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May 17, 14:00


Kotaku Tuesday, May 17, 2022 1:50 PM
    

We're now 18 months into the life of the PS5 and the Xbox Series X/S. The PS4 and the Xbox One are officially last-gen, a fact that's become increasingly clear to anyone who's tried to play Elden Ring on an old console whose fan sounds like a wind tunnel. Developers are also taking note, and recent cancellations of…

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Kotaku Tuesday, May 17, 2022 1:40 PM
    

Sword of Symphony, the in-development music-based JRPG from solo developer Stephen Ddungu, is back in the public conversation again. Apparently, after director Sam Raimi's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hit theaters earlier this month, Ddungu's fans took to Twitter to share an odd occurrence: One…

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Kotaku Tuesday, May 17, 2022 1:30 PM
    

When it comes to offering plausible visions of the future, the cyberpunk genre tends to fall just short of perfection. Eidos Montreal's trench coat runway show, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, portrayed a convincing version of near-future Prague but royally screwed up how vents work. DICE's parkour sim Mirror's Edge:

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Kotaku Tuesday, May 17, 2022 11:00 AM
    

Activision Blizzard touted its Diversity Space Tool in a blog post on May 12, in which it claimed that both the Call of Duty: Vanguard and Overwatch 2 development teams beta tested the tool with much enthusiasm, then quickly walked this statement back on May 13 and said the tool "is not being used in active game…

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Kotaku Tuesday, May 17, 2022 10:50 AM
    

Sony might have made a splash with its recently-detailed PS Plus revamp, but Game Pass continues to grow its library. The park-builder Jurassic World Evolution 2 is obviously a main draw and—bonus!—out today. Later this week, Game Pass will also get one of the best games of the year: Vampire Survivors. Here's…

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Kotaku Tuesday, May 17, 2022 9:45 AM
    

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Kotaku Tuesday, May 17, 2022 9:30 AM
    

There is a very large group of people who want you to know that multiplayer FPS Team Fortress 2, the 2007 game from Half-Life creators Valve, has a bot problem. A "rampant bot problem" we're told, in hundreds upon hundreds of identically worded emails sent to Kotaku and every other gaming site. They want Valve's…

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PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 1:19 PM
     Arma Reforger multiplayer is a new kind of challenge

A new generation of Arma has finally kicked off with the launch of Arma Reforger, the early access phase on the road to Arma 4. Unlike a mainline Arma game, however, Reforger is strictly a multiplayer game, and you'll need to get up to speed on how things work if you're going to lead your team to victory on the war-torn hills and valleys of Everon.

Everon will be familiar to long-term Arma players, since it served as the setting for ArmA: Cold War Assault, originally known as Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis. It's a fictional island in the North Sea, about 151 square kilometres in size, and you'll need to get familiar with all of it - Reforger's main multiplayer mode, Conflict, encompasses the entire map.

In Reforger's Conflict mode, two teams (US and Soviet) compete for control of Everon. The ultimate objective is to capture and recalibrate the radio located in the opposing team's headquarters building, but you can't simply rush across the map and start tuning dials.


PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 1:15 PM
     Arma 4 early access begins now with Arma Reforger

After almost nine years since the last entry in the series, Arma 4 early access is finally rumbling to life. Arma Reforger, a stripped-back, smaller-scale version of the military simulation game meant to get players and modders up to speed on the next-generation Enfusion engine developer Bohemia Interactive has built for Arma 4, is now available on Steam.

Arma Reforger is a different early access track than we've typically seen in the past. Rather than providing a work-in-progress look at Arma 4, Reforger is a separate game. There's no single-player campaign in Reforger, which is a multiplayer game first and foremost. However, using Bohemia's Workbench application, players will be able to get to work on mods straight away.

"Arma Reforger [is] a more compact and focused game, and the very first public milestone on the road to Arma 4," Marek Španěl, CEO and founder of Bohemia Interactive, explains. "On this long road to Arma 4, it is essential for us to have people actively using our new technology and contributing their feedback and criticism, as was always the case with Arma."


PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 12:07 PM
     Roguelike games: the best roguelikes and roguelites on PC

The roguelike is just as varied and increasingly approachable a genre as any other. Its popularity has erupted over the last decade, to the point where a new, promising, and often hard-as-nails roguelike game now seems to land every other week. To help you work out which are the crème de la crop, we've put together this here list of the best roguelike games on PC.

The best roguelike games retain their popularity for years after release, so you should expect to see a healthy mix of classics and newcomers among our picks. And while roguelike games are renowned for their hardcore nature, we continue to see developers attempt to open the genre up to new players and create novel hybrids, like strategy roguelikes, shooter roguelikes, and card battler roguelikes.

Plus, know that we're not going to split hairs here over what's a roguelike and what's a roguelite – we just want to share some of our all-time favourites with you lot, our lovely readers. So, without further delay, here are the best roguelike games on PC for various genres, from dungeon crawlers to strategy games.

