This Week In PC Games: Duke Nukem Screen, Theft, Spore And More

By Greg Mcnevin

After already suffering a number of setbacks, word on the street is that Sims 2 creator Will Wright's hotly anticipated Spore has had its release depressingly pushed back to fiscal 2009, meaning it will be released anywhere between July 2008 and June 2009.

Spore will give gamers the ability to shape and mould the evolution of different species and entire worlds. This uniqueness has already seen it win several awards and spend an inordinate amount of time swanning about at the top of most-anticipated lists, and while no one wants Wright’s ambitious simulation to be cobbled together and rushed out, delays do dampen enthusiasm.

Still, even with the release potentially two years away Spore will probably still be out well before Duke Nukem: Forever.

Another Duke Screenshot Slips Out
Speaking of the Duke and near-terminal delays, another screenshot has emerged from game, and true to form it’s absolutely tiny. Game Informer magazine tagged the thumbnail on the end of a feature about 3d Realms’ newly announced Earth No More, and while the shot does offer a glimpse at the game (and what we assume is a Tesla coil), it’s a hilariously dodgy teaser image.

3d Realms staffer Joe Siegler confirmed the scan’s legitimacy on the company’s official forums, but really, they do realize that we live in the age of digital media right? How about some high resolution pics instead of these unbelievably dodgy thumbnails and magazine scans?

The article also notes that there is another big announcement (unrelated to Duke Nukem) coming from 3d Realms… Another Max Payne or Prey perhaps?

Ya Bad MMO
It appears MMO gaming is bad for your health in countries other than Korea and China these days. According to Russian IT news site OSP International, Valentin Kaseliov from Moscow has been sentenced to three years behind bars, not for stealing cars or selling cocaine to tweens, but for allegedly tampering with the code from the Korean MMO Ragnerok Online.

That’s right, Kaseliov is in hot water for allegedly thieving RO server code and using it to run his own emulated server. All “In Soviet Russia…” jokes aside, Kiselev claims his emulator was written from scratch and is planning to file an appeal to the Moscow City Court.

So selling intellectual property (such as AllOfMP3 does) is perfectly legal, but those running a home-made game server should keep an eye out for the KGB.

Starcraft 2
In other news, Starcraft 2 will reportedly be playable at the upcoming Blizzcon 2007 in August, but alas, tickets are now completely sold out so unless you know the bouncer or have the cash to pay off a scalper the waiting game will have to be played instead for a while longer.

The Office Game on the Way?
And finally in a somewhat strange turn of events, NBC’s US-localised version of The Office is being turned into a video game where you perform minor tasks around the office and perform pranks.

Aimed at casual gamers, the game’s developer MumboJumbo says it will most likely be available for handhelds such as Nintendo’s DS and Sony’s PSP, as well as being offer as a PC download from NBC’s website.

"The cast and creators of The Office have done a fantastic job delivering a show with a personality all its own," said Bill Kispert, vice president and general manager, Interactive, Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group. "Developing a game with them that combines the quirky characters and humour of the show with a proven, addictive game mechanic we think will be welcomed by fans and casual game players alike."

Hopefully we’ll be able to catch monkeys with poison darts made out of the poison of the deadly frogs… if not Gareth could be disappointed.