The open beta version of Neverwinter, the up-and-coming Dungeons & Dragons based free-to-play MMORPG, has now been installed on the newest computers.

Neverwinter is a free, action MMORPG based on the acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. Epic stories, action combat and classic roleplaying await those heroes courageous enough to enter the fantastic world of Neverwinter!

Explore and defend one of the most beloved cities from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting as it rises from the ashes of destruction. This immersive MMORPG will take you from the besieged walls of the city to subterranean passageways in search of forgotten secrets and lost treasure.

Neverwinter is expected to be released later this year. Visit the Neverwinter website to create your free beta account.

The up-and-coming MOBA game by Steam, DotA 2, has now been installed on all computers.

DotA 2 is an upcoming multiplayer online battle arena video game being developed by Valve Corporation and the stand-alone sequel to the popular Defense of the Ancients mod for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion pack, The Frozen Throne. Formally announced on October 13, 2010, via Game Informer,the game is currently available for early test access purchase, with a free-to-play business model when released.

DotA 2 consists of session-based online multiplayer activity, with the primary objective of each match being for teams to destroy their opposing team's fortified stronghold. Each player controls a player character called a "hero", who is given the responsibility of participating in team combat, which generally takes place along a series of lanes that connect their opposing bases, lined with defensive towers.

Also installed on all PCs is the new MOBA offering by Hi-Rez Studios, Smite!

Smite is a third person multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Hi-Rez Studios for Microsoft Windows. In Smite, players take on the visage of a mythological god and take part in arena combat, using powers and team tactics against other player-controlled gods and non-player controlled minions.

Players have to choose a God to play, this is akin to champions in League of Legends or heroes in Heroes of Newerth. Currently players can choose between twenty-four Gods from six different pantheons, Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Hindu, Roman, Mayan and Norse mythology. Two players on the same team cannot choose the same God, although they are free to choose Gods from the same mythology. The player controls their god in a third person perspective, which is a unique characteristic of this multiplayer online battle arena game, as other games of this genre are typically played from a top-down perspective. Each god has a basic attack and four spells with varying effects, such as area of effect damage, crowd control, buffs and many more.

Due to popular demand, we now have a Hunger Games LAN server running for Minecraft.

Minecraft Hunger Games is a PvP game with a simple objective - be the last person alive! Forage for food and materials, craft tools and weapons, and kill or be killed. There can be only one winner!

To join in the fun, simply load the game (requires an account), find the server in the Multiplayer servers list, and connect. Select one of the available kits by typing /kit nameofkit to get some free items, potions or abilities. You have a short amount of time before the game goes live, in which you can scout around for a good place to start. If you get stuck anywhere you can type /spawn to go back to the starting location. When the countdown reaches zero, the Hunger Games begin.

Kits updated 28-11-12! Depending on your kit, you start with:
Archer - a bow and 6 arrows.
Barbarian - a stone sword.
Beastmaster - 3 wolf eggs and 6 bones.
Chemist - 3 extended splash potions: one Slowness, one Poison and one Weakness.
CookieMonster - 10 cookies.
Enderman - 5 Ender pearls and 16 grass blocks.
Engineer - 5 TNT blocks and 5 pressure plates.
Farmer - a stone hoe. Sown seeds grow immediately.
Fireman - a Fire Resistance potion and a bucket of water.
Fisherman - a fishing rod, 7 raw fish, leather pants and leather boots.
Lumberjack - a stone axe. Breaking a log breaks all logs directly above.
Miner - an Efficiency I stone pick and an iron helmet.
Monster - mobs do not attack you unless you hit them first.
Pyro - flint-and-steel and a leather tunic with Fire Protection. Gain strength instead of damage when in fire.
Scout - 2 Swiftness II potions.
Snowman - 5 snowballs and a pumpkin. Throwing snowballs causes confusion to players.
If you do not select a kit, you will be given the default kit, which consists of 3 loaves of bread.

You also start with a compass, which always points in the direction of the nearest player. Clicking on the compass tells you their name and the distance they are from you.

(Update 9/10/12: new scores page!)

We now have full access to the Beta version of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. This latest game in the Counter-Strike series is targeted for release on 21st August; its beta test release is now installed on all of our gaming PCs.

Its predecessor, Counter-Strike Source, was consistently one of the 2 most-played games at Crossfire (along with World of Warcraft) for several years, and was 3rd in 2010, but has dropped off more recently. Now is the time to find out whether the Counter-Strike name can be up there again with the best - which these days means competing with League of Legends as well as that perennial favourite, WoW.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) will expand upon the team-based action gameplay that it pioneered when it was launched 12 years ago.

CS: GO features new maps, characters, and weapons and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust, etc.). In addition, CS: GO will introduce new gameplay modes, matchmaking, leader boards, and more.

"Counter-Strike took the gaming industry by surprise when the unlikely MOD became the most played online PC action game in the world almost immediately after its release in August 1999," said Doug Lombardi at Valve. "For the past 12 years, it has continued to be one of the most-played games in the world, headline competitive gaming tournaments and selling over 25 million units worldwide across the franchise. CS: GO promises to expand on CS' award-winning gameplay and deliver it to gamers on the PC as well as the next gen consoles and the Mac."

http://store.steampowered.com/app/1800/

Diablo 3 is now ready to play on all of our gaming computers. (Please note that as with MMOs, your own account is required to play.)

Twenty years have passed since the Prime Evils were defeated and banished from the world of Sanctuary. Now, you must return to where it all began – the town of Tristram – and investigate rumors of a fallen star, for this is the first sign of evil’s rebirth, and an omen that the End Times have begun.

- Shake the earth, blast your enemies with fire and ice, summon otherworldly minions and much more as you wield the powers of your heroic birthright.
- Lay waste to legions of evil throughout randomized, 3D environments. Face innumerable demonic villains, uncover quests in new locations, and claim different loot every time you play. No two games are ever the same.
- Use the Real Money Auction House to buy and sell items for real world currency. Then draw on your earnings to buy ever more powerful items or cash out your trades, take the money, and run. The choice is yours.
- From the fabled spires of Caldeum to the besieged walls of Bastion’s Keep, the mortal world has fallen under the corrupting influence of infernal powers. Aid in Sanctuary’s defense as it teeters on the brink of demonic annihilation.

http://eu.blizzard.com/en-gb/games/d3/?int=d3