features three top-rated new games by Valve: Half-Life 2: Episode Two, the second installment in the Half-Life 2 episodic trilogy; Team Fortress 2, the sequel to the game that put class-based, multiplayer team warfare on the map; and Portal, the game that blends puzzles, first person action, and adventure gaming to produce an experience like no other.

To bring gamers up to date with the Half-Life 2 universe, The Orange Box also includes Half-Life 2, the best-selling and highest-rated action game series of all time, and the episodic debut Half-Life 2: Episode One-together, more than 30 hours of award-winning gameplay. Purchasers of the PC version of The Orange Box who already own Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One can conveniently "gift" them to a friend from within Steam.

The Orange Box is now shipping to retailers and will be available for a suggested retail price of $49.95 on the PC and $59.95 on the Xbox 360 console system. Contact your local stores for details.

The Orange Box Trailers
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Been in a coma for a year or so? Have no idea what The Orange Box is?! Let us enlighten you with this recap of all the Episode 2, Portal and Team Fortress 2 trailers released throughout the OB's protracted development:

The Orange Box

Half-Life 2: Episode 2

Portal

Team Fortress 2

The Orange Box Launches!
- 9 Comments
Presuming you've pre-loaded you can now begin playing Half-Life 2: Episode 2 and Portal! If you didn't pre-load you'll have to hike down to the local shop for a hard copy or begin a 4GB download now on the massively overloaded Steam servers. Sorry :(

See you on the other side!

Hardware & Tech Nuggets
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Game Reviews
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PC

  • Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts - Action Trip - 85/100
  • Half-Life 2: Episode 2 - IGN - 9.4/10
  • Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer - NWN Vault - 8.86/10
  • Portal - IGN - 8.2/10
  • SEGA Rally Revo - IGN - 8/10
  • Team Fortress 2 - IGN - 8.9/10
  • The Orange Box - IGN - 9.5/10

    DS

  • Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck - IGN - 6/10
  • Nancy Drew: The Deadly Secret of Olde World Park - IGN - 7/10

    Playstation 2

  • Spider-Man: Friend or Foe - GameSpot - 7/10

    PSP

  • NBA 08 - GameSpot - 6.5/10
  • Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron - GameSpot - 8/10
  • Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow - GameSpot - 8.5/10
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 2 - IGN - 6/10

    Wii

  • Dewy's Adventure - GameSpot - 6/10

    Xbox 360

  • FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage - GameSpot - 7.5/10
  • Halo 3 - Hooked Gamers - 9/10
  • Overlord - Xbox Exclusive - 7.5/10
  • SEGA Rally Revo - GameSpot - 7.5/10
    RPG Vault Goodness
    - 0 Comments
    Record of Lunia War Diary #4
    The leader of sound team at developer allm takes his turn to tell us about the process of creating the fast-paced game - Includes three exclusive images

    Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising Media #16
    Perpetual is populating its persistent state world with a variety of mythical creatures, including imposing Cyclopes - An exclusive screenshot

    In Other News...
    - 21 Comments
    Orange Box is live! I'm going to play Half-Life 2: Episode 2, then Portal and then probably post some natty screenshots from the pair. In fact, I'm so eager to play that I've pre-posted the morning update hours in advance. That's how much I like Half-Life.

    Matthew Pruitt, our second intern, started yesterday. Please take a moment to welcome him to the family, and then take two to call him a PC fanboy. Oh wait, that's a Lawfully Good trait round these parts - nevermind!

    Which are you playing first: Episode 2, Portal, or Team Fortress 2?

    Sponsored Links
    Tuesday, October 9, 2007
    IGN Reviews The Orange Box
    - 14 Comments
    The Orange Box overall score: 9.5/10. Individual scores? Not as great, but still very good.

    Half-Life 2: Episode 2

    Any way you look at it, Episode Two stands out, even among the Half-Life series, as something special. It may be shorter than the original, but it's a burly experience packed into roughly six hours or so that offers up all the diversity, level design, and thoughtful gameplay we've known while making sure to propel the story forward and leave us wanting more. We definitely think you should pick up Orange Box for Portal (or HL2 and Episode One if you haven't played them) but if you like the series, you need to play this one. This is the addition Half-Life 2 fans have been waiting for. Here's to hoping Valve can keep up the pace and give us Episode Three in the next couple of years.

