Jan 04, 21:00


Kotaku Tuesday, January 4, 2022 6:05 PM
    

Literally what the fuck? It's been 2022 for less than a week and already the shit has begun. The mods for Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade started rolling in shortly after its troubled PC release last month, but I certainly did not expect someone to go full sicko and give Sephiroth the Ronald McDonald make-over.

Read more...


Kotaku Tuesday, January 4, 2022 5:21 PM
    

High-end enthusiast keyboards are marvels of engineering and design, with cases cut from bead-blasted aluminum, suspended gasket mounts, and convenient features like hot-swappable key switches. Gaming keyboards are all RGB lighting effects, sleek angles, shine-through keycaps, and eye-catching bells and whistles.…

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Kotaku Tuesday, January 4, 2022 4:45 PM
    

Here, as is our custom at Kotaku, are our collective picks for the 12 best games of the past year, shared in the early days of the new one. But before we get to the games, I want to say a few words about the list, and why we present it the way we do, unranked, in alphabetical order.

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Kotaku Tuesday, January 4, 2022 2:55 PM
    

Halo Infinite's contentious "Fracture: Tenrai" event returns today with a makeover that should make everyone happy. Probably. Maybe? You can never tell with these things. Players who don't wanna trudge through big team battle-themed challenges to open Fracture-themed ones will be delighted, at least.

Read more...


PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 6:56 PM
     Activision Blizzard employees are still striking over Call of Duty: Warzone layoffs

After a number of layoffs at Raven Software, the studio best known for Call of Duty: Warzone, in December, some Activision Blizzard employees walked out in protest. The strike has continued, and members of the Raven QA department have sent a letter to Activision Blizzard leadership asking for a response to their demands.

"Monday January 3 is the start of the third work week in which employees are striking in solidarity with 12 members of QA whose contracts were terminated," the letter begins. "We have not had any communication from leadership about our singular demand: All members of the Raven QA department must be offered full time positions, including those who were let go.

"We have emphasized that our demonstration is done with the best interests of the studio (and all projects on which the studio works) in mind. The downsizing of the Raven QA department without input from anyone within the department is concerning to us and others throughout the company. In the interest of making positive change for Raven, we would like to reach out to leadership to discuss the current situation."


PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 6:26 PM
     Halo Infinite devs pull items from the real-money store in favour of the free Fracture: Tenrai event

Halo Infinite's battle pass and live event rollout have proved to be the source of the game's most notable criticisms since launch, and the developers at 343 have been making regular adjustments in response to that feedback. The Fracture: Tenrai event is back again, with a host of major changes aimed to make progression less frustrating.

The devs have pulled challenge swaps and XP grants out of the event pass after tier ten - in their place are 11 new cosmetics. As 343 explains in the blog post, "content that was originally slated to be featured as premium offerings in the store for the remaining weeks of this event has now been added to the core free event pass." The week one store items are still gone, however, and haven't been added to the pass.

The event is still designed to require you to play multiple weeks for full unlock progression, but you'll now be able to get ten tiers in a week instead of the previous seven. You'll also now more regularly see event challenges during event weeks, and there's now a higher weekly cap on them - ten, instead of seven.

RELATED LINKS: Halo Infinite release date, Halo Infinite system requirements, Halo Infinite ranks

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 5:31 PM
     Project Zomboid's next big addition will be NPCs

Since the release of its massive Update 41, Early Access zombie game Project Zomboid has blown up into a genuine hit, almost a decade after it first launched. Its developers, The Indie Stone, aren't slowing down and resting on their undead laurels. In a new interview, the devs say they're hard at work with Project Zomboid's next major addition: human NPCs.

The Indie Stone's managing director and coder Chris Simpson spoke with NME about Update 41, as well as plans for the game going forward. The interview provides some fascinating insight into the development of the latest update, as well as the devs' feelings about having spent so long in Early Access. But Simpson also identifies NPCs as the studio's next major goal for Zomboid. It's a feature fans have been waiting for years to see in the game.

"We're planning on doing NPCs pretty much next," Simpson says. "Although there may be smaller builds in between, the next big thing that we're working toward and talking about in the new year is going to be NPCs."


PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 5:03 PM
     The AGDQ 2022 schedule kicks off this weekend with Nioh 2

It's a new year, and you know what that means: it's time to think "oh, crap, AGDQ is this weekend!" Yes, Awesome Games Done Quick, the annual speedrunning marathon, returns to ring in the new year once again with another selection of extremely skillful players completing games very quickly.

AGDQ 2022 kicks off on Sunday, January 9 at 9am PST / 12pm EST / 5pm GMT with an any% featherless run of Nioh 2 on PlayStation 5 by AxelSanGo. Day one PC games include a 25 minute run of PCGamesN's GOTY, Deathloop, a very glitcher 12 minute run of Axiom Verge 2, and a 1:15:00 run of the excellent indie Death's Door.

The thing I'm most looking forward to seeing is Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which will be run by Mitchriz in just under three hours - blindfolded. That'll take place near the end of the event on Saturday, January 15, ahead of the finale, which will see dlimes13 taking on Metal Gear Solid with all bosses on extreme difficulty.


PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 4:38 PM
     Mass Effect: Legendary Edition now has a happy ending, thanks to this mod

The original ending to Mass Effect 3, which capped off the trilogy when the space game first launched in 2012, was a bit of a bummer - fans were upset that their choices felt meaningless in the final act, even after BioWare released its Final Cut. Modders have come to the rescue, however, and now there's a happy ending mod for the new Mass Effect: Legendary Edition.

Audemus' Happy Ending Mod, which you can find over on Nexus Mods, makes an array of changes to the story in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition by tweaking Codex entries, cutscenes, slides, and more. If you haven't played through the Mass Effect series yet and plan to, you might want to bail out here - there's no way to talk about this mod without getting into spoiler territory.

Now that we've given the future Shepards a chance to clear out, the major change made in AHEM is that Commander Shepard survives the final mission. After the Crucible fires on the Reapers, the current squad will discover Shepard, who will then attend the memorial service. Every possible romance option from both Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 will be there, and they'll all give Shepard a nice hug after the moment of silence.


PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 3:15 PM
     Nvidia officially reveals its GeForce RTX 3050 and RTX 3090 Ti GPUs

Following months of rumours and leaks, Senior VP of Nvidia's GeForce division, Jeff Fisher, finally revealed the GeForce RTX 3050 GPU during the company's CES 2022 special address. While the budget graphics card was the focal point for a large portion of the presentation, Fisher also shared the first official look at the "BFGPU" that is the RTX 3090 Ti.

The RTX 3050 is the first 50-class card to support ray tracing. This may sound rather pointless, given the kind of performance you might expect from a GPU of this calibre, but it also supports Nvidia DLSS. The AI upscaling technology should help boost fps and assist the budget card in handling ray traced graphics options at higher frame rates.

Sharing benchmarks from several games, all with ray tracing options enabled and other settings set to their highest values, the budget card looks quite capable. At 1080p, Nvidia claims the RTX 3050 is able to run games like Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War at 60fps+ with DLSS enabled. Naturally, these figures will be cherry picked, so it's worth waiting to see the real world performance later this month.

RELATED LINKS: RTX 2070 Super review, RTX 2060 Super review, Best graphics card

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 3:06 PM
     HyperX gives its Cloud Alpha Wireless gaming headset a 300-hour battery life

There's nothing quite like the freedom of going wireless, never to be tangled or snagged again, but you'll always have to think of that darned battery life. Unlike mice and their wireless charging mouse pads, it's just a matter of time before you'll inevitably need to return to your tether with a wireless gaming headset. Fortunately, HyperX has put up to 300 hours between you and that dreaded cable with the Cloud Alpha Wireless.

To put this in perspective, that's around 12.5 days on a single charge, letting you game for over a week before you'd need to juice it up again. What's more impressive is that this isn't using Bluetooth; it's entirely through HyperX's proprietary 2.4GHz dongle, meaning you'll get next to no tangible latency in your audio and lips are always synchronised.

HyperX claims that the Cloud Alpha Wireless is the "longest-lasting battery in a wireless gaming headset," and it might be right. The EPOS Sennheiser GSP 370 is one of our favourite pairs of cans to travel with, but even they only last 100 hours at a time.

RELATED LINKS: HyperX Cloud Alpha review, Best Gaming Headset, Best Gaming Keyboard

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 2:42 PM
     AMD Ryzen 7000 Zen 4 CPUs arrive later this year, with a puzzling heatsink design

CES 2022 is upon us, and technology companies from around the world are showing off their gadgets, gizmos, and expensive gaming PC components. While Intel chose to revisit its existing Alder Lake lineup with some new entries, AMD finally unveiled its next-gen gaming CPU contender – Zen 4.

