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GOG.com drops protected installers following Linux backlash
GOG.com has heard the frustrations of Linux users, and has decided to remove password-protected installers from its games. Previously, GOG.com had used password-protected .RAR files in select games that require multi-part Windows installers. The idea, GOG claims in a recent forum post, was to prevent less tech-savvy users from mucking around with the necessary installer files and making their game unplayable. This is a valid concern, given that so many of GOG.com's offerings are relatively ancient games that are only able to work on modern hardware through a combination of emulators and optimism. However, because the innoextract tool in Linux is unable to parse the password protection when unarchiving .RAR files, any games using those files become inaccessible to Linux users. You can see how this might upset people. Following a lengthy forum thread outlining the problem, GOG has decided to remove the .RAR files. "We've heard your concerns regarding this solution and we do agree it could have been better," reads GOG.com's official response. "Although the same could probably be said about many other answers to this problem, it doesn't mean we shouldn't try to do better for our community.To that end we will be removing the mentioned archive protection from the select Windows installers that had it until a better solution, both technically and philosophically, is ready."
Transistor get() 600,000+ sales, Bastion breach() 3 million
Transistor carved its way to more than 600,000 sales in 2014, Supergiant Games revealed this week. The PS4 and PC action-RPG looks set to become the dev's second million-seller, though it's still way off the "more than 3 million" copies sold to date by Bastion. In this week's announcement, Supergiant's Greg Kasavin noted the majority of Bastion's sales arrived "many months after the game first came out on Xbox 360 and PC. So we were very happy to see Transistor selling even faster relative to Bastion during the first couple of months after its launch." Kasavin's talked about that long sales tail before. Speaking at E3 2013 about future Transistor ports, he said, "For us, it's really important to not be tied down for the long haul, because Bastion's success was not made on any one platform. That being said, our focus is absolutely on a successful PS4 launch and also our Steam PC launch, because if that does not go well, there will not be other versions of the game, most likely and so forth."
Tale of Tales' Sunset rises with first screens
Tale of Tales' upcoming narrative-driven game Sunset received its first official set of screenshots today. Announced in March 2014, the exploration game stars Angela Burnes, a housekeeper of a secluded philanthropist, set in a lone 1970's apartment. The Path and Fatale developer noted that the screens are "still work in progress and even though they do not represent the final beauty of the game, they say a lot about what is going to make the penthouse a spectacular environment to explore." Players will scope out the apartment to learn more about Burnes' employer when the game arrives this spring on PC, Mac and Linux. As seen in the gallery below, Tale of Tales said it "pushed the colour scheme to its saturation point with the tones of the evening sky, chic lighting from designer lamps and dramatic shadows" to make the game "feel real," yet stylized. Sunset earned $67,636 on Kickstarter in July and will feature a soundtrack from Journey's Grammy-nominated composer, Austin Wintory. The developer discussed the ways it is "trying something different" with Joystiq following its funding campaign. [Image: Tale of Tales]
Broken Age gets physical with simultaneous retail release
Broken Age Act 2 is due to arrive this spring, and when it does you'll be able to buy the full Double Fine adventure on disc. The developer is once again teaming up with Nordic Games to get PC, Mac and Linux copies of Broken Age onto shelves, and that's "simultaneously" with the release of the concluding act. Simultaneously is the watchword for Broken Age this year. As Double Fine's Greg Rice put it last month, the studio aims "to launch on PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, PS Vita, iOS, Ouya and Android next spring as close to simultaneously as human possible." That now includes a retail release on three platforms (at least), so springtime will be a busy time for the Californian studio.
Get games, streaming tools, apparel with Humble Awesome Games Done Quick Bundle
There will undoubtedly be dozens of cool gaming moments streamed during Awesome Games Done Quick's week-long charity event (which started today!), but why let strangers on the internet broadcast all the fun? Never mind if you don't have the necessary subscriptions – You can just pick up the Humble Awesome Games Done Quick 2015 Bundle, which features tools to help you get started with streaming as well as Steam keys for several games included within AGDQ's schedule (Mac and Linux support varies with each game). Those that celebrate the Humble Bundle series' pay-what-you-want pricing option by paying less than $6 will receive Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition, Shadow Warrior Classic Redux, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and Volgarr the Viking. Once $6 or more is contributed, Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut and SpeedRunners (along with its YouTuber packs) will be added to that, as well as a 30-day subscription to Twitch Turbo, which allows broadcasts to be archived for sixty days and is mostly ad-free.
