No Single-Player for Command & Conquer: Generals 2 at Release

Command & Conquer: Generals 2 will apparently launch without a single-player campaign, according to developer Bioware Victory.

In an interview with PC Gamer, the company's general manager John Van Caneghem explained that “co-operative and competitive” skirmishes would be the main focus of the title initially, with other modes being added later based on community feedback.

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We decided to choose Generals as the first set of games we build under the universe, but we’ll be expanding after that, like Tiberium and Red Alert as well as some others as well.

Speaking about the potential of a story campaign being one such mode, Van Caneghem said, "It is something we haven’t announced yet how we’re going to do it." He explained that one of the main benefits of the game being online was that it facilitated the easy testing of new play styles, claiming, "As a live service I think the exciting part is you can try things. You can see what the community wants, you can give it a shot, you can put it up for a weekend and see how it goes, develop towards what the fans like."

While he didn't comment on EA's decision to make the game free-to-play, he did reveal that Command & Conquer: Generals 2 will be the first in a new series of online C&C games that explore the series' history.

"We decided to choose Generals as the first set of games we build under the universe, but we’ll be expanding after that, like Tiberium and Red Alert as well as some others as well," he said. "Generals 2 was the first one, and it was one of the biggest sellers, as well as the fanbase has been asking for it for some time."

He rounded up the interview by explaining that Bioware Victory is keen for the upcoming RTS game to break onto the e-sports scene. To this end, alongside multiplayer deathmatch and co-operative modes, Van Caneghem claimed that, "We’re really going to run the gambit of what people enjoy in a multiplayer environment.

"I don’t think we’re making a list of the features yet, but I think you can basically make a list of the assumed ones that you’d need to be an e-sports game, and it’s definitely part of the plan," he added.

Command & Conquer: Generals 2 will release as a free-to-play title on PC sometime in 2013, but you can register your interest for the beta now.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and once almost died trying to build a home-made Tesla Coil. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

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Coco Game Controller Hits Kickstarter

Apple's iOS devices have sparked a mobile gaming revolution, but let's face it: Real games need real, tactile buttons, and a new Kickstarter campaign aims to add them to four sizes of devices.

The brainchild of Milkshake Labs, the Coco Controller is a planned smartphone case to convert your mobile device into a real handheld game controller, complete with the hardware buttons gamers crave.

• Check out the Kickstarter

Unlike other gaming cases already on the market, the Coco isn't limited strictly to Apple's iOS devices - in fact, there are four sizes planned for the Coco, with support for the Samsung Galaxy S III, the iPhone 4/4S, the fourth-generation iPod touch and the forthcoming sixth-generation iPhone.

Yes, you read that right - Milkshake is allowing Kickstarter pledges to choose which case they want in November, by which time Apple will have certainly released their latest iPhone and the Coco will be ready for it!

Coco includes one multi-axis directional pad, one analog stick, four action buttons and two triggers, and best of all it requires no battery and no Bluetooth connection. An audio out jack at the bottom of the case allows users to plug in headphones or speakers, which is also the same method the case uses to draw power and device communication from. Kickstarter backers can also vote on which colors the Coco will be available before launch.

The creators of the Coco are aiming to raise $175,000 by September 12, and currently have the support of 31 mobile games, but are in "serious talks with several of the largest game studios" and plan to expand support for other titles by the time the case ships.

J.R. is a recovering independent feature film producer/director who turned a love of shiny gadgets into a steady stream of gigs writing about them for fun and profit. He can be frequently be found talking nonsense on Twitter and IGN.

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