Rock, Paper, Shotgun

By Alec Meer on February 10th, 2012 at 11:20 am.

I was thinking the Blizzard/Valve cold war over DOTA had gone telling quiet of late. Here’s why – because it’s gone to the courts. Valve are, of course, gearing up to release Dota 2 as a standalone game of their own, but DOTA – or Defense of the Ancients as it was originally known – sprang to life as a Warcraft III mod. Valve were already facing a trademark-off with some of DOTA’s original team, but now, after some passive aggression in the media, Blizzard have stepped fully into the fray. They have lawyers. And they want the DOTA trademark for themselves.
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By Richard Cobbett on February 10th, 2012 at 10:29 am.

They say you should always be prepared to kill your darlings. Darwinia creators Introversion have taken it one step forward, creating nothing short of a Darwinian snuff movie to mark their transition from little computer people to… prison architects. Yeah, that’s still a little weird. But never mind. Help them celebrate this glorious new age of Not Darwinia by enjoying 2:36 minutes of burning, shooting and stabbing that really puts the ‘aaaaargh!’ into ‘carthasis’.

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By Craig Pearson on February 10th, 2012 at 10:00 am.

Uh-uh they did-uhnt. Valve did not just add a boombox to Team Fortress 2 that plays sounds whenever a Scout taunts… I think they did. Just let me check the server over here [opens server door] WELL, NOW I CAN’T HEAR AND I NEED TO CHANGE MY PANTS. BUT I CAN CONFIRM THAT THEY WENT THERE. They’ve released a paid for (£6.99! – too rich for my roots) community item called the “Boston Boom-Bringer“. Whenever the Scout taunts, it’ll play one of four phat beats. If you want to prepare yourself for the aural wreckage that the game’s about to throw at you, there’s a video below.

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By John Walker on February 9th, 2012 at 11:43 pm.

Double Fine’s Kickstarter (currently wobbly under the weight of money), the planned month-long fund raise for $400,000, has just crossed $1,000,000 in the first 24 hours. One. Million. Dollars. In a day.

I know it’s crazy, but it kind of makes me a bit teary-eyed.

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By Jim Rossignol on February 9th, 2012 at 6:09 pm.

There’s a bunch of new content appearing in the Firefall beta, and Red 5′s bossman Mark Kern has been wheeled out to explain precisely what is going on in a new dev diary video, which you can see below. Basically signing up gives you a chance to sign up, and then to invite others. Kern also does some clever stuff with a map made of lasers. I’m genuinely interested to see how the PvE world works, which is what Red 5 are beginning to roll-out properly now. If there game can give players a genuine sense of urgency in fighting the NPCs, rather them just being a conveyor-belt of MMO-style targets, then it could make for an interesting proposition. I’m a bit less interested in the PvP because, well, Planetside 2, or Tribes Ascend. Anyway, there’s some new footage in there, so take a look.
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By Craig Pearson on February 9th, 2012 at 6:07 pm.

Hard Reset: Extended Edition is the original, singularly focused FPS from last year about shooting donkeys. The full game now comes with an additional four new creature types, a new boss monster, five new levels that sicks up three extra hours of play, and two additional survival mode levels. They’ve also prettied up the engine. But don’t take my word for it, for I am a notorious liar and billionaire. To make sure you’re totally convinced, publishers Kalypso Media have invented Youtube and placed the trailer up on there. Did I make that up as well? The only way to find out is to click and see.
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By John Walker on February 9th, 2012 at 5:19 pm.

Everyone has at some point taken a pop at the first G of GOG’s acronym. Megarace? Postal 2? Alone In The Dark 4? Then just when you want to campaign they should just call it “Old Games”, they bring us a Syndicate, a Thief, a Deus Ex. So today’s announcement? Which way will it go? Up or down? Great or hate?

Pllrrrrrbbbbbbbbb. The 7th Bloody Guest.

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By Jim Rossignol on February 9th, 2012 at 4:34 pm.

Take On Helicopters is going to getting some big fat Russian helicopters in its first DLC. Like this: “Highly detailed models of the Mi-24 V, Mi-24 P and Mi-35 Super Hind helicopters across a range of over 25 different liveries.” That is some Cold War helicopter sex, right there. It’s also going move away from the commercial helcopterings of the base game, and allow you get back to Bohemia’s more traditionally shooty territories. They explain: “after launching the game, we felt there was room to complement Take On Helicopters with a more ‘action-packed’ experience. Our Hinds DLC is perfect for those who are seeking the adrenaline rush of flying a classic military gunship and getting into combat.” It’s coming out on the 15th of March and it’ll cost €12.99. There’s some kind of crazy bundle order deal, too, which you can read about over here.

By Craig Pearson on February 9th, 2012 at 4:31 pm.

Fanfiction often has surprising visits from other fictional places, although the fact that I’m here and not writing on that other lovely PC gaming site means it happens in real-life as well. Super Mario Bros Crossover 2.0 is the gaming equivalent of fanfiction, bringing characters from all over the Nintendo universe and having an office party with them in the Mario world.
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By John Walker on February 9th, 2012 at 3:51 pm.

I love the phrase “single-player co-op”. That’s because I’m a misanthrope, and other people ruin everything. But it’s how Reset describes itself, as spotted by IGM. In fact, it’s a single-player co-op first-person puzzle game, exclusive to PC. That’s the genre I was waiting for! And by crikey, it sounds fascinating.

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By Craig Pearson on February 9th, 2012 at 3:02 pm.

I once made the rather facetious remark that if Minecraft made infinite worlds then it would contain all other games within it. Why would I say such a thing? Because I am a stupid person masquerading as someone thoughtful. That’s why I wear two monocles. But there’s at least one part of that assertion that’s correct, thanks to Ramsesakama over on MMO-Champion, who’s attempting to build a 1-1 scale map of World of Warcraft’s Kalimdor in Minecraft. I can’t see: both monocles just fell out.
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