Busy Gamer News

Rockstar has been quietly constructing Grand Theft Auto Advance for the GBA, due in late October. At first glance, you might think it's a cheap port of GTA2 since it sports the same bird's eye view of the action. Uh uh. This is a brand new game, a prequel to GTA3 that replicates Liberty City and even expands on it. With 300 missions, 10 weapons and dozens of vehicles, you'll have your, um, hands full...

Fable creator Peter Molyneux actually apologized for overhyping the game. And he promises not to do it again. Some features, like the effect of trees growing throughout the game, were dropped due to their demands on the Xbox processor. More proof that Project Ego (as it was codenamed) should have simply been delayed until Xbox 2's next gen hardware could bring it closer to the original vision...

Halo 2 is done. Now it's just a matter of putting it into all of those little boxes... Fun fact: Halo 2 composer/sound designer Marty O'Donnell incorporated a couple of rock tracks into the game. Not the usual shoehorned musical tie-ins, either. They're based on his own themes and were donated by the A-list alternative bands who did tracks for the "inspired by" soundtrack. O'Donnell promises the rock themes are a small percentage of the total score... Just can't wait to get your hands on Halo 2? Cool them on a 7-11 Slurpee collectible Halo 2 cup. OK, so maybe Bungie did sell out just a wee little bit...

There's a new chapter for Full Spectrum Warrior available, but it'll cost you. For $5 you can download Epilogue #1, a search and destroy mission set a few hours after the end of the retail game. Fans are annoyed that THQ is charging Xbox gamers for this and another level, Epilogue #2, due for release next month since both levels are included in the just released PC version...

It looks like Sam & Max: Freelance Police might be resurrected. No, LucasArts didn't come to its senses or succumb to the e-mail campaign to save it. The core Sam & Max development team - jettisoned from LucasArts after the title was canned - has formed Telltale Games and is rumored to be picking up the ashes of the 3D adventure title. No word on when it might, hypothetically, be released...

Looking for an excuse to preorder Prince of Persia: Warrior Within? Ubisoft is sweetening the pot on the $40 sequel, due Nov. 16 for all major platforms, by throwing in a 36-page collectible paperback filled with art and developer chatter if you order from EB, Game Crazy or GameStop...

If you buy Half-Life 2 over Valve's Steam service, you'll get everything preloaded but the game engine itself, which is being withheld until it retails sometime in November. But you can download and start playing Counter-Strike: Source - the HL2-based and visually superior update to the classic squad-based shooter mod - with all packages from steampowered.com, even the $50 bronze level. What are you waiting for? Oh yeah, for the many gigs of data you better have a decent Internet connection...

A v1.01 patch is available for the PC version of Star Wars Battlefront to repair some connectivity bugs and make some cosmetic improvements (get it at fileshack.com/file.x?fid=5525). These are just quick fixes; LucasArts promises a deeper overhaul to the server browser, host options and leaderboards along with a dedicated Linux server...

The U.S. release of Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude adds censor bars to obscure male and female lower anatomy, though the European version is, er, uncut. The easiest way to reduce the prudity and unlock full nudity: buy the PC release and use a hex editor to change the zero to a one for "NudityMode" in the AppInit.jam file. Safety tip: Back up the file before editing. The same can be done on a modded Xbox. A couple of prerendered cut scenes, including the finale, will still be obscured but it's cheaper than importing from the UK...

It only seems fitting. Players of City of Heroes have enacted several in-game tributes to mark the passing of Christopher Reeve, who portrayed Superman in the 1978 Richard Donner film and several sequels. In one such memorial, several players (many attired as Superman) salute a fallen avatar of Reeve himself. Screenshot at coh.warcry.com...

The first product based on the DISCover engine is not the $500 ApeXtreme (which appears to be MIA) but the $1,800 and up Alienware DHS 5-Series. Essentially a media center PC for the living room with plug-and-play gaming technology, the idea is to remove the messy process of installing PC games - making the system more console-like. Some 2,000 games are supported, and Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 completes the package with DVD, DVR and digital audio features...

Due to ship in early November, Zoo Tycoon 2 improves on the original by offering the option to view the park from a zookeeper or guest's POV. You can spend your time snapping photos or interacting with animals, if you like...

Can't wait until November to play Prince of Persia: Warrior Within? You're in luck. There's a PC demo of the tutorial level available now at fileshack.com/file.x?fid=5641. It's 473MB - hope you have a fast connection...

Vivendi Universal finally confirmed the PC release of The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay. In fact, it will be an expanded "Developer's Cut" with additional enemies and locations not in the Xbox version. The game is due in December for $29.95...

