Slashdot Mirror

According to the Everquest 2 Player Site, the NDA has been lifted on the upcoming Massively Multiplayer Game. If you've been looking forward to detailed information on the game, EQ2 Vault has a special feature on available in-game information. Tobold, of Grimwell Online, has commentary both on game mechanics and on his personal opinion.

AhabTheArab writes "IGN is reporting that Half Life 2 has gone gold. After months of speculation and delays, it is finally true this time."

AhabTheArab writes "IGN is reporting that Half Life 2 has gone gold. After months of speculation and delays, it is finally true this time."

Thanks to TerraNova for the heads up about the possible resurrection of Warhammer Online. The game was cancelled back in June, after several years of work on the project and rumors that it was close to completion. GamesIndustry.biz has the story as well: "Cancelled massively multiplayer title Warhammer Online is back in development, according to comments attributed to Karl Jeffery, CEO of developer Climax, and could be released in around 18 months time."

schmiddy writes "This just in -- Halo 2 has officially gone gold as of today. Bungie has confirmed the story with an announcement on their front page. Trailers and such available here ."

Several tidbits of info for you today regarding developments in Online Worlds. Lineage II is going to be adding a gambling component. Players will be able to place bets on monster races or purchase lottery tickets. MMORPG.com has a story discussing the fact that the excellent crafting based game A Tale in the Desert now has a Mac Client. Players on Windows, Linux, and Mac can now experience the Second Telling. Anarchy Online is now available for free download. Prospective players can download the client and have 14 days to experience the game before they have to decide to take up the monthly fee or not. Starting next week FilePlanet will be giving away 20,000 Beta Slots for The Matrix Online. Speaking of Betas, the Dark Age of Camelot: Catacombs Beta application is now available. Congratulations also to Mythic Entertainment and DAoC, who is celebrating it's 3rd Anniversary this week. The Blizzard site has up a new Q&A about World of Warcraft. It sounds like some features of the game are going to slip to post-launch. Combined with the rapidly approaching Open Beta this would seem to confirm that the game will be launching within a month or two.

News for nerds writes "While Sony already announced its adoption of Blu-ray in PS3, IGN Xbox section reports that Xbox 2 may make use of the HD-DVD format if Japanese electronics giants and proponents for HD-DVD, Toshiba and NEC can make their way. Interestingly enough, Toshiba is actually working with Sony on the Cell processor, a key component of the PS3."

skabb writes "Is Elite 4 back in development? The game, rumoured back in 2001 is a sequel to the popular Elite series, with a multiplayer version planned!"

An anonymous reader writes "Sony CEO Ken Kutaragi has today announced that Sony has finished work on the Playstation Portable hardware, and the handheld is scheduled to be released later this year. No details have emerged on the pricing of the PSP, but Kutaragi stated that plans for movies on the UMD - the disc format the PSP will use , are now in the final stages."

JimLynch writes "Everybody's jazzed up about the DVD releases but Star Wars Battlefront came out today too. There are reviews at IGN and GameSpy."

Starsmore writes "IGN has a first look at the new Grand Theft Auto for the Game Boy Advance this October. From what I've read of the article, it harkens back to the visual styles of the original Grand Theft Auto games, while taking gameplay advice from the newer versions."

Jonathan Prugh writes "1UP has a story on Wanda and the Colossus, the "sequel" to Ico (formerly referred to by Sony as Nico). Screenshots are available at Namako Team, and IGN has an article on the sequel as well."

browncoat1 writes "A Firefly Mod for Neverwinter Nights is available, based on the cancelled FOX Television show Firefly (by Joss Whedon, of Buffy, Angel, and Titan A.E. fame). The guy who wrote the mod just posted some secret behind-the-scenes photos from the set of the upcoming movie Serenity, based on the show and starring the actors and actresses from the show. It should be a must-see for fans of Firefly or sci-fi TV in general."

sbowles writes "DVDAnswers is reporting that New Line plans to release the four-disc extended edition of Return of the King on the 14th of December. As of yet, the LotR official site has not posted an official release date or an official list of contents for the set. This older IGN article gives some great details on the sneak preview presented at the San Diego Comic Con."

Thanks to Yahoo for reprinting a Majesco press release announcing a videogame version of Universal Pictures' and Steven Spielberg's Jaws, apparently "scheduled for release in 2005 for the PlayStation 2... Xbox [and PC]." The title, in which "players assume the role of a... shark driven to a predacious frenzy by the sonic emanations of underwater oil drilling equipment", is being "developed by Appaloosa", the developers of the Ecco The Dolphin series for Genesis and, latterly, for Dreamcast/PS2. Elsewhere, QT3 messageboard readers point out Sole Predator, likely the pre-Jaws licensed version of the game, in which "players assume the role of the most feared predator on earth, the Great White Shark."

Thanks to IGN Pocket for its article revealing more details on Rare's Game Boy Advance puzzle title It's Mr. Pants, a THQ-published game from the now Microsoft-owned UK developer which is "the revival of... a Donkey Kong-branded puzzle game titled DK Coconut Crackers." The title, "a traditional puzzle game in the Tetris sense", includes "crazy, tripped out imagery and music, complete with Mr. Pants singing between levels" - there's more information on 'The History Of Pants' over at fansite Rare-Extreme.

orion024 writes "From the official Half-Life 2 website - the Half-Life: Counter-Strike Source beta '...will be playable [starting tomorrow, Wednesday] at all cyber cafes that subscribe to the Valve Cyber Cafe Program. Later this month, the beta will be extended to owners of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero; and ATI Fulfillment Coupon holders.' Hopefully, this beta, using the Source engine Half-Life 2 is built upon, will ease those HL2 jitters many fellow gamers are experiencing." We previously reported on some friction between cybercafe owners and Valve - as for CS:Source, IGN PC also has an updated preview on the title, which sports "the same specs that Doug Lombardi mentioned for Half-Life 2... minimum system requirements appear to be a 1.2 gigahertz processor with 256 megabytes of RAM and a DirectX 7 video card."

Thanks to IGN PS2 for its short article noting Natsume has announced the PlayStation 2 action title Finny the Fish & the Seven Waters for North American release "in the first quarter of 2005." NCSX describes the Sega WOW developed Japanese version as being "a surprisingly fresh and engaging gaming experience", as "the protagonist UO (fish) is sent on a mission by an old turtle creature... prey may be gobbled up by wagging the right thumbstick... fishermen also plunk their appetizing baited lines into the water to snatch hungry fish." There are also a number of screenshots of this quirky-looking title over at The Magic Box.

RobZ65 writes "The new upgrade to Ninja Gaiden, previously mentioned on Slashdot Games, has just debuted for download via Xbox Live. The pack features improved camera, more bosses, improved AI, a new weapon, and two new costumes. What do you fellow Slashdotters think about addressing customer complaints in downloads? GameSpy has hands-on impressions of the Hurricane Pack from a couple of weeks back, and IGN covers the new Intercept Technique for blocking and countering, if want more info."

jasoncart writes "Sony has confirmed more details on PlayStation & PlayStation 2 killer-app Gran Turismo's upcoming port to the PSP handheld, further underlining the simplicity of PS2 to PSP conversions - series producer Kazunori Yamauchi says: 'Since we're already developing the [Gran Turismo 4]'s system on the PS2 hardware, we're planning to port that directly to the PSP.' IGN PSP has more details from the same interview, and there are also some Japanese shaky-cam videos featuring game footage playing on the PSP, one of the first times the handheld has been seen running in standalone form."

mhore writes "It seems that one of the biggest complaints about Doom 3 has been resolved. Thanks to Glen Murphy, you may now use your flashlight and weapon at the same time, thanks to the ingenious 'Duct Tape' mod! While some may think this ruins the game play, I disagree and think it is worth noting." There's plenty of other Doom 3-related coverage over at PlanetDoom, including a pointer to a new IGN review, which PlanetDoom considers "a lot more fair and balanced than some of the reviews we've seen so far", with an overall 8.9/10 score.

