Grand Theft Auto 5 has an abundance of neat official add-ons, but its huge collection of user-made mods are what sets it apart from just about every other game in my eyes. Modder State_of_Mind s Gang Hideouts is the latest to catch my eye, which brings Red Dead Redemption s raidable enemy HQs to the sprawling open world Los Santos sandbox.

It s a real shame that GTA s wild west cousin remains a console-exclusive, as it s a fantastic game in both single and multiplayer with a story that s far more engaging than anything the Grand Theft Auto series has ever offered. Gang Hideouts, for those unaware, feature in Red Dead Redemption as areas inhabited by outlaw gangs that players can confront and face-off against. Besides snagging bonuses, clearing these bastions of their bad guys is great fun, which is why it s nice to see the idea implemented in GTA 5.

State_of_Mind s GTA-oriented slant on Gang Hideouts requires both the Build a Mission mod by Aimless and the OpenInteriors mod by NewTheft to work, and lets players seek out gang s quarters as they lie strewn across the Los Santos map just like in Red Dead Redemption.

Each hideout is home to a different group of enemies, and State_of_Mind has added over ten new hideouts and a handful of antagonists such as Corrupt Cops and Dam Hippies since the mod was first created less than a month ago, as he or she ensures the mod "expands over time."

Here's a few stills that accompany the mod's download link.

Fallout 4 s Vault-Tec Workshop expansion is almost upon us, which means we ll soon become clandestine lair-building overseers. Come July 26, this Tuesday, we ll get the chance to build a brighter future underground , craft massive vaults , and run Vault-Tec approved experiments on whoever dares let us. We ll also get treated to a new quest, Bethesda has now revealed, making it the forthcoming DLC the first Workshop add-on to do so.

Assuming you re above level 20, a distress beacon, which can be heard anywhere in the Commonwealth, will sