The Collector's Edition of Disciples II: Dark Prophecy will ship at the same time as the original sequel. Included in the collector's edition is a one-of-a-kind card game, developed by the lead designer of the Disciples series and 5 additional "elite" scenarios.

Fans of the series will have a chance to buy the original Disciples II (SRP: $39.99US) or the Collector's Edition (SRP: $49.99US) at any major retailer.
Pre-orders can be made through online sites such as www.ebworld.com, www.bestbuy, www.chipsbits.com
and www.amazon.com.

'Mimesis Online' is a science-fiction Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game set in a world that's been slowly rebuilding itself after a cosmic scale cataclysm that completely changed the natural order of things, twisting everything, even time itself. The game transports you to a world where several intelligent species were forced together in uncomfortable co-existence by the effects of that apocalyptic event.

You can play any of a range of available characters, and take part in the literally earth-shattering social and political events that await the inhabitants of this world of survivors.

'Mimesis Online' is a highly anticipated game that will add something completely new to the genre. Don't miss out...

Here are some of the game features:

an intriguing storyline with a rich and complex arc-plot,
a unique sci-fi setting, with completely original technology,
one, single global online session,
a variety of unusual monsters,
very nice graphics,
the possibility to download the game software completely FREE of charge,
a multitude of possibilities to personalize and develop your character.

Don't be the last one to enter the world of 'Mimesis Online' - join now, and see the story unfold from day one.

Throughout all stages of betatests and especially during the public testing stage we have been receiving a lot of support from the people who decided to help us in the development. In recognition to their tremendous work we have prepared a special promotion for them. The detailed information can be found on the game's website.

Talking about the website... It has a brand new appearance now! Features:

The Add-On features 20 classic locomotives, used in the US and Canada, and a brand new cab interior. The 20 new locomotives have been built from the ground up and contain incredible detail that surpasses anything seen in the original.

"It's less than a year since Serious Sam : The First Encounter was unleashed on to an unsuspecting public, and the arrival so soon of a second game in the series may have left you suspicious that this would be a tacky Tomb Raider style cash-in. Fear not though, for the imaginatively titled Second Encounter is bigger, better, harder than ever and utterly, utterly insane."

Station.com available to Mac Users

Sydney, 15 January 2002 - AMD today announced Electronic Arts, a leader in PC and console games and the number-one game site on the Internet, is recommending AMD AthlonTM XP and AMD Athlon MP processor-based desktop and workstation computers for its worldwide studios. Electronic Arts plans to
use these systems to develop and produce next-generation PC and console games for both the EA SPORTS and EA GAMES brands with franchises including John Madden Football, Harry Potter, and The Sims, and plans to implement AMD processor-based systems in their sales, finance, marketing, and administration departments.

EA studios slated to use AMD processor-based systems include Westwood Studios in Las Vegas, Maxis studio in Walnut Creek, and studios in Redwood Shores, Los Angeles, Seattle, Orlando, London, Tokyo, Vancouver, and Melbourne.

"The performance, compatibility, and reliability of the AMD Athlon MP processor has led us to select it as part of the workstation development solution worldwide for Electronic Arts to help speed game design processes," said Scott Cronce, VP and chief technology officer, Electronic Arts Inc. "Additionally, the stability we have had with AMD Athlon XP processor-based desktop machines has given us reason to populate them in other departments in Electronic Arts."

"Electronic Arts is producing performance-demanding, graphic-intensive games that leverage AMD solutions," said Ed Ellett, vice president of Marketing at AMD. "The compatibility, reliability and performance of AMD workstation solutions as development platforms combined with EA's extensive game portfolio will help ensure that the next generation of gaming will evolve to the next level of realism."

"The idea behind episodic gaming is simple enough; instead of selling one big game for £30 you split it up into several episodes and sell each one individually at the kind of price which encourages impulse buying. Often the first episode is given away for free to hook potential players, who are then roped into buying new levels for your game every few weeks. Yes, episodic gaming is essentially a fancy new name for shareware. These days though the idea seems to be that you plan out (and often develop) a whole series of mini-games in advance and then release them on a monthly basis."

Now that CI has gone Gold, it looks as though the blokes over at B&W Studios have finally gotten time to give the official Creature Isle webbie a bit of a brush-up-- and, gosh! It sure is swell.

The most notable addition is this superkeen map they've added. It's quite a luverly, sparkly iddle Flash thing that allows you to look at the lay of the land, so to speak-- you'll have to see it to really understand it, but it has cute animations, lovable characters, and plenty of worthwhile info on the actual physical layout of Creature Isle itself. Good stuff.

At a news conference in Tokyo, Hirohisa Ohura, managing director and head of the Xbox Division at Microsoft Japan, announced the availability of a special limited-edition console designed exclusively for the Japanese market.

"Xbox has become a cultural phenomenon in North America that we're confident will spread around the world," said Robbie Bach, chief Xbox officer at Microsoft. "From that position of strength, we're working with our industry partners to tap into the growing excitement for Xbox and Xbox games in Japan."

