F1 2011 trailer details 16 player races and co-op championship mode
A new dev diary for F1 2011 details some of the improvements we can expect from the Formula One sequel. Improved multiplayer is going to be a big focus, with 16 player online multiplayer support and a new co-op championship mode. The full roster of drivers, teams and manufacturers will be updated for the next Formula One season, and the game will also include the new Indian Grand Prix. We’ll be making racing cars go “nyyeeaaaaaoowwww” when the game comes out on September 23 this year.
Chromebooks arrive in the UK; are they useful for PC gamers on the move?
Before you ask, no it can’t play Crysis 2. But the fact that Samsung’s Series 5 laptop went on sale in the UK today is still significant news. For it’s the first machine to run Google’s Chrome operating system, and a glimpse into the future.
Overseas readers may be aware that the Chromebook has been available in the US for just over a week now, and Google says that it’s already pleased with sales figures – although exactly what that means we’ll have to wait a bit longer to tell. For those who aren’t familiar with the concept, Chrome OS looks remarkably like the Chrome web browser, and for all intents and purposes the Samsung Series 9 is little more than a screen onto the web.
And in other PC gaming news…
Team Fortress 2 is free! That’s the big news of the day with a big update and Meet the Medic into the bargain Valve have even managed to do what we once thought impossible and overtake Counter Strike in the Steam most played list. We’ll certainly be playing over the weekend. If you haven’t played before then check out our beginner’s guide.
A roundup of the rest of today’s news lies within.
Team Fortress 2 overtakes Counter-Strike to take Steam most-played top spot
For the first time in as long as we can remember, Counter-Strike has been knocked off the top spot on the Steam most-played list. Team Fortress 2 has stolen the crown. That means that overnight, TF2 has leapt from a top ten position to the very top, gaining tens of thousands of players in the process
It’s a resounding indication of the success of TF2′s move to free-to-play. Counter-Strike is routinely the most played game on Steam, often boasting twice the number of players of its nearest rivals. For a four-year-old online shooter to suddenly leapfrog the Counter-Strike is a big deal.
Unclaimed prizes EU mega-giveaway
As those who pay attention to This Week’s Winners will know, people don’t always claim the prizes we give away. Surprisingly often people win something with a witty comment but never tell us where they live so we can mail it to them. Well we gave them a fair chance, now we’re giving away all prizes that have remained unclaimed for more than four weeks.
Click through for a list of prizes and a question.
Yogscast try out Minecraft’s quirkiest mod maps
The Yogscast is a series of youtube videos in which adventurers Lewis and Simon, aka Xephos and Honeydew, play through a game of their choice, narrating their adventures as they go. They’ve gained remarkable success with their adventures in World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm, and are well into a lengthy Minecraft survival series.
Most recently, however, they’ve taken a break from their survival campaign to play through a number of Minecraft mods recommended by members of the Yogcast forums. The brilliant Lost map shown above is just one of a selection that also includes a visit to the starship Enterprise, and a journey through a world of floating planets. The Yogscast team provide funny and playful introductions to some of Minecraft’s most spectacular undiscovered maps.
You can find all of their videos on the Yogscast youtube channel. For more Minecraft mods, check out our pick of ten of the best.
Bioware’s Neverwinter Nights forums hacked, passwords and phone numbers compromised
Another day. Another hack. Bioware’s Neverwinter Nights forums have been hit by “a highly sophisticated and unlawful cyber attack.” According to Bioware, “user names, encrypted passwords, email addresses, mailing addresses, names, phone numbers, CD keys and birth dates” have been compromised. Sensitive information like credit card details and social security numbers were not affected by the breach.
Bioshock Infinite trailer shows Elizabeth’s inter-dimensional superpowers
The latest Bioshock Infinite developer diary has Ken Levine discussing the ghostly tears in reality that can be found throughout Columbia. The theory is that there are hundreds of alternative, parallel versions of the floating city, each with its own slight differences. Your companion, Elizabeth, can use tears in reality to reach into these parallel universes and pull objects into your world. In fights you can ask her to materialise any one of a number of different tears, giving you extra cover, a helpful turret, or even a mob of friendly fighters.
In the last clip, we see that Elizabeth has the power to revive the dead, and change reality completely if she wills hard enough. It’s a considerable step up from the occasional apparitions that would appear in the underwater city of Rapture in the first game. For more on Bioshock Infinite, check out the previous dev diary showcasing Columbia’s Sky-line firefights, or read our E3 impressions.
This week’s winners
Surprise! This week’s winners is back! Yes I know we didn’t run any competitions last week but we went ahead and found some more for you anyway, but we just love giving away free stuff.
Check inside to see if you won.
Saints Row: The Third trailer has seven minutes of in-game madness
It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment the Saints Row: The Third trailer descends into insanity. Is it the moment he leapfrogs and face-punches a pedestrian? Is it the moment he equips Apoco-fists and hits a man so hard he explodes? Is it the moment he calls in a cluster-bomb air-strike on a lingering street gang, or is it the bit where he finds a VTOL jet parked in an alleyway, armed with homing missiles and a microwave beam? The in-game footage is much more exciting than the carefully prepared CG trailer, and somehow more bonkers than even the latest Saints Row: The Third screenshots led us to believe. Saints Row: The Third is due to come out on November 15 this year.
Team Fortress 2 Über Update: Meet the Medic
Between the update nearing release and the free-to-play announcement, it’s TF2 mania on Steam! The servers are currently getting hammered, so watch this while you wait.
BREAKING: Team Fortress 2 is now free to play “forever”
Industry trade website Develop-Online has revealed in an interview with Valve’s Robin Walker that Team Fortress 2 is now permanently free to play, and will solely be supported by in-game item purchases.
TF2′s switch to F2P was rumored and expected, but perhaps not this soon. Walker says that Valve had been exploring the idea since September 2010. “We’ve been toying with the idea of making Team Fortress free-to-play ever since the Mann-conomy update,” Walker said. “The data we got back from that update leads us to believe that TF2 would be more successful as a completely free product.” Read the rest of the interview with Walker at Develop-Online.
Prior to today, Team Fortress 2 was in the middle of a “free week.” The game’s Über Update should deploy later this evening.
Exclusive look at Rift’s newest Companion Pets
Rift’s 1.3 update, the Waves of Madness, brings plenty of exciting additions to the world of Telara. Beyond the obviously awesome inclusion of new quests and Item Sets, there are also two new Companion Pets that can be earned. We have exclusive images of the delicious-looking critters below! Err, wait, we meant adorable. Yes, adorable. We don’t want to eat them at all.
The Killing Floor Summer Sideshow Event—free update brings new map, trailer
The zombiesmiths (okay, okay, technically they’re experimented-on freaks) at Tripwire are releasing another free update for Killing Floor, their co-op survival-’em-up FPS. The Summer Sideshow Event, due June 30, will add new map The Abusement Park, more achievements, and an unlockable character skin. Additional skins for KF’s seven classes will be available as a $1.99 DLC pack. Read more on the KF website.
I’d like to extend these words to my mortal nemesis, cymbal monkey, who will have a horrific cameo in the update: your reign of percussive terror ends here.
Giveaway: Become one of The Chosen with a closed beta key!
Update: The winners have been Chosen! (See what I did there?) If you’re one of the lucky winners, you’ll be receiving your key shortly. Thanks to everyone who entered!
Need more Asian spice in your MMO palate? Allow me to direct your attention to The Chosen, a free-to-play MMO that’s been ported from China to the states by Snail Games. Now, admittedly, I know next to nothing about this game—but I’m a sucker for stories set in the turbulent Three Kingdoms period, and the Diablo-esque action looks to be right up my alley. Want to know how you can be one of the first to play The Chosen with access to the closed beta? Read on to find out how you too can become a true Dynasty warrior.