RELATED LINKS: Hades Review, Best RPGs, Best indie games

PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 12:44 PM
     Grab 30% off Corsair's HS60 Pro gaming headset on Amazon

Corsair knows a thing or two about gaming headsets, and its HS60 Pro is a great option that doesn't break the bank. While the company's cans don't wield an unreasonable price tag, you can currently grab a set for less on Amazon, thanks to a nifty 30% discount.

Over on Amazon US, Corsair's HS60 Pro gaming headset is down from $69.99 to $49.00, meaning you can upgrade or replace your gaming PC audio for less. This 7.1 surround sound solution boasts 50mm neodymium audio drivers, which should help enhance fidelity whether you're listening to music on Spotify or listing out for footsteps in Call of Duty: Warzone.

While wearing a headset for extended periods can get uncomfortable, the HS60 Pro features Adjustable memory foam ear cups that'll help keep you in the game for longer. It's also a bit of a looker too, and the fact you can detach its microphone means you could, in theory, take it with you outside. That said, if you're rocking the best graphics card in your rig, you probably don't want to venture from your gaming desk anyway.

RELATED LINKS: Corsair HS70 headset review, Corsair K70 RGB Mk2 review, Best gaming keyboard

PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 11:59 AM
     Ex-Skyrim devs reveal Finnish folklore survival game

An indie studio of industry veterans who have worked on RPG games like Skyrim and Fallout 4 is building a new fantasy survival game about exploring the Finnish forest and meeting the mythical creatures who call it their home. The game is Among the Trolls, and it was announced at the 505 Games Spring Showcase earlier today.

Among the Trolls casts players as either Alex or Anna, a Finnish-American in their mid-30s who has traveled to their grandparents home in rural Finland to explore their family's roots. However, upon arrival at your grandparents' isolated cabin, you discover that they've disappeared and are pulled into a world that exists beyond the boundaries of our own - where the trolls live.

The trailer provides a glimpse at the world Forbidden Studios is creating for Among the Trolls - it's dense woodland, a place of golden sunlight breaking through the trees to briefly chase away the dark shadows. There's an air of menace to it, too: "I asked grandmother what happens when 'the folk' are angry," the narrator says. "I didn't sleep that night."


PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 11:54 AM
     Vampire Survivors and Jurassic World hit Game Pass this week

The PC Game Pass May games for the rest of the month have been revealed, with one of the best vampire games and a great dinosaur game available this week, the eagerly anticipated Sniper Elite 5 coming next week, and more - including some great indie games and Farming Simulator 22.

In the next two weeks, an almost ridiculous number of games are coming to Game Pass. There's still no sign of Assassin's Creed Origins, but this week alone contains some fantastic names. Just three weeks before the premiere of the new movie, Jurassic World Evolution 2 hits Game Pass today, along with Her Story and Little Witch in the Woods - which is best described as Stardew Valley meets Kiki's Delivery Service.

The popular Vampire Survivors hits the service later this week for anyone who doesn't want to shell out $3/£2. Next week brings a decent hitter in the form of Sniper Elite 5, Rebellion's latest sequel in the popular sniper game series. However, all this comes at a cost - Resident Evil 7, Knockout City and more will be leaving by the end of the month. Sniff.

RELATED LINKS: The best survival games on PC in 2022, Vampire Survivors weapon evolution guide, The best Vampire Survivors build

PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 11:45 AM
     Diablo 3 could have had a League of Legends-style PvP mode

One of Diablo 3's senior game designers has shed some light on the PvP concepts Blizzard was toying around with before moving on to other development priorities. Wyatt Cheng - who you may recognise as Diablo Immortal's game director these days - decided to mark the action-RPG's tenth anniversary by answering oodles of fan questions on Twitter.

Cheng tells one fan that the team tested a few modes internally during development. There was a MOBA-style, three-lane map with towers and creeps; an arena-based map with four pillars; a mode where a boss-style player took on four others; and another that involved doing bounties outdoors while PvP was enabled. While Diablo 3 eventually got a PvP mode called Brawling in a post-release patch, there was nothing for PvP hopefuls on launch. Cheng explains to another curious fan that this partly happened due to various design challenges and other priorities.

"Speaking in broad terms here - all of our internal PvP tests using fixed templated characters were super fun up until you could bring in your real character," Cheng says. "Fixed characters have ability sets the design creates to be fun first, then the player gets to try and optimise play.

RELATED LINKS: Diablo 3 builds, Diablo 3 Necromancer skills, Diablo 3 Necromancer beta

PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 11:30 AM
     Resident Evil VR mod improves RE7 and Village virtual reality

Resident Evil VR on PC is already a thing, but a new mod is on the way that almost perfects the virtual reality horror experience. The project adds six degrees of freedom (6DOF), VRIK, and motion control support to RE7 and RE Village, enhancing the experience further while using the best VR headset.

