It’s Sunday and I’m about to go to bed as I’m up for work early in the morning; but before I head off to the land of nod I’m going to show you a video that will help you sleep peacefully tonight, complete with a satisfied smile.

What’s scarier than hordes of extremely fast zombies running out of the darkness towards you? What’s scarier than a Witch than can incapacitate you with one swipe? What could be more terrifying than hearing a tank bounding around the corner behind you? Well, what? Hearing “La-La!” as you walk around a dark city, that’s what.

L4DMods (the credit goes to Flameknight7) have put together a mod for Left 4 Dead that replaces the infected in the game with characters from the children’s TV series, Teletubbies. Yes, you can finally shoot Tinky Winky in the face before taking a look at just what’s in that handbag of his, and why the hell he has one in the first place anyway.

My mum was a childminder, so Teletubbies was on in the house all the time as I was growing up. Having to sit through years of them saying the same thing over and over again, plus a sun with a baby’s face, I can safely say that I’m going to relish the opportunity to blow Po’s head off. Unfortunately that freaky bear that sticks its tongue out isn’t there, which is disappointing because I’ve always wanted to put a few slugs into it. Noo-Noo also doesn’t make an appearance, which is a big oversight because he could have replaced The Boomer and unleashed custard instead of vomit.

You can download the mod for yourself here, finally accomplishing what most of us have always wanted to do (unfortunately you can’t put Dipsy’s head on a stick and parade it around town manically laughing). Now if only we could gun down The Tweenies…

It looks like the Left 4 Dead 2 boycott movement I wrote about back in June has been dealt a major blow as two of the founders recently published a post that raised more than just a few eyebrows. In an attempt to show the boycott group that Left 4 Dead 2 maintains the same quality that made the first game such a joy to play Valve flew the two group members out to their offices in Washington, which at least gives them a chance to say they’ve played the game before they continue to ‘boycott’ it.

So, what was their verdict?

“As for L4D2, things seemed balanced and ‘tight’ and did not feel like a rushed job. While we were visiting their offices we personally witnessed what can only be called a small army of artists, coders, mappers hard at work, which explains the rapid transformations in artwork that we’ve all seen.

What we can say with confidence is that the quality of gameplay in Left 4 Dead 2 is not in question; and it will only get better (from what we understand, almost daily testing of game builds by most of the staff at Valve).” - Source

266 comments later (at the time of writing) and they had been predictably labeled as ‘sell-outs’ by the majority of the group, even after the two guys were adamant that Valve isn’t dropping support for the first game. I suppose it’s hard to trust the word of two guys who’d just had an all-expenses paid trip across the US, even if they did help create the group. However, I had already made up my mind long before this new development.

So, what do you think? Sell-outs? Simply appreciating a good game? Don’t care? I think that I regret the comments I made in my previous post on this issue. After reading updated previews and seeing new videos since that post I believe that Left 4 Dead 2 will be worth it if you enjoyed the first game, and I am now genuinely looking forward to it. If Valve continues to support the first game then you’ve got two great games in your hands, and what could really be wrong with that apart from finding the time to play them both? I also need to note that I never agreed with a ‘boycott’ in the first place; I was simply a little annoyed because I thought that Valve would only be releasing a tiny bit of content for the first game, but from seeing more of the sequel I’m not sure that I’m even bothered about playing the first game anymore (to be fair I have enjoyed the content we did get). I probably won’t buy the game full price, but that’s because I have more than enough games to keep me occupied at the moment and it’s always good to pick up a bargain somewhere down the line.

I suppose the most important question here is “What the hell is that on Gabe’s shirt???”.

Related posts:

• Valve Responds to Left 4 Dead 2 Boycott

It’s a pretty good week for lovers of the music rhythm genre, as not only is Guitar Hero 5 begging for you to spend even more money on plastic instruments but The Beatles finally get their own game in The Beatles: Rock Band. Yes, it may just be Rock Band stuffed with 45 of The Beatles best songs but, come on now, it’s The Beatles!

Colin McRae: DiRT 2 is there for all you Rally lovers, and Championship Manager 2010 comes along just as we’re getting over our addiction from the last one. Section 8 is the odd one of the bunch, but it does look pretty damn good if the videos are anything to go by.

Guitar Hero 5 (PS2, PS3, Wii, X360) 11/9 (PS2 is 8/9)

Kurt Cobain wouldn’t exactly be thrilled at being included in a game with mass market appeal, but Activision knows how to push a few buttons. Cobain or not, Guitar Hero 5 is still going to sell by the bucketload and the updated graphics, 85 songs (with more for download) and the Guitar Hero Studio (which allows anyone to import their songs, providing they own the copyright) will do a lot to bolster that appeal.

