PC Gamer

Among The Sleep now among the Kickstarter funded

Among The Sleep has just been funded on Kickstarter, meaning it can begin its long crawl (you know, because it stars a two-year-old) to release. The exciting horror game managed to rake in nearly $50,000 over its $200,000 target, fulfilling most of its stretch goals along the way. You’ll be happy to hear that the game will feature “a proper implementation” of Oculus Rift, along with a commentary track and, er, ice cream for each member of the team. That last one isn’t so much a game feature as it is a tasty dairy treat. While we wait for Among The Sleep to wake up later this year, have a play of the alpha version, or read up on the many, many things we’ve said about the game.

WildStar’s second phase of closed beta is no longer region-locked

And thank your stars for that—dungeon-plundering and interior design should be available to everybody. While the first phase of closed beta was primarily US players, WildStar’s now choosing not to discriminate based on geographical location for choosing the second round of beta participants. The lucky ones in will get to play a new faction, aim for a slightly higher level cap of 30, and try out new features like “Mentoring.” Take a look inside for the lowdown.

Support for original Guild Wars goes automated, as ArenaNet focus on its sequel

In a move that can only lead to a Skynet-style machine takeover of the world of Tyria, development and manned support for the original Guild Wars has (largely) come to an end. Bug fixes and regular tournaments will continue, but these will be scheduled and maintained through automation, possibly by a single blinking LED light in the heart of ArenaNet’s server room. If you’re worried that this might mean an imminent end for the eight-year-old game, fear not, as the team hope that this self-sustaining move will “keep Guild Wars running in the years to come.”

Reinstall – Planescape: Torment

Reinstall invites you to join us in revisiting classics of PC gaming days gone by. This week, Richard Cobbett delves into the questions of human nature while beating up monsters in Planescape: Torment.

Most RPGs give you a quest. Torment gives you a question: “What can change the nature of a man?” It’s not a riddle. It’s not a puzzle. It’s simply the first hint that you’re about to embark on the smartest, most philosophical quest of your life.

Torment is the story of The Nameless One, a grey, scarred immortal who wakes up with amnesia on a mortuary slab in the middle of a filthy city built on filth, fear and backstabbing. With the help of a cheerful, slightly perverted skull called Morte, he soon discovers that he’s an immortal trapped in an endless cycle of death and rebirth.

Mod of the Week: RikMuld’s Camping Mod, for Minecraft

The days in Minecraft seem so short, the nights so very long. Who hasn’t been out exploring, lost their bearings, and realized, as the sky grows dark, that they’ll have to dig a hasty hole and spend the night in it? RikMuld’s Camping Mod is here to make those long nights bearable, by adding recipes to craft tents, sleeping bags, camping tools, roaring campfires, and even marshmallows for toasting, to make the groaning zombies, hissing spiders, and exploding creepers a bit easier to bear.

Saturday Video Crapshoot: Police Quest 1, 2, 3

You have the right to watch this retrospective. You do not have to laugh, but any sniggers or guilty smirks may be taken and used against you. If you do not have a sense of humour, one may be provided. Everything else will assume the TV show “Castle” is an accurate depiction of police procedure.

The Swapper clones itself to Steam May 30th, celebrates with a clayful new trailer

You remember The Swapper, right? For beneath that rather bland name lies a gorgeous handmade science-fiction platformer in which you have the power to make clones of yourself. Rather than using them to do chores or carry him aloft like a war hero, Swapper Guy uses them to solve puzzles, admittedly in one of the most striking, atmospheric indie games of recent years. Head here for a reminder, then stick around for a very Promethean trailer – oh and the news that it’s heading to Steam on May 30th.

Surrealist stealth game Tangiers will let you collect conversations, hurl them at enemies

I don’t know where Tangiers has been hiding, but I’m glad it’s finally emerged from the shadows of its stark industrial environment to show off its first teaser trailer, because it’s a doozy. Inspired by literature (William Burroughs, JG Ballard), art (the DADA movement) and music (Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire) as much as Thief, Andalusian Games’ abstract, surrealist stealth game has the artistic ambition to match its beautiful fractured world. According to the Facebook page, that world will literally change depending on how you play – “play disruptively and the world fractures, deforms”. You will also be able to acquire “discarded conversations, hurling worlds down the street to distract your enemies, to give you a split second to slip past.” I’ve hurled some words, and that trailer, beneath the break.

Thief preview: Garrett returns to a city of voyeurism and detail, power and character

“I heard it’s like stroking a turtle!” There are probably lots of reasons for not listing a crass line of NPC dialogue as your favourite part of any game, let alone the much-anticipated return of a classic. Still, this is my favourite thing about the new Thief. Partly because it sounds rude, which always goes over well, but also because it captures the spirit of the old games in a way that a thousand hissing water arrows never could – a snatch of conversation caught while cosily enveloped in shadow, the sense of a busy, oblivious world playing out in the light. It’s about voyeurism and detail, power and character, and it’s a big part of why Thief currently looks like an assured reinvention of a fiercely guarded series.

The Free Webgame Round-Up

Just as death is an inevitable part of life, having your house smashed up is an inevitable part of home ownership – or it is in the therapeutic Destroy Your Home, at least. This week’s round-up is also dedicated to an aristocratic jerk who murdered your entire family, a small square haunted by his past, and a Pop Tart. Indie games, everybody.