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Following on from our earlier story about GameSpy's 25 Most Overrated Games countdown, the Top 5 have been announced, and Lionhead's PC-based 'god game', Black & White, made it to the top spot, with GameSpy suggesting: "Sometimes... people want to love a game so badly that its reputation runs away with itself." Congratulations to an an anonymous reader for guessing right, before another commenter noticed screenshots for the Top 5 had already been uploaded, doh. Meanwhile, Penny Arcade chime in on the chart, commenting: "When you deny the profound effect of Donkey Kong Country's fully rendered sprites in 1994, making the system a bulwark against the 32-bit revolution, there is no educating you", and illustrating: "If a company that overhypes games does a feature on overhyped games, are they overhyping the game?"

Thanks to GameSpy for their opinion piece discussing why many videogame TV commercials sell the product short. They cite the Final Fantasy Tactics Advance spot, in which: "Three kids, pretending to be three characters from FFTA, were pretending to man phone lines, urging kids to call in to help them progress in their quest", and a recent Everquest PS2 commercial in which "a businessman, a slacker/skater, a punk girl, and some other stereotype get together to play EQ after the businessman makes a call on his cell phone, proclaiming, 'It's time to slay the dragon.'", suggesting that "If gaming is to truly grow up... then it really needs to get its act together with its commercials." Which game TV commercials work for you, and what do companies need to do to improve them?

AriesGeek writes "GameSpy is running the 1st of a 6-part special on the 25 most overrated games of all time. From the article: 'Over the next several days GameSpy is taking a tour through the 25 most overrated games of all time. It's not a pretty list. It's a tale of tragedy where hype gets out of hand, or good licenses and great ideas fail to live up to expectations.' You think Zero Wing will be on there?" As with previous charts, predictions for the Top 5 are welcome, we'll run another story at the end of the week to see how people did.

Thanks to GameSpy for their hands-on preview of Karaoke Revolution, Konami's PlayStation 2 title that uses the USB headset and "...requires you to match the rhythm and pitch for the vocals in a song" (although luckily for the tone-deaf among us: "Karaoke mode allows you to just kick it to a song without having to worry about performance.") This Harmonix-developed title, originally unveiled a couple of months back, sports "more than 35 tracks in all", from Mr.Mister to Avril Lavigne, and the previewer handily points out that "Not everyone can rock a guitar or a keyboard. Not everyone can dance... but almost all of us can sing (whether the results are appealing or not is another matter)."

Thanks to GameSpy for their interview with the lead developers of Ultima X: Odyssey, discussing their recently revealed PC "action-adventure, online role-playing game." As well as an in-depth dissection of the gameplay details, they discuss why the mainstream aren't flocking to MMORPGs: "They feel like the current crop of games is just very repetitive... they feel like a lost soul among billions of people. So, we're really trying to bring a single-player feel to massively multiplayer games", and also why this Unreal-engine title isn't intended to compete with their own quarter-million strong Ultima Online: "There's no reason to try to target our own game [in terms of approach/gameplay] when it's time for a new game."

Thanks to GameSpy for their interview with cult programmer Jeff Minter, currently working on the psychedelic GameCube shooter, Unity. The interviewer points out that Minter's "passion for fusing music, visual effects, and gameplay remains his strong focus", and goes on to talk to him about the choice of platform ("...the 'Cube may not have so many titles as some of the others... [but] a higher percentage seem to be really excellent games with a reputation for great playability"), the continuation of his 'virtual light machine' trilogy ("Unity will contain a full version of VLM-3 which players will unlock as they play the game"), and his ever-present love for the bovine ("there probably won't be anything as overt as flying yaks or anything... I am sure people would be disappointed if I didn't slip the odd beast in there somewhere.")

Thanks to GameSpyDaily for the news that Vivendi's Lord Of The Rings game sequel, The Treason Of Isengard, has been cancelled. The PS2/Xbox title, a Surreal-developed follow-up to last year's disappointing Fellowship Of The Ring, was apparently "not going to achieve the strict... standards for our Tolkien games", and so the book-licensed game was axed, despite a number of public showings and the newly-unveiled ability to play as Treebeard. In other LOTR game news, EA has announced the ability to play online for its forthcoming, non-cancelled movie-licensed title, Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King.

