Slashdot Mirror

nixon66 writes "You may have seen the 'lost' Final Fantasy game, the Japanese Final Fantasy II for NES, debut in the U.S. as part of the recent Final Fantasy Origins PlayStation re-release, but interestingly, Square did try to localize the game much earlier. Lost Levels has a new feature up about the abandoned translation of Final Fantasy II for the NES back in 1991. They talk with the translators, Kaoru Moriyama and Ted Woolsey, about the factors that led to Final Fantasy IV for SNES being called Final Fantasy II in the States." Elsewhere, RPGamer reports that four SquareEnix PlayStation 1 titles have just been re-released as Greatest Hits for a $19.99 price point, including Final Fantasy Chronicles, Final Fantasy Anthology, Vagrant Story and Xenogears, and they clarify: "Final Fantasy Anthology includes Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI (originally released in North America as Final Fantasy III), while Final Fantasy Chronicles contains Final Fantasy IV (originally released in North America as Final Fantasy II) and Chrono Trigger."

nixon66 writes "You may have seen the 'lost' Final Fantasy game, the Japanese Final Fantasy II for NES, debut in the U.S. as part of the recent Final Fantasy Origins PlayStation re-release, but interestingly, Square did try to localize the game much earlier. Lost Levels has a new feature up about the abandoned translation of Final Fantasy II for the NES back in 1991. They talk with the translators, Kaoru Moriyama and Ted Woolsey, about the factors that led to Final Fantasy IV for SNES being called Final Fantasy II in the States." Elsewhere, RPGamer reports that four SquareEnix PlayStation 1 titles have just been re-released as Greatest Hits for a $19.99 price point, including Final Fantasy Chronicles, Final Fantasy Anthology, Vagrant Story and Xenogears, and they clarify: "Final Fantasy Anthology includes Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI (originally released in North America as Final Fantasy III), while Final Fantasy Chronicles contains Final Fantasy IV (originally released in North America as Final Fantasy II) and Chrono Trigger."

Zonk writes "RPGDot has a story up right now about the closing down of development at Black Isle Studios. The information comes from an unnamed Interplay source, who says 'Any time you see the [Black Isle] logo on a future product, know that no one who was associated with BIS actually worked on it', as well as a post by BIS employee Damien Foletto on the Interplay message boards, and a Blue's News story that adds: 'The non-announced [PC] title that the division was working on, Fallout 3 [aka Van Buren], has been 'shelved', to quote management.' BIS, you will be missed." Black Isle are particularly known for work on the Fallout series, Icewind Dale, and Planescape: Torment.

Zonk writes "RPGDot has a story up right now about the closing down of development at Black Isle Studios. The information comes from an unnamed Interplay source, who says 'Any time you see the [Black Isle] logo on a future product, know that no one who was associated with BIS actually worked on it', as well as a post by BIS employee Damien Foletto on the Interplay message boards, and a Blue's News story that adds: 'The non-announced [PC] title that the division was working on, Fallout 3 [aka Van Buren], has been 'shelved', to quote management.' BIS, you will be missed." Black Isle are particularly known for work on the Fallout series, Icewind Dale, and Planescape: Torment.

Zonk writes "RPGDot has a story up right now about the closing down of development at Black Isle Studios. The information comes from an unnamed Interplay source, who says 'Any time you see the [Black Isle] logo on a future product, know that no one who was associated with BIS actually worked on it', as well as a post by BIS employee Damien Foletto on the Interplay message boards, and a Blue's News story that adds: 'The non-announced [PC] title that the division was working on, Fallout 3 [aka Van Buren], has been 'shelved', to quote management.' BIS, you will be missed." Black Isle are particularly known for work on the Fallout series, Icewind Dale, and Planescape: Torment.

Zonk writes "RPGDot has a story up right now about the closing down of development at Black Isle Studios. The information comes from an unnamed Interplay source, who says 'Any time you see the [Black Isle] logo on a future product, know that no one who was associated with BIS actually worked on it', as well as a post by BIS employee Damien Foletto on the Interplay message boards, and a Blue's News story that adds: 'The non-announced [PC] title that the division was working on, Fallout 3 [aka Van Buren], has been 'shelved', to quote management.' BIS, you will be missed." Black Isle are particularly known for work on the Fallout series, Icewind Dale, and Planescape: Torment.

