Kotaku Wednesday, April 27, 2022 2:50 PM  I was shocked when I opened up my boyfriend's Elden Ring inventory. Baffled and terrified, even. It was fully stocked in a way that only the cheese section of your fridge should be—there were multiples of the same armor sets, a despicable buildup of consumables and common items like herba and melted mushrooms, and a… |
Kotaku Wednesday, April 27, 2022 1:50 PM  What happens if the world gets too stupid, too overrun with people who don't trust science or educators? Well, according to the recently released Research and Destroy, once folks stop trusting science and start believing in every wild theory they find online, the world is actually taken over by supernatural monsters,… |
Kotaku Wednesday, April 27, 2022 1:20 PM  A new console generation usually means a new library of games. That's not exactly the case with Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, at least not yet. So far, there are few true next-gen exclusives. Instead, Xbox games are often released in both last-gen and next-gen versions. |
Kotaku Wednesday, April 27, 2022 11:20 AM  The video game industry is currently undergoing a small but unprecedented wave of developer organizing. Last week it even reached the halls of famed RPG maker BioWare, where a group of QA contractors working on Dragon Age 4 revealed their intention to unionize. The two biggest reasons why? Bad pay and concerns over a… |
Kotaku Wednesday, April 27, 2022 10:40 AM  We all know Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki loves poisoning players, but apparently there exists an inconspicuous wall in FromSoftware's latest game that can inflict a toxic status effect just as well as any swamp. |
Kotaku Wednesday, April 27, 2022 10:20 AM  Watching the news cycle around Tiny Tina's Wonderlands for the past month has been like watching the news cycle of a game on fast-forward. You know how it goes: Game comes out. Gets positive reviews, fans praise it. DLC hits, is then slammed by fans. By now, it's basically a framework. Only this time, the entire cycle… |
Kotaku Wednesday, April 27, 2022 9:30 AM  When Sony combines PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now in June, its new most expensive tier will be $18 a month and include time-limited game trials. But most games don't currently have such demos. To fix that moving forward, Game Developer now reports Sony will require all developers of games at a wholesale cost… |
Kotaku Wednesday, April 27, 2022 9:00 AM  Pokémon GO Fest 2022, the biggest event in the massive mobile game's calendar, is confirmed for the 4th and 5th June this year. For the not-inconsiderable sum of $14.99, the weekend will include rotating habitats, Land Forme Shaymin, shiny debuts, and "customized special research," where players can set their own… |
PCGamesN Wednesday, April 27, 2022 2:20 PM  Yu-Gi-Oh: Master Duel's coin flip exploit has finally been dealt with in a new game update. Players who disconnect during the coin toss will now automatically have that match count as a loss. This should make decks heavily based on first-turn kill strategies, like Drytron, a bit less prevalent. "We've been receiving feedback regarding players who avoid by disconnecting when they couldn't win a coin toss that decides who goes first or second," Konami says in an in-game message. "As a countermeasure to this, we've improved the feature so that a player who disconnects during a coin toss will lose the duel. We apologise for the time it has taken to implement this feature." Konami has also announced that Master Duel has now surpassed 30 million downloads, just over three months after launch. Players are getting 1,000 free gems as a celebratory bonus, which you can claim from a limited-time login mission. The game's concurrent PC player counts have dropped dramatically since their launch heights, as SteamDB shows, though it's still regularly among Steam's top 25 games. RELATED LINKS: Upcoming PC Games, The best card games on PC |
PCGamesN Wednesday, April 27, 2022 2:00 PM  The League of Legends patch 12.9 notes are starting to make their way onto the Public Beta Environment (PBE). While LoL patch 12.8 has just gone live, we already have a good idea of what Riot Games is working on next for the popular MOBA game. While you wait for new content to populate the PBE, you've got plenty to check out in League of Legends' latest patch. Riot has overhauled Swain's kit to make him a more attractive pick in the current meta, while 18 other champions have also been tweaked. If you're looking for some more visual flair, Riot has added a lovely batch of Solar and Lunar Eclipse skins for Kayle, Sejuani, Sivir, Aatrox, and Senna. While patch 12.9 is still in the earlier stages of development, you've got plenty to eyeball. Riot is working on a mid-scope update for Taliyah that'll be just as extensive as Swain's rework. You've also got several new High Noon skins for the likes of Katarina, Leona, and more that make the champions look like gothic vampire hunters. If that isn't your style, Riot has also added some icy skins to honour esports outfit Edward Gaming's 2021 World Championship. RELATED LINKS: Best LoL Champions , League of Legends patch 12.8 notes, LoL tier list |
