All Articles: PAX Prime 2011

Valve bringing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to PC, PS3, Xbox 360

Posted on August 12, 2011 by John Scalzo

Get your crowbar ready because Valve has just announced a sequel to one of their most popular properties. That’s right, Half-Life 2: Episode Three Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will be coming to the PC, PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade during the first few months of 2012. This is good news and all, but maybe we can use those crowbars to “convince” Gabe Newell to start working on Episode Three.

A joint development between Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment, Global Offensive will “will expand upon the team-based action gameplay that [Counter-Strike] pioneered when it was launched exactly 12 years ago.” To that end, CS:GO will feature new maps, characters, and weapons alongside new gameplay modes, matchmaking, leaderboards, and more. But don’t think Valve has forgotten the past. Updated versions of classic CS maps, such as de_dust, will also be included in Global Offensive.

“For the past 12 years, [Counter-Strike] 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,” said Doug Lombardi of Valve.

Valve plans to bring a playable version of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to this year’s PAX Prime at the end of August and the Eurogamer Expo in September.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

Eat Sleep Play blasts Twisted Metal with a delay

Posted on August 5, 2011 by John Scalzo

David Jaffe and his cohorts at Eat Sleep Play have some bad news for you: Twisted Metal has been delayed. The development team wants more time for “tuning and polish,” so the game will now be available sometime in the first few months of 2012. Twisted Metal was previously scheduled for an October 4 release date.

Jaffe assured gamers that this delay was the right move and confirmed that attendees of PAX Prime (in Seattle) and Gamescom (in Germany) would get a chance to play Twisted Metal later this month:

It sucks bad when games miss their announced launch dates. We’re gamers too and we know how annoying it is. It’s disappointing and frustrating and it really takes the wind out of your sails if you’re a fan that has been looking forward to playing a title for a long time. Thing is, you gotta trust me when I tell you that – with this extra time for tuning and polish – the game is going to be so much better than it already is. And if you played Twisted Metal and liked it at E3 or Comic-Con, or if you get to play it (and you enjoy it) at one of the August shows, just imagine how much more fun the final game will be with some extra time, polish, and love.

He even quoted Shigeru Miyamoto’s oft-cited saying in regards to the delay: “A late game is only late until it ships. A bad game is bad until the end of time.” We’ll see, Jaffe, we’ll see.

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged , ,

Borderlands 2 announced, playable at Gamescom 2011, PAX Prime

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Well, that didn’t take long. Just after all the leaks and rumors about Borderlands 2, 2K Games and Gearbox Software officially announced that the sequel is in development. It will be coming to the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 sometime in fiscal year 2013 (after April 2012) and is going to have “all-new characters, skills, environments, enemies, weapons and equipment, which come together in an ambitiously crafted story.” Taking place on Pandora once again, it will not only feature new characters, but new character classes.

All of this information and more can be found in the latest Game Informer. Good thing I just re-upped my subscription! The game will be playable at both Gamescom 2011 (from August 17 – August 21) and PAX Prime (Booth #3417 from August 26 – August 28).

This comes on the heels of something I said just last night to Ryan Littlefield as we were blasting our way through Earl’s Scrapyard. Ryan said that he saw the GOTY edition in the clearance bin, and I replied, “Well obviously it’s because they’re making the second game.” DING! We have a winner! Now excuse me while I go change my pants.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged , ,