Max Payne: The Next Great Anti-Hero

That's the title of PC Gamers "Exclusive Scoop" in the just out May issue (Vol. 8, No. 5)--just look for Max Payne on the cover.

Us and Remedy (the developers) have kept fairly quiet about this game during it's three years of development, but PC Gamer twisted our arms out-of-socket, finally convincing us and Remedy into giving them the first ever extensive hands-on look at the game, and here's a few juicy quotes from their six-page article:

"Defiantly original, soaked in style, fiendishly well-written, and sporting one sequence of jaw-dropping action after another, Max Payne will be the most talked-about action game since Half-Life."

"The darkest, meanest, and most entertaining action game in years is almost here, and PC Gamer can now say with authority that it will have been worth the wait."

"...the actual gameplay is flat-out brilliant."

"Max Payne is simultaneously an absorbing crime drama, a stunning visual achievement of cinematic ambition, and a relentlessly rewarding shoot-'em-up."

"The game's introductory 'mission' is a brutal tour de force that will guarantee your rapt attention over the dozens of hours that follow."

"Story is the bedrock of Max Payne. Yeah, it's chock full of mind-blowing gunplay. But at every turn, a new and clever piece of noir storytelling will motivate you forward and illuminate the action."

"Being in control of when you dive and roll in slo-mo gives you an inventive advantage over your opposition...[and] also happens to be the most frickin' cool device ever employed in an action game."

"Everything is destructible, and comes apart realistically...You've never played action sequences with this level of demolition."

"Insanely fun. The most involving, innovative action game you've played in years...the dawn of genuinely compelling storytelling in the action genre."

The article goes into great depth and detail, and includes many new screen shots. Be sure to check it out at a newsstand near you!

Posted by Joe Siegler at 3:00 PM

DNF Programmer Joins Team

A week or two ago, we had posted a job opening for two programmers to join 3D Realms. They were both filled fairly quickly (within 48 hours), and the first of the two programmers has hit 3D Realms headquarters. He stopped in at 3DR HQ long enough to say Hi, and then head back home to pack up his stuff to move here. He had just a minute to fill out a web bio for us, and have his picture taken, you can check that out here.

He's not actually here at the moment, he's still moving - we'll have more on him when he gets back. The other programmer hasn't gotten here yet, but once he's here, we'll post info on him, too.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 3:45 PM

Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project

A couple of days ago, Gamespot posted a news article about a game called "Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project". Here is the text of their article:

ARUSH Entertainment has announced that it will release Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project this fall. In the game, Duke Nukem will try to save New York City from the evil plans of his original enemy, Dr. Proton. The famous action hero will have to defeat a variety of mutants before taking on the final boss. According to ARUSH, the game will include all of the action and personality that made the Duke Nukem series famous. Players familiar with the previous games in the Duke Nukem series will recognize the humor, weapons, and creatures featured in Manhattan Project. The third-person action-adventure game is currently in development at Sunstorm Interactive, and it will be published episodically over the Internet. The first episode will be available for free download, and each additional episode will be available for a small fee.

There is also a press release about this title available - we have a copy of it here on our web site. Check it out.

As usual, the release date for this game is "When it's done" (despite any predictions you might see in news articles or press releases ). Look to our site soon for more information on this title.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 3:45 PM

Duke Nukem Cartoon

No, the game has not gone gold, despite what the 'toon shown to your right says.

This is a scan of a cartoon from the April 2001 issue of PC Gamer magazine. It was drawn by Scott Kurtz, who does the PVP Online Comic site.

You can click on the picture here to see the entire toon that was in the PC Gamer magzine. You can also visit the PVP Online home page for more toons by Mr. Kurtz.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 5:35 PM

Seperated at Birth

Today we bring you another entry in the not-all-that-frequently updated series of ours, "Separated at Birth". Today, our contestant is Ruben Cabrera! And who do we have behind Door #1? That's right - it's Oliver Platt!

Is this Oliver Platt? Is this Ruben Cabrera (of the Ruben and the Overlords of the Code Monkeys fame)? Check out our Separated at Birth page to be sure!

Posted by Joe Siegler at 5:00 PM

Commander Keen Lives!

Not all that long ago, we ran a historical piece on Commander Keen, tracing it's original creation, the creation of id Software 10 years ago, and had this text in it:

Will there ever been more Keen? Probably. When will it be? Who knows? There are no plans on the books for anything official at this point. id Software still owns the rights to Commander Keen, and given the direction and focus their company has now, you can bet they wouldn't be likely to do more Keen on their own.

Well, that text is now both right and wrong. It's wrong in that there has been an announcement of a new Commander Keen game made! Announced today in a press release was a new Commander Keen game for the Color Gameboy! Here's a bit from the press release:

Commander Keen marks a return to id Software's roots -- developing over-the-top, comic book-style adventure games for kids. Based on id's original Commander Keen series on the PC, Commander Keen finds precocious 8-year-old superhero Billy Blaze on an all-new quest to save the world from his alien adversaries, the Droidiccus, Shikadia and Bloogs of Fribbulus Xax.

id CEO Todd Hollenshead made a a .plan update which has basically the same information about the game.

That's about all the information there is available on it for now. Once there is more to tell about the new title, we'll cover it - but one final thing. Please don't email us about the title, Apogee/3D Realms are not involved in the creation of this game.

However, we are still selling the original 5 Keen games - if you've never played them, go check out our Keen Vorticons & Keen Galaxy - there you can see screenshots, read some about the game, and download shareware for them!

UPDATE @ 4:45PM! - An email to id CEO Todd Hollenshead confirms these facts about the game:

* It's for the Color Gameboy only.
* It's simply called "Commander Keen" (with no subtitle)
* Keen fans will recognize familiar foes, as well as getting new ones.
* It's a joint effort between David Palmer Productions and id.
* Adrian Carmack, one of the original Commander Keen team has done some new art for the game.

UPDATE #2 @ 4:50PM! - Stomped has posted a Q&A with Todd about the new Keen game announcement - check it out. While not many details are revealed, it's still a cool read.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 4:15 PM