All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

Sitting down in the middle of a town and opening a store with your loot in DayZ is probably the riskiest thing you can do. Some players still like to do that, maybe because they have snipers on the roof. Either way, I am positive that business will be booming.Read more...

I spend roughly half my waking hours thinking about detectives, watching detectives on TV and reading about detectives in books. The other half of my waking hours are spent very specifically thinking about what a detective game might be like. How do you create a mystery which is compelling for players to deduce the answers to themselves, without being handheld and thus making the mystery dull and rote?

Where’s An Egg? has an answer. It was released in 2007, was sort of made by a fictional game developer, and is about deducing the location of an egg. You can play it in your browser and get the measure of it in ten minutes, and you should. … [visit site to read more]

We go hands-on to buddy-up with over a dozen LEGO dwarves in Goblin Town.

Thief returns but will it sneak its way into Brad's heart or bungle the entire caper?

Europa Universalis: Colonial British and French Unit pack, all new content for Europa Universalis IV is Now Available on Steam!

Europa Universalis IV: Colonial British and French Unit Pack contains 16 new unique unit models for British and French colonial troops.

The armies of Great Britain, England and France will receive a new, more rugged look while in the New World.

This DLC adds unique flavor to two of the colonial nations in the new world, enhancing the visual experience of playing Europa Universalis IV.

Europa Universalis IV: Native Americans II Unit Pack, all new content for Europa Universalis IV is Now Available on Steam!

Europa Universalis IV: Native Americans II Unit Pack contains new unique unit models for ten Native American tribes.

• Mikmaq
  
• Potawatomi
  
• Chickasaw
  
• Miami
  
• Navajo
  
• Mohican
  
• Assiniboine
  
• Ojibwe
  
• Fox
  
• Shoshonne
  

This DLC adds unique flavor to the North American continent and enhances the visual experience of Europa Universalis IV.

Europa Universalis IV: Muslim Advisor Portraits, all new content for Europa Universalis IV is Now Available on Steam!

Europa Universalis IV: Muslim Advisor Portraits contains new, unique advisor portraits for the Muslim cultures.

A total of 21 new portraits, created by the talented artists at Paradox South, will enhance the visual experience of playing as a Muslim ruler in Europa Universalis IV.

Deus Ex: The Fall has the gall to declare exactly when it'll infiltrate the Steam compound, and that's March 25. The enhanced PC version of the iOS and Android action-RPG will be priced $10 in North America, £8/10 euros in Europe, and pre-orders will snag a copy of Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition as an augmentation. We've reached out to Square Enix to see if there'll be Mac and Linux versions of the port in addition to Windows PC.

In addition to usual Steam doodads like trading cards and achievements, Square Enix says the PC version of The Fall includes AI adjustments, a revised tutorial, controller support, and a Deus Ex: Human Revolution-like toggling between cover styles. One element that's missing from the mobile version is microtransactions, with game economy rebalanced to accommodate. You can find a fuller list of the tweaks and additions here.

Square Enix brought The Fall to iOS and Android last year, and while it's set in the same gold-hued world of Human Revolution, it follows the events of the game's prequel novel, The Icarus Effect, and stars Ben Saxon rather than DX:HR protagonist Adam Jensen.

While we never asked for this, it'll be interesting to see how n-Fusion's mobile reworking of Eidos Montreal's formula translates back onto PC. In our Portabliss column, Xav de Matos said that although the game is enjoyable, with it "populated world, unenthusiastic story, and drastic dips in quality, Deus Ex: The Fall lacks the same passion that made Human Revolution one of 2011's best video games." [Image: Square Enix]

*It’s not really like that at all.

Perhaps Bad Golf 2 will prove to be the One Direction of Double Fine’s latest Amnesia Fortnight prototype-off. Not selected as a winning project in the X-Factorish voting, it seemed destined to never become a reality – until fans decided to make it anyway. And now it’s generating more headlines than any of the ‘official’ picks did.

Fortunately, Double Fine have given it their blessing. I.e. they haven’t sent a pack of lawyers after it. … [visit site to read more]

Next month, an update will bring the popular Twitch video game broadcasting service to the Xbox One in a way that home consoles have never seen before. It will launch just in time for Titanfall. Read more...

Warhammer 40K: Storm of Vengeance is more Plants vs. Zombies than League of Legends.

I love anime music. Long before I even took my first Japanese class, I was rocking out to anime theme songs. And as we have 47 new anime this season, that means we also have 47 new openings and endings—and that’s even without the new second half themes from the fall anime that are still on the air.Read more...

Microsoft has reiterated that it doesn't plan on selling Xbox One without Kinect,

This is not a real trend. Japanese people aren't actually wearing bean beards for fashion. Shame, because this is wonderful. Read more...

Universe: “I have become known for doing at least one thing no one will ever see coming per day. For example, at the dawn of time, it was existing. Last week, it was Miley Cyrus doing a halfway decent cover of Outkast’s “Hey Ya.” I must keep all beings sentient and otherwise on their toes (and otherwise).”

Pinky: “Gee Universe, what are we going to do tonight?”

Universe: “The same thing we do every night, Pinky… actually, I hadn’t thought about it. Wow. I’m really dropping the ball here. I have become complacent. I have failed.”

Pinky: “I don’t really understand, Universe, but this Arma 3 game is boooooooooooring. Nothing ever happens, and then I lose– NARF. Oh, I know! It needs a dinosaur level.”

Universe: “Why, Pinky, that’s entirely preposterous and frankly idiotic and… wait! That’s it! Pinky, you’re a genius.”

Pinky: “Narf? Also, when did I become the universe’s demigod sidekick? Brain?”

… [visit site to read more]

In Japan, there isn't just one cat island, but a couple. And recently, one internet commenter visited the most famous one in the country and took some lovely photos.Read more...

There are already lots of things in Starbound. Even in beta, the game is a vast sandbox of possibility and weird cave-dwelling gum creatures that shriek and bounce at you like a pogo stick possessed by the soul of a deathrow inmate. It’s a big place, but this is only just the beginning. Previously, developer Chucklefish wriggly giggled out word of directors, mods, and a PVP endgame, but those lofty goals are in the far flung future. On the horizon, meanwhile, is a complete overhaul of the infinite voxel universe’s progression system, which is currently just a series of intergalactic gates. The plan, however, is to make it more like a Metroidvania that will ultimately split off into three main paths: adventuring, building, and farming. I can’t wait to have my own corral of horrifying night terror space sheep.

… [visit site to read more]

Remember that Attack on Titan Subaru commercial? The ad featured giant Titans. Two of them were actors in scary make up. And the third?Read more...

Blizzard has announced the pre-order bonuses for Diablo 3's expansion, one of which is a character unlock for Heroes of the Storm.

EA Tiburon kicked off a design contest late last week for the next game in the Madden NFL series. The developer is challenging fans with creating new logos and uniforms for the game, and is accepting submissions now through March 7.

EA's last release in the series, Madden 25, brought back the ability to relocate NFL teams in the game to 17 different cities. While the contest announcement stresses that EA prefers user-created logo and uniform designs based on those 17 cities and the dozens of team names that were created for Madden 25, it will accept submissions that involve other team names and locations. Those looking to enter their designs for, say, a Milwaukee-based football franchise can download EA's uniform and logo design packet (in .zip file form) to get started. [Image: EA Sports]

Star Citizen is going to be colossal. That was never in question. Then it became even more not in question with the crowdfunded additions of everything from first-person combat to facial capture tech to a collaboration with Kingdom Come to probably, like, the virtually reanimated consciousness of Chris Roberts himself, a beaming face of ceaseless encouragement winking at you from the stars. But those are all handcrafted bits and bytes. They are finite, limited by the work of human hands. Thus, given proper funding (which they will no doubt receive), Roberts and co would like to bring on a full-blown procedural generation team. The goal is to procedurally whip up “entire planets worth of exploration and development content.” And then Star Citizen was all the games.

… [visit site to read more]

As part of the public service campaign, Robocop is doing his part to nab unsavoury perverts on Japanese trains. Your move, creep!Read more...

Warehouse and Logistics Simulator is Now Available on Steam and 20% off*!
Are you ready for your new challenge? Get ready to take over the control of your original "Jungheinrich" Forklift! Just the best drivers will level up in the Highscore list. The fastest drivers will receive a special bonus.

Enjoy the game in full 3D and feel the realistic driving experience. Varied scenarios like the warehouse, construction zone or port zone guarantee variety.

*20% off until March 4, 2014

While incredible, Grim Fandango‘s relationship with the modern era is a complicated one. Foremost, there is no easy way to purchase it digitally, which sadly signals its death knell in the eyes of many more convenience-minded folks. But even if you opt to acquire it and get it up and running, there’s still the issue of, you know, playing your videogame. Rose-tinted glasses might see only Grim Fandango’s sterling personality and solid puzzles, but there is a third suspect in the room: terribly awkward tank controls, you’re under arrest. You have the right to remain silent, you have the right to an attorney, and no just kidding we’re tossing you in a furnace.

… [visit site to read more]

We've got the first wave of screens for Dungeon Defenders 2, the free-to-play sequel to the popular tower defense game. We got a little time with it recently and think it's shaping up to be a worthy successor. Check it out with us on an episode of Joystiq Streams, next Thursday at 4PM Eastern.

As the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow trilogy would have it, Dracula is very different from the vampire we all know, even when compared to his many incarnations in the Castlevania series. Betrayed by God, hated by Satan and feared by humanity, this Dracula treads an indefinite path, struggling with his own darkness and the remnants of the man he once was. He's equivocal, and that makes Dracula a more interesting protagonist than any vampire hunter could ever hope to be.

The Lords of Shadow mythos doesn't stop there, though, giving us one more truth at the heart of Dracula's existence: The man he used to be was a vampire hunter, a man of intense faith. It's the perfect internal conflict, self-loathing versus self-preservation, destruction versus redemption.

It also means Dracula is handy with a whip, and that's great news for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2.

A few clues suggest it's quite possible.

The original Lords of Shadow surprised longtime Castlevania fans with how good it was. Its sequel, on the other hand, takes a major step backwards.

Zobek and some angry vampire team up to stop the return of Satan and the ensuing end of humanity.

Do you want a quick, dumb, one-note free game? Of course you do. Everybody does. Always. I have consulted with my friend, Representative P. Opulation, who is just one guy whose parents were really mean. But he swears that’s what you all want, so it’s what you’re getting. Monty Python holds a special place in many people’s hearts, often lodged right next to the thin mint that’s about to make them explode. And then of course, there is The Foot from Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Holy Stomping is a game in which you play as The Foot. It’s rather silly. Also, a landmark moment in interactive entertainment.

… [visit site to read more]