I'll get into the game tests later, when I have looked into them further.
Some news in case you have missed it :
Microsoft releases the first details on its third-person squad-based shooter for the Xbox.
Although the game has appeared on a variety of official Microsoft release lists for some time, little information was known to date about the first-party Xbox game Brute Force. That has changed as Microsoft has announced that the game is a futuristic third-person shooter where players assume control over a squad of mercenaries. At any one time the player will be controlling one of the squad members, while the three remaining members are AI controlled. With the tap of a button players can switch between the individual squad members, which include an assault trooper named Tex, a cyborg-enhanced sniper known as Flint, a stealthy scout called Hawk, and a powerful alien named Brutus. Additionally, at any point, players can also issue a variety of commands to the AI-controlled squad members.
The game's levels are based in four unique worlds. They are the volcanic moon of Shadoon, which is filled with magma; the desert world of Caspian, where several colonies and outposts are located; the Feral homeworld of Ferix, which has giant marshes and swamps; and the outpost of Shrike, a barren landscape hiding a myriad of tunnels and possessing an atmosphere that is slightly harmful to humans. A wide variety of weapons will also be available in the game. Weapons such as miniguns, sonic cannons, flamethrowers, and psychic blasts and accessories like stealth suits and infrared goggles are available in Brute Force.
Featuring a four-player multiplayer mode, Brute Force will be released for the Xbox in spring 2002.
Another bit of news:
X01 Europe: Peter Molyneux shows BC for the Xbox
Peter Molyneux announces a second exclusive Xbox game from a Lionhead satellite at the X01 Europe event in France.
Lionhead Studios' Peter Molyneux today announced an exclusive Xbox game called BC. The game is being developed by Lionhead's satellite studio Intrepid Games, which is based in the UK. BC was shrouded in mystery for a long time, but it is now known that the game is set in a prehistoric world and can be described as an innovative action game. BC takes some liberties with prehistoric history, and its gameplay boils down to humanity's struggle for survival in a hostile environment populated by deadly dinosaurs and primates. According to Intrepid Games, BC unfolds in a dynamic simulated environment that features a high level of interactivity. The player must unite isolated factions of humankind and create and sustain a new tribal culture. The game emphasizes the use of the natural world, as players must develop the innate skills of each member of the tribe to defeat a simian race. Very exciting game, trust me put it on your lists for next Fall, and XBOX exclusive, sweet.
Malice is slightly renamed and gets a new release date
Argonaut's action-adventure game starring a female heroine wielding a mechanical hammer will arrive late next year.
Vivendi Universal has officially confirmed its agreement with European developer Argonaut Games to publish Malice for multiple console platforms. According to Vivendi Universal, the game, which is now officially titled Malice: Kat's Tale, will be released for the Microsoft Xbox and an unannounced console. It is highly likely that the unnamed console is the PlayStation 2, as Argonaut, in a financial statement released in August, listed Sony's console as a potential home for the game. But XBOX or PS2, you do the math, you get the point.
Sierra, the Vivendi Universal label responsible for the game's publishing duties, plans to release both console versions of Malice: Kat's Tale next fall.
Sierra and Argonaut announce that the upcoming SWAT: Global Strike Team will be released for the Xbox and an unnamed console.
Vivendi Universal has confirmed that SWAT: Global Strike Team, the game formerly known as Kleaners, will indeed be released on the Microsoft Xbox. The company will also bring the game to an unannounced console. Both versions will be released under the company's Sierra label. SWAT: GST is a first-person tactical combat title that, according to Sierra, combines the strategic elements of SWAT 3 with the fast-paced shooting action of arcade games such as Sega's Virtua Cop. In the game, players become a member of the Global Strike Team, which is established in the year 2020 to help countries and organizations around the globe resolve a variety of situations involving the protection and rescue of innocent lives.
"SWAT: GST takes advantage of groundbreaking work for the Xbox already underway by Argonaut," said Adam Fossa, brand manager at Sierra. "Their new SWAT engine has been designed from the ground up to give the game its own distinct look and feel. Some of the stylistic variations developed for the game include hard-edged shadows, allowing for an almost limitless number of lights and shadows in any given scene, and photo-realistic film filter, which gives SWAT its distinctive true-to-life look."
Both console versions of SWAT will be released in fall 2002. Among Argonaut's other projects is the action game Orchid, which was shown as part of the original Xbox demo reel, and two unannounced games that will be released exclusively for Microsoft's console.
Sweet games are coming that are even better than this first batch, it really is a good time to be into games.
). Infiltrator has a really cool concept: It will have four cooperations battling it out with various spies (the players) in a slightly futuristic setting. The catch is the cooperations choose you, not the other way around. Warzone Online will also support online, and I think/hope the next Worms game will have online. Also many games (as soon as the onlines up) will have downloadable units, maps, characters, levels, whatever that you can store on your hard drive. And with an Ethernet connection, downloads will be quick as lightning. Ahh, the 'BOX. 
