Modifications

NeoTokyo° Launched

Nabeel Burney Leave a comment

Source mod Neotokyo° has finally been launched after five years of development. As previously mentioned, the mod originally utilized the UT2k4 engine, and now developer Studio Radi-8 has brought the experience to the Half-Life 2 engine with a wealth of content including 10 environments, 26 new weapons among 3 different class types, and a custom soundtrack with 15 songs, and more on the way. Martyn and Rich have taken a few moments out of their busy holiday schedule to have a run through it, and the most immediate thing of note has been the “massive” maps.

ntpage

Many download mirrors are up now, as well as an active torrent; you can browse the manual or the noob guide while you wait for the 850MB download.

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Getting Out of Hell Soon

Martyn Zachary Leave a comment

Out of Hell, a true dinosaur of an Unreal Tournament 2004 zombie mod – from times before Left 4 Dead or Killing Floor, or even Zombie Panic or Brainbread for that matter – is one of those interesting projects that simply refuse to wither and go away. After all, most hobby mods such as these rise and fall over the course of mere months, but not Out of Hell: This particular game has been in the making, without a public release (sans one antiquated preview demo), for more than six years!

There is, however, a perfectly understandable explanation for the lengthy development arc: The mod is the work of one single man, Long “Chicken+Ribs Combo” Nguyen, with additional music from Justin Lassen. It’s very refreshing to still see one-man army -style modding: Where today’s game engines may already be too complex and unmanageable, UT2k4 is still workable enough for one single man.

More information, screenshots and a new preview trailer after the jump!

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Neotokyo Right About Ready

Martyn Zachary 2,803 Comments

pushBAK reports, on the official Neotokyo website, that the project is “essentially done”.

Even before its release, Neotokyo already has one distinct advantage over some of its other Source mod peers: We already know that it works. While the original proof-of-concept version of the game, on the UT2k4 platform, may have lacked some content and ultimately a player-base, it also played extremely well and succeeded in illustrating its polished, balanced gameplay.

The all-new Source version, then, is bound to play just as smoothly, but also be a tangible upgrade in other aspects of the game. For me, the most exhilarating facet of the game is the team’s utter attention to detail, with years of work poured into prefabs, signs, posters, textures, maps and models: A look and feel in complete accord with its given name. Also worth mentioning, and another illustration of the team’s dedication to their craft: A 27-track digipak double CD soundtrack by Ed Harrison. (I can personally vouch for its quality).

In preparation of the release, Studio Radi-8 have already published examples of their in-game hint system. The team is currently fine-tuning the game, and while we wait for more information and release dates, you should check the project’s official YouTube channel. Finally, I’ve included their pre-release trailer after the break.

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Dear Esther

Nabeel Burney 2 Comments

Note: A review of the Dear Esther 2012 remake can be read right here!

You find yourself standing on a pier, jutting out from a silent shore with only a small house in sight, a rocky mountain looming behind in the mist. You appear to be on an island, deadly quiet and devoid of life except for a lone seagull fleeing at the sound of your step. Venturing forth into the house you discover an abandoned shack with only boxes lying about, and on the walls a curious set of chalked symbols. Setting off on the path behind the house you make your way up the mountain in an attempt to make sense of this desolate place.

Dear Esther,
the gulls do not land here anymore. I’ve noticed that this year they seem to shun the place. Maybe it’s the depletion of the fishing stock driving them away. Perhaps it’s me.

Dear Esther is an interactive first-person adventure. Based on the Source engine popularised by Half-Life 2, it is a free mod that requires the game to run. Created by British games researcher Dan Pinchbeck under the development moniker thechineseroom, the mod is described as an interactive narrative that “puts traditional game technologies to new use”. Essentially the player has one action available to them, and that is to move around and explore the island. The narrative arrives in the form of the atmospheric visuals and sound, and short spoken fragments of story that are triggered at various spots on your journey. The narrator reads out extracts from a letter addressed to someone called Esther, and relates his attempts to follow in the footsteps of a man arriving to the island before him. Throughout his monologue he alludes to his experiences as well as those of other characters, all seemingly related in some way. The accounts sometimes appear literal but at other times feel more metaphorical and nebulous in their meaning.

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The Nameless Mod Finally Released

Nabeel Burney Leave a comment

The long awaited Deus Ex total conversion, Nameless Mod, has finally been released. This huge mod has been in development for years and is now available for download. Newcomers may check out the trailer or manual to get an idea of what the mod is about and why it’s causing a ripple in the community. British freelancer Richard Cobbett sings high praises and urges all fans to look past the odd premise and give the mod a try.

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