It would appear that Croteam, developers of Serious Sam 3: BFE, have decided that rather than use the traditional methods of DRM for their game on PC they would place a large scorpion/man beast instead. What happens next is an invincible beast constantly coming after you which no doubt turns the difficulty level of the game up a notch or three. This Youtube video shows all:
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Yesterday it was announced that Steve Jobs had passed away at the age of 56 due to terminal cancer. This sent shockwaves throughout the world, not just to Apple lovers or tech fans but rival companies (Bill Gates), world leaders (Bill Gates) and more. Everyone is mourning the loss of a great inventor. Some have proclaimed him as the modern Henry Ford (Creator of the first modern production car) and I’d be inclined to agree. After returning to Apple in 1997 he’s headed a company which has sparked a massive technological innovation for our generation.
He made music portable with the launch of the Ipod, smart phones simple and cool with the launch of the Iphone and he caused tablets to actually take off on a large scale with the Ipad, something even Microsoft couldn’t pull off some years ago. Continue Reading
I’ve been playing F1 2011 for the past week and it’s taken a little getting used to all the different changes including the tyres, controls and new menus. However, here are my thoughts in the video below which was taken in the 2011 Lotus F1 car and based at the Kuala Lampur F1 track, Malaysia:
AJ
Are you passionate about games or technology?
Are you passionate about writing?
You may well have come to the right place then. Gaming and Tech Network are currently looking to expand the team with new writers. This is your opportunity to write for a site specialising in gaming and technology looking to expand and drive development further into the industry.
You might be a budding writer looking to gain some experience to enable you to get into the industry or perhaps you just like writing in your spare time as a hobby because you want to share your passion about technology or games. Continue Reading
With F1 2011 on its way on the 23rd September 2011 and with F1 just coming back from their summer break now seems like a good time to pick up on the series by Codemasters and highlight what I’d like to see in future iterations.
I’ve played F1 2010 now for 47 hours since its release which in my eyes is a staggering amount but just proves how captivating the series can be. I’ve put it aside now though as I wait patiently for this years game which will see the introduction of KERS, DRS and the new pirelli tyres. I’m excited about all of them after having seen how different the racing has been so far in the current season. Continue Reading
There have been rumours flying round all day about Valve announcing a new entry into the Counter-Strike series and it’s just been announced. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has been announced for release in early 2012. Here’s the full press release from Valve below:
Next Gen Console, PC, and Mac Release Targeted for Early 2012.
Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Counter-Strike, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, Portal, and Team Fortress) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO).
Targeted for release via Playstation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and Steam (for PC and Mac) in early 2012, CS: GO will expand upon the team-based action gameplay that it pioneered when it was launched exactly 12 years ago (CS beta 1, August 1999).
CS: GO features new maps, characters, and weapons and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust, etc.). In addition, CS: GO will introduce new gameplay modes, matchmaking, leader boards, and more.
“Counter-Strike took the gaming industry by surprise when the unlikely MOD became the most played online PC action game in the world almost immediately after its release in August 1999,” said Doug Lombardi at Valve. “For the past 12 years, it has continued to be one of the most-played games in the world, headline competitive gaming tournaments and selling over 25 million units worldwide across the franchise. CS: GO promises to expand on CS’ award-winning gameplay and deliver it to gamers on the PC as well as the next gen consoles and the Mac.”
CS: GO is being developed by Valve in cooperation with Seattle-based Hidden Path Entertainment. The title is targeted for release in early 2012 and will be playable at this year’s PAX Prime and London Games Festival.
For more information, please visit the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Steam page.
AJ
On Thursday last week I received my copy of Duke Nukem Forever: Balls of Steel Edition. I’ve had, up to now, 2 collectors edition games of this calibre which have been Far Cry 2 and most recently Total War: Shogun 2. Far Cry 2 included in the package a t-shirt, map and art book as well as other items. and my Total War: Shogun 2 collectors edition contained a handpainted bamboo chess set. This is incredible and I think both collectors editions were great for the asking price and both contain items I can put on display or use. I much prefer a collectors edition which contains physical items than an edition which mostly comprises of digital extras and whilst you normally do get a few digital items I mainly spend the extra money because I feel I’m getting something worthwhile out of it and not something I have to keep playing the game to appreciate.
So, to not only celebrate the release of Duke Nukem Forever and for my love of collectors editions with some meaningful goodies in them I am sharing with you 4 pictures of the boxing in it’s packaging before ever being opened and it’s contents:
I’m stood next to a rather fetching woman with a large staff in her hands as we both look on at the darkspawn coming at us in the clearing. I, a warrior, lunge in and attack the first wave using a range of powerful skills whilst my sister Bethany, a mage, supports me with blasts of ice and balls of flame. The darkspawn are no match for our combined superiority.
Then, a large roar…a troll appears at one of the entrances to the clearing and charges us both. We eventually take him down, once again with ease. Unfortunately we are now surrounded by darkspawn wondering what to do…in the background a large dragon opens her wings and swoops down towards us, fire pouring from her mouth…then it goes black. Continue Reading
Two weeks ago I was frantically playing Dragon Age 2 to get up to the end of the first act and, as usual, I was launching the game via Steam even though I had bought a retail copy. The reason being so I can have access to the overlay, fantastic new screenshot abilities and keep in touch with my friends.
Although Steam now allows you to upload images taken in non-Steam games it doesn’t track your game time. So, when I spent the entire week pumping 14 hours into the game it looks like I’ve not played anything according to my profile! No, this isn’t bad but it would be nice to have something to show off alongside my screenshots and recording my game time seems the logical thing to do and something which should have been implemented a long time ago.
This is something Akardo and myself have long discussed and maybe Valve’s reasoning is because it encourages you to buy through Steam although I doubt this sways many people’s choices. Perhaps it is the in-ability to accurately record/tie in the data from a non-Steam game to Steam but when Valve ultimately give the impression they want Steam to become the lead software for launching games it just makes sense for them to add in this feature so your friends know what you’ve been up to. When a friend visits my profile and see I’ve put only 5 hours into gaming in the past 2 weeks it probably looks like I’ve either gone on holiday or am disappearing off the planet (or both?).
I can’t see it being much hassle to implement this feature either because their screenshot feature records what game the screenshot was taken in, surely it wouldn’t be too much to ask them to add, at the very least, a game time tracker. Ideally though I would love to see Valve allowing you to tie in your non-Steam games with their equivalents released on Steam so you have all the benefits of a game bought via Steam.
So, I would like to see this feature implemented by Valve, I’m not asking for access to any DLC which only works with Steam copies of the games (although this may also be handy, case in point being Borderlands). I just want a small feature so I can show off to my friends how much time I’ve been investing fighting dragons or playing with my nanosuit.
AJ
To celebrate the release of Total War: Shogun 2 we have put together a series of 4 videos which will be released each day up to the launch of the game on Tuesday 15th March 2011. These videos were recorded on a first play through of the demo and all commentary was recorded live at the time.
Part 4 is below which showcases off the skills tree and I prepare some forces and explore more of the two territories I currently own.
Unfortunately that is the end of the first play videos for the Total War: Shogun 2 demo however due to the success of the videos more will be coming and across a range of games so keep your eyes peeled! Total War: Shogun 2 was also released today everywhere.
AJ
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