PC Gamer

Terraria creator asks what YOU would like to see in a possible update

It seems today is a good day to speak to the community and ask them how you should update your game. Following the news that Terraria is being ported to consoles with a bunch of new features including split-screen support, a world map and even a new final boss, developer Andrew ‘Redigit’ Spinks has hinted at a potential update to the PC version of the game. He’s taken to the forums to ask players what they want to see, and (at the time of writing) he’s received 40 pages worth of replies.

SOE introduces Roadmap system for PlanetSide 2, lets fans vote on upcoming changes

SOE care what you think. (Well, if you’re a PlanetSide 2 player – they’re probably not too bothered otherwise.) They care so much that they’ve implemented a new section on their site called the Roadmap. As the name suggests, SOE are using this space to outline their future plans for the game, with the next six months currently laid bare for all to see. The difference between this and a regular forum, however, is that’s a bit more democratic, with users given the ability to up- and down-vote specific features and changes, giving the development team the chance to gauge their popularity before they’ve gone to the trouble of putting them in the game.

Saturday Crapshoot: Quickies Week I

Every week, Richard Cobbett rolls the dice to bring you an obscure slice of gaming history, from lost gems to weapons grade atrocities. This week, it’s not just one game under the microscope, but our first random grab-bag of stuff that’s fun, but not necessarily enough to justify a full write-up of their own.

Writing this column every week, it’s not hard to find obscure and interesting games. Often though, things get put on the back-burner for various reasons – usually that while there’s something neat about the game, the interesting bit is fairly simple. Weird action games especially tend to be pretty easily summed up, at least unless you’re planning to make one of those angry review shows on YouTube and need to complain about things that wouldn’t be a problem if you’d actually read the manual. Ahem.

This week then, we’re going to speed through some of the games that didn’t make it, quickfire style – a few one-shot oddities, with no connection save them all being amusing. Let’s dive in!

Assassin’s Creed III Tyranny of King Washington DLC releases February 19

The first part of an Assassin’s Creed III DLC pack exploring an alternate-reality America in which Washington crowns himself king comes out on February 19, Ubisoft announced today. For $10, grizzled assassins can take a break from giving colonists surly looks and chasing after techno-balls for a chance to take on the imperious Founding Father.

What to Watch: The Week in eSports (January 25-February 1, 2013)

This week in our new competitive gaming column: could PlanetSide 2 be the first competitive shooter to achieve RTS/MOBA-level worldwide success? MLG and Sony think it just might. Plus: Who will secure their spots in Dota 2′s The Defense 3 playoffs? This and much more below. gl hf!

Why you should watch eSports

Got eSports? The competitive gaming scene has grown enormously in the last couple years, with PC titles like StarCraft II, League of Legends, and Dota 2 leading the charge. Many of you have probably already joined in the excitement and insanity, but if you haven’t, I want to change your mind.

Soulfinity, the action-puzzler where killing yourself is the solution

Would you sacrifice yourself for victory? It’s a dilemma commonly found in story-heavy RPGs and team-based multiplayer shooters: many players prefer staying alive over flaming out for glory. In Soulfinity, an action-puzzler in development at indie team Dojo Arcade, offing yourself is a necessity for progression.

Taboo unchained: player creates colonial-era plantation in The Sims 3

Gamers with a muse for creation have used the tinkerer’s box of tools in The Sims games as a canvas for amazing works such as heart-shaped islands or a mansion made entirely out of stacked trailer homes. With the same level of ambition but with a purpose to do “terrible things,” Reddit user BourgeoisBanana presented a project earlier this week of a more sensitive nature: the Gaudet Plantation, a lush colonial farmstead complete with slave workers and affluent white owners. But is it actually a terrible thing to explore the darker periods of history? We set out to learn more.

Blizzard: “We acknowledge Diablo III needs to be a better game”

Blizzard has spoken before on the need to shape up Diablo III’s grindy end-game and gear issues. Now, in an official forum thread (via PCGamesN) collating a sizable pile of player concerns and requests, Community Manager Vaneras acknowledged the RPG “needs to be a better game” overall but re-iterated its intention as a sequel with a standalone identity instead of “an HD version of Diablo II.”

Visceral: Dead Space 3 microtransactions are for players needing “instant gratification”

Earlier this week, a photo revealed the possibility of optionally purchasing crafting resources through microtransactions in Dead Space 3. In an interview with CVG, Visceral Producer John Calhoun said the inclusion of a quick-buy option is meant for players who “need instant gratification” instead of procuring materials on their own.