However, all is not well in the gaming community. EA have stated they will not be supplying well known high street retailer Game with any copies of Mass Effect 3…period.

This is apparently a hang-over from from the credit issues that the company was suffering at the end of last year and the start of this year. The credit issue meant that Game were unable to physically order stock as they literally had no credit.
So if Game isn’t going to be able to stock one of the biggest games of the year, in the first quarter of 2012, what does this say about the retailer’s future?

It looks bleak.

Another blow to the high street store is that Nintendo and Capcom have also stated they will not be supplying Game this year.

Nintendo will be withholding Mario Party 9 and Capcom will not be supplying Street Fighter X Tekken or Asura’s Wrath, all anticipated titles for 2012.
By losing these games the possibility of sticking future games from these 3 big publishers is a grim one. Without EA, Nintendo and Capcom, Game may also be losing out on:
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, The Last Story, FIFA Street, Tiger Woods, The Sims and many, many more highly anticipated games.

In many ways Game can’t win. With 3 heavy hitting publishers pulling or refusing to stock Game how can they be expected to survive? It’s highly unfair, but then Game is behind when it comes to pricing. Most of the new games for consoles are £39.99, £42.99 or £44.99 with the occasional few hitting a whopping £44.99 and even £52.99 and these aren’t even special editions! To make matters worse, their pre-owned section for relatively new games are priced just £3 – £4 less than new. It’s not worth bothering about, you might as well buy new.

I like Game, I used to work at the one in Bournemouth before their refurbishment, and it was a great place to work. Sure the pay was lousy, but the people were great. Since my departure all of 8-9 years ago, it’s gotten too big for its boots and has pretty much priced itself out of the market.

On the upside, perhaps we will see a small resurrection of the independent games store….unlikely I know.

So there you have it folks, how to ruin a high street games store; don’t give them any games.

The Bassmonkey.

Interview by Simon Roger Key

After working on EA’s flawed but hugely enjoyable AAA title, ‘Mirror’s Edge’, at DICE, what interested you about working on an independent game?

When I started out, after completing work on ‘Mirror’s Edge’, I wasn’t really looking to get heavily involved in something. I was merely looking for something to do, whilst I took a breather from the industry. But after working on DE for more than a year, it had grown far beyond what I had originally conceived the project to be. The turning point for DE was really when Dan and I went to Valve, to see if we could get a license to use the source engine commercially and launch DE as an indie game. However, we only really began discussing that idea – of taking it to digital distribution – because of the positive feedback we received from the online community. For the first year of production, working on DE was quite relaxed; we didn’t have deadlines so I was predominantly working to my own standards and schedule, which proved to be a very welcome, change of pace. But creatively, there is nothing like being in control of your own work, being more than just a small cog, in a big corporate machine and that’s what DE represents, artistic freedom, which in part, was afforded to us by the good people at the Indie Fund.

What was it about “Dear Esther” that attracted you to the project?

Originally, I stumbled upon DE whilst looking for inspiration during my year off. But what intrigued me about the game was its use of narrative and character, it was trying something different and it engaged me without really trying, even evoking emotion, which is unusual in today’s market, which is more concerned with adrenalin and ‘fist-pumping’ action. DE presented an opportunity to take what was a rather plain looking game and give it the love and attention that it deserved, so that its visuals matched the power of the games narrative and soundtrack. And selfishly, it was a game where I didn’t need to worry about weapons or characters, the environment is the game’s most natural protagonist. But ultimately, my decision to invest my time in DE, was motivated by my desire to work on a game, which was purely artistically driven. The issue of the game’s viability as a commercial entity was almost an afterthought.

Genre & categorization is a big part of marketing a product, whether it’s a videogame, film or book. Does “Dear Esther” defy classification & if so what are the implications of marketing something, so significantly ‘alternative’?

DE can be categorized quite easily and in fact we had to do just that for classification on Steam. But I think it’s most natural genre is as a First Person Adventure/Role Playing game. I don’t think DE defies classification, we’re not trying to make a new genre, we’re just attempting something new, in a genre which has become so heavily associated with space marines, soldiers and mindless shooting.

