The problem with that screenshot from my latest level, Punkteparadies, is that it really doesn’t give a proper sense of the speed of the moment. This was my first time driving a vehicle in LBP2. That thing took off like a shot. I had no idea I was in for that kind of speed. But then again, I have no idea what I’m in for in most of these community levels. Because often the directions for said levels are like the following,
Hohe Geschwindigkeit, grosse Hohen und viel Punke. Das findest du alles hier. Wunsche viel Spass!
One of the people I live with happens to know German, having lived there, but she wasn’t home. She would eventually tell me the blurb was talking about great heights and far points or something, but left to my own devices I just decided I was supposed to shoot the glass. When no glass presented itself, I drove that truck. I went straight up a mountainy point–that would be the great height–and got launched into the air. Falling. Falling. Falling. Crushed by truck.
The speed though. Nice. Also I got my 4,000 community bubbles pin in this one. So it worked out.
Dean Takahashi at Venture Beat reports that League of Legends is, like the American economy, now arguably Chinese. Chinese internet company Tencent has acquired a majority stake in Riot Games, which owns and operates League of Legends. The investment is just north of $350 million.
The deal is another validation of the social game business, which is one of the hottest sectors for user growth and acquisitions. And it shows that big international players such as the Chinese internet giant are moving in on the fast-growing market for social games in the U.S.
I love how Takahashi calls League “the video game equivalent of a pick-up basketball game”. As a guy who’s never been involved in a pick-up basketball game, I now understand basketball a little more. Is there a death recap in basketball?
According to the Internets, a sports game called Madden 11 has run a simulation of Sunday’s upcoming big game, Super Bowl XLV (thanks Romans!). In that simulation, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Green Bay Packers, 24-20. Apparently the folks at Madden do this every year, with great success:
EA Sports has been using Madden to predict the Super Bowl winner for years now, and the famed football franchise is proving eerily good at it. Not only has Madden correctly picked six of the last seven winners, it’s actually been quite close on the final scores in a few of them.
That particular article, from Yahoo! Games, also reveals that the simulation predicts the game’s MVP. Spoiler alert…it’s Mike Wallace. Mike Wallace? That guy has to be in his nineties. Talk about getting it done! Eat it, Andy Rooney.
So we can all relax and hit the movies on Sunday. Unless Green Bay’s phenomenal quarterback, Aaron Rodgers (pictured), has something to say about it. Wait, the game is inside? Oops. I’m thinking he will.
Activision provided the above graphic to demonstrate, well, I’m not exactly sure what. That everybody loves the FAMAS? That the priority for perk loadouts is being able to run around willy nilly? That n00bs everywhere are using the remote controlled car to get kills? That I’ve made the right choice by uninstalling Black Ops?
The intended effect of this Darkspore trailer is to make you sign up for the beta. EA loves it when you sign up for stuff. Instead, it made me want to play Alien Swarm, League of Legends, or DC Universe, all great ways to meet your group-with-other-people-and-beat-up-stuff-to-level-up needs.
All you have to do to get into the multiplayer beta for Dawn of War II: Retribution is to register on the community site. This will let you try out the all-new Imperial Guard, who seem to be in over their heads. I get the impression that the dudes from Company of Heroes were transplanted into the Warhammer 40,000 A.D. universe, where they set up their turrets and barricades and — holy crap, what the heck are those things, because we’re gonna need a bigger tank? Pictured.
The beta also lets you play the other races with their new toys. I’m quite fond of a new Tyranid beetle that has a heck of time keeping up with its spry leaping companions, but can hunker down to heal himself up between fights.
This should be a pretty dramatic time for Dawn of War II. For hardcore players, Relic and balance have never been on very friendly terms. But for the rest of us, this is one of the most generous RTS sandboxes you can play in. Get the multiplayer beta here while the gettin’s good.