    Score: 9.4/10

    Portal

    The idea behind Portal ends up being more brilliant than Portal itself. Regardless, we definitely had a lot of fun with what is there and appreciate the level of polish and thought that went into the presentation. We're definitely interested to see where Half-Life 2: Episode Three goes now that we've seen what the portal gun is capable of and how everything in Half-Life and this new character really fit together. We definitely recommend getting this with the Orange Box package rather than on its own.

    For 20 dollars, it may be a little pricey for what’s there, but we certainly won't tell anybody not to buy Portal. We recommend picking this one up with the full Orange Box because it’s hard to say no to another peek into this awesome universe and it does fit together with Episode Two.

    Score: 8.2/10

    Team Fortress 2

    Team Fortress 2 is finally available, and it's one hell of a game. With its powerful artistic style and blazingly quick, yet accessible gameplay, it's enough to melt the icy cynicism imprisoning the hearts of even the most jaded among us. That being said, it's not the most complex shooter out there, and lacks bot support for now. Still, the game's got enough to it to last for a long while, and a statistics system built into Steam to help keep track of everything. Buy it, load it up and let loose. It's near-impossible to be disappointed.

    Score: 8.9/10

    Crysis: Detail Levels Compared
    - 31 Comments
    Crytek has released the four following screenshots of a Crysis island, running at various detail levels.

    Low (DX9)

    Medium (DX9)

    High (DX9)

    Very High (DX10)

    Discover what hardware you'll need to run Crysis at the various levels here. Also note that the beta includes an Extreme option that is greyed out as no commercially available hardware can produce the settings at a satisfactory frame rate.

    TimeSplitters 4 Officially Revealed
    - 8 Comments
    Not much up on Free Radical's site right now, save for a teaser intro and this small blurb:

    It's back! Featuring even more crazy characters, devastating weapons and heart pounding hot sweaty action. It's funny, it's frantic and it'll do things you've never seen before! No, not naked girls, even better than that! We can't tell you the details yet, the monkeys have a loaded banana pressed against our skull, but this game will take the first person shooter to gaming nirvana. Save the world or die laughing, Timesplitters 4 is coming to getcha!

    Team Fortress 2: Meet The Demoman
    - 21 Comments
    Another stupendous character profile - all hail Valve!

    Name: Demoman
    Role: Defense
    Weapons: Grenade Launcher / Sticky Bombs / Bottle

    Bio: A fierce temper, a fascination with all things explosive, and a terrible plan to kill the Loch Ness Monster cost the six year old Demoman his original set of adoptive parents. Later, back at the Crypt Grammar School for Orphans near Ullapool in the Scottish Highlands, the boy’s bomb-making skills improved dramatically. His disposition and total number of intact eyeballs, however, did not.


    Nero is Fiddling: Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising DOA?
    - 2 Comments
    War Cry is saying that Perpetual Entertainment has been sold and the game they were working on is likely dead:

    Perpetual Entertainment has ceased operations. The company sold its game development platform and Star Trek Online to a major independent game developer, who will continue its operations in the same San Francisco studio under the same management. Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising does not appear to be part of the deal and thus appears to be canceled.

    Our source tells us that the majority of the Gods and Heroes development team has been let go as part of the move, which comes only a few weeks after they had downsized and pushed back the release date. The Star Trek Online team, those who worked on the Perpetual Platform (which was recently licensed to BioWare) and a small number of people from the Gods and Heroes team will be rehired into the reformed studio where development will continue on the two remaining projects.

    Update: The story has been amended to mention that Gods & Heroes has been "indefinitely delayed" and that Perpetual Entertainment will "continue on as described above" with their new investor overlords.

    Space Siege Screenshots
    - 6 Comments
    Space Siege! Space Siege! Aiieee...


    If you want to know more about Space Siege! hit up the newly launched official website.

    C&C; Command School, Patch Updates
    - 5 Comments
    The boys over at Electronic Arts are kicking off a new show called "Command & Conquer: Command School." This new show sounds pretty interesting. Here's a little blurb:
    Command & Conquer Command School is a new show which will provide in-depth tips and strategies from our C&C; dev team for the beginning, intermediate, and advanced C&C; 3 players. Each episode will have three parts, each catering to a specific skill level. The show will be hosted by Producer Greg Kasavin. I know many of you frequent the message boards, discuss balance strategies and so forth, but we feel this show will really help many beginner and advanced players learn more specific tactics, so spread the word if you can, much appreciated! I don’t suspect the “WCG type player” will gain much knowledge (you never know), but the other 99% of you I think will find it very entertaining and informative.
    For you Xbox 360 users, you'll be happy to know that the forthcoming patch is almost completed after its troublesome development phase. The v1.09 PC patch should be launching next week as well, which will improve gameplay and the Battlecast Viewer.

    Last, but certainly not least, EA is looking into getting CNCMovies.com back up and functioning after its legal troubles.

    Shiny and The Collective Merge Into One "Super Studio"
    - 9 Comments
    Two heads are better than one, right?

    Today Foundation 9, a house of many development studios, announced it will merge two of its teams, Shiny and The Collective, into one super studio. Both based in southern California, the combined teams will be able to create even bigger games, says Foundation 9. The studios have already relocated to a new office in Irvine, CA. A name for the new developer has not yet been announced.

    The Collective, formed in 1997, is currently working on Silent Hill 5 and Harker, and previously developed titles like Marc Ecko's Getting Up and Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb. Shiny has been around since 1993 and is probably best known for Earthworm Jim.

    F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate Screenshots
    - 9 Comments
    I jumped into the F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate demo to snap some shots and was pleasantly surprised to see that it auto-defaulted every single setting to max, apart from the resolution that is. You'd think that 1280x1024 would be included as it's the most dominant resolution with the sort of gamer who can afford a high end system, but no. Instead, I had to head to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\TimeGate Studios\FEARXP2-Demo\settings.cfg and manually set the resolution.

    That done, I started up the demo level:

    All in all it was an entertaining ten-minute sample of the second F.E.A.R. expansion pack, though I must say I've been there and done that many a time before, so hopefully the gameplay gets jigged around somewhat later in.

    PopCap Casual Games Coming to PS2 & Xbox 360
    - 2 Comments
    Get beguiled with Bejeweled, et al:

    PopCap Games, the leading developer and publisher of "casual" video games, today announced the upcoming retail launch of two new "greatest hits" compilations featuring many of the company's biggest-selling puzzle and "retro action" games. PopCap Arcade Volume 1, available for Xbox 360, features Bejeweled 2, AstroPop, Feeding Frenzy and Zuma and carries an SRP of US$29.95. PopCap Hits Volume 1, available for PlayStation 2, features Bejeweled 2 and AstroPop and carries an SRP of US$19.95. This marks the first time that PopCap games have been available for Xbox 360 at retail, and the first time that any of the company's games have been available for PlayStation 2.

    "We're very excited to be bringing some of our top million-selling casual games to consoles via retail shelves, and eager to see how consumers respond," said Glenn Drover, Director of Retail Sales at PopCap. "We've had tremendous success at retail with the PC versions of many of our games, and these new collections for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2 are priced even more aggressively, so they should be a hit with holiday shoppers."

    Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer Ships To Stores
    - 7 Comments
    By all accounts, Mask of the Betrayer is far superior to the base game:

    Atari, Inc. and Obsidian Entertainment today announced that the highly-anticipated expansion Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of The Betrayer has shipped to stores nationwide in North America. Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the expansion to the award-winning Neverwinter Nights 2 is set in the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Forgotten Realms universe created by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc.. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is under license from Hasbro. Rated "T" for Teen, Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer is available for Windows platform at a suggested retail price of $29.95.

    In Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer, players are transported back to the Forgotten Realms shortly after the events detailed in the original Neverwinter Nights 2. Following the climactic battle against the King of Shadows, the player awakens alone and stranded deep beneath the earth. Surrounded by a horde of evil spirits, the player embarks on an epic adventure that reveals his true destiny. In addition to more than 25 hours of new game play, Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer allows characters to advance to Epic levels (above level 20) and provides over 100 new spells and feats.

    "Atari's commitment to the Neverwinter Nights franchise and its enormous community is strong," said Larry Liberty, Senior Producer, Atari, Inc. "We're confident that Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer will deliver a truly satisfying role-playing experience that further engages fans."

