Dystopia, my favorite source mod, has just announced the release of version 1. New models, weapons, armor, and maps are just but the beginning of what to explore in the long awaited and now released version.

Fileplanet is hosting the file which you can grab here.

For those unfamiliar with Dystopia, it's a cyberpunk mod for Half-Life 2. When I say 'cyberpunk' I mean a world where corporations have taken over and the 'punks' (essentially the resistance) is fighting them back via means of computers and manpower. The game features a seamless transition from the real world to cyberspace unlike any other. I highly recommend checking this out.

With the public launch of Vista steadily approaching (look at that, I said steadily!), one can only wonder if all of the fancy bells and whistles add to the operating system, or merely mask what lies within. It is with that thought process that we bring to you, the dear reader, an in-depth analysis of the operating system and the mysteries that lie within. Some of you might not survive, but for those who do, remember that the fallen gave up so that you might have a better future. And if that doesn't work for you, just consider Darwinism and you're all set.

In all seriousness, the Gamer Andy Lab will be employed to discover how Windows Vista runs on a multitude of setups. From ye olde 386s to a supercomputer with the graphics card of tomorrow, we'll have a performance rating and analysis for your specific rig.

So stay tuned and watch the updates, come Vista you just might find yourself in a sticky situation. And who knows, there might be some sort of giveaway attached as well; that's just how we roll.

So if you happen to have a PS3 laying around the house that you might consider throwing up on eBay, you’ll be sorely discouraged by the average bids already posted; $650, $700, $750 even. Michal Birecki from PS3center.net, however, saw the light. Stripping the PS3 of all exterior coverings, then sending the pieces to a body shop to be painted white, made the entire process feel like a bad episode of American Chopper. Be that as it may, once the process was completed, the finished product was a replica of the white prototype PS3 Sony has yet to release.

You can check out pictures of the entire process here, at PS3center.net. You can also check out the auction here, where the current bid as of this posting is $1525.01

Anyone up for making a red one? How about purple?

The guys over at Unknown Worlds Entertainment, creators of my favorite half-life modification, Natural Selection, recently announced their plans to have NS hit the Source scene. The mere thought of seeing aliens and marines battle it out in the spectacular Source engine, with the awesome physics and graphics, summons salivation.

For those unaware, Natural Selection was the first RTS/FPS combo, featuring a single marine player, known as the commander, who played the game from a top-down, RTS-esque fashion. The game featured some great level design, but the corridors and server rooms found themselves littered with alien sludge and debris, manually built into the world.

However, the developers of Natural Selection 2 are working to remove the static alien clutter, replacing it with procedurally generated sludge which spawns itself nearby alien structures. Check out the video, along with perpetual updates on the Natural Selection 2 developer blog, where the game’s features will be detailed and up for suggestions as they're implemented.

Check out the awesome new footage of Super Smash Bros Brawl with the obvious return of all your favorite characters, plus Samus without her regular suit on. Expect the same old moves with the same old gameplay modes and perhaps a little more? I can't wait to see what the hidden character are.

Click here to watch!

Since it began airing Monday, the new World of Warcraft TV ad revisits a classic scene from the much beloved Office Space. Whereas in the movie Peter is playing a game of Tetris, this 32 second ad for WoW paints a much different picture. With a World of Warcraft box on top of the monitor, and WoW cds scattered about, it’s nothing short of a miracle that Peter moves, joins a party, casts spells, and attacks enemies all by using the four directional arrow keys on the keyboard.

Screw your TPS reports Lumbergh, I’m playing World of Warcraft you R-tard!

Thousands around the country lined up outside of stores like Best Buy, Circuit City, Wal-Mart, Toys 'R Us -- even Sears, all in the name of obtaining a Nintendo Wii. Not only did those people seek an alternative gaming experience using a motion-based remote, they also wanted Zelda.

For the more fanatic Zelda fans, you might find the image to the right awesome, astounding, or even orgasmic.

YouNewb reports on the glorious Twilight Princess sword and shield Wiimote and nunchuck attachments.

You know, I think I’d pick up a Carbine rifle attachment for Call of Duty 3.

Ever listen to someone talk about that awesome MMORPG they’re playing? You know the one with millions of players and gold farmers, not to mention the most casual gameplay ever? Ah, World of Warcraft. Ever listen to some of these WoW players, and I mean, pay attention to them? They’ll go on about how it’s the best game ever and that every other MMORPG there is simply copied from World of Warcraft. In fact, now that I think about it, I think I do remember a ridiculously low and easy-to-achieve level cap in Everquest!

Oh wait, no, no I don’t.

Anyway, for those of you who know anything of the Warcraft lore, you’ll know Warcraft is simply a watered down version of Warhammer. With the Warhammer MMORPG in the works and making great progress, one can only ponder at how many WoW players will claim Warhammer Online copies directly from World of Warcraft.

