Mothhead has its origins in the work of fine art sculptor and Hollywood concept designer, Peter Konig . Konig's character maquettes - particularly those of the spectral, vaguely insectile Mothhead - inspired Massive Black to create related artworks. Only recently, however, through the team's new alliance with Unity Technologies, did their dreams of bringing Mothhead to life become a reality. Using
Fry Scores' Is A Gaming Cook Book Of Digital Delights From Skyrim, Zelda, And More
'Fry Scores' Is A Gaming Cook Book Of Digital Delights From Skyrim, Zelda, And More
We have come a long way since we first ate fresh fruit in Pac-Man and found pork chops hidden in the walls of Dracula’s castle.
We have come a long way since we first ate fresh fruit in Pac-Man and found pork chops hidden in the walls of Dracula’s castle. Today, writer and photographer Holly Green released her cook book of gaming-inspired recipes called Fry Scores: An Unofficial Guide to Video Game Grub , and we had a chance to catch up with her to talk about the project.
Green tells us that the project has been over two years in the making. “I started the book at my last publication following an article I'd written about food in video games, and the idea took off from there,” she says.
The book is designed to provide accessible recipes that have a touchstone in gaming. ”Choosing the recipes was one of the more difficult parts of the process, as I wanted to present a practical list of dishes that could be eaten any day of the week,” she explains. “I noticed that a lot of video game food blogs updated infrequently and featured items that were either difficult to make or didn't hold general interest. I wanted to bring together a full list of recipes that would include cuisine staples and cover a basic level of culinary instruction.”
Fry Scores features a number of original recipes pulled from games in which their mention and inclusion is used as simple set dressing. Green makes these items, like Skyrim’s Apple Cabbage Stew and Cook Cook’s Fiend Stew from Fallout: New Vegas, the centerpiece instead of the background.
Green shared one of her recipes from the book, an original creation fashioned after Yeto’s Soup from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. In the game, Yeto prepares three different versions based on the quality of ingredients. The final one, Superb Soup, includes Ordon Goat Cheese in addition to the Ordon Pumpkin, and Reekfish included in the previous iterations.
Click to enlarge.
1/3 lb. sockeye salmon 1 tablespoon minced garlic 16 oz. heavy cream 1 cup pumpkin puree 4 oz. goat cheese bay leaf 1 tsp. sea salt 1 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika 3/4 tsp. white pepper dill for garnishThe most important part of this dish is the quality of the ingredients. Choose a quality cut of sockeye salmon and a pure goat cheese that crumbles easily. For this recipe, a bourbon infused goat cheese was used, enhancing the soup with a light smoky flavor. If you cannot find a smoky goat cheese, a shot of bourbon can be added to the finished soup base.
The first step is to create a cream-goat cheese base. This is achieved by slowly blending the two over a low heat. Crumble the goat cheese into small chunks, then place in 2 quart saucepan over LOW heat. Slowly add cream, tablespoon by tablespoon, blending into the cheese with a fork or large wooden spoon. Continue until full 16 oz has been completely added. Once all the cheese has melted, the resulting liquid will be thick.
Add to it two bay leaves, paprika, salt, and white pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, then add pumpkin puree by the tablespoon while stirring constantly. Once all pumpkin puree has been added, cover mixture and let simmer.
Next broil the salmon. Since salmon is thin it does not require a lot of heat. Once it is fully cooked it will separate easily from the skin. Place the salmon on a cookie sheet covered in tin foil.
Broil on the LOW setting for about fifteen minutes or until flesh has turned light pink, then switch to HIGH. Cook an additional six to eight minutes, monitoring carefully until the edges of the salmon are caramelized and appear crispy, then remove from the oven and cool completely.
When ready to serve, spoon hot pumpkin soup into a bowl, then place slices of cooked salmon on top. Garnish with dill, rainbow pepper corn, and smoked paprika.
Click to enlarge.
In addition to unique creations like Yeto’s Soup, Green’s book also includes clever twists on more common creations. “For recipes like grilled cheese, putting my own signature spin on it was a challenge,” Green tells us. “But it was also a major concern of mine, as some of the dishes were classic to the point of being universally known.”
Included in Fry Scores are recipes for French Toast (The Sims 3), Pork Katsu (Cooking Mama), and Red Curry (the Kirby series). “The idea was to not use too many convoluted or expensive ingredients, and just present simple food done well,” Green explains. “In fact with one recipe there was almost no creative leeway: Key lime pie, which requires a very specific ratio of egg to juice to condensed milk in order to cook properly and thus cannot be made any differently. For that one, I offer a spin on the crust, suggesting flaked coconut mixed in with the graham cracker crumbs.”
Alongside each recipe is original photography. “That was probably the most time consuming part of the process,” she recounts. “Food photography, like many things, can easily be picked up through basic observation, but I had to reshoot many of the recipes as my skills improved over the past two years. I spent a lot of time looking at photos from a variety of artists and determined what it was I liked about each of them, then set out to incorporate those into my work. Good artistry often starts with mimicry, and from Flickr photographers and Martha Stewart magazines I learned the importance of color, texture, depth of field, and natural lighting.”
You can see some of Green’s photography above. The book is available now via iTunes and iBooks on Macs and iDevices. Additional formats will be available in the future.
As for “DLC” for Fry Scores , Green has thoughts about what’s next. “I would like to do a video game cocktail book but sadly there are few cocktails actually featured in video games (I would also never want to step all over the great stuff thatis doing),” she says. “One plan is to do a supplemental instruction guide on how to make homebrew beer, with a guest authorship from video games' biggest craft beer enthusiast/homebrewer Kinsey Burke. I'm also open to the idea of a future update with additional recipes, relying on suggestions from readers, but I would like to finish my next book, a history of gin, before I revisit Fry Scores.”
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Jump to Section: Best Price Comments Pros Big plentiful explosions Intense firefights with waves of baddies Guns behave like the real thing Cons No multiplayer Short story mode Few places can be torn apart Go to page: Page 1 Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Forget everything you think you know about Black . It isn't to first-person shooters what Burnout is to racing games. It's not an over-the-top explodaganza
A Collection Of Our Past Gaming Easter Egg Hunts
It’s Easter, and after you’ve been out with the family to comb through the grass for brightly colored eggs, we have something for you.
It’s Easter, and after you’ve been out with the family to comb through the grass for brightly colored eggs, we have something for you. We’ve compiled some of our past stories focused on gaming’s hidden secrets, lovingly called “easter eggs.”
Enjoy!
(Image credit: Petr Kratochvil)
Activision announces Men in Black game
The new Men in Black movie might be experiencing production problems (word is the script needed mid-shoot rewrites, so you know it's good), but that hasn't stopped Activision from assembling together a team of highly-skilled agents to work on a game based on the franchise. Today, the Call of Duty publisher revealed that they're putting together a Men in Black game and aiming it for a Spring 2012 release
Creating Physical Miniatures From Virtual Worlds – Bringing Tiny BioShock To Life
During his working hours, Andy Jarosz runs the company he owns – one that makes camera and lighting gear used by the film industry.
During his working hours, Andy Jarosz runs the company he owns – one that makes camera and lighting gear used by the film industry. In his free time however, Jarosz creates impressive miniature sets inspired by video games. We’ve featured his Battlefield creation before, which you can check out here, and his latest creation is a familiar location from BioShock.
It was the work with his company where he learned the art of miniature creation and where he acquired he tools to give his creations their impressive detail. “I grew up being inspired by the effects artists behind Star Wars and building kit models, and hearing that the new films will actually have practical models and effects has inspired me to create some of my own,” Jarosz says. He makes his models purely out of an appreciation for the art, and because he enjoys seeing the end result. “Who knows, maybe one day I'll be working on models for Star Wars, hopefully inspiring others,” Jarosz says.
Comparing the reference location to the miniature
Jarosz spent 25 hours on his latest creation, and much of that time is devoted to pre-planning and drawing out designs. He opted for creating the BioShock miniature because the area he was interested in creating only required two foreground walls and the cove in the back. This project was a shorter commitment compared to previous work, but still required an impressive commitment of time.
His BioShock piece is 1/26th scale and uses all manner of materials and tools. For the posters Jarosz printed the images onto sticker paper, applied them to a plastic frame, and drybrushed them for effect. To get the dents in the railings, a small heat gun was used to bend them properly. The floor, as well as the assorted debris, is made of plywood laser engraved with smaller grain. Jarosz used this creation as an excuse to buy a 3D printer and printed the Little Sisters and other aspects of the miniature. The rocks are rocks.
