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The Gladiators: Galactic Circus Games
OK, so far, the pedigree looks good. And so do the screenshots. The concept art takes a page from the hard-boiled comic style of Frank Miller, while the overall style keeps its tongue firmly in cheek by including quotes from robots as binary strings. In an updated preview, the potential for using tactics was revealed with this quote:
Gladiators will be a squad-based real-time strategy game with the emphasis on base-building removed. It's all about the action and the action looks intense. It's due out in North America in March. Check out the full preview and the updated preview at Gamespot.com. Official Gladiators Web site. Nexagon: The Pit (a.k.a. Nexagon Deathmatch)
It all comes together like 3D castle warfare but your units can come from a variety of genres.
The graphics look solid, too. And I especially like this quote from the list of game features:
Check out the full preview at Adrenaline Vault, or visit the Nexagon homepage. You think you're a warlord?When people think of turn-based fantasy games, the first thing that comes to mind (in most cases) is Heroes of Might and Magic. But before that PC mega hit, there was Warlords. And it was good. As we move into 2003, we have Warlords IV: Heroes of Etheria to look forward to. The Warlord franchise successfully entered the real-time market with Battlecry, but now it's time to go back to the game's roots. But not too far back... because the game is getting a full makeover in both graphics and gameplay. In an interview at HomeLan, this was revealed:
Indeed, the screenshots of combat look like a hybrid of Heroes IV and Cossacks. The terrain includes lava, snow, and grasslands, and almost every aspect of the time-honored game has been tweaked. Hannibal and I are both huge fans of the Warlords series, and with the way things are shaping up with Warlords IV, we won't be the only ones... Check out the entire interview at HomeLan and the Warlords IV homepage. Gamesdomain looks forward to 2003Gamesdomain has offered its take on what PC gamers should be looking forward to in 2003. Of course, they mention obvious titles like Star Wars Galaxies and Unreal 2, but they also remind us of things to come like Full Throttle 2 and Fable. The article is a great way for you to get your 2003 gaming budget in line and prepare your game plan for the whole year. If you want to be a hardcore gamer, you've gotta have a well-laid plan. Money helps too; damn these games are getting pricey! Anyway, you can check out a thorough preview of 2003's hopefuls at Gamesdomain.com. Holiday hitsIf you're just wondering what games led the pack over the holiday selling season, I've got them for you. The data comes straight from NPD and reveals that as we head into 2003, The Sims phenomenon will probably not slow down. Harry Potter is near the top of the list, and the word "tycoon" *shiver* appears a couple of times. A pretty predictable list...
It hurts to be a gamerI predict that the next PC gaming peripheral to hit the market will not be a new mouse or gamepad or flight stick. It will be a helmet. A helmet to protect you from rival gamers and their fast-flying fists. Christopher S. wrote me last week and included a link to this painful story of a gamer who got shot in the leg after a heated Counter-Strike tournament in California. Check this out:
Nasty business. Thanks for the link Christopher! Bullet news
The Week in Patches
On Shelves (or soon will be)
Gone Gold
Keep Gaming. And I'll see you on the other side.- CarlDiscuss this edition!
Past Game.Ars action: 01/05/2003 - 2002 winners and
losers; GreyHawk Even more past Game.Ars Action can be found here.
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This
is the first official edition of Game.Ars for the new year. I'd give last year a
rating of 8 out of 10 on the G.G. (gaming goodness) scale. I enjoyed GTA 3,
Battlefield 1942, and Robin Hood: Legend of Sherwood, among others.
We got Warcraft III, Age of Mythology, and Mafia, too. It
was the year that the Madden line of sports games also all rose a notch in overall
quality. Tiger Woods golf, which had been languishing in
mediocrity until the most recent addition, was surprisingly improved.
Gamespot.com took a
look at this game a while ago and had this to say:
This
strategy game, to be released this summer/fall by Strategy First, promises to
emphasize tactics rather than grand strategy in a real-time action game. The
basics involve building a base, complete with traps, then putting your units in
it and going to battle.