Watch out, it's the latest edition of Currently Hurling, our semi-regular look at what games we're playing in our spare time. Despite the undeniable presence of Summer, there's been a steady trickle of releases over the past few weeks, including Red Dead Redemption, Blur, Split/Second, Crackdown 2, Limbo and of course StarCraft II. Next to the ever-lasting Left 4 Dead 2 and Dawn of War II, our current lunchtime favourites are the multiplayer modes in Blur, FIFA, and Halo 3. But let's see what else people have been up to, shall we?

In this edition, one of our Eds feeds flowers in SPACE, while the other is lost in limbo. Also, Paul mounts and blades and Flavius mods an entire nation. Continue reading »

Welcome to a new (and possibly even recurring) blog feature where we shamelessly plug stuff featuring Those That Work Here, even if it's not directly related to Splash Damage or our games.

We start our journey in the corner of the internet casually referred to as Rock, Paper, Shotgun, which has been celebrating the 10th anniversary of Deus Ex with a series of articles. Titled "Deus Ex Made Me", each of them features designers and writers from all over the games industry sharing what impact Deus Ex had on them and their careers. Among the folks reminiscing are Ed 'Bongoboy' Stern, Lead Writer, and Aubrey 'Bezzy' Hesselgren, our Technical Game Designer, both of whom have very fond memories of JC Denton's exploits.

Elsewhere, PC Gamer's recently-relaunched site offers up a series of interviews aptly titled Community Heroes, spotlighting influential modders and mappers from over the years. Among them is our very Dave 'dust ducks' Johnston, the man and machine behind the hugely popular de_dust level for Counter-Strike. The piece is a great read, and on top of that has that New Website Smell all over it, so you really can't lose.

In a conspicuously well-timed move, zee Germans at PC Games magazine asked their readers to vote on what they think is the best multiplayer map ever made. Mr Johnston's de_dust2 took the crown with a respectable 21%. Congrats Dave!

Have you seen any other Splash Damage-induced shenanigans around the web? Post it up in the comments!

Somehow, impossibly, Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory was released seven full years ago. Okay, it was actually seven years ago on Saturday, but we weren't in the office on Saturday, and Monday was a public holiday, and I only just had enough coffee to remember that it was THAT'S NOT IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW. What is important is that our little game is 7.

That seems at once entirely unacceptable and a source of deep pride. To absolutely everyone and anyone who played it, modded it, admin'd servers for it, complained about the weapon balance, learned to find and use the mortar, located the barking dog, worked on it, voted for it (I'm looking at you, Insanely Dedicated People That Got It To Number Bloody Sixteen In PC Gamer's Top One Hundred Games Ever), we can only say Thank You Thank You Thank You. Without you, SD wouldn't be where we are, doing what we do.

While we're here, why not fire up the old warhorse for some now-looking-somewhat-retro WWII MP FPS Hoo-hah? You can buy it via my personal PayPal account download it for free from our Wolfenstein Barracks page.

Welcome to the latest edition of Currently Hurling, our semi-regular look at what games we're playing here at Splash Damage. By the looks of it, May has us surrounded on at least three sides and keeps throwing new games at our feet. Alan Wake, skate 3, Lost Planet 2, Split/Second, Prince of Persia, and of course Red Dead Redemption are all vying for our attention, backed up by earlier releases like Splinter Cell Conviction and Battlefield: Bad Company 2. At least for now, this Summer is looking like a busy one.

In this installment, Olivier is afraid of the dark, Ed fires birds at helpless piggies, Splash Damage takes to Xbox Live to needle as many people as possible, and so much more. Finally, we love hearing what you've been playing lately, so don't forget to share your recent games with us in the comments. And now, words: Continue reading »

Today is World Tapir Day, dedicated to these magnificent creatures which have delighted us for many years. Sadly, all four species of tapir are currently endangered and facing extinction, so the good people behind World Tapir Day have taken it upon themselves to raise awareness about them and their plight.

If you want to help conserve tapirs for future generations, please donate to the World Land Trust, this year's World Tapir Day beneficiary. You can do so either by heading directly to the donation page, or by sponsoring our very own Ed 'BongoBoy' Stern's Trundle for Tapirs. Any contribution, no matter how big or small, will go along way towards saving our snuffling friends.

