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

Daily News for
March 12 & 13, 2001

AUDIO The Potential of Streaming Audio Give it Audio’s CEO Rick Trono is on a mission to create an "Audio Awareness" among Internet users. In April, Give it Audio will offer its customers the option to purchase their streaming audio files, which eliminates costly streaming fees. Typically, companies that provide streaming audio services to the web, host and maintain the audio files on their servers and generate revenue by charging their customers a monthly fee based on the number of streams. More info. AUDIO Up and Coming Music Format Packs It In BMG is preparing to make its new releases available on pre–recorded DataPlay digital media. DataPlay digital media are single–sided 250MB and double–sided 500MB micro–optical discs, which enable music to be combined with videos, interviews, photos additional content, promotional offers and more on the same disc. One 500MB digital disc has the capacity to hold 11 hours of music downloads or five complete pre–recorded albums, hundreds of high–resolution photographs or dozens of games. In addition to content arrangements with music labels BMG, Universal and EMI, Rosetta Books is planning to release e–book content on DataPlay digital media. More info. AUDIO Branding 101 for iObjects Interactive Objects, Inc. intends to introduce and distribute a new line of products under the iObjects brand name. The company plans to release a Digital Audio Receiver, a Digital Audio Jukebox for home use and a Digital Car Stereo System under this new product line. The Digital Audio Receiver will be previewed at the upcoming Microsoft WinHEC development conference on March 26, 2001. More info. AUDIO MP3.com Should Have Been Nicer The president and founder of TVT, Steve Gottlieb, made accusations that MP3.com was quicker to halt stocking its My.MP3.com digital music library when threatened by larger record companies than it did after complaints from smaller, independent labels. However, last year on May 10, MP3.com issued a press release announcing it was voluntarily cutting access to "all major record label content" from its My.MP3.com service. The site re–launched in December 2000, about a month after reaching a $53–million settlement with Universal. Whether there is any truth to the allegations or not, U.S. District Court Judge, Jed Rakoff, ruled in favor of TVT in their copyright-infringement lawsuit, earlier this week. TVT dropped a similar lawsuit with Napster, which treats independent labels with the same respect it affords the five giants, or so they felt. CONTESTS Be Immortalized by G.O.D. and Rule One of those highly anticipated strat/sims that’s about ready to roll–out is Gathering of Developers’ published . Developed by PopTop Software, you become the fresh–faced dictator of a rather desolate island in the Caribbean. You must develop your country as the tyrant you should be, rule with that fist of iron, and enjoy cigars. To help promote the game’s rollout, the company is sponsoring a Tropico contest wherein all you have to do is enter onto the contest page the name of your dictator and your email address. On March 23rd, the winning profile will be selected for inclusion IN the game as one of the default selections for dictator. That’s immortalization within the media, folks. The contest page may be accessed here. FOR DEVELOPERS 3D AI SDK Betas There’s a new, real–time, 3D AI SDK available for developers from BGT BioGraphic Technologies that should seamlessly integrate directly into 3D content creation tools. Called *The Autonomous Character Engine, AKA ACE, this SDK offers advanced behaviors, including flocking, and all are designed to smoothly integrate with existing game engines. The Canadian–based company intends to uncover their programming aid later this month and they have plans to port the SDK from the PC to Gamecube, Macintosh, PlayStation 2 and Xbox platforms as well. GAMES_HANDHELD* Game Boy Advances to Japan Nintendo’s new Game Boy Advance will be introduced next week in Japan along with 25 game titles. A 32–bit ARM RISC CPU powers the handheld, which offers comparable performance to a PSOne or Sega’s Dreamcast. Its reflective LCD panel delivers 32,000 colors and an 8–bit CPU enables compatibility with existing Game Boy’s. Releases in the United States and Europe are expected in June. GAMES_MULTIPLATFORM Commando 2 Update Coming this fall for a variety of platforms is Eidos Interactive’s *Commandos 2. Set for the Dreamcast, PC and PlayStation, the company has debuted their game–dedicated website at this direct link. However, all is not so good for the Dreamcast* version of *Soul Reaver 2. As Sega* has seen fit to dump their machine, so has Eidos, and this title will not be released for the Sega console system. This is not so for the PlayStation 2 version, which will see retailers’ shelves this summer. GAMES_MULTIPLATFORM Tokyo Game Show Konami Venue From all appearances, Konami seems set to roll–out nearly 60 titles at the Tokyo Game Show! That’s one heckuva lot of entertainment. For the Game Boy Advance, 15 titles are expected; for the Game Boy Color, five games should debut; within the PlayStation realm, nine games are expected; PlayStation 2–based games should number eight; and even one Xbox offering will answer the exhibition muster. Whether or not some, any, or all of these games will ever see