If you scroll down to the bottom of the page and you'll see our top 5 gift items for this holiday season! Here they are if you are unable to do so:

id Software's Graeme Devine updated his .plan with more tips for people having problems with the CD-Keys in the retail version of Quake III Arena:

Okay. First off, don't run crack executables on your client! All it's likely to do is grab your CD key and send it off somewhere. Authorization is server side, not client side. We will pursue and close down cracked servers with all available resources.
Secondly, CD keys are "leased", so if you log on through a dialup, play, then disconnect your modem and log right back on, your CD key will have to timeout on your previous IP before you can play again. This timeout period is currently set at 5 minutes.

Earlier today he made this update as well:

Okay. Hacker attempts with invalid keys are outnumbering real keys by a factor of 2:1 or so. Obviously this is somewhat validating the use of CD keys. 

So far I've seen issues with the servers being able to see the auth server and clients using IP forwarding not having the correct setup on the IP forwarding server. If it's a Linux IP forwarding machine use something like: 

modprobe ip_masq_quake ports=26000,27000,27910,27960,27950,27951,27952 

Modulating characters within a key sequence will not work. It appears to work because when you've validated your IP with an authentic CD key you've "leased" that IP address for a period of time. Even if you enter a junk string, that will work because your IP address is still valid. 

The actual algorithm is a 64 bit DES key encryption method open to a very small window. The chances of coming up with a real valid key is in the range of billions and billions to one. A random pass through the available keys shows no sign of repeating sequences, it looks like good old chaos (in fact, statisical math proves this). 

The client has no idea if your key is really valid or not, it just checks on the correct characters being entered. 

Our affiliate Window Planet has posted their review of Tomb Radier IV, here's a preview:

As a teenager Lara read an article about archeological research of a scientist called Werner von Croy. Because of her interest she got a chance to meet the scientist and to participate in one of von Croy's projects. Combined with this plot you have to complete a training mission and during that level you will have to control the young 16 year old Lara Croft. Werner von Croy is not a man who likes fair play and so he plans to steal an artefact, but doing so he initiates a trap and Lara cannot help him anymore.

BUT: 15 years later Werner von Croy is still alive and Lara Croft - who doesn't know that von Croy has survived - continues her research in an old grave. Unfortunately - SETH an old Egyptian god who plans to fulfill an ancient prophecy to plunge mankind into darkness - is unleashed. So Lara has to use all her abilities to prevent an Armageddon!! Doing so she's pursued by her arch-rival Werner von Croy who kidnaps one of Lara's old friends - Jean-Yves. Lara has to unleash Seth's brother Horus, because he's the only one to fight Seth ... IS THERE ANY POSSIBILITY TO BE SUCCESSFUL?!

Incase you haven't been visiting the main page Byron does post quite a few game reviews that I forget or didn't know about so I didn't post it here, so keep checking the review index for the latest reviews. I did hear about this one of LucusArts' Indiana Jones & The Infernal Machine, here's preview:

I don't know many people who are not fans of the Indiana Jones movies, who wouldn't love his cheeky quips, action sequences and storylines?

1947. The Nazis have been crushed, the Cold War has begun and Soviet agents are sniffing around the ruins of the fabled Tower of Babel. What are they up to? The CIA wants renowned archaeologist and adventurer Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr. to find out. Grab your whip and fedora and join Indy in globe-spanning race to unearth the mysterious "Infernal Machine."

• Whip, leap, climb, crawl and swim your way through amazing 3D environments
• Survive the challenge of hungry critters, hostile robots, weird monsters, half the Red Army and more (including – oh no – snakes!)
• Puzzle your way through 17 chapters of a gripping, action-packed story
• Travel the world to exotic locales, from the ruins of Babylon to the labyrinths of the Nubian Kings
• All the weapons you’ll need, including automatic pistols, machine guns, grenades, satchel charges, bazookas and, of course, Indy’s trusty whip and revolver

Although not 3D accelerated, since the game just kicks so much damn ass, I noticed that Ensemble/MS has released a new patch (261Kb) for their Age of Empire II: Age of Kings. Here's what this patch does:

This update addresses the issue where the computer player resigns after a few minutes of play. It does not effect multiplayer, meaning players with the update can play with players who do not have the update. It is localized into English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian all in the same build. You choose your language at the start of setup.

In the face of an even greater invasion from the Burning Legion, the reunited Orcish Horde and the Human armies of Azeroth have shifted their focus from conquest, and betrayal to basic survival. Catch a glimpse of the chaos to come in this cinematic teaser for Warcraft III that was shown at ECTS. The file is self-contained and ready to play on any Windows system with DirectX.

Download for PC - Mirror Site 01 [USA]
Download for PC - Mirror Site 02 [USA]
Download for PC - Mirror Site 03 [USA]
Download for PC - Mirror Site 04 [USA]
Download for PC - Mirror Site 05 [EUR]
Download for PC - Blizzard

Mac Version Coming Soon!

Think you know games? The GameSpot Aptitude Test is your chance to prove it.

For the second year in a row, the GameSpot editors have compiled a grueling exam, made up of 160 questions designed to test your knowledge of the history of gaming on home computer systems.

The GSAT is more than 25 pages long. If you lose your Internet connection before completing the test, don't worry. The GSAT will remember all the answers you have submitted.

A new website lets Asheron's Call users make their own AC website here's there announcement from their website:

ACGuilds.com officially opens today! Here is what we offer:

Free website hosting w/15 megs space
Unique website address such as http://knights.acguilds.com AND http://www.knights.acguilds.com You specify the "knights" word, we automatically give you BOTH addresses!
When your website is complete and presentable, just send an email to ACG Banners with a banner attached in JPG or GIF format (use existing banners for examples) and we will advertise your site in our banner system.. a system that is seen 2-3 MILLION times a month to fellow online gamers!!

