The PC Centric Extravaganza 4.22.08
Posted by Chris Evans on 04.22.2008
Steam and The World! Much more besides!
The PC Centric Extravaganza 22nd April 2008
Hello and welcome to another issue of the PC Centric Extravaganza! Today I start writing this in university, wireless internet for the win! So my PC is still screwed so any gaming of mine is now limited to my laptop. Which is not really the best, but I have been able to give TrackMania United Forever a whirl, so you can expect to see a review of that appearing soon!
This week we have a bit of indie gaming news, retro news, racing news some rumours and of course, other stuff! So lets crack on!
Steam and the Rest of the World
So while I may fully applaud Valve and Steam at times I will be one of the first to admit that there are some serious issues with Steam. An article on cnet.au that has come to my attention (thanks Digi) has sparked me to write about the situation with Steam, various Publishers and games being charged different prices across the world, some not being available and other games not being localized properly.
First off lets take that cnet.au article and see what they say.
The article sets out some important ground work which everyone should be aware of in regards to this issue. Steam is merely the platform of distribution for many of the games on the network, they have repeatedly stated on the Steam forums and elsewhere that it is up to publishers to provide post-release support, set prices and decide where the game will be available for purchase.
The cnet.au article has some responses from major publishers on Steam guilty of blocking off the rest of the world or even for altering prices dramatically in different world regions.
Ubisoft: "Ubisoft is still studying the different options concerning the digital market and official announcements on this subject could be made in the coming months."
THQ AU: "Unfortunately we are unable to comment on the situation with Steam at this stage."
Sega AU: "We honestly have nothing to do with Steam here in Australia."
Atari AU: "This is a US deal with Steam done by Atari Inc and has nothing to do with Atari Australia." Kotaku AU got a bit more of an answer, managing to get it's "US-only due to licensing agreements".
2k Games AU: 2k Australia forwarded a request to 2k US, but we're still awaiting a response. According to Kotaku AU, the games catalogue used to be there and is coming back eventually.
Rockstar: No response.
The cnet.au article also details some price comparisons between games from both the US and Australia. This isn't just an Australian issue, I have seen many games not be available for purchase in the UK via Steam or to be charged a price higher than retail, and higher than that in the US.
Due to my position working for Half-Life 2.net I have the privilege of a Press Account which means I get any games that publishers wish for those of us with these accounts to be able to play.
This means that for the large part I am able to stay clear of this mess that many publishers are causing. However it is still something that I recognise as being an issue, a big issue. While publishers may tout different licensing, age rating and other reasons for their 'North America First' stance it really is not acceptable.
We are living in the digital age, the internet is meant to be the beacon, the Olympic Torch if you will of freedom. Games should be available world wide on Steam as long as they are not banned in the country in question. If there is a localised version of a game available at retail in a country then that version at the very least should be available on Steam.
Pricing wise it is evident that publishers are varying prices world wide as they realise that with the weak US$ right now that international sales are a great place to pick up lost revenue. This should not be the case though, putting a game such as Call of Duty 4 US$40 more expensive in Australia than in the US is just going to stop people buying it from Steam.
When I think of the internet I think of freedom, within limits of course (that is another issue entirely) and with that we should be doing away with region locking totally, not just via digital distribution channels. Game should be priced fairly world wide and should be available world wide.
This is an issue that if we sit back and accept will just get worse. That is why action must be taken.
The Steam Community Group Rest of World (RoW) is just start and with over 4000 members at the time of writing that is the best place to start and get your voice heard.
My statement to publisher on Steam:
Dear Publishers,
We are living in a new digital age, the internet age. The internet is a place for freedom and equality.
Please take into account issues and problems that you are causing through your distribution policies on Steam. For a better Steam and a better world, please tackle the issues that prevent world wide, fair distribution of your games on Steam and make the changes.
Do this to show that you actually care for the people who play your games.
Chris Evans
I would really like to hear what you my readers think about this, so please feel free to let me know!
World of Goo Trailer and Comments!
Two new videos for the amazing looking World of Goo have been released from 2D Boy's day at a Nintendo WiiWare Festival. If these don't get you excited for this game I don't know what will, because you must be a very sad person not to fall in love with this game!
After seeing these videos I got in touch with Ron Carmel from 2D Boy regarding the latest World of Goo trailer and he had some interesting tid-bits to pass along.
The trailers were all taken from the PC version, and that is exactly how it will look on the Wii too
Development should be finished around July but release depends on Nintendo's schedule.
Ron also had this to say regarding the big 'Mrs Goo Balls' from the new trailer.
One new kind of ball you saw in the video is the Beauty Ball. That's the huge pink one. Beauty balls get processed into Beauty Product (tm) which can get sucked out through the pipe. Thus, some of the levels in chapter 2 are solved in two "stages"... first you process the beauty ball, then you suck out the beauty product. Rumor has it that the World of Goo Corporation uses raw Beauty Product (tm) to make facial exfoliating lotions and personal lubricants.
All very intriguing, two "stages" to a level, beauty balls, Beauty Product (tm)...wow this is all so great!
Remember to keep your eyes peeled on 2D Boy for all the latest regarding World of Goo!
Dreaming of Pipes!
Empire Interactive have confirmed that 'Pipe Mania Puzzle Madness' will be coming out later this year accross many platforms, including the humble PC!
A remake of the classic Pipe Mania (Pipe Dream to me) this new version of the classic game will feature expanded game modes along with new themes, game mechanics and new blocks for the goo to travel through!
"We are very excited to be bringing back Pipe Mania. Releasing this popular puzzle title across all formats will give all gamers of all ages the opportunity to enjoy this exciting puzzle sensation," commented Ian Higgins, CEO Empire Interactive.
The basic premise of the game is to get the goo from point A to B by using different shaped blocks to ensure it stays on track! Bioshock copied this effectively in its hacking mini-game.
There are some screenshots over on Shacknews with the revelation of five new game modes and over 70 levels as well as some multiplayer action.
Gran Turismo on the PC – Rumour!
Is it possible, is it really possible that we may one day see a Gran Turismo game on the PC? According to Polyphony Digital boss Kazunori Yamauchi it may just be! In an interview with German site derStandard Kazunori had this to say:
Frage: Gibt es eine Chance, dass Gran Turismo auf einer anderen Plattform erscheint?
Kazunori Yamauchi: Es ist sehr sehr unwahrscheinlich, dass GT auf einer anderen Konsole herauskommt. Aber vielleicht kommt es auf den PC. Vor allem am chinesischen Markt könnten wir so die Verbreitung fördern.
Which according to Develop Mag means that it is very unlikely to see a Gran Turismo game on any console other than a Sony one, it is possible it may come to the PC. China is touted as a likely target for the game.
Being a lover of the GT games back in the day on my PSX/PS2 this is great news! GT5 looks gorgeous on the PS3 and for it to come to the PC would be utterly fantastic!
TrackMania Forever!
TrackMania Nations Forever has now been released by Nadeo. This is the free sequel to TrackMania Nations and features a new 'Forever' Stadium envrionment, a complete solo mode and 65 brand new tracks!
Also offered is the chance for owners of TrackMania United to play with people on TrackMania Nations Forever with a new patch for the purchasable game.
Florent Castelnerac, Director of Nadeo studio, has this to say:
The PC is the premier gaming platform when it comes to the number of casual and expert players. To satisfy this wide range of players, we designed the game for everyone instead of trying to focus on the average gamer. We have put a lot of effort in developing the competitive spirit and challenge between players in order to present a game adapted to big e-sports competitions while remaining captivating and accessible to players who have less gaming experience. Even if you play Nations Forever quietly alone, you can still be ranked in the world, your country, your city or even in your list of friends that you can create by inviting friends to join like in Facebook or MySpace. It is up to each player to set his/her goals - become one of the best players in the world or just impress friends. These ladders are adapted to everyone and they add ten times more interest to solo or multiplayer modes. Always searching for new ways to add interest and unite an even larger number of players, we explored the possibilities the PC offers as a universal communication platform: for example, a system that allows you to challenge your friends by mail or Messenger. Since the game is free, fun and works on most computers, there is a big chance that many people that you know will play it. Finally, as for creativity, the PC is the only game platform that allows players to easily create additional game content, and the game comes with powerful creative tools like the track editor. We increased creative possibilities even more with richer, more complete editors while making creation more accessible to a larger number of players with a simplified track editor. Tomorrow, we will see exceptional creations from the four corners of the world that players will be able to exchange for free and easily. It's a tremendous motivation for the entire development team.
Go get this right now from one of the links at the bottom of this page or from Steam which has United available for $40 or so.
While I will have some detailed thoughts later in the week I would just like to say that this game is really great, while the solo play is supreme fun online play is where it is all at. Great game!
Trials 2 Patch
A new patch for Trials 2 has been released and it features some good stuff, some damn good stuff! While a full list of changes can be read here I will just run down a few of the big ones.
- Team limit bumped up from 10 to 20
- Downloadable content now able to be used
- General changes to the physics system
- Changes to original Dynamic tracks and training tracks
- Five new tracks - four new easy and one new Dynamic track.
Video of new Dynamic track Domino Effect:
I have played the new tracks and they really do add to the game and give it a more balanced ratio between the hard and the easy tracks. The changes to the dynamic tracks are also very good and make them much more enjoyable to ride.
The Sims franchise has now sold over 100 Million copies! That is enough to line the perimeter of Wembley stadium 115,000 times and to stretch between Land's End and John O'Groat's over 200 times!
That just puts it into perspective....that is a hell of a load of copies from one franchise to sell!
"At this milestone, we want to thank players of The Sims everywhere for making The Sims such a worldwide phenomenon," said Rod Humble, Head of Studio for The Sims Label. "The Sims has been an interactive experience for people around the globe to explore their passion for creativity and we're thrilled to be a part of that. From building houses and relationships, from the first kiss to a toddler's first step, from kitchen fires – and even visits from ghosts, players have told more than 100 million unique and fun stories!"
Ain't that awesome!
Scouts Everywhere!
Hellls yeah! The Scout is officially a twat, the Heavy is officially great. That sandwich is mine!
In related news go check out Half-Life 2.net for links to all the other big news regarding the upcoming Team Fortress 2 changes!
Wrapping Up!
That is all I have for you right now, I hope you all enjoyed this weeks issue, and hopefully I will be back this week with the TrackMania Review!
