Quake Live is packed!

Join the queue and "hold on" while id Software "let some people in". I'm currently in line for the third time to play the revolutionary browser-only version of Quake III Arena. The number of people in front of me stands at 12775 as I write this, so I'm about two thirds of the way in from where I started.

It's like queuing for Oblivion at Alton Towers on a hot Summer's day, but free to join and not as ultimately disappointing. In fact, Quake Live is a masterfully executed reincarnation of id's 1999 classic multiplayer shooter. It runs smoothly, plays as beautifully as the original and looks great, even on my knackered laptop. The website is extremely well-designed and intuitive, with a skill-matching system approving the most suitable servers with a big green tick. Also included are global statistics and player awards, a friends list (which will hopefully prove to be as convenient as Steam's) and a bot-driven practice mode.

id have taken browser-based gaming into an exciting new era and this is surely one of the best things to do on the web. Oh, I've reached the front of the queue, time for some more Firefox fraggin'...

Various news

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin

This one's not really news, I just felt like making it known that I ran through the single-player of Monolith's sequel at the weekend and, predictably, enjoyed myself. While not original or innovative, F.E.A.R. 2 is a beautifully polished and smooth game, with awesomely stylish combat and weapons. It's linear, patronising, shallow, short and without an ending, but it's still marvellously fun to play. Definitely one to keep you occupied for a little while until the release schedule picks up.

Mass Effect 2

BioWare has released some information on the sequel to the astounding sci-fi RPG. More on that eye-opener here.

Quake LIVE

This free-to-play browser version of Quake III Arena goes live tomorrow. It's a big step for shooters and from what I've read id seem to have got it right. Play it here.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Stalker and Richie Hawtin

Having thoroughly enjoyed both of the engrossing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. shooters, Shadow of Chernobyl and Clear Sky, I was especially excited last night when sitting down to watch the 1979 classic sci-fi film Stalker for the first time, which the games are loosely based on.

Andrei Tarkovsky's brilliant, tense masterpiece lends it's concept of 'The Zone' to the endearingly dog-eared series, however as it was made seven years prior to the Chernobyl disaster, the focus is not on an irradiated power plant, but a place called The Room deep within challenging terrain.

During the closing scene I was left not only understandably freaked out, but also wondering where I'd seen it before. Then I remembered. Minimal techno superstar Richie Hawtin, clearly a fan of the film, used it as a music video for his track We (All) Search and featured in his own homage to it for his track The Tunnel. I've embedded videos of both below. Enjoy.

Thoughts on Valve and their lessers

A number of recent occurrences have compelled me to share my views on the lovable Washington-based software giant and a company whose quality of service is almost a polar opposite.

Firstly and most urgently, the exciting announcement of Left 4 Dead downloadable content, due out in Spring, which will include a new game mode called Survival and add the two missing campaigns to Versus mode. All for free. And in relation to this, the increasingly warm feeling I have towards the honest and generous developer at a time when corporate corruption is rearing it's ugly head and revealing the faces of Bill Gates and co. Microsoft's Games For Windows LIVE software has been a compulsory feature in some of the finest recent games, including Fallout 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV, and so far it has done nothing but dampen the experience (see the 'Fallout 3 DLC' post). It has been improved recently with an interface change, but still falls woefully short and remains an annoyance rather than a useful tool. A million miles away from the efficiency and convenience of Valve's Steam software - Microsoft need to understand that what is OK for Xbox 360 plebeians is not OK for demanding PC gamers.

I also want to comment on my current enthusiasm for one of Valve's less glamorous products. The fantastic Day of Defeat: Source has been easily outdoing my other online staples in terms of playtime for the past few months. The intense, deeply satisfying combat is bolstered by the meaty-sounding weaponry, which is fiendishly difficult to handle thanks to the high recoil. New players find themselves spraying and praying, but those who put in the practice can acclimatise to the necessity of clinical burst fire. The maps are brilliantly designed, most of them delicately balanced and consisting of exciting battle zones. They look good too, the settings not as bleak and colourless as they could be in a World War 2 game. DOD: Source provides superb variation to Valve's other online offerings and can be picked up for measly £6 - possibly the best of that amount you'll ever spend.

Finally, a word on Team Fortress 2. News on the phenomenal shooter has been scarce for a while now, but there has been official word that the Scout will be the next class to get Valve's special treatment in the shape of new weapons and achievements. And you can feel safe in the knowledge that it won't cost 800 Microsoft points.

Fallout 3 DLC

Three packs of downloadable content are planned for Bethesda's masterpiece in the early months of 2009. The first, Operation: Anchorage, was released on January 27. It triggers a map marker and a new quest line in the Pip-boy that lead the player to a Brotherhood of Steel Outcasts base. Upon arrival, the player enters a virtual reality simulation pod to embark on a battle with the Red Chinese army for the liberation of Anchorage in Alaska.

It's split up into four missions, each with a new achievement. In all they only take a meagre two to three hours to complete. It's pretty linear fare, with straightforward level design and little scope to explore. There are some new weapons and equipment, including a powerful Gauss Rifle. The missions are enjoyable enough, without ever being exhilarating. The final battle, however, borders on embarrassingly poor. It's a fight with an ageing Chinese general armed only with a sword whose only real defence is having a huge amount of health points and therefore being able to take around two dozen shotgun blows to the face.

Unfortunately, the purchasing process is painful, with PC players being forced to use Microsoft's clunky Games for Windows LIVE service. Not only does the trickle of content cost 800 Microsoft points (with a set amount of 1000 costing £8.50, making it around £7), but I found that I had to shift hidden files and folders around to get it working. This travesty of an installation is, of course, simply not acceptable, and it made me realise why Microsoft were so quick to point out there is no chance of a refund for the add-on. It is this kind of service that is driving more and more people to piracy.

The other two content packs, The Pitt and Broken Steel, will be released in March and April respectively. More on those when they're out.