Archived News:

Tuesday, Oct 02, 2012

Gas Guzzlers: Combat Carnage Demo

A playable demo is now available for Gas Guzzlers: Combat Carnage to provide a test drive of this game of motoring mayhem. The download is available on AtomicGamer and Gamer's Hell, and here's the description of the game:
Gas Guzzlers: Combat Carnage is a fast-paced addictive combat racing game for the PC. The game features many different vehicles, weapons, upgrades, on-track bonuses as well as distinctive and astonishing environments. Player starts with low performance vehicle and gradually works his way up by earning money in a series of challenging races. Along with developing his driving and fighting skills, player has to invest his hard earned money wisely to grab the chance for driving on the road to glory.

Gas Guzzlers: Combat Carnage features unique type of humor that adds additional value to the game.

Black Ops II Multiplayer Footage

This video on IGN features around eight minutes of multiplayer combat from Call of Duty: Black Ops II, accompanied by commentary from a couple of their editors who share their impressions of the upcoming military shooter sequel. Thanks Batman. Continue here to read the full story.

Carrier Command: Gaea Mission Patch

The Carrier Command: Gaea Mission Website now features a new patch to update the just-released action remake to version 1.02. The patch is mirrored on AtomicGamer and The Patches Scrolls, and here's the change list:

  • Save game corruption bug fixed.
  • Improved stability.
  • Various Walrus AI improvements.
  • Numerous Localization fixes
  • Various campaign script fixes and improvements.

Evening Screenshots

Into the Black

Link of the Day: How to save those people in the elevator in Black Mesa. Thanks Acleacius.

Non-Gaming Apps on Steam

The Software on Steam Store is now open, a bit later than expected (right on Valve Time), allowing customers the chance to buy non-gaming applications through Valve's digital distribution service. At launch they offer six titles (and the previously released free Source Filmmaker), noting that many take advantage of Steamworks features such as easy automatic updating and saving to the Steam Cloud, giving the example that GameMaker Studio features integration with Steam Workshop to allow users to share their work via Steam. For the first week all of these applications are on sale for 10% off: 3D-Coat, 3DMark 11, 3DMark Vantage, ArtRage Studio Pro, CameraBag 2, and GameMaker: Studio.

Mount&Blade II: Bannerlord Announced

TaleWorlds has a brief teaser trailer up for Mount&Blade II: Bannerlord, an upcoming sequel to Mount&Blade, their action/strategy/RPG. We have no explanation for failing to note this at the time it was posted last week, but thank dj LiTh for rescuing it from falling between the cracks completely. There's not much to go by in the trailer, but its description includes a little information:
TaleWorlds Entertainment is proud to announce the next installment in the acclaimed Mount & Blade game series, entitled: Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. This sandbox action-RPG strategy hybrid will take players on a journey into a fictional world of up-close and personal medieval combat on a huge scale, bigger, bloodier and more intense than ever before. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord will build upon the popular Mount & Blade franchise bringing in many exciting and highly requested new features.
Continue here to read the full story.

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier DLC Announced

Ubisoft announces Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Khyber Strike, a DLC package coming to the console editions of the military shooter sequel on October 9th and to Windows PCs at some undisclosed point after that. Here are a few screenshots, and here's the announcement:

Today, Ubisoft announced the Khyber Strike DLC pack, the third Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier DLC package. Khyber Strike will feature three new multiplayer maps, a new multiplayer game mode called "Takeover," a new Guerrilla Mode co-op map, new achievements, and an increased level cap. Khyber Strike will be available for download on October 9th on Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the Sony PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. It will be available on Windows PC on a later date.

