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The Joystiq Weekend: January 19 - 21, 2008
The above picture from DeviantArt user DrakeLake just begs to be used as a desktop background. Even better, it begs for an adorable Team Fortress 2 mod. Check out the highlights for the weekend:JoystiqueryCES 2008: A covert intel briefing on The AgencyMetareview - In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege TalePS Fanboy Week in Review: 1/14 - 1/20Today's 9-to-5 video: Portal: A day in the Life of a TurretWeekly Webcomic Wrapup just got toldNewsNASA may enter game publishing realm with space exploration MMON+ greenlighted for Xbox Live Arcade, includes multiplayerNew Penny Arcade Adventures gameplay footage features hobo warfarStreet Fighter IV to be playable at Japanese Amusement Expo Feb. 15SNK revisits well, returns with 16-game compilation for PS2, PSPDS RPG Rondo of Swords coming stateside in AprilMTV's Stephen Totilo sits down with Lost: Via DomusLineage II clan rivalry ends in real life murderPlay PC games on your PS3 with StreamMyGameNintendo accidentally confirms Lucario, Ness, Jigglypuff for BrawlNew games this week: Burnout Paradise editionSuper Street Fighter II, Adventures of Lolo 2 on Virtual Console todayRock Band Weekly: An Oasis of musicEA to release free, online-only 'Battlefield Heroes'Lost Planet to be found on PS3 Feb. 26Hellgate: London balances, Stonehenge coming todayAge of Conan pushed back until May 20Get your Patapon on for $20This Wednesday: Just Undertow (but this time it's free)Guitar Hero franchise passes the $1B markRatchet & Clank: Size Matters set for March PS2 releaseRumors & SpeculationRumor: Anoymous Microsoft source reveals truth about the Red Ring of DeathRumor: Factor 5 working on a Kid Icarus game for WiiRumor: Super Smash Bros. arriving on VC with BrawlRumor: Frontlines canceled on PS3 (also, PC multiplayer beta is open)Culture & CommunitySuper Mario Fusion makes Mushroom Kingdom Hearts a realityBully causes Brit-troversy a year late and a pound shortSee the Top 12 covers of Portal's 'Still Alive'Romero: GameCock is dumb, GameCock: No U R!, Us: Whose bitch are we?E3's Game Critics Awards do the Game of the Year thingMicrosoft announces Xbox Live Arcade AwardsThis Weighted Companion Cube casemod will never threaten to stab youRegister and ye shall REZ-eive (a free game)Chain Chomp knit beanie won't tear your head offKeighley takes on Fox News' seXbox seXposéGordon Freeman crank calls Coast to Coast AM
More TF2 tweaks for Pyro, Soldier
We knew some changes were headed to Team Fortress 2, namely to the Medic, but CVG is now reporting some of the planned changes for other classes as well. Specifically, we're talking about the Pyro and Soldier classes. So far, the only change announced for the Pyro has to do with scoring. Basically, Pyros will now be rewarded with points when they successfully light an enemy on fire. The idea, according to Valve's Robin Walker is to reward the player for foiling enemy plans even when doing so didn't necessarily end in their death. The Soldier class is due for an interesting change as well, as Walker notes that Valve "is focused on making Soldiers a little more careful firing their rockets at point blank targets." We're not exactly sure what that would entail, especially when factoring in rocket jumps, so we'll just have to wait and see. The changes should be rolling out within the next two months.[Via Joystiq]
Team Fortress 2 to get 'Badlands' map remake, medic tweaks
New changes are coming to Team Fortress 2. Speaking to Shack News, Valve's Robin Walker reconfirmed that two new maps will be coming in the next two months for the PC version, including a remake of the TF Classic map Badlands. Walker couldn't confirm if those maps would arrive on the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 versions of the game.Walker also said that modifications to the medic class are coming soon, possibly before the maps. Although unspecified, Walker said, "It's a large scale modification to the core of the game. It'll debut in a limited fashion through the Medic first, but it'll be affecting all classes eventually." Our guess? They're taking away the Medic's ability to heal - boy, would that change the game! But seriously, they'll probably just put a floating sign over medics that reads "shoot me first."[Image from BioWare's Halloween]
TF2 to see gameplay changes, new achievements and (possibly) new maps
