PC Features

Section 8: Prejudice Preview

Section 8 was a bit of a missed gem of 2009 to me. It was a solid objective-based FPS with some really cool new mechanics that hadn’t been seen before. Prior to this, Timegate wasn’t really a big name in the gaming industry, sure they had released the Kohan RTS games and some F.E.A.R. expansions but Section 8 could be seen as their play for the Science Fiction FPS market that Halo was exiting. The sequel Section 8: Prejudicelooks to build upon those fun mechanics of the original but is also going to add truckloads more content and slice the price of the game down to $15.

RAGE Preview

At first glance, id Software’s RAGE appears to follow in the
visual style of Borderlands, with a
post-apocalyptic setting ravaged by raiders and small hamlets barricaded with
corrugated metal and junk. However, where Borderlands fell short in
terms of depth, it quickly becomes clear that RAGE has much more in
mind. Visually on par with any contemporary title and free of stylistic conceits, RAGE
comes across as a gritty and dark shooter set in a fictional earth dotted with
ruins; the land’s many denizens having developed a variety of factions to replace
those destroyed in the cataclysm.

Brink Preview

The first FPS games like DOOM and QUAKE didn’t just prove that shooting things in first person was fun, they also proved that shooting your mates in first person was fun. FPS games on the PC grew in popularity thanks to their multiplayer deathmatch modes which quickly became staples at LAN parties. Multiplayer in console FPS games experienced a similiar spike in prominence with the release of Goldeneye 64.  Since then FPS games have been moving more and more towards bigger and better multiplayer modes. Brink is the next step in this move to focusing on multiplayer.

Hunted: The Demon’s Forge Preview

Hunted: The Demon’s Forge is a classic dungeon crawler title that emphasizes in-depth cooperative play, and is interpreted through a more contemporary third person perspective, in the vein of titles like Gears of War. Developed by inXile Entertainment and published by Bethesda Softworks, Hunted seeks to portray a beautifully rendered world punctuated by fast action and cinematic style. Not is all well in the world of Kala Moor. Monsters have emerged from the underground darkness, demonic taint has begun to infect the landscape, and innocents have been taken for surely foul purposes. As either E’Lara or Caddoc, two mercenaries contracted to discover the source of the corruption; players must venture forth and crush any resistance along the way. Like many hack ‘n’ slash titles, Hunted puts a massive amount of importance on the value of teamwork.

RAGE Preview

id Software was once a huge name in the video game industry but in recent years they have been more of a dormant volcano, working away at DOOM 4 and RAGE since before a certain modern military infantry simulator managed to dominate the industry.  RAGE is the first new game franchise from id in over a decade and it is going to be an open-world first person shooter set in a post apocalyptic land not unlike Borderlands and Fallout.

Can’t Wait For Portal 2? Try These Games Instead

I know how you feel.  I’m dying to get my mitts on the new Portal game just as much as anyone, but I can wait out the coming days until its release because I planned ahead and stocked on some methadone to control my cravings.  And when I say methadone, I mean PC games that sorta remind me of the Portal series.  If you’re having trouble making it through the remaining torturous hours until Portal 2 goes live on your Steam account, then check out some of these shooter/ puzzle hybrids.

Portal 2 Preview 2

A Day At iFest

Independent games development is a big thing right now and it’s no bigger than when it’s being shown at indie festivals like IGF or the recent iFest in Sydney.  iFest was a festival that featured some of the biggest Australian independent games developers.

Deus Ex Human Revolution Preview

Eidos’ Deus Ex was an amazingly
innovative experience, one of the first titles to attempt providing multiple
solutions to a given problem. It took this core design feature and applied it
to a world-spanning, conspiracy-laden near-future dripping with character and
lore. Its sequel, Invisible War, was less than stellar,
with a great amount of simplification crippling the complexity of problems and
storyline. All was thought lost, until a light appeared upon the dawn in the
form of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. A prequel that
explores the beginnings of how human augmentation began, HR
is gunning for a total quality reboot and a return to its grittier and complex
roots.

BioShock Infinite – Preview

I have a shameful confession.  I loved BioShock 2.  I also adored the first BioShock, but many fans of the first game didn’t care for the sequel, which was developed by a separate studio.  Some people think of the upcoming BioShock Infinite as the “True Sequel.”  Despite my affinity for Rapture and both games set in it, I am still as excited as anyone about Irrational Games’ next BioShock, even if Rapture is being left far below.