SomethingAwful.com recently asked some of their readers to Photoshop together some very simple achievements for Team Fortress 2. Of course, the results address some of the more boneheaded activity you can see in any average match, such as aiming for a Heavy that’s being guarded by two medics. In fact, some of these could probably be applied to every other online PC shooter (singing into the voice chat, getting killed while trying to pull off a stunt, killing yourself numerous times). Of all of them though, the one I really wish no one would ever get would be the “Use disgusting goatse-ish spray” achievement. Seriously people, that image has been haunting online games for years now, and it needs to die.

You can view the rest of the “achievements” by clicking the link below.

Via SomethingAwful.com

An update for Team Fortress 2 released earlier today has, in essence, added a new map – ‘Well’ is now playable as a capture the flag map. Sure, it’s not entirely original, but it’s something new to try out while you wait for the completely new maps.

There were also some other changes made. The changelist is as follows:

• Added new capture the flag map CTF_Well
• Added Spanish map descriptions
• Added new option to auto-save a scoreboard screenshot at the end of a map to the Multiplayer->Advanced dialog
• Added more particle optimizations for mid range and low end hardware
• Updated CP_GravelPit to fix all known exploits and changed the scoring method to score per capture rather than per round
• Updated “nextlevel” CVAR to trigger a changelevel at the end of the current round (not mini-round)
• Fixed SourceTV demo recording problem
• Fixed mp_stalemate_enable not preventing Sudden Death mode on some maps
• Fixed a couple cases where player stats were not being recorded correctly
• Fixed some log entries being truncated
• Fixed crash caused by trying to import a custom player spray
• Removed the “Reset Stats” button from the Player Stats screen

We know that changes are coming to Team Fortress 2 in the form of new maps and some sort of “large-scale modification,” but until now we had no idea what that actually meant. CVG has the first details on all of it, and while they don’t go into great detail, suffice it to say that I let out quite the maniacal laugh as I read.

In addition to the remake of Badlands, which we already knew about, the other new map is called Goldrush and is focused on a new, unnamed game mode. Basically, you’ll need to escort a mining cart through several map segments – the more players near it, the faster it moves. But if any enemies are nearby, it’ll stop. Just take a minute and think about what amazing gameplay opportunities are bound to come from this. And if you’re an engineer, take a minute to wipe your tears. It’s okay, we’ll wait.

We also already knew about new Medic achievements, but now we’ve found out that there will be new, unlockable weapons that you will be rewarded with – and they won’t necessarily be “better.” For instance, the Medic will be getting two new mediguns, one of which will allow you to overcharge a player’s health to 200% the norm, but you won’t be able to Ubercharge them. (The idea is still being played with.) Multiply possibilities for these “Loadouts,” as the screen where you change things up is called, across all of the classes, and you’ve got an even more highly replayable game.

More details as we get them.

via CVG

I think we all knew this was coming sooner or later. Thanks to a pink heart and the fact that you’re forced to incinerate it, the Weighted Companion Cube from Portal has gained quite a following among gamers. So of course it’s only natural that someone would want to fashion their own PC in the image of the little Cube. Magnus Persson constructed the case for his rig out of acrylic and then crammed in all the hardware he’d need for some basic web surfing and MP3 functions. The result is a 20cm cubed that would look adorable on anyone’s desk. That is until some pesky test subject happens along and tosses it into a fire.

Via Bit-Tech

I guess even physicists get kind of bored being in a lab all day. As far as prank calls go, this is about as nerdy as you can get. If it weren’t for the images and the mention of “portal technology,” I probably wouldn’t have guessed what the prank was exactly. That or this is a legitimate call from a guy whose life just happens to mimic Gordon Freeman’s. I mean, who hasn’t been stalked all over an industrial compound by a strange G-man with a penchant for locking doors on you?

Blue Orb has announced that players will have three new ways to use SwitchBlade. Due to the overwhelming response to World of Warcraft, SwitchBlade will be offered for Guild Wars, Hellgate: London and Half-Life 2 starting January 29. SwitchBlade is now available for free download from SwitchBladeGaming and FileFront.com.

For more information, please visit www.switchbladegaming.com.

via Press Release

I’m always happy when the NPD numbers are released, and instead of just getting a single month’s worth of data, we’ve gotten a list of the top ten selling games of 2007, as well as total sales figures on the major hardware for the year. Let’s dive in.

Top 10 Selling Games of 2007:

1. Halo 3 (Xbox 360) – 4.82 million
2. Wii Play w/ remote (Wii) – 4.12 million
3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360) – 3.04 million
4. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PlayStation 2) – 2.72 million
5. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) – 2.52 million
6. Pokemon Diamond (Nintendo DS) – 2.48 million
7. Madden NFL 08 (PlayStation 2) – 1.90 million
8. Guitar Hero 2 (PlayStation 2) – 1.89 million
9. Assassin’s Creed (Xbox 360) – 1.87 million
10. Mario Party 8 (Wii) – 1.82 million

As disappointed as I am, not seeing The Orange Box make the list, I didn’t really expect it would. BioShock headlines my list of games I’m surprised didn’t make the list along with one other game I’m really shocked by – Pokemon Pearl. To not make the list, it had to sell less than the 1.82M that Mario Party 8 did, which means that Diamond sold a minimum of about 700,000 more units than Pearl – maybe more. I would never have guessed that there could be such a discrepancy between the two, but I’m no better – I refused to buy Pearl because I preferred the exclusive Pokemon found in Diamond.

And how about Guitar Hero 2, after being released in 2006, making the list?

Hardware numbers are after the break.

Read the full article »

EA told Eurogamer Germany that Dead Space is coming to the PC. Executive producer Glen Schofield also revealed that downloadable content for all three formats is also in the works, but plans for the title don’t stop there.

“I would definitely like to make future Dead Space games,” said Schofield, probably through Gordon the Gopher. “I’d love for this to become a well established franchise; we’ve created a huge and rich back story and universe, so other games could easily be made.”

EA is promising us the scariest survival horror game ever. Dead Space is ignoring the multiplayer shooter routine and concentrating on story and atmosphere taking liberal notes from Half-Life 2 for cut scenes and game mechanics. There will be no conventional HUD either to maximize immersion. Anther innovation is the use of gravity to solve puzzles and defeat bosses.

I’m a big fan of the Silent Hill series. I also really liked the innovative gameplay of Portal. Valve used gravity very effectively within the title. Somehow, I’m hoping if they could combine the two, it would be this game.

Dead Space is scheduled for launch this fall.

via Eurogamer

According to Shacknews, PC gamers will indeed be getting two new maps for Team Fortress 2 (console versions are yet undecided). Not only that, but the maps will “hopefully arrive within the next two months.”

Since Valve’s critically acclaimed Orange Box was launched in October 2007, fans of its Team Fortress 2 component have been expecting – if not half-begging – for additional map content. While the six maps included in TF2 are considered by gamer’s standards to be of the utmost quality, many in the community have expressed their notion of becoming “burned-out” by playing such a small number of maps in rotation. Given TF2’s limited variance of said maps, I’d have to agree.

One of the new maps forthcoming will be a remake of Team Fortress Classic’s Badlands. In addition to this news was mention of additional content hitting well before the maps. The Medic achievement pack that will add several new achievements and gameplay tweaks for the class was specifically mentioned.

So yeah, Badlands sounds like a cool map to add to TF2’s roster. Unfortunately, as Shacknews keenly pointed out, someone in the TF2 community was already working on a Badlands map project (image above exhibits the WiP). I guess it sucks to be him right now.

Via Shacknews

The 6th annual Mod DB Mod of the Year Awards are in the final stages. Every year Mod DB pays tribute to the best mods and Indie games of the year and the teams that developed them.

Mod DB has managed to narrow down over 4,000 nominees submitted throughout the month of December to the top 100. You’re invited to download and vote for your favorite five mods. The final selections run the gamut from the expected Half-Life and Half-Life 2, Battlefront and Quake mods; to mods for Freelancer and Star Wars: Jedi Academy. You can also get a glimpse of the most anticipated mod projects for 2008.

Make your vote count at Mod DB.

I’m disappointed to see that none of last year’s Oblivion or Neverwinter Nights 2 mods made it into the top 100 for 2007. I’m very curious to see what’s coming up this year though. I’d also like to know how the new Fallout 2 mod faired.