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Dante's Inferno won't be burning on PCs
For those of you hoping that upcoming Visceral Games hack-n-slash Dante's Inferno would be heading to your PC, prepare to be disappointed. Joystiq sister site Big Download received confirmation earlier today from EA that currently there are "no plans" for a PC release. In fact, the representative at EA went one step further, not only confirming the game's console exclusivity but saying, "When Dante's Inferno was originally announced in December, we attached no platforms to the project ... when we came out with a first look for press in February we announced 360/PS3 and then in April we announced PSP ... We never announced a PC SKU nor are there plans for any." Sorry, PC gamers! Look at it this way: At least you can't "go to Hell" now! (Hey-o!)%Gallery-45836%
The Best of Big Download: July 13-19
We may be in the summer doldrums in terms of new releases but there's a lot of new news and major files to talk about this week. Let's look at what happened in PC gaming in the past seven days: Exclusive Features The Top 2009 PC Games (So Far): We look back at the first half of the year to give our picks for the best PC games released so far and also pick a couple of game that didn't meet our high expectations. Rebellion CEO reveals plans for new entries in former Vivendi Universal games: We got Rebellion's head man Jason Kingsley to give us the heads-up on plans for new games for Empire Earth, Ground Control and other game series. Street Fighter IV PC review: We give our final verdict on the PC port for Capcom's hit fighting game. Time Gentlemen, Please! review: We let you know what we think about this new indie retro-style adventure game from Zombie Cow Mac Monday: Our regular look at Mac games goes old school with a review of the Mac version of te classic RTS game Warzone 2100. Boot Disk: Our retro games column takes a look at Relic's debut title, the 3D RTS game Homeworld. Big Ideas: SEX SEX SEX! Now that we have your attention, our weekly look at game themes deals with sex in games. Freeware Friday: Our weekly look at free PC games takes a look at the recent free release of the classic RPG Daggerfall.
The Best of Big Download: July 6-12
Wow! We had a slow news period the week before, but this past week had a ton of major new PC game news items show up, including announcements of some new entries in classic PC game franchises. Let's look back at the past seven days together.Exclusive Features The Top 10 Best LucasArts PC Games: To celebrate LucasArts' PC titles appearing on Steam we pick the the 10 best games the publisher has released over the years Tales Of Monkey Island: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal Review: We give the final word on this first episode in Telltale Games' revival of LucasArts' classic adventure series Trine Review: We give our final verdict on this downloadable puzzle-action game from Frozenbyte Mac Monday: Our weekly look at Mac games has two titles on the docket: Burdaloo and Swarm Boot Disk: Our weekly retro games feature takes a look at the original Master of Magic game Big Ideas: Our weekly look at game themes ask if Blizzard's hit MMO World of Warcraft will ever be toppled Freeware Friday: Our weekly look at free PC games takes a look at the sci-fi RPG Notrium
The Best of Big Download: June 29-July 5
Unlike the previous week, the last seven days were actually fairly slow. But we still have some news and exclusive articles for the PC gaming crowd to check out: Exclusive articles Microsoft Games For Windows Interview: We chat with the marketing manager of their PC gaming team to find out more about their future plans. The Top 10 Biggest PC Game News Stories of June 2009: We look back at a particularlly busy month for gaming news. Light of Altair review: We give our final verdict to the recent indie space strategy game. Mac Monday: Our weekly look at Mac games takes a gander at the space action title Escape Velocity Nova Boot Disk: Our retro PC game features looks back at 3DO's turn based strategy game Heroes of Might and Magic 2. Big Ideas: Our look at game themes wonders if games should move away from the typical fantasy setting. Freeware Friday: Our look at free PC games this week checks out the space shooter title Tyrian.
The Best of Big Download: June 22-28
We actually thought news would be slow this past week; boy were we wrong. Let's check out the big events and exclusive content for the past seven days at Big Download!Exclusive features Reviews: We give our final verdicts for Prototype and Fallout 3: Point Lookout Happy 13th Birthday Quake: We look back at the id Software FPS franchise The big PC game acquisitions: In the way of id Software's purchase by ZeniMax, we take a look at other PC game industry purchases. Mac Monday: Our weekly Mac games column takes a look at the life sim Spouts Adventure. Boot Disk: Our weekly look at retro gaming centers on the classic action-RPG System Shock 2. Big Ideas: "Can a game make you cry?" That's the topic of our latest weekly game theme feature. Freeware Friday: This week our free PC game feature is about the unusual puzzle game Chauk. Contest: You still have time to enter our contest where we are giving away some cool Turtle Beach headsets and Say2Play PC game voice command software products
Oh no! Megan Fox is totally into the Wii
It seems as though there are dissenting voices coming from the cast of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen regarding Nintendo's Wii console. Why, just the other day, Shia LaBeouf expressed to the world his discontent with the system and those employing it for gaming -- that group of people apparently including his cast mate, Megan Fox. In an interview with WhatTheyPlay.com, Fox said, "I'm totally a fan of the Wii, I'm just not good at it." As LaBeouf (S. Beef to us) noted in his interview with Joystiq sister site Big Download, the two were playing LEGO Star Wars most recently, though Fox has some rather specific complaints about the game, telling the interviewer, "One thing I don't like about that game is that if one person is lagging behind and wants to check something out, and you're running ahead, you drag the screen with you -- you can't stay separate when you're playing on a team together ... that becomes annoying." Point taken! Apparently the lady knows her games, eh? Care for a guest column, Ms. Fox?
