Thursday, January 30, 2014

News::Deadspin On Softness | Gizmodo Explore Spotify's Millions of Unplayed Songs with Forgotify | Jalopni

News::AMD Launches Mantle in Beta - Apparently its for Low End CPUS Not GPUs

The Wait is Over. AMD has finally launched Mantle in Beta. However it turns out that Mantle is not about increasing GPU Performance at all, its about helping out Low-End CPUs.



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News::Humble Weekly Sale bundles Overlord and DiRT

Codemasters is the latest publisher to participate in a Humble Weekly Sale and it's another one worth recommending if for no other reason than Overlord (and DiRT!). Name your price for the first Overlord and its Raising Hell DLC, Operation Flashpoint: Red River and Dragon Rising, and Rise of the Argonauts, with proceeds able to go to the UK-based charity SpecialEffect.


Paying $6 or more for the bundle will also get you Overlord II, DiRT Showdown, and DiRT 3. While I've always preferred Little King's Story as my go-to alternative to Pikmin, the Overlord series isn't far behind with its dark sense of humor. And there's no such thing as too much of these games.


Humble Weekly Sale bundles Overlord and DiRT screenshot






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News::Kickstarter Weekly: Default Dan and NF Magazine

Garrett from the Koalition writes: Welcome back to our 9th Kickstarter Weekly. As usual, weve searched crowdfunding websites for the most interesting gaming-related projects waiting to be funded. This week, I found two gaming projects that stem from nostalgic roots but have since expanded into their own thing. Nintendo Force has had a successful first year, and it is looking for funding to cover printing costs. Default Dan is a brutally harsh platformer that will take everything you know about retro gaming and toss it out the window. Lets begin, shall we?



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News::Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst - As We Play - Expansive DLC

Full Burst is a remaking of Ninja Storm 3 released back in March, only now its bundled with additional content, new features and other goodies. But is it value for your money? If youre already a fan, is it worth a double-dip? Expanded from the original, Full Burst contains improved cinematics, all currently released DLC for the game, including a narrative expansion through the Final Episode of the Uciha Brothers. Kabuto Yakushis Saga Mode form has been added to the character roster, and a whopping 100 additional missions have been added into the main story. Thats a lot to be getting on with.



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News::Check out the 10 games in this Vita indie game bundle


I've made no secret of my desire to buy a PS Vita soon, mainly as it's one of the cheaper platforms out there. Getting a bunch of games included with your console is always a draw and this upcoming Vita Indie Games Mega Pack is definitely appealing. There's some great games from the last few years included, like Hotline Miami , Thomas Was Alone , and Limbo . The bundle is going to retail for €24.99 which includes a 4GB memory card and a voucher to download the included titles.


Of course, there's some games I'm not especially interested in playing like Coconut Dodge and Floating Cloud God Saves The Pilgrims in HD (actually, that last one does sound kinda cool) and to be honest I've already played a lot of the big titles in that bundle.


Maybe if a couple of games were swapped out for titles like Spelunky, Frobisher Says, and Soundshapes I'd be more inclined to buy. Still if you fancy it, the bundle will be out in February along with a €199.99 option that includes a Vita with all 10 games.


PS Vita Indie Game Mega Pack arrives next month [PlayStation Blog]


Check out the 10 games in this Vita indie game bundle screenshot






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News::Elder Scrolls Online Pre-Order Gives You Free Assassin's Creed 4 Or Assassin's Creed 3

Ubisoft really wants you to pre-order Elder Scrolls Online through their Uplay store. They're willing to give you Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag or Assassin's Creed 3 for free if you do.



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News::The Raid Episode 13: The UpdatesAnd Thats It

"With not much news on World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor, and with Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn settling in quite comfortably with post-release updates, they spent much of their time discussing their latest activities in their main MMO games. They also discussed their memories and issues with WoW: Cataclysm, and recapped experiences with FF14 Patch 2.1." - TheGamerAccess.com



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News::There's a new, free-to-play Dungeon Keeper for mobile


For years I've been searching for a modern Dungeon Keeper-esque game but nothing has been able to hit all of the right notes for me. Maybe that's nostalgia speaking. From the look of it, not even a game literally called "Dungeon Keeper " will do the job.


