Brink's romp through print magazines all over the world continues, and we have amassed the very latest appearances for you. Most notably, Brink made the cover of Win Giochi Magazine (pictured right) in Italy, one of the country's most prominent gaming magazines. There are also several new hands-on features in the current issues of the following:

USA

» PlayStation - The Official Magazine
» Official Xbox Magazine

Germany

» PC Games, Germany
» M!Games, Germany

In more bite-sized news, Brink has also been featured in the 2010 previews of PSM3 and X360 here in the UK, Gamestar and Gee Magazine in Germany, and MasterConsole in Italy.

If you spot Brink in any other magazines, let us know in the comments!

Having just returned from being the Superbowl's stand-in, here's the latest of our semi-regular staff interviews, this time featuring none other than Angelo 'classact' Dal Pra. Before falling through Splash Damage's front door, Angelo worked on Fuel and PlayStation Home among other things, and he's now firmly planted in the midst of our environment art team.

To find out more about Angelo, how he got his start in the industry, his tips for aspiring artists, and why he's a virtual safari of doom, check out the full interview hiding in plain sight on his profile page.

Here it is, the latest installment of our regular look at what games we've been playing here at Splash Damage. Somewhat predicably, Mass Effect 2 is the talk of the town/office this week, and it's garning high praise all around.

Less predictably, the other big gaming story this week is after extensive and no doubt harrowing training sessions, our IT magicians Ben 'Randles' Hopkinson and Joe 'Rex-theGrunt' Gibson at long last stand victoriously at the very top of Pixeljunk Shooter (right). Or more specifically, the leaderboard for the first stage of episode 1 after somehow squeezing 311,500 points out of the thing. Watching them play is a bit like watching two brain surgeons go about their business simultaneously - it's all very precise, meticulously coordinated, and probably supremely confusing to onlookers. Our metaphorical hats are off to them.

Now, Mass Effect 2 isn't the only thing in our trays, of course. Read to see what else we managed to get our thumbs on: Continue reading »

Want to work on Brink? We are currently looking for additional artists and programmers to join our talented team. Click on a position to learn more about it:

Art & Media

• Cinematics Animator
• Environment Artist
• Senior Environment Artist
• Texture Artist

Programming

• AI Programmer
• Online Services Contractor
• Platform Optimisation Programmer

Check out our Culture section to find out more about what it's like to work here and don't forget to browse our extensive Living in London guide for everything you need to know about moving to London and living here.

If there's nothing there for you at the moment, why not sign up for our Jobs RSS feed or subscribe to email updates? We look forward to hearing from you.

Brink is all over the cover of the latest issue of PC Zone here in the UK. The Zone's new acting editor Steve Hogarty recently had the chance to play Brink and has chronicled his experiences in a colossal 8-page preview filled with plenty of new screenshots and information. PC Zone subscribers should already be holding the issue in their hands, while the rest of us will be able to pick it up tomorrow. For more information and a larger version of the cover, head over to PC Zone's website.

If you're looking for even more UK print coverage, all-new Brink hands-on previews can also be found in the latest editions of PlayStation - The Official Magazine and Xbox 360 - The Official Magazine.

Level design has traditionally been one of the most accessible areas of game development for amateurs, with many shooters offering level editors as part of their SDK. However, while tools have become seemingly easier to use over the past few years, maps and mods are taking increasingly longer to produce. Professional mystery solver Jim Rossignol took it upon himself to find out exactly why that is and recruited Splash Damage's Lead Level Designer Neil 'Exedore' Alphonso to help him.

The resulting article features plenty of insights from Neil, including how he got his start in the industry, what game levels have inspired him over the years, and, of course, the fundamental issue that drove Jim out there in the first place: Why are the tools easier and yet levels take longer to make? Find out that and more in Jim's full write-up over at TechRadar.

A brand-new video has made its way onto the internet, showing off Brink's character customization system. In it, Brink Game Director Paul 'Locki' Wedgwood walks us through creating a character and customising the guy for both the Resistance and Security factions. The video is available in normal and high definition flavors - we recommend the latter for maximum crispness.

If you missed them a couple weeks ago, don't forget to check out the SMART system and the Container City walkthrough videos.

A few weeks ago, Bethesda and Splash Damage invited several journalists up to our offices to come see Brink and, for the first time ever, actually get some hands-on time with the game. We also showed them a brand-new environment - the Ark's Shipyard pelgo. The journos have since written up their thoughts and impressions, and these can now be found in a whole batch of magazines all over Europe. There's also a healthy dose of new screenshots showing off Shipyard.

Here's a breakdown of the magazines that, at the time of writing, are offering up Brink goodness:

Germany

» PC Action
» Play3

France

» PC Jeux
» Joystick
» Xbox 360 - The Official Magazine
» PlayStation - Official Magazine

Benelux

» Power Unlimited

Spain

» Hobbyconsolas

More coverage is set to hit hit within the next few weeks, so keep checking back for the latest.

If you've managed to get your hands on one of these features, let us know what you think in the comments!

Despite rumors to the contrary, our series of staff interviews did not, in fact, win the lottery and emigrate to a warm, sandy beach in the Carribbean. Here to prove it is our very latest installment featuring none other than Designer of Games John 'Nifty' Molloy who, prior to joining Splash Damage, game-designed away at Lionhead Studios on Fable II and its downloadable content. He's now part of Brink's design team and wields a variety of deadly tools including Microsoft Word and Excel to make sure Things Are As They Need To Be.

To find out more about John, his work, how he ended up in the industry and, indeed, at Splash Damage, and why you should be cool and stay in school, have a gentle browse over to the full interview in John's profile.

What better way to ring in a whole new year than by picking out our favorite games of 2009? Last year brought us some fantastic gaming experiences, with both sequels and original titles delivering The Fun in serious quantities. With so many games, we put it to our team to select up to three of their favorite games of 2009 and share them with all of you.

We also have two new faces joining our gamer line-up this week, with effects guru Farhan 'middlecat' Qureshi and Production Tester Chris 'captainjonesy' Jones proving that they have keyboards and are not afraid to use them.

And the winner(s) is/are... Continue reading »