I asked Jarosz if these sets could be used for stop-animation, but he said, “They're really too small to do any kind of stop motion.” Right now, they’re just fascinating art projects. “I am still trying to figure out what to do with them,” Jarosz says. “I would love to build some nice showcase enclosures for them and either give them away in a drawing, sell them on Etsy, or even send them to the game studios themselves.”
As far as what he wants to work on next, Jarosz seems to be leaning towards a popular Bethesda title, but he’s not ready to commit. “A lot of people have been asking for Fallout, which I think is a fantastic idea. I'm not planning anything specific at the moment, but there's certainly no shortage of inspiration.”
Adding the lighting
You can see more images of Jarosz’s BioShock miniature in the gallery below.
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Jump to Section: Best Price Comments Pros Big plentiful explosions Intense firefights with waves of baddies Guns behave like the real thing Cons No multiplayer Short story mode Few places can be torn apart Go to page: Page 1 Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Forget everything you think you know about Black . It isn't to first-person shooters what Burnout is to racing games. It's not an over-the-top explodaganza
How I Game: Brad Muir — Project Lead, Double Fine
Brad Muir may be busy running Double Fine's latest Kickstarter, Massive Chalice , but he's still got time for his greatest vice: Dota 2 .
. "I'm extremely addicted," he says. "I'm playing all of the Dota 2 I can handle!"
Name: Brad Muir
Occupation: Project Lead at Double Fine Productionson Massive Chalice
Location: San Francisco, CA
Twitter: MrMooEar
Who are you?
I'm Brad Muir! I'm a Project Lead at Double Fine Productions. I've been here for almost 10 years, working on games like Psychonauts, Brütal Legend, Iron Brigade, and now Massive Chalice.
"It boots and loads games so quickly it's ridiculous. I feel like I'm in the future."
What's in your PC?
I used to be really into building my own PC's but this time I around I had a good friend help me out. I just haven't been keeping up with hardware trends. But the rig that he spec'd out for me is about a year old and it's still a beast! Core i5 3570k, 8GB DDR3 RAM, GTX 580, 256GB SSD. It was such a major upgrade to my old rig!
What's the most interesting part of your setup?
I think it's a pretty normal setup. My PC is at a desk in the guest bedroom with a desk chair. There isn't really anything fancy about it. But I will say that upgrading to a PC with an SSD has been revelatory! I know that it's not uncommon nowadays, but the speed just hasn't worn off on me. It boots and loads games so quickly it's ridiculous. I feel like I'm in the future.
What's on your desk?
It's so messy it's embarrassing! I keep a lot of stuff by my PC. There are a ton of books, Magic cards, and official-looking pieces of mail laying around that I should be dealing with. But mostly I'm just ignoring these things and playing Dota.
"Games were a great escape for me and let me really feel in control of what was happening in the world."
What are you playing right now?
Oh man I'm playing all of the Dota 2 I can handle! My younger brother roped me into the game and I'm extremely addicted right now. I'm definitely looking forward to The International 3 in Seattle in August! I've also been playing some Crusader Kings 2, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and X-COM: UFO Defense (old school!) for MASSIVE CHALICE research! It's pretty awesome when these games are considered "research" for your job!
Why do you game?
When I was a kid I think it was all about having a safe space. Games were a great escape for me and let me really feel in control of what was happening in the world. Nowadays I think it's a lot different—games are a great way to socialize and keep in touch with my brother. And I think they're a great, interesting way to apply stress your brain in a positive way. I'm so excited that games are offering all sorts of diverse experiences these days. I'm loving the indie community—it's just great that you can have games like Kerbal Space Program and Cart Life in the Steam store next to Call of Duty. Amazing!
How I Game is a weekly spotlight of developers, pro gamers, and community members. Know someone who you'd like to see featured? Drop a comment below.
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Jump to Section: Best Price Comments Go to page: Page 1 Page 1 Page 2 Expectations, eh? While Black is technically flawless, painstakingly designed and probably the best single-player shooter on PS2, we can't help but feel a little disappointed. Why? Because it doesn't keep its promise to "do for first-person shooters what Burnout did for cars". Burnout changed the way we looked at racing games, with
Humble Double Fine Bundle adds eight prototypes, Amnesia Fortnight documentary
Amnesia Fortnight is how Double Fine turns creative people into games—everyone on staff is hit on the head with a brick or some other amnesia-inducing device and spends two weeks prototyping new ideas.
is how Double Fine turns creative people into games—everyone on staff is hit on the head with a brick or some other amnesia-inducing device and spends two weeks prototyping new ideas. It's how Costume Quest and Stacking were greenlit, and last year Double Fine introduced us to the process by letting us vote on concepts in its first Humble Bundle collaboration. Those prototypes, and a few more, are now available again through the current Humble Double Fine Bundle.
Along with Psychonauts, Costume Quest, Stacking, and Brütal Legend, beating the average price (currently $8.15) will now also get you Windows-only concept games Autonomous, Black Lake, Hack n' Slash, Spacebase DF-9, The White Birch, Happy Song, Brazen, and the Costume Quest prototype.
Also added are the prototypes' soundtracks, as well as 2 Player Productions' Amnesia Fortnight 2012 Documentary, which was originally released as daily video updates during the two-week prototyping crunch. Check out the trailer below:
Black
With the release of Black less than a month away, EA has unleashed a batch of new pics of the shoot-'em-up. The FPS, which has been developed by British studio Criterion (best known for the Burnout series), looks set to take console shooters to a new level with its hard-boiled attitude and remarkable effects. Black is a refreshingly straightforward shooter: these new screenshots feature all the on
Humble Double Fine Bundle goes live, $35 gets all games plus Broken Age pre-order
The launch of The Humble Double Fine Bundle means that for a limited time you can get Psychonauts for the low price of whatever you want.
means that for a limited time you can get Psychonauts for the low price of whatever you want. You'd be a psycho not to take that offer!
I'm so sorry about that, but it's true. And for whatever price you choose, you'll also get Costume Questand Stacking. Pay more than the average ($8.29 at the time of writing) however, and Double Fine will throw in an extra umlaut in the form of Brütal Legend.
Pay $35 or more, and you'll get all the games plus a "slacker backer" pre-order of Double Fine's Kickstarted adventure game, Broken Age. The post-Kickstarter backing program grants you the following:
Access to making-of documentary episodes in HD Access to private forums featuring concept art, development updates, team and backer discussions Participation in the closed beta A Steam code for the finished game on PC & Mac, or a DRM-free download on PC, Mac, or LinuxThe bundle also features the Psychonauts and Brütal Legend soundtracks, and all games are available on Steam or as DRM-free downloads for Windows, Mac, and Linux. As always with Humble Bundles, you can partition your contribution any way you like to support Double Fine, charities, and the organizers, Humble Bundle, Inc.
Oh, and for a less-humble contribution—$75—you'll also get a classy Double Fine t-shirt. Unfortunately, the shirt is not available as a download, but worldwide shipping is included.
Burnout Paradise developer working on PS Vita game
We haven't heard a whole lot out of Criterion Games recently. Ever since they launched Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, we haven't heard a peep about what the company is working on aside from the passing curiosity that was Burnout Crash. A new rumor has surfaced suggesting that the much-lauded racing game developer may be working on a title for the PlayStation Vita. The rumor comes from a job listing that
Tim Schafer says we might see more Psychonauts, Brütal Legend
We're a week away from the PC release of Brütal Legend.
We're a week away from the PC release of Brütal Legend. Three and a half years late, but considering true metal originates from the Edge of Time, that's not too bad. But it seems, just as we seem like we're reaching the end, our blood brothers at Double Fine might have more to give for the rocktastic franchise... and maybe even Psychonauts, while they're at it. In an interview with RPS, Tim Schafer hinted at some possible DLC, and didn't leave a full expansion out of the question.
“I think [mostly multiplayer stuff] is the most plausible to me,” Schafer told Rock Paper Shotgun, in reference to new Brütal Legend content for the PC. “Because single-player requires content, which means reengaging all the voice actors—which is something that was a lot easier for EA to pay for. Also, reengaging music licensing. I'd love to do that too, but I think that would involve more funding than we have cash on hand to do.”
While DLC is all fine and dandy (and in a single instant, I lost all of the metal cred from the references earlier in the article), a full-blown sequel would rock even harder. Schafer says it could happen, but they're likely to look to their less blast-beat-driven franchise first.