KBV writes "According to Gamesindustry.biz: 'Lara Croft creator Toby Gard has joined [Eidos-owned] US development studio Crystal Dynamics to work as a senior designer on the next Tomb Raider title - marking his return to the series after leaving Core Design following the launch of the original game. The move follows reports that Gard's own studio, Confounding Factor, was set to disband after the release of Galleon - its long-delayed Xbox adventure title, which came out in Europe and North America this summer after almost seven years in development.'"

Anonymous Coward writes "'Some believe it was brought to Earth in the belly of an asteroid. Some believe it was created in a mad scientist's lab. Some believe Tom Brokaw's name is pronounced Tom Broke-off. These pages contain the real story. The unofficial PalmPSone, a custom-made portable PlayStation, was created over the course of about three months with a few hundred dollars (two units were made). Most would consider the cost of both time and materials to be far too high. Maybe, but it had to be done.'" This project is similar to Ben Heckendorn's PlayStation Portable, and there's an interview with Brian Gardiner, PalmPSOne's creator, over at IGN PS2, in which it's noted: "Gamers shouldn't be too disappointed since the nickel metal hydride batteries that power the PalmPSone provide a whopping one and a half hours of continuous gameplay."

Thanks to Gaming Age forum regulars for pointing to a Reveries.com profile of Nintendo's chief marketing officer Reggie Fils-Aime, subject of E3 adulation for his appearance at Nintendo's press conference. The article argues enthusiastically: "Reggie's high-voltage verbs sent shockwaves of anticipation -- and adulation -- through the Nintendo community", and Fils-Aime explains his own view of why people enjoyed his appearance: "They were proud -- they were happy for someone like myself to come in and articulate a very aggressive attitude, and frankly, have the games and the innovations to back it up. That's what motivated the response that we've seen on all these websites and that part has truly been fantastic."

Thanks to IGN Xbox for its article documenting the history of Tecmo's Dead Or Alive fighting game franchise. The piece discusses the "series that brought [Ninja Gaiden developer] Tecmo from an underrated developer to one of the most popular companies in the industry", focusing on titles including Dead Or Alive 2 ("...introduced many concepts that have yet to be fully utilized in other fighting games") and the forthcoming Dead Or Alive Ultimate ("All the buzz is around the online play at this moment, and whether or not Team Ninja will be able to pull it off successfully.") TeamXbox also has an interview with Tecmo's delightfully deranged Tomonobu Itagaki, who declares: "To be thrown off of a cliff by an ugly opponent might make you feel bad even if the fight was fair, but to be thrown off by a beautiful woman... that should make you feel good about losing."

Thanks to GameSpot for its article discussing G4TechTV's recently filmed 'G-Phoria' videogame awards show, due to be shown on August 6th, in which, according to the reporter, "Carmen Electra... and her rocker-husband Dave Navarro played it up as hosts of the second annual awards show, but in reality, the event was overshadowed by the first appearance of the final version of Doom 3 at the postshow party." IGN PS2 has more information on the winners, including "Ryu Hayabusa of Ninja Gaiden fame (Favorite Character), Tony Hawk's Underground (Alt Sports Award), Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (Best Innovation), and Viewtiful Joe (Best New Franchise). The ultimate award, Game of the Year, went to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic." GameSpot's article also reveals that "sources [at the awards] let on that Majesco had picked up Tim Schafer's Psychonauts and will publish the game in early 2005", and elsewhere, Anna Nicole Smith's cosplay attempts (Ivy from Soul Calibur II, Farah from Prince Of Persia) were another 'highlight'.

Thanks to GameSpot for its updated preview of Rockstar's ravenously awaited Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The article first gets down to basics, explaining: "The state of San Andreas will feature three main cities, each inspired by real-life locales. The city of Los Santos is based on Los Angeles, San Fierro is derived from San Francisco, and Las Venturas will mirror the glitz of Las Vegas", before delving into new mechanics like character strength ("You'll be able to visit one of several gyms spread throughout San Andreas so that you work out to stay in peak physical health"), and comments on audio that lend credence to a rumored partial tracklisting of recent ("Despite San Andreas' superficially hip-hop trappings, the game's soundtrack will feature a full range of early '90s music".) IGN PS2 also has a new hands-on preview, including fresh info on customizable in-game tattoos ("[designed by] Mister Cartoon... [featuring] gang names, guns, and women.")

xCepheus writes "IGN has posted a new trailer for Xbox/PC RPG Knights Of The Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords. An interesting tidbit from the trailer notes that, as your character sways towards the light or dark side, so do the rest of the characters in your party." The original was my fav non Final Fantasy RPG in recent memory, so I can't wait for this one.

