News from the Net

                 Collated by Alex van Kaam

     Arx Fatalis, the game that reminds us so much of Ultima
     Underworld, should be in stores by now. The German version
     has been out for a few months, make sure when you get it you
     first patch up over at
     http://www.arxfatalis-online.com/index_eng.php.

     For a Review of the game go to
     http://www.gamesdomain.com/gdreview/zones/reviews/pc/
     oct02/arxfat.html

Arx has been lingering at the back of our RPG consciousness for
quite some time now, as developers Arkane got caught up in the
Fishtank Interactive buyout by JoWooD. Now all settled within
their new home, the interface has been entirely re-worked, and the
game is ready to face the world. We've been launching ourselves
wholeheartedly into the dungeon depths of the world of Arx, and
have finally surfaced to tell you about it, knees scuffed, and our
sleeves caked with rat-man blood. Nice.

The game as a whole is an incredibly immersive experience.  As a
subterranean world, not for one moment do you lose the impression
of cramped space and a claustrophobic environment - an impressive
feat, and one vital to the success of the game. Arx's sun snuffed
itself out years ago, and the world's entire civilisation --
dwarves, humans, goblins, trolls, rat-men and snake women -- moved
underground in a display of unprecedented co-operation. Time has
passed, and old rivalries are beginning to surface. A faction is
planning to raise a dark god, and our feeble adventurer is conked
on the head and imprisoned as a future sacrifice. Awakening
without his memory (convenient!), he escapes and the adventure
begins.

     Syberia is being reviewed over at
     http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=5975&mode=thre
     ad&order=0

It should come as no great surprise that Syberia is graphically
superb. You know that the game will be a feast of eye candy just
from viewing the main menu, with a cycling automaton operating
panels that flip open to show you game options.

Kate's walk is very natural and fluid, some of the pudgier
characters waddle along, and the automatons walk like ... well,
robots. The stairs are navigated a bit too slowly for my taste,
although not nearly as slowly as in Jazz and Faust, where I could
have gone out for a few beers and returned to have found them
STILL climbing the stairs. Mr. Sokal was so painstakingly thorough
in his details that the fall of shadows on the characters is very
realistic, and the Aralbad hotel clerk is watching realistic
soccer footage on TV, complete with bad reception and static.

The cut scenes were created from the same digital cloth as the
"Final Fantasy" movie; the hair on a Clydesdale horse's hoof moves
fluidly, as does the hair on young Hans' head when he turns around
to admonish his sister.  Simply stunning!

To me, the most breathtaking scene of all is the front of the
university, adorned with grandiose mammoth statues. The scene
lasts about two seconds because you're ascending the steps, and it
cuts to another screen. I had to go up and down the stairs a few
times to fully admire the scene.

     Dark Age of Camelot: Shrouded Isles screenshots are available
     over at
     http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=6792&mode=thre
     ad&order=0

     and since we are on these kinds of games, Asheron's Call 2:
     Fallen King is previewed over at
     http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/previews/0,10869,2896
     220,00.html

The last time we checked in with all of you about the upcoming
online RPG sequel Asheron's Call 2: Fallen Kings, we went over the
different races that will be playable in the game, as well as some
of the skills. We were fortunate enough to recently be paid a
visit by members of Asheron's Call 2's dedicated production team,
who not only demonstrated some of the more-advanced areas in the
game for us, but also gave us a sneak peek at the upcoming beta
event that's currently under way. According to producers Ken Troop
and Ken Karl, one of the most important things that the production
team is trying to achieve is really giving players a sense that
they're important in the game's wide world of Dereth, and that
their actions have a definite impact upon what happens in that
world. Judging from what we've seen so far of the game's advanced
areas, dungeons (known as "vaults" in Asheron's Call 2), and the
way that the game's powerful graphics engine can change the
appearance of the landscape on the fly, it looks like Asheron's
Call 2 may very well accomplish this goal.

     http://www.eqloft.com/index.php?languesite=uk is the page for
     EverQuest 2, which is now in beta and to which I have been
     drafted, so I have been playing EQ 2 for the last week, I
     thought about making some sort of review or diary but after
     playing for about 2 hours I noticed I was playing EQ 1, okay
     so the HUD is new.... the graphics are the same which can
     mean the news graphics are not ready yet, but when I started
     a new Necromancer and I found I was doing the EXACT same
     quests I did about a year ago on EQ 1 I quit.... I will keep
     updating the game one a week to see if there are changes...
     but so far... nothing

     The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal Goes Gold, this can be found
     at http://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/articles.pl?show=479

In Tribunal, a ruthless new king has taken the throne of
Morrowind, while an ageing god drifts deeper into madness. Into
this chaos you are thrust, with deadly assassins close behind you
and Morrowind's uncertain future ahead. Your journey will lead you
to Mournhold, capital city of Morrowind, to the Clockwork City of
Sotha Sil, and through massive, epic-sized dungeons.

