VGR 2.06 - You can (not) have Half-Life 3

Whew! All caught up. So this week we go over Steam's 3rd big announcement, Tom Clancy's passing, more Mighty No. 9, some League stuff and early impressions and problems with Grand Theft Auto Online. Click the link below to download or use the player in the post.

-=Download VGR 2.06=-

VGR 2.05 - You can (not) have Organic Tacos

Even if it's a corporate shill, it has an awesome song.  More GTA and vidja game news here.

-=Download VGR 2.05=-

VGR 2.04 - You can (not) have games from Tokyo

We got super-hype about TGS before this cast, but it turns out there actually wasn't that much there.  Oh well, early impressions of GTA, so that's always fun.

-=Download VGR 2.04=-

The Master of the Military Genre: Tom Clancy dead at 66

I was sitting in one of the local coffee shops in Greensboro on Tate street Wednesday morning, having just gotten done with one of my classes, and was grabbing a bite to eat before heading home to play a few games and do some homework. This has become a bit of a tradition for myself the past few weeks, and it has allowed me time to catch up on the news, as they usually have it on the television. Normally I don't much care to see what is on the news, a lot of it just tends to be political petty bickering, or shock stories that I couldn't care less about. This day had started off no differently, as they were talking about the current government shut down, though I'll admit I was mildly entertained watching both the republicans and democrats whining about how the other side wasn't willing to compromise. However, another news article came on that really caught my attention, talking about an individual who I really held in high regard. Tom Clancy, author of books such as Patriot Games, and The Hunt for Red October, had died on Tuesday, October 1^st 2013.


He was born Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. on April 12^th, 1947 in Rosedale Maryland. Over the course of his 66 years. Over the course of his career as a writer he wrote a plethora of military thrillers, and also non-fiction books about the different branches of the military, with another book slated to come out in December of this year. Many of these novels have inspired movies, television shows, and even video games. Some of the novels associated with him however, were actually penned by other authors who wanted to expand on his universe, such as the Ghost Recon series written by David Michaels and Peter Telep.


Clancy's work has been adapted into video games since 1987 with The Hunt for Red October, a submarine simulation for computers of the time, which was quite loosely based on the novel. In 1996, Clancy co-founded developer Red Storm Entertainment, which was later bought by publisher Ubisoft Entertainment. While Clancy's actual involvement with the creation and development of the games is unknown, one can't deny the great influence these games had on the industry as a whole. Having created such series as Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell, Clancy's intellectual properties helped to define what a military game should be like. I personally remember playing Rainbow Six: Vegas for hours on end back when I was still in the Navy. I also remember trying to play Splinter Cell, and failing miserably for a long time until I started to understand the stealth tactics of the game.


With all of these accomplishments, and many more that I have not mentioned here, I had to write at least a small article on this man who has had such a strong influence on military novels, and video games over the course of my life. Two games are still slated to come out later, with Tom Clancy's EndWar 2 (TBA), and Tom Clancy's The Division in 2014. Mr. Clancy is survived by his wife Alexandra, their daughter Alexis; and four children from a previous marriage; Christine Blocksidge, Kathleen Clancy Ph.D., and Thomas Clancy III. Those of us here at Pixel Loadout would like to thank Tom Clancy for his contributions to the world of literature, and the world of video games.

VGR 2.03 You can (not) have a second episode

Get it? Because the second episode is missing?

HaHa!

But seriously, we had trouble recording it, so alas, it is missing.

-=Download VGR 2.03=-

Today in E-Sports: League of Legends Season 3 World Championship Finals

Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you probably know of a little game named League of Legends. This game has become insanely popular across not only the United States but has become the single most played Video Game in the world beating the likes of the big bad online monolith World of Warcraft.

Today will be the the ultimate game in a tournament series that has lasted the majority of the year. The Season 3 World Championship will have Korea's SKTelecom Vs. China's Royal Club facing off in a best 3 out of 5 Series to determine who will be this Season's Champion.

The First Place team will be awarded with several prizes; a $1,000,000 which consists of Half of the award for all of the teams that participated, the Title of World Champions and lastly their team's name being etched into the splendid goblet that represents the League of Legends Championship Series.

The last two prizes mileage may vary as there is no guarantee that League of Legends will retain its popularity for years to come, but that million bucks is certainly nothing to laugh it.

Finals will begin at 11:00 P.M. EST/ 8:00 PM PST and can be viewed on Twitch.tv/riotgames , youtube.com/LolChampSeries and also on azubu.tv.

For more information, visit lolesports.com

VGR 2.01 - You can (not) have a second season

It's the premiere of our second season for VGR!  In the studio this week was me, DJ, Trey and Ren at our new 9 to 11 time slot.  We talk about the newly revealed 2DS, upcoming consoles, and Gamescom, as well as review some new games.  Click below to listen or right click to save and listen later.

-=Download VGR 2.01=-

VGR Season 2 begins this week

We've just got ourselves scheduled:  VGR is back for another season this fall.  This time, we'll be shifting to a weekly show, from 9pm to 11pm on Thursdays.  Along with lots of video game music, there will be reviews, gaming news, give aways and special guests, so make sure you tune in.

Click the link below to visit WUAG's website, where you can stream the show live:

WUAG.net

Make sure to check our site too for recordings of older episodes with lots of great music.  Just use the search bar and put in "VGR"

GameDocs: Silent Hill HD Collection Review

Near the end of this console generation, gamers have been lucky to be receiving a lot HD ports and collections of games from last generation, including things like Metal Gear, Team ICO games, and God of War.  On the other side of the spectrum is the infamous hack-job that is the Silent Hill HD collection.  Twin Perfect has put together the most in-depth and detail oriented reviews of the HD collection and it's myriad of problems.  If you've got the time, it's a fascinating look into what goes into re-releasing a game, as well as other politics and business practices involved.

Twin Perfect's youtube channel

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Today IGN got an exclusive look at some footage from Techland's new game Dying Light. Techland is famous for game franchises such as Chrome, Call of Juarez and Dead Island. The game itself looks like an interesting mix of Mirrors Edge and survival horror. The trailer shows the main character using the environment to his advantage by leaping off of buildings, railings and telephone poles to escape the horde. Put the one aspect of this game that intrigues me the most is how radically the game changes from day to night. During the day it appears that the zombies are tame, slow and generally easy to get away from provided you don't get surrounded a la Walking Dead/ Left 4 Dead. However, come nightfall something changes and the slow shuffling zombies become the 28 Days Later/ I am Legend zombies. This presents some interesting dynamics that can take place in the game setup. People that have been itching for a survival horror game will get to experience it along with some free running action. This will also be one of the first zombie games that I can think of that will give the player free roam capabilities and to use the environment to actually escape the zombie hoard and not just for picking up gas cans and setting zombies on fire. At another point in the trailer, the character seems to be wielding some sort of shock blade. While this isn't confirmed I hope this means there will be a scavenging and crafting system present in the game. This wouldn't be surprising since this is the same company that developed Dead Island. Dying Light is expected to release in 2014 for current and next gen.