Thanks to IGN PS2 for its first look at the unlikely double-licensed Lego Star Wars videogame, which is, as it sounds, "a Star Wars game based on the LEGO license." Apparently, the Traveller's Tales-developed multi-platform title, due out in 2005, "recounts the events of the first three episodes in the Star Wars trilogy -- The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and of course, Revenge of the Sith" with Lego-based visuals, and 1UP.com has a few more details on the game, which "mixes and matches characters and vehicles from all three movies in the ongoing prequel trilogy -- Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn from Episode I are the main characters, but it's possible to unlock many more characters from either side of the force and drop them into free-flowing action sequences." IGN PS2 also has hands-on Comic-Con impressions of X-Men Legends, the Raven-created squad-based console RPG with "4-player co-op... [and a] mixture of classic beat 'em up controls and RPG ideals."

Thanks to IGN PS2 for its first look at the unlikely double-licensed Lego Star Wars videogame, which is, as it sounds, "a Star Wars game based on the LEGO license." Apparently, the Traveller's Tales-developed multi-platform title, due out in 2005, "recounts the events of the first three episodes in the Star Wars trilogy -- The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and of course, Revenge of the Sith" with Lego-based visuals, and 1UP.com has a few more details on the game, which "mixes and matches characters and vehicles from all three movies in the ongoing prequel trilogy -- Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn from Episode I are the main characters, but it's possible to unlock many more characters from either side of the force and drop them into free-flowing action sequences." IGN PS2 also has hands-on Comic-Con impressions of X-Men Legends, the Raven-created squad-based console RPG with "4-player co-op... [and a] mixture of classic beat 'em up controls and RPG ideals."

Thanks to GameSpot for its interview with CEO id Todd Hollenshead and Doom 3 lead designer Tim Willits, as part of a carefully orchestrated fusillade of interviews that also includes a subtly different interview at IGN and another interview at GameSpy - topics discussed include the limit on 4-player multiplayer ("I have no doubt that one of the first mods for Doom 3 to come out will be eight-player Doom 3. But it's my guess that eight-player Doom 3 will be most effectively played on LAN servers"), game pricing ("Activision has a minimum advertised price on the game at launch of $54.99; anything above that I would say is just retailers padding their margins"), and what id will do next ("Our very talented art staff has already started on the next game. Kenneth (Scott, id Software artist) is leading the team, working on some proof-of-concept stuff.")

Thanks to IGN PS2 for relaying the news that Namco has confirmed bizarre PlayStation 2 'object conglomeration' videogame Katamari Damacy for U.S. release, as it's officially "due out on [North American] store shelves this September." The article explains of the previously featured PS2 title, thought "very unlikely" to get a U.S. release at the time: "Your father, the great king, has inadvertently eliminated the stars from the sky and it's your job as his son to clean up the mess that he's created. To do so, players become a sticky rolling mass that can collect objects and items from all over the world" - a review of the Japanese version at Game Science explains gameplay further.

roadies writes "As tangentially mentioned a day or two back, Sony has confirmed 59 PSP titles currently in Japanese development, with many likely to make the Japanese launch of the handheld. Depending on how many debut at hardware release, this may make other handheld system launches pale in comparison, at least compared to the U.S.: the GBA had 15 titles, N-Gage only had 6 titles, and the cult favorite Neo Geo Pocket Color had around 10 launch titles. This is interesting in light of rumors that PSP dev kits haven't been widely released." Which of the games on the current list actually excite you?

roadies writes "As tangentially mentioned a day or two back, Sony has confirmed 59 PSP titles currently in Japanese development, with many likely to make the Japanese launch of the handheld. Depending on how many debut at hardware release, this may make other handheld system launches pale in comparison, at least compared to the U.S.: the GBA had 15 titles, N-Gage only had 6 titles, and the cult favorite Neo Geo Pocket Color had around 10 launch titles. This is interesting in light of rumors that PSP dev kits haven't been widely released." Which of the games on the current list actually excite you?

