Here's one for all you MMORPG addicts out there. The Everquest II beta will begin in June. Applications to take part will be accepted as of May 3, 2004 - 10 AM PDT, so check back on the beta page then!

Sumner Redstone, chairman of Viacom, has confirmed he intends to buy out Midway Games. Midway Games made a loss of US$14 million last financial year, more than the previous period where the company lost US$9.3 million.

Sumner Redstone is already the largest single shareholder, owning 49.3% of the company, and aims to purchase additional shares to take his holding to at least 60%.

Top 10 Java Downloads - March 2004

POS.	TITLE	DEVELOPER
1	Tetris	Ifone
2	Pub Pool	Iomo
3	Ea Sport Tm Fifa Football 2004 Mie	Digital Bridges
4	Pac Man	Namco
5	Moto Gp 2	THQ
6	Worms	THQ
7	Shoot N Splash	Mr Goodliving
8	Space Invaders	Digital Bridges
9	Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The Kings	Jamdat
10	Bomber Man	Living Mobile

Data Source: O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Vodafone

According to a report originating on 3D Gamers, Microsoft have cancelled development of Microsoft Train Simulator 2. The full statement is:

As you know, every business segment within Microsoft is responsible for continually evaluating its strategy and investments in all areas of the business to achieve operational efficiencies. At Microsoft Game Studios (MGS), we must continually evaluate our portfolio strategy and investments to ensure we are achieving our most important objectives of creating successful, platform driving titles for Windows gamers. In addition, Microsoft Games Studio must streamline game development operations to be more efficient and critically examine all projects in development to position the business for long-term success and profitability.

Microsoft Game Studios has cancelled the Windows-based game "Train Simulator 2.0." The decision to cancel "Train Simulator 2.0" was made some time ago and was based on a long, hard and difficult look at our business objectives and product offerings. We remain focused on the simulations category with successful, platform-driving franchises such as "Microsoft Flight Simulator."

(article by Media Create)

Total sales for the TOP 100 this week amounts to approx. 912,000 units, which represents 78.23% of the total for the last week and 78.23% of the weekly average. Though the software market has not reached the level of weekly average, favorable performance of new releases such as "Derby Stallion 04" has put a period on the declining market trends lasted for the past 2 weeks.

There were 13 new titles made it into the rankings this week. #1 "Derby Stallion 04" (approx. 297,000) and "Muscle Man Generations" (approx. 84,000 units) have stood out amongst other new releases this week. As for other new releases, "Mega Man Zero 3" (about 39,000 units), "Crimson Tears" (about 32,000 units) and "Mario Golf: Advance Tour" (about 28,000 units) have ranked high in the charts. Share of new releases was quite high at 58.78% of the total unit sales, and the market shifted mainly around the new releases.

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Sega Europe has announced that Team17 is currently working on the next Worms game for PC, Xbox and PS2 - Worms Forts Under Siege.

LONDON, UK – 29 April, 2004 – SEGA Europe Ltd, today announced the development of Worms Forts Under Siege, the latest title in Team 17's hugely entertaining Worms franchise. Worms Forts Under Siege is underway for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox® video game system from Microsoft® and the PC, and will be unveiled at E3 2004, May 12-14, on the SEGA stand – Room 151, Concourse Hall, Los Angeles Convention Center.

Since history began, castles have provided the backdrop to some of the most dramatic battles of all time... and in Worms Forts Under Siege, now it's your turn to take part in your own epic struggle, pitting fort against fort, worm against worm, and Catapult against Trojan Donkey!

Unleashing destruction on a scale never seen before in a Worms game, take personal command of your worm garrison and battle your way through time... from Ancient Egypt, to the epic struggle for Troy, facing the might of the Samurai, or aiding King Arthur in his knightly quest! You'll need skill, strategy and a healthy dose of Worms attitude if you want to master all 30 different weapons, and unlock the huge array of hidden maps, speech banks, missions, and challenges.

Word has come from Atari and Reflections that the hotly anticipated Driv3r has slipped again, and is now due for release on the PS2 and Xbox on the 21^st of June, rather than the first.

