Ascension day
Those of you who started drooling at the empty boxes of Ultima IX: Ascension on game-store shelves in the week before Christmas can stop now. Within a couple of weeks, those boxes should, contain the finished game. While Lord British's latest role playing game (RPG) was launched on schedule in the US, its UK release has been repeatedly put back, mainly because of an infestation of bugs, which Origin was forced to rectify Stateside with a series of increasingly large patches (the latest download is 6.4MB). The good news: the UK version, due in the first week of March, should be fully patched and ready to run. The bad news: Origin has discontinued the official technical noticeboard, so any unresolved issues will stay that way.
Wacky idea
Dick Dastardly, Muttley, Prof Pat Pending, the Anthill Mob et al are to get a long-overdue videogame outing as Infogrames goes to work on a Wacky Races game for the PlayStation. Taking the wheel of such fondly remembered vehicles as the Arkansas Chug-a-Bug and the Buzzwagon, players compete in a cheating, sign-swapping, short-cutting fight to the finish line. It is brimming with bonuses, jumps, secrets, weapons and gadgets.
Baldur's back
Interplay's follow-up to Baldur's Gate, Shadows of Amn, is set in the region to the south of the first game and its expansion, Tales of the Sword Coast. BG2 promises twice as many monsters, 130 new spells, new character races and classes, and 15 travelling companions. Whereas before you could train your characters only to a measly level 10, the new experience cap will allow you to beef up your fighters, mages and thieves as high as level 20. Best of all, you will be able to import your main character from the original game. So hold on to those savegames until autumn.
Lone gunman
The news that Valve Software's first-person shooter Half-Life is to gain a new lease of life on the Dreamcast has been tempered by Sega's admission that it is unlikely to feature a multiplayer option. But the single-player mode will boast a higher polygon count, improved lighting and effects, and a new mission starring everyone's favourite cannon-fodder, security guard, Barney.
Second call
Despite the lukewarm reception for empire-building Civilisation: Call To Power, Activision has revealed that plans are afoot for a Call To Power II. The latest entry should address some of the game-balance problems that afflicted its predecessor and offer new graphics, a refined interface, and a more sophisticated diplomatic system.
Next Bond
After the disappointment of Tomorrow Never Dies, Electronic Arts is pulling out all the stops to get things right for the next James Bond title, The World is Not Enough. EA has started recruiting level designers for the game, which will use the Quake III: Arena engine. The job ad posted on the web asks for candidates with expertise in 3D technology, proven teamwork skills and - that quality so rare in programmers these days - the ability to meet deadlines. Oddly, an in-depth knowledge of Denise Richards' vital statistics counts for nothing.
Cheap shot
Bruno Bonnell, president and chief executive officer of Infogrames, voiced the longstanding concerns of UK gamers at the Emerging Technologies Conference in Sheffield by calling for lower game prices. In a passionate but frustratingly vague speech, Bonnell expressed hopes that games would be selling for under £20 "in the near future". See you all at the cryogenics lab.
