Welp, I guess that’s it, then. We can’t escape it. The Steam Summer Sale’s returned, but honestly, can you remember a single moment before it began? Was there ever> a moment before it began? Maybe we’re trapped in some infinite, Groundhog-Day-style loop of spending, obligation, and guilt. Maybe we’ll never escape. Maybe this is the least threatening eternal hell loop ever conceived. But oh well, because look at all of the savings!

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All those Xbox fellows having been frothing uncontrollably about Spelunky XBLA for the last couple of weeks, so starved are they of games that aren’t about manshooting or sports, but we smug gits have had it for years>. Even if we don’t get the fancy-pants new graphics because there isn’t a Microsoft to wave mega-bucks at Derek Yu and chums. Well, there is of course a Microsoft on PC, but it’s hard not feel they’d rather eat their own toenails than do anything with PC gaming these days. Anyway! The original (and, for my money, much better-looking) Spelunky has been given a second wind, courtesy of a browser-based HTML5 version created by Tinysubversions, aka Darius Kazemi. (more…)

Several months after its console debut – the so-so sales of which lead to Activision closing its developer – open-world superhero game Prototype 2 is now out on PC. I’ve been hulking out, wall-running up tall buildings and eating people alive for the last few days, and then I played some Prototype 2. Allow me to foist the following words about it upon your monitor.> (more…)

Well, that took all of about a fortnight. Pretty much everyone called this one, given the age of the expensive monthly subscription game seems to be over, bar a few very particular exceptions. So it is that the struggling juggernaut that is EA/Bioware’s MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic is to join the rapidly-swelling ranks of free to play. They’ve just announced that play up to level 50 will be gratis and open to all as of this Fall Autumn. That’s no moon – it’s a fully-armed and operational new business model.* (more…)

War of the Roses’ ranged combat is as messily violent as the up close and personal sheathing of swords in skulls, as shown in a video of arrows puncturing arteries and organs. Impressively horrible and anarchically comedic at the same time, my deathmatch instincts quiver with anticipation. The way that arrows bend as they lodge in a target is the kind of detail that could make every kill all the more deliciously memorable. The footage is edited together from tournament footage gathered during Paradox’s trip to San Francisco and the entire conflict can be viewed here.

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Moon Rising is the first project from a two-man team of veterans who have been touching screen for a while but have now decided to return to PC and Mac. Imagine that it is 2099 and the moon is being mined for its precious Helium-3. Sam Rockwell is nowhere to be seen so instead of battling boredom and a bit of an identity crisis, you’ll be scrapping over resources as the commander of one of Earth’s superpowers. Personally I don’t think Earth will be capable of supporting a single moderatepower by 2099 but I’m pleased by the optimistic view of a world still strong enough to be at war with itself. Moon combat is turn-based and tactical as shown in the video below. Beta signups are open.

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Moon Intern has been appearing on our weekly Kickstarter round-up post, Kickstarter Katchup, for a couple of weeks now. And it looks pretty special. A side-scrolling RPG game, which will generate hundreds of quests for you to play, in order to earn the money to pay your rent. But more interestingly, the game will monitor how you play, and in response will start to adjust how it generates challenges accordingly. If you’re obviously having more fun with the combat, it’ll bed things that way. If you seem to be striking a chord with the puzzles, then things will start to get trickier that way. And if you’re good at both, then the game will get even tougher. There will be dynamic events, from meteor strikes to a shop nearby having a sale. And there’s a heavy emphasis on exploration. There’s now a trailer to prove it.

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I keep forgetting that Miner Wars 2081 exists, usually remembering just after my daily rant to the people on the streets below my apartment. “People liked Descent.” I’ll shout from the window, refastening the sash of my dressing gown as a harsh Mancunian gust threatens to undignify me. “With all this new tech, why isn’t there a freeform game in a similar style but with fully destructible scenery?” Usually people are so gobsmacked by the question they forget to holler back, “Miner Wars 2081 is such a thing.” Jim has already played an alpha version and now there’s a public demo containing the first story mission. There’s a video of that mission below, although it might be best to play it first unless you hate surprises.

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Saber Interactive’s Inversion came out on our console cousins at the beginning of June. It’s now with us on PC, with a decent port. But is it a decent game? I took on the forces of gravity to find out, and here’s Wot I Think.>

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Just as experiences of bad customer service travel faster than a speeding Usain bullet, games that are released in a problematic state are spoken of far and wide. It’s all too easy to ignore the positive response to such issues so here’s an acknowledgement that Dreampainters, whose debut release is the horror adventure Anna, are listening to feedback. Although a patch isn’t going to fix all of my criticisms of the game, the first update does address lots of technical issues and shows a commitment to improving the quality of the puzzles as well. Full changelog below.

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