    The Neverwinter Nights franchise has sold more than three million copies worldwide, is translated into 10 languages, sold in more than 40 countries and features one of the largest and most active fan communities in all of gaming. To date, fans of the franchise, which includes Neverwinter Nights, Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide, Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark and Neverwinter Nights 2 have created more than 5,000 modifications to the original game using the award-winning toolset included with the full game that allows players to create their own universes, quests and storylines.

    Crytek CEO on Crysis Specs
    - 15 Comments
    Crytek CEO, Cevat Yerli, recently talked with GameSpot regarding the just-released minimum and recommended PC specifications. Here's an excerpt:
    GS: What's more important to have for Crysis: A powerful CPU or a powerful video card?

    CY: Actually they should be in sync. Low CPU and high GPU makes little sense, since the game might then become CPU-bound; likewise, if you have a strong CPU and low GPU, your game may not render fast enough. So you should align the generations of hardware when building your PC, in general. If you have a CPU and GPU both from the last 12 months, though, and you want to upgrade one of the components, then it should be the GPU.
    The full interview is rather interesting if you're uncertain on whether or not your rig will run the game.
    Crysis Minimum & Recommended Computer Specs Officially Announced!
    - 52 Comments
    It's true! It's false! But this time they really are real, and official:

    Let the speculation come to an end! EA and Crytek are announcing today the minimum and recommended system specifications for the highly anticipated first person shooter Crysis.

    Featuring some of the most jaw dropping visuals in a game on any platform, Crysis will not only be pushing the boundaries of all of the latest technologies like DX10, Nvidia’s GeForce 8800 series GPUs and Intel’s Core 2 CPUs, but will also be playable on gaming rigs up to 2-3 years old from the game’s November 16, 2007 ship date.

    “Our vision for Crysis has always been to create the most stunning, immersive FPS experience ever, and we’ve been working hard not only to do that on the high end, but also in pushing current generation hardware so that everyone gets the maximum experience,” said Cevat Yerli, CEO of Crytek. “And while these specs affect how Crysis will perform now, we have also optimized Crysis so that the game scales forward 1-2 years --we want to make sure that Crysis’ gameplay, visuals and performance improves as technology does.”

    Here are the minimum and recommended system requirements from Crytek and EA:

    Minimum System Requirements

    OS – Windows XP or Windows Vista
    Processor – 2.8 GHz or faster (XP) or 3.2 GHz or faster* (Vista)
    Memory – 1.0 GB RAM (XP) or 1.5 GB RAM (Vista)
    Video Card –256 MB**
    Hard Drive – 12GB
    Sound Card – DirectX 9.0c compatible

    * Supported Processors: Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz (3.2 GHz for Vista) or faster, Intel Core 2.0 GHz (2.2 GHz for Vista) or faster, AMD Athlon 2800+ (3200+ for Vista) or faster.
    ** Supported chipsets: NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT or greater; ATI Radeon 9800 Pro (Radeon X800 Pro for Vista) or greater. Laptop versions of these chipsets may work but are not supported. Integrated chipsets are not supported. Updates to your video and sound card drivers may be required.

    Recommended System Requirements

    OS – Windows XP / Vista
    Processor – Intel Core 2 DUO @ 2.2GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+
    Memory – 2.0 GB RAM
    GPU – NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS/640 or similar


    Hey, whatdayknow, those minimum specs are exactly what we said they would be last month.

    Soldier of Fortune: Payback Screenshots & Trailer
    - 37 Comments
    As Rob revealed some time ago, Payback is from Activision's Value brand:

    Activision, Inc. announced today it will release the next generation of the long-awaited Soldier of Fortune game series this November with Soldier of Fortune® Payback. The saga continues with the organization known as “The Shop,” where players take on the role of a hired mercenary blasting through brutal do-or-die battle scenes in the world’s most dangerous criminal and terrorist hotspots.

    Soldier of Fortune Payback evolves the signature gameplay of its predecessors with refined controls, tension-packed warzones, and an enemy damage system that may be shocking to even experienced FPS players. Boasting more weapons options than any previous Soldier of Fortune installment, Soldier of Fortune Payback’s impressive arsenal includes an array of more than 30 weapons including sub-machine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, projectile explosives, weapon attachments and cutting-edge tactical weapons.