Thanks to Game Science for its article analyzing Japanese videogame hardware and software sales for the first half of 2004. Of particular interest are the hardware sales for consoles ("PlayStation 2 - 1,365,260... Nintendo Gamecube - 340,204... Xbox - 18,239"), million-selling games ("Pokemon Fire Red & Leaf Green - 2,136,737... Dragon Quest V - 1,572,497... Sengoku Musou - 1,002,312"), a rare Western game popular in Japan ("Grand Theft Auto Vice City - 367,302"), a list of the publishers with the most games in the Top 100 ("Nintendo - 28...Bandai - 9... Konami - 8"), and the note that "The [videogame] market has increased 7.7% on the same period last year", meaning previous depressed forecasts for the Japanese games industry might not be entirely correct.

Thanks to IGN Pocket for its feature suggesting a range of game ideas to make the most of Nintendo DS' dual-screen touchpad features, since, as the introduction argues, the forthcoming DS "offers the most vast number of opportunities for unique game design types than any handheld or console in quite some time." The theoretical, not in-production suggestions include a Total Control Boxing title where "the touchpad of the Nintendo DS gives developers a lot more room to explore and move the controller in an analog space", a touch-screen based version of previously mentioned Ragdoll Kung Fu ("Like shiny shirts are the new black, physics is the new jumping"), and double-character platform gaming ("The large touchpad and double-screen system means that doubled playing fields could easily be the norm rather than an abnormality.") What gameplay ideas would you like to see the DS innovate with?

Thanks to IGN PS2 for its news story discussing Blizzard's appointment of developer Swingin' Ape Studios, creators of Metal Arms: Glitch In The System, who will "henceforth develop StarCraft: Ghost, the oft delayed third-person action / adventure adaptation of Blizzard's acclaimed RTS franchise." The story notes: "Just two weeks earlier it was announced that Nihilistic, Ghost's former developer, would no longer be at the helm of the project. Nihilistic's departure was said to be the result of timing issues", and furthermore reveals: "Swingin' Ape will in the future collaboratively develop multi-platform titles with Blizzard based off Blizzard licenses."

Thanks to IGN Xbox for its review of Treyarch/Activision's new Spider-Man 2 console game, debuting simultaneously alongside the recently Slashdot-reviewed movie. The fairly positive review suggests: "What Treyarch has done... is to blend in that nearly unattainable addiction so inherent in Neversoft's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series and meld it with Spider-Man's web slinging in a Grand Theft Auto-style open city." However, the reviewer tempers this praise with comments on "dull repetition of the Hero missions... and the boss fights range from stupid to incredibly annoying", and GameSpy shows similar barely-reserved enthusiasm, noting a returning Bruce Campbell "is perfect as the narrator", and praising the "fantastic web-slinging and the huge city environment", whereas GameSpot is a little more tepid, arguing the game "bites off a little more than it can chew with its attempt at an open-ended design." [It's also worth noting the "kid friendly, intentionally simplified control scheme"-toting PC version of Spider-Man 2 is almost completely different from the console versions.]

Thanks to IGN Pocket for its hands-on reviews of the latest JAKKS classic 'TV game' devices, including the Ms.Pacman-starring Namco device and an unlicensed 'Classic Arcade Pinball' game combo, but, more importantly, the previously mentioned, much-awaited Atari Paddle 'TV game' ("...a fantastic follow-up to the company's Atari Joystick plug-and-play controller released two years ago.") There's also a retro expert's review on the Atari Age forums which indicates the Digital Eclipse-developed 2600 conversions are "a 180 degree turn around from the sloppy job of the [original DC Studios-produced joystick], and it's definitely something to put on your want/wish list." Finally, disappointed fans are addressed regarding the lack of Kaboom! on the 11-game compilation, explaining: "If it was an Activision Paddle Games Collection, then Kaboom would be included, but this was Atari owned titles only."

