We have been talking about how JA would be in danger of being overshadowed by HL2 and Doom3, especially HL2 if it arrived Sept 30th.

- Doom 3 'not a 2003 game' (as already reported here (http://www.homelanfed.com/index.php?id=15762) ) - is not definitive, but puts the game as late this year or early next year. (I never believed Doom 3 would be out before December anyway, despite a couple of October 2nd release date predictions from retailers)

- Half Life 2 Delayed: here's the link (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/halflife2/news_6072668.html) there isn't much to the article, but it seems that they are still keeping to a calenday year 2003 release projection.

I've been saying here that I had a feeling that HL2 would be delayed.

So ... now if JA makes mid-Sept, it will have a while to 'rule the roost': EFII is dead, Breed - who cares anymore, Tron 2.0 will be small, and HL2 and Doom 3 are holiday games, and Deus Ex 2 isn't due until November. That gives JA quite a bit of breathing room. Of course, MoH:Breakthrough will be out, and its' MP will likely be more popular than JA (WWII shooter MP's are all the rage right now). But it will at least get the visibility it needs.

Mike

www.splashdamage.com)

splash damage was just confirmed as the level maker for D3 mp. granted a lot can be done in a short time, but I find it hard to buy the design and testing on mp will all be done by the end of 2004.

I think it's pretty safe to say D3 is a 2004 game.

Originally posted by FK | unnamed
www.splashdamage.com)

I think it's pretty safe to say D3 is a 2004 game.

Maybe its' time for me to start earning interest on the money I've got sitting aside for HL2 and Doom 3 ... ;)

Mike

don't forget duke forever...

nah I really see the september release as a smart move on many levels.

Christmas is always dominated by console sales so a winter release would not be too wise. Granted a HL2 or DOOM3 could pull off strong winter sales but I really don't see any other game (even a Quake 4 release) being able to compete with the console holiday frenzy.

and correct me if I'm wrong, but JA console posts hit like a month or two after the pc right?

That puts it right in the middle of the holiday console sale rush and will help the franchise reach an even larger market.

Originally posted by FK | unnamed
don't forget duke forever...

Ha ha ... !!

Originally posted by FK | unnamed
Christmas is always dominated by console sales so a winter release would not be too wise. Granted a HL2 or DOOM3 could pull off strong winter sales but I really don't see any other game (even a Quake 4 release) being able to compete with the console holiday frenzy.

and correct me if I'm wrong, but JA console posts hit like a month or two after the pc right?

That puts it right in the middle of the holiday console sale rush and will help the franchise reach an even larger market.

In the 'Games we're looking forward to' from GameSpy at the beginning of this year (end of last year?) it said Quake 4 was estimated ~Nov 2004 based on Doom 3 coming December 2003.

Very good observations in terms of consoles - not being a console gamer I don't think about them. But it is very true - let HL2 and Doom3 have that sompetition, and JA enjoy the fall - and JA on XBox get some holiday attention.

Mike

This is good news for the DF/JK franchise. JA is more likely to escape an also ran status. I hope it does well and they pick up the HL engine for the next round.

I read about the character's name though - I don't think that's such a great thing - I hope they're not going to now follow this character like they did Kyle. I hope in the next one you can choose your own name.

Without a fixed character name, you don't get much character development.

Also, HL2 is actually not delayed, that turned out to be false.

Originally posted by Emon
Without a fixed character name, you don't get much character development.

Also, HL2 is actually not delayed, that turned out to be false.

I agree with the character name thing - while I had hoped to make my own name, that would have very much limited personal interaction. Being called Padawan or Jedi in general is OK, but Luke and Kyle are going to refer to you more personally than that ...

As for HL2 ... I'm still thinking it won't be on time - I know there was some Gabe Newell on-line response posted to a forum somewhere ... something tells me that what Vivendi said is more likely. Kind of like Doom 3.

Mike

Without a fixed character name, you don't get much character development.

That can be a two edged sword - afterall RPG's usually let you choose your own name - and they're pretty much all about character development. I agree there might be some issues in dialogue, but nothing insurmountable. NeverWinter Nights seemed to get around it okay.

