|
This page details the various games related articles that I have written and a couple of interviews that were done with me.
There's a selection of previews, reviews, articles, interviews and editorials. Click on the title of each article to view the complete piece.
Strident
We have seen a plethora of hand-to-hand combat games released in the last few years. We have also seen more weapon-based games than you could shake a big waggly stick at. How many games have we seen that try and mix the two? Not a lot, right? Oni tried it, but was missing that magic little something that would ensure a home on many gamer's desks.
Spider-Man
If you missed the review of the Spider-Man demo last week then you might not know about this exciting comic-based console conversion due for release this week. The development company behind the game are known as LTI Gray Matter and have had a five person team working on bringing the famous web-slinger to the PC. As with the console version they plan to keep the game as close to the original comic series as possible including appearances by the more memorable bad guys and friends of Spider-Man.
Soldier Of Fortune 2
On April 17th, an announcement was made that Activision and Raven Software were going to develop the sequel to one of the top First Person Shooters of 2000, Soldier of Fortune. Soldier of Fortune 2 promises a realistic covert-operative themed gameplay experience, intense action, mind blowing graphics and a mile-a-minute storyline. I decided to take a look and see what was planned for the sequel and what's in store for all of you FPS lovers.
Jumpgate
Interstellar travel has been the dream of many a scientist. The thoughts of flying through space, hopping from planet to planet and exploring what was once thought as inexplorable has fascinated many an astronaut. Maybe you have even looked up into the night sky and wondered if you would see the day when all of this is possible.
RedMoon
Brought to you by the Korean developer JCEntertainment, RedMoon is a massively multiplayer online RPG based in an anime-style science fantasy world. Currently RedMoon is free to download from the game's Web site and is in the open beta stages of development. The game is currently available in Korea and, through their US company Joy City, it is planned for release in the US during 2001.
Spider-Man: The Movie
What's red and blue, and pulled in over one hundred and ten million dollars in it's opening weekend in the USA? That's right! Your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man! The Spider-Man: The Movie game is a great web-swinging demo that should not be missed by fans of this genre. Read on for our full review!
Team Factor LAN Demo
Team based tactical shooters are all the rage and nobody can deny that. Over the last few years we have seen numerous developers try their hand at developing one that is unique and exciting enough to get you to dip your hand in your pocket and spend your hard earned cash. If you look at some of the games that are planned for release over the following months then you will see that they just aren't going to give up.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear -- Black Thorn
The series of Rainbow Six games developed by Red Storm Entertainment have always been a big hit with gamers and it's not surprising to find that there have been a number of expansion packs published that offer the gamers more levels to play and more weapons to shoot. The latest in the line of expansion packs is known as Black Thorn and promises nine new single-player missions, fourteen new weapons, six new multi-player maps and a new Lone Wolf multi-player mode. This all sounds very promising but do you really want to fork out all that hard earned cash without giving it a try first? Nope, neither do I. So I decided to take a look at the playable demo before emptying my wallet.
Spider-Man
Superhero based cartoons and comics are great. They depict characters with unimaginable powers, fighting either good or evil with death defying moves and fancy weapons or body parts. If like me you have always dreamt of becoming one of these superhuman heroes then this demo could be just what you are looking for.
The Sting!
The offices that I work in are very handily situated above a bank. So it's not surprising that every now and then the topic of conversation drifts to putting a plan together that will ensure we can perform one of the most daring robberies in history and escape with pockets full of gold bullion. Whether or not we ever attempt one of our hairbrained schemes is not the point but rather that a majority of people have most likely entertained the fantasy of fooling security personnel and the local cops and getting away with large wads of cash in their swag bag.
Gore
I was fairly sceptical when asked to review a demo of the latest online multiplayer FPS, Gore. Do we really need another online fragfest game? Why can't developers come up with something original? This is just going to be another game where I run about shooting people, dying, getting back up and killing some more. Well after hooking up the lowest ping server I could find, I was pleasantly surprised. Read on.
Spider-Man The Movie Game Demo
If you tried out the demo of the Spider-Man The Movie Game after reading yesterday's review then you should be an expert on all things Spidey today. We thought it would be a good idea to put your knowledge to the test and see how much you remember from playing it. Do you think you have a spider sense? Let's find out.
Red Faction
What is the name of the Ultor security technician who helps you out with messages during the game? Who developed Red Faction? On which planet is Red Faction set? What is the name of the revolutionary engine used that allows you to destroy the surrounding environment? Which of these is not a weapon in the game?
Rainbow Six Series
What is the code name of your player in the game? What cheat code do you enter to get a fresh supply of ammo? How many variations of the H&K MP5 are available in the game? In the third mission, Operation Angel Wire, what is the name of the terrorist group who have taken over the oilrig? What does the Heartbeat Sensor do?
No One Lives Forever
What is the name of the female heroine you play? What was her previous profession before turning superspy? What is the name of the top-secret British agency she now works for? What cheat code do you enter to switch to third person view? Which one of these weapons is not found in the game? What effect do the Fuzzy Slippers have in the game?
