Crap Shoot: Realms of the Haunting
Richard Cobbett heads out in search of some Halloween chills by breathing new life into one of the quirkiest horror games that almost nobody played, and a ghost story that’s out of this world.
As a self-proclaimed wuss, horror’s never really been my genre. I don’t like jump-scares. I’m squeamish about gore effects. I don’t get any enjoyment from watching people being sliced open. I don’t understand why the world needs so many Saw films, or how the villains have managed to avoid suffering from psychopath’s block. After so many sadistic puzzles, even the cleverest serial killer would be forgiven for just wheeling out a bear-trap and slapping on a Post-It reading “Stick Face Here”.
Despite this, when I think back to the games that deserved a better reception, Realms of the Haunting is one of the first that jumps into my mind. It was amazing. It was terrible. It was clever. It was insane. It merged adventuring and shooting in a way that no other game has ever really tried – including its semi-spiritual sequel Clive Barker’s Undying. It was an exquisitely crafted experience, and one of the sloppiest games ever, all at once. It was beautiful in its chaos, and I loved it, pustular warts and all.
October’s best free PC games
You know what time of year it is, right? It’s almost Halloween. That means it’s almost time for those snotty-nosed little blighters to turn up on our doorsteps, identities disguised, demanding confectionery in exchange for not being squirted in the eye with a water pistol, or something. I think we all know what we need to do: close the curtains, disconnect the doorbell, and settle down to have a blast on the best free games October’s had to offer.
PC Gamer US Podcast 245 – Helicopter Freeman vs. Jet J.C. Denton
This week, on a very special episode of the PC Gamer Podcast…Josh returns from BlizzCon to tell us about Diablo III’s Demon Hunter class. We share our spoiler-free experiences in Fallout: New Vegas (also, how is Dan already on his third playthrough). Evan tells us why Tribes deserves to be remade, and Logan describes the unique anatomical advantages of a civet vis-à-vis coffee.
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood trailer goes to Rome
The latest trailer for Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood is all about Rome, and how you won’t just be assassinating targets when you visit the Italian capital. You’ll also be leading a revolution, rebuilding the city and bringing justice to its cruel leaders.
Golden Joysticks 2010
More than 1.5 million people have voted in this year’s Golden Joysticks, now it’s finally time for the winners to be announced. The Golden Joystick awards 2010 are happening right now in London. Read on for the full list of categories and shortlisted games, and keep your finger near the refresh button, we’ll be updating each category with the winners live as they’re announced.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 patch on the way
The first in a big series of updates to DICE’s frantic team shooter, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, will be landing soon. As well as a couple of minor fixes, DICE are making other alterations based on their experience developing the multiplayer component of Medal of Honor.
Make your own missions in Star Trek Online
Cryptic Studios, creators of City of Heroes and Champions Online, are gearing up to release the Foundry toolset to players of space borne MMO Star Trek Online. The toolset will allow players to create their own missions, and then submit them to a database for the community to rate.
Ken Levine: “If you want to know the future of gaming, buy a PC”
President of Irrational Games and lead designer on Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite spoke out in a recent interview about the virtues of the PC, saying that “the PC will always be the place that drives innovation.”
Torchlight is 1 year old, is super cheap to celebrate
Runic’s excellent fantasy hack ‘em up is having a sale to celebrate being one year old. That’s one year and thousands and thousands of exploded imps, immolated spiders and defeated dragons. If you’ve missed out on the carnage so far, Torchlight’s anniversary sale makes this the perfect time to get involved.
How to get all the new stuff in the Team Fortress 2 Halloween Update
So we’ve had a chance to play around with the new Team Fortress 2 Halloween Update, which adds two maps, lots of hats, a new weapon, and a murderous AI known as the Horseless Headless Horsemann. There’s a lot in it, and the way it works isn’t like any other update, so we’ll explain how to get all the new hats, masks, achievements and the revered Horsemann’s axe.
Free Borderlands update will raise the level cap
The next free update for Borderlands will allow players to fight to level 58. Enemies will also scale to higher levels, meaning more powerful loot for veteran Borderlands players. Read on for the full details on the patch.
Tribes Universe looking for alpha testers
On Monday, of Hi-Rez Studios, the creators of Global Agenda, announced that they’re working on a new Tribes game. Now they’re putting out a call for alpha testers. Read on for details on how to sign up.
“Deathwing doesn’t care what level you are”
Blizzard community manager, Zarhym has been answering questions on exactly how Azeroth will be torn apart in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. Not content with giving straightforward, boring answers, Zarhym plays the part of a doom-saying herald, channeling the will of the apocalyptic dragon, Deathwing. It’s both hilarious and informative.
10 essential Football Manager 2010 mods
The next instalment of Sports Interactive’s monolithic management series is just around the corner, but that doesn’t mean Football Manager 2010 is out of the picture. Since release, the Football Manager community have even set about improving the game with new mods, databases and utilities. We’ve picked out ten of the best. Ever wanted to play in a league containing every single team in the world? Read on for new leagues, coaching tools, photo packs, UI overhauls and much, much more.
Interview: Chris Sigaty talks Starcraft 2 pro strategy
The two-day tornado of Blizzcon has passed. Between feverish blasts of Diablo III and trying not to stare too hard at the Blood Elf cosplay maidens, we got the chance to chat with the delightful Chris Sigaty, StarCraft II’s Producer, about game theory, why the Zerg need a bit of love, and the difference between amateur and professional StarCrafters’ brains. It was most enlightening.
