GAME.NET Weekly Newsletter 7th November 2003

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GAME.NET News
I've managed to drag myself away from playing the hugely recommended Call of Duty to bring you another newsletter, this week's main bit of news being that our web bod Trebz has been coding up a nice new page for you to use with a handy list of all our Preview servers which will hopefully over the weekend also feature a server for CoD itself. You can find the page here and if you have GAMEBar installed and set up properly it will allow you to quickly hop between servers to ensure that you can enjoy a full evening of gaming, remember to log in first before joining any servers so that you do not kicked off when the server software looks to free up spaces for other subscribers to join.

On the content front our hardware sister-site TechNation have come up with an extensive look this week at two of the high-end graphics card available for gamers to get their hands on currently, pitting the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra and the Radeon 98000 XT head-to-head across a number of game tests. To see which they recommend buying yourself as an early Christmas present click here.

Server Updates this week are as follows, any patches you need to download can be found in the Files & Patches section further down this Newsletter:

BattleField 1942 mod Galactic Conquest updated to v0.1d
BattleField 1942 mod Desert Combat updated to v0.5L
Unreal Tournament 2003 mod Deathball updated to v1.9
Unreal Tournament 2003 BDB MapVote Mutator updated to v400b11
Unreal Tournament 2003 TTM2003 Mutator updated to v3
Tactical Ops anti-cheat software TOST updated to v4.1.7.0
Tactical Ops anti-cheat software Xprotect updated to v2.8B

What's On
Sunday 9th November 2003
Operation Flashpoint @ 14:00
Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy @ 15:00
Counter-Strike @ 20:00
Monday 10th November 2003
Elite Force II @ 19:00
Half-Life: Team Fortress Classic @ 21:00

Tuesday 11th November 2003
Battlefield 1942 @ 20:30
Vietcong @ 21:00

Wednesday 12th November 2003
Medal of Honor @ 19:00
Natural Selection @ 19:00
Battlefield 1942: Desert Combat @ 21:00

Thursday 13th November 2003
Half-Life: Day of Defeat @ 20:30
Half Life: Team Fortress Classic (TFC) @ 21:00

Files and Patches
Trailers
You can tell Christmas is coming with a deluge of trailers for games due out before then and hoping to capitalise on the busiest shopping period of the year as far as computer / console gaming is concerned. One title that will be looking to outsell everyone else is a descendant from the legendary Myst, the game which really woke people up to the possibility of CD-ROMs being used for gaming purposes. The hype around Uru: Ages Beyond Myst promises yet another graphically stunning single-player adventure that also will come with the option to subscribe to access further single and multiplayer goodness, complete with voice communications to talk to other explorers with. It certainly looks like it is designed for the gentler side of gaming (apparently you cannot die in the game) and you can view a small "making of" trailer by clicking here, perhaps a game to get your mum or dad for their Christmas if you are struggling for a gift.

Alternative adventure gaming is provided in the shape of The Westerner. A quirky looking game with no current UK release date it puts you in the role of a wondering cowboy and a 40 MB trailer has been released giving you a chance to have a first proper look at what might become something of a cult favourite along the same lines as the old Sam & Max games. An all together more serious adventure is promised in Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon, there have been some excellent reviews for this game and the trailer does look quite impressive, going for the "movie" style it certainly seems to convey the feeling of the full game well and I think it's one I might look into when it gets a release next Friday.

Two new trailers for the upcoming Prince of Persia have been released this week and both of them, for me anyhow, do nothing to dampen down the positive buzz there has been about the game since E3 earlier this year. That said this multi-platform 3rd person adventure game might annoy some of the purists with its new features, the aspect that has been mainly showcased this week being a selection of the abilities that you gain as the game develops. Those abilities include a Max Payne-esque bullet time and a neat revival feature, to have a further look click here and download the 40 MB movie pack, they are interesting enough but what I found really impressive was the full trailer for the game which comes in at a very modem friendly 6 MB, it really sets the scene nicely for what is likely to be a best-seller come Christmas time.