Thanks to IGN Pocket for its hands-on reviews of the latest JAKKS classic 'TV game' devices, including the Ms.Pacman-starring Namco device and an unlicensed 'Classic Arcade Pinball' game combo, but, more importantly, the previously mentioned, much-awaited Atari Paddle 'TV game' ("...a fantastic follow-up to the company's Atari Joystick plug-and-play controller released two years ago.") There's also a retro expert's review on the Atari Age forums which indicates the Digital Eclipse-developed 2600 conversions are "a 180 degree turn around from the sloppy job of the [original DC Studios-produced joystick], and it's definitely something to put on your want/wish list." Finally, disappointed fans are addressed regarding the lack of Kaboom! on the 11-game compilation, explaining: "If it was an Activision Paddle Games Collection, then Kaboom would be included, but this was Atari owned titles only."

Thanks to IGN Pocket for its hands-on reviews of the latest JAKKS classic 'TV game' devices, including the Ms.Pacman-starring Namco device and an unlicensed 'Classic Arcade Pinball' game combo, but, more importantly, the previously mentioned, much-awaited Atari Paddle 'TV game' ("...a fantastic follow-up to the company's Atari Joystick plug-and-play controller released two years ago.") There's also a retro expert's review on the Atari Age forums which indicates the Digital Eclipse-developed 2600 conversions are "a 180 degree turn around from the sloppy job of the [original DC Studios-produced joystick], and it's definitely something to put on your want/wish list." Finally, disappointed fans are addressed regarding the lack of Kaboom! on the 11-game compilation, explaining: "If it was an Activision Paddle Games Collection, then Kaboom would be included, but this was Atari owned titles only."

Thanks to IGN Pocket for its hands-on reviews of the latest JAKKS classic 'TV game' devices, including the Ms.Pacman-starring Namco device and an unlicensed 'Classic Arcade Pinball' game combo, but, more importantly, the previously mentioned, much-awaited Atari Paddle 'TV game' ("...a fantastic follow-up to the company's Atari Joystick plug-and-play controller released two years ago.") There's also a retro expert's review on the Atari Age forums which indicates the Digital Eclipse-developed 2600 conversions are "a 180 degree turn around from the sloppy job of the [original DC Studios-produced joystick], and it's definitely something to put on your want/wish list." Finally, disappointed fans are addressed regarding the lack of Kaboom! on the 11-game compilation, explaining: "If it was an Activision Paddle Games Collection, then Kaboom would be included, but this was Atari owned titles only."

Thanks to Yahoo! for reprinting a press release revealing Atari has shipped 2.5 million copies of long-awaited PS2/Xbox title Driv3r, with Atari CEO Bruno Bonnell reassuring: "The global Driver fan base is as robust and passionate as ever, as indicated by retail reaction in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, and other key territories." However, some of the initial reviews are decidedly mixed, in a similar vein to Atari's big 2003 title Enter The Matrix, with GameSpot lamenting of the third Driver title: "Driver 3 is full of the sorts of glitches and problems that final retail products shouldn't have", and IGN complaining that the game "...plays like a bigger, prettier version of Driver 2 with band-aids, but no real solutions to the problems that riddled it." Most of all, Eurogamer were previously skeptical about a late preview version, and are even more scathing regarding what they see as a "class-A disaster" final product. Fair, or not so fair?

joinder writes "IGN is reporting at that Tecmo will be releasing an freely downloadable upgrade of Ninja Gaiden via Xbox Live, including 'improved AI' and 'full 360 degree control of the [in-game] camera', as well as new enemies, bosses, and weapons. As far as I know, this is the first time such wholesale gameplay and content changes have been made on a console title - fortunately, the Ninja Gaiden upgrade is free if you have Xbox Live. Could this be a symbol of a positive trend to come, or a negative one that would equate to the bugfix/patch crazy world of the PC gaming world?"

