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Come snag a Vindictus beta key and cover yourself in the blood of your enemies!
How do you get into the Vindictus beta? Well according to the goddess Morrigan, thou must punish thy enemies into tiny little bloody pieces about the size of dimes. Once you do that enough times and completely decimate your foes then, and only then, will you be granted access to this exclusive beta. We here at Massively, however, have an easier way: a beta key! Thanks to the folks at Nexon, we've scored 2,000 beta keys for the upcoming open beta test of Vindictus, which starts on September 15th! If that wasn't cool enough, then I have more news for you: you won't have to grab keys for your friends! Everyone who grabs a key for the Vindictus beta will be rewarded with two more beta keys that you can give to your friends! Once your friends redeem their keys, then they'll get two more keys to giveaway, and so forth! So, interested in grabbing yourself a key? Continue reading this post for all of the blood-soaked information!
Have a Bloody Good Time in Ubisoft's Source Engine FPS
Hot on the heels of the "movie poster" teasers, and ... several months after the first mention of the title, Ubisoft has given us the first real look at its downloadable game Bloody Good Time. The multiplayer Source Engine-powered FPS will be released on Steam and XBLA. Up to eight players can compete in various environments within a movie set, fighting to get the starring role in a horror movie by murdering each other with weapons ranging from the expected (guns) to the bizarre ("an exploding remote-controlled rat"). Check out the first screens in the gallery below, featuring the game's cast of playable movie stereotypes. Bloody Good Time will be available this fall.%Gallery-101179%
5TH Cell's next game uses the Source engine
Jeremiah Slaczka, creative director and CEO of Super Scribblenauts developer 5TH Cell, dropped a tantalizing hint about the company's next project in a statement to Joystiq. "We're not ready to reveal our next original game just yet, but I can say we're using the Source Engine for it," Slaczka told us. Slaczka wouldn't confirm or deny whether this is the XBLA project mentioned last year. But if it's using Valve's FPS-friendly Source engine, it's unlikely to be a DS game -- and it's unlikely to be Scribblenauts. As for when we can expect to learn more about this mystery project: "Hopefully we'll have something to show people in a few months."
Alien Swarm and Source-based SDK launching for free this Monday
In an announcement perhaps meant to obliterate the definition of "Valve Time," the publisher announced that Alien Swarm has been rebuilt in Source Engine and will be released -- for free, no less -- tomorrow, Monday, July 19. The team that originally built the mod for UT2004 has since been hired on by Valve for work on the Left 4 Dead series and Portal 2, but luckily found enough time to move their game over to Valve's game engine between bouts of working on those other two games. If you're so inclined, you can pre-load Alien Swarm starting right now before it goes live tomorrow. Oh! And when it does go live, Valve will also release the full SDK for the game, allowing users to get a more thorough look at what makes the game tick. Us? We're just excited to blast swarms of aliens with the totally insane looking flamethrower seen above. Hit the break for a trailer of the game in action. [Thanks, Morey]%Gallery-97701%
Source SDK being patched for mods on Mac
Since Steam launched for Mac earlier this month, those of us enjoying the service have been seeking the answer to one crucial question: Will we ever be able to shoot Nazi dinosaurs like everyone else? It appears our answer is "yes, eventually," as one Valve employee took to the publisher's forums to respond to fans questions about whether Source mods would be available on Mac, saying, "We are working on a code update so you can compile your mods for OS X." The employee doesn't go into specifics, but MacStories guesses we could see the update as soon as WWDC. Frankly, it's possible that the update will arrive around then, but we'll probably be so ensconced in news about the new iPhone that Nazi dinosaurs will be far from the top of our priority list. Oh, who're we kidding? Killing Nazi dinosaurs is always near the top of the priority list. [Via MacStories]
Steam on Mac preview roundup: all but identical to PC
With that hotly-anticipated May 12th release date just around the corner, you might be wondering how Steam on Mac will perform. You're in luck, because some of our favorite Mac news sites have just finished testing the software's closed beta. The verdict? It's practically the exact same as the Windows version, except there's almost nothing to buy. Save for the Growl-like notifications at the top of the screen, the UI is all but indistinguishable, and as promised,data and purchases (if playable) automatically carry over in their entirety from your Windows Steam account. Team Fortress 2 even has cross-platform capability, allowing Mac users to play online with their Windows counterparts, though several journalists noted you might want to invest in a two-button wheel mouse if you don't want to be found out. Source Engine performance on Mac wasn't quite as good as on Windows in tests using the exact same hardware (thanks, Boot Camp), but admirably comes close nonetheless; Electronista was able to maintain a similar framerate in Portal just by disabling two levels of anti-aliasing. Not all Mac users will be able to partake in these games, however; though a MacBook Pro with a discrete 512MB GeForce 8600M card could run them well and a GeForce 9400M laptop managed on low settings, those with only integrated Intel graphics chips might find themselves in for a painful surprise. Read - Electronista Read - MacRumors Read - MacWorld Read - AppleInsider
Steam for Mac beta reveals possible Linux compatibility in the pipeline, penguins rejoice
Gaming on Linux? That's not something we hear every day just yet, but it looks like the good folks at Valve might be considering a penguin revolution. In one of the latest beta releases of Steam for Mac, Phoronix spotted a mention of the open-source platform in the launcher script, and we were also able to verify this code ourselves. Furthermore, the eagle-eyed Linux blog has previously seen a handful of evidence hinting Linux compatibility for Valve's Source gaming engine. We're probably still a ways off from any announcement (if ever) so for now, let's just leave the guys alone -- we don't want to distract them from bringing the Portal goodness to our Macs now, do we?
Valve adds user-created items to Team Fortress 2
Got a great idea for a hat or weapon for Team Fortress 2? Valve wants to hear about it -- better yet, Valve wants you to make it. The TF2 blog reports that Valve has already seen plenty of solid submissions -- items you can get a hold of in today's update. If you're the creator of one of these items, you'll find a special version waiting for you in your backpack. Hooray for bragging rights! And for you budding designers out there, don't just think of it as a way to get some experience under your belt, but think of it as a service for these guys. Heavy above always had an image problem (thanks, male pattern baldness!), but now he's feeling good and going out on dates like every night! [Via Big Download]
GDC10: Nexon's Vindictus revealed
I'll admit to being somewhat of a Nexon fanboy, and someone that considers them to be in the toy business rather than in the MMO business. They manufacture joy in my eyes. Bright, shiny joy. But the recent announcement of their new title "Vindictus" shows us a game that we are not used to seeing from Nexon. While it will follow the same business model that other Nexon games do, it promises to be a "sexy" game: a game that will make players feel like a hero. It promises to be more of an action game, or as Nexon America's Vice President Min Kim put it when he sat down with us for an interview, "an mmoACTIONrpg, epic, fierce and intense." Want to know more? Want to see the killer trailer? Join us after the jump. %Gallery-88064%
Half-Life 2 PC updated with Episode 2 tech, longs for Xbox 360 parity
It's not often that console gamers get to brag to their PC gaming counterparts that their version of any given release is graphically superior; however, 2007's Xbox 360 release of Valve's Orange Box compilation included updated releases of both Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One – rebuilt with Episode Two's fancy new Source engine tech – while the PC releases sputtered on, sans engine enhancements and sans Achievements. Well, that didn't sit right in one Mr. Filip Victor's craw, who grabbed his handy coding toolbelt and started hammering away on the original 2004 game adding things like HDR High Dynamic Range lighting (see above screengrab from the comparison video, posted after the break), updated models and textures and, of course, 32 Steam Achievements (demo video here). While the legality of this project is certainly dubious, the requirement of both Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode Two should assuage your piracy concerns. Now, whether or not that assuages Valve's possible concerns with this project remain to be seen. If you're interested you'd better find a download link in this forum thread, sooner than later. And, if you're keeping score, the Xbox 360 version still comes out on top with an updated version of Episode One, though Victor is apparently "working on the EP1 part now." Until that day of parity comes, enjoy the moment console gamers. [Via Rock, Paper, Shotgun]
Valve selling Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead-themed greeting cards
We know how boring most holly jolly holiday cards can be, so we were glad to see that a handful of Valve-ified greeting cards are now available for purchase at the game maker's online store. Featuring characters from Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, and Team Fortress 2 in compromising holiday situations, there's no doubt that we'll actually – finally – send out greeting cards this year to everyone in our little black book. We're quite partial to the handful of TF2-themed images you see above (just look at The Spy, back with The Scout's mother!), but we're sure there's something for everyone in your list of Source Engine-loving holiday card receivers. [Via Big Download]
Demonstrated: Controlling facial expressions in-game with camera
