March
29, 2005
Splinter Cell;
Chaos theory
Author:
Will Tuttle
"As
you might expect, the story in the single-player campaign feels
like it's been ripped straight out of Mr. Clancy's latest technothriller,
complete with international intrigue, double-crosses, and plenty
of high-tech jargon. However, unlike the previous games in
the series, the story is actually pretty coherent this time
around, and the writing (especially the dialogue) has been
improved immensely. This is the first game that really gives
you a sense of Sam's personality, and hearing him joke around
with his support team will bring a smile to your face, as will
overhearing the conversations of his terrified foes. The writers
also managed to sneak in some not-so-subtle digs at the nature
of the series itself, riffing on everything from setting off
alarms to killing civilians."
Read
The Review Here
Also
in the News
Stacked
Author:
Aaron Boulding
"It
was just a few years ago that a bunch of bored office workers
found themselves addicted to low-budget, low-resolution hunting
games on their PCs. These innocent beginnings lead many of
them into the world of serious hardcore first person shooters
and they've been fragging aliens, zombies and other supernatural
creatures ever since. The exploding popularity of poker --in
the real world, that is-- over the last 5-10 years has brought
us to a point where a high-quality, no-nonsense videogame on
the beloved card game is overdue. Rather than risk a ton of
your hard earned money learning the intricacies of the game,
why not give it a go on your PC or console for the one-time
price your local videogame retailer is going to charge you?"
Read
The Review Here
March
24, 2005
ToCA Race Driver 2006
"Coming
this winter, ToCA Race Driver 2006 sees double the tracks,
triple
the cars and more championships than ever before! Complete with
a stunning physics and damage engine, head-to-head online multiplayer
racing and a game engine rebuilt for an even greater degree of
simulation, ToCA Race Driver 2006 takes real-life racing to the
next level!"
Visit
the Official Website
March
23, 2005
Official Movie Trailer
Released
The
official movie trailer of The Matrix Online has been released!
It can be found at www.thematrixonline.com and in AMC theaters
nationwide in front of all PG-13 and R movies. This trailer
is the finale of the 9 previously released story trailers that
gave fans a look into the beginnings of the unraveling of the
uneasy truce between the Machines and people of Zion.
Also
in the News
WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
ENTERTAINMENT AND SEGA ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF THE MATRIX ONLINE
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and SEGA
are pleased to announce that today, hundreds of thousands of
players can now jack into The Matrix Online, a massively multi-player
online game (MMOG), to participate in the continuing saga of
the The Matrix franchise. Developed by Monolith Productions,
directed by the Wachowski Brothers and co-published by Warner
Bros. Interactive Entertainment and SEGA, The Matrix Online is
launching for the PC today in North America and April 8, 2005
in Europe.
The Matrix Online's story continues after the third film, The
Matrix Revolutions, ended with Zion and the Machines in an uneasy
truce. Capturing the authenticity of the films, Laurence Fishburne
(Morpheus), Monica Bellucci (Persephone), Mary Alice (The Oracle),
Lambert Wilson (The Merovingian), Harold Perrineau, Jr. (Link),
Harry Lennix (Lock), Nona Gaye (Zee), Collin Chou (Seraph) and
Tanveer Atwal (Sati) have provided voice-over and character likenesses
to the game. Don Davis, the film composer for The Matrix trilogy,
is also providing the score for The Matrix Online.
"The Matrix Online takes massively multi-player online
games to a new level by giving players the chance to directly
participate and make history within the Matrix's continuing,
intriguing story," said Jason Hall, Senior Vice President
for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. "In The Matrix
Online, gamers can create their ideal character for combat and
socialization within an incredibly expansive urban environment
and then interact with actual characters from the Matrix films."
"The Matrix Online is a fast-paced, action-driven MMOG
that combines the excitement of wire-fu combat and bullet time
with an engaging, persistent world directed by the creators of
the world-famous franchise," said Simon Jeffery, President
and COO of SEGA of America, Inc. "SEGA expects The Matrix
Online to satisfy hardcore gamers while remaining extremely accessible
to newcomers and fans of the Matrix universe."
Also
in the News
Brothers in
Arms: Road to Hill 30
Author: Bob Colayco
a--wait
for it--first-person shooter set during World War II. Yes,
there seem to be one too many games in that particular category,
and the standards have already been set very high thanks to
Call of Duty, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, and Battlefield
1942. However, Brothers in Arms takes a different, much more
tactical approach to the conflict than any of those games,
and executes on the concept extremely well. Read our full review
for the details. Interestingly, this one comes from Gearbox
Software, the people who brought you the original Half-Life
expansion pack and PC ports of games like Halo and Tony Hawk's
Pro Skater 3.
Read The Review Here
Also
in the News
Battlefield 2
Author:
Andrew Park and Jason Ocampo
We've
got a hands-on report of how Battlefield 2 has been shaping
up. If there's one mammoth multiplayer-focused PC shooter on
the horizon, it's got to be Battlefield 2, so check out our
latest preview to get a sense of just how well this game's
been shaping up...and whether it'll have what it takes to get
you to give up on your current multiplayer game of choice.
Read
The Review Here
Also
in the News
Act of War: Direct
Action
Author:
Jason Ocampo
Rounding
out a decidedly conflict-driven week, we've got a full review
of Act of War: Direct Action, a great real-time strategy game
that's clearly cut from the same cloth as Command & Conquer.
It's got full-motion video sequences with live actors and everything!
