You play a solider capture by the VC. You must escape a POW camp and find your weapons along the way. The game is built on the Lith-Tech Engine but does not support multiplayer. (too bad) The VC do shout out in Vietnamese and there are even suicide squads with bombs attached to their bodies. (sweet) There is a simple slideshow style intro, but no cut scenes. He also mention there is some great music through out the game.

Head on over for the full scoop.

Delta Force: LW clarification [19:18:07 EDT] by - Rush
Delta-Force2.com has posted a bit from NovaLogic's PR man Dan Bennett that clears up some misinformation that seems to be floating around the D-F2 forums. Here's the goods:

"Those screens are not from the upcoming Land Warrior game. Delta Force: Land Warrior is based on an entirely different engine, a fully accelerated, 3D-required engine that should deliver considerably faster frame rates both indoors and outdoors (and much bigger, more complex interiors) than the VoxelSpace 32 engine used in Delta Force 2 and in the work we're doing for the U.S. Army.

There seems to be an assumption in the forums that all the changes [that have been witnessed] in the program we're doing for the Army will end up in Delta Force: Land Warrior. I'd like to take this opportunity to set the record straight: The program we're doing for the Army is intended as a serious training aid for infantry using the Land Warrior system. Delta Force: Land Warrior, on the other hand, is intended as a fun game based on Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta. That distinction alone guarantees the new game will be very different from the Army program.

The weapons, equipment, features, and mission design in Delta Force: Land Warrior will be based on what the real Delta Force uses -- and on what we think will be most fun for the player. There's literally no connection between our work for the Army and Delta Force: Land Warrior -- except that the game will contain some elements of the Land Warrior system (exactly which elements it will use are still being determined by the game's designers)."

FSAA pics [19:13:31 EDT] by - Rush
I noticed via Suppressive Fire that TacSim has posted some full-screen anti-aliased shots of Urban Ops and SWAT3. They do look sweet, but I do wonder the performance hit the games take using it. I play RS at 1280x1024 <flex> so everything's pretty smooth anyway, and really, when you're moving around, and looking for tangos, I don't think you really have time to look at the walls and go "ooh, no jaggies!"

Vietnam: Black Ops pics [15:28:30 EDT] by - Rush
The current buzz in our genre is ValuSoft's Vietnam: Black Ops. The official ValuSoft web site has posted some pics of the game in action. Here's how they describe the game:

Thanks Snake Eyes for the head's up.

Urban Ops review [15:16:02 EDT] by - Rush
Also from SimActu comes a review of RSE's Urban Ops. Again it's in French, so hit the AltaVista translator if need be. They've got 8 cool screen snaps at the end that are viewable in any language tho.

Project IGI info [01:36:46 EDT] by - Rush
SimActu (French sim site), has a small news item on Innerloop's Project IGI. Ya might want to hit the AltaVista translator if ya don't speak French. Here's a small snip that I managed to translate:

To also note, the presence of vehicles (helicopters etc.) who will take part in the action.

Among the originalities brought, one will note the possibility of calling upon the air support which will come to carry us help by releasing napalm bombs in particular.

Not a perfect translation, but ya get the gist.. Thanks TacticalPlanet.

There is now a better custom mission generator as well. Instead of the two options you had in Rogue Spear (Lone Wolf and Terrorist Hunt), you now have six total ways to play a map, including assault, recon, defend, and hostage rescue. Most of these modes are exactly what you would do in the actual mission however. You just have easier access to all the levels and can switch the settings in some of them. An example is in Lone Wolf and Terrorist Hunt modes, you can adjust the number of terrorists , from one to thirty. To access a level, you have to complete it in the campaign though.

Thanks Blues News.

IGI preview [17:19:26 EDT] by - Rush
Ha, right after complaining about the lack of news, I find some! PC GameWorld has posted a sneak peek of Innerloop's stealth-shooter, I'm Going In. Here's a snip on the weapons in the game:

Weapons are plentiful as you get a choice of 12 to select from. If you are into automatic weapons like the one in Half-Life then this game is for you. A key difference is that there is recoil with some of the guns and this visual effect is really sweet since the bullets start to fly high due to the recoil effect with your weapon. Other military weapons such as a bazooka, claymore mines and hand-grenades will also be at your disposal - you're going to need them when you go up against the big artillery (i.e. tanks and other armored vehicles).

Thanks Evil Avatar.

News? Or lack thereof.. [16:39:45 EDT] by - Rush
Sorry for the lack of updates, but there hasn't been much news lately.. Just wanted to let y'all know I'm still here.. 

The second section of Covert Ops is the actual levels that you get to play on the Rogue Spear engine. Unfortunately RSE was not showing any of these new maps off at E3. We did however learn that Covert Ops will feature multiplayer support just like Rogue Spear. This is exciting news and means you will be able to play the nine new maps with your buddies online. The maps are not story driven like the ones you see in Rogue Spear but they are based on your training that you learn elsewhere on the cd.

What's rather cool is if you have UO, you can install COE into it as a mod.. RSE is getting a lot of use out of that new mods feature.. (all of UO is, in fact, a mod for RS..)

Covert Ops Q&A [19:23:26 EDT] by - Rush
GameSpot Asia has posted a Q&A regarding Red Storm's Covert Operations Essentials. Here's what Covert Ops is all about:

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Covert Operations Essentials (Covert Ops) is a stand-alone extension of the Rainbow Six franchise which gives players an inside look at the world of covert operations. By providing an overview covering the subject of counter-terrorism from 1970 until the present, Covert Ops aims to blur the line between game and reality.

And here's a sample Q&A:

Q: What do you personally consider the strongest feature of Covert Ops?

A: I think the way in which the myriad of parts comes together to deliver a single, engrossing "knowledge adventure." The technology, content and design all blend together to create something that really feels like a hi-tech counter-terrorist training tool. For us, that's the most rewarding-when the lines which separate the constituent parts of the project blur away into nothing and we're left with something that feels tight and whole-like it was always supposed to be that way.

The enemy reaction times seem faster than ever and they follow cleverly overlapping patrol routes that cause enemies to pop up behind you from areas you thought you'd cleared. The HQ mission plans are not very useful and require considerable optimisation before the missions can be completed. The difficulty is, perhaps, the only real criticism of the game, but if you were an addict of Rogue Spear and are looking for more of a challenge, this could be a good thing.

Thanks VE for the news.

Covert Ops info [19:00:26 EDT] by - Rush
While at CGO, I spotted a news item on Covert Ops Essentials as part of an E³ look at Red Storm's lineup. Here's the relevant part on this one:

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Covert Operations Essentials (Covert Ops) is an extension of the popular Rainbow Six franchise, in which players will not only get to play a several new levels, but will also get an insider’s look at the world of covert operations.

The meat of Covert Ops is the virtual cornucopia of information that it provides to players. Want to read up on snipers? Not only will you get pages of text and still photos of missions in action, you’ll also get to see a video demonstration from a real military sniper as he describes techniques, preferred weapons, etc. The amount of information packed into this game is staggering and fans of Rainbow Six will most likely spend hours at a time just sifting through the information database. The information should also help players when they play the game, as tactics are discussed as well as general military information. You’ll also get a chance to test your knowledge and take the "Officer Candidate School" test based on the info presented.

Rainbow Six: Covert Operations Essentials is slated for a fall release.

I just hope there's a game in there.. Microsoft's Age Of Empires II: The Age of Kings (of which I'm a big fan of), also had a reference section included with it, but I don't think I spent more than 5 mins looking at it.. Time will tell how much of an actual game is in there I guess.. But given that Zombie is helping out with the levels gives me a good feeling.