exposure in North America is unknown as of yet. GAMES_NINTENDO Activision Hawks the N64 Activision, Inc. confirmed that its Tony Hawk franchise will extend to Nintendo’s N64 late this summer. *Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2* is currently under development by Edge of Reality. GAMES_PC NOLF Reaps Awards This Year Fox Interactive’s ’60s themed spy–thriller, *No One Lives Forever, is this year’s big winner. Leading lady, Cate Archer* graced the cover of *Computer Games’ Year’s Best Edition, as NOLF took "Game of the Year"* and "Action Game of the Year." *Computer Gaming World* and *PC Gamer* awarded the title with "Action Game of the Year"; honors. Additionally, the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences has nominated NOLF for PC Game of the Year, PC Action/Adventure Game of the Year and Game Play Engineering, while the International Game Developer Association (IGDA) has selected the game as a nominee for the Game Developers Choice Awards. Winners will be announced at the Game Developers Conference on March 23, 2001. GAMES_PLAYSTATION Become the Champion of Springfield Activision, Inc. inked an agreement with Fox Interactive to distribute and publish *The Simpsons Wrestling* in the U.S. and Canada. The 3D wrestling/fighting game will feature the wacky characters and locations of the popular animated television series. Big Ape is developing the title for the PlayStation, which hits store shelves this spring. GAMES_PC Flying High with HiTech There’s a brand new version of the freely available *Aces High* game from HiTech Creations. The new version is 1.06 and includes eight new planes, bringing to a total 27 brand, spanking new planes vehicles and water craft that have been added to this game over the past 12 months. You can glom onto the game (a 17MB download) at this direct link. If you’re a new user, you will obtain two weeks of online play at no cost, with an unlimited subscription then costing $29.95 each month. Game features include a wide variety of W.W.II era planes, ships and vehicles, resolution support up to 1600x1200, advanced flight modeling, 24x7x365 engagements with other digital pilots across the glove, and a built–in gun camera and film viewer. GAMES_PC Getting Those Old Bones Shaking One of the most popular themes for film and games has been that of dinosaurs. Then, when you mix in the creatives from Jurassic Park, suddenly there’s even more life for those old bones in the offered environment. With this is mind, Knowledge Adventure has managed to acquire the rights to the soon–to–be–released Jurassic Park III feature film and they are planning two games for release this summer and an additional game in the fall, all extending the film property. With the movie expected to screen in mid–July, these new titles will be for PC gamers. The company’s website. GAMES_PLAYSTATION Stealth Game Iteration Goes Gold Interplay is preparing to ensure that all gamers who enjoy a super stealth, action–filled environment, a reluctant hero by the name of Dr. F. Hawkins and his six–legged dog Max who enjoys a good Uzi burst every now and then, will soon be reaching PlayStation 2 machines. Word is that *MDK2 Armageddon* has now attained that final hue of gold and should be shipping to retail channels by the end of this month. The game’s dedicated website. GAMES_PLAYSTATION Konami Confirms MGS2 Ship Dates All the rumors can finally be put to rest, as Konami has officially confirmed that their *Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty* will, indeed, ship to retail channels this fall. In fact, this PlayStation 2 game can also be played now, but only if you happen to own the company’s *Zone of the Enders* — a playable demo of MGS2 will be included on that disc. Zone of Enders will roll–out at the end of this month. Company website. GAMES_PLAYSTATION 3D’er From Konami Makes Debut There’s a vicious murderer afoot, and you must take the chances, solve the puzzles and riddles, to catch this individual. And you must accomplish all of this as you guide your character using your PlayStation 2 nextgen system. The game is from Konami and is entitled *Shadow of Destiny. Website. GAMES_WEB* Fore For Psygnosis There’s a golf sim from Psygnosis called *Pro 18 World Tour Golf, and watch as the title is converted into a golf tournament experience for online gamers. There’s a new agreement between Psygnosis, a subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, and ProGolf for this game’s, and other properties, conversion to online play. Additionally, this new arrangement will also enable the U.K.–based Psygnosis to glom onto as much as 25 percent of the ProGolf company over the next couple of years, should they wish to do so. Learn more about ProGolf. GAMES_WEB* A Worldwide Mobile Gaming Community Wireless Knowledge, Inc. has joined forces with Versaly Games Inc. to create next–gen mobile gaming applications. Versaly’s game service will operate on Microsoft’s "Stinger" smartphone and will include single and multiplayer games, as well as entertainment software for users to view and download digital pictures, video and music. A pilot version of the service will be available for evaluation in May 2001 to game developers and wireless carriers. More info. GAMES_XBOX Film–quality Graphics and Animation for the Xbox Alias/Wavefront continues to provide top–quality interactive entertainment by becoming an