Boards

• Gigabyte 965P-DQ6 Motherboard - Viper Lair
• XFX 680i LT SLI Motherboard - OCC

  Cases
  

• Gigabyte 3D Aurora Casing - BurnoutPC

  Cooling
  

• Ultra Products ChillTec CPU Cooler - PCApex

  Mice
  

• Cyber Snipa Intelliscope Laser Gaming Mouse - TechPowerUp

  Power Supply
  

• Thermaltake Purepower RX 500W & 600W - Bjorn3D

  Video
  

• Asus GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB - AMDZone
• ASUS GeForce 8800 GTS 320 - Hexus
• Inno3D GeForce 8500 GT and 8600 GT - NVNews

  Windows
  

• Top-10 things that are wrong with GFW - Live - Hushed Casket

RPG Vault Goodness 12:53 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: Role-Playing (0 comments)

Dreamlords Peek #1
Some notable moments that occurred during the development of Lockpick's massively multiplayer strategy offering - Includes three exclusive cartoons and eight exclusive screenshots

Game Reviews 12:38 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (0 comments)

PC

• Ancient Wars Sparta - Play.tm - 50%
• Tomb Raider Anniversary - Eurogamer - 9/10
• UFO Extraterrestrials - GameShark - C+

  360
  

• CNC3 - SI - 6.8/10
• Mad Tracks - GameSpot - 4.6/10
• Rayman Raving Rabbids - GameSpy - 2.5/5

  Wii
  

• Mario Strikers: Charged Football - Boomtown - 8/10
• Tamagotchi: Party On! - Wii.IGN - 3.5/10
• Tamagotchi Party On! - GameSpot - 4.5/10

  PS3
  

• Championship Sprint - PS3.IGN - 2.8/10
• Surf's Up - PS3.IGN - 6.2/10

  PSP
  

• Crush - PSP.IGN - 8.9/10

  DS
  

• Touch the Dead - 1Up - 4/10

In Other News... 12:30 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - In-House: In Other News... (47 comments)
Yesterday, Todd Hollenshead revealed that id is working on a new franchise (i.e. - a brand new, original I.P.) powered by a next generation of Carmack developed 3D engine technology. Today's question:

Do you think that John Carmack has enough tricks left up his sleeve to blow people away with new graphics technology? Or have studios like Epic and Crytek taken id Software out of the equation?

The first rule of AI in any game is that it has to be fun. It doesn't matter how technically correct it is, if it's not fun or engaging for the player, it's going to be a flop. The second rule of AI is that it always needs to do the Right Thing(tm) at all times, otherwise it just frustrates the player. The second part is easy enough - just breakdown the kinds of things you see other players do, and try to incorporate those behaviors into the AI. For example: a Medic bot should always try to heal you if you're hurt, especially if you're an important teammate (like an engineer who needs to build the objective), and Field Ops should always be ready to hand out supplies to needy teammates.

Tim Sweeney on How GoW Influenced UT3 06:32 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: Action (20 comments)
The PC Games Hardware site has posted the full interview with Epic's Tim Sweeney which originally appeared in the print version of the German technology publication. Some topics include: release dates, Unreal Engine 3 features, DX10 hardware, Vista, suggested specs, and how Gears of War has influenced Unreal Tournament 3. Thanks BU.

PCGH: Are there any things you learned while developing Gears of War for next gen consoles that you can now benefit from when finalizing UT 3 for the PC?

Tim Sweeney: The Gears of War experience on Xbox 360 taught us to optimize for multi-core, and to improve the low-level performance of the key engine systems. This has carried over very well to PC. The division of UE3's rendering and gameplay into separate threads, implemented originally for 360, has brought even more significant gains on PC where there is a more heavyweight hardware abstraction layer in DirectX, hence more CPU time spent in rendering relative to gameplay.

Also, the 360 work we did resulted in an engine that also runs well on low-end and mid-range PCs. This is very important for games today; the high-end PC gaming market alone is not big enough to support next-generation games with budgets in the $10-20M range. You need to run on ordinary mass-market PCs as well. In reading PC gaming websites, one might get the impression that everyone owns a dual-core PC with a pair of $600 GPUs in SLI configuration, but the reality is very different. More than 80% of PCs sold today are still single-core, and have very low-end DirectX9 graphics capabilities. Unreal Engine 3 supports those configurations well.

Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn Beta 06:21 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: MMOG (2 comments)
FilePlanet is sporting the Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn beta client which is open to all. The only catch I can think of, is that you need to be a UO subscriber to play. FilePlanet members can grab a key which enables all of the previous expansions as well.

Company of Heroes DX10 Patch 03:18 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: Real-Time Strategy (8 comments)
Gas Powered Games might've gimped out on releasing a DX10 patch for Supreme Commander, but the folks at Relic are giving out the goods for Company of Heroes. Download the DX10 update from:

• FilePlanet
• FileNuts
• Gamershell
• WorthPlaying

Red Orchestra Summer Assault 03:04 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: Action (8 comments)
A new Red Orchestra update is now available on Steam:

Tripwire Interactive today announces the release of a major update for Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45, the award-winning WWII online action game. The update, which includes 10 new maps, increased player limits and much more, is available to owners of the game for free through Steam, a leading online platform for PC games and digital entertainment. To usher in the extensive new content, the game is 20% off list price for a limited time, plus new and current owners can invite two friends to play for free.

