Game.Ars: A special excite game, part II

The GUGOYAs for 2002 are given out, some new releases are on the way to store shelves and Game.Ars is finally back for another year of gaming news, reviews and previews. Oh, let’s not forget the bad spelling, cut-and-paste debauchery and irreverent humor that will ignite a host of fiery e-mails in my inbox throughout the year. Mmmmm, flame mail.

What’s cool about 2003’s gaming prospects is that it is going to begin with a BANG! We’ve got the Battlefield 1942 expansion, Unreal II: The Awakening, Master of Orion 3 and Command & Conquer Generals all hitting shelves over the next few days and weeks. Hell, that’s probably enough gaming to last until March… (I’m kidding, it could last until at least mid-April). Have you cleared your credit card balance yet? I have!

Special FX

Early last week, Gamespot.com posted a hands-on look at the upcoming video cards from Nvidia. Namely, the GeForce FX. All reports look good, perhaps not as impressive as hoped for, but at the very least, get ready for your electric bill to go up, because:

“A direct result of the GeForce FX’s high clock speeds is that the chip and memory both run very hot, and the card consumes more power than the standard AGP bus can provide. …the GeForce FX cards must be connected directly to a PC’s power supply by means of a standard four-pin hard drive power cable.” – Sam Parker

The FX isn’t the first card to require this much power, but what about the radiator and some Prestone…

“…there’s an extremely large cooling device that covers the top of the chip and the memory, as well as a low-profile copper heat sink on the other side to cool the memory on the back of the card. The cooler combines a few cooling methods, including water-filled copper heat pipes that draw heat from the memory chips…” – Sam Parker

Sounds cool. Not! I’m running an Alienware, P4@2GHz with a Ti500 and the extra video cooling system sounds like a damn vacuum cleaner. I love my purple Alien, but its noise levels are unfriendly at best. So I don’t like hearing this:

“Not only does this large cooler take up an additional PCI slot inside the PC’s case, but it also generates quite a bit of noise.” – Sam Parker

Will the horsepower be worth the clatter and hum? I think it might – especially once the drivers are finalized. You can read the full preview and check the benchmarks right here. Look for the first FX card this month or early in March.

Calling all dictators

Since the release of Pop Top’s Tropico in 2001, gamers around the world have been able to experience gratuitously the life of a third-world dictator and, of course, third-world dictators have had a simulation with which to practice their tyrannical ways. It’s a good life, too, if you can squash those rebels into submission, while still attracting tourists to your lovely beaches.

With Tropico II well into development, would-be tyrants want to know what to expect. Well, it seems that irate pirates are on the horizon and set to plunder and pillage. In a recent interview with lead designer, Bill Spieth, Gamespy.com uncovered some buried treasure:

“The campaign begins with the future pirate king, the player’s alter ego, escaping from servitude on a plantation. In the campaign this character develops into the terror of the seas over several episodes.” – Bill Spieth for Gamespy.com

That doesn’t sound much like the original Tropico, to me. Can I still produce cigars and train corrupt police forces?

“I hope players feel they are playing a new game. Some of the differences are that the economy is based on robbery, not exports; most of what you produce on the island is used there, not sent to the docks;” – Bill Spieth for Gamespy.com

Indeed, it sounds like a whole new game. The graphics have a familiar, Tropico-like look with a Jolly Roger flying from the roof tops. This isn’t your ordinary sequel at all. Check out the entire interview here.

Warcraft III gets ice, ice baby

Blizzard has recently announced the official expansion for Warcraft III… The Frozen Throne (bet that’d feel nice on a hot August day). Details include more heroes, units, items and creeps, plus all-new campaigns. In fact, the story picks up shortly after the one in Warcraft III ends. Something about an undead guy who wants to rule the world and some other guys who are like “No way, dude!” Man, sounds great!

With the release of the expansion, we will get to lead armies across new terrain and? even encounter new neutral buildings, where upgrades and special abilities can be acquired. It’s all about more, more, more and as we know, Blizzard always delivers… big time. Want to know more? Check out the official Frozen Throne Web site.

Hands on with Unreal II

Gamespot got its hands on a final copy of Unreal II: The Awakening. This single-player game has been in the game-development oven for years and will be on shelves this week. Full reviews are certain to appear by Friday, but if you want an up-close look at what to expect, then check out the full preview. Here’s a snippet:

“…the visuals are particularly remarkable, at least a notch above the quality seen in Unreal Tournament 2003.” – Sam Parker at Gamespot.com

Wait, this just in: IGN.com has a full review of Unreal II: The Awakening. Is it as good as its hype? Check it out.