Rock, Paper, Shotgun

That is a picture of my face at the precise moment I first read that there was probably going to be a sequel to a first-person shooter that sold millions of copies.
Read the rest of this entry »

While knee-jerk analysts (the same ones who incorrectly declared Facebook gaming was a gold rush for all and sundry) at micro-conferences attended only by a minute echo chamber fragment of the games industry ritually declare that free to play is the only possible future of videogames, any number of other business models arrive, persist and grow. Free to play will expand, of that I have no doubt, but that’s not going to prevent a plurality of ways to acquire games. Bundles and crowdsourcing are the two most notable of the last year, while Sony’s shock purchase of Gaikai for $380m today suggests we’re about to see a whole lot more cloud-streamed (i.e. rented) gaming doing the mainstream rounds. Another latter-day content-flogging technique is subscriptions for multiplayer games – not MMOs, but the ‘games as service’ mentality that sees new content regularly generated for popular titles.
Read the rest of this entry »

So yes, Battlefield 3 Premium is a thing. It costs $50, and for that you get early access to all five expansion packs – Armoured Kill, Aftermath, and End Game are appearing between now and March 2013 – as well as “exclusive in-game items”, exclusive events, and a lot of other stuff – double XP events and “tactics? And does all that add up to a new game’s worth of stuff? EA certainly seem to think so. Because I think I’d want a new game for that much cash. But perhaps I’m wrong, perhaps this is an essential purchase for the Battlefield 3 legions? Those expansions are certainly promising a lot of stuff – weapons, 20 maps, new vehicles and so on… Are you going to buy it? To the commentmobile!

(Oh, and there’s a glitzy trailer below.)
Read the rest of this entry »

EA have confirmed that Battlefield 3 is to get a “Premium” service, apparently allowing people who purchase it early and immediate access to future DLC, as well as a greater range of items and customisation options. BFBlog appears to have the details, although this is unconfirmed by EA, who say the details are to be announced on June 4th. The “leaked” details include the price: $50 as a one-time fee. For that you’ll reportedly get all the existing and future DLCs, as well as: 20 maps (in total, presumably?), 20 new weapons, 10+ new vehicles, 4 new game modes, 30+ assignments, unique in-game knife, dog tags, and camos, unique weapon camos, and a bunch of other stuff.

Hmm. I can see why this might sell, but personally I ran out of patience with BF3 within a few weeks of launch. Perhaps I’ll head back after the summer, but it just didn’t hook me.

The Battlefield 3 patch rolls out today, bringing some excellent tweaks as well as adding “shortcut items” that allow players to buy items rather than putting in the hours to unlock them – “If you’re new to the game, this is the perfect way to gain some ground on the veterans online.” Or maybe you’re just a lazy man-/vehicle-shooter with money to burn? If so, these are the items for you, with an ultimate bundle that unlocks everything and smaller collections available. Some people are predictably furious, whether due to price or due to the fact that newcomers can jump to the top of the tree straight away. Personally, as I gibbered about earlier, I’m increasingly disinterested in these multiplayer unlock systems. Other changes listed below.

Read the rest of this entry »

The British Academy Video Game Awards took place on Friday night and Portal 2 was awarded highest honours, taking home little gold faces not only for Best Game, but also for Story and Design. Congratulations to Valve, who by this point must be making plans to put up some new shelves of award-bearing load strength. The popular vote went to Battlefield 3, which also won awards for Online Multiplayer and Audio Achievement.

The full list is celebrating after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

When buildings are collapsing and jets are being all “newwwwwwwrhghghghggh”, it’s easy to forget that the Battlefield 3 engine does small things as well. Subtle explosions. Personal blowey-uppies. I’d imagine that’s the reason for DICE making the Close Quarters map pack: to show off their microexplosion technology. They spent hours crafting those mini-bangs, so maps that showcase them are needed: the Close Quarters maps are a series of four infantry focused maps set in, with added destructible bits. It makes me way happier than the ten new guns it adds as all I care about is the chandeliers.
Read the rest of this entry »

The handsome newshounds of Eurogamer are reporting that DICE have three new Battlefield 3 expansions in the pipeline, as announced at last night’s GDC event in San Francisco. The first one of these new expansions will be arriving in June is called “Close Quarters”. This will apparently focus on “indoor infantry combat with verticality to the map designs”. The new map with this pack is a glass tower block called Ziba Tower. The pack after that focuses on tank combat, while the final one – END GAME – is a big secret and DICE aren’t talking about it to anyone, not even Eurogamer. So there.

Because it’s a download. I mean I guess maybe that is still physical in some sense. It is a configuration of atoms on hard-drives… This is a rubbish line of thinking. Look over there, a free thing! It’s out and free, says Battlefieldblog. It’s new guns, as trailered below. So are you Battlefield 3 purchasers still playing Battlefield 3? Or has the lustre worn off?
Read the rest of this entry »