Unveiled during AMD's Product Premiere event by CEO Lisa Su, the upcoming Ryzen 7000 series processors feature a striking heatsink that resembles a jigsaw piece. The processor also uses an LGA AM5 socket, meaning it'll connect to your gaming motherboard with pads rather than pins.

While AMD provided us with a glimpse at its redesigned CPU Heatsink aesthetics and sockets, it held back in terms of specs. However, just like the red team's upcoming Zen 3+ mobile CPUs, Zen 4 will boast DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 support. Lisa Su also claims that the Ryzen 7000's "performance looks incredible", but we can decide if that holds true once the chips arrive in Spring 2022.

RELATED LINKS: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X review, AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT review, Best CPU for gaming

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 2:39 PM
     New World server transfers have been temporarily disabled

A recently discovered bug in Amazon Games' new MMORPG New World has led to the developers disabling world transfers for the time being. The studio says the "recently discovered issue" has been "exacerbated" by the transfer feature, which will be re-enabled once a fix is deployed.

New World community manager Luxendra posted a brief message in the New World forums that alerted New World players to the fact that world transfers had been temporarily disabled due to the bug. "This only affects players that have an existing server transfer token," Luxendra wrote. "We will provide an update once we have re-enabled the feature."

Luxendra doesn't provide any specifics about the issue at fault, only that the world transfer feature somehow makes it worse. New World conducted a big server merge December 20-21, combining players on many of its less-played worlds. You can see the updated list of servers, with both the new live server and the servers that merged into them, in our handy dandy New World server merge guide.

RELATED LINKS: New World system requirements, New World beginner's guide, New World review

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 2:24 PM
     After Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot sells nearly 5 million, the devs tease their next game

CyberConnect2 has developed a reputation as perhaps the most reliable developer of anime games out there. Sure, games like Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot or Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Hinokami Chronicles aren't redefining the industry, but they are setting a much higher bar than we've been used to for licensed adaptations. In a New Year's stream, CyberConnect2 has announced some impressive sales milestones, and has begun teasing its next project.

President and CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama says CyberConnect 2's next game will be announced in February and released in the summer, according to a translation from Gematsu. Matsuyama suggests that "the new title to be announced will definitely get people talking, and promises to be something that will shake the world".

There's no indication just yet of what this new game will be, or even if it will be licensed at all. The new Bleach anime coming this year has some fans hopeful for a tie-in there. Matsuyama is also teasing a mysterious celebration of the 20th anniversary of .hack in June, though that may not be connected to the new game. CyberConnect2 has also been branching out into original IP with games like Fuga: Melodies of Steel.

RELATED LINKS: Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot cheats, How long is Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot?, The best anime games on PC

Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, January 4, 2022 2:27 PM
    

Steam has existed in a grey area in China, technically not following rules which require all games be approved yet never drawing the ire of authorities. Many have long expected it to eventually be banned, though, especially after Valve partnered with Perfect World to launch the limited Steam China. This might now be happening. Maybe. Or it's possibly being hindered, at least. This all started with a big stink on Christmas Day that led some to declare Steam had been banned by the Great Firewall which restricts access to many sites outside China, but the reality is not so clear cut.

Read more


Twinfinite Tuesday, January 4, 2022 8:57 PM
    

Sony Pictures chief executive officer Tom Rothman provided an update for the sales of Ghost of Tsushima during Sony's conference at CES 2022.

The post Ghost of Tsushima Has Sold Over 8 Million Copies appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Tuesday, January 4, 2022 8:35 PM
    

Sony is hosting its traditional press conference from CES 2022 in Las Vegas, and revealed some big news about PlayStation and more.

The post Sony Officially Announces PlayStation VR2 Name & Horizon Call of The Mountain; New Uncharted Movie Scene Revealed appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Tuesday, January 4, 2022 8:12 PM
    

Hard to fight something when you can't see it properly.

The post Invisible Skin Strikes Again In Yet Another Call of Duty: Warzone Bug appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Tuesday, January 4, 2022 8:00 PM
    

Know thy enemy ahead of time.

The post Rainbow Six Extraction PC System Requirements Revealed appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Tuesday, January 4, 2022 7:16 PM
    

New Eden has some new visitors.

The post EVE Online Meets Doctor Who in First-ever Crossover Event appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Tuesday, January 4, 2022 6:02 PM
    

Today Vanillaware shared its annual and gorgeous New Year art, but this time around it's a special one that came with an announcement.

The post 13 Sentinels Developer Vanillaware Prepares to Celebrate 20th Anniversary With Beautiful Art & Shirts appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Tuesday, January 4, 2022 5:14 PM
    

The anime adaptation of The Executioner and Her Way of Life got a brand new English-subtitled trailer today, revealing plenty of important information about the upcoming show. Alongside cast, staff, and theme song artist reveals, the trailer also confirms that the anime will arrive in spring 2022. New cast members include Hisako Kanemoto as Momo, the […]

The post The Executioner and Her Way of Life Anime Confirmed for Spring 2022 appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Tuesday, January 4, 2022 2:36 PM
    

Over the last year, miHoYo has been responsible for some pretty great events and new characters being added to Genshin Impact. Yet, despite all of these great new features, there does seem to be a little bit of flair missing in some aspects of the game, especially when it comes to wish animations. Well, Genshin […]

The post miHoYo, Please Add This Fan-Made Jean Wish Animation to Genshin Impact appeared first on Twinfinite.


Siliconera Tuesday, January 4, 2022 6:30 PM
    

Mihoyo announced Genshin Impact alternate outfits will give people new costumes for Amber, Jean, Mona, and Rosaria. Concept art appeared too.

The post Genshin Impact Amber, Jean, Mona, and Rosaria Costumes Coming appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Tuesday, January 4, 2022 4:00 PM
    

The Terraria 1.4 Journey's End Switch update is now live, though some options like cross-play or local multiplayer aren't available just yet.

The post Terraria 1.4 Switch Update Appears, Lacks Some Multiplayer Options appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Tuesday, January 4, 2022 3:00 PM
    

This Demon Slayer spin-off manga starring Giyu and Kyojuro, focuses on the characters and their relationships with other Hashira.

The post Demon Slayer: Stories of Water and Flame Focuses on Characters' Relationships appeared first on Siliconera.


Destructoid Tuesday, January 4, 2022 4:00 PM
    

Movin' on Up It has been something of a long haul, but the coming of 2022 brings us just two...

The post Babylon's Fall rings in the new year with dramatic TV trailer appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Tuesday, January 4, 2022 3:00 PM
    

Because you can't review them all Anybody who says that 2021 was a lackluster year for gaming must have been...

The post CJ's five favorite games of 2021 that Destructoid didn't review appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Tuesday, January 4, 2022 2:30 PM
    

Classic Miyazaki There's some new Elden Ring Miyazaki thoughts floating around thanks to Edge Magazine (via VCG), and interestingly, they...

The post Elden Ring boss Miyazaki says Demon's Souls remake was intimidating, but won't be playing it appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Tuesday, January 4, 2022 2:00 PM
    

Persona 5 Strikers, Deep Rock Galactic, and Dirt 5 [Update: This month's games are available now, so hop in through...

The post January's PlayStation Plus games are a step up from recent months appeared first on Destructoid.


PC Invasion - FeedDDD Tuesday, January 4, 2022 8:50 PM
     Genshin Impact Shenhe Guide Best Weapons Artifacts Talents Calamity Queller Lithic SpearShenhe is a 5-star character in Genshin Impact. She uses a polearm to battle foes, though she mostly provides support to Cryo teammates. Here's our Genshin Impact Shenhe guide to help you with her best weapons, artifacts, talents, and build. Note: For more information about the game, check out our Genshin Impact guides and features hub.   Genshin Impact Shenhe guide – Best weapons, artifacts, and talents I've divided our Genshin Impact Shenhe guide into several sections. You can refer to the pages below for the parts that you need help with: Talent priorities, passives, and constellations Best weapons Best artifact sets Character ascension materials Damage boost explanation, gameplay tips, and character summary Note: Shenhe headlines a banner called "The Transcendent One Returns," which also happens to feature Yun Jin (a new 4-star Geo character), Ningguang, and Chongyun. The banner runs from January 5 to January 25.