Launch Titles

The Japanese launch portfolio is highly anticipated around the world. Most of the great games have global appeal and will be localized accordingly. The powerful launch lineup includes the following:

· "JSRF - Jet Set Radio Future™" (from Sega) is a unique graphical street-skating action-adventure game with the unique visual style of Japanese "manga" comics.
· "GENMA ONIMUSHA™" (from Capcom) is a new interpretation of the war survival action series that garnered worldwide acclaim.
· "SILENT HILL 2: Saigo no Uta" (from Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo) is the hit adventure game that shook the world with its spine-tingling horror and real-world environment as they can only be presented on Xbox.
· "DOUBLE-S.T.E.A.L." (from Bunkasha) is a car action game modeled after the thrilling trademark car stunt scenes of Hong Kong cinema.
· "AIR FORCE DELTA II" (from Konami) is an incredibly realistic 3-D shooting game that incorporates amazingly intense air battles using real-world fighter planes.
· "HYPER SPORTS 2002 WINTER" (from Konami) recreates 10 sporting events in a realistic, easy-to-control manner. Gamers will appreciate the beautiful atmosphere of winter, with attention to graphics such as the view from the slopes, snow-capped mountains and skating rinks complete with reflections on the ice.
· "ESPN Winter X Games Snowboarding 2002" (from Konami) is a realistic snowboarding game modeled after the ESPN Winter X Games and based on comments and participation from world-class snowboarders.
· "Nobunaga's Ambition: Chronicles of Chaos" (from Koei) is a historical simulation game in which powerful leaders do battle to become the victorious feudal lord who can bring together various warring factions.
· "Nezmix" (from Microsoft) is a comical adventure in which players take on the role of a mouse who must recruit, lead and battle with a team of fellow mice to defend their town against a band of enemy invaders.
· "Tenku: Freestyle Snowboarding" (from Microsoft) is a snowboarding game that focuses on freestyle riding, in contrast to traditional race-based games.
· "Project Gotham Racing™: World Street Racer" (from Microsoft) is a game that is the ultimate test of gamers' driving skills, style and risk-taking, featuring a unique Kudos System, in which players earn rewards not only for getting to the finishing line first, but also for displaying skill, style and daring while driving.
· "DEAD OR ALIVE 3" (from Tecmo) is the third title in Tecmo's popular tournament fighting action game series.

After launch, a quick succession of games will be available, with an expected 22 titles in Japanese stores by the end of March. On average, Xbox games will be priced between 6,800 yen and 9,800 yen.

Within seconds, Sound Blaster Extigy connects with a USB cable to any available USB port on your PC or notebook, so you won't even need to open up your PC case! Simply load the software, plug in your speakers, and you will be ready to experience high fidelity audio with 24-bit performance and 100dB SNR clarity, enhanced by a host of EAX ADVANCED HD music tools. And when watching DVD movies or playing the latest games, the onboard Dolby Digital 5.1 multi-channel playback will immerse you in home theater-quality sound when combined with surround sound speakers like the Creative Inspire 5300.

So be the first to benefit from the high-powered, easy-to-use, Sound Blaster Extigy!

Discover the powerful features of Sound Blaster Extigy at: http://soundblaster.com/c.asp?u=I4qC*KUDM44NOd3NM4rCUoEg&c=80

The free FS2002 patch for Airport 2000 Volume 3, now available online at www.wilcopub.com, gives simmers the ability to include the volume’s seven precisely recreated airports San Francisco International, Denver International, Seattle Tacoma, Paris Orly, Kastrup Copenhagen, Berlin Tegel and London Gatwick in their virtual FS2002 takeoffs and landings. The satellite terminals, hangars, office and maintenance buildings, radar towers, gate numbering system and other airport features are replicas of the real thing, based on actual visits and photographs. Wilco remains the only scenery developer to offer this level of verisimilitude, thanks to painstakingly acquired behind-the-scenes airport visitation privileges.

The upgrade also adds several new features supported by FS2002, including FMC vertical speed and ground illumination by aircraft headlights. All other features from Airport 2000 Volume 3 operate with the patch except for the flight adventures, which are not currently compatible with FS2002.

Corrected Denver International airport charts have been posted separately on the Wilco site for download. The company will announce upgrade plans for Volumes 1 and 2 of the series on the site in the near future.

"Part of the problem is the very definition of the genre. In a single-player role-playing game you are the hero who can change the world. In a massively multiplayer game you are just one of a hundred thousand wannabe heroes, all scrambling to reach the next level. At the moment it's almost impossible for a single player or guild to make any difference in a massively multiplayer game, even on a local scale. The games are all static and rigidly pre-programmed."

"Since I last played Champ Man it has gone though various updates and many features have been added. In this latest update a fair few very useful features have been added, one of them is allowing you to compare two players to see which is better at a particular position. Doing this shows you the best attributes of each player on the same screen and also the game uses these to try and tell you which player is best at what position."

Vulcan, UK - January 10th, 2002 - Veteran game development company, Vulcan Software has announced today the release of 'The Sanctuary', the second episode of their Valhalla Classics Speech Adventure for the PC.