As far as marketing DE goes, we’re not claiming to be redefining the FP genre, we’re just presenting an alternative to the standard FP game. Some people will want to play it, others won’t. The problem is, when you think of FP games, your [typical] first thought will be of a gun and war. The perspective has become so interwoven with war, that it has become difficult for people to see beyond that convention. The fact that DE, doesn’t feature guns or puzzles, is in fact our own unique selling point, hopefully people will be encouraged to play the title because of the ‘alternative’ experience. Just don’t play it expecting cross hairs, explosions or an option to take-off and detonate a nuke from orbit.

“Dear Esther” looks fantastic! How long did it take to create each level and to arrive at this highly polished version?

I started pre-production on DE in 2008, whilst I was still working at DICE, so it’s taken about four years in total. Each level [on average] has taken six months to complete, but there was a big gap between going from alpha stage to getting the license from Valve and then porting DE to the ‘Portal 2′ engine - Valve’s newest engine. Porting DE took far longer than originally expected. I thought it wouldn’t take much more than a month, but it ended up taking a year!

The level design in “Dear Esther” is exceptional, but is there a particular level that you are especially proud of?

Technically, the last level because it features a vast open environment, where almost everything is visible. The source engine was [technically] designed, for small outdoor areas and indoor environments only. To pull-off that final ascent, up DE’s ’Beacon’, involved several tricks and a great deal of time was spent hacking the engine, but the end result was worth the effort. From an artistic standpoint, ‘The Caves’, because it’s a small, enclosed environment and it gave me the opportunity to be as creative as I wanted, allowing me to pay attention to the smallest details.

Some gamers might debate whether “Dear Esther” is actually a ‘game’. What would you say to those people and what is the purpose of this clearly experimental and divisive title?

This is something both Dan and I get a lot, “is it a game?” We never set out to do anything other, than make a game, we’ve never had any intention to encourage this debate, there’s no doubt in our minds that DE, is a game – it’s just different. It was/is a creative venture, but one which differs from the typical FP game. We have no interest in debating whether it is a game, that’s just something which sprang from the community and the debate about whether videogames can be considered art. With DE our sole purpose was to create something different, which was new and creative.

But do you think “Dear Esther” contributes to the debate for videogames as art?

I think the games as art debate, is silly to be honest, it’s subjective. To some people Tracey Emin is an artist, to others she simply presented her bed to the world – used condoms and all. The problem is that the industry is still in its infancy, it’s still maturing and trying to find its feet. The legitimisation of videogames is largely [I believe], grounded in a desire for gamers to see their favourite pastime recognised by ‘others’ as legitimate. To the same extent that reading a book or watching film is seen as a legitimate way to spend ones time. The playing of videogames is still largely vilified and seen as a waste of time. However I feel about the debate, concerning videogames as art, doesn’t matter, because if DE – or any other game – contributes to videogames being taken more seriously, then that can only be considered a good thing for the industry [at large].

How does it feel to be nominated for four awards at this year’s “Independent Game Festival”?

Amazing! I didn’t even expect to be nominated, especially considering who we’re up against. I would have been ecstatic to receive just one nomination. I was humbled and totally shocked. It’s safe to say I’m very, very excited at the moment.

What’s next for Robert Briscoe?

There’s a lot of stuff I would like to do but it’s all dependent upon the success of DE. I would love to start up my own studio and keep working independently. It’s my dream to do an adaptation of the Russian, science-fiction novel, ‘Roadside Picnic’. The novel was a big influence upon ‘Stalker’, but my interpretation would be ‘Stalker’ without guns. So perhaps DE is the start of a new genre, or a new sub-genre, of games without guns, where atmosphere, narrative and creativity are king. Who knows?

I have no interest, whatsoever, in working on war simulator 4000 or any other generic, First Person Shooter but I’m not averse to doing a ‘normal’ game, for example I would love to do make an old-school, side-scrolling beat-em-up, like ‘Double Dragon’ - if I had the opportunity. I don’t want to pigeon-hole myself creatively, but certainly at the moment working independently feels right, although with that said, if Gabe Newell is looking for a 3D artist for ‘Half Life 3′, then my door is always open.

