In what started out as an indie developer tech demo gone crazy, Goat Simulator has arrived. Curious, I head to its Steam page for more information and find this as the product announcement from developer Coffee Stain Studios: “You can now be a goat.”
Thanks allot, Coffee Stain Studios. I guess I’ll have to take it from there.
The Elder Scrolls Online is now a thing, a thing you can buy and play. Many people have wanted an online Skyrim or Oblivion, to the point that player-made mods have attempted the feat, to limited success (so far). Many more, though, see an online component as blasphemous to the series’ good name and are in an indignant uproar on the issue. In this Review in Progress (RIP), I’ll be taking you along with me as I explore, experiment and ultimately review TESO.
Updated (4/12/14): We wrap up this RIP with a look at crafting, classes and gear.
Updated (4/8/14): In this update I go to Cyrodiil and try out the PvP in ESO.
Updated (4/7/14): I have put up part two of this RIP, running down the good and the bad I have experienced so far.
I’ve decided to group some stories from this past week into a wrap up article that we’re calling Week Reflection, including Facebook’s acquisition of the Oculus Rift, Guild Wars 2 announcing major system changes, and EverQuest Next Landmark going to closed beta. Let’s take a look at our reflection and see what we see.
When Sim City released for PC last year, the biggest complaint lobbied towards it was its always-on online requirement. As of now, that is officially a thing of the past. Sim city can now be played in an offline single player mode that, to be honest, should have been available from the beginning.
One of the first MMOs I reviewed here on AAGH was Free Realms, back in 2009. I have always had something of a soft spot for it and its world, so I am sad to say that Free Realms is closing the evening of March 31st.
While not the most popular of MMOs it was always relaxing to me, a game I could play when I wanted to unwind. You knew what you were getting when you logged in – bright colors, happy creatures and some low-stress gameplay. To help players enjoy the end of Free Realms’ road, Sony Online Entertainment has reduced all items in the in-game shop to one Station Credit. If you haven’t played Free Realms it’s obviously too late to start, but if you have fond memories – as I do – now is your last chance to play. I still think that MMO code should be made open source when a game shuts down for good to keep the experience alive for those who continue to enjoy it, but that’s a pipe dream. Farewell, Free Realms, it’s been fun.
It is always interesting when an ‘event’ game launches, a title that gets folks talking and everyone is watching. Titanfall one is such game. Is Titanfall worth the hype, or is it actually just a titanic failure?
UPDATE: And it’s all over, folks. The stream went off well and the servers held up. Check the full post for a recap video of the event, in case you missed it.
Original Post: Titanfall is coming March 11th for PC and Xbox One, and we’re going to be live streaming it on PC as soon as we can get online after midnight Tuesday. We will be live on our usual Twitch channel, so follow to get alerted when we go live. You can also follow us on Twitter to get livestream alerts that way.
All times are approximate, and could change based on server stability, both Titanfall’s servers and Twitch’s.
UPDATE: The throngs of Pokemasters in chat have done it: in just under sixteen and a half days, they have beaten the game. Congrats to the concept’s creator, Twitch, and the many people who participated for such an amazing accomplishment. You can see the climatic battle here.
Original story: The internet is an absolutely amazing place with absolutely amazing people creating absolutely amazing things. One of those things is the new Twitch Plays Pokemon, perhaps the first crowd-played video game.