Delta Force: Land Warrior info [18:31:13 EDT] by - Rush
Computer Games Online posted a small news item on Delta Force: Land Warrior as part of their E³ coverage. Here's the relevant part:

According to the company, the new Delta Force title is a new game that builds on the success of the previous two games in the series. What sets Land Warrior apart from its predecessors is immediately visible: it's entirely 3D accelerated. Like both earlier Delta Force games, the first-person 3D tactical shooter uses a world based on voxel (volume pixel) technology, but now for the first time with full 3D support. Delta Force 2 offered acceleration for some game objects, but not for terrain and performance of the game on most machines was less than optimal. In Land Warrior, the entire game world benefits from 3D acceleration, and performance should be much better on all classes of machines. The new game will also feature extensive interior locations, with much more detail and much higher framerates than were possible in the earlier games. The title is due in stores this September.

Short and sweet..

Project IGI preview [04:16:35 EDT] by - Rush
Search engines are a wonderful thing. I found yet another E³ preview of Innerloop's Project IGI (I'm Going In), this time over at Telefragged. Here's a bit on how a typical mission plays out:

While there will be lots of action and mayhem, the player can't take too much damage, so stealth is required in order to survive. For instance, in one of the levels shown at E3, the player had crashed in a chopper behind enemy lines with only a pistol. Upon finding a sniper rifle, the real fun began -- the engine, which was originally developed for flight simulators, handles giant open areas flawlessly, and sniping enemies from 500 yards is not uncommon. Of course, the enemies will also snipe back, so taking cover and catching them by surprise is a must.

Great article with some nice new bits I hadn't seen yet (the sample mission above, and that the game will be single-player only..) Def check out the rest..

More Project IGI [04:05:42 EDT] by - Rush
In case I didn't post this one before, I found another old Project IGI article, over at pc.ign which is an interview with the game's producer Jonas Eneroth. Quite the tasty article, so here's a snip for ya:

IGNPC: How will progress be made through Project IGI?

JE: Being a military style game each level tends to begin with a briefing. That also means that there is a debriefing of sorts after a mission is complete. I won't give away too much by saying that some missions or levels start in another way. In its simplest form, a scenario will break down into multiple missions, each one building on what has gone previously. This applies equally to what is going on inside the level itself. During the briefing and Intel process you have the opportunity to select a route into the mission area, be it for example by HALO (high altitude low opening) jump, by FAV (fast attack vehicle) or simply on foot.

Oh yeah, I like it! There are some early screenshots of the game too, worth checking out..

Urban Ops review [09:56:29 EDT] by - Rush
I saw over at SimHQ that Bloodshot has posted a review of RSE's Urban Ops. Here's a bit on the tangos you'll face:

Each terrorist has unique features, no more cookie cutter clones - though some are quite close in appearance they all sport slightly different looks. The detail work on each figure is excellent, with careful detail to clothing and facial expressions. Though not as sharp as the people in Swat 3, they more than do the job. While the terrorists aren't Mensa candidates, keep shooting as they come at you around a corner and watch the bodies pile up, they aren't stupid either. Fire a shot that isn't silenced and prepare to have company, as they react to your presence with a vengeance. Much like Soldier of Fortune or Metal Gear Solid (for Playstation) you'll need to keep a low profile if you want to make it safely through a level.

Good review, and some nice screens to go with it.. 

Covert Ops screens [09:32:15 EDT] by - Rush
I saw via Suppressive Fire that Rogue Spear Retreat has posted the first-ever seen shots of RSE's Covert Ops Essentials that they scanned from the E³ promotion materials. Def worth a look.

Project IGI preview [00:39:07 EDT] by - Rush
CombatWorld has put up a small preview of Innerloop's Project IGI (I'm Going In) which is to be published by Eidos. Here's a snip on what's different about it:

So is this another 1st person military shooter, like Rogue Spear/Delta Force/Spec Ops II style? Yes and No. It is for sure a 1st person shooter, and for sure it has all these DF, RS and SO players looking at it. Got my attention for sure, but until you see and play the game, then you will see the deference. Lets just start with the Graphics and the engine. For a twist Innerloop decided to use a Fly Sim engine for a 1st person shooter and everyone thought it was crazy. As crazy as it may seem, WOW, is all I can say. The Graphics are incredible, think of it this way, if you every played Half Life or Quake or Unreal or any game, its all great until you walk up close to a wall or even better a fence, then the graphics look kinda smudge, well in this engine the graphics re-draw the closer you get to a image, so use your imagination (it looks just as good up close as it did far away) and by using a fly sim engine this allows for a build of bigger maps as well, HUGE maps.

Of note are the concept art screens. They're the same that GameSpot had, but at much higher res. Def worth a second look. Oh, and just cuz Eidos is gonna publish it, that doesn't make it any less of a military shooter!

Covert Ops 'first look' [00:15:28 EDT] by - Rush
Sharky Extreme has put up a small preview of RSE's upcoming game, Covert Ops Essentials. Here's how they start it off:

Red Storm knows a good thing when they see it, and there's no doubt the Rainbow Six/Rogue Spear series is the company's leading franchise. In a creative twist, they're going to try growing the Rogue Spear audience further by targeting general users and enthusiasts who are not yet fans by building a hybrid game and reference product.

This one just doesn't look like it'll be for the hard-core gamer.. I think they're just trying to milk the RS audience.

So, check it out if you're a German SWAT3 fan..

Metal Gear Solid Q&A [15:52:42 EDT] by - Rush
3DNews has posted a Q&A with Microsoft's PR firm about the PC-port of Metal Gear Solid. Here's the news:

1) I have not seen an announcement made for the game on the Microsoft or Konami website, nor in a press release. Will it be announced officially? How long has it been in the works?

We signed our deal with Konami last year and have been working hard to bring this awesome game to the PC. We announced the game with our showing at E3 and will continue to release a beta and new info until the product hits store shelves this fall.

2) Will Konami be making the conversion and Microsoft handling the publishing, or will everything be done in-house?

Microsoft has been working closely with Konami and the developer making the conversion.

3) Will the port be exactly the same as the console version, or will their be added/different missions?

The PC version of Metal Gear Solid features several enhancements over the console version including significantly higher resolution graphics, a first-person play mode, which is currently only offered in Japanese version Metal Gear Solid Integral version; and hundreds of missions and features from Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions.

4) On previous high-profile PC ports (Final Fantasy, for example) the game was stuck in 640x480 resolution. Will this be different for MGS(PC) seeing as the entire environment is 3D?

Metal Gear Solid for the PC will support resolutions up to 1024x768

5) As this is one of the first Konami games to come to the PC in a long time, I imagine they (or Microsoft) see a potential success of the game. Are there any plans or any talks about bringing other Konami games to the PC world (the phenomenal survival/horror game Silent Hill comes to mind)?

We have not announced any additional Konami titles for the PC at this time.

If you read between the lines, we see that neither Konami nor MS is doing the actual port, but there seems to be another developer. Plus, the game will indeed support higher than 640x480. Whoop!

Another UO review [15:38:39 EDT] by - Rush
I saw via SimHQ that Honest3D has also put up a Rogue Spear Urban Ops review today, giving it a solid B overall. In a nutshell, here's what's new in UO:

The game brings in 18 new maps total, 5 are classic maps from Rainbow 6 and 13 are brand spanking new ones. These new maps allow for new missions that range from Istanbul to Hong Kong. The new missions are great. For example, the Istanbul level has a ton of innocent bystanders that you must be careful not to kill as you take out the terrorists. This adds some new flavor to the game because most of us are generally use to killing the bad guys and saving the hostages. Now we have to kill the bad guys, save the hostages and make sure we don’t kill bystanders. Level design has also been improved for this add-on. I usually get the feeling that I have seen the design in the previous games, but these new level all have a feel and look of their own. Then we have the 4 new weapons they added: M249 SAW (a machine gun with a 200 round clip), RPD, HK 21E3, and AW Covert. Of the new guns added, 3 are machine guns and one is a sniper rifle. It adds variety and some more choices to the already huge selection.