And finally, what are the games in 2012 that Robert Briscoe is looking forward to?

I’m really looking forward to the new ‘Metro’ game, which is made up of developers from the original ‘Stalker’ and the other game is ‘Far Cry 3′, which looks far more reminiscent of ‘Far Cry’, but without the horrible mutants.

“Dear Esther” is launched on Tuesday 14th of February on Steam and will cost £6.99/€7.99/$9.99. Both Robert Briscoe and Dan Pinchbeck will be appearing at the Independent Game Festival and giving their own presentations at GDC. “Dear Esther” has been nominated for the following awards: Excellence in Visual Art; Excellence in Audio; Nuovo Award; & the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. The winners will be announced on March 7th 2012. Please check back for my review of “Dear Esther”, which goes live at 12:01 (UK time), on Wednesday the 8th of February.

Our friends over at Barbily Games have given us 500 keys for the Open BETA of Star Supremacy, their new free Sci-Fi browser based MMORTS title.

Keep reading to find out how you can get your hands on a BETA key code.

Star Supremacy is a free to play massively multiplayer space conquest web game. In the distant future, tensions rise as the limited resources of earth run out. This is the story of the three major human factions while they compete to survive and expand.

• Expand your empire over hundreds of planets, each with it’s own resources and dangers!
• Create an alliance with your friends and utilise dynamic alliance technologies to push your fleets beyond their limits!
• Establish an extended network of colonies as you attempt to secure your new worlds. Link up your bases and exploit numerous resources.
• Develop your own path through hundreds of technologies, gain access to unique ships, weapons and facilities to further your cause.
• In an ever changing universe, battle to control entire stars and reap their benefits as you put your perminant mark in the stars.

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Please check out the official website for more information, announcements, and events as Star Supremacy launches or follow them on Twitter and Facebook. You can also follow them on Raptr!

There are two ways to enter the competition;

Twitter:

Follow us on Twitter (@Electronicfarm) and tweet the following message:

I want a #StarSupremacy #BETA key from @Electronicfarm. RT and follow the link to get yours: http://bit.ly/sYYp7y

Once you have tweeted the above message make sure you post your twitter name below. We will DM you the code so you need to be following us.

Facebook:

If you don’t use Twitter then you can enter using Facebook by liking our page here; www.facebook.com/TheElectronicFarmyard and leaving the following comment on our wall:

The Electronic Farmyard are simply the best. Thanks for my Star Supremacy open BETA key!

Then just return and and leave your name below. We will then send you a Facebook message with your code.

Simple. Claim your open BETA key for Star Supremacy today and remember to let us know how you get on.

The votes are in and the decision has been made; Steve Jobs and Apple are the most visionary game-changers in the modern world of gaming says a survey from 1000 industry professionals.

Top five people to have shaped video games
(First figures are percentage of overall vote; second are percentage of top five votes)

· Steve Jobs 26% 46%
· Gabe Newell (co-founder and managing director of Valve) 16% 29%
· Shigeru Miyamoto (developer of Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda) 7% 12%
· Tim Berners-Lee (inventor of the world wide web) 4% 8%
· Mark Zuckerberg (founder of Facebook) 3% 5%

Thanks to the iPhone Apple has revolutionised the way in which we interact with video-games today. This has secured him and his company the top recognition for both him and Apple’s iPhone.

Top five products to have shaped video games

· Apple’s iPhone 17% 53%
· Nintendo Wii console 7% 22%
· Xbox Live 3% 9%
· The original PlayStation console 3% 9%
· Steam (digital distribution) 2% 7%

This is the third year the conference has now taken place and it is dedicated to discovering ways in which modern gaming has been shaped through being connected.

“In just over three years the iPhone and the App Store have transformed what consumers expect of games, and how the industry makes and sells them – today, download games have come to the fore. Steve Jobs, the iPhone’s driving force, was the ultimate independent developer – uncompromising in his vision, with unquestionable influence, and hugely artistic and commercial results,” Michael French edito in chief of MCV commented.