Very soon I will also be opening up free email, stay in touch for that. Until then, head on over to the Sign Up Form to signup. It typically will take a few hours up to a day for us to review your submission and make it active.

Enjoy!

ACG Sitemaster

id Software's Graeme Devine updated his .plan again about the problems that some people are having when entering their CD key for Quake III Arena. Here's the not-so-silent hint: 

IMPORTANT!!!!! 

You MUST enter your CD key in lower case letters. If you do this through the menu it's automatic, but if you set it from the console, upper case letters will not work. 

IMPORTANT!!!!! 

id's Graeme Devine updated his .plan with an explanation for Q3Demo users. Here's the scoop:

Why do I get booted back to the main menu?
It's because you've got a 1.11 client and you're trying to join a 1.09 (demo test) pure server. Since the protocol # is exactly the same, you see all the 1.09 servers in the browser, but when you try and join the game you get booted because you aren't "pure".
We'll switch off support for 1.09 listings in the browser once 1.11 demo is out for the Mac and Linux. Meanwhile there's not much I can do since I can't tell from the client side if you're a 1.09 or 1.11 client asking for list of available servers.

Maxis announced today that its upcoming human-and-relationship simulation game, The Sims, will hit shelves in North America during February 2000. And to get gamers riled up over the title, the company has opened the doors to the game's official site.

The site contains screenshots and video to give potential buyers of The Sims an idea of how to play, along with special programs that will let the more artistic gamer create clothing and wall and floor tiles for their homes once the game releases.

The full final Quake 3 Arena demo has been released, weighing in at 46.6 MB's. Check out Bluesnews.com for all of the download sites

http://www.bluesnews.com/files/idstuff/quake3/win32/q3ademo.shtml

Here's part of a post by Matthew Ford about a State of the Code that has been posted on the AC zone website:
My name is Matthew Ford, and I am the Program Manager for Asheron's Call at the MSN Gaming Zone. This is the first of what will be a frequently updated series of reports on "The State of the Code" for Asheron's Call.
In this report, I want to keep players informed as to the state of some of the more technical aspects of AC. I'll let my colleague at Turbine, Chris Foster, cover the more design-oriented aspects of AC in his article "The Spin from Turbine," also on the AC News page on the Zone.

GameSpot which is a ZD website has posted an article on the upcoming Q3 release:
That's right. You'll only need to wait four more days to play the complete version of id Software's latest in Quake-frag action, Quake III Arena. In a joint announcement released today, Activision, the game's publisher, and id said that the game is expected to be on store shelves on Dec. 5, 1999, for about US$49.99.

Quake III Arena will feature 32 distinct bots that simulate real-world multiplayer action and will also help to hone gamers' skills for Internet battles.

''Quake III Arena goes beyond being a computer game and is a cultural phenomenon unto itself,'' said Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id Software. ''With QUAKE III Arena, players can expect to experience all of the frenetic excitement, visceral gameplay, and mind-blowing visuals that have become the hallmark of id titles.''

For UK gamers, Quake III Arena will be available on Dec. 17 for about £44.99.

Here's some text from a .plan from a Quake III staff member:

In preparation for the full release.

The motd/master/auth servers run on ports 27950, 27951, 27952. The default game server
is on port 27960. If you’re firewalled against these ports you’ll need to get unfirewalled to
play the game. If we work on the servers from now on we’ll notify the community and schedule
the maintenance for the slowest period of the day (currently around 6am Dallas time).

We have what we consider a “gold” build of the demo. We’re putting it through the final push
of QA at Activision before releasing it since this build is going to be more or less prevalent
throughout the known universe.

There's reports of a secret island on the edge of Dereth, where it exactly is or what it is for is yet unknown, but we'll keep you updated. Don't forget tonight's chat with the developers for more information on that read below. 

From Blue's News:

Having just spoken with a contact at Activision, I can finally clear the air regarding the Quake III Arena release date. The reason there's a Sunday release date given (the 5th) is because that's the day they expect it to be available everywhere (in the U.S., at least). The game will be trickling out towards the end of the week, and will be on shelves for sure by Sunday. What's that mean? Some places are claiming they'll have it on the shelves as soon as tomorrow - which is a definite possibility. Also, remember: this is only the Windows version. Specific dates for the Linux and Mac versions have yet to be announced.

Here are some places to get it and what the release day is on their site:

EBWorld - December 2nd
GameStop - December 8th (Will ship earlier most likely)

Join us from 5 to 7 P.M. Pacific Time, Wednesday, December 1, in the Zone Theater Chat Room, where you can put questions to the staff of Turbine Entertainment, developers of Asheron's Call. Attendees will include Lead Producer Scott Herrington, Lead Designer Chris Foster, and Turbine Community Manager Dave Namerow. We hope to see you there.

We'd like to remind you of our own Codename Asheron which can be viewed here.

BTW... Our AC review/update to our preview will be released next week!

Following the release of Tomb Raider: Last Revelation, Eidos has shipped yet another third-person action game with a buxom female as the central figure: Urban Chaos. Developed by UK-based Mucky Foot, the game places you in the shoes of rookie cop D'Arci Stern who, in perfect Lara Croft fashion, uses her own set of climbing, swinging, and jumping moves to rid her city streets of crime.

The game features over 30 levels and incorporates several different modes of play, including driving missions, sleuthing, and attaining time-sensitive goals. Urban Chaos should be available around Dec. 18 for US$39.99.