The terrible internet presence known as thecatamites, aka Stephen Gillmurphy, has released a new JRPG into the fathoms of the information superabyss. It is called Magic Wand [official site] and you can come and see what it is all about in this representative videographic sample. Those of you wishing to avoid a ruptured narrative should look away now and go straight to the dataload.
Overwatch is getting its own World Cup, we learned last week, and it s got a populist twist. Blizzard told us that when the time came, you would be able to vote for the players in your country s team. Well, that voting process has now started. You can pick four players to represent your nation at BlizzCon in November by logging into Battle.net and going here. Why four and not six? Well, that s because Blizzard are keeping the final two picks to themselves. In fact, when you look closely at the tournament, it looks like Blizzard aren t relinquishing any control over the games at all.
Okay, look. I know you re all off playing No Man s Sky (hell, I m> playing No Man s Sky right now) but if you could just find it in your stupid heart to look at this, you’ll be a happier person for it. You’ll drink, you’ll wear some excellent clothes, and you’ll dance (oh how you’ll dance!) Have you ever danced so hard your body started flailing like a cola-fuelled toddler? And yet, you knew, and everyone around you knew, that this – THIS – was how people truly> dance. Well, that is how you will dance tonight.
With the upcoming release of Underlord (The Artist Formerly Known As Pit Lord) there was more than a smattering of “What next for Dota 2 [official site]? Is that it for the hero roster?” Answering those questions at The International 2016 was Valve’s teaser trailer for new hero Monkey King! The simian sovereign will be coming in an update this autumn/fall called The New Journey. OBSERVE:
Alice is away moonlighting as a chiptune DJ this week, as well as nobly helping to fill her local public swimming pond with cement in order that it might become a skate park. Hence, it falls to me to pose the question eternal. What the dickens are you> going to play this weekend? Pretty sure I can take a good guess, if I’m honest. Here’s what Team RPS is up to. Pretty sure you can take a good guess, if I’m honest. … [visit site to read more]
A remake of cult classic Outcast is still in the works, says the developer of the original. Outcast Second Contact is being released in March next year, despite some troubled years in development. The original game was released way back in 1999 and was generally well-received by critics, while being thoroughly ignored by the unwashed masses. By this, I mean you. I was barely alive in 1999, so don t lay any of that at my doorstep.
This is The Mechanic, where Alex Wiltshire invites developers to discuss the inner workings of their games. This time, RimWorld [official site].
Every player will have stories of their RimWorld colonists. Dramas set amid cabin fever, raider attacks, depressing decor, infected limbs, cannibalism and bloodthirsty local fauna. Personal dramas, tales of threat and victory, of small things and large things, tragedy and comedy. This colony-building game is designed very specifically to generate such stories. But while it feels as if they arise from deep simulation, all watched over by an AI, they re actually the result of something both more powerful and simple. RimWorld tells great stories because it uses:
THE MECHANIC: Apophenia
I say revealed . What I really mean is soon visible to any of the 18 quintillion humans who are currently downloading the game. But I can t fit that in a headline. Anyway, Nvidia has already posted some screens of what settings can be changed in the space exploration adventure, as well as giving the world some snaps of what it looks like in 4k. Come see, it s quite pretty.
Update: We’re hearing that NMS is running choppily across the board, massive framerate drops, staggering on machines way over spec for the game. One patch has already rolled out that has improved generically low framerates, but it seems the Steam reviews have one theme: juddery, jittery play. That’s certainly been my experience so far, and suddenly a weekend of the bizarre motion sickness it’s inducing in me doesn’t seem such a compelling prospect.
Original: No Man s Sky PC is out! After the tortuous four day wait since the game was released on PS4, finally we can sink our claws into the 99.999% of the universe those consolers haven t explored yet.
But can you? Is it working? Can the servers cope? About this, we bring you good news. About how smoothly it’s running, less so.
No Man’s Sky is out now. You can now get the procedural galaxy-’em-up from Steam and Humble. There was no pre-loading for the game available though, so expect Steam’s servers to be slow while everyone starts downloading those 18 quintillion planets.