PCGamesN Wednesday, April 27, 2022 12:56 PM  Twitch is considering lowering subscription payouts to its top-tier streamers, according to a new report. Bloomberg says recent meetings at the Amazon-owned streaming giant have focused on monetisation changes that could start rolling out this summer, including a push for more ad-supported revenue programs. Most streamers in Twitch's partnership program earn 50% of the revenue from subscriptions on the platform. Top streamers can earn up to 70% of that revenue. People familiar with the planning tell Bloomberg (paywalled) that Twitch is considering dropping the revenue share to 50% across the board, regardless of a streamer's standing. None of these plans are yet finalised and are still subject to change, but Twitch is also considering dropping its exclusivity deals for big streamers. It's also considering a bigger push for ads, including a revenue sharing model that could make up for a streamer's reduced subscription revenue share. Ads have become increasingly prominent on Twitch, and many viewers feel they've become increasingly disruptive to streams. Twitch declined to comment on Bloomberg's report. |
PCGamesN Wednesday, April 27, 2022 12:54 PM  At long last, the big Bethesda Steam migration has now launched, and anyone with Bethesda.net games can transfer them over to Steam for no additional cost. Here's how to transfer your Bethesda game library to Steam - before the launcher shuts down on May 11, of course. As the publisher announced earlier this year, the Bethesda launcher will get shut down next month, meaning that if you've bought any games for use on the Bethesda.net client you won't be able to play them after May 11. The good news is that Bethesda is allowing all of its users to transfer their games, progress, and cloud saves over to Steam for free - and the account migration starts today. To get it to work, head over to Bethesda's library transfer page, then log in to your Bethesda account and link your Steam account too. After that, click the 'start transfer' button and the page should start transferring your games over to Steam. It'll take a little while, but you don't have to have the page open while it does it. RELATED LINKS: Doom Eternal review, Doom Eternal system requirements, Play Doom Eternal |
PCGamesN Wednesday, April 27, 2022 12:35 PM  The AMD Ryzen 7000 range will support faster DDR5 RAM than Intel Alder Lake, according to the memory manufacturer Apacer. Relayed by Momomo_us on Twitter, specs for the company's modules state that the red team's next best gaming CPUs are compatible with DDR5-5200, while 12th gen Intel chips only support up to DDR5-4800. Recently, we learned that AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs might only support DDR5, as leaked documents suggest the company will ditch DDR4 compatibility. While this could make your next AMD gaming PC upgrade more expensive, its 5,200Mhz memory abilities will help give it an edge over its Intel Alder Lake competitors. Faster memory support isn't AMD's only gaming RAM related boon, as Videocardz reveals that the company is cooking up a new overclocking tool dubbed "EXPO", described as an alternative to Intel XMP 3.0. The tech will store two DDR5 overclocking profiles, with one covering high bandwidth usage and the other designed to facilitate low latency. RELATED LINKS: Zen 4 CPUs - everything we know, RDNA 3 GPUs - everything we know, Best gaming CPU |
PCGamesN Wednesday, April 27, 2022 11:51 AM  Developer Creative Assembly confirms that the Total War: Warhammer III roadmap for its DLC releases in 2022 will land this week - which will hopefully confirm a release window for the RTS game's next expansion, and maybe the Warhammer III Mortal Empires release date too. The latest Total War is one of the best Warhammer games on PC, but despite Ogre Kingdoms releasing in February we really have no firm idea what further Total War: Warhammer III DLC expansions are coming to the strategy game this year - barring the release of the promised Mortal Empires combined map that unites all three Warhammer games into one epic campaign. We won't have long to wait, as Creative Assembly has just announced that the Total War: Warhammer III 2022 roadmap will hit this week on Friday, April 29. It's still a little vague how much exactly the developer will share - whether the roadmap will just confirm update plans or DLC releases, especially Mortal Empires, is up in the air. RELATED LINKS: Total War: Warhammer 3 DLC, Total War: Warhammer 3 races, Total War: Warhammer 3 review |
PCGamesN Wednesday, April 27, 2022 11:32 AM  A reliable rodent like the Logitech G502 Hero makes all the difference during FPS games like Halo Infinite, and it could help you take your spartan skills to the next level. While the best gaming mouse options out there can come with a premium price tag attached, this particular clicker is currently half price on Amazon, meaning you can upgrade your gaming PC setup for less. The Logitech G502 Hero boasts the same 25K sensor used across the company's flagship gaming mouse range, making it a super responsive option for both casual PC gamers and enthusiasts alike. It also wields 11 programmable buttons that could prove useful in the best MMO games like FFXIV, making it a versatile option for those who like to hop between game genres. Over on Amazon US, you can snag a Logitech G502 Hero gaming mouse for $39.89, thanks to a 50% discount. Thankfully, this deal isn't exclusive to the US, as the nifty peripheral is also down from £79.99 to £38.99 on Amazon UK. RELATED LINKS: Logitech G Pro Wireless review, Logitech G PowerPlay review, Logitech G502 Lightspeed review |
PCGamesN Wednesday, April 27, 2022 11:24 AM  Season 3 of Call of Duty: Warzone - Pacific gets going today, and that means there will be a bunch of changes the next time you drop into Caldera for a good ol' battle royale game or three. While King Kong and Godzilla won't be showing up for another couple of weeks yet, some new locations on the island indicate that they're no strangers to Caldera. Season 3 brings the Iron Trials mode to Caldera. This mode beefs up operator base health, but limits regen and makes it take longer to kick in. There are no free loadout drops, buy station prices are increased, and it's tougher to find big stacks of cash and rare and legendary weapons. Caldera has changed quite a bit for Season 3. There's a new gulag, located in the hold of a ship moored off the island's coast. You'll be able to watch each round from a series of catwalks overlooking the lower hull of the ship. The new Dig Site location can be found between the mine and the ruins, and it's littered with heavy earth-moving equipment, supply boxes, and the skeletons of titanic beasts who once roamed the island. |
PCGamesN Wednesday, April 27, 2022 11:22 AM  Looking for the best Vampire Survivors power ups? You can purchase power ups in the main menu to aid you in your bid to survive the night. They each have different effects from raising damage to reviving characters, but which are the best power ups? The best Vampire Survivors power ups are Cooldown, Area, Speed, Duration, Might, Recovery, Max Health, Reroll, Revival, Luck, and Banish. You can see what each power up does below from the full list, but you want to prioritise these power ups, although you'll eventually be able to buy them all with enough gold, you can also choose to further upgrade most power ups multiple times to buff the effect. To get gold, you need to pick up coins and money bags found in chests or by breaking lanterns. Completing a stage of the game also rewards you with coins you can use to buy power ups for your best Vampire Survivors characters by accessing the power up shop in the main menu. |
PCGamesN Wednesday, April 27, 2022 10:52 AM  AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) is an upscaling technology that makes for one of the easiest ways to boost fps in supported games. Unlike Nvidia DLSS, FSR works across both Radeon and GeForce graphics cards, and even works on older models snubbed by team green such as the GTX 10 and 16 series. Released back in June 2021, AMD FSR has quickly grown to become widely spread in the best PC games. From AAA games like Far Cry 6, God of War, and Resident Evil Village to smaller indie ventures, you'll more than likely find FidelityFX Super Resolution nestled away in a settings menu. While AMD FSR hasn't been refined or updated as much as Nvidia DLSS, there's little reason not to turn it on if you're looking to increase your gaming PC's performance. If you're lucky enough to own one of the best graphics cards on the market, you'll be able to enjoy 4K gaming for a fraction of the cost to average frame rates. RELATED LINKS: Zen 4 CPUs - everything we know, RDNA 3 GPUs - everything we know, Best gaming CPU |
PCGamesN Wednesday, April 27, 2022 10:35 AM  The Official Oculus Quest 2 website is no more, as Meta pushes ahead with its best VR headset rebrand. Yet, it feels like the metaverse-themed company is having something of an identity crisis, as the old domain name redirects VR game fans to a Facebook storefront, complete with a "Welcome to the new Meta store!" banner. If you've been keeping up with the Oculus Quest 2 rebrand, you'll know that the official site domain was the brand name's last stand. The social media giant previously changed its Twitter domain name to align with its new metaverse identity, and the company's VR headset now features a Meta logo on the front. The Quest 2's new online home is the last piece of the Oculus retirement puzzle, but it seems that Facebook integration is still part of the VR platform's bigger picture. The new Meta Quest 2 hub features different decor compared to the old Oculus site, and the VR headset actually shares dwellings with other Facebook family products, like the Meta portal and Ray-Ban stories smart glasses. Those looking to purchase a Quest 2 will now have to use the social media platform, but you can still access orders made before April 25 2022 using a "login without Facebook" sign-in page. RELATED LINKS: Best VR games, Build yourself a VR-ready PC for $793, How to set up your Oculus Rift |
PCGamesN Wednesday, April 27, 2022 10:27 AM  You can now use Elden Ring mods to create the best Legend of Zelda RPG game ever, thanks to one modder who is tirelessly adding key features from Nintendo's beloved series - which was likely an influence on FromSoftware when making the game. There are some fantastic games like Zelda on PC but unfortunately, The Legend of Zelda series itself remains exclusive to Nintendo platforms - despite the best efforts of modders and emulators. However, there is one way to experience the adventures of Link on PC - by putting the legendary hero into other open-world games on PC with mods. Modder xdec99 has been adding various Zelda pieces to Elden Ring over the last month, including the iconic Master Sword and Hylian Shield. Now, finally, they've added Link himself into the game - the Twilight Princess model, specifically, as created by artist Hakirya. The mod replaces an armour set - Godrick's by default - and it's possible to cosplay your own character as Link if you'd prefer. RELATED LINKS: Best Elden Ring settings, Elden Ring bosses guide, The best Elden Ring classes |
