Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Moonbase Alpha update adds competitive and sandbox modes]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/07/moonbase-alpha-update-adds-competitive-and-sandbox-modes/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/07/moonbase-alpha-update-adds-competitive-and-sandbox-modes/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/07/moonbase-alpha-update-adds-competitive-and-sandbox-modes/#comments NASA's Moonbase Alpha update adds competitive modeNow that Curiosity has landed safely on Mars, it's time to thrust the moon back into the spotlight. The free NASA-released PC game, Moonbase Alpha, from developer Virtual Heroes, has been updated with a new team-based multiplayer mode dubbed "Moonbase Madness." In the mode, two teams of three astronauts compete to repair their own moonbases.

Stop writing that letter to your congressperson asking for peace between those competitive astronauts - there's a story behind the add-on: "Returning from a research expedition, you witness a meteorite impact that cripples the life support capability of the settlement. With precious minutes ticking away, you and your team must repair and replace equipment in order to restore the oxygen production to the settlement."

In addition to the new mode, Moonbase Alpha's recent update includes a sandbox level for your wildest space-based fantasies. So, Mars and the Moon conquered. We're coming for Uranus next! [FIRED. - Ed.]

Gallery: Moonbase Alpha (Competitive Multiplayer Update)

JoystiqMoonbase Alpha update adds competitive and sandbox modes originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 01:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>moonbase-alphaNASApcVirtual-HeroesTue, 07 Aug 2012 01:45:00 EST<![CDATA[NASA's free Moonbase Alpha now available]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/07/08/nasa-releases-free-moon-simulator-moonbase-alpha/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/07/08/nasa-releases-free-moon-simulator-moonbase-alpha/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/07/08/nasa-releases-free-moon-simulator-moonbase-alpha/#commentsFiled under: , ,

If the Army can release a free video game to drum up some attention for its cause, why not NASA? That seems to be the argument behind Moonbase Alpha, a free game developed along with NASA that's now available on Steam. With up to six players at a time, the game allows you to experience the surface of the moon while trying to "repair and replace equipment in order to restore the oxygen production to the settlement," after a meteorite causes system failure.

The official page calls it a "First Person Explorer" title, and shows players fixing equipment connections and even building and controlling a Wall-E style repair robot. The graphics even look good, too -- exactly like that television studio NASA filmed those "moon landings" in. Nice try, NASA, but everybody knows it's nothing but green cheese up there.

JoystiqNASA's free Moonbase Alpha now available originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>army-game-studiosfirst-person-explorerfreefreewaremoonmoonbase-alphanasapcsteamvirtual-heroesThu, 08 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST