And in other PC gaming news…
While we applaud DICE designer Christina Coffin’s DLC suggestion, we do have some important questions: Will T-Rexes be available in all regions? Are they included on the disc? Will non pre-orderers get to unlock T-Rexes?
Check inside for real PC gaming news.
Magicka Dev Diary: PvP is here!
After weeks of waiting in anticipation, Magicka PvP has finally arrived. Now you can prove your wicked wizard skills by pummeling your friends and enemies alike with the power of the elements. Following last week’s entry, the Arrowhead devs are back to thank the dedicated Magicka fans and explain some retuned spell mechanics. Whether you’re about to go try some Magicka PvP or just got out of a match, you should definitely check this out.
Call to Arms: League of Legends’ Tristana [come play with us!]
We periodically host Call to Arms events that rally the entire PC Gamer community behind a single MOBA character for a full week of sweet, sweet gaming bliss. Our goal is to have fun and put our collective heads together to develop a community strategy guide for that particular character. This week, we’re making it super accessible by choosing League of Legends’ Tristana, who’s free to play this week. Join us, and share in the glory by downloading League of Legend’s client for free here.
Tristana – The Megling Gunner
Rocket-jumping is a time-honored, well-loved PC gaming tradition. For years, we’ve launched ourselves to the heavens with a fiery explosion and fired rockets mid-air at unsuspecting enemies during its sacred ritual. Enemies stand in awe as we rain death upon them from on high. Whether you mastered the skill in Quake or struggled with the timing as a Soldier in Team Fortress 2, now is your time to shine! Rocket-jumping isn’t just for FPSes anymore–you can find that same addictive joy in League of Legends.
Duke Nukem demo out now on Steam
Following an earlier announcement on the 2K Games forums, the Duke Nukem Forever demo is available to download now on Steam. You an get our verdict on the Duke’s latest, long overdue outing in our Duke Nukem Forever review. Earlier today we mentioned that Take Two recently said that they’re not done with the Duke just yet, suggesting that there might well be more Duke games in the pipeline. Let us know your thoughts on the game in the comments below.
Lego Universe free-to-play out in August
The LEGO group have announced that they will release a free-to-play version of the block-building MMO in August, giving players free and unlimited access to two “adventure zones.” Players will have to pay a monthly subscription fee to get access to the whole game, but for now Lego Universe will remain free of micro-transactions.
Red Orchestra 2 release date, price announced
Roswell, GA-based independent developer Tripwire Interactive has marked the calendar. Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad will release on August 30, 2011 worldwide. It’ll also retail at a surprising price: $39.99 in the US.
Late August positions RO2 several weeks outside the shadow of Battlefield 3 (October 25) and Modern Warfare 3 (November 8). Read my excited hands-on with the game here.
Want to be a world class overclocker?
Fancy yourself as a world champion overclocker but can’t afford a fridge for your liquid nitrogen? You may still be able to see your name in lights. The curator of world rankings for hardcore overclockers, HWBot, had a makeover earlier this month, and the changes to the site should give everyone an equal chance to get on the leaderboard.
GRID PC servers saved by GameRanger
Yesterday we mentioned that Codemasters had closed down multiplayer servers for racing game, GRID. Today, Eurogamer bring news that GRID online will live on with the support of Australian company, GameRanger. Hooray!
PC players who want to race friends online will have to download the GameRanger client, which offers friends lists, instant messaging and leaderboard support. Codemasters are still supporting Xbox 360 players, so it’s a happy ending for everyone. Apart from Playstation 3 gamers. They’re screwed. Perhaps they should put down their controllers and join us online?
City of Heroes: Freedom screens and details
As we reported earlier on today, City of Heroes is going free to play later this year. It will also be releasing its issue 21 update, described by producer Brian Clayton as: “Some of the best content we’ve introduced into the game.”
Details and screens of the new areas are within.
Lulzsec suspect arrested in joint Scotland Yard and FBI investigation
The suspected ringleader of Lulzsec has been arrested in a joint operation between Scotland Yard and the FBI. The 19 year old Brit is accused of masterminding the recent spate of cyber-attacks on CIA.gov and a number of games company sites, including Nintendo, Minecraft and Eve Online.
The teenager was apprehended at his home in Wickford, Essex, in a joint operation that could see the suspect extradited to America to face charges, reports Sky News.
Update: Lulzsec have tweeted in response to the arrest, saying “seems the glorious leader of LulzSec got arrested, it’s all over now… wait… we’re all still here! Which poor bastard did they take down?” The suspect has been named by the press as Ryan Cleary, and is thought to be an ex-member of notorious hacking organisation, Anonymous.
City of Heroes goes free-to-play
Veteran MMO City of Heroes has announced that it will move to a free to play model later this year, coinciding with their Issue 21 update. The new model will see current subscribers known as ‘VIP players’ while others play for free, with micro transactions integrated through an in-game store.
Details within.
1C publishing director slams brick and mortar retailers
1C Company’s Darryl Still has been speaking to CVG about the state of digital distribution. He describes the dichotomy between retailer’s in-store stock levels, and customer’s demand for products as “quite shocking.”
According to the publishing director, the recent growth in digital distribution was inevitable: “I think of it as less a revolution, more a filling of a void. A new government coming in to a territory that has been pretty much ungoverned for the previous few years.”
Bioshock Infinite trailer shows sky-line gun battles
Creative director of Irrational Games, Ken Levine talks us through Bioshock Infinite’s sky-lines in a new dev diary. The sky-lines are golden transport rails that link Columbia’s floating buildings, and can be traversed using sky-hooks. While riding the rails you’ll be able to sky-shoot people with powerful sky-guns from the sky until they are dead. The footage we’ve seen so far has consisted of very scripted sequences, so it’s hard to know how free-form Bioshock Infinite’s sky-line battles will be. Still, the in-game action that is shown looks spectacular. Learn more in the E3 2011 trailer, or have a read of our Bioshock Infinite E3 impressions.
Terraria update trailer shows anti-gravity boots and Hellfire Arrows
He’s walking on the ceiling! He’s got an extendable magic staff! His bow shoots bombs! Demilogic have released a video showing off some of the new items that will land with the upcoming 1.0.5 update for Terraria, and they are fantastic. As well as the obviously brilliant boots, and the all-destroying Hellfire Arrows, there’s a more subtle effect that seems to highlight ore that would ordinarily be hidden in darkness – this could be something to do with the alchemy mentioned in the video title.
In a recent forum post, developers Re-Logic revealed that they would be adding potions in the next update, along with new potions and an improved Guide to help newcomers settle into Terraria’s world a little easier. There’s no release date for the patch yet.
Tropico 4 trailer has tornadoes and tidal waves
Sunny dictator-sim Tropico 4 is out soon, and the latest trailer gives a look at the new natural disasters added for the sequel. Volcanoes, droughts and tornadoes will appear periodically to tear up your towns, which could contain some of the twenty new buildings, including stock exchanges, shopping malls and aqua parks. There have been some additions on the international stage, too, with the addition of new superpowers. Find out more on the Tropico site. The game’s out on August 30.
