Despite the fact that my computer is an old relic that barely fit the minimum system requirements I've managed to log in about an hour of Doom 3. Doom 3 to put it one way is Half-Life on steriods. It has that feel to it, seemingly random scripted mini-events are everywhere [box falling when a platform collapses, an imp bust through a staircase as you attempt to climb it, ect] and it looks very good even with all the settings turned down to the bare minimum.

Doom 3 is fun. Crazy fun. And, although I'm not really a good person to judge this, very scary. After things go bad there are a lot of areas that have poor lighting with many parts of the room in total darkness and as we all know that's where scary things like to lurk. And they do. But sometimes they don't. Sometimes you think there's something hiding in the darkness but it turns out it's only a barrel or a dead body. Except it's not quite dead. You have a flashlight but you can't use a gun at the same time, so you have to decide which is more important at that particular time. Also there's all sorts of noises that might be a monster hiding somewhere waiting to jump out from behind a grate or it could just be the building shifting from slight tremors. It has a very moody atmosphere that'll keep you one edge and I guarantee that you'll jump when that imp comes out of the stairs.

The graphics are amazing, the best I've seen and that's with all the settings turned down. Even turned down the framefrate is a bit choppy, but it's decent enough to play. Nearly everything casts a shadow and the lighting is simply amazing. There's also lots of bumpmapping. The character models are very well done as are the monsters; the lip-syncing is also very realistic.

In conclusion, Doom 3 is crazy-awesome so don't listen to all those haters.

http://www.thisislondon.com/news/article...20Standard

Quote:340 killed in inferno
By Chris Millar, Evening Standard
2 August 2004
Hundreds of people were left to die inside a blazing supermarket after security staff locked doors to prevent customers from running out without paying, it emerged today.

Initial reports suggested as many as 340 people were killed when the fire tore through a large shopping centre in the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion after an industrial propane tank exploded.

Police have charged the store's owner Juan Pio Paiva and his son Daniel with homicide after they allegedly ordered security personnel to lock down every exit. Firefighters had to batter down the locked main entrance to the complex before they could reach hundreds of trapped shoppers.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/08/04/...04138.html

From Gamespot again:

Quote:Nintendo has announced the upcoming release of a new GameCube hardware bundle this August that will revolve around the upcoming sequel to Metroid Prime. Dubbed the Metroid Prime Bonus Bundle, the hardware and software combo, due to hit stores August 15 for $99.99, will include a GameCube system, a copy of the original Metroid Prime, and a bonus disc that will include a playable demo of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, the upcoming sequel to 2003's critically acclaimed update of the popular Metroid franchise. In addition, the bonus disc will include an interactive history of the Metroid franchise called The Metroid Chronicle, two trailers for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and a Metroid Prime art gallery. The entire bundle will come packaged in Metroid-styled packaging.
The demo disc marks the first opportunity for consumers to try the upcoming Metroid Prime sequel, which is set to launch November 15. The latest entry in the series will send heroine Samus Aran to explore the dual light and dark sides of the split-dimensional planet Aether. The first-person adventure will feature a number of new gameplay elements, including new power-ups, a new ammo system, and special suit upgrades, as well as the return of Samus' trusty screw attack. The game will also include a multiplayer mode--a first for the series--that will let up to four players battle against each other using all of Samus’ unique powers and abilities.
As with its previous hardware bundle, The Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition bonus disc </gamecube/action/zeldacollectors/news_6078201.html>, Nintendo is offering two methods for existing GameCube owners to procure the Metroid bonus disc. The first method is to subscribe to or renew an existing subscription to Nintendo Power magazine. The second method requires those who are interested to register at Nintendo.com and then register their GameCube hardware and five or more selected games listed on the Web site. Complete details for both options can be found at Nintendo Power's Web site <http://www.nintendopower.com/metroidprime2>. The Metroid Prime Bonus Bundle offer will only be available while supplies last.
By Staff -- GameSpot <http://www.gamespot.com>
POSTED: 08/04/04 06:24 AM PST

From Gamespot:

