By John Walker on September 19th, 2011.
Firmly in the category of Mr Timothy Stone and his acolytes is Iron Cross, a new multiplayer strategy from indie Croatian developers, Panzer Division. Focusing on the North African element of Mega War II, you can play as the Goodies or the Baddies, and it’s free. It’s also now in open beta, which makes it ultra-free. Being in beta, the developers explain, “you can expect game upgrades and occasional problems. Come on, download it and have fun!” You can get the beta from right here.
By Kieron Gillen on September 18th, 2011.
Sundays for Jim are for holidaying. You can easily imagine Jim’s holiday destinations. Him, backpack over-shoulder, wandering a desolate wasteland, poking at decaying iron superstructures or even sitting my a drying pool tainted with radioactive waste. He’s having the time of his life, wandering nonlinearly in a place where any sane being would just want out of. Meanwhile, I sit and arrange a reading list of (mainly) fine game-related readings that crossed my path across the week and try not to do the fucking obvious and link to a new Los Campesinos! record or something.
By Robert Florence on September 17th, 2011.
Hello youse.
I had a column all ready to go for you today, but then something amazing happened.
So, let’s take a look at a freshly announced Games Workshop game and come to a decision on whether or not we’re all going to pre-order Dreadfleet.
Read the rest of this entry »
By Lewie Procter on September 17th, 2011.
Update: Buy Mirror’s Edge.
Oh dear. I’m going against doctor’s orders here. I was told to take some time off work after having two of my wisdom teeth out yesterday, but I don’t think the doctor realised that my job is just pressing buttons on a keyboard in the right order. Still, I am feeling a bit ropey, and my head isn’t quite straightened out after my general anaesthetic, so if I’ve missed anything obvious, or said anything that doesn’t make sense: That’s probably why. SavyGamer is still going, so that’s a web site you maybe want to visit. Here’s this week’s best value downloads: Read the rest of this entry »
By Adam Smith on September 17th, 2011.
Right then. Another week done and another host of words written. This wrapup column, or omnibus if you will, should be here for your perusal before every week’s end. That’s the plan. If you’ve been sensible and read every last letter we’ve daubed across the internet this week, feel free to continue with your weekend as normal. My pithy summaries are not to be considered entertaining or particularly informative in and of themselves. But if you’ve managed to miss any of our special stuff, you’ll find it listed and linked below.
Welcome to the picturehouse
By Adam Smith on September 16th, 2011.
Something old for you today, which you may well have seen before, but I think it’s worth reminding people of. It’s Radiator. I’ve included something new for good measure, but nothing blue because this isn’t a wedding, it’s a little article about mods. Sorry if that’s disappointing. You’re going to be even more disappointed if you don’t like pretentious artsy mods. I’m talking the kind that have trailers with sombre piano music playing and try to evoke a sense of loss while definitely never having guns anywhere in them at all. Imagine you’ve walked into a small cinema in Paris. Instead of popcorn and nachos, the butler (for there is a butler) provides you with a glass of port and invites you to take a seat. He places a keyboard on your lap and a mouse in your hand.
Simulation & wargame news
By Tim Stone on September 16th, 2011.
October 18, 1923. While watching sycamore keys twirl from trees in a Kiev park, a young engineer called Igor Sikorsky has an extraordinary idea. What if rotary motion could be used to dry damp laundry. That evening over beer and mushroom broth in a local hostelry, Igor describes his idea to hard-of-hearing colleague Wolfgang Helicopter. The rest is history.
This week is whirlybird week here on Flare Path. Beyond yonder text-horizon there’s talk of two work-in-progress helo sims plus a video guide to stealing the soul of a P-51. Read the rest of this entry »
By Alec Meer on September 16th, 2011.
“Patch notes, RPS? Really?” YES REALLY WHAT OF IT, EH? When it’s a game as big as Deus Ex: Human Revolution, a lot of what might otherwise be minor becomes major. Square-Enix have chased a few bugs out of their bearded man simulator, including some important-sounding stuttering performance snafus, as well as adding in the really very useful windowed full-screen mode, the saviour of impatient alt-tabbers the world over. Most importantly: you can now skip the logos at the start of the game. Alas, it also introduces occasional tiny but silly/obnoxious loading screen ads, as seen above. No, I don’t have time to watch a 70s cowboys in space soap opera for the millionth time, no matter how high its definitions are: I have a world to save from corruption and people with robot legs. Thank heavens the last patch improved load times so I don’t have to stare at this cheekily-added promotional bumpf for even longer. There’s a dark rumour more ads might come to in-game billboards, which is an extremely unpleasant and disruptive prospect. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to pass.
Update: there’s an ad-disabling mod here. Thanks, Theory.
Meantime, full patch notes are below. Bulletpoints!
Read the rest of this entry »
Want a card?
By Robert Florence on September 16th, 2011.
My mission was a simple one. Take a look at the PC version of Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012, and write a little bit about Wot I Think of it. Easy, right? I’d already played it a bit on Xbox 360, so there’s a good start. I’m familiar with the previous edition of the game. Nice. And I’m very familiar with the tabletop game. No problem. Easiest bit of writing work ever.
By Adam Smith on September 16th, 2011.
Robot Entertainment seem to realise that if they’re going to tell us that Orcs Must Die, they damn well better give us plenty of ways to make that happen. They could have gone a different route and cast the player as the orcs pipe-smoking bowler-hatted defendant. Press the left mouse button to say, “Must they though, gentlemen of the court? Must they really?” Instead, they’ve just laden their tower defence type game with all manner of traps and have decided to show some of the various ways that orcs will die in this enjoyable interactive trailer. It’s like playing Heavy Rain but with green humanoids instead of red herrings.
By Alec Meer on September 16th, 2011.
Bored? You are about to be unbored. Free browser game Burrito Bison is nothin’ but stoopid, and that’s why it works. It’s in the vein of about a million other play-until-you-fail infinite distance Flash and iOS games – Canabalt, Tiny Wings, you name it – but crucially it’s about a roid-raging bison wrestler fatally bouncing off the heads of vengeful gummi bears. The art’s lovely, it falls somewhere between sadism and absurdism, and it’s viciously compulusive in its cash-collection/skill-unlocking infini-cycle. I don’t have time to play this. I’m going to play this for the rest of the day.
Via Edge.
