Category: PC Gaming

Valve Getting Ready to Announce Steam for Mac OS

Valve has been circulating various images that hint that the company will be releasing its Steam gaming service for Apple’s Mac OS. The best of the bunch is Half-Life’s Gordon Freeman with an obscured Apple logo on his chest (pictured above). With Game Developers Conference 2010 next week, an official announcement should come soon.

This is big news for Valve’s Steam service and tremendous news for the Mac platform. Apple has tried the emphasize gaming on the Mac several times, but the efforts were always half-assed. Steam would plug a gaping hole in Mac OS’s catalog.

I know a lot of people that prefer working and browsing on a Mac, but keep a PC around just for games. Are you one of those people? Would you be willing to ditch Windows if Steam arrives for Mac OS?

American McGee Taking on Little Red Riding Hood + Concept Art

After tackling Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and Grimm’s Fairytales in videogame form, American McGee is going with Little Red Riding Hood for his next game. The Spicy Horse game designer (that loves to slap his name on boxes) posted some concept art for American McGee’s Red and according to GameSetWatch will be pitching the title at GDC.

The concept art is definitely cool, but I’m interested to hear what you think of American McGee. There’s a whole generation of gamers that have no idea who he is. There are a bunch of gamers that think he’s some guy that feels the need to put his name in the title of every game he works on. There are also a bunch of people that loved what he did with Alice and are waiting for him to do something similarly great.

What do you think of Red and American McGee?

Source via GameSetWatch


Today’s Poll: ApocalyPS3 vs. Infinity Ward Ousting

March started out with a bang, hey? On one side you had loads of PlayStation 3 gamers unable to do much with their precious consoles (it only does…nothing?) because of a date-processing error. On the other you had a few high-ranking execs from Infinity Ward ousted under curious conditions. Which story was the bigger deal to you?

I’m telling anyone that will listen that both stories are being overblown. Yes, the 8005010F PS3 error was a massive inconvenience for (probably) millions of gamers, but comparing it to the Xbox 360’s red ring of death is moronic. There’s a huge difference between an issue that can be solved through a software update and faulty manufacturing leading to hardware failure.

The Infinity Ward situation is also being extremely exaggerated. Yes, it’s a big deal that popular execs from a hugely successful developer were dismissed and a giant franchise was given to a “lesser” developer, but the “security guard” issue isn’t that big a deal. It’s common for security to be present when people are dismissed — mostly to protect against IP theft, but also to prevent a scene from being caused. The way this aspect of the story was being played up, it sounded like Activision hired Mafia goons to keep the remaining Infinity Ward employees inline — that’s just complete B.S.

Anyway, which story was the bigger deal?

[poll id=”29″]

More Dragon Age: Origins Awakening Characters: Mhairi and Sigrun

BioWare has revealed two more characters from the upcoming Dragon Age: Origins Awakening expansion pack: Mhairi and Sigrun. Here are some screens, official bios, and my comments on these new playable characters.

Mhairi

Official description: When Mhairi was a child, she was enraptured by tales of kings and nobles. All she wanted was to be like them, to fight for what she believed. Betrothed to a trader when she turned 16, she saw the life that lay ahead of her and enlisted in the army instead. Her fierce loyalty and devotion to Ferelden earned her the love and respect of her commanders and brothers-in-arms. King Cailan’s betrayal and death hit Mhairi hard, and when she learned of the two Grey Wardens who quelled the Blight almost single-handedly, she vowed to serve the Wardens. When the call came for volunteers to help rebuild the order at Vigil’s Keep, Mhairi jumped at the chance to join.

Raymond’s rant: Dragon Age has a stalker. Awesome! Maybe I’ve seen too many episodes of WWE programming, but Mhairi reminds of Mickie James when she was stalking Trish Stratus. I can totally see her going all fangirl on Alistair. Their interaction should be excellent.

Sigrun

Official description: There is only one way to leave the Legion of the Dead: by fulfilling a vow to die in battle against the enemies of Orzammar, a sacrifice that absolves any guilt. Sigrun craves a chance to prove she is more than a worthless gutter-rat, but it’s hard to rush headlong into a battle you won’t survive. After all, when you grow up casteless, you learn to fight for everything. You learn that you have to watch out for yourself, because no one else will, and the Stone knows no one’s going to miss you when you’re dead. Sigrun’s a survivor, and old habits die hard.

Raymond’s rant: Hmmmm, another casteless dwarf. The Legion of the Dead connection is cool and all, but how many chip-on-their-shoulder little-people does the game need? Then again, the dwarves had the best origin stories by a mile. Perhaps Sigrun’s tale will feature similar writing?

Anyway, let me know what you think of these two Dragon Age characters. I’m definitely going to spend time with Mhairi, but I’ll need more convincing to give Sigrun a good run.

Princeton Review Ranks Top 8 Undergrad Game Design Programs

The Princeton Review has ranked the top eight undergraduate programs in game design, so if you’re looking to be the next Cliffy B (but with better taste in cars) then you’ll want to pay attention to these rankings. Ladies and gentlemen…here are your top eight finalists…I’m Raymond Padilla…and this is American Idol. Sorry, I’ve always wanted to do that. Anyway, here they are:

  1. University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
  2. DigiPen Institute of Technology (Redmond, WA)
  3. Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA)
  4. Becker College (Worcester, MA)
  5. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY)
  6. The Art Institute of Vancouver (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  7. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, MA)
  8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)

A word of advice — RPI is a great school, but you really don’t want to go to college in upstate New York. The winters are nasty.

Any of you considering these fine institutions?

Source via Game Politics

Reminder: Interactive Achievement Awards Highlights on IFC

Here’s a reminder that the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences’ Interactive Achievements Awards will be on IFC tonight at 10PM ET/9PM CT. Check it out if you have a chance or set your DVR to record it. Sadly, it’s not the entire program and a lot of Jay Mohr’s excellent roasting will be cut, but 30 minutes of this fine awards show is better than nothing, right?

Coffee Talk #95: What Videogame Character Do You Want to Be?

Is there a videogame character you wish you were more like? It sounds like a silly question, but there are loads of videogame characters that have laudable traits. It’s not hard to find a character that’s heroic, clever, wise, witty, or caring. If you’re more devil than angel, it’s easy to find characters that are devious, diabolical, and cruel.

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Americans getting into curling to be contrary, the latest snow storm on the east coast, or Palm taking a beating, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Is there a videogame character you wish you were more like? It sounds like a silly question,  but there are loads of videogame characters that have laudable traits. It’s not hard to find a character that’s heroic, clever, wise, witty, or caring. If you’re more devil than angel, it’s easy to find characters that are devious, diabolical, and cruel.

As for me, I’m going to go with Pokemon’s Ash Ketchum. I’m certain that I’m being influenced by GameStop’s upcoming Pokemon Jirachi promotion, but I think he’s a great pick. He’s kind, caring, and determined. I also miss viewing the world through innocent eyes. Ash accomplishes his goals as a Pokemon trainer while still being a good person and seeing things with child-like wonder. Maybe I’m just feeling tired and jaded this week, but I want to be more like Ash.

So play this game with me (please). I’d love to know what videogame character you’d like to be more like. I’m just hoping none of you pick Kratos.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I swear it was Monday yesterday. Ha! Funny how that goes…. Anyway, I’ve watched two sets of endings for Heavy Rain and I’m not sure that I care to see the others just yet. Instead, I’m going to spend the weekend trophy hunting, replaying different chapters of the game so that I can rack up rewards on my secondary PSN account (as a few of you know, it’s sorely lacking). Some of the trophies are a snap to get, so I should be able to snag a whole bunch in two days.

When I need a break from Heavy Rain, I’ll be going to my old standby: Civilization Revolution for iPhone. I can’t believe how many hours I’ve gotten out of the game. I’m pretty sure it’s the best gaming value of my life (and I bought it on sale for $2.99!).

As always, I want to know what you’re playing this weekend. Share your weekend playlist with your fellow RPadholics.

Jason Rubin Believes Digital Distribution Will Help Gaming Thrive

Naughty Dog founder and current Monkey Gods chief executive monkey Jason Rubin believes that there’s one thing that will help the gaming industry thrive: more cowbell. Wait, that’s not right. I meant digital distribution. In an interview with Character Arcade Rubin said:

Inefficiencies in distribution tied to the box release are hampering that part of the business. If publishers and developers could recapture the 20 percent stores’ take, plus a substantial part of revenue lost to piracy, rental, and resale, not to mention the cost of shipping pieces of plastic all over the world, then I think that part of the industry would be in a better position financially, without a single extra dollar of cost to gamers. Digital distribution can help with all of those inefficiencies, at the same time as it improves the gamer’s experience.

From a developer’s perspective, I totally see where he’s coming from. From a consumer’s perspective, I know that some of you have issues and concerns about digital distribution. What do you think of Rubin’s take on the matter?

Source

BioWare Just Says No to Vampires

BioWare has developed several outstanding games that use traditional fantasy and sci-fi settings. It even took gamers on a mystical adventure in ancient China (Jade Empire). The company has considered other backgrounds, but one you won’t be seeing any time soon is horror (or as it’s known these days, vampiric romantic teen angst). BioWare’s Dr. Greg Zeschuk recently told me:

Years ago we talked about horror as a genre setting. We just didn’t feel like it really worked for us. It’s funny how crazy that’s going — the vampire stuff.

I’m mostly relieved, but a little disappointed. I was never into vampires and the Twilight phenomenon currently has me hating the bloodsuckers. If there’s one company that could get me interested in vampires, it’s BioWare. So while I’m glad it appears to be sticking to its bread and butter, I’m curious about what BioWare could do with a vampire game.

Are you happy or disappointed that BioWare isn’t going all Twilight?