The open-world sandbox shenanigans of Just Cause 2 scream out for multiplayer, and a modding team is hard at work on bringing that to us. Having started back in 2010 then dropped off the radar, JC2-MP resurfaced over the weekend to tease that we'll soon surfing atop aeroplanes as our chums go barnstorming.
After eight years of development and several years of silence, it seems Black Mesa may be coming. No, seriously this time. The fans remaking Valve's Half-Life as a Source Engine mod have shared new screenshots, teasing that there's more news to come. At some point. Hopefully.
The new SimCity, due for 2013 on PC and Mac, is powered by a new proprietary engine called GlassBox. It is described as "a new data-driven simulation engine" that is Maxis' "bet for the future." At a panel during Game Developers Conference, the studio detailed how GlassBox will power the upcoming SimCity "reboot" and promised that the modding community will be able to get their hands on their powerful new tools.
"We're huge fans of our modding community," creative director Ocean Quigley told the audience. "We've designed all this stuff to be moddable."
Read more: 'We know the reason why people are still playing SimCity 4 »
Blizzard has announced that a new official StarCraft 2 mod is bound for the Featured section of the Custom Game interface sometime in the next few days. Called StarCraft Master, the single-player mod is aimed at folks who want put their RTS skills to the test, or polish them to razer-sharpness. Blizzard describes the challenges present in the mod as "fiendish," and claims they "will demand your utmost concentration to prevail."
Bethesda had promised a surprise alongside the launch of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's PC mod Creation Kit, and it did indeed arrive today. The PC release now supports an official high-resolution texture pack. But there's something else too--a new friend in the form of Portal 2's adorable Space Sphere. On top of that, Skyrim's on sale on Steam, down to $40.
Fallout: New Vegas lead designer J.E. Sawyer has reworked the balance of Obsidian's post-apocalyptic RPG, amping up the difficulty and tinkering to his own preference. Intriguingly, these changes come in a mod of Sawyer's making, not any official patch.
There are a number of outstanding (and even creepy) mods available for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, making it hard for me to recommend any version other than the PC release. One of the most impressive game tweaks is 'Map in Full 3D,' which helps adjust the game's ini file to allow players to zoom all the way down to street level from the in-game world map.
Fancy turning Dungeon Defenders into an FPS? With the release of a full development kit, industrial modders can now make everything from new maps and characters to whole new modes and games for Trendy Entertainment's action-y tower defense.
Blizzard has now updated its official StarCraft 2 mods, and released the full versions complete with unlockable achievements and avatars. The Battle.net blog teases the three cheeky mods: Aiur Chef, Left 2 Die, and StarJeweled.
As you almost certainly guessed, Aiur Chef is a parody cooking game starring the Protoss. Left 2 Die takes its inspiration from the zombie craze, instead featuring hordes of Zerg attacking at night. StarJeweled has you matching gems to generate resources that you can then use to beef up your armies. Read more »
Now that Comic-Con is out of the way, it's time to be hosting and posting about Matt Bortolino's incredible Half-Life 2: Episode Two mod Research & Development, one of the few must-play mods to hit our desk in a while.
Research & Development takes the non-combative approach of Portal into the gritty environment of Half-Life 2, and does so with a refreshing amount of original mechanics and crafted special effects. Here's a mod that not only delivers a unique, gun-free experience, but one that effortlessly introduces fresh Source engine effects at surprising regularity. Read more »
Update: The mods are now available for download and can be found under the "Not Installed" portion of Steam's "My Games" section. In addition, Valve has put Half-Life 2: Episode One on sale for $4.99, offering cheaper access to the Source Engine.
The mods, playable for anyone with a Source Engine-powered game like Counter-Strike: Source, Half-Life 2 or The Orange Box, are:
Expanding the breadth of its online PC digital distribution platform Steam, creator Valve has announced that it will begin offering free downloads of user-created mods.
Playable so long as a user has a Source-powered game installed--such as Counter-Strike: Source, Half-Life 2 or The Orange Box--the mods will appear under the My Games listing, and will receive automatic updates like any other Steam release. Read more »
"Sounds and looks great..but so many of these mods end up never seeing the light of day despite ..."
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