PCGamesN Wednesday, April 27, 2022 10:45 AM  What is GTA RP and how do you download it? All this will be familiar to anyone who has used Skyrim's Alternate Start mods - GTA RP allows you to join the game as a regular NPC as opposed to any of the main characters thanks to the installation of a mod. The trend of roleplaying has been around for years as it proves to be quite idyllic - instead of being thrust into the spotlight, you can live out a normal life and inhabit whatever character you'd like to be. So, what are the best GTA RP servers? If you're new to all this, it can prove to be quite daunting. You need to download the required mods to make it work, find and apply to join servers, and then figure out how to properly play the thing itself. On top of all that, you'll also come across a bunch of slang terms you may be unfamiliar with. To try and alleviate some of that stress, we've put together a handy starters guide to help anyone wanting to join in. RELATED LINKS: GTA 5 mods, GTA 6, Buy GTA V |
PCGamesN Wednesday, April 27, 2022 10:39 AM  So you want to know about Valorant characters and their abilities? Riot's new FPS game is a lot like CS:GO, even down to the economy in Valorant and how Valorant weapons are purchased between rounds. But it's the diverse roster of agents, all with unique abilities, that sets it apart from Valve's iconic shooter. Figuring out which of the many Valorant characters to play as requires some thought, although the majority feel balanced and distinct. You need to buy most of the abilities much like you would weapons between rounds, so there's a lot to consider before picking who you want to play as. There are 19 Valorant characters in the multiplayer game at the time of writing. Another new agent - Fade - has just been revealed, and there are likely more in the works as well. We've put together a guide explaining what each agent's ability set looks like, so you can make an informed choice as to who you're going to pick next. If you want to know what we know, then we suggest you read on. RELATED LINKS: Valorant characters: all agents and abilities, Valorant tier list |
PCGamesN Wednesday, April 27, 2022 10:49 AM  The Intel Arc Alchemist GPU range officially launched earlier this month, but gaming laptops featuring the new chips are currently only available in South Korea. However, it looks like the blue team's first wave of graphics cards are finally set to release in the US, as HP and Asus products wielding the chips have popped up online as "coming soon". Over on Best Buy, there are two gaming laptop models listed that use an Intel Arc Alchemist GPU – the ASUS Zenbook Flip and the HP Spectre. Both options are equipped with the A370M, a chip that features 4GB GDDR6 VRAM, 8 Xe cores, and 8 ray tracing cores. The GPU is accompanied by an Intel Alder Lake i7 CPU, but the Asus laptop features 16GB of low profile DDR5 RAM, trumping the HP Spectre's DDR4 equivalent. In terms of price, the ASUS Zenbook Flip currently bears a $1,399.99 USD price tag, while the HP Spectre is listed for $1,999.99 USD. The latter option is particularly pricey when you consider the A370M GPU's specs, and you can grab an HP Omen RTX 3070 laptop on Best Buy for $600 less. RELATED LINKS: Arc Alchemist GPUs - everything we know, Raptor Lake CPUs - everything we know, Best gaming CPU |
PCGamesN Wednesday, April 27, 2022 9:34 AM  The Valorant 4.08 patch notes are now officially here. We had a sense of what the Fade update entailed as fans wasted little time sharing all the details of the new Valorant patch on Reddit after they appeared on FPS game's Taiwanese website. While we've heard plenty about the upcoming changes to Sova and Jett, we now know that Neon is getting some tweaks, too. Riot is making Neon's sliding abilities smoother to use, though the change catching everyone's attention is that her Fast Lane ability no longer hurts teammates. Fast Lane functions as a vision blocking manoeuvre that damages everyone aside from Neon, including your team, if you've been out of the loop. We've some amusing goofs because of that in professional play, so the changes are probably for the best. Riot is also boosting the battery energy received from killing an enemy to 100% from 25%. When it comes to High Gear, Neon can now slide sideways and forward - just make sure that she is moving. Energy drain has also been increased to ten seconds from 6.7, and velocity restriction has been removed. Oh, and you can't slide during equip delay. RELATED LINKS: Valorant characters: all agents and abilities, Valorant tier list |
PCGamesN Wednesday, April 27, 2022 12:56 PM  Looking for the best Minecraft 1.18 diamond level? You'll have to dig a little deeper to find this rare mineral, but it will be worth it when you strut into battle donning your sparkling war attire. Minecraft diamonds are used to craft high tier and extremely durable items such as tools and armour, and can also be used to create an enchantment table. You can craft diamonds in Minecraft from a block of diamond or by mining a diamond ore. By using a block of diamond in the crafting grid, you'll obtain nine diamonds. You can craft a bunch of glam gear from diamonds in Minecraft, as well as trading diamonds with villagers at Minecraft villages. If you're looking for diamonds out in the blocky wilds, instead of relying on loot chests, then you'll either need to mine for them or search caves. Here's where you'll find diamonds in Minecraft, as well as everything you can create using this rare mineral. RELATED LINKS: Minecraft console commands, Minecraft skins, Minecraft mods |