Spotted by Eurogamer, the Resident Evil VR mod fills in for Capcom's lack of virtual reality support. Created by Praydog, the enhancement means you can shoot, block shots, and heal using your hands, adding an extra element of immersion to the survival horror games. The REFramework tool itself is compatible with RE 2,  3, 7, and Village, and it even works with Devil May Cry 5 and Monster Hunter Rise.

The latest Resident Evil VR mod is sure to please gaming PC virtual reality enthusiasts, but support for the play method isn't seamless. Some segments of RE 7 and Village suffer somewhat due to forced camera movements – a regular occurrence thanks to various scripted gameplay elements.

RELATED LINKS: Best SSD for gaming, How to build a gaming PC, Best gaming CPU

PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 10:25 AM
     Total War: Warhammer 3 patch adds free DLC and auto mounts

The latest Total War: Warhammer III patch 1.2 notes are here, bringing with it a load of changes - including the strategy game's first Regiments of Renown free DLC pack, a much-requested change to mounts, and the AI shouldn't be so mean to the player anymore.

Last month, Creative Assembly revealed the full Total War: Warhammer III roadmap for 2022, and while most were concerned with the details on the Immortal Empires combined campaign release date, the developer also confirmed that update 1.2 would bring the first Regiments of Renown DLC for free. It's here now, adding new, recruitable elite troops to every faction.

The full patch notes are available here. One much-requested feature is an auto-unlock for mounts, where characters will automatically gain their mounts when they reach the appropriate level rather than the player having to spend a skill point on them. Auto-resolve now functions based on the difficulty of the battle rather than the chosen campaign difficulty setting, and the scaling of auto-resolve has been reduced on Hard.

RELATED LINKS: Total War: Warhammer 3 DLC, Total War: Warhammer 3 races, Total War: Warhammer 3 review

PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 10:00 AM
     The Dead Space Remake could make Nvidia PhysX relevant again

A new Dead Space remake teaser shows its visual effects, and it could help PhysX become a thing again within the gaming PC scene. The short clip demonstrates environmental effects that "live in the physics world," something that breathes life into the sci-fi horror game's particles.

According to a Dead Space remake clip, elements like smoke will "interact" with player movement, leading to a more natural effect. In turn, this means players can manipulate things like smoke, fog, pyrotechnics, and fumes, facilitating an extra layer of eerie immersion.

It's worth noting that while PhysX is anything but new, most modern gaming PC discussions revolve around features like ray tracing. In a way, this Dead Space trailer thrusts particle simulation back into the spotlight, meaning we could see the upcoming games take full advantage of VFX. Naturally, the tech will also undoubtedly play an important role when it comes to the best VR headset games, with concepts like the metaverse relying on ultra-realistic digital spaces.


PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 11:38 AM
     Overwatch 2 heroes: every new hero so far

Want to know about Overwatch 2 heroes? The sequel to Blizzard's hero-based FPS game will feature a mixture of returning characters and at least one new face. As content will be shared across Overwatch 1 and 2, we know that all of the original Overwatch characters will be in the roster. They will be joined by new heroes will be introduced before and after Overwatch 2 goes live, too.

So far, we've only had one new character confirmed - Sojourn. We were originally expecting Echo to join the ranks of new Overwatch 2 heroes as well but she ended up sneaking into Overwatch 1 before active development of that game finished.

Throughout this guide we'll go over all the new Overwatch 2 heroes we've come across so far and what their abilities are. The Overwatch 2 release date is closer than it was, but still some time away so this list isn't exhaustive. But we'll keep updating it with more information as it becomes available. Now that's out the way, here's everything we know about the new Overwatch 2 heroes.

RELATED LINKS: Overwatch 2 heroes, Overwatch 2 release date, Overwatch 2 tier list

PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 9:55 AM
     Galactic Civilizations IV's Krynn will unite the galaxy through faith

Galactic Civilizations IV is out now, and there's an entire galaxy's worth of factions you can control as you try to conquer the stars in the newest 4X game from Stardock. We're going to be looking at another one of the 18 available civilizations, one with a very storied legacy: the Krynn Syndicate.

The Krynn are not a single species, but rather are a religion made up of citizens from all corners of the galaxy. Your homeworld's citizens can come from anywhere - the Arcean Republic, the Mimot - even the Drengin. The Way of the Krynn accepts all comers, and as the leader of the syndicate it's your job to lead the faithful in their quest to convert the rest of the galaxy… by any means necessary.

In ages past, this empire was known as the Krynn Consulate, but recently a criminal organisation known as the Syndicate has taken control. While this hasn't turned the Krynn into crime lovers like the Xeloxi, it has put them on a more aggressive path. In the end, everyone in the galaxy shall follow the Way of the Krynn - whether they want to or not.

