Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Speaking of Codemasters, DiRT 3′s latest videoramic offering is showing off Ken Block talking about “Gymkhana”, which is basically trick-driving an obstacle course in a modified rally car. The video mixes real footage with game footage, so that you can experience the queasy dissonance of virtual light still not quite looking like the real thing. Speaking of things that are funny looking: Ken Block. (Also they should have called it “dIIIrt”, right?)
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Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising was disappointing. It had the big sprawling landscapes that pluck my heart strings, but the missions were dull and the game was basically a bit wonky on release. Not to mention all the other problems with it being useless online. Will Red River be any better? I hope it will at least hit a higher standard for the main game. The Codemasters team are likely to have hit their stride now and made this a better game, and the noises they’re making about mission design influencing level design are positive. It’s also very pretty indeed, as you can see with this latest bit of footage, via Blues, below. Yeah, I will play this one too, just to be sure…
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You might recall that I had a riot with Warsow last year, and I do intend to make it an RPS Game Club game in the new year, assuming I can sort us out a private server. Well, version 0.6 of the Quake-like fast-paced FPS is out now, with new game modes, new power ups, and a bunch of performance and engine updates. It’s free, too. Worth grabbing, if you’re in the mood for something fast. The community is small and pretty hardcore, but it’s an excellent piece of work, and you will have some great games if you persist.

Death or unthinkable evil? That’s apparently the choice that is open to the denizens of the world of Hunted: The Demon’s Forge. Tricky one, eh? Just how bad can unthinkable evil be, really? Mmm, well, this latest footage gives us a taste of what’s actually afoot in this action-slasher (Gauntlet rides again…) coming up next year, with wizened woods and shattered medieval cities. It’s looking a lot like Tolkien tapping his foot to heavy metal, or something. Go take a look.
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I’ve just realised that Bulletstorm‘s above killer robot wheel might in fact have merely detached from an even bigger killer robot truck. Wouldn’t that be amazing? People Can Fly, feel free to drop me a job offer. I expect at least £5,000 per year plus unlimited access to the coffee machine. Also, I want the job title of Ludographer. You see, Ludo is ancient Greek for “play”, and “grapher” is ancient Greek for somebody who works with 3D graphics engines. Look, I’m even posting your funny little Happy Holidays video. I quite like it. It reminds me of Serious Sam.
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There are always sequels. Always. But there aren’t many sequels in a year that are as significant as this. What could it be? You already know, don’t you?
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It’s pretty lucky that LewieP exists, you know. He’s rounded up the entire Steam mega-sale in all its glory over here. Yep, that’s a pretty serious sale. The most pressing bargain appears to be Super Meat Boy, which is £3 for just the next five and a bit hours. Hop to it!

I’d probably pick up Armed & Dangerous if you’ve never played it, and I wouldn’t get Perimeter 2, because that was a bit rubbish. Also you can’t go wrong with Hitman: Blood Money for super cheap. That is a genuinely excellent game.

I mean it! It would be a tradgedy if you forgot that Lord of the Rings: War In The North exists, because it looks like it might be alright? Who knows. As we can see in the following trailer, the co-operative action game is certainly looking co-operative and actiony. There’s also a new website, where you can read that players will be able to “bloody their axes on a wide range of deadly enemies and traverse both established and never-before-seen locations,” while enjoying “impactful character progression”. Hooray! I hate limp, soggy character progression, me.
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The subtitle that became the name of an entire series has finally been given its rightful place. The next Total War game will be called Total War: Shogun 2, and that’s the game I talked about with The Creative Assembly’s studio boss, Mike Simpson. We didn’t stop there, of course, because the conversation had to turn to Empire, Napoleon, problems with AI, the nature of multiplayer gaming on the PC, and the possibility of Total War: The 20th Century. So read on for some perspective from the strategy supremos of Sussex.
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Instant Action may be dead, but their games aren’t necessarily buried. Legions: Overdrive announces the intention of the fan community to save Instant Actions’s Tribes-like shooter and to make it better than ever before. It’s losing the browser-based stuff and is going to be relaunched as a standalone client, and could feature new content in the near future. Keep an eye on the website for more news.

A last missive (for now, anyway) from WoW’s front lines from our embedded correspondent. Catch up with Bickers’ previous thoughts here.

Hello again! Before I wiffle on about Cataclysm’s level 80+ dungeons, I just want to touch on a bit more of the experience I had on the way to 85.

If you’re playing Cataclysm, you’ve probably worked your way through Uldum in southern Kalimdor by now, and if you haven’t, I implore you to do so.
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