The third installment of the Battlefield 3 gameplay episodes has been released by DICE and EA. In this episode we follow Sgt. Black as he traces an IED feed wire to what seems to be a quiet basement. This video really shows off some of the details that DICE has been putting into the game, from realistic lighting to destructible environments. When Sgt. Black finally emerges from the depths, we see just what kind of chaos that we will experience in Battlefield 3. Check out the video below!
Okay, this time around it’s a little more humourous, but the truth of the matter is that Gearbox Software has delayed the release of Duke Nukem Forever. Instead of releasing on May 3rd of this year, we will see it just over a month later, on June 14th. Don’t worry folks, the game is still coming out and Gearbox President, Randy Pitchford, has posted a video showing his response to the delay. Check it out below!
The second installment of the Battlefield 3 gameplay series has been released by developer, DICE, and publisher, EA. Titled, “Good Effect on Target”, this two-minute video shows a four-man squad on a rooftop trying to eliminate a 0.50 calibre sniper in an adjacent building. If you missed episode I of the series, you can watch it here. Episode II is embedded below.
Late night talk show wizard, Conan O’Brien, and his long-time boy-toy, Andy Richter, recently partook in a live-action game of the hit mobile video game, Angry Birds. A Scandinavian-laden pre-amble built up to Conan and Andy firing giant-sized blow up bird balloons an unsuspecting, and poorly built, Ikea furniture that was protecting an array of pig-faced balloons. The official video on the Team Coco website has not worked, but a kind soul uploaded the video to YouTube.
Check it out below!
DICE and EA just released the first of a series of gameplay videos from the highly anticipated first-person shooter, Battlefield 3. The video features pre-alpha gameplay footage with stunning visuals and sound design. I would imagine this pre-alpha footage comes from the PC version of the game, but I think we can all be assured that Battlefield 3 will be a visual powerhouse. It was also nice to have a peak at the story line that will be used in BF3 as the lead-in to the footage had the text:
2014.
COALITION FORCES LED BY US MARINES CONTINUE PACIFICATIONS OPERATIONS ALONG THE IRAQI/IRANIAN BORDER TO RESTORE STABILITY TO THE REGION.
Check out the Fault Line Series Episode I: Bad Part of Town below:
The Nine Inch Nails-esque digital interference excites me every time I see and here it! Episode 2 of the Fault Line Series is due out on March 16, 2011 and Battlefield 3 will be coming to PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 this fall.
Mojang, the creators of the hit indie game Minecraft, have just announced, at GDC 2011, their next game – Scrolls. Until today, the Mojang gang have keep the title secret, using only the codename The Game Which Has Not Been Announced Yet. Scrolls, a collectible card game played on the computer (and most likely portable devices, although nothing has been announced yet), has been percolating in the minds of Markus “Notch” Persson and Jakob Porser, the lead designer on the game, for five years and after the success of Minecraft, the time has come to continue development on the game.
Jakob has written a short introduction as to what Scrolls is and why Scrolls is Mojang’s next game. From Scrolls.com:
What is Scrolls?
Scrolls is Mojang’s next game and offers a new and unique game play where you fight to outmaneuver your opponent on the battlefield using the destructive powers in your collection of magical scrolls. Tear your opponent limb from limb with the might of your summoned armies, lay waste to the defenses with the obliterating power of your siege weapons or open up the very skies and let bolts of lightning shower his minions until only ash remains. The road to victory is yours to choose. Obtain the powerful scrolls and decide which ones you will take to battle as you fight to become the mightiest Magician of all.
Why Scrolls?
Five years ago, me and Markus “Notch” Persson started talking about a game we felt was missing in the gaming market. A game we desperately wanted to play, but was unable to as it had not yet been developed. The game we envisioned had elements from the collectible card game genre as well as from traditional board games. It would be a strategic game with a strong foundation in tactical game play but with a touch of random and chance guaranteeing a never ending stream of curve balls. You would control the outcome of battle by creating, modifying and refining your arsenal to overcome the obstacles in your path. The game would challenge you with ever changing content and let you explore the world and cleanse the lands of harm, one monster at the time. It would give you the opportunity to test yourself with your peers by battling other players using a long list of tournament templates ranging from friendly matches to ranked league matches. From quick, small sized tournaments to world championships!
Over these past five years, the list of elements we wanted to see in this game continued to grow to the point were we finally said, “OK. If we are going to have any chance of completing this game, we better get cracking!”. And so we did.
