Left 4 Dead 2



Tyler likes Hawken, doesn't like Medal of Honor: Warfighter, and accidentally describes Blood Bowl; Evan's going Back to School in Left 4 Dead 2; T.J.'s going commando...I mean taking command in Natural Selection 2, and Omri went back in time to play Singularity.

All that, plus the week's biggest news in... PC Gamer Podcast 335: Natural Reflection

Have a question, comment, complaint, or observation? Leave a voicemail: 1-877-404-1337 ext 724 or email the mp3 to pcgamerpodcast@gmail.com.

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@tyler_wilde (Tyler Wilde)
@ELahti (Evan Lahti)
@omripetitte (Omri Petitte)
@AsaTJ (T.J. Hafer)
@belsaas (Erik Belsaas, podcast producer)
PC Gamer
ORIGIN PC WAR Z PC Gamer Giveaway Shot 2

For the low, non-existent price of liking us on Facebook and sending us an email, you can be eligible to win a new PC. Courtesy of The War Z creators Hammerpoint Interactive, we’re giving away a fancy rig tricked-out with the laser-etched logos you crave. But more importantly, it’s stuffed with a quad-core Intel Core i7 3770K, a liquid cooling system, a GTX 680, and backed by Origin’s warranty program.

Regrettably, we can’t extend this giveaway to our readers outside the United States. We're also unable, weirdly, to offer the prize to residents of Rhode Island (because the prize’s value exceeds $500). We’re truly sorry that laws get in the way of us offering this giveaway to everyone.

HOW TO ENTER: “Like” PC Gamer on Facebook, and write an email to contests@pcgamer.com with the subject line “Origin PC giveaway,” and provide your complete name, address, city, state, zip code, birthdate, and phone number. One prize winner will be randomly selected on November 12, 2012.

LIMIT ONE ENTRY PER HOUSEHOLD, REGARDLESS OF FORM OF ENTRY. Use of automated devices or methods of submission are not valid forms of entry. Any attempt at email or other alternative Internet entry is void. Entries become the property of the Sponsor(s) and will not be acknowledged or returned. Please read additional sweepstakes rules and information on the next page.

Check back on Monday for another contest—we’ll be partnering with non-profit gaming clan and community resource Gamersplatoon.com to give away 50 digital copies of The War Z.




System Specs:
Chassis: Corsair 800D
Desktop Case Lighting: Remote controlled multi colored LED Strip
Fans: Origin High-Performance Ultra Silent Fans – Red
Processor: Intel Core i7 3770K Quad-Core Processor (8MB L3 Cache) with ORIGIN PC Professional CPU Overclocking
Liquid Cooling: ORIGIN FROSTBYTE 120 Sealed Liquid Cooling System
Motherboard: Intel DZ77RE-75K (Thunderbolt, USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s)
Graphics Card: 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 with ORIGIN PC Professional GPU Overclocking
Memory: 8GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600Mhz
Power Supply: 750 Watt Corsair TX750M
Hard Drive 1 and 2: Dual 500GB SATA 6.0Gb/s, 7200RPM, 16MB Cache HDD in RAID 0
Optical Drive: 12X Blu-ray Disc (BD) Combo (Reads BD and Writes to DVD/CD)
Operating System: Genuine MS Windows® 7 Ultimate 64-Bit Edition
Warranty: 1 Year Part Replacement and 45 Day Free Shipping Warranty with DVD image
and Lifetime Support
Laser Etching: Custom WarZ and PC Gamer Logos


Origin PC is a fast growing, premium/custom gaming PC manufacturer. The crew is made up of mostly former Alienware guys and they know what they are doing. Though they have some super expensive, high-end machines, they actually won "best gaming PC under $1500" from Gizmodo (http://gizmodo.com/5928728/the-best-1500-gaming-pc).

All relevant legalese for this giveaway is on the next page.



Origin and “The War Z” PC giveaway Sweepstakes
OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

1. SPONSOR: This promotion (the “Sweepstakes”) is sponsored by FUTURE US, INC., 4000 Shoreline Court, Suite 400, South San Francisco, CA 94080; Origin PC; Gamersplatoon.com; and Hammerpoint Interactive. (“Sponsor(s)”), subject to the following terms and conditions. Contest is being administered by Future US, Inc. (“Future US”), 4000 Shoreline Court, Suite 400, South San Francisco, CA 94080, +1 (650) 872-1642.