PC Invasion - FeedDDD Tuesday, January 4, 2022 7:35 PM
     AMD Radeon graphics card adrenalin super resolution updateAMD officially revealed its Radeon Super Resolution upscaling technology today at CES 2022. If you caught wind of it last week when the information leaked early, you already know what this is about. In addition to FidelityFX Super Resolution, AMD will soon offer a second new upscaling technology to boost fps in games with minimal impact to image quality. The differentiating factor? AMD Radeon Super Resolution will work in all games that support exclusive fullscreen mode. At first mention, this sounds like a huge win for AMD, however, there is a catch with this one. Unlike FidelityFX Super Resolution which works with all graphics cards, Radeon Super Resolution will only work on AMD graphics cards built on the RDNA architecture.   Nvidia users are out of luck when it comes to AMD Radeon Super Resolution, as it's implemented on the driver level as opposed to FidelityFX Super Resolution which must be programmed into the 3D render pipeline by game developers on a per game basi...

PC Invasion - FeedDDD Tuesday, January 4, 2022 6:15 PM
     Msi Rgb Keyboards Immerse Vigor Streaming Mic 2022 CesCompanies are announcing tons of new products at this year's CES 2022, and MSI has just shared news about two new keyboards and a studio mic coming to retail soon. The MSI Immerse GV60 is the company's first dedicated studio mic for streaming and video content creation. In addition to that, we learned a few details about the upcoming Vigor GK71 Sonic full-size RGB gaming keyboard and the Vigor GK50 TKL RGB model as well. As MSI's first studio mic designed specifically for streaming and the like, the Immerse GV60 has some tough competition to dethrone. Streaming is only getting bigger, however, so perhaps there's still plenty of available 'pie' to slice up. The GV60 is defined by features like its high-resolution sample rate of 24bit/96kHz, versatile pickup patterns, real-time monitoring, and plug and play design. And in case you were wondering, it comes in a matte black finish.   MSI hasn't released the full tech specs yet, but it did i...

PC Invasion - FeedDDD Tuesday, January 4, 2022 5:00 PM
     Halo Infinite tenrai event changes feedbackAs much as I've already written on Halo Infinite, it's still too early in the game's life to hang up the ol' hat (or, erm, helmet). The game is still in its first season, after all, and there will be plenty coming for it in the near future. Today, though, marks the return of its first Fracture event: Tenrai, which introduced Samurai-themed cosmetics. But things are a little different now. In response to the negative player feedback, 343 Industries has introduced changes to Halo Infinite's Tenrai event that you may find reasonable. To refresh, the first Tenrai event brought about a lot of concerns from the community. Many of the marketed cosmetics, ranging from a helmet to various coatings or skins, were locked behind a paywall. Sure, you could grind your way through the event, earning an armor core and some bits here and there. But the best stuff? The marketed stuff? You needed to crack open your wallet. And none of it was cheap. It didn't help th...

PC Invasion - FeedDDD Tuesday, January 4, 2022 4:30 PM
     Nvidia RTX games HitmanExperiencing games at the highest graphical settings possible has long stood as one of the great PC gaming privileges. Even the incredibly advanced consoles of today can't quite compare to what a high-quality PC can handle. And with advanced gaming technology like Nvidia RTX, which allows for real-time ray tracing and other visual enhancements, PC games can now look better than they ever have before. Fortunately for those who value the Nvidia RTX in particular, Nvidia just announced ten more games that will incorporate the platform in the near future. The games that will receive RTX support include Rainbow Six Extraction, Hitman III, Escape From Tarkov, Voidtrain, Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis, Midnight Ghost Hunt, The Day Before, Super People, Ratten Reich, and The Anacrusis. Conveniently, Nvidia posted brief gameplay trailers for each game, so players can easily see what exactly RTX technology will add to the experience.   The two titans Of all the games listed, Ra...

Tabletop Gaming News Tuesday, January 4, 2022 4:00 PM
    

Tabletop Gaming News Tuesday, January 4, 2022 3:00 PM
    

Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Tuesday, January 4, 2022 8:47 PM
    

A look at a recent Reddit leak that contains Images and specs for NVIDIA's new GPU.

The post NVIDIA RTX 3090 Specs Confirmed appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism.


Gaming on PC Tuesday, January 4, 2022 4:18 PM
     505 Games revealed today that Death Stranding Director's Cut will get a PC release in Spring 2022. Read more after the jump.

Jan 04, 15:00


Kotaku Tuesday, January 4, 2022 2:55 PM
    

Halo Infinite's contentious "Fracture: Tenrai" event returns today with a makeover that should make everyone happy. Probably. Maybe? You can never tell with these things. Players who don't wanna trudge through big team battleBTB-themed challenges to open Fracture-themed ones will be delighted, at least.

Read more...


Kotaku Tuesday, January 4, 2022 1:10 PM
    

If you spend any time on the internet then you probably know about or have used the livestreaming platform Twitch. That doesn't hold true of everyone, though, as popular TV chef Gordon Ramsay had no idea what Twitch is, if his comments on a recent episode of his new show Next Level Chef are to be believed

Read more...


Kotaku Tuesday, January 4, 2022 12:23 PM
    

There's so much to do in Destiny 2 that it's easy to get lost, especially for new players. That's part of why Bungie's loot shooter automatically throws players into new events once they go live, like this season's Dares of Eternity activity. For some new players, however, it means their first experience in Destiny is…

Read more...


Kotaku Tuesday, January 4, 2022 11:21 AM
    

Grating electronic voices screeching "EXTERMINATE!" are coming to the New Eden star cluster come January 13, when one of the longest-running science fiction MMOs meets the world's longest-running science fiction television show. EVE Online's "Interstellar Convergence" event will give clone pilots a chance to be…

Read more...


Kotaku Tuesday, January 4, 2022 10:40 AM
    

Xbox Game Pass is kicking off 2022 with a bang. Joining a pair of terrific puzzle games and a hotly anticipated Left 4 Dead-alike is a remastered compilation of all-time classic RPGs. Plus, one of the greatest games of all time (that'd be Outer Wilds) makes a return. Here's everything coming to Xbox Game Pass over the…

Read more...


PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 2:42 PM
     AMD Ryzen 7000 Zen 4 CPUs arrive later this year, with a puzzling heatsink design

CES 2022 is upon us, and technology companies from around the world are showing off their gadgets, gizmos, and expensive gaming PC components. While Intel chose to revisit its existing Alder Lake lineup with some new entries, AMD finally unveiled its next-gen gaming CPU contender – Zen 4.

Unveiled during AMD's Product Premiere event by CEO Lisa Su, the upcoming Ryzen 7000 series processors feature a striking heatsink that resembles a jigsaw piece. The processor also uses an LGA AM5 socket, meaning it'll connect to your gaming motherboard with pads rather than pins.

While AMD provided us with a glimpse at its redesigned CPU Heatsink aesthetics and sockets, it held back in terms of specs. However, just like the red team's upcoming Zen 3+ mobile CPUs, Zen 4 will boast DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 support. Lisa Su also claims that the Ryzen 7000's "performance looks incredible", but we can decide if that holds true once the chips arrive in Spring 2022.

RELATED LINKS: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X review, AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT review, Best CPU for gaming

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 2:39 PM
     New World server transfers have been temporarily disabled

A recently discovered bug in Amazon Games' new MMORPG New World has led to the developers disabling world transfers for the time being. The studio says the "recently discovered issue" has been "exacerbated" by the transfer feature, which will be re-enabled once a fix is deployed.

New World community manager Luxendra posted a brief message in the New World forums that alerted New World players to the fact that world transfers had been temporarily disabled due to the bug. "This only affects players that have an existing server transfer token," Luxendra wrote. "We will provide an update once we have re-enabled the feature."

Luxendra doesn't provide any specifics about the issue at fault, only that the world transfer feature somehow makes it worse. New World conducted a big server merge December 20-21, combining players on many of its less-played worlds. You can see the updated list of servers, with both the new live server and the servers that merged into them, in our handy dandy New World server merge guide.

RELATED LINKS: New World system requirements, New World beginner's guide, New World review

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 2:24 PM
     After Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot sells nearly 5 million, the devs tease their next game

CyberConnect2 has developed a reputation as perhaps the most reliable developer of anime games out there. Sure, games like Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot or Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Hinokami Chronicles aren't redefining the industry, but they are setting a much higher bar than we've been used to for licensed adaptations. In a New Year's stream, CyberConnect2 has announced some impressive sales milestones, and has begun teasing its next project.

President and CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama says CyberConnect 2's next game will be announced in February and released in the summer, according to a translation from Gematsu. Matsuyama suggests that "the new title to be announced will definitely get people talking, and promises to be something that will shake the world".

