Sony
Online Entertainment (SOE)
announced today that it is working on its next massively multiplayer
game, a first-person shooter called PlanetSide.
The company hopes this will capture as much attention and audience as
its EverQuest
online fantasy role-player, which recently announced the signing of
its 300,000 subscriber.
PlanetSide,
which is slated for a third-quarter 2001 release for Windows-based
PCs, will concentrate on action in an outer-space setting, but also
enable players to amass land and bases. Of course, not without
conflict, other players and their teammates can raid enemy bases, in
hopes of increasing the strength of their holdings and boost wealth of
the corporation for which they fight. Four corporations are at the
center of the persistent world, offering professional growth
opportunities and steady income: the mining industry, the
technological industry, the science and research industry and the
military industry.
Epic
Games announced today that it has joined up with Microsoft
to become a licensed tool provider for its Xbox game console. With
that announcement, Epic is making its Unreal Engine available
to Xbox developers.
The vice president of Epic Games, Mark Rein, said, The Unreal
Engine is the ultimate market-proven, cross-platform engine for
Xbox game developers. Weve already completed, and more importantly
weve shipped, the first console version of our engine and now
were aiming our best technological guns squarely at the powerful
Xbox.
Electronic
Arts announced today that it
has begun to ship to retailers around the country WCW Backstage
Assault for the PlayStation. What makes this wrestling game unique
is that all of the action takes place outside the ring like a parking
garage or locker room. In addition, the game features 62 WCW wrestlers
including the likes of Goldberg, Booker T and Sting. There is even a
Create-A-Wrestler mode.
WCW Backstage Assault is rated T (Teen) by the ESRB and retails
for $49.95.
Sony
Computer Entertainment America brings one of the most popular
videogame characters back to the PlayStation for the fifth time with
the release of Crash Bash. With this title, players will
control Crash and his buddies and battle in 28 3-D arena based games.
The game features four-player gameplay via the multitap, as well as a
two-player Cooperative mode.
Crash Bash is rated E (Everyone) by the ESRB.
Fox
Interactive has made available
to consumers around the country the PC title No One Lives Forever.
This first-person shooter is set in the '60s, where players assume the
role of a female agent named Cate Archer. Being part of UNITY, an
international anti-terrorist organization, players must travel around
the world and complete various missions.
No One Lives Forever retails for $39.95.
Loki
Software, Inc. has announced that it has
signed a deal with Sierra
Studios to bring the forthcoming Tribes
2 to the Linux operating system. Plans call for the Linux
version to be ready around the same time as the Windows version, which
is expected to be shipped next month.
Loki has also announced that its currently signing up beta testers
to run Tribes 2 through its paces when its in working form.
Signups are being taken on Lokis
beta-tester page.
The
NPD Group has reported that the PlayStation
2 generated estimated retail sales of $165 million in its first three
days on the market, with most of that being garnered on October 26,
PS2s launch day. Those figures include sales of hardware, software
and accessories.
PS2 software also sold well enough for three titles to be included in
NPDs top-ten list for the week: Electronic
Arts Madden NFL 2001 was the highest at #4, with Namcos
Tekken Tag Tournament and EAs SSX hitting #5 and #7,
respectively.
As expected, the PS2s launch drew a lot of attention away from
other consoles; indeed, PlayStation, N64 and Dreamcast all took market
share hits when the PS2 was released. However, it also appeared that
overall sales of hardware increased, with Dreamcast, N64 and PS having
respective sales increases of 25%, 7% and 1% over the previous week.
Disney
Interactive has announced that it has shipped Disneys Donald
Duck Goin Quackers, an edutainment game for Windows-based
computers. The title offers kids aged eight and above such 3-D games
as taking Donald through time to gather pieces of a teleporter he
needs to get back to Daisy; finding the toys of Donalds nephew; and
beating record times on certain tasks. There are 20 levels in four
different worlds.
Disneys Donald Duck Goin Quackers has a suggested retail
price of $19.99, and carries an ESRB rating of E (Everyone).
The
Indrema Corporation has teamed up with CollabNet
to create the Indrema
Developer Network (IDN). This website acts as a service
station for developers working on products for the Linux-based
Indrema Entertainment System. The website is comprised of four
sections: Under the hood, GameXchange, IESDKS and Certification.
Working with CollabNet, we have built the most comprehensive
support network for developers with all the tools they need to build
new, cool and fast games for the Indrema system, stated John
Gildred, founder and CEO of Indrema. Indrema is changing the rules
of console game development, by removing the barriers to entry that
prevent new developers from building the next big game. With the IDN,
game development for the IES is faster, easier and less expensive than
for any other platform.
The
3DO Company has
begun to ship to stores around the country Army MenAir Attack 2
for the PlayStation. In this latest edition of the popular game
series, General Plastro has teamed up with Baron von Beige to put an
end to Captain Blade and the Alpha Wolf battalion. Most of the
gameplay involves players operating a helicopter.
Army MenAir Attack 2 is rated T (Teen) by the ESRB and retails
for $39.99.
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