Let us have a moment of silence for the death of a mighty giant. RIP Athlon 1.333. Its always sad to see such beauty be laid to rest at the hands of cruel people :). Remember, friends don't let friends hurt their cpu's.

"THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM THE GROUP OF THE CONCERNED CPU USERS"

		In the wee hours of the morning comes THIS!!... your everyday run of the mill mouse... blah blah blah... BORING!!

and then, we have your mouse... on STEROIDS!!... OH MY GOD, IT GREW A SECOND WHEEL

This thing looks bent on getting revenge in your worst defeat at CS, Tribes 2, Quake 3... ect. With two wheels and five buttons, this mouse will eat your enemy alive... well maybe not, but its worth a look.

As pathetic as this is I waited up till 12:00 AM to get first post of the day. God IM lame. However, with all the posting that's been going on over the last couple days, I find myself in competition to get a word in edge wise, and those that know me will tell you IM never at a loss for something to say.

OK so what's new this hour of the morning ? Yet another review from one of our sponsors. This time its AMK Services out of BC. They have sent us a nice little prize for one of you lucky peeps at FRAGtopia 2(001). Thanks to Andrew over at AMK for the port replicator. Basically this little gizmo sits in a 5 1/4" bay and gives you front mounted sound inputs/outputs, USB and much much more. Here is a sample from the review:

		"Some Assembly is required but its not rocket science and really involves plugging things into their labeled places. The main plug that hooks up to the back of the box is of high quality and can be permanently secured using its built in screws. Basically the whole purpose of the system is to move some of the stuff that's on the back of the case, to the front where It can be reached with ease."

Click the PIC or RIGHT HERE for the full story

OMG I'm so pumped about this years Party as are the rest of the staff guys. Let me give you a taste of what's going on behind the scenes.

Around here you can always tell when the party is near as Marauder's work area begins to fill up with all kinds of great equipment non of us could afford like networking gear that would make some blue chip corporations green with envy, our personal computers and hardware go missing as Dopper gets a hold of them to be used as servers or something (we really dont ask what Dopper does at Dopper's house) and I get into the spirit by trying to minge free stuff from VAM computers. Kingpin goes out and buys something to play with during the party to amuse himself after Pappy-r gets done kicking the crap out of him in Quake. (Nice camera by the way Kingpin). My favorite FRAG personality, Red leader gets all jumpy. This guy talks so fast when he's hyped you wish he had a rewind button. Whatever rush Red is on, he should bottle it and share with the rest of us.

Not only are all these things true, but we also have the most fun of the year around this time. The sun is shinning, the birds are singing. Kingpin can usually be found at the back of VAM shooting at said birds with his paint ball gun. And FRAGTOPIA is in the air.

For all those planning to attend this years event, we have lots to offer, thanks to those coming back from last year, and get ready to have a blast, winning prizes, and more importantly then that meeting all those guys and gals you know from online but have never met. That one fact is what LAN parties are all about to me.

PEACE

//Skotos

Well ASUS is up to their old tricks again and have apparently put out a newer version of their See-through drivers for their cheating bitches customers. Go here to speak out and help end the madness.

Speaking of drivers the tasty new beta Nvidia Detonator 12.40's are available here! Yoink! I've noticed a nice 10-15 fps increase indoors in Trbes 2 running on Win2k with a Geforce DDR. Grab 'em while their hot!

Also some good news for Voodoo owners: The new Wicked GL beta drivers are out! Reportedly there are big Tribes 2 FPS gains (I've heard of cases where the framerate is doubled!). Grab these bad boys here. You may want to try the mirror site though as people are working the main site over harder than Marauder at a Amiga show. Props to T2 Database for getting this!

Damnit, I was playing on a Tribes 2 server recently and managed to get killed by not just Tycho but also Gabe over from at Penny-Arcade. There were of course extenuating circumstances in both cases and at the very least I think that I managed to put up a pretty good fight . As you can imagine I was torn between cursing them for owning me old-school style or praising them for the luscious comics that they provide twice a week.

Oh my god... you must see this (and yes it's a newer trailer). Just remember to pick up your jaw after viewing this puppy. (Warning: not for the bandwidth impaired! We're also not responsible for any heart attacks or out-of-body experiences that this may cause).

It's a First-Person shooter! It's a space sim! No it's both! That's right, now you get to blow shit up (tm) in more ways than you've ever dreamed of before courtesy of the mind-blowing new action game Maelstrom. It's also the first glimpse we're getting of a game that uses the new Unreal Warfare engine (not to be confused with Unreal II from Legend Entertainment). Who needs viagra when you've got this. Computer and Videogames has the exclusive with a few sweet, sweet screenshots here.

Any Radeon buffs in the crowd? If so then you'd better take a gander at what ATI is cookin' up. Geforce 3 killer or another feature-packed-but-buggy-driver card? Find out here at the Register.