The ten new community-made maps are winning entries in Tripwire's Custom Map Competition. Highlights include "Smolensk Stalemate," the contest winning map featuring infantry combat through ruined villages and trenches, and "Berezina," a rural village map that introduces a new light tank that carries riders and the first functional anti-tank gun in the game. Tripwire worked with the developers of each of these maps to ensure the maps are optimized, polished, and gameplay balanced.

In addition to the new maps, Tripwire released an update to the game engine that increases player counts from the previous 32 player limit to more than 50 players. The most capable servers can support up to 64 players.

Games for Windows Live! is erm, Live? 02:56 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (13 comments)
Microsoft announced today that its "Games for Windows Live!" service is now officially live:

This is a busy month for Games for Windows® - LIVE! On May 29, the release of "Shadowrun™" connected Windows Vista® gamers with Xbox 360™ players in cross-platform matches through a single service. Whether in cooperation or competition, PC and Xbox 360 gamers can battle up to 16 players in the intense first-person shooter as they vie for supremacy in an experience that rewards cleverness, cunning and split-second improvisation through a unique combination of modern weapons, ancient magic and advanced technology.

This marks the first of many games to come which will support the Games for Windows - LIVE service, connecting six million Xbox LIVE® members and hundreds of millions Windows gamers. Games for Windows - LIVE brings the best of the Xbox LIVE service to Windows gamers, such as a single online identity, the ability to easily find and connect with friends, and earn achievements.

Today, May 31st, Microsoft is launching "Halo® 2" for Windows Vista, delivering improved graphics, a custom map editor and the chance to earn achievements - a first for the Halo franchise. Using a combination of dedicated servers, flexibility of the Windows platform, and the online innovation established in the Xbox® original, "Halo 2" for Windows Vista provides a best-in-class PC-to-PC multiplayer experience.

Current members of Xbox LIVE automatically receive the functionality of Games for Windows - LIVE, using the same gamertag and friends list, at no additional cost. In addition, Games for Windows — LIVE introduces the best of Xbox LIVE functionality to please PC gamers, such as integrated in-game multiplayer voice chat and Achievements, as well as functionality demanded by PC gamers like dedicated server support, as part of the free Silver membership. Gold memberships will deliver the premium online network experience which adds benefits such as multiplayer achievements, matchmaking according to skill, reputation and gamerzone, as well as cross-platform gameplay - features only Microsoft's Games for Windows and Xbox 360 can deliver.

id Developing New Title; No New Wolfenstein In '07 07:39 am - Andrew Burnes - Games: Action (37 comments)
Speaking to GamesIndustryBiz at a Quake Wars event in London, Todd Hollenshead revealed that id are developing a new game unconnected to any of their previous franchises and that the new title will utilise a new Carmack-made engine:

"We are working on an all-new franchise: it's not Doom, it's not Quake, it's not Wolfenstein, it's not Enemy Territory, it's not even Commander Keen!

"It is a new id brand with an all-new John Carmack engine and I think that when we show it to people, once again they'll see, just like they saw when we first showed Doom 3, that John Carmack still has a lot of magic left."

"Our first task at id is as a single studio developer," Hollenshead continued. "That's really where everything spawns from. Because John Carmack is a programming genius, who in my opinion is unequalled in video games today, he makes a great technology that we can use across a wide range of applications and different games within our suite of franchises.

Also mentioned was that the new Wolfenstein game won't be out in 2007, and that a PC version is in development too:

"Raven is still developing it," Hollenshead reassured us yesterday. "I hope we'll be able to have some more news about the game within a reasonably short period of time. We made the announcement that the 360 was the primary development platform - that hasn't changed, but it is in development for the PC as well."

Need For Speed ProStreet Screenshots & Trailer 05:00 am - Andrew Burnes - Games: Racing (18 comments)
Hitting shops this November:

Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that the blockbuster Need for Speed franchise is introducing a new version that drives the series in a new direction. Need for Speed ProStreet is a ground-breaking Need for Speed experience where you're thrust to compete head to head against the best street racers in a multitude of racing showdowns. The game is being developed by EA Black Box in Vancouver, B.C., and is slated to ship this fall.

"Need for Speed ProStreet accelerates street racing culture by providing the ultimate stage for the pursuit of street racing supremacy," said Executive Producer, Larry LaPierre. "This is a game about building the ultimate performance-tuned battle machine, taking it to multi-disciplinary showdowns all over the world and pitting your skills and reputation against the very best street racers."