Quote:TOKYO--According to retailers that participated in Nintendo's latest exhibition, the company will release a new WarioWare game for the Game Boy Advance. The new WarioWare will have over 200 new mini-games, and over 100 bonus mini-games that can be unlocked by playing through boss stages.
Titled "Mawaru Made in Wario" in Japanese, the game translates to "Spinning WarioWare Inc." in English. Appropriate to the title, the new WarioWare game is reportedly played by turning, moving around, and tilting the handheld device itself. The attached sensor will pick up the GBA’s movement and relay it into the game. As such, the new WarioWare will make no use of the handheld's directional pad. Mawaru Made in Wario is slated for release in Japan on October 14, at the retail price of 4,800 yen ($43).
In other news from its exhibition, Nintendo revealed that Pokemon Emerald on the GBA can be played with the e+ Card reader. There will be 83 cards available in total for Pokemon Emerald, which will retail starting on October 7 at 200 yen ($1.8) per pack. By reading up to eight cards with the e+ Card reader at a location in the game called Trainer Hill, the player can call out different enemy trailers and floor maps. The game is will be released in Japan on September 16 for 4,800 yen ($43).
Additionally, the newly announced F-Zero Climax for the GBA reportedly plays in a style similar to the original SNES game and F-Zero GP Legend, but now has a new technique where the player can spin around and destroy opponent cars. F-Zero Climax will also have a course edit mode, which allows players to create their own racing tracks. The game is scheduled for a fall release
Tomy's Zoids Versus 3 for the GameCube was also shown at the exhibit. The game will allow four players to play simultaneously, either against each other or in different team match-ups. The number of Zoids in the game will be greatly increased, and Zoids from the new TV anime series Zoids Future, which will begin broadcasting in Japan starting October 3, will be included in the game. Zoids Versus 3 will be released in Japan on September 30, at the retail price of 7,140 yen ($64). The first 50,000 shipments of the game will come with a free Ptero-zoid figure, which can attach to the Rayse Tiger figure that was released last month.

Quote:Microsoft chairman Bill Gates has told a German financial magazine that he remains interested in buying Nintendo, stating that "if Hiroshi Yamauchi phones me, I will pick up at once."

Gates told WirtschaftsWoche magazine that he would immediately make an offer for the company if Yamauchi, who remains the largest shareholder in the firm despite retiring from his position as president over two years ago, indicated willingness to sell.

However, his comments seem to be largely in the realms of wishful thinking, as Yamauchi retains a keen interest in the running of the company, which has been in his family for over a century, and is highly unlikely to consider a sale to the American software giant.

Indeed, Yamauchi rebuffed an offer from Microsoft only a few years ago, just after the firm decided to enter the console market with the Xbox. The final decision to develop its own console operation is believed to have been taken only after attempts to buy both Nintendo and Sega failed.

The fact that Gates is still keen on acquiring Nintendo can be seen as a statement of his respect for the Japanese company, which remains the most profitable business in the games industry, but is unlikely to lead to any business deal - with the two companies, whose US headquarters are only a stones throw away from each other in Redmond, Washington, set to continue battling for second place in the current generation of console hardware.

Quote:Obsidian developing Neverwinter Nights 2
Atari and BioWare tap the KOTOR II developers to create the next version of the popular D&D RPG.

For a company that is barely a year old, Obsidian Entertainment is awfully busy. In May, the fledgling studio inked a deal to develop the sequel to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, BioWare's award-winning Xbox and role-playing game. Today, Obsidian announced it is taking the reigns of another of BioWare's flagship RPG series, Neverwinter Nights. As with its predecessor, Neverwinter Nights 2 will be published by Atari, with BioWare providing its Aurora Toolset and creative consulting.

In a statement, Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart expressed his gratitude at taking over the venerated franchise. “BioWare and Atari created an immense community of players attracted by both the immersion of an interactive gaming experience and the ability to create their own pen-and-paper-styled modules. Neverwinter Nights changed the very nature of role-playing games,” he said. Atari executive producer John Hight was also excited, saying, “Feargus and his team at Obsidian Entertainment are the best people on the planet to take up where BioWare left off and bring this great game to new level."

Veteran RPG fans will also be excited by the Neverwinter Nights 2 deal, since it reunites the parties behind some of the most celebrated RPG series. As president of Interplay's Black Isle Studios, Urquhart oversaw the publishing of the BioWare-developed Baldur’s Gate and Baldur's Gate 2 series, as well as the first console version of the game, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance. He also developed the Icewind Dale franchise, which was based on the Baldur's Gate engine. Urquhart also worked on the celebrated postapocalyptic RPG Fallout and its sequel before leaving Black Isle last year and forming Obsidian with several luminaries from the studio.

Obsidian is already at work on Neverwinter Nights 2, which, like its forebear, will be set in the Dungeons & Dragons: Forgotten Realms universe. (Obsidian is also hiring for several positions for its "upcoming RPG products," presumably NWN2). So far, the game is (naturally) set for release for the PC, but Atari reps said a next-generation console version is a possibility. Unfortunately, gamers won't be playing it any time soon; Neverwinter Nights 2's release date has been set for 2006.

http://pc.ign.com/articles/535/535389p1.html
http://pc.ign.com/articles/535/535405p1.html

Quote:SINGAPORE (Reuters) - George Lucas, creator of blockbuster films such as "Star Wars" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark", has announced plans to bring his creative empire to Singapore in the first overseas foray by his entertainment group.

Lucasfilm is setting up a venture with Singapore's government to produce digital animation for films, TV, and video games -- its first government collaboration and reflecting the growing popularity of animation in Hollywood and Asian films.

Some of the highest-grossing films in recent years -- from "Shrek 2" to "Finding Nemo" -- have been based on computer-generated animation. In Asia, the genre is led by Japanese anime, a style born out of Japan's love affair with comic books.

Lucasfilm aims to blend those genres -- Western animation and Japanese-style anime -- at the new Asian studio, Lucasfilm Animation Singapore, which is 75-percent owned by Lucasfilm Ltd. The remainder is held by a Singapore state-led consortium.

The Hollywood studio's arrival comes as Singapore is embracing creativity to sustain its economy. Arts now form a cornerstone of government policy -- a radical shift in nation known for its strict censorship and tight social controls.

"We look to Lucasfilm as a queen bee of sorts to help develop our industry," Teo Ming Kian, the chairman of Singapore's Economic Development Board, told a news conference on Tuesday.

"As an investor, we look to very good returns from this investment but we see far more strategic returns to Singapore."

The Asian animation unit, which is looking to hire about 300 people in Singapore, will focus on production work while the design and script-writing will continue to be done in its Marin County, California headquarters.

In Hollywood, competition for digital animation is growing.

DreamWorks SKG, which created the "Shrek" series, plans to spin off its animation studio to raise $650 million (358 million pounds). Other rivals include Pixar Animation Studios Inc., whose films include "Toy Story" and "Finding Nemo", and Walt Disney.

But a Singapore office could lead to Asian collaborations. Japanese game makers Koei and Genki will set up game development studios in Singapore by the end of the year, a Singapore government official said.

Under a "Media 21" policy rolled out last year, Singapore plans to double the size of its media, design and arts industries to contribute to 3 percent of its $93 billion economy by 2012.

Micheline Chau, chief operating officer of Lucasfilm, said Singapore was picked ahead of many competing Asian countries because of its strong intellectual property rules.

"What was very important to us was the commitment to protect intellectual property rights since we are a content producer." Under the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement that took effect in January, the wealthy city-state's intellectual property laws were harmonised with those of the United States.

The government said last month it had set aside about S$200 million over five years to develop Singapore into a "vibrant Asian creative hub".

In December, Singapore earmarked S$100 million to develop documentaries and films, with a goal to produce up to five low-budget films a year. A new city neighbourhood designed for media companies, dubbed "Fusionpolis", is now being built.

Quote:Quebec Wal-Mart may become unionized
Last Updated Mon, 02 Aug 2004 21:24:57 EDT
SAGUENAY, QUE. - A Wal-Mart store in Quebec could become the first unionized store in the retail chain following a decision by the Quebec Labour Relations Board.

On Monday, the Board accredited the United Food and Commercial Workers Union to represent workers at the store in Jonquiere.

There are no unionized Wal-Mart stores. But some meat workers at a Wal-Mart in Texas have joined the United Food And Commercial Workers.
"We are reviewing the decision," Andrew Pelletier, spokesman for Wal-Mart Canada, told the Associated Press. "There was no vote held in the store. This appeared to be an automatic certification, and employees were not given the opportunity to vote on the issue on unionization in a democratically held election, which is of enormous concern."

Written by CBC News Online staff