Daily News Spin — March 12, 2001 (Tuesday)

Daily Radar UK laying off staff?

The Register is reporting that up to 75% of the staff at Daily Radar UK is getting cut.

Eight people including the editor are believed to be on the way to a P45, although it is unknown why Future is scaling back the portal operation quite so dramatically.

There's no word on how this may affect the US Daily Radar, if at all.

Counter-Strike 1.1 released

It has a host of new tweaks and features, like a new spectator mode. You can get more information and the patch here.

Gamestock info

Well, the information's starting to roll out now from Gamestock. Microsoft has released information about some new Xbox and PC games. Here's the link to the official site.

Here's the list of Xbox titles:

Nightcaster
NFL Fever 2002
Halo
Fuzion Frenzy
Codename: Project Gotham
Azurik - Rise of Perathia
Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding
Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee

On the PC side we're getting:

Freelancer
Zoo Tycoon
Flight Simulator 2002
Sigma: The Adventures of Rex Chance
Dungeon Siege
MechCommander 2
Train Simulator

Zoo Tycoon is the only new PC announcement. We're underwhelmed by the Xbox titles. It's also not clear if Halo is coming to the PC or not. Daily Radar says we can expect a PC version to be "massively delayed" and that multiplayer on the Xbox will be done as a split-screen. Also, attendees at Gamestock were apparently shown footage of Halo. There's no indication that any kind of playable build was present.

What do you think? Are there any must have Xbox games in the list that will really sell the system? Post your thoughts in our forum.

Black & White any color but gold?

Just spotted a news story at computerandvideogames.com about Peter Molyneux skipping Gamestock because he's finishing up work on Black & White. This probably means that EA asked for some changes to a build that Lionhead hoped was a final.

The story also says that Molyneux was going to unveil a new game at Gamestock. This will have to wait now.

Derek Smart and EB team up

Derek and Electronic Boutique have eliminated the middleman. EB will sell Battlecruiser Millenium both in their stores and through their online store. Derek is self-publishing the game and assuming all the risk, including the cost of goods such as the box and manual.

No matter how you feel about Derek, he's pulled off quite a coup here. Our guess is that both he and EB are getting a healthier cut of each sale by eliminating a publisher like Interplay.

EA to lay off staff?

Both Fuckedcompany and Fatbabies are reporting rumors that EA will layoff 150-200 people. Given how lackluster sales of PS2 games have been, this won't be a big surprise. Remember, this is just a rumor, and Fatbabies is pretty unreliable. Fuckedcompany has a good track record though.

Waterloo gold

Strategy First sent us a press release announcing that Waterloo: Napoleon's Last Battle, developed by Breakaway Games has gone gold.

Based on the Sid Meier's Gettysburg engine, Waterloo brings back to life Napoleon's most memorable battle. With over 25 historical scenarios, the game features unique Orders of Battle, famous troop types, including dragoons, hussars, cuirassiers, as well as the Old and Young guard, and famous landmarks like the Hougoumont complex, La Haye Sainte and Plancenoit Church. The game also features over 60 historically accurate and hand painted uniforms that reflect the grandeur of the period.

Free games

USA Today has an article about where to grab some free games, such as MAME the arcade emulator and Steel Panthers.

Console sales in Japan

Famitsu International posts weekly Japanese sales figures for the console system. Something interesting happened with the price cut for the Dreamcast -- it outsold every other console system for the week of 02/26/2001 to 03/04/2001. Sega moved about 40,000 units, narrowly clipping Sony's wings, which sold about 38,000 PS2s.

Perhaps even more amazing, Gameboy Color still sold over 21,000 units, even though Gameboy Advance will be released in just a few weeks in Japan.

3am

"I was listening the other day to an ad, and the guy was saying the car he was selling was designed like a jet plane. And I said to myself, 'A jet plane is a beautiful thing. Sounds great.' Until I suddenly realized: What relationship does a jet plane have with a car that spends most of its time banging into fire hydrants on 59th street, or piddling along at eight miles an hour in cross-town traffic? Why, it shouldn't look like a jet plane at all! It should look like one of those rubber-bumpered things they have in amusement parks! That's the ideal car for traffic! What possible advantage would a jet plane have for a guy on Clark Street in Chicago? It would be like designing a house to look like a Spanish Galleon. Everybody likes the looks of those, so you might as well live in one."

That's Jean Shepherd, the late humorist best known for the great holiday movie Christmas Story about the boy who wants the Red Ryder BB Gun. He was also a well-known radio personality and wrote a number of funny books. The quote above is from something he wrote for Mad Magazine back in 1957.

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