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In its most recent newsletter, Spiderweb Software reaffirmed its tentative early December release for the RPG title Avernum 4. The latest in the Exile/Avernum series, Avernum 4 promises to be one of the biggest in the series with hundreds of quests, multiple overall goals, and a new game engine.

Yes, the long-awaited brand new game in the Avernum series is close to
completion. We hope to have the Macintosh version ready in the first
half of December, and the Windows version will be out 2-3 months after
that.

Even by Spiderweb Software standards, Avernum 4 is enormous. The whole
world of Avernum has been recreated in a new game engine. Hundreds of
quests, multiple overall goals, and many beloved characters are back!

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icculus.org notes the release of a recent hotfix update for America's Army. Set at version 2.5.0a, the fix addresses an issue with an auto-login bug that some players have been experiencing.

A hotfix for America's Army 2.5.0 on Mac OS X is available. This patch corrects a performance issue (that pesky "auto-login" bug); that is all.

America's Army 2.5.0a Mac Hotfix

icculus.org headlines - AA 2.5.0a Mac Hotfix Available

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America's Army: Special Forces 2.4 (add to watch list)

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The Sims 2 has received a recent update that addresses issues with Nvidia cards under OS 10.4.3. Set at version 1.0 Rev B, the following GPU fixes have been added:

• Fixed a rendering issue on computers equipped with NVidia GeForce FX 5200 video cards and Mac OS X 10.4.3. On these configurations, portions of the UI would disappear or fail to render completely. This was especially noticeable when the camera stopped moving.
  
• The startup preferences dialog now includes a check box labeled Optimized Rendering. In general, this option should be used as it provides the quickest rendering speed available. However, if your configuration experiences rendering problems, you should turn this option off.

MGF - The Sims 2 1.0 Rev B

Maxis (add to watch list)

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The Sims 2 (add to watch list)

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GameSpy has a preview of the computer version of Stubbs the Zombie. The preview dives into the similarities and differences between the computer and console version of the game.

The PC version of Stubbs is, predictably, very similar to the recently released console versions. The big difference is the control scheme and the fact that you don't get the two-player split screen mode on the PC. Other than that, it's the same game. The design of the game is extremely straightforward: you attack humans on the street and eat their brains. That's it. Eating brains not only speeds up Stubbs' self-healing powers, but also fills up his special attack meter which allows him to let loose with some nasty zombie gas that stuns everyone unlucky enough to get a whiff of it. Finally, after you dine on some poor soul's brain, he then turns into a zombie. Eat a person, create a zombie buddy!

GameSpy-Stubbs the Zombie Preview

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Stubbs the Zombie (add to watch list)

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Blizzard Entertainment has released another map for the popular fantasy real time strategy game Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. Called Justice, the small map is designed for intense one on one battles and centers around battling a cult.

Justice:

The Cult of the Damned was known for massacring remote villages to supply their ghoulish experiments with innocents. With aerial support you can send the lieutenants of their latest raid back to Hell.

Warcraft III: TFT Bonus Maps

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