Daily News Spin — February 20, 2001 (Tuesday)

More on Motor City Online

EA has sent out a new press release with more information about Motor City Online, the massively multiplayer game of dragracing and cruising.

Each player will enter Motor City with a customized persona, take up residency and a "starter" car to begin his or her career within a real-time economy. From here, the player can join a club-an allegiance of racers with similar goals and interests-or begin competing with other racers in an effort to advance in level, reputation and car class. Successful racers can use their winnings to customize their cars, or save up to buy a cherry set of wheels from one of the eight local car dealers.

We've posted the entire press release on its own page if you're interested. There's quite a bit more information about the game in it. Here are some new screenshots.

New games this week

It looks like we're getting a couple of new releases in the stores this week. Icewind Dale: Heart of Darkness and Clive Barker's Undying should both hit the retail shelves today or tomorrow. Blade of Darkness should be out too.

Also, Strategy First announced that Disciples Gold will ship at the end of February. Disciples 2 is a Q2 release now.

It's Alpha, Charley

Shrapnel Games is releasing an alpha version Armored Task Force.

This release, by no means, represents all of the features of the final release of Armored Task Force. It is intended to be functionally equivalent to BCT: Brigade Combat Team. It lacks all of the friendly and enemy AI features which will eventually be added. Also, it is missing the higher-echelon layers which will allow players to give high- level orders to companies and platoons.

Go to Shrapnel's website to find out more.

Bill Roper interview

Our interview with Blizzard's Bill Roper is now up. Bill talks about Warcraft 3, the Diablo 2 expansion, the new Warcraft novel, and a few other things. Here's the link.

3am

You pen and paper Shadowrun fans will be happy that Wizkids announced that the game will live on with new material, according to this story at Games Unplugged. Wizkids purchased the rights from FASA, which is going out of business.

New career opportunities for level designers! Mexico's Attorney General illustrated how a drug lord escaped from prison with "computer-animated videos that looked like a new level of the game Doom", according to this AP story reposted on Yahoo.

Of course Mexico is a bit behind the times. Doom levels? Shouldn't they be illustrating prison breaks with the Quake engine at the very least?

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