The new downloadable content (slash) update for Team Fortress 2 prophecy is slowly becoming a reality, with confirmation that changes will be in place within two months.Talking to ShackNews, Valve has confirmed that Team Fortress 2, one-fourth fifth of the Orange Box, will be receiving an update that'll bring significant gameplay tweaks aimed at being a "large scale modification to the core of the game," that will "debut in a limited fashion through the Medic first, but it'll be affecting all classes eventually". Specific gameplay changes were not detailed, but we do know they will rollout as part of the Medic Achievement Pack which, as it sounds, will bring 36 new achievements to the medic class. Valve also mentioned that they are working on two new multiplayer maps including a remake of Team Fortress's classic map Badlands, but both maps are currently slated to be only available on the PC with a 360 release yet to be determined.There's a bunch to look forward to for TF2 fans, but we can't help being a bit bummed about the uncertainty of the two new maps releasing to the 360. We are also torn about the medic class getting all the tweaks and achievements, while the other classes sit on the sidelines. And 36 new achievements? That has to be a mistake ... right?[Via Evil Avatar]
Best of the Rest: Ross' Picks of 2007
Team Fortress 2 (Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3)While Portal is being given its much deserved credit for the year, and Half-Life 2 has enjoyed years of acclaim, let's not forget about the other pillar of Valve's The Orange Box. It's been eight years since the release of Team Fortress Classic, and the game has undergone so many revisions and delays we half expected it to be released alongside Duke Nukem Forever sometime in 2012. As it turned out, the game not only saw the light of day but ended up being an addictive online experience. As a console gamer enjoying this with a gamepad, I don't care much much for the sniper, soldier, demoman, or anything except medic and occasionally the engineer. There's something brutally satisfying about charging into battle behind a heavy weapons guy, dodging the occasional bullet (people still haven't learned) and injecting him with a team-killing jolt of invincibility. Hours of enjoyment and not a single bullet shot. Pure. Enjoyment.
New maps, fixes coming for Team Fortress 2
A squeaky wheel over at NeoGAF got greased down by a Valve staffer recently with a boatload of info on Team Fortress 2's future, both on consoles and PC. After poster and 360 owner "Shamrock" complained about a lack of communication from the company, software engineer Kerry Davis replied (in an email Shamrock reposted), painting a bright picture of the game's future, with a new patch just sent to Microsoft for certification that "fixes several game-play exploits, improves bandwidth usage, improves stats reporting and fixes some menu bugs."There are also new maps in the pipeline. Davis said that PC players would probably get the new levels piecemeal as they're finished and 360 owners would likely be downloading a PC pack. There is no mention of similar treatment for PS3 players. We're going to hope that's just because Davis was talking to a 360 owner and not because of ... well, you know. Other stuff.[Via Shacknews]
Team Fortress 2 update and DLC in very near future
NeoGAF member Shamrock was a bit annoyed at Valve for what he felt to be a lack of Team Fortress 2 news, updates or community interaction from Valve and he wanted answers. And after shooting off an email to Valve's Gabe Newell (who later handed it off to a Valve software engineer) he and the rest of us got a TF2 update. Yay!According to Valve software engineer Kerry Davis, the TF2 development team has been busy lately, working on a patch as well as some downloadable content. The patch will fix numerous bugs in the game including bandwidth issues, stats reporting, menu enhancements and exploit fixing which are all issues they investigated after reading forum posts made by TF2 players (aww shucks, they listen to their community too!) The patch has already been submitted to Microsoft and should be applied before Christmas. Finally, Davis mentions that they are working on new multiplayer maps as well which do not have a release date just yet, but they'll be rolled out on both the PC and Xbox 360 which smells of free DLC to us. Oh, and Davis also reminds us that Valve cares, loves us and will do anything to please our ungrateful bums, except they refuse to wash our car. Which sort of stinks, seeing that our car is hella' dirty.