2. ELIGIBILITY: Sweepstakes open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia, excluding Rhode Island, and where prohibited or restricted by law. Entrants must have attained the age of majority in their state of residence (usually at least eighteen (18) years of age) at time of entry, and possess a valid form of unexpired government-issued photo identification, and must have a valid email address. Invalid or ineligible entries shall be excluded from consideration. Employees of Sponsor(s), its/their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliated companies, advertising, promotion, or production agencies, any companies who are promotional participants or prize providers, web masters and web suppliers, and the foregoing employees’ household or immediate family members (defined as parent, spouse, child, sibling, or grandparent) are NOT eligible to enter Sweepstakes. By their submission of entry, entrants warrant they are legally entitled and authorized to make such submission, either on their own behalf, or as to information submitted upon the express authorization of another on whose behalf the information is submitted. In the event of a dispute as to the winner’s identity for online entries received from multiple users having the same email account, entries will be deemed made by the authorized subscriber of the mail account associated with the entry. The authorized account subscriber is the natural person who is assigned the email address by the internet service provider (ISP), on-line service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses.

3. TIMING: Sweepstakes begins at 11:01 PM Pacific time on Thursday, November 2, 2012 and ends at 12:01 PM Pacific time on Monday, November 12, 2012. Sponsors’ computer will be the official time clock for the Sweepstakes. Online entries must be received by Future US, Inc. by 12:01 PM Pacific time on Monday, November 12, 2012 to be eligible.

4. HOW TO ENTER: “Like” PC Gamer on Facebook, and write an email to contests@pcgamer.com with the subject line “Origin PC giveaway,” and provide your complete name, address, city, state, zip code, birthdate, and phone number. LIMIT ONE ENTRY PER HOUSEHOLD, REGARDLESS OF FORM OF ENTRY. Use of automated devices or methods of submission are not valid forms of entry. Any attempt at email or other alternative Internet entry is void. Entries become the property of the Sponsor(s) and will not be acknowledged or returned.

5. PRIZES AND ODDS:

The prize consists of the Origin PC (aka the “Prize”). The prize has an approximate retail value of $2,799. Prize must be delivered to address listed on Winner’s entry, and delivery may take up to 120 days.

The odds of winning will be determined by the number of eligible entries received.

Prizes cannot be transferred, assigned, substituted, or redeemed for cash, and must be accepted as awarded, but Sponsors reserve the right to substitute any prize with a prize of equal or greater value should the advertised prize become unavailable for any reason. Prizes will not be fulfilled outside the United States and District of Columbia, will not be fulfilled in Rhode Island, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. military installations in foreign countries, or in any other U.S. territories or possessions and where prohibited or restricted by law. Winners will be responsible for all taxes (federal, state, and local) and all expenses not listed herein related to acceptance and use of any prize. Any person winning $600 or more worth of prizes from Sponsors in a calendar year will receive an IRS form 1099 after the end of the calendar year in which the prizes were awarded, and copy of such form will be filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Limit one Prize per household.

6. DRAWING: 1 grand prize winner will be selected by random drawing from all valid eligible entries received. Drawing will be held on or shortly after Monday, November 12. Drawing will be conducted by Sponsor(s), whose decisions on all matters related to the Sweepstakes shall be final and binding and within their sole discretion. Winning is contingent upon compliance with all terms and conditions set forth in these official rules; any entry drawn or any potential winner identified thereby found at any time to fail to comply with these official rules will be held invalid and ineligible for award.

7. NOTIFICATION: The prize winner will be notified by phone and via email by 11/12/2012. Each Winner so notified must complete, execute and return the provided Affidavit, Waiver, Release and Indemnity Agreement including, where lawful, a Publicity Release (plus any additional documents required at the discretion of Sponsor(s)), within three (3) business days of attempted notice of prize award. If a potential winner fails to comply with the requirements of this paragraph (or if a prize notification or prize is returned as non-deliverable, or if the potential winner is found to be ineligible or not in compliance with these Official Rules, such prize will be forfeited, in which case the prize will be awarded to an alternate winner by random drawing.

To obtain any legally-required winners list, send a self-addressed envelope with sufficient prepaid postage to: PC Gamer, Origin and “The War Z” PC giveaway Sweepstakes, c/o Future US, Inc., 4000 Shoreline Court, Suite 400, South San Francisco, CA 94080. (Residents of Vermont do not have to include return postage.)