Thanks to Ludology.org for pointing to the Georgia Tech game morphology project, which, although still in development, has asked famous creators and academics for their favorite games of all time. Interesting picks include Warren Spector's kudos for Ultima IV ("Wait, you mean games can be about more than just killing things? Whoa! This game, with its ethical underpinnings, changed my life"), Henry Jenkins' choice of Myst ("not a great game from the perspective of game play... [but influential because] it brought some degree of middle class respectability to games"), and Will Wright's picking of Pinball Construction Set ("[a] heavy influence for me - construction is fun.")

Thanks to GameSpy for their hands-on preview of Unreal Tournament 2004, checking out the PC FPS title that's due out this Xmas. This latest upgrade "...will ship with vehicles, new weapons, two new game modes, and more new maps than all the maps UT2003 shipped with", and a new space level has you "...piloting small Wing Commander-style space fighters [before] the action switches to more traditional-style combat." The novel 'onslaught' mode, in which competing teams use vehicles and special weapons to "...control a series of nodes connecting your base to theirs" was the "clear favorite of the day" for the author, and IGN PC has another hands-on report that suggests these new modes introduce a "surprisingly satisfying strategic layer" to the upgrade.

Thanks to GameSpy for their interview with Deus Ex creator Warren Spector regarding the eagerly-awaited FPS sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War. Spector discusses the equal co-development of the different DX2 versions ("We started right at the outset wanting to make a game simultaneously for both the Xbox and the PC"), the state of the US games industry ("The costs of doing business and the risks are so high that everybody's getting super conservative"), and what needs to evolve in the future ("I think that the challenges for us, the places where we really didn't even try, are in the areas of non-combat character interaction.")

Thanks to GameSpy for their 'Spy/CounterSpy' editorial discussing whether Nintendo has lost its way in the increasingly competitive gaming world. On the one hand, an editor argues: "One of the few concrete things [Nintendo have] said is that the successor to GameCube is coming out sooner, rather than later, but what's the point if it's as lacking in software as its two predecessors? Or if the software is as samey as the current stuff?" But on the other, there's counterpoint and optimism: "In fact, it's the companies with lots of resources who are falling behind in the race who typically come up with the biggest and riskiest innovations. Given Nintendo's ability to create good hardware and its strategic position in the handheld space, that could mean some VERY cool things in the future."

Thanks to GameSpot for their hands-on impressions of Deus Ex: Invisible War, the long-awaited PC/Xbox FPS from Warren Spector and cohorts at Ion Storm Austin. As well as confirming the game will ship in time for Xmas, the article illuminates: "Invisible War will give you more freedom of choice than the original Deus Ex", claiming that, similarly to the prequel, even non-violent conduct will work: "...one tester has made it about two-thirds of the way through the game without having acquired so much as a pistol." Boomtown also has a new preview of this "pivotal title" for Eidos.

Thanks to GamerDad for their editorial discussing why there should be more difficult-to-complete games out there. The piece takes difficulty complaints regarding F-Zero GX for GameCube as a starting point, saying "This isn't the first time a top quality, high profile game has kicked people in the butts with challenge and it won't be the last. This kind of challenge is good for gaming and we need more games like it." The article goes on: "Players have grown accustomed to difficulty levels that are far too easy and I think it's contributing to their boredom with many games", but also cites specifics: "The most important thing about challenge, and it's one that F-Zero GX gets right, is that the game must let the player know it was their fault that they lost."

Thanks to GameSpy for posting a developer diary for XIII, the multi-platform, cel-shaded FPS from UbiSoft that's now due to ship on the 9th October. The executive producer on this Unreal-engine title talks about some of the stylistic innovations, such as "pop-up windows to show major actions or headshots", and "onomatopoeias... to help [the player] like a form of sixth sense", Batman TV show-style. GameSpot also has some recent, guarded impressions of the title, which is "based on an immensely popular [French] graphic novel series", and features an intriguing soundtrack from San Francisco turntablists Future Primitive Sound.

