Postmortem explains how the Portal 2 ARG came
together

post from Destructoid on 06 May 2011 11:06:32 PM. © Destructoid

Postmortem explains how the Portal 2 ARG came together screenshot

It's a sizable read, but Gamasutra's feature on the Portal 2 alternate-reality game is worthy of your attention. Written by Rob Jagnow from Lazy 8 Studios (Cogs), it reveals the story of how Valve got a bunch of indie developers together to make -- and formed a community around -- a compelling ARG.

Most interesting to me is page four, which details what went right, as well as the elements that didn't turn out as anticipated. The final phase (unlocking Portal 2 early), in particular, left a bad taste for some people who tend to get angry about these sorts of things.

"If we had been able to do this all over again, there would have been several changes. First, we would have stuck to the original schedule of having the crescendo be no longer than 36 hours. Given the toss-up between media attention and player goodwill, we'll choose the player every time," writes Jagnow.

"Next, we would have continued to add new in-game puzzle content during the crescendo so that the core ARG players could maintain their excitement and have a way to contribute to the launch in the way that they knew best. One other option that we could consider for future projects is to move a crescendo-style event to the start of the ARG to alert the media and engage our core fans from the very beginning."

The POrTAl TwO ARG: The Whole Story [Gamasutra]

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Live Show: More Bully on Backlog right now

post from Destructoid on 06 May 2011 11:06:32 PM. © Destructoid

Live Show: More Bully on Backlog right now screenshot

The preps have been put into place, following Jimmy's total domination in boxing. Now he must turn his attention to the greaser population taking courses at Bullworth Academy. I'll be there to support him. Will you?

We're playing more Bully right now on Backlog, the continuing mission to clear my shelves of unfinished games. Progress has been smooth and I'm having a lot of fun causing mischief. You can come watch and talk with me and all of the goons hanging out in our chat room during the show. It's all going down right now over on Destructoid's Justin.tv channel!

Watch live video from Destructoid on Justin.tv Can't see the video? Click here

Can't see the video? Click here

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EVE Online turns eight, celebrates with Quafe
Zero

post from Destructoid on 06 May 2011 10:06:16 PM. © Destructoid

EVE Online turns eight, celebrates with Quafe Zero screenshot

For me, EVE Online continues to be "that frighteningly hardcore online space game that I never want to play, ever, but occasionally enjoy hearing about." That's not meant as an insult; you have to commend a game -- or anything, really -- that's able to stick to its guns for eight years.

Props, then, to the team at CCP for seeing such a grand vision to completion (if such a thing can even be achieved, when it comes to always-expanding online games). To show thanks, the studio is giving out six-packs of Quafe Zero. Details on how to grab yours can be found here.

Says CCP executive producer Nathan Richardsson of the anniversary: "Eight years of EVE Online, where grown men cry, great women fly and entire empires rise and die. EVE is real. Forever."

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Trailers: Child of Eden: Save Eden

post from The Escapist : Latest News on 06 May 2011 09:30:00 PM. © The Escapist : Latest News

Use the laser and tracer to destroy the virus and save Eden.

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Get into a fight at Destructoid, win a Razer
fight pad

post from Destructoid on 06 May 2011 09:07:02 PM. © Destructoid

Get into a fight at Destructoid, win a Razer fight pad screenshot

Hey guys!

At Destructoid, we love doing things to benefit the community, such as organize the FNF's you see every week. Today, we are happy to announce a new feature of the site that takes our concept of Friday Night Fights one step further, as we team up with Playhem to launch an awesome new way to play...

Fight.destructoid.com!

Fight.destructoid.com presents a streamlined way to challenge other players online to friendly wagered competitions of various Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 games, as well as Starcraft II. By challenging your friends to competitive games such as Marvel vs Capcom 3 or Fight Night Round 4, you can wager points to the winner of head to head or tournament style competitions. You will then be able to trade these points in for prizes as they become available! This system also allows you to create your own money matches, if you so desire.

RAFFLE! FIGHT! RAFFLE! FIGHT! RAFFLE! FIGHT!

To celebrate the launch of our partnership, we are going to start right away with a contest! Read on...

Just by logging into the dashboard, and test driving this new system, you will be entered to win this Razer Onza Tournament Edition Controller for the Xbox 360, a $50 value. Here's why its hot:

The Razer Onza TE is made for tournament grade lag free gameplay even during the most crucial moments with a 15 foot super long lightweight braided cable and a quick release USB connector
Adjustable Resistance Analog Sticks
Two additional fully programmable buttons
Two fully programmable multi function buttons for maximum cutomizability
Rubberized surface providing superior grip

How to win it: You have two weeks to take part in this contest and start earning points in preparation for the next contest that we will offer through Fight.destructoid.com!

