The bad news is that new content for the PlayStation 3 version of TF2 sounds like it's up in the air. Maps like "Goldrush" and new Achievements sound inevitable for the Xbox 360, but Valve's Doug Lombardi told Shack "unfortunately I don't know that any of that will make it to the PS3." Hopefully, Mr. Lombardi is just playing it safe and EA is working diligently to support the PS3 base, but we'll refrain from breath holding.

Team Fortress 2 360 DLC Details Due 'Pretty Soon,' Fate of PlayStation 3 Content Uncertain [Shacknews]

If you're not currently a TF2 devotee, you can enjoy a free weekend starting Friday at noon PDT. Valve has crafted a handy Gold Rush update specific page, with details on the three dozen Medic achievements.

Team Fortress 2 Goldrush Update [Valve]

How long can you tolerate this monologue without cringing or fast forwarding? I lasted about 8 seconds before my by-proxy embarrassment got the better of me. That's better than my mechanical bull record! Okay, without the crusty old curmudgeon attitude, this is some solid Portal cosplay, with some fantastic touches. Gotta give kudos for the ability to lug a massive cake around a convention hall all day, too. Anyone seen better pics from SakuraCon 2008 that might show this off better?

Thanks for the tip, Rebecca!

Given Valve's propensity for abstracting the typical storytelling structure out of the game experience, it wouldn't surprise us one bit if GlaDOS were conditioning Chell as a sort of suicide machine. Thoughts?

Still Alive? She's Free. [Game-Ism]

In even better news that fans of achievements in awesomeness will appreciate, the "Meet The Scout" cinematic is confirmed for an April release, joining the Engineer, Heavy, Demo Man and Soldier. Shacknews says it will arrive on or about the April 20 game update, but we've heard previously that it will arrive some time next week. Given Valve's well known tardiness, we would put our money on it debuting later. But we're keeping hope alive.

New Team Fortress 2 Content Scheduled for Mid-April; Includes Goldrush, New Weapons, Meet The Scout [Shacknews]

Oh, and hold tight Europe. Your update is coming soon-ish.

* Fixed a graphical issue whereby a player would have the explosion effect left on the end of their Rocket Launcher when attempting to Rocket Jump.
* Fixed a memory leak to improve single player stability.
* Fixed an issue whereby the players name would not appear on the Stats comparison screen.
* We have fixed an issue that would cause the vote tallies to disappear when you viewed the scoreboard between rounds.
* Fixed an online server issue.
* Fixed an issue that caused a crash when a player that wasn't in Division 1 entered 'Your Leaderboards.
* Fixed an issue with players not always being added to the 'Players Met' menu on the XMB.
* Fixed a bug where a player viewing a friend without an EA account would have an empty entry in the friend's Leaderboard.
* Fixed an issue where it was not possible to connect to the EA servers if you had more than 30 friends.

Companion Cube [Posterchild's Blade Diary via Waxy.org]

During my initial play time with the new version, testing out Team Fortress 2, Portal and Half-Life 2: Episode Two, nothing was immediately noticeable, although connecting to a TF2 game did seem to be rather speedy.

We contacted Valve to clarify and their VP of marketing Doug Lombardi informed us that, "The platform holder owns the final call." So just as we'd suspected, whether or not we see these maps for free is indeed up to Sony and Microsoft.

Valve Publications [Valve via GameSetWatch]

...for free, definitely, as much as we can. You know, we don't have full say over that, but we have some say over how that works.

For us, we see it as an investment on our next product. Gamers won't hesitate when they see a game coming out from Valve. They'll think 'I've heard of this but will it be worth my money?' We want to take that off the table.

One thing's for sure—if PSN users are downloading the same content for free that Xbox LIVE demands money for (on top of subscription costs), Microsoft will reaffirm the evil corporation stereotype that the Xbox brand has done so much to negate. Let's hope that Microsoft is smarter than that and shows its customers a bit more gratitude for their loyalty.

Valve hopes to keep TF2 content free [Eurogamer]

Download Here [deviantART via XboxDomain]

These updates are for the PC version only, with no new information on when Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 The Orange Box owners can expect their goodies. Interested parties can read up on all the changes that are sure to be the bane of TF2 players' girlfriends at the official site.