Thanks to Games Radar for its Edge-reprinted piece discussing the making of the classic Amiga action-strategy title Cannon Fodder. The piece rhapsodizes of the cult title, later converted to the Game Boy in very limited amounts: "It stirred the British Legion into a fury, was immediately hailed as a classic by Amiga magazines, and abides as one of the 16-bit generation's most memorable games. Though best known for the eponymous Soccer, Cannon Fodder was the third hit of Sensible Software's golden age: a period between 1989 and 1994 when the UK codeshop could do little wrong, enjoying universal critical acclaim and validation, in retail form, to the tune of cash registers ringing up millions of sales."

Thanks to IGN Pocket for its discussion of a recent Famitsu-sourced Japanese magazine article quizzing readers and game creators about their impressions of the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP handheld consoles. In a reader survey, it's revealed that "14.8% checked that they'd like to purchase a PSP, compared to 11.8% who checked that they'd like to purchase DS... 7.1% stated that they think the PSP's design is cool while just 2.3% stated the same for the DS." It also polled developers and industry figures on questions such as "Which design do you like better?" ("PSP = 251, DS = 42"), and "Which do you want to be left standing in the end?" ("PSP = 84, DS = 156".) Which handheld do you want to be left standing?

Thanks to Edge Magazine for confirmation, in its July issue, that the Eidos console FPS Snowblind, shown at E3, "was originally designed to be a spin-off from [Deus Ex], but has since gone its own way." The IGN PS2 product page for Snowblind also backs up this little-reported fact, following previous Slashdot Games news discussing the cyberpunk-influenced PS2/Xbox title, then called Deus Ex: Clan Wars. Additionally, the IGN PS2 E3 preview mentions "Crystal Dynamics looked to Warren Spector and Ion Storm for inspiration and advice on this game", further confirming info on the "Winter 2004"-due title whose E3-dated preview at 1UP explains: "The city environment was dark, neon-lit and vaguely Deus Ex-like, but the feel of the action was closer to something like Call of Duty."

Thanks to Edge Magazine for confirmation, in its July issue, that the Eidos console FPS Snowblind, shown at E3, "was originally designed to be a spin-off from [Deus Ex], but has since gone its own way." The IGN PS2 product page for Snowblind also backs up this little-reported fact, following previous Slashdot Games news discussing the cyberpunk-influenced PS2/Xbox title, then called Deus Ex: Clan Wars. Additionally, the IGN PS2 E3 preview mentions "Crystal Dynamics looked to Warren Spector and Ion Storm for inspiration and advice on this game", further confirming info on the "Winter 2004"-due title whose E3-dated preview at 1UP explains: "The city environment was dark, neon-lit and vaguely Deus Ex-like, but the feel of the action was closer to something like Call of Duty."

Thanks to IGN PS2 for its article discussing the seeming resurrection of 3DO's Four Horseman Of The Apocalypse, the PlayStation 2 "action-horror title" whose fate was unknown following 3DO's bankruptcy auction last year. Apparently, "After 3DO shut down, a number of investors founded a company called Four Horsemen Entertainment L.L.C. in order to purchase the property. The company officially obtained it on May 12, and development has resumed." According to creator Michael Mendheim: "The new company will begin by releasing comic books and a graphic novel based on the [Simon Bisley character-designed] property, and eventually release a completely revamped version of the video game for next-generation systems."

etoychest writes "To be honest, I venture over to IGN.com about as often as I find myself in the all-natural food section at the local supermarket. That is, next to never. Still, occasionally some information does leak out of the site that makes you wonder if there is a reason to go back. This time, thanks to our friends over on the Penny-Arcade forums, I was made aware of a tidbit tucked away in the current IGN Pocket mailbag, as written by Craig Harris: 'Well, this was something that I've known for months about, but was literally sworn to secrecy by the people involved (just like many OTHER things I know but can't say). But since it's been mentioned in another publication, I can confirm that, yes, Halo is in the works for the GBA. That's all I can say, on risk of having my fingernails ripped off with a bottle opener.'" But are we sure they're not talking about this GBA Halo? Update: 06/12 12:05 GMT by S : There's a rather definitive official denial of this rumor over at Bungie.net.