Busy Gamer News

An update to the multiplayer mod for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City provides new running and walking animations, less bumpiness when driving, advanced chat, fewer cheating opportunities and an improved client interface. Get Multi Theft Auto v0.3 at http://www.mtavc.com/...

Bummed that there are no new games for the Sega Dreamcast? Actually, there are - if you're open to homebrew games and ports of older titles with free source code. Want to play Descent, DOOM, Heretic, Quake, Rise of the Triad and, er, Ninja Monkey Battle on your Dreamcast? You'll need CD burning software that supports CDI or NRG files to create a bootable Dreamcast disc. If you've already burned through your holiday games, maybe it's time to dust off the ol' white console lurking under your TV stand and visit http://homebrew.dcemulation.com...

If you've been holding your breath for the console update to Black and White or perhaps the missing-in-action PC sequel, maybe it's time to dust off your original CD-ROMs. New scripting tools and a soundbank editor make it possible to tweak the game to your heart's content. Only those who are really hardcore about playing god need apply. Get the tools at http://www2.bwgame.com/?url=/bw/news...

Winter hit Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 is coming to PS2 in the spring. Not only that, it'll be a souped up version with newly tuned levels, a new mission, improved enemy AI that puts hostages to use as human shields and more scripted effects to improve overall immersion. There's even online multiplayer with new maps and split-screen cooperative. More proof that Microsoft doesn't get the value of console exclusives...

If you want to freshen up the latest games via Xbox Live, you'll need to start paying for it. Recent updates, priced at $5 a pop, include a new batch of five songs for Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix and the Kapalua Plantation golf course for Links 2004. There are also several $10 Karoake collections for Xbox Music Mixer including '80s pop and alternative rock. Hey, whatever happened to making the first taste free...

Joining the console wars is Apex, previously known for its economy DVD players and TVs. The ApeXtreme, due in March at $299 and $399, is powered by an instant-on version of Windows XP. Does that mean it will play off-the-shelf PC games? Apparently, yes - up to a point. The DISCover Drop and Play engine supports some 2,000 titles and will even automatically download and apply patches and mods. The system won't play non-game PC software (at least until the inevitable hack) but will handle CDs, MP3s and DVDs with support for 5.1 audio and progressive scan video. There's even DVI and SPDIF output. Is that drool? Ewww...

It appears Xbox Music Mixer was just the beginning. Apart from Karoake, the title enabled copying of music and pictures from a PC to an Xbox for convenient playback. At CES 2004, Microsoft announced the Xbox Media Center Extender Kit, which provides access to photos, music and videos (including DVDs and DVR recordings of TV shows and movies) residing on a networked PC for playback via Xbox hardware. The kit includes an Xbox disc and a fancy new remote to control it. The catch? You'll need a high-end Windows XP Media Center Edition PC to make it work. No word yet on pricing or availability...

LucasArts loves Xbox. At least, that's the implied message when you see so many downloadable goodies on Xbox Live. The latest updates include Summer Home, a bonus mission for Armed and Dangerous, and the Macchi 202 German/Italian fighter plane and a new mission for it, Escape from Tripoli, adding to two previous add-on packs for Secret Weapons Over Normandy. And it's not even Valentine's Day...

How much would you pay for a handheld gaming system? The latest intel on Sony's PlayStation Portable (PSP) sets the price point at or above $370. The goal is to make money on the hardware and charm third-party developers by keeping royalties low, which might mean more and cheaper games. (If memory serves, Microsoft had the same idea for the Xbox and then got cold feet.) Oh, and we were right about the release date: November. Ho ho ho, here's hoping your favorite jolly holiday elf has deep pockets...

Microsoft Game Studios head Ed Fries has hung up his spurs after shepherding the gaming division through a turnaround season with such solid titles as Crimson Skies, Halo for PC, Links 2004, Project Gotham Racing 2, Rise of Nations and Top Spin. (Then again, Fries is also culpable for Azurik, Kakuto Chojin, Nightcaster and Whacked!) No real word on why he left or what's next, just the usual mumbling about "projects." Fortunately, he leaves a string of buzzworthy games in the queue, including Fable, Halo 2, Psychonauts and Rallisport Challenge 2. After that, it's anybody's guess...

Nintendo is planning to port some of its classic NES game library to the GameBoy Advance. Highlights include Bomberman, Donkey Kong, Excitebike, The Legend of Zelda, Pac-Man, Super Mario Brothers and Xevious. So far, the budget-priced games are only slated for a Feb. 14 Japanese release at the equivalent of $18 each. We can only hope U.S. releases follow...

If you've ever looked at your new EyeToy and thought it would make a swell videoconferencing device, you're not far from the mark. Datel is now offering Max TV, a $15 add-on that lets you record video clips. You can then upload them via the PS2's broadband adapter to an Internet site and share them with select friends (wink wink) or the EyeToy community at large (wink wink nudge nudge say no more). You can download clips too, including videogame previews, even without an EyeToy -- if you just like to watch...

