General gaming

General gaming

Halo 4: The Community Preview Debate

Posted: 16 Apr 2012 02:35 PM PDT

Long-time fans of the Halo series are starving for any details regarding Halo 4, and the latest Game Informer cover story provides a few more tender morsels of information for fans to chew on. Granted, all signs presently point to a huge blowout for the game at E3 2012, but rather than wait nine more weeks until the show, we decided to start a conversation regarding the new information with one of our community's biggest Halo fanatics.

1UP community member Benjamin Tate is a dedicated Halo fan who flipped his proverbial wig after reading our first impressions of the game last month. Ben's dedication and appreciation for all things Halo inspired him to step up in the comments and write a detailed blog post -- a post which he updates in his spare time. With his obvious passion for the series clearly matching our own, we wanted to bring him into the conversation and let him share his thoughts.

Valve's Wearable Computing Experiments Could Be a Big Deal

Posted: 16 Apr 2012 01:24 PM PDT

Valve

Wearable computing has been a hot topic as of late, largely as a result of details on Google's Project Glass being made public. However, Google is not the only company at work on such a project, with Valve being another example as detailed in a blog post written by Michael Abrash.

Abrash has had an impressive career; he played an intricate role in the development of Windows NT and has written several books. As far as his contributions to the games industry go, he worked on the Xbox but is best known as one of the two programmers, along with John Carmack, of the original Quake. His newly launched blog covers how he ended up at Valve about a year and a half ago, his history with company co-founder Gabe Newell (who was also a Microsoft employee once upon a time), and the hierarchy at Valve -- or lack thereof. It's a fascinating look at how the company is run, with employees not reporting to any managers and deciding on their own how their time would be best spent. It simultaneously explains both why something like Valve Time exists and how so much of what the company does turns out to be so good.

The Diablo III Survival Guide

Posted: 16 Apr 2012 10:30 AM PDT

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The Diablo III Survival Guide

Prepare for Hell with all the changes coming with Diablo III.

By: J. Kartje April 16, 2012

If you love to slay demons with your friends, collect loot, and level up a character to better accomplish the aforementioned tasks and somehow you don't know about Diablo III, you should probably pay attention. The game will be released on May 15 globally, meaning that the countdown has begun. Diablo III will put millions of fans' expectations to the test. We have gathered all of the significant changes and innovations that Diablo III brings to the table to help prepare you for that day.

Classes and Followers

Diablo III will launch with five different playable classes: Monk, Barbarian, Demon Hunter, Wizard, and Witch Doctor. This time around, both male and female options are available. Even though almost all of the classes are either direct ports or mash-ups from Diablo II, the wide variety of skills and customization set them apart from their predecessors. You will have three different followers to choose from depending on your preference and playstyle. Eirena the Enchantress will provide you magical damage and supportive spells. Lyndon the Scoundrel will supply you with attack bonuses while assisting with the killing from a distance. Kormac the Templar will run to the front lines and can offer you healing when you are in danger. Along with customizable equipment, your Follower now boasts a skill tree that you can control.

Why Was Tapper the Last Great Bartending Experience?

Posted: 16 Apr 2012 09:06 AM PDT

I've spent a lot of times in bars recently in preparation for an upcoming feature, or at least, that's the excuse I use to make me feel better about myself. Regardless of the reason, while soaking up the atmosphere of various watering holes around San Francisco, I began to wonder why more video games haven't been centered in and around taprooms. The obvious rebuttal to this statement is, "What about Tapper?" to which I would reply, "That was 1983." Yes, Tapper gave gamers the opportunity to manage a rather chaotic bar for a short amount of time, but I feel like after three decades, it's reasonable to ask for something more.

Casablanca, arguably the greatest film in the medium's first 100 years, is set almost entirely inside Rick's Cafe. The smoky din of the gin joint was captured so perfectly on celluloid that many left the theater feeling like they had actually taken a trip to Morocco and back. Raymond Chandler, Ernest Hemingway, Charles Bukowski and countless other authors have wrote about, and been inspired by, the strange energy that flows from the bottles of their local watering holes. And so much about music is associated with pulling your stool closer to the counter -- from the value of a well-stocked jukebox to a small stage nestled in the corner that has the potential to change your life.

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Posted by Shri Krishna

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