Urban Ops review [15:16:17 EDT] by - Rush
GameSpy has posted a review of Red Storm's Urban Operations, the expansion to Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear. Included in the article are some nice screenshots. Here's a snip off the top:

If, like me, you can't get enough stealth combat then you're no doubt interested in "Urban Operations," the recently released mission pack from Red Storm. Having played through it, my reactions are mixed; on the one hand it's a good solid pack with a handful of good missions and plenty of options to make the most of the game. On the other, there's no storyline, under half a dozen original single-player missions, and nothing to really take the pack and push it beyond the original game. Whether or not it's worth your hard-earned $20 is open for debate. So let's take a closer look at the new features...

Thanks John Keefer for the heads up!

Like many new games, Delta Force: Land Warrior will require 3D hardware, but that means our artists and designers are free to create larger, more complex indoor environments to match the vast outdoor environments. Basically, we've got the best of both worlds: the long rendering distances that made the previous games stand out from the crowd, plus detailed interiors to match everybody else's. While you'll still be able to see and shoot much farther than in any other tactical shooter, you can also expect more close-quarters and urban combat in the new game. Brush up on your MP5 skills....

Thanks Morgo for the heads up!

Another Metal Gear Solid preview [17:52:16 EDT] by - Rush
PC.IGN has posted an E³ preview of Metal Gear Solid. Curiously, this article is dated May 22, 2000, which is next Monday's date, so maybe the article isn't public yet, but I found it. :) Anyway, here's what Microsoft has planned for us:

Microsoft has promised PC-specific features for the latest version of the game, including:
High-resolution graphics: better textures and a smooth look to the graphics
First-person play mode: only available in the Japanese version of Metal Gear Solid: Integral, this will come packed with the PC port.
300 VR missions: the virtual reality training missions that appeared in Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions will also be included in the PC version.

300 VR missions? Sounds like it'll take quite some time to get thru this one..

Metal Gear Solid preview [12:24:23 EDT] by - Rush
Damage Gaming has posted an article on Microsoft's upcoming PC-port of Konami's Metal Gear Solid. Here's a bit on the importance of stealth:

As I've mentioned before, stealth is a large part of this game. Metal Gear Solid is not a game where you can get away with opening on fire on everybody, because in fact you need to try not to open fire on anybody. The enemy soldiers in the game have very intelligent AI, and they will try to track you down by sound, footprints, and will even roll grenades down into crawl spaces if they think you are hiding in them.

This one has my curiosity piqued as well.. should be interesting.. 

Project IGI transcript [10:31:19 EDT] by - Rush
I've put up a transcript of the PC Gamer Project IGI preview from their April 2000 issue. Here's a nice snip:

The enemy forces are comprised of more than just soldiers guarding points or patrolling. You may see guys fixing engines or sleeping. "Enemy AI is a mix of careful scripting and tactical AI responses to combat situations," says Wensley. "Our AI programmer sat down with an ex-SAS soldier. They spent time talking about small squad tactics and search and evade techniques, as well as how soldiers of different quality react under fire. Guards use cover in combat and will try to outflank you. If you are spotted, some guards will take anti-artillery and heavy machine guns, instead of assaulting your position. Guards are graded according to their status within the game; elite guards act differently to raw recruits and employ more effective tactics."

This transcript is pretty much an exact duplicate of the magazine layout. It was done as an exercise just to see if it could be done, including approximating the sizes of the screenshots. I gotta admit, it came out pretty damn close. They had it much easier because they could hard-format the article for an 8˝ by 11" magazine page. As such, the formatting gets a bit quirky in different browsers at different screen resolutions. I couldn't find the 2 larger pics online anywhere, so I substituted 2 other pics that were pretty close to the original (yeah, I guess I could have scanned the pics from the article, but I didn't get around to it.. :) The transcript can also be found in the SpecForce articles section...

Unofficial SWAT3: FAQ updated [09:30:33 EDT] by - Rush
The unofficial SWAT3 FAQ has been updated. It covers topics such as General Questions, Mod Installation, Camo Modification, Sewer Maps (spoiler), and Links. Here's a snip from the General section:

When should I use deadly force?

The best would be if you'd never use deadly force. But unfortunately there are situations where you have to shoot to kill: 
- When the life of a hostage or officer is in immediate danger 
- When a suspect holds his gun up and seems to be ready to pull the trigger

But before using deadly force, be sure to try everything you can do to not kill a suspect. Make use of tear gas, flashbangs, ask for compliance or put a double tap into the suspects leg.

More SWAT3: Elite Edition shots [09:06:18 EDT] by - Rush
I noticed via SimHQ that PC Arena has posted some new SWAT3 : Elite Edition shots (only 2 look new to me, but still worth a look-see..)

More M.O.U.T. 2025 shots [02:20:54 EDT] by - Rush
NeoSeeker has posted 18 more shots of Zombie's/Ripcord's upcoming game, M.O.U.T 2025. (Note: the 'show images' link on the bottom of the page seems to be broken, so you can try to manually type in the pic numbers in your browser's address bar to view the rest.)

Gotta admit, I'm liking the style of this one.. Anyone that's read my SO2 review, or knows me personally, knows I don't like 'sci-fi' games much, (having grown very bored with them), but this one's got my attention. And its using the LithTech engine, so that's a plus too. 

Another IGI preview at GameSpy [01:43:30 EDT] by - Rush
GameSpy has posted another quickie E³ report (with 3 previously seen screenshots) of I'm Going In, Innerloop's upcoming thinker-shooter that I'm highly looking forward to. Here's a tasty snip:

IGI will feature 15 missions, over 10 weapons and time-based actions such as hacking, alarm deactivation and lock picking. The missions are set in both large, expansive landscapes and claustrophobic enemy bases. Along the way players will be ambushed, face armored strikes and engage in sniper duels. There will also be battles atop cable cars and knife-only assassinations. Keep an eye out for this one, as it looks like loads of fun for fans of 3D action.

Battles atop cable cars -- how cool is that?! Great stuff in there. Def check it out!

UO FAQ [01:19:16 EDT] by - Rush
GameFAQs has posted quite an in-depth RS: Urban Operations FAQ (strangely enough..) It covers game background, planning, gameplay tips, team member personalities, cheats and more. Here's a chunk:

In game, there's a very useful map in the game which shows you your position and position of the other teams. Use this to your advantage when storming the enemy. Also, there's the extremely useful peek function, where you can see what's around a corner without actually going around that corner. Peeking adds to the suspense factor, and also increases your chance of your survival.

Great stuff..

Ever wanted to go up against for fifty terrorists all yourself? I did and spent many hours (time I could of used to study for my finals) trying to kill everyone. The custom mission feature lets you replay any level in the game with six types of goals. The goals are the familiar lone wolf, assault, recon, terrorist hunt, hostage rescue and the brand-new defend. Defend is basically one player must stop as many as 50 tangos from pushing a button. Simple, but fun. In defend, enemies have the ability to throw grenades which is pretty darn scary.

Pretty short, but covers all the bases..

More on Project IGI [01:59:11 EDT] by - Rush
I'm all over the Project IGI (I'm Going In) news like white on rice!  

As part of their E³ coverage, GameSpy has posted a small news item on the game being developed by Innerloop. Here's the goods:

Eidos took me to speak with the folks at Innerloop Studios about their upcoming first-person shooter "I'm Going In!" The title uses the "Joint Strike Force" engine which allows for huge environments and panoramic views. Booth worker Colby McCracken, who was showing off the game, commented that he once walked to a mountain that he pointed out in the distance. It took him about twenty minutes to walk through the level to get there!

With "IGI," players can experience an action game which contains all of the tactics and realism of real combat. The game however is not as realistic as a "Rainbow Six" title. It is Innerloop's intention to entertain but not to frustrate with the game.

Enemy soldiers limp when hit in the leg, and head shots are lethal. Enemy vehicles such as helicopters and tanks are superbly detailed and are extremely hard to destroy. Helicopters can hover overhead, waiting for players to emerge. Or, they could riddle one's hiding place with bullets. Unlike other shooting games, most guns can shoot through wooden doors. McCracken explained how he once fired a rocket through a truck window in order to kill some enemies on the other side of it.