official tools and middleware developer for Microsoft’s Xbox. The company’s Maya Software has become an established leader within the game development community with its powerful modeling and animation toolsets and its open, extensible API. HARDWARE & PERIPHERALS A Skin for Asheron’s Call Control Zone Interactive Inc. released a PC Keyboard Control Cover for use with *Asheron’s Call* from Microsoft and Turbine Entertainment. The cover transforms the keyboard into an adventurer’s map, which guides players through the medieval adventures and challenges found within the magical land of Dereth. This "skin" positions numerous functions above the appropriate keys so players can concentrate on making friends and forming alliances, rather than spending their time flipping through the game’s manual. And best of all, there’s no learning curve, set–up, or configuration required! HARDWARE & PERIPHERALS Graphics Strength Thru Partnership There’s going to be a new graphics board for PC gamers that’ll run at 175MHz, pack in 64MB SDRAM, and obtain its clout through use of the Kyro 2 chip. This is all due to the agreement between Hercules and STMicroelectronics who will create the upcoming *Prophet 4500* card. Set to counter the impact of the *GeForce3* from NVIDIA from a more budget–minded consumer, the Prophet 4500 will feature dot3 bump mapping, tile–based rendering and fully DirectX 7 and DirectX 8 compatible. Optionally, you’ll be able to add–in TV out for around $20 additional to the SRP of $149 (USD). HARDWARE & PERIPHERALS Get More Burn with Sony Sony Electronics will begin shipping its Double Density CD–R/RW products throughout the U.S. beginning in April. The new Sony Double Density ATAPI internal drive and Double Density 1.3GB DD–R/RW media offer more capacity for sharing, backing–up and archiving large files than conventional CD–RWs. The drive is also capable of recording standard CD–R/RW discs and reading all CD–based discs. More info. INDUSTRY Sci–fi Convention and Reception for Game Developers AgamemCon has added a Game Developer’s Reception to its schedule of events. The convention will join together a mix of hard–science, science–fiction, Hollywood professionals and game developers June 8–10 in Burbank, California. More info. INDUSTRY ECTS To Be Sans–Nintendo The European near–equivalent of the U.S.A–based E3, known as the European Computer Trade Show (ECTS), will certainly have their share of top–drawer game publishing companies and developers in attendance. However, there will be a certain "something" missing, and that certain "something" is Nintendo. However, with ECTS running from September 2nd through 4th in London, Nintendo will be in–country as they hold their own "fete" for two days prior to the trade exposition. INDUSTRY Doubt Regarding Gamecube Release Dates Always take issuances from game manufacturers and publishers with a grain of salt — at least that’s the way a Blomberg Japan report feels about the recently announced the Gamecube might gain an appearance as early as late summer. However, the Bloomberg report indicates their take is that Nintendo may not actually release until the fall, with full company concentration on the summer launch of the Game Boy Advance handheld system. INDUSTRY Essential Reality’s New VP Fits Like a Glove Essential Reality has named Richard Rubin as vice president of Product Development. Rubin has served a number of roles within the semiconductor, medical device and interactive toys’ industries, while possessing a bachelor of industrial design degree. Essential Reality’s new P5 will provide Mac, PC and next–gen gaming system users with an ergonomically designed hand device that controls software in 3D through diverse hand gestures. INDUSTRY Digital Technology and Movies on the Rise Forrester Research expects digital cinema and video–on–demand (VOD) to defeat the Internet and change the way movies are distributed. Movie studios, theater circuits, cable companies and technology vendors have the potential to share in $6.5 billion in increased movie–industry revenues by 2006. Technology vendors will need to invest heavily to build up the necessary digital infrastructure, theater chains must recognize their new revenue opportunities and VOD services have to be adopted by the mass–market home viewer. Today, home–video chains generate 65 percent of the movie studios’ revenue. However, by 2006 more than 25 percent of U.S. households will posses digital cable with VOD services and home–video’s market share will drop to 40 percent. More info. INDUSTRY The Net’s Value to Gamers in Asia Online gaming has tremendous opportunity within Asia, as demonstrated by Gigamedia’s investment in Gamania and PCCW Japan’s recent acquisition of online games’ developer VR–1 Entertainment. According to NetValue, online gamers in Asia tend to be male, 24–years of age or under, and predominantly students. Korea led the region with 65 percent of all Internet users visiting game web sites in January 2001, while Singapore and China had the lowest reach with only 29 percent visiting these sites. No one site dominated the region, but Korean–based site hangame.com reported the highest reach. More info. INDUSTRY Broadband is Growing and DSL Takes the Lead Over the Cable Modem According to Harris Interactive’s Consumer TechPoll Study, the number of U.S. households with broadband Internet connections grew 41 percent between April 2000 