RELATED LINKS: The best 4X games on PC, Galactic Civilizations 4 review, Six games like Civilization

PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 9:49 AM
     Free GOG games: best picks and how to get them

Looking for a roundup of the best free GOG games? There's a reason GOG was formerly known as Good Old Games, and that legacy is alive and well when you peer through the store's pre-2000s catalogue, with arcade gems, sequels you forgot about, and everything in-between represented with gorgeous box art.

Look a little deeper into the vast number of games on offer, and you'll find that some of them are free GOG games. While you won't find many of the best MMOs for free on GOG, its collection of free single-player games should appeal to anyone looking to give their wallet some rest.

Most of the free games in the store are demos and prologues, so we've scoured GOG's selection of the best free PC games. To ensure every gamer has an option, you can expect a mix of excellent point and click adventure games, some of the best old PC games, and many more below. We've also tried to mix in as many modern games as possible if you're just here for the Good Games and would prefer to skip the Old part.

RELATED LINKS: Best CCGs, Gwent system requirements, Gwent decks

PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 7:43 AM
     Final Fantasy XV hits 10 million worldwide JRPG sales

With most of the fanbase itching in anticipation of the next Final Fantasy XVI trailer, Square Enix confirms today that Final Fantasy XV sales worldwide for the RPG game have topped over 10 million copies, across all platforms.

Final Fantasy XV finally released on PC in March 2018 after a year and a half exclusive to consoles, and it's still one of the best JRPGs on PC. Today, over five years since its initial release and on the Final Fantasy franchise's 35th anniversary - which is soon to see Final Fantasy XI return within FFXIV - Square Enix has announced this big sales milestone of 10 million copies sold for Final Fantasy XV, and thanks fans for their support.

We're not sure whether that includes players that downloaded Final Fantasy XV on Xbox Game Pass when it was available, but nonetheless, it's an impressive milestone. The PC version is definitely a big part of that number, too, since the Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition sold one million copies on Steam in its first year alone. There have been quite a few sales in the three years since.

RELATED LINKS: Final Fantasy XV PC, Final Fantasy XV PC performance, Final Fantasy XV mods

PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 7:42 AM
     Call of Duty: Warzone 2 release date speculation: new map and engine

Want to know more about Call of Duty: Warzone 2 release date? In a special briefing earlier this year, Infinity Ward confirmed their hugely successful Call of Duty battle royale game is getting a sequel. Warzone 2 looks set to be built on a new engine, with an all-new playspace and a sandbox mode, resulting in a "massive evolution of Battle Royale".

With Call of Duty Warzone Season 3 in full swing and Activision Blizzard confirming the game reached over 100 million active players last year, Warzone 2 is undoubtedly one of the biggest upcoming games in some time. There's a lot we still don't know about Activision Blizzard's FPS game, including whether players have access to their arsenal of weapons and operators from Warzone 1, or when the exact Warzone 2 release date is.

We've put together this guide with everything we know about Warzone 2, including its rumoured release date, what the next Warzone map might look like, and much more.


PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 7:26 AM
     How to clean your computer – a dust-free gaming PC with swift software

Learning how to clean your computer is important, and it could help prevent your gaming PC gathering dust and keep things speedy. Choosing the right PC case and making sure to manage cables within your rig helps, but you'll still need to roll up your sleeves and scrub its innards from time to time. Implementing a good PC hygiene strategy will ensure your machine looks the part, but it'll also help boost fps and maintain peak performance while running the latest Steam games.

If you've been researching how to clean your computer, you'll likely be aware that it's not like tidying your room. Removing physical dust, dirt, and grime from your gaming PC requires special care, especially if your rig is powered by the best graphics card. While cleaning your machine may feel daunting and tedious, it's also a rewarding process that should help your parts live longer – an invaluable boon considering costs amid ongoing component shortages.

To help you give your machine a deep cleanse, we've put together a handy guide on how to clean your computer, including the tools and steps required to polish up your PC. We'll even give you some pointers on how to clean up your hard drive and SSD, as digital dirt can be just as problematic as the grime inside your case.

RELATED LINKS: Best SSD for gaming, How to build a gaming PC, Best gaming CPU

PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 7:10 AM
     AOC unveils speedy 240Hz mini LED gaming monitor

Mini LED gaming monitor options are becoming more of a thing, and AOC just announced a speedy screen armed with the vibrant tech. The AGON Pro AG274QZM is a QHD, 240Hz panel that balances performance with a high spec viewing experience, meaning it could pair nicely with both the best FPS games and cinematic gaming PC experiences.

A press release for AOC's new mini LED gaming monitor lists a bunch of impressive specs alongside its 240Hz refresh rate, including HDR1000 certification. The latter boon means the display features 1,200 nits peak brightness, something that'll help the best PC games look even better. The panel also bolsters its HDR abilities with 576 dimming zones, resulting in deeper blacks and brighter brights.