Thanks to GameSpy for their column discussing the recent news stories linking games and violence, which provides a considered perspective on stories of sniping, neglect, and sadness, suggesting that "...it makes great news to juxtapose crimes and violent games. Sadly, it appears that 'great news' coverage too often comes from making an emotional connection for the reader/listener/viewer. Not one based on facts, but emotions." There's another article on games and violence at GamerDad.com, also trying to answer this most difficult of questions: "I see [the media] blaming a hobby I love. But they could blame almost anything. But I think that no matter what they blamed, what [the perpetrators] did still wouldn't make any sense whatsoever."

Thanks to the Gaming Age messageboard for pointing to a local Scottish news story describing a church in Aberdeen bizarrely daubed with a Nintendo-related slogan. According to the story, "Paint was splashed all over the church's front door and the phrase 'The Famicom' was scrawled in foot-high writing on the wall." Although the story says that "Police have confirmed they are searching for the culprits - but are unable to shed any light on the meaning of 'The Famicom'", readers may have some idea of the word's origin, although perhaps not the motive for the attack.

Thanks to GameSpy for their 'Sole Food editorial urging gamers to take another look at the NGage and Phantom games hardware. Regarding Nokia's NGage game/phone hybrid, the piece suggests: "Gamers should be excited by what Nokia is bringing to the table. Mobile multiplayer gaming via Bluetooth and GSM/GPRS is a wonderful idea and definitely the future of portable gaming." As for Infinium Labs' Phantom console, the author is cautious but optimistic: "I'm not advocating the Phantom, but I'm very much fascinated by what Infinium purports it will introduce to console gaming: digital distribution. This is definitely the way gamers will buy games in the future." Reason enough to think again?

Thanks to Gamesindustry.biz for their report on the results of the annual ECTS Awards in London, documenting the ceremonies based around the E3-like English trade show. According to the piece, "Ubi Soft's cel-shaded FPS title XIII... [walked] away from the ceremony with the Best Console Game and Game of Show awards tucked under its arm. The company's multiplayer FPS title Far Cry also won the Best PC Game award, while Everquest 2 - published in Europe by Ubi - picked up the Best Online game award." Interestingly, the Edge Award, chosen by editors of the boutique UK games magazine, went to Capcom's Viewtiful Joe, while Half-Life 2 only came away with one prize, the London Games Week award.

Thanks to GameSpy for their (similar, and in descending score order) Xbox, Gamecube, and PlayStation 2 reviews of the newly-released Soul Calibur II, plus a detailed Soul Calibur II: Pile-On! article, where-in "...a battle royale of GameSpy's biggest SCII fans pick apart a hit." Opinions? One editor suggests: "It's a fabulous game, but the original Soul Calibur wasn't just an excellent game: it started a new age for fighters. On the other hand, SCII - no matter how good it is - is just an incremental upgrade, a fairly routine fighter sequel."

Thanks to GameSpy for their (similar, and in descending score order) Xbox, Gamecube, and PlayStation 2 reviews of the newly-released Soul Calibur II, plus a detailed Soul Calibur II: Pile-On! article, where-in "...a battle royale of GameSpy's biggest SCII fans pick apart a hit." Opinions? One editor suggests: "It's a fabulous game, but the original Soul Calibur wasn't just an excellent game: it started a new age for fighters. On the other hand, SCII - no matter how good it is - is just an incremental upgrade, a fairly routine fighter sequel."

Thanks to GameSpy for their (similar, and in descending score order) Xbox, Gamecube, and PlayStation 2 reviews of the newly-released Soul Calibur II, plus a detailed Soul Calibur II: Pile-On! article, where-in "...a battle royale of GameSpy's biggest SCII fans pick apart a hit." Opinions? One editor suggests: "It's a fabulous game, but the original Soul Calibur wasn't just an excellent game: it started a new age for fighters. On the other hand, SCII - no matter how good it is - is just an incremental upgrade, a fairly routine fighter sequel."

Thanks to GameSpy for their (similar, and in descending score order) Xbox, Gamecube, and PlayStation 2 reviews of the newly-released Soul Calibur II, plus a detailed Soul Calibur II: Pile-On! article, where-in "...a battle royale of GameSpy's biggest SCII fans pick apart a hit." Opinions? One editor suggests: "It's a fabulous game, but the original Soul Calibur wasn't just an excellent game: it started a new age for fighters. On the other hand, SCII - no matter how good it is - is just an incremental upgrade, a fairly routine fighter sequel."

Thanks to GameSpy for their interview with Tecmo's Tomonobu Itagaki, creator of the Dead Or Alive series and the forthcoming Ninja Gaiden for Xbox. Itagaki is asked about the more creative, non-nude unofficial character model hacking currently being done for Dead Or Alive, and says "First of all I think that those hackers should spend their time on something more productive. I'm not talking about a rights issue or an OS issue or whatever, but if they have time to hack into something that other people have made, why don't they make something of their own?" When it's suggested that many games want to be modded by their fans, he adds: "Of course the creators of DOOM and Half-Life - that was their intention. That's how they want the users to enjoy playing their game, and I have no problem with that."

Thanks to UXO Stratics for their continuing coverage of Ultima X: Odyssey, following the PC MMORPG's official unveiling on Friday. As well as UXO Stratics' video interview with the title's lead designer, other coverage includes an in-depth preview from GameSpy.com, summarizing: "Gone are bold notions about 'online social experiments' or 'virtual economies' - they've got Ultima Online for that. In their place is a concept for an action-oriented experience... more like Diablo than Ultima Online, but with more depth, character development, and immersion than you'd ever find in a Diablo game." There's also an extremely detailed write-up of UX:O on the Stratics boards, courtesy Bruce 'Sirbruce' Sterling Woodcock, creator of the very useful MMOG subscription chart.

Thanks to several sources for illuminating Nintendo's first-party software plans for the next few months. There's a preview of Kirby's Air Ride over at GameSpy, discussing the "very odd" GameCube racer which only uses "...the analog control stick for steering, and the A-button... for everything else." Nintendo has also confirmed Paper Mario for a GameCube release, say IGN Cube, following on from the excellent N64 version. Also, Nintendojo has news that 1080 Avalanche and StarFox 2 will also feature multiplayer LAN gameplay, as well as the already-confirmed Kirby and Mario Kart - the site suggests elsewhere that "GameSpy promised to enable Internet play for any Nintendo LAN games to be released via GameSpy Arcade", so... fingers crossed? Finally, IGN has a hands-on preview of Pikmin 2 - go, go Captain Olimar!

Thanks to GameSpy.com for their ongoing series of articles on fighting games, including 'A Brief History Of 3D Fighters' - Part 1 and Part 2. As the article notes, "It's been ten long years since 3D fighters first appeared. In that time, we've seen the genre toddle from flat-shaded polygons and floaty jumps to extremely realistic texture-mapping and gameplay depth that can exceed some of the best 2D fighters". although the piece points out "...things have been somewhat slow [within the genre] in recent times." There are also histories of the Virtua Fighter and Soul Calibur series, all thanks to the recent release of the budget-priced Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution for PS2, and next week's release of Soul Calibur 2 for PS2/Xbox/GameCube.

Thanks to GameSpy.com for their ongoing series of articles on fighting games, including 'A Brief History Of 3D Fighters' - Part 1 and Part 2. As the article notes, "It's been ten long years since 3D fighters first appeared. In that time, we've seen the genre toddle from flat-shaded polygons and floaty jumps to extremely realistic texture-mapping and gameplay depth that can exceed some of the best 2D fighters". although the piece points out "...things have been somewhat slow [within the genre] in recent times." There are also histories of the Virtua Fighter and Soul Calibur series, all thanks to the recent release of the budget-priced Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution for PS2, and next week's release of Soul Calibur 2 for PS2/Xbox/GameCube.

Thanks to GameSpy.com for their ongoing series of articles on fighting games, including 'A Brief History Of 3D Fighters' - Part 1 and Part 2. As the article notes, "It's been ten long years since 3D fighters first appeared. In that time, we've seen the genre toddle from flat-shaded polygons and floaty jumps to extremely realistic texture-mapping and gameplay depth that can exceed some of the best 2D fighters". although the piece points out "...things have been somewhat slow [within the genre] in recent times." There are also histories of the Virtua Fighter and Soul Calibur series, all thanks to the recent release of the budget-priced Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution for PS2, and next week's release of Soul Calibur 2 for PS2/Xbox/GameCube.

