Future Games Network -- Gamers Gazette Weekly Newsletter -- Fuel for Gamers

Daily News for
March 5, 2001

AUDIO & SOUND Rip a Visually Enjoyable Musical Experience InterVideo, Inc. shipped its new MP3 player/encoder with InterVideo Data Injection (IDI) technology. *WinRip’s* patent–pending data injection feature enables the music industry to enhance MP3 music tracks with lyrics, add links to URLs or artist’s biographies and much more. Additionally, WinRip serves as the first audio component in InterVideo’s new *WinCinema* integrated software suite for PC multimedia users’ recording, editing, encoding and playback needs. More info. AUDIO & SOUND Another Company Braves the MP3–swapping Frontier A Canadian stream–sharing company quietly debuts its free Napster–like peer–to–peer network as legal disputes continue over the future of Napster this week. Jackalope Audio allows subscribers to hear other user’s MP3s, but avoids copyright infringements by applying a one–listener–per–file rule and removing the ability to download permanent copies of the files. More info. FGN4KIDS Fairies and Big Bad Monsters Alawar Entertainment releases its new PC–based shareware arcade title for the kiddies. In FairyLand, players follow the adventures of Ptolemy who must valiantly track along puzzling labyrinths and fight against numerous dwarfs, ghosts, dragons and other monsters. While on her merry way, the little fairy encounters numerous magic incantations such as turning her enemies into cakes, secret–bearing manuscripts and many other useful things. More info. FGN4KIDS Kids Tell It Like It Is In Their Very Own Webpage Shelldrake Technologies Inc. intensifies the writing experience and learning process for children with web photo albums. *Buddy Album Builder* enables aspiring junior publishers to strengthen their writing skills as they create their story about various digital images on sites that they’ve created to share with friends and family. Buddy Album Builder even provides a computer–generated voice to the child’s text. More info. GAMES_HANDHELD Baseball Heats Up Another *High Heat Major League Baseball 20002* title is now available, this time for the PlayStation, which is endorsed by Vladimir Guerrero of the Montreal Expos and brother Wilton of the Cincinnati Reds. The athletes pitch and bat emulating the mannerisms of the real athletes. You’ll see arguments with umpires, player elections and suspensions, and choose from seven game modes: Exhibition, Season, Career, Home Run Derby, Playoffs, pitching and batting practice. Additionally there’s multi–player competition that includes trades, a free agent pool and an amateur draft and more. Versions of the title will be available for the PC and PlayStation 2 in March, the Game Boy Color will be in May and the Game Boy Advance will be ready in June. More info. GAMES_MULTIPLATFORM Lost Boys Conduct Russian Symphony Those Lost Boys Games in the Netherlands have taken on some pretty big sounds. How about the Moscow Symphony Orchestra which will develop the music for all of the game company’s next–gen titles that includes a 72–piece orchestra and a 40–member choir? In fact Joris de Man, a composer at Lost Boys, went to Mosfilm studios in Russia for the recording sessions. The music, which lasts for five minutes for each of the three upcoming titles, is for *Knights, Dragonfly* and a title that will be named. Knight, for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Gamecube and PC, takes place in 2050 in England, where young women have been vanishing. As Angel, you’re a female member of the covert operations team to investigate the mysterious kidnappings. Then there’s *Call of the Dragonfly* for the Xbox, an action RPG that has intrigue and mystery, due out in the summer of 2002. The third title is yet–to–be–named PlayStation 2 title from Sony. Listen to a MP3 preview of the intro music for Knights. GAMES_HANDHELD Commander Keen on GBC id Software and Activision, Inc. are teaming up this spring to release *Commander Keen* for the Game Boy Color. This action–packed quest to save the cosmos is based on id’s original Commander Keen series on the PC. Commander Keen challenges players to save the world from his alien adversaries by finding super–powerful plasma crystals hidden on three separate alien worlds, each with several multi–level maps, puzzles, slime pits, magical platforms, secret rooms and teleporters. GAMES_HANDHELD Game Boy Advance Advances to the U.S. The arrival of the Game Boy Advance in North America is now officially June 11, after the launch in Japan on March 21, with projections