Khyber Strike DLC features:

  • 3 new multiplayer maps
    • Switchback: Step off the main road leading down into the city and into a maze of ancient buildings and narrow alleys. The twists and turns of the alleyways turn every corner into a close-quarters deathtrap.
    • Palace: There's no time for reflection even in this magnificent relic. What once was a museum dedicated to showing the glories of the past is now a battlefield, with a massive courtyard at the heart of its contested ground.
    • Transit: A Moscow metro station makes for close quarters and close-range combat. Trains pulling into and out of the station add to the danger as Ghosts and Bodark slug it out underground.
  • 1 new multiplayer game mode: "Takeover"
    • Similar to a classic team deathmatch, score points for your team by eliminating enemies. Tip the scales by taking control of the enemy's objective and earn a score multiplier to your team. Defend your team's objective to prevent the enemy from gaining the same advantage. Choose to split your team to defend and attack at the same time, or move as a group and overwhelm your enemy. When the mission ends, the team with highest score wins.
  • 1 Guerrilla Mode map "Village" (4 players online / 2 players in local split screen)
    • A peaceful country village finds itself transformed into a battleground, as fighting rages around its central bus station. Long alleyways that run between war-damaged buildings make a perfect hunting ground for snipers, and a shootout near the town's gas station could turn explosive.
  • New Achievements
  • Level cap increase of +10

Chris Roberts Interview

GameSpot has a chat with Chris Roberts in advance of the game announcement we're all presuming will follow the recently discovered countdown on the Roberts Space Industries Website that's set to run out on October 10th. While the Wing Commander creator is still holding his cards pretty close to the vest, he discusses his lack of desire to make a mobile or social game, and how he has secured private funding so he can forgo working with publishing partners like Activision or Electronic Arts. He also doesn't discourage the presumption (supported by this teaser trailer) that this new project will be the type of space combat game he helped pioneer. "A couple years ago, I came to the point where I was playing stuff and I was feeling like the technology was getting to the point where I could do some stuff that I was interested in again. The level of immersion and realism that you can do [today] is significantly higher," Roberts said. "I want to get back to the roots of what I did in the old days with Wing Commander, which was, if you've got a really badass PC, this is going to show it off."

Guild Wars 2 Patched

The Guild Wars 2 Website has details on a new patch that's now live in Guild Wars 2, ArenaNet's MMORPG sequel. The notes outline a bunch of bug fixes and class-specific balance changes, as well as a couple of changes to address OS X issues.

More Project Eternity Goals

The Kickstarter for Project Eternity announces further goals for Obsidian Entertainment's upcoming role-playing game. With the fundraiser passing the 50,000 backer plateau, they reveal a new backer reward: "a new dungeon experience" for the game called The Endless Paths of Od Nua. They also reveal a new $2.4 million stretch goal as well as new add-on aspects of the campaign, including the ability for backers to separately add an early access beta code or a digital strategy guide to their reward package.

Ships Ahoy - War of the Roses

Paradox Interactive declares a War of the Roses, announcing Fatshark's multiplayer melee action game is now available via digital distribution. At noon Eastern time today the Paradox Interactive Twitch TV Channel will host a live stream where senior producer Gordon Van Dyke and guests will celebrate the game's launch, and here's word:
The king has fallen with no clear successor and two powerful English houses are vying for the coveted crown of England. You step into armor donning the vibrant, albeit tarnished, colors of your liege lord and march alongside your fellow knights into a battle frayed with confusion and the clash of steel on steel. With arrows and bolts grazing past your cheeks, you head deep into the skirmish in an attempt to show your enemies exactly which rose is the most powerful. Sharpen your blades and prepare yourself for War of the Roses, where skill is not an unlock.