>From the times of yore to more futuristic adventures and three trailers for three different games that each offer their own take on the world to come. The least impressive of the trio is for upcoming FPS game Breed, the game itself looked extremely promising when a trailer was released earlier this year and now we are treated to the first installment of a new series of monthly trailers that will be available in the run up to the eventual release, really there is nothing to get excited over though in this "Starship Troopers" style recruitment video. More promising is a quite impressive looking 20 MB trailer for Firestarter, this virtual reality FPS game features a nice mix of demonic and technical enemies to battle past and of course there is a multiplayer element. The game has gone gold so should be available shortly, Deus Ex 2 probably a fair distance off being in the same stage of development with it not due out until next year but some in-game footage has been released in the shape of a small trailer. Having had a look I'm not sure if the trailer shows the game in its best light but there are some very cool features showcased and I'm sure over the next few months we will get bigger (and much more polished) trailers for this one.

The release of the final film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is edging nearer and near with every newsletter I write and next Friday sees the chance for you to at last get your hands on the Return of the King adventure game, if you cannot wait until then yet another trailer has been released for the game with tons of in-game footage included. Even if you have downloaded the others I would recommend giving the 30 MB trailer a look as it is set to the fantastic Requiem for a Dream theme music that really adds to the cinematic feel of it, the reviews of the game that I have read have also generally been very positive, not the most common thing you find with game versions of movies. Whilst the films will come to an end after this year's release the flogging of the franchise is set to continue well into 2004 with the release of Lord of The Rings: Battle for Middle Earth, I find it odd that with the War of the Ring RTS due to be released soon that another RTS game from the same LoTR universe will make an appearance inside of a year but perhaps this one has something extra to boast about with it utilising the C&C Generals engine. The 31 MB trailer certainly looks more impressive than the ones we have seen for the other RTS and you can have a look yourself by downloading it here.

I was struggling for a link between the final two trailer files I have for you this week, the first a selection of in-game footage segments from NBA Live 2004. With the yearly franchises the publishers are keen to show off the new moves that you can do and you can have a look at those that have been added to the definitive Basketball simulation by clicking here. From a game that features a team called the Boston Celtics to a game that is called Celtic Kings: The Punic Wars, a follow up to the reasonably popular Rage of War this RTS looks okay but seems a bit too hack and slash for my tastes, judge for yourself by downloading the 30 MB trailer.

Playable Demos
Two driving demos to kick off this section of the newsletter and both with an American flavour, the larger of the pair being for Need for Speed Underground, the latest installment of the popular series that is due out later this month. The 220 MB demo allows you to play a 1 lap circuit race, a single drag race and the same two races online against up to three other players, the response has been mixed on our general forum but I guess if you are looking for a "Fast and the Furious" style driving game this will satisfy you. If you are more a "Days of Thunder" fan then you'll probably prefer to check out the 100 MB demo for NASCAR Thunder 2004, the demo featuring two tracks from the full game that has no current UK release date.

Contract J.A.C.K. hits the shelves in a fortnight and this NOLF based game has received a double dose of demo goodness this past week with a single player and multiplayer version of the game released for you to have a look at. The first to be released was the multiplayer version and the 100 MB demo features two levels from the full game that you can play online against 15 other opponents across four game modes - DM, TDM, Doomsday and Demolition. If you'd rather play the game in the comfort of your own company then this 130 MB demo is the one to get, I haven't had a look at it myself but it should give you a decent example of what you can find in the full game.

Two very different demos to bring you next although they are connected by the fact that they aim to make you a world-renowned star, the first being for Championship Manager 03/04 which is the final game in the partnership between SI Games and Eidos. I've played this small demo and the game definitely appears to be a vast improvement on the original CM4 release, one that I'll be getting on its release in two weeks time. One game I don't have in my collection is Pop Idol, like a few titles this week it might be something to get as a present for a family member and they can try out the 112 MB demo version of the American version of the game by clicking here.

The last two games I mentioned very much know that sequels mean big business and the final two playable demos I have for you this week both hope that will prove the case where they are concerned. The first one is a multiplayer demo for Etherlords 2, no UK release date for this game that I can find but maybe this demo will inspire you to get it on import. The sizeable 193 MB demo allows you to play two of the four races from the full game with a limited number of heroes on offer, you can do so against people from around the world and the demo includes all the game modes available from the retail version of the game along with a handy tutorial. RailRoad Tycoon 3 is more a management / building simulation than an RTS but there is a degree of strategy involved and if you fancy a look at this recently released game you can grab this 126 MB demo that includes two scenarios, a tutorial and a generic map for you to play with.

