Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Review (of the First Five Levels)
Well, against my efforts to break up with Star Wars and avoid MMOs, I've started Star Wars: The Old Republic. Star Wars meets World of Warcraft. That can't possibly be a life-destroying game. I've gotten to level 5, so I can't offer a full, or even remotely thorough review, but I can give my first impressions. No PVP, no advanced classes, no vehicles, just the bare basics of what the game is and how it looks.
Great, Another Humble Indie Bundle.
The Humble Bundle is breaking my balls. It seems like every month gets a new one that gets more of my cash and, probably, more of yours. The Humble Indie Bundle 4 is now out, barely a week after the Humble Introversion Bundle finished. And this bundle is... awesome. Seven great games for just $5 (or more, or less, depending on how generous you're feeling).
First, the details if you're not familiar with the Humble Bundle. You can pay however much you want. If you pay more than the average, you get an extra game or two. The games have no DRM and you can get them on multiple platforms. You can decide how much of your money goes to the developers, the bundle people, or the Child's Play and EFF charities. That's it.
Now, the games this time around are a who's who of the best indie games of the last few years. There's Cave Story+, Super Meat Boy, Jamestown, Gratuitous Space Battles, Bit.Trip RUNNER, Shank, and NightSky. I can name four of those games that are worth $10 alone.
Steam Has Ridiculous Thanksgiving Weekend/Black Friday Sale
The headline says it all. Steam usually has some pretty good deals, but they might have outdone themselves with this one. The sale runs through Sunday, so pick up these games while you can. Highlights include, for today alone:
- Fallout: New Vegas - $5
- Monkey Island Special Edition Bundle - $5
- L.A. Noire - $25
- Total War Mega Pack - $12.50
Other sales going on for the weekend include:
- Portal 1 and 2 - $17.50
- Orcs Must Die! - $7.50
- Mass Effect 2 - $10
- Dungeon Defenders - $7.50
- Sam and Max Complete Pack - $33.50
If you want some PC games, now's a great time.
Why LEGO Universe Failed
Last week, Eurogamer broke the news that LEGO-based MMO LEGO Universe would be shutting down on January 31st, 2012, only 15 months after servers first went live. According to LEGO group executive Jesper Vilstrup, the game was well received and had over 2 million active accounts, but "unfortunately, we have not been able to build a satisfactory revenue model in our target group."
LEGO Universe strikes me as one of those games that should have worked really well. Most kids in this country played with LEGOs, or at least knew what they are, and they remain some of the most open-ended imagination fodder around. I used to stage battles between a pirate ship and a royal frigate before I discovered I could disassemble them and create a freakin' bomb-ass Super Mega Ship. This play concept should have benefited immensely from translation into digital form. Sure, the LEGO Star Wars, Batman, Harry Potter, and Indiana Jones games are popular, but those only scratch the surface of the infinite scope of endless rebuilding inherent to LEGOs. If Universe was the culmination of those aspirations, it seems like a slam dunk. Why did it fizzle out? It boils down to a few reasons.
A New Humble Bundle is Here: The Humble Voxatron Debut Bundle
The Humble Bundle is back, and it has all-new games. The Humble Voxatron Debut Bundle includes Voxatron in an alpha build, The Binding of Isaac, and Blocks That Matter. The Bundle's main thrust is to see Voxatron go out the door and get a final version released, which gamers will get along with the bundle, as soon as it comes out. The Bundle's other thrust is charity.
Like other Humble Bundles, the Humble Voxatron Debut Bundle lets gamers pay as much as they want, and to distribute the money developers, the Humble Bundle organization, or the Child's Play and EFF charities. The average donation is between $4 and $7, which isn't bad considering you get three games and give to charity. Since this is just the start of the bundle's two-week run, it's safe to say they'll add a few more games before it ends. Keep an eye out, and don't be stingy! It's for charity. Also, pixel art and nightmare babies.
WH40K: Space Marine: A Solid Shooter/Brawler FOR THE EMPEROR!
The Warhammer 40,000 universe is a grimdark place, where a corrupt, crumbling empire rules over millions of worlds, endlessly warring with aliens, demons, and other nightmarish creatures (and said empire is the only "good" faction, save for the psychic space elves of the Eldar). Life is short, brutal, and often meaningless except as fuel for the for the Imperial war machine. Few aspects of this setting are as emblematic as the Space Marines: immortal, genetically enhanced, psychotically xenophobic super warriors clad in power armor and charged with defending humanity from terrible threats both without and within. As such, it's no surprise that an action title featuring Space Marines prominently would appear at some point, especially after nearly every sci-fi shooter since Doom has effectively involved less badass versions of them. Relic and THQ's Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine is the game fans have been waiting for, since it finally puts them in the power armor of an actual Space Marine.