The conference itself with 300 professionals expected to attend takes place upon the 10^th of November and you can find out more information here or alternatively you can follow them here.

What more can we say as the trailer finally arrives? We previously speculated over the soundtrack but does it live up to your expectations?

It looks like they decided to go with The Small Faces for this one though which is definitely a good call in our books.

With a large amount speculation upon the setting in the latest of the successful long-running franchise and if rumours are to be believed GTA 5 will be this time setting its sights towards Los Angeles and primarily Hollywood.

One thing that’s always been great in our minds about this particular series is the soundtracks, (if anyone can remember the greatness of the Trojan Ska featured in the lesser known GTA London). But what could make this a killer Hollywood themed soundtrack. We here at the Farmyard decided to indulge in a bit of our own speculation as we came up with six ideal tracks inspired by the Tinsel Town:

1. Madonna – Hollywood: Okay, we’ve started with a bit of an obvious one to get the ball rolling but we can see this playing on one of the various pop-stations within the game, (and not just because of the title honest).
2. Fun Lovin’ Criminals – Scooby Snacks: This would definitely fit in with the game and not just because of the obvious criminal refrain both in the band name and lyrics; it also cuts samples from Tarantino classics such as Pulp Fiction which would be perfect for the context.
3. M.I.A. – Paper Planes: Not so much Hollywood but it would be a crime if they missed out this track as the link here shows it’s perfect for the franchise and it seems long overdue now.
4. Aerosmith – Hollywood: Again maybe a little bit of a cheap choice in regards to the title but what GTA game is complete without its cheese rock track to cruise to, (whilst casually dishing out carnage along the way)?
5. The Beach Boys – I get Around: One thing about GTA is you always need that irony track to deal out mayhem to and what better than the jaunty ‘vibes’ of The Beach Boys with their California tinged melody?
6. Jonas Brothers – Hollywood: We know, we know, we’ve done it a third time now. The logic is though, (and surely our more saner readers will agree), that if the Jonas Brothers could actually feature in the game in a similar style to the Village People in Vice City we could punish them for their crimes against the music industry again, again and again.

Back in March Microsoft put up some job postings for the Xbox Console Architecture team. Candidates that were successful would join a team “responsible for defining and delivering next generation console architectures from conception through implementation”.

Now it could be that this was for Kinect, or Windows Phone 7 Xbox linkage…but it pretty much hints at another console.

Spec…

The Xbox 360 was launched in 2005 and is still graphically impressive 6 years later, and that is with tech that was available en mass in 2004. At the time of launch, the Xbox 360 had a Custom made IBM Power PC with three 3.2ghz cores and an ATI graphics processor.

Now take for example a PC built-in 2011. You will more than likely find an i5 or i7 core, Sandy bridge CPU, Nvidia or ATI graphics card, at least a terabyte hard drive, and 6-8gb of ram! That’s a hell of a difference to what was available in 2004.

In an interview with Cevat Yerli, the boss at Crytek (Crysis & Crysis 2) Cevat believes that the PC is pretty much a generation ahead of the PS3 & Xbox 360.

“As long as the current console generation exists and as long as we keep pushing the PC as well, the more difficult it will be to really get the benefit of both”.

In many ways, I agree. Being a console man, primarily, I love the fact that I can buy a game, know it works, and enjoy it as the developers intended. However, I see PC games running at the max spec or what the game was originally built for (take Crysis 2 for example) and it looks so much crisper, cleaner, and allows for bigger multi-playing.

While consoles have certainly taken a large portion of the PC gaming population, how long it will take until we are all playing on ‘mini PC’s’ without really knowing it, who knows?

Storage…

With the current 360 running on generic DVD’s and having up to 250gb internal (albeit removable) storage, what will the case be with the Xbox 720?