If you've been waiting for the day when videogame technology catches up with your samarai fantasies, it's almost here. Onimusha 3 for PS2 supports a katana sword. The wireless controller contains motion capture hardware so you can actually swing it to control your character's slashing attacks. The hilt offers up the standard PS2 buttons, providing menu control and a way to finish your level when you're all swung out. The price, estimated at $160, puts it in the same class as Steel Battalion's expansive vertical tank controller: a must-have collectible for diehard gamers with deep pockets...

News of a 500+ list of Phantom games should intrigue gamers, particularly those who dismissed the entire console as a hoax. Highlights include 3DO's Heroes of Might and Magic (1 and 2); Atari's Civilization 3, Driver 3 and Neverwinter Nights; Capcom's Dino Crisis (1 & 2), Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and Street Fighter Alpha 2; Disney's Lilo & Stitch; Red Storm's Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six; Take 2's Hidden & Dangerous, Myth (II and III) and Serious Sam (1 and 2), and Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Rogue Spear. A number of titles are educational (including several in the Mavis Beacon, Reader Rabbit and Super Solvers series), suggesting the Phantom to be another PC-based platform with many titles simply unenhanced ports. What's also not clear is whether these are actual launch titles. Infinium Labs withdrew the list shortly after posting it, so there's always the chance that this news is simply an attempt at classic smoke and mirrors -- so take it with a grain of your favorite seasoning...

PC gamers jealous of the recent attention on the Xbox version of Counter-Strike will be happy to know there's an update for them. v1.6 offers no new features but fixes a number of exploits, loopholes and glitches. For instance, the defensive team now gets more money if it wins due to round timeout and players can no longer defect to the other team if they die. Get the patch via Valve's Steam service -- info at http://www.steampowered.com...

Microsoft techs have been burning the midnight oil to fix a hiccup where Xbox Live users often can't see their friends online. The problem should be fixed by the time you read this. A more in-depth upgrade, expected in April, is rumored to add several features including persistent online teams, tournaments that can be run by players, voice mail sent with invites and friend requests, enhanced stats and more. Now, if they'd just support more than 100 Friends List entries...

In case anyone still cares, Malice has found a publisher. After riding the high of an eye-candy technology demo on the pre-launch Xbox, the game suffered a tortuously long development cycle, a change of publisher, expansion to include a PS2 version and eventual cancellation by Vivendi Universal. Developer Argonaut kept the dream and the game alive, now due out midyear under the Bethesda Softworks' Mud Duck banner. Good to know that Gwen Stefani's acting talents won't go to waste...

Being a Jedi isn't what it used to be. And that's a problem LucasArts developers are going to fix. Bowing to fan feedback, Star Wars Galaxies will undergo a series of changes to the Jedi System including an end to permadeath -- not really death, but a wholesale loss of skills. Instead, deaths that exceed a buffer amount lead to loss of a randomly selected skill. Good news: Deaths tallied against you fade with time. Eventually, look for a new quest-focused system and more Force sensitivity elements. Don't worry, any progress you've made as a Jedi will be converted to the new system, though it's not clear yet what form this will take. Patient, a Jedi is...

Fans of the Warcraft series take note: From Jan. 28 to Feb. 4, you can apply to beta test the massively multiplayer World of Warcraft. No need to stampede; applications for an advance taste of the online RPG will be judged regardless of the order submitted. Sign up at http://blizzard.com/. Just don't try to stuff the ballot box -- entering more than once will disqualify you...

DRIV3R, the third in the popular Driver series, has been delayed until June 1. The racing/action game stars Michael "Stuck in the Middle With You" Madsen and features a cops and international car robbers storyline set in Miami, Nice and Istanbul. There are even free roam modes and mini games. The odd part of the announcement is that Atari says that its marketing team needs the additional time, not the developers. C'mon, guys: It's bang bang, vroom vroom, ka-ching ka-ching. What's to figure out...

What's with all the buzz for Full Spectrum Warrior? Well, for one, you'll control a couple squads of military personnel and never fire a shot. No, it's not all stealth maneuvers. Actually, your crack soldiers do all of the firing, you just need to get them into position. Combining real-time strategy and squad-based shooting, the game is actually based on an app created for the U.S. Army -- though it's morphed into an actual game with the addition of story elements. Indeed, Pandemic may have taken a page from the TV show 24 since the entire game unfolds over a single 24-hour stretch...

If you're still holding your breath for Halo 2 in April, you might want to exhale. Major game stores are resorting to placeholder dates (mostly in June), which means the highly anticipated sequel will likely slide into summer or even later. The official word is Bungie's usual one -- that the game will ship when it's done. But you know the Duke Nukem Forever jokes will start if they miss another holiday season, so expect a release sometime between September and November...

Console price cut rumors are in the air. The most likely time for a drop is E3 in May and expectations are for a $50 reduction on PlayStation 2 and Xbox systems. Now, some analyst has posited that Microsoft might take the dramatic step of cutting to $99 by end of summer. Folks, this borders on rampant speculation. Then again, it wouldn't surprise me to find some Microsoft bean counter running the numbers right now. At this rate, with the price deficit where it is, Nintendo could have to start paying people to take the GameCube...

Apparently I was dead on with my Halo 2 prediction (below). About 10 hours after it posted, Bungie announced a Fall 2004 release. Honest, I didn't have any inside information. Perhaps someone there didn't like my Duke Nukem Forever comment...