Developed by EA Mythic, this is a free-to-play title available now for Android and iOS. The more I look at it, the less faithful to the original Bullfrog games it appears to be. The increased focus on social and in-app purchases are one thing, but this new Dungeon Keeper just seems like a standard tower defense title geared toward mobile platforms more than anything.


Guess I'll just stick with the classics on GOG.com.


There's a new, free-to-play Dungeon Keeper for mobile screenshot






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News::Steam In-Home Streaming Beta Impressions [The Reticule]

Chris Evans from The Reticule has been trying out the Steam In-Home Streaming beta on a very low end netbook. He ended up with some surprising results.



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News::Awesome Memorable Gaming Moments

If you are a passionate gammer i am sure you have encountered such awesome moments in your gaming history from childhood to your grown up days , here is the list of top memories you will never forget .



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News::Could These Be The Best Named Achievements?

EMGN: Could these be the best named achievements? If there was a competition for the best, it would seem the guys over at OVERKILL - a Starbreeze Studios have truly outdone themselves.



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News::Can You Teach An Old Thief New Tricks?

With Thief Around The Corner, What Can Eidos-Montreal Have Done To Make It Something Special? This Is What Will Hopes To See When He Plays Thief Next Month.



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News::Diablo 3 Reaper Of Souls Collector's Edition Contents Shown Off By Blizzard

Blizzard announced in December that they would release two Collector's Editions of Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls. Today they revealed what these bundles and their exclusive extras will look like.



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News::Rumor Titanfall to Have 16 Maps at Launch, Followed by First DLC 45 Days Later

MP1st - Titanfall has been in the news all week, with rumors of a beta on Valentines day, later confirmed by Respawn, to the announcement of cloud server updates to eliminate gameplay interruption.



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News::QuakeCon 2014 dates set for July 17 - 20

One of the year's great LAN parties returns to Dallas earlier than normal. ZeniMax has confirmed QuakeCon 2014 will take place from Thursday, July 17 - Sunday, July 20 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel. As a result of the date change, room reservations are available now.


As always, attendance is free and open to the public, and Bethesda will bring its upcoming games to the event. Will John Carmack return for a keynote now that he's moved on from id Software? One can only hope. Hard to believe this will be QuakeCon's 19th year.


QuakeCon 2014 dates set for July 17 - 20 screenshot






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News::Learn How to Beat the Mirror Knight in This New Dark Souls II Gameplay Video

A new video that showcases how to defeat the infamously difficult Mirror Knight boss from the Dark Souls II demo.



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News::Review - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PC Update) | Endless Backlog

Phillip Hartmeyer for Endless Backlog writes - "Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is the latest game in the long standing Metal Gear series, and while it doesnt share the Solid moniker, the standard for top notch cutscenes, voice over, and gameplay can all be found here. This latest entry however is not developed by the Kojima Productions team, but by independent developer Platinum Games. Metal Gear Solid Rising (later changed to Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance) was announced at 2009 and afterward sank into the shadows for years until it reemerged at the VGAs in 2011."



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News::Heartwarming video shows how YoVille saved this girl's life

GameZone writes, "As sad as Bliss' video was, it's nothing compared to the story of Amanda, who in 2010 was broken, felt alone, and was an outcast, even in her own family. YoVille was her place to make friends, build relationships, and of course still have fun and be mischevious, as a 13 year old should. She discusses some of the more shady things she's been a part of, like not handing out prizes for pageants, or having her friend somehow hack items and coins into the game, but hey, I was 13 once too."



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News::GamesBeat: Octodad is silly fun and it will make you cry (review)

Octodad is a great example of a game that conveys a message through gameplay. In conjunction with its story, characters, and setting, the controls offer an empathetic look into the life of an extreme outsider trying to fit in and trying to do right by his family.



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News::Enemy Front is a fresh approach to World War II shooters

Back in 2011 City Interactive announced Enemy Front , a World War II shooter that was being worked on by Stuart Black who was the guy responsible for Black. It's funny how over-hyped that game was looking back.


Anyway, Black left at some point in 2012 and since then Enemy Front was completely reworked. It's still a World War II shooter, but instead of just being another colorless run-and-gun shooter like Call of Duty, the developers at CI have taken more of a fresh approach to the genre that made me think of it as a nice cross between Bad Company and Far Cry 3 during my hands-on time.