    Soldier of Fortune Payback will satisfy online gamers with many of their favorite online multiplayer modes including Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Elimination, Team Elimination, Capture the Flag, and Demolition. Additional online options include maps tuned specifically for multiplayer action, persistent stat-tracking throughout the gamer’s online career, and many server settings for custom online play.

    The - storyline reflects today’s trend of “outsourcing” wars. When a routine escort mission goes horribly wrong, freelance mercenary Thomas Mason finds himself battling an insidious enemy that knows no boundaries. Traditional armies can not handle these extremists – only underground guns for hire can fight a war this dirty and get results.

    Soldier of Fortune Payback will be available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, and the PC. The game has been rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB and is scheduled for release in November 2007.


    Update: Voodoo Extreme requested confirmation from Activision regarding the developer and publishing label following some confusion:

    It is being developed and published by Activision.

    Earlier reports had claimed that the Slovak Republic's Cauldron Ltd. was leading development, but back at that time the game was due for a budget release on Activision's Value label, hence the confusion. However, the game is now set for a full-price PC and console release on November 13th, and is being 'developed' by Activision Minnesota.

    Dead Space Screenshots
    - 5 Comments
    First screenshots of EA's survival-horror-in-space, Dead Space:


    The Club Screenshots
    - 1 Comment
    Talkin' game modes today:

    The Club mixes the best elements from action shooters with instant accessibility and is the most innovative shooter seen on the next generation of consoles and PCs. Featuring the relentless pace and attention to detail of racing games, with a story structure based on fighting games, players will choose from eight gladiatorial misfit characters to fight in a shadowy underground blood-sport known simply as The Club. Controlled by faceless, obscenely wealthy and an influential elite, each character has their own reason for risking their life to “beat” The Club. Some are driven by greed, some are adrenaline junkies, and some are driven by pure insane bloodlust.

    Mode Overview
    Below are brief descriptions of three of the many modes within The Club:

    Run the Gauntlet
    A single player mode: "Run the Gauntlet" is exactly how it sounds; a point-to-point run-and-gun race against the clock. Players will sprint through the level chaining together as many combos as possible by blowing away bad guys in stylish and deadly ways. The focus is on sprinting the character towards the exit and trying to finish the level within the time limit, achieving the set score.

    Team Skull Shot
    A multiplayer mode: This is a team-based game where both teams have coloured skull shot targets scattered throughout a level. The red team must shoot the blue skulls and vice versa. The team who shoots all the opposing team’s skull shots first is the team who wins.

    Score Match
    A multiplayer mode: Players are set a score target and must burst into the level and try to achieve it as quickly as possible by taking down the other players and keeping their combos going. It’s all against all and not a place to make friends, but then The Club is all about survival of the fittest, fastest and meanest.


    Kane & Lynch: Dead Men Screenshots
    - 6 Comments
    Kane & Lynch, a game designed for co-op gameplay from the start, won't have online co-op play à la Gears of War:


    Colour me disappointed.

    Catalyst 7.10 "Shoot Em Up" Driver Out This Week
    - 6 Comments
    Oh dear, they're giving names to driver sets now:

    AMD is happy to announce our latest driver, Catalyst 7.10, will be posted this week. Dubbed the “Shoot Em Up” driver, we are bringing this to your attention because this driver brings some incredible performance optimizations and is a must-have for all ATI Radeon users.

  • Battlefield 2142 Crossfire performance improves 5-23% on the ATI Radeon HD 2600, ATI Radeon HD 2400 and ATI Radeon X1300/X1550 series
  • Call of Duty 2 performance improves up to 6.7% on both single card and Crossfire ATI Radeon HD 2600 and ATI Radeon HD 2400 configurations
  • Call of Juarez DirectX 10 Crossfire performance improves up to 42% and single card performance improves up to 34% on all ATI Radeon HD 2000 series products.
  • Company of Heroes DirectX 10 Crossfire performance improves up to 80% on all ATI Radeon HD 2000 series products and single card performance improves as much as 31% on ATI Radeon HD 2900 and ATI Radeon HD 2600 products
  • Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Crossfire performance improves as much as 23% on ATI Radeon 1000 series products and single card performance improves as much as 23% on both ATI Radeon HD 2000 and ATI Radeon 1000 series products
  • FEAR Crossfire performance improves as much as 16% on the ATI Radeon X1950 XTX, ATI Radeon X1650 XT, ATI Radeon HD 2400 series and ATI Radeon X1300/X1550 series
  • Supreme Commander Crossfire performance improves up to 30% on all ATI Radeon HD 2000 and ATI Radeon 1000 series products. The ATI Radeon X1650 and ATI Radeon X1300/X1550 series products see even greater improvements of 82% or more.
    Nvidia ForceWare 163.75 Beta Drivers Released
    - 2 Comments
    New beta drivers released to improve Episode Two performance:

  • Beta driver for GeForce FX, 6, 7, and 8 series GPUs.
  • Added product support for the following NVIDIA Motherboard

    • GeForce 7150 / NVIDIA nForce 630i
    • GeForce 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 630i
    • GeForce 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 620i
    • GeForce 7050 / NVIDIA nForce 630i
    • GeForce 7050 / NVIDIA nForce 610i

  • Improved compatibility for Half-Life 2: Episode 2.
  • Added NVIDIA SLI profiles for Portal, Clive Barker's Jericho, SEGA Rally Revo, NHL 08, and European Street Racing.
  • Several game and application compatibility fixes. Please read the release notes for more information on product support, features, driver fixes and known compatibility issues.
    F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate Demo
    - 7 Comments
    A 750MB F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate demo is now available to download:

    As a member of a secondary F.E.A.R. team, you are brought in to discover more information regarding the secret project at the Armacham facilities. Expect the intensity of battle to continue in the second expansion pack to the critically acclaimed first-person shooter, F.E.A.R. Releasing November 6, 2007, for the PC, “F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate” is a stand-alone expansion pack allowing all gamers to join the carnage and destruction in the F.E.A.R. universe.

    Acquire from:

    Hellgate: London Trailer
    - 8 Comments
    Spoilerific 'Boss Battles' trailer:

    Quake Wars Live On Steam
    - 9 Comments
    A Steam update announces the availability of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars on Valve's digital distribution network.

    Click here to get in on the $55 action.

    F.E.A.R. Files & Project Gotham Racing 4 Demos On Live
    - 5 Comments
    Yet more demos for the 360 crowd:

    Content: F.E.A.R. Files: Extraction Point Demo
    Availability: Canada and United States
    Size: 584.87 MB
    Dash Text: [ESRB: M (Mature) Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language] F.E.A.R. Files combines the award winning F.E.A.R.: Extraction Point with the brand new F.E.A.R.: Perseus Mandate in one terrifying package. This demo based off of the events in Extraction Point showcases the hyper-stylized action and paranormal horror that define F.E.A.R. Engage the Replica soliders and powerful supernatural entities in close quarters combat with a powerful arsenal, including the new Minigun. Highly destructible environments and combat adaptable AI bring the action to life in this follow up to the critically acclaimed F.E.A.R.

    Content: PGR 4 Demo
    Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
    Size: 1.27 GB
    Dash Text: [ESRB: E (Everyone) Mild Lyrics] Race three exotic cars and two beauteous bikes through the streets of Macau and a snow laden Nürburgring. Includes an exclusive Nürburgring Snow Challenge and unique PGR Arcade Events.

    Bizarre's news page reveals that the PGR4 demo contains content not found in the full retail version.

    Mammoth Frontlines: Fuel of War Media Update
    - 16 Comments
    Seven new videos showing off Frontlines: Fuel of War, a single and multiplayer first-person shooter featuring fully destructible battlezones.

    Movies:

    Frontlines: Fuel of War is due for release early next year.