'The Sanctuary' is set in an old section of the Valhalla Castle, where years earlier the diabolical Lord of Infinity imprisoned five of the most powerful Shamen in the land. Using their own magic against them, he turned them to stone and made them protectors of the legendary three rings of escape. 'The Sanctuary' is priced at 2.50 sterling (approx. 3.60 US dollars) and can be downloaded via Vulcan's Portal application. Newcomers to the Valhalla Classics can also download and play the first episode 'The Crypt' for free!

The Valhalla Classics
-----------------------
The Valhalla Classics are PC conversions of Vulcan's speech adventure games that were originally released for the Amiga in the mid 90's. Your task is to guide the principle character through a scrolling graphical world, who then comments on the actions you perform with his extensive vocabulary of digital speech. Logical and lateral thinking are definitely required in order to solve the many puzzles featured throughout the twelve episodes. Each episode can be downloaded and
played within Vulcan's Portal application. http://www.valhalla-online.co.uk/classics/english

"The developers have also squandered many of Dune's other assets, such as its epic back story and host of outlandish characters. The game is set during Paul's exile in the deserts of Arrakis but all of the main action takes place off-camera, with no real explanation of what's going on or who most of the characters are. If you're not familiar with the book or one of its movie adaptations you're going to be left utterly bewildered."

The multiplayer trial version allows players to try out the Absolute Attrition and 'Mech Strongholds modes on a volcanic map. BattleMechs available in the demo include the Bushwacker, the Mad Cat Mark II, the enormous Atlas, and the brand-new Ryoken and Sunder models.

MechWarrior 4: Black Knight Expansion pack introduces five new ‘Mechs™ for the player to pilot: the Ryoken, Sunder, Uller, Wolfhound and Black Knight. It also includes several new vehicles, such as the Demolisher II Heavy Tank and the Nightwind Attack Helicopter; and new weapons, like the incredibly devastating Cluster Bombs.

Players will also have access to rare and hard-to-find weapons through the game's newest feature, the Black Market. The Black Market allows the player to take salvaged 'Mechs and weapons they don’t need, and trade them for something they do need. Players are no longer restricted to items salvaged from the battlefield; they can now take their chances on the Black Market.

"Black & White: Creature Isle shipping 18th January 2002.
We are pleased to announce the official release date of Black & White : Creature Isle which will be shipped globally on the 18th January 2002 with the exception of the Japanese version which will be shipped at a later date. This means that the game will be in stores on the 1st Februrary.

Sydney, 2 January 2002 - Universal Interactive, Inc. announced today that its games based on the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien will be developed for multiple platforms including next generation and handheld systems, the PC, and the highly anticipated massively multiplayer online gaming. In addition, Universal Interactive announced the details of its 2002 line-up of Tolkien games: The Fellowship of the Ring for the Xbox(tm) video game system from Microsoft and The Lord of the Rings, Part 1 for Game Boy® Advance.

"Universal Interactive plans to release titles for all major gaming platforms in order to bring Tolkien's great literary works to life for as many gamers as possible," said Jim Wilson, president of Universal Interactive. "The unique capabilities of each platform will showcase a particular aspect of Middle-Earth to its best advantage. Massively multiplayer online games, for instance, will allow for the fullest, most
interactive re-creation of Tolkien's universe of original characters.

The Fellowship of the Ring, in development by Seattle-based WXP, Inc., is scheduled for release in fourth quarter 2002 for Xbox. A third person action/adventure title, The Fellowship of the Ring allows gamers to play as three members of the fellowship, Frodo, Aragorn and Gandalf, on a journey from the Shire to the depths of Moria and all the way to the River Anduin. In a storyline faithful to Tolkien's epic masterpiece, players will explore the massive environments of Middle-Earth while solving puzzles and fighting various enemies such as Orcs, Black Riders and an evil Balrog in this first instalment of the quest to destroy the fabled One Ring of Power.

The Lord of the Rings, Part 1 is being developed for the Game Boy® Advance and is scheduled for a fourth quarter 2002 release. A role-playing game, The Lord of the Rings, Part I, is based on characters and situations from the first two books of the classic Tolkien epic. It allows players complete control over the entire Fellowship on their adventure from the beginning of "The Fellowship of the Ring" to partway through "The Two Towers."

Specifically designed to take full advantage of the GBA's technical capabilities, The Lord of the Rings, Part I will feature an isometric graphics engine combined with an intuitive character interaction and combat control system to highlight this immersive, RPG-style game. For more information about Universal Interactive's games based on J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings," regarded as the greatest literary epic of the 20th century, visit www.lotrgames.com.

As part of Vivendi Universal Publishing's long-term deal with Tolkien Enterprises, the company acquired the exclusive rights to develop interactive entertainment based on selected Tolkien literary works.
Universal Interactive and Sierra Entertainment are responsible for developing products for the license.

"Every year we celebrate the New Year by picking out some of the top games we expect to be reviewing over the next twelve months. 2001 proved to be another mighty triumph for our predictive skills; out of our six picks from last year, two of them were disappointing (Black & White and Myst III), two of them weren't even released (Neverwinter Nights and Metal Gear Solid 2) and two of them were actually rather good (Gran Turismo 3 and Phantasy Star Online). So in the hopes of getting a better average this year, here are our picks for 2002."