Cloud storage is one option, and Steam on PC does it particularly well. However, even in this day and age, not everyone has the Internet, and with the UK woefully behind in the broadband speed stakes, it is certainly not something I would welcome. The potential is certainly there, and just selecting what game you want, paying and then playing from the comfort of your couch/beanbag/lazyboy/bedroom is certainly a tempting and exciting idea.

The next obvious format for the Xbox, however, is Blu-ray. Microsoft has previously stated that they refuse to add it to current 360 iterations, but will this be the case for their next? Who knows? Might even be flash drives for all we know!

The Controller…

Interface, one of the biggest sinkholes for research. Ask any hardware developer and they will tell you that the amount of man hours, money and marketing that goes into the design and feel of the controller is huge. This goes for phones, cameras, remote controls, anything that you have to interact with. It needs to fit most people’s hands, can’t be too light, or too heavy. It will have to be ergonomic to prevent repetitive strain injury as much as possible. The colors have to be pleasing aesthetically, but also have some correlation to that of the console it serves.

Will Microsoft stay with the design for the 360 controller, maybe slightly tweaked in places, or will they be more focused on Kinect the “fastest selling consumer electronics device”. Not entirely sure I could imagine Call of Duty: Really really advanced modern phaser based warfare by jumping around my living room…something would break, and it would probably be me.

Windows 8…

With the announcement of Windows 8 and the massive design overhaul that it has gone through to match that of Windows Phone 7, will the Xbox 720 dashboard jump on-board too? With all the Kinect updates, its seems unlikely, but then, it’ll only need a lick of color really….wont it?

Release Date…

Microsoft has publicly stated that the 360 has at least a 10 year lifespan to match that of the PS3. This would effectively place the launch of any new console from Microsoft in 2015.

Crytek CEO Cevat Yeril thinks that we are due a new console around 2012 or 2013, whereas Square Enix is looking more toward a 2014-2015 launch date. In fact, they seem so sure that Square Enix is opening a second Canadian development studio in 2012.

“The new consoles from Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo will require more attention and more staff” -“We want to prepare ourselves” – Ste’phanie d’Astous: Square Enix.

2012 Showcase?

A ‘high ranking source’ at Crytek has stated that any new console from Microsoft will likely be unveiled at E3 2012. They have also stated that Timesplitters 4 is currently in development for a next generation console using Microsoft’s updated Dx11 development tool.

So there you go, that’s most of the accurate(ish) rumors about the Xbox 720, or whatever it is they decide to call it. None of the above is absolutely confirmed, and is predominantly rumors and observations from around the internet.

Some of it I’m hoping will be true, others, probably not, but then who knows? We have been surprised by several announcements at E3 in the past, and we’ll just have to keep an eye out for next year’s….

Following more than 22’000 midnight launch events for Gears of War 3, Microsoft and Epic Games announced on 29th September that more than 3 million copies worldwide were sold in the first week of sales. This has cemented Gears of War 3 as the biggest selling game of 2011 and the franchise as one of the biggest selling of all time!

In a press release Microsoft announced:

“In just one week, Gears of War 3 has already grossed more than any 2011 video game to date, in addition to topping this years sales chart. Gears of War as a franchise now joins the elite ranks of only a select few game franchises to surpass one billion dollars in overall sales. In fact Gears of War now stands as the first Xbox 360 exclusive introduced to this console generation to eclipse that of one billion dollars.”

Another notable games franchise to have breached the one billion dollar mark is the Street Fighter franchise, however this took 21 years and many different variations of the game ands its platforms.

So well done Epic Games and Microsoft, in just 5 years since the release of Gears of War you have made over $1 Billion Dollars, that’s a lot of money to any company, and frankly its worth every penny!

If you’re a Lord of the Rings fan and a gamer, you’ll no doubt have noticed by now that Warner Brothers are releasing a new Lord of the Rings game by Snow Blind Studios titled Lord of the Rings: War in the North. Encompassing some of the story and locales from the Fellowship of the Ring and sections of the Silmarillion (Tolkiens collection of short and unfinished stories based in middle earth – that’s for the who’s at home) the War in the North looks epic!