    Hardware & Tech Nuggets
    - 0 Comments
    Audio

  • First Look: Microsoft's Zune 2 - CoolTechZone
  • Super Talent Vidego24T MP3/MP4 Player Review - HardwareLogic
  • Titan EZ Soundcard Review - Overclockers Online

    Cases

  • Antec Fusion Black 430 HTPC Case Review - Metku.net
  • Thermaltake LANBOX Lite Desktop Case Review - EOC

    Controllers

  • X-Arcade Trackball Mouse Game Controller Review - Futurelooks

    Cooling

  • AeroCool FP-01 Multifunction Panel - Legit Reviews
  • Gigabyte G-Pad Pro Laptop Cooler - Tech Power Up

    Go Faster Stripes

  • Dragon Fire LED Light Bar with Remote - Modders-Inc

    Graphics

  • AMD Launch New FireGL Range - Hexus
  • PNY GeForce 8500GT 512MB PCIe Review - Overclockers Club

    Headsets

  • Razer Piranha Gaming Headset Hands-On - OCModShop

    Internet

  • Netgear ReadyNAS NV+ - TrustedReviews

    Linux

  • Banned from Using Linux: What Would You Do? - MadPenguin.org
  • Dell and The Saga of Poor Linux Support - CoolTechZone
  • Mark Shuttleworth Develops New Way to Distribute OSS - OSWeekly.com
  • Mobile Linux Is Better Than Windows - OSWeekly

    Keyboards

  • Logitech Updated G15 Gaming Keyboard Review - I4U
  • Razer Lycosa Gaming Keyboard Hands-On - OCModShop

    Motherboards

  • GIGABYTE GA-P35-DQ6 Motherboard Review - Virtual-Hideout

    Notebooks

  • Panasonic ToughBook CF-52 Semi-Rugged Notebook - TrustedReviews

    Optical Media

  • Oppo DV-981HD DVD Player Review - Digital Trends

    OS Op Ed

  • The Sorry State of Desktop Innovation in OSes - OSWeekly

    Power

  • Anatomy of Surge Suppressors - Hardware Secrets
  • PC Power & Cooling TURBO-COOL 1KW-SR PSU Review - Madshrimps

    Rodents

  • Razer Lachesis Gaming Mouse Hands-On - OCModShop

    Screens

  • Acer AL2216W 22 Inch LCD Monitor Review - 3DGameMan
  • VIA Announces Ultra Thin VESA Mounted PC for Instant Display Systems - VIA

    Spy Sats.

  • Alpine Blackbird PMD-B100P Sat-Nav - TrustedReviews

    Storage

  • Voyager & Survivor USB Key Vs Pump Action Shotgun! - Hexus
    Game Reviews
    - 0 Comments
    PC

  • Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer - Computer Games.ro - 88/100
  • Parkan 2 - Gamersinfo - N/A
  • Spooky Manor - Gamersinfo - N/A

    Nintendo DS

  • Balls of Fury - IGN - 6.5/10
  • Bleach: The Blade of Fate - IGN - 8.5/10
  • Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass - AtomicGamer - 89%

    Wii

  • Hot Wheels: Beat That! - IGN - 3.3/10
  • Mario Strikers Charged - Gamersinfo - N/A
  • MLB Power Pros - IGN - 8.4/10

    Xbox 360

  • NCAA Football 08 - Gamersinfo - N/A
  • Madden NFL 08 - Hooked Gamers - 9/10
  • Medal of Honor: Airborne - Gamersinfo - N/A
  • Project Gotham Racing 4 - IGN - 8.1/10
  • Two Worlds - GamePyre - 74/100
    RPG Vault Goodness
    - 1 Comment
    Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer Peek #3
    Obsidian's Eric Fenstermaker introduces us to Thaymount, a region where Red Wizards go to learn their arcane craft - Includes five exclusive screenshots

    Jonric's Blog
    WoW grows to 800,000 peak concurrent users in China

    Tabula Rasa Vault
    Our newest fansite, dedicated to NCsoft's impending title

    In Other News...
    - 12 Comments
    Don't worry, Mark Rein is just yanking people's chains. The Unreal Tournament 3 'beta demo' will be out long before the 22nd.

    Yesterday was busy busy, but fun. At the end, when the news influx had finally died down, it was nice to kick back and watch Ignis Solus. While it won't appeal to everyone, I was rather impressed by the original musical compliment, but most of all the visible emotion of the lonely Pyro, despite his face never actually being visible. Part of that is down to Valve and their incredible team of developers of course, but when a video made with a game makes your female next-door neighbour shed a tear, you know the machinima makers are doing rather a lot right.

    What other excellent examples of machinima have you come across?



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