Out of nowhere, there’s rumours flying around tonight that Valve is on the cusp of revealing a new game.
It’s not Episode 3, but for many, it will be the next best thing: a new Counter-Strike game.
Most of the chit-chat so far is based around testers (and eSports commentators) having very recently got some hands-on time with the rumoured project at Valve HQ. Some of them even pausing to take happy snaps of the trip.
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I confess, I find the practice of teasing a future tease frustrating, and I’m not quite sure why the video game hype machine is so fond of this. It befuddles me. The actual “trailer” in question however, is not befuddling, but quite rousing, in an inspiring, high fantasy manner. But again. Using a tease to tease another tease. It’s a problem.
So what if I’m bitter.
If you enjoyed the first Risen, then you’ll probably love Risen 2 — the graphics are significantly more colorful and vibrant, the fighting is more organic, and the stories and factions that were in the first game are back in the second, still allowing you to do more and explore the world.
The one major change we got to see was that Pirahna Bytes has abandoned the sword-and-shield idea, and instead gone for a dual wield setup, letting you put a gun in one hand and a sword in the other. But even that isn’t really necessary — the whole point of a game like this is that you can do what you want, so if you want to just hack and slash or just shoot from a distance, that’s viable as well.
Which sounds good in theory, but in practice, Risen 2 seems to fall back down to the realities of game development. While the graphics look better, the gameplay still looks as frustrating and inaccessible as all of these other hardcore RPG titles, with various monsters assaulting you as soon as you step out into the world, and lots of complicated mechanics with not a lot of direction.
How about this, then, man-shooting fans? Over two Imperial minutes (count ‘em!) of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3?s Spec Ops survival mode can be found below, via BluesNews. What is it? Well, I dunno. Let’s say it’s some kind of escalating fight mode, with its own perks and stuff, featuring lots of different opponents: exploding dogs, men, men, men, big armoured men.
Big. Armoured. Men. So big. So armoured. So shootable. Mmm.
The next instalment of Blops multiplayer cash-for-maps, Rezurrection, is to be set on the moon. Activision claim that the DLC will feature an “enhanced zombie soundtrack”, whatever that means, but the core of it is a new “low-gravity” map set on Earth’s favourite orbiting rock. So Moon Zombies, then. The Windows version of the DLC will be available after 23rd of August (although precisely when isn’t clear) and the price isn’t yet clear either. This is a terrible news story. Must do better.
This concludes your Call Of Duty news for today. (Probably.)
In Port Royale 3, players will embark upon an epic adventure through the Caribbean during the 17th century.
Kalypso Media announced Port Royale 3 for the PC and next generation consoles. PR3 lets players step into the role of a 17th century sea captain trying to make a name for themselves in the Caribbean.
There are two ways for the player to attain fame and fortune. Action fans will opt to become an adventurer. They’ll conduct raids, conquer cities, collect bounties and plunder anything that isn’t nailed down.
Alternately, players can find success through commerce. They’ll set up trade routes, construct production facilities, and develop settlements. The game’s economic system is said to be both deep and realistic.
The campaign asks you to pick one path or the other. In free-play mode, though, you can find a balance between the two approaches. Judging by the name, free-play mode will probably just let you build up your empire to your heart’s content.
Port Royale 3 also includes multiplayer modes. You and another player will be able to go head-to-head. No other details were provided but presumably you compete to amass the most wealth or power. Or maybe you just try to wipe each other out.
PR3 is being developed by Kalypso Media subsidiary Gaming Minds. Gaming Minds is composed of former employees of Ascaron Entertainment, the developer of the first two games in the series. Ascaron went bankrupt in 2009.
Kalypso expects PR3 to be released in the second quarter of 2012.
The morning brings a trio of horror-news about Diablo III. I’m outright bewildered about what Blizzard have done, and shuddering about the likely reaction in comments. I won’t muck around here, and instead shall just wade straight into the things that are probably going to end up being PC gaming’s biggest controversy of 2011.
1) The game requires a constant internet connection. It cannot be played offline.
2) Mods are “expressly prohibited.”
3) Items in the auction house are bought and sold for real-life money.
At E3 this year, THQ showed an impressive, if somewhat unrepresentative, demo of Metro: First Light. Instead of showing the game as it will play, they created an all-action sequence that shows off quite how remarkable the engine is. Rather than offering slow, spooky the atmosphere you’ll really be playing in. The first part of that video, broken up into three chunks for maximum annoyance, is below.
The trailer shows off how you can manipulate the environment to your advantage, bringing darkness to areas infected by light.
The Carmageddon reincarnation has been officially revealed. It’s called Carmageddon: Reincarnation, appropriately enough. (The website appears completely broken at the moment.) And it’s being made by the same team that created the original two games, Stainless Games.
“Carmageddon has returned to its Indie developer roots, and the time is right to bring the game to a new audience.”
Are the words from CEO and co-founder of Stainless, Patrick Buckland. He carries on,
“Originally an ambitious title that tested the hardware limits of its day, we’re excited that the game will finally get the showcase it deserves on today’s platforms.”
Poison, the dominatrix hotty from Final Fight headlined another four-character reveal for Street Fighter X Tekken at Comic-Con 2011. She will be joined by Dhalsim and, from Tekken, Steve Fox and Yoshimitsu.
During a panel defined by teases, in more ways than one, the audience briefly believed Darkstalkers characters would be confirmed for the game. Flashing a slide that said “Darkstalkers are not dead,” to wild applause, producer Yoshinori Ono then said Capcom management had not yet approved the characters. Reminding the crowd that at last year’s Comic-Con, they held up a dollar bill as a show of support for Darkstalkers’ inclusion, Ono implored the audience to hold a ten-spot. Everyone thrust money in the air.