Cameras and alarms can be deactivated or destroyed along the way. All guns sound real, even the pins on one's grenades shine and bob while running. Keep a look out for "I'm Going In!" It is looking to be a must for FPS fans!

Very very cool stuff -- can't wait!

Console releases [20:29:03 EDT] by - Rush
CPL Buddha sends word that R6 and Spec Ops for consoles have been released and are in stores. Here's the word:

Both R6 for DC and Spec Ops for PS came out today (some stores may have gotten them a day or so ago). Spec Ops looks a lot better on PS than it did on PC. The mission briefing is nicer and there is a cool scene of a Ranger squad in a chopper from which you pick your team. You can load them out as you like after you select a Ranger.

R6 looks like R6 (I was unimpressed). R6 needs a mouse and keyboard.

They ya go console fans! Thanks Buddha!

SWAT3 review [18:14:46 EDT] by - Rush
FragPipe (yeah, "put that in your pipe and smoke it"), has posted a review of Sierra's SWAT3: Close Quarters Battle. Here's the usual snip:

Although the game is set in the year 2005, you do not have any type of night vision goggles in the game, but you do have a flashlight on the end of you guns. Every gun (MP5, MP5SD, M4, Benelli 12 gauge, Colt .45 [the only sidearm]) all have a flash lights, but in some levels, where it is virtually pitch black, you NEED some night vision goggles. With all these guns, you have a good option of changing the ammunition type. There is jacketed hollow point or full metal jacket for the MP5’s and .45, there is buckshots or breaching rounds for the shotgun, and the M4 has an option for rubber bullets, but I haven’t found them very useful yet.

You have quite a large inventory; primary and secondary weapons, stun grenades (that I feel are quite useless in this game), gas grenades (which I feel are very important in this game), breaching charge (quicker to prepare than picking the lock), glow sticks (which are useless other than marking your way) and a tool kit (now this is one hell of a piece of equipment. It unlocks doors, it disables missile launchers, and even cuts paper).

A rather uneven interview, and at the end the reviewer could not recommend it to buy. I don't think he 'got' the game really..

More on Metal Gear Solid PC [17:58:20 EDT] by - Rush
GameSpy has posted a small news item on Microsoft's PC-port of Konami's Metal Gear Solid. Not much new info, but here's a snip:

In the past, ports of console games to the PC has resulted in shoddy graphics and an overall "rushed" appearance. The PC ports of Square's Final Fantasy games are prime examples. The textures and backgrounds designed to be seen on televisions blur and fade when seen on a high-resolution PC monitor. However, Metal Gear Solid PC will boast brand-new graphics and a couple of new features. It is suspected, albeit unconfirmed, that the game will include all of the VR Missions sold for the PlayStation as a separate "expansion pack." Stay tuned for more details as they become available.

More on M.O.U.T. 2025 [08:40:47 EDT] by - Rush
Telefragged has an article and a whole slew of screenshots (26 to be exact) up on Zombie's upcoming title, MOUT 2025. The game is still in its very early stages, so the article seems a little harsh. Here's a snip from when they weren't being so critical:

Russ Nelson, senior engineer for Zombie, said that the single-player aspect of the game will hopefully have around 27 levels in total, most of which will be quite large. Since the Lithtech 2 engine is capable of handling enormous areas, some urban levels might have as many as six square city blocks to explore.

Nelson also said that the team is hoping to lend a touch of realism to the game while not making it completely true-to-life; the player will be able to withstand multiple shots before dying. He also said that they are toying with some various ideas to add flair to the single-player experience. One idea they are currently debating is the ability to destroy items such as health boxes -- and while the player almost surely would not want to do such a thing, the enemies would try to destroy important items before the player could reach them.

More on Covert Ops [08:19:37 EDT] by - Rush
Games Domain UK has posted a snippet on Red Storm's Covert Ops, and its a goodie. Check it:

Rainbow Six Covert Ops Essentials is a new standalone product to feature nine new missions and an encyclopedia of covert operations training.

Targeted towards both the veteran Rainbow Six and Rogue Spear fan and casual gamers interested in learning about being an actual covert operative, Rainbow Six Covert Ops Essentials is a 2-CD set to be released later this year.

Players can earn certificates in various covert operation topics such as psychological profiling, hostage negotiation through a series of lessons and tests. Videos interviews of experts in the field of covert ops will be also be included to give the user special insight.

The nine missions will be designed in the same style as those found in the previous Rainbow Six games, with the game engine being a modified version of the Rogue Spear engine. Also packaged into the product will be a bonus section focusing on the making of the Rainbow Six and Rogue Spear games.

Hmm, I dunno if I really wanna take tests and become a psychological profiler.. I just wanna play a game..

Delta Force: Land Warrior box shots [06:38:02 EDT] by - Rush
Delta-Force2.com has scored some scans of the Delta Force: Land Warrior box art from the Novalogic promotional material distributed at E³. Sweet!

Thanks Morgo for the news!

Project IGI video [05:38:44 EDT] by - Rush
AGN has put up a video (which runs over 4 mins) showing off Project IGI (I'm Going In) in action as seen at E³. The video shows our hero infiltrating an enemy installation, shooting his way in, disabling the security system and picking locks, (with a dramatic switch to 3rd person view so you can actually see him perform the task), and blowing away bad guys. Very very cool stuff. This one is def gonna be a winner folks!

Thanks Suppressive Fire for the news!

Gallaleo's Rogue Spear Stats v3.7 released [02:13:17 EDT] by - Rush
Also from Rogue Spear Retreat, I see that a new version of Gallaleo's RogueSpear Stats (v3.7) has been released. New for this version is the ability to post your stats to a web page after every game. Scope it out here.

Covert Ops news [02:08:33 EDT] by - Rush
There are a few tidbits of RSE's upcoming game, Covert Ops spread around the 'net. One tidbit comes from the SimHQ message boards. Here's the snip:

Sort of a prequel, you get to train/learn how to become a Rainbow operative. Very complete encyclopedia/training module. 2 Disk set, disk one is nine new extensive levels, disk two is the training. This game will stand alone, so this could be a good way to introduce new players to the family of games.

Next up, Rogue Spear Retreat has posted this blurb about it as well:

Covert Ops is pretty much what we have already learned. It is a 2 cd set that uses the Rogue Spear engine to blend a wealth of tactical information with actual gameplay to complement the strategy you have just read about. RSE isn't showing off any of the levels at E3 and are just showing off the interface and the various information. A cool tidbit that I learned is that you will be able to play multiplayer with other people who have Covert Ops as well. It also doesn't require Rogue Spear to play.

I'm still not quite sure what to make of Covert Ops, but it sounds interesting at least..

M.O.U.T. 2025 info [17:24:33 EDT] by - Rush
PC.IGN has posted an article on Zombie's upcoming game, M.O.U.T. 2025, along with 2 QuickTime movies at the end. Here's a snip from the article:

As the 2025 of the title would suggest, M.O.U.T. takes place in the near future, although the developers seem keen on stressing the near part. What the game gets from this setting is a slightly sci-fi atmosphere, but the real area of interest is in weapons technology. Placing the game just a bit ahead of the times allows for players to be on the receiving end of a realistic arsenal of advanced weaponry. We're talking stuff that hasn't even seen the light of day outside of some loon's weapon-testing ground, including some items that are best classified as "deceptively deadly."

Good stuff in there, check it out! 

NOTE: the pics in the article are from the Spec Ops 2 ex-pack, and not M.O.U.T.
[Update 17:40]: The QuickTime videos also appear to be Spec Ops 2 ex-pack footage.

DF: Land Warrior Q&A [12:30:27 EDT] by - Rush
Delta-Force2.com has put up a good-sized Q&A with NovaLogic regarding the recently-announced Delta Force: Land Warrior. Here's a clip:

Q: What types of Weapons/Gear will be available to the player? 

