New Counter-Strike is a reality, coming to consoles and PC in early 2012
There was a rumor that started roaming around the net yesterday about a new Counter-Strike but Valve decided to confirm the rumors. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is coming to PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive features new maps, characters, weapons and provides updated versions of classic Counter-Strike content(maps like de_dust). CS: GO will also include new game modes, matchmaking, leaderboards, and more.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) will expand upon the team-based action gameplay that it pioneered when it was launched 12 years ago.
CS: GO features new maps, characters, and weapons and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust, etc.). In addition, CS: GO will introduce new gameplay modes, matchmaking, leader boards, and more.
"Counter-Strike took the gaming industry by surprise when the unlikely MOD became the most played online PC action game in the world almost immediately after its release in August 1999," said Doug Lombardi at Valve. "For the past 12 years, it has continued to be one of the most-played games in the world, headline competitive gaming tournaments and selling over 25 million units worldwide across the franchise. CS: GO promises to expand on CS' award-winning gameplay and deliver it to gamers on the PC as well as the next gen consoles and the Mac."
CS: GO is being developed by Valve in cooperation with Seattle-based Hidden Path Entertainment. The title is targeted for release in early 2012 and will be playable at this year's PAX Prime and Eurogamer Expo.
Everybody knows Counter-Strike, but this is quite a shocker. People knew Valve has been cooking something and has an announcement to make, a lot was hoping for Half-Life 3, sadly not today. An updated Counter-Strike game that's also heading for consoles....not what I expected at all, but Counter-Strike is not even close to dead so I'm sure you CS fans are all excited with this announcement. It's coming next year so we'll see how it turns out when they reveal more info.
Age of Conan's new free to play system is paying off
Funcom's Age of Conan is actually doing better now thanks to the free to play setup they just launched a month ago. Yea I know, Age of Conan might not seem good for some, I even thought this MMO was dead. But this is actual proof that free to play can be as profitable as monthly fees.
How good are they doing now? well in just a short span of time, they have quadrupled their server activity and doubled in revenue. It could go down in the coming months since this free to play plan is new, but 300,000 new players have joined to try out Age of Conan. Regardless, this is a win for them, their doing so much better now even when it first came out.
This free to play plan seems to be the IT thing now in MMO's. Giving the players the chance to play the game for free with some restrictions, and adding an in-game store to earn money. It's a win-win strategy for both players wanting to dodge the monthly fee and a company that needs to earn. We got Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons and Dragons Online, APB Reloaded, now Age of Conan. It's effective, and getting famous fast.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksXQx8UX9Ng]
I've actually tried APB Reloaded, yea it's free but not my kind of game, plus it's such a demanding game in the graphics department. Since Age of Conan is free, might as well try it for myself too. No harm in trying, right? we'll see.
Congrats to Funcom for finding a way to keep Age of Conan alive..... for now. If you wanna try out Age of Conan: Unchained, head over their official site to get started.
[Source: Gaminformer]
Metro: Last Light E3 gameplay demo part III
Metro Last Light's last part of their E3 demo has been released. In this video, we have the protagonist Artyom and Khan in a deep tunnel chasing a train full of baddies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OuNmOEcoaw
Post apocalyptic Moscow is looking better than ever. The whole setting of the game is in Moscow's metro system underground. With the nuclear fallout in the surface, mostly everybody is now living in the metro, trying to survive with mutants and other factions in the metro. It's dark and scary, and most of the time you only see your flashlight as you go around the Metro. Another FPS that I just can't wait to get my hands on. Here's part 1 and part 2 of the E3 demo if you missed it.
Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prDlIvhlFp4
Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGFMJz5Moj0
If you want a good old classic FPS title that focuses only on the single player, you should try out the first game, Metro 2033. It will give you a better understanding about what Last Light is all about, plus It's just a great shooter that gave me that old Doom feel.
Metro: Last Light will be out next year 2012, no release date yet.
Skyrim demo sends woman into labor
A lot of fans are excited about the next installment in the Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim. Among these fans are soon to be wed couple Chaz and Stevi.
Chaz and Stevi got engaged at last year's QuakeCon and planned to get married this year. Stevi was already very pregnant come QuakeCon 2011. So pregnant in fact that after seeing the Frost Dragon during the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim presentation that she went into labor. Thinking that it was a false alarm they decided to stay for the whole shindig.
It was infact the real deal. After the presentation, the two were immitiately rushed to the hospital and are now two proud parents of a baby girl, they named her Atari. Bethesda, I think we have our first Dragonborn.
Via [Gameinformer]
Risen 2 trailer shows us a fantasy RPG with pirates!
Remember Risen? that Fantasy RPG developed by the makers of the Gothic series?? maybe not but I do, since I actually bought and finished the game back in 2009. It wasn't the best RPG out there at the time, that's why I'm a bit shocked over the news with Risen 2: Dark Waters. They just released a gameplay teaser trailer and it shows a fantasy RPG with a pirate theme? well that's new.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqA1GgsO8r4]
Interesting setting, at the same time the graphics is a huge improvement from the first game. The trailer is made entirely of in-game footage. If you know the Gothic series and actually played the first game, you'll have an idea on how this game will play out. This trailer is in preparation for Risen 2's appearance in Gamescom, so we'll get more info about this RPG when Gamescom concludes.
If you want to grab more info about Risen 2: Dark Waters now, head over their official website.