"It's been longer since Psychonauts and we wouldn't have to do any music licensing,” he said. “So we could probably afford to do it more if we got some funding. I feel like a Brutal sequel would cost twice as much as Psychonauts. It's easier to imagine Double Fine doing a sequel to Psychonauts. But for creative reasons, there's no preference of one over the other.”
So there you have it. The eyes of the world are on Double Fine, and only time (what is time?) will tell what might emerge.
If you find all the metal references in this article, tweet at AsaTJand I'll tell everyone how special you are.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted officially announced, made by Criterion
EA dropped us a line this morning to confirm the recent speculation that they are currently working on a new Need for Speed title to be revealed at E3. As most of us had already guessed, it's Need for Speed: Most Wanted, and it will be coming from the industry's most legendary arcade racing developer, Criterion. You may remember Criterion from their previous efforts in the genre: Burnout 3, Burnout
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Jump to Section: Best Price Comments Pros Easy to get to grips with Full of memorable shooty moments Creative weaponry Cons Dodgy superfluous swimming bits Controls don't work well on handheld Cover system a bit unreliable Go to page: Page 1 Page 1 Page 2 Retribution does the best it can with the PSP’s single analog stick. It maps aiming to the face buttons and indulges you with a generous amount of
Tim Schafer says we might see more Psychonauts, Brütal Legend
We're a week away from the PC release of Brütal Legend.
We're a week away from the PC release of Brütal Legend. Three and a half years late, but considering true metal originates from the Edge of Time, that's not too bad. But it seems, just as we seem like we're reaching the end, our blood brothers at Double Fine might have more to give for the rocktastic franchise... and maybe even Psychonauts, while they're at it. In an interview with RPS, Tim Schafer hinted at some possible DLC, and didn't leave a full expansion out of the question.
“I think [mostly multiplayer stuff] is the most plausible to me,” Schafer told Rock Paper Shotgun, in reference to new Brütal Legend content for the PC. “Because single-player requires content, which means reengaging all the voice actors—which is something that was a lot easier for EA to pay for. Also, reengaging music licensing. I'd love to do that too, but I think that would involve more funding than we have cash on hand to do.”
While DLC is all fine and dandy (and in a single instant, I lost all of the metal cred from the references earlier in the article), a full-blown sequel would rock even harder. Schafer says it could happen, but they're likely to look to their less blast-beat-driven franchise first.
"It's been longer since Psychonauts and we wouldn't have to do any music licensing,” he said. “So we could probably afford to do it more if we got some funding. I feel like a Brutal sequel would cost twice as much as Psychonauts. It's easier to imagine Double Fine doing a sequel to Psychonauts. But for creative reasons, there's no preference of one over the other.”
So there you have it. The eyes of the world are on Double Fine, and only time (what is time?) will tell what might emerge.
If you find all the metal references in this article, tweet at AsaTJand I'll tell everyone how special you are.
New Need for Speed title spotted in EA report
In a new slideshow released today EA (possibly accidentally) revealed a new Need For Speed game will be arriving in the third quest of 2012. While we're really not too sure what to expect here since the extent of the available information stops at "Need for Speed Q3 2012," this lines up nicely with rumors of Need for Speed Most Wanted 2. Kotaku spotted the results earlier today in an earnings report
Ranked rewards and jousting are the real stars of Hearthstone's new expansion
Perhaps it’s a sign of how established the game now is, but The Grand Tournament is the first Hearthstone expansion which (so far) hasn’t been met with overwhelming excitement.
Perhaps it’s a sign of how established the game now is, but The Grand Tournament is the first Hearthstone expansion which (so far) hasn’t been met with overwhelming excitement. In fact, once the initial hype that something— anything —was coming along to freshen up a meta overrun by drunkass self-duplicating dwarves, the reaction to a lot of the cards has been pretty rough. A degree of cynicism, particularly once a game’s subreddithits a certain size, is to be expected, but the verdict of popular streamers and pros has largely been a mixture of shrugs and raised eyebrows.
I have a fair amount of sympathy for Blizzard’s design team. The delicate balance between Hero classes, the existing cards, and a dozen or so established dominant deck archetypes is no joke. The introduction of a single badly costed card—most of us remain haunted by the Undertakerera, and of Leeroywe still don’t speak—can throw the whole game out of whack. So, with any new set, Team 5 has to walk a tightrope between creating enough exciting new cards that people actually want to play them, while not succumbing to the kind of power creepthat would render the old stuff useless overnight. Tough gig.
brave archer
Can you say SMorc?
Seemingly mindful that the hype train hasn’t begun choo-chooing just yet (and bear in mind this spoiler tableshows we haven’t even seen half of what TGT has to offer yet), the last few days have seen some exciting cards shown. I’m certain the likes of Darnassus Aspirantand Brave Archerwill see top level play. The latter is particularly interesting because, along with Savage Combatant, it looks like an immediately viable example of the Inspire mechanic.
This new keyword, which triggers an effect each time use your Hero power, has been viewed sceptically so far. Players are worried that opting to Hero Power rather than drop a minion or cast a spell will result in a loss of tempo that sees them fall behind on the board, even with the Inspire benefit accounted for. But here’s the thing: Not all Inspire cards can be good in the same way that not all Battlecry cards are good. In fact, when you look back at the previous three expansions, what’s remarkable is how many cards don’t see regular play. The Curse of Naxxramas arguably has the highest hit rate, but as an adventure it was a much smaller set. A more fair comparison would be with Goblins vs Gnomes—and as this postnotes, of the 123 cards in GvG, only about a third are used by current meta decks.
Which is actually fine. Does the fact that Dragons never really took off as a thing after the Blackrock Mountain adventure matter? Not as far as Blizzard are concerned, provided people had fun experimenting with the scaly menaces, which most of us would agree we did. And given that the game will keep on expanding, at some point the chances are that there will be enough cards with Dragon synergy for a top tier deck to be created.
The card that sells the set
Aviana
Yes, she's another expensive late-game legendary, but with cards like Emperor Thaurissan, Innervate and Wild Growth, Aviana could be lead to some amazing turns.
The real reason I think people have been a little down on the new cards is that there hasn’t been a signature whizzbang ‘OMG, I can’t believe that card exists’ reveal to cause the same sort of fuss as Emperor Thaurissan. Wilfred Fizzlebangfizzled out, and Justicar Trueheartfeels hard to evaluate until we see the whole set, but with today’s reveal of the Druid Legendary Aviana, we may have a new superstar. Full disclosure: I’m biased here— angry treants are very much my jam—but even if Aviana’s doesn’t prove as powerful as it first appears, it’s going to be a lot of fun finding out. I’m already working on a revised heavy ramp list for her.
She’s not the thing I’m most excited about from The Grand Tournament, though. Back in May I spoke with senior game designer Mike Donaisabout the almost total lack of rewards for clambering up the ladder each season. That changes this month. Blizzard is instigating a new system that will see players rewarded with dust and gold cards depending on the number of ranks they climb. A few things to note: It doesn’t matter if you drop back down, your reward is determined by the rank you peaked at. You won’t be able to win a golden legendary, only commons, epics and rares (for fairly obvious reasons). You still get that month’s card back at rank 20. After you hit rank five, you'll get a little extra dust but no more cards, I guess because at that point it’s presumed you’re going for the Legend rank, which is its own reward.
The wisp value is real
I love this. I’ve played Hearthstone pretty much constantly since it came out of beta, finishing at rank four a couple of times when I put extra effort in—but without the heart to do the Legend grind, it never really felt there was much point climbing. Now there is. Even the prospect of a couple of golden Wispsis enough to motivate me. The gap between what you’ll win at rank 20 and what you get at five doesn’t look huge, but it’s enough to make me think my time investment at least counts for something.
The other big reveal to come out of Gamescom todaywas the new Joust mechanic, which I’m also hot on. So the way it works is when you play a card with Joust on it, a minion will magically be revealed from each opponent’s deck. If your guy costs more, you win the joust, and a beneficial effect, like Charge or Taunt, will trigger on Master Jouster. The revealed cards then go back in the deck. It’s since been clarified that if the two cards cost the same, you lose. Likewise, if neither of you have any creatures left, you also lose. Check it out in action in the video below.
The reason Jousting is exciting to me is that it represents an elegant solution to the long-standing issue that aggressive decks feel joyless to lose against. Now there will be an additional risk to stacking your deck with little dudes. Jousting won’t mark the end of aggro decks—and nor should it, as Eric Dodds noted here, Hearthstone will have an eternal conflict between aggro and control—but it does mean there’s a new tool to maintain the balance, and without the need to nerf a bunch of cards. It’s also an example of RNG done right. Yes there will be times you get screwed because a Hunter pulls his Highmane out, but this is the kind of random effect you can mitigate by how you build your deck and knowing what’s left in it.
The Joust mechanic is an example of the kind of solution which, left to debate what (if anything) should be done about aggro, the community wouldn’t have come up with. It’s also another indication of both what a delicate job Blizzard’s designers have to do, and the fact Hearthstone still has plenty of surprises up those billowing wizard sleeves. Even if we can all agree that, yes, Poisoned Bladeis a dumpster fire of a card.
The Grand Tournament will be released later this month. You can see every card revealed so far here.
Halo Ringworld In Legos
Have you ever wondered what a Halo ring would look like in over 10,000 Legos?
Catsy [CC] spent three years constructing such a dream. It has been on display at the 2012 BrickCon, where it won “Best Large Planetary Structure" in the Space theme.
To check out the Ringworld in its entirety and other works from Catsy [CC] check out his flicker page.
The Royal Wedding: A Gamer's Guide
The Royal Wedding is just two posh people you don't know getting married and has nothing at all to do with video games. Incredibly, that statement is only 50% correct. Of course it's implausible that any real people reading this could ever legally be acquainted with Prince William and Kate Middleton. That is an absurd notion. But their Royal Wedding does have many genuinely tenuous associations with
The Stomping Land's dinosaur modeler gives up, moves to a new game
It's been a long, slow, and ugly process, but it seems certain now that The Stomping Land , the multiplayer survival game set in a land of dinosaurs that raised over $100,000 on Kickstarter , has been abandoned.
, has been abandoned. After losing contact with developer Alex "Jig" Fundora in late 2014, modeler Vlad Konstantinov halted his work on the game in January, and has now moved on to a different game altogether.
"I'm sad to say this but I have to temporarily freeze all my work for TSL project," Konstantinov wrote on The Stomping Land forumsin January. "More than a month has passed since the day when I received the last reply from Jig. I've sent him 5 messages and haven't got any single reply." He also claimed that Fundora still owes him money, and that he actually had to pay the texture artist out of his own pocket.
"If this silence continues I will stop my participation in TSL and start taking the necessary measures to cover my expenses (sell the models for example)," he added.
The silence apparently did continue, because earlier this month the developers of Beasts of Prey, another sandbox survival game with dinosaurs, announced that Konstantinov had signed a dealto provide it with new dinosaur models, and had actually already come across with an ankylosaurus model.
Surprisingly, The Stomping Land is once again available for purchase on Steam:Sales were halted in September, although it remained listed, but sometime between then and now, the purchase option was re-enabled. There's been no new activity on either the Stomping Land Facebookpage or Twitterfeed, however, both of which have been silent since September 2014.
Unfortunately for Kickstarter backers, the likelihood of refunds seems extremely remote. According to another recent forum post, Kickstarter told a backer seeking a return of his money that it had already reached out to Fundora to remind him of his obligations, but beyond that there's little it can do but restrict or suspend his account, so he can't launch any new Kickstarters. That's obviously of little value to the people who collectively sunk $114,060 into this one.
We've reached out to both Fundora and Valve about the future of The Stomping Land on Steam, and will update if and when we receive a reply. But right now, it looks like... the Jig is up.
Thanks to a reader called Russell for the tip, which led to this story.
A Look Back At The ‘80s Donkey Kong Cartoon
It’s almost hard to believe that Donkey Kong was ever more popular than Mario, but after the Donkey Kong arcade game released in July of 1981 and until Super Mario Bros.
It’s almost hard to believe that Donkey Kong was ever more popular than Mario, but after the Donkey Kong arcade game released in July of 1981 and until Super Mario Bros. hit the NES in September of 1985 Donkey Kong was Nintendo’s biggest superstar. He even stared in his own cartoon.
Back in 1983, Donkey Kong appeared in his own self-titled cartoon. The show was part of CBS's hour-long arcade-inspired cartoon block entitled Saturday Supercade. In the show, Donkey Kong escapes from the circus and is pursued by Pauline and her boyfriend Mario who seek to recapture him.
This abysmal show was filled with bad puns and ridiculous situations. You can get a taste of the cartoon in the video below. Peter Cullen, who later found fame as the voice of Optimus Prime in Transformers actually voiced Mario. Also note how Donkey Kong uses his own name as a battle cry, and that he is strong enough to rip a plane in half. We’re particularly fond of the ridiculous hat joke at at the 4:10 mark.
As an added bonus, check out this commercial for Donkey Kong cereal, which came out during the summer of 1982.
15 Of The Coolest Exclusive Toys Coming To San Diego Comic-Con
A collector’s paradise, San Diego Comic-Con is the stop for exclusive pop-culture goods.
A collector’s paradise, San Diego Comic-Con is the stop for exclusive pop-culture goods. This year’s con kicks off on July 21, so we gathered up some of the coolest exclusive toys you’ll be able to pick up on the show floor. From Simpsons to Star Wars, from reality television to comic books, this year is bound to have at least one toy for everyone.
The Simpsons Mr. Sparkle 7” Medium Figure
A combination of a lightbulb and a fish, Mr. Sparkle shares a close resemblance to Springfield, USA’s most famous man, Homer Simpson. Kid Robot will be bringing this exclusive figure to San Diego this month, pre-orders are open now.
Terminator 2 T-1000 Figure
NECA Toys hasn’t released much information about this figure yet, aside from announcing its existence on Twitter. But expect to see more of him on the SDCC show floor.
Super Powers Micro Figure 3 Pack
Gentle Giant has this classic take on DC’s most popular heroes available for pre-ordernow, however you must be a Premium Guild member to order. These are remakes of the popular 1984 Kenner figures.
Chewbacca McQuarrie Concept 1:6 Scale Mini Bust
This bust of Ralph McQuarrie’s early designs for Chewbacca from Gentle Giant is unfortunately sold outat this time, but it’s still worth a look to see this excellent recreation of what one of Star War’s most famous characters could have looked like.
Kidrobot Exclusive Bebop
Kidrobot is bringing this awesome Bebop figure from the Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series to the show floor. It costs $40.
Kylo Ren And Obi-Wan 6-Inch Figures
Hasbro will be bringing theseKylo Ren and Obi-Wan figures to the convention, costing $34.99 and $44.99 respectively. The Obi-Wan comes with a small replica of a Princess Leia hologram definitely makes the cooler of the two.
Check out page two for even more cool toys.
Are Pixar making Grim Fandango and Psychonauts movies? No.
Yesterday, Pixar announced a batch of new movies at CinemaCon 2012, including one based around the Dia de los Muertos - the Mexican day of the dead festivities that also inspired Grim Fandango.
- the Mexican day of the dead festivities that also inspired Grim Fandango. At the same event, John Lasseter gave a release dateto a previously announced project currently called The Untitled Pixar Movie that Takes You Inside the Mind - June 19, 2015. Twitter is now afluster with pre-emptive reports that these are Grim Fandango and Psychonauts movies, but sadly the facts don't match up.
John Lasseter discussed the mind movie on the Charlie show Rose last December, and said it "takes place inside of a girl's mind, and it is about her emotions as characters." Being set inside a single mind doesn't have much to do with the concept of Psychonauts, the point of which is to jump in and out of different people's psyches.
They've siad less about the day of the dead movie, but I'm afraid what they have said will interrupt any presumptive fandango: AceShowBiz report"Pixar confirmed that it will be an original story and not be based on any previous source material".
It would have been a hell of a thing to see. The good news is, it probably will be anyway.
Notch calms down internet with facts. Asks it to "stop hyping"
"Let's make Psychonauts 2 happen" said Notch a few weeks ago.
ago. Yesterday, he offered Tim Schafer13 million to fund the anticipated sequel, before clarifying his intent. Later in the day, he posted confirmed details on his personal blog.
Even though Notch mentions he and Tim "haven't spoken much," he confirms the high profile pair are planning on meeting at GDC, which happens in a few weeks. He also mentions that the 13 million quoted by Tim was "three times higher" than his original estimate, but that he's still up for fronting the cash. The Minecraft dev says he would be operating purely as an investor, saying "I wouldn't want to have any creative input."
