I have reviewed the frankyl amazing AudioSurf over on my full blog right here.

In short - it rule :D

Also my preview of World of Goo is lying about right here.

Both great games :D

Here follows an excerpt from my recent interview with C&C3's Community Manager Apoc. The whole thing is Exclusive to cncnation.net

9. Are there any plans for a continuation or rebirth of the Red Alert series? (fair question, how do you answer?)

We spent a lot of time waiting and making sure that the time was right to bring about the second decade of Command & Conquer to the fans. Now that it's here, I can't say whether Red Alert 3 will be part of this rebirth of C&C, but I can tell you that we're constantly reading the message boards and making sure that we're delivering on all the C&C fans desires. After all, we're all major fans of Command & Conquer here at EALA too!

This is a really detailed in-depth interview and can be read over at cncnation.net

First blog here for quite a while, and i'm going to have a chat about EA's release methods for Command and Conquer 3. (in some ways this applies to many other publishers)

 

EA released C&C3 as ever, via shops...and also by EA Link. For those not in the know EA Link is EA's Online Content Delivery System, similar to Steam...just a buggier version.

So the game was meant to be released on the 28th in the US(and maybe Australia too) and the 30th in the rest of the world. Must note that those who purchased via EA Link would only get access to the game according to their region. So no early access for UK gamers who purchased the game via Link. This has caused confusion for those who didn't realise this would happen.

Another issue is that C&C3 was actually released on the 27th in the US via Link and some stores. We have all heard about release dates being pushed back but this was a rare instance of the game coming out earlier than scheduled, and with it being planned by the Publishers.

So the US get the game a day before planned release, as do some people in the EU where stores in some countries decided to sell the game early.

Yet again, us in the UK get screwed over. Can't EA ensure supply chains are set-up as they should be so they can do a simultaneous worldwide release? Apparently not.

This may just be a small issue that i am talking about more than it deserves, but it must be noted that similar happened with STALKER coming out a couple of days in the UK after the US launch.

Surely this just encourages pirating of games? People who don't want to wait a few days knowing US gamers are playing already may in some cases resort to pirating. This happened with STALKER, as soon as people got the game before the UK release they would start getting hacks and cracks on torrent sites.

Surely and caring Publisher will do a Universal launch to give everyone a fair crack at the whip to play the game.

Good to be back blogging!

Things are strangely quiet on the C&C News Front. No podcast/newsletter for quite a while now..i wonder what EALA are getting up to. Just hope we get a nice big update when they finally do get the new stuff out to us!

Evo

Just read the GameSpot news on this game, and looks like a WWII game that i would love to play! Fight on the US soil in an environment not set in present day :D

Looking good i must say

Set up a Union anyone?

Just come off of a BF2 Clan Match. It was a hastily arranged friendly match with a clan not to be named. We were playing Infantry Only rules which meant:
No Commanders
No Vehicles
No C4/Mine/Claymore's

Easy eh?

No. Yet again we came up against a clan who constantly bunny hopped and dolphin dived their way accross the map and onto my 'List of Doom' I honest to god get so pissed off with clans who can't play the game it is meant to be played, if it wasn't for my Clan Decorum and sense of decency I would have just disconnected.

The blatant breaking of what the developers intend for the game is an act of contempt for the game. Maybe it is just me and my British sense of decency and cries of 'That's just not cricket!' but their behaviour and that of other clans i have faced is what makes the game a miserable experiance for me

Oh and the fact that some of us on our clan TS were getting suspicious of other factors, i.e half a clip of the AK-101 to the head with no result and being killed with one M16 shot to the head after they turn around screams to me of the CSS fiend, Rate Hacking.

Thanks and goodnight,
-=256=-Evo_Wales

So got my A level results the other week
B in History
D in Politics
D in Computing

Would've prefered better, but hey it got me into Uni to study Modern History and Politics. It is a local one so will be able to stay home and keep tabs on the C&C Union and ensure it is all up to date with C&C3 info :D

Talking of C&C3 the newest stuff we have had from Leipzig is very good, the game seems to be shaping up nicely especially with the return of oh great Joe Kucan as Kane!