Need for Speed ProStreet boasts impeccable precision and impressively detailed photo-realistic graphics, effectively transporting you to the center of the action. It pushes the "Autosculpt" technology to a new level, allowing you to directly impact your car's performance for the first time as well as personalize its appearance. Need for Speed ProStreet is a true taste of raw adrenaline and racing with consequences. Every dent, every scratch and every crumpled body panel is a battle scar, proof of your commitment and competitive mettle. With an aggressive and skilled AI system, you become immersed in an unmatched believable race experience. Add in a revolutionary online mode that will redefine the meaning of competitive social play, and Need for Speed ProStreet is the ultimate formula for an emotionally charged street racing showdown.

Need for Speed ProStreet will be available for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, Playstation 3 computer entertainment system, and Wii as well as the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS, PSP (PlayStation Portable) handheld entertainment system, PC and mobile.

For additional footage check out the teaser trailer.

StarCraft 2 Not Out This Year 04:45 am - Andrew Burnes - Games: Real-Time Strategy (13 comments)
Speaking to MSNBC, a Blizzard head-honcho has ruled out a 2007 release for StarCraft II:

Speaking of secrets, what is your timeline for release for "StarCraft II?"

It's a secret! I can give you the old Blizzard mantra of: "It'll ship when it's ready," but it's something that historically, we've learned to keep release dates really close to the vest. I think all game developers are extremely optimistic, and we used to give optimistic dates and we'd disappoint our fans when we didn't hit them. So now, I think we've just gotten more gun shy. The only thing I can give you [that's] concrete is it's not going to be this year. Some people were hoping, because of how advanced the game looks, that we'd have it out by Christmas, but that's definitely not happening.

The interview also confirms that there'll be no fourth race.

Halo 2 & Vista Problems 02:45 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: Action (47 comments)
GameDaily/AOL Games chronicled its adventures with Windows Vista after giving the OS a spin.

During recent testing of Halo 2, a game developed by Microsoft and built exclusively for Vista, several issues were found. Vista's User Account Control (UAC), a security feature intended to make the OS safe, has become the number one most hated new feature. As the UAC tries to verify every program, in some cases numerous times, with an endless barrage of highly annoying "Do you want to install/run this program" windows. Virtually every power user and gamer deactivates the UAC within 5 minutes after installing Vista.. Sadly, it requires the UAC be enabled in order for Halo 2 to operate. Furthermore, the game will not run until one completes the registration for a Games for Windows - Live! account (more on this later). Simply bypassing the process causes the game to shut down.

Hardware & Tech Nuggets 01:24 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - hardware: General News (0 comments)

Boards

• Jetway 966PDAG-PB mainboard - Guru3D

  Cases
  

• Antec P190 case - XS Reviews
• Apevia X-QPack2 - Overclockers Online

  Cooling
  

• Arctic Cooling Arctic Fan 9 - ASE Labs
• Zalman VF-900 - XS Reviews

  Guides
  

• The Power Saving Guide - THG

  Keyboards
  

• Razor "Reclusa" - PlayReaction

  Memory
  

• Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC2-8500 2GB DDR2 Memory Kit - Big Bruin

  Mice
  

• OCZ Equalizer Laser Gaming Mouse - Hardware Secrets

  Power Supply
  

• CyberPower CP1350AVRLCD 1350VA 810W UPS - Benchmark Reviews
• HEC Cougar 600 W Power Supply - Hard-H20

  Video
  

• ASUS Radeon HD 2900XT - TechSpot
• ATI HD 2900 XT Vista Performance - The Tech Lounge
• BFGTech GeForce 8800 GTS OC2 640 MB - [H]
• MSI Overclocked GeForce 8600 GT - Hardware Secrets
• PNY 8800 GTX Overclocked Graphics Card - I4U
• Zotac GeForce 8800 GTX OC Edition - TechPowerUp

RPG Vault Goodness 01:07 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: Role-Playing (0 comments)

Phylon Interview - Part 1
Now in beta, Rapid Reality's massively multiplayer shooter with three species and eight factions vying for power - Includes seven exclusive screenshots

Jonric's Blog
NCsoft launches Dungeon Runners with a free play tier

Game Reviews 12:52 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (0 comments)

PC

• Loco Mania - GameSpot - 6.9/10

  360
  

• Shrek The Third - GameShark - C

  PS2
  

• Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm - GameShark - B-
• Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm - GameSpy - 2/5

  PSP
  

• Crush - 1Up - 9.5/10 "It blows us"

  DS
  

• Marvel Trading Card Game - GameSpot - 6.5/10

In Other News... 12:45 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - In-House: In Other News... (40 comments)
I popped over to the optometrist yesterday for an eye exam. While my eyesight is no worse than it was a few years back (thanks, LCD technology!), I needed to grab a new pair of glasses since my old lenses are all ratty. You know, the scratch resistant coating peeling off the edges; fun stuff like that. I went with a different style frame this time around, and also spent a little more on fancy Transitions lenses. But, the frames were on sale ($59 as opposed to $159) so the final price tag wasn't too nasty. I was hoping to have them back in an hour or less, but I guess with this new crap, its 7-10 days.

Today's question:

Is nerfing the controls (mouse input speed, etc) on a cross-platform (360/PC) multiplayer game a valid method of game balance, or short-sighted stupidity?