Craig has been playing the great game for years, but what does he think of it after the best part of 900 hours? Read →
The Fullbright Company talked to us in detail about their upcoming home-based explore 'em up. Read →
Alec is in the sand and blood. Does it worry him? Well yes, a little bit. Here's wot he thinks of 2K's dark shooter. Read →
ALSO: Brendan has never been to space, Jim finds out more about Nuclear Union's RPG ambitions
Hazy cosmic jive
By Adam Smith on July 19th, 2012 at 12:00 pm.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Endless Space pre-release and I’ve been dabbling and preparing to tell you wot I think of the launch version. In the meantime, I fired up my interstellar communicator and beamed some messages to the development team. Across the infinite void I fired these queries and across the infinite void, answers came. Peruse them below.
By Adam Smith on July 19th, 2012 at 11:00 am.
From the same stable as Choice of the Dragon, which gobbled up a swathe of Alec’s free time back in 2010, comes Heroes Rise: The Prodigy. It’s a textual choose your own adventure game with character stats, customisation and combat, taking place in a world of advanced technology and celebrity superheroes. You can play a great deal for free but the full version will set you back the half pint price of £1.99. But did it distract me from listening to imaginary Bane and Batman voices having a gruff-off?
By Nathan Grayson on July 19th, 2012 at 10:00 am.
Let’s start with some good news, shall we? First off, Fortnite’s looking quite nice and – based on an interview I just wrapped with producer Tanya Jessen (which you’ll see all of tomorrow) – the Unreal-Engine-4-powered survivor is, by and large, taking full advantage of every tool at PC gaming’s disposal. In other words, expect a constant flow of new content, some form of mod support, and impressively open-ended, procedurally generated worlds. It’s not all uncharacteristically colorful cartoon roses, however. At this stage, Jessen told me, a constant Internet connection requirement ala Diablo is still a possibility. She assured, however, that it’d be used first and foremost to improve the game – not as a last line of defense against piracy’s nighttime pillages.
By Nathan Grayson on July 19th, 2012 at 9:00 am.
In case you were worried, MechWarrior Online does, in fact, have giant robots after all. I know, I know: I didn’t believe it either. Now, though, there’s honest-to-Godzilla-sized-robo-behemoth proof in the form of a fully automated video reel. Will wonders never cease? It introduces the well-rounded, generally reliable Centurion and details two specialized variants: one that’s best from a distance and another that loves nothing more than to move in close for its particular brand of rock ‘em sock ‘em robots. It can do this because it has 11 tons of armor. I did not know things could have that much armor. I imagine its hobbies include long walks on the beach, heavy metal music, and fashioning your home into a festive hat. So, with pleasant introductions out of the way, let’s see it in action.
One man vs 14 (and a dog)
By Alec Meer on July 18th, 2012 at 8:00 pm.
Level 4 is not the hardest level of Dennaton’s neon-hued orgy of sado-masochistic violence, and RPS’ official Best In Show at Rezzed, Hotline Miami. Oh, not by a long shot. It’s just the one that, once I finally beat it, made me feel like a god. I had a plan. I made that plan work. Every single action I took, every single movement I made, was with surgical precision. A dozen men died, and their little dog too. I never knew their names. I never cared to know their names. I didn’t even know why they had to die. I just knew they had to die.
They died. I didn’t. That’s my story. The greatest story ever told. I will tell it to you with pictures and swearing.
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Restoration Comedy
By John Walker on July 18th, 2012 at 7:00 pm.
I’m so glad I don’t review books for a living. When discussing a game, you have to be careful to avoid both narrative and mechanical spoilers as best you can, but generally there’s a great deal to talk about around these. But I’m not sure the editors of the Times Literary Supplement would take kindly to my describing how easy it is to turn a book’s pages, as I desperately find ways to avoid ruining the story for anyone who might want to read it. I often feel in a similar situation when reviewing adventure games, and never more so than when talking about interactive fiction. Yes, there are mechanics to discuss, of course. But really, with text on a screen, it’s tougher. And when that game has a crucial twist in the opening hour, er, you’re screwed. So it’s with this in mind that I suggest you go play Adam Cadre‘s Endless, Nameless before you read beyond the point I’ll clearly mark below. I’ll not ruin the entire game, of course. But, well, play it first.
By Alec Meer on July 18th, 2012 at 6:00 pm.
Just in case you thought I was pulling your leg/was a gullible tool when we posted about the apparent leak of Battlefield 4, EA have stopped pretending it didn’t happen and officially ‘fessed up. They’ve confirmed that, yes, people who pre-order Medal of Honor: Man Who Fights Wars will get priority access to the beta of the next Battlefield, and that’s scheduled for ‘Fall 2013.’ Which I’d be willing to guess suggests a release date of October or November 2013, as has been EA and Activision manshoot tradition for many years now. But I might be wrong. I often am. Why, I was wrong about something only yesterday.
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By John Walker on July 18th, 2012 at 5:00 pm.
PlanetSide 2 has a CGI trailer. And of course it’s as pointless as all other CGI trailers. But I post it more to say, look, Sony are spending enough money on this game for there to be pointless CGI trailers. And weirdly, as much of a waste of that money as it was, and as galling as it must be for the developers to ponder what they could have done with the cash, it makes me realise that this is a game the flailing PS3 owner is taking seriously. If you see what I mean.
By Nathan Grayson on July 18th, 2012 at 4:00 pm.
Let me begin this by noting that, in actuality, EA’s at least been paying solid attention to Origin lately. Lending a helping hand to crowd-funded games taking their wobbly first steps was a smart idea, and putting out a big call for input from users is a much appreciated gesture – assuming, of course, that EA actually takes resulting criticisms to heart. That said, Origin 9.0 – a self-described “landmark update” – isn’t exactly encouraging. Once it rolls out, you’ll gain access to a free-floating friends list, re-sizable game icons, and, er, a clock.
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By Nathan Grayson on July 18th, 2012 at 3:00 pm.
Do you like controlling things? Do you become unreasonably enraged at the idea of controlling them with anything other than the incredibly specific implements of your choosing? Well then, World of Warplanes might just be the game for you – unless you despise planes, war, or the entire world, anyway. It’s offering precision-tweaked plane reins that include everything short of Kinect and masterfully articulated political coercion. That said, if you couldn’t care less about whether you’re putting your virtual life in the hands of a joystick or a particularly modest mouse, there’s still quite a bit of very nice-looking WOWP footage accompanying all nuts ‘n’ bolts chatter.
By Nathan Grayson on July 18th, 2012 at 2:00 pm.
We live in a terrifying world of constant change. You might, for instance, neatly tuck each of your games into bed a night and gingerly kiss them on the cheek, safe in the knowledge that – when you awake – they’ll be there waiting, same as always. But honestly, who knows? They could just suddenly update and transform into strange, multi-tendriled monstrosities. You could awake from your dreams right into a living nightmare. Or, you know, you could just get some Earth-bound levels in Mass Effect and – oh gosh – Aquaman in DC Universe Online. OK, yeah, I’m sticking with the nightmare thing.
