Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Some games are like potatoes. I can’t say I really care about potatoes, but I nonetheless accept them as a key part of my diet. I’d miss them if they were deleted from reality by some kind of gastronomic demon chef. So it is with certain games, such as Dawn of War 2. I was a little underwhelmed by it, but nevertheless played the game to completion, and devoured a few weeks of multiplayer. There’s also no doubt that the expansions for said game are going to be a key part of my gaming diet in the years to come, with each one being consumed in full as they come out. Chaos Rising might not do anything particularly interesting with the template carved by Relic for Dawn Of War 2, but it’ll nonetheless prove eminently palatable. Man, I totally haven’t had my dinner yet. I’m going to have fajitas. They’re going to be exquisite!

Also, I arsed up this post earlier. The code is valid from Wednesday.
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Online petitions! I love the way they don’t ever change anything. But still, let’s give it a shot. There’s an online effort to convince THQ/Relic to release their upcoming Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine shooter on PC as well as on console. It makes sense, given I’d guesstimate there’s a bit more commonality between PC gamers and Games Workshop players than between console gamers and the latter, but then that is an entirely baseless sweeping generalisation.

And, as it turns out, Relic aren’t dismissing the idea of a PC version out of hand.
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We’ve been following this Ukrainian shooter since the first footage appeared a couple of years ago. Metro 2033 appears to be what THQ did after the split with GSC, and it has the same dark-future apocalypse vibes as Stalker. This time it’s set in a Moscow ravaged by monsters, with the survivors of the apocalypse hiding in the Russian capital’s epic metro system. It’s got a strong “Russian Fallout” whiff to it, which echoes what a 1c boss said to me last year about their love of the game. THQ’s blurb reads: “You are Artyom, born in the last days before the fire, but raised Underground. Having never ventured beyond your Metro Station-City limits, one fateful event sparks a desperate mission to the heart of the Metro system, to warn the remnants of mankind of a terrible impending threat. Your journey takes you from the forgotten catacombs beneath the subway to the desolate wastelands above, where your actions will determine the fate of mankind.” Anyway, go take a look, this is very promising.
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Dawn Of War 2’s 1.8 update is out [Later today, Jim - RPS], and that includes the new game mode Last Stand. You can check out a video of that mode below, but essentially it’s one hero against many waves of enemies. I believe it can be played co-operatively too, so it could be you and chum versus many waves of enemies. The update also includes loads of tweaks, two new multiplayer maps and new wargear. The full patch notes can be found here.
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The first mission in Red Faction: Guerrilla is to destroy a building with a super-powered sledgehammer, and it just sort of gets better from there. The PC version is out this week, and will include the DLC released for the console versions for free. If you want to wait for a detailed verdict on the game then we’ll have one for you next week, but in short: BIFF!

Meanwhile, you can check out the trailered explodaction below. Hammertime, etc.

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Christ, 2Boy have knocked this out quickly, you may think. But no, it’s nothing to do with World of Goo. It just rhymes with it. THQ have a forthcoming World of Zoo game, and to introduce us to its land of animal fun, have released this animal creator demo where you get to create and distribute your own cuddly, furry friends. By which I mean, animals, not John Walker. You can get it from here. Alternatively, here’s some I made earlier…
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The swollen internet marketing thorax of THQ has disgorged another pair of Red Faction trailers for you to crack open with a click, and then discuss, as medieval crones might have discussed the entrails of a chicken. Does the chunky scenery speak prophecy of a genuinely destructible world? Does the game footage of much shootiness tell of glad tidings, or bad? It’s hard to be clear. Consulting the terrifying RPS crystal ball, we are forced to say that we’ll wait ’til we get some more hands on time, and then – only then – make final, immutable judgment.
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“We’re ahead of everybody by five to ten years in terms of destruction,” Red Faction Guerilla lead designer James Hague tells Eurogamer. “…we wanted to go toward fully-dynamic for everything. It’s a very different technical direction from where other people are going.” Judging by the insane super-hammer trailer that Volition have just released, he might just be right. I’ve been quietly sceptical about this, and I’m still rather expecting it to mess up, but that hammer… colour me interested. More varied destruction – presented by some dude I think might be from that program about big men breaking stuff – beyond the jump.

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I thought it best to post this quickly before disappearing for the night. Following rumours earlier today THQ have confirmed that Big Huge Games are for sale. Or rather they’re going to close the studio if a sale isn’t completed in – to quote what THQ’s Julie MacMedan said to Crispy Gamer – the “near future.” This is part of their plans to cut $220 million in costs after nearly $200 million losses in Q4 last year. Creators of Rise of Nations and Rise of Legends, if this is actually the end, it’ll inevitably be a big huge loss for gaming.

Whee! Dawn of War II has been released at last, and I’ve already reviewed it over here. Naturally we’ll be providing with an even more taut and cogent RPS opinion later in the week, but if you really must have a numeral attached to the game, then that’s your link. Still in a quandary? Then perhaps you should watch the Eldar action trailer, which we’ve conveniently embedded after the jump.

Are you going to purchase Dawn of War II?

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