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PAX 2011: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Hands-On Preview - New Gear

Since its initial release as a humble mod roughly 13 years ago, Counter-Strike has grown into a first-person shooter icon built on quick matches and hair-trigger reflexes. At this year's Penny Arcade Expo we got the chance to play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the latest chapter in the ongoing struggle between terrorists and counterterrorists. The game is being developed by Hidden Path Entertainment, which codeveloped Counter-Strike: Source and runs on an updated version of the Source engine. The result is a crisp and smooth FPS that's every bit as frantic as we remember it.

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Finally, there was the Zeus x27 Taser gun. This weapon could be fired only once before being automatically dropped and could kill any enemy in a single hit. It also required that we get pretty close to our target, almost within knife range. New additions aside, CS:GO felt every bit as intense as its predecessors. After being spoiled by years of cover mechanics and regenerating health, we found our character's vulnerability jarring. However, after a few rounds, we settled back into the series' iconic, white-knuckle tension. From the heavy Boom of an AWP to the bark of "Counterterrorist win," the game felt like classic Counter-Strike at its core.

A skill-based matchmaking system will help ensure that the appropriate players to find opponents, against competition.

Counter-Strike: Global campaign is available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC and Mac sometime next year. In the meantime, PC gamers will have the chance to get their hands on the game prematurely with a beta for the game in October. For more information about CS: GO, please read our interview with Valve 's Chet Faliszek, including information about cross-platform multiplayer between the PC, Mac and PlayStation 3

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"PAX 2011: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Hands-On Preview - New Gear" Maxwell was McGee on Mon, 29 August 2011 17:06:17 -0700 posted

PAX 2011 ? Harmonix Reverse Q&A Panel

What was there? Members of Harmonix including Community Managers Annette Gonzalez and Eric Pope; Director of Brand Management, John Drake; Community Development Manager Aaron Trites. Rather than having a standard Question and Answer session where fans asked the questions, the team at Harmonix used this period to ask the audience the questions. On top of that, they had a live demo of their upcoming iOS title,

.The Breaks. . Kurtis Blow

Both responses were quite straightforward and the panelists agreed in principal to both but offered suggestions. Regarding the Kinect itself, they pointed out that the future release calendar outside of Dance Central for Kinect-Supported games is big; singling out games like Rise of Knightmares, Gunslinger and even the recently release Child of Eden as other reasons to pick up a Kinect. As for the 2nd issue, there only suggestion was for people to consider looking into what 3rd party peripheral manufacturers are making that may aid in allowing smaller living rooms to still properly use the system. Also, they joked that buying a home with a larger house could also help.

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Bleszinski would 'love' to make a Kinect game

Even if nothing 's this coming Kinect-compatible Gears of War Rumor 't mean Bleszinski isn' it doesn \ t open with Microsoft 's developing peripheral in mind. He told IndustryGamers that while he 'd like to give it a go, it' s really a matter of time and money. Isn 't that always the case?

"If I unlimited amounts of time and a team that I could sit and cool Kinect game, and I'd learned to love, but it 'sa matter of time and opportunity costs right now," he said. While we knew long ago that it wouldn 't be any functionality in Kinect Gears of War 3 , we fully expect something down the line. As one of Microsoft's most successful franchises on Xbox, we wouldn't count the series out after the release of its third game this September. But as of right now, there isn't any indication to suggest that a Kinect-compatible

Dungeon Defenders is bloody good stuff!

The main goal of most levels there, a core that lies at the heart of the dungeon is to be protected. Enemies come in through different doors at the edge of the plain, and every character class has a number of unique stop falling to their progress. For example, you can set up the wizard tower that hurl magic bullets, while the Knights have several blocks that repel the enemy much damage as they happen.

Between the individual waves can the player change the character, Mana spend by building and upgrading the defenses and score loot from chests. When you are finished, turn on all the core players and let the monsters pour in. Solid defense along won 't cut, however, and players must engage in frenetic hack n' slash in the struggle for the goblins and skeletons game . keep

While things start simply enough, it doesn't take long for levels to become incredibly intense. Each wave adds more monsters, new enemy types, tougher challenges, and the action can get brutal. Unprepared players will be mauled and the Core will be destroyed if they're not constantly fighting, upgrading turrets, and doing everything they can to push the enemy back. 

With four-player drop-in co-op (yes, there are split screen!) And to discover tons, as well as unique levels with different objectives, Dungeon Defender is a real surprise. The name sounds generic, but the game 's quality and adorable cel-shaded visual style to make a very charming game that I' am looking forward to sinking many hours in.

Quantum Conundrum: Portal-y, but fluffier and cuter

If Square Enix told us that we would see something new to expect at PAX this year, I didn 't that look something like this, Quantum Conundrum. What a nice surprise. Square Enix is ??working and Airtight Games Portal creator Kim Swift on this, so all I had to go on was Portal . Following a meeting with Swift, and to see a demonstration I can tell you that, while Portal Influences are definitely Conundrum moves in a cute, sweet dimension.

In this game you play as a child, only that you were dropped on your uncle 's house. Boring weekend with the family, is not it? Actually, your uncle is an inventor, Professor Fitz Quadwrangle. It seems he has gone crazy in his own house, and you decide to go looking for him. Forget ordinary houses or uncle, however: both are nuts here. Fitz 's house with all kinds of crazy tech test for him to prove his theories, equipped, and you' ll have to work through all of this physics-based tests to find him.

You'll make use of your uncle's wacky invention, the Inter-Dimensional Shift Device. This IDS can shift dimensions at the touch of a button, and you'll use these shifts to change your world to solve some pretty clever puzzles.

It 'sa lot of physics to play, as in Portal But the difference here is that the environment is changing with your shots. The IDS can do things like heavy objects as light as a pillow, utilizing the Fluffy dimension, or give you access to things on the roof in the Reverse Gravity dimension. It 's five in all, we were also shown the normal and slow motion dimensions, but the fifth remained under wraps for now.

One of the best examples that many of \ the game's dimensions used revealed the player had a serious change in a certain loose-light one, so that they could be repealed. The safe was then thrown forward and then switched back to its original, serious condition, while in the air. From there, the players joined the Slow Motion dimension where time passes 20 times more slowly. While in slow motion, the players jumped on the safe flying and then moved back to the normal dimension, horseback riding, until gravity began to take over. From there he moved between the normal and vice versa Gravity dimensions, alternately rising and falling to the safe driving of a wide pit in order to fly over to the other side to sort safe.

Analysis: 'Socially Awkward' - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Metrics