Based along the same timeline as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but in different locations, fighting a different part of the war as different people, you’ll likely be supporting the original fellowship in some places and doing whole new quests in other locations. In fact looking at some of the videos that are on the War in the North’s website, the vistas look very lovingly created.

You will have the option of playing as either Eradan a Dunedain Ranger, Andriel a Loremaster of Rivendell or Farin; Champion of Erebor. The Ranger is a human male that is proficient in Archery, Sword mastery and stealth.The Loremaster (Mage to you and me) is a female elf that is able to cast spells, heal the team or create shields. The Loremaster is also skilled in melee combat. Lastly the Farin, a dwarf that is adept in all forms of melee combat, can take a hell of a beating and has some blistering end of combo special moves!

What is a really, really, nice addition is that Snowblind Studios have put a lot of effort into making War in the North a co-op adventure and not just for 2 people but up to 3, either locally or online, creating your own fellowship as it were. You can of course play through the campaign in single player, but it looks as though you’ll get more out of this in co-op mode.

Below is a behind the scenes vignette that tells you more about the game, shows gameplay footage and describes the depth that the games goes to when it comes to co-op. This is going to be a must for Lord of the Rings gamers everywhere, and even if you didn’t put your butts to sleep for hours at a time watching the films, this is going to be an incredible action adventure/RPG game and I can’t wait

War in the North is due for release on 01/11/11 and I for one will be getting it on the day of release, so keep your eyes peeled as I’ll be writing up my thoughts and impressions as soon as I’ve thwarted the legions of darkness!

Visit www.warinthenorth.com for more videos, pictures and information. You can also read about Kris and Sam’s experience with War in the North whilst they were at the Eurogamer Expo 2011 here!

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That’s not to say we didn’t spend some time playing more mainstream titles. We started with Ico and Shadow of Colossus Collection, the highly acclaimed PS2 title now revamped in HD for the PS3. If you haven’t heard of Ico and Shadow of Colossus then I suggest you watch the following trailer. Visually the game is stunning and although we were sleep deprived and in great need of coffee, we were still awake enough to respect just how good this new HD Collection looked.

Resistance 3 is a game I have seen trailers for on TV and have actually thought to myself that a PS3 might be a good idea one day. Being a Microsoft fan (I sport an Xbox360 & a Windows Phone 7 device) this is something that still leaves me feeling cold and used. Anyway knowing that I could get some hands on time at Eurogamer I made sure we stopped so I could see what all the fuss is about. The game looked great albeit a bit sluggish at times when in combat and, if I am completely honest, didn’t quite grab me as I thought it would. For one thing the game was full of nasty little clichés like the collection of diary notes, postcards and audio logs. Haven’t we moved on from this? Anyway I managed to spend 30 minutes or so playing Resistance 3 and I won’t be rushing out to buy a PS3 anytime soon to play this.

After bumming around a bit with Resistance 3 we decided to check out The Lord of the Rings: War in the North and having spent the last hour or so playing with the hugely uncomfortable PS3 controllers we decided Xbox360 was the way to go for this. Sam and I were thrown into the deep end a little and as the bumbling idiots we are, we had to restart pretty quickly. Once I got the controls in order, which  is incredibly simple, we were off. War in the North is basically an Action RPG title allowing you to play multiplayer CO-OP and create your own Fellowship with two of your online buddies. Elf, Dwarf and Human are your choices… yeah I know, I was disappointed to not see Hobbit in this list. But then, in the Middle Earth lore I don’t believe the Hobbits had quite explored that far up north, although I may be wrong!?! Anyway Sam and I were supposed to be defending some large wooden door against an attack of Ogres. We did alright for a time but they eventually overwhelmed us 1000 against 2, and were forever known as heroes defending to our last breath. In fact the truth is we did so badly I sheepishly walked away as one of the Warner Bros (games developer) reps was watching us play and was smirking at our pathetic attempt.

From here we went on to play some Tekken Hybrid, (Sam wanted to chill out with a little button bashing), and then made our way into the Indie Games Arcade which is where the main part of our day was spent playing great little games like Pineapple Smash Crew, Waves and Smuggle Truck. But we have a separate feature coming up soon on that part of the Expo, so I won’t go into too many details here.