Thanks to GamerFeed for its report on UK videogame trade organization ELSPA's poll to find "the 30 most popular games of the past 30 years." In somewhat of a surprise, Sonic The Hedgehog was voted most popular title of all time, and the top 5 were rounded out by Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Pac-Man, Tomb Raider and Space Invaders. Interesting votes further down the list included Elite at No.7, Championship Manager at No.23, and Shenmue at No.26.

Thanks to GamerFeed for its report on UK videogame trade organization ELSPA's poll to find "the 30 most popular games of the past 30 years." In somewhat of a surprise, Sonic The Hedgehog was voted most popular title of all time, and the top 5 were rounded out by Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Pac-Man, Tomb Raider and Space Invaders. Interesting votes further down the list included Elite at No.7, Championship Manager at No.23, and Shenmue at No.26.

Thanks to GamerFeed for its report on UK videogame trade organization ELSPA's poll to find "the 30 most popular games of the past 30 years." In somewhat of a surprise, Sonic The Hedgehog was voted most popular title of all time, and the top 5 were rounded out by Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Pac-Man, Tomb Raider and Space Invaders. Interesting votes further down the list included Elite at No.7, Championship Manager at No.23, and Shenmue at No.26.

Thanks to GamerFeed for its report on UK videogame trade organization ELSPA's poll to find "the 30 most popular games of the past 30 years." In somewhat of a surprise, Sonic The Hedgehog was voted most popular title of all time, and the top 5 were rounded out by Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Pac-Man, Tomb Raider and Space Invaders. Interesting votes further down the list included Elite at No.7, Championship Manager at No.23, and Shenmue at No.26.

Thanks to GamerFeed for its report on UK videogame trade organization ELSPA's poll to find "the 30 most popular games of the past 30 years." In somewhat of a surprise, Sonic The Hedgehog was voted most popular title of all time, and the top 5 were rounded out by Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Pac-Man, Tomb Raider and Space Invaders. Interesting votes further down the list included Elite at No.7, Championship Manager at No.23, and Shenmue at No.26.

Thanks to GamerFeed for its report on UK videogame trade organization ELSPA's poll to find "the 30 most popular games of the past 30 years." In somewhat of a surprise, Sonic The Hedgehog was voted most popular title of all time, and the top 5 were rounded out by Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Pac-Man, Tomb Raider and Space Invaders. Interesting votes further down the list included Elite at No.7, Championship Manager at No.23, and Shenmue at No.26.

Thanks to GameSpy for their feature discussing the best videogaming holiday seasons of all time, as they point out: "Most of the biggest and best games, and many of the best game consoles, have all come out during the final months on the calendar." Their nominations include 1982, in which "Ms. Pac-Man ruled the arcades, and the previous arcade king, Donkey Kong, could finally come to our homes, packed in with the snazzy new ColecoVision", and 1996, where: "With the introduction of Mario 64 in September, gamers discovered the joys of games in 3D. With the release of Tomb Raider that same month, gamers discovered their hormones." What was your all-time favorite gaming Christmas?

Thanks to GameSpy for their feature discussing the best videogaming holiday seasons of all time, as they point out: "Most of the biggest and best games, and many of the best game consoles, have all come out during the final months on the calendar." Their nominations include 1982, in which "Ms. Pac-Man ruled the arcades, and the previous arcade king, Donkey Kong, could finally come to our homes, packed in with the snazzy new ColecoVision", and 1996, where: "With the introduction of Mario 64 in September, gamers discovered the joys of games in 3D. With the release of Tomb Raider that same month, gamers discovered their hormones." What was your all-time favorite gaming Christmas?

Thanks to 1UP for the news that the forthcoming Legend Of Zelda: Four Swords for GameCube will include Tetra's Trackers as a bonus game. Four Swords makes use of GameBoy Advance connectivity as players compete to collect jewels - entering caves or buildings switches the action to your GBA, "...allowing you to scavenge for jewels that your opponents can't see", whereas Tetra's Trackers, also shown at E3, is another multiplayer connectivity-based title, this time with most of the action on your GBA. The disc also includes a "story-driven single-player campaign" using elements styled from Zelda: A Link To The Past, and the package is due next February in Japan. Elsewhere, 1UP has a Zelda merchandising retrospective that includes various pictures of "obscure items related to the series", including beach blankets and plastic plates.

Thanks to GameSpot for their guest 'GameSpotting' editorial discussing the perceived decline of the real-time strategy genre. The author argues: "While there have been unusual bright spots on the RTS gaming scene, the overall look of it is pretty grim. Most games offer very little when it comes to revitalizing the genre, and eventually they even fail in rekindling old interests that faded away when we let go of Command & Conquer and Warcraft." He finishes with a call to arms, citing Command & Conquer: Generals ("[a] dearth of interesting strategies") and Age Of Mythology ("[offering a] rote formula") as examples of this lack of innovation, and urging: "Only you can stop the market from regurgitating the same old titles, and maybe even encourage it to make a few nudges in the right direction."

Thanks to GameSpot for their guest 'GameSpotting' editorial discussing the perceived decline of the real-time strategy genre. The author argues: "While there have been unusual bright spots on the RTS gaming scene, the overall look of it is pretty grim. Most games offer very little when it comes to revitalizing the genre, and eventually they even fail in rekindling old interests that faded away when we let go of Command & Conquer and Warcraft." He finishes with a call to arms, citing Command & Conquer: Generals ("[a] dearth of interesting strategies") and Age Of Mythology ("[offering a] rote formula") as examples of this lack of innovation, and urging: "Only you can stop the market from regurgitating the same old titles, and maybe even encourage it to make a few nudges in the right direction."

Thanks to GameSpot for their guest 'GameSpotting' editorial discussing the perceived decline of the real-time strategy genre. The author argues: "While there have been unusual bright spots on the RTS gaming scene, the overall look of it is pretty grim. Most games offer very little when it comes to revitalizing the genre, and eventually they even fail in rekindling old interests that faded away when we let go of Command & Conquer and Warcraft." He finishes with a call to arms, citing Command & Conquer: Generals ("[a] dearth of interesting strategies") and Age Of Mythology ("[offering a] rote formula") as examples of this lack of innovation, and urging: "Only you can stop the market from regurgitating the same old titles, and maybe even encourage it to make a few nudges in the right direction."

Thanks to GameSpot for their guest 'GameSpotting' editorial discussing the perceived decline of the real-time strategy genre. The author argues: "While there have been unusual bright spots on the RTS gaming scene, the overall look of it is pretty grim. Most games offer very little when it comes to revitalizing the genre, and eventually they even fail in rekindling old interests that faded away when we let go of Command & Conquer and Warcraft." He finishes with a call to arms, citing Command & Conquer: Generals ("[a] dearth of interesting strategies") and Age Of Mythology ("[offering a] rote formula") as examples of this lack of innovation, and urging: "Only you can stop the market from regurgitating the same old titles, and maybe even encourage it to make a few nudges in the right direction."

Ridgelift writes "PDALive's got an article on a port of Frodo, the free Commodore 64 Emulator for your Palm Pilot. I can't wait to get this running so I can play M.U.L.E. on the road!" Update: 12/01 02:41 GMT by T : An anonymous reader writes "I thought I should point out that there's also a really great Atari ST emulator for Palm called 'CaSTaway.' You can find it here. It's free and released under GPL :)"

Thanks to 1UP for their report on a Japanese poll rating the top 30 Famicom (NES) games of all time, as conducted for an upcoming Tokyo museum exhibition. The report comments that this poll is "an interesting look at the titles that were big in the early days of Japanese gaming, as well as what's held up in retrospect", and the Dragon Quest series (Dragon Warrior in the U.S.) is particularly well-represented, since "...all four Famicom games in the series made the top 10, compared to only one Final Fantasy." Also pointed out: "It's also interesting to see what's ahead of Super Mario Brothers 3, the most popular NES game in the United States. In Japan, they'd rather play Ice Climber and Balloon Fight."

Thanks to 1UP for their report on a Japanese poll rating the top 30 Famicom (NES) games of all time, as conducted for an upcoming Tokyo museum exhibition. The report comments that this poll is "an interesting look at the titles that were big in the early days of Japanese gaming, as well as what's held up in retrospect", and the Dragon Quest series (Dragon Warrior in the U.S.) is particularly well-represented, since "...all four Famicom games in the series made the top 10, compared to only one Final Fantasy." Also pointed out: "It's also interesting to see what's ahead of Super Mario Brothers 3, the most popular NES game in the United States. In Japan, they'd rather play Ice Climber and Balloon Fight."