There are two things we can say about Torben Sko. First: He's probably never had a problem getting 'torbensko' usernames. We'd like to applaud his forward-thinking parents who clearly saw the benefit of a unique name in the distant, internet-enabled future. Second: Sko's technology demos (remember this head-tracking demo?) have helped us conceptualize what a Natal-enabled future will be like, more so than jury-rigged versions of Burnout Paradise or Katamari Damacy. In his latest video (found after the break), Sko demonstrates how to control the facial expressions of a virtual character using nothing but a plain ol' web cam (oh, and the same FaceAPI software he used for his first demo). Much like Hideo Kojima's visions of a Natal-enabled future, Sko's never involve replacing the controller (or keyboard and mouse) but rather supplementing it with, in this case, your face. No word on support for particularly ugly faces, but we suspect Microsoft's got its best and most beautiful people on it.
Mario Kart: Source PC mod uses 'the best parts of each' MK game
click for Mario Kart: Source gallery You don't have to tell the crew of people painstakingly piecing together Mario Kart: Source that there's a much easier way to play Mario Kart games on PCs. Sure, they could fire up an emulator and play Mario Kart 64 and it would be just like it was way back when ... but where's the challenge in that? What they could (and did) opt to do was take Half-Life 2's flexible Source Engine to create a Mario Kart mashup; the project manager says, "We're not simply recreating one version of MK, but using the best parts of each." It's a Franken-kart, if you will.Eager to get a closer look at it? Peep the gallery we quickly threw together, or dig around the project's official site. Want to actually play the thing? Says the project manager: "As far as a public beta is concerned, we will not release anything until we are satisfied ..." Either that, or until Nintendo's army of well-paid lawyers shuts the entire project down. [Via Go Nintendo]%Gallery-42944%
Valve likes the look of Wii
Valve's take on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360? They're not massively keen. But what about the Wii? Nintendo's console is rarely mentioned by Valve bods; indeed, it's fair to say that Valve and Nintendo may not seem like an obvious partnership, given the former's reputation as a developer of PC games (and a damn fine one, at that). Then again, marketing director Doug Lombardi seems to think the Wii might be worth investigating. Doug, we totally agree!Chatting to videogaming247.com, Lombardi revealed that Valve would be more likely to develop for the Wii than either of its more powerful rivals, thanks to the fact that "it's growing, there's already a huge user-base, and it's fun." What's more, Lombardi reckons that getting Source (Valve's proprietary 3D game engine) running on the Wii would be realistic: "Source is really scaleable. We can do that."Oh, man. Half-Life 2 or Portal with the Wiimote, anybody?
Metareview - Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
If you're debating whether or not to purchase Ubisoft's Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, the extreme range of reviews for the new RPG-shooter may leave you even more confused. A few things to consider: IGN issued their score without reviewing Dark Messiah's multiplayer, and Game Informer didn't seem to experience any of the technical glitches that marred GameSpot's and GameSpy's sessions. If you haven't done so already, you might want to download the demo, then wait a few weeks and see what other customers are saying. Game Informer (93/100) enjoyed the Arx Fatalis-style atmosphere: "The ancillary aspects of the game – exploring Dark Messiah's fantastic world, enjoying the plotline, and simply basking in the great ambiance that Arkane Studios has created – are savory distractions that never get in the way of the core gameplay." IGN (88/100) loved the combat system: "The mix of brute force, spell casting and blade-work work well together. Combined with the ability to lift boxes, barrels, crates and a host of inanimate objects, you're never short of something to hurl or a clever way of inflicting pain." GameSpot (67/100) did not love the combat system: "All told, the game's single-player has its moments but is often really repetitive. It's certainly not bad, but the story never ropes you in, the combat isn't very satisfying, and you never get the feeling that Sareth is growing more powerful as you play." GameSpy (60/100) had issues with just about everything: "Unfortunately, things like shaky enemy AI, meandering and unintuitive level designs, and a paper-thin plot make the game's brilliant moments seem way too infrequent. The biggest inherent problem with Dark Messiah's multiplayer is that all the cool Source physics elements have been gutted from it." See also: Metareview - Heroes of Might and Magic V
Joystiq gets the dope on 360 Source
Sure, we all know that Valve announced the release of it's 360 Source engine to 360 developers. But that wasn't enough for Joystiq. No, they had to go and ask questions. They needed answers straight from the proverbial horse's mouth. As if they were journalists or something. The short but sweet interview covers the differences between the 360 middleware engine and the free PC version, the ease of cross-platform portability, and integrated networking possibilities (i.e. Live). Check it out if you're so inclined. Anybody have any pet source projects they'd like to bring to the 360?
