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The EuroGamer Digest 2002 04 24
The Weekly EuroGamer Digest - 24th April to 1st May 2002
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The EuroGamer Digest. Brought to you weekly by the tireless fingers of
our editorial team, currently wetting itself over import copies of
Sega's Soccer Slam and Biohazard for the GameCube.
We're aiming for this Digest to reach your Inbox every Wednesday, and
as those of you skimming the text and ignoring this introduction will
have spotted, it consists of links to the most popular stories,
features and screenshots released over the last week. Subscribers may
even get a sneak peek at what's coming up on the site, and we have
some other things in store for future weeks.
We hope you enjoy the Digest and find it useful. Feel free to forward
it to your friends, relatives and if you hate it, people you don't
like. As always, feedback from our readers is what drives the site,
and this is just as applicable here, so flame us to death if you want
some changes. Oh, and have a good week!
Tom Bramwell, Assistant Editor
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Features
This week John investigated a futuristic PC racer, HoveRace, and
wasted several hours in London sneaking a peek at Warcraft III. Tom
endeavoured to fight the tide of Xbox fanboys off once again,
delivering his verdict on Jet Set Radio Future, before turning to his
brand new PAL GameCube, explaining what European gamers have to look
forward to and dissecting Luigi's Mansion. He's also been playing Sega
Soccer Slam rather a lot, and has previewed it. Contributor Martin
finally finished Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 on the GameBoy Advance, and
delivers his verdict.
+ Sega Soccer Slam (GC) preview
http://www.eurogamer.net/content/p_soccerslam_gc
+ Luigi's Mansion (GC) review
http://www.eurogamer.net/content/r_luigismansion_gc
+ Europe Cubed
http://www.eurogamer.net/content/a_cubeeuro
+ Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (GBA) review
http://www.eurogamer.net/content/r_thps3_gba
+ Warcraft III - Bill Roper interviews
http://www.eurogamer.net/content/i_billr3 (Part 1)
http://www.eurogamer.net/content/i_billr4 (Part 2)
+ Jet Set Radio Future (Xbox) review
http://www.eurogamer.net/content/r_jsrf_x
+ HoveRace (PC) preview
http://www.eurogamer.net/content/p_hoverace
=====================================================================
Industry News in Brief
The impending spectacle of E3 and the associated Californian sun has
melted the remnants of April's news avalanche and left only a
smattering of interesting stories to pick through.
After its outwardly desperate European Xbox price cut, Microsoft is
now manoeuvring to strike in Japan. Product Manager David Hufford has
been interviewed a lot recently, and let slip on Xen Gamers that the
Japanese price is also for the chop. E3 may well herald a number of
big Xbox announcements, of which we expect this to be one. Meanwhile,
Hufford also told GameSpy that Xbox Live, the console's online gaming
service, will not be based on the unpopular Zone service.
In news the company is less anxious to promote, Microsoft is currently
bickering with NVIDIA over the price of its Xbox components. Remember,
NVIDIA contributes not only the GPU in the Xbox, but the motherboard
is actually based on the nFORCE design.
News has also emerged that Microsoft actually tried to /buy/ Nintendo
towards the tail end of 2000.
Nintendo is gearing up for the launch of its GameCube console in
Europe this week, after many UK retailers agreed to carry the machine
at a meagre margin. On the promotional side of things, the bizarre
Clear Cube concept has gotten off to an interesting start. We should
have some pictures for you later this week.
Elsewhere in the industry, Sony has beaten its profit projections,
largely thanks to the PlayStation 2, and Infogrames has purchased
Shiny Entertainment lock, stock and Matrix license.
+ Microsoft to slash Xbox price in Japan
http://www.eurogamer.net/news.php?id=20860
+ Further Xbox Live details
http://www.eurogamer.net/news.php?id=20851
+ Microsoft, NVIDIA at war over Xbox
http://www.eurogamer.net/news.php?id=20859
+ Xbox - Gotta Catch Them All
http://www.eurogamer.net/news.php?id=20848
+ Nintendo fills the Cube
http://www.eurogamer.net/news.php?id=20835
+ PS2 helps Sony beat projections
http://www.eurogamer.net/news.php?id=20845
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Games Announcements
The big news this week has to be GTA Vice City. The eagerly
anticipated expansion to the PlayStation 2's most popular game has
been confirmed accidentally by SCEE, much to Rockstar's chagrin. SCEE
also chose this week to unveil Gran Turismo Concept Geneva 2002,
geared towards us Europeans.
This week Ubi Soft unveiled its E3 line-up, and as predicted it
included a Rayman game, a handful of Clancy games and some dodgy
licenses, such as Sabrina The Teenage Witch: Potion Commotion. Rayman
3 Hoodlum Havoc, platform unknown, is not the only Michel Ancel
creation on display, however. Ubi Soft plans to unveil the Rayman
creator's latest project, and also showcase The Sum Of All Fears
(Xbox/PC), MMORPG Shadowblane (PC) and the console version of Ghost
Recon, complete with online play.
Meanwhile, Rage put their David Beckham license to peculiar use,
announcing Go Go Beckham (GBA), a platformer from the chaps who did
Denki Blocks. Elsewhere, Take 2 confirmed the existence (and release
date - 26th July) of the GameCube version of Smuggler's Run, Warzones,
and Konami admitted that New Contra (PS2/GC) is in development.
On the PC side of things, Anarchy Online: Shadowlands, a brand new
expansion pack, has been announced, along with Cossacks: Back to War,
another expansion. The big news though is SimCity 4, the long overdue
sequel to Sim City 3000.
+ GTA Vice City confirmed
http://www.eurogamer.net/news.php?id=20854
+ Sony Grasps The European Concept
http://www.eurogamer.net/news.php?id=20834
+ Ubi Soft's E3 line-up
http://www.eurogamer.net/news.php?id=20866
+ Go Go Beckham!
http://www.eurogamer.net/news.php?id=20840
+ Cube Contraband
http://www.eurogamer.net/news.php?id=20857
+ New Contra!
http://www.eurogamer.net/news.php?id=20833
+ Anarchy goes on
http://www.eurogamer.net/news.php?id=20852
+ Cossacks go Back to War
http://www.eurogamer.net/news.php?id=20846
+ Return to SimCity
http://www.eurogamer.net/news.php?id=20861
=====================================================================
Screenshots
PC owners received an impressive haul this week, but few of the shots
could be classed as highlights . The most promising of the bunch seems
to be Xbox/PC crossover The Sum Of All Fears, although not in terms of
screenshots. Ubi Soft seems to be taking Nintendo's policy of negative
reinforcement to heart with the game's sub-CS screenshots. Much less
impressive than the Splinter Cell shots it delivered last week.
Speaking of Nintendo, their Super Mario Sunshine screenshots continue
to sap Tom's will to live. He really wants to believe it looks good,
but it just plain doesn't, and no amount of pretence will solve that.
Oh well. On the GBA front we have shots of the new Go Go Beckham game
from Denki/Rage and Rebellion's Pinball Advance. A sterling
application of the UK's foremost action game developer if you ask us.
Not.
Xbox fans can now look forward to action-adventure oddity Nefandus,
which looks quite nice, also for the PC, as well as Ubi Soft's
action-sports crossover Deathrow and Microsoft's Midtown Madness 3,
which is now starting to look vaguely reasonable.
+ Nefandus (Xbox/PC)
http://www.eurogamer.net/content/ss_nefandus_x (Xbox)
http://www.eurogamer.net/content/ss_nefandus (PC)
+ Mobile Forces (PC)
http://www.eurogamer.net/content/ss_mobileforces
+ Deathrow (Xbox)
http://www.eurogamer.net/content/ss_deathrow_xbox
+ Pinball Advance (GBA)
http://www.eurogamer.net/content/ss_pinball_gba
+ Super Mario Sunshine (GC)
http://www.eurogamer.net/content/ss_mariosunshine_gc
+ HoveRace (PC)
http://www.eurogamer.net/content/ss_hoverace
+ The Sum Of All Fears (Xbox/PC)
http://www.eurogamer.net/content/ss_sumofallfears
+ Midtown Madness 3 (Xbox)
http://www.eurogamer.net/content/ss_midtownmadness3_x
+ Dino Stalker (PS2)
http://www.eurogamer.net/content/ss_gundc_ps2
+ Neverend (PC)
http://www.eurogamer.net/content/ss_neverend
+ Go Go Beckham: Adventure on Soccer Island
http://www.eurogamer.net/content/ss_gogobeckham_gba
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