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Archived News:
Blizzard announces
details on the automated tournaments in the StarCraft II beta that are
eventually coming to the live version of the RTS sequel. Word is: "Please keep
in mind that everything you see here is a very early implementation of Automated
Tournaments. There are still features to be added, bugs to be fixed, and
feedback to be received. Nevertheless, we felt that it was time to offer this
feature to our players so that we could gather the testing and feedback needed
to ensure that Automated Tournaments ends up becoming the best feature possible.
" Here's more on the issues with testing such a feature: Going forward,
we have plans to make it so that you are automatically joined into a private
chat channel with players in your tournament. We also are planning to add
Automated Tournament rewards that will be visible in other areas of StarCraft
II.
Due to the nature of this feature, it is more difficult to get a lot of internal
playtesting compared to other parts of the game. Please do your best to try out
various combinations and let us know if you find any bugs! Automated Tournaments
should provide a gripping experience for those who value high-stakes StarCraft
II competition. So if you enjoy the competitive side of StarCraft II, we hope
you are as excited to try out the new game mode as we are to hear your thoughts.
Thank you very much, please remember to submit your feedback, and we’ll see you
in the finals!
Steam News announces the
release of Velocity 2X on
Steam now offering the
Windows edition of this frenetic platformer sequel that first launched on
PlayStation 4 and Vita. In addition to the base game, the Windows version (as
well as a new Xbox One version also launching today) also includes all the
additional content from the game's two DLC packs. Here's the deal:
Abducted by a race of hostile aliens, Lt. Kai Tana must use her quick
reflexes and the teleporting power of the Quarp Jet to free her fellow prisoners
and find a way home. Swapping back and forth between top-down vertical shoot ‘em
up and side-scrolling action platformer, Velocity 2X blends two unique styles of
fast-paced, frenetic gameplay into one incredible experience.
The
Company of Heroes website has word that the OS X and Linux editions of
Company of Heroes 2 are expected next week: We are excited to
announce that through our partner Feral Interactive, Company of Heroes™ 2 will
be released for Mac and Linux via Steam on August 27th, with the Mac App Store
version to follow shortly afterwards.
DLC for the Steam version of Company of Heroes 2, including the Theater of War
mission packs as well as additional Commanders and Skins, will be available on
August 27th via in-store purchase. The Steam version of Company of Heroes 2 will
support Mac-Mac and Linux-Linux multiplayer using Steamworks.
DLC for the Mac App Store version of Company of Heroes 2, including the Theater
of War mission packs as well as additional Commanders and Skins, will be
available post-release, via in-app purchase. The Mac App Store version of
Company of Heroes 2 will support Mac-Mac multiplayer using Feral’s own
multiplayer matching service.
For more information, check out Feral's website for COH2's Mac/Linux version
Here!
Bob Was Hungry is now available for Windows
on Steam, offering
Shorebound Studios' "challenging precision platformer" which includes
multiplayer support. A new
release trailer has a look at the game, and here's word on those insatiable
bobs: Bob Was Hungry is a challenging precision platformer with many
levels designed to truly test your platforming skills.
Bobs have been scouring the universe for food for millions of years. For the
most part, food had been plentiful and easy to acquire...planets made entirely
of cheese were abundant, and finding one could leave a bob full for a lifetime.
However, time has passed, and food has become scarce. Greedy bobs so carelessly
ate two or three cheese planets at a time, and now cheese planets are as rare to
find as a bob with a full stomach.
Bobs unable to stumble upon one of the last extremely rare cheese-havens were
forced out into the unknown. Now they traverse as many planets as they can in
hopes of finding a scrap of food to survive. Unfortunately, their trips are
dangerous, and the planets are treacherous. Finding food is not like it used to
be.
You play as one of these bobs, and it is up to you to find the meal that will
finally satisfy your bob's insatiable appetite.
Continue here to read the full story.
Planetary Annihilation: TITANS is now available
on Steam, offering a
standalone expansion to Uber Entertainment's space-based real-time strategy game
for Windows, Linux, and OS X (thanks Ken). As noted in
this forum post, this is free for all Kickstarter backers and for all who
signed up for the Mystery Mayhem tournament before August 18th, and a 66%
discount is provided to those who bought the original Planetary Annihilation
before the launch of TITANS. Here's
a launch trailer and
here's more on the release: TITANS is the
huge stand-alone expansion to the already massive-scale RTS Planetary
Annihilation, which includes the base game and adds tons of new features:
Devastate your enemies with 5 massive Titan-class super units like the like the
earth-shaking Atlas bot and lightning-wielding Zeus airship!
Expand your strategic arsenal with 16 new units such as versatile Hover Tanks,
indomitable Orbital Battleships, and voracious Nanobot Swarms!
Elevate your game with new planets that feature multi-level terrain available in
both single and multiplayer. Get up to speed faster with a new, streamlined
tutorial experience, then take your game to the next level with the new Bounty
Mode option for AI skirmish and multiplayer,
Continue here to read the full story.
SEGA announces plans to offer a limited free trial of Company of Heroes 2:
The British Forces for the few days before the launch of Relic's standalone
World War II RTS expansion on September 3rd. They say to tune in to the
Company Of Heroes Twitter feed
for details on where to snag a key. Here's word: SEGA® of America, Inc.
and SEGA® Europe Ltd. today announced a limited free trial for Company of
Heroes™ 2: The British Forces from Relic Entertainment™ which will begin at
10:00am PDT/6:00pm BST/7:00pm CET on August 31 and end at 2:00pm PDT/10:00pm
BST/11:00pm CET on September 2 2015. During the exclusive Steam trial, which is
set to take place just before the final game’s release, up to 55,000 players
will get hands-on with the British army. The trial includes access to all the
content which includes 15 new units, up to six new commanders (three in the base
game and three via the War Spoils loot dropping system) and a total of eight new
multiplayer maps as well as the four factions and base commanders from all
previous Company of Heroes 2 games. Keep your eyes on the
@companyheroes Twitter feed for
details of where you can grab a key through exclusive media partners or via
Relic.
A statement on the
Gearbox Software website shows that the lawsuits over the rights to the Duke
Nukem IP have been settled, and the lawyers for Gearbox, Interceptor
Entertainment, and 3D Realms are all now in the hot tub toasting their success.
There are statements from all the involved parties, with 3D Realms saying they
didn't realize they weren't entitled to license an IP after selling it off, that
Interceptor is still developing Bombshell, and that Gearbox has voluntarily
ended the litigation, satisfied that they've proven ownership of the Duke IP.
There are hugs all around, and the goodwill everyone expresses makes a mystery
of how this ended up in court. Here's some of the love: Gearbox Software
appreciates the sentiments from Interceptor and 3D Realms' representatives.
Gearbox Software President Randy Pitchford said, “I genuinely appreciate Mr.
Nielsen’s and Mr. Schreiber’s statement and sincerely offer my best wishes to
Interceptor Entertainment and 3D Realms towards their future success and, as
someone who was part of the 3D Realms team when Bombshell was first imagined, I
am excited to see what they have in store for us with their game.
Steam News announces a
new update for Team Fortress 2 is now available, adding a new sports-themed beta
game mode called PASS Time, to the teamplay shooter along with a new hat, a bunch of bug fixes, and more.
This blog post has
details on the new PASS Time mode being added to the pastime as part of a rapid
iteration collaboration with J.J. Abrams' Bad
Robot: ABOUT PASS TIME
RED and BLU face off in an epic battle to score more goals than their opponents.
Coordinated passing, aerial shots, interceptions, team-based formations and
plays, defensive lines and the like make for strategically chaotic play.
BALL-CARRYING
The "jack" is a ball that, when carried, replaces your weapons. Teamwork is key
in protecting the jack-carrier. Pass and shoot with your primary fire. Pick up
and intercept by simply touching the jack. Melee an opponent carrier to steal.
Carrying the jack also gives that player the following boosts:
- Health: regeneration
- Invulnerability: temporary when you steal (with melee) or
intercept the jack
- Speed: temporary increase when you first gain possession
- Vision: see both teammates AND opponents on the map
TAKE A KNEE, LET'S TALK STRATEGY
- Passing
A critical aspect of PASS Time play. Team-based passing is a surefire way to
get the ball away from your goal, and into your opponents', as quickly as
possible.
- Coordinated Team Play
In PASS Time, it’s vital to play as a team. Lone wolf runs don’t stand a
chance against a united front.
- High-Flying Action
PASS Time introduces speed boosts and jump-pads. Nothing beats the rush of a
mid-air shot-on-goal or interception.
- Defense!
A balance of offensive and defensive strategy is key. Goalies can be the
difference-makers in PASS Time.
- Sudden Death
As with most sports, try not to die. Especially if the match ends in a
tie—'cause that’s when true Sudden Death kicks in.
Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China is now available as an Early Access game
on Steam. This offers a
simulation of the aerial combat experienced by American fliers who volunteered
to fly for China early in World War II.
This trailer shows
off gameplay at 60 frames-per-second, and here's word on the game: Developer
Ace Maddox today announced its air-combat action game FLYING TIGERS: SHADOWS
OVER CHINA is available on Steam. The Early Access release offers a polished
subset of content and features for both single- and multiplayer modes, and
includes a decent number of maps and aircraft (with about a third of the single
player campaign already completed).
Swoop the skies of Southeast Asia as FLYING TIGERS: SHADOWS OVER CHINA
re-creates a diverse set of historical air-battles including the Japanese
Christmas-raids on Rangoon, the Flying Tigers’ first combat over Kunming in
China, Battle of the Salween Gorge, flying the “Hump” over the Himalayas,
Invasion of Malaya and more.
Continue here to read the full story.
This trailer shows off
Heroes of Normandie,
an upcoming computer game based on the tabletop wargame of the same name
featuring "neat tactical game mechanics and over-the-top comical WW2
characters." Here's word on the game, revealing a September 22nd release date:
Winner of the Origins Award in the Best Historical Board Game category
last June, the team behind the board game Heroes of Normandie managed to bring a
breath of fresh air in the table top wargame world, thanks to an original
combination of neat tactical game mechanics and over-the-top comical WW2
characters.
Developer Cat Rabbit is now close to completing its risky mission of adapting
the board game rules and atmosphere to digital platforms. The original game
design based on quick and engaging battles is, in essence, a perfect fit for the
video game world. So keeping the core mechanics and building scenarios in
single-player and multiplayer modes able to exploit all of the subtleties of the
numerous units and heroes in the game, became one of the top priorities of the
developers. Three story-driven campaigns, a quick battle mode with lots of
pre-designed maps and a very challenging Rogue mode come together for a colorful
boardgame-ish experience in the bocage of Normandy.
Super villainous field marshall “Von Kamptz”, machinegun lover “The Rock” and
the other crazy American, German and UK heroes will have their first virtual
fight on September, 22 on PC! They will also use rocket launchers, tanks and
plenty of weapons in the near future on iPad. We’ve just unveiled a batch of
screenshots and a teaser trailer in order to give you the mood of what’s
coming.
Indie developer GameArt Studio announces the release of A.I. Invasion for
Windows on Steam Early
Access. Here's word on this futuristic top-down shooter: A.I. Invasion is
set in a post-apocalyptic age and demands lots of strategical skills from
trigger-happy players.
The extra-terrestrial A.I. has subdued the whole galaxy with a overwhelming army
of machines. In various deadly missions set on different planets of the solar
system, players have to face this threat to reclaim the place of mankind in the
universe.
He is assisted by a team of special units he has to equip and command and by
many special items he has to unlock during gameplay.
A Mac OS X edition of Data Jammers: FastForward is now available
on Steam.
This announcement covers the news: Despite the (futile) efforts of
the NSA to cover it up, Data Jammers: FastForward is now jamming on the
Mac! Yep, it's true! Thanks to Henry K's efforts beyond the call of duty,
Jammers is finally available for Mac gamers via Steam (with other groovy game
portals to follow - watch the skies). So let's get jammin'!
Get Data Jammers:
FastForward on Steam
Data Jammers: FastForward is a continuously moving three dimensional driving and
destruction game set within a retro wireframe world of impossible race tracks.
Prowl twisting bitstreams amidst bizarre geometrical environments enhanced by
otherworldly soundscapes as your nimble avatar encounters more dangerous
denizens, hazards and boss guardians along the way!
- ASUS GTX 980 Ti STRIX OC on
Hardware Canucks.
- be quiet! Silent Base 800 PC Case on
Legit Reviews.
- Cyonic AU-650x 650W Compact Power Supply on
HARDOCP.
- Enermax Liqmax II 240mm AIO CPU Cooler on
eTeknix.
- GT Omega Pro Blue Gaming Chair on
ocaholic.
- Intel Skylake HD Graphics 530 Performance On Linux on
Phoronix.
- Lian Li PC-O8 Gehäuse on
Technic3D. German.
- Noctua NH-C14S CPU Cooler on
pcGameware.
- QNAP TS-453mini on
HardwareHeaven.com.
- Samsung SSD 850 Evo 2TB on
TechSpot.
- Shure SE112m+ Sound Isolating In-Ear Headset with Remote + Mic on
TweakTown.
- Synology Diskstation DS414slim 4-Bay NAS Server on
Bigbruin.com.
- Tt eSports Cronos (Bass Boosted) on
Vortez.
There was a bad smell in the kitchen that took a couple of days of sniffing
around before it was traced to an aging bag of potatoes in a cabinet that had ceased
being food anymore. Emptying the cabinet and airing it out for a couple of
days with bowl of baking soda inside may have helped some, but it's still
unpleasantly stinky, so I'm looking to accelerate the process by investigating
other suggestions for ways to absorb the stench. Of course one of the
suggestions is that this can be accomplished using potatoes. Maybe I'll ignore
the potential irony here and try that... it's like the old saying, set a thief
to catch a thief.
R.I.P.: Paul
Goldenberg dies at 87; 'King of Big Screen' founded Paul's TV. Thanks Ant.
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