Enemy Front is a fresh approach to World War II shooters screenshot


Read more...



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News::Battlefield 4 Grenade Tweaks Incoming, DICE Details Changes

MP1st - In a continuing effort to improve the game, developers DICE are hard at work on a number of upcoming balance updates for Battlefield 4.



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News::Octodad: Dadliest Catch Review | Hardcore Gamer

Everything was perfect. Well, besides one little detail I just couldn't seem to purge from my mind. I'm an octopus. Why hasn't anyone acknowledged this? I'm a f****** octopus!



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News::Detective Grimoire Review | Hardcore Droid

Hardcore Droid: "Detective Grimoire is a stylish game. In fact, its stylish enough to make me wonder if it can stand on that alone. In pop culture, style often dominates over substance. Audiences were dazzled by John Camerons Avatar, in spite of the fact that its story was just a gussied up Dances with Wolves. Lady Gaga is beloved and her music is meticulously produced, but her lyrics arent exactly incisive (Ill direct you to a line from G.U.Y: Love me, love me, please retweet). Bioshock Infinite was released last year to rave reviews and commended for its stunning graphics, but some critics felt unfulfilled by the games message, wondering if the storywriters even knew what message they were trying to convey. Detective Grimoire is not a blockbuster or a platinum singer or part of an enormous franchise, but despite its humbler beginnings, its got a lot of style. But is that enough?"



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News::The Banner Saga Review - The Digital Fix

After impressing backers on Kickstarter two years ago, culminating in pledges seven times what the developers were seeking, and then teasing the combat side of their game via a free-to-play multiplayer game last year, indie studio Stoic have finally released their long awaited campaign-based game, The Banner Saga. The game promises a story-based role-playing experience in which your choices affect how the story unfolds, combined with the tactical turn-based combat demonstrated in their aforementioned multiplayer release, The Banner Saga Factions. In fact, upon starting the campaign, theres a sense of deja vu as it quickly becomes apparent they borrowed the first map wholesale from the campaign to serve as the tutorial in their free-to-play release.



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News::Here's what to expect from the Wii U's quick start menu


One of the announcements included in Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata's corporate management policy briefing was an update planned for Wii U this summer which will allow players to get to their games more quickly through the use of a new quick start menu that features recently-played titles. Nintendo wasn't ready to show a real-life demo, but here's what it'll look like.


"We think that this function will make you feel that the time to start up a Wii U software title is cut by more than 50 percent, and that it will also lead to more Wii U users understanding the appealing nature of the GamePad," Iwata said.


I tend to play Wii U games on a television screen when given the choice, but I know a number of you have professed your love of the system's Off-TV Play feature. Certainly a worthwhile update.


Here's what to expect from the Wii U's quick start menu screenshot






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News::Pac-Man Museum Coming to PSN, XBLA and Steam in February

Hardcore Gamer: Thankfully, the renamed studio is capitalizing on their mascot by announcing the release of Pac-Man Museum for PSN, XBLA and Steam this February.



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News::Dark Souls II - Interview with Brian Hong

Tom Mc Shea interviews Brian Hong from Bandi Namco Games Amierca on the upcoming Dark Souls II.



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News::Spellforce 2 - Demons of the Past Review - "Aging But Functional" [Noobfeed]

Daav from Noobfeed returns to the blending of roleplaying and strategy elements in Spellforce 2 - Demons of the Past. It has some serious issues, but luckily it also hasn't lost its varied approach to overcome some adversity.



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News::In Indie We Trust

Remember when indie games were those quirky, clever little distractions you used to play during months like January and February when there was nothing else to hold your attention?



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News::Octodad: Dadliest Catch Review | VideoGamer

VideoGamer: "A rewarding, idiosyncratic romp imbued with nonsense, humour, and pathos."



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News::All the Octodad: Dadliest Catch ties and their locations

Octodad: Dadliest Catch is a pretty great game for those who take the time to re-learn how to walk. One of the neat extra features are hidden neckties throughout the game. In each level (except for "Shark Naked"), three ties can be found, and once found, Octodad will proudly add the ties to his collection, making them available to wear.


This walkthrough details how to find all 33 ties in the game, including how to gain entry to a secret level. This may be considered full of spoilers for those who would rather find everything without help. If you are one of those people, stop reading now. If you need some help with finding a tie or two, then read on.


All the Octodad: Dadliest Catch ties and their locations screenshot


Read more...



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News::Deadfall Adventures Review | El33tonline

Oliver at El33tonline writes: "The ambition of Deadfall Adventures is clear, but despite the rich sources of inspiration and attempts at witty character writing, The Farm 51 unfortunately falls far short of the charm and enjoyment of games like Uncharted and Tomb Raider."



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News::Dark Souls II Preview [GameRevolution]

In a recent event, the developers allowed the press to experience the game straight from the start screen for thirty minutes. Within that time, it become clear what Dark Souls II co-director Yui Tanimura meant when he said that it would be more "accessible". ~ Nick Tan, GameRevolution



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News::Our Darker Purpose Review The School From Hell | Twinfinite

Chaz at Twinfinite writes, Its hard to describe Our Darker Purpose in a single sentence. If I had to try, itd probably come out something like Edward Gorey Zelda dungeon meets Coraline. The game takes the form of an endless (and randomized) dungeon-crawl within the confines of a fallen-to-pieces boarding school, the Edgewood Home for Lost Children, that has seen the adults vanish and the children grow wicked and feral. Our meek but powerful heroine, Cordy, must navigate treacherous halls and fight off her fellow students on her way to the administrators offices atop the fearsome structure.



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News::DayZ Creator Dean Hall: The Community Steers A Lot of Our Approach

Not long after entering its alpha phase, DayZ has sold more than a million copies, and development on the game has been progressing at a brisk pace. According to the games creator, Dean Hall, The community steers a lot of our approach, he explained, I really enjoy engaging with them, especially on Reddit. I wish I had more time to do that. He added that he is so engaged with the community that he eventually needed to set limits with himself so as to not undermine the time he spends working on the game.



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News::Khans Uniform from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Available for Free in Star Trek Online

1982s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is arguably the best Star Trek film ever made (I personally prefer 1992s Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country). Gamers who play Star Trek Online will be able to wear Khans uniform; all they need to do is log in to STO via Cryptics Arc client.



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News::CoD Ghosts: AK-12 Powerhouse Class Setup

Looking for a powerful, versatile class setup that works well in almost any playlist in Call of Duty: Ghosts? This AK-12 loadout works great for getting kills, defending objective points, and more. This article provides recommended attachments, the best perks to use, and more for an awesome AK-12 class setup.



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News::YouTube, EAs 30 pieces of silver, and yet more damage to industry integrity

IncGamers' Peter Parrish trawls through the murky business of EA's 'payment for positivity' Battlefield 4 YouTube campaign.



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News::Lords of Fallen looks like an arcade-style Dark Souls (GamesBeat)

Lords of the Fallen is looking to have it all with deliberate, tactical combat and arcade style upgrades and modifiers.



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News::Paradox releasing Mod Editor for Warlock 2: The Exiled, live stream tonight at 8 p.m. CET

Paradox Interactive are running a live stream tonight at 8 p.m. CET / 11 a.m. PST on the official Paradox Twitch.tv channel. The studio will show Warlock 2's single-player gameplay. We'll have the live stream brought to you below once it starts - stay tuned...



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News::PS Vita Slim launches in the UK next week

Sony has announced the PlayStation Vita Slim for the UK following the model's release in Japan last year. This thinner, lighter system will be available in black on February 7 for £180, which is a higher price than some of us were anticipating considering the move away from the original PS Vita's OLED screen to a less-desirable LCD display. And no extra colors? Darn.


There's still no specifics on a launch in the US, but if the pricing is consistent with what's been announced here, I'm not interested. I figured it would be on par with the current line, not more expensive. If anything, this puts pressure on me to get the non-Slim model before those go away.


PS Vita Slim launches in the UK next week screenshot






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News::A Wizard's Lizard Review | Ghost Volta

Spencer of Ghost Volta: "A Wizards Lizard is unique in that the majority of its influences lie within the genre. For better or worse."



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News::Review: Octodad: Dadliest Catch is charming and entertaining | Canada

Sticks and stones will break his oh, wait a minute, hes an octopus. All jokes aside, Octodad: Dadliest Catch is a title that doesn't try to be anything more than its supposed to be a fun game about an Octopus wearing a three-piece suit.