The Beatles: Rock Band (PS3, X360) 9/9 (X360) 11/9 (PS3)

The Beatles, on the other hand, were no strangers to milking their success. I suppose being the biggest band in the world gives you a bit of an excuse though. As stated above there will be 45 The Beatles songs, with more available for download, and various dreamscapes that will make you believe there was more in that can of coke than you were lead to believe. Don’t worry though, you can calm yourself down with your free copy of Guitar Hero: World Tour.

Colin McRae: DiRT 2 (DS, PS3, PSP, Wii, X360) 11/9

Colin McRae may be gone, but Codemasters makes sure his name lives on in the videogame world. Thankfully the game is a good homage to the legend, with a new engine and whole roster of events and tracks to keep you occupied. Just make sure you don’t get stuck in the mud!

Section 8 (PC, X360) 11/9

At first glance you may think it’s just another futuristic shooter, with that word that describes a ring of light around someone’s head coming to mind. Then you see the unique ‘burn-in’ feature that allows you to drop onto the battlefield from 15,000 feet above the surface. This is supposed to eliminate fixed spawn points, but it remains to be seen if the game on the ground will be able to successfully follow an awesome start to each level.

Other releases:

• Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Wheelie Breakers (Wii) *Out now*
• Taisen!! Ka to Chan no Kororonpe! (DS) 9/9
• Windy x Windam (DS) 10/9
• Mean Girls (DS) 11/9
• SingStar Motown (PS2, PS3) 11/9
• Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (DS, PS3, PSP, Wii, X360) 11/9
• Diva Girls: Princess on Ice 2 (DS) 11/9
• Mary King’s Riding School 2 (Wii) 11/9
• Love is… in Bloom (Wii) 11/9
• My Beauty Salon (DS) 11/9
• My World My Way (DS) 11/9
• Championship Manager 2010 (PC) 11/9
• Mini Ninjas (DS, PC, PS3, Wii, X360) 11/9
• Time of Shadows (PC)  11/9

(All images sourced from Gamespot)

Just when we thought two Star Wars MMO’s were enough for any fan rumours rise out of the murky depths of Dagobah that Sony Online Entertainment is working on a new one. SOE have already tried this once with Star Wars Galaxies - which had a brief spurt of popularity but lost many fans when it was decided to introduce a ‘combat upgrade’ - and Bioware are currently working on Star Wars: The Old Republic, which looks very tasty indeed. An “insider source” is now saying that a third game may be on the drawing board, which is apparently going to be casual-centric and will most likely be based on the animated Clone Wars series.

Ten Ton Hammer says their anonymous source confirmed the rumour at PAX, where it was said that SOE will probably use the same engine as their immensely popular browser-based MMO Free Realms. So, if we’re talking that casual – combined with its roots in the animated series – then it’s probably not going to be something to get overly excited about unless you’re pretty young or a casual player who happens to like Star Wars. Going for the casual crowd means that SOE isn’t trying to be a direct competitor to Bioware’s attempt, and by doing this SOE may pick up the players who don’t want to sink a lot of time into a fully fledged MMO but still want to play a Star Wars game.

Given the source material the game will most likely take on the look of the animated series, which may or may not be a good thing depending on whether or not you liked the look of Clone Wars (I didn’t). Even so, if this rumour is true and SOE can successfully replicate the appeal of Free Realms to the casual crowd then they may have a winner on their hands to make up for the disappointment that was Star Wars Galaxies. Either that or they’ll fail miserably again.

(Image source)

Related Posts:

• Bioware Announces New Star Wars MMO

The triumphant return of ‘Latest UK Releases’ (it has been on a holiday to a nice sunny beach and, as a result, is now sporting one hell of a tan) is admittedly a rather boring one. I’ve highlighted only two games that I think are worth it this week (ok, Metroid Prime Trilogy is also pretty good but the games aren’t new so it only gets the bulletpoint treatment), complete with the usual short commentary from your’s truly.

Champions Online (PC) 4/9

Champions Online may not be coming to the Xbox 360 anytime soon but at least PC gamers can enjoy its lovely cel-shaded (or ‘comic shading’ as the developers refer to it) visuals. One of the more intriguing ideas the game employs is the ability to create your very own nemesis once you reach level 25. Defeating your nemesis’s minions will give you clues to the whereabouts of him or her, leading to a showdown. The level cap is 40, which may not seem like a lot but I’m sure it will be expanded upon in the years to come (providing the game lasts that long of course).

Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP) 4/9

Similar to a fighting game the one big difference is that it includes characters from nearly every single main Final Fantasy game in the franchise. Ever wanted to see Cloud and Squall fight it out? Well, here’s your chance. I don’t think Final Fantasy fans need any more prompting than that.