Thanks to Game Informer for their hands-on look at Sword Of Mana for the Game Boy Advance, as Square Enix follow up Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, which has sold almost 500,000 copies on Nintendo's handheld in the US alone, with this portable RPG, which GameNow describe succinctly as "...a retelling of the age-old black-and-white Game Boy release Final Fantasy Adventure... essentially a prequel to the rest of the Mana series." The official site has more in-depth information, and GameNow points out "most of the original Mana games team is working on this one", suggesting "RPG fans can't really go wrong" with the December 1st-released title. What other Square Enix games would you like to see on Game Boy Advance?

Thanks to Game Informer for their hands-on look at Sword Of Mana for the Game Boy Advance, as Square Enix follow up Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, which has sold almost 500,000 copies on Nintendo's handheld in the US alone, with this portable RPG, which GameNow describe succinctly as "...a retelling of the age-old black-and-white Game Boy release Final Fantasy Adventure... essentially a prequel to the rest of the Mana series." The official site has more in-depth information, and GameNow points out "most of the original Mana games team is working on this one", suggesting "RPG fans can't really go wrong" with the December 1st-released title. What other Square Enix games would you like to see on Game Boy Advance?

Thanks to Game Informer for their hands-on look at Sword Of Mana for the Game Boy Advance, as Square Enix follow up Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, which has sold almost 500,000 copies on Nintendo's handheld in the US alone, with this portable RPG, which GameNow describe succinctly as "...a retelling of the age-old black-and-white Game Boy release Final Fantasy Adventure... essentially a prequel to the rest of the Mana series." The official site has more in-depth information, and GameNow points out "most of the original Mana games team is working on this one", suggesting "RPG fans can't really go wrong" with the December 1st-released title. What other Square Enix games would you like to see on Game Boy Advance?

Thanks to GameDaily for their feature talking to Totally Games' founder, Lawrence Holland, and profiling the "just-completed Secret Weapons Over Normandy", the arcade-style WWII flight game currently "...available for the PC, PlayStation 2 and Xbox." 1UP has a review of the Xbox version explaining clearly: "Once upon a time... a clever man named Larry Holland created a series of World War II flight sims that redefined the entire genre. The three games - Battlehawks 1942, Their Finest Hour, and Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe - mixed exhaustive historical accuracy with a fast-paced, arcadey play mechanic." The reviewer pegs SWON as "closer to Namco's Ace Combat series in style", but still a fitting console-styled legacy for those earlier classics, and Gaming Age also approve, rating the game "a long-lived, rewarding experience."

Thanks to GameDaily for their feature talking to Totally Games' founder, Lawrence Holland, and profiling the "just-completed Secret Weapons Over Normandy", the arcade-style WWII flight game currently "...available for the PC, PlayStation 2 and Xbox." 1UP has a review of the Xbox version explaining clearly: "Once upon a time... a clever man named Larry Holland created a series of World War II flight sims that redefined the entire genre. The three games - Battlehawks 1942, Their Finest Hour, and Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe - mixed exhaustive historical accuracy with a fast-paced, arcadey play mechanic." The reviewer pegs SWON as "closer to Namco's Ace Combat series in style", but still a fitting console-styled legacy for those earlier classics, and Gaming Age also approve, rating the game "a long-lived, rewarding experience."

Thanks to GameDaily for their feature talking to Totally Games' founder, Lawrence Holland, and profiling the "just-completed Secret Weapons Over Normandy", the arcade-style WWII flight game currently "...available for the PC, PlayStation 2 and Xbox." 1UP has a review of the Xbox version explaining clearly: "Once upon a time... a clever man named Larry Holland created a series of World War II flight sims that redefined the entire genre. The three games - Battlehawks 1942, Their Finest Hour, and Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe - mixed exhaustive historical accuracy with a fast-paced, arcadey play mechanic." The reviewer pegs SWON as "closer to Namco's Ace Combat series in style", but still a fitting console-styled legacy for those earlier classics, and Gaming Age also approve, rating the game "a long-lived, rewarding experience."