Just a shame Frank Klepacki couldn't return for the music though :(

More C&C, my site cncnation is doing well, the main page is live and it is as ever up-to-date with all the latest C&C news..just need more people to join! Looking at all the C&C union peeps here!

Recently played the Company of Heroes singleplayer beta having missed out on getting a CD-Key for the multiplayer beta, but after playing some singelplayer action and reading the PCGamer 94% review i can firmly say that this game will rock!

In teh land of BF2 i am still slogging my way up to Sergeant Major, another 6000 odd points needed, but the good news is that my KD ratio is getting better all the time :D

One gripe i do have though is that the BF2142 Beta was only available to FilePlanted subs. Can't really be bothered forking out $10-15 or whatever it is just to play a beta of the game, will wait for the public beta, cheaper

That's about it for now i think, blog again soon ya'll
cevan04 aka Evo

p.s I want a name change!

I goddamn hate forums sometimes!

Down at cncnation had some dude sign up and PM everyone i think some f**king gay porn and crappy advertisements!

Also recently had some dude come along and start posting in every board about some bogus 'offers'

Why do they bother attacking such a small community like mine?

Bah humbug!

Some of the best news for ages, the fabled Command and Conquer series is to return to grace our PC's once more.

Indications of more C&C were founded when EA released the 'First Decade' of C&C collection, naturally one assumes there will be a Second Decade. And sure enough, there will be thanks to PC Gamer US for early release of deatails, then EA releasing the news of a new C&C game for 2007.

I am personally very happy they have returned to the Tiberium GDI vs NOD universe (one that i never got into enough, but thoroughly enjoyed C&C Tiberium Sun) While more Red Alert would have been amazing, i think if we take stock, a return to the series' roots is the best move on EA's behalf after the disappointing Generals.

Here's to Command and Conquer guys! :D

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Well, looks like a good year ahead for PC gaming, many awesome new titles in the works.

The main game to catch my eye is Spore, seems destined to be one, if not THE most innovative PC games of the year (assuming it comes out this year)

BF2 seems to be getting ever better, a new patch in the works out soon that the community hopes will fix many bugs and enhance the gaming experiance overall. However, the much debated 'booster packs' give us more reasons to question EA's motives with the Battlefield brand. Are they going to continue expanding the brand in new interesting ways and work with the community, or will they sit back on their success and let the money pour in from us punters.

Moving on we have STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl, a game that is sure to be reaching a DNF legacy, that is unless the dev's actually give us some in game footage and hard details on a release date, not just a rough idea from THQ.

The new Medal of Honour seems to be shaping up nicely, EA appear to be taking a new approach to a much maligned game in recent outings. Hopefully they can reinstill the freshness that gamers are yearning for, and maybe even knock CoD2 off the WWII top spot.

This year also will see the major launch of Episodic Gaming, with Vavle recently confirming that Aftermath will be called Half-Life 2: Episode One, this seems to be the way the gaming industry is moving with Sin Episodes another highly expected title. Episodic Gaming also ties in the new online-delivery system that was grasped with open hands by Valve and their Steam tech. EA has now followed on releasing BF2: Special Forces as a download and in the shops, and the new booster packs on downloads only.

Creative Assembly, makers of the critically acclaimed Total War series plan to release one more Rome expansion, called 'Alexander' via an online delivery system, though details are few and far between on how they will manage this. Creative Assembly have also announced Medieval Total War 2 a move praised by fans of the series eager to gain revenge on the Papacy.

Other points of interest are two new game engines set to lock horns over the coming months, Epic's new UE3 engine with UT2007 as the lead title, and Crytek's Crysis engine due a couple of months after UE3. While UE3 will most certainly set the standard of game engines for the near future, Crysis may topple it with plans to utilise the latest incarnation of DirectX due for release with Vista.