*Sigh*

Anyway, there are new Warhammer Online screenshots here!

Straight from www.theregister.co.uk:

A man in Manchester, England has been convicted of using an MP3 player to hack cash machines. Maxwell Parsons, 41, spent £200,000 of other people's money after using the machine to read card details.

Parsons plugged his MP3 player into the back of free standing cash machines and was able to use it to read data about customers' cards. That data could then be used to "clone" cards and use them for bogus purchases.

Police uncovered the scam almost by accident when they stopped Parsons for making an illegal U-turn in a car in London. They found a fake bank card in his possession and searched his home in Manchester, where they found the evidence with which to prosecute.

Pacing back and forth from store entrance to back of the line, the Wii man aggrovates and taunts the already dissatisfied Playstation 3 campers. With such statements as "you can move me around, and shit" and "the Wii controller has rumble; what happened Sony?", morale was taking a hit.

The response? Someone yells out "PSP!... oh wait, no, PS3!", revealing most people in line really don't have a clue why they're there. Even so, the cranky Playstation 3 campers who knew why they were standing in line retaliated with a few sub-par remarks, making terrible Wii related jokes. Yes, we all understand the name of Nintendo’s newest console seems similar to a part of the male human anatomy. No, we don’t need you to make a second grade joke about it.

It's PS3 launch day and you're dying to get your hands on one. Only problem is you have a life. Not to fear however, as we all know large department stores with small sections of video games don't usually have campers lining up days in advance. So you and some buddies head over to your local Sears and ask around for a PlayStation 3.

To your dismay the store only has two units, and they're already reserved. Then suddenly from out of nowhere the sales representative, not yet ready to lose a $600 customer, points you in the direction of the Nintendo Wii. The notion of enlightening the sales person of the actual release date notwithstanding, you calmly grab a Wii box, pay for it, and head straight for the Internet -- or at least, that's what this guy did on NeoGAF.

Looking for a Wii? Head to Sears!

Hey everyone, Mike here and ready to give you the official Gamer Andy gameplay impressions on Gears of War. This is going to be a "updated-every-hour-or-so" post, with further impressions and experiences to share.

For all you content people out there, rest assured as this post will only include multiplayer impressions; singleplayer details will be discussed in full during an hour long Illiterate Gamer Review to be recorded this Thursday.

Actual Gears of War multiplayer impressions after the jump.

Massively Multiplayer Online Games, otherwise known as MMOGs, seem to be sweeping the gaming market. The general rule here is the consumer runs out to the store, drops $50-60 on a boxed copy, then registers and proceeds to pay a perpetual monthly fee. Well the guys over at Maid Marian Entertainment think it’s about time that changed. They’re dedicated to making their games completely in webpage-based shockwave applications. You simply head to their site, choose a game, pick a username, and jump into the action.

Their latest creation, Multiplayer Tank Ball, revisits an old classic. It’s a multiplayer tank shooter that performs exceptionally well, given the fact that it’s a web-based flash game and connects to hundreds of others in a few seconds. Now let me tell you, I’ve seen come great hit detection and physics in flash and java applications, but nothing like this.

Check out their site for all of the other games, such as Sherwood Dungeon, an actual MMORPG right in your browser.

Digital Life, a technology expo in New York City, will be taking place this week between the 12th and 15th of October. While it may not be an E3, it does feature a large amount of gaming-related information, as well as a flurry of general technology content.

That said, Sherveen and I will be attending the event and reporting back on any interesting findings we might stumble across. Here's where your input comes into play.

Head on over to Digital Life's list of exhibitors, and if anything at all catches your attention, let us know and we'll be sure to cover it. That's right. Even if you'd like some pictures of the new Hello Kitty iPod holder, just let us know, and we'll be all over it. (Well, Sherveen will be at least.)

You can send an email to Mike@GamerAndy.com with your request to make it happen.

Coverage to come soon.

Every now and then a small developer will smack gamers with a poorly assembled flight simulator game in an attempt to recreate the craze that once was. If you remember back four or five years ago and recall some awesome games such as F-15, Total Air War, Ace Combat, and F-22, then you know exactly which craze I’m talking about.

CITY Interactive, creators of War in Colombia, released on FilePlanet their demo of Combat Wings, Battle of Berlin today.

At first the game seemed promising as the menu loaded in my native widescreen resolution of 1680x1050 by default; a rarity. However, my interest was quickly crushed by my first view of the actual game environment.

Sub par textures, 2-d flora, and an uninteresting environment design assaulted my senses, leaving me stripped of enthusiasm. The controls were somewhat unresponsive and flying felt more like flying a piece of cardboard then an actual plane.

