Natural Selection 2 Message Board

With the advent of antibiotics, platinum credit cards and thermal underwear, the purist's notion of natural selection remains a long-forgotten, useless ideal -- at least until the aliens attack. Sequel to a 2002 Half-Life mod, Natural Selection 2 will act as a survival-of-the-fittest simulation for both sides: Players will inhabit the bodies of aliens and Marines to see which traits will be passed on to the following generations. We're guessing large teeth and precise trigger fingers will make the cut, but not necessarily on the same species.

Natural Selection 2 is set to launch this summer, but those who pre-order will get early access via the beta on Steam.

Buncha big ugly bugs ain't no match for some good old-fashioned teamwork.

Some days you click on a trailer and realise the developers have mapped out your life for the two months following their game’s release. Assuming Team Fortress 3 isn’t squeezed out in Summer of this year, I’ll be jetpacking around on Natural Selection 2, Unknown Worlds’ Aliens-inspired FPS/RTS multiplayer game. Here’s why.(more…)

#indie We get to see behind the scenes at big game development studios all the time. Independent studios working on the sequel to a mod that was made for someone else's game? That's a side of game development we don't normally get to see. More »

Check out gameplay from the beta!

Developer Unkown Worlds provides their first Official Gameplay Trailer with footage straight from Natural Selection 2!

Though many of you seemed glad to see indie FPS/RTS Natural Selection 2 getting some attention from Joystiq last week, a lot of you that were already playing expressed frustration with the current state of the game. Developer Unknown Worlds recently used its official site to explain the game's current state and what the future looks like.

In short, we're talking about a relatively tiny developer, who acknowledges this is a true beta, with far less polish than those from Blizzard or Bungie like you may be used to. That said, the team is focusing on fixing server crashes, connection problems, frame rate slowdown and a few other problems, all of which are detailed right here.

We're sure it's frustrating right now, but think about what a badge of honor it'll be to have been into Natural Selection 2 before it actually worked.

Unknown Worlds launches closed beta for highly-anticipated sequel to classic Half-Life mod.

As a fan of Natural Selection, one of the most popular Half-Life 2 mods, you've had a tough go of it, having to wait eight full years for a follow-up to your beloved blend of FPS and RTS. You've heard about the four playable alien classes, each with their own unique abilities, that will battle it out with the weapon-savvy Marines. You've heard about how the dynamic environments will evolve over each map. But you've been living off a trickle of information, and you now find yourself positively parched.

Well, allow your friends at Joystiq to provide a gigantic canteen full of Natural Selection 2-centric refreshment. Not only do we get to reveal that the closed beta of the game will finally launch tomorrow, we also get to pass on the good news that gaining entry is as simple as being among the first 10,000 to pre-order the game. (Those who have already pre-ordered are in.)

...What's that? Your thirst is still not slaked? Well, how about a new exclusive trailer, featuring the teleporting Fade class, that we've placed after the jump? Drink, friends! Drink!