OMG: Shia LaBeouf totally 'not into' the Wii
During an interview with Big Download last week, the young side of beef Shia LaBeouf (see what we did there?) took time from his busy career playing Indiana Jones' son to troll the Nintendo Wii as hard (and unnecessarily) as so many Joystiq comments we've read in the past. "I don't mess with the Wii, to be honest with you ... It's kind of an amateur console ... I'm not into the Wii thing," he told BD, when asked about the Wii version of upcoming movie tie-in game, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Truth be told, the actor tries to disassociate himself with those who own Wii consoles, continuing, "This is how in a simple way you can find out if it's a gamer you want to play with: Ask them if they have a Wii -- if they say yes, get the f*** out of there." Harsh words, Mr. LaBeouf! While we're inclined to start flapping our gums about the actor's films being defilements of our childhoods and how they placate to a more mainstream crowd -- like a certain console he feels so vehemently about -- we'll just hold our tongues on that. This time, LaBeouf. This time.
The Best of Big Download: June 15-21
For some reason this week was a big one for demos and full games including the America's Army 3 release. Let's look, as we always do on Sundays, at the highlights of the past seven days:Exclusive Features Top 10 Most Anticipated Summer 2009 PC Games: We give our pics for the games we most want to play this summer. Interviews: We get some answers about America's Army 3's launch issues and chat with Transformers actor Shia LaBeouf on his gaming habits (he loves Civilization). The Virtual US Open: We have a feature on the new web-based PC-Mac game that gives players a chance to play in an official online version of the US Open. Contest: You can still register to win one of 25 keys for the full version of Say2Play software along with one of five ay2Play Ear Force HPA2 Headsets. Mac Monday: Our weekly Mac gaming column takes a look at the time management title Mystic Emporium. Boot Disk: Our weekly retro games column takes a look at Blizzard's classic RTS game Warcraft 2. Big Ideas: Our weekly look at game themes looks at how games could contribute to a new mythology. Boot Disk: Our PC hardware column takes a look at how server farms don't need to be super-cooled any more. Freeware Friday: Our latest column on free PC games takes a loot at the genre-mixing title Triangle Wizard.
Want to play America's Army 3? Pre-load now from Big Download
If you live in the U S of A, here's something you may not know: your tax dollars pay for the development of a free-to-play shooter called America's Army. The latest release of that series – America's Army 3 – is shipping out tomorrow; however, if you want to get your money's worth (remember: tax dollars) you owe it to yourself to download it today! That's where Joystiq's very own Big Download comes in. Head on over and pre-load the game client so, while the rest of the world hammers those servers tomorrow, you'll be knee-deep in Rules of Engagement. Download America's Army 3 Deploy Client (273 KB)
The Best of Big Download: June 8-14
Post E3 week is always a time to reflect, to look back and also to look forward. We did all of that and more in the last seven days. Let's check out the highlights together, shall we?Exclusive features E3 2009: We conclude our E3 2009 coverage with impressions of Heroes of Telara, Assassin's Creed 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction, R.U.S.E, Wolfenstein, DC Universe Online, Singularity, Alpha Protocol, and Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising. We also have impressions of the Peregrine PC gaming glove. Plus check out our different take on E3 awards and also point out which major PC games were no shows at E3 this year. The Sims 3 review - We give our final verdict on the long awaited people sim sequel. Mac Monday - This week's Mac games column takes a look at the RPG Science Girls! Boot Disk - our retro games feature takes a look at SimCity 2000 Big Ideas - Our weekly look at game themes is all about enemies in games Freeware Friday - Our weekly look at free PC game examines the creepy horror themed platform-puzzle game Eversion.