Those Penny Arcade scamps are at it again. Now in their second year of trying to bend the media's perception of anti-social gamers, Internet gaming comic makers Mike Krahulik (aka Gabe) and Jerry Holkins (Tycho) are collecting toys and games for kids with their Child's Play charity - this time benefiting five Children's Hospitals across the country. Open your heart and your wallet - buy a game or two for the kids, many facing chronic illness and unspeakable treatment side effects - at childsplaycharity.org...

Those award-winning Red vs. Blue guys have a new trick up their sleeves. This time they're using the Sims 2 engine to create a new machinima sitcom called The Strangerhood. Episode 1 is available now at strangerhood.com. This one's a littler tamer than RvB - so far. If the server isn't responding, try back later - or join the forums to find some mirror sites...

It seems the hot new trend for the most popular games is source code theft. First Half-Life 2 was ripped off before it was even complete. Then about a week ago the gold code for Halo 2 was stolen, most likely from the French facility where it was being localized, and leaked to the Internet. Now Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has apparently been jacked and made available on pirate Web sites. With Halo 2, they're banning folks with unlicensed code when they log onto Xbox Live. Alas, GTA has no such online component... In other GTA news, there's a credible rumor that an Xbox version of San Andreas might be out as early as February 2005. Stay tuned...

B.C., the prehistoric adventure game from the folks who brought you Fable and Black & White, has been killed. Actually, Lionhead chief Peter Molyneux (no doubt still stinging from some of those Fable reviews) is saying the title has been suspended and may be "revived at a later date." Anyone want to wager it'll be on Xbox 2...

For those who want to walk a mile in John Kerry's war record, the Kuma\War tactical squad-based shooter lets you play out the Swift Boat mission where the presidential candidate won his Silver Star, There's a free demo at kumawar.com. Other downloadable missions take place in Iraq, including one that purports to make the al Qaeda connection the current administration is still trying to prove...

If you want the uncensored Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude experience, you could import the European release, edit the PC edition, use Action Replay on the PS2 version or hack the Xbox game on a modded console. But even then, there are some pre-rendered cut scenes that still have those annoying censor bars. To please drooling fans, Vivendi Universal is offering an AO-rated Uncut and Uncensored version for the PC. Due to hit retail today for $35, it also promises bonus happy endings. Forgo the brown paper bag and download it from direct2drive.com...

id announced an expansion pack for Doom 3 called Resurrection of Evil. A sequel of sorts, this game picks up where the original Doom story ends and adds back the double-barreled shotgun. Multiplayer fans will rejoice: the pack includes new maps and an end to the four-player limit. You'll now be able to shoot it out with seven of your friends. No date or price yet, but it's being developed by Nerve (Return to Castle Wolfenstein) so expectations are high...

Those rumors about Halo 2 sporting coop online multiplayer? They're just that: rumors, based on wishful thinking. The reality is that only split-screen coop multiplayer will be supported. If you have a regular TV, it will look just like the original Halo did with a horizontal split. Widescreen TV owners, on the other hand, will get two side-by-side 4x3 frames. So there's a small silver lining...

If you're unable to track down a copy of Dead or Alive Ultimate (hobbling to retail this week in batches), or want to try out its mix of DOA2 and DOA3 moves before you buy, the December Official Xbox Magazine has a demo out now. You can only play as Tina, Bass, Jann Lee and Lei Fang (three costumes each) but you can sample Time Attack and several new multi-tiered environments including an African plain complete with wildlife, a burning theater and a rope bridge...

Remember how Sony was going to price the PlayStation Portable (PSP) above cost? Well, that seems to be out the window. Based on its Japanese pricing, analysts now believe it will be released for under $200 in the U.S., giving Nintendo's DS a run for its money. The system includes iPod-like music and even movie support, which - at that price - could be a huge draw when it's released in 2005...

This weekend's hot PC game demo pick is Need for Speed Underground 2. You can sample cars and tracks and play online too. It's less arcade-y than the first and plays a bit like Tokyo Extreme Racer on the Dreamcast. Download it from fileshack.com... Atari claims half a million downloads for its Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 demo, so there might be something there. Give it a free spin at atari.com/rollercoastertycoon...

Want an early crack at City of Villains? Then pick up your tights and get busy with City of Heroes! Early testers will be drawn from those who've played in the massively multiplayer universe most, which makes sense since they know its mechanics best. Subscribers logging 12 months when testing starts are virtually guaranteed a spot. You'll need at least six months in the game to have a chance to test its sequel, due sometime in 2005. The test hasn't been scheduled, so you might just have a shot if you start now...