A: There will be the current weapons in DF2 and a bunch of others that have yet to be finalized. I did get to test a couple of new weapons; one was a PSG-1 and the other was a handheld MM1 .40mm Semi Auto grenade launcher. The grenade launcher has great range and the explosions looked awesome.

One disappointment is that there will be no map/mission editor. Hopefully NL will rethink that before the game is released.. 

IGI news from Eidos [12:15:15 EDT] by - Rush
While snooping around on the Eidos website, I found some more news on IGI. Apparently the game is entitled Project IGI in Europe, while the U.S. version is entitled I'm Going In, so the 'mystery' on that one is solved.

They also put up an E³ IGI webpage, which is worth a look. "Match wits against enemy AI that intelligently reacts to your every action. Run for your life from Spetsnaz guards as they track you with actual military tactics."

Another IGI preview [11:37:31 EDT] by - Rush
PC.IGN has posted a killer article on Innerloop's game-in-progress, I'm Going In after getting a first-hand look at the game at E³. Dig this:

Though the story is fictitious, have no worries that the game is leaning towards real-life action, put through a video game lens. You’ll use 12 Spec Ops weapons, as well as a mock up of real spy satellite software that will help you determine your location and the location of your enemies. Innerloop Studios’ engine is was originally a flight engine, and it gives you a full view of the action, with what looks like near-unlimited zoom capability. Outdoor environments spread out for what look like miles, and with a good zoom or some binoculars, you can see just as far.

There are some fantastic new screenshots at the end of the article too (some new, some old actually). Def check them out.

[Update 20:14]: Avault seems to think they from SWAT3: Elite Edition (which is probably just Battle Plan renamed).. in any case, they're new. 

Urban Ops review [19:51:31 EDT] by - Rush
Chris Harding from Avault has kicked up quite the in-depth review of RSE's Urban Ops, the expansion pack to Rouge Spear. Here's a snip on the game interface:

All of the enhancements made to the interface through the different versions of this series have all been re-evaluated and thankfully the good stuff has survived. One of the features added recently was the ability to lean, and I can't say enough good things about the manner in which they've adapted the design for Rogue Spear: Urban Operations, using it is tantamount to your success. With the sheer number of snipers and their insanely deadly accuracy, staying alive is not an easy thing to do, and the ability to lean, crouch and sneak are all well appreciated features of the interface. 

Good stuff as always.. def check it out.

Zombie on Military Sims [19:33:43 EDT] by - Rush
Upside Today (yeah, me neither) posted an article about the military using sims to train personnel, featuring wisdom from Zombie's Mark Long, a former member of the military himself. Besides the Spec Ops series of games, Zombie VR Studios produced actual military simulators, so Mark def knows his stuff about this topic. Here's a snip:

Zombie's partial return to the defense fold came as a result of its purchase last February by Advanced Interactive Systems, also of Seattle. AIS specializes in computer simulation and entertainment, and when the anti-terrorist force needed help with its training scenarios, the new Zombie acquisition proved a big plus.

The plan is for AIS to handle the hardware end of things, with Long and Alexander (both now AIS vice presidents), and the rest of Zombie, adapting their Viper game engine to bring the 3D software scenario to life. Operators will be able to adjust simulation scenarios on the fly -- swapping a suspect's pistol for a cell phone carried by a hostage, for instance -- radically altering the reactions required by trainees.

Interesting news is that according to this article, Spec Ops 3 is due in Spring 2001. Truthfully, Q4 2000 seems like it would have been a tough deadline to hit, especially with all the other projects Zombie is currently working on.

Thanks SimHQ for the news.

More IGI news/shots [18:28:12 EDT] by - Rush
Daily Rader has posted an E³ preview of Innerloop's I'm Going In. The pics aren't new (they're the same pics as GA-Source already posted), but the article is. Here's a clip:

The game will use 12 real-world weapons such as pistols, submachine guns and sniper rifles, each with accurate ballistics. So a long-distance sniper shot will force the player to compensate for gravity, and more powerful weapons will be able to shoot through the walls. There was something particularly cool in seeing the developer pick up a massive gun and unload a clip into a wooden door, clearing out the room before the poor saps on the other side even knew he was there.

Project I.G.I. will outfit your commando in the latest NATO spy gear, including a "revolutionary map/communication PDA" that players can use to call in Napalm strikes.

Everything I read about this game makes me look forward to it with great anticipation.. The wide open spaces of DF2 mixed with the stealth of R6.. Can't wait!

Official H&D site goes live [18:17:32 EDT] by - Rush
I saw by way of Suppressive Fire, that the official Hidden and Dangerous site has gone live at the URL of www.hidden-and-dangerous.com. Only the flash portion of the site seems to be online at the moment, and even there, there's not much to see yet. There were some nice photos of the H&D design team tho. Nice to see the faces behind the names in the credits. Stay tuned for more news as it develops.. 

Full Delta Force: Land Warrior PR [13:33:16 EDT] by - Rush
Tactical Planet has scored the full press release from NovaLogic on the announcement of Delta Force: Land Warrior. Here 'tis:

DELTA FORCE(TM): LAND WARRIOR(TM) SLATED FOR FALL RELEASE Special Forces Sequel Features New Engine, Elements of Army's Next-Generation Soldier Program LOS ANGELES (May 11, 2000) -- On the opening day of the sixth Electronic Entertainment Expo, computer game publisher NovaLogic announced the development of Delta Force: Land Warrior, the follow-up to its popular special forces action games, Delta Force and Delta Force 2.

Delta Force: Land Warrior will be a new game from the ground up, starting with an all-new, fully accelerated 3D graphics engine. With support for all major 3D accelerators, ranging from 3Dfx's Voodoo2 to today's hottest new cards, the new engine gains all the performance benefits of cutting-edge 3D acceleration while retaining the greatest strengths of the voxel-based engines that drove the previous Delta Force titles. The long-range outdoor encounters that gave those games their unique style will also grace Delta Force: Land Warrior, letting players see and engage enemy soldiers at distances of 1,000 meters or more.

Delta Force: Land Warrior also incorporates lessons learned from NovaLogic Systems' work with military customers. The NovaLogic subsidiary recently entered into a contract to modify Delta Force 2 for use in the U.S. Army's next-generation Land Warrior program, which equips the foot soldier with technology that was once reserved for advanced combat vehicles: integrated video sights, head-mounted displays, laser range-finders, and GPS navigation. Playing Delta Force: Land Warrior will give gamers their first glimpse into the future of infantry combat.

A cohesive, character-driven story line raises the stakes over the previous games, introducing a squad of five veteran Delta Force soldiers. Players will step into the boots of each squad member as the team carries out special operations ranging from hostage rescue to sabotage to direct assaults on terrorist compounds.

The game will also feature new weapons and equipment, plus more of the large-scale multi-player action that made the original Delta Force games so popular -- complete with speech communication via Voice-Over-Net and free play on NovaWorld®, NovaLogic's dedicated Internet gaming service. Delta Force: Land Warrior is scheduled for release in Fall 2000. Founded in 1985, NovaLogic, Inc. is a leading developer and publisher of entertainment software. Subsidiaries include NovaLogic Systems, based in NovaLogic's Calabasas, California, headquarters, and NovaLogic Ltd. in London.

I'm Going In screenshots [10:43:12 EDT] by - Rush
GA-Souce has posted 9 new shots from the game I'm looking forward to the most these days, Innerloop's I'm Going In (even tho GA-Source still called it Project IGI, which IMHO was a better name.. ) Here's what they said about IGI:

Developed by Innerloop Studios for the PC. This first person action/strategy game sends you deep into Eastern Europe on a solo mission where your skills in thievery, computer hacking, sabotage, and reconnaissance can hopefully save the world from nuclear terror. Coming this Fall.

Def check those puppies out!