PCGamesN Wednesday, April 27, 2022 10:15 AM  The green team is so proud of its Nvidia GPU drivers, it recently released a video that details just how successful the Game Ready program is. Since it launched in 2014, Nvidia has published 150 drivers that support more than 400 different games. It's so confident in its process that Senior Product Manager, Sean Pelletier, cheekily puts AMD - and potentially Intel - on blast. Specifically, Pelletier boasts about the quality of Nvidia GPU drivers compared to its rivals. Since there are thousands of different gaming PC and gaming laptop setups running Nvidia hardware, the company says it conducts 1,000 tests per day across more than 4,500 configurations in order to ship drivers in a timely fashion. If that doesn't sound impressive enough, he also highlights that this equals 1.8 million hours throughout 2021, which is more than 214 years of testing. Jabbing at AMD's penchant for releasing beta drivers before they're Microsoft Windows Hardware Quality Lab (WHQL) certified, Pelletier says "Nvidia does not release beta Game Ready drivers," likening the process to the quality of early access games versus their final release. RELATED LINKS: RTX 4000 - everything we know, GeForce Now RTX 3080 review, Best graphics card |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, April 27, 2022 3:38 PM  The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) have ruled this week that Raven Software's 21 QA staff can vote on whether to form a union. The decision comes after months of arguments by Raven and Activision Blizzard management that the employees' petition be either denied or amended in such a way that, QA staff say, would have drastically reduced the chances of the vote being successful. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, April 27, 2022 3:00 PM  Last week, our mission resumed after a wee hiatus and you decided that parody in-game brands are better than photo modes. Or are less bad? Some of you have a lot of pent-up frustration because you lack the dexterity to keep your fingers from fumbling photo buttons. But it is decided, and we must move on. This week, it's a question of love versus a battlefield. What's better: romance, or iconic Counter-Strike map de_dust2? |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, April 27, 2022 2:39 PM  Corsair make a particularly fine selection of AiOs, also known as all-in-one liquid coolers. They use off-the-shelf designs for their pumps and radiators, as do many other companies, but distinguish themselves with good-quality fans, optional lighting and low prices for a major brand. That last point is particularly pertinent today, as their H100X 240mm AiO has dropped to nearly £60 on Amazon UK - a significantly lower price than any alternative that I'd rate as highly and some £25 below this AiO's original launch price. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, April 27, 2022 1:52 PM  A new raft of Ryzen 5000 processors has hit virtual and physical shelves, making it a good time to pick up a new AM4 CPU at a discounted price. The appearance of the lower-end Ryzen 5500, 5600 and mid-range 5700X have pushed prices for their more expensive counterparts way down, while the 5800X3D remains hard to find due to its relatively low supply and impressive gaming performance. If you were thinking of upgrading, you might be interested to know which retailers in the US and UK are selling each of these processors, and for how much. I was interested myself, so I put together a couple of small spreadsheets to find out - and the results suprised me. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, April 27, 2022 12:30 PM  Warstride Challenges is a retro-inspired FPS that's also a rally game at heart. The game rules and I am smitten with it, mainly because it puts my FPS acumen through its paces: aim, movement, and shrimp-back are all subject to rigorous testing. But the game also appeals to a primal, competitive side of me. The one that's desperate to beat my rival Patrick, a bot who's literally programmed to be really good, and Edders, a ghostly version of myself who either strokes my ego or shatters it to pieces. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, April 27, 2022 12:14 PM  Raven Software's military battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone sees the arrival of Season 3, Classified Arms, today, which just went live at 9am PDT/5pm BST. The update is also dropping for Call of Duty: Vanguard. In addition to new guns and a special timed event featuring Godzilla and King Kong (because of course), this season also sees the debut of some new types of private matches - although Raven have qualified that the latter are temporarily disabled due to "stability issues". At least that gives us time to download the 39GB update for Warzone, but remember to leave 13GB extra room for the patch to copy. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, April 27, 2022 12:00 PM  The Stanley Parable is a game about a man who leaves his desk one day to discover that all of his most difficult to animate colleagues have vanished. First released in 2011 as a Half-Life 2 mod, it is a wild fantasy about what it might be like to not be in front of the computer for a while. There's also some bonus themes in here about determinism in narrative fiction and the illusion of choice, framed as a satire of contemporary game design, but also as an incisive commentary on the notion of free will in general. But most of all, I think that The Stanley Parable is a game about not being in front of the computer for a little while, as a treat. There's an achievement you get for not playing the game for five years, and in The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe – a remastered version for consoles that adds some new content – there's another achievement for ten. If they could implement an achievement for feeding all of your worldly belongings into a woodchipper and staggering naked into the forest to live with the animals, they probably would. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, April 27, 2022 11:38 AM  Not content with confusing people with the Sonic Origins collection announcement last week, Sega are now delisting old versions of the games included within it from May 20th. That means Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic CD will bid farewell to Steam in their standalone form. Oh well, there's always emulation. Or forking out literally twice as much for Sonic Origins, I suppose. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, April 27, 2022 11:30 AM  If you thought Larian's walled castle booth at this year's PAX East was impressive, wait until you clap eyes on TinyBuild's full-on PAX carnival. It was here where we saw Potion Craft's delightfully detailed little magic tent, for example, as well as the world's largest luminescent, inflatable spider, who was on hand repping their new arachnid-based multiplayer lightsaber game, Spiderheck. To talk more about the stand and the publisher's upcoming slate of games, we spoke to CEO Alex Nichiporchik, all in the company of his good (and grizzly) friend Larry the bear. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, April 27, 2022 11:12 AM  Damn. I really have my work cut out for me with this one. I've given myself the span of a fairly short post to try and convince you, dear reader, to give Rocket Bot Royale a shot. It looks like a browser-based game, and it is. It looks like it's probably not worth anyone's time except schoolkids playing on computers in the IT department during their lunch breaks. But goodness me, is there more going on here than meets the eye. As I've made abundantly clear ever since I joined RPS, battle royales are my jam. I'll happily bulk out my Steam library with reams of half-baked ideas and clunky combat systems in the hopes of finding the next big time-sink for me and my squadmates to get lost in over the next several months. I fully expected Rocket Bot Royale to be left at the bottom of my most played games on Steam list after a few weeks, but after a few hours of play, I'm starting to think eventually it might arrive at the top. It's Worms, but with tanks. It's free to play. And I absolutely cannot stop playing it. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Wednesday, April 27, 2022 9:47 AM  Today's the day Bethesda crack open the humongous blast shields at their base in Rockville, Maryland, finally taking the brave step of plonking their back catalogue and future games fully onto Steam after six years of trying to make their own launcher happen. Don't worry, you'll have the option to transfer over your games, saves and Wallet balance until May 11th. You'll have to redownload everything unfortunately, but any game you happen to own via the Bethesda.net Launcher should appear as a free purchase on a linked Steam account. |
Twinfinite Wednesday, April 27, 2022 3:16 PM Fans of the original Avatar now have an actual date they can expect Avatar 2: The Way of Water. The sequel will be hitting theaters on Dec. 16 in the United States with overseas screens getting the film two days earlier on Dec. 14. While there is a new trailer for Avatar 2: The Way […] |
Twinfinite Wednesday, April 27, 2022 3:08 PM Today Microsoft and Asobo Studio hosted a livestream showcasing upcoming plans for Microsoft Flight Simulator. |
Twinfinite Wednesday, April 27, 2022 1:02 PM Today Koei Tecmo released a new trailer for the upcoming Musou game Touken Ranbu Warriors, focusing on the boys of the fifth team. |
Twinfinite Wednesday, April 27, 2022 12:24 PM Sony Interactive Entertainment announced the games that will be granted to PlayStation Plus subscribers in May 2022 at no additional cost. |
Twinfinite Wednesday, April 27, 2022 11:45 AM Koei Tecmo just one-upped Square Enix in a big way with a brand new Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream figure. |
Twinfinite Wednesday, April 27, 2022 11:38 AM Contra fans are in for a treat, as a brand new collection of merchandise has been revealed by Limited Run Games. The news came by way of a tweet yesterday, which showed off some of the goodies that fans can expect. As you can see in the tweet above, the collection features all sorts of […] |
Twinfinite Wednesday, April 27, 2022 11:16 AM As of today, Warframe players will get to undertake a new questline in the Angels of the Zariman expansion that will have them exploring the Zariman Ten Zero, the ship that was lost to a void-jump accident. From this accident the Tenno were born, so this questline will certainly give players all sorts of new […] |
Twinfinite Wednesday, April 27, 2022 11:15 AM Epic Games has today announced that 'underdog' Southpaw will be the skin headlining the Fortnite Crew offering for May 2022, and will come with a number of other cosmetics and in-game items that will release throughout the month. The news comes via a post on the official Fortnite blog, which includes a brief trailer for […] |
Twinfinite Wednesday, April 27, 2022 10:54 AM Today, Bandai Namco Filmworks has revealed two brand new trailers for their upcoming movie, Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island. Featuring both a 30-second and 60-second version, the videos preview the film's theme song and reveals some new key cast members. You can check out both trailers, as well as an official description, right down below. The […] |
Twinfinite Wednesday, April 27, 2022 10:53 AM Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown will get its own Top Gun: Maverick DLC featuring two aircraft from the movie and more. |
Twinfinite Wednesday, April 27, 2022 10:17 AM The big talking point ahead of the launch of Valorant's Episode 4, Act 3 might be the launch of the new Agent Fade, but potentially just as game-changing are nerfs and buffs to three of the game's current roster: Jett, Neon, and Sova. Riot Games has today detailed those changes in its full reveal of […] |
Twinfinite Wednesday, April 27, 2022 9:35 AM Riot Games is about to launch Valorant's next chapter of content as the arrival of Episode 4, Act 3 fast approaches. As is typical, there's a brand new trailer to hype everything that's in the pipeline, which of course mostly revolves around the addition of a new Agent to the game's roster, Fade. The trailer […] |
Twinfinite Wednesday, April 27, 2022 9:00 AM Nintendo Switch Sports on Switch In 2006, Wii Sports cemented itself as an important piece of video game history when it was released alongside the Wii —this collection of five sports games was Nintendo's way of showing off their newest console's motion control tech in a way that was accessible and fun for families and […] |
Siliconera Wednesday, April 27, 2022 3:00 PM
All strategic situations involve a clear goal to "win." In the majority of these fights, the idea is to outsmart or overpower an opponent. In Kaiju Wars, that isn't an option. Your opponent is a monstrous creature. It is huge. It is powerful. It can evolve and develop new abilities in the midst of a fight. You aren't exactly "winning." You're surviving. Which means success involves very different approaches. You are the new mayor of a city. You should be dealing with typical, ordinary issues. However, the unimaginable happens while visiting a local military base. A kaiju appears. It quickly wrecks a nearby building and begins to head right for the player. You can't stop it. You can only push back. And so, it becomes about going from one area to another, repelling kaiju until scientific discoveries can catch up for a more definitive preventative measure, as you gradually figure out what's going on.
Kaiju Wars is a tactical title. You have a small, grid-based map in front of you. At the start of both your forces and the kaiju's turn, you begin by pulling cards that provide potential benefits. Maybe you'll get a free army base or science points. Perhaps the monster of the day will get eight points of health restored. The start of the kaiju's turn also means your security will go down a level, which is a countdown to how long before it determines where Dr. Wagner, the scientist working on the actual measure to "defeat" it, is. The thing is that you can't use typical tactics. The kaiju is stronger than your units. The forces you send out will not deal major damage or force it back. They're stalling tactics while you wait for the folks in the lab to work out an actual defense. As time goes by, the creature will decimate the area. Which, in turn, cuts down your income and bases for deploying units. That means when your units do get destroyed, you can't rebuild them. Not to mention when it works out where Dr. Wagner is, you need to evacuate and head to another lab. When the scientist is on the move, you don't earn income or science, which means more time for the monster to recover and the goal post to success gets pushed back. This means Kaiju Wars comes down to desperate measures. Instead of thinking about a unit's fire power, their side effects and range can prove more beneficial. A tank will take longer to get somewhere. However, when the kaiju is on the move, a tank placed in their way can slow their advance by one. Artillery can't move and attack on the same turn. However, if you know the kaiju is about to head straight for Dr. Wagner's last known location, you can position it and hopefully get in multiple hits as it passes by. Especially since there will be a percentage showing the likelihood the kaiju will pass by certain squares. (You'll generally know exactly where it will end their path of destruction on their turn, so you can place a unit there accordingly.) It becomes about knowing which sacrifices to make to perhaps buy a few extra turns of income and when to have Dr. Wagner bug out and run to safety, ideally with some additional trucks or ships there to get to a new lab.
It is a fascinating approach. Especially since there are measures to make things "fair," while still maintaining that the kaiju is big and unstoppable. For example, you know what their special attacks will be. The game shows which squares could be hit if, say, the giant ape is going to perform a special Wind-up Punch attack. While the monsters' "cards" can be strong or heal a lot of damage you worked hard to deal, many of yours give you an edge. For example, getting Military Surge when most of your civilian buildings are destroyed is a godsend. That means you can deploy and repair units for free. You might get an experimental unit. Which means even though the kaiju will still be stronger, you could perhaps get a Shark Jet that could keep moving after attacking. So all of your attacks are really buying time. Instead of a health bar, enemies essentially have ones based on exhaustion. As you wear it down, it won't be able to travel as far. This means you could send out other units to halt fires, rebuild your army, prepare for their possible mutations, and even be ready in the event you do drive one away and it comes back. Also, you want to try and complete challenges to earn Medals. Because those not only show you completed a mission in a stage, but let you bolster the stats of your Ace units. I appreciate what Kaiju Wars asks a player to do. You're in a doomed situation. Make the best of it. As long as you keep the scientists alive and don't wind up completely obliterated, you did a good job. Kaiju Wars will come to PCs on April 28, 2022. It will also eventually come to the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The post Kaiju Wars Lets You Make the Best of a Bad Situation appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Wednesday, April 27, 2022 1:00 PM
When Touken Ranbu Warriors appears outside Japan, people can choose between the base game or a Digital Deluxe Edition with DLC. To help make it easier to determine which to get, Koei Tecmo went over what comes with the latter. It also confirmed the add-ons will be sold separately. The base game is $59.99. The version with all extra content is $109.99. It also noted the Touken Ranbu Warriors extra outfits for characters will make the Hissatsu Gauge fill faster. People get three more DLC packs with the Touken Ranbu Warriors Digital Deluxe Edition. The Additional Music pack adds two Honmaru songs and three battle songs. You can find them in the Music Album. If you beat the game, you could also change the Honmaru music to one of them. The Honmaru Backdrop includes five additional looks. Finally, the 16 Touken Ranbu Warriors outfits for characters are based on Uchiban Outfits from Touken Ranbu Online. These can be worn in Honmaru or Replay battles. You can already see some of those Touken Ranbu Warriors characters. English versions of trailers started showing up online. These look at the different teams in-game. For example, the first one featured Mikazuki Munechika, Sengo Muramasa, and Tonbokiri. The second team features Kasen Kanesada, Ichigo Hitofuri, and Namazuo Toushiro. Third Team involves Heshikiri, Yagen Toushiro, Tomoegata Naginata, and Omokage. The fourth team stars Tsurumaru Kuninaga, Shokudaikiri Mitsutada, and Okurikara. On the fifth team, folks can find Yamanbagiri Kunihiro and Yamanbagiri Chougi. Touken Ranbu Warriors will come to the Switch in North America and Europe on May 24, 2022, with standard and Digital Deluxe Edition versions available. It is also available on PCs in Japan. The post Touken Ranbu Warriors Digital Deluxe Edition Includes Characters' Outfit DLC appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Wednesday, April 27, 2022 12:30 PM
Sony announced the three games available as part of the May 2022 PlayStation Plus lineup. One is a PS4 game, while the other two titles launched on both the PS4 and PS5. Subscribers can get Curse of the Dead Gods (PS4), FIFA 22 (PS4, PS5), and Tribes of Midgard (PS4, PS5). Curse of the Dead Gods debuted on February 2021. It is a roguelike about continually dungeon diving to collect Relics, while also dealing with curses. It normally costs $19.99. FIFA 22 showed up back in October 2021. It is the latest entry in EA's long-running soccer series. The PS4 version is typically $59.99 on the PlayStation Store, while the PS5 one is $69.99. However, physical copies tend to go for around $29.99. Tribes of Midgard launched in July 2021. This is an action-RPG with optional Platinum Coin purchases and the ability to play alone or with others. It costs $19.99. The PlayStation Plus April 2022 games can be claimed until May 2, 2022. They are SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated (PS4), Slay the Spire (PS4), and Hood: Outlaws & Legends (PS4, PS5). PS5 subscribers also have until May 11, 2022 to grab Persona 5 from the PlayStation Plus Collection. << PlayStation Plus April 2022 Games The post PlayStation Plus May 2022 Lineup Announced appeared first on Siliconera. |
