ALT+F4: Warring Guilds, Killing Floors, R.U.S.E Beta

Anyone tired of shoveling out money for MMO subscriptions should be glad to know that Guild Wars 2 will maintain series tradition of requiring nothing other than an initial purchase. Lots of juicy details have found their way out of hiding for this game, as well as a pretty sharp trailer that you can check out in the full story. Killing Floor just got updated with a significant content patch, adding two new weapons and a map, and it makes for a pretty good time. Ubisoft is opening up registration for beta testing their deception based RTS, R.U.S.E.

Check it all out in detail, after the jump.

Guild Wars 2 Trailer Reveal

Shortly after the teaser image went up at the Guild Wars 2 website, NC Soft and ArenaNet were nice enough not string us along for too long and have provided a very nice looking trailer. If you’re just looking to skip the story setup and get to gameplay footage, do yourself a favor and skip to about the halfway point, where it begins to pick up.

Along with the reveal trailer, a whole slew of information on the game is now available. Guild Wars 2 is going to carry over the no subscription fee model, allowing you to play as much as you want with the purchase of the retail product. It also looks as if they’re going to continue in the direction of being solo-friendly, taking the grind out of equation. One key thing they’re implementing is a “sidekick system”, much like you can find in other MMOs. That alone should make it accessible for people just getting into it while their friends may have been playing for months.

In addition to everything mentioned above, gamers will also get the chance to play as something other than Humans this time around. I believe all of the new playable races are shown in the trailer, looking at their descriptions.

• Charr - Ascalon’s conquerors, the charr are ferocious, warmongering creatures-the intractable foes of humanity. Now, as greater dangers threaten their conquests, charr legions and their war machines prepare for battle.
• Norn - The norn are towering brawlers from the frigid northern lands who can shape-shift into mighty bestial forms. Driven from their homeland by a force beyond reckoning, the norn have regrouped among the dwarven ruins of the Shiverpeaks.
• Asura - The asura, who once ruled the caverns and tunnels below Tyria, are an advanced race of small size and great intellect. Now that they have risen from below, the asura aim to rule the surface world with their powerful golems and ingenious plans.
• Sylvari - Not much is known of the sylvari, save that they are a race of sentient plant-beings, newly blossomed into the world. The sylvari are the youngest of the races, bound together by a common dream and awesome power.

For fans of the original, it looks as if there’s plenty to look forward to here, ArenaNet seems to have taken a close look at what player wanted and gone to work on it. More details should be available as the year goes on.

Killing Floor Content Patch Infects Steam

Killing Floor has just received its first major content update, for the friendly price of $0. This content upgrade adds a couple of new weapons in the form of a Katana, as well as an AK-47. In addition to providing you with new zombie removal tools, the update gives players a new level from which to remove the zombies, KF-Foundry.

After spending a bit of time with the game new update myself, the AK-47 costs quite a bit in-game, but packs a pretty ridiculous punch. It allowed me to cut through halls jam packed with the infected. KF-Foundry is an amazing display of what can still be done with the Unreal 2.5 technology; it’s an extremely well designed map that looks absolutely fantastic. The mood is set perfectly for slaughtering the undead to the game’s heavy metal soundtrack.

If you’ve yet to get in on the action, Steam is currently running a 10% off sale for Killing Floor to coincide with the content update, you can check that out right here.

Beta Test R.U.S.E

Ubisoft has opened up applications for their upcoming RTS that focuses on distracting your opponent from what evil schemes you’re really plotting.

“Are you going to be one of the few who will have early privileged access to the beta, before it actually goes public?”

You heard them, it’s privileged, and that’s fancier than most betas. So go sign up, right here. Get in on it before the filthy public has a chance to get their dirty mitts on it.

Look for another Weekend Edition of ALT+F4 this weekend.