Site news [08:08:08 EDT] by - Rush
Ugh, sorry for the downtime and page hiccups... I had to shut the web service down in order to install a new version of ActivePerl, the language that runs the server-side CGI/Perl scripts. (And that in itself took a few tries. Damn "file is in use" errors!) Then once that was done, the web server still didn't know how to execute the scripts. All's fixed now tho! Back to the news.. (and more page tweaks.. :)

As a side note, yesterday was my most active day in the last 20+ days. Thanks for stopping by!

More C&C: Renegade shots [03:21:14 EDT] by - Rush
Avault has kicked up 3 new shots of Command & Conquer: Renegade, the 1st/3rd person shooter coming from Westwood/EA. Here's how Avault describes the game:

Renegade puts gamers on the battlefield as Havoc, the one-man army made famous in the original strategy game. In this 3D action release, instead of commanding troops from afar, people are on the battlefield, in the middle of the war. As the Global Defense Initiative's last hope, gamers will wage war against the diabolical Brotherhood of Nod using a vast array of weapons and more than a dozen vehicles.

Speaking of which: the official C&C: Renegade website has gotten a redesign, and they've posted a new intro movie as well. Click here for all the info.

Metal Gear Solid PC [02:15:22 EDT] by - Rush
Microsoft has announced the PC version of Metal Gear Solid and launched a website for it. Here's how they kick it off:

Take on the role of retired Special Forces veteran Solid Snake. Terrorists have overrun a secret Alaskan weapons base and are threatening to launch a devastating nuclear strike unless they're demands are not met within 24 hours. Your mission is to infiltrate the base, rescue the hostages and kill the terrorists carrying nothing but a pair of binoculars, a pack of smokes and bad attitude. The clock is ticking. Once again, Snake heads into battle...alone.

Here's a snip from the features section:

Huge Selection of Offensive and Defensive Weapons and Tools
From sniper rifles and rocket launchers to night vision goggles and body armor, Metal Gear Solid has over 30 weapons to choose from.

Def sounds like it has potential. Most console-to-PC ports haven't lived up their expectations, but since Microsoft has such deep pockets, I hope they do it right.. I reeeeally hope they support higher than 640x480 screen res tho!! Be sure to check out the additional screenshots as they look pretty damn good. Expected release date is September 2000. Looks like the end of this year will be a great time for the military shooter crowd. Can't wait!

NovaLogic has announced the latest game in its Delta Force series. The game features the fruits of the developer's work with the U.S. Army.

Delta Force: Land Warrior is set for release in Q3 2000 and features much of the new technology being applied to the U.S. Army. Soldiers will carry a helmet-mounted display, laser range finders and GPS equipment along with a selection of new weaponry.

The story-based game centers around five troopers. Previous Delta Force games have been based on a voxel graphics engine that required fast processors and didn't use 3D hardware acceleration. The new engine will make use of the latest 3D hardware while retaining some aspects of the old voxel code.

I'm Going In snippet [18:10:01 EDT] by - Rush
Computer Games Online has posted a small news snippet (plus 2 shots) about Innerloop's I'm Going In, to be published by Eidos. Here's the goods:

Eidos seems to have formed a strong attachment to the term "thinker/shooter"—that is the billing that nearly all of the new action games are getting. What about all the idiots and morons? Don't they like to play games too? They won't be playing I'm Going In (the project formerly known as Project IGI), at least not if Eidos has anything to say about it.

You might recognize the name of the developer, Innerloop Studios—it did a flight sim a few years back called Joint Strike Fighter (also published by Eidos). Its new game is no flight sim, but it does make use of a heavily modified version of the same engine. The game itself is a black ops/spy thriller—a US nuclear weapon has been stolen from a base in Germany, and America wants it back. A Russian colonel claims to know the identity of the thief and offers her aid, while a freelance operative by the name of Dave Llewelyn Jones (that's you) is dispatched to track the nuke down. The missions offer a mix of indoor and vast outdoor environments (the latter is largely thanks to the flight sim engine on which the game is based). You will have access to 12 semi-realistic Special Ops weapons, and the game will have a detailed physics system that models penetration and ricochets. The game also has a stealth bent—you can track the fields of view for various enemies and surveillance equipment via a small "radar" view, similar to the ones in Commandos and Metal Gear Solid.

I'm Going In is slated to ship sometime this fall.

Be sure to check out the screenshots.

H&D: FFF review [16:55:58 EDT] by - Rush
Saw over at Suppressive Fire (and SimHQ), that CombatSim has posted a review (with screenies) of IllusionSoft's Hidden & Dangerous: Fight for Freedom (known as Devil's Bridge here in the U.S.) Here's a snip on the fantastic level design:

In one case you will have to rescue some villagers kept hostages by the commies, and just like in Rainbow Six, the premature detection of your team will lead to their death. Also, another level is so huge, I could not believe my eyes. I was supposed to go through a canyon and clear all enemy resistance, but after a couple of hours (including saving and loading several times) I had only advanced a fourth of its total length. The scenery is simply incredible, with bridges crossing the sky above you, and trails going up and down on both sides of the road.

Very good review... check it out!™

Delta Force 3 announced! [04:19:08 EDT] by - Rush
My good buddy AndOne from Suppressive Fire (he's ELITE), pointed me in the direction of this tasty news item over at AVault. It comes as no surprise that NovaLogic has announced Delta Force 3: Land Warrior. Here's the skinny:

On the opening day of E3, NovaLogic announced the development of Delta Force: Land Warrior, the follow-up to its special forces action games, Delta Force and Delta Force 2. Land Warrior will be a new product from the ground up, starting with an all-new, accelerated graphics engine. With support for all major 3D accelerators, ranging from 3dfx's Voodoo2 to the newest cards, the new engine gains all the performance benefits of cutting-edge 3D acceleration while retaining the strengths of the voxel-based engines that powered the previous Delta Force titles. The long-range outdoor encounters that gave those games their uniqueness will also grace Land Warrior, letting people see and engage enemy soldiers at distances of 1,000 meters or more.

Land Warrior also incorporates lessons learned from NovaLogic's collaboration with military customers. The company has entered into a contract to modify Delta Force 2 for use in the U.S. Army's next-generation Land Warrior program, which equips the foot soldier with technology once reserved for advanced combat vehicles, including integrated video sights, head-mounted displays, laser range-finders and GPS navigation. A character-driven story will introduce a squad of five veteran Delta Force soldiers. People will step into the boots of each squad member as the team carries out special operations ranging from hostage rescue to sabotage to direct assaults on terrorist compounds. The game will also feature new weapons and equipment, plus more of the large-scale online action that made the original titles popular, complete with speech communication via Voice-Over-Net and free gaming on Novaworld. Delta Force: Land Warrior is scheduled for release in Quarter 3 2000.

So, it looks like they'll finally be using an engine that supports (more) 3D cards.. I've always liked the DF series, so I'm looking forward to this one as well.

Another UO review [03:26:39 EDT] by - Rush
Gear4Games has put up a quickie review of RSE's Urban Operations. Here's a snip on some of the 'cool' things to see:

Urban Operation maps have details in the game that are sometimes not noticed. Like in Istanbul and in Mexico City, the windows can be opened. In Underwater Habitat level, if you shot the pipes or the fire extinguisher, steam will come out of them. In the Storage Depot level you can blow up the chimney on top of the small shack. Its the little features in the game that make the game at times more enjoying.

Yep, UO def has some nice graphics and effects..

Site tweaks [00:46:04 EDT] by - Rush
Astute readers may have noticed I've been tweaking the site a bit. Most of the work comes from some JavaScript coding, so to get the full benefit, make sure you have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The biggest change is a new layout for those with higher screen resolutions. If you're running your desktop at 1152x864 or higher, you will now get a right frame with the release dates in it, and only the menu in the left frame. The release dates chart was getting a bit big, making it necessary to scroll to read the whole thing. With the new frame, you won't have to do that anymore. Hey, I'm all about convenience here (to borrow a line from VE's Billy "Wicked" Wilson.) In any case, I like the new frame a lot, and I'm Mr. 1280x1024, so it looks pretty good on my rig. (I would have set the cutoff at 1024x768 or above, but then the new right frame would have caused the new logo to be cut off, and we can't have that! JWales (my logo artist) if you're out there, email me man!!)