The best gaming monitors can boast refresh rates beyond 240Hz, but seeing more mini LED screens packing the screen standard is exciting. While options like Samsung's Odyssey Neo G9 exist, AOC's offering comes with an attractive £999.99 price tag, which works out at around $1,246 USD.

RELATED LINKS: AOC G2590FX review, AOC AGON AG322QCX review, Best gaming monitor

PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 7:10 AM
     Inside the horrifying sci-fi world of Dolmen

You need only spend a few minutes with Dolmen, the upcoming sci-fi Soulslike from Massive Work Studio and Prime Matter, to get a taste of its nightmarish vision of the future. Monstrous, alien creatures stalk the halls of once pristine, futuristic structures. The walls and floors are lined with eggs, waiting to burst forth with more enemies. And then there's you, a lone mercenary thrown into the middle of the nightmare.

It's not an easygoing experience, between the tough combat with deadly creatures and the oppressive landscape you find yourself in, but it's instantly engaging. As you slash and parry your way through the hordes of aliens in your path, you'll be drawn in by the world itself and all its grotesque glory, slowly picking apart what happened to the world of Revion Prime.

It'll take all your skill and wits to survive this deadly world, and it always helps to know a bit more about what you're heading into before you get there. Luckily, we spoke to Massive Work's CTO Gabriel Neves Ferreira to get the details on the influences behind Dolmen and the monsters you'll be facing off against.


PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 6:15 AM
     AMD may stick to fishy names with new Radeon GPU, Navi 31

Next-gen AMD Radeon GPUs are on the horizon, and we're learning more about the next best graphics card contender as its potential release date approaches. While various spec whispers have made their way out of the rumour mill, a new leak reveals that RDNA 3 based Navi 31 configurations may inherit RDNA 2's fishy naming conventions.

According to Kepler on Twitter, next-gen AMD Radeon GPUs allegedly bear the codename 'Plum Bonito'. In the culinary world, the term refers to a dish comprising dried fish flakes, soya sauce, and seaweed. Rather than having anything to do with food at team red's HQ, the phrase is supposedly a tasty tech term that's attached to its next-gen gaming PC ambitions.

If we know one thing, it's that GPU companies love themed names. Nvidia continues to attach famous scientist names to the likes of its upcoming RTX 4000 series, codenamed Ada Lovelace. Providing AMD embraces its RNDA 2 fish-fueled terminology, we may see future graphics cards follow suit. That said, Kepler's leak includes an RDNA 4 tidbit, as the insider reveals the microarchitecture might be officially known as 'GFX1200'.

RELATED LINKS: Zen 4 CPUs - everything we know, RDNA 3 GPUs - everything we know, Best gaming CPU

PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 6:02 AM
     Fortnite 20.40 begins Chapter 3 Season 2 end event countdown

When does Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 2 end? Very soon, and with the release of Fortnite patch 20.40 today, the battle royale game starts the countdown to a big live endgame event to conclude the season - and Epic has just dropped a literal doomsday device on the map.

The Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 3 release date has always been down for the beginning of June, and it now looks like the multiplayer game's latest season is set to finish with another exciting live event - the first since Chapter 2's big conclusion back in December.

Fortnite update 20.40 is out now, and while the game itself is down for maintenance leaks have started flowing in. The most notable is the arrival of a giant doomsday device called, er, Doomsday Device, which has taken up a large chunk of Loot Lake just north of the blown-up-once-again Tilted Towers. At first, the live event was only hinted at by leaks, but now it seems to be confirmed - not just by new strings in the files, but also by a full countdown on the game's main menu.

RELATED LINKS: Fortnite V-Bucks, Fortnite Skins, Fortnite Creative Codes

PCGamesN Tuesday, May 17, 2022 10:23 AM
     The best RPG games on PC 2022

Looking for the best RPG games on PC? It's not an easy question to answer, especially given there are so many worthy candidates out there. That's not to mention the amount of time required to beat them - we're talking 50+ hours as the new normal these days, and they're only getting longer.

The diversity of RPG games nowadays is hard to express. Just in our selection below we've got interplanetary exploration, lightsaber duels, bloodthirsty vampires, irradiated mutants who need to be beaten with golf clubs, lizards who can talk to cats, and a whole lot of dice rolling if that's your jam. And that's not taking into consideration the spin-off genre that is turn-based RPGs, which marries the imagination and role-playing of RPGs with the tactical scale of many turn-based strategy games.

This is a stalwart PC genre that came into existence in the '70s, and videogame RPGs have changed a lot over the years. Their scale and scope is like never before, with tech finally catching up to the ambitions of developers enabling vast open worlds like never before. So, dear adventurer, please gather your party before we head out. We're about to bear witness to the best RPGs available on PC.

RELATED LINKS: The Witcher 3 mods, The Witcher 4 news, Play The Witcher 3

Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, May 17, 2022 1:15 PM
    

Arma Reforger is the next game in the long-running military simulation series and will serve as an advance force for Arma 4, Bohemia Interactive have revealed during their 'Future Of Arma' stream today. Most of the information Bohemia had to relay was leaked over the weekend on Reddit, but it's always good to get official confirmation of these things, amirite?