There's no indication just yet of what this new game will be, or even if it will be licensed at all. The new Bleach anime coming this year has some fans hopeful for a tie-in there. Matsuyama is also teasing a mysterious celebration of the 20th anniversary of .hack in June, though that may not be connected to the new game. CyberConnect2 has also been branching out into original IP with games like Fuga: Melodies of Steel.

RELATED LINKS: Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot cheats, How long is Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot?, The best anime games on PC

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 1:48 PM
     Intel releases more Alder Lake gaming CPUs, with cheaper chipsets coming soon

Intel's Alder Lake desktop processors marked a turning point for the company, putting its Core CPUs on par with the latest from AMD Ryzen. Now, three months on from 12th gen's October release, more budget friendly chips and chipsets are on the way from Intel, featuring lower power consumption and included air coolers.

While there are several high performance processors that have been announced today, such as the Core i9-12900 and i7-12700, Intel has surprisingly cut efficiency cores entirely from all chips below and including the i5-12600. This marks the first time Alder Lake CPUs won't feature Intel's heterogeneous design of discrete performance and efficiency cores, and will instead return to the homogeneous core design seen prior to Alder Lake.

It's likely that this decision was made as a cost cutting measure, with the i5-12600 priced at just $223 USD versus the i5-12600K's $289 USD, undercutting it by $66. If the loss of efficiency cores doesn't make a massive difference in terms of gaming performance, it could be an easy sacrifice to stomach.

RELATED LINKS: Intel Core i9 9900K review, Intel Core i7 9700K review, Best CPU for gaming

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 1:28 PM
     Death Stranding Director's Cut officially hits Steam and Epic this spring

Death Stranding got an excellent PC port in 2020, so it was disappointing to see the updated Director's Cut version launch exclusively on PlayStation 5 last year. A number of leaks this week suggested that a PC port for the new content would simply be a matter of time, and publisher 505 Games has now confirmed that the Director's Cut is coming to home computers.

The new Steam listing for the Director's Cut is entirely separate from the original game, so it's not just DLC. It's unclear whether there'll be an upgrade path for owners of the original version on PC, though 505 says more info is coming "at the end of January". On PlayStation 5, owners of the original Death Stranding were able to upgrade to the Director's Cut for $10 / €10.

The game will launch simultaneously across Steam and the Epic Games Store this spring. It will include all the PC-focused improvements the original release of Death Stranding boasted, like high frame rate and ultrawide monitor support, and include Intel's XeSS upscaling tech.

RELATED LINKS: Death Stranding PC release date, How long is Death Stranding, Death Stranding Steam

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 1:12 PM
     Intel brings Alder Lake to gaming laptops with its 12th gen Core H-series processors

AMD threw down the gauntlet to Intel earlier today with the announcement of its Ryzen 6000 APUs at CES 2022, but team blue has quickly responded with news of its 12th Gen Core H-series mobile processors. Based on the same Intel 7 process as their desktop equivalents, these new Alder Lake chips should come to the best gaming laptops later this year.

The Core i9-12900HK is the most powerful of the eight H-series CPUs, which Intel claims to be "the fastest mobile processor ever" with up 40% increased performance. While this kind of assertion should always be taken with a grain of salt, it's worth noting that Intel made this claim in relation to its own 11th gen processors and AMD's Ryzen 5000 flagships rather than the newly revealed Ryzen 6000.

In terms of specifications, the i9-12900HK uses the same heterogeneous design as its desktop siblings. It boasts six performance cores and eight efficiency cores, for a total of 14 cores and 20 threads, and has a max turbo frequency of 5GHz. With a base power consumption of 45W, the i9 could easily be one of the best gaming CPUs in terms of performance and efficiency that you'll find in any laptop. There's also an i9-12900H that has the same specifications as its HK sibling but lacks overclocking abilities.

RELATED LINKS: Intel Core i9 9900K review, Intel Core i7 9700K review, Best CPU for gaming

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 12:28 PM
     FFXIV gets butt-buffing pants and dance poles

Final Fantasy XIV's latest update has landed, and the 6.05 patch notes introduce a selection of job changes alongside new content like the Savage Pandaemonium raid. But there are a few, erm, unadvertised additions in 6.05, too, including pants that make your butt more shapely and a pole. Like, you know, the kind of pole you dance on.

The patch notes do say that "new prizes are available for purchase using MGP", but it's actually just one item: the dance pole, a furnishing item. As the description notes, "even seasoned adventurers may find that sensually swivelling upon this pole proves a challenge to their balance and brawn alike". Sadly, it seems you can't actually interact with the pole, but I guess you can always do a /beesknees near it.

Then there are the hose of happiness, a new craftable set of pants that add a bit of volume to your character's butt. There are a number of clothing items in FFXIV that make subtle adjustments to your character model, but it's especially pronounced here - the effect is basically the same as the 2B leggings, just without requiring you to run around in a thong. And, fabulously, it appears the butt buff applies to male characters, too.

RELATED LINKS: The best MMOs on PC, FFXIV Reaper job guide, FFXIV Sage job guide

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 12:11 PM
     Diplomacy is Not an Option is a city builder about trebuchets over tact, out this month

Sure, diplomacy is a key in a whole lot of strategy games, but it's not always the best option, is it? A new city-building game coming to Steam later this month in Early Access certainly doesn't think so. Aptly titled Diplomacy is Not an Option, the new indie game puts you in the boots of a "long-suffering minor lord" who's faced with invading hordes of angry folk and lacking in options, so it's going to be a trebuchets-over-tact kind of affair.

"Experience warfare on an entirely new scale as over ten THOUSAND enemy units assault your castle walls," the game's developer Door 407 explains on its Steam page, meanwhile asking a crucial question: Do you have what it takes to save the kingdom?" Oh, also: "Is the kingdom even worth saving?" Erm.

It turns out that's for you to determine. Diplomacy is Not an Option features a bunch of city builder genre mechanics that you'll need to keep on top of, such as food scarcity (which can cause soldiers to starve on the battlefield), disease management (plague is afoot), and the need to protect homes. There's an economy you'll need to keep afloat with stores of food, wood, stone, iron, and gold, and you'll have to manage resources carefully to keep your folks alive and city defended. Naturally, though, the big facet you won't be able to rely on is the ability to talk your way out of trouble or grease the palms of those that might invade you, which means combat's a biggie.

RELATED LINKS: Best city-building games, Best strategy games, Best indie games

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 12:08 PM
     AMD's Radeon Super Sampling will bring upscaling to almost every game

Upscaling tools are a lifesaver when attempting to boost fps, helping strike a balance between performance and visuals. While Nvidia DLSS often overshadows FidelityFX, it's not inherently compatible with your entire gaming PC library, meaning you could struggle to run the latest games at either 4K, or on ageing rigs. Thankfully, AMD just announced Radeon Super Resolution, a new upscaler that should work with just about any game.

Unveiled during CES 2022, AMD's RSR works within the company's new Adrenaline software, meaning that it'll likely be RDNA GPU exclusive feature. The driver-based AI also functions differently from FSR, it works its upscaling magic after rendering occurs.

While RSR probably won't replace FSR outright, the Radeon feature will help AMD take on both Nvidia DLSS and Intel's XeSS, a scaler that's set to be included with the company's upcoming Arc Alchemist graphics cards.

RELATED LINKS: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X review, AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT review, Best CPU for gaming

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 12:08 PM
     A bunch of Paradox strategy games are going cheap on Steam right now

Update - January 4, 2022: Now's your last chance to check out the games going cheap in the Steam winter sale

The 2021 Steam winter sale is in full swing, and that means a ton of the biggest and best PC games going for cheap right now. While there's obviously a whole lot of discounted stuff to check out across a bunch of different genres, one slice of the sale is offering some decent deals on various Paradox strategy games, including bundles aimed at helping bring new players aboard.

The Paradox winter sale has up to 75% off some of the studio's various games, with that full three-quarters discount currently available on city-building simulation game Cities: Skylines, military strategy game Hearts of Iron IV, sci-fi adventure Stellaris, and historical grand strategy game Europa Universalis IV. Crusader Kings III discounted by less, but still 20% off, bringing it down to £33.59 / $39.99, in case you've got that on your wishlist.

Elsewhere there are several starter packs going for cheap, which should prove handy if you've got your eye on any of these but are yet to dive in. The Cities: Skylines new player bundle has the base game plus three key DLC packs - Mass Transit, Industries, and Sunset Harbor - for 64% off.

RELATED LINKS: Cities: Skylines mods, Cities: Skylines system Requirements

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 12:36 PM
     Rainbow Six Extraction release date – everything you need to know

Want to know when the Rainbow Six Extraction release date is? Previously known as Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Quarantine, Ubisoft puts cooperative play first in this PvE shooter. In teams of three, Extraction pits players against a deadly parasite that takes the form of a sticky black mould. This parasite is known as the Sprawl - if left unchecked, it can infect and kill humans.