Next, I tweaked the way the news archives are linked. The old news archives never had links for the current months, because links for later months didn't exist yet. :) As I do everything on this site totally manually, it would have been way to much work to manually add links to every archive page every time a new month rolled around. But I've now created a 'quick-link' page that gets included in every monthly archive page, so I only have to add the new month once, and all the previous news archive pages get updated with it automatically. Am I cool or what?! Same thing happens wit the release dates chart; I update it once, but the same chart is displayed in either frame as appropriate.

And lastly, I've added a few 'cool' goodies to the page that I'm sure you've seen. The first is the page now greets you depending on what time of day it is. Next is the new "Murphy's Laws of Combat" random text message, which I think is great for a laugh, (that one is in CGI tho, and works without JavaScript..) and lastly, I've added a small script that displays how long SpecForce has been online. Its down at the bottom of the main page, in the disclaimer's section..

I plan on adding a few more things as I go along, so stay tuned as always.. Comments welcome.

Sierra's SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle is getting a little face-lift. The new and improved game is to be called Elite Edition, and will feature the original 16 single-player missions plus six more brand-new ones — and more importantly, it'll boast long-awaited multiplayer gameplay.

It's got Live Fire and Paintball modes, a bunch of hardcore guns and ammo, and generally more sneaky firepower than you can shake a stick at. So get ready to put down some scumbag drug dealers, and maybe even bust into a few international Embassies while you're at it.

SWAT3: Battle Plan interview [16:05:56 EDT] by - Rush
SimHQ has posted an interview with Rod Fung, Producer of SWAT3 and the upcoming Battle Plan add-on. Here's a sniperoo:

What different tactics, if any, are needed for the new levels and how has Sierra given players the tools to address those new levels?

The new levels are great…probably the best that we've done to date. They include a high risk arrest warrant at a private residence in the Hollywood Hills, a hostage rescue mission at the City of Angels Hospital, a rapid deployment at a commuter airport, a hostage rescue at a Los Angeles recording studio, VIP detail that goes amuck at Chang's Chinese Theater, and my favorite, a rapid deployment at the LA metro subway. The tactics necessary to resolve these missions are no different than earlier missions from SWAT 3. You will need to adjust your tactics to the situation, but don't let the environment dictate your tactics

M.O.U.T. shots [15:51:55 EDT] by - Rush
Looks like I missed my scoop on this one (trying to make sure these were ok to post), but Zombie sent me 3 shots of their upcoming LithTech-powered game, M.O.U.T. 2025.  Mark Long from Zombie had this to say in the email:

We're making last minute fixes to our E3 demo and I thought I'd shoot you the latest screenshots while I burn CDs. We've only been working on MOUT for 6 weeks - but it looks pretty good.

The game def has that futuristic feel. (That last shot looks inspired by Blade Runner.) Looking good so far. Stay tuned for more info as it develops.

C&C: Renegade preview [00:59:45 EDT] by - Rush
I've only been covering this game casually, but GameSpot has put up a pretty nice preview of Westwood's upcoming game, C&C: Renegade. This one is looking fairly interesting as this snip shows:

"There are some tactical elements," says Castle, "all of which are consistent with the C&C universe. For instance, if you kill NOD's power supply, the obelisks of light won't work anymore. If you blow up enemy SAM sites, your air support will be able to fly in and give you cover." Because all of the Command & Conquer rules still apply, a typical Renegade mission can be accomplished a number of ways. This is instantly illustrated when playing the game's first level, where your objective is to destroy a NOD barracks structure. As Havoc, you can either brazenly attack every enemy soldier you encounter on your way to your final objective, or take a stealthier approach by avoiding detection by anyone. In this sense, Renegade will play a lot like Konami's Metal Gear Solid.

Destroying power stations, SAM sites, and enemy barracks seems ok to me.. I'll be looking more into this one.. It's on target for a Winter 2000 release.

Atmosphere is something Hidden & Dangerous delivers in large quantity. The game is, by nature of its content and subject matter, very serious. Mood-enhancing cut scenes set the stage for each campaign, and provide a compelling desire to take part in the battle against fascism. The narrator, who speaks with an authoritative British accent, gives a short history of events and presents the overall goals of the campaign. In addition to the cut scenes are graphical, sound, and dramatic weather effects that all help to construct the rich atmosphere in Hidden & Dangerous. From the intensity of a heated gun battle with bullet tracers zipping past your ears, to the peaceful serenity of German forests, the game is continuously captivating.

Gotta admit that I haven't fired up H&D in quite some time... too many games, too little time!   Plus I think the pace is just a tad too slow, and I like just a bit more action in my games..

SWAT3: Battle Plan shots [03:06:40 EDT] by - Rush
GA-Strategy has put up 8 new screenshots of SWAT3: Battle Plan from the Sierra press kit. Battle Plan, as we know, is the official expansion for SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle. Battle Plan adds new weapons, a customizable skins editor, a level building utility, six new missions, and intense multiplayer action via LAN or the Internet, and is set to be released Q3 2000.

Urban Ops review [00:41:56 EDT] by - Rush
PC GameWorld posted a review (with pics) of RSE's expansion pack to Rogue Spear, Urban Operations. Here's a snip on the new stuff:

The two best enhancements come in the form of a better interface for setting up quick games (called custom missions) like assault, lone wolf, terrorist hunt, et cetera, and the ability to order your team through hotkeys. Custom missions are pretty easy to set up. All you do is choose the type of game, the map (which must be unlocked by attempting to play through it at least once), the difficulty level, and the number of terrorists to battle. New to Urban Operations is the "defend" custom mission. This mission has a solo operative defending a location from an onslaught of terrorists. While it sounds fun, in practice it leaves a lot to be desired, primarily because you're in control of only one guy.

New Temporary Tango missions [00:22:41 EDT] by - Rush
Rodion has released a TTT v2.0 mission pack for Urban Ops. Click here for more info on it and download links.

Project I.G.I will throw you into one of the largest gaming environments ever seen. Action takes place across continents, within enemy bases, on trains, planes and even cable cars.

The central character is Jones, a freelance British agent hired by US Intelligence to undertake the sort of “blacker than midnight” operations that no-one else can manage. Jones is sent into Estonia to “investigate” an arms robbery, but as the storyline slowly reveals, much more is going on.

"Think your way in - shoot your way out"

Not much info up there, but it's a start... Estimated release date is Q3 2000.

If you haven't tried this one yet, be sure to, as it's about the best weapon mod I've seen yet. So far my weapon of choice these days seems to be the Vektor (which was also my gun of choice in Spec Ops 2.) Nice zoom, and pretty potent. Who knows tho, with so many awesome weaps to choose from, I may soon find a new favorite..

Urban Ops review [03:46:25 EDT] by - Rush
Next up is an Urban Ops review over at Gamezilla, where it scores a 71%. Here's a snip on the mission types:

In the good news department, Red Storm set aside a section called Custom Missions where you can now find all your Lone Wolf, Recon, and Terrorist Hunt missions, along with the all new mode of play Defend, where the bad guys come after you. Last but not least, ladies and gentleman, is the multiplayer section which has some very nice new maps; my personal favorite has got to be Graveyard. What better place to bring down some tangos than in the very place they’ll be staying for eternity?

There are a few inaccuracies in the article tho ("Japanese subway"??), so be forewarned..

Rogue Spear review [03:33:18 EDT] by - Rush
Uh, yep, FragPipe (heh, lots of jokes come to mind with that one..) has posted a review of RedStorm's Rogue Spear. Pretty in-depth review covering all the weapons, and even the types of uniforms. Here's a snip on the sniping mode:

The sniping support in Rogue Spear is great, you set up snipers who will radio you and tell you if they have found a target “Red sniper (red being the team with the sniper, but can be any team), sights are hot” or “Red sniper, target acquired.” At the press of one button, you tell your snipers to fire or to hold fire. “Tango down!” Your sniper will move to the sniping position with the secondary weapon out, and only at the sniping position will the operative crouch, and draw the weapon.