"I have NO idea if this is actually going to happen, he clarifies. "The kickstarter stuff obviously changes the playing field a lot. Investing that incredibly high amount of money also requires a lot of planing and discussion, and I've never done anything like that before, but I do have contacts and advisors to help me out.
"All I know is that IF the numbers work out and IF they still want to do it and IF they don't decide to self fund a sequel by doing more crowd funding (which is honestly what I would've done if I were them), I would be most interested in doing this type of investment," he continued.
Then Notch got a little angrier: "Point is, stop hyping over this, internet! You're going to scare me into doing things secretly instead of being open and transparent via twitter. I am incredibly scared of the very real risk of people feeling let down just because I took a chance at something that doesn't end up panning out."
He signed off by hinting at a future where his quotes feature less prominently in news feeds: "I realize you won't stop hyping, so I'll just go into hiding for a few years if it falls through."
It's not a definite confirmation then, but close enough. Until then, don't believe the hype (unless posted by Notch or Tim). Then you can hype all you like. We'll have more on Psychonauts 2 as soon as it's confirmed.
Wargaming talk Master of Orion at the PC Gamer Weekender
The legendary space strategy game returns with modern production values and a sparkling cast of actors.
The legendary space strategy game returns with modern production values and a sparkling cast of actors. Wargaming and WG Labs are refreshing the classic 4X game with help from some of the original creators, and hope to take on the likes of Stellaris this year. 2016 will be a great year for fans of space.
As in the original, you must expand and achieve victory against ten independent races (including the dinosaur chap above), voiced by top talent like Mark Hamill, Alan Tudyk, Kari Wahlgren, Nolan North and more.
Master of Orion is heading onto Steam Early Access soon, but what lies in store for fans as the game develops? Director of product vision at Wargaming, Chris Keeling, will join WG Labs' publishing product director Maxim Matveyko on stage at the PC Gamer Weekenderto discuss all things Master of Orion. Don't miss out; you'll make the dinosaur sad.
They join an esteemed lineup of guests, who will bring exclusive showings of Star Citizen, Frozen Synapse 2, Worlds Adrift, Divinity: Original Sin 2 and much more. Our massive gaming area will let you play new and upcoming games like Super Hot, Dark Soul 3, Total War: Warhammer and more.
It's going to be great. You can book tickets here, and use the code PCG20 to knock 20% off the ticket price.
Tim Schafer talks Double Fine’s uphill battle to publish games on PC
Is there any bigger darling on the internet than Tim Schafer and Double Fine right now?
Is there any bigger darling on the internet than Tim Schafer and Double Fine right now? After all, you guys forked over north of a million bucksjust to see the man revisit the point-and-click adventure genre, a wonderful little gaming niche where bigwig publishers fear to tread.
Related to that, late last year our very own Logan Decker sat down with Tim (and Double Fine's mysterious millionaire/heroic partner, Steven Dengler) to talk about the uphill battle involved in simply porting games like Costume Quest and Psychonauts. Have a watch.
Star Wars: Battlefront site points to November release
The unveiling of Star Wars: Battlefront doesn't take place until tomorrow, but its release date appears to have been revealed a bit ahead of time.
doesn't take place until tomorrow, but its release date appears to have been revealed a bit ahead of time. A line in the source code of EA's SW: Battlefront " News and Media" page, noticed by the sharp-eyed folks at GameSpot, drops the dime: "The latest news and updates for Star Wars Battlefront," it says. "Available November 17, 2015, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC."
The line is still there, if you want to see it for yourself, and while it's not quite confirmation, it's hardly what you'd call ambiguous. The site also contains an image of a speeder racing through a great forest, which looks as though it came from this ten second blipof Battlefront gameplay posted to YouTube by BattlefrontUpdates (via MP1ST). The clip is actually from a link at the end of the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser, which—since we're hip-deep in Star Wars anyway—you can catch here. (It's pretty groovy.)
One more thing to look at before you go: This image from the Star Wars Celebration, courtesy of NeoGAF. It looks very much like box art, and if it is, I say, "Nice choice, guys."
It's all unconfirmed rumor at this point, but it won't be for long: The Star Wars: Battlefront reveal trailer will be shown to the world tomorrow at 10:30 am PDT during the EA panel at Star Wars Celebration, which began today. We've got Wes on the scene covering the event, so be sure to check back tomorrow to get all the details— officially .
Schafer says Psychonauts 2 will cost $13 million to fund. "Yeah, I can do that," says Notch
This fan made film, Inceptionauts, was used by Tim Schafer in meetings with publishers to try and sell the idea of a sequel to Psychonauts.
This fan made film, Inceptionauts, was used by Tim Schafer in meetings with publishers to try and sell the idea of a sequel to Psychonauts. "It's better than any trailer we ever had for the game" Tim Schafer said to Kotaku. But it wasn't enough to persuade any businesses to part with their money, until Notch went onto Twitterlast week with a simple message. "Let's make Psychonauts 2 happen."
"I feel like I was being proposed to on the jumbotron at the baseball game." says Schafer, but an offer on Twitter is one thing, a publishing deal is another. A sequel would need to at least match the budget of the original, which cost around $13 million to make. Schafer told Notch how much cash he might need to front production. "As soon as I mentioned the amount of money he said, 'Yeah, I can do that.'"
It's still not a done deal, there are private negotiations happening between Mojang and Double Fine. From a cold numbers perspective, a follow up to Psychonauts is a bit of a risk. Schafer told Kotaku that the original sold just 400,000 copies initially. "It wasn't enough for us to make money," Schafer admits, but since then sales on Good Old Games and Steam have gone extremely well. One of those Steam sales pushed Psychonauts ahead of Call of Duty in revenue earned that day.
Schafer also mentions that Double Fine have had a sequel in mind from the beginning. "We had a lot of plot elements that were backstory in that [first] game that we planned on revisiting in the future and tying it back in," Schafer said. "We had a longer story arc planned for those characters." He's being coy about specifics, though he says that there are "ideas to take them to a more international setting."
Double Fine have been having a few funding adventures recently. Their kickstarter campaignto support development of a new adventuregame currently has $1.7 million in donations.
...
Jump to Section: Best Price Comments Pros Extraordinarily funny all the way through Encourages exploration while still making it optional Has an aesthetic quite unlike any other video game Cons Way too short Like all humor the jokes lose impact with each retelling Summing up Jazzpunk in a single coherent sentence might actually be impossible. It's a comedy adventure experienced in first-person, with
Star Wars: Battlefront site points to November release
The unveiling of Star Wars: Battlefront doesn't take place until tomorrow, but its release date appears to have been revealed a bit ahead of time.
doesn't take place until tomorrow, but its release date appears to have been revealed a bit ahead of time. A line in the source code of EA's SW: Battlefront " News and Media" page, noticed by the sharp-eyed folks at GameSpot, drops the dime: "The latest news and updates for Star Wars Battlefront," it says. "Available November 17, 2015, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC."
The line is still there, if you want to see it for yourself, and while it's not quite confirmation, it's hardly what you'd call ambiguous. The site also contains an image of a speeder racing through a great forest, which looks as though it came from this ten second blipof Battlefront gameplay posted to YouTube by BattlefrontUpdates (via MP1ST). The clip is actually from a link at the end of the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser, which—since we're hip-deep in Star Wars anyway—you can catch here. (It's pretty groovy.)
One more thing to look at before you go: This image from the Star Wars Celebration, courtesy of NeoGAF. It looks very much like box art, and if it is, I say, "Nice choice, guys."
It's all unconfirmed rumor at this point, but it won't be for long: The Star Wars: Battlefront reveal trailer will be shown to the world tomorrow at 10:30 am PDT during the EA panel at Star Wars Celebration, which began today. We've got Wes on the scene covering the event, so be sure to check back tomorrow to get all the details— officially .
Tim Schafer says he'd "love to do" Psychonauts 2, Notch offers to fund it
Did you love Psychonauts?
Did you love Psychonauts? Have you often wished for a sequel that would continue Raz' adventures? You're not alone. Psychonauts creator, Tim Schafer mentions to Digital Spythat he's pitched Psychonauts 2 several times to different publishers, but "no-one has taken the bait so far."
"I'd love to do that game," he says. "But I'd have to convince someone to just give me a few million dollars, that's all."
A few million dollars? If only there were some sort of successful indie developer. One who loved the original, someone with the kind of dosh to prop up development on a sequel. Perhaps someone with a nice hat and a name that rhymes with "scotch."