Extraction borrows a number of core elements from Rainbow Six Siege, including the operators Ela and Vigil, who appeared in the first trailer back in 2019. The gameplay should feel familiar to anyone who has dabbled in Siege's multiplayer, and we fully expect to see more Rainbow Six Siege operators become part of the game.

When describing the game for the first time, Ubisoft made it clear that you don't have to be a Siege player to enjoy Extraction. This game may be a good way for new players to get to grips with a few of Siege's mechanics, as players will use some of the same weapons, gadgets, and operators. Here's everything we know about Rainbow Six Extraction so far.

RELATED LINKS: Best FPS games, Best multiplayer games, Upcoming PC games

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 11:48 AM
     Eve Online's next event features a battle with Doctor Who's Daleks

Venerable space MMORPG Eve Online is joining forces with the longest-running sci-fi TV programme of all time, Doctor Who, in a limited-time event that's set to kick off later this month. The Interstellar Convergence, as it's called, will challenge Eve players to track down and eventually do battle with the Doctor's most iconic enemy, the extermination-obsessed Daleks.

The Interstellar Convergence will run January 13 - February 1, during which you'll be able to travel through a wormhole to a new area of space, where you'll pick up on a trail of clues. CCP Games says you'll have a "beguiling mystery" to solve, an array of challenges to complete, and plenty of new Doctor Who-themed items to earn in the process.

Blending worlds like this is standard fare for Doctor Who, which can explain just about any jump in theme or setting simply by invoking the concept of the multiverse. For its part, Eve Online already makes use of "time dilation" to explain why everything slows down to 'bullet time' during major fleet battles.

RELATED LINKS: Play Eve Online for free, Eve Online Beginners guide, Space games

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 11:24 AM
     Demon's Souls remake created extra pressure for Elden Ring's graphics team

One of the many standout features of Bluepoint Games' Demon's Souls remake for the PlayStation 5 is the graphics' quality, which certainly hasn't gone unnoticed by the original developers at FromSoftware. In fact, Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki says that the graphics team "felt that pressure more than anyone else" when quizzed if Demon's Souls graphical fidelity raised the bar for the devs.

"And not just with Elden Ring, but with all the games we make," Miyazaki tells Edge Magazine (thanks, VGC). "Graphical fidelity is not something we put as the top priority. What we ask for on the graphics side depends on the systems and requirements of the game itself, and it takes less priority compared to the other elements of development."

Miyazaki goes on to say that graphical fidelity is "always" an area where he feels "a little bit apologetic" towards the graphics team because of how hard the devs work. "They've worked extremely hard on Elden Ring," he says. "Our graphics-systems team and our programmers have been pushing a lot of new features to create the best-looking games we've ever made."

RELATED LINKS: Elden Ring system requirements, Elden Ring has the best demo, Elden Ring's four pre-order editions

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 11:14 AM
     The best WW2 games on PC 2022

What are the best WW2 games on PC in 2022? The most devastating conflict in our species' history of fighting over land and ideologies has been distilled into heroic charges, tense dogfights, epic digital wars, and savage battles many times over. The greatest generation deserves only the greatest games, and we've compiled a list of the top World War II games to play right now.

Whether you're looking for the grittiness of a beach landing, the strategy of battle planning, the thrill of an aerial dogfight, or intense camaraderie experienced by a band of brothers, there's bound to be a World War II game that has something to offer you. It's the most prolifically covered topic in military history, and with each successive wave of interest we get newer, punchier games that benefit from slick, modern design.

So from massive, free-to-play vehicular battlefields to complex war games, you're bound to find something below to keep you duking it out for countless hours in our round-up of the finest WWII games on PC.

RELATED LINKS: Play War Thunder for free, Tank games, Best WW2 games

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 12:36 PM
     AMD's new Zen 3+ Ryzen 6000 mobile APUs support DDR5 RAM and USB4

Intel is already creating waves with its Alder Lake lineup, and the company is reportedly cooking up an i7 laptop chip that's 25% faster than AMD's current offering. However, it looks like the red team is gearing up to defend its mobile CPU crown, as it just announced 20 new Ryzen Zen 3+ mobile CPUs at CES 2022.

Featuring 12 GPU Compute Units clocked at 2.4GHz, AMD's Rembrandt offering consists of eight Ryzen 6000H series CPUs and two 6000U SKUs. The company's entry-level Ryzen 7 6800U and Ryzen 5 6600U chips come with a 15-25W TDP, while its Ryzen 9 6980HX flagship wields boost clock speeds up to 5Ghz.

The new Rembrandt APU range also boasts USB4, PCIe Gen 4, DDR5 RAM support, and RDNA2 graphics, meaning AMD's gaming laptop lineup is now equipped to take on Intel's Alder Lake. The Zen 3+ mobile APU will also be the first to support hardware ray tracing, and FSR compatibility will boost fps in upcoming games.

RELATED LINKS: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X review, AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT review, Best CPU for gaming

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 10:13 AM
     The best VR games on PC in 2022

What are the best VR games? Or, to go one better – what are the best Oculus Rift, Valve Index, and HTC Vive games? There are plenty of VR experiences out there already, and with the headsets shipping to customers faster than ever there is plenty more to come.

We have tested a number of the best VR games across the major and best VR headsets, ranging from the good, bad, to the downright nausea-inducing – and we will endeavour to seek out new, strange, and challenging content for this burgeoning platform. In the name of science... or something. Here, however, we are going to be more choosy, handpicking the best VR games and experiences with which to treat your eyeballs.

From transformative updates to existing games such as L.A. Noire and Fallout 4, to exquisite titles made from the ground up for VR such as Chronos and Star Trek: Bridge Crew, VR games come in various forms. But, here, we only have room for the best, and most played VR games, and there've been some absolutely fantastic ones in the past year alone.

RELATED LINKS: Half-Life: Alyx review, How long is Half-Life: Alyx?, Half-Life 3 news

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 10:14 AM
     The best co-op games on PC in 2022

Co-op games can reward you like no other genre. Games offer up magic in lots of different guises, but working with a friend to achieve a goal is, arguably, where they really shine. So what are the titles that will really pull friends together and offer the best group-based thrills?

The best co-op games are the ones that let you explore new worlds with a buddy by your side, triumph over evil as a team, introduce a novice to the wonder of the medium, or simply beat each other over the head with questionable weaponry for kicks.

Single-player games can be a life-swallowing hoot, but those virtual victories taste all the sweeter when you share them with friends. Whether that's sitting next to your mate with a gamepad in hand or working together in beautiful harmony via voice chat, co-op games produce some of the best gaming moments around. So embrace companionship and say so long to playing solo. These are some of the very best co-op games for you to share with your favourite people.


PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 10:10 AM
     The best Akimbo pistols in Warzone Pacific Season 1

Searching for the best Warzone Pacific pistols to use with the Akimbo perk? You probably won't find any pistols in our best Warzone loadouts - we don't have anything against pistols, but the best SMGs in Warzone usually excel in the same role. If you want to try something completely different from the usual meta, the Akimbo perk gives you the damage output of an SMG without having to pick the Overkill perk every time.

Akimbo pistols are significantly better in Warzone Pacific due to the way Caldera has been designed. Verdansk featured a lot of open areas which made sniping extremely popular, whereas Caldera focuses on medium range combat primarily. As a result, you're more likely to run into an enemy at close range, the perfect distance for Akimbo pistols. If you can keep a steady hand, these pistol loadouts are capable of blasting your opponents away in seconds.

Call of Duty Vanguard doesn't have many viable Akimbo candidates, but we're sure more pistols are coming to the battle royale game over the coming seasons. We also have included the older pistols from the previous Call of Duty games in case you wanted to try out your old arsenal of guns.


PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 10:09 AM
     Mass Effect Legendary Edition, Spelunky 2, more hit PC Game Pass this month

Microsoft has unveiled the next batch of games headed to Xbox Game Pass next, and the good news is all eight of the coming additions are hitting PC, not just console. The other good news is there are some real treats in the mix coming up soon.

In just a couple days' time, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is coming to both PC Game Pass and the console version, Microsoft has revealed in a blog post. With this being one of the best RPGs around by our reckoning, it's an exciting addition to the Game Pass lineup, given it includes the single-player base games of Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3, along with more than 40 pieces of DLC from across the three games. The Legendary Edition has been given some polish through remastering and optimisation for 4K Ultra HD, so Commander Shepard's adventures in space should look pretty, too.