Updates for TF2, Source Engine, SourceTV Coming Tomorrow [Steam]

If you snatch up Audiosurf, which comes in under ten bucks, you'll also get a copy of The Orange Box's official soundtrack, which is included in the game. Can your PC even handle this much value?!

Audiosurf [Steam]

There'll be more Portal, for sure. But the details of that, to be honest, we're still working out.

"More Portal for sure" - Valve [eurogamer][picture]

First a thing about the name: I didn't pick it. I think it's hilarious, but I'd never name an award after myself, it's obnoxious... and quite funny. Which is what I think the Rocky was going for. There are quite a few closet smart-asses over there. :)

So my annual pick for best video game ran in the Rocky Mountain News today and I picked Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare as the overall winner. The game beat out The Orange Box, Bioshock, Super Mario Galaxy and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.

Here's why I decided to pick a war-time first-person shooter sequel over the splendor of a dystopian society, amazing character interaction of Uncharted and innovative design of Galaxy and Orange Box:

This solid first-person shooter for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 may not be as innovative as The Orange Box and Super Mario Galaxy. It may not deliver an awe-inspiring glimpse at an eschewed philosophy like BioShock or create the sort of sizzling character interaction found in Uncharted, but, hands down, it is the most thoroughly entertaining video game of the past year.

The single-player story is captivating, set in a present-day Middle East and parts of Russia and comes at the player in a mix of sweeping cinematic set pieces and smart pacing that can easily glue the audience to the game for the entire six- to eight-hour experience.

It's a game that has the sorts of moments usually found only in film, hiding these startling revelations in gamers' blind spots. People you come to care about die. You die, and not in the sort of plastic, ephemeral death found in video games. These deaths are permanent and, at times, evocative.

A deep, seemingly limitless online multiplayer experience also adds quite a bit of life to the title. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare may seem like more of the same, but this title is the realization of a rewarding franchise meeting its complete potential.

Hit the link to check out my winners for the rest of the categories, including a selection of "hot flashes" I managed to sneak into the awards. Feel free to bash me here for not choosing (your selection here) for best (your category here).

Ps. I didn't write the awards' intro, that's one of those smart-asses I was talking about.
Game Gold

[via bbg]

At the Kotaku West Coast annex, there's almost a constant connection to a Team Fortress 2 server. That goes a long way to changing our thought process when watching clips of an impressive custom-modded PC from "What are these people doing with their lives, time and money?" to "Stunning. The person responsible is an artisan of the highest caliber." Kudos to them. Thanks for the heads up, Tom.

Reader Peter sends in these scans of Counter Strike Source ads that ran recently in a Seoul, Korea free daily paper. Peter also explained the country's love affair with the game.

Here in Korea CS clones like 'Special Force' and 'Sudden Attack' are popular despite having sub-CS1 graphics. They are free and players can pay for ad ons. I guess CS Source here will operate in the same way. I found the layout of the ad to be amusing. The history of CS comming out of the clouds, the slightly oxymoronic '2nd premiere' and the sparse nature of the screenshot with only the pistol in screen. Be interesting to see if a free CS Source becomes huge here in Korea.

I wonder how The Orange Box would do there? Hit the jump to see the bottom half of this full page ad.

New TF2 Maps, Achievements and 'Large Scale' Gameplay Shift Within 2 Months [Shacknews]

Originally retailing for $29.95, one recent auction just closed for $365 plus $8 to ship. Another is currently bid up to $105 with hours left on the listing. I'm the first to regret not ordering a cube for my own collection, but this Beanie Baby madness has got to stop. It'll give us all a bad name (as well as a vicious reputation within the collectibles circuits).

Unopened Weighted Companion Cube Plush [ebay]

The most prominent complaints, unsurprisingly, come in the form of frame rate stuttering and loading times. Connectivity reliability and support for achievements are also common requests, but those with thoughts on the matter should head over to the official forums and make your voice heard. Rock the vote and all that.

[PS3] Orange Box Suggestions / Tweaks & Bugs / Issues [Steam - thanks, hatchetforce!]