Serious Sam
What secret weapon has allowed Sam to return to the time of ancient Eqypt? What is the only visible internal organ on the Stainless Steve Multi-Player model? What graphics file format are screenshots saved as? How many different skill levels are there? Who is playing in the Metorpolis Coop demo included with the game?
Mod Communities
For the second day of Community Week here at 3DAction Planet we interviewed three different mod teams about you, the community! We talk to Shag and Rojazz about their Unreal Tournament mod Tactical Ops, MakSMoke about his Unreal Tournament mod Unreal4Ever and Agent~0 about his Half-Life mod Day Of Defeat. You will also find some exclusive screenshots, provided by the teams, scattered throughout the interviews.
Joerg Schwiezer, CEO @ Reakktor, developers of Neocron
We managed to grab some of Joerg's spare time and fire a few questions at him. Read on to find out a bit more about the man himself and the development of Neocron. We also got our hands on three brand new exclusive screenshots for your viewing pleasure, which you will find scattered through the interview.
Daniel Ludwig, Developer @ Reakktor, developers of Neocron
Have you ever wondered how all those really cool features get implemented in Neocron? One man who is involved with the coding of the game is Daniel "CoDi" Ludwig, a member of Neocron dev team. We had the chance to fire off a few questions at him and find out what he thinks of the current hardware technology and how it relates to the development of Neocron.
Dean Sekulic, Developer @ Croteam, developers of Serious Sam
We recently had the opportunity to ask Dean Sekulic a few questions about Serious Sam and the Serious Engine. Dean is one of the programmers and level designers over at Croteam. Thanks to both Dean and Roman Ribaric for this interview.
About Serious Sam Site
DOOM style shoot-em-up gameplay not popular anymore? Not according to the Serious Sam sales figures. What's more, this budget title shipped with easy-to-use tools that make modding the game a snap to do. With the community latching onto this great platform to develop with, it's no surprise that a great site like Seriously! has anchored itself in the game world. We talked to Vesto, the man behind the site, about Seriously! and the community around it.
About Neocron Site
Neocron is a massively multiplayer, online RPG that has some things in common with first-person shooters. RPGPlanet hosts an excellent fan site for the game, called neoTERM. We spoke with Vesto, the site director and designer.
Online Distribution: Are We Ready?
For as long as games have been around, they've been sold as physical products for us to buy in stores. But now publishers and developers are looking at making their products fully downloadable via the Internet. Are we ready for this? Vesto shares his thoughts in today's editorial.
The Beginning of the Ending?
Let me start this editorial by asking you a question. When you have finished watching a movie, what is the bit that sticks in your mind afterwards? The ending. Right? Many movies have been ruined for me by a lackluster and poorly executed ending, often making me forget about any credible content that came before it. I've lost count of the times I have heard people say "It was a great film but the ending was crap!".
Games Packaging
Take a look at the shelf that you store all your games on. You will probably see a set of big shiny cardboard boxes, adorned with screenshots and some basic game info, containing a manual showing you how to play and a nice colorful disk containing up to 650mb of pleasure. I bet it looks good but is there really any need for them?
To Mod Or Not To Mod
The world is full of creative people. Some choose to express their creativity by painting a masterpiece, some choose to write a best-selling novel and some choose to join a mod team and create a game that has the opportunity to bring pleasure to thousands of online gamers. Whether you are a coder, modeler, texture artist or mapper, being on a mod team allows you to show the world your inner creative streak.
The MMORPG Explosion
Over the last couple of years, we have seen a massive increase in the demand for online games. A majority of the most popular games have been first-person shooters, with games lasting half an hour and giving the player, on average, just over a dozen human opponents. The other main contender for your online gaming time is the massively multiplayer online RPG, offering an interactive experience with hundreds of globally positioned players.
Top 10 AI Mistakes
These days the people who inhabit our planet are getting smarter and smarter. New technology is being developed every day, new facts and figures are being uncovered, and computers are getting smarter and smarter. However, a look back over time uncovers a vast array of mistakes and lessons learnt.
Max Payne Mods
What do you do when you tire of playing the same single-player game over and over again? What options are there out there to extend the life of that hard earned cash spent on the latest binary action experience? Mods of course! This fantastic concept allows gamers with a flare for development to harness the power of the professionally developed engine and create their own game. More and more developers are releasing modable games and it was no surprise to see that Max Payne joined that ever growing list.
Firearms Mod Spotlight
The number of mods that make it into the big leagues is very small considering the amount of mods that are actually out there, so it’s always refreshing to see one that’s unique, fun to play and gathers a good online following. Over the last month I have spent a lot of time playing a mod that I think can compete with the big boys.
The Most Promising MMORPG
With so many massively multiplayer, online roleplaying games (MMORPGs) due for release this year, it could prove difficult to decide which of them you will devote your time to. In this two-part article, we describe the new MMORPGs due for release this year and we would like you to decide which of them you are most looking forward to. We'll share some of your comments in a followup article later next week.
|