Half-Life 2 Ep 2 demo makes the XBLM colorful
Wowzaz! We've just been blindsided by a new game demo on the XBLM this morning, we didn't even see it coming, but oddly enough we're loving it.Available for download off the Marketplace to nearly all Xbox Live members around the globe is a brand new, Thanksgiving surprise The Orange Box: Half-Life 2 Episode 2 demo from team Valve. The demo, which we expect to feature only HL2 EP2 fun and not any other Orange Box goods, will take up 732MB of hard drive space and will probably leave you wanting more Orange Box fun ... especially Portal. Speaking of which, we're overjoyed about today's surprise HL2, but where's the Portal demo? We want demand Portal and we want demand cake!
Team Fortess 2's Xbox Live update now available
You'll forgive us for missing this tidbit of news this weekend, as we (along with some of you, no doubt) were much too enthralled by the other, other, other, other Game of the Year, this one nestled in Valve's sumptuous Orange Box. If you wanted to add Team Fortress 2 to your list of yearly praise but felt that lag ruined the experience, perhaps the title update for the Xbox 360 version will do away with your doubts. The following technical alterations to the charming multiplayer romp should take effect the next time you load up the game whilst signed in to Xbox Live: Reduced network bandwidth usage in multiplayer. Improved overall game performance. Arranged search results to favor preferred host conditions. Improved searching for ranked games. Addressed a possible false report of too little storage space on larger hard drives (not this again!) [Via press release
Joystiq plays Team Fortress 2
Our maniacal robot overlords at Joystiq just wrote up their impressions of the Team Fortress 2 beta that PC players are currently enjoying. Sure, it's not the 360 version, but we're confident that the impressions will translate to our favorite console. Long story short: Joystiq is impressed. Rather than rehash their impressions, allow us to direct you, um, directly to them. We will, however, suffice it to say that The Orange Box is looking like a definite purchase for any self-respecting fanboy.
TF2: an extended look at the engineer
With the release of The Orange Box fast approaching, we're itching to get all the info we can about its delicious contents. We're probably most excited for the collection's multiplayer offering, Team Fortress 2. So far, we've been enamored of the clever character class videos that Valve has released, but we haven't seen too much focus on how these various classes actually play. Enter Eurogamer, with a video of our personal favorite, the engineer. The video pretty much covers the things you'll be doing as an engineer, namely building things and dropping fools with your shotgun. Unfortunately, Eurogamer doesn't support embedded videos, so you'll have to leave the comfy confines of X3F to view it. We know it can be scary, but we also know that you can do it. Go ahead, click that "read" link. It's not nearly as scary as it seems.
Team Fortress 2 reviewed, impresses Eurogamer
Eurogamer has gotten their grubby little hands on a copy of Team Fortress 2 and laid down the first review of the game. We'll leave the pleasure of reading the whole review to our readers, but we're pretty sure you'd like an overall summary. Well here it is folks: it's good. According to Eurogamer, Team Fortress 2 achieves the unenviable task of providing an accessible team-based shooter experience that will satisfy both newcomers and the hardcore alike. Eurogamer even notes that the need for voice communication is nearly rendered moot by intuitive map designs and classes that counterbalance each other. That's quite an accomplishment if true. Oh, one last thing before you head off to read the review, Valve will be releasing more maps in addition to the six that are shipping with the game. Sounds pretty good to us. Now, go read the review and dream of October.
Take a tour of the Team Fortress 2 maps
Alright, so we're beginning to understand the characters of Team Fortress 2, but what about their environment? In what sorts of places will we be wreaking havoc? A series of videos has been released giving a brief glimpse of each of Team Fortress 2's six maps: Hydro, Gravel Pit, Well, 2 Fort, Granary, and Dust Bowl. Unfortunately, all the videos are done in a grainy, almost black-and-white style that doesn't exactly mesh with YouTube. Hopefully we'll see some high resolution versions of these videos soon. Still, you can get an idea of the layout of each map and the game types available on them. We've embedded the rest of the videos after the break.
Loads of new Team Fortress 2 vids
GameVideos has posted a handful of new videos of Team Fortress 2 gameplay. In all, we get to see the engineer, spy, sniper, scout, and soldier doing their thing. We noticed yesterday that the camera can pull away from the player in order to show off an emotion. Seeing these new videos, it has become clear that this is a player controlled action, so you can use it to taunt your living (or dead) opponents whenever you wish. Beyond that, the game plays out as you would expect. You have sixty seconds to prepare before each match, during which time you can select your class and figure out your strategy. The rest is pure mayhem. Our favorite video, embedded above, features the spy infiltrating the enemy base and laying waste to them with his butterfly knife. Everything we've seen of Team Fortress 2 points to good times ahead. Check out three more videos after the break.
