Back in 1990, Chris Roberts introduced PC gamers to an epic space drama packed with intense battles and political intrigue. But unlike George Lucas, who oversaw the more linear Star Wars games, Roberts put players in control of all those interspace dogfights and galactic drama. After several sequels and the advanced space simulation Freelancer in 2003, Roberts left the video game business to work in Hollywood.
Now he’s back, and he’s turned to his fans to crowdfund his most ambitious space sim to date, Star Citizen. Later, Roberts talks about his return to game development and explains why he sees the PC as the future of gaming in this exclusive interview.
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Alex covers desktops, everything from fancy to practical. He's also an avid (addicted) gamer and loves following the industry. More by Alex Cocilova
It's been over a year since Battlefield 3 came out with guns blazing. Thanks to continuous efforts at EA and DICE we have been receiving new content updates every few months, most of which introduce some fresh and different gameplay. Aftermath is the fourth installment, following up the popular Armored Kill that came out in early September.
Aftermath includes four new earthquake-torn maps set in Iran, a few new vehicles that are modified civilian vans and military vehicles, new assignments, dogtags, achievements and character models with a post-earthquake theme showing off torn clothes and open wounds. The other major additions are the new game mode "Scavenger" and a new crossbow weapon.
David Daw has studied the history and future of television and has a master's in Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts from San Francisco State University along with a BA in genre fiction from NYU. More by David Daw
Gamers are passionate about their hobby, so it's no surprise that indie game developers often end up making games about gaming itself. Whether they’re remakes or stranger explorations of gaming, this week’s collection of free games uses games to explore games. Games!
Alex covers desktops, everything from fancy to practical. He's also an avid (addicted) gamer and loves following the industry. More by Alex Cocilova
If you want to keep your brain and creative imagination imagination in shape it may be time to pick up Scribblenauts Unlimited.
This is the fourth installment of the Scribblenauts franchise; the original made a name for itself back in 2009 for its innovative ability to render almost any noun you could think of onscreen using a magic notebook. This, however, is the first iteration to make it to the big, hi-def screens of your PC and television.
The goal of the game, like the previous Scribblenauts, is to collect "Starites" which you receive when completing a puzzle or riddle using objects you create. A major departure form the previous games is the level selection. Instead of discrete linear puzzles, Unlimited has a single world that is split into different themed areas, all with their own objectives. Visit the big city to help the police catch a thief or a tropical island to help a shipwrecked couple. How you help them is completely up to you and your magic notebook. As long as they end happy, you get the Starite.
Blizzard Entertainment went all-out with its first-ever Battle.net World Championship (BWC) in Shanghai, China. The game publisher and developer brought the best StarCraft II gamers in the world together to award a true global champion. That honor went to PartinG. Blizzard also used the event to give attendees a look at the much-anticipated expansion, Heart of the Swarm, which will be released March 12, 2013. Eric Matteson, senior producer on StarCraft II, talks about the expansion and how it will impact the burgeoning eSports scene in this exclusive interview.
Game On: What impact have pro gamers like those who competed at BWC had on the development of Heart of the Swarm?
Eric Matteson: They’ve given tons of feedback. Like any large group of people, there’s not much consensus, so I couldn’t say, “The pro-gamer said this.” But they gave tons of feedback to David Kim and Dustin Browder. They sat down with the design crew and explained what pro gamers told them and then we’ve had to synthesize that all out. That’s driven all of our moves.
David Daw has studied the history and future of television and has a master's in Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts from San Francisco State University along with a BA in genre fiction from NYU. More by David Daw
You can’t get more basic in the struggle between good and evil than light vs. darkness, so it’s no wonder that games keep using those same symbols over and over. This week we’ve got light games about lights, dark games about darkness and games about the battle between the two. Also, we have dubstep.
Alex covers desktops, everything from fancy to practical. He's also an avid (addicted) gamer and loves following the industry. More by Alex Cocilova
The people over at Humble Bundle are the good Samaritans of the gaming world, providing amazing pay-what-you-want deals for amazing games to support amazing causes. But they may have gone too far with the Humble THQ Bundle.
While they usually provide a great package of indie games that help shed some light on smaller developers while collecting money for charities, this time they have teamed up with big-time game developer THQ to provide some of their best titles for whatever you're willing to fork over.
The games available are Darksiders, Metro 2033, Red Faction Armageddon, Company of Heroes and their stand alone expansions Opposing Fronts and Tales of Valor. If you pay more than the average (you should) you will get the wacky, zany, amazingly fun and offensive Saints Row: The Third. Along with the games you'll get the soundtracks from Saints Row The Third, Darksiders, Red Faction Armageddon and Company of Heroes.
Star Citizen
