News posts

Finally some mainstream evidence to say the PC gaming market isn't dead after all, they're just ahead of the curb, once again.

Playing catch-up, the NPD Group finally made an effort to research the online transactions of PC gaming downloads. The numbers and listings are quite enlightening.

Retail sales actually declined 23% in the U.S. as download sales increase, which includes such sales as microtransactions and mobile game sales. But some estimated 2.1 billion dollars are probably overlooked due to the lack of social networking giant Facebook's online games, which if factored in, would push PC download sales even further.

Of course also listed are the top five digital retailers in the industry. Can you guess who's on top?

Read all about it in Gamasutra's article.

Also in other news, PCGamer Magazine figured out how to play Valve's Alien Swarm in first-person mode. It's only a matter of entering three console variables, and you're good to go! Read about that on PCGamer.com if you're interested. They include a video too.

Alien Swarm is a new game from Valve That is completely free, and available on Steam starting today.

Valve describes the game best: [quote=Valve]Alien Swarm is a game and Source SDK release from a group of talented designers at Valve who were hired from the Mod community. Available free of charge, the game thrusts players into an epic bug hunt featuring a unique blend of co-op play and squad-level tactics. With your friends, form a squad of four distinct IAF Marine classes. Plan your attack using an unlockable arsenal of weapons with countless loadout configurations against a wide variety of aliens. Blaze your way through an overrun, off-world colony, eradicating the alien infestation in environments ranging from the icy planet’s surface, to a subterranean lava-flooded mining facility.

- Tactical, 4 player co-op action game with a top-down perspective
- Complete game code and mod tools
- Unlock persistent items by gaining levels
- Over 40 weapons and equipment with countless loadout configurations
- 4 unique classes and 8 unique characters
- Matchmaking, Steam Cloud, Steam Stats
- 64 achievements
- Tile-based map generation tool
- Powered by Source and Steam[/quote]

The game originally was a mod for UT 2004, and the team was hired by Valve about two years ago to work on L4D 2, Portal 2, and a new version of Alien Swarm on the side. You may read about the UT mod on Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Free Co-Op for everyone!

Another Team Fortress 2 mapping competition arrives to us today from a collaboration between Valve and TF2maps.net. The objective is to take an "in-the-works" raw Valve map and give it an art pass. You need to detail and optimize it into a playable state.

The competition started today and ends Saturday September 25th 2010 at 11:00am UTC. Custom content is welcome, but source files are required, so be sure to get permission from the artist. Also, no collaboration allowed. Visit the rules page to learn more about it.

The winning map will be made an official TF2 map, and released in a mandatory update for the game. Now is your chance to contribute!

You can read the introduction for it and get the download on the Official TF2 Blog.

A fun new parody music album has been released today by Jonathan Lewis & Phillip Marlowe.
The Tracks include:

• Episode 3's Just Fine
• Freeman
• My Combine Bride
• Kinky Doctor Kleiner
• You ain't Nothing But a Headcrab

If you're a Half-Life fan, you're sure to enjoy!

Read more and download it here: www.CombineRoad.com

This just in:

The Portal 2 event at E3 this year is canceled! BUT, it has been replaced with a surprise! Read below for the actual press release:

Valve said:
Dear Subject Name Here,

Aperture Science is pleased to inform you that we have partnered with Valve to announce the gala CANCELLATION of the June 14 Portal 2 event at the Regal Theater. The event will be replaced by a surprise. And even though the cancellation of the event certainly counts as a surprise, we are pleased to further announce that the cancellation of the event is not THE surprise. However, per International treaties regarding the definition of the word “surprise”, of which both Aperture Science and Valve are signatories, the time, date and content of the actual surprise will only become available as you experience the surprise.

If you’d like to ask fruitless questions about the E3 Portal 2 surprise or, more fruitfully, schedule an appointment to attend a Portal 2 screening at the Valve booth during E3, please contact Valve’s Special Envoy to Surprises, Doug Lombardi.

Thank you for < RECORD SCRATCH!!! >

PS: The surprising record scratch is also not the surprise.

Peculiar stuff. But regardless it still seems that there will still be a Portal 2 viewing.

Could this be the big HL2: EP3 release we've been waiting for? -OR something else entirely? I suppose we'll just have to wait until June 14!

While although we normally wait for Valve to make the news themselves, the overwhelming amount of hype and recent addition of the Mac, only makes this post more delayed rather than early.

Steam is coming to Linux and it's official. Plenty of popular tech sites are posting about it, and Valve has already talked with the press. So ready up your mapping skills and re-purpose your Linux machine, because here come the games!

Read more about it:
Linux.com
Phoronix.com
ComputerWorld

In case you haven't heard yet... Steam is available on the Mac now!

It's pretty big news, That's why you can count on us not posting about it on time, let's see here, what else have I missed; Oh ya! To commemorate the big news, Valve has made Portal absolutely free to everyone, Mac and PC gamers alike at least until May 24th. You should definitely get it, NOW if you haven't already.

Now we need to wait just a little longer to see the Source SDK become available on the Mac too hopefully. I'm not a mac user myself, but so far, the reviews look good!

Nice move Valve, nice move.

[EDIT]: Now with a snazzy new ad to accompany the news!

[youtube]<object width="1280" height="745"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BDj1fYlwR00&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param><embed src="http:/www.youtube.com/v/BDj1fYlwR00&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="1280" height="745"></embed></object>[/youtube]

Starting today a new Counter-Strike: Source Beta has been released but it's limited in participants; first-come, first-serve so grab yours now!

[EDIT]: Apparently all the slots have been filled now.

List of new features include:

• 144 achievements added
• New lifetime player stats and summary screens
• New match player stats and summary screens
• New end of round display with MVP and interesting fact about a player
• Updated scoreboard with new icons, visual style, MVP stars, and avatar pictures
• New cinematic death camera
• New domination and revenge system
• Added avatar icons to voice chat, scoreboard, and end of round display
• Incorporated many source engine updates

Once the limited Beta is over, the updates will be deployed to all Counter-Strike: Source owners for free via Steam.

You may grab your beta here

[EDIT]: Apparently all the slots have been filled now.

Interlopers, a popular Source mapping hub, is about to initiate their 44th "map battle." Map battles in general are purely visual, where the entries are images of maps, and not fully designed maps all based on a single theme. Image editing is not allowed.

This time they're giving a "heads-up" to those interested and are allowing team-based entries. Be sure to get acquainted with the rules, and find your team mate(s) before May 6th when the theme will be announced and the competition will begin. Teams are optional; you may go it alone.

There are usually not any major prizes announced, except bragging rights, and one can expect to get plenty of feedback for an entry, first time or not.

Read all about it here.

Valve's new L4D downloadable content is now available for Xbox 360 and PC. Enjoy new features and achievements as well as a new "Mutation" mode that changes from week to week.

Read all about it on the official L4D Blog here.