Note to self... remove ones bags from the shot before taking the picture.

As we walked the expo floor and explored as much as we could we stopped by and watched a FIFA tournament happening live sponsored by Samsung, we watched some pretty cool Jedi vs. Sith battles in Star Wars the Old Republic (and a pretty awesome queue to take part in the battle also!). There was the usual assortment of hard-core gamers, families, old folk who took a wrong turn somewhere outside  Earls Court and of course an ever increasing number of girl gamers in attendance. Let’s not of course forget every spotty teenager’s favourite wet dream, the Eurogamer booth babes. Oh yes, they were in attendance. From dancing in podiums, to stopping random horny 14 year old boys and getting them to play the Nintendo 3DS they were also somehow in my field of vision.

The Expo was bigger than the last one I attended in 2009 and I guess I should say with the increase in size came an increase in fun. I have  a grumble mind you; where was my free drinks fridge in the press room? Don’t they realise playing games, talking to indie developers, taking pictures and generally looking after Sam makes me a thirsty guy? It’s a hard job out there and I require adequate refreshment. And definitely not enough freebies! Bottles of Guild Wars 2 branded water and Xbox Avatar items are good and all but I would like a one of their 50inch Samsung HD/3D TV’s.

If you haven’t checked out our photos of today then just follow this here link and bask in the glory of my amateur photography skills. And with that I am going to leave you and head back to work on my Indie Game Arcade write up.

We have teamed up with Gala Networks Europe to bring you an awesome little giveaway for Dragonica, the free-to-play hugely popular side-scrolling massively multiplayer online role-playing game or, as it’s more commonly known, an MMORPG. Think World or Warcraft without the expensive monthly fees plus added characters that look a lot more friendly and cute.

So what exactly is Dragonica about? Dragonica takes place on the continents of El Grego and Angrakka, which had experienced a golden age where humans and dragons were able to live together in peace. However, these times were not destined to last, and the dragons and humans eventually went to war in what was known as the Dragon Age. Eventually, the dragons were banished to the ancient realm of Aether.

The leader of the dragons, the Dark Dragon Elga would continue to mount attacks on the land, but was pushed back when five heroes of legend were able to defeat Elga and trap him in a dark prison known as the Shadow Cabinet, essentially shutting him out the lands of El Grego forever. However, not even the Shadow Cabinet could hold Elga forever — a thousand years after being trapped, Elga has found a way to release his darkness into the world, sending minions to attack the lands in preparation for his arrival. It is up to the players to take up arms and push back these dark forces!

New Expansion: New Origin

A new expansion has just launched for Dragonica so now is the best time to get involved! There is a new race to choose; the Drakan, which is unlocked when you reach level 20. And a new city named Kareuza, a beautiful Drakan town to accompany the new race. It also introduces for the first time player mounts available from level 23 with additional mounts available at levels 40 and 60.

This expansion also sees the launch of a brand new dungeon system, in which players are able to enter dungeons and tackle their opponents with a group called a fellowship, of up to 8 people, unlike the standard parties which only allowed groups of 4. However, it wouldn’t be an expansion without new challenges awaiting the heroes – and the Akia Cave Dungeon (Level 45+) and Black Claw Nest (Level 75+) will see that all newly acquired armour, weapons and mounts are put to good use.

You can learn a lot more about Dragonica by visiting the official website here and a selection of screenshots are included below!

So to help new and existing players alike we have 10 Starter and 10 Advanced packs to give away. These packs are designed to provide players with premium items to help them along and get started in the game.  Details are as follows:

Starter Pack – worth 10 Euros.

Advanced Pack – worth 8 Euros.

To enter and be in with a chance of winning one of these 20 item packs just reply below with a post letting us know what class you are currently playing or will be creating in the near future and why. If you are a new player and want to know more about classes please read here.