8. PRIVACY POLICY: By participating in the Sweepstakes, you acknowledge and agree that Sponsors may collect the personal information submitted by you and use the information pursuant to Future US’ standard privacy policy, the terms of which can be found at http://www.futureus.com/privacy.php , which terms and conditions entrants accept and agree to by submission of entries pursuant to these official rules.

9. RELEASE: By participating in the Sweepstakes and/or accepting a prize, an entrant/winner agrees to defend, release and hold harmless the Sponsor(s) and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, divisions, advertising, production and promotion agencies, any companies who are promotional participants or prize providers, web masters and web suppliers, and the foregoing companies’ officers, directors, shareholders, employees, representatives and agents (collectively “Releasees”) from and against any actions, claims and/or liability for injury, loss or damage of any kind to persons, including death, or property (including the violation or infringement of any proprietary or personal right of any individual or entity) resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from participation in the Sweepstakes, and/or the use, acceptance, or possession of a Sweepstakes prize, and/or participation in a Sweepstakes prize-related activity, including any action, claim or liability arising from the unauthorized submission of any information, and/or for any printing, production, technical, typographical, human or other error in the printing, offering or announcement of any prize.

By participating in the Sweepstakes and/or accepting a prize, an entrant/winner consents to and gives the Sponsor(s) the right to use, publish, and display a winner’s (and where applicable an entrant’s) name, likeness, city and state, and prize awarded, for the purpose of advertising, trade, publicity and promotional purposes in any media now known or hereafter discovered, worldwide, and on the Web, in perpetuity, without review, notification or approval, and without additional consideration, unless prohibited by law.

10. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: Entrants agree that by participating in the Sweepstakes they release the Releasees from any liability in connection with: (a) Entries that are ineligible as a result of being lost, late, illegible, damaged, incomplete, inaccurate, delayed, unintelligible, non-delivered, stolen, postage due, or misdirected, or the failure to capture any such information; (b) Any typographical or other human or technical errors in the offer or administration of the Sweepstakes, including but not limited to errors in advertising, these official rules, the selection and announcement of a winner(s), or the distribution/awarding of a prize(s); (c) Any omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay, misdirection, damage, availability, accessibility, miscommunications, injury, technical malfunctions or traffic congestion on the Internet/telephone network, or at any website, satellite, computer, telephone, cellular or cable transmissions or lines, or any combination thereof; (d) The unauthorized access to, or alteration of entries; (e) Jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected transmissions, computer hardware or software malfunctions, failures or difficulties, or for any other errors of any kind, whether human, technical, mechanical, electronic or network, including, without limitation, any errors which may occur in connection with the administration of the Sweepstakes or in any Sweepstakes-related materials; and (f) Damage to en entrant or other person’s system or equipment occasioned by participation in this Sweepstakes or downloading materials from the Sweepstakes website, or any combination thereof. Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of the Sweepstakes or website, as solely determined by the Sponsor, will be disqualified (and all associated entries will be void), and Sponsors reserve the right to terminate such entrant’s eligibility to participate in this or any other promotion offered by Sponsor. Entries generated by robotic, programmed, script, macro or other automated means or by any means which subvert the entry process will be disqualified.

Sponsor(s) reserve the right to modify these rules for clarification purposes without materially affecting the term and conditions of the Sweepstakes. In the event that the Sweepstakes is infected by a computer virus/worm/bug, or is not capable of running or being executed as planned (as a result of but not limited to an error, omission, defect, delay, misdirection, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, action of entrants, or technical failure) or any other cause which in the sole opinion of Sponsor(s) corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Sweepstakes, Sponsor(s) reserves the right in their sole discretion to disqualify any suspect entry or entrant and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Sweepstakes. In the event of such cancellation, termination, modification or suspension, notice thereof will be posted at the entry website(s) mentioned above, and winner(s) will be determined solely by Sponsor(s) in a random drawing from among all eligible non-suspect and/or non-disqualified entries prior to action taken or as otherwise deemed fair and appropriate by Sponsors. In such event, Releasees shall have no liability to any entrant who is disqualified due to such an action. Failure to enforce any term of these official rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

IN NO EVENT WILL THE RELEASEES BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE WEBSITE OR DOWNLOADING FROM AND/OR PRINTING MATERIAL DOWNLOADED FROM THE ENTRY WEBSITE(S) MENTIONED ABOVE, OR ANY OTHER WEBSITE ASSOCIATED WITH SPONSOR(S). WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, EVERYTHING ON THE ENTRY WEBSITE(S) IS PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT, SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. CHECK YOUR LOCAL LAWS FOR ANY RESTRICTIONS OR LIMITATIONS REGARDING THESE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS.

