Original Archive Date: March 2004
 GALAXIES PROMISES TO PATCH IN THE FUN
Posted Monday, March 29, 2004 by Mr. StackedMidgets
Although many critics agreed upon the release of Star Wars Galaxies last summer that it was “more of the same” in terms of the MMOG genre – a bland but good-looking world with boring gameplay in which the sole activity is to devote ridiculous amounts of time to amass meaningless power so that you can prance in fancy pants at the Coronet bank or sell your play money on ebay. You know, same old, same old. Since then, not much has really changed. In fact, the only really significant change in actual the actual game has been the addition of vehicles, which cut down greatly on the previously horrendous travel times over virtual kilometers of empty space. Perhaps one could count the Jedi system as a significant advancement for the game, but it’s really more like a twisted parody of the whole “treadmill” concept. But of course, it’s all going to get better. You can trust Gary Gattis, the Senior Producer of SWG.
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 NEWS FROM THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOW AS ORIGIN
Posted Friday, March 26, 2004 by Mr. Ray
UXO has a new Producer, one David "InQWis" Yee. Who? Yeah, me too. I did a little digging, and here's his rapsheet (Mobygames is all <3):
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 Microsoft to Devs: <3!
Posted Friday, March 26, 2004 by Mr. GBob
At the 2004 GDC, Microsoft announced a new strategy for game development called XNA. XNA is designed to allow developers access to tool sets that will speed the development of games across multiple platforms and, in theory, reduce costs for game development.
XNA will allow easy porting of games from the PCs, Xbox, and Windows based mobile units, by creating a common environment in which games can be designed. XNA will be more important for future development than Direct X is today.
The question for gamers and developers alike is if this is a good thing or not.
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The Origin Of The Hate
Posted Wednesday, March 24, 2004 by Mr. GBob
Everyone makes mistakes; the other day I bet heavy trying to draw an inside straight, only to be beat by a pair of deuces. I lost twenty bucks. Some of us bet even bigger. In 2001 Electronic Arts decided to gamble thirty to forty million on Massively Multiplayer Online Games. Well, time has passed and now Earth and Beyond is due to be dumped unceremoniously in the great Sargasso of failed games this summer, leaving Electronic Arts to wonder "what the hell happened?". It sure wasn't supposed to be like this. EA wanted to position itself as a dominate player in the field of subscription based gaming. Three years ago it seemed like a brilliant strategy; high priced consultants for EA saw a fortune waiting to be made. With the combined talents of Origin, Westwood and Maxis, matched with unprecedented capital for new expansion, the future was very, very bright. ---
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 EA Sucks At Making MMO's: Strike Two
Posted Saturday, March 20, 2004 by Mr. Crick
In the oh look, again front of news, EA is once more proving it's the master of dying the death of 1000 cuts by canning another of it's MMO's. While hardly unexpected - Earth and Beyond was never precisely what could be called a stellar hit, reaching at best 25,000 subscribers - it still adds another game to the pile of dead MMO games steadily mouldering away in the corners of gaming history.
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 al-Joeda Attacks Community; Kills 0, Shocks Nobody
Posted Friday, March 19, 2004 by Mr. Poppinfresh
The recent departure of Waterthread, the most recent recepticle of our little community's angsts and neuroses, from its own domain (and, seemingly, the bounds of sanity) has drawn sharp criticisms from many diverse and venerable quarters. What exactly was so expensive about $10 a month that it required hitching the wagon to a man who clearly snacked on too much wall candy as a lad has not yet been clear, but sources close to the deal report an elaborate plan involving banner ads, huge profits, and a time machine set to the year 1999.
But really, why are we surprised?
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Old school red name passes on
Posted Friday, March 19, 2004 by Ray
(The following is a post by Gbob in our forums)
According to Gamespot, Silas Warner passed away. Odds are there aren't many who would recognize his name, but he had a major impact in the games you play. You damn kids may not recall, but there was a time when Silas was making some of the best games around. He was a co-founder of Muse software and created two of the coolest games of all-time. The first was Castle Wolfenstien. I know, it's hard to believe, but once upon a time the name Wolfenstein didn't refer to a flashy first person shooter. Instead it was one of the first "stealth/action" hybrids. Many an old geek spent hours shooting nazis and dragging their bodies around the castle. Wolfenstein was one of those milestone games that sparked a new generation of programmers, including a little company you may have heard of called Id.
Perhaps his greatest game, however, was Robotwar. Robotwar was different than any other game out there. You would program your robot in a basic-like language to maneuver around the playing field avoiding obstacles and fighting other bots. Although the game, as far as I recall, didn't have multiplayer it encouraged many people to get modems just to post their code on BBS systems. Simple, elegant and complex, Robotwar may not have been a best seller but it brings a smile to many an old gamer.
Silas never got rich in the software field. He remained a programmer for multiple companies. In later years he worked more on the hardware end of the business as a senior engineer. Unlike Lord British, Roberta Williams, Sid Meir or others his name never became a selling point. Instead he was one of the countless hundreds who reshaped the industry in a quiet way. His work gave me and others countless hours of entertainment in front of the computer.
In honor of Wolfenstein if any German challenges me for a pass today, I'm going to stab him in the guts and steal his clothes.
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 A Tale in the Desert: An Overview by the Undead
Posted Sunday, March 7, 2004 by Somebob
Having becoming recently deceased in this game, I decided to take some time and write out a bit of an overview for the whole game. After all, with an ad slogan of "How can I tell my friends about this without sounding like a freak?" proposed only slightly in jest, properly reviewing a game this far from the norm requires a lot of exposition first. So, Part One: The Overview!
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