The Sunday Video Pwn
Two new Duke Nukem trailers hit the web this week. One covers the history of one of PC gaming's most recognisable characters , but it's the above video that had me scratching my chin the most. Duke Nukem Forever is actually going to get released, which is great, but I cant help but feel that Gearbox are pushing just a little too hard. The above trailer is amusing, but I can't shake the awkward feeling of misogyny that seems to ooze from it. Is pixelated pornography a step too far, or is it just harmless fun? Debate in the comments.
From one form of pixel porn to another, Unreal showed off their new engine tech in a features demo this week. The video drops such tantalising names as 'Apex Clothing' and 'Shadowed Point Light Reflections' that's sure to tingle the spine of any graphics junkie.
Battle Slots is possibly the most bizzare idea for an RPG I've heard. Developers 8monkey Labs have taken the usual fantasy setting, and rammed it into a slot machine. Intrigued? Take a look at the trailer . Tempted? Grab the demo .
Nuclear Dawn started out life as a Half-Life 2 mod, but has since been granted life as a full stand-alone release. The post-apocalypse word seems fairly standard, as does the shooting from the exceptionally brief trailer . But hey; we all love to show support to mod teams that aim big. Nuclear Dawn will be available on Steam from September this year.
When Magicka launched earlier this year, I was pleasantly surprised by just how much fun it was (I still can't say 'banana' properly since seeing the game's opening). So how do you go one step further when you've already created one of the best small games of the year? You ship the mages out to the burning rice fields of Vietnam, of course. You can check out the DLC expansion's mission in this lengthy preview , which shows off the new weapons (including an outrageous rocket launcher) and those trendy olive drab robes you'll be wearing out in the jungle.
The more and more I see of Brink, the more certain I am that it will sit quite nicely between my TF2 and Battlefield addictions. This weeks gattling gun trailer provided further evidence to the team-based parkour shooter's case, and I can already see where my summer evenings are going to be spent.
Whilst Notch and his team work on altering perceptions of collectable card games with new project Scrolls, SOE are doing the same for the long-established Magic game. Magic The Gathering: Tactics forges the usual card-based visuals for 3D character models, whilst still being faithful to the mechanics of the card game. In the above trailer, the developers talk about bringing the Planeswalker to life.
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And finally, a bit of everyone's favourite StarCraft II pro - Day9. His Newbie Tuesday videos are some of the best tutorials for players wanting to get into the cut-throat world of StarCraft's online skirmishes, and this week he gives an hour's worth of tips on using Reapers and experimenting with their various tactics. It is, naturally, coupled with Day9's trademark humour, which we love him dearly for.