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The Games To Play When You’re Not Playing Starcraft
If the extent of your real-time strategy gaming extends to playing Starcraft and pre-ordering Starcraft II, boy have you missed a lot in the last ten years. While Starcraft II looks pretty great, we know from the beta that the fundamentals of the game remain largely unchanged since the 1998 original. If you want more…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 23, 2010 -
The 8-Bit Cities Of The World
I recently did a spot of world travel, and while Google Maps was very helpful, it didn’t look (to me at least) enough like an 8-bit video game. Continuing a project that began with a map of New York City, the 8-Bit Cities Project has since expanded to include a number of other major locations,…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 23, 2010 -
More LEGO Universe Trailers Than You Can Throw A 4×2 Brick At
Warner Bros. has today released not one, not two, but three new trailers for upcoming MMO LEGO Universe. The one above is a charming piece. And while half of it is blown on the world’s nicest LEGO fan, the other half is a nice guided tour of some of the games’ fundamentals. If it’s 100%…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 23, 2010 -
The Multiple Killers Of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, out this November, brings multiplayer to Ubisoft’s flagship franchise for the first time. It also brings men in funny masks, and women a little short on practical clothing. I appreciate the fact most of this trailer is, if not in-game, then at least in-engine, but all I’m seeing here is a bunch…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 23, 2010 -
Gold Farming Research Digs Up Similarities With Drug Dealers
A study by a student at the University of Minnesota suggests that gold farmers – the unscrupulous salt mine workers of the MMO world – have a lot in common with other undesirable lots, like drug dealers and street gangs. Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad, a PhD student, compared the structure of a group of gold farmers…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 23, 2010 -
Halo: Reach Also Gets A Wireless Headset
Along with controllers and consoles, Microsoft today also quietly revealed a Halo: Reach-branded wireless headset for the Xbox 360. Selling for USD$50, the headset will be available a little ahead of the game’s launch in September, hitting stores worldwide in late August. Demand for these may not be as high for the shiny console, since…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 23, 2010 -
Capcom Bails On Gamescom, Will Only Show Games To Press
First Sega pulls out of Europe’s biggest video gaming convention, now Capcom has joined them, deciding against having a public presence at this year’s Gamescom show in Germany. A statement from Capcom Europe lays the blame for the decision largely at the feet of Germany’s classification board, the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (or, more boringly, the USK).…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 23, 2010 -
Unboxing Halo: Reach’s Games And Console
It’s one thing to see the guts of a Halo game spilled across a carefully-staged press photo, but it’s another entirely to see the actual product (or in this case products) opened by human hands. This video put together by Bungie shows Halo: Reach’s limited edition, legendary edition and special Xbox 360 console being taken…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 23, 2010 -
Alien Invasion Movie Inspired By First-Person Shooters
Battle: Los Angeles is an upcoming movie from Sony, directed by Jonathan Liebesman and starring Aaron “Two-Face” Eckhart. By the director’s reckoning, it’s just like a video game. The film, about an alien invasion of Earth, is focused on – surprise surprise – the battle for Los Angeles, and some parts of the shooting, mayhem…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 23, 2010 -
See Halo: Reach’s Forge World In Action
Halo 3’s forge mode – the game’s editing suite – is in for a serious revamp when Halo: Reach is released in September. As Mike saw earlier today at Comic-Con, Halo: Reach has replaced Forge with Forge World, a vastly improved editing tool that not only lets players craft much larger maps, but also have…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 23, 2010 -
Where Board Games And Video Games Come Together
For as long as we’ve known the pair, video games have been video games, and board games have been board games. But as time and technology march on, could two become, as the Spice Girls say, one? There has long been a fairly simple divide between the two: One medium involves playing games on a…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 22, 2010 -
Before Starcraft, There Were Space Marines
This has nothing to do with Starcraft the game and everything to do with Starcraft the universe I like Starcraft! Both the game and the universe. The game is a robust real-time strategy classic, the universe one of the more enjoyable in video games, managing a science fiction setting with a dash of humour. But…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 22, 2010 -
The Kids Of Today Play The Games Of Yesterday
Kids today, with their FAQs and their very easy modes, they’ve got it made. Let’s see what they think of games from a time when boys were men, ate nails for breakfast and had hair on their backs. They’re…quite polite, actually. Though I think the finer points of Starfox elude them… Click to view See…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 22, 2010 -
Meet The Guys Who Make Gaming’s Fancy Editions
There are regular editions of games, sure, but there are also two kinds of fancy editions: the kind people pay extra money for, and the kind publishers send to the press. (For an example of what I’m talking about with regards to “press editions”, see the video below). James Glover works for Fluid Design, a…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 22, 2010 -
Kevin Butler Responds To New Zealand Copycats
Hey, New Zealand TV, you can’t go ripping off a PlayStation ad and not expect Sony’s VP of Antipodean Beard Standards Kevin Butler to bring the thunder. The PlayStation mascot – or at least the guys who write the material for the actor who plays a PlayStation mascot – has responded to New Zealand’s TV3…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 22, 2010 -
Alien Swarm, Now Vastly Improved
I’ve been playing a little Alien Swarm this week. It’s a pretty good game as is, but that’s not why it was provided free of charge. No, it was provided free of charge so you kids could mess with it. And we’re already seeing the fruits of these labours. Shrimpsess over on the Steam forums…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 22, 2010 -
Flawless Victory! Paperality!
Mortal Kombat’s fatalities are so…gruesome! Blood, bones, not meant for children. This? Mortal Kombat fatalities, for children! It’s from the same guy – Eric Power – who did that great Zelda-on-paper short we showed you the other day, only this time, we’ve got twice the videos! Below is the “main” one, Power’s take on Mortal…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 22, 2010 -
Hunt Some Cheeky Prawns With This District 9 Rifle
It’s Comic-Con, so allow me to indulge in some toy coverage. Well, not that this is a toy. It’s more like a full-size replica of the alien assault rifle from District 9. Sculpted by special effects house WETA, the team behind Lord of the Rings and, uh, District 9, the rifle made its public debut…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 22, 2010
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