Thanks to 1UP for its story revealing that Sega is opening a Japanese ROM download service for classic Genesis games, meaning that "players can download and play an array of 16-bit games on their PCs" completely legally. According to the piece, "The service charges a monthly fee of 1,000 yen (about $9) for unlimited downloads. 30 games will be available at launch, with about 10 new games joining them each month." Launch titles include Gunstar Heroes, Ecco the Dolphin, Phantasy Star II, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and "Sega plans to eventually build a library of more than 100 games, as well as community features where retro-gaming enthusiasts can meet and chat", but there's no news on a similar service in the West, and it's a little unclear whether you can keep the games after stopping monthly payments.

Thanks to 1UP for its story revealing that Sega is opening a Japanese ROM download service for classic Genesis games, meaning that "players can download and play an array of 16-bit games on their PCs" completely legally. According to the piece, "The service charges a monthly fee of 1,000 yen (about $9) for unlimited downloads. 30 games will be available at launch, with about 10 new games joining them each month." Launch titles include Gunstar Heroes, Ecco the Dolphin, Phantasy Star II, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and "Sega plans to eventually build a library of more than 100 games, as well as community features where retro-gaming enthusiasts can meet and chat", but there's no news on a similar service in the West, and it's a little unclear whether you can keep the games after stopping monthly payments.

Thanks to 1UP for its story revealing that Sega is opening a Japanese ROM download service for classic Genesis games, meaning that "players can download and play an array of 16-bit games on their PCs" completely legally. According to the piece, "The service charges a monthly fee of 1,000 yen (about $9) for unlimited downloads. 30 games will be available at launch, with about 10 new games joining them each month." Launch titles include Gunstar Heroes, Ecco the Dolphin, Phantasy Star II, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and "Sega plans to eventually build a library of more than 100 games, as well as community features where retro-gaming enthusiasts can meet and chat", but there's no news on a similar service in the West, and it's a little unclear whether you can keep the games after stopping monthly payments.

Thanks to 1UP for its story revealing that Sega is opening a Japanese ROM download service for classic Genesis games, meaning that "players can download and play an array of 16-bit games on their PCs" completely legally. According to the piece, "The service charges a monthly fee of 1,000 yen (about $9) for unlimited downloads. 30 games will be available at launch, with about 10 new games joining them each month." Launch titles include Gunstar Heroes, Ecco the Dolphin, Phantasy Star II, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and "Sega plans to eventually build a library of more than 100 games, as well as community features where retro-gaming enthusiasts can meet and chat", but there's no news on a similar service in the West, and it's a little unclear whether you can keep the games after stopping monthly payments.

Rocco writes "Over at LikSang.com, they have new pictures and details on Nintendo's iQue, the Chinese-specific controller-style console that plugs directly into the TV, plays N64 games, and comes with a 64 megabyte Flash Memory Card to store them. Included in the hardware bundle are 5 games, while only Doctor Mario is a full version. Zelda 64: Ocarina of Time (10 hours), Mario 64 (7 hours), Wave Race (1 hour) and Starfox (1 hour) are time limited demo versions. Allegedly, the OS of the iQue can also be updated when you 'refill' your flash cartridge, currently only at 'Nintendo partners throughout Shanghai', but rumored to be possible online in the future." We previously featured the unveiling of the iQue a couple of months ago.

Rocco writes "Over at LikSang.com, they have new pictures and details on Nintendo's iQue, the Chinese-specific controller-style console that plugs directly into the TV, plays N64 games, and comes with a 64 megabyte Flash Memory Card to store them. Included in the hardware bundle are 5 games, while only Doctor Mario is a full version. Zelda 64: Ocarina of Time (10 hours), Mario 64 (7 hours), Wave Race (1 hour) and Starfox (1 hour) are time limited demo versions. Allegedly, the OS of the iQue can also be updated when you 'refill' your flash cartridge, currently only at 'Nintendo partners throughout Shanghai', but rumored to be possible online in the future." We previously featured the unveiling of the iQue a couple of months ago.

Rocco writes "Over at LikSang.com, they have new pictures and details on Nintendo's iQue, the Chinese-specific controller-style console that plugs directly into the TV, plays N64 games, and comes with a 64 megabyte Flash Memory Card to store them. Included in the hardware bundle are 5 games, while only Doctor Mario is a full version. Zelda 64: Ocarina of Time (10 hours), Mario 64 (7 hours), Wave Race (1 hour) and Starfox (1 hour) are time limited demo versions. Allegedly, the OS of the iQue can also be updated when you 'refill' your flash cartridge, currently only at 'Nintendo partners throughout Shanghai', but rumored to be possible online in the future." We previously featured the unveiling of the iQue a couple of months ago.

