101 free games...

...and some of them look playable.

1Up does us a solid by dividing the listings according to genre:

• adventure
• puzzle
• platformer
• FPS
• shoot 'em up (shmup)
• strategy
• RPG
• WTF
  

Left 4 Dead SDK open beta

From the L4D blog:

Today we are opening the beta of the Left 4 Dead Authoring Tools to the public. It is available as a free download for all owners of the PC version of Left 4 Dead, and can be found under the "Tools" tab in Steam.

The L4D Authoring Tools include modified versions of the same tools we used to produce Left 4 Dead.

Using the L4D Authoring Tools, you may create your own campaign maps, character skins, 3D models, sound effects, and music and load them into the game.

Here's what's included:

• Updated version of Hammer, the source level editor
• Updated suite of command line compiling utilities
• Updated Particle editor
• Updated Faceposer
• Example maps, common infected, props, and explosives

This release also introduces a pair of plug-ins for SketchUp, a 3D modeling program you may download for free. You may use these plug-ins to create building blocks and props that can be imported into Hammer for use in game levels.

So how can other people play the maps you create? Don't worry, we are updating matchmaking to fully support the new maps.

There's more information on the L4D blog entry. If the news gets you all gooey, check it out.

New trailer for Terminator: Salvation

The update is a Spy!

The world Sniper is not enough.

Following sneakily on the heels of their announcements of a new weapon, new maps (along with a new gametype), and a new bit of armor as part of the Sniper update, Valve have revealed that the Spy class is also getting some new swag on May 21. Additionally, Shack News reported today that the superfluous headgear will also ship on that date.

I've failed to mention thus far that these unlockables are not tied to achievements this go-round, as was the case with previous updates. So there: I've mentioned it.

Remarkable, at 124 kb

Found this over at RPS (thanks to Mr. Gillen). I won't explain what it is ... just watch the video. Once you have, an early version of the teeny app is available here, if you're interested.

Nothing shocking

Via Shack News, Treyarch's David Kim has acknowledged what everyone already knew: they're working on Call of Duty 7 (likely a 2010 release).

Over on the more competent side of the franchise, Infinity Ward has dished some details about Call of Duty 6 Modern Warfare 2 in the upcoming issue of Game Informer:

According to advance copies of the GameStop-owned magazine, Modern Warfare 2 will be set several years after its predecessor. Once again, political instability inside a fictional near-future Russia threatens the world--this time, in the form of a terrorist organization hinted at by a March teaser trailer. One of COD4's two heroes, Sergeant "Soap" MacTavish, has been promoted to captain in the Special Air Services (SAS), Britain's equivalent of the US Navy SEALs. Now part of a new commando unit, MacTavish will guide players through a series of grueling missions, including an ice-climbing infiltration of a frozen Russian army base.

In terms of gameplay, Modern Warfare 2 will address the issue of infinitely spawning enemies, a major criticism of the original game. However, those looking for a single-player campaign longer than the original's 6-10 hours are out of luck. "Stretching out the story seems like the wrong way to go," Infinity Ward CCO and president Jason West told Game Informer.

The game boasts a new "Special Forces" mode that is similar to the Mile High Club, the airplane-hijack level which appears after the end credits of the original game. However, the cooperative campaign that many had hoped would be in Modern Warfare 2 is MIA. "We did a whole lot of co-op stuff early on that we were interested in, and it didn’t work with the story at all," West said.

Since I've vowed to not buy MW2, I'm grateful to Mr. West for providing information that will make it easier to maintain my resolve.

GT reviews "Velvet Assassin"

It's no Chaos Theory:

WTF Sniper update

Valve have announced the first bit of new kit for TF2's Sniper class: the Huntsman.


Yep ... it's a bow and arrow to replace the sniper rifle. Sans scope, but with a one-second charge time, the Sniper becomes a more effective medium range combatant, and less so at long range. This is what Valve said a few days ago about the theory behind it:

Which brings us back to the Sniper Rifle unlockable. In an effort to reduce some of the aggravation that other players feel towards the Sniper, we chose the goal of designing an unlockable that encouraged the Sniper to get a little closer to his target. We want him to give up some of his primary advantage in return for something else, so that enemies he kills feel like they were engaged with them, and feel like they could have survived if they'd just managed to fight a little better.

I'm not sure how well this unlock fits the TF2 milieu, but it's interesting for the fact that it encourages a markedly different style of play for the particular class. None of the other class updates have featured such a radical departure from the original primary weapon.

Oh, and even if the arrow doesn't kill, it gets stuck in the target. I think it'll be hilarious to see a character model running around with an arrow or two in his buttox ... especially if it's a cloaked spy.

"Noob" to invade English dictionaries

It seems our generation has found its own "N" word. From MSN:

'Noob' could well be the millionth word in the English language – a milestone set to be reached within the coming weeks.

The news comes directly from the Global Language Monitor that estimates the millionth word in the English language is set to arrive on June 10th, 2009 at 10:22 am, British Summer Time.

GLM has given no indication whether the use of the term "Noob" as an insult will be deemed a linguistic form of jackassery.

DRM: it's really not about piracy

So the theory goes:

[2D Boy co-founder Ron Carmel] says that DRM is used not so much to thwart piracy -- since it's not very good at that -- as it is to combat the used game market.

"Publishers aren't stupid. They know that DRM doesn't work against piracy," he explains. "What they're trying to do is stop people from going to GameStop to buy $50 games for $35, none of which goes into the publishers' pockets."

He particularly notes: "If DRM permits only a few installs, that minimizes the number of times a game can be resold."

And it makes perfect sense. The full article (at Gamasutra) is worth a read.

BioShock 2 will have multiplayer

Alec Meer at Rock, Paper, Shotgun has the details.

I'm more than a bit skeptical that the various (and lovely) idiosyncrasies of the BioShock's singleplayer game will translate well, but there is some serious potential for originality here. If Digital Extremes uses the SP systems for acquiring weapons, health, etc. - instead of having you run over floating/bouncing/spinning models - it could even feel somewhat innovative.

In any event, the Unreal Engine is a hell of a platform, and the City of Rapture is one hell of an interesting space.

Blood porn

When your primary target audience is between 18 and 34 years of age - and you're the company responsible for a game like Mass Effect - this type of marketing doesn't make a lot of sense:

You are here

(and likely drunk)