Jun 252011
 

If you have been living under a rock and had not heard the news yet, TF2 is now free to play.  You can download it at the TF2 website for both Macintosh and Windows.

The free to play will now be supported by microtransactions within the steam store.  You will be able to purchase new weapons and items.  Valve also claims that they will continue to offer free items as well.

Valve also seems to be taking a pragmatic approach to supporting the community:

“It’s a belief of ours that in multiplayer games it’s generally true that the more people playing the game, the higher value the game has for each individual customer.

“The more players, the more available servers in your area, the wider variety of other players you’ll find, the greater the opportunity for new experiences, and so on.”

This would be bucking the trend of AAA titles coming out at $50-$60 range and support disappearing.  It also seems to be a lesson that some companies *cough* Epic *cough* could relearn.

According to Steam, I only have 2.8 hours played in TF2.  Unfortunately, the Orange Box came out at the same time as CoD4.  CoD4 got a bit more playing time.  However, if more people pick up on TF2, I could certainly see myself devoting more time to it.

Mar 072011
 

Here’s an unscientific, fairly lazy list of gaming-related titles that caught our eye for 2011. Inclusion in this list is not a stamp of approval. We’ve listed hotly-anticipated titles right alongside games that we absolutely dread, games whose mere prospect may knot our guts in a clenched ball of searing terror.

We do our best to keep this updated as new games or release dates are announced, but feel free to post any corrections – or suggestions of games that we missed.

 

2011 hardware!
Nintendo 3DS: 3/27

Confirmed
Released:
Lost in Shadow (Wii): 1/4
Little Big Planet 2 (PS3): 1/18
Dead Space 2 (PC/PS3/60): 1/25
Breach (PC/360): 1/26
Magicka (PC): 1/26
You Don’t Know Jack (PC/PS3/60): 2/8
Dungeons
(PC): 2/8
Bulletstorm (PC/PS3/60): 2/22
Killzone 3 (PS3): 2/22
Dragon Age 2 (PC/PS3/60): 3/8
Shogun 2: Total War (PC): 3/15
Yakuza 4 (PS3): 3/15
Homefront (PC/PS3/60): 3/15
Okamiden (DS): 3/15
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (PC): 3/17
Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime (PC/360): 3/18
Crysis 2 (PC/PS3/60): 3/22
Battlefield Play4Free (PC): 3/31
Darkspore (PC/PS3/60): 4/1
Hoard (PC/OS X): 4/4
Magicka: Vietnam (PC): 4/15
Sanctum (PC): 4/15
Portal 2 (PC/OS X/PS3/60): 4/19
IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover (PC): 4/19
The Conduit 2 (Wii): 4/19
SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs (PS3): 4/19
Section 8: Prejudice (XBLA): 4/20
Outland (XBLA): 4/25 (and to be released for PSN once service is restored)
Mount and Blade: With Fire and Sword (PC): 5/3
Section 8: Prejudice (PC): 5/4
Hydrophobia: Prophecy (PC): 5/9
My The First Templar (PC/360): 5/10
Brink (PC/PS3/60): 5/10
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (PC): 5/17
Fable 3 (PC): 5/17
L.A. Noire (PS3/60): 5/17
Dirt 3 (PC/PS3/60): 5/24
Dungeons and Dragons: Daggerdale (PC/PS3/60): 5/24
Hunted: The Demon’s Forge (PC/PS3/60): 5/31
Red Faction: Armageddon (PC/PS3/60): 6/7
Infamous 2 (PS3): 6/7
Operation Flashpoint: Red River (PC): 6/7
American McGee Presents American McGee‘s Alice: American McGee’s Madness American McGee Returns (PC/PS3/60): 6/14
Outland (PSN/XBLA): 6/14
Duke Nukem Forever (PC/PS3/60): 6/14
Dungeon Siege 3 (PC/PS3/60): 6/17
Might and Magic: Heroes VI (PC): 6/21
F.E.A.R. 3 (PC/PS3/60): 6/21
Shadows of the Damned (PS3/60): 6/21
Air Conflicts: Secret Wars (PC): 7/1
Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon (PS3/60): 7/5
Panzer Corps (PC): 7/11
Bastion (XBLA): 7/20
From Dust (PC/XBLA): 7/27
Limbo (PC): 8/2
Section 8: Prejudice (PSN): 8/2
Bastion (PC): 8/15
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (PS3/60): 8/16

Upcoming:
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PC/PS3/60): 8/23
Tropico 4 (PC): 8/30
Rock of Ages (PC/XBLA/PSN): 8/31
Dead Island (PC/PS3/60): 9/6
Resistance 3 (PS3): 9/6
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (PC/PS3/60): 9/6
Rage (PC/PS3/60/iPhone/toaster): 9/13
Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad (PC): 9/13
Sengoku (PC): 9/13
Saint’s Row 3 (PC/PS3/60): 9/15
Defenders of Ardania (PC): 9/27
Gears of War 3 (360): 9/30
The Darkness 2 (PC/PS3/60): 10/4
Dark Souls (PC3/60): 10/4
The Cursed Crusade (PC/PS3/60): 10/11
Batman: Arkham City (PC/PS3/60): 10/18
Battlefield 3 (PC/PS3/60): 10/25
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (PS3): 11/1
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PC/PS3/60): 11/11
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii): 11/20

Unconfirmed dates (roughly in order)
Amy (PSN): September 2011
Hard Reset (PC): September 2011
Trine 2: September 2011
Nuclear Dawn (PC): September 2011
Warp (PC/PSN/XBLA): Q3 2011
Serious Sam 3: BFE (PC/PS3/60): Q3 2011
Sword of the Stars 2 (PC): Q3 2011
Orcs Must Die! (PC/XBLA): Q3 2011
Star Wars: The Old Republic (PC): Fall 2011
Dyad (PSN): Fall 2011
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (PC/PS3/60): November 2011
Need For Speed: The Run (PC/PS3/60): November 2011
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (PC/PS3/60): Winter 2011
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (PC/PS3/60): TBA 2011
Final Fantasy Tactics (iPhone): TBA 2011
Torchlight 2 (PC): TBA 2011
Dungeon Defenders (PC/PS3/60): TBA 2011 (“First Wave” already out for Android and iOS)
Toy Soldiers (PC; XBLA already out): TBA 2011
Elemental: Fallen Enchantress (PC): TBA 2011
Dear Esther (PC): TBA 2011
The Shadow Sun (iOS): TBA 2011
Tribes: Ascend (PC/PS3/60): TBA 2011
Renegade Ops (PC/PSN/XBLA): TBA 2011
ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection (PS3): TBA 2011
Scivelation (PC): TBA 2011
The Witness (PC/PS3/60): TBA 2011
Jagged Alliance 2: Reloaded (PC): TBA 2011
Lego Star Wars III: Begun These Clone Wars Have (PC/PS3/60): TBA 2011
I Am Alive (?): TBA 2011
X: Rebirth
(PC): Q4 2011
Trenched: TBA 2011
Red Orchestra 2: Rising Storm (expansion; PC): TBA 2011, after RO2 (duh)
Half-Life 2: Episode Three (PC/360): TBA 2011…or 2012…or…
Alan Wake (PC): Never – unless you think MS is full of hot air and will end up releasing a shoddy PC port for extra cash monies in 9 months, after they’ve convinced everybody possible to buy the 360 version

Confirmed for 2012 or later
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (PC/PS3/60): 2/7/2012
Mass Effect 3 (PC/PS3/60): 3/6/2012
XCOM (PC/360): 3/12/2012
Planetside 2 (PC): Early 2012
Max Payne 3 (PC/PS3/60): March 2012
Secret World (PC): April 2012
Aliens: Colonial Marines (PC/PS3/60): Q2 2012
Bioshock: Infinite: TBA 2012
Far Cry 3 (PC/PS3/60): TBA 2012
Dishonored (PC/PS3/60): TBA 2012
Spec Ops: The Line (PC/PS3/60): TBA 2012
God of War 4: War Harder (PS3): TBA 2012
Mirror’s Edge 2 (PC/PS3/60): TBA 2012
Beyond Good and Evil 2 (?): TBA 2012
A Valley Without Wind (PC/OS X): TBA 2012
Age of Decadence (PC): TBA 2012
The Last Guardian (PS3): TBA 2012
Blackout (PC/PS3/60): TBA 2012
Prototype 2 (PC/PS3/60): TBA 2012
Silent Hill 2 and 3 HD (PS3/60): TBA 2012
Hitman 5
(PC/PS3/60): TBA 2012
Dead State (PC): TBA 2012
Zone of the Enders 1 and 2 HD (PS3/60): TBA 2012
Metal Gear Solid Collection HD (PS3/60): TBA 2012
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (PC/PS3/60): TBA 2012
Darksiders 2 (PC/PS3/60): TBA 2012
Metro: Last Light (PC/PS3/60): TBA 2012
Fallen Frontier (PC/PSN/XBLA): TBA 2012
Prey 2 (PC/PS3/60): TBA 2012
STALKER 2: TBA 2012
Diablo 3 (PC): TBA 2012
Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm (PC): TBA 2012

Lost in Shadow (Wii): 1/4