Ships Ahoy - NBA 2K13

2K Sports announces the release of NBA 2K13 in North America, saying the latest installment in this basketball simulation is now available for Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and PSP. Most of the announcement touts the game's celebrity mogul: "NBA 2K13 represents the greatest year-to-year leap we have made in the franchise’s history," said Greg Thomas, president of product development for 2K Sports. "Our partnership with JAY Z brought a new dynamic to the game, and really elevated it to new heights." The Wii U edition will launch in North America along with the new console on November 18th, and the console editions are expected to launch in Europe on November 30th. The new installment also includes new mobile options:
2K Sports recently announced NBA 2K Everywhere, giving fans the opportunity to experience NBA 2K virtually anywhere via an all-new mobile companion application, a social game on Facebook, and a full-featured mobile version of NBA 2K13 for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android devices. NBA 2K Everywhere will extend the NBA 2K experience by offering players greater flexibility, more variety and new ways to play, at home or on the go, with these all-new social and mobile games. Additionally, both the mobile companion app and Facebook game enable players to feed data and experience right back into NBA 2K13 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, introducing a new level of connectivity and continuity to the NBA 2K experience.

Saga Kingdoms Kickstarter

A new Kickstarter is underway for Saga Kingdoms, an MMORTS game set in the world of SAGA, Silverload Interactive's still-operating MMORTS, and Captains of Darktide, an MMORPG that's been temporarily offline for a couple of years now. The new project is planned as an MMORTS for Windows, OS X, and Linux accompanied by an RPG for iOS and Android that will integrate with the game. Here's a bit:
In Saga Kingdoms each player will control a capital city that will serve as the seat of their power, however we have greatly expanded on this concept by giving each player a full Island as a starting point. In addition we plan to allow players to take over both resources and outposts on the main continent as their empire expands.

Similar to SAGA, Saga Kingdoms will feature hundreds of quests to test your skill. While some quests do have prerequisites that you must best, you can always go back and do old favorites for loot and XP.

The power of our new engine means we can create much grander quests that can be enjoyed by large groups of friends. These epic battles will be much more difficult but we promise the rewards will be worth it.

The Repopulation Status

An End of September 2012 Update on The Repopulation Website fills us in on the status of this upcoming MMORPG, admitting the that the game being that much closer to completion makes for a leaner post than usual. That said, this is still a substantial essay, outlining details on the instanced player housing system, social aspects of the game, a new custom camera system, and much more.

Guns And Robots Customization Trailer

This new trailer offers a "garage walkthrough" for Guns And Robots, showing off the robot construction and customization options in the upcoming free-to-play shooter. Word is: "The whole action takes place in the garage where players can assembly their fun, yet lethal creations. The video footage shows players a robust variety of in-game combinations which result in making a robot. The personal construction site or Burn – In Garage (BIG) provides players with weapons and robot parts. The creation process starts with assembling modules from parts and then combining all the modules in one." Continue here to read the full story.

Game Reviews

Hardware Reviews

Out of the Blue

Somebody in the forums joked about this yesterday, but it may indeed be true that the secret ingredient in my coffee has been coffee grinder, as when I glued the broken pieces of our broken grinder back together, there was a small portion of plastic missing, and the most logical conclusion is that it was ground up and mixed with the coffee along the way. Here's hoping the filter caught most of it. Undeterred by this revelation, I managed to get the grinder fixed, and it no longer requires something pressing down on it to get it to work, so the break must have been the cause of that. Oddly, the hardest part of the job was cleaning it all up, as the oil in the grounds created a sort of coffee cement in various areas that required an amazing amount of work to clean out.

R.I.P.: Babylon 5 Star Michael O'Hare Dies.

Links: Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play: Orange Gravity 2.
Stories: Seth MacFarlane to host 85th Academy Awards.
Oregon farmer eaten by his pigs. Hannibal Lecter still at large.
Texas Driver Accused of Crashing $1M Bugatti for Insurance.
Science: Former Apple, NASA engineers wed to brew up insanely-great coffee.
The $1 billion mission to reach the Earth's mantle. Thanks Slashdot.
Scientists ask for legal safeguards to keep their work out of court.
Media: The Taiwanese Animation of Justin Bieber Vomiting Is Amazing. Thanks nin.
Hexaflexagons. Thanks Max-Ray.
Level 99 Skater.
Drifting With Female Senior Citizen.
The Funnies: Dilbert.
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