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¶ 9:27 PM //

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Source: Gameplanet

Gameplanet has today launched a Nintendo DS site as the latest addition to its network, in time for the machine's local launch today.

DS.geek.nz will become the home of DS news, reviews, previews and features, while Gameplanet's Nintendo forums cover the DS and other platforms such as Game Boy, GameCube and Revolution, the next-generation home console expected to be unveiled in May.

As the machine's runaway success in North America has already shown, the dual screened handheld is expected to allow Nintendo to remain a commanding force in the hardware market as it uses DS to provide new forms of gameplay to compliment its Game Boy and home console product lines.

Look out for more content on DS.geek.nz shortly as we bring you the latest information from Nintendo and its third-part DS publishers.

¶ 4:25 PM //

Natural Selection 3.0 Trailer

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Trailer for Natural Selection.

¶ 6:59 PM //

The more we play Battlefield 2, the more familiar it seems. We had another chance to try our hand at the big-budget sequel on a recent visit to EA's Chertsey studios, and we're now even more convinced that Battlefield 2 is in fact Battlefield: Desert Combat with better graphics. If you're a fan of the popular Gulf War mod, this is great news; and if you've never played it before, you're in for a real treat. EA certainly has experience with big-license games, and although this isn't FIFA, the kits have certainly been updated to match the latest fixtures in the Middle East.

While it's too early to say whether Battlefield 2 might be too similar to previous games, the core gameplay of Battlefield 2 is identical to that of Battlefield 1942 and Desert Combat (BF: Vietnam being something of a tangent). Even new features such as the Commander mode, where one player from each team can view the battle from an overhead RTS perspective, don't fundamentally change the game.
Indeed, we've had a good crack at the Commander mode, and you're actually quite limited in how you can affect the battle. Sure, you can launch the occasional artillery round, but your most effective power is to issue orders to squad leaders. Knowing how cooperative online gamers tend to be, we can't help but think this is a feature only clan gamers will truly make the most of.

REAL PURDY
On the other hand though, there is one major difference: Battlefield 2 looks stunning. The custom graphics engine brings the game up to similar levels of detail as you see in offline shooters, which is extraordinary in a game of such scope. The new physics engine also makes for a far more interactive environment, though it does have to be a bit selective. Too many loose physics objects would bring your server to a standstill, while too many destructible items would allow players to lay waste to the carefully crafted levels. As it is, you can shoot through walls and blow up bridges, which is good enough for me.

SPANNERS AT THE READY
On top of this, the gameplay has been tweaked in a million places, tightening
up and balancing something that was already superb. So, you've got two new combat kits (spec ops and support), advanced weaponry such as heat-seeking missiles, a new sprint function and a new medal and rankings system.
What's more, a huge amount of effort has been put into encouraging teamplay and tactics, with a squad system, the aforementioned commander role and a small set of command options.

We were dubious at first as to the appeal of such a formal command structure, but after extended play, we're now totally convinced. For one, the fact that you can select your squad leader as a respawn point is a stroke of genius, and means that lone wolf players are at a serious disadvantage. On top of this, the communication functions in the game are excellent. Not only is voiceover IP built right into the engine, but the context-sensitive 'commo rose' - a radial pop-up command menu similar to Raven Shield - is set to improve team cooperation hugely.

But perhaps the biggest difference between Battlefield 2 and its predecessors lies in the new game environments. There are 12 of them in total, with three variations of each depending upon server settings - every map can shrink and grow to accommodate 16, 32 or 64 players. In previous incarnations, all the maps were pretty much of a kind. In 1942 they were mostly open, sparsely-treed affairs; in Vietnam they were typically dense jungle or swampland. Buildings were sparingly placed, with urban combat mostly avoided.

NOT LIKE THAT, LIKE THIS...
Battlefield 2 is a very different story. Not only are the new levels looking extremely tasty, the amount of variety has increased dramatically, with many new styles of play emerging. One of the Chinese levels is called Songhua Stalemate. It's a swampy, fog-shrouded affair with a foreshortened field of vision, which immediately determines the type of action you see. Vehicles are weighted towards small, fast vessels, encouraging swift infantry attacks over large-scale vehicular assaults, and sniping is out of the question.

Another map, Divided City, focuses on close-quarters urban combat within a heavily built-up area. There's a key hold-point in an exposed central square, and the importance of sniper cover and air support are immediately apparent.

Basically, the gameplay is going to be far broader - not to mention more tactical - than ever before, and this is where Battlefield 2 shows its strength. Desert Combat with better graphics it may be, but we all know this is exactly what the fans want. The resulting game, while not a revolution, can't fail to be great.