On the same date, Mobius Digital's time-loop space adventure Outer Wilds is also joining Xbox Game Pass. The game puts you into the space-boots of a new space program recruit exploring the, well, outer wilds of the universe's strange and myersious reaches, all while stuck in a time loop you need to break free from. It was very warmly received by critics and winner of BAFTA's 2020 best game category, so well worth a whirl.


PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 10:32 AM
     Genshin Impact Yun Jin release date and abilities

When is the Yun Jin banner release date? This long-rumoured character is finally coming to the anime game tomorrow, and we've got all the details on her abilities, banner, and more.

Yun Jin's name has popped up several times already in Genshin Impact. Back in January 2021, dataminer Lumie shared a render of the character on Twitter.  She has also appeared in the game, albeit scarcely. We caught a glimpse of her during a recent cutscene for the Moonchase Festival, and several existing characters mention her by name in their voice lines.

Mihoyo finally revealed Yun Jin in a tweet back in November 2021, and has since released a lot more information via a full character reveal, as well as a Yun Jin character demo. She's a four-star Geo polearm user, the director of the Yun-Han Opera Troupe, and a famous figure in Liyue Harbor's opera scene. She was originally unveiled alongside Shenhe, another polearm user with Geo abilities.

RELATED LINKS: Play Genshin Impact for free, Genshin Impact character tier list, Genshin Impact leveling guide

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 9:57 AM
     Samsung announces the Odyssey Neo G8, the world's first 4K 240Hz gaming monitor

4K gaming monitors have been around for a while now, but they've not been able to offer the same sky-high refresh rates as other lower resolution offerings. As a result, players previously had to choose whether to prioritise image quality or opt for a more responsive experience when buying a new display. However, Samsung hopes to marry the best of both worlds and has recently announced its plans to make the first 4K 240Hz gaming monitor: the Odyssey Neo G8.

The Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 comes with all the top of the line specifications you'd expect from the best gaming monitors, in addition to some other creature comforts. The G8 will feature a single DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.1 inputs, the latter of which will be your means of unlocking the monitor's 4K 240Hz potential. It should be noted, however, that you'll also need a GPU with HDMI 2.1 ports, such as Nvidia's RTX 3000 graphics cards.

As well as being both sharp and responsive, the G8 boasts a 32-inch Quantum Mini LED panel bolstered by a Quantum HDR 2000 certification, which means it should offer great contrast, deep black levels, and generally fantastic image quality.

RELATED LINKS: Samsung 970 EVO 1TB review, Best SSD for gaming, Best gaming monitor

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 9:44 AM
     The best building games on PC in 2022

What are the best building games on PC? Building games are a great way to indulge some architectural creativity, but there are so many great building games on PC to choose from. Thankfully, we have the brick and mortar necessary to put together a list of the best building games on PC with the strongest of foundations.

From compulsive free-to-plays to fully-fledged triple-A titles, building games allow us to stake our claim on another world and bend it to our will. Whether you need a base to defend against oncoming dinosaurs in Ark: Survival Evolved or are scrabbling together rusted scrap in the post-apocalypse of Fallout 4, there are nearly as many reasons to build as there are building games.

Building games on PC come in all shapes and sizes. Construction in Fortnite Battle Royale is essential for victory, if you know how best to do it. On the other hand, building and Minecraft are inseparable, whether you're scrabbling together a base to defend, or crafting a creative structure. Whatever kind of building game you're after, we've got the right set of blueprints for you here.

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

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 9:17 AM
     The best sex games on PC in 2022

What are the best sex games on PC? From steamy sexy times in The Witcher 3, space rumpy-pumpy in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, to kinky bedroom antics in Fallout 4, these are the sexiest games on PC.

Sex. It's all around us. It's leaking out of the walls. It's flooding up through the floorboards. "Where's all this sex coming from?" screams your mother, as she puts the sofa up on cinder blocks to protect it from the rising tide of sex. "Get all of the white goods up the stairs!"

"Get with it mum, you massive prude," you shout in reply, opening the back door and allowing a great wave of filthy sex to wash over the living room, carrying your dad's slippers away in a frothy deluge while the family dog barks and barks, confused and soaking. That's sex for you. Or houses in low-lying flood plains. I can never remember which is which.

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

PCGamesN Tuesday, January 4, 2022 11:53 AM
     The best zombie games on PC 2022

What are the best zombie games on PC in 2022? You can hardly take a step on Steam without zombie games clutching at your ankle, so it's a valid question. Don't dismiss the entire genre just because there's a load of brainless clones, though - below we have collected some of the best zombie games to shuffle their way onto PC.

Zombie games range from survival simulation to Lovecraftian co-op period pieces, and if you like, you can even take a shambling detour through tower defence and post-apocalypse parkour. Popular culture's fascination with the undead has given us a lot of gifts - and a lot of memes - so it's important you get your bearings and learn what's what.

This list of zombie games has everything an undead enthusiast could ask for. We have the harrowing moral quandaries posed by The Walking Dead, the high-octane FPS action of Black Ops 3, and the traumatising horror of Resident Evil. Whatever state of decay your taste is in, these are the best zombie games on PC and no, we will not be taking any questions at this time.

RELATED LINKS: State of Decay 2 review, State of Decay 2 PC performance, State of Decay 2 guide

Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, January 4, 2022 2:27 PM
    

Steam has existed in a grey area in China, technically not following rules which require all games be approved yet never drawing the ire of authorities. Many have long expected it to eventually be banned, though, especially after Valve partnered with Perfect World to launch the limited Steam China. This might now be happening. Maybe. Or it's possibly being hindered, at least. This all started with a big stink on Christmas Day that led some to declare Steam had been banned by the Great Firewall which restricts access to many sites outside China, but the reality is not so clear cut.

Read more


Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, January 4, 2022 1:10 PM
    

The vanguard of Intel's 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs had some seriously good chips in it – including two of the best CPUs for gaming overall – though there weren't many models for aspiring PC builders on tight budgets. Now, though, Intel has used CES 2022 to launch the rest of the 12th Gen desktop lineup, adding loads of more affordable Core i5 and Core i3 processors on top of new Core i7 and Core i9 options. Intel also unveiled its new H-series, 12th Gen gaming laptop chips, which use the same hybrid architecture (combining powerful P-cores with smaller, less energy-intensive E-cores) as their Alder Lake desktop cousins.

Read more


Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, January 4, 2022 12:57 PM
    

Before it pivoted to talking about self-driving cars, something I can't even put into a PCIe slot, Nvidia's CES 2022 showcase went both high and low with its graphics card reveals. The high: the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, as new top-of-the-line CPU with 24GB of upgraded, 21Gbit/s GDDR6X VRAM. The low: the GeForce RTX 3050, Nvidia's first XX50 GPU in a donkey's age.

Read more


Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, January 4, 2022 11:41 AM
    

It's the first week of 2022 and that means – yes! – all the big PC hardware movers and shakers are hosting their CES 2022 events. On the same day. Within a couple of hours of each other. But my stress is your gain, as there are and will be some major announcements on new kit, starting with AMD. Their freshly-announced hardware includes an assortment of new CPUs, desktop and mobile graphics cards and even some laptop APUs – APUs that sound a lot more useful for gaming that what current integrated graphics can offer. There's even an Nvidia Image Scaling rival in the upcoming, driver-level Radeon Super Resolution feature.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, January 4, 2022 11:06 AM
    

Christmas came and went, a fat goose is waddling around honking a muted honk, and people have put so many coins into the old man's hat that he gets a mild concussion every time he walks the dog. So, not to be crass, but did you get anything good? Rare new hardware? Handy stocking stuffers? A good game in the sales? Hell, I'm just using this as a way to start a chat: how was your Winterval in general? Do anything nice? Eat anything good?

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, January 4, 2022 11:00 AM
    

Nightingale certainly isn't the sort of game I was expecting from a former BioWare developer, but I'm well excited to give it a go. Announced at The Game Awards 2021, Nightingale is a survival craft 'em up set in a fantastical, alt-history world. It's being made by Inflexion Games, a studio lead by Aaryn Flynn, former programmer and general manager at the Dragon Age and Mass Effect developers.

