Archived News:

Friday, Sep 20, 2013

Amazon.de Lists PC Grand Theft Auto V

Amazon.de has a listing for a Windows edition of Grand Theft Auto V. Does the German arm of the e-tailer know something, or are they just trolling us? The price is €59.99 (guaranteed), but unsurprisingly word is "Dieser Artikel ist noch nicht verfügbar" (This item is not yet available). Thanks HARDOCP.

Total War: ROME II Beta Patch 3

A new beta patch 3 is now available for Total War: ROME II offering numerous changes including performance, gameplay, and usability improvements, as well as balance changes. Complete patch notes are in the Total War Wiki. You can try the beta patch by right-clicking on the game's listing in your Steam Library and selecting patch 3 from the 'betas' tab. Thanks IncGamers.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II Double XP Weekend

One Of Swords notes that a double XP weekend is underway for Call of Duty: Black Ops II on all platforms, adding that a free weekend is underway for the Uprising map pack for the military shooter sequel on Xbox LIVE.

Flight of the Amazon Queen for Free

GOG.com now offers free downloads of Flight of the Amazon Queen. Here's word:
Flight of the Amazon Queen is a point-and-click classic sporting traditional, beautiful pixel-art graphics, funny writing, a grand story based on many prolific pulp fiction clichés, and lots of full-speech in-game dialog. You will instantly fall in love with the story's mood and pacing, and the brilliant puzzles will keep you entertained for many hours. To read a story like that in the 1940, you'd have to pay whole 10¢. Today, as a part of GOG.com 5th birthday celebration, you can play for it absolutely FREE!

Evening Previews

  • Battlefield 4 on BF4Central. A closer look at the new maps from the latest trailer.

Into the Black

R.I.P.: Ken Norton Sr. fought when boxing was the baddest sport around. Sorry, meant to post this earlier.

More Battlefield 4 Battlelog Details

The Battlefield Blog now offers further details on the Battlefield 4 version of the Battlelog in a new "Road to Battlefield 4" feature that explains their goals for this feature and shows it off with several screenshots. As they explain: "We loved introducing Battlelog in Battlefield 3, but that was just the beginning. Since then, we’ve had some great ideas for how we could innovate and make it even better with Battlefield 4. The goal with Battlelog for BF4 is to create an enhanced experience for the player that allows them to be constantly connected to the game, whether it’s in front of their console or PC or on the go using their mobile device. We had to fundamentally change some features – like fully integrating Battlelog into the game on next-gen consoles and PC. By doing this, it has enabled us to give Battlelog a style and look that is much more in-tune with the game, introduce connected features to make it an even more powerful companion and provide new ways for you to customize your experience."

More on Steam Living Room Plans Next Week

As Gabe Newell mentioned earlier this week, Valve will be unveiling further plans for their assault on our living rooms next week, and today they send word to expect three announcements, with the first one to come Monday morning. This will come on this page, which currently states: "The Steam Universe Will Expand in 2014," supported by a countdown to the first announcement and the following caption: "Last year, we shipped a software feature called Big Picture, a user-interface tailored for televisions and gamepads. This year we’ve been working on even more ways to connect the dots for customers who want Steam in the living-room. Soon, we’ll be adding you to our design process, so that you can help us shape the future of Steam."

SpellForce 2 - Demons Of The Past Next Month

Nordic Games announces SpellForce 2 - Demons Of The Past is due for release on October 24th, offering more RTS/RPG gameplay in a standalone final SpellForce 2 add-on. We have some new screenshots, and here's word:
The stand alone add-on will be available to purchase from Steam priced USD/EUR 19.99, GBP 17.99 and all other reputable outlets, including those made from bricks.

Following on from previous add-on Faith In Destiny, players can now conclude their journey with Demons Of The Past where the fate of Eo rests in the players’ hands. Along the way players will meet old and new faces – will they be of help or hindrance?

“Demons Of The Past is the final add-on for SpellForce 2. We’ve gone all-out to ensure it’ll be a fulfilling and conclusive end to the ever-popular series. The compelling story will make players want to fight to save the world of Eo from evil,” said Gennaro Giani, Localization and Production Manager at Nordic Games and also Nordic's first internally bred SpellForce nerd. “Fans of the SpellForce series are amongst the most involved and motivated. With the new content we’ve tried to make sure it has exactly that unique and magic SpellForce feel to it.”
Continue here to read the full story.

World of Warplanes Takeoff Delayed

Wargaming announces that World of Warplanes is taking a cue from commercial aviation, as takeoff of their MMO aerial combat game is delayed. The plan was to release the game this month, but now they are looking at November 12th and 13th release, depending on the region. "We are committed to releasing a great title and are doing everything to ensure that World of Warplanes gets the final polish we believe the game needs," said Vlad Belozerov, World of Warplanes' Director of Global Operations. "The extra time will allow the development team to fine-tune the game balance and make sure that every feature is top-notch before launch." That said, the game is currently available to all as an open beta, and since stats will not be wiped, it arguably has already had its soft launch. Beta signups are available here for North America and here for Europe.

Air Conflicts: Vietnam Pre-Purchase Bonus

Steam is now accepting pre-purchases of Air Conflicts: Vietnam, preparing for the release of the air combat sequel on October 2nd. In addition to a 10% discount for this advance commitment, they also offer a free copy of Air Conflicts: Secret Wars as a bonus. Those who already own it can gift it to a friend (or a stranger for that matter). Word on the game is that allows you to: "Take a seat in the cockpit of fighter planes and helicopters and plunge right into daredevil aerial battles above the jungles of Vietnam! Prepare for a mind-blowing flight simulation with exotic landscapes, detailed airplane models and challenging missions that will put your piloting skills to the ultimate test."

Rise of Venice Trading Trailer

This video offers a gameplay walkthrough from Rise of Venice, focusing on the trading aspects of the strategy game. Word is the clip offers a "first-hand look at how to use the game's mercantile system to become an economic juggernaut as you rise up the ranks on your way to becoming a financial and political leader in Renaissance-era Venice." Continue here to read the full story.

Op Ed

Rock, Paper, Shotgun - How We Got The PAX Post Wrong.
But yesterday’s introduction to a great article by one of our brilliant writers didn’t achieve our aims. It made a complicated, difficult issue into something black and white, and of course alienated people in doing so. Worst of all, it led people to not read Nathan’s article, which presented both sides of the discussion in detail. That was not our intention.

Game Reviews

Hardware Reviews

Out of the Blue

Well push finally came to shove, and I will be getting the parts for a new PC today. After reading about the mild to nonexistent performance improvements and surprising heat problems in the fourth-gen Intel CPUs I indeed opted for a previous-gen 3570 CPU and sprung a little extra for an ASUS Sabertooth motherboard. For a long time now I've been determined to have an SSD boot drive in my next build, so I am doing that, which should be fun, and should combine with that motherboard to make for surprisingly quick boot times.

Rigged Links: Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play: Max Dirt Bike 3.
Junk Yard Stunts.
Stories: Coca-Cola Apologizes for Offensive Bottle Cap. Better retard than never.
Beanie Babies Creator Charged with Tax Evasion. Thanks Boing Boing.
Science: Arctic melt season over, leaving behind more ice than recent years.
Explosive dispersal: Microbes hitch a ride on volcanic eruptions.
Proof of alien life: You need a lot more evidence than this.
Media: Clueless Gamer: Conan Reviews "Grand Theft Auto V".
Everyday Products You've Been Using Wrong.
Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains How Gravity Affects Time.
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