I understand why they did what they did - I hope it doesn't start to get confusing when the next JK game comes out - are you Jaden or Kyle - or someone else that they make-up at the academy? That kind of happened with EF and EFII.

I'd like to have an expansion pack or something called Jedi Knight: Jedi Master - where you start off with kick-ass powers - have fewer level ups - but have very difficult and tricky levels. Something that really concentrated on building difficult levels (not just sending 40 troopers at you).

Yes, a sequel seems to be in...jeopardy...hanging on an imbalance...because...they can either let you start over as another Jedi Wannabe (which would be repetitive), or let you play as the same character name, but then you'd start off with full Force...which would be...untraditional, to say the least.

Also...I dunno about the fixed name. I mean, sure, no problem with thr game giving you a name-means all the dialogue will be voiced over. However, the same name for humans, Rodians, Twi'leks, and Zabrak alike? Oh well, means the install size will be smaller.

i don't think we'll see anything of duke forever till 2010 lol. im not that much of a hardcore gamer, my friend said they said they would release it like 4 years ago lol. (i just clock the occational good game, JA is really the first game i've ever been in eager anticipation for :))

hopefully there will be no last minute delays on JA, then again i hope they don't cut corners just to meet the release date...

cyas!

i just hope it gets here before i am bald

Originally posted by Emon
Without a fixed character name, you don't get much character development.

Also, HL2 is actually not delayed, that turned out to be false.

Nope ... the 'not delayed' is what turns out to be false. Check out PlanetHalfLife:

Half-Life 2 Delay: Follow-Up _ 1 Comments
7/30/2003 15:04 PST | Half-Life 2 | by Fragmaster
Just a follow-up on yesterday's Half-Life 2 delay story: to clear things up, we have confirmed directly with Vivendi Universal that there is a delay. We've even double checked. Valve has yet to send an official confirmation or denial either way on this, and other sites are reporting that there isn't a delay based on alleged email answers Gabe Newell sent to random fans. In some cases, these mails are obviously forged.

Yes, Valve is developing Half-Life 2 and they have control over when the game is declared finished, but Vivendi is responsible for publishing the game and actually getting it in stores. And that entire quality assurance, duplication, packaging, and distribution process takes time. So Vivendi has a little bit of say in the matter too, wouldn't you say?

Now, if there really wasn’t a delay, Valve could have easily sent a two line press release out telling everybody that everything was right on schedule. But they haven’t. And considering the original Half-Life, TF2, TFC, the HL SDK, Steam, CS: CZ, and pretty much every other project Valve has been involved with has suffered delays of various lengths, this latest setback shouldn’t be surprising.

Really, this isn’t a big deal, as we should still get the game this year. Valve doesn’t want to push a crappy version of Half-Life 2 out the door just for the sake of meeting some arbitrary deadline, and I’m sure they won’t ship Half-Life 2 until it is ready.

As always, we’ll attempt to keep you posted. "

Mike

Okay, that's just ****ed up. I'll just find out on September 30th.

I had hoped that the delay wasn't true. Damn shame. Thanks for the updated info.

I don't want it to seem I [b]want[/] HL2 delayed ... I don't. I would also have been happy if IGN's date of Oct 2nd for Doom3 was true ... I don't mind having all of them stacked up waiting to play. I'm just thinking of the competitive landscape - it isn't a zero-sum game, but as many here have pointed out, the majority of the target audience have limited discretionary income ...

Mike

Here is the link http://www.homelanfed.com/index.php?id=16007) stating that they are still 'working toward' Sept 30th.

We'll see ...

Mike

Even if HL 2 is delayed it will still give a lot of JK3 modders time to get some work done, hopefully some cool stuff will come out. I for one will be getting both games but i feel i will be spending more time with JK3 as i have quite a few ideas for mods and levels for it.:D

As for Tron 2.0, man that game is gonna be quite huge actually. The tron fanbase is large (myself included) as well and i hear they are gonna make a decision on whether to make another movie based on the sales of this game. The game itself looks simply awesome and makes JK3's quake engine look rather aged.

