It's all Xbox, of course. I've heard that Infinity Ward just started on the PC version a week or two ago.
Sep 24, 2009
F.E.A.R. 2 and "Reborn" DLC 50% off this weekend
Only on Steam. That makes F.E.A.R. 2 $24.99 and the DLC $4.99. I've played the full game, and it's worth the quarter.
Assassin's Creed 2 for the PC delayed
Yet another AAA title pushed back to 2010. From Ars:
Ubisoft has announced that the PC version of Assassin's Creed 2 has been delayed until early next year, because the publisher says that the title needs some more work to deliver the same quality experience for computer gamers. However, the game is still set to come out in November for consoles and the iPhone.That's right, kids: it's a straight console port.
Sep 23, 2009
Borderlands delayed ... for six days
Rock, Paper, Shotgun reports that the revised release date is October 26.
The good news: hitting level 50 took the the game's "creative director" about 100 hours the first time, and more the second time. If there's a good amount of variety between the individual missions, that's a lot of bang for your buck.
The good news: hitting level 50 took the the game's "creative director" about 100 hours the first time, and more the second time. If there's a good amount of variety between the individual missions, that's a lot of bang for your buck.
L4D news
The "Crash Course" DLC will be available on September 29. From Steam News:
Crash Course delivers new single-player, multiplayer and co-operative gameplay to both platforms, and bridges the gap between the end of the "No Mercy" campaign and the beginning of "Death Toll" in the original game.A demo for L4D2 will hit the 'net on October 27. Says Joystiq.com:
While containing both Survival maps and a Co-operative Campaign, the primary goal of Crash Course is to deliver a complete Versus mode experience in just 30 minutes, resulting in a streamlined version of the game's existing Versus campaigns. A recharge timer for infected teammates has also been added, and item spawn behavior has changed for more balanced gameplay.
Speaking about upcoming co-op zombie shooter Left 4 Dead 2 at EA's Tokyo press conference today, Valve's Kim Swift announced intentions to release a demo on October 27. Though no platforms were explicitly mentioned, we're betting pre-orders on both Xbox 360 and PC platforms will be getting first dibs, as Valve has already stated.
From what we understand, the demo will feature multiplayer, though we're not sure to what capacity this will extend. Either way, Xbox 360 and PC owners will get a chance to try out at least some of the 10 melee weapons well before the game's November 17 release. We'll ask EA for more details on the demo as the Tokyo Game Show continues this week.
Sep 22, 2009
Sep 21, 2009
Monday Music VIII
Black Sabbath - Children of the Grave
David Bowie - China Girl
Sting (with Eric Clapton) - It's Probably Me
BONE-US VID: Beeker the Muppet does White Discussion by Live
NEXT WEAK: Monday Music IX: Way Out There
David Bowie - China Girl
Sting (with Eric Clapton) - It's Probably Me
BONE-US VID: Beeker the Muppet does White Discussion by Live
NEXT WEAK: Monday Music IX: Way Out There
The end is in sight
I've never had much use for the competitive players who complained that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare went too far in terms of creating a level playing field between hardcore FPS vets and new players. It just seemed like a lot of whiny elitism to me. Even though I came to despise grenade launchers and claymores, I've generally been content to let everyone play the game they bought.
The more I see of MW2, however, the more I think those guys had a point. It seems like all these new assets and game mechanics create a massive handicapping system that allows even the most hapless player to rack up an obscene number of kills. That's great for players new to the franchise, but it leaves little incentive for "skill players" to invest much effort in things like aiming and using cover. There are just too many shortcuts built into the game that make mouse-and-keyboard mastery obsolete.
I've never been good enough to play competitively, but I'd bet that even a top-tier competitive player could get destroyed on a pub by a 12 year-old that has all these new toys unlocked. Granted, the competitive player has the option of using turrets and customized kill streaks and triple health "death streaks," ad nauseam, but when his success depends on perk selection rather than shooting straight, he's going to lose interest quickly.
Thus, I predict: the "old guard" guys that have been playing the Call of Duty franchise since the CoD/UO days are going to be hard to find on MW2 servers. In fact, I expect that the number of player-managed servers is going to be much lower than we had with MW1. The younger generation - so in love with the ranking system - is going to dominate the landscape, and the number of modded/custom maps servers will therefore continue to decline.
That's if IW releases mod tools for MW2, which seems more unlikely as we get closer to release. If Bobby Kotick & Co. can't squeeze a profit out of the tools, there will be no budget for it. It would have to come directly from IW: a company that's been elbow-deep in the 360 since the MW2 marketing campaign began.
Sales of the PC version of MW2 are going to be a fraction of console sales. If the fraction is small enough, and piracy is rampant, MW2 will probably be the last Call of Duty release for the PC.
The more I see of MW2, however, the more I think those guys had a point. It seems like all these new assets and game mechanics create a massive handicapping system that allows even the most hapless player to rack up an obscene number of kills. That's great for players new to the franchise, but it leaves little incentive for "skill players" to invest much effort in things like aiming and using cover. There are just too many shortcuts built into the game that make mouse-and-keyboard mastery obsolete.
I've never been good enough to play competitively, but I'd bet that even a top-tier competitive player could get destroyed on a pub by a 12 year-old that has all these new toys unlocked. Granted, the competitive player has the option of using turrets and customized kill streaks and triple health "death streaks," ad nauseam, but when his success depends on perk selection rather than shooting straight, he's going to lose interest quickly.
Thus, I predict: the "old guard" guys that have been playing the Call of Duty franchise since the CoD/UO days are going to be hard to find on MW2 servers. In fact, I expect that the number of player-managed servers is going to be much lower than we had with MW1. The younger generation - so in love with the ranking system - is going to dominate the landscape, and the number of modded/custom maps servers will therefore continue to decline.
That's if IW releases mod tools for MW2, which seems more unlikely as we get closer to release. If Bobby Kotick & Co. can't squeeze a profit out of the tools, there will be no budget for it. It would have to come directly from IW: a company that's been elbow-deep in the 360 since the MW2 marketing campaign began.
Sales of the PC version of MW2 are going to be a fraction of console sales. If the fraction is small enough, and piracy is rampant, MW2 will probably be the last Call of Duty release for the PC.
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