alt-tab posts

We've all been told that Blizzard wasn't -- and continues to not be -- affected by Activision. But is that really the truth? I hadn't questioned the claim until recently, when changes began to trickle out of BlizzCon 08.

At first, there was an announcement of a new StarCraft II singleplayer addition each year, for the next three years. Blizzard says: We wanted to make so much StarCraft II, that we needed to split it into three separate games that each need around a full year of development -- huzzah! I was ecstatic, it was Blizzard-nerd nirvana. Then these pesky questions began creeping into the forefront of my mind, buzzing about like infuriating flies that refuse to leave your room on a particularly hot summer day.

It's surprising to find myself here, writing this week's Alt-Tab. Not because I'm getting tired of writing about incredibly promising PC titles like Demigod but because I just can't stop playing them. To be specific, I'm speaking of the Beta 1A update for the title that added a new map, a new demigod and several tweaks that prove a little bit more content can go a long way. Continue reading to check out what's new with the ongoing beta experience for Gas Powered Games' Demigod.

When it comes to a particularly good game, what matters most? I'm not talking about the old checklist videogame reviewers used to rely on -- and often still do -- such as music, graphics, presentation, etc. What I'm getting at here are the qualities which make a game stand above the rest in our collective minds. I've boiled it down to five particular areas in which I think a game needs to nail down in order to be more than the sum of its parts.

Somewhere between Popcap's rise to power and Spore's retail release I've found myself both enjoying and being annoyed by the rise of casual gaming. The word "casual" is at best prescribed to games like Peggle or flash-based web games of higher quality. At worst, it's a buzzword, a fallacy and often a crutch. It's because of this that whenever a developer says their game is targeted at more casual audiences, my internal alarms go off in a big way.

PC gaming as we know it is dead. That's right, dead. Don't worry though, it's long since been reborn. Now worry again, because it's here for your brains! This week I'll explore the undead realm of gaming. Meaning everything from games literally featuring the undead, to stuff everyone assumed was gone, but has since returned. Click through for the juicy brai- I mean, feature.

There were many PC titles this last weekend at PAX08, but out of everything that I got my grubby hands on, Demigod was easily the biggest surprise. The fine folks from Gas Powered Games and Stardock were there in full force and as much as I love Sins of a Solar Empire, it seems like Demigod is my new favorite real-time strategy underdog.

Just as Sins is a strange blend of RTS and Civ-style games, Demigod is a blend of RTS and various PC RPGs. Given my penchant for games that blend RPGs into a genre I already enjoy, I'd always been interested in what Demigod had to offer. After playing it at PAX08, I'm ready to lay down my pre-order directly to Stardock's Impulse service. Follow the image above for plenty of discussion on GPS's newest creation, Demigod.

Anyone could come up with a lot of reasons for why Valve is such a successful company. Ask any two people what makes Valve so successful and they'll probably point to different things. Some will say their cabal style game design and free content updates. While others will point to the Steam platform, mod support and integration of top mod designers. Some may even call out Gabe Newell himself. Oh and don't forget Doug Lombardi, either. We could go on and on about just what made (and continues to make) Valve so very special. Though I doubt it's any single one of those things as opposed to many of them at the right moments in the right way. Or in other words, a lot of chance, determination and some vision.

What I do think can be gleaned from the success of Valve, is where PC gaming will -- or at least should be -- going over the next few years. Hit the image above to take a look at what I think their model of game design and business decisions has to offer the wider PC gaming market.