The Best of Big Download: June 1-7
E3 2009 has come and gone and we have the pictures to prove it. Check out our coverage of the annual show and keep checking next week for more post-E3 reports:Exclusive Features E3 2009 game impressions: We have tons of E3 2009 game impressions from both the show floor and behind closed doors including Brink, Left 4 Dead, Rogue Warrior, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Painkiller Resurrection, APB, BioShock 2, Borderlands, Homefront, Dragon Age: Origins, League of Legends, Alan Wake, The Secret of Monkey Island SE and Tales of Monkey Island, Supreme Commander 2, Mass Effect 2, Aliens Vs. Predator, and Mafia 2. E3 2009 in pictures: Check out our galleries of banner ads from the convention center, along with pictures from the show floor and even more show floor pictures. We have pictures of some celebs that showed up at E3. And of course we have galleries featuring the return of the E3 booth babes!: Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3. Team Fortress 2 Spy/Sniper Achievement Guide: Check out Part 6 and Part 7 for the Sniper and Part 6 and Part 7 for the Spy. Mac Monday: Our weekly look at games for the Mac checks out the airplane action game Altitude. Boot Disk: Our retro game feature takes a look at the original Rollercoaster Tycoon. Big Ideas: Our column on game themes discusses the idea of experience in games. Big Iron: Our weekly hardware feature laments that E3 2009 was not a good year for major PC hardware reveals. Freeware Friday: Our regular look at free games checks out the puzzle shooter Every Extend
The Best of Big Download: May 25-31
Yep, we are just hours away from E3 2009 madness. But we had a lot of pre-E3 activity to talk about last week. Before we head to the LA Convention Center let's look back at the last seven days:Exclusive Features Countdown to E3 2009: We conclude our features on the games we want to see at the show this coming week with our picks in the RPG-MMO categories and for the rest of the games. Plus play along in Big Download's E3 2009 bingo prediction game. Finally check out our interview with the ESA on E3 2009. Guide to Team Fortress 2 Spy and Sniper Achievements: It's our latest guide to the newly established achievements for two of TF2's character classes. Check out The Spy guide (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5) and the Sniper Guide (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5) The Top 10 PC Game News Stories of May 2009: We pick the big news items for the past 31 days. Mac Monday: Our weekly look at Mac games takes a look at the adventure title Cleopatra. Boot Disk: Our retro game feature this week offers a look at the classic strategy game Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. Big Ideas: Our weekly examination on game themes takes a look at artificial intelligence and their evolution in games. Freeware Friday: Our weekly look at free PC games takes a look at the very distrubing horror game All Of Our Friends Are Dead.
Big Download E3 PC Predictions: Let's Play Bingo!
What's that? You weren't satisfied with our three E3 Prediction Bingo cards? You want to know what PC revelations the Joystiq family is expecting to see over the next week? Well, aren't you greedy -- and lucky! Our home row homies over at Big Download recently compiled their expectations into a super familiar, Bingofied format.If charted games of chance aren't your cup of tea, Big D has a metric ton of galleries for games they're looking forward to seeing at the big show. If you're behind on your upcoming PC gaming releases, they've got an expedient way for you to catch up.
The Best of Big Download: May 18-24
It's a long holiday weekend which means watching basketball and racing on TV, going to the movies or for some of you reading Big Download's highlights from the past 7 days (and you are a sad lot if that's the case). Check it out now.Exclusive Features Countdown to E3 2009: We continue our gallery features leading up to next month's trade show with a look at the action games we want to see at E3. NASCAR iRacing Interview: We get the co-founder of iRacing to talk about his plans for returning NASCAR licensing racing sims to the PC in 2010. Reviews: We have verdicts on the co-op shooter Killing Floor and the Thrustmaster T.16000M Joystick Mac Monday: Our Mac column reviews the recent port of the odd adventure game The Path. Boot Disk: Our regular retro games feature takes a look at the original Command and Conquer RTS game. Indie Showcase: Our indie games column this week takes a look at three games that are still in beta form: Aces Wild, Arc & Malice and Minecraft. Big Ideas: Our column on game themes takes a look at why game adaptation of movies don't usually turn out well. Big Iron: Our PC hardware column this week looks at input devices and how they hearken back to old fashioned tech. Freeware Friday: In a bit of a twist, this week's look at free PC games is also a retro feature on Grand Theft Auto 2.
The Best of Big Download: May 11-17
With E3 now just two weeks away the rumors and the announcements will be coming in quickly. Big Download is on top of things on the PC gaming side and we will have extensive coverage of the show. But until then we will have some pre-E3 features alongside our regular news and feature coverage. Let's look at the past seven days on the site.Exclusive features Countdown to E3 2009: We begin our series of pre-E3 features this week with an overall primer to the show and our wish list of first person shooter games we would like to see at E3. First anniversary contests: You still have time to win one of 10 $25 game codes from Nexon America in celebration of Big Download's first anniversary. Mac Monday: Our weekly Macintosh feature reviews the Popcap tower defense game Plants Vs Zombies. Boot Disk: Our retro games feature is about the Interplay 3D FPS Descent. Big Ideas: Our weekly game theme column looks at why non-gamers still see games as juvenile and even harmful Freeware Friday: Our weekly free game column takes a look at the free engineering-based game Infiniminer.
Uwe Boll's Tunnel Rats crawls onto Steam
Released to nearly as much fanfare as his thrilling movies, Uwe Boll's Tunnel Rats -- a game adaptation of the 2008 film of the same name -- became available for download this week. As our sister site Big Download rightly points out, the film has yet to be released Stateside (keep in mind it's based on the American war in Vietnam), though the game showed up earlier this week on Steam for $19.99.Developed by Velvet Assassin creator Replay Studios -- recipient of the first ever JoystiQuitter game review -- you'll understand if we're a bit less than confident in Tunnel Rats. For those of you still looking to check it out, we'd like to point out Uwe Boll supposedly had a hand in making the game as well. Let us know how that goes for you!
CrimeCraft closed beta open for business
Let's be honest, if you're into Vogster's MMOFPS CrimeCraft enough that you applied for the beta, you probably already know that the closed beta started this past week. Here's the unfortunate part: If you weren't one of the fine folks accepted, you're not going to be hearing much about the game from those playing it in the beta. Big surprise, Vogster doesn't want those folks telling the whole world about its still in-development game and has handed over a hefty NDA (non-disclosure agreement) along with the keys to to its game. Luckily, as our sisters from another adoption agency at Big Download note, a closed forum on the CrimeCraft website allows for those in the beta to speak about the game to their heart's content. And of course we'll have plenty of juicy details for you when we get a hands-on with the game at E3 2009. Hey! That's only two weeks away![Via Big Download]
The Best of Big Download: May 4-10
Wow! It's been a huge week for news: Lawsuits, new game reveals and the shutdown of a game developer that was working on one game for about 13 years. Oh, and we celebrated our one year anniversary this week! Let's take a look at the past seven days at Big Download.Exclusive features First anniversary contests: We turned one this week so we want to give our readers a chance to win cool stuff all month long. We began on Friday with contests where folks can win codes to win free copies of Left 4 Dead and any GoG.com game. The graveyard of online PC game services: We take a look at the many online game services that launched and failed ... and a couple that didn't even launch. A look back (and forward) at PC Star Trek games: With the new movie now out, we look back at some of our favorite Trek PC games over the years and look forward to two upcoming Trek PC titles. The Long (Dead End?) Road for Duke Nukem Forever: We look back at the history of 3D Realms' FPS which may now never be released. Mac Monday: Our weekly Mac feature takes a loot at the sim game Virtual Families. Boot Disk: Our retro game feature takes a look at the turn based tactical game Jagged Alliance 2. Mods: Before the release of Killing Floor this week we look back at the UT 2004 mod that was the basis for the new co-op shooter. Big Ideas: How do you manage to promote a game without over-hyping it? Our weekly look at game themes has some answers. Big Iron: Our weekly PC hardware column takes a look at the importance of backing up your files. Freeware Friday: Our weekly look at free PC games also turned one year old this week so we look back at some of our personal favorite titles.
WoW Rookie: Keeping your account safe and sound
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the resources they need to get acclimated. Send us a note to suggest a WoW Rookie topic.It doesn't take keyboard gymnastics to prevent your account from getting hacked. As a new player, you're bound to be concerned – and if you do any digging at all, you're also bound to uncover a tangle of acerbic, rather arcane-sounding comments (many of them on posts right here at WoW Insider) about what operating systems, browsers and browser add-ons are most secure.You really don't have to change your entire computer system simply to keep your WoW account safe. This week, WoW Rookie rounds up a selection of WoW Insider posts that show you how (and why) to keep your WoW account from being hacked and prevent your computer from spilling its beans to the world at large.
The Best of Big Download: April 27-May 3
We are now less than a month away from E3 and new game announcements are coming fast and furious. Oh, and lots of other news, features and downloads. Let's check out Big Download's coverage of the last seven days:Exclusive features We love the 90s (for PC games): We have a final feature looking at some games that we missed in last week's multi-part feature along with a wrap up of the entire series. Top 10 PC game stories for April 2009: We give our choices for the biggest PC game stories for the past month Demigod post-release interview: We chat with Stardock's Brad Wardell as he admits to the issues that happened to their RTS game after its launch. Left 4 Dead Guide: Survival of the Fittest: We give you a guide to how to play the new Survival mode for Valve's zombie co-op shooter Braid Review: We give you our final verdict on the PC version of Jonathan Blow's unique downloadable game Nvidia on more PhysX game support: We report on a Nvidia conference call where they talk about more games supporting their PhysX game physics effects Mac Monday: Our weekly look at Mac games is another two-fer as we examine Fishie Fishie and Spirited Heart Boot Disk: Our weekly look at retro games is about Bullfrog's odd sim title Theme Hospital. Big Ideas: How important is creating empathy for games? Our weekly look at game themes tries for an answer. Freeware Friday: Our weekly look at free games examines the puzzle title Mind Wall.
