Update!!!!!!
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 Release Date
Throughout the month that has gone, Half-Life 2 and its creator, Valve have
been surrounded by intrigue, controversy and turmoil. During that month the
game's
distribution system, Steam, experienced severe problems, H-L 2 was delayed
beyond its September 30 release date to an uncertain "holiday" date,
the source code, or part of it and a beta version of the game were stolen and a
new release date has failed to surface.
This sequence of events has led to an unprecedented flood of speculation, rumors
and half-truths. With most of those stories coming from official lips, Vivendi,
seem
troubled by Valve's stance of silence and possibly concerned over the developers
plans for Steam.
With the latest rumors, coming from Valve leaks, claiming the company aims to
attempt to achieve a December 2003 date with April 2004, being the fallback
option, we thought it was about time we shifted focus from the noise to the
game.
Throughout this mess most have forgotten what Half-Life 2 really is. As most of
you can understand from its title, Half-Life 2 is the sequel to the most
successful game in history. In many ways the way we enjoy gaming today has been
shaped by the revolutions introduced by H-L. Every aspect of gaming, from the
way they look to game play and multiplayer aspects, has been, to some degree,
influenced by Half-Life. It was only natural then that everyone who just
completed the original game would begin considering what its sequel would be
like. Valve waited a long time before announcing that sequel and in many ways
that was their last successful PR move. They managed to raise expectations and
everyone who had enjoyed the original game was now hanging from Valve lips.
The loss of that anticipation and the constant speculation are the real damage
caused by the H-L 2 fiasco. Damage which has allowed gamers to forget that at
the core of this story lies a game, one which could, once again, help point to
the future of the industry. Whether upset by the delay or frustrated by the
accusations made by the source code thief and the lack of an official reply, no
one can deny that Half-Life 2 is going to be one hell of a game. We will attempt
to rekindle that excitement by offering a comprehensive insight into the game
and a few exclusive screenshots. If you would like to view some videos from the
upcoming game H-L 2. Send me an E-Mail with the subject line
"HLmovies" and I will Provide you with instructions.
Last Updated April 18 2004 -- Half-life 2 will be out
on 6/30/04
Far Cry
A Wonderful Game. 
Far Cry has traveled a long way since its conception by German developer,
Crytek. What we now know as Far Cry, the upcoming game, started life as a
technology demo for nVidia's nfinite-FX engine, called X-Isle featuring a
tropical island and plenty of Dinosaurs. So impressed were the Crytek team with
the results that they decided to put their other two projects, Engalus and
Silent Space, on hold in order to concentrate all their efforts on Far Cry. The
results have, so far, been mighty impressive with the game winning the coveted Best
of Show title at this year's ECTS exhibition.
At the heart of Far Cry lies Crytek's CryEngine which is their real
commercial effort, this makes Far Cry ..well pretty much a tech demo still. But
the entire company was built around Far Cry, with developers realising that they
needed a structure to support their ambitious effort.
As a company, Crytek faced a number of challenges. They started everything based
on
nothing more than a tech-demo, without even an office in place. They
started by creating technologies and tools and of course, CryEngine. Crytek's
CEO and President, Cevat Yerli explains, We had to create successful
prototypes of our core-gameplay. We had to establish a company and its
organization. We had to create tools more productive than conventional tools to
make-up for our lack-of experience, for the majority of the team Far Cry is the
first game ever to ship! Our expectations were never success really, what drove
us was to have no fear and the strong desire to innovate in any single element
of the game.
Story
As we all know any self-respecting tech demo needs a good story if it wants to take
it to the next level and become a successful game. Far Cry attempts just
that by introducing us to Freelance mariner Jack Carver. He is cursing the day
he ever came to this island. A week ago, a brash female reporter named Valerie
had offered him an incredible sum of cash to take her to this unspoiled
paradise. Shortly after docking, however, Jack's boat was greeted by artillery
fire from a mysterious militia group swarming about the island.
With his boat destroyed, his money gone, and the gorgeous Valerie suddenly
missing, Jack now finds himself facing an army of mercenaries amidst the wilds
of the island, with nothing but a gun and his wits to survive. But the further
he pushes into the lush jungle canopy, the stranger things become. Jack
encounters an insider within the militia group, who reveals the horrific details
of the mercenaries'true intentions. He presents Jack with an unsettling choice:
battle the deadliest mercenaries, or condemn the human race to a maniac's
insidious agenda.
Also...
AMD used CeBIT in order to officially announce the worldwide introduction of
the AMD Athlon 64 FX-53 processor.
The AMD Athlon 64 FX processor delivers what no other PC processor, for the time
being can: 32 and 64-bit computing. AMD64 processors are the only 32- and 64-bit
capable processors available today, and according to its creators, will be the
first to feature built-in enhanced virus protection security technology when
used in conjunction with the upcoming Windows Service Pack 2.
Specifically designed for gamers and PC enthusiasts, the AMD Athlon 64 FX
processor has not been able, yet, to fully utilize its advantages due to lack of
64-bit application support. This is about to change however, since finally AMD's
claim of providing Cinematic Computing is about to be put to the test.
The launch of the AMD Athlon 64 FX-53 processor comes just in advance of the
much-hyped release of Far Cry. Leading video game publisher Ubisoft will release
a 32-bit version of the much-anticipated action game later this month, and plans
to introduce a 64-bit beta version shortly thereafter. That version will be
specifically showcase AMD64 technology.
AMD64 technology will enable gamers to move to the power and excitement of
64-bit games, without sacrificing performance or their investment in 32-bit
software, said Cevat Yerli, CEO and president of Crytek, Far Cry developer.
CryEngine, the 'nervous system' of our games, was designed to take full
advantage of the AMD64 architecture. AMD64 technology not only provides
unbelievable 32-bit performance, but will also provide a true next-generation
gaming experience when running the upcoming 64-bit version of our game.
The AMD Athlon 64 FX-53 processor will initially be available in limited
quantities from select high-performance PC manufacturers worldwide. AMD expects
to broaden that availability within the next few weeks to fulfill demand
generated by hard-core gamers, digital content creators and other
performance-demanding customers. Systems based on the AMD Athlon 64 FX-53
processor are expected to be available from the following:
- Europe: Alternate, Arbol, Batch PC, CDC, EID, Evesham, Formoza, Fox PC,
Hattelco, Komplett, Mesh, Network Technical, nVentiv, Olidata, Paradigit, Scan,
Time Computers and Unika
- US: ABS, AFT, Alienware, BOXX Technologies, CyberPower, Falcon Northwest,
Monarch, Polywell, Velocity Micro, Vicious PC, Voodoo and ZT Group
- Japan: Aro-system Co. Ltd, Bless Co. Ltd, Unitcom Inc., MCJ Co. Ltd., PROSIDE
Corp., Thirdwave Corp., and Visual Technology Inc.
The AMD Athlon 64 FX-53 processor is priced at USD 733 in 1,000-unit quantities.
