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pc.ign.com has posted their first impressions of the full shipping version of Unreal Tournament 2003. In addition, the website has posted new screenshots based on the Golden Master. Overall the writer of the piece gives the game good marks, calling it a cross between Quake III and the original Unreal Tournament. He goes on to say that the game is, "very fast, very frantic, and comes with a few modes, a lot of mutators, and the promise of more, more, more."

Here's a more in-depth snippet from the article:

The days of flat walls are gone. Squares are now 3-dimensional blocks lit on each face. Corners are now propped up with struts. Rooms are adorned with pillars and hanging clutter. A lot of textures even move (pulsing lights, flickering water, etcetera). And, the whole thing is accentuated by dynamic lighting that drapes appropriate shadows on appropriate things, including your own weapons.

Still, there are limitations to it all. Light sources cannot be destroyed, some levels are very tight, there is no visible bump-mapping or fancy stock effects that soak every other next-generation game, and some materials don't seem to leave any discernable decals or impact marks (sand). These are small quibbles, except for bump-mapping and more ample use of detail texturing.

Digital Extremes (add to watch list)

Unreal Tournament 2003 (add to watch list)

pc.ign.com's First Impressions

Buy Unreal Tournament 2003

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In a press released issued today, Pangea Software announced that their latest game, Bugdom 2, has reached the beta stage and should go final by October 15th. In addition, the company also announced final system requirements as well as pricing for the online downloadable version and the boxed CD version of the game.

“We’re going to spend the next three weeks testing
and tweaking the game, and we expect to be releasing the online downloadable version of the game and the free demo in the 4th week of October,” said Brian Greenstone, President and CEO of Pangea Software.

Here's a peek at the system requirements:

Pricing for the online downloadable version of Bugdom 2 has been set at $30, while the boxed CD version will be at $34.95. Greenstone assured us that the boxed CD version of the game will be available a few weeks
later in plenty of time for the Christmas buying rush.

IMG recently got its hands on the beta and we'll be posting an extensive preview of Bugdom 2 shortly.

IMG First Look: Bugdom 2

Pangea Software (add to watch list)

Bugdom 2 (add to watch list)

Buy Bugdom 2

IMG's week-long series of features on OS X continues with a look at multiplayer games for Mac OS X. It’s been an exciting year for OS X multiplayer gaming. There were important developments ranging from improved support for browser-based games, the release of GameRanger 3.0, and lots of new games.

Here's a snippet from today's article:

It started out as a trickle: a shareware game here, a patch to an existing game there. But OS X gaming has finally come into its own. 12 months ago, it seemed like every new Mac game announcement was greeted with the question, “Will there be an OS X version?” Nowadays the question is “Will there be a Classic version?” And more and more often, the answer is “no.” OS 9 support is fast disappearing.

OS X Week: Multiplayer OS X Games

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Total Sims has released WarBirds III Fighter Pilot Academy, a special edition of Warbirds III that allows you to train offlne as a fighter pilot before going online to fight with players from over 70 countries.

In Fighter Pilot Academy you'll learn how to defend your base, attack the enemy base, bomb, shoot, strafe, takeoff, land and more. You'll also xperience the thrill of going head to head with the enemy in the air, on the land and on the sea.

In all, Fighter Pilot Academy features twelve offline missions with sixty WWII aircraft, ships, tanks, and ground vehicles. The $9.95 package is available for purchase from the Total Sims and includes two months of free WarBirds III online play.

WarBirds III (add to watch list)

Fighter Pilot Academy

The Macintosh Business Expo is an annual event in Seattle, Washington which boasts over 50 exhibitors and takes place this year on October 3. IMG received word that the 2002 expo will not be all work, though, as they also plan to have a 30-computer game arena set up for players to try a variety of titles.

The Game Pavilion is being sponsered by Aspyr Media and MacPlay, and there will be many activities going on for gamers in the area who would like to make an appearance. Here's a description of their plans from Gaming Pavilion organizer Erick "Burl" Laabs of Portland's The Computer Store:

We will be featuring everything from Multi-Player battles of Soldier of Fortune 2 to stations set up with the Sims. I also hope to be showing Jedi Knight 2 as well as No One Lives Forever from MacPlay. We will be giving away copies of some of the latest games, T-shirts, and other prizes to those who win the hourly multi-player combat. It is always a great time, and generally the busiest booth at the show even though it is a "business expo".

Mac Business Expo Gaming Pavilion

Mac Business Expo

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Beenox's Dee Brown has announced a new add-on for the shareware RPG Pillars of Garendall has been released, called Spells Expander. Unsurprisingly, the expansion, created by Mike Zeman, adds 25 new spells to the game, many new spell and item quests, as well as four new locations to the game world.

Spells Expander was created with the same Coldstone Game Engine tools used to make the original game, and it also requires another, free plugin called Trinity in order to work. Here's a description from the web site:

Spells expander is a plug-in for Pillars of Garendall that adds several quests, spells, and items, primarily for the Conjuror class. There is a small quest that rangers can accomplish, and a slightly more involved quest for the swordsman, but the majority of the plug-in has been written for conjurors. It has been written to be an addition to the Trinity plug-in, meaning that you must not only have PoG, but Trinity as well to utilize this plug-in. It has been written for all levels of conjurors, from those just starting out to those that have already beaten the game.

Spells Expander

Download Spells Expander

Ambrosia Software (add to watch list)

Beenox (add to watch list)

Pillars of Garendall (add to watch list)

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Bugdom, the popular family friendly, insect-oriented platformer from Pangea Software, has been updated to version 1.2. The following fixes/changes are included in the update:

Version 1.2 - Maintenance update. Fixed/changes cheat codes so that the tilde key is not required. New automatic version checking feature.

You can pick up the update off of MacGameFiles. A link has been attached to the bottom of this article.

Download Bugdom Updater 2.1

IMG Review: Bugdom

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Pangea Software (add to watch list)

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IGN has posted a preview of Medal of Honor Allied Assault: Spearhead, the upcoming expansion pack to the hit WWII FPS, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. In the preview, IGN gets a hands on look at just what PC gamers can expect sometime this November. The game will feature 9 new missions, 12 new multiplayer maps, a handful of new weapons, including the Sten and smoke grenades, and a whole lot more.

Here is an excerpt from the preview:

EA's back now to remind us exactly what we loved about the first game. To begin with, the presentation terrifically cinematic and really captures the feeling you get when watching a thrilling war movie. A very tight (albeit linear) plot and some beautiful (albeit linear) levels urged you on throughout the game, granting a motivation and momentum that's sadly missing from most action games. It goes without saying that the World War 2 setting is particularly compelling as well with a host of weapons, enemies, vehicles and locations all thoroughly researched and brilliantly executed. Add in a few sprawling multiplayer locations, and you're just starting to understand the appeal of Medal of Honor.

Medal of Honor Allied Assault Spearhead

IMG Review: Medal of Honor: Allied Assault

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (add to watch list)

Buy Medal of Honor: Allied Assault

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