Now i'm not bashing JK3 as it is my favorite series of games so don't flame me. Even if those other games came out at the same time i think you would find that a majority of the people would still buy and play JK3 if not sooner than later.

Originally posted by Tyler_Durden
Even if HL 2 is delayed it will still give a lot of JK3 modders time to get some work done, hopefully some cool stuff will come out. I for one will be getting both games but i feel i will be spending more time with JK3 as i have quite a few ideas for mods and levels for it.:D

As for Tron 2.0, man that game is gonna be quite huge actually. The tron fanbase is large (myself included) as well and i hear they are gonna make a decision on whether to make another movie based on the sales of this game. The game itself looks simply awesome and makes JK3's quake engine look rather aged.

Now i'm not bashing JK3 as it is my favorite series of games so don't flame me. Even if those other games came out at the same time i think you would find that a majority of the people would still buy and play JK3 if not sooner than later.

I'll not flame you - but I don't really agree, either. The Q3 engine is certainly not cutting edge, but games using it still look quite good (Elite Force II, for example), as I'm sure Jedi Academy will.

Tron 2.0 is a very interesting game, but it intentionally has that early 80's look about it ... nice glow and blocky textures, but all updated. I don't know how large the fanbase it ... the film was really a cult phenomenon amongst us techno-geeks back then, and has stayed out of the mainstream since. Maybe it is bigger than I think ...

Mike

Interesting observations. JA might be lucky in release. I was originally concerned about the competition likewise.

JA isn't going to have trouble with sales I think. It's Star Wars, it will sell. JO was one of the best sellers among games like MoH:AA last year.

Tron 2.0 is a very interesting game

I just played the Tron demo and it was a lot of fun. The disc battles and ability system they've set up is really cool - reminded me of Deus Ex. If it's got a good story, I think this will be one of the great games of the fall and will probably compete pretty heavily with JA - even though it is a SW game.

By the way - this could be an argument for a demo (though this has been discussed ad nauseum).

Marketing is an interesting thing ... Half Life 2 has gotten tons of mind-share from releasing the same stuff they showed at E3, but in snippets and at high resolution. Not bad, eh ... ? Good way to keep the interest and attention without actually doing anything.

Mike

I know that Rebel Strike came up here ... here is something interesting from IGN:


August 01, 2003 - Publisher LucasArts Entertainment today confirmed reports that those who pre-order Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike would receive an extra bonus disc with special features and demos on it.
The Bonus disc will include all of the following, according to LucasArts:


A one-level demo of Hoth from Rebel Strike
A playable demo of the gladiator-RPG Gladius
A Rogue Leader demo
A Rogue Leader trailer
And best of all, the entire 1982 arcade game Star Wars in fully emulated glory
Other bonus material
Contrary to erroneous retailer reports, the demo disc offer will be available a decent span of time ahead of the completed Rebel Strike release.

Producer Brett Tosti of LucasArts noted, "Consumers who preorder Rebel Strike will receive a free demo disc that contains the playable Hoth level, the Star Wars coin-op game, and other bonus material."

There has also been some inquiry into exactly why Factor 5 and LucasArts decided to include the old Atari arcade game on the preorder disc. Factor 5's director and CEO, Julian Eggebrecht had this to say: "We wanted to give gamers another taste of the classic Star Wars experience. Plus, I think the game is still a blast."

Factor 5 demoed the emulated 1982 Star Wars game running on GameCube to IGNcube a couple of weeks ago and it looked perfect. No doubt, Star Wars fanatics are in for a treat.

See first footage of the Star Wars coin-op here.


And they give insiders a view of revamped footage from the 1982 game ... ah the quarters I pumped into that ...

Very good marketing move. I am thinking that LA may not push JA too hard - it is out there in the press, it will get magazine space, and discussed no matter what. They need to push some of the other non-franchise games ...

Mike

when they put ja up for pre-order, i hope its something cool like that, not some dumb pen thing... btw ja will be fine in sales!!!!