11. LAW: Subject to all federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited or restricted. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of entrants or Sponsors in connection with any drawing or award, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with the laws of, the State of California, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any cause of action by you with respect to the offer (and/or any information, products or services related thereto) must be instituted within one (1) year after the cause of action arose or be forever waived and barred. All actions shall be subject to the limitations set forth in above. The language in these official rules shall be interpreted as in accordance with its fair meaning and not strictly for or against either party. All legal proceedings arising out of or in connection with the offer of these official rules shall be brought solely in San Mateo County, California. You expressly submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of said courts and consent to extraterritorial service of process.


PC Gamer
chaos


In ridiculously exciting news, X-COM co-creator Julian Gollop has announced a sequel to his 1985 ZX Spectrum game Chaos: The Battle of Wizards. He dropped the bombshell on twitter just now, revealing that it will be a sequel/remake for iOS, Mac and of course PC.

Other than that, we know that he's using the Unity engine, it will be 3D "for sure", and he plans to "keep combat/movement very close to the original, with some tweaks."

Julian is, of course, one half of the famed Brothers Gollop (along with his brother Nick). Twenty years ago, they created a little game called X-COM that you may have heard of - which gave birth to a remake that you're probably playing right now. Chaos is a slightly different breed of turn-based strategy game, featuring wizards instead of invading aliens. It was followed by a sequel, Lords of Chaos, in 1990. The original's not much to look at these days, but here's a video of someone playing it on the Spectrum:

PC Gamer
Need For Speed Most Wanted review header


Review by Dave Valjalo

You’re cruising the downtown streets in a shiny new Lamorghini when – gasp – you spot an equally gorgeous Maserati tucked away down a side-street. What do you have to do to possess that delicious new motor? What challenges do you have to beat, races do you have to win, pockets do you have to pick? None, actually. Just pull up alongside it and it’s yours for the taking.

Most Wanted’s sprawlingly open world, Fairhaven, is a free-for-all. Every location, every nook and cranny – and all 123 vehicles – are accessible from the off, you just have to explore and discover. If that sounds too easy, the real challenge, as in Hot Pursuit, Criterion’s previous entry in the Need for Speed canon, is beating your friends’ records to creep up that leaderboard and gloat like the obnoxious owner of a German sportscar that costs more than most peoples’ houses.

Almost everything you do in Fairhaven is cross-compared with your friends and other players, from highest jumps to how fast you fly past speed cameras. It’s all updated in the blink-of-an-eye via Autolog 2.0, the second iteration of Criterion’s social network designed to bring out your dark, competitive side.



Sadly, one of Hot Pursuit’s strengths and core attractions, the option to play as the law and dispense justice fashionably in a blue and white Gallardo, has been scrapped for Most Wanted. This is a game that harks directly back to the series’ roots (and the 1998 game of the same name) where it’s all about looking good as you escape and frustrate the fuzz. Chases can break out at any time as you go about your dangerous driving, and you’re rewarded with points for the lengthiest and deadliest of your escape runs. There are no EMPs to use or tyre-spikes to throw down – no weapons at all, in fact – but you can upgrade your ride with everything from nitrous shots to re-inflatable tyres by mastering the car-specific events dotted all over the vast, varied map.

Chases rise in tension and aggression until you either resort to a change of identity (by breezing through any street-side garage for an instant lick of new paint) or you find yourself surrounded and eventually busted by the police (a regular problem when they roll out the big, bad SWAT-style units), costing you your hard-earned Speed Points. Speed Points are Most Wanted’s equivalent of XP: your means to rank up your profile and earn a shot at one of the game’s ‘most wanted’ slots, which are occupied either by your friends or predetermined AI rivals. It may have a drive-anything, go-anywhere ethos, but there’s a game here, a ladder to climb and a reputation to build, through cutthroat driving and bumper-crumpling bravado.



