Congratulations to Stephanie Estby, our big Digital Storm/Valve giveaway winner!
Random.org’s random number generator has smiled upon Stephanie Estby of Oregon, AKA Props. Angel on Steam. She’s been picked as the winner of this dazzling $3,700 Black Ops Hailstorm Edition PC from Digital Storm and a magical Steam code that unlocks every existing Valve game, plus every Valve game Valve will ever release. Congratulations Steph!
This great PC couldn’t have gone to a more worthy gamer. “I’ve been a PC gamer since before PC games had graphics,” Steph says. “I’ve been gaming on PC since Zork, way back in the DOS computing days, and I remember how amazed I was when I could play Dig Dug on my Franklin Ace. Playing video games is my number-one hobby, and I’m fully planning on gaming until I die. I think it’ll be awesome to someday be able to say ‘you just got your butt kicked by a granny’ followed by an aged cackle.”
Dota 2: the tournament so far…
The first day of the $1 million Dota 2 tournament is drawing to a close. The matches that have been streamed live throughout the day have given us our first look at the game, and Valve’s brilliant e-sports spectator features. Here’s a brief overview of how the tournament is progressing so far, with links to the latest replays and results.
World of Warcraft’s transmogrification gives your old redundant armour a new lease of life
All hail transmogrification. In the patch preview and press conference still taking place at GamesCom, Blizzard have just explained what Transmogrification is. And it’s awesome. It’s the ability to take an old piece of armour and imbue it with the stats of a current piece of armour. So, you could take your latest Cataclysm tier pieces, and pass the stats on to an old world piece.
Says Blizzard: “Visiting a Transmogrifier will present players with a new interface that will allow them to change the appearance of an item while retaining its original stats. This means that you can raid in your paladin tier 12 Immolation set, but look like you’re wearing Lightbringer, while priests can bring Benediction back — at least in spirit. Hunters can once again roam the jungles of Stranglethorn Vale in their tier 2 Dragonstalker set. You could even slip into the saucy tailored Black Mageweave set for that matter. You know, with the thigh highs, and the little gloves, and the cute little… ahem.”
Whee!
Batman: Arkham City screenshots are quite ice
Ice jokes leave me cold, but I can’t stop myself. Following the recent Mr. Freeze trailer, Rocksteady have put about seven new screenshots of Arkham City, showing Batman facing off against Victor Fries, and a bonus, completely irrelevant shot of Batman kicking a man in the face while attached to a zipline. Let’s start with that one.
Warface coming to the West in 2012
Crytek’s free to play shooter, Warface was originally destined for the South Korean market. That made us sad, because it’s built using CryEngine 3, and looks rather exciting. Happily, CVG report that Crytek have announced that it will be get a western release next year.
According to the blurb on the Warface section of the official Crytek site, Warface will feature “constantly updated extensive PVE universe full of dramatic multiplayer co-op missions, a full set of class based PVP and will be available for PC.” It’s out in 2012, which means that Crytek have at least four months to think of a better name.
Gabe Newell: “I’ve played Dota 2 for about 800 hours”
At the GamesCom trade show in Cologne today, Owen managed to grab hold of Valve CEO Gabe Newell to ask about their new game: Dota 2. It’s a team-based online game based on a hugely popular community-made game mode for Warcraft 3. Valve debuted their take on it today with a $1,000,000 tournament at the show.
What’s been Gabe’s personal experience of Dota 2? Quite a freaking lot, it turns out. He and the team have been playing it more obsessively than any other game they’ve made.
“I’ve played Dota 2 for about 800 hours. The cool thing about Dota 2 is that it’s probably the game that we’ve made that we’re most obsessed with playing. As a games developer, you tend to get pretty tired of the thing that you’re developing, because you had to experience all the flaws and the difficulties all along. You sort of reach the point where you’re like ‘Let’s just be done with this.’ Dota 2? Every day, after we’re done working on the game, everyone goes home and plays it till 2 or 3 in the morning.”
World of Battleships screenshots have burning boats and warplanes
Wargaming.net have released 15 early screens their upcoming, free to play boat ‘em up, of World of Battleships. The warships themselves look mighty and satisfying, but it’s interesting to see so many planes in the images. Will we be able to launch squadrons of fighters and bombers from aircraft carriers? That would be awesome. You’ll find the images below. Click to see them at their full size, as ’twas meant to be.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will have dedicated servers
At first it looked as though Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 wouldn’t have any dedicated server support, then Infinity Ward said they were “having conversations” about adding dedicated server suppport. Today, Call of Duty Elite dev Noah Heller tells Eurogamer that Modern Warfare 3 WILL Have dedicated server support. Hooray!
“The big announcement today is that we’re supporting dedicated servers for PC, which is really cool,” Heller told Eurogamer at Gamescom, adding that the Call of Duty Elite devs are “working really hard right now on the customised version of Elite for the PC [versions of Call of Duty games], because it’s an open platform and has some challenges.”
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is due to come out on November 8.
Notch challenges Bethesda to settle Scrolls lawsuit with a game of Quake 3
Notch has just thrown down the gauntlet on his blog. He wants to settle the Scolls lawsuit with Bethesda once and for all, by beating them in a game of Quake 3.
“I challenge Bethesda to a game of Quake 3. Three of our best warriors against three of your best warriors,” Notch writes. “We select one level, your select the other, we randomize the order. 20 minute matches, highest total frag count per team across both levels wins.”
World of Warcraft patch 4.3 to add Deathwing raid, Transmogrifier and Void Storage. Real ID party system now live
World of Warcraft lead developer Tom Chilton has been talking to Gamona.de about the contents of WoW’s next big patch. MMO Champion spotted the article, which confirms that patch 4.3 will add the long awaited Deathwing raid, as well as a couple of intriguing new NPC vendors.
Otherland trailer shows worlds within worlds
This new trailer for Otherland is one of the most unusual we’ve ever seen. The game is based on the Otherland books by Tad Williams, which are set in a kind of shared cyberspace with a whole array of virtual worlds. As such, Otherland looks like it has at least four or five other MMOs inside the one you’re actually playing. Christopher Nolan would be proud.
Otherland will be free to play, and is slated for release in 2012.
Dishonored screenshots show whales, stilt-men and sneaking
Four new Dishonored screenshots have come fizzing through the cracks of the internet showing attackers wielding pistols and cutlasses, some stealth in a dark hallway and an example (sadly, dead) of one of the mysterious whales whose oil powers the world’s machinery. We also get to see how the stilt wearing guards we’ve seen in previous concept art look in the game. They seem to be wielding bows. Take a look.
Borderlands 2 screenshots and first impressions arrive from Gamescom
Graham has sent back very shiny new Borderlands 2 screenshots from Gamescom, along with a few quick impressions of the demo he saw. Borderlands 2 set five years after the conclusion of the first game and Pandora has become a much snowier place in the interim. It’s also gained some new bad guys, like robots fired from a lunar base that crash to the surface of Pandora to attack you. Graham describes them as “pretty neat.” New vehicles can carry four players at once, and a new suspension system will let you powerslide as well.
Overall, though, Graham wasn’t too impressed. He describes a long, dull boss fight with a character called Arctic Bullymong. The phrase “bullet hose” is used. We’ll have more detailed impressions later. For now, you can check out the new screenshots below.
Secret World trailer unites toilet wizard and milkshake girl
Funcom announced The Secret World release date yesterday, and to celebrate they’ve released another of their lovely CGI trailers. This one sees several of the characters from the previous videos, including milkshake katana girl and pub toilet wizard, team up against an enormous tentacled monstrosity in a gorgeous ruined city.
The Secret World will be released in April 2012. Beta registrations start next week on the 26th of August.