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, May 17, 2022 11:27 AM
    

The devastatingly stylish first-person photography game Umurangi Generation arrived on Game Pass today, so here's me to nudge you to try one of our favourite games of 2020 (and 2021's IGF Grand Prize winner). I can't think of many other games which have you photographing scenes of daily life and struggle amidst a Neon Genesis Evangelion-grade cataclysmic kaiju event. It looks and sounds fantastic, too, with cool Jet Set Radio vibes.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, May 17, 2022 11:00 AM
    

"In a way you could say that we've been failing at teaching Eve for 19 years," says Bergur Finnbogason, the creative director of Eve Online. It's not the whole story when it comes to new players in the infamous space MMO, but it is the dominant one.

Among the many graphs that Finnbogason presented to the Eve faithful during his Fanfest keynote in Reykjavík this year, one was a colourful standout. It showed Eve Online's learning curve as a comedy cliff face, so steep that it turned back on itself. Stickmen tumbled from its peak, while others were crucified or hanged from the curve's mantel - killed by Eve's notoriously cruel new player experience. It earned a laugh of grim recognition from the audience, all survivors of that terrible climb.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, May 17, 2022 10:30 AM
    

Publisher 505 Games used their debut showcase stream to show off some more of Point Blank Games' upcoming action RPG Stray Blade, along with Forbidden Studios' supernatural first-person survival game Among The Trolls. Stray Blade was first touted on the Xbox stream at last year's Gamescom but it's been in development for several years at the Berlin-based developers. The game stars an anthropologist who's been sucked through a magic portal and dumped in the 'Valley of Acrea' with a little scarf-wearing wolf called Boji for company.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, May 17, 2022 9:26 AM
    

In many ways, AMD's Ryzen 5 5600X processor is the perfect gaming CPU, offering extremely good performance for games and content creation while consuming little heat, working with very inexpensive motherboards and coming with a free, perfectly capable CPU cooler. The CPU's only major drawback on launch was its price: £280. Now, the Ryzen 5 5600X is retailing for just £185 at Currys in the UK when you use the code FNDDGAMING, bringing a heretofore unseen level of performance to this price point.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, May 17, 2022 9:00 AM
    

505 Games' first showcase has revealed the next game from Mutant Year Zero: Road To Eden developers The Bearded Ladies, and it's another post-apocalyptic wasteland. We were only shown a very small CG snippet of during the presentation, but Miasma Chronicles is going to be a tactical adventure set in a near-future America that's been done a nasty disservice by an evil titular miasma. Have a watch of the reveal trailer below.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, May 17, 2022 8:54 AM
    

The RTX 3080 Ti and RTX 3090 Ti are both available at their UK RRP right now at Scan, thanks to Nvidia Founders Edition models remaining in stock. This makes it a great time to pick up either model, as the Founders Edition cards perform excellently yet have much lower recommended retail prices than third-party models which can cost hundreds of pounds more.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, May 17, 2022 8:00 AM
    

Look at V Rising's Steam store page and you'd wave it off in a heartbeat. Middling art sits atop a generic description that does its very best to not sell the game. "Hunt for blood in nearby settlements... conquer the land of the living." Alrighteyyy, then. Screenshots show what could be any other isometric RPG like Path Of Exile or something – anything.

So, you dive in expecting an average time. One characterised by little more than two palms on the knees once you've closed it down, then a big stand and a wordless stretch. But no! V Rising is the opposite of average; it should be renamed V-ERY GOOD Rising. Forget the art, the description, the screenshots. Just give it a shot.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, May 17, 2022 7:30 AM
    

I've always been terrible at games. Truly. Trying to join in with any online multiplayer game has been met with quotes such as, "What on earth are you doing?" and, "Wow, 84 deaths? Really?", to name but a few. This led to scenarios where it felt far easier for me to give up and try something new. But when the point of the game is to continue dying over and over again to up my knowledge, skill level, abilities and unlock new weapons and perks? There I have found a place for my unending death and incompetence in Supergiant's Hades.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, May 17, 2022 6:55 AM
    

Indie games celebration Guerrilla Collective have announced that their online summer indie games showcase will return for a third year on June 11th. It begins at 8am PST / 4pm BST, if you want to mark it down in your calendar. Wholesome Games have also confirmed they'll be broadcasting their Wholesome Direct stream straight after the close of Guerrilla Collective's notE3 event at 9.30am PST / 5.30pm BST. That's at least two hours of non-stop indie games to look forward to.

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Twinfinite Tuesday, May 17, 2022 1:25 PM
     Today Microsoft and third-party developers released plenty of new content for Microsoft Flight Simulator, focusing on scenery.