With its heaving roster of cars and toned-down upgrades, Need for Speed: Most Wanted is more for the car fetishist than the car-chase fanatic, and the developers’ attention to the feel of each vehicle shines through – although the lack of cockpit artwork remains a bugbear. Handling is a halfway house between the simulation of a game like Shift (which, as if to rub it in, has lovely, authentic cockpits) and the arcade action of Hot Pursuit.

With a selection of cars for all tastes, a map filled with sun-soaked sights and roaring sounds, and a gamut of challenges, this is the most content-rich Need for Speed released in some time. It’s also the most social, and takes the series right back to its core attraction: the thrill of driving very, very fast in very, very expensive cars.



Expect to pay: £30
Release: Out now
Developer: Criterion Games
Publisher: EA
Multiplayer: Up to 12
Link: www.needforspeed.com/most-wanted
PC Gamer
lost shores


"Something stirs in the Sea of Sorrows" begins a cryptic message on the Guild Wars 2 website, teasing a major world event hitting the land of Tyria this November. Along with a nice bit of concept art and some images of a tropical beach, the page hints at a "mystery of monstrous proportions" in a "massive one-time world event that will change Tyria forever!" Neglecting to reveal what said event will entail, we can only assume that it involves a giant sea creature, like Jaws or one of the Family Ness.

If it's anything like the recent Halloween event, The Lost Shores is sure to be something pretty special. That involved an entire spooky realm to explore, with a memorable boss in the form of the pumpkin-headed Mad King Thorn. Given the theme of November - moustaches, apparently - we're hoping for a giant, evil, robotic Tom Selleck. We will do whatever it takes to make that happen.

Whatever the case, remember that this will be a one-time event, so if you miss out, you'll miss out forever. We'll know more about The Lost Shores when we've beaten it out of Ferocious Ness, but in the meantime, it's probably worth sharpening your harpoons.
PC Gamer
webgame header crop 2


As November - also known as Movember, or Nanowrimovember - rolls around, it's time to eat pumpkin "pie", wrap up in as many blankets as your body will allow, and kiss goodbye to the sun for about three months. If you can still move your fingers from under your snuggie, why not use them to play a browser game or two? As usual, we've rounded up the week's best for your perusal. Read on for war, WAR, stories and puzzles, in precisely that order.

Hordes and Lords by yarg and TimofeyS Play it online here.

It's jester bit of fun.

The AI's a bit iffy and the humour falls flat more often than Frank Spencer, but if you're looking for a quick dose of real-time skirmishing, Hordes and Lords should suffice. Its defining feature is the sheer number of troops it can fit on-screen at any one time; they might be too small for you to actually make out the details, but at least it looks like a proper, messy Medieval battle is going on (albeit one with goblins and other fantasy creatures).

Lord of Vandaria by Toge Productions Play it online here.

I wonder if the lord of Vandaria has ever been to Pandaria.

Another tactical battler, this time in the shape of a tower offense game. And a tower defence game. (There's probably a bit of tower maintenance going on in there too.) There's quite a bit to sink your teeth into here, with upgradeable units, spells and even collectible card-based shenanigans, if you can put up with a bit of Facebook and Twitter nagging.

Atticus and Boy Electronic by Bloomengine Play it online here.

Nice... hat? Cushion? Licqorice all-sort?

A charming storybook adventure about a not-quite-boy and his actual dog. Not only is the writing fantastic, it's backed up by some beautifully chunky illustration and an assortment of memorable characters. A good one to play with your kid, if you're sick of reading the same picture books over and over again.

SAIcoron by Dango Itimi Play it online here.

SAIcoron is a bit of a 'dicey' game.

The wonderful SAIcoron combines the card game Pairs, match-3 mechanics and dice, and the result is an impeccably designed puzzle game with one horribly catchy soundtrack. The best puzzle games feel like they've been around for years, and SAIcoron is no exception. In it, you match dice - vertically, horizontally or diagonally - by flipping them and seeing what number lies beneath. It's simple, it's brilliant, and if you need to get any work done then you probably shouldn't click on the above link.

Organicraft by Stew Hogarth Play it online here.

This took me a ridiculously long time to achieve.