¶ 6:27 PM //

Computer&VideoGames is the latest site to preview the RTS Empire Earth 2, from Mad Doc Software:

Empire Earth II is the sequel to the excellent 2001 empire-building RTS, and is promising to improve on the original in, oh, at least 17 new ways. As we said in last month's mag, EEII has14 civilisations (including British, German, American, Aztec and Greek), each with unique units, spanning over 12,000 years from 10,000BC to well into the future - hence my excitement at stumbling onto the mechs in the city. Each map is divided into territories that can be acquired through diplomacy or war, enabling you to expand your military, economic and/or Imperial empire.

"Why are you playing that?" asks our bewildered editor when he casually glances across at my monitor and catches me deftly managing my gold and tin supplies with a few taps of the mouse. I may blather on about my macho leanings towards shooters that allow you to dismember enemies with an overpowering amount of brutal weaponry, but as Woods has now discovered, I'm also perfectly happy ruling over virtual kingdoms - especially ones that allow you to blow the shit out of large futuristic robots.

Empire Earth II is the sequel to the excellent 2001 empire-building RTS, and is promising to improve on the original in, oh, at least 17 new ways. As we said in last month's mag, EEII has14 civilisations (including British, German, American, Aztec and Greek), each with unique units, spanning over 12,000 years from 10,000BC to well into the future - hence my excitement at stumbling onto the mechs in the city. Each map is divided into territories that can be acquired through diplomacy or war, enabling you to expand your military, economic and/or Imperial empire.

The most obvious improvements when playing the new Empire Earth are the short-cuts that enable you to get to grips with your world much quicker and with less faffy micro-management. The Citizen Manager gives you unfettered access to your units (of which there are more than 270 in the game), so you can easily group them and, for example, move all the townsfolk from wood-collection to gold-digging in seconds.

ZOOM IN
Also, a new picture-in-picture feature (shown in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen) enables you to bookmark any unit, object or location in your empire and switch instantly between them, like having numerous interactive close-circuit TV cameras. You can now easily keep tabs on large areas of territory and even issue orders without having to zoom frantically around the main map.

Other major additions are the improved 3D graphics, weather conditions that can hamper operations, improved diplomacy for forming alliances (to be broken later at your convenience), and 'non-cheating AI' - basically the computer doesn't automatically know where you are and what resources, armies or firepower you have.

Meanwhile, single-player mode is broken up into entertaining campaigns and skirmishes, with 'turning points' such as WWII's Operation Overlord and scenarios that include the soon-to-be-famous USA Cyborg Insurrection of 2058. Multiplayer is included too, with the usual Deathmatch and King of the Hill modes accompanied by Quickstart, which is great if you're impatient to get on with the action. There's also Sole Survivor, where you can make alliances with other players, knowing that you're eventually going to have to screw them over to win the game - if you're a fan of Risk, you'll love this mode.

SHIP-SHAPE
With a few months to release, there are still a few bugs to iron out in this early code, including the quirky ship movement, which unfortunately turned my Normandy landings into a new Pearl Harbour. However, developer Mad Doc appears to be crafting a complex, yet hugely playable strategy epic that as well as giving you access to classic civilisations such as the Aztecs, puts your despotic finger on the nuclear trigger. And it has robots - did I mention that?

¶ 6:19 PM //

Valve meat popsicle Doug Lombardi sent over a note with news that the Day of Defeat: Source is approaching beta:

Day of Defeat: Source, Valve's World War II-themed multiplayer action game, is approaching beta and will be available early this spring via Steam. A team-based multiplayer game that cast players in the Axis vs. Allies battles of Western Europe circa 1944, Day of Defeat: Source leverages the power of the Source engine to introduce integrated physics simulation technology, all new audio, updated maps, enhanced effects and more. More information about Day of Defeat: Source will be released in the coming weeks.

Plus, a pair of snazzy screen shots:

(Click to Enlarge!)

¶ 6:18 PM //

As we know, they will make PS3 soon!

Japanese media reported on May 6th that the PS3 console is in development.

The goal is to make new processor technology, called "grid" about 200x faster than current console technology. This is almost achieving their original goal of making the PS3 1000(!) times faster than the PS2. This goal was publically set by Mr Okamoto, the Senior VP and Chief Technical Officer of Sony Computer Entertainment, at the 2002 Game Developers Conference in San Jose, California.

¶ 6:12 PM //