Enter Notch. After reading about Schafer's attempts to nab funding for Psychonauts 2, he put forward an offer of his own on Twitter. "Let's make Psychonauts 2 happen, adding laterin a tweet to RPS, "I'm serious."
Tim Schafer hasn't responded yet. He's probably in bed, and it's just an offer for now, but what a great story it would be to see Mojang funding a second game in the much-loved Psychonauts universe.
Psychonauts gets Steam achievements, is still great
A surprise Steam update for the wonderful Psychonauts has arrived, adding Steam achievements and cloud saves.
has arrived, adding Steam achievements and cloud saves. The update also tweaks the criminally annoying Meat Circus section that had players tiptoeing along tightropes a hundred feet off the ground, having to start again with every fall. It was the worst part of an otherwise fantastic game. It will also be ported over to Macs, if you're into that sort of thing.
Psychonauts was the last title from Tim Schafer's Double Fine studio before they stopped making games for the PC. That makes us sad. But as last memories are rarely as funny and bizarre as Psychonauts' mental worlds.
You play as Raz, a boy with a talent for telekinesis who enrols in the Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp to develop his psychic powers. Then the camp is attacked, and someone starts stealing everyone's brains. You have to dive into different minds to discover the culprit, exploring wildly different mental landscapes that reflect the personality of the character you're invading. One level takes place in a twisted version of suburbia, in the mind of a paranoid man who thinks everyone's out to get him. In another, you're a giant stomping monster, terrorizing a city full of terrified fish. It's hilarious, inventive, and just £5.99 / $9.99 on Steam.
Shigeru Miyamoto tells us if HD Mario remakes are possible
You see, after playing a new section of the soon-to-release Super Mario 3D World, we were given a special, live video conference with Shigeru Miyamoto. He was seated in Nintendo’s headquarters in Kyoto, Japan, while we were sat in a Nintendo conference room in California. Was it weird? Yes. Were we only allowed one question? Yes. Did we make good use of that single question? You be the judge: GamesRadar
Star Wars Battlefront "focusing on planetary battles," not space combat
In DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront, hitting PC on November 17, you’ll be able to take to the skies in an X-Wing or TIE Fighter or even the Millenium Falcon, but you won’t be leaving the atmosphere.
In DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront, hitting PC on November 17, you’ll be able to take to the skies in an X-Wing or TIE Fighter or even the Millenium Falcon, but you won’t be leaving the atmosphere. There won’t be any space battles in Battlefront this time around.
“Are we going to see space battles?” I asked DICE producer Craig Mcleod. His answer was a bit more politic than “no,” but didn’t leave much room for ambiguity. “We’re focusing on epic planetary battles for this game,” he said.
Mcleod told me that Battlefront’s maps will be set on four planets: Tatooine, Hoth, Endor, and Sullust. There will definitely be dogfighting above those planets, and the trailer for Battlefront that EA released today does show a Star Destroyer hanging around ominously in the background. Could that hint at a level set on a Star Destroyer, or Star Destroyers somehow coming into play in the planetary maps?
Mcleod only gave me a vague answer when I asked.
“It’s very important for us to create a true Star Wars environment,” he said. “We want it to feel real. There are so many different aspects to this. It goes from the ground up, really. So when you think about that initial layer of infantry combat on the ground, then you add ground vehicles and the walker combat on top of that, then you go into another layer of dogfighting between X-Wings and TIE Fighters, and there was a Star Destroyer in the trailer, so yes they do exist within our game. It’s important that you build this in layers so it feels like a real Star Wars environment.”
It’s possible that Battlefront could give us a brief taste of space with its mission mode, small single-player/co-op battles designed to recreate iconic moments from the original trilogy. DICE showed a model of Admiral Ackbar during its demo, and Ackbar did lead the Rebellion against the Empire in the Battle of Endor. I’m in full conspiracy theory mode, at this point. Based on Mcleod’s answer, our time with Battlefront will mostly be spent with boots on the ground, or flying the skies just above.
Read my full previewfrom the Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim.
Legend of Grimrock 2 studio confirms that beta testing has begun
Legend of Grimrock was one of the happier surprises of 2012, not only because it was so good but because it demonstrated how a very old style of game could be successfully brought into the modern era.
but because it demonstrated how a very old style of game could be successfully brought into the modern era. Developer Almost Human has been plugging away at a sequelsince early 2013 and today announced that a major milestone has been reached, as the game is now in beta.
Unfortunately for fans, the studio is staying true to its promise of " no early access," and that means the beta test is closed. "Closed beta worked really well with LoG1 and we're looking to repeat the process," it wrote in the announcement. "By giving beta access to a carefully selected group of people, we can personally interact with the testers much better and thus get better and more accurate feedback."
The studio said Legend of Grimrock 2 will be about 25 percent longer than its predecessor, although more testing is required to really nail that number down. The new game is feature-complete and playable from start to finish, "but there's still much work to do," it wrote. "Our Venerable List of Things To Do is constantly getting added with new entries even as we are hammering on the things at the other end of the list."
To mark the entry into beta, Almost Human released a (very) brief teaser reminding everyone that the new game takes place on an island: The Isle of Nex, to be precise. Did you know that "nex" is Latin for death? Violent death, in particular. Probably not a coincidence.
There's no release date yet for Legend of Grimrock 2, but the studio said it hopes to be able to announce one soon.
Nintendo... seriously, the 2DS?
Let's think about this for a second, because I seriously think this is something worth thinking about for a second. Today, at the same time Nintendo revealed a much-needed price drop for the Wii U, it revealed a new 3DS model--one that removes the 3D and changes the design from the signature silhouette it spent the better part of a decade perfecting. After turning the once-floundering handheld into
Star Wars Battlefront won't have classes or squads
Star Wars Battlefront is being made by DICE—the studio famous for the Battlefield series.
Star Wars Battlefront is being made by DICE—the studio famous for the Battlefield series. Also, Battlefront and Battlefield share seven of the same letters, which is a lot. For that reason, you'd be forgiven for assuming some sort of crossover in the styles of the two multiplayer-focused shooters.
And yet, Battlefront is increasingly standing out as its own specific thing—diverging even from past Battlefront games. For instance, classes: there won't be any. There will, however, be a progression and unlock system. "We allow you to create your own loadout," Battlefront producer Craig Mcleod tells PC Gamer. "If you want to be one of those players that's a frontline run and gun, you'll be able to create a loadout that allows you to do this. If you're more defence or more of a team player, we'll allow you to do that as well."
Another thing missing from the standard DICE formula is squads. Instead, players will have a single partner—a sort of Chewie to your Han—who you'll always be able spawn on. You can also share unlocks, thus giving yourself and your partner more loadout choices.
Explaining the differences between games, Battlefront senior producer SigurlÃna Ingvarsdottir tells us that, while Battlefield offers "incredible heritage" for the team, "we were so mindful of the fact that we wanted to make this franchise our own ... We wanted it to feel like Star Wars and not be directly comparable to something else."
Previously, it was revealed that Battlefront won't feature iron sightsor space combat. For more on Star Wars Battlefront, check out the new issue of PC Gamer.
Legend of Grimrock Master Quest expands original layout, puzzles, threat to social life
If you think you've reached the end of Legend of Grimrock's twisting stone warrens and clever traps, the Master Quest is here to remind you that the mighty crawl never ends.
is here to remind you that the mighty crawl never ends. Creator Komag's substantial work is a custom super-dungeon that tosses in more challenging enemies, puzzles, and even a value tracker for all the loot your party lugs around.
Existing party setups from the original Grimrock are easily imported, and Komag says the expected gain for veteran players sits around 10 extra levels. Fresh parties between levels 1 to 25 also work with the dungeon's scalability, and masters of the Master Quest can top up to level 35 and max multiple skills for an extra element of strategy.
The number of secrets awaiting discovery by torchlight is bumped to 120, and it adds a value assignment for the items collected along the adventure. Loot totals factor into a new ranking system for your party, and your shinies-sniffing skills earn a title and rating at the quest's conclusion, which won't happen for some time due to a lengthy side-story and extra lore scribblings that dot the dungeon for your discovery.
Almost Human is bringing us Legend of Grimrock 2soon, but the Master Quest is a great way to both revisit the original escapade-under-the-mountain and warp the hours forward to "Wait, what time is it?" o' clock. Grab it on Steamor Grimrock Nexus.
