Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Huh. Why haven’t we posted about the upcoming Blood Bowl electric videogame for a while? Oh, that’s it – because we hate Skaven. Can’t stand the ratmen. We’d never discuss them, and there’s no way one of our number would spend his every spare minute painting plastic figurines of them. No way.

Since we last posted about Cyanide’s adaptation of Games Workshop’s brutal fantasy football tabletop game, the whole gamut of the game’s playable races has been revealed. You got yer Orcs, Humans, Dwarfs, Lizardmen, Goblins, Skaven and, as most recently announced, Wood Elves and Chaos. Which rather makes this one of the most faction-full Warhammer-related videogames in ages, excitingly.
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New PCGA-member Capcom think digital distribution is the future, and their support of PC gaming is tied up with that belief. One of the people behind that support is Christian Svensson, vice president of strategic planning at Capcom. Svensson talked to us about the importance of the PC for this traditionally console-focused publisher, the problems of developing for PC, and whether digital distribution is more important for the PC than retail.
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It’s a love story for the ages: two of most important names in PC gaming history have finally admitted their feelings for each other, and after a whirlwind romance they have a beautiful bouncing baby. Yes, Doom and Diablo now have a child to call their own, and of course it’s as gloriously moronic as its parents.
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Barnett’s been on about this to me, and has taken it to the wider world in his regular-youtube-talkyisms. He’s been debating the idea of canon – as in games everyone should know about/play – with his peers. And this is causing him all sorts of issues, regarding the nature of those recommendations. And… oh, I’ll let him explain it:
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A long time ago, I used to work with a chap called Tim Fletcher (aka Dungard) on a Deus Ex mod called the Cassandra Project. We finished what was basically a demo and then died. Tim went off to do a Phd in games-related stuff and work on a Neverwinter Nights mod called Maugeter. He released the demo in (eek) 2002. I played it, and it was a smart, literate-leaning chatty slice of RPGing with a natty line in interactive dream sequences. Clearly, much like Cassandra, I never expected the full 10-30 hour mod to be completed – being text heavy, it’s a ridiculous undertaking. As time goes by, I became more certain, when I thought about it. Which wasn’t often.

I was totally wrong. I’ve yet to play it, but – as an old comrade in arms – I have to give him a round of applause. Fucking hell. Well done, Tim.

Something I always want is for as many people as possible to read RPS. The more readers we have, the better the site gets, and everybody wins. However, it turns out there are some people I hope don’t find it. My mum, for instance. Or people who go to my church. School friends… I’m here to recommend you play Space Phallus. (It’s working again now. Hurrah!)

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Larrington mailed us to mention there’s some new possibly-real-possibly-not environment shots for Deus Ex 3 online over at the Eidos Forums. There’s not much more to say other than that. Er… the second one looks a lot like the concept art?

There’s some new possibly-real-posibly-not environment shots for Deus 3 online over at the Eidos Forums. Er… yes.

While Alec and I are going to try and wave a mike at each other tomorrow, I was thinking you chaps my be interested in another podcast. It’s a strategy-focused one, ran by Troy Goodfellow with a panel of talking heads in the form of Tom Chick, Bruce Geryk and Julian Murdoch. Three Moves Ahead has two episodes so far. The first was something of a technical mess, with poor old Julian’s voice not recording, but has been enlivened with Vic “Armageddon Empires/Solium Infernum” Davis as a guest talking about all thing devil-related. The second gets on an even keel and chats about Empire Total War, Demi-God, Sins of a Solar Empire and some console toy trinket. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys strategy yibber and warn away anyone who whines about our sound quality. You whiners.

Oh – snippet of info from the Vic interview: Armageddon Empires sold over 5000 copies. For thirty dollars a pop, not bad.

Whatever will be will be. Whatever might have been can also be, it seems. Any glimpse into the creative process behind a game, especially one of some legend, is fascinating – for instance the design documents for Planescape Torment and Grim Fandango. This, however, is some kind of alterna-history motherlode.

GSC Gameworld have released an early build (from 2004, to be precise) of their acclaimed STALKER – from back before too long struggling through development limbo saw the game enjoy a major rethink and some not insubstantial tinkering from publisher THQ. With GSC’s blessing, we now to get to find out whether this kick up the bum was entirely necessary.
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Massive Entertainment have turned up the trailer of the year so far: perfect for the voyeur of utter destruction who wants to chill out while surveying the impact craters. It’s hard to say what makes the correct juxtaposition of music with explosions so palatable, but I’d say this was the most entertaining since that Far Cry 2 trailer last year. Good work, Ubi. World In Conflict: Soviet Assault is out later this month, so I guess I should install this preview code that is lingering next to my keyboard.

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Tom “Tom Bramwell” Bramwell of Eurogamer messages me to ask if I can mention the Creative Assembly Live Interview they’re doing at 4pm GMT today (i.e. 11am EST). I say yes, because I like the money Tom gives me. My loyalty is only bought by cold hard cash. That’s right – you heard. It’s a free for all. Whoever sends the largest wedge gets a 10/10 no question asked.

Anyway, while we wait for my SHIELD-strike-squad-esque retirement fund to arrive, you should consider trundling along to EG to quiz Creative Assembly’s Kieran Brigden on all things Total War. Be mean. It’s for their own good. Or alternatively, ask him about terrain.