Populous: The Beginning is a strategy and god game. It is the third title in the Populous video game series, developed by Bullfrog Productions. The PC version of the game was released November 30, 1998; a PlayStation version was developed and released on April 2, 1999, and later emulated on the PlayStation Network. Unlike earlier games in the series, which cast the player in the role of a god influencing loyal followers, The Beginning took a radical departure from the earlier games and placed the player in the role of a shaman, who directly leads her tribe against opponents. Throughout the twenty-five missions of the campaign, the player directs their tribe across a solar system, dominating enemies and tapping new sources of magic, with the ultimate goal of the shaman attaining godhood herself. Populous: The Beginning was the first entry in the series to use true 3D graphics; Bullfrog waited four years to develop the sequel to Populous II so that the graphics technology could catch up to their vision for a new and different game in the series. Populous: The Beginning plays very different from earlier titles, and was welcomed to mixed reviews. Reviewers positively noted the excellent graphics; complaints were directed at the artificial intelligence and the inability of the game to decide between being a real time strategy title or god game.

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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1710:

The Statute of Anne, the first fully-fledged law regulating copyright, entered into force in Great Britain. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statute_of_Anne

1815:

Mount Tambora in Indonesia began one of the most violent volcanic eruptions in recorded history, killing at least 71,000 people, and affecting worldwide temperatures for the next two years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tambora

1868:

A British military expedition to Abyssinia culminated in a rout of Ethiopians and the later suicide of Emperor Tewodros II. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1868_Expedition_to_Abyssinia

1941:

World War II: The Independent State of Croatia was established, with Ustaše leader Ante Pavelić as head of the puppet government of the Axis powers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ante_Paveli%C4%87

2010:

A Tupolev Tu-154M aircraft carrying President of Poland Lech Kaczyński and other Polish officials crashed while attempting to land in heavy fog at Smolensk-North air base near Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 on board. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Polish_Air_Force_Tu-154_crash

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

turtle (v): 1. To flip over onto the back or top; to turn upside down. 2. To turn and swim upside down. 3. To hunt in the water http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/turtle

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

It was the wise all-seeing soul

Who counselled neither war nor peace: "Only be thou thyself that goal

In which the wars of time shall cease." --George William Russell http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_William_Russell