Twinfinite Tuesday, May 17, 2022 1:01 PM
     Developer and publisher Square Enix has today announced that its 2016 RPG Final Fantasy XV has shipped 10 million copies since its launch on PS4 and Xbox One, and later, PC. The news comes by way of a Tweet from its Japanese Final Fantasy channel: 📢『#ファイナルファンタジーXV』が全世界累計販売本数1,000万本を達成しました!いつも応援ありがとうございます!✨これからも #FF15 を宜しくお願いします!#FFXV #FF pic.twitter.com/UqrUrCA1Iu — FINAL FANTASY XV (@FFXVJP) […]

Twinfinite Tuesday, May 17, 2022 11:32 AM
     We've reached week nine of the Resistance questline in Fortnite, folks. While the season is starting to wind down towards the end, the quests are still going strong. This time we will be handling how to download personnel files from old IO Servers in Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 2. How To Establish Device Uplink As […]

Twinfinite Tuesday, May 17, 2022 11:31 AM
     Fade is the new mobile-exclusive Legend that's been added to the roster, so players who are picking up the game for the first time today may not know how to play him just yet. If you're one of said players, we can help. Here's how to play Fade in Apex Legends Mobile. How to Use […]

Twinfinite Tuesday, May 17, 2022 10:59 AM
     Today Techland announced via press release that a new team is being assembled to work on a fantasy AAA open-world action RPG.

Twinfinite Tuesday, May 17, 2022 10:31 AM
     The Valiant, from massive publisher THQ Nordic, promises to be more than your average RTS. First up we have the announcement trailer that shows off the cinematics and the story. As heavy as the story seems to be, the visuals in the trailer are definitely nice. Here is the announcement trailer: We have been given […]

Twinfinite Tuesday, May 17, 2022 10:12 AM
     When Koei Tecmo initially announced Touken Ranbu Warriors for the west, they omitted the PC version. This changes today.

Twinfinite Tuesday, May 17, 2022 10:10 AM
     After months of beta testing, Apex Legends Mobile has finally launched for Android and iOS devices. Starting today, players will be able to download the game from Google Play Store and Apple App Store on their mobile devices. Similar to its PC counterpart, Apex Legends Mobile features a wide range of characters that comes pre-equipped […]

Twinfinite Tuesday, May 17, 2022 9:57 AM
     During today's 505 Games Spring Showcase, developer The Bearded Ladies and publisher 505 Games revealed the first look at their upcoming turn-based RPG, Miasma Chronicles. Behold the brand-new Miasma Chronicles footage down below: Combining a futuristic cyberpunk setting with an emotional narrative and real-time exploration, Miasma Chronicles is a mid-tier strategy RPG that comes from […]

Twinfinite Tuesday, May 17, 2022 9:49 AM
     The 505 Showcase has given a new look at Stray Blade. This upcoming Action RPG features hefty combat as well as the help of an adorably gruff looking small white companion known as the "Xhinnon wolf Boji." Stray Blade looks to be pretty tough, but rewarding, as there is definitely loot to be gained. The […]

Twinfinite Tuesday, May 17, 2022 9:30 AM
     Microsoft revealed today all the new additions coming to Xbox Game Pass across consoles, PC, and the cloud for the remainder of May. The list kicks off with five games available starting today with mystery movie game Her Story on PC, the original Skate on the cloud via EA Play, and management simulation sequel Jurassic […]

Twinfinite Tuesday, May 17, 2022 9:18 AM
     Koei Tecmo has been localizing most of its games in the west for a long time, but there has always been a big exception, Ruby Party.

Twinfinite Tuesday, May 17, 2022 9:14 AM
     Today, during the 505 Games showcase, a brand new trailer for the upcoming first-person survival adventure game, Among the Trolls, was revealed. Developed by Finnish indie studio Forbidden Studios, the game places you in the shoes of an American that is looking to uncover the strange mysteries of the forests that exist near their grandparent's […]

Twinfinite Tuesday, May 17, 2022 9:04 AM
     Touken Ranbu Warriors is getting close to its release in the west, bringing the popular Touken Ranbu franchise to the big screen.

Twinfinite Tuesday, May 17, 2022 6:21 AM
     The Fortnite week 9 challenges are the penultimate set to release in Chapter 3 Season 2, and will give players one of their last chances to level up their Battle Pass and get the Doctor Strange skin. In this guide, we'll be running you through how to complete all week 9 quests so you know […]

Twinfinite Tuesday, May 17, 2022 6:11 AM
     Late yesterday, Sony Pictures Television and Apple debuted a brand-new trailer for the third season of their sci-fi drama series, For All Mankind. Scheduled to arrive exclusively on Apple TV+ on June 10, the upcoming show will shift its focus from the moon to the red planet, Mars. Go ahead and check out the new […]

Twinfinite Tuesday, May 17, 2022 6:10 AM
     Epic Games has just dropped the Fortnite 20.40 update, which brings back the Sideways Showdown week, kicks off the Funding Station battle between Shield Bubbles and Balloons, and even provides some hints at what the end of season event may entail. The majority of the contents of the update are detailed in the official blog […]

Siliconera Tuesday, May 17, 2022 1:15 PM
    

Blue, Pink, and Purple PS5 Console Covers Arrive in June

More PS5 console cover options are finally on the way. In December 2021, Sony announced Cosmic Red, Galactic Purple, Midnight Black, Nova Pink, and Starlight Blue ones were on the way. The black and red variants showed up in January 2022. Now, the blue, pink, and purple ones will show up in June 2022. Each one will cost $54.99. The price is the same for both the standard and digital editions of the console. Pre-orders are open.