Add-on lets your Chromebook run Linux in a window
You can already run a conventional operating system like Linux on your Chromebook if you're the determined sort, but it's not really convenient... not unless you like hopping between virtual terminals, anyway. However, there's now a relatively simple way to juggle between Chrome OS and Linux. If you grab a tweaked version of David Schneider's Crouton extension and type in a terminal command, you can now run a version of Linux (so far, Debian and Ubuntu) in a window. You won't have to drop that Hangouts chat just to finish some work in OpenOffice, in other words. While you'll still have to be comfortable with installing Linux in the first place, this could easily turn your cheap web surfing machine into more of a power user's tool. [Image credit: François Beaufort, Google+]
Nuclear Throne owners to receive giftable copy in January
The gift-giving season will last until at least January 1, the day that developer Vlambeer intends to give one free copy of Nuclear Throne to "every single person that has ever bought [it]," according to Vlambeer's Rami Ismail. As Nuclear Throne's community has gotten "too damn good at this video game," the extra copies are meant to attract new, novice-tier players to help diversify the feedback Vlambeer receives from the game's community. The announcement video's text description explains that this will be a one-time gift and that date or timezone-related exceptions will not be able to be made due to logistics. Further terms and conditions will be tied to the gift, which Vlambeer will spell out in a future blog post (presumably for future posting to Nuclear Throne's Steam newsfeed). Nuclear Throne has received 57 updates since its arrival to Early Access, though Ismail noted that version 1.0 will "hopefully" launch sometime in 2015. [Image: Vlambeer]
This is a game about the realities of living with HIV
Hi, my name is Tim and I just learned I'm HIV positive. Not me personally, but, as the character Tim I played in I'm Positive, a short interactive narrative about living with the human immunodeficiency virus. It started out simply enough: I was shooting baskets when a phone call interrupted my jump shots. It was an ex girlfriend telling me that she'd been diagnosed as HIV positive after giving blood, and she urged me to get tested as soon as possible. Maybe it's because getting tested has been on my mind anyhow or possibly because I shared a name with the protagonist (there aren't any custom-name options; everyone plays as Tim), but after I "hung up" the phone I felt a weight in my chest and an all-too-real sense of panic.
Metro Redux scrounges for supplies on Linux, Steam OS
As of this week, Linux and Steam OS users on Steam can brave the bleak wasteland and mutated beasts in 4A Games' Metro Redux, a double feature that includes touched-up versions of Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light. Minimum requirements for both platforms can be found after the break, and a tour through Metro Redux's take on Moscow is available on Steam for $24.98 until December 15. If you're totally in the dark on the Metro series, check in with this trailer that sets the premise and explains the improvements made over the previous releases on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. [Image: 4A Games]
Weekend deals include GOG bundles, Shadow of Mordor, Wii U bundles, 3DS XLs
Should you be looking for a few good gaming deals, this weekend holds plenty of promise. For starters, Good Old Games is finishing off its Big Winter Sale with an encore offering of every daily bundle that was featured in the two-week sale. Deals focused on The Witcher, Rayman, Prince of Persia series and others can be had, with titles ranging in support for PC, Mac and Linux platforms. Flash deals and general discounts will also be offered until the sale's conclusion later today at 2pm GMT. If you're willing to deal with limited availability of physical goods, deals on several notable console games are also available to the swift; Among Amazon's batch of sales is Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (Xbox One) for $27.99, Driveclub (PS4) for $34.99, Halo: The Master Chief Collection (Xbox One) for $44.99, The Last of Us: Remastered ($29.99), Forza Horizon 2 and Sunset Overdrive (Xbox One) for $39.99, and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 (Xbox 360, PS3) for $14.99. Xbox owners can also snatch up Destiny (Xbox 360) and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Xbox One) for $30 apiece from the Microsoft store. Lastly, leaked details concerning Target's weekly ad suggest that starting on Sunday, the retail chain will offer the 32 GB Wii U with Super Mario 3D World and Nintendo Land for $250. Shoppers should also be able to pick up a 3DS XL for $149.99. [Image: GOG]