PS Vita 2000 is comfortable and slick, but the LCD screen is noticeably less impressive
A period of regret usually follows any announcement of new handheld hardware. They'll have bigger screens, or ergonomic improvements, or other changes that make your old product feel like a worthless doorstop in the presence of the new, shiny, fantastically amazing new tech. Such is not the case with the recently revealed PS Vita 2000. Sure, the new version of the PS Vita it cheaper, but after going
Star Wars: Battlefront won't have iron sights
You'll be shooting from the hip come November 17, because Star Wars: Battlefront won't feature iron sights aiming.
won't feature iron sights aiming. That's according to DICE Executive Producer Patrick Bach, who told OXM (via GamesRadar) that the move is representative of the studio's goal to distinguish Battlefront from other major shooters.
"There are no ironsights in Star Wars, on the ordinary blasters," Bach said. "You have scopes on some rifles, but there are no ironsights."
"We’re not taking into account what we’ve done before," Bach said regarding the studio's other major shooter, Battlefield. "I think that would be disrespectful to the fans, and to what we’re trying to achieve here. A lot of the things you saw in the game have nothing to do with anything we’ve done before. Some features of course resemble [our other shooters], because we want to make the best possible shooter, but in general we’ve tried to do something completely unique."
Details on the Star Wars shooter are slowly trickling out, despite the lack of publicly available gameplay footage: the base game will feature 12 multiplayer mapsand will boast a maximum of 40 players per match. Wes Fenlon was lucky enough to see the game in action last month, and you can read his impressions here.
GOG Pick 5 Promo features The Witcher, Alan Wake, and others on the cheap
Near-weekly Steam deals and Humble Bundles mean you can't blink without stumbling into a PC gaming sale somewhere, and GOG isn't listening to your cries of sanctuary from these savings.
mean you can't blink without stumbling into a PC gaming sale somewhere, and GOG isn't listening to your cries of sanctuary from these savings. Nope, it's holding you down and letting you buy five gamesfrom a list of hits for the amount of change you could probably find rooting around beneath your couch for a bit.
The sale lasts for a week, and you're free to purchase as many sets for yourself or someone else as you like. If you've yet to experience Geralt's gritter debut in the first Witcher, you can now pick it up for the cheapest I've ever seen it—an absurd $2.
Here's the full list of all games in the promo:
Capsized Tiny & Big: Grandpa's Leftovers The Witcher: Extended Edition A New Beginning - Final Cut PiD Puddle Legend of Grimrock Chronicles of Riddick Inquisitor Defender's Quest Alan Wake's American Nightmare Deponia Runaway 3 Lucius Divinity 2: Developer's Cut King's Bounty: Crossworlds GOTY Back to the Future: The Game Alan Wake Sam & Max Save the World Sam & Max Beyond Time and SpaceYou could get $1,000 for recreating this Mario 64 glitch
Speedruns are built on glitches, exploits, and anything else that can get you from the start screen to the credits as quickly as possible. Few games have as active and dedicated of a speedrunning community as Super Mario 64 - which is why one of their number is offering a bounty of $1,000 for whoever can recreate a previously undiscovered glitch. The glitch in question was first observed on a casual
Star Wars: Battlefront has 12 multiplayer maps including the planet Sullust
Remember the little chipmunk-faced guy who helped Lando fly the Millennium Falcon in Return of the Jedi?
Remember the little chipmunk-faced guy who helped Lando fly the Millennium Falcon in Return of the Jedi? He was a Sullustan—from the planet Sullust, as you might surmise—and his homeworld will be the setting for at least one of the 12 multiplayer maps included with Star Wars: Battlefront.
To accurately recreate the surface of Sullust, which according to the Wookiepediais "composed of multicolored rock, veined by lava channels," members of the DICE development team headed to Iceland, "a unique and ideal location which in multiple areas looked like another planet," the studio wrote in adetailing the experience. They took photos and video of the landscape, which Lead Environment Artist Andrew Hamilton said "hints at all the features in our concept [art] and all the content we needed to gather."
Even with the Icelandic footage, it was more work creating the in-game environment for Sullust than for other planets, like Tatooine, Hoth, and Endor, all of which had real-world counterparts seen in the films. Material collected from those locations "could be used right away," Senior Level Artist Petter Skold explained, but the studio had to "shift and bend" the footage from Iceland to fit the design.
"Everything needs to look like something you could actually imagine existing," Hamilton added. "That’s what we wanted to do with Sullust…make it feel out of this world but like it could actually exist."
EA said there will be 12 multiplayer maps of various sizes and shapes in Star Wars: Battlefront, some new and some familiar, and also teased "even more locations when you include the Star Wars Battlefront Missions." The capitalization makes it look like some kind of DLC, but I'm assuming it's actually a reference to the small-scale scenarios that will comprise the game's single-player/co-op mode.
Star Wars: Battlefront comes out on November 17. Find out what we're hoping it delivers, and see some video from the recent Star Wars Celebration, in the latest edition of the PC Gamer Show.
Legend of Grimrock sells over 600,000 copies, devs tease future content
Almost Human, developers of Legend of Grimrock, have shared details on the performance of their Dungeon Master inspired RPG.
Almost Human, developers of Legend of Grimrock, have shared details on the performance of their Dungeon Master inspired RPG. According to their 2012, the game racked up over 600,000 sales through the year. To celebrate, they've also released teaser images of some brand new dark, dank dungeons, suggesting that new content is incoming.
"Legend of Grimrock ... was the best seller for two weeks in Steam and has continued to surpass our expectations," writes Almost Human's co-founder Juho Salila. "we're now proud to announce that Legend of Grimrock has sold over 600.000 copies! We would've been happy with just one tenth of the sales numbers, so needless to say we're very happy and the future of our company is secured for a long time."
The post also celebrates the success of Grimrock's Steam Workshopsupport, which hosts over 450 mods for the game. "Our great community is always surprising us with their skills, creativity and activity in the forums ... That means you don't run out of dungeons to explore in the future."
Two images are included with the post, giving a hint as to what Almost Human will be working on in the coming year. "But beware," they say, "this is only the tip of the iceberg."
Wait, is that a rat person in the second image?
Video Games Get Arty asks: 'What if games got arty?'
With millions of fans worldwide, art is a billion-dollar industry. Mentions in magazines, films and TV series clearly indicate that art is gaining increasing mainstream acceptance. But the question remains: can art aspire to the level of games? One website asks that question, inserting characters from the beloved milieu of games into several popular works of art. The results aren't just thought-provoking
Star Wars Battlefront's max player count tops out at 40
In an interview with DICE producer Craig Mcleod after a Star Wars Battlefront demo on Thursday, I learned that Battlefront’s player count will top out at 40, rather than Battlefield’s customary 64.
In an interview with DICE producer Craig Mcleod after a Star Wars Battlefront demo on Thursday, I learned that Battlefront’s player count will top out at 40, rather than Battlefield’s customary 64. For reference, Pandemic's Battlefront 2, released in 2005, supported 32 players online on the original Xbox, and 64 players online on PC.
“It’s important to make the differentiation between Battlefield and Battlefront here,” Mcleod said. “Sixty four players worked really well for Battlefield, and we toyed with a lot of different numbers, and we found that for the experience that we wanted to give, and how we felt that the matches would play out, 40 players was actually the optimum number. Instead of putting 64 in there and just saying that for a number, and having it be too crowded and being a lesser experience, we’ve made it the most optimum number it can be.”
Could 40 players be better for Battlefront because its maps are filled out with AI-controlled grunt units, like the Battlefront games of old? I asked another DICE producer, but got a no comment on that question.
Battlefront will feature a number of gameplay modes built around different numbers of players, but DICE will only talk about one of them. In the demo I saw, DICE showed off “Walker Assault,” which Mcleod says is one of Battlefront’s biggest modes, supporting up to 40 players in ground combat, on ground vehicles like AT-ST walkers and speeder bikes, and dogfighting in X-Wings and TIE Fighters. Other modes will focus on smaller battles with as few as eight players.
Of course, these numbers all pertain to Battlefront’s online multiplayer mode. Battlefront will also feature a handful of missions recreating famous moments from the films. Mcleod calls the missions “bite-size, smaller, more intimate battles that you can play single-player on your own, or you can play cooperatively with a friend.” The PS4 and Xbox One versions of Battlefront will allow for the missions to be played two-player splitscreen or online; Mcleod told me the splitscreen option will not be available in the PC version.
For more on Star Wars Battlefront, make sure to check out my full impressions from the Star Wars Celebration demo.
