September 21, 2001

XBox Production Underway

20:23:56 EDT - Award

Any of you who were looking forward to grabbing an XBox for this holiday season, fear not! Microsoft has announced that XBox manufacturing has begun to have at least 1 million units ready to ship for the holiday, at it's November 15th release date. From the press release: Xbox will launch in North America on Nov. 15, 2001. The company also reconfirmed it will ship 1 million to 1.5 million Xbox consoles to North American retailers this holiday season, with replenishment of more than 100,000 Xbox units each week. "Put a great big 'X' on Nov. 15," said Robbie Bach, chief Xbox officer at Microsoft. "Xbox is the one worth waiting for. It's the only video game system being manufactured in North America. This is significant because it assures retailers that we can keep filling the retail channel with new Xbox units week after week." To check out the entire press release, click "More" below.

Empire Earth Betas In Stores Now

20:17:17 EDT - Award

For those of you who just can't wait to get you hands on Stainless Steel Studio's up-coming RTS no longer have to wait until November. The public beta CDs are reportedly in stores now for anyone pre-ordering the game from a select few retailers. From the press release: Consumers interested in beta testing Empire Earth(tm) need only pre-order the game at their local Best Buy, CompUSA, Electronics Boutique, Fry's, GameStop, Software Etc. or Babbage's retail store. All beta testers will get a pre-release version of the game, and have access to a private message board to communicate directly with the developers at Stainless Steel Studios, Inc. If you're interested in finding out more about this program, click "More" below to read the full press release!

September 20, 2001

Links Championship Edition Ships Today

21:54:35 EDT - Award

For those of you who enjoy a good, low-intensity sports game now and then, Microsoft announced that Links Champion Edition has shipped today. From the press release: In Links Championship Edition, you can play on any of 13 world-class courses as or against six tour pros, plus a large selection of amateurs, and design your dream course with over 1,600 objects to choose from. It will be available for an estimated street price of $54.95, with a $20 USD mail-in rebate for owners of Links 2001. (Please see package for details.) To check out the entire press release for further details on what is included in Links Championship Edition, just click "More" below!

September 19, 2001

Visions of Reviews -- Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos

13:31:25 EDT - Award

Of all the top space sim games, one has always been just a bit different. As the sequel to one of the most highly acclaimed space fighter sims of all time, expectations were exceptionally high. Does Independence War 2 run away with the loot, or do space pirates everywhere get robbed? From the Review: The actual gameplay is quite different from most other games, however. Most space sims involve getting a mission, playing the scenario, being debriefed and starting another mission. I-War2 features a continuous world. You can go to any part of space, in any star system, at any time. That being said, pirating cargo freighters at jump points and bases is a very good way to juice up your ship early on in the game, though the really nice hardware doesn't start coming in until later in the game. Be sure to check out the entire review by clicking "Review" below, or by simply clicking the Independence War 2 logo in the "featured" bar!

Half-Life Mod Expo Postponed

12:28:31 EDT - Award

For all of your Half-Life mod teams out there, you should be aware that Sierra's mod expo has been postponed as a result of current events. From Sierra: Given the activities of the past week and their impact upon travel in and to the United States, the third annual Half-Life Mod Expo will be postponed to a later date. When we have a new date set for the event, we will release that information as well as a list of the mods to be shown at this year's event. Be sure to stay tuned and find out when the rescheduled date is!

September 18, 2001

NOLF Game of the Year Edition Announced

19:38:38 EDT - Award

Sierra announced today that The Operative: No One Lives Forever, one of a select few commercial games to go open source, will be re-released in a new game of the year bundle. From the press release: Game of the Year Edition Special Feature Set * The original game featuring 15 missions over sixty levels * An all-new mission featuring four new levels of heart-pumping action, deadly intrigue, danger at every turn, and Cate in the heart of an active volcano * New exclusive textures, and a new enemy model to outwit * Map editor and source code included to allow players to create and share their own mission levels * Bonus music CD - Original "In-the-Lounge" music CD featuring groovy 60s music * Bonus Strategy Guide - Prima's official primer to the shadowy world of Agent Cate Archer To read the entire press release and find out all the juicy bits on this one, click "More" below!

September 17, 2001

Visions of Reviews -- Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

1:17:00 EDT - Award

Arcanum takes Fallout and sends it a few eons back in time to when magic was common in the world, and technology had begun to creep in by way of the steam engine and science. But does it contain the essence of true creativity, or should it just be nuked? From the review: In the beginning you can barely fight anything, so there is no way you can really gain enough experience to really begin leveling up and gaining new abilities (depending on player class, but generally, those that do well at first, do badly later.) Granted, the game gets a bit easier as you proceed more deeply into the core of the story and begin to get enough experience to get some more powerful spells or tech (on my spell tree, I went with a summoning tree first and was amazed how easy combat became after that. If only I could boost my fatigue (like mana) enough to sustain two demons for a length of time without waiting to recharge. Be sure to check out the entire review by clicking "Review" below, or by simply clicking the Arcanum logo in the "featured" bar!

September 14, 2001

Visions of Reviews -- Age of Empires II: Gold Edition

20:56:19 EDT - Award

Age of Empires is one of the most highly played multiplayer RTS games around, and has always taken a slightly different, more realistic, approach to strategy. To find out of the sequel truly tops the first, and if the gold edition is really worth its weight in gold, check out our review of AOE2: Gold Edition by clicking "Review" below, or by simply clicking the "AOE" logo on the "featured" bar!

September 1, 2001

Acranum Patch 1.0.6.9 Released

20:48:11 EDT - Award

Sierra has release the latest patch for Arcanum, 1.0.6.9, containing some much awaited features including the fullscreen option. From the press release: Sierra and Troika Games today announced that they have posted a patch for the recently released role-playing game, Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura. The patch adds several new features and addresses balance and playability issues found in the retail release of the game. More details about the patch can be found in the "readme" information below. Be sure to check out the download locations, as well as the full Readme file, by clicking "More" below!