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News::Why Thief's DualShock 4 Features Are Better Than Any Other Game We've Seen

games chatted to Thief's developers about the research and reasoning that resulted in the game's unique use of the PS4's light bar



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News::Total War: Rome 2 sends Patch 9 live and into the wild

Yesterdays hotfix for the latest Total War: Rome 2 patch was apparently enough to push it out of the beta stage and into the realm known as worthy for public release. As a result, Patch 9 is now available to all and should automatically download and apply itself to your copy of Rome 2 on Steam.



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News::Octodad: Dadliest Catch review






Publisher/developer: Young Horses Format: PC (version tested), PS4 Release: Out now (PC), March (PS4)



The gag’s a decent one: Octodad is an octopus living among humans, who accept him as their own so long as he’s wearing a suit. Irrespective of his suckered arms and suspiciously poor coordination, our hero lives a reasonable life, having somehow taken a wife and spawned two kids. Best not to ask how that last bit came about, but then Octodad: Dadliest Catch asks you to overlook an awful lot more than plot holes.


Octodad’s controls are best thought of as like Bennett Foddy’s slapstick athletics game QWOP in a 3D space. Squeezing either trigger lifts the corresponding leg, which you manipulate with the left stick. When standing still, the left stick moves your right arm, the right stick raises and lowers it, and RB grabs the nearest object. It’s simple in theory, but being an invertebrate, Octodad is at the constant mercy of his limbs. Walk in long strides and his head and body lurch around with the shifting momentum. He doesn’t grab and push door handles so much as tether himself to them and hope. It’s clear that our paternal cephalopod is built neither for speed nor grace, so it’s all the more baffling that developer Young Horses soon starts asking for both.


Things start out well enough, with the first half of the game’s two-hour runtime making great hay of its physical comedy. You’ll get dressed for your wedding, flinging gifts to dislodge a tie from a stained-glass window, then flop your way to your waiting bride down an aisle cruelly dotted with banana skins. A stint as the doting father sees you spill half a container of milk on the walk from the kitchen to your daughter’s waiting cup. Everything goes horribly wrong at every turn, of course, but it’s supposed to. By wrestling with controls that are cumbersome by design, you just about make it through, and have a fine old time of it.



Octodad’s slapstick elicits plenty of laughs early on, but frustration sets in halfway through its two-hour runtime.



Then it all falls apart. An aquarium visit involves a tortuous series of minigames in an old-fashioned amusement arcade. Octodad’s controls are meant to be imprecise, so a demand that we throw six basketballs through a small hoop sparks ten minutes of wearying frustration. Then comes stealth, of all things, and by the end you’re tiptoeing across rafters that break under heavy footsteps and dodging projectiles thrown by the antagonist, a chef of unidentifiably foreign origin who accosts you at the end of missions for a scripted chase where a single mistake means a restart.


It’s hard to tell quite how things went so wrong. Lacking the confidence to revel in its protagonist’s clumsiness for the entire runtime, Young Horses takes Octodad’s comical core mechanics to places they have no right to go. QWOP, remember, only gave you an athletics track, and with good reason.




The post Octodad: Dadliest Catch review appeared first on Edge Online.






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News::Sofa Sharers: A New Spit-screen Feature

Split-Screen, couch co-op, just playing with your mates; whatever you want to call it, its dying out. Sure, online gaming has brought people from all over the world together and made it easier to game with your friends, but in my opinion theres nothing that can replace the brilliance of playing a videogame with your friends literally beside you. Why modern game devs dont realise this, I may never know, but this, a new regular feature focusing on the brilliant world of split-screen gaming, aims to bring the injustice into the light. Or, failing that, its a small dedication to couch co-op.



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News::S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl - Lost Alpha Mod Gets New Footage

DSOGaming writes: "As the team noted, in this 9 minute demo movie, we see the new WIP DX10 render in action, the ragdoll changes the team implemented, and the smarter AI for NPCs."



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News::Octodad: Dadliest Catch Review | MONG

Octodad: Dadliest Catch is out on Steam right now! What did MONG think of it? Was it "octo-Rad" or "octo-Bad"?



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