Also, many zoos around the world are hosting tapir-related events and activities this week. Check out our events list to see what's happening where.

Lastly, gaze upon this video from Adelaide Zoo, which neatly sums up what this day is all about:

World Tapir Day takes place this Tuesday and in addition to the previously announced fundraising effort Trundle for Tapirs, zoos around the world are hosting tapir-related events and activities. Here's the latest list courtesy of Anthony Long, the driving force behind World Tapir Day:

Australia

• Adelaide Zoo

Belize

• Belize Zoo

Germany

• Cologne Zoo

Malaysia

• University of Malaysia
• Malaysian Nature Society

United Kingdom

• Belfast Zoo
• Noah's Ark Zoo (Bristol)
• Trotters World of Animals (Bassenthwaite)
• Galloway Wildlife Conservation Park
• Dudley Zoo

United States

• San Antonio Zoo

Finally and not entirely zoo-related, the Tapir Caper Project is a fundraising effort by Canadian artist Chris Jackson. Chris is aiming to paint exactly thirty tapir-laden 4"x5" canvases to be sold online, with all money going to the World Land Trust.

For the latest rundown of events and World Tapir Day activities, check out the World Tapir Day events page on Facebook.

If you've visited our site in the past, accidentally or otherwise, you'll probably have noticed that we have a very special love affair with tapirs and willingly hurl ourselves at any opportunities to save them from extinction. Taking place on 27 April, World Tapir Day is just around the corner and seeks to raise awareness about tapirs and their plight through all manner of themed events and opportunities to get involved. We'll be taking a look a some of these in a series of blog posts, with this one conveniently being the first.

This year's World Tapir Day seeks to quite literally put the fun in fundraising by introducing Trundle for Tapirs. How does it all work? Well, essentially, you commit to run/walk/ride/skate a certain distance during the week of World Tapir Day and then seek sponsorships from your family, friends, co-workers, and whoever else is willing to save the tapirs. The funds raised by these sponsorships are then donated to the World Land Trust's Ecuador Rainforest project, which will help protect the environment of the Mountain Tapir, the most endangered of the four tapir species.

We're fully behind this cause and have volunteered our very own Lead Writer and Chief Tapirologist Ed 'BongoBoy' Stern to be our corporate trundler. Ed will be doing his best to trundle in the most poignant (and stylish) way possible. If you're interested in becoming one of Ed's sponsors and save some tapirs in the process, follow these simple steps:

1. Head to the donation website at http://www.justgiving.com/worldtapirday
2. Click "Donate now" and fill out the form
3. Mention "Ed Stern" at the beginning of your donation's comment

Any donation, no matter how big or small, will be hugely helpful and go directly towards saving the Mountain Tapir's habitat.

Better yet, if you want to organise your own Trundle for Tapirs activity, check out the World Tapir Day website for everything you need to know.

With the recent release of the Tribal Wars mod for Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars, we thought it would be fun to fling a few questions at the people behind the mod and pick their brains. Tribal Wars artist Alex "Arcanox" Halchuk was kind enough to answer every single last one of them and sheds light on what the mod is all about, its origins, the team behind it, their plans for the future, and much more. Continue reading »

Welcome to the latest edition of Currently Hurling, our semi-regular look at what games we're playing here at Splash Damage. These past few weeks have seen numerous anticipated game releases, with Heavy Rain, God of War 3, and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 all being released into the wild. Here at the office, Left 4 Dead 2 and Rock Band 2 maintain their iron grip on lunchtime gaming, though the Blur multiplayer beta has been making regular appearances in our gaming area, as well.

Let's find out what games our guys and gals have been getting up to in their spare time, shall we? Continue reading »

Welcome to the latest installment of Currently Hurling, our semi-regular look at the games we've been playing here at Splash Damage. 2010 has been a spectacular year for games so far and with great new releases continuing to appear on almost a weekly basis, there's no sign of that changing any time soon.

Among at least several other things, this edition features Crispy flailing about in the dark, Mikkel being trapped in his dosbox, and Locki practicing all-female intergalactic warfare. Just another day at the office, really.

Let's dive right in: Continue reading »