I'm including Organicraft not because it's a good game - it really is rather clever - but because I need to share my elation at finally, finally getting past level 3. Conceived for the Experimental Gameplay project, Organicraft tasks you with growing one plant to match another plant, by picking through a series of growth patterns. It doesn't look like much, but once you start you'll have doomed yourself to an evening of mathematical cultivation, and a night filled with dreams about weirdly mutated trees. I just took a peek at level 4 and my head exploded; hopefully you'll do a little better.
PC Gamer
cargo


The recently released Cargo Commander is what happens when Spelunky crash-lands into FTL. It's a sidescrolling roguelike-like-like with randomly generated levels, destructible environments, online leaderboards, and the Dark Souls-ish ability to "loot the dead corpses of other players' vain attempts at beating your score". So to sum up: it echoes Spelunky, FTL and Dark Souls - yep, this seems like something we might enjoy.

You can scavenge Cargo Commander now for under £6 on Steam, but you'll probably be wanting a video to dissect first. Thankfully, devs Serious Brew have rustled one up in the form of the amusing Letters to Dad trailer, which shows the game in an agreeably anti-grav light.

Call of Duty®: Black Ops II
nuketown


Forthcoming Black Ops 2 map Nuketown 2025 has been given its own trailer, and to rub salt into the oozing radioactive wound, the sequel to one of the most celebrated Call of Duty maps will be made exclusive to people who pre-order the game. They'll also accrue double XP during the launch weekend, while the rest of us will be forced to beg for scraps at the experience table, like little Oliver 'Snip3rDude69' Twist.

Dirty pre-order practices aside, Nuketown looks like fun, taking the original Black Ops' model town nuclear testing site and transforming it into a Fallout-style retro-futurist utopia. Presumably it will be made available in a map pack down the line, but until then you'll have to pre-order the game for the privilege of duking/nuking it out in Nuketown 2025. There's 48 seconds of that below.

PC Gamer
sir


Procedurally generated countryside survival title Sir, You Are Being Hunted has crept onto Kickstarter, bringing with it a couple of disclaimers, which we should mention before embarking any further. Our Online Editor Marsh Davies is doing illustration work for the game, specifically the inventory icons, and Big Robot's Jim Rossignol wrote for PC Gamer way back in the day. I have no stake in the game whatsoever, although I am a fan of robots, tea and the British countryside. With that out of the way - Big Robot are asking for a relatively modest £40,000 to finish development of the game, and over £5,000 has already been pledged.

In addition to a new video, the pledge page reveals a few more features of the game, including "a disembodied sinister butler", fires to cook dead rabbits on, and "pipe-smoking moustache-wearing mechanical locals". The Sir prototype already contains these features in an "early, undeveloped state", with the Kickstarted money (if it's raised) being used to gussy the game up with professional art and animation.

The Kickstarter runs for a month until December 2nd, accompanied by fairly sensible rewards. These range from pledging £10 for a copy of the game, to pledging £1,000 to be written into the fiction as a character "alluded to in books and letters". You can see if that's worth it with this 'Alpha Teaser' video, which has a gentlemanly running time of three minutes.

PC Gamer
Football Manager 2013 Top Players thumb


Football Manager 2013 has been released today, and as usual the fans are rushing to find the best bargain players to fill out the ranks of their favourite team. Luckily for you I've had my hands on the review code for a few days now, and I've been able to track down some of the top cheap players for you to keep an eye on. Unluckily for me I won't be able to use any of them, as my beloved Aston Villa have started the season with a transfer budget of sod all. Looks like it's all loans for the villains this year.



Alan Dzagoev - AMC
 
Anyone who watched Russia's 4-1 demolition of the Czech Republic back during Euro 2012 will remember Dzagoev. Russia's star playmaker was at the heart of the fantastic fast paced passing football they played that day. Russia may have disintegrated after that performance, but that hasn't stopped Dzagoev from maturing into one of Russian football's biggest stars, and in FM13, you can get him for nothing. When the game begins Dzagoev has only six months left on his contract, offer him a good deal and his services will be yours come January. The more impatient can get him right away for a mere £4 million, still a great bargain.



Craig Gordon - GK
 
Oh how Craig Gordon's star has fallen. Once the most expensive goalkeeper in England, the Scottish keeper's perpetual knee problems have seen him fall out of favour before ignomoniously being released on a free. Despite all this, he remains a solid and reliable player, so long as he stays fit, and for the grand price of £0, a great bargain.



