Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Looks like Vin Diesel isn’t the only person for whom a game about Hannibal is a dream subject, because the amusingly-named Forced March Games have also made game on that theme. Uniquely, the visual style of Hannibal is somewhere between a tapestry from the middle ages and the kind of scrawlings you might see on Roman frescoes, as you can see in the image above. The game itself is a turned base strategy which seems to have a needlessly opaque interface, but is nevertheless interesting in a not-quite-Total-War-campaign way. There’s a demo on the site, which I can’t link to directly for some reason. Get it! (Tim Stone linked us to this. He is a God among men.)

Jim and John had stretched the elastic that joins them as far as it would reach, causing them to be flung back together, landing in front of a microphone. So a podcast was recorded. It’s another Twitter-driven special, after last time’s monster-stomach-set Twitter isolation. Discussed are matters of Neptune’s Pride, procedural worlds, game pricing and gamepads.

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An ESRB rating has informally confirmed that splendid-looking sci-fi shooter Lost Planet 2 will becoming out on “Windows PC”. The rating description is quite the thing.

The constant firefights are loud and frenetic; the enemy Akrids emit spurts of orange viscous fluid when hit. While male soldiers are typically clad in futuristic heavily armored suits, a selectable female soldier sometimes wears a piece of cloth hanging down the front and back portions of her body; this outfit tends to reveal her buttocks. Players are able to customize her with a bikini, draping chains, and a garter belt; in this outfit, the woman’s breasts will slightly jiggle

I can’t say anything.

Or to give it the full title, Achtung Panzer: Kharkov 1943. Paradox have just announced the strategic WWII tank game, explaining that it’s “a new war strategy title that places players in the heart of the Kharkov Defense Operation during World War II.” You’ll play as either German or Russian forces, and it’s got a bit of the Total War thing going on, with a turn-based strategic mode, and a real-time tactical combat mode on the ground. Tim Stone says he rather enjoyed the Russian demo last year, so it’s hotly tipped for wargamers. It’s looking rather handsome, too, as you can see in the trailer below.

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The 190 student entries to the IGF awards have been whittled down to the finalists. Or the “winners” as the IGF rather sweetly calls them, before later telling all but one of them that in fact they weren’t quite as winnery as the one that gets the IGF Student Showcase Award. The list and links are below. Congrats to all.

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Remember when I raved about the PC-version of the ancient Amiga/BBC platformer Qwak? Well, if the thirteen quid-price-point turned you off, here is USEFUL NEWS. Jamie Woodhouse writes, saying that until the 22nd he’s taking a page from World of Goo and Crayon physics playbook, and doing a Pay What You Want sale. In other words, you can have a crack at the demo and then paypal what you want. I’m going to go and do it now. You can stay here and look at the video beneath the cut, if you like.
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In 2009 there was a rash of commercial Defense of the Ancients games. It continues in 2010. Since Bloodline Champions is approaching its beta, and I thought it worth at least a mention, not least that you can have a shot at signing up. The trailer follows and… this appears to be the most robotic RPS post of all time. We’ve been taken over. By mechanoid fiends. Save us!
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The current Make Something Unreal contest is approaching its Grand Final, but in a way it’s more interesting to take a look at the winners of the penultimate round of Unreal 3 mod face-offs, Phase 4. It’s a collection of truly excellent mods, demonstrating both the power and versatility of the latest Unreal engine, and how much better still it looks when someone with more imagination/willingness to risk-take than creators Epic take a crack at making something with it. While obviously established names such as The Ball and Airborn are in there, there’s so much in the list that I’ve not previously heard of and am now itching to aim my graphics card at…. Read the rest of this entry »

This enjoyed a more timely mention in Saturday’s bargain bucket, but as an aged fanboy of Rebellion’s finest hour, it would be frankly remiss of me not to grant last week’s surprise release of Aliens vs Predator Classic 2000 a post of its own. The name is absolutely ridiculous, and could only possibly stem from someone important losing their mind in a board meeting – “no-one must possibly mistake it for the new game! Keep adding words until it sounds like something different, no matter if it sounds like an ancient console or the sequel to Aliens vs Predator 1,999! Add more! More!” But this does not matter. What matters is that it’s the original PC AvP, one of the finest first-person shooters ever made, spit’n'polished for maximo-compatibility with modern PCs, and available for a silly price on Steam.
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UPDATE: SEE BELOW

I keep having these grand plans for writing about the Dragon Age DLC. Since the game came out I’ve intended a Wot I Think summing up the content subsequently released for my favourite game of last year. But at every turn I have been thwarted by a confusion of DLC management. An enormous array of bugs and errors are making it near-impossible for some to access their paid for content. And the tale of Return To Ostagar, originally due out on 5th January but still a no-show, is rapidly descending into farce.

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Hot hot! That’s right, SCS Software are back once again with their latest commercial vehicle simulator. This time it’s German Truck Simulator, which contains trucks apparently “inspired by real designs from seven major European truck manufacturers, including official license from MAN.” Once again you’ll be driving round a miniaturized version of the country in question, in order to “deliver cargo between 18 major German cities connected by major highways. Pick from over 60 different loads.” Yea, that’s the stuff. Get the demo here.