Thanks BluesNews.

NATO3 update [03:23:06 EDT] by - Rush
ARMM has posted 2 quick news items for the NATO3 mod for Rogue Spear and Urban Ops recently released. 

First, there's a small fix for the Rogue Spear version. Here's the goods:

A small typo was found with the Benelli shotgun in the Rogue Spear version (not the UO version). Download the patch #1 from the download section to fix this weapon. The patch also disables the SA Heart Beat Sensor in single player since it causes machines to crash. Thanks!

Next, there seems to be a problem for some people with the mod when used with Urban Ops. Here's the scoop on that:

Disable primary and secondary weapons when activating the Mod.

Some people are reporting crashes to the desktop when they install NATO 3 for UO. There seems to be two ways around this so far. The easiest is to disable default primary and secondary weapons when choosing the NATO 3 mod in the Mod from the Options panel. Another way around it seems to be that if you install Rogue Spear, apply the 2.05 patch, then install UO it works fine. Go figure.

I'm affected by the crash-to-desktop, so I'll give the re-install a try to see if it helps. Hope so, as from what I've seen so far, this is the weapons mod to have for RS/UO; it's even better than Lloyds Weapons Mod in my opinion..

Sherman Project interview [21:01:27 EDT] by - Rush
Black Baron from SimActu sends word that they have posted an interview (and a few screenshots) with Phil "Zoombapup" Carlisle, the programmer of "The Sherman Project" mod for Half-Life. Here's a bit on the planned damage modeling:

8th Question: Now, let’s talk about the damage system. Is it a simple one or will you have shots affecting the above player physical behavior ( e.g: a shot the hand lowers the shooting precision value ) ?

The damage system will be locational, and will damage the player based on simple ballistics models, depending on their level of kevlar, and the round used to shoot them, taking fire will always affect accuracy, actually being hit will DEFINITELY affect it, the idea is never to get hit, so the damage model is fairly realistic, there will be no chance of a player who gets badly hit to take out their attacker under normal circumstances, so basically, if you'rre hit, that’s it.

SWAT3 Dreamcast [01:34:14 EDT] by - Rush
Cpl. Buddha, my inside source at Electronics Boutique, sends word that they received promo flyers for SWAT3 on the Dreamcast. No release date is available yet, but stay tuned to this space for more info as it develops.

This fantastic mod has finally been released by the boys from ARMM. NATO3 is a complete weapons modifications, with a variety of real-world guns being added by folks who in my opinion know as much if not more about guns than Redstorm. Besides authenticity, this mod also offers 3D Studio Max reworked gun models and special new optics (aka reticules). 44 new primary weapons have been added as well as 17 new secondary weapons.

Follow this link to grab the files.

For more NATO3 info, hit the ARMM FAQ page.

UO 'tip of the day' & map tactics [03:11:17 EDT] by - Rush
As it's a new day, Pie's Tactics has put up another tip of the day for Urban Ops, this time covering the London subway level. Here's the goods:

Subway station offers a number of possibilities for multiplayer games. The number of routes and some of the great ambush positions really make for some great games. Even rushing is possible, provided you've got the balls to do so. This tip of the day focuses on the opposite, an ambush location which is very easy to defend.

The chokepoint on the second floor is a great location to set up an ambush if you're on the blue team. If you duck behind these chairs (and if you're smart, pack a Jammer), and peek around the chairs to watch the corner, you'll have a bottleneck completely in your control. Your opponents on gold, if they come up this far, will have to be right in front of you, no matter what route they take. The door leading from the stairs, the route up the escalators, and the hallway from the lookout point all lead directly to this location. If you're ducking and peeking, you have the matter well under control. The only real drawback of this location is that unless the rest of your team hangs back, you're going to be less than helpful to them. However, this overwatch position is definitely one worth using.

He also mentions that his Map Tactics section is once again live, that covers the maps in RS & UO in great detail. Check that out as well.

To close it all off, Urban Operations adds just enough fun to revive more games out of Rogue Spear, it's quite a good pack, although I would say a little weak on content, the better mod support should definitely give the community a better chance at breathing more life into Rogue Spear. Good buy for Rogue Spear junkies like yours truly.

Again, not much new info, as I think UO has been pretty much reviewed to death. But still a good read..

Another UO 'tip of the day' [01:08:54 EDT] by - Rush
Pie's Tactics has posted another tip of the day, this time covering the Chemical Compound level from UO. Helping out on this one was RSE's own Travis Getz who says: 

I created a little "secret" way to get folks who might be holed up in the bunker (which, with a few guys can be held rather easily by a couple of determined campers). If you shoot out the metal vents at the tops of the chimneys, you can throw grenades in there from the tops of the surrounding walls, between the towers. This creates a great effect for the fellas inside, as all of a sudden, this grenade comes down the chimney inside the glass "boxes" and then detonates, blowing the glass and making sparks fly from the electrical stuff!

As a defense against this, the folks in the bunker can "duck" as the burn areas under the chimneys are just tall enough to deflect the explosion above rolling off the burn platforms.

Check out the rest..

UO FSAA screenshots [19:55:28 EDT] by - Rush
SimHQ has put up 2 samples of the FSAA (full screen anti-aliasing) feature of a Voodoo 5 video card with Urban Ops in the form of 2 animations showing a "with" and "without" screenshot. Grab it here in 800x600 (683 KB) or 1024x768 (1.2 MB) versions. 

In the first 2 shots, check out the difference in the outline of the Rainbow member. In the second 2 shots, check out the street lamp pole. Pretty big difference, but they didn't mention the performance hit the game took.. 

Flash Point movie [19:45:33 EDT] by - Rush
I saw over at Suppressive Fire that Bohemia Interactive has released a move file showing off the latest build of their upcoming military game, Flash Point. The movie is available in either a high quality (21 MB) or standard quality (9 MB) versions.

The 5 new maps are a town in Istanbul, a subway in England, Venice, Mexico City, and last of all Hong Kong. Istanbul was really an exciting map to play in single player, creeping through the city avoiding civilians casualties was the hardest. Tangos hiding among the crowd as you creep your way through, but beware they will snipe you down from windows aloft if you are not too careful.

No new info really, and not the best written review either.. 

M.O.U.T. 2025 – November, 2000 – Dreamcast and PC: Based on an actual never-before-seen light infantry strategy, MOUT 2025, sends players to test themselves in the Army’s infamous "Land Warrior" regiment. Set in brutally realistic industrial, urban and large city environments, the game provides players with not only the strategic elements found among the highest-caliber of combat games, but also the tactical aspects true to actual campaigns in the theater.

Spec Ops: Platinum – August, 2000 – PC: This platinum-bundle delivers Spec Ops, Spec Ops 2: Green Berets and all of the add-ons released to date in one package. It also gives fans of this squad-based combat game a brand new mission pack containing 25 never before seen missions.

Be sure to check out the rest..

SWAT3 review [13:34:26 EDT] by - Rush
My good buddy Morgo from Battle-Fields.com sent word that they've posted a review of Sierra's SWAT3. Here's a snip from the article:

The game eases you into the action slowly at first as you drop into a house to say hello to a nutter who likes shooting cars on the motorway (freeway I think you call it over the pond) from his attic window. Even in the first mission it soon becomes apparent that if you treat this game like Rogue Spear you are not going to get very far. For a start, you move round the game much more slowly than in RS, this mated with bad guys who generally react in a more intelligent manner than the venerable RS means that running round corners will end the game very quickly, especially if you consider the fact that you don't get a second chance if some tosser shoots you in the face, just like real life eh?

Good stuff, be sure to check out the rest..