While I have little experience with the collectible card game genre, I am looking forward to following the Mojang team throughout their development of Scrolls. For future information regarding the game, I encourage you to check out Mojang and bookmark the Scrolls website.
UPDATE #1: Gamasutra has posted a great interview with Jakob Porser.
A recent post by Totally Rad Show host, Jeff Cannata, discussing five board games that adults should be playing motivated me to share my favourite board games! Before I get to the games, I’d like to take a moment to discuss what differentiates designer board games from regular board games. Basically, designer board games, also knowns as German-style games in many instances, do not often rely on luck when it comes to declaring a winner and, instead, focus on strategy development. The term, designer, comes in to play as the boxes of such games often focus on the name of the individual that designed the game in addition to the publishing company. Many of the most popular designer board games have been designed by German deisngers, such as Klaus Teuber, hence the German style often used. Now, to my favourite games!
Carcassonne. I have been playing Carcassonne for a good number of years – both the physical board game and on Xbox Live. What particularly appeals to me regarding this game is the accessibility it presents. I greatly enjoy multi-hour gaming sessions, but there is something nice about being able to sit down and play a game of Carcassonne to completion in 15 to 20 minutes. While the game can accommodate up to 5 players, I find it just as fun to be playing against just one other player.
One particular aspect of the game design that I enjoy so much is that the winner of the game is not determined until after all tile placements are complete. You may have a good idea of who will win, but more often than not, balanced scoring can make things very interesting. Couple the number of game expansions with the number of platforms on which to be enjoyed (board, Xbox, iPhone, etc.) and you have a true winner in Carcassonne!
The Settlers of Catan. This was perhaps the first designer board game to gain mainstream appeal throughout the world. It is reported that The Settlers of Catan series has sold over 15 million unites since it was released in 1995. The original game was designed to be enjoyed by 3 or 4 players, but there have since been expansions added to allow up to 6 players at a single time. Settlers, as it is often called, is a game of resource collection, settlement/city/road building relying heavily on strategy.
The game takes longer than Carcassonne to both set up and play, but provides, what I think, is a deeper and more enjoyable experience. Strategy is of utmost importance and, as such, the game has become a popular hit in the world of competitive board game playing. While the game has recently become available on a variety of platforms, it is much more enjoyable to play with a small group of friends that are equally as serious in their play.
While these are two games that I greatly enjoy and own, there still plenty of designer board games that I have yet to play. I am looking forward to adding Puerto Rico, Agricola, and Munchkin to my collection soon.
What is your favourite board game? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
As promised, Bethesda Softworks has released an official trailer of their upcoming epic, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The trailer features gameplay footage of Dragonborn fighting dragons, hunting wildlife, hanging onto the edge of mountains and much more! The visuals are absolutely phenomenal with a very detailed landscapes, exquisite towns and ultra-realistic character models. Check out the trailer below.
The Skyrim website also has a short backstory on what has brought the events of The Elder Scrolls V to fruition:
“The Empire of Tamriel is on the edge. The High King of Skyrim has
been murdered.Alliances form as claims to the throne are made. In the midst of this conflict, a far more dangerous, ancient evil is awakened. Dragons, long lost to the passages of the Elder Scrolls, have returned to Tamriel.
The future of Skyrim, even the Empire itself, hangs in the balance as they wait for the prophesized Dragonborn to come; a hero born with the power of The Voice, and the only one who can stand amongst the dragons.”
The latest installment of The Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim, will be releasing on the epic date of 11.11.11.
UPDATE #1: The ElderScrolls website is now not responding at all. I have been rewatching my downloaded trailer a few times, so it’s a shame I can’t share!
UPDATE #2: YAY! PC Gamer uploaded the trailer to YouTube! Embedded above.
UPDATE #3: The Skyrim site is now responding and has lots of other goodies at which to look.
This. Is. Awesome. After reading a great article about hunting in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, I saw a link to a Skyrim page with a great wallpaper and…a countdown clock! I will be posting my take on the footage later today.
After a rather cryptic teaser trailer, EA and DICE have released a short video featuring gameplay footage for, what should be, one of the biggest games of 2011, Battlefield 3. The architecture and building lettering in the video shows that the game will be at least partially-focused in the Middle East. Not too much else is known regarding the Battlefield 3 storyline, but, like its predecessors, the Battlefield franchise is all about large-scale online multiplayer.
Check out the gameplay footage in the embedded video below and do yourself a favour…turn it up to 1080p and go fullscreen.
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