and January 2001, climbing to just over five million households in January. DSL connections more than doubled and accounted for three–quarters of the growth in broadband subscribers for the same period. Meanwhile, the number of cable modem subscribers increased by only about 10 percent and accounted for about one–in–six new subscribers. DSL is clearly winning the war despite its provisioning and customer service problems. More info. INDUSTRY Microsoft Makes Its Mark Tuesday Microsoft lifts the curtain on its 2001 line–up of Xbox and PC first–party titles with the launch of the official Gamestock site at noon PST on Tuesday, March 13. The new site will feature downloadable AVIs, screen shots, game introductions, and feature lists. Meanwhile, top game developers will be in the Zone Theater Chat Room to talk about their new games unveiled at Gamestock. The chat is also scheduled for Tuesday, March 13, from 5pm to 6pm PST. More info, visit Gamestock or Zone.com INDUSTRY Beta Help Requested by New Start–Up Take some experienced execs from Sega.com, put them into a new San Francisco–based work environment, and have their goal to be the initiation of high–speed Internet services, and you have New Millennium Entertainment. The plan is to offer all sorts of xplatform online services, including but not limited to Dreamcasters, Gamecubers, PCs, PlayStation 2s, and Xbox’ers. As the company claims on their home page, "We’re here to make playing games on the internet a reality. And we’re not talking about checkers...we mean massive multi–player, cross–platform, real–time interactive games! We’re tired of having our gameplay interrupted by lag, high latency and worse yet, busy signals when we try to get online." If you’re interested in assisting with Beta testing their network, head over to the company’s sign–up page. INDUSTRY A New Image for RemoteReality’s Business Unit RemoteReality named David E. Stein as senior vice president and general manager of the company’s Interactive Products business unit. This sector of the company provides businesses with immersive imaging products. Using his 20+ years of business development, marketing and entrepreneurial experience, Stein will be responsible for driving RemoteReality’s market growth. INDUSTRY Sony’s Pirate Punch Expect Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. to rollout a new game copyright protection scheme over the summer. The new system will use the PlayStation 2’s online technologies via a DNA–S environment that enables media to have a unique ID code imprinted within each disc. An authentication server will then verify and enable the online game as both an equipment ID and a software ID will be required for the title to operate correctly. Expect these new PlayStation 2 hard disk drives that incorporate the DNA–S technology to start selling this summer in Japan. INDUSTRY Xbox Acquires Monkeys There’s a new game development studio called Swingin’ Ape Studios that’s headed up by a trio of Midway game developers. And they’re going to be totally focused on creating titles for the PC, PlayStation 2 and the Xbox. Based in Southern California, the new studio’s founders are Scott Goffman, Steve Ranck and Mike Starish and they are certainly on the look out for experienced developers within the aforementioned environments. INDUSTRY Yahoo! The Suit Has Been Lifted by EA and Nintendo Electronic Arts Inc., Nintendo of America Inc. and Yahoo! reached an agreement to prevent piracy on Yahoo! Auctions and Yahoo! Classifieds. Together the companies will ensure Yahoo!’s proprietary filtering technology effectively screens and blocks the sale of counterfeit video game products on Yahoo!’s network. In addition, EA and Nintendo will dismiss their lawsuit against Yahoo! for trademark and copyright infringement. TECHNOLOGY Give Movies a Professional Touch Adaptec, Inc. introduced a new consumer video editing kit to its desktop product line. *DVpics* enables home video enthusiasts and business professionals to edit movies on their PC by adding titles, graphics, music and special effects. Video can be captured directly from a digital camcorder and shared with others through a videotape, CD, DVD or via the World Wide Web. More info. *March 8–9, 2001, News* 3 for 3 and Not Free; Doing Away with Napster–like Piracy Issues; Virtual Speakers; Next-gen Developers Get All the Rendering Power They Need; Next–Gen Game Engine Immersed with New Tools; Wildly Immersive Media Content for the Web; Skate Like a Pro on the GBA; With The Coming Of GBA — More Titles; Pokemon Changes Under Light; GBC’s Whimsical World of Magi–Nation; Non–NextGen Titles Cancelled; No–holds–barred Fantasy Fighting Coming to Next–gen Consoles; Counter–Punch by Nintendo; Mario’s on His Way with Lots of Friends; LUNA’s New Buildings; Kudos to Eidos; GAME Studios Games Releases Set; 3DO Garners Sony Approvals; Enhanced 3D Audio Realism for the PS2; Web–facing, Back–end and Security by Orbix; The Casino Meets Online Gaming; Honor To Befall Xbox; Leading Artists Partner With Microsoft; Cell Phones and Video Games Controlled by a Patent; Capcom’s Innovative Look; Announcing the Three E3 Groundbreakers; Cuts Ongoing; think3 for Precision, Freedom and Usability in 3D Modeling; Ubi Soft Gains Ground In the U.S.; WarCry Reaches a Crossroad to Achieve Online Gaming Success ...back to FGN’s home page.


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