Space Marine is a third person action title that follows Captain Titus of the Ultramarines as he attempts to secure a valuable strategic asset on a world ravaged by Orks. The greenskin horde has shattered the planetary defenses and what few defenders are left are fighting a desperate, losing battle for survival. Players are immediately thrust into the action with little exposition, starting with Titus' arrival to Forge World Graia.
Diablo III Will Supports Console-Style Controllers…After Release
Spiteful dickwad that I am, I kind of hope this news bunches the collective panties of the sort of PC gamers who regard consoles with haughty condescension. In an interview with PC Gamer (via The Escapist), Diablo 3 game director Jay Wilson spoke highly of the idea: "With some of our early experiments in putting a direct control scheme into the game via a 360-like analogue controller, I’ve been 'Oh this feels even better, with direct control…'" He went on to mention "if we decide to do a console version," further hinting at Blizzard toying with the idea of taking Diablo 3 into the console market. However, he doubts that such plans would be ready to go by the time the game launches on PC, the date of which has yet to be announced.
The PC faithful need not worry that their mice and keyboards will be left behind, and would do well to remember that the first Diablo game was actually ported to the PlayStation, back in the days before analog sticks were standard on console controllers. Anyone else think a gamepad option for a game like this is a sweet idea? I tend to find the more action-intensive the game, the more I like the "feel" of the controller. Shooter enthusiasts point out that you can be more precise with a mouse and keyboard, but there's something more visceral about the feel of the controller in your hand with an actual trigger you can pull (at least on the 360) that a little *click* of a finger on a mouse just can't replicate. And I could see analog sticks being vastly superior to the mouse and keyboard for navigating in an isometric perspective like Diablo has. Perhaps menu navigation would be less nimble, but I would consider that an acceptable trade-off.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a Stealthy Shooter Triumph
When I first heard that there would be a new Deus Ex game, I was uncertain. It was going to be a prequel. It was going to be made with no input from Warren Spector. It was going to have cover-based shooter mechanics. It sounded like a recipe for worse disaster than Deus Ex: Invisible War.
I was wrong. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Capcom Kicks Off Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City AR Game
If you're a Resident Evil enthusiast who's stoked about Operation Raccoon City and looking to kill some time, then Capcom's serving you up some interactive teasing in the form of an AR game (brought to my attention by Eurogamer). Click around for a few seconds on Umbrella Sciences recruitment site, and you'll find all is not as it seems at first glance. But then again, to any Resident Evil fans, it's no surprise to discover a seemingly typical pharma giant has its tentacles in all kinds of conspiracies, shady dealings, and mad science.
Anyway, you'll soon be funneled to the website run by an anti-Umbrella activist group, from where you'll be tasked with an internet scavenger hunt for clues that result in codes, which you take back to the heroic...uh...hackers? As the good citizens of the internet uncover clues, tidbits and info about Operation Raccoon City will become viewable. There are also vague promises of future prizes for diligent detective work. So stop pretending you're actually getting work done at the office right now, and get started on something that's important. The Internet needs these game details, damnit.
Microsoft Gets 30-Day Exclusivity for Skyrim DLC
A press release sent from Bethesda today has revealed that "The first two add-on content drops for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be releasing exclusively on Xbox 360, 30 days before it's available anywhere else," (check out Joystiq for the full PR text). The developer has a track record for extensive post-launch DLC content, and the scope and scale of DLC for Skyrim look to be the hugest yet (Todd Howard's interview with AusGamers sheds some light on DLC plans).
So all you PS3 and PC Elder Scrolls fanatics who just gotta have the DLC now now now are SOL. I would be very interested to see sales statistics for moves like this, and how many multiplatform owners choose to get the 360 version instead of the PS3 or PC version, just so they can get the DLC right away. Are there really that many multiplatform owners for that to make a difference? It's doubtful that many people who weren't already in the market for a 360 are going to jump up and buy one just for this deal. And if the numbers don't really yield all that much competitive advantage for the 360, then it just seems like kind of a dick move on Microsoft's (and Bethesda's) part.
Seems to be a lot of that going around right now.
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