Maor Melikson - AMRLC
 
This exuberant Israeli is capable of playing all across the midfield, using his prodigious dribbling skills to strike at the opposition from left, right and centre. Melikson is one of those great improvisers, all flair and technique, capable of creating a goal from nothing. Beware his poor stamina and work-rate however, which could see him fade away if the game starts going against him.



Libor Kozak - ST
 
Some footballers are subtle, intelligent, masters of passing and control. Libor Kozak is not that kind of player, he's the other kind, the six foot four behemoth whose game revolves around strength, size and determination. Kozak is out of favour at Lazio and transfer listed, meaning you can pick up the perfect target man for the budget price of £1.7 million.





Sinan Bolat - GK
 
If you're looking for a younger keeper than Gordon, Sinan Bolat is your man. Priced at a very reasonable £1 million, this young Turk could potentially guard your goal-line for the next ten years, and he has a Belgian passport too, guaranteeing easy transfers within the EU. There's only one problem, he begins the game with a serious cruciate ligament injury, meaning he won't be available until January.



Kermit Erasmus - ST/AMC
 
The spectacularly named Kermit Erasmus is a talented forward who is equally at home up front or as a playmaker. Kermit isn't particularly fast, strong or good in the air, but he is a clever, creative player, well suited to playing in a deep 'shadow striker' role, dropping a little deeper to link up with his strike partner, just think of him as the South African Denis Berdkamp. Plus when he misses, you can legitimately shout "You muppet!" at the screen.



Adryan - AMC
 
Every Football Manager edition needs a young, mono-named Brazilian genius, and Adryan undoubtedly this year's version. He turns eighteen just as the game begins, but he already has the talent to play a role in the top leagues in the land, and will only get better with time. Nurture him well, and in a few short years he'll be one of the best playmakers in the world.



Florent Malouda - AMLC
 
While many of my recommendations are young unknowns, Florent Malouda is likely to be a name you'll recognise. The French winger has been a vital part of Chelsea's fortunes for the last few seasons, but it seems they've repaid his years by putting him on the transfer list. How ungrateful. Thankfully he still has a couple of years of top teir football in him, and is willing to transfer for as little as £1 million, making him the ideal way to add an experienced veteran to your squad.





Albin Ekdal - DMC
 
Does your team need a tough tackling anchor man? A deep lying pass-master? An energetic attacking midfielder? Albin Ekdal is all these things at once, offering everything you could ever need in a central midfielder. Ekdal's greatest strength is his versatility, his ability to both attack and defend with equal competence means he can fill any role in a midfield three, even shifting between them for injuries or substitutions, putting far less strain on your back-up players.



David Mendes Da Silva - DC/DMC
 
David Mendes Da Silva is that rarest of things, a centre back who can actually pass the ball, rather than hoofing it optimistically in the direction of his teammates. In addition, he can also be deployed as a defensive midfielder, but lacks the creativity to be effective further up the field. Still, having a defender who can help you build from the back is a massive boost to any team.



Ryan Donk - DC
 
Ryan Donk is a Dutch centre-back named for the onomatopoeic sound of heading the ball Donk! You'll cry as this reasonably priced rock of a defender clears you lines yet again. Donk! You'll call as he buries a corner into the the opposition net. Donk! You'll say as your palm hits your face when you realise you can't stop. Donk! You'll cry as you beat your head furiously against your desk in order to escape the mind-worm I have now implanted within brain. Donk!



Jesper Juelsgard - DL
 
Back in 1994 Jack Charlton ventured the idea that the fullback was the most important attacking player in modern football, and Jesper Juelsgard is certainly a player built with this philosophy in mind. His tackling may be decidedly mediocre, but the young Dane is fit, fast and focused, three of the most important attributes in a modern fullback. He's also an adept passer and crosser, not to mention a dead ball specialist. Just make sure you have sufficient cover at the back, because Jesper is built to bomb down the wings.



Giovani dos Santos - AMRLC/ ST
 
Poor Giovani dos Santos. He was raised in the same youth system as Lionel Messi, and both players were hotly tipped for greatness. But while Messi stuck with Barcelona, broke into the first team and became one of the world's greatest players, Gio instead took a chance and moved to Tottenham Hotspur, but failed to settle in, and his career has struggled since. However the Mexican winger is still only 23, and for only a couple of million, you can grab him and try and give him a second chance to show off that Catalan style.
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