That’s right folks, the leading online game distribution service on the PC just got a lot more flexible.  Valve software Steam and Source are heading to the Mac platform this April.  Once labelled the most convienent PC gaming software, will now share the same task along side a Mac.  To go with this monumental announcement for Mac users, the supported list of games that will be available in April are;  Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal, and the Half-Life series.  And best news of all, through “Steam Play” if you purchased the game through PC you’ll be able to play it on your Mac for FREE.

“Our Steam partners, who are delivering over a thousand games to 25 million Steam clients, are very excited about adding support for the Mac,” said Jason Holtman, Director of Business Development at Valve. “Steamworks for the Mac supports all of the Steamworks APIs, and we have added a new feature, called Steam Play, which allows customers who purchase the product for the Mac or Windows to play on the other platform free of charge. For example, Steam Play, in combination with the Steam Cloud, allows a gamer playing on their work PC to go home and pick up playing the same game at the same point on their home Mac. We expect most developers and publishers to take advantage of Steam Play.”

Joining the list of games as well as simultaneous releases on both the PC and Mac will be Portal 2.   President of Valve, Gabe Newell said ”As we transition from entertainment as a product to entertainment as a service, customers and developers need open, high-quality Internet clients.  The Mac is a great platform for entertainment services.”
 

About Steam
The leading online service for games and digital entertainment, Steam delivers new releases and online services to over 25 million gamers around the world. For more information, please visit www.steampowered.com
 
About Steamworks
The Steamworks suite of publishing and development tools include product key authentication, copy protection, auto-updating, social networking, matchmaking, anti-cheat technology, and more. The features and services available in Steamworks are offered free of charge and may be used for both electronic and tangible versions of games. For more information, please visit www.steampowered.com/steamworks

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Some fresh downloadable content from Gearbox Software is now available for everybody’s favourite cell-shaded sci-fi shooter, Borderlands. The Secret Armory of General Knoxx brags new enemies, bosses, missions, guns, and landscapes. As expected, the level cap has been bumped up, but by a very curious amount: 11, making the new cap level 61. There’s also a new vehicle that looks like some kind of ATV or Jeep. Personally, I just wrapped The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, and am sniffing around Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot, but considering the reviews I’ve read were less than stellar, I may just skip it and go right to Knoxx. The general consensus about this DLC so far is that it is the biggest and hardest to date.

Those who have maxed out their characters in Borderlands will be happy to pick up The Secret Armory of General Knoxx for the extra levels-worth of loot and gameplay – you can grab it from Steam for $9.99.

Video trailer after the jump!

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THQ’s highly successful Dawn of War franchise is getting some fresh additions on March 11, composed primarily of dead-hearted traitors, fanatical cultists, and demons so demented and unnatural that to simply gaze upon them is to go mad. Well, they’re pretty ugly at least. Just look at that guy. Ugh.

DoW II: Chaos Rising will introduce a new army, the Chaos Space Marines. These bad boys have turned their back on humanity’s interstellar empire and their Emperor in favour of the many Chaos gods inhabiting the wrong side of the galaxy known as The Warp. Unlike the original DoW packs, anyone will be able to play against Chaos in multiplayer games, so no more servers splintered by who bought what. Chaos Rising promises not only the new army, but fresh units to all of the existing armies, which will be available even to those who don’t pick up the stand-alone expansion.

Orks get Wyrdboyz, psychically sensitive greenies who can manifest the unbridled fury that naturally exudes from the race; Eldar get Wraithguard, who, like their bigger brother the Wraithlord, are conducted by the undying spirits of Eldar ancestors; Tyranids get genestealers, sneaky, razor-clawed gits that can crack open the toughest nut, and Tyrant Guard that can turtle up and heal in the middle of combat; Space Marines get the Librarian, that can protect and bolster troops, and check out their books during off-hours.

