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The Week Ending January 25, 2000

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Team Sports Games
It's a simple fact: While most of the industry pushes forward with trying to implement teamplay into first person action games, what happened to bringing traditional sports into the online realm? Sure, EA Sports games offer traditional head-to-head multiplayer, but why haven't we seen online leagues developing for sports such as hockey and football? If we can put 32 players in a deathmatch, why can't we put as many players into a virtual stadium and let them all work together as a football team? Just as we have online clans for Tribes, why don't we have online leagues developing for sports teams?
Yes, the idea of a virtual sporting event presents some inherent challenges: Every player isn't always going to be engaged in full-blown action, and there are always Internet lag issues on slower modems. But that doesn't mean an online league can't work.   EA Sports has experimented with ideas such as their online Madden League (which is still just a 2 player experience), but I can't wait for the day when we have a whole virtual stadium filled with players…and maybe even online spectators in the stands to cheer and jeer!
An Unreal Bonus
In the cutthroat game industry we find that publishers are often trying to scrounge every penny they can from gamers. So, when a developer decides to give a little something back to the online community, it's always a welcome treat.   In this case Epic Games, the developer of Unreal Tournament, has decided to release what is affectionately termed a "bonus pack" for their mega-hit action game.
Featuring new character models, new levels, and new relics (instant powerups, such as a health or speed increase on levels), if Epic had added a new weapon, most publishers would probably put this on a store shelf and call it a $20 add-on pack. The quality of the levels included in the pack remains to be seen (let's hope these aren't the rejected ones from the retail version), but fundamentally it's nice to see additional content being released for a game so soon after its release. (Note: The Bonus Pack is not yet released).
Next, read about the new Road Rash, and more >>>