Anandtech takes a good long look at that shiny new Geforce 3's features. It's the holy grail of videocards with a price to match. Look at it this way: it's a good way to spend all that money that you were just going to blow gambling anyway.

The Counter-Strike team has just announced that a new game based on the Counter-Strike universe is in the works. I've snipped/blatently-ripped the important bits for ya:

Just in time for E3 comes some info about Counter-Strike: Condition Zero -- the new CS single player episode being done in house by Valve, which was just uncovered by Computer Gaming World."

You can take a look at the new cover of the aforementioned Computer Gaming World right here. Evil Avatar has also snagged a few screenies of the new game which you can check out here.

Note that Red Leader is already banned from playing this new game because he is just too damn good.

Like getting suckered by Microsoft? Have you heard about the evil empire's latest plan to get your money? (Well, if you are running a business that uses MS software that is.....) Check it out here. The bastards have obviously been taking their notes from cable TV providers here in Canada.

AOL: The evil returns. Apparently not content with providing a crappy internet experiance for millions of people worldwide who simply haven't learned better yet (YET), AOL is teaming up with Sony to provide inet access for the Praystation 2. Now. I see two excellent things about this whole deal:

1) In Sony's defence you can get AOL anywhere in this pathetic little world of ours. (Kinda like McDonald's really. Crappy, but at least it's there.)

2) Us computer users with real ISPs should be able to 0wn those console bitches hardcore if they're using AOL. I have a few unfortunately AOL'd gaming buddies... To say the least their connections are... Ummmm. Questionable would be a good word without getting us sued.

I actually find it interesting that most of the console companies are starting to equip their consoles for broadband. I've played a few console games here and there and..... well. I've never really seen anything that would keep me interested in playing it with another human being for all that long. With the introduction of internet access on console, it'll have to mean the introduction of a new type of game for the console. PS type games like Halo & Tribes 2. I'm not sure whether such games will set the console up as a semi-serious gamers platform or just fail miserably. (Hmmm. I sense an article here.)

Rumors abound of cheats for Tribes 2. Being an interested party and a Tribes 2 teamplay admin, I'd be indebted to anyone who could point me to any T2 cheats they find. Always nice to know what to look out for.

This in from Dopper: Apparently Microsoft feels that your password just isn't secure enough. I have no idea what kinda computer you'd need to crack this password scheme, but it'd be a monster. ;)

All worked up about FRAGtopia 2(001)..... Got swag in from Logitech.... and more... If you aren't coming to this year's big LAN... WHY THE HELL NOT? Check out all the details here. Join us.... Joooooiiiinnnnn uusssssssss....... It's going to be a really good time.

Marauder out.

Greetings everyone Iceman here, it seems I have been given the honor of becoming another news update bitch!! :) so I'll do my best to have an update everyday so Marauder can keep the shop running with no interruptions. Ok on with the news, today we have an review on the Globalwin WBK55, a modded version of the WBK38 so check it out here, WBK55 Review. Heres a small taste of whats inside

More News to come later today so stay tuned kiddies.

Iceman (ICQ #: 17128385)

Ok all you Mechwarrior fans seems as though a company called Foundation Imaging will be producing and developing a CGI tv series of your favourite game. Check out the story here. Just hope that Microsquash doesn't take them over too.

AMD is on the virge of releasing is next big chip code name "Palamino" and will be officially called the 'Athlon 4', come on AMD can't you think of anything more creative then that? check it all out here. The mobile version of the Athlon 4 and Duron will include a technology called PowerNow!(TM), which is supposed to increase battery life by 30%.

Nvidia has run into some bumpy ground with its new Geforce 3, seem as though a utility that was supposed to identify all A5 stepping chips for production, didn't quite work out. When using Wcpuid and Powerstrip some people have found that they in fact have an A3 stepping chip. (The A3 is supposed to be less stable then the A5). Check out the news over at Riva Station (you will have to scroll down a bit to find it)

No that's not someone's idea of a joke that is an actual 256mb dimm and they have a cool little led built on to them. Check out the review here.

In trying to gather sponsorship for FRAGtopia 2(001) We've come across some pretty cool products. One is arguably the be all end all of custom cases for the LAN party regular. The Wind Tunnel II From Coolerguys.com is the topic of our latest hardware review and is something you don't want to miss. Here is a sample:

		On first glance its a really nice looking case. The pictures on the Coolerguys site don't really do it justice. The first thing that catches your eye of course is the 2 MASSIVE fans and grills on the side, followed by the not so massive ones on top. The fan holes are all laser cut and are installed VERY cleanly with grills and shims. Also There are removable filters on the intake fans.

Check out the full review here.

I've just started an article series on do it yourself custom work you can do to make your PC a little more functional, and a little cooler looking at the same time. Our Test system will be housed in our new Wind Tunnel II Gamer case from Coolerguys.com. Even though this bad boy comes pretty loaded, I see no reason to not make it even better. Our goal when finished is to create the ULTIMATE LAN MACHINE.

