Company of Heroes - Legacy Edition
humble thq bundle


Whether you think the organisers of the Humble Bundle were right to host a Windows only, Steam only bundle of great games (and Red Faction: Armageddon), it's been a pretty good move for THQ. Since the pay-what-you-want sale went live, not only has the site raised almost $3.3 million, but it's had a positive effect on the company's share price too.

Moments after the bundle's launch, THQ's stock rose 37.96% to $1.61 per share, at which point previous investors took the opportunity to jump ship, quickly knocking the share price down to around the $1.40 mark. Stocks are weird.

It's a definite improvement on THQ's pre-bundle price tag of $1.07. Although, to put those figures in perspective, the troubled Zynga has a share price of $2.33, while EA and Activision are laughing their way to the invisible bank of fake money that doesn't exist at $14.65 and $11.36 respectively.

What we don't know is how much of the raised money is heading directly to THQ, with the distribution between them, the Humble organisers and charity not available. What is known is that THQ CEO Brian Farrell's donation of $1,650 went entirely to charity. He stresses that this "should not be interpreted as a recommendation to others on their split."

I'm now going to stop watching a constantly updating graph of share prices before it turns me into a crazy person.

Thanks, GI.biz.
PC Gamer
Sword of the Stars 2 review thumb


As is aggravatingly common for Paradox releases, Sword of the Stars II: Lords of Winter has had a lot of updates. A hell of a lot of updates in fact. It's aggravating not because of the new content and balance tweaks - they're all great to see - but because of the unbelievable number of problems and bugs that made it into its initial release.

Now though, they've released Sword of the Stars II: Enhanced Edition, a fully updated version of the game, bundled with the new End of Flesh content pack. In thanks to all the fans who have "stuck with the game" (read: put up with its flaws), the new content is being rolled out for free to all its current owners too.

End of Flesh adds a new race, the Loa, as well as new technologies, weapons and expanded ship building options. Perhaps more importantly, titling this bundle the Enhanced Edition is a pretty strong indication that Paradox feels like it's finally wrestled the numerous gremlins out of the game.

Last year, Tom Senior's review criticised the many crashes, bugs, and design issues that affected what could have been an interesting 4X strategy. Has anyone kept up with the flood of updates? Is SotS2 finally the game it always should have been?



Thanks, Strategy Informer.
PC Gamer
GODUS Fire


Industry veteran Peter Molyneux has been talking to GI.biz about the public reaction to his studio's Kickstarter to fund Project GODUS, a Populous-like god game. It's the sort of project that's now common on Kickstarter - a creator returning to the genre that saw arguably their greatest creative success, leveraging their fame to pursue a game that would struggle to capture the attention of publishers.

But Molyneux has a rather tumultuous relationship with the public, something he believes contributes to the more vocal criticism the studio has received. "I know I'm a controversial figure," he said. "We have this food over in England called Marmite. Some people hate Marmite, and some people like Marmite. And I'm definitely one of those people."

He recognised the source of much of the criticism he receives can be traced back to the cycle of over-promising that has characterised many of his impassioned public statements, only to be absent in games that he was promoting. "There's a lot of reasons for people to hit us with negativity," he added. "I've got to accept that."

Molyneux also combated the perception that the Kickstarter was a cynical money-grab. "Everyone kind of thinks I'm loaded with money and live in Versailles or something, and drive around in a gold Rolls Royce. None of that is true. I'm not starving by any means, but I haven't got unlimited wealth. I used a lot of money to found 22 Cans, to release Curiosity, and to build a team of 20 people."

Whatever the truth to the public's criticism, it's definitely being reflected in the GODUS backer figures. While it's still very much in the running for funding, hitting just over 43% of the target after nearly two weeks is probably not where the team wanted the project to be at. Justified or not, the nature of democratic patronage can spell trouble for creators as eccentrically ambitious as Molyneux.
PC Gamer
STEALER


I didn't know it, but I've been missing something since I first played Flashback all those many years ago. There's been a hole in my heart for a cyberpunk-ish sci-fi game with exquisite pixel art and music, and pretty much nothing around to fill it. STEALER should do. Its developer Winged Doom has released a trailer showcasing the style and mood of the game; it's a mockup containing no actual gameplay, but offering a glimpse of what this stunning game should look like when it's done.

As for that gameplay, the Moddb page reveals that STEALER was originally going to be a Flashback clone, but "now it's something like Sokoban, but platformer, with focusing on atmosphere and exploration." It's clear that Winged Doom hasn't quite nailed down the interactive aspect of the game, but on his blog he reveals that he's more interested in creating "living worlds".

"The only thing I can be sure that I want to create a living world. If I fail with gameplay or not justify expectations of people who saw movie and say "wow!" I'm not too upset. My main goal extract this world from head to virtual reality."

Which is fair enough. Some of my favourite games equate to living worlds, and STEALER's is certainly one of the more beautiful I've come across. There's no release date yet, but there's "a lot of work" left to do on the project, so it probably won't be any time soon. Winged Doom is also working on a similarly gorgeous Zelda-a-like called Journey to Hammerdale, which is currently being alpha-tested.

PC Gamer
windows8


The latest Steam hardware survey figures have been released, and it looks like good news for Microsoft. Despite Gabe Newell's own labelling of Windows 8 as a "catastrophe for everyone in the PC space", the survey shows a definite uptake, with Windows 8 becoming the fastest growing OS among Steam users. With 4.69% of Steam users now operating the interface formerly known as Metro, it's even overtaken the combined Mac OS X variants.

Windows 8 is only the fourth most-used OS on the hardware table, but month-on-month growth is where it's really performing. Even the mighty Windows 7, currently used by just under three quarters of Steam users, experienced a 0.85% decline in users, while Win8 picked up a healthy 2.66% growth on the previous month's total. Bizarrely, the 64-bit variant of Vista also saw a meagre 0.03% increase. Who's still buying Vista? Why?

Unfortunately we can only see growth and percentage totals, with exact figures being unavailable. Steam's monthly hardware survey is an opt-in service, so the polled data only reflects those happy to show off their components.

Elsewhere, the hardware survey continues to be a fun little tool for comparing your rig against millions of gaming neighbours. For instance, a quick browse of most used components reveals that not many people are prepared for Cysis 3's hefty high performance specifications.

Thanks, Neowin.
PC Gamer
Reprisal thumb


It's all well and good for Kickstarter to become the new home of the god game, but if you're a fan of the genre, you're probably not relishing the long wait for games like Maia or 22 Cans' Project GODUS. Luckily, there's a retro tribute you can play right now.

This trailer for Reprisal shows off the world terraforming, elemental spellcasting and tribal commanding of the adorable pixelated homage to Peter Molyneux's genre defining Populous.

Your job is to create land for your tribe to expand into, before leading them on a march to capture power-granting totems and kill any pesky heretics challenging your supreme rule. It looks and sounds lovely, and there's enough depth to keep wannabe deities satisfied.

You can play the free game on its website, but if you want to really stretch your god-like powers, there's an expanded downloadable version available from Desura.

Team Fortress 2
TF2 Wishmaker


Team Fortress 2's Saxxy Awards, Valve's celebration of its community's machinima mastery, doesn't have a red carpet. If it did, this year we'd see the Heavy hovering not-so-gracefully through in his new fairy ensemble, the Medic serenely chasing the red pigeon, and the Soldier rooting through the bins in an alley to the side. Four winners have been picked for the second of the now-annual Saxxy Awards, with each winning team receiving a Saxxy - an in-game gold plated Saxton Hale melee weapon that turns anything it kills into a golden statue.

The top prize, in the "Best Overall" category, is being kept under wraps until the Spike VGA's pre-show event on December 7th. The ultimate winner of the competition will be flown over to Valve HQ for a session with the company's own Source Filmmaker wizards.

You can see all of the nominations on the Saxxy Awards' site, and I've embedded the winners in each category below.

Action - Meet the Dumpster Diver



Replay - High-Five Fail



Comedy - Wishmaker



Drama - Bad Medicine



The release of the Source Filmmaker means the bar has been raised much higher this year. It's a powerful utility, and you can watch our picks for the best Filmmaker videos in our Top 10 round-up. Have you got a favourite that you think deserves an award?
PC Gamer
Crysis 3 bow attack


Crytek have posted up the minimum, recommended and hi-performance requirements for PCs hoping to run Crysis 3. While any modern gaming PC should be able to cope with the game's entry-level specifications, those numbers get pretty high pretty quickly. Here's their specs:

MINIMUM SYSTEM OPERATING REQUIREMENTS FOR PC:
• Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8
• DirectX 11 graphics card with 1Gb Video RAM
• Dual core CPU
• 2GB Memory (3GB on Vista)
Example 1 (Nvidia/Intel):
• Nvidia GTS 450
• Intel Core2 Duo 2.4 Ghz (E6600)
Example 2 (AMD):
• AMD Radeon HD5770
• AMD Athlon64 X2 2.7 Ghz (5200+)

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM OPERATING REQUIREMENTS FOR PC:
• Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8
• DirectX 11 graphics card with 1GB Video RAM
• Quad core CPU
• 4GB Memory
Example 1 (Nvidia/Intel):
• Nvidia GTX 560
• Intel Core i3-530
Example 2 (AMD):
• AMD Radeon HD5870
• AMD Phenom II X2 565

HI-PERFORMANCE PC SPECIFICATIONS:
• Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8
• Latest DirectX 11 graphics card
• Latest quad core CPU
• 8GB Memory
Example 1 (Nvidia/Intel):
• NVidia GTX 680
• Intel Core i7-2600k
Example 2 (AMD):
• AMD Radeon HD7970
• AMD Bulldozer FX4150

Basically, yikes. The GTX 680/i7 CPU is an expensive pairing to target for your top-end graphics options. And Crytek have ample reason to chase it, with the first Crysis once being the game that many system builders aspired to make run at maximum. The company's CEO, Cevat Yerli, has previously mentioned their desire to "melt-down PCs". If these specs are indicative of the released game's performance, they may even manage it. Does your rig stand a chance?