Rocco writes "Over at LikSang.com, they have new pictures and details on Nintendo's iQue, the Chinese-specific controller-style console that plugs directly into the TV, plays N64 games, and comes with a 64 megabyte Flash Memory Card to store them. Included in the hardware bundle are 5 games, while only Doctor Mario is a full version. Zelda 64: Ocarina of Time (10 hours), Mario 64 (7 hours), Wave Race (1 hour) and Starfox (1 hour) are time limited demo versions. Allegedly, the OS of the iQue can also be updated when you 'refill' your flash cartridge, currently only at 'Nintendo partners throughout Shanghai', but rumored to be possible online in the future." We previously featured the unveiling of the iQue a couple of months ago.

Rocco writes "Over at LikSang.com, they have new pictures and details on Nintendo's iQue, the Chinese-specific controller-style console that plugs directly into the TV, plays N64 games, and comes with a 64 megabyte Flash Memory Card to store them. Included in the hardware bundle are 5 games, while only Doctor Mario is a full version. Zelda 64: Ocarina of Time (10 hours), Mario 64 (7 hours), Wave Race (1 hour) and Starfox (1 hour) are time limited demo versions. Allegedly, the OS of the iQue can also be updated when you 'refill' your flash cartridge, currently only at 'Nintendo partners throughout Shanghai', but rumored to be possible online in the future." We previously featured the unveiling of the iQue a couple of months ago.

Thanks to GameSpy for their preview of Wrath Unleashed, LucasArts' hex-based action strategy videogame. This PS2/Xbox title, being developed by The Collective, has some similarities to a gaming classic, as the writer explains: "If you're like me and were born in the '70s, you may yet remember Archon... Wrath Unleashed revisits and updates the original. With a shorthand mythology regarding elementals, it offers a hexagonal board game with an RPG heart." The game, which is also reminiscent of Archon co-creator Paul Reiche's under-rated The Unholy War for PlayStation, is described as a "promising mix of elements", and Wrath Unleashed's preview concludes: "The balance between action and strategy is a tricky one in games such as this ... but it does offer a distinctly old-school feel and plenty of options for different gamers."

Thanks to 1UP for their 'Cinemascope' feature interviewing notable videogame designers about their favorite movies. Many favorites have relatively little direct connection to the subject's videogame work, but Viewtiful Joe's Hideki Kamiya chooses (TV series) Kamen Rider, and the piece elaborates: "Both Kamen Rider and Viewtiful Joe are about normal guys who become masked superheroes, right down to using the phrase 'Henshin!' (Japanese for 'transform'") to power up." Warren Spector also points out: "Everyone thinks Deus Ex was influenced by The Matrix, but it really wasn't. Other than throwing in a cheat that textured the world with a bunch of scrolling green text, a la The Matrix, we were so far along in development on Deus Ex by the time we saw The Matrix there wasn't time for us to have been influenced even if we'd wanted to steal stuff!"

An anonymous reader writes "After some lobbying from Internet fans, Activision has released the source code for its Civilization-related PC strategy sequel "Call to Power 2". Fan-site Apolyton have announced this today, and the 8mb source code can be downloaded here . The readme notes that they could not distribute the Miles Sound library with the code, and that you need to have bought a copy of the game to use its data directory - there's plenty of discussion over at the CtP2 open source forums."

Thanks to TeamXbox for their review of Crimson Skies: High Road To Revenge, as the long-in-development Xbox sequel to the cult FASA/Microsoft PC flight game finally ships today, and, according to the reviewer, "...has added a whole new feel to the genre." 1UP also like the results, mentioning the "decent, but nothing worth getting too worked up about" version that showed at E3 2002, and lauding the year's delay which led to such massive improvement, noting "...the Xbox Live modes extend the lifetime of Crimson Skies several times over all by themselves." Finally, GameSpy join the others in giving the game a thumbs-up, suggesting: "This game exemplifies the sleeper hit; its unique feel, solid gameplay, and great aesthetics offer up something a little left of center, but it's something that anyone who's remotely interested in the genre should be checking out."