Other releases:

• Silas (PC) *Out now*
• Pool Hall Pro (Wii) 31/8
• Fate/Unlimited Codes (PSP) 3/9
• Il-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey (DS, PS3, X360) 4/9
• Guilty Gear 2: Overture (X360) 4/9
• Zorro: Quest for Justice (DS) 4/9
• I Did It Mum! Dolls House (DS) 4/9
• Warriors Orochi 2 (PSP) 4/9
• Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii) 4/9
• SuperCar Challenge (PS3) 4/9
• The Humans (DS) 4/9
• SoulCalibur: Broken Destiny (PSP) 4/9

(Images source)

There’s one big thing missing from Microsoft’s Xbox 360, and that’s any real representation of the MMO genre. Cryptic, developer of the upcoming Champions Online, believes that it’s not because developers don’t want to represent the genre on the 360, it is because Microsoft is holding back on coming with a way of how such a game would work through Live.

“Microsoft’s a big company, and they have to work out all the various issues related to MMOs,” explains Emmert. “It just takes time for the big beast known as Microsoft to get moving. I really have no explanation other than that, because it’s as baffling to developers as it is to everyone else.” (Source)

Cryptic already have a 360 version of Champions Online “ready to go”, but with Microsoft dragging their heels on the subject it doesn’t look like any 360 gamer will be controlling their very own superhero anytime soon. That means we probably won’t see it this year, but will we ever see it at all?

“Right now we’re just talking with Microsoft. Right now the ball is firmly in their court. We’re ready to go, but until we get the go ahead from Microsoft, right now we’re sort of waiting.”

This isn’t the first time this has happened. In fact the team behind Final Fantasy XIV told VG247 that their game was partly a timed PS3 exclusive because they were still in ongoing discussions about just how the game would work over Live. Of course, Final Fantasy XI is already out for the 360, so it does work in some way.

Personally I’m not sure MMO’s are such a good idea on the console, at least not for the time being. The 360 is good for online games, but on a far smaller scale, and I’m not sure the communities that form around such games as Call of Duty 4 would translate to an MMO. I’ve always thought MMO’s were a far better fit for a mouse and keyboard, but I would have said the same thing about FPS’s a few years back. Another thing is you would have to pay two subscriptions; one for the MMO and one for Live, so maybe the PS3 would be a better bet.

Meanwhile Sony have no such reservations about the MMO, with The Agency currently under development. Maybe we will see Champions Online on the 360 eventually, but it certainly won’t be in time for the PC versions release next week.

Pyro Studio’s is apparently set to return to everyone’s favourite setting of World War II (well, five years ago maybe). Reports say that the studio will begin work on a new instalment of the classic strategy franchise Commandos. However, work will not begin until Planet 51 – a game based on the upcoming film – is complete, which will surely win many awards and will be voted one of the best games ever made!

Ok, now that my sarcasm is out of the way I will give you some further details. The as-yet untitled sequel is set to be closer in playability to Commandos 2 and not Strike Force, which was panned by the majority and is viewed as “a mistake” by Pyro themselves. That’s all we really know at the moment, but if the previous sentence is true then Commandos fans will surely be looking forward to the new instalment.

If you’ve never played the games then you will want to know that it’s basically an RTS where you control a small group of British Commandos. It was first released on the PC in 1998, and had you combining the skills of each individual commando to complete your mission. For example, one commando may be good at setting traps for your enemies to unwittingly fall into, while another prefers to go in guns blazing. The latter was usually pretty inadvisable though, as stealth was usually the most effective way to complete a level.

If you want to try the old games yourself then the Commandos Battle Pack (which contains Commandos 2: Men of Courage and Commandos 3: Destination Berlin) for £28.18 is your best bet. I would say that price is a little steep though, as you could probably pick up the pack for less than £20 (maybe even £10) considering the games are only priced at around £3 individually. They’re still well worth trying out though, even by today’s standards.

UPDATE: Pyro Studio’s is now denying the claims that they’re working on a new Commandos game.

“The news story that Gamer.nl published is totally false,” Pyro told Eurogamer Spain. “We always had in mind to bring back to life the Commandos series; this isn’t something new, but nowadays there’s nothing official or decided and everything is still a wish, nothing else.” - Eurogamer

So, maybe fans will be waiting even longer for a new Commandos game after all.

DRAGONS!!! That’s what Guild Wars 2 is all about if this stunning new trailer is anything to go by. What’s stunning about it? Well, the first half is pretty much just artwork but don’t let that put you off because if you stick around you’ll see some absolutely gorgeous in-game footage. I always thought the first game looked amazing, even on my sub-standard PC, and hopefully it will again be optimised for those who can’t afford expensive rigs (I suppose MMO’s always have to have some degree of flexibility in the graphics department, or they couldn’t raise a large playerbase).