Larian have released a patch for their recently released game, Beyond Divinity.
This brings the version number up to 1.32. Issues addressed by the patch are as follows:

A/ Bugfixes in V 1.32

• Fixed enter battlefields for after the game ends


• Fixed issue where character is invisible when entering battlefields


• Fixed Hurricane skill book


• Fixed Inventory Issues with summoning dolls


• Fixed Possible crash with summoning dolls


• Fixed crash with music in battlefields


• Fixed Aperture skill crash


• Fixed Arrow damages


• Fixed sight skill


• Fixed whirlwind skill with ranged weapons and Summoning dolls


• Fixed Curse Icons


• Fixed Age Objects


• Fixed a problem with curses and equipment


• Act3: Ball in well quest now marked as completed in quest log when quest is done.


• Act2: Luck mushroom now gives boost to luck


• Act3: Necromancer quest in wastelands: Henry now looks like a man instead of a woman.


• Act3: Raanaar quest to kill monster in cave no longer disappears from quest log when completed.


• Act5: Battlefield quests now regenerate correctly when entering a new battlefield through the portals in the temple at the end of the game. This will not be automatically fixed for savegames allready in act5. Act 4 must be finished again to start act 5 all over again, this will work with an already existing savegame from act 4.


• Act3: 4 chests with 4 keys, 1 of them now opens when taking a key.


• Act3: Find cure for man turning into crystal quest now marked as completed in questlog when done.


• Act3: Teleporters are no longer removed at the beginning of act 3.


• Act1: Archer quest no longer appears in quest log for no reason.


• Act2: Imp hero admirers scene no longer hangs sometimes.


• Act3: Earth elemental with gem of teleporter no longer hangs the game sometimes.


• Act2: Necromancer quest little village, can now enter house which was previously not accessible.


• Act2: Necromancer quest little village, can now talk to all children after rescuing them.


• Act3: Serrick quest reward is now given


• Act3: Magical gloves scene in soldier camp now also triggered when dk picks up gloves


• Act4: Placing teddy bear in cradle now gives experience


• Fixed magic lightbeam bug


• Fixed Bug with game not loading properly on Windows Xp (Load bar till 50%)


• Fixed interface problems


• Fixed Summoning doll resistance skill


• Fixed an issue with teleport traps


• Battlefield dungeon flags are disabled now


• Fixed/Balanced some various skill issues

• Improved some skill balancing


• Raised Gold for traders

Funcom have announced a special spring campaign for their MMORPG Anarchy Online. Newcomers to the game will be able to download the game and sign up for a greatly reduced fee of 4.95 USD/EUR for the first thirty days.

In a bid to attract leavers back to the game, Funcom are also extending an invitation to players with cancelled accounts to pick them back up again at 4.95 USD/EUR for the first thirty days. This offer is open to all players that ended the game in good standing prior to 1st January 2004.

With an even better value, previous players also get the chance to buy an upgrade to the Deluxe Edition of Anarchy Online with 30 days of game time included for only 14.95 USD/EUR. This is a savings of 29.95 USD/EUR. The normal pricing is 44.90 (29.95 for the upgrade and 14.95 for 30 days).

Anarchy Online - Deluxe Edition includes:

- Anarchy Online
(Online Game Of The Year 2001 PC Gamer US)

- Anarchy Online - Notum Wars
Expansion pack of the year 2002, Computer Gaming World

- Anarchy Online - Shadowlands
Expansion pack of the year 2003, IGN.com
11 Editor's Choice Awards, 87% review score average

The offers end on 1st of June 2004, 12:00 CET, midday European time.

Midway Games have announced that a sequel to the dark Japanese turn based RPG Shadow Hearts is scheduled for release in North America and Europe towards the end of the year. The game is already available in Japan, and is known there as Shadow Hearts 2, developed and published by Aruze Corporation.

"We are very excited to be bringing a role-playing adventure of this magnitude to the European market," said Matt Broughton, International Marketing Director, Midway. "Shadow Hearts: Covenant is a massive RPG experience, with considerable production value. Gamers can expect a two-DVD extravaganza, with quality, story-driven gameplay throughout."

Set during World War I in a fantastical world of magic and creatures, the game takes place over a year after the original Shadow Hearts ended. Yuri, the main character is back, and he embarks on a new expedition with friends Gepetto and Kallen, a German female soldier. Yuri's morphing abilities have been weakened because he has been cursed by Nicholas, a member of a secret cult taking advantage of the war to fulfill their evil ambitions of ruling the world. Yuri and his companions must journey to find a cure for his curse and defeat the malevolent cult.

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