Team Fortress 2: Free Weekend in Germany

All gamers in Germany may experience what many are calling the best multiplayer game of 2007 during the Team Fortress 2 Free Weekend, offered exclusively to German gamers via Steam January 4th through 6th.

The Free Weekend is open to all gamers in Germany during the event. To participate, simply visit steamgames.com and install the free client. To maximize the free play time, Team Fortress 2 is available now for pre-loading, so players can have everything installed and ready to play the moment the Free Weekend begins on Friday, January 4.

The Team Fortress 2 Free Weekend in Germany will conclude on Sunday, January 6 and no purchase is required to participate in the free weekend.

Team Fortress 2 is one of three new games introduced in The Orange Box, a unique collection of new critically acclaimed games from Valve available for the PC, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360 that is winning Game of the Year awards across the world.

For more information, please visit www.steamgames.com

—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—--

Team Fortress 2: Gratis-Wochenende in Deutschland

Exklusiv und nur für die deutsche Community: Team Fortress 2 - von vielen Spielern als bestes Mehrspielergame aller Zeiten gefeiert - gibt es vom 4. bis zum 6. Januar für ein Wochenende gratis!

Dieses Gratis-Wochenende gibt es nur für deutsche Spieler. Zur Teilnahme laden und installieren Sie bitte Steam kostenlos von www.steamgames.com und folgen den Installationshinweisen. Sie können Team Fortress 2 umgehend im vorraus herunterladen und am Freitag, dem 4. Januar, sofort loslegen und das gesamte Wochenende voll ausnutzen.

Das freie Wochenende endet am Sonntag, dem 6. Januar, und verplichtet Sie nicht zum Kauf.

Team Fortress 2 ist eines von drei neuen Spielen der Orange Box, einer einzigartigen und von Kritikern gefeierten Kollektion brandneuer Valve-Spiele für PC, Playstation 3, und Xbox 360 und die Orange Box gewinnt momentan mehrere Auszeichnungen als bestes Spiel 2007 weltweit.

Für weitere Informationen besuchen Sie bitte www.steamgames.com.

So hit the jump for our Frankenreview, victory lap 2007 edition. We pulled reviewers' top rated games* from Game Rankings to relive some of our best moments from the year.

Note, on repeat games, we picked the higher ranking platform.

Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) - Gamespy
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a winner. Super Mario Galaxy represents the Nintendo Wii's best release to date, and takes the tried-and-tested formula from Super Mario 64 and Sunshine to a new level of perfection. It's the single best reason for naysayers to finally take the hardware plunge

The Orange Box (Xbox 360) - Gaming Age
If one thing is certain, there is not one game out there that offers such a complete package at the regular retail price of a single game. You get 5 outstanding games that give you a little bit of everything, action, story, puzzles, multiplayer, and just flat out addictive content...you would be doing yourself, gamers, and the wonderful developers a great injustice by not buying The Orange Box. Not only is it possibly the best bargain in gaming history, but arguably the best FPS experience of all time...

Bioshock (Xbox 360) - Jolt
Even when vastly outnumbered and outgunned, BioShock puts mania before mere survival...yet, that fear of an impending death never fades. The feeling of being watched, of being used, of being nothing but a pawn, balances perfectly with the game's no-holds-barred approach to combat. It's this mixture of ambience, emotion and plain old fun that sets BioShock apart from the scores of FPSes hitting the shelves this year...it is one of the most progressive, gripping and downright fun games to hit the market in the last decade.

COD4 (Xbox 360) - Eurogamer
...all you really need to know is this a huge return to form for the Call of Duty series, and for war-based FPS titles in general. Even without the vastly impressive multiplayer elements, Modern Warfare would be worth buying for its outstanding single-player campaign. It succeeds not only for being consistently spectacular, but for the way it has been crafted into something that keeps you engaged right to the very end.

Halo 3 (Xbox 360) - 1UP
Halo 3's campaign is better in every way imaginable. Subtly beautiful, rich and lush graphics, a heart-pounding orchestrated score, new weapons, vehicles, and enemies...and even better enemy and teammate A.I... Sure, no one aspect of the game is life-changing on its own, but perhaps the package as a whole is. After all, Halo 3 has enough content to keep you stuck to your controller for weeks, if not months or even years. Looks like we won't be finishing the fight anytime soon after all.