Only one entry person and the competition will close on Sunday 2^nd October. Winners will be announced on our Facebook page so make sure you ‘Like’ us. You can either use the Facebook box on the right hand side of this page (scroll up) or visit http://www.facebook.com/TheElectronicFarmyard.

Good luck!

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ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions

Futuremark Games Studio, responsible for the hit title Shattered Horizon, are today inviting PC gamers and fans of tower defense style games to sign up now for the Unstoppable Gorg closed beta test due to begin in the next couple of weeks. Unstoppable Gorg is a thrilling space defense game inspired by vintage sci-fi films from the 1940s and 50s. The game builds on the core tower defense mechanics that fans love while breaking the genre’s conventions with a unique orbital layout and the unmatched ability to move towers by rotating orbits.

Interested in getting in on the action?

The beta is open to all PC gamers with a minimum requirement of Windows XP and DirectX 9 hardware. To apply for the beta either sign up on Futuremark’s forums: http://bit.ly/GorgBeta Or ‘like’ Unstoppable Gorg on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/unstoppablegorg.

Let us know if you get in on the Beta as we would love to hear your thoughts! Below are some newly released screenshots and a trailer for you to enjoy!

The guys over at Humble Bundle (http://www.humblebundle.com/) have released a new trailer with what you can get with their bundled package of joy.

Head over to the website now and pay what YOU want for this bundle of amazing indie games.

About Humble Indie Bundle:
Pay what you want. If you bought these five games separately, it would cost around $50, but Humble Bundle letting you set the price. All of the games work great on Mac, Windows, and Linux.

Humble Bundle don’t use DRM. When you buy these games, they are yours. Feel free to play them without an internet connection, back them up, and install them on all of your Macs and PCs freely. There is no time-limit on your downloads.

And best of all you can support charity. Choose exactly how your purchase is divided: Between the developers, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, or the Child’s Play Charity. Also, if you like this deal, a tip to the Humble Bundle itself would be much appreciated by the guys.

Humble Bonus: everyone who buys the bundle gets to play Minecraft for free until August 14th!

http://www.humblebundle.com/

Players looking for the ultimate hardcore RPG on their Apple iPad® should take a closer look at “Companions” from German-based Smuttlewerk Interactive! “Companions” is a fantasy-themed RPG taking place in the immersive world of “Altland”, where your party of four heroes set out to fight the evil god Detexx and his minions. Altland is a fantasy world where the old races of Dwarfs and Elves live in harmony with the younger races of Humans and Minotaur’s, and each character of your party has different (and unique) skills and abilities.

“Companions” was just updated on the App Store and contains more features and improvements than you can throw a spell at! For example, group movement and formations have been implemented . The game now has better item handling, and you can now drag & drop items on player portraits. And if you leave a single-map game from the options menu, the map is automatically saved. Based on player feedback, the tooltips no longer appear at inconvenient places, and brand new items such as unique armors and Book Of The Ambusher has been added! But this RPG offers a lot more! “Companions” now also include a brand new single-map (Elemental Assault), and a large number of fan requests have been tweaked and optimized for optimal dungeon crawling! The new update also includes a brand new “save menu” where players are now able to save up to 7 different quests per campaign, in addition to a quick-save and auto-save! On other news the developer has also created a Lite version of “Companions” giving curious players the perfect opportunity to try out the game before buying the full version! The Lite version includes the Tutorial and the first map of the Campaign.

“Companions” is a big game with extensive playability, and not suited for the lighthearted players seeking a quick thrill: This game takes time to master, time to experience, and time to fully enjoy. Hardcore fans of the RPG genre will get most out of “Companions”, and to those players, the game will not disappoint! The game has already ranked up incredible positive reviews in its earlier releases, and is so popular that it has recently been handpicked and featured by OpenFeint ( www.openfeint.com ). And if you are good enough, skilled enough, and powerful enough then maybe, just maybe, you are worthy of playing this game to its conclusion by successfully defeating the Dragon “Raartaark” or the philosophical pest-zombies “Glaucon” and “Thrasymachus”! Bring it on adventurer – prepare for Battle!

“Companions” is available exclusively for the Apple iPad® on the App Store here.

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