Strange and deadly creatures await you in Tribunal, including
goblins, lich lords, and the mysterious Fabricants. Powerful new
armor and weapons will aid you in your survival, and your
adventures will be documented in the improved journal system and
an annotatable map. The fate of Morrowind is in your
hands...again.

     3DO is still doing their best to milk the M&M name so we can
     find review of Heroes of Might & Magic IV: The Gathering
     Storm over at http://www.game-over.net/reviews.php?id=773

Heroes of Might and Magic IV: The Gathering Storm is the first
expansion pack for last winter's Heroes of Might and Magic IV. It
contains a set of six linked campaigns and not much else, and
while it's meatier than the Heroes Chronicles expansion packs for
Heroes of Might and Magic III, it's not a lot meatier, and it
costs more. So if you were worried that New World Computing and
3DO were going to use expansion packs to squeeze more money out of
fans of the franchise, at least so far your fears are justified.

     Medieval: Total War can be found at
     http://www.wargamer.com/reviews/medieval_total_war/


Medieval Warfare at Its Best
The long siege gamers have endured while waiting for the sequel to
Shogun:  Total War has finally been lifted. For readers unfamiliar
with the concept, players make strategic decisions on a turn-based
map of Europe, while combat can be resolved automatically or by
personally commanding armies in a real-time 3-D battlefield.
Instead of clashing clans of Samurai or stealthy extermination of
foes with well-paid Ninja, feudal European units such as
Men-at-Arms and Assassins are employed.

Gamers familiar with the previous masterpiece from Creative
Assembly will immediately find themselves at home with it.
Constructed with gamers of all levels of experience in mind; it
offers four levels of difficulty that range from mead-and-venison
to the rack. Blending an addictive mix of the strategic and
tactical, it is likely appeal to a broad audience of gamers.
Medieval: Total War is not merely "Great, more of the same," it is
"Great!  More of the same!"


For God and King
Spanning a period of about 400 years, the period was well chosen,
with the game opening in the early medieval period where internal
strife was so great that nascent nations seemed to be in a state
of incessant civil war, and it closes at a time when the evolution
of tactics and firearms found the knight on horseback playing a
secondary role to the common infantryman.

     Because Sue was hooked on the previous version here is a link
     to RollerCoaster Tycoon II
     http://www.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r20218.htm

I hate to say it, but Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 doesn't really feel
like a sequel to the great, addictive game that reached shelves
more than three years ago. In fact, it feels more like yet another
expansion to the title.  Nothing is drastically different from the
games before it - you still take the shoes of the head of various
theme parks, laying down footpaths, installing rides and
attractions, hiring employees, designing roller coasters, and
figuring out how to make some cash while you're at it. The title
is still as addictive as it was back then, and with a load of new
scenarios, it should keep anyone busy.

If you've never played any of the previous games, here's a little
rundown of what to expect. First, you choose a scenario (this time
around, you can choose from several difficulty levels), and you're
thrown onto a large isometric grid with various hilly terrain.
There's an entrance where visitors must pay to get in, and from
there you can build footpaths around to various rides and
attractions. Usually your goal in each mission is to create enough
profit in a certain amount of time, or see high ratings. The
premise is very simple, but there's almost always something to do
to keep you busy. When you're not laying down a new footpath or
installing a new ride, you might be designing a rollercoaster.
When you have a park that's seeing people come in every second,
the footpaths loaded with people, and awards constantly being
awarded to you, you know you have something you can really be
proud of.


     Staying in the Tycoon business, Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania can
     be found at
     http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/reviews/0,10867,28963
     03,00.html

When the original Zoo Tycoon was released last year, it seemed
like a good idea at the time. It was a management strategy
game--the kind of game that lets you create a virtual business. In
this case, it let you build a zoo, fill it with animal exhibits,
and invite visitors to watch the animals and buy snacks and
souvenirs from your concession stands. Zoo Tycoon clearly tried to
follow in the footsteps of the phenomenal RollerCoaster Tycoon
from 1999, which enjoyed tremendous retail success for years. It
wasn't quite as exciting as RollerCoaster Tycoon, and it wasn't
quite as fun as RollerCoaster Tycoon in many ways, but Zoo Tycoon
was still a decent pastime and a perfect way for parents with very
young children to bond with kinds.  Earlier this year, the first
expansion for Zoo Tycoon, Dinosaur Digs, was released, and it was
rather disappointing, because even though it added dinosaurs to
zoos, it didn't significantly change or improve Zoo Tycoon. And
unfortunately, neither does Marine Mania. The new expansion pack
features some new zoo animals, new exhibit types, and the entire
Dinosaur Digs expansion, but nothing else.