Play Elegy for a Dead World the write way on Steam today
Elegy for a Dead World is available now on Steam for PC, Mac and Linux, 10 percent off ($13.50) through December 17. Elegy for a Dead World is a game about writing and a lesson in British Romantic poetry – players travel to far-off, alien planets and complete phrases about the environment, typing in whatever they wish to craft their own stories. The worlds are created in the vein of famed poets Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron and John Keats. The game offers 27 writing challenges across different landscapes, with a cast of characters ranging from archaeologist to thief. Players can share their completed stories and read other players' writings through Steam Workshop. Today's launch places Elegy for a Dead World ahead of schedule, as it was originally due to release in early 2015. Elegy for a Dead World is making its way into classrooms, featured in ESL, creative writing and game design programs at almost 50 institutions in 13 countries. The game comes from Dejobaan Games and Popcannibal. [Image: Dejobaan Games]
SteamWorld: Heist expands to consoles, PC platforms
Image & Form's turn-based strategy game SteamWorld Heist is coming to "all current platforms," studio CEO Brjann Sigurgeirsson revealed this week. SteamWorld: Heist is now scheduled for release on the Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, and Xbox One, along with Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms. Heist follows up on the studio's mining-themed action game SteamWorld: Dig, which was featured as one of last month's free PlayStation Plus releases. Image & Form is also considering a mobile release, though plans have not yet solidified. SteamWorld: Heist will premiere as a staggered release across all of its announced platforms starting in spring 2015. [Image: Image & Form]
Pre-order Geometry Wars 3, get two extra levels
You don't have to worry about quantities of Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions depleting during this week's launch, but pre-ordering the $14.99 twin-stick shooter wouldn't hurt if you're looking for a couple extra levels. As explained on Sierra's website, pre-orders placed on Xbox One consoles will earn the torus-shaped Blood Count and the cupe-shaped Titan Box, the latter of which is exclusive to Xbox. In place of pre-orders on the Xbox 360, the extra stages will be given to anyone that purchases the game before 11:59 PST on December 2. For PlayStation fans, the exclusive Symbolic stage will spawn enemies in shapes matching the four shapes used for the DualShock's buttons, as well as the triangular Secret Eye that's seen in the above image. However, pre-orders on PlayStation Network will only be available in the Americas. PC, Mac and Linux users that pre-order through Steam will receive Secret Eye and Blood Count, and there appears to be no region-based restrictions on that offer. You shouldn't run out of targets if you decide to wait things out however, as GW3: Dimensions will still launch with more than 50 levels for single player. [Image: Activision]
Combat-free MMO Wander coming to PS4
Wander is an unconventional, combat-less MMO that's currently in beta on PC and Linux and planned to reach PS4 in March 2015, as announced on the PlayStation Blog. Rather than the common hunt for loot and quests, Wander focuses on unguided exploration across a cluster of overgrown islands. Players can set out on their own to discover oddities, or work with those they cross paths with to piece together the area's history. Adventurers begin as walking trees with no memory, but can find and take alternate forms like a winged griffon or the swimming-savvy azertash. While parsing through Wander's rainforest for hidden secrets might feel overwhelming, Siren-like songs will usher players toward secrets that they're close to. While it seems expansive and mysterious, Writer and Character Designer Crystal Flinn explained that it's possible to get to the "end" of Wander's story. While a price for the PS4 version hasn't been offered, access to the PC and Linux beta is available for $25. [Image: Wander]
GOG Big Fall Sale Finale: FTL, Fez, Sam And Max, Rogue Legacy