But don't go in expecting the sort of huge, arcing plotlines of BioWare's recent games. While Nightingale will have an over-arching narrative, it's being designed to offer up adventures that let you make your own stories. I spoke to Flynn at the end of last year to find out a little bit more about what that entails.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, January 4, 2022 10:07 AM
    

Square Enix have ushered in the new year with a joyous message for those who play games to "have fun". Sorry, but those who "play to earn" are key to their business model going forwards. NFTs, blockchain, and the 'metaverse' are the future of fun. Whatever that means.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, January 4, 2022 10:00 AM
    

Happy New Year, folks! 2021 may be behind us now, but before we start looking ahead to all the hip new video games coming our way this year, we thought it was as good a time as any to look back at all of our favourites from the last twelve months. If you kept up to date with our hale and healthy Advent Calendar over the course of December, then you'll already know our game of the year selections for 2021, but this post gathers all those lovely words and entries together into one handy list.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, January 4, 2022 8:48 AM
    

Riot Games, the makers of Valorant and League Of Legends, have agreed to pay out $100 million (£74m) as part of a proposed settlement to a class-action suit brought against them for "systemic sex discrimination and harassment". Money will go to current and former female employees and contract workers. The suit started in 2018 following widespread allegations of a festering workplace culture, and was originally due to be settled for $10 million (£7m) until California state authorities raised objections that it wasn't enough.

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Twinfinite Tuesday, January 4, 2022 11:43 AM
    

Today Nvidia Hosted its press conference from CES 2022 in Las Vegas, including new reveals for its lineup of GPUs.

The post Nvidia Announces RTX 3090 Ti & RTX 3050 GPUs, RTX 3080 Ti & 3070 Ti Laptops at CES 2022 appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Tuesday, January 4, 2022 11:37 AM
    

Respawn is back at it again with a new Apex Legends Stories From the Outlands short, and this time, we get a good look at Bangalore's backstory with her brother. If you've been following the comics on the game's official Twitter account, you'd know that Wraith and Bangalore have butt heads and had some tense […]

The post Apex Legends Gives Bangalore Backstory in Stories From the Outlands appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Tuesday, January 4, 2022 11:23 AM
    

Today, Sony Pictures Entertainment confirmed that Morbius has been delayed yet again. This newest delay pushes the upcoming Marvel anti-heroes' vampire flick back until April 1, 2022, marking the sixth delay since its original release date announcement of July 10, 2020. According to Deadline, the reason for the newest delay once again comes back to […]

The post Morbius Delayed for the Sixth Time; New Release Set for April 2022 appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Tuesday, January 4, 2022 11:02 AM
    

Today, leading nail polish brand OPI has teamed up with Xbox to launch a brand new gaming-inspired palette for spring 2022. The goal of this collaboration is to bring the virtual worlds of Xbox Game Pass to life with a boatload of amazing colors. The Xbox and OPI collection is set to include 12 different […]

The post Xbox Collaborates With OPI to Create Colorful New Nail Art appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Tuesday, January 4, 2022 10:51 AM
    

Today AMD Hosted its press conference from CES 2022 in Las Vegas, including the reveal of new CPUs and GPUs.

The post AMD Announces Zen 4, Ryzen 7 5800X3D, Radeon RX6500XT, Ryzen 6000 Series Mobile, & More at CES2022 appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Tuesday, January 4, 2022 10:18 AM
    

DeNa is kicking off 2022 with a bang by offering Pokemon Masters EX players a chance to win 100 million Gems in tandem with a brand new content update. Players that log-in to the game from now until Jan 8 will automatically be entered to win up to 60,000 Gems as part of the overall […]

The post New Pokemon Masters EX Content Update Features 100,000 Gem Giveaway appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Tuesday, January 4, 2022 9:59 AM
    

Microsoft has today announced the next batch of titles coming to Game Pass over the next two weeks, and it's an impressive list that includes a major compilation and top-notch indies. The lineup is led by Mass Effect Legendary Edition, which is then followed by the unique space exploration game Outer Wilds and the acclaimed […]

The post Mass Effect LE, Spelunk 2, & Outer Wilds Coming to Game Pass in January appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Tuesday, January 4, 2022 9:55 AM
    

Following the reveal of Version 2.4 of Genshin Impact, developer MiHoYo released a new trailer featuring one of the new characters.

The post Genshin Impact Gets Extensive Trailer All About Shenhe's Gameplay appeared first on Twinfinite.


Siliconera Tuesday, January 4, 2022 2:00 PM
    

A new trailer for Danmachi season 4, also known as Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, is available with English subtitles.

The post Danmachi Season 4 Trailer With English Subtitles Appears appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Tuesday, January 4, 2022 1:30 PM
    

The exclusivity arrangement must be about to expire, as there is now a Steam page with 2022 release date for Death Stranding Director's Cut.

The post Death Stranding Director's Cut Steam Page Lists a 2022 Release Date appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Tuesday, January 4, 2022 1:00 PM
    

Gon and the crew take the fight to 4-D!

The post Universal Studios Japan Hunter x Hunter Attraction Unveiled appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Tuesday, January 4, 2022 12:00 PM
    

Mihoyo offered details about the A Post-Honkai Odyssey Chapter 2 characters and location heading to Honkai Impact 3rd. Bronya Zaychik will work alongside three allies while fighting in the new False Bay area. New art and gifs showcased some of the main characters and allies. For example, the APHO protagonist Adam showed up alongside Silverwing: N-EX Bronya. The two new characters are supporters Timido Cute and Lyle Collodi. Timido is a character who deals ice damage. She has a figure skater motif. Her attacks involve kicks. She also "skates" around while fighting. Lyle is described as a "standby" sniper. As […]

The post A Post-Honkai Odyssey Chapter 2 Characters Introduced appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Tuesday, January 4, 2022 11:00 AM
    

Ahead of the Sonic Prime 2022 debut, Sega and Jakks Pacific confirmed that there will be toys based upon the new Sonic the Hedgehog series.

The post Sonic Prime Toys Will Arrive in 2023 appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Tuesday, January 4, 2022 10:30 AM
    

Shenhe's Collected Miscellany Genshin Impact trailer shows everything she's capable of in a fight.

The post Shenhe Moves Showcased in Genshin Impact Trailer appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Tuesday, January 4, 2022 10:00 AM
    

Later in January 2022, Kingdom Hearts 3 will disappear from Xbox Game Pass as other unrelated, new games join the service this month.

The post Kingdom Hearts 3 Leaving Xbox Game Pass in January appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Tuesday, January 4, 2022 9:30 AM
    

The Vanillaware 2022 New Year's card is here, and it reveals the developer will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year by selling t-shirts.

The post Vanillaware 20th Anniversary Will Involve T-Shirts appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Tuesday, January 4, 2022 9:00 AM
    

Arcade1up CES 2022 announcements include commemorative Bandai Namco and Mortal Kombat cabinets and the start of a new, high-end Pro line.

The post Bandai Namco, Mortal Kombat Lead Arcade1up CES 2022 Reveals appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Tuesday, January 4, 2022 8:30 AM
    

These new renders featured a more detailed look at the bosses found through the first tier of Pandaemonium raids.

The post Final Fantasy XIV Pandaemonium Raid Boss Artwork Shared appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Tuesday, January 4, 2022 8:00 AM
    

These new raids present players with more challenging content and rewards them with higher item level gear.

The post Final Fantasy XIV Patch 6.05 Adds Pandaemonium Savage Raids appeared first on Siliconera.


Destructoid Tuesday, January 4, 2022 2:30 PM
    

Classic Miyazaki There's some new Elden Ring Miyazaki thoughts floating around thanks to Edge Magazine (via VCG), and interestingly, they...

The post Elden Ring boss Miyazaki says Demon's Souls remake was intimidating, but won't be playing it appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Tuesday, January 4, 2022 2:00 PM
    

Persona 5 Strikers, Deep Rock Galactic, and Dirt 5 [Update: This month's games are available now, so hop in through...

The post January's PlayStation Plus games are a step up from recent months appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Tuesday, January 4, 2022 1:30 PM
    

I'm going with Paladin, Machinist, and White Mage Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker shook up a number of mechanics with massive...

The post What jobs are you playing in Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker? appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Tuesday, January 4, 2022 1:00 PM
    

Bond could be back in action on the Xbox A leaked set of achievements seem to indicate that classic console...

The post Goldeneye 007 achievements for Xbox have leaked appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Tuesday, January 4, 2022 12:30 PM
    

'It might be surprising to hear that every Pokemon title is made in an entirely different way' Pokemon Sword and Shield...

The post Game Freak talks Pokemon Sword and Shield development struggles appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Tuesday, January 4, 2022 12:00 PM
    

Demon dungeoneer racks up over 800,000 sales It was a very, very long wait, but it seems that it all...

The post Shin Megami Tensei V is already the best-selling entry in the franchise appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Tuesday, January 4, 2022 11:30 AM
    

Plus Mortal Kombat 11 PlayStation Now is an interesting beast, in that any given moment, it can add something that's...