Thanks, Reddit.
PC Gamer
Elite Dangerous
Following last month's  Elite: Dangerous dev diary, which demonstrated the title's multiplayer offering, comes a new video detailing the game's ever-evolving galaxies and the myriad ways players will shape them, both individually or en masse. Frontier Developments founder David Braben speaks at length about the complex systems in place to make the space trading sim more immersive than ever, describing how the player will factor into major political events, and the various ways he or she can conduct themselves.

The space sim reboot is currently sitting on £644,191 - about halfway to its £1,250,000 goal. There are still 32 days to go until pledging closes, so get a move on.

PC Gamer
Out-of-the-Park-Baseball-8-screen-thumb


This article originally appeared in issue 244 of PC Gamer UK. Written by Ben Wilson.

The acronym OotP isn’t as widely known as GTA, WoW, or FM. But Out of the Park Baseball is to the pastime of home runs, stolen bases and umpire ejections what Football Manager is to the sport of goals, millionaire tantrums and early England exits from tournaments.

Devotees scream that it does text-based sports simulation even better than its big-name, bigger-budget counterpart, and its reach is no longer confined to North America: annual releases are hoovered up by gamers worldwide.

With this year’s release of Out of the Park 13, the game has come a long way from its very basic beginnings in 1999. It goes way deeper than the core values of trading for players, selecting rosters, and playing matches by tapping the spacebar to advance to the next at-bat.



Now you get to participate in interactive storylines, where you’re forced into taking action when players talk to the media. You get to experience improved UI that presents you with an overwhelming array of stats and facts at every turn, rather than being obliged to cycle through screen after screen just so you can check out one of your player’s finer details. Then there’s the new option to play games in real-time (three hours per match!), and enhanced online leagues, updated rosters, and everything else you’d expect from an annual update.

Basically, it’s a baseball addict’s wildest dream. Given that the one thing I love more than staring at a large screen with mouse in hand is heading over to the States to catch my beloved Red Sox in action, you’d think it’d be the only game I need. At least until OotP 14 comes out.

But you’d be wrong.

You see: I’ve never played OotP 13. Or 12. Or even 11. I won’t even download the demos. Because instead of enjoying its wonderfully authentic (yet still totally virtual) world of AVGs and OBPs and VORPs, it would only leave me wallowing in a fog of heartbreak.

Let me elaborate. My first real dalliance with OotP came in early 2008, when I picked up that year’s edition (8, if you’re keeping score) on the recommendation of a fellow gamer-cum-US-sports-addict. For weeks, I was hooked, lost in a world where I could correct every silly Red Sox management decision, and go after the MLB players I’d always dreamed of seeing in the Boston-based team’s famous white uniform.



I filled an entire notepad drawing up strategies for youth players to target, and plotting out my minor league organisations, spending nearly as much time on my virtual team as real-life coach Terry Francona did on his. It was one my finest summers: making excuses to escape the pub so I could sit in my flat with the windows open and set my boys on the road to sporting greatness.

Bear in mind a baseball season lasts 162 games, so even in this virtual world, it took me months to plough through that first campaign. But all those hours ended in crushing disappointment. My Sox made the World Series, but lost pathetically to the New York Mets. After all that effort, I was crestfallen, and my interest in the game waned as the rest of the year went by. I prepared to start afresh with a new team in OotP 9.

The follow-up duly purchased, I immediately tried to apply everything I’d learned the previous year to a new team, the Oakland Raiders. But my heart just wasn’t in it. The clean, crisp blue-and-white interface seemed almost too slick – I’d gradually learned to love clunking my way around OotP’s ugly, awkward menus, and missed their unsightly green backgrounds, brown menu bars and basic white fonts. Sure, they looked Spartan, but those were the colours I associated with baseball, and I wanted them back, dammit.



Most of all I missed my virtual Sox. And so, writing off almost £30 two days after I’d bought the game, I ditched all hopes of forming a successful marriage with OotP 9 and instead returned to my old flame. And I’ve never once regretted it. I’ve made eyes at the newer editions every year since, but despite their suggestive winks back in my direction, I’ve managed to avoid being tempted away by their wares.

The real madness is that any suggestion of my team mirroring reality on the virtual turf – which is why people play games like Football Manager and OotP in the first place – disappeared long ago. The Sox’s best player in real life, second baseman Dustin Pedroia, is a fumbling, powerless clown in my OotP 8 game. Yet I still wheel him out day after day, because I can’t bring myself to release one of the real team’s heroes.

My star players in the virtual world, names like Jason Bay and Jeremy Hermida, have long since had their best days in the real sport. And I’ve become attached to new, fictional stars from the draft classes the game self-generates every year, like the incredibly monickered Tony Bustamente: a name like a GTA villain, and fastball that’s just as deadly.

I know OotP is going to continue to evolve and improve. But in my head, Bay and Hermida are as vital a part of playing it as that archaic interface and no-frills colour scheme. Four years on, I still haven’t won that World Series I spent an entire summer striving for. So while the new games are almost certainly an ardent fans’ wildest fantasy, I still prefer to dream of finally achieving the highest accolade in a game released more than four years ago. With Tony B throwing the final out, naturally.
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