of orders at three million. GAMES_HANDHELD An Off–beat Underwater Quest for the GBC THQ Inc. and Nickelodeon released their first interactive SpongeBob SquarePants underwater adventure for Game Boy Color. *SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend of the Lost Spatula* is based on Nickelodeon’s animated television show and has players traveling through the Bikini Bottom in search of the Flying Dutchman’s Golden Spatula. SpongeBob must locate hidden clues, unlock secret levels, feed hungry ghosts and avoid jellyfish to become the greatest fry cook of all time. GAMES_PC Shrapnel Cuts Through to Air Command 3.0 If you’ve been wondering what *Air Command 3.0* from Shrapnel Games is like, you can download a final and updated version of this *Windows 95/98* air traffic control simulator at in which you take on the role of an air traffic controller. You direct traffic from your radar screen and give permission for takeoffs and landings, and if a pilot doesn’t follow or understand your command, you must take a corrective action. There’re digitized pilot voices, and both visual and audible commands on screen and more. The gold version is due out in March. GAMES_PC More Blue Byte Chats *Dragon’s Lair* fans everywhere gathered to take part in an Online Developer Chat with Steven Parsons on Saturday to talk about the latest improvements and new features in the upcoming *Dragon’s Lair 3D. Meanwhile, Blue Byte’s Game Channel* posted the Chat Logs from the previously held *IL–2 Sturmovik* and *Battle Isle: DarkSpace* chats. And there’s still plenty of opportunity to sign up and become an official Tester for the second phase of the Battle Isle: DarkSpace Beta test. More info. GAMES_PC No One Lives Forever Until They Update Their Version Fox Interactive’s *No One Lives Forever version 1.002* and *Map Pack 2* are now available. Version 1.002 addresses a number of the bugs and network issues found in earlier versions of the game and adds additional multiplayer features. Map Pack 2 provides three deathmatch maps and five UNITY vs. H.A.R.M. assault maps. These two NOLF releases update both the North American and International versions. More info. GAMES_PC Strategy First’s Golden Month Due to the success of *Disciples: Sacred Lands, Strategy First* has just released a gold edition of the game which contains over 25 additional scenarios, increased multiplayer functionality and includes all of the game’s updates since its original release. Meanwhile, Time Gate Studios and Strategy First Inc.’s upcoming fantasy real–time strategy game, *Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns* has gone gold. Kohan provides players with numerous options and different paths to success, while offering an intriguing storyline, unique company–based combat system and classic military concepts. GAMES_WEB Knockout Those Birdies as You Race in Bristol EA.com launched its first subscription–based premium content bundle. For $4.99 per month, the EA SPORTS Service offers three exclusively licensed Internet–based games, with more content to be added in the coming months. Subscribers can challenge each other worldwide in multiplayer versions of *NASCAR Web Racing, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Web Golf* and *Knockout Kings Web Boxing. A single–player demo mode is available for free at the site.* GAMES_WEB Fallen Age Contests The massively multiplayer online sci–fi fantasy hybrid, *Fallen Age, for the PC will wind up beta testing in April, after some help from the public. Fallen Age takes place in approximately 6400 A.D.* when the Earth is new, creating an original colonization sub–game. You also have 126 special spells and skills, as well as 500 levels of game play, with in–game ladders and ranking for deathmatches, and 10,000 unique equipment systems per game per game world, and much more. In order to promote the title there are three contests, The Big Three, which have been created by Netamin Communication Corp. The first contest runs through March 8 and involves photos that best illustrate the concept of Fallen Age, with the prize of a 64MB GeForce2 graphics card. Then the second contest runs for one week, after which the third and last contest runs. More info. GAMES_WEB More Soccer to Come on Fox Sports World Fox Sports World renewed its three–year agreement for televised broadcast rights to the *English Premier League. The season–long telecast rights to the soccer franchise will extend throughout the United States, Canada* and the Caribbean. Additionally, the agreement includes Spanish–language broadcast rights for Fox Sports World Espanol. GAMES_WEB Interactive Game Shows Coming to a Tube Near You! Game Show Network and ACTV Inc. will produce interactive versions of *Mall Masters* and *$100,000 Pyramid* for the Microsoft WebTV Plus platform and other ATVEF–compliant platforms. ACTV’s Enhanced Media Services subsidiary, Bottle Rocket, will enable WebTV Plus subscribers to play along, compete against other viewers for prizes and access all of the enhanced media content while watching the game shows. More info. GAMES_WIRELESS Aloha! Konami, Sweet Music to Their Ears In an effort to stimulate sales of a game before it comes to market, Konami in Japan is now offering music from games via mobile phones on NTT CoCoMo Inc.’s i–mode service, as well as ratings of the various sounds. Konami is also now in paradise, Honolulu, Waikiki, Hawaii, that is with new offices that will develop video game titles. GAMES_XBOX InterAct’s Xbox Gaming Gadgets InterAct Accessories, Inc. obtained a worldwide licensing agreement to manufacture and distribute licensed third–party gaming peripherals and accessories for Microsoft’s Xbox. Product development is currently underway on everything from basic gamepads and controllers to arcade sticks and racing wheels. The company expects to have samples available at E3 in Los Angeles, May 17–19. GAMES_XBOX Mad Catz’ Xbox Kittens Mad Catz entered into a worldwide license agreement with Microsoft in which Mad Catz designs, manufactures and markets licensed third–party peripherals for the Xbox. The agreement ensures that the company will have a full line of Mad Catz branded Xbox compatible accessories including a controller, memory unit, racing wheel and the Panther joystick designed for first–person action games. In addition, light guns and fishing rods will be launched to coincide with software releases. INDUSTRY Starnet’s New Star John Doe Starnet Communications International Inc. received a commitment from its newly selected chief executive officer, although the name of this individual will not be disclosed until a transition plan with his present company has been finalized. A prominent businessman with an extensive background in the technology industry and a proven track record of success as a leader of a publicly traded growth–stage company, the new CEO will take on his new position March 19. MISCELLANEOUS Hollywood Previews Coming to Theaters on CD On March 20, moviegoers will experience new levels of entertainment media in a CD magazine. *Hollywood Previews* features more than 90 minutes of digitally delivered movie–related entertainment on a CD–ROM including interactive interviews with today’s brightest stars, numerous movie trailers, contests, free movie tickets, soundtracks behind–the–scenes footage, home video and DVD release information, games, shopping, news, trivia and more. Initially, the CD–ROM will be distributed for free to a national monthly circulation of 2,000,000 via the box offices of the nation’s top theater chains. TECHNOLOGY Movies In Your Palm Generic Media has released the *gMovie Maker* and gMovie Player. These products enable Macintosh and Windows users to convert and playback color video, animation and still image files for any Palm OS handheld. With gMovie Maker and gMovie Player, everything from baby’s first step and vacation footage, to favorite music videos and animated shorts take you beyond your desktop. More info. *March 2, 2001, News* Multi–format Digital Audio Content; The March Madness Has Arrived; A Jet That’s Got Jive; Hearts in Your Pocket and Frogs in Spades; Race Within Toy Story; Off–Road Sim Gets Golden; Next Civilization Will Be A Better Diplomat; Fulfill Your Destiny as the Child of Bhaal; e–Trauma STAT!; Build Your Own Servant to Die for You; Getting Together With Sierra & Stainless Steel; Surf’s Up with California Watersports; Alien’s Create Shockwave; B17 Flight Skin; ELSA & NVIDIA Provide the Very Latest for PC Gaming; NVIDIA and AMD Deliver the Ultimate Gaming Experience; Bear Stearns Graced by Roberts; JAKKS’ Q4 2000 and Year–End Results; Suffering At JuniorNet; Chip Maker To Support GameWorld; Take–Two’s Record Sales; GRT–enabled Gaming Prototype Takes a Hands–on Approach *Current Reviews & Features* *Spider–Man* (N64) from Activision, reviwed by Reuben Ahmed *Power Spike Pro Beach Volleyball* (PSX) from Infogrames, reviwed by Reuben Ahmed *Lion King: Simba’s Great Adventure* (GBC) from Activision, reviewed by Reuben Ahmed *RealMyst* from Mattel Interactive, reviewed by Michael Askounes ...back to FGN’s home page.


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