Thanks to GameSpy.com for their ongoing series of articles on fighting games, including 'A Brief History Of 3D Fighters' - Part 1 and Part 2. As the article notes, "It's been ten long years since 3D fighters first appeared. In that time, we've seen the genre toddle from flat-shaded polygons and floaty jumps to extremely realistic texture-mapping and gameplay depth that can exceed some of the best 2D fighters". although the piece points out "...things have been somewhat slow [within the genre] in recent times." There are also histories of the Virtua Fighter and Soul Calibur series, all thanks to the recent release of the budget-priced Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution for PS2, and next week's release of Soul Calibur 2 for PS2/Xbox/GameCube.

Thanks to GameSpy.com for their ongoing series of articles on fighting games, including 'A Brief History Of 3D Fighters' - Part 1 and Part 2. As the article notes, "It's been ten long years since 3D fighters first appeared. In that time, we've seen the genre toddle from flat-shaded polygons and floaty jumps to extremely realistic texture-mapping and gameplay depth that can exceed some of the best 2D fighters". although the piece points out "...things have been somewhat slow [within the genre] in recent times." There are also histories of the Virtua Fighter and Soul Calibur series, all thanks to the recent release of the budget-priced Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution for PS2, and next week's release of Soul Calibur 2 for PS2/Xbox/GameCube.

Thanks to GameSpy.com for their ongoing series of articles on fighting games, including 'A Brief History Of 3D Fighters' - Part 1 and Part 2. As the article notes, "It's been ten long years since 3D fighters first appeared. In that time, we've seen the genre toddle from flat-shaded polygons and floaty jumps to extremely realistic texture-mapping and gameplay depth that can exceed some of the best 2D fighters". although the piece points out "...things have been somewhat slow [within the genre] in recent times." There are also histories of the Virtua Fighter and Soul Calibur series, all thanks to the recent release of the budget-priced Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution for PS2, and next week's release of Soul Calibur 2 for PS2/Xbox/GameCube.

Thanks to GameSpy for their interview with id Software's John Carmack, as part of their continuing QuakeCon coverage. Subjects include whether he'll retire after Doom 3 is done ("No. I've got at least one more rendering engine to write"), what id will be working on next ("Our next game is not going to be a DOOM, Quake, or Wolfenstein sequel, it's going to be something new and that is a foregone conclusion"), and smaller ideas they're considering, but not necessarily working on ("...[to] take Quake II, and just use the DOOM engine to make brand new graphic models and everything. But don't spend time messing with the gameplay because we know that is pretty good. Just release it as Quake II Remix with brand new graphics technology and sell it at a middle-level price.")

Thanks to GameSpy for their interview with id Software's John Carmack, as part of their continuing QuakeCon coverage. Subjects include whether he'll retire after Doom 3 is done ("No. I've got at least one more rendering engine to write"), what id will be working on next ("Our next game is not going to be a DOOM, Quake, or Wolfenstein sequel, it's going to be something new and that is a foregone conclusion"), and smaller ideas they're considering, but not necessarily working on ("...[to] take Quake II, and just use the DOOM engine to make brand new graphic models and everything. But don't spend time messing with the gameplay because we know that is pretty good. Just release it as Quake II Remix with brand new graphics technology and sell it at a middle-level price.")

Thanks to GameSpy for their interview with Rick Johnson of Raven Software, the lead programmer on Quake IV. Although the game isn't being shown at QuakeCon this year (Todd Hollenshead of id says "Quake 4 and QuakeCon 2K4 sound pretty nice together"), more details are revealed: "Quake IV is primarily a single-player focused game which will be continued on a near storyline from Quake II. That's not to say that we won't have multiplayer, but our primary focus is currently the single-player experience." It's also confirmed that the game is using the Doom 3 engine, and elsewhere at the show, "Tim Willits of id mentioned that work is being done on vehicles for the upcoming Quake IV."

