Unfortunately, the scout double crouch jump is fixed.  To me it looked very comical, much like Luigi’s waggling legs.

Other related notes include some news about mapping. The Swamp Theme created by some guys at TF2Maps is now complete. If you’re a mapper maybe you could give it a shot. I saw some nice models that could fit also in a harvest-like map.

Considering that I’m a complete n00b at 3d modelling(Bryce isn’t 3d modelling, not even remotely), I’ll probably never be able to make the items I though for The Engineer so I’ll draw them in a concept-art style explaining the hows and whys. Leaving modelling behind  I can look again at map-making. Expect some sketches in the next days.

I’m also re-playing Mass Effect, getting my save ready for the “import” button in Mass Effect 2. I’d also like to make a comic about it but I can’t find something funny enough. Maybe after Mass Effect 2, who knows.

Good news first: i was roaming in the supermarket yesterday pitying the average-man distribution they have when my eye fell inside a new bargain bin. Among the countless, unsold, copies of Supreme Commander and PES4 this was lying in anxious waiting of being picked up.

I bought it for €3,90. I already like the year 2010, really.

The bad news come now. I’m starting to wonder if it’s even worth to do anything objectionable. You can do your best for everything you do but it won’t ever be enough because there’s always someone better than you. Furthermore, critics never seem to appreciate original/revolutionary entries. I wrote this introduction to explain why I am  now posting my entries for the propaganda contest on TF2. Winners were announced on December 2009 but Valve never revealed the other 25 runner-ups. I wanted to show you my works after that be considering the may have forgotten…

The other reason I was complaining about critics is because I feel that it’ll be hard to see something nifty come out from the contribution page on the TF2 website. I already have ideas for 3 Engineer weapons and 1 hat but I can’t do anything with them because I can’t model in 3d at all and the contribution page doesn’t accept concept art. If I learn Maya or 3DMax in the near future I’ll probably make up a fake update with them. If you want a clue they’re named “The Stickmen”, “The Metal Jammer” and “The Tools of the Trade”.

My vacation is almost over and I’ll soon be back on the books for my February exams. In the meantime I can play the games I’ve bought  during the steam Holiday sale: Audiosurf and Shattered Horizon (thanks to Emuboy and Nemesix who lent me the money on their pre-paid card).

After the holiday sale craze I though everyone would have got a copy of Left 4 Dead 2 but I found out that some of my steam friends never considered it worth buying, so it’s poll time. We saw that the most awaited game is the mildly dissappointing Final Fantasy XIII (in Japan). We’ll now see how this L4D-L4D2 crack has affected the community. You can select all the answers that fit your gaming habits. Go vote now!

New year, new stuff on the market. Satoru Iwata revealed yesterday that the new Zelda for Wii will be out in 2010 and the successor of the DS is in the works with HD graphics and, probably, a motion sensor. Though I’m usually confident about hardware improvements I have to raise an eyebrow about this one. The DS is a handheld and waggling it around may not be the best choice if a 5-years guarantee isn’t provided. Furthermore, playing it on the bus would mess up the gameplay. We’ll see.

I also managed to remember an old game I played at a friend of mine’s house when I was a kid. It was Skyroads but to play it today i would need a DOS emulator and I’m not certain that it would run flawlessly. That’s why I looked for a remake and found Tasty Static. Give it a try if you feel like it.

Capcom released a small teaser showing off the new features in Super Street Fighter IV. I already love Balrog’s third outfit. Enjoy!

It still has to come out and I’m already waiting for a price cut.

I hope you got what you wanted. if not you can move over to steam and grab some goodies with the incredible Christmas sale they are having in these days. I’d buy something if I hadn’t already played/tried everything on sale I was barely interested in. If you’re looking for something different I’d like to suggest you Minecraft. It’s still in alpha and you can have a 50% discount until it goes beta. It sort of an exploration/sandbox game where you can place blocks or remove them to dig/build. It also has dedicated servers and skins for registered/paying users. You can also build sprites.

For what concerns me, I got Zelda Spirit Tracks and a 50€ paid card for clothing at the store where I usually get dressed. My relatives will be here in about 30 minutes. Time to start playing some Christmas carols.

It’s time to fight! The TF2 development team set up a new update for both The Soldier and The Demoman with an exception of a unique seventh weapon that will be given only to the strongest class. How to prove it? Just kill your opponent. Every Demoman killing Soldiers and Soldiers killing Demomen will be racking up points to deserve the extra unlockable. The challenge has already started so why don’t you go fragging some arrogant players?

After the first day Soldiers are winning with 1,390,017 kills compared to Demomen’s 1,290,988 with a gap of 99,029 kills. Those are just numbers and you know better than me that players are skittish.

Other news include tons of Dead space 2 artworks and clues. The next survival horror from Visceral Games will be set on a space station built on one of Saturn’s moons. The good news is that Isaac is still alive (don’t start singing it) and has been given new equipment. Drawing his first suit was a chore. I wonder what the final version of this suit will look like.