It seems to me that the genre died off years ago, and every attempt to revive the gameplay to its former glory has only pushed it further and further away from the gamers of today.

What’s happened to this once popular game genre? Might we one day witness a rebirth of the flight fighter simulation craze? Tell us what you think in the comments section.

In a world where episodic content and sequels dominate the game industry, store shelves are plagued with titles ending in numbers, or roman numerals. As progressively more companies buy into the 'recycled game' business, few stand out; dedicated to providing excellent and innovative game play above all else. One such rebel goes by the name of Introversion. Sound familiar? They're the guys who brought us the luscious pixilated landscape that is Darwinia.

Uplink, an older game from Introversion, stands firmly against the test of time. It once made its rounds years ago as an acclaimed hacking simulator, the only one of its kind, and now stands before us yet again on Valve's Steam. For a mere $10 you'll find yourself with a game accurately shouting "Trust is a Weakness"; a lesson well learned as Uplink revolves around hacking and its repercussions. As a freelance hacker you'll be subcontracted by large corporations seeking an edge over the competition.

Now if you're a graphics hog lookin' for a sweet new ride to open up your GeForce 7950, you've come to the wrong place. I'm going to get this out now. Uplink is primarily a text based game with a simple graphics interface to make things a little easier. I believe the only colors the entire game uses are blue, black, green, white, and red

For those of you who desire a fantastic game that keeps the heart racing, there's more after the jump.

Today, Friday August 25th, the Peaceaholics held a protest in front of the Take-Two Interactive building in downtown New York City.

The protest featured children standing behind police barricades shouting such phrases as "this game is bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s." However, no amount of text can fully explain the phenomenon of the events that took place, although this video might help.

Brace yourself.



Big thanks to OSVG from the GA Forums for the find, and to The Software Pirate for the video.

Crytek, the acclaimed developer of Far Cry, has recently announced the multiplayer details on the company's latest project, Crysis. These luscious details paint the picture of an incredibly detailed multiplayer mode where two teams feud over alien artifacts.

Let me explain.

The game will feature four different game modes, three of which you're already familiar with, or at least should be. Tactical deathmatch, tactical team deathmatch, and tactical capture the flag are the standard ones, albeit a tad more 'tactical' then in other games. Fourth, however, is Power Struggle.

What exactly is Power Struggle? Learn what it's all about after the jump.

If you're one of the millions who use Steam, Valve's all-in-one program that registers multiple games to a single account, then you've undoubtedly run into ads for The Ship. A few clicks in the direction of those ads will reveal a brief explanation of the game as well as a few screenshots. These screenshots depict peaceful travellers enjoying a lovely view, totally unaware of the murderous intent that lies behind them. While these screens may look nifty and all, you'll hardly ever be presented with a similar situation in the game.

Murder's the name of the game in The Ship, or rather, on the ship, in Outerlight's newest first person shooter. I use the term "shooter" loosely as although the game is entirely in first person, you'll find more than a few sprinkles of rpg hidden within. The game takes place on 1920's replica cruise ships constructed entirely by the host of the bonanza, Mr. X. You'll never meet the mysterious Mr. X, but you'll certainly be guided by his invisible hand of natural selection. Survival of the fittest I suppose, perhaps the better equipped, or really, the one who can toggle their map the quickest.

Do you like murder? How about sprinkles? Can you toggle your map with blazing precision and speed? Then continue on, fair reader!

My review of The Ship after the jump...

Star Wars: Galaxies -- a MMORPG by Sony Online Entertainment set in a Star Wars world -- was once a thriving online galaxy where thousands met to mold their destiny. But now it's a defunct memory of what it once was. Sony's upgrades to the game, such as the New Game Enhancements (NGE), have left only a few diehard fans of the Star Wars universe to traverse the open plains of Tatooine. Every forum post vying for the reversal of these upgrades has been met with swift and fierce expulsion.

Fear not, however, as the community's prayers have been answered. That answer is SWGEmu.

SWGEmu is being developed by a handful of programmers in their spare time. They make frequent updates on the status of the build and are kind enough to answer questions on the forums, within reason.

The version of SWG in development is Publish 12.1, something to rejoice over for many SWG players. Publish 12.1 resides before the newly added NGE, as well as the largely contested Combat Upgrade (CU), which also drastically changed the game. That's right -- SWGEmu will be "Pre-CU."

The SWGEmu team recently announced that they've gone open source, meaning the entire program is now free for public download. You may be thinking something along the lines of, "Isn't this illegal?"

The development team sure doesn't think so.

Taken from the SWGEmu FAQ:

We built the server from ground up, so what exactly can they sue for? Yes it is against the SWG EULA to reverse engineer any communications between it and the server, but that is not (to my knowledge) a legal implication.