Game Patches
It was of course Halloween last Friday and to celebrate this there were official maps released for two of the main RTS games out there these days. The first to mention is called Forgotten Forest and is available for both C&C Generals (click here) and the Zero Hour (click here) expansion pack, slight differences between both versions so make sure you get the correct one. A patch has also been made available for C&C Generals this week, taking the game to v1.07 the 17 MB update is mainly a bug fix. Alternatively if your poison of choice is Frozen Throne then you can download the freebie Jack-o-Lantern map for that game by clicking here, all three maps very small in size.

Probably the most recently released game to get a patch this week is Hidden & Dangerous 2, the popular 3rd-person action game is taken to v1.02 by a 24 MB update that mainly fixes a lot of issues with the release version of the game in both single and multiplayer modes. Another game to updated that hasn't been out for long is the Titans expansion pack for Age of Mythology, the small v1.01 update being mainly an exercise in bug fixing, the same true of the v1.08 update for the original game that helps mainly with multiplayer gaming.

A pair of American flavoured patches to end with, the first being for the casino-owner simulation Vegas Make it Big, the European patch for this recently released game fixes a few issues and takes the game to v1.1. Alternative empire building can be enjoyed by playing Mall Tycoon 2, should you happen to have a copy of this game then you'll be pleased to here a new patch has been released to fix some video issues that have been plaguing people who play the game. The patch itself comes in two varieties, a full v1.022 and an incremental v1.021 to v1.022, both being less than 5 MB in size.

Mods
The usual suspects in terms of games receiving mod updates this week, starting off with Half-Life and a tiny update for the French mod Syndicate Black Ops, as with a number of mods for this game there have been issues with the Steam service that Valve have introduced and as such the team behind the mod have released a Steam update. Also fully steam compatible is Project Timeless, this German developed mod is a bit like Counter-Strike gone futuristic with a more tactical approach, Humans taking on Aliens with weapons changed accordingly, if you fancy having a look you can grab the 110 MB Beta v1.0.

On to Unreal Tournament 2003 and the release of a potential leading mod for the game in the shape of Frag Ops, effectively an updated version of the popular Tactical Ops mod that makes full use of the newer UT2K3 engine. There's been a lot of hype about this mod but some early bugs appear to have made this release not the success it could have been, in the space of a week we are already on to the third version in the shape of a 175 MB Alpha v1.2. Far more reliable is the well developed Deathball, the popular sports mod being updated this week with two patch options to choose from, the 76 MB v1.9 or the incremental 46 MB v1.8 to v1.9, the most significant changes in this version being the introduction of Tennis support (with proper Tennis scoring) and also some new voice sounds.

Our servers have been updated to support the latest version of Deathball and that is also true of Galactic Conquest, the popular Star-Wars mod for BattleField 1942 being updated to v0.1d but fear not as this update breaks with tradition and comes in at under 1 MB with it mainly being a fix to get the mod working properly with the latest version of the game. Contrast this with the 13 MB update to Forgotten Hope that essentially does the same thing, taking the game to v0.5E you will need to have already updated your version of the mod to v0.5D before applying the patch. To top these pair a late bit of mod news to come in just as I was writing this section is that Desert Combat, the hugely popular modernisation mod for the game, has just been updated to v0.5L with the full install (no patch available) coming in at 540 MB (!), our servers having been already updated.


Special Offers
As the countdown to Christmas continues our Shop site offers some ides for presents over the next twelve days in our very own 12 days of Christmas section. In addition to this we have a handy guide in case you want to use our site in the run up to the holiday, this including last order dates.

Also coming daily this month we have a special Deal of The Day, one product that is slashed in price with limited stock available. As I sit here writing you can get Halo on the PC for just £19.99, if you don't get this mail in time to take advantage of that offer just check back every day until the end of this month.



Regards,

Dave "BigFoot" Angus
GAME.NET Community Liaison

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