When I first started DC Universe, I just rolled up a punching character, slapped the default Superman template onto her, and started playing. That’s her up there. Superchick.
But something funny happened on the way to 10th level. Things changed. Or didn’t, in the case of my other character.
After the jump, let me show you how DC Universe handles customization. Continue reading →
I already did my term of service with We Rule, a charming free-to-play social boondoggle for the iPhone. I don’t regret planting all those strawberries, saving up for that griffon nest, or badgering my friends to come buy potions from my wizards’ tower. I don’t even regret all the time I spent carefully arranging a white picket fence around a house with meticulously situated pink and red flower beds just behind the mailbox on the road to my kingdom’s main thoroughfare.
But when I’m done, I’m done. And I’m done. Oh, hey, what’s this new stuff just added to the We Rule follow-ups, We Farm and We City?
We Farm is going pre-historic! If you’ve ever fantasized about building your own version of “Jurassic Park,” you’re in luck. This week, ngmoco is releasing a Jurassic pen, complete with a Brontosaurus and Tyrannosaurus Rex, tar pits with Sabertooth Tigers, bone decorations, and a pre-historic museum. Now is the perfect time to upgrade your farm from “just alright” to “DINO-mite!”
Very cute. Nice try, Ngmoco, but it’s going to take more than a dinosaur theme to get me back into one of these things. I’m spending my gaming time these days in DC Universe, so you’ll just have to– Wait, what?
After just releasing much-requested water tiles to We City, this week’s invasion of We City sees superheroes swooping into the fold. Steel Hawk and his Tower of Justice set up shop to do battle with Dr. Disaster and his Factory of Doom, while the Angel Archer watches on from her Winged Haven.
Here’s the backstory for this lovely typography animation.
(Thanks to two guys from Pennsylvania!)
In addition to the expected PC version, Portal 2 will be out for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 this April. But look what version is getting cross-platform play and special Steam treatment:
Marking the debut of Steam functioning on any next generation console, the features shipping in the PS3 version of Portal 2 include cross platform play (PC/Mac vs. PS3) for multiplayer games, persistent cloud-based storage of PS3 saved games, and cross platform chat (PC/Mac and PS3)….In addition, those who purchase Portal 2 for the PlayStation 3 may unlock a Steam Play (PC & Mac) copy of Portal 2 at no additional cost by linking their PSN and Steam accounts.
Note to the DC Universe Online developers at Sony Online Entertainment, who actually work for the folks who make the PS3, but still split their player community between PS3 players and PC players, never the twain shall meet: that’s how you do cross-platform support.
“There is no way of knowing where a survivor is, so you’ll have to explore to find them”
I like that. I really like that. I’m totally up for exploring every nook and cranny of this place. Of finding every survivor and combo-ing every combo. Except that now I’m afraid to explore. I know something is happening at four o’clock. I have no idea what four o’clock actually means in this world, though, and I’m pretty sure if I set off exploring, that Casio-watch alarm beep is going to sound and I’m going to find myself in the red and I’m going to have to start running.
Which is really too bad, because I want to do some good.
Though we never thought that we could lose,
There’s no regret,
If I had to do the same again,
I would my friend, Hernando.
Scratch that. No I wouldn’t. Ungrateful jerk.
After the jump, I have some words with Hernando Continue reading →
At last, Dragon Dictate is now offering speech packs that will let gamers give voice commands to selected games, and yes, one of those games is Second Life. Furries everywhere are chirping with delight. The Boston Herald put Dragon Dictate through its paces:
Playing “Black Ops” with the speech pack was a big improvement from the moment the first mission started. I was used to dying frequently when relying on keyboard commands to do things like taking cover, switching or reloading weapons. But barking Dragon’s voice commands kept me alive longer and also freed me up to strategize more about how to complete my objectives.
In the “Mass Effect 2” role-playing space game, the action is not as fast and furious as a first-person shooter. But the speech pack’s voice commands for this game improved my attacks on opponents and helped me to control my squad more efficiently. The speech pack also really improved the immersion factor, the feeling that you are living in the game world rather than just playing.
I am looking forward to trying it out in PvP with World of Warcraft. “I said, ‘attack gnome!’ not ‘attack no one!'”
Other games that Dragon Dictate has speech packs available for include Starcraft 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator X, Warhammer 40,000 Dawn Of War, Medal of Honor, Pacific Poker, Rainbow 6 Vegas, Splinter Cell Convictions, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
The game is Starcraft II played in a series of 1v1 matches, with the winner being the first to four victories. The map is Metalopolis, which features four starting positions behind narrow ramps, and two gold mineral expansions in the center. The races are randomly determined, just like real life generals. The players are Tom Chick, ranked 5th in his division in the silver league, and Kelly Wand, who has one of those dragon icons in Warcraft III but hasn’t even played the stupid campaign in Starcraft II.
The score so far: Tom: 3, Kelly: 1
Game five, after the jump Continue reading →
-“Shouldn’t you be in school today?”
-“It’s Sunday.”
Welcome to Gamespotting. Here we not only spot games in other media, but we also consider the context. Videogames often appear as props, and gameplay is used as generic behavior. A couple of guys on a couch waving about controllers when they could just as easily be pointing a remote at a football game. But sometimes an artist includes a game and shows gameplay for a reason. Sometimes videogames matter. That’s what we’re looking for here.
After the jump, Sofia Coppola knows the orange button Continue reading →