Legend of Grimrock 2 announced
Almost Human's Legend of Grimrock applauds the dungeon crawlers of yesteryear with mutli-layered floors filled with complex puzzles and a Monster Manual's worth of enemies, and the arrival of a dungeon editor late last year forged an ambitious community of crafters .
. In pleasing newsfor those dungeon-delvers, Almost Human announced it's now working on Legend of Grimrock II.
"Creating a mere DLC or expansion to Grimrock simply wouldn't have felt right," the studio's blog post reads. "As today's meeting proved, we still have a lot of ideas we'd like to explore, lots and lots of new content already done (originally made for a DLC/expansion), and a big engine update in the works. Simply put, a DLC would have limited too much what we can do. With a full-blown sequel, we can raise Grimrock to the next level."
Heh, level. Very clever, Almost Human. Beyond the confirmation of a sequel in the works, the indie developer isn't yet revealing additional details until future blog updates. While away the moments with the sizable heap of custom adventures found in Grimrock's Steam Workshop page.
Super Mario 64 zero-star speed run breaks all the rules
Tool assisted speed-runs may get the snub from gaming purists, but sometimes they are infinitely more entertaining to watch. Case in point: this recently released zero star speed-run for Super Mario 64 that uses a number of glitches, exploits and gameplay tricks to help Mario get a taste of Princess Peach's sweet, sweet cake in little over 5 minutes: Created by a cabal of speed runners for TASvideos
Star Wars: Battlefront will not use Battlelog after all
The initial claim seems to have come from Game Rant , which said back in February that Star Wars: Battlefront would incorporate Battlelog.
Star Wars: BattlefrontAssistant Producer Jesper Nielsen has confirmed that, in spite of what you may have heard elsewhere, the game will not make use of the multiplayer portal Battlelog.
, which said back in February that Star Wars: Battlefront would incorporate Battlelog. It sounded reasonable: Battlefield 3, Battlefield 4, and even Medal of Honor: Warfighter employ it for their multiplayer functionality, and Star Wars: Battlefront is most definitely a multiplayer-focused game. But Nielsen's response on NeoGAFwas unequivocal.
"That article is based on the fact that the Uprisewebsite mentions that Uprise is working on Star Wars Battlefront. While Uprise has been doing Battlelog, does that automatically mean that we will do Battlelog for Star Wars Battlefront?" he wrote. "No, it won't. That can only be an assumption, and I can tell you, no, there won't be Battlelog for Star Wars Battlefront."
As for what it will use, a DICE rep said on Redditthat the system "is built from scratch," and that there will be "no browser game launching." Beyond that, however, he said only that "all will be revealed in due time." Cue dramatic music!
Indie Game: The Movie now watchable!
Indie Game: The Movie is available to download on the official site and iTunes .
. It'll be released on Steamin about seven hours time, making it the first ever full-length movie to be released on the platform.
You could use Steam's remote download featureto kick it off from your office/school/college then watch it while eating your tea this evening. That's what I'm planning on do.
Alternatively, you can purchase on the official site and sneakily stream it in the corner of your monitor. Or just buy it on iTunesand watch it on your iOS device from a toilet cubicle.
Indie Game: The Movie was directed by Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky. It follows Tommy Refenes and Edmund McMillen as they create Super Meat Boy in late 2010 as well as Phil Fish, who struggles to prepare his first public demo of Fez. A post-Braid Jonathan Blow also features as he decides what to do after his massively successful indie. Jim Guthrie composed the score; he's the musician behind the Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP.
We'll have our review of Indie Game online soon. Are you excited about watching?
GR's weekend giveaway: DS Lite and 6 Mario games!
Nintendo has finally dropped the DS Liteprice to $99.99, giving the six or seven people who have miraculously refrained from buying one an easy reason to take the plunge. Nintendo has also re-released six classic Mario games in bright red packaging to commemorate the price drop, and this week we're offering all of 'em - plus a DS Lite - as our weekend giveaway! Above: That's right! Comment below to
Xmas Bundle 2.0 offers Offspring Fling, Serious Sams and more
With December 25th just around the corner, now's the perfect time to put your Christmas shopping off for a few more days, then panic-buy everything at a petrol station the night before.
With December 25th just around the corner, now's the perfect time to put your Christmas shopping off for a few more days, then panic-buy everything at a petrol station the night before. OR, if you're lucky enough to have family that know what to do with an executable file, you could always splash out on Indie Royale's festive Xmas Bundle 2.0. This second iteration boasts some big names - Offspring Fling, Serious Sam: The Random Encounter and Double DD - and some big concepts, including Colour Bind, a 2D puzzler that rewrites the laws of physics.
The current minimum price (which goes up or down depending on how many people have bought the bundle, and for how much) is £3.13, which will get you the above games, plus Wadjet Eye's point-and-click adventure Puzzle Bots, and AndreilGame's Little Kingdom, a turn-based strategy game minus the war. Shell out over £5 and you'll also receive an album of chiptune music.
There's just under six days left on the clock. Montage video of the seven games below.
ClassicRadar: Nintendo video time capsule, 1997-2001
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Battlecry beta sign-ups are now open
Bethesda announced at its E3 press conference tonight that Battlecry, a new game from the aptly named Battlecry Studios, is now accepting sign-ups for its upcoming beta.
Bethesda announced at its E3 press conference tonight that Battlecry, a new game from the aptly named Battlecry Studios, is now accepting sign-ups for its upcoming beta. Battlecry is an online action game that had the unfortunate privilege of having to follow Bethesda’s presentation for the new Doom. It’s a team-based PvP game where you fight with one of three factions; The Imperial Marines, the Cossack Empire, and the Han Republic.
To sign-up you can head over to Battlecrythegame.com
EA Indie Bundle released on Steam. Wait, what?
Monolithic games company EA have released an oxymoronic “ indie bundle ” on Steam, consisting of DeathSpank (72% according to us), DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue (75%), Gatling Gears, Shank (39%), Shank 2 (71%) and Warp.
” on Steam, consisting of DeathSpank (72% according to us), DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue (75%), Gatling Gears, Shank (39%), Shank 2 (71%) and Warp. The games are being sold at £3.99 each, or £14.38 for the bundle - the latter's a saving of 70%.
Unlike other oh-so-zeitgeisty indie bundles, none of the proceeds are going to charity, and you can't choose how much you pay or how your payment's divided up. Even though £14.38 might seem pricey in comparison to the Humble Botaniculadebut (£5.49 for all games) and the Indie Gala, you're still making massive savings here. Are EA just jumping onto a particular bandwagon in the hope of making more money? Would they ever do that?
To be fair to EA, we have seen them plough a little cash into smaller developers, as well as lending their muscular marketing clout to the games. Will you be purchasing the EA Indie Bundle today?
Path of Exile two-week charity race event starts raising money for Child's Play from Saturday
Never let it said that violence can't be for a good cause.
Never let it said that violence can't be for a good cause. Starting this Saturday, Path of Exile will offer its players the chance to participate in a new Ambush/Invasion race event. So far, so biffy-'n-bashy. The difference is that this particular slaughterfest is all in the name of charity. Throughout the event, an exclusive new helmet skin will be made available for purchase, and 100% of its proceeds will be donated to Child's Play.
As an incentive to take part, a random draw will award prizes from the pool of players who reach the following ranks:
Level 15: 100x Stash Tab Bundles Level 20: 100x Premium Stash Tab Bundles Level 25: 10x Razer Mice Level 30: 5x Razer Keyboards Level 35: 5x NVIDIA High-performance Graphics Cards Level 50: 10x Sets of all Seraph Microtransactions (Armour pieces, Wings, Weapon Effect and Footprint Effect) Level 65: 5x Sets of Signed Prints of Original Early Concept Art Level 85: 1x One hour private Q&A on Skype with Chris, Jonathan and ErikPlayers can participate in multiple tiers, so you won't have to deliberately stop at level 35 just to be in with a chance of the graphic's card.
According to the announcement post, "this event has the properties of both the Ambush and (recently rebalanced) Invasion challenge leagues. That means that you'll encounter enchantable Strongboxes, guest monsters and Invasion bosses as you compete. It's parented to the Invasion league, so you'll be able to continue your character in that league once the race ends." It's also a hardcore event, meaning dead characters will be eliminated.
The Child's Play charity event begins May 10, and will run until May 24th.
Not tried Path of Exile? You should. It's free, and ARPG fan Tom Senior was enchantedby its giant board of levelling options.