Building an aquatic exhibit is a lot like building a regular one.
Marine Mania's most significant additions come in the form of
aquatic animals and aquatic exhibits. The game adds 20 new
animals, most of which are fully aquatic, like dolphins and
sharks, though there are a few amphibious critters like sea lions.
Building an aquatic exhibit is nearly identical to building a land
exhibit; you fence in an area and drop in an animal, though for
many aquatic creatures, you'll often need to adjust the depth of
your exhibit tank, since some creatures prefer deeper water than
others. And just like in the original Zoo Tycoon, you can buy
additional scenery items for your new exhibits to make your
animals happier. However, Marine Mania also adds a brand-new
feature: the ability to put on an aquatic show by building an
adjacent "show tank." Basically, this boils down to building an
additional tank and some grandstands for your audience.

     The Thing is a movie I think we've all either seen or heard
     of, and although it should not be in here because it's a 3D
     shooter I still wanna post this
     http://www.loadedinc.com/review.php?temp_view=review.php
     &game=TheThing&id=10 5

     I played the game myself and although I finished it in about
     6 hours I have to admit it was very very well done, the
     suspense of the movie was extremely realistic in the game

When John Carpenter's remake of The Thing hit the movie theaters
back in the early 80's, most critics wrote it off as just another
gore-fest and this perception was understandable since the special
effects tended to get most of the attention. Almost twenty years
later, the movie's gore is no longer a big deal, which is good
since it brings the backbone of the movie (the element of fear) to
the surface. With the unknown element of any base member being
possibly infected with the alien virus, the film made for some
suspenseful cinema.

So I was rather intrigued when I heard that Vivendi Universal was
going to make a video game based on the remake. The alien
creatures and special effects made perfect sense but I always
questioned the ability of any game developer to properly execute
the fear and trust factor of the film. Well, my questions have
been answered as the developer, Computer Artworks has done a great
job of making the fear/trust aspect central to the gameplay of The
Thing. In the game, squad members have an emotion that reflects
their current psychological state during the game. There are
verbal cues (character's remarks or screams), visual cues
(on-screen actions and head movements shown in the character's
inventory screen) and a Fear/Trust meter (pops up above their head
or can be accessed within the character's inventory screen).

It's your responsibility to make sure your fellow squad members
don't crack up. You can prevent this by supplying them weapons,
ammunition, or a shot of adrenaline. If they start freaking out,
hand them some ammo and it acts like a chill-pill. Besides making
sure they don't become a useless head-case, there's a more
practical reason for calming them down. Squad members have
specialized skills (engineer, medic, etc.) that you'll need to
utilize in order to progress through the game. So if a squad
member doesn't trust you (i.e. has a high fear level), it's likely
they'll refuse to work for you. An example of this would be a
mechanic refusing to open a locked door for you since he doesn't
trust you since he thinks you might be infected with the alien
virus. This unique feature produces some rather compelling
gameplay since you can't advance in the game unless your mates
have a certain level of trust in you.

     A review of Age of Mythology is located at
     http://www.actiontrip.com/reviews/ageofmythology.phtml

When a company spends so much money on promoting a game title,
it's got to be labeled as a AAA project, no matter what. From the
makers of the critically acclaimed Age of Kings, Ensemble Studios,
comes this latest foray into the 'Age' universe - a unique blend
of familiar AoK-like strategy concepts and the vast and
unexploited potential of world's most famous mythological
pantheons, like the Ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Norse gods.
Most of today's fantasy worlds in video games are loosely based on
works like Tolkien's epic trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, so it is
refreshing to see that someone has decided to leave the Elves,
Dwarfs and Halflings be and to replace them with Cyclops,
Minotaurs, Scarabs and a host of deities from the rich fantasy
worlds of the stories of the Greeks, Egyptians and Vikings.
Modern adaptations of ancient Greek myths are not an uncommon
occurrence in Hollywood, so it's a bit surprising that no one
thought of making an elaborate and expensive strategy based on it
before. And building on the highly successful Age of Empires and
Age of Kings titles, it's no small wonder then that the task was
appointed to the talented folks at Ensemble Studios, once the
final decision to develop the game was made by Microsoft.

Many of today's games have a problem with creating consistent and
unique game worlds. Whether it was because of the talented
writers, or the abundance of research material, Ensemble Studios
had no such problems. Age of Mythology is as rich, inspiring and
epic as strategy games get, and (save for Blizzard's Warcraft III)
it's possibly the most immersive strategy game we have seen in
quite some time. The world of myths and great deeds is full of
life and charm. The voice acting is very good, and it helps to
submerge the player in the story. The characters each have
personality, and best of all, so do the gods (they plot and scheme
just like today's politicians - an unfortunate reference, I know)!
The single-player portion of the game is divided into three
different mythical chapters with 36 missions in all. Each of these
campaigns (Atlantis, Egyptian, and Norse) is intertwined with the
others, making the single-player campaign appear seamless, and of
epic proportions.