Thanks to Blue's News for their article pointing out playboy gaming icon Leisure Suit Larry will be returning to videogames, since a Computer Games magazine cover "reveals plans for Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude." According to the piece, "This would mark the eighth installment in the exploits of the polyester-clad would-be Romeo, whose last [adventure] gaming appearance was over six years ago now", and it's noted that "the teaser makes a reference to similarities to Grand Theft Auto." Unfortunately, AdventureGamers have also learned "that [original series creator] Al Lowe has nothing to do with this new game."

Thanks to Blue's News for their article pointing out playboy gaming icon Leisure Suit Larry will be returning to videogames, since a Computer Games magazine cover "reveals plans for Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude." According to the piece, "This would mark the eighth installment in the exploits of the polyester-clad would-be Romeo, whose last [adventure] gaming appearance was over six years ago now", and it's noted that "the teaser makes a reference to similarities to Grand Theft Auto." Unfortunately, AdventureGamers have also learned "that [original series creator] Al Lowe has nothing to do with this new game."

Thanks to OgreCave for their article discussing the imminent arrival of the Warcraft-licensed board game, adapting Blizzard's classic RTS series for paper-gaming. They point to a new article on maker Fantasy Flight Games' site, where "...designer Kevin Wilson described his desire to have an endless variety of scenarios for the game, and how victory points and interchangable board pieces will make it possible." The game itself, shipping later this month, will have "13 board sections alone, helping bring the game's component count to over 400 pieces", but despite the large amount of units, an earlier article describes the design goal: "...to create a fun, relatively simple game that could be played in under 2 hours while still capturing enough of Warcraft's charm to have players yelling 'Zug zug!' and 'At your command, my Lord!'"

Thanks to the Gaming-Age forum regulars for pointing out that the GameCube hardware bundle, including classic Zelda titles will have a November 18th retail release at a $99 price point, according to the EBGames site. This means the hardware bundle, including bonus disc "containing multiple classic Zelda titles" (specifically The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, and a demo of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker) will now arrive in stores on the same day as Mario Kart: Double Dash, another eagerly-awaited Nintendo title.

Thanks to the Gaming-Age forum regulars for pointing out that the GameCube hardware bundle, including classic Zelda titles will have a November 18th retail release at a $99 price point, according to the EBGames site. This means the hardware bundle, including bonus disc "containing multiple classic Zelda titles" (specifically The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, and a demo of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker) will now arrive in stores on the same day as Mario Kart: Double Dash, another eagerly-awaited Nintendo title.

Thanks to the Gaming-Age forum regulars for pointing out that the GameCube hardware bundle, including classic Zelda titles will have a November 18th retail release at a $99 price point, according to the EBGames site. This means the hardware bundle, including bonus disc "containing multiple classic Zelda titles" (specifically The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, and a demo of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker) will now arrive in stores on the same day as Mario Kart: Double Dash, another eagerly-awaited Nintendo title.

Thanks to the Gaming-Age forum regulars for pointing out that the GameCube hardware bundle, including classic Zelda titles will have a November 18th retail release at a $99 price point, according to the EBGames site. This means the hardware bundle, including bonus disc "containing multiple classic Zelda titles" (specifically The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, and a demo of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker) will now arrive in stores on the same day as Mario Kart: Double Dash, another eagerly-awaited Nintendo title.

Thanks to Tleaves.com for their article discussing RPGs that tinker with the basic hack n' slash formula to "try to provide incentives for non-combat development." The author comments on combat-heavy RPGs: "Sometimes my best friend sees me playing Angband and asks me what I'm doing. 'Knitting,' I say, and this is pretty accurate - it's repetitive, mindless, and somehow comforting." But he suggests that, while levelling up via combat is great fun, "...there is room (and indeed desire among players) for higher aspirations as well", referencing Ultima IV ("most of the interesting parts of the game were actually unlocked by ethical development") and The Witch's Wake module for Neverwinter Nights ("Experience is meted out specifically for reaching various narrative goals. Combat yields no experience whatsoever.")

Thanks to DIYGames.com for their report on the 2003 Indie Games Conference, held by Garage Games in Eugene, Oregon from the 10th-12th October. The Con aimed to "...not only celebrate independent developers and their work, but to provide a comfortable environment for developers to learn about the different elements of game creation, and to show their games to peers", and the Player's Choice awards for the Con showcase some interesting upcoming indie titles, with Fuzzee Teevee getting 'Best Graphics', and the Oids-inspired Bit Shifter winning 'Best Single-Player'.