Good times. Did we really play that many FPSs this year...on the Xbox 360 no less? [image]

So from the entire Kotaku staff, happy holidays and merry whatever you celebrate. And to Valve, thank-you...and we're very, very sorry.

Voices in order of butchery: Michael Fahey, Mark Wilson, Brian Crecente, Brian Crecente, Luke Plunkett.
Lyrics by Fahey, Crecente and Wilson
Video by Mark Wilson

We've already mentioned that The Orange Box has gone on sale, but Valve just emailed to point out that the sound track for their game, including the hugely popular Still Alive, is also on sale over at Amazon.com now.

You can pick up the song as a single for just $0.89 or the entire album on Amazon for just shy of $8. Besides the Steam sale, Valve says that GameUK, Best Buy and other retailers have their game on sale right now for all platforms. So get out there and get to Orange Boxing.

The Orange Box Album [Amazon]

It's worth listening to just to hear Jonathan Mak call Everyday Shooter a "celebration of geometric sexuality." And, of course, I don't know that any Kotaku readers have overlooked any of these three games—but in case you have, yeah, it's time to check them out. I just wish that the radio piece said a little less about GLaDOS, since her evolution of character is one of the most fascinating and surprising (yet gloriously inevitable) elements of Portal. Still, hopefully well-written stories like this on NPR help these games sink into the mainstream consciousness as much as they have our own.

Video Games that Got Away [npr]

Since Steam now supports gift giving, it's going to be the easiest way to add a last minute Christmas gift that's guaranteed to ship on time. You have until January 1st to enjoy the value added fun.

Steam Storewide Sale - All Games 10-50% Off! [Steam]

PSExtreme
The most important thing about Unreal Tournament III is its speed. Where as UT2004 felt heavy and a little on the clunky side, Unreal Tournament III feels lean, and mean, and frenetic. Even though the speed of the game was slightly slowed down for the PlayStation 3 version (meaning, the players run a little slower), the intensity is still chaotic

1UP
Playing with the Sixaxis controller quickly erased any concerns about whether the game would struggle without the traditional PC mouse-and-keyboard setup. The default stick response errs on the little-too-slow side to keep from being spastic for the average user, but it can be dialed up to as twitchy as you like.

GameDaily
If it is multiplayer action you crave, then Unreal Tournament has it in spades. Team Deathmatch, Deathmatch and Capture the Flag are obvious favorites, but the new Duel and Warpath modes are real attention getters. With Duel, you face off against an opponent on a smaller map, resulting in a more intimate battle. Warpath involves some strategy, as you must capture and shut down enemy nodes in order to make their energy core vulnerable. Although the multiplayer support is only half of what the PC version handles (ten to sixteen in comparison to thirty-two), the PS3 edition is still lots of fun.

GameZone
The biggest change, and the one that affected me the most [from UT2004], was the removal of the adrenaline counter. I didn't know prior to playing UT3 that Epic had removed it, so it came as a big surprise not to have it included in UT3. In the past, the adrenaline counter permitted players to build up the meter through the means of kills or picking up items on the map to gain access to abilities such as invisibility, but with it removed, it felt like a little part of my soul died. [Ed note: having hated that adrenaline meter, we're thrilled.]

The Orange Box
IGN
Even in Portal, a short title that often requires a little trial and error, this problem is massive. The 360 version takes about three seconds to load your last checkpoint if you die. The PS3 version takes seventeen. It hurts.

GameSpy
Voice chat, especially over Bluetooth, has problems...Although EA has implemented some fine options for testing out your headset in-game (negating the archaic practice of exiting to the XMB to make adjustments), it's a bit of a moot point. We tested out three different Bluetooth headsets (including the Jabra packaged with Warhawk and a USB headset) and nothing seemed to work.

Kotaku
There are some other unusual hitches [in TF2], such as a brief pause as your character goes underwater and a visible delay in the launching of the Demoman's grenades. Game-killing bugs these are not, but serious players will most likely find themselves cursing their PS3s when one of these idiosyncrasies leads to their death...

GameDaily
Valve blends its older games with newer content, delivering an essential bundle only a fool would ignore, unless said fool demands the best version.

I'll be picking up UT3 this week. What about you?

You may have seen last night's GameVideos-created comparison video, showing the differences between the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Half-Life 2 in The Orange Box. Today, the head-to-head battle continues, as this Portal-centric edition illustrates how owners of the PS3 version will be waiting... and waiting for their next attempts after suffering defeat in the Aperture Sciences labs.

Graphically, the game looks fantastic. Team Fortress 2's unique art-style is well represented in the PS3 version of The Orange Box, but at times suffers from the same issues other titles in the collection do. The occasional frame rate stutter during a heated battle will cause some frustration, but, in general it holds up fairly well.

There are some other unusual hitches, such as a brief pause as your character goes underwater and a visible delay in the launching of the Demoman's grenades. Game-killing bugs these are not, but serious players will most likely find themselves cursing their PS3s when one of these idiosyncrasies leads to their death. As I happen to lean toward Demoman play, I hope that EA will address this issue quickly.

Getting in and out of a game, or simply creating one, is fairly simple via EA's online servers. We experienced some lag during one the TF2's press play sessions, but this was explained by EA reps as due to the game being temporarily hosted on a European server.

While the PlayStation 3 version of The Orange Box doesn't have much to crow about when compared to its PC and Xbox 360 counterparts, it's still great fun. In my brief time with the title, despite the small teams that don't allow the strategic elements to shine, I only looked forward to spending more time with the title. Hopefully, there will be a few more players online tomorrow, when the game arrives at retailers.

Thanks for the heads up, Shamrock. See you in the Gravel Pit.

What is interesting, though, is the advantage team Blu seems to have on maps that are mirror images of each other. Also, why so few Medics, people? It's fun!

Team Fortress 2 Stats [Steam]

For those who haven't played Episode Two, it begins with a quick summary of the events of Episode One. That's extremely helpful, as I'd completed that portion of the post-Half-Life 2 trilogy almost 18-months ago. Rather than having to re-read some FAQ, check the Wikipedia entry on the episode, or, God forbid, look into the recesses of my gray matter for the plot synopsis, Valve provides a quick, pre-rendered brush up. Why don't more games do this?

In the case of something like Super Mario Galaxy, it might not be warranted, as the kidnapping of Princess Peach and subsequent gathering of shiny things to rescue her has formed a storytelling groove in my noodle by now. However, in the case of games whose stories require dozens of hours of gameplay—Mass Effect, Final Fantasy XII—or span multiple console generations—Metal Gear Solid, Halo—an in-game cinematic Cliffs Notes wouldn't just be welcome, I now find it unacceptable to not have access to it.

There are plenty of games that I simply never finish or revisit simply because my interest in wrapping up the storyline seems like a chore. Who's that guy? Where am I going? Who's betraying me now? Look, I've got a dozen games in my backlog and I'm simply not interested in keeping notes or hitting up GameFAQs for a refresher course.

Please, storytellers, give me a quickly accessible recap of the game's events and an easy way to access it. Ideally, I'd like to, at any point, be given an edited selection of cinematic moments of your game, not unlike something I'd see at the beginning of an episode of 24 or Lost.

Admittedly, I'm not aware of what games may actually do this currently, as my personal tastes have turned away from long, story driven games, in part because of this annoyance. Maybe our helpful commenters can clue me in to games that already do this (or do something better).

End rant!

I even spent a healthy portion of my time with the original Half-Life 2, a game that still holds up, now three years long in the tooth. The innate gameplay and intangible experience has been great, as it has from the beginning of the Half-Life 2 saga. The technical aspects, however, have been less so.

Despite thinking that I'm a bit of a frame rate snob, turns out I'm not. I've certainly experienced my share of less than optimal moments on my relatively ancient Windows XP machine. Perhaps that's why I was able to mostly overlook most of The Orange Box's frame rate dips on the PlayStation 3. I suppose it's like Shadow of the Colossus on the PlayStation 2. It couldn't hold onto a solid frame rate if its figurative life depended on it, but that doesn't prevent it from being one of the best games of the generation, if not all time, in my opinion.

