Well, of course, nobody has invented a record of beating both games in 60 seconds (it takes even more than 120 for my copy of Episode Two to load), but this hilarious video gives you a glimpse of what could have happened had that been possible. I really like the way the maker has squeezed in so many Half-Life jokes and references in scenes. You’ll have to watch the video at least thrice to even hope and get them all!
Category: PC
Turok Coming 02/05/08
The dinosaur hunter is back in what hopefully is the game that restarts the series! If this already sounds familiar to you, it should be. The previous Turok game, Turok: Evolution, was meant to bring the series onto what was then the next-generation consoles (PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube). Well it failed miserably.
Disney now has the rights to the game so it will be interesting to see what the mouse house will be able to do with the game. Thankfully we won’t have to wait that long as the PC version of Turok will be released on February 5, 2008.
“First person shooters have a rich history on the Windows PC platform and are known for having enthusiastic, dedicated fans,” said Josh Holmes, vice president and general manager, Propaganda Games. “Turok will be an unforgettable experience ideal for the Windows PC platform when it becomes available in 2008.”
Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions are also being worked on.
[Update]
We’ve been informed that there was a goof in the press release. The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are coming 02/05/08. The PC version is being released later in Spring 08.
Unreal Tournament 3 Beta Demo
The UT3 beta demo is something of a mixed bag. It gives you everything you would expect from the old UT games with the closed in environments and a few larger ones. The game play feels more like UT 1 than the yearly update versions with its quick pace but the demo does feel like its cut in two. The larger maps feel like they have had parts of the HUD taken from other games, messed about with and then ruined. The smaller non vehicle game areas are much better and faster paced giving exactly what you would expect.
The beta demo has a usual file size for this kind of game but the interesting thing is when trying to connect to servers there are a lot of phantom ones listed. This means most likely you will end up playing against the AI and its one of those cases where the AI seems to know exactly where everything is and has a single purpose of targeting just you and ignoring your team mates on the vehicle map.
Is the beta demo worth trying? Yes. If you like the quick Quake style multiplayer then the demo will keep you busy. If you approach your FPS’ more like a strategy player, slow and calculated then this will not be too your liking.
Remember, this should not be considered a review of the full game just an opinion on the PC beta demo.
How I lost a friend to World of WarCraft
Today we bring you something out of the ordinary: a gut-wrenching story of how an ordinary, internet-feeding teenager lost his life’s control as he descended into the new evil that is plaguing our society – World of WarCraft.
Upon his request, we have kept the identity of the individual hidden; however his World of WarCraft account is “Zorthar”, which he gladly shared with us. He is a victim of this hideous addiction known as World of WarCraft, something that many have cited to be more harmful than LSD, Heroin, Marijuana and Cocaine combined.
After spending five hours trying to convince him off that harmful game, I got him to answer my interview questions so that we can get a more in-depth view of how an addicted mind works. If you feel that your answers are similar to the ones Zorthar has given us, and you undertake harmful activities like played World of WarCraft, we strongly suggest you quit playing and consult a psychiatrist. We’re not going to pay you, though.
Bioware’s top-secret MMORPG based on KotOR?
Good followers of gaming news will have known by now that Bioware’s Austin Studios have been working on an MMORPG project for quite a while. They still haven’t announced what the hell it really is, then again, they didn’t tell us the meaning of life when we asked them. But Primotech is reporting a rumour that this mysterious game is in fact based on Knights of the Old Republic franchise, owned by LucasArts.
KotOR, entirely developed by Bioware and published by LucasArts, quickly became an RPG masterpiece and yet another notch in Bioware’s worthy hat. It’s a really great game – you should go play it right now. It was followed by a very rushed sequel, developed by Obsidian. While Obsidian didn’t do a bad job on it, LA gave them an unreasonably small development time, which made for a hurried game. It could have been an epic game had it been given its time. Even then, it’s a decent game worth playing.
This is Bioware’s first MMORPG project, but it isn’t a first for LucasArts (that is, if the rumour is right). LA had earlier come out with Star Wars: Galaxies, whose popularity graph resembles Microsoft’s sales graph – in reverse. With a world so dense and rich to tap, there is no doubt that LA will persistently try open-world games in Star Wars, and another MMORPG, based on one of their best property’s – KotOR is rather predictable.
Now, I’m a KotOR fan and my response is mixed. First off, KotOR is LucasArt’s first singleplayer RPG in the Star Wars universe, which makes it an important game. It did not ship with a multiplayer, and hence was completely built on singleplayer (which ended up in one of the most richly-made singleplayer game I’ve ever played.
