There is a new Torment game in development. In the year 2013. Isn’t that mad? My heart does a kind of fluttery thing every time I think about it – like butterfly or a potentially fatal circulatory condition. But at the same time, it’s a fact that’s shockingly easy to forget about. Wasteland 2 is currently siphoning away most of inXile’s attention, so mum’s been the word out of Torment: Tides of Numenerararara‘s twisted dimension. Me being the FEARLESS journalist that I am, however, I bravely got invited to inXile and – throwing caution to the wind – asked questions during my scheduled interview with studio head Brian Fargo and Torment lead Kevin Saunders. They answered every last one, probably out of fear. >

Find out about the most recent developments in Torment’s story, writing, combat, very unique death mechanics, weirdness, and tons more after the break. We also end the interview by discussing the impending doom of reading and writing. It’s cheery stuff!>

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Hello there, you are on the Internet. Assuming this is not your first time ever diving into this brave, wacky experiment that’s been a cornerstone of human society for the past 15 years, you are almost certainly aware of two things: 1) Porn. 2) A screenshot of an alleged Valve change log that recently leaked, more or less revealing the existence of Left 4 Dead 3 and Source Engine 2. I decided to get in touch with a few sources (hah, I guess) close to Valve for verification and a few scant details.

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What promise of gaming’s future has failed to materialise for you? What was the most exciting feature that’s only been half thought out, or tried once and then abandoned? For me, it’s multiplayer shooters levels with dynamic elements. Left 4 Dead 2 was supposed to feel like you were crawling over different routes depending on the difficulty selection, but what it amounted to was the player being squeezed a few steps in one direction or another. Will Payday 2 be the first game to successfully pull it off? I have the beta, but I’ve not had enough time with it to find out. However, the new trailer claims your decisions will affect one playthrough to the next, perhaps even selecting a different map for to play on. If that happens, I’ll be one fun lovin’ criminal. (more…)

Welcome to Space Gamers Anonymous, my now regularly scheduled meeting for every RPS writer who can’t stop posting about space games. I just checked and I am present so the meeting can move on. The point of today’s meeting is to accuse me, Craig, of finding another space game when I’ve already posted about a zillion of them. Well, what do I have to say for myself? That Wayward Terran Frontier is a bit like a cross between FTL and Gratutious Space Battles, where you design your own ship and take into space. I go on to say that you can hop from the outside, where the battle is blasting away bits of your hull, to the inside to see the damage being taken. And that maybe a few RPS readers might like to see it in action and play the alpha? Well, that seems perfectly reasonable. Well done to me. Meeting adjourned. (more…)

I already sort of consider Arma 3 to be out, but I’ve sunk 40 hours into the alpha/beta/whatever, so that’s skewed my view of it. To me, it’s out, even if there’s more to come. To Bohemia, the real launch will happen sometime in September. This will bring with it the full island of Altis, with 12 showcases and 3 faction showcases, 10 challenges, 9 multiplayer scenarios, but it won’t bring the single-player campaign. That’s been delayed, and will be episodically delivered. The first episode, Survive, will be out within four weeks of the initial release. The following two sections arrive in the following months. (more…)

Like a faster-paced Twister that only involves hands rather than entire bodies, Battle Type is the perfect way to do a digit dance with somebody close to you, or to challenge a nemesis to a knuckle-knocking bout of severe violence. As in The Typing of the Dead, all violence in Battle Type is committed by correctly spelling words as they appear on the screen, but there is a twist. Using one keyboard, Battle Type allows two players to compete, attempting to complete the word on their own side of the screen before time runs out. Speed and territorial dominance are necessary. The game is free and has a generous amount of polish. Also beavers. Lots of beavers.

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It’s time for another grand QuakeCon tradition! Ever since the paleo cretacean era of 2008, I’ve asked id Software the same question once a year: “So, where’s Doom 4?” Then we have a quick, largely insubstantial discussion about something else entirely. Eventually, however, my dogged determination to mention Doom 4 at least three times per sentence and occasionally roll my eyes back and just start screaming its name prevails, and my reward is a few tasty, tasty tidbits. Here’s this year’s conversation, preserved in that most immortal of fossilized tree saps: language.>

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Paradox have uploaded a brief highlight reel from their recent broadcast, in which the save game converter for Europa Universalis IV and Crusader Kings II was discussed. The hosts are Paradox Development Studio manager Johan Andersson and Crusader Kings II lead Henrik Fahraeus, and at one point they fight, Henrik wielding a sword and Johan a lightsaber. These are serious men discussing serious business. The most important piece of information, which I’d missed when reading comments about the feed, is that CK II games can be imported, updating to the correct period, no matter what position they are saved at. For example, save in 1100 and EU IV will automatically advance that game to the fifteenth century and begin. Lots more and a full breakdown of post-release prices for preorder bonuses below.

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You might have heard of StarMade. It is the latest of Minecraft tribute games, this time set in space. I spent the weekend tooling around with it, trying to find its secret sauce. I have to say I’m quite impressed: it’s not quite the blocky Elite I’d hoped, because there are no missions and Newton is looking at the space physics and crying. But it does have a sense of space adventure, which is something I’ve been longing for lately. I can just hop in a lumpy ship and fly off to poke around the universe without worrying about fuel, food, or even finding my way home. What’s out there? Pirates, planets, and plunder. The game’s currently free, and Multiplay has given RPS a 64-player server. Who wants to play? (more…)

It seems like years have passed since I played an early version of Catapult For Hire but the fond memories haven’t faded. While it is> an artillery game, this one stands out from the rest by containing a huge single player adventure with a varied series of tasks to complete. You’ll use the catapult to destroy buildings, which break apart beautifully, you’ll fight giant monsters, search for treasure and, occasionally, go fishing. It’s important to realise that all of these things are achieved using different ammo types. Rather than grabbing a fishing rod, you will shoot at the water to catch fish, working out the correct angle and power, and items can be collected using remote drones, which land, scoop up and are then steered back to the stash. There’s a full breakdown of the mechanics in the video below.

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