Smash+Grab [official site], the new crime ’em up from Sleeping Dogs developers United Front Games, is now out in early access. It’s team-based futuresports about gangs smashing up shops and stealing stuff while interrupting the other team’s efforts with a bit of a kicking. A bit like Sleeping Dogs, it’s big on melee combat with grapples, counters, and whatnot. Smash+Grab actually came out last week but evidently I missed it because that name makes no impact at all.

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Oye! Ghost Recon Wildlands [official site] has a new 12-minute trailer showing off a stealthy night-time mission. We last saw Ubisoft s latest Clancy-em-up at E3 when they went through the same level during the daytime in a slightly louder and more explosive manner. I am happy to report that this one is much quieter. And by that I mean there is no phony banter and combat chatter between the players. Only a nice man with a nice voice explaining things as the team goes about their silent killing spree. Come watch it and nod approvingly.

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Every Monday we send Brendan to the far-flung reaches of the early access galaxy. And sometimes we even receive a report back. This week he finds himself stranded on a stormy, alien-infested planet in Osiris: New Dawn [official site].

I have survived many things the dinosaurs of ARK, the mad men of Rust, a degeneration of the self in DayZ. This makes me perfectly suited to colonise and thrive on the dusty, Mars-like planet of Proteus 2 the only map of this new survival game. I crash-land on the planet, patch my suit up with duct tape and set off for the great unknown. I reach a huge crater and peer in what riches will I find here? What wonderful discoveries? Oh, look, a giant worm has leapt out of the ground. I have discovered a giant worm. Also, I have been eaten.

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Our Adam raves about the Out of the Park Baseball series but apparently we’ve not even mentioned its makers’ iced hockey series. Franchise Hockey Manager 3 [official site] will be coming on October 17, creators OOTP Developments have announced, and for the first time it’ll have an official NHL license.

This means virtual managers will get to play as proper National Iced Hockey League teams with their correct logos, uniforms and all that, as well as lift the Stanley Cup [a trophy named after Stan L’Hockey, the chap who invented the sport while trying to retrieve his dropped dentures from a frozen pond with a branch -sports ed.]>.

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if(desire_to_program > 10)    continue;else    return;

When I tell people I’m a programmer, I get that look. The glazed eyes, the polite smile, the clear desire to change topic. If I’m lucky, I’ll get pitched on an idea for the next killer mobile app that my conversation partner insists will make us rich; if I’m less lucky, I’ll get wrangled into providing free tech support for the rest of my life. The thing is, though, as impossible as it might sound, programming can be more fun than people realise. Fun enough to warrant its own video game genre, even.

Just how educational are these games, though? Is it really possible to become a programmer by playing games? I dug through Steam and came away with three promising candidates. Let’s take a look at them, and see whether they can really teach you skills to pay the bills.

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A quote which stuck with me from GDC was Torn Banner’s studio president saying he wanted the magic spells in Mirage: Arcane Warfare [official site] to feel like “throwing bricks at people s heads” and not like using pixie dust. A significant part of creating that difference will lie in how the Chivalry spiritual successor uses art and animation so I’ve asked members of the art team to explain how that works as well getting bonus insights into how the aesthetic of the game works more generally.

Weighing in on the discussion are Darin Walsh (UI and effects artist), Brandon Phoenix (technical artist), Jason Lavoie (environmental artist) and Dylan Brady (character artist). Nearly all of the images have larger versions so just click on them for a closer look.

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Good news: it seems we will get to surf the GeoCitylicious future-Internet of Hypnospace Outlaw [official site]. Dropsy developer Jay Tholen’s Kickstarter for his new game has passed its goal, see.

Hopeful news: the icing on the cybercake would be hitting a stretch goal to recruit the musical talents of Hot Dad. I’ve got it bad for Hot Dad. For three chuffing weeks, several of Hot Dad’s fake TV theme songs, corporate anthems, and political cheers have been stuck in my head. They’re the worst and most wonderful earworms and I would be so happy to hear him in Hypnospace.

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There was a Buffy The Vampire Slayer game on the first Xbox, for our sins. I can remember playing it, hating it, then hating myself for having been suckered. It was hack and slash and jump and collect, of course: all license and no trousers. Slayer Shock [official site] too is hack and slash and jump and collect, but more than a decade later it’s got the hindsight to appreciate why we loved the Scoobies. … [visit site to read more]

As much as I think the current wave of VR is a fad, mate, even I wouldn’t down turn waving my hands as two giant ridiculous guns in Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope [official site]. Well, I wouldn’t if cybergoggles worked properly with my eyes. Anyway! Point is: the virtual reality spin-off from Croteam’s silly FPS series is coming to Steam Early Access on October 17th, publishers Devolver Digital announced today. That’s a bit later than its planned summer launch but hey, you’ll get to wave your cannonhands, yeah? Focus on what’s important.

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Have You Played? is an endless stream of game retrospectives. One a day, every day of the year, perhaps for all time.>

When I first played Gangsters: Organized Crime [Wikipedia page] in the late 90s I didn t really play strategy games. This one predated The Sopranos, so my grasp of epic gangster stories stemmed from Scarface, Once Upon A Time in America and The Godfather trilogy – all of which weaved deep and intricate tales over the course of just a few hours.

Gangsters: Organized Crime taught me that out you can t assassinate a mayor on your first day on the job.

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