The first installment in this series is a do it yourself 5 1/4" Amplifier/internal speaker kit. The article shows step by step how to make a kit that powers a pair of INTERNAL stereo speakers, removing the need to transport a set to LAN parties and making use of one of those useless empty 5 1/4" drive bays. The end result is something that sounds good, looks good, and is something you will have that most people wont.

This is it, well the part everyone sees anyhow. How do I make an amplifier system that can power a couple of speakers INSIDE my case ? Keep on reading. Features of our little amp include Volume, tone control and a headphone jack (Having a headphone jack on the front of the case is extremely convenient for LANing)

Check out the complete Article RIGHT HERE

Heh. David Coursey doesn't like Microsoft anymore than I do. He's posted up a list of bugs and issues he's had... and I'm sure we've all run into this sort of crap, being Microsoft users as well undoubtably are. Check it out.

Iceman sent me over a little article that may be of interest to you overclockers. Stop it, before you destroy us all!

Funny stuff: Praetorian has a made a few funnies lately. He's send me over the following linkage. A little something for the warez guyz. Gamespy has posted a little something for the Tribes 2 player in all of us. :)

Allrighty. As everyone knows I'm just as nice as the next guy. Well... Maybe not him.... Maybe that goon looking guy a few rows down. Yeah, him. Some things however piss me off to no end, and I'm constantly amazed at the sheer stupidity of the human race.

Apparently the parents of the kids shot by those nutbars at Columbine school are sueing a wacky of gaming companies, somehow blaming them for a couple of idiots running Amok. (Woops.. That's a game...) I mean, going Berzerk. (ARGH!) Ummmmm.... Going off the deep end. Yeah, that's a nice safe way to put it.

Now, I'm not really sure who these people have been talking to... But clearly their advisors are idiots. That's right, idiots. Call me insensitive if you like. I'm sure these people are grieving and very upset that a couple of maniacs went on a killing spree, but give me a break here. The reason is because these guys like to play Doom? Just like millions of other people out there in the world? It's interesting. If one looks back in history, every time something like this happens people start pointing fingers.

It's the fault of gun control (or lack thereof) It's violent movies. It's comic books. Now it's video games and gamers that are under attack. Apparently, somehow playing games will turn you into a manical, murderous psycotic. Never mind that these two kids were loners, constantly tormented by their peers. That of course wouldn't have anything to do with it. Must have been the evil manipulations of video game makers.

Sick of being accused of a maniac? I am. Go here and sign up. Might not do anything but it's a hellagood idea anyhows.

http://www.petitiononline.com/game/petition.html

Maybe people just need to THINK. Oh no wait.... Sorry, stupid idea. Grrrrrrrrr.

A very violent and crazy Marauder (flipping) out. (After all, I've been gaming for 20 years now!)

REDMOND, Wash. - May 3, 2001 - Microsoft Corp. today announced that it had reached an agreement to acquire Ensemble Studios Inc., the games developer responsible for the top-selling, award-winning Microsoft® "Age of Empires®" game franchise. Under the terms of the agreement, Ensemble Studios will continue to create titles from its Dallas headquarters as part of Microsoft's growing pool of top-tier development talent.

Microsoft and Ensemble Studios have worked closely during the past six years to develop the internationally popular "Age of Empires" franchise for the PC. To date, the "Age of Empires" series has sold approximately 8.5 million licensed units worldwide and has won five Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences awards, including Strategy Game of the Year three times (1997, 1999 and 2000) and PC Game of the Year (1999).

"We are thrilled to bring Ensemble Studios under the Microsoft banner," said Stuart Moulder, general manager of the Games Division at Microsoft. "The depth of talent and the leadership of Tony Goodman is a winning combination, and this acquisition will help strengthen our mutual commitment to remaining a PC games industry leader."

The agreement comes on the heels of other successful games developer acquisitions, including FASA Interactive, creator of the best-selling "MechWarrior™" game franchise; Access Software Inc., creators of "Links®" golf simulation games, the most popular PC golf franchise; and Bungie Software Products Corp.

"This announcement today is a natural evolution from the relationship we've had with Microsoft," said Tony Goodman, president and CEO of Ensemble Studios. "Both companies have tremendous respect for each other. This deal gives Ensemble and Microsoft a long-term strategy for doing what we do best: working together to make world-class games." The "Age of Empires" real-time strategy series comprises "Age of Empires," "Age of Empires Expansion Pack: The Rise of Rome," "Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings®" and "Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion," as well as packaged sets of those games.

About Microsoft Games Division

Microsoft's Games Division is a leading worldwide games company with three core businesses: games development and publishing, Xbox™ video game system and Zone.com. The company's award-winning PC game titles excite the imaginations of casual gamers and appeal to the passions of hard-core players. Xbox, the video game system, is a future-generation platform that inspires developers to create better games, faster. Zone.com (http://www.zone.com/) is the Internet's largest game site.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software - any time, any place and on any device.