Now, go forth and recreate Baldur’s Gate. I’ll check back in 2015.

This doesn’t bother me because Rage isn’t an established franchise for which I have expectations. Besides that, in contrast with Modern Warfare 2, the multiplayer isn’t what interests me about Rage.

Cue warm fuzzies.

My contribution: *sigh*

That’s cool, I’m not overly concerned about buying their game.

As apprehensive as I am about the new focus on co-op, a whole new city sounds great. I still play Skate 2 almost every day, but San Vanelona is starting to feel a bit familiar.

I commonly experience flashes of euphoria for which I have no account. What I’ve felt over the last several weeks, however, is something different. It’s a sustained state of contentment — something that I can account for. It’s a feeling of fullness, and it’s because of video games.

I am full because of Brutal Legend. This game was almost perfect, from its story, its humor, and Jack Black’s performance, to its RTS and driving systems, and even its side missions — but I did say almost. The rate at which new Solos unlocked disappointed me; I think it was poor design to have four at the beginning, four at the end, but none in the middle. Still, I loved this game. I bought it on release day, and I finished all the missions by the end of the next. I never do that.

I am full because of Defense Grid: The Awakening. Tower Defense is a genre that gets a lot of flack — and it’s true, there are a lot of bad games out there — but if there’s a game that the skeptics should play, it’s Defense Grid. Its difficulty curve is fair, and its challenge modes suit it for repeat play. It even has character, an uncharacteristic attribute for a Tower Defense game that isn’t based on a license.
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This is the most important piece of games journalism written all week. This, too, is good, and offers a different perspective on the issue.

I am glad at this; I only hope the chart will track more than just sales in the UK.

PseudoKnight: I hadn’t expected to be this thrilled by simple screenshots of NS2, a sequel to one of my most beloved multiplayer games, Natural Selection. The independent team has had a wild ride but are finally seeing the fruits in the form of $220,000 in pre-sales.

It’ll take a while to get used to the Windows key being useful after years of hating it and avoiding it at all costs (sometimes by removing it from my keyboard), but this list will help. A favorite of mine, and a boon for anyone with multiple displays, is Win + P.

The marketing for Dante’s Inferno is a work of art.

As I said last week, we’ve been playing a lot of League of Legends. This interview gives insights into Riot Games’ design process, ideas on game balance, plans for updates and making money on a free game, and their thoughts on the competition.

Although Shattered Horizon is a tragically generic name, the game itself looks and sounds like anything but generic. I might have pre-ordered it on an impulse if it weren’t launching the day after Dragon Age.

Small Worlds is a free platformer created in Flash by David Shute for the JayIsGames.com Casual Game Design Competition. A piece of pixel art constitutes each level, and it must be explored to be revealed. Leap — then look.

Thanks to Pyroman[FO]‘s post at GamersWithJobs.com for pointing this game out.

Yellowgold (real name: Jason Howell) is a musician based in San Francisco, California. As Jason Howell, he is a podcast producer and co-host of such CNET.com podcasts as Buzz Out Loud and Gadgettes. Jason has also released a number of techno and dance mixes under the alias DJ Raygun. The song featured below, One Night Out, is a Yellowgold release from his free album The Mellower, and is available at YellowgoldMusic.com.

First the PC version of Modern Warfare 2 gets a console price tag ($60), and now it’s getting the console multiplayer experience. Without player-controlled dedicated servers, there are no mods, no custom maps, and the competitive scene diminishes. Matchmaking is impersonal and unpredictable; it discourages community. I’ve never made a new friend in a game that uses matchmaking — there’s no such thing as “regulars” in Halo — but this very website probably owes its existence to dedicated servers. If we who still play multiplayer FPS games on PC wanted a console experience in MW2, we would simply play the console version. No one asked for this.

Being lied to is a bummer.

On the very day of my transition to 64-bit Windows, GameTap released their first big batch of 64-bit compatible games, and they’re free for the weekend. Notable among them are Unreal Tournament 2004, Overlord, Tomb Raider: Legend, Sacred Gold, and Hitman: Blood Money. Unreal Tournament 3 was also added this week.

Yes. Perfect. As I played through Kane & Lynch, Willis is exactly who I thought should play Kane if a movie were ever made. This makes up for the oversight that was not getting Jason Statham to play Agent 47.

PseudoKnight, Noct, and myself have been playing League of Legends with friends over the last week. It is great fun, and seems to be a worthy successor to Defend of The Ancients. Giant Bomb has a Quick Look (featuring the old UI) to watch while you download:

I don’t know about the last twenty years — I haven’t been paying attention to console releases that long — but I agree that Fall 2009, while still exciting, has felt less stressful than at least the last four Falls.

This is the saddest story that I read all week. I just wonder if the moment was really as sombre as the writer conveyed it.

I forgot all about New Super Mario Bros. when I wrote my plans for Fall ’09. It looks amazing; add it to the list.

Assuming they aren’t just glorified advergames, Flash games made by a major developer could something great.

Moments later, zombies burst through the window.