TF2 Soldier video splits sides (with rockets)
Remember the Team Fortress 2 video featuring the Heavy? You know, "I am Heavy Weapons Guy," and "WHO TOUCHED MY GUN?!" and all that? Well, we're hesitant to say it, but we think this video tops it. Something like Patton with a little extra derangement sprinkled on top, the video features the Soldier class as he explains to the troops the very invention of war. Apparently it involves Sun Tzu and the collection of animals. In short, the video is comedy gold and should not be missed. Watch it now or forever be an outcast in gaming circles. Now where the hell is our Orange Box damn it? [Via Joystiq]
Video: design philosophy of Team Fortress 2
We are all about Team Fortress 2 here at X3F. While we certainly look forward to the classic gameplay, there can be no doubt that its luscious visual style is a big draw. The above video from Gamersyde shows off just how much work goes into all the environments and characters of Team Fortress 2. The team at Valve drew their inspiration from commercial drawings of the early 20th century. Hell, they even mention the work of Hayao Miyazaki as an influence. One of the overall goals of the design process was to make every character unique and easy to identify at a distance. With this in mind, the team set about creating unique color schemes and silhouettes for each character. There are also lots of technical elements discussed in the video. We're not really sure what a Phong highlight is, but if it makes Team Fortress 2 this pretty, we really don't care.[Thanks, DjDATZ]
TF2 devs play cross-platform, but you won't
So, Shacknews posted a lengthy preview of Team Fortress 2. At first, everything was normal, no different than what we expected. Multiple classes, fun gametypes, cool maps, protestations that the Medic is fun to play: everything was copacetic. According to the review, Team Fortress 2 will not feature cross-platform play. That's all well and good, except Valve -- developer of the PC and Xbox 360 versions (EA UK is handling the PS3 version) -- "regularly play cross-platform multiplayer games." Why then, are we denied such pleasure? According to Valve's Doug Lombardi, it "introduces more problems than it is worth." He further notes that Valve would only implement cross-platform play in a title that was designed for it from the start.Ah well, looks like we'll have to be satisfied with fragging fellow 360 fanboys.[Via Joystiq]
Team Fortress 2 shaping up nicely
Eurogamer got to try their hand at Valve's upcoming Team Fortress 2, and they came away impressed. In particular, Eurogamer notes that the developers of Team Fortress 2 have gone a long way towards solving problems with good art direction. For example, when using a spy to infiltrate the enemy base, you can physically change your appearance to look like any enemy class. Rather than have your own team see an icon over your head representing this, they will see a spy wearing the appropriate mask. This is both visually interesting and solves the problem accordingly.Also mentioned in the preview, each class has several defining characteristics that make them fun to play. For instance, wrench kills with the Engineer give bonuses to build speed, though they also put you in harm's way. Like Snipers? If you stay zoomed in for a few seconds before you make the shot, you cause more damage, but you also risk someone sneaking up on you. Each class has these trade-offs that increase tension and entertainment.Honestly, with the campy art style and seemingly endless variety, Team Fortress 2 just may sway a few players from the juggernaut that is Halo 3. Hit the "read" link for the full preview.[Via Evil Avatar]
Team Fortress 2 may unite 360 and PC gamers
In an interview with IGN, Valve's own Doug Lombardi and Robin Walker talk specifics about that Orange Box game Team Fortress 2. The interview shines new light on how gameplay works, graphics changes, and delves into Valve's experience on gaming consoles. When talking about console coding, Walker says that "we did the Xbox port of Half-Life internally, and we did that because we wanted to have the expertise from doing that" and says "the same guys that did that are working on TF2". With all the Xbox coding experience under their belts they also revealed that the team's work on cross platform play has been implemented into the game. Right now, TF2 allows Xbox 360 and PC gamers to duke it out and is running swimmingly, but hasn't been officially confirmed because it still may be pulled before release. We'll just have to wait until this Fall to see if TF2 can live up to its older bro and also include some cross platform play.