Beyond the armies, Chaos Rising also introducs winter and space hulk stages, new leaders for the Last Stand game mode, increased level cap so units can get even beefier with experience, seven new multiplayer maps, a corruption mechanic that can lead unlock vile equipment for squad leaders, and a new single player campaign.

The one thing that bugs me that continues to pervade the Warhammer 40,000 games from their miniatures tabletop wargaming roots is that Space Marines continue to be the poster boys. The new campaign mode is from the Space Marine perspective – not Chaos, as one might expect. I don’t know about you, but I always have more fun playing as the bad guy – we’ve got enough squared-jawed goodie-two-shoes in video games, so I intend on steering the Marines right off the cliff of Chaos in single player.

Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising, is available for preorder from THQ, Steam, and Gamestop for $29.99, and more info on the game itself from the official site.

Just, uh, avoid those Slaanesh guys, unless you’re into the kinky stuff. Like pain, and tentacles.

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When I think of Aliens vs. Predator, I think of a battle between two alien species who are on completely different sides of the spectrum.  On one hand, you have the Aliens, with their unmatched superiority in numbers, speed, and ferocity.  On the other hand, Predators are the perfect assassin.  They can camouflage themselves while using various vision modes in order to pick out their opponent from its surroundings.  It seems like no matter what, they always seem to be pitted against one another, and it usually makes for an entertaining experience.

Aliens vs Predator allows you to play as one of three species: Marines, Aliens, or Predators.  Each species’ single-player campaign revolves around the same story, but told through a different perspective with each species having their own mission to complete.  The 3 species have their pros and cons in terms of how they control, their abilities, and their mobility through the game world.  Marines rely heavily on different arms that can be picked up throughout their campaign and sonar to track movement in dark areas, Aliens use the darkness to their advantage to sneak up on unsuspecting enemies, and Predators have the ability to use camouflage and a variety of lethal weapons.

Each species definitely has their shortcomings as well, such as the Marine’s flashlight being too weak when navigating through dark spaces, or how easily disoriented the player can become when navigating across walls and ceilings as an Alien, and this is where the game’s single-player campaign can get hard to handle when playing each campaign separately.  I understand their shortcomings were necessary to keep each species balanced, but continually trying to adapt to each species can be frustrating.  Upon finishing a chapter, Aliens Vs. Predator allows you to change to another species’ campaign, but I found this feature made the overall story harder to keep track of.

Both the Marines & Predator campaigns offered a good variety of missions and delivered a story I’m sure Aliens vs Predator faithfuls would understand, but the Aliens campaign felt like a complete waste of time.  Its mission structure was, for the most part, go to point ‘x’, kill everyone in point ‘x’, rinse, repeat.  Granted, the Aliens campaign is shorter than the other two, but going through 6 chapters of this same kind of mission structure can get old very quick.

To be fair, there are some good moments during Aliens vs Predator. The brutality of the Aliens & Predator kills are some of the most gruesome I’ve seen in a game.  Heads are ripped off, bodies impaled, and spines removed all with very little effort and remorse.  What made it more brutal was seeing your enemy’s face up-close during these gruesome acts.  Needless to say, they didn’t look too happy during these moments.  Graphically, Aliens vs. Predator doesn’t disappoint either as character models are very well detailed and its dark environments keeps players on their toes, especially during the Marine campaign as their vision is greatly limited in comparison to the Aliens’ & Predators’.

Aliens vs Predator’s multiplayer seems to make more sense than what I experienced in the single-player campaign.  In fact, it almost feels like the only real reason a single-player mode was even included was to help players learn the intricacies of each species in order to compete online.  The multiplayer mode allows you to play as either of the 3 species in multiple deathmatch modes, which makes things interesting due to neither one of the 3 species were more powerful than the other.  Things get more interesting when it’s a team based multiplayer mode as having a team of at least one of the 3 species working together can make things quite challenging for the opposing team.

FINAL THOUGHT: Aliens vs. Predator will not satisfy fans of the FPS genre.  The single-player campaign does not tell an engaging story and each species’ shortcomings doesn’t make this game particularly enjoyable to play through. The multiplayer has some fun moments, especially when the 3 species are working together, but it isn’t enough to deem this a title I would recommend.

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While it may seem that Bioshock 2’s multiplayer was quickly tacked on so that 2K Marin wouldn’t have to endure gamers’ gripes about another single-player only Bioshock game, it really delivers. In a time when multiplayer modes are often an afterthought, Bioshock 2’s multiplayer is a great addition to the game and truly is a worthwhile, stand-alone experience. 2K Marin really put extra effort into this, making it alone worth the price of admission.

Rather than simply throwing a set of the same old game types in, 2K Marin wisely attempts to connect the multiplayer to the rest of the Bioshock universe. Set one year before the original Bioshock, the multiplayer thrusts you into the mayhem of the Rapture civil war. Rather than allowing you to immediately jump into matches, the game sets the atmosphere by making you first go through its prologue. You wake up on the floor, after splicing up with an EVE Hypo. As you regain consciousness, Andrew Ryan, the founder of Rapture, gives an important announcement. He talks about rebuilding Rapture through collective effort, and gives a toast to the New Year’s celebration for 1959. Chaos erupts as the spliced-up denizens of the underwater city go on their murderous rampage. In the midst of this insanity, you receive different small objectives, similar to the single player campaign, to further the story of your multiplayer character. You then choose your character from a variety of strange splicers with different careers and start the multiplayer experience.

The multiplayer packs a unique experience combined with old favorites from the original Bioshock. Playing in key locations from the original Bioshock and using old favorites like the shotgun, pistol, machine gun, grenade launcher, and crossbow brings back fond memories of the Splicer genocide you once committed. In a great twist, you are also given a research camera similar to the one in the original campaign. This camera allows you take pictures for an added damage bonus against your online enemies. A simplified version of hacking also found its way into the multiplayer realm. You simply walk up and hold the action button to hack a turret or vending machine. The turret will unload onto any enemy that crosses its line of sight, letting off rounds of lead or homing rockets. The vending machines are where you refill you EVE and ammo, but if hacked by the opposing team they’ll eject a grenade and blow you away, all while laughing at your misfortune.

Isn’t that a great welcome to the Circus of Values?

Another unique twist to this multiplayer is the ability to use plasmids and gene tonics. While the gene tonics may seem similar to perks in Call of Duty, they have a much more potent effect on game play. Having the chance to gain a quicker research bonus or a faster bot hack can easily turn the game in your favor if you’re losing. Also, being able to choose between three tonics helps make your character load out a bit more diverse.

The most entertaining element is the plasmids. They are what set this multiplayer apart from all other competitive games. Having the ability to instantly disappear like the Houdini splicers or set a water trap near an objective and zap it with electricity makes for a very different play style. The game also brings back fan favorites such as Electro Bolt, Incinerate!, Winter Blast, and Telekinesis to bring some interesting combos. Everyone knows getting shot with a grenade launcher or noob tube in Call of Duty can get pretty annoying. By equipping Telekinesis, you can throw back the grenades with a simple flick of the wrist. The plasmids make for a ton of endless possibilities. Last but certainly not least are the multiplayer game types. Packed into this game are your standard Survival of the Fittest (free for all) and Civil War (team death match). For players who prefer more objective-type modes, this game is great for you. You have Turf War, similar to Call of Duty’s Domination, where two teams fight for the control of three key points. Then you have Capture the Sister, similar to an attack-and-defend game type. One team defends a little sister while the other team tries to take her and carry her to a select air vent to let her escape. After three rounds on each side, the team with the most scores wins. Lastly, there is ADAM Grab, in free for all and team variants. There, you must hold on to a little sister for a set amount of time in order to win the game. Across all the game modes, you are able to pick up a Big Daddy suit and transform into the Rosie, giving you access to the rivet gun, proximity mines, and a vicious stomp, as well as much more health.

Overall, Bioshock 2’s multiplayer is an experience that can be enjoyed by everyone. If you are new to the Bioshock series or a grizzled veteran of Rapture’s worst, the multiplayer will feel like a unique and noteworthy experience. From classic game play to new environments and weapons you’ll feel as if you’re part of the action. This is, without a doubt, one of the best games of 2010.

Check out our BioShock 2 Single player Review

9/10

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If you like your zombies fast and survivors plucky then you’ll be happy to hear that Valve dropped some more details about “The Passing” at Microsoft’s X10 conference.  “The Passing” will provide players with two new weapons to constructively increase the average number of perforations per zombie, one in melee format, the other in ranged.  Reports from the show floor suggest that the ranged weapon is a sort of heavy machine gun, something bearing a close resemblance to a M60.  Further information regarding the appearances of the original game’s survivors also cropped up.  They will occupy an NPC role and will reportedly feature at the beginning and end of the campaign.  Looks like we’ll have to wait a bit longer for 8 player co-op zombie slaying action.

One final bit of good news on the zombie slaying front.  Valve has announced that the original Left 4 Dead will see some content love as well.  Roughly a month following the release of “The Passing” Left 4 Dead players will get a new campaign that covers events leading up to the Left 4 Dead 2 campaign.  No specific details were given, but it should go a long way towards quelling the remaining discontent over Left 4 Dead 2’s rapid development and release time.

Throw some gas in that chainsaw and start stockpiling ammo, more zombies are headed your way soon.

Source

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Developer Digital Illusions CE (DICE) and publisher EA have been working on their upcoming FPS, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and it’s turning out to be a title I’m highly looking forward to playing. BFBC2 will continue the action established in Modern Warfare 2 with larger, more intricately detailed maps, vehicles and aircraft, and destructible environments. Nothing screams, original one of a kind matches like Bad Company 2!

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has just launched an Ultimate Prestige site that allows you to enter your Xbox 360 gamertag for a chance at some insider information on weapons, vehicles and map information. But there’s a catch. The site is locked and only those Veteran Modern Warfare 2 players who are skilled enough can get in. Give it a try and see if you’re as good as EA thinks you should be.

http://ultimateprestige.com/

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While we know Call of Duty 7 will not be the official name for the next iteration of Activision’s First Person Shooter, we’re sticking with it.  But some reports have made their way to PerezStart headquaters.  We know, you’re currently enjoying Modern Warfare 2 and haven’t even thought of a new Call of Duty game.  But you know how video games go.  Much of the buildup to the release is more exciting than the post release; it’s the way the video game industry works.

For now, here’s what we do know.  Treyarch, developers of Call of Duty: World at War (Call of Duty 5) will unsurprisingly work on Call of Duty 7.  The game is also scheduled for release in November, a norm for the publisher Activision.

Here’s where the rumors kick in.  The setting is set to be in either Cuba or Vietnam.  If the war takes place in Cuba, we’ll all be sure to see Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and their “Revolucion” take over the country once governed by Fulgencio Batista.  Being of Cuban descent, I would welcome the idea since this would be an original concept for a Call of Duty setting.  Too many developers have milked the World War era and it’s time to move on.  To my knowledge, the Cuban Revolutionary Ear has not depicted in any video game and with the FPS genre, this game could be huge.  Treyarch mastered World at War but can they go back to the “vintage” well and produce another instant hit?

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It’s a cool idea, and a logical step for Blizzard’s slow, purposeful stride towards world domination, but unless you’re using Facebook primarily to keep in touch with WoW friends, this is one app that will likely get blocked into oblivion. If you’re cool with that, you can install the World of Warcraft Facebook app here. Just keep in mind that I’ll probably unfriend you. Jussayin’.

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