Taking KotOR straight into massive multiplayer is a bold, albeit predictable step. After all, the stories of both KotOR games were epic enough – it’ll be sort of silly to have a string of epic events within a span of fifty years. A MMORPG’s story will be considerably toned down and open. How that will fare for KotOR-style gameplay, I find it difficult to guess. But even then, I’m a little disappointed, because if the rumour is right, there is a good chance that a singleplayer KotOR III will not come not. (
But fear not, spacers. We will bring you more news and toilet paper as they become available.
Weekly Games: 10/14
Ok, so where I live it’s still officially 10/13. Who cares?! It’s a week in games, meaning someone’s gotta tell you all what you’re missing while you play Orange Box’s Portal or Team Fortress 2.
PS3
- Tony Hawks Proving Grounds (10/18): In case Skate wasn’t good enough for you and you need something to cling on to for the weekend. Because apparently Everyday Shooter ain’t good enough fer ye.
PSP
- Thrillville: Off the Rails (10/15): Ever have the need to build amusement parks on the go?
- Swat: Target Liberty (10/18): So, liberty’s the target, eh? Well, good luck shooting her with a missile.
- Spiderman 3 (10/18): Amazingly late, we thought this one was all but forgotten. Silly us. Activision doesn’t leave a man behind. Ever.
360
- Thrillville: Off the Rails (10/15): Same as above, but from the comfort of your own home. Like a real architect would.
- Beautiful Katamari (10/17): Rolling your way, this nonsensical puzzle make-everything-part-of-you game is fun…for whoever likes that weird stuff.
- Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground (10/18): In the event you have a PS3 but remembered that achievements are meaningful in your life.
Wii
- Thrillville: Off the Rails (10/15): Hey, why bother taking it with you or using a standard controller. Use the damned wiimote like everyone else!
- Rockstar Presents Table Tennis (10/17): Finally, the 360 exclusive gets put on the console it was really intended for. That is, if it plays well.
- Spyro: The Eternal Night (10/17): Say hello to fire breathing dragons and goodbye to…wait, nothing really.
- Victorious Boxers: Revolution (10/18): Wii Sports, eat your heart out. This boxing game will give you a real workout. And when you throw an uppercut, it’ll work.
- Tony Hawk’s Proving Grounds (10/18): Well, at least it’s not on the PSP.
- Ultimate Duck Hunting (10/18): This must be the greatest game of all time. I mean, it has the word “ultimate” in it. That makes it magical.
- Avatar: The Burning Earth (10/18): It’s a damn good thing you play as the Avatar, so you can blow those bad fires away and make sure the Earth doesn’t get too roasted. It doesn’t taste good burnt.
- Guilty Gear XX Accent Core (10/18): As if the long and pointless name wasn’t good enough, it’s probably a fighting game with 2d graphics. ’nuff said.
- Mercury: Meltdown Revolution (10/19): Three words that would never go together, put together, and still have no meaning.
- Ultimate Board Game Collection (10/19): Can’t get any more straight forward than that. Because hey, you can’t play all these games on Yahoo! games. Or can you?
Nintendo DS
- Thrillville: Off the Rails (10/15): This would complete the demonic circle of game consoles, but the PS3 was spared of it’s pity. Well played Lucasarts.
- Cheetah Girls: Pop Star Sensation (10/15): Ahh, to be young, fit, attractive, and a cheetah girl once again.
- Flash Focus: Vision Training in Minutes a Day (10/17): Yes, staring at a small 2 inch screen that’s 2 feet from your face is a great way to improve your vision.
- Bee Game (10/17): Not to be confused with the Bee Movie Game, this is like Catz. Not NintenCats, but close.
- Prism: Light the Way (10/18): There is no way to be more inspirational then lighting the way.
- Avatar: The Burning Earth (10/18): This Nintendo exclusive is for you people (all 5 of you) without a Wii, yet with a DS.
- Pet Wild Animals: Dolphinz (10/18): Oh, for sure. Add a Z to the end of a word where an S should be and now it’s cool. Why didn’t anyone see this earlier?!
- Fish Tycoon (10/18): Imagine, the best way to spend time while sitting in a car or train or plane, is to deal with virtual fish. Peachy. MAN THE HARPOON!
- Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground (10/18): That’s right, someone had to do it. Be on every system. There’s always one, and this bad boy did it. Congrats to insanity.
- Mahjong Quest (10/18): The board games may stay at home, but if I had to take one with me, it would definitely be Mahjong. If I knew how to play.
PS2
- Thrillville: Off the Rails (10/15): blah blah blah…
- Tony Hawk’s Proving Grounds (10/18): …blah blah blah…
- Avatar: The Burning Earth (10/18): …blah blah blah…
Seems like that’s it for now. Stay tuned next week when we bring you more of those outrageous bloopers!
Oh, and don’t forget that there will be a ton of demos coming around, hopefully, from E for All. We may be a bit slow on updating with all that, so keep checking your local PSN/XBL provider!