However, with that paragraph full of excuses behind us, the technical performance of The Orange Box on the PlayStation 3 is, in parts, unforgivable. The game's technical hiccups (almost wholly frame rate related) aren't limited to any particular portion of the game. It seemed that the title was at its worst during portions of Episode One, making an already frustrating portion of the game that much more difficult to bypass because of poor performance. Those issues with frame rate also affects moments in Portal, sadly, a game that features little in the way of intense action and enemies.

Most of the time, when The Orange Box started to stutter, I found myself wondering "Why here? Why now?" It wasn't always the moments clogged with Strider-killing action or spectacular effects, perhaps for the better.

To put it bluntly, The Orange Box for the PS3 simply the least impressive release of the three, across the board, strongly outperformed by its Xbox 360 and PC counterparts. Those with a choice, who for some reason may have waited until now to pick up the collection, should look to the non-PlayStation 3 editions of the game if they can. Those who do will enjoy a smoother experience and have access to each platforms' version of Achievements.

Those currently only in possession of a PS3 should still look at The Orange Box as a worthwhile purchase. There's almost no end to the value in the five game collection. Anyone who has missed out on the Half-Life 2 saga is in for a treat, regardless of the less than optimal presentation. The game's included are thrilling, moving, enlightening and, at times, a source of great humor. Half-Life 2 is one of the few examples that would hold up in a "games as art" debate, a stellar example of less is more storytelling and beautiful aesthetic design.

It's only a shame that the PlayStation 3 port doesn't do portions of the game justice.

The Orange Box (PS3) Impressions: Volume One [Kotaku]
The Orange Box (PS3) Impressions: Volume Two [Kotaku]

Other than that, I think my Rock Band rock band The Bad Dates will be piling into the virtual van so I can brush up on my fake drumming skills. What about you kids? Got any gaming plans for the weekend?

Having worked my way through the first three chapters of Half-Life 2: Episode Two, I stopped just before one of the episode's key vehicle sequences. This portion of the game was deemed one of the worst, in terms of technical performance. Assessments of those moments are mostly accurate. Yes, the frame rate takes some heavy dips, but at no point did it become unplayable. Slideshow? Nah. At least not for me.

Driving Episode Two's car through a wooded outdoor area, over a nicely rendered stream is where The Orange Box seems to perform at its worst. Fortunately, this section of the game is little more than a leisurely spin in the gutted car, and the game's graphics held up nicely during a more peril-filled driving scene.

There's no doubt that The Orange Box on the PlayStation 3 underperforms in this particular chapter, but it is not game breaking. Some will complain, some simply won't notice. Sorry, but I have little in the way of doom and gloom to serve up to you.

That said, there are a few more obvious hiccups in the second half of Episode Two. As in the first half, panning from side to side in certain levels quickly can cause a frame rate dip. Fortunately, during many of the more action packed moments, the game continues to perform admirably.

One odd glitch that I've come across is the camera spinning wildly or Gordon moving against my will, given the odd analog stick push. This has happened maybe a half-dozen times during my eight-plus hours with the game and may be due to odd SIXAXIS behavior. Fortunately, I haven't mistakenly walked off any cliffs.

I've also seen a few more pop-ups than I'd really be happy with. During one portion of the game's fifth chapter, headcrab zombies and Combine zombies that were submerged under toxic waste had odd moments of popping up and down. You'll also see some far off geometry popping in during the game's driving portions.

Also worth a mention is the game's loading. While the original Half-Life 2 and its episodes take about 12-15 seconds to load between areas, it handles those loads a bit more gracefully than Episode Two does. Load times are mostly the same, but Episode Two places them at less convenient spots.

I did spend a bit more time with Portal today, as well, which features a handful of stuttering moments when panning around. Momentarily annoying when looking for such things? Yes. Game killing? No. The last time I'll ask and answer my own question? Not by a long shot.

I expect that I'll wrap up Episode Two tomorrow, then go back and give the other titles a closer look, especially the driving bits on Episode One and the original Half-Life 2. I hope to have a final impressions post available for everyone soon.

To wrap up, I'm still having a great time with The Orange Box. It's surprisingly funnier than previous Half-Life games and still manages to mix up the formula well. None of the technical hairsplitting is interfering with my journey through the game. Though, I'd prefer a few more rocket propelled grenade rounds...