Hardware
Super Skyrim Bros: Mario Mod for Skyrim
By Steve BurkeIf the Minecraft-like Retro mod wasn't enough for you -- and if that Gangnam Style Skyrim animated dance didn't fill an empty void in your heart -- we've now spotted a "Super Skyrim Bros" mod that turns Bethesda's Skyrim into... well, Super Mario Brothers.
The mod is a total conversion/mini-game mod for Skyrim and adds new enemies, items, mechanical interactions, and an entirely new "kingdom." The mod introduces the player to a separated mini-game within Skyrim, but the worlds are individual and will otherwise not interact; that means you can install this mod and play in the Mario world without impacting your Skyrim settings. Continue on for the video.
Video: Orcs Must Die! 2 - Family Ties Gameplay, Overview
By Steve BurkeRobot Entertainment has done it again! Their model for Orcs Must Die! 2 slowly churns out DLC at a consumable rate, in theory, while still attempting to provide enough content to keep players interested: With (what we hope is) quality content being released on a regular basis for $5 per "booster pack," the team is putting a lot of effort into keeping players coming back to try out new traps, weapons, levels, and combos.
So far, it's working -- at least, it is for our team. Continue on for a video.
Insurgency 2: Everything We Know So Far (Interview)
By Steve BurkeRealistic shooters are something else -- they require a level of patience and dedication that, unsurprisingly, can make for brutal inch-by-inch firefights. It's a nice break from twitch-shooters, and while both have their place, realism-focused environments are much more rare in their success and have a tendency to scare newer players off.
GTX 660, GTX 650 Explored & Detailed
By Steve BurkeIn continuing the 'nextgen' line of gaming-grade GPUs, nVidia has officially unveiled their more budget-friendly GTX 660 and GTX 650 graphics processors, part of the Kepler lineup. After the GTX 660 Ti kicked the doors down, those of you who are still looking for new technology (but would like to save some money on a video card) may find sanctuary in the GTX 660 and GTX 650 options.
Let's compare the GTX 660 Ti, GTX 660, GTX 650, and the three high-end cards, the 670, 680, and 690:
Castle Story Registration Now Open - Prototypes Soon Available
By Steve BurkeFor those who have been following Castle Story since we first did this video of it, any Kickstarter and PayPal backers will be happy to hear that the small studio behind the game has started sending out registration emails!
OMD!2 Fire & Water Playthrough, Gameplay, and Thoughts
By Steve BurkeWhen paired up with DrGong and given a new game to play, I never know what sort of off-the-wall commentary we'll hear from our eccentric Chilean friend. Well, in this playthrough of Orcs Must Die! 2's Fire & Water expansion/DLC -- apart from being asked about my life as "a children" -- we had about an hour of fun with some of the new traps and mobs. And in that hour, we learned many new life skills, for instance: Jumping off of cliffs before the round starts is bad.
You can view each of the levels below to get a feel for the game -- I've included some of my thoughts pertaining to the expansion after these clips.
nVidia's GeForce GTX 660 Ti: An Affordable Gaming Video Card
By Steve BurkeKepler's initial GTX 670 and GTX 680 may have been prohibitively expensive for some gamers, but the GTX 660 Ti is now here, and we've got the specs comparison of the GTX 660 Ti, GTX 670, and GTX 680.
The 660 Ti is nVidia's new mid-range GPU, planned to ship at $300, and nVidia has a lot to live up to -- the company said at its announcement that the GTX 660 Ti is the "best card per watt ever made," and at 150W, the 28nm CUDA microarchitecture with similar core structure to the GTX 670 may mean that's true.
Two Idiots Play: Orcs Must Die! 2 Co-Op - Gameplay Video
By Steve BurkeWith Orcs Must Die! 2 now fully-released, and after our cheerful review of its sequel, we decided to get together and play Orcs Must Die! 2 for our first time with no prior experience -- hilarity and stupidity ensues. Watch as GN-DrGong and GN-Steve fall off cliffs, stumble into portals full of orcs, and turn trolls into chickens.
Clearing the Cobwebs: Company of Heroes Maps & Mods
By Steve BurkeModding communities have the astounding power to extend the life of a game past the developer's capabilities (or desires, for that matter), and when modders want a game to stay alive, they'll make it so.
Company of Heroes is one of those games. Its powerful mapping interface makes map-making effortless, and now that the game's been out for a few years -- and with the upcoming Company of Heroes II launch -- we've had a chance to put together a list of some of the best CoH multiplayer maps out there, going back to the game's hayday, in some instances.
While browsing Skyrim Nexus for more awesome mods -- a time-consuming habit of mine, to be sure; I swear, it's not an addiction -- I saw the below "Ultimate Skyrim Quests Overview and Checklist" pop-up.
It's incredible.
More...
We moderate comments on a ~24~48 hour cycle. There will be some delay after submitting a comment.