Steve Shewchuk writes "3DO, the publisher known for its Might and Magic, Army Men, and High Heat Baseball franchises, has successfully auctioned off a number of its assets after its transition into bankruptcy protection. High Heat Baseball has been purchased by Microsoft, while the Might and Magic series went to Ubisoft. Street Racing Syndicate sold to Namco Hometek, but there's no word on Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, one of the biggest 'in production' games before 3DO went bankrupt."

Thanks to GameSpy for their report from last weekend's Classic Gaming Expo in Las Vegas. As the article points out: "There's a huge focus on the 'homebrew' market, a clique of game makers that program 'new' classic cartridges from their basement", and additionally highlighted is "Seth Barken's Blue Wizard is About to Die (from Rusty Immelman Press), a collection of poems spanning over 20 years of gamedom, from the days of Defender and Robotron, all through the '80s, and up till Metal Gear Solid" - this apparently includes Megaman haiku, even. There's also a photo gallery from the convention, including some classic machines.

Thanks to GameSpy for their report from last weekend's Classic Gaming Expo in Las Vegas. As the article points out: "There's a huge focus on the 'homebrew' market, a clique of game makers that program 'new' classic cartridges from their basement", and additionally highlighted is "Seth Barken's Blue Wizard is About to Die (from Rusty Immelman Press), a collection of poems spanning over 20 years of gamedom, from the days of Defender and Robotron, all through the '80s, and up till Metal Gear Solid" - this apparently includes Megaman haiku, even. There's also a photo gallery from the convention, including some classic machines.

Thanks to GameSpy for their report from last weekend's Classic Gaming Expo in Las Vegas. As the article points out: "There's a huge focus on the 'homebrew' market, a clique of game makers that program 'new' classic cartridges from their basement", and additionally highlighted is "Seth Barken's Blue Wizard is About to Die (from Rusty Immelman Press), a collection of poems spanning over 20 years of gamedom, from the days of Defender and Robotron, all through the '80s, and up till Metal Gear Solid" - this apparently includes Megaman haiku, even. There's also a photo gallery from the convention, including some classic machines.

Thanks to GameSpy for their report from last weekend's Classic Gaming Expo in Las Vegas. As the article points out: "There's a huge focus on the 'homebrew' market, a clique of game makers that program 'new' classic cartridges from their basement", and additionally highlighted is "Seth Barken's Blue Wizard is About to Die (from Rusty Immelman Press), a collection of poems spanning over 20 years of gamedom, from the days of Defender and Robotron, all through the '80s, and up till Metal Gear Solid" - this apparently includes Megaman haiku, even. There's also a photo gallery from the convention, including some classic machines.

Thanks to GameSpy for their series of reports from this year's QuakeCon, currently being held in Dallas, Texas. As well as a general preview article and a set of pictorials on the massive LAN party, the first-day reports focus on in-depth multi-player impressions of Doom III. The preview talks of "'per-pixel hit accuracy' - it's now possible to watch a rocket pass under a player's arm" and singles out "the ragdoll effects produced when hitting players with the rocket launcher, sending them flying in every direction" for the up to four-player deathmatch modes set in a Martian industrial facility.

Thanks to GameSpy for their series of reports from this year's QuakeCon, currently being held in Dallas, Texas. As well as a general preview article and a set of pictorials on the massive LAN party, the first-day reports focus on in-depth multi-player impressions of Doom III. The preview talks of "'per-pixel hit accuracy' - it's now possible to watch a rocket pass under a player's arm" and singles out "the ragdoll effects produced when hitting players with the rocket launcher, sending them flying in every direction" for the up to four-player deathmatch modes set in a Martian industrial facility.

Thanks to GameSpy for their series of reports from this year's QuakeCon, currently being held in Dallas, Texas. As well as a general preview article and a set of pictorials on the massive LAN party, the first-day reports focus on in-depth multi-player impressions of Doom III. The preview talks of "'per-pixel hit accuracy' - it's now possible to watch a rocket pass under a player's arm" and singles out "the ragdoll effects produced when hitting players with the rocket launcher, sending them flying in every direction" for the up to four-player deathmatch modes set in a Martian industrial facility.

Thanks to GameSpy for their series of reports from this year's QuakeCon, currently being held in Dallas, Texas. As well as a general preview article and a set of pictorials on the massive LAN party, the first-day reports focus on in-depth multi-player impressions of Doom III. The preview talks of "'per-pixel hit accuracy' - it's now possible to watch a rocket pass under a player's arm" and singles out "the ragdoll effects produced when hitting players with the rocket launcher, sending them flying in every direction" for the up to four-player deathmatch modes set in a Martian industrial facility.

The first previews of Max Payne 2 have hit the web. GameSpot has their first look up. Additionally, the good folks over at GameSpy have their take on it up as well. The folks at Remedy and Rockstar describe the sequel as a "film noir love story," and as previously mentioned, Max will have a love interest this time around.

The first previews of Max Payne 2 have hit the web. GameSpot has their first look up. Additionally, the good folks over at GameSpy have their take on it up as well. The folks at Remedy and Rockstar describe the sequel as a "film noir love story," and as previously mentioned, Max will have a love interest this time around.

Thanks to GameSpy for their in-character guide tour of Anarchy Online:Shadowlands, the newest expansion pack for Funcom's PC cyberpunk MMORPG. The article references the game's botched launch back in 2001: "The very name brings up images of anarchy when one remembers the disastrous first effort at colonizing the planet. Basic services didn't work, colonists disappeared, weapons and equipment suffered from mysterious breakdowns, and there was fear that the entire notum project would have to be abandoned." But it goes on to suggest that: "Even now Omni-Tek Corporation has difficulty recruiting colonists. That's unfortunate, though, because the corporation has long since stabilized the situation." Can/should MMORPGs be given a second chance after a bad launch?

Thanks to GameSpy for their new 'Sole Food column, which discusses Nintendo's recent announcements and their prospects for the future. They point out that "Despite the large number of 'Nintendo-is-doomed' articles written over the last few years, the company still has a ton of cash (around six-billion USD by most reports)", and speculate on the 'big announcement' Nintendo are promising early next year ("Initially, the buzz was that it will be announcing a new console to be released in 2005. Lately, the buzz has shifted to a new handheld announcement.") Finally, the opinion piece ends on an upbeat note: "If any company is capable of making a comeback, it's Nintendo. It has the money and the talent. It just needs to strategize better to ensure that its future consoles appeal to a broad audience."

Thanks to GameSpy for posting an interview with Bruce Shelley of Ensemble Studios, talking to the strategy game veteran about his work on the Age Of Empires series, as well as the forthcoming Age Of Mythology expansion. However, Shelley also talks about the future of real-time strategy titles, suggesting: "There is a risk that gamers will become tired of the explore/build up/fight model for RTS games. The industry has now explored most of the good topics for an RTS game. Future excitement has to be generated largely by gameplay innovation."

Thanks to UGO.com for their hands-on preview of Ion Storm's Deus Ex:Invisible War, the forthcoming sequel to the much-acclaimed FPS/RPG hybrid. The feature starts: "Few RPGs have offered the level of open-ended gameplay, the Hollywood-quality back story, or the innovative character development that Deus Ex did", and goes on to describe the changes to the sequel, which include a "simplifying [of] its character-development system" and a new interface that's "similar to Metroid Prime's visor view" - in fact, "when a menu pops up, it'll be emblazoned directly on [the new lead character] Alex's eye." The game is currently due out this December for both PC and Xbox.

Thanks to GameSpy for their Spy/Counterspy column discussing the relative advantages and disadvantages of Western and Japanese RPGs. According to GameSpy editor Benjamin Turner's less-enthusiastic view of Japanese RPGs: "I want to create my own characters instead of playing someone else's; I want to explore a world at my own pace rather than being shuffled through a pre-planned, linear progression. Most of all, I want to be able to replay a favorite game and have a very different experience." However, editor Christian Nutt's rebuttal suggests: "While there are entertaining elements to Western RPGs... the way that all of the design elements of a great Japanese RPG work in concert to offer a truly engaging experience as a whole is what really excites me the most."