Joystiq interviews Doug Lombardi about Xbox 360 Source
Yesterday, Valve released the Source Engine middleware for the Xbox 360. But what does that mean for Xbox 360 games, PC games, and modders who use Valve's free version of Source? Valve intends for big developers to fluidly move between the two platforms. But the announcement also means one less hurdle for home developers to release an Xbox game, assuming they attract a publisher to clear the maze of licensing and distribution.Valve's Director of Marketing, Doug Lombardi answered a series of emailed questions to delve deeper into these issues. He explained the general difference between the free and middleware versions of Source, how this announcement could still apply to modders, and how PC and Xbox versions of Source games could technically be networked immediately.
360 gets Source, developers cheer
Valve announced today that it is now offering the 360 optimized version of its Source engine. The Source engine powers Valve's very successful Half-life 2, as well as the upcoming Portal and Team Fortress 2. Gabe Newell, president of Valve, had this to say:"The combination of Source and the Xbox 360 provides game designers throughout the industry the chance to create powerful entertainment experiences. Whether they're pursuing a traditional FPS, RTS, RPG or delving into new genres, Source and the Xbox 360 are designed to offer the flexibility and tools to allow designers to pursue any design imaginable."The availability of this engine to 360 developers means two things. One, developers can make games quickly and more efficiently. Two, Valve will be making oodles of money. At any rate, it looks like the Unreal Engine just got some new competition (maybe more when the Offset Engine shows up). In the end, it's not like it really matters. We just want our Counter-Strike Source, am I right?[Via OpenXBOX360]
Dark Messiah screen contest announced
Ubisoft's community manager for Dark Messiah of Might and Magic has announced a new promotional contest on the game's forum. The French publisher is soliciting humorous screenshots and pictures that can be taken from the single player demo, multiplayer beta, or by simply playing medieval dress-up with your friends. At stake are 20 Dark Messiah bonus discs, and a t-shirt for the top entry. Not many guidelines are offered, but considering the French have such deep affection for Jerry Lewis, you might want to try reenacting a scene from The Errand Boy while dressed in your best Orc outfit.You only have until October 1, so get snappin' (or grabbin')!
HL2: Episode Two delayed till 2007
Valve Software has been one of the main proponents in the push for episodic gaming, a fact which quickly comes to mind in light of Half-Life 2: Episode Two getting its own push into the future. Releasing Half-Life 2 expansion episodes in lieu of Half-Life 3 was supposed to curb development time, something which Valve is always struggling to keep on a leash before it wrecks the office and eats all the calendars. Alas, it has run amok once again, causing Episode Two to slip to February 2007. In other words, the release gap between the first and second "episodes" has now grown to 8 months. Valve's Doug Lombardi tells Eurogamer that the delay is simply "classic Valve being overly aggressive on our dates" and that the title will likely end up being a "little longer" than the first title. A further point of consideration is that Episode Two is being developed in conjunction with several other included games (Portal, Team Fortress 2) and console versions. Lombardi also states that the extra games will result in a slightly higher price than that of the single Episode One release ($19.99), with the all-inclusive console releases expected to retail at full price. With any luck, this will be the last delay in store for Valve's upcoming release -- otherwise, we'll have to start questioning just how far the word "episodic" can stretch.
