AUDIO_SOUND: With A Song In Your Heart
With sponsorship via a number of leading music product delivery and content companies, the USA Songwriting Competition has now launched. You could win more than $50,000 in cash, merchandise and expsoure, with your winning song featured on a nationally syndicated radio program in the U.S. and Canada. Reps from leading record labels and music publishers are the judges, and you have until May 31st to wow ’em. Details.
FGN4KIDS: Caillou Offers four PBS–based Books
Last week’s Toy Fair in New York City found CINAR Corp. and Chouette Publishing debuting four new books for preschoolers: "CAILLOU RIDES ON A PLANE", "CAILLOU AND THE BIG SLIDE", "CAILLOU AND GILBERT", and "CAILLOU PUTS AWAY HIS TOYS." Targeted toward children who are age three and older, these books extend the world of Caillou, a character millions of youngsters watch on PBS KIDS in the morning. Pronounced KY–YOO, the show features animation, puppets, music, dance as well as live action, and these new books bring the character into the world of print for youngster delight. Websites of interest include: PBS KIDS and Cinar.
FGN4KIDS: Downloadable Books from Early Foundations
Allowing parents and guardians to save some hard–earned money, Early Foundations Learning Company is now making available books for our younger citizens via download. Literacy promotion is the cause celeb, and for as little as $5.00, all of the company’s books, vocabulary sheets and teaching scripts can be obtained, offering an affordable way to help children learn to read. You can view books samples as well as visit the Book–A–Day Readers web page at this direct link.
HARDWARE_PERIPHERALS: Nyko Offers New GBA Goodies
Ahhhh, the life of a third–party peripherals manufacturer is never easy... especially as new systems are continually planned for release. Take the Game Boy Advance... Nyko is busily at work creating their peripherals so popular with the GBC to the new handheld device, to include their AC Adaptor, Shock ’n Rock, Power Link, Power Pak, and the Worm Light. The company full expects all products to be readily available for purchase within a couple of weeks of the system’s release.
INDUSTRY: IIPA Wants Action Vs. Pirates
Combining the power of the American Film Marketing Association, Association of American Publishers, Business Software Alliance, Motion Picture Association of America, National Music Publishers Association, and the Recording Industry of America, the International Intellectual Property Alliance (known as the IIPA) has filed a request with the US Trade Representative to take action against some 58 foreign entities for failure to protect US intellectual property from piracy. The IIPA has requested a "Special 301" review of copyright piracy and market access restrictions — this review allows investigations to be launched that could lead to trade sanctions and other punitive measures against nations found to have repeatedly violated international copyright laws. According to the IIPA, the Ukraine continues to be the key producer and distributor of pirated CDs, with Taiwan, Indonesia and the Philippines active in such copyright infringement distribution of product.
PC GAMES: European Access to Might & Magic
In April, expect 3DO Europe to release to a magic–starved populace their Legends of Might and Magic for PC gamers. This FPA (first–person adventure) title was developed by the company’s New World Computing studio and offers single– and multi–player gaming experiences. You become engaged in a dark journey of struggle and conquest and travel to distant worlds, all filled with fantastic dungeons and highly dangerous battlefields. The Lithtech 2.0 3D game engine, developed by Monolith, powers the game which is built around Team Deathmatch play. Six scenario types are planned for inclusion in the game, with variations on specific themes.
WEB_GAMES: Online Gaming ’Tween GigaMedia & Sega.com Voided
There were great expectations that the online gaming community in Taiwan would have an awesome technology within which to play games... after all, GigaMedia and Sega.com were working together to ensure Dreamcast consoles and PC systems would offer such capabilities online. No longer... GigaMedia is no longer going to team–up with Sega.com, thereby voiding the Taiwanese version of Sega Net as well as subscription–based online engagements. The strategic reassessment and reorg at Sega kiboshed this deal.
WIRELESS: FunMail To Bring Japanese WAP Wonderments
Already rested via the NTT DoCoMo i–mode system in Japan, this technology called FunMail generates black and white animations that play over existing, WAP–enabled phones. Any content within the FunMail system can also render in full motion color, with the patented technology creating animations that are based on text that’s entered by the user. The animations are derived form words and patterns within the sender’s message. Animations are scaled automatically to fit the receiving device. On a WAP phone, the color is voided, and sounds and music are only delivered to phone capable of receiving such. You can see a demo here. Expect FunMail to launch in Japan shortly via various service providers. WAP’ers can access this link http://wap.funmail.com to see the technology in action.
February 17, 2001, News: WOW It’s SRS Labs and ST Microelectronics, Tremor Entertainment Shakes with New CEO, SierraHome Asks–How Does Your Garden Grow?, Commander–in–Chief of Delta Force, Turner and Fantasy Sports In Driver’s Seat, NTN Communications Plays Rough With XFL, Bluetooth Checks into Registry Magic, Warner Bros: Fans of Harry Potter Gather, Take–Two Ramps Up for Xbox
Current Reviews & Features
Oni from G.O.D./Rockstar, reviewed by Michael Askounes
Quake 3 Team Arena from id Software, reviewed by Reuben Ahmed
Giants: Citizen Kabuto from Interplay Entertainment, reviewed by Michael Askounes
Walt Disney World Magical Racing Tour from Activsion, reviewed by Reuben Ahmed
Delta Force: Land Warrior from NovaLogic, reviewed by Paul 'Sly' Wolf
The Cole Perspective #3: Game Industry Checkup by David Cole.
Spawn: In the Demon’s Hand (DC), reviewed by Alex Nekrassov.
Xtreme Sports from Infogrames (DC), reviewed by Reuben Ahmed.
Reach for the Stars from SSI (PC), reviewed by Michael Askounes.
Close Combat V: Invasion Normandy from SSI (PC), reviewed by Sean Freeman.
Racing Madness from Microsoft (PC), reviewed by Mike Chantry.
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