Act of War is a great take on the RTS formula, so do check
it out if you liked games like Command & Conquer: Generals.
Read
The Review Here
March
21, 2005
The Matrix Online
Launch Update
The
Matrix Online preorder launch begins Saturday, March 19th at
noon PST and the official game launch begins Tuesday, March
22nd.
As part of the unique continuing story based nature of The Matrix
Online, a specialized Role Playing Live Events Team is in place
to assume the roles of the actual Matrix characters, including
Morpheus, Seraph, The Merovingian and more.
Starting with the Preorder Launch the Live Events Team will
actively engage in the game to bring the Matrix alive. The truce
between the people of Zion and the Machines will begin to unravel
shortly after launch and you have the opportunity to shape the
future of the Matrix, building to the week of April 4th, which
will include major story updates and live events.
New features are constantly being developed to drive the game
and story further. Players can always get a sneak peak at future
content updates by jacking into the QA Live server, which will
be available at launch. Some of the exciting new features already
available on the QA Live Server include an in-game radio enabling
players to listen to live audio streams and their music seamlessly
during gameplay and increased inventory capacity. The QA Live
server also provides a glimpse of the future of PvP in the Matrix,
once the truce unravels.
Also
in the News
You could
WIN a walk-on role in X-men3
See
Robots this weekend. Pay attention to find the answers, if
you get all five right you'll enter to win a role in X-men3.
Enter the sweepstakes here
March
2, 2005
How the Story Unfolds
in The Matrix Online
The
Matrix Online has promised to deliver an "ongoing
story" in a way that has never been done before. Throughout
the beta, we have primarily concentrated on testing the underlying
functionality of the game without revealing much of the planned
story content. Because of this, I'd like to take a moment to
describe the various story delivery mechanisms and features that
players will have access to.
MISSIONS
Missions
provide a big chunk of the gameplay in The Matrix Online, but
they are
not simply a means to advance your character and
find loot. From time to time, you will notice certain missions
that appear as "Critical Missions" in your mission
panel. These critical missions often provide insight and involvement
into the ongoing story. Each Organization will sponsor critical
missions and savvy players will be able to discern from these
the evolving situations that are affecting the Matrix.
You might
even find clues that shed some light on previous or upcoming
events!
Some critical missions are more exclusive than others. In these
sorts of missions, you may even encounter famous Matrix characters
like Morpheus or the Merovingian. Remember, because these missions
are replaced by new missions on a periodic basis, not everyone
will be able to access every mission. The Matrix Online is
an evolving world, and nothing lasts forever. You may be one
of
the few players in the game who will ever participate in certain
missions.
Some of the very early story-based Critical Missions are playable
in beta. If you want to ensure that you get assigned to these
exclusive and top-secret missions, make sure your Reputation
with the Organization is as high as possible. The higher your
Reputation is with the sponsoring Organization, the more missions
you will have access to. Increasing your Reputation is done by
performing any mission, even normal, non-critical missions. Prove
yourself to your chosen Organization, and you will be recognized
for your contributions.
Cinematics
Certain moments and situations in The Matrix Online are so dramatic
and so important to the story of the Matrix that we want everyone
to be able to view them. In these situations, we create special
Cinematics that feature Matrix characters who are often voiced
by the original actors who played those characters in the films.
New cinematics will be made available on a periodic basis. When
a new one comes out, it will usually signal that a new series
of Critical Missions are available, or that some kind of momentous
event will occur.
The Sentinel
Of course, Redpills and Exiles are not the only denizens of
the Matrix. They share the computer simulation with millions
of Bluepills (humans that have not realized that the Matrix is
a digital illusion).
The Sentinel is a newspaper written and produced by Bluepills.
They often talk about boring, mundane events that don't concern
Redpills, but many times, the activities of Redpills, Machines
and Exiles accidentally interfere with or affect the lives
of Bluepills.
Discerning players
will be able to "read between the lines" and
realize that the reports of "an unusual string of gang violence" or "strange
break-ins" are actually Bluepill attempts to explain the
results of Redpill and Exile activities. For players who want
to know every possible nuance of the Matrix universe, the Sentinel
is a great resource.
Story Events
Story Events are real-time gameplay activities that The Matrix
Online live team creates in order to move the story forward.
Story Events can consist of anything from an appearance by the
Oracle to the onslaught of a world altering virus that threatens
the stability of the Matrix.
In each case, these events will affect players in different
ways. Some might be startlingly obvious, while others are
subtle and
will only be realized by a select few. It will be difficult
for players to predict or know for certain when an event
will occur,
but this is the intent. To make the most of your time in The
Matrix Online, stay alert for things that look unusual or out
of place. You never know when you could get swept up into the
history books of the Matrix.
Future Surprises
While the methods described above are the major vehicles for
the delivering the story content in The Matrix Online, there
is always more than meets than eye when it comes to the Matrix.
Keep your eyes open over the coming months, and you may be surprised
at some of the ways in which the story continues to be developed.
Visit the Official Website
Also
in the News
Steelpad QcK+ Large
Gaming Mousepad
Author: Jeff Caldwell
"Steelpad
has definitely designed quite the excellent mouse pad with
the QcK+. This pad will definitely remain in use for quite
some time on one of the more used computers in this household.
Its size has got to be its only real flaw, though only for
some people. The QcK+ is a nice, sleek looking pad, which earns
it points in my books for not having writing, logos, and advertisements
all over the large surface. This is definitely an excellent
buy for any gamer or computer artist, and at $19.95 you can't
really go wrong."
Read the full review here