GOG.com kicked off its DRM-free Big Fall Sale Finale this morning, putting more than 700 games on sale until Tuesday, November 25. The sale is split into two 48-hour periods, the first a "recap of flash deals" that rapidly come and go, and a second period with the Big Fall Sale's daily bundles that starts on Sunday. Thrifty buyers may want to act fast, as some of the flash deals will expire within hours. The deals include Fez ($5), Rogue Legacy ($3), Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition ($2.49), Pathologic ($2), System Shock 2 ($5), Rollercoaster Tycoon: Deluxe Edition ($3), FTL: Advanced Edition ($5) and the four primary Wing Commander games are $3 each, with the first two games bundled together. Sam & Max Save the World and Beyond Time and Space are $15 each, while The Devil's Playhouse is $17.49. OG.com also has deals on bundles starting today, such as the Fedora Deluxe Pack, a five-game Tex Murphy bundle that players can download at 80 percent off ($7.16). The digital games distributor is also offering a movie bundle for $8.45 that features five films, including The King of Arcades, Pixel Poetry and Minecraft: The Story of Mojang. [Image: GOG.com]
Catch a glimpse of Wander in Wednesday's live machinima
We've been keeping an eye on no-combat, exploration-driven sandbox Wander since its debut at PAX over a year ago. This week, you can keep an eye on it too. Creator Loki Davison says that his studio will be livestreaming the game tomorrow, but it won't be just any ol' gameplay walkthrough; it'll be a "pioneering live streamed drama" set in the gameworld, a piece of live machinima rarely seen in the genre. "Join Sylvania as she explores her dream of flying and realizes that what she is, isn't all she can be," Davison hints. "Azar however, might not approve." The stream begins at 7 p.m. EST on Wednesday, November 19th, on the official Wander Twitch channel.
'Goat Simulator' is becoming an extra-absurd role-playing game
Believe it or not, Goat Simulator is about to get even more ridiculous. Coffee Stain Studios is teasing the launch of Goat MMO Simulator, a massively multiplayer "simulation" add-on for its anything-goes animal game. How absurd is this barnyard role-playing saga going to get? Let's put it this way: it revolves around faction warfare between goats and sheep, and one of the character classes is "Microwave." That says all you need to know, really. It's not clear if Goat MMO will hold your attention any better than the core game, but it won't cost you much to give this a whirl -- the expansion will be free for Goat Simulator owners when it arrives on November 20th.
Goat MMO Simulator will WoW fans for free later this week
If you're a MMO player LFG - Looking For Goats - then you're probably mad. You're also exactly the kind of oddball who'll be interested by Goat MMO Simulator, a free expansion for Goat Simulator that's releasing on Steam this Thursday, November 20. Note the placement of MMO in the title; as developer Coffee Stain Studios puts it, the patch delivers "MMO simulation so good you'll think it's real." Regardless, the DLC features five classes that include Warrior, Rouge (yes, Rouge) and Microwave (still yes, Microwave.) The level cap is 101, sheep and goat factions are at war, and there are mermaids. And, 'cos it's Goat Simulator, there's another great trailer to watch below the break.
Flee from water, missile-based death in On Rusty Trails
Unpredictable, house-rusting rain is hindering Guy Elvis' livelihood, but it's not the only threatening hazard in On Rusty Trails, Black Pants Games Studio's platformer coming to PC, Mac and Linux. Explosive projectiles, flying squid-looking creatures and the ever-present threat of gravity are all accounted for, making Guy's trek anything but simple. His luck hasn't completely run out however, as a conveniently-acquired Shifty Suit allows him to influence surrounding environments by switching his appearance, as shown in the block-shifting platforming sections in the above teaser. That doesn't negate all the things trying to kill him, of course, but at least it helps with building a path to run away from it all. You can help keep Guy high and dry when On Rusty Trails launches sometime next year. [Image: Black Pants Games Studio]
Demo for GaymerX game Read Only Memories now available
A demo for Read Only Memories, a cyberpunk noir adventure game developed by MidBoss Games - a studio comprised of the same people who organized and ran the GaymerX conventions in 2012 and 2013 - is now available to download. According to a blog post from MidBoss, the demo contains a "final(ish)" version of the game's opening prologue and first chapter. Kickstarted in December of 2013, the game prominently features characters of varying sexual orientations and gender identities, and also allows the player to determine whether they would like to be addressed as "he," "she," "they," or none of the above. A final version of the game is due in summer 2015 for PC, Mac, Linux and Ouya. [Image: MidBoss Games]