Look for our review of the controller this week. (hint: we loved it)

As time goes on, more games will be made available to this service, so if you don't have any of the games just yet, don't fret! Traditional FNFs are still taking place, so check out a full list of the community hosts and the games that are being played below. Happy Friday Night Fights everyone!

New to FNF? Read this: Each week, a bunch of Destructoid readers and usually an editor or two get together to play some videogames online. Basically, this is what Friday Night Fights are all about.

The planning for FNF takes place in the forums, where community members volunteer to host by posting their information (gamertag, time to meet up, game, etc.) in the forum post corresponding to the system they're interested in playing on.

Then, every Friday, reminder posts for those who don't read the forums regularly go up in the community blogs section all thanks to a dedicated group of cool individuals. And for everyone who wants their info all in one place, they have got my weekly recap posts to look forward to between 4:30 - 5:30 PM EST.

Now that you're here, just scan the list below and find a game you want to play. All that's left to do after that is to join the match by contacting the host below using any means necessary. For Wii, you might have to be a little creative, but for 360/PS3 a simple "invite me" message will be fine.

The names on the left are our Destructoid handles, while the ones on the right are our online handles (PSN IDs, for example). Don't see a game you want to play? Feel free to post a comment offering to take up hosting duties yourself.

EU FNF

Tonight's Hosts ():

Platform: PC/Mac, Steam
Game: Whatever Juan wants.
People: Join the Steam group to find us!
Time: Anytime. All of the time.

Platform: Xbox 360
Game: Super Street Fighter IV
People: NemesisXposed (GT: NemesisXposed), Jimmy (GT: Jimmy1098577), Scroll (GT: Doctor Scroll), Death by Lumber (GT: AngelEchoes)
Time: 21.30 CEST | 20.30 GMT | 15.30 EST

Platform: Xbox 360
Game: Halo: Reach
People: Tarvu (GT: The Kinky Ninja), Ram (GT: RamalhoM), The Guy with the (lame) Hat, (GT: Mighty Hatman)
Time: 21.30 CEST | 20.30 GMT | 15.30 EST

FNF 360

Tonight's Hosts (more info from SephrothX):

Game: Gears of War 3 Beta
Host: Meteorscrap (GT: Zen Rain)
Time: 9:00PM EDT

Game: Monday Night Combat
Host: GaminginPublic (GT: GoodPostureClub)
Time: 9:00PM EDT

Game: Borderlands, Gears of War 3 Beta, Section 8 Prejudice
Host: Epic-KxDtoid (GT: Epic KxLIVE)
Time: 9:00PM EDT

Game: Call of Duty: Black Ops
Host: Epic-KxDtoid (GT: Epic KxLIVE)
Time: 9:00PM EDT

Game: Mortal Kombat
Host: Rammstein (GT: Ramstein)
Time: 11:00PM EDT

FNF PS3

Tonight's Hosts:

PC FNF
If you want to find people to play with, check out the Steam chat below:

The Steam group

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Need A Death Panel HMOs Already Got You Covered

post from 8bitrocket on 06 May 2011 08:48:11 PM. © 8bitrocket

So my dad is very sick, lying in hospital bed at his house, unable to walk, speak, eat or use the bathroom without help. Over the past 18 months he has developed severe dementia. We thought he was just slowly fading away.He has been to the doctor many times, and is now, basically, waiting to [...]

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Valve Considering Mobile Steam Features

post from The Escapist : Latest News on 06 May 2011 08:33:00 PM. © The Escapist : Latest News

Valve is thinking about the advantages of bringing Steam-related features to mobile platforms.

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http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109840-Valve-Considering-Mobile-Steam-F
eatures

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Trial X Love #2 Code

Trial X Love #2 Code is another Japanese point and click type room escape games by Funkyland. In this game, you trial to find the items and solving the puzzles to finish the game. Good luck and have fun! Language barrier may be a problem. Good luck and have fun!Play This Game

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/escapegames24/~3/MsEKRbJIo8o/trial-x-love-2-code-w
alkthrough.html

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Epic Escapes: Dark Seas

Epic Escapes: Dark Seas is another point and click adventure type downloadable hidden object games from Download Games 24. For as long as you can remember, you've always had the same nightmare... a giant wave hitting your ship and then drowning. After deciding that the best way to overcome your fear is to face it, you buy a ticket for the Dark Seas' cruise liner maiden voyage. Unfortunately, your

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s.html

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Here's the Portal 2 poster we're all going to buy

Here's the Portal 2 poster we're all going to buy screenshot

I went through the majority of the day thinking one of us had posted about this magnificent, '70s-style Portal 2 poster by artist Tristan Reidford, but we were all apparently under the same assumption.

Well, here it is, in case you haven't seen it elsewhere already.

SO GOOD. Look for this to appear in the Valve store in a couple of weeks.

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