So what’s the sequel all about? Amidst all the drama of co-founder of NCsoft, Jeff Strain, and another staff member leaving just over a week ago (although ArenaNet says that the development of Guild Wars 2 will not be affected) there has actually been very little information on the game. The slate isn’t totally blank though, so let’s sum up what we know so far.

Apart from the attractive scenery there are a number of changes over the game’s predecessor. Firstly the whole game world is persistent, much like World of Warcraft, although instances will still play their part; including in the games main storyline which, to be fair, makes sense. Player choices will also impact on the world at large, although I doubt it’s going to be as complex as the player driven world of Eve Online. PvP will retain the guild versus guild battles of the first game (it wouldn’t be called Guild Wars otherwise!), but large-scale PvP will also be introduced. It’s a world battle that will take place in a place called The Mists, although I’m sure more places will be added over the games lifespan.

So, that’s pretty much all we know at this point. Details will probably continue to trickle out over the next few months, so keep an eye out for more info here as I loved the first game so I’m a keen follower of anything new about its sequel.

Although it’s probably not going to be much of a surprise to the majority of Starcraft fans – although it will be a big disappointment – the sequel to one of the most popular RTS games of all time has been delayed until the first half of 2010. Of course, Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty was never actually given a release date in the first place but people were still hoping that we would see it sometime this year, mainly through comments made by staff working for Activision Blizzard.

Apparently the delay is due to the relaunch of Activision Blizzard’s Battle.net service, which handles all the online gaming across their range of games. It will also play a large part in the online aspects of Starcraft II, especially as LAN support has been pulled from the game. One of the development team had this to say;

“Over the past couple of weeks, it has become clear that it will take longer than expected to prepare the new Battle.net for the launch of the game. The upgraded Battle.net is an integral part of the StarCraft II experience and will be an essential part of all of our games moving forward. This extra development time will be critical to help us realize our vision for the service.” - Source

Activision Blizzard had previously stated that Starcraft II will need a four to six month beta period, which obviously made a 2009 launch seem very tight to begin with. We still have no idea when a beta will actually take place, so in the meantime you will have to be satisfied with the Battle Reports that the developers have posted on the game’s official site.

The delay will also affect Activision Blizzard’s revenue expectations for this year, lowering their estimate from $4.3 billion to $4.05 billion. It’s not all doom and gloom though, as Diablo II is also expected to be released in 2010.

Related Posts:

•  The Starcraft Board Game

If you were planning on using your all-powerful Shepard from Mass Effect to take out those dirty aliens then you’re out of luck. Bioware has stated that the abilities and statistics you earned in the first game won’t carry over to Mass Effect 2, at least in an obvious fashion anyway. Instead the game will explain why Shepard has lost his level 60 and ultimate badass Renegade status, but hopefully that won’t mean the cliché’ of amnesia.

“It’s something we can’t go into detail about for obvious reasons, but it actually happens the other way around. Our goal with the story, in terms of getting the game started quickly and players into really compelling story situations… that dictated and allowed us to do certain things including changing the way that your abilities work and the way you develop your character.” - Computerworld

The reason behind the loss of your hard work – development wise - is that the retooling of the game’s core systems would make using the abilities from the previous game impossible. Of course, that’s totally understandable as plenty of new games in a franchise tend to use completely new or updated engines where things from the previous game just wouldn’t work without series headaches on the development team’s behalf. In this case Casey Hudson, Mass Effect 2’s lead designer, explains that “literally every system” in the game – which includes the inventory, guns, abilities, etc. – have been improved, making the transfer of systems from the last game impossible.

However, he did go on to stress that “all those things have been dramatically improved” and that “we’re taking into account all of your accomplishments in terms of building a character from the first game”. He then added; “So things you’d expect to be acknowledged, like if you were a level 60 character, or you were highly Renegade and don’t want to start out at the middle again”. Importing your characters game save from Mass Effect will be “acknowledged in ways that map across to the new system” so you will ultimately feel that “you are continuing as that character”.

This makes complete sense, as you can hardly expect to have a fully levelled up character from the get go as it would defeat the object of Mass Effect 2 which, let’s not forget, is rooted in the RPG genre. You also have to respect that new players may be joining in on the franchise, even if it is a little odd why you’d want to play game that continues a story you know nothing about. In the end all I wanted was for Mass Effect 2 to acknowledge some of the decisions I made in the previous game, just so it didn’t break the flow of the story with something that would seem completely out of character for the Shepard I had created.

Mass Effect 2 is set for release sometime between January and March 2010.

Mass Effect 2’s producer talks about the game - Computerworld (Via 1UP)