The post If you use PlayStation Now, it just added Final Fantasy XII appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Tuesday, January 4, 2022 11:00 AM
    

Just leave it with a neighbor [Update: 505 Games has officially confirmed that Death Stranding Director's Cut is coming to PC on...

The post Death Stranding Director's Cut officially confirmed for PC, on both Epic and Steam (Update) appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Tuesday, January 4, 2022 10:30 AM
    

Head to Labyrinthos Happy savage day! When you next log into Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, you'll be greeted with the ability...

The post Here's where to unlock Final Fantasy XIV's Pandaemonium Savage raid appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Tuesday, January 4, 2022 10:00 AM
    

The Eve Online Doctor Who collab starts on January 13 Developer CCP is no stranger to Eve Online events, but...

The post Eve Online will let you battle Daleks in a Doctor Who crossover appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Tuesday, January 4, 2022 9:31 AM
    

Any Mass Effect Game Pass month is a good one Mass Effect Game Pass you say? Well now you're cooking...

The post Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is a big Xbox Game Pass surprise appeared first on Destructoid.


PC Invasion - FeedDDD Tuesday, January 4, 2022 2:45 PM
     Hyperx Cloud Ii Gaming Headset Wireless AlphaHyperX, a popular manufacturer of gaming peripherals, has announced a new wave of gaming headsets for its popular Cloud series. Both wireless and wired options exist between the premium Cloud Alpha, Cloud II, and basic Cloud Core models. All of the headsets feature aluminum lightweight frames, memory foam padding wrapped in leatherette, closed cup headphone designs, and detachable condenser mics with uni-directional noise cancelling properties. All of the upcoming products will release by early spring of this year with a couple different color options for each style. Here's what we know so far.   Wireless freedom The HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless gaming headset looks to be the flagship of the bunch at $199.99 USD, due for release in February. HyperX noted in its press release that it's now slimmer and lighter than the previous wired variant, but it still maintains a similar quality of sound and performance compared to the original wired version. While the differences ...

PC Invasion - FeedDDD Tuesday, January 4, 2022 2:30 PM
     Death Stranding Director's Cut Pc Steam Epic Games Store SpringWhen it came to Death Stranding Director's Cut, the question wasn't about if it was coming to PC, but when. After all, the original, non-enhanced version of the game already graced us back in July 2020. Why wouldn't the updated edition follow suit? Today during CES 2022, Intel formally announced that the game was coming to PC this spring. The reveal comes at the heels of yesterday's press release leak, which our sister site Destructoid had sniffed out. The game will be once again published by the folks at 505 Games. This is a good thing, as the company did well with the 2020 port of the original release. In fact, Death Stranding on PC excelled compared to the wacky-haired, buggy port of Horizon Zero Dawn, which Sony published itself. 505 Games took to Twitter with the Director's Cut announcement, saying it is "the definitive [Death Stranding] experience, and will incorporate Intel's new XeSS graphics technology." If you're wonder...

PC Invasion - FeedDDD Tuesday, January 4, 2022 2:15 PM
     Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Alder Lake Games 600 Series ChipsetSince its launch in the fall, Intel's 12th gen CPUs have only had high-end Z690 motherboards available for early adopters. That meant that those that wanted a more affordable or budget-friendly board still had to wait before completing a new build. At CES 2022, Intel finally gave those users options with the unveiling of the H670, B660, and H610 SKUs for the 600 series chipset. Each new SKU provides various benefits depending on what you are looking for. Because of that, each will have their own variable pricing set by various manufacturers.   As far as the general specifications for the motherboards, there is a lot to like. The H670 offers eight DMI 4.0 lanes, up to 12 PCIe 4.0 lanes, and up to 12 PCIe 3.0 lanes. For USB lovers, you can have up to 14 USB ports total with it broken up between USB 2, USB 3.2 Gen 1×1, USB 3.2 Gen 2×1, and USB 3.2 Gen 2×2. The B660 offers a max of 12 USB ports, four DMI 4.0 lanes, six PCIe 4.0 lanes, and eight PCIe 3.0 lanes. ...

PC Invasion - FeedDDD Tuesday, January 4, 2022 1:45 PM
     AMD Ryzen 6000 RembrandtAMD has just revealed the newest in its line up of mobile APUs. Codenamed "Rembrandt," these Ryzen 6000 APUs will feature AMD's latest CPU and GPU IPs, and use the Zen 3+ architecture. It promises a big performance boost for laptops and notebooks geared towards both high and low-end markets. The "Rembrandt" APUs will come in two varieties, both Ryzen 6000H and 6000U variants. The H-series variants will target the high end market, while the U-series will target the entry-level market. AMD is looking to make a big push in the notebook market with these options and plans to cater to both gamers and professionals in the workplace.   AMD's best bet for mobile performance The most encouraging part of the 6000 series of APUs is the updated feature set. The first and most straightforward is the usage of advanced DDR5 memory. This will improve performance across the board for notebooks and laptops. The 6000 series will also support PCIe 4.0 and USB4. ...

PC Invasion - FeedDDD Tuesday, January 4, 2022 1:30 PM
     Sonic Frontiers Delayed Open World EnvironmentsSonic Frontiers was first announced as part of December's Game Awards, but that wasn't always the plan. As revealed in a recent investor Q&A, it was originally intended to launch in 2021. However, Sega delayed Sonic Frontiers in order to focus on quality. Last year was the 30th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog, which would have made it a fantastic opportunity to launch such a milestone game. However, Sega didn't feel as though it was ready yet. During the Q&A session, it is stated that the team wanted to spend more time to "brush up the quality" of its gameplay.   Addressing the stigma Long-term Sonic fans will know of the stigma attached to Sega's signature franchise. For many years now Sega has been guilty of releasing games that just aren't up to scratch. At its worst it has been responsible for overlooking some awful titles such as Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric and Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). Seeing Sonic Frontiers' delay ...

Tabletop Gaming News Tuesday, January 4, 2022 2:00 PM
    

Tabletop Gaming News Tuesday, January 4, 2022 1:00 PM
    

Tabletop Gaming News Tuesday, January 4, 2022 12:00 PM
    

Tabletop Gaming News Tuesday, January 4, 2022 11:00 AM
    

Tabletop Gaming News Tuesday, January 4, 2022 10:00 AM
    

Tabletop Gaming News Tuesday, January 4, 2022 9:00 AM
    

Player Assist | Game Guides & Walkthroughs Tuesday, January 4, 2022 1:54 PM
     An Amiibo is a video game feature allowing you to use physical items such as action figures or cards to interact within the game. With Animal Crossing, the most common Amiibo items are cards due to their availability and lower price. Amiibo cards allow players to quickly get special items and characters, either as a […]

Player Assist | Game Guides & Walkthroughs Tuesday, January 4, 2022 12:42 PM
     While Pokemon Let's Go, Pikachu and Eevee are great games, the question in a lot of avid Pokemon players' minds is, "Can I still find and catch Shiny Pokemon?" and the answer to that is, of course, you can! It is still a Pokemon game, after all. Shiny Pokemon are incredibly rare variations of Pokemon […]

Player Assist | Game Guides & Walkthroughs Tuesday, January 4, 2022 11:14 AM
     Read on to find out how to craft and ignite a TNT block in Minecraft. In Minecraft, TNT can become a powerful weapon when used correctly. Like in the real world, TNT is a highly explosive device that, when triggered with flame, will create a massive explosion that deals damage to its surroundings. Of course, […]

Latest Games on Play iDev Games Tuesday, January 4, 2022 1:45 PM
     Never ending pure retro style arcade shoot-em-up. Wave after wave of alien blasting. Destroy the powerdomes to progress....

Pivotal Gamers Tuesday, January 4, 2022 10:15 AM
     What's up all? We have another great giveaway from itch.io for Kiwi's Quest. Read on for their offering. Get Kiwi's Quest for FREE! A few words about Kiwi's Quest Havatanga, a remote archipelago filled with natural beauty, was once invaded by the evil Professor Laurence Vermilion and his pirates! Last minute notes Login with your itch.io account, follow the on-scr...

Level Up Tuesday, January 4, 2022 11:10 AM
     It's January and the start of a new year, so what better way to celebrate…

Level Up Tuesday, January 4, 2022 10:31 AM
     Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker was released just last month and while players are still working their…

Level Up Tuesday, January 4, 2022 9:17 AM
     If you really enjoy anime and games based on popular anime titles, then there's a…

Gaming on PC Tuesday, January 4, 2022 11:48 AM
     PC gaming is more popular than ever nowadays, but even the best things can lose their appeal over time due to familiarity. Here's some tips to help you breathe new life into your PC gaming experiences. Full article after the jump.