     Icewind Dale 2 is reviewed at
     http://www.escmag.com/v5/reviews/review.cfm?rv=294

Back in the good old days of pen and paper gaming, D&D players
could generally fall into two broad categories: those who were so
deeply into the campaign that they'd have their character sheets
laminated on a bi-weekly basis, and those who were out to play
something light, smart and frequently violent. And while the truly
hardcore had their choice of deeply immersive, time-consuming
epics into which they could pour their enthusiasm, more casual
role-playing gamers really only had Diablo and Diablo II's
clickfests to keep them occupied.

So when Icewind Dale came onto the scene in the summer of 2000, a
hack-heavy D&D title with a surprisingly deep story and some truly
compelling atmosphere, it was considered to be a surprise smash.
Holding its own against Diablo II and Baldur's Gate II, Icewind
Dale proved that there was still some wiggle room between gamers
who wanted constant combat, and those invested hours in their
blacksmithing skills.

Now, Icewind Dale is back with a sequel, transporting the player
back to the northernmost reaches of the Forgotten Realms with a
brand new crisis and a brand new iteration of the D&D rules. It's
also carrying along with it a very old game engine, some
unfortunately familiar technical issues, but once again Icewind
Dale has defined itself as the ideal role-playing game for those
looking for something quick, smart and gory.

In fact, Icewind Dale II seems to go to great lengths to re-
distinguish itself as separate from the pack right from the get
go. Despite the fact that the community of the Ten-Towns has again
fallen onto tough times, this time the scale of the event is much
larger than a single party of adventurers could possibly contain.
A horde of goblins, monsters and evil priests is laying siege on
the Ten-Towns, determined to wipe it from the face of the Realms,
and the heroes are just a small part of a massive effort to stem
the tide. From the moment the players step onto the docks, they're
joining the battle to save the area from a seemingly endless wave
of humanoid foes, and are drawn smoothly from one scenario to
another -- each more difficult than the last.

     Divine Divinity is a game I have been playing a while ago,
     but had some bugs (fixed in new patches). I had not yet the
     time to restart it but I will since I really enjoyed it. Have
     a look at
     http://www.playerofgames.com/reviews/index.php?id=64


The latest RPG offerings from Larian; a healthy mixture of hack n
slash RPG, mixed in with classical RPG action, fuelling this fiery
mix is the license from the Wizards of the Coast. Bake for a good
long period of development, test and you should have yourself the
most enjoyable RPG of 2002 with the lovely after taste of
satisfaction.

A few weeks ago I received a copy of Divine Divinity to review and
of course being the good journalist that I am, I sat down to play
this RPG, not knowing then what I do now. You see, before Divine
Divinity my RPG gaming had extended to the world of Ultima, Diablo
and Baldur's Gate.  So my impression of an RPG was long-winded
plots, none linear plots and ghastly amounts of magic that you
could never remember let alone remember how to use. Of course
Diablo left me with the feeling that if I ever picked up a large
sword, if I wave the thing around the place 500 million undead
zombies will arise answering my challenge. Divine Divinity changed
this.


First let introduce you to the plot behind this game. You our
young unknowing hero, one day is sauntering through the woods were
a whole pile of orcs decide to say hello in a less than mannerly
manner. Of course you get knock out various magic happens and you
wake up in a village in the middle of nowhere. This is where the
fun begins. Throughout the world of Divine Divinity lots of
strange things are happening. The first one of these you are
introduced to is "the source" has decided to turn itself off
(wizards not paying their gas bills) also the local battle
mage/healer has gone nuts.  Something is rotten in the state of
Rivellon. This casts you into a world of chaos, a war with orcs,
elves, and dwarfs and a kid attempting too fool everyone into
thinking his the chosen one (the cheek). Oh and you're one of
three marked dudes.

Divine Divinity is really, I mean really user friendly. The
controls are simple. For the more complicated RPG gamers out there
you can bind hot keys for all your favourite spells and there are
quiet a few spells to be fond off. The controls extend to the
mouse mainly, same as Diablo in nearly every sense. Left click to
move or attack right to unleash a plague from hell right on top of
your enemies. The only weak point I found with your characters
movement is the route he or she may take to a given object. For
example a cabinet in the corner of a room, if you click to walk
over your character may decide to walk out of the room and stand
facing the wall, which the object is behind. Which can get ever so
slightly annoying.












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