There's no specific release date for a general retail release. However, Sony did note an early access launch date for its storefront. He noted people can order these from PlayStation Direct starting on June 17, 2022. Folks in seven countries will be able to get them then.

Here's the list of places where people will get the three new PS5 console covers that day.

  • Belgium
  • France
  • Germany
  • Luxembourg
  • Netherlands
  • United Kingdom
  • United States

While the black and red variants are out now, they aren't always immediately available. For example, the Midnight Black standard console cover is out of stock at PlayStation Direct on May 17, 2022. However, the digital edition's version of that cover and both the Cosmic Red standard and digital edition covers are available.

The Galactic Purple, Nova Pink, and Starlight Blue PS5 covers will be available in June 2022.

The post Blue, Pink, and Purple PS5 Console Covers Arrive in June appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Tuesday, May 17, 2022 1:00 PM
    

Second FFVII The First Soldier Livestream Will Appear This Week

The second FFVII The First Soldier livestream will be held this week. Square Enix and Ateam announced they'll make announcements about the future of the game on May 19, 2022. People in North America can tune in on Twitch at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET. The presentation will air at 3 a.m. CET/10 a.m. JST on May 20, 2022.

There are a few hints as to what will come up during the presentation. The official art announcing it is the same one used for the #0 and #1 presentations, so there are no clues there. The Japanese rock group Man with a Mission will appear in the game. This showcase will go over that event. The teaser announcement already confirmed the band's new song "The Soldiers from the Start" and group will appear in-game. This could also mean people will get cosmetics for characters based on their wolf masks. The announcement also confirmed season 3 of FFVII The First Soldier will be discussed.

FFVII The First Soldier is in the midst of season 2 right now. It added the Dragoon style to the game. The Bahamut summon showed up too. As for skins, people were able to get some inspired by Crisis Core FFVII.

Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier is available for mobile devices. The FFVII The First Soldier second official livestream will be held at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET on May 19, 2022.

The post Second FFVII The First Soldier Livestream Will Appear This Week appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Tuesday, May 17, 2022 12:30 PM
    

FFXI Prime Weapons and Empyrean Weapon Reforging Teased

In honor of the 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy XI, Producer Akihiko Matsui teased things to come in the game. Of course, additional parts of the Voracious Resurgence questline will eventually appear. However, there is new equipment on the way too. In particular, Matsui teased the FFXI Empyrean and Prime weapons updates. There are no exact release dates for either.

Matsui first talked about the Prime Weapons. He suggested those are "close." This could mean an update soon could add them.

As for the Empyrean weapons, those will come in two parts in FFXI. The first isn't that far away. Some reforging will show up in Summer 2022. So people could probably expect that before the end of September 2022. The second part will follow this winter. Which means sometime in the middle December onward, the rest could be able to get more powerful.

Here are FFXI Producer Matsui's exact statements regarding future Voracious Resurgence and weapon updates.

But enough about the past—let's talk about what Vana'diel's 20th year of service has in store.

The Voracious Resurgence marches ever forward to its conclusion, and as of the May version update we're at just about the story's halfway point. Most of the major actors have made an appearance, and now it's up to the adventurers to prove that they're exactly who Vana'diel needs in this moment. It's also getting close to the time for new battle content so that you can get your hands on the Prime Weapons, which we've been hinting at over the past couple months. Be prepared for a new swath of powerful armaments.

In other battle content news, we're finally going to bring you Empyrean weapon reforging in two separate version updates—one in summer, and one in winter. Odyssey will also see increases to the Vengeance cap, and we're going to keep increasing the maximum Master Level as well.

But lest you think that we're going to rest on our laurels now that the 20th Vana'versary is here, let me assure you that nothing could be further from the truth. We remain ever committed to improving and adding new content to Vana'diel, and the development and operations teams are going full speed ahead. And just as we continue to bring you new story content in The Voracious Resurgence, I hope that you will continue to create your own wonderful stories with your friends, allies, and fellow adventurers. We promise that we'll be with you every step of the way.

Final Fantasy XI is available for PCs. A New Adventurer Gratitude Campaign is now live in-game.

The post FFXI Prime Weapons and Empyrean Weapon Reforging Teased appeared first on Siliconera.