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BlackSpace Brings RTS to Space Mining

2012-02-23T18:42:03Z

After decades of being the lesser-liked child of gaming, the RTS genre has recently exploded in popularity with the emergence of games like StarCraft 2 and League of Legends, both of which redefined e-sports as we know it. Luckily for those of us that have been fans of RTS games since the early days of Command & Conquer -- the DOS one -- the genre is still experiencing an influx of innovation and creativity, as Pixel Foundry boasts for their upcoming game, BlackSpace. Alongside Fray, the cyberpunk/dystopian game we posted about earlier today, this year's shaping up to look awesome for the indie market.

Alternative Stores & Services Similar to Steam

2012-02-23T17:33:33Z

A competitive market is a healthy market, as we know. Expressing a sense of loyalty toward any single brand or distributor is sure to end in either disappointment or highway robbery (and you won't be the one doing the robbing); I've seen it just as much as anyone else: An indie developer puts out an amazing game, no doubt worthy of many hours of play, only to have a response of "I'll get it if it's on Steam." Just because the gaming populace is generally used to Steam doesn't make it the best and only choice for game buying -- Steam has a strict approval process and a limited number of acceptance slots, so loyalty in this instance can severely limit access to exceptional games.

Fray: Dystopian Simultaneous Turn-Based Strategy Entering Alpha

2012-02-23T15:52:24Z

Cyberpunk and dystopian settings have long been a favorite of mine, ever simulating a Tron-like (the original, not the other one), high-stakes, all-out cyber warfare between factions which have been cybernetically altered or otherwise digitized. With the existing contenders in this market aging, like the Source mod Dystopia, independent game developers Brain Candy have jumped into the, err, fray with their upcoming "simultaneous turn-based strategy" game, Fray. Damn puns.

The sci-fi title has an intriguing backstory to any lover of computers: It's the year 2098 and, as we should hope, human interaction has been entirely limited to the Internet - or whatever it becomes in the future. Fulfilling the cyberpunk requirements of being a world dominated by malevolent companies, the world of Fray is dominated by three mega-corporations, in true 1984 fashion, with each fighting over the remaining supplies on earth. This is where the "virtual reality modules" come into play: There are multiple variations of 'modules' in the world of Fray, each serving as an escape to the definitely-going-to-happen reality of megacorporation combat -- the module we care about, though, is the combat one.

$916 Hardcore i7-2600 PC Gaming Build - February, 2012

2012-02-20T20:53:17Z

It's been a while since we posted a high-end build, well, other than the $3000+ one, and we figured some of you enthusiasts were itching to look at another hardcore PC gaming build. Our "Hardcore" builds are designed for those who want to get the best graphics and performance possible and at the same time have enthusiast-grade components -- these normally fall within the range of $700 - $1200.

We kick-started the year by adding a few new columns, an awesome budget build, and a guide that helps you learn how to build a gaming computer, which you can read here. Check it out, it may help you in the future. Additionally, you may want to check out our guide on how to cut corners when building a gaming PC, which will save you a nice amount of money.

Without further ado, let's look at this beast:

Lancool's Mid-Range Dragonlord Tower, the PC-K56N

2012-02-20T08:06:25Z

Coming to the market from Taiwan is a new budget-minded tower from the company Lancool. The PC-K56N is part of Lancool's Dragonlord series and is a full ATX tower supporting some competent features for a case of this class.

Get Even Madder - Save Your Own Damn World

2012-02-19T07:28:41Z

I don't want to save the world.

Not only am I desensitized to the world-threatening drama found in many games by the plethora of films that tackle the subject, but the world surrounding my in-game character simply isn't my world. I haven't assimilated it yet, and without any collateral to save this world I've never learned about, I can't really be bothered to feel attached. Better games will try to establish an emotional connection between the player and the game world before threatening to take it away; most games fail to create any sense of attachment whatsoever. This detachment is amplified moreso by our tendency to be virtually lazy, of all things.

Saturday Heat Signature: Arcade Combat in Choplifter HD

2012-02-18T22:54:46Z

After our previous installment of Saturday Heat Signature, where we looked at the promising adventure/builder Cube World, we took a different genre and found an easy-going, entertaining, side-scrolling combat arcade game to play: Choplifter HD.

It's a rehash of an older game, but the new variation looks brilliant and has gameplay that's semi-challenging yet not brain-wracking. The objective is to fly your chopper to an evac point, pick up civilians, and then cover your retreat with a hail of missile fire and spitting machine gun bullets. The video tells it all:

The $60 Game is Just the Start: Game Prices Will Continue to Rise

2012-02-17T23:14:56Z

It started out slow, as it always does: Additional package contents began disappearing from the formerly large, cardboard, game display boxes; manuals were assumed wasteful and largely unread, bombastic displays were phased out by cheaper, smaller, more flimsy plastic variations, and then the new generation of consoles hit the shelves. That key point in relatively recent history, alongside many other notable milestones of degradation, marked the top of the slippery slope that we, as a global audience, opted to venture down.

(Yes, I know EQ had a monthly subscription - I liked the box art.)

Meet HS-G700V Cavimanus, the Rumbling Gaming Headset

2012-02-15T10:03:59Z

Having gone through dozens of headsets over the past years -- each iteration an exploratory phase on what makes headsets so hit-or-miss -- I can honestly say that I've never seen a headset with what is effectively a "rumble pack" built-in.

Build a Gaming PC, Pt 2: Cutting Corners & Saving Cash

2012-02-13T20:30:10Z

With all of the builds that we pump out here at GN, like our excellent $558 build i3-2120 gaming build, we've had a lot of you ask how we manage to consistently pick out unique deals. As part of our "How to Build a Gaming PC" guide, this article covers the "cutting corners" aspect of PC building. As much as we'd like to lay claim to some sort of book of secrets about hardware, it's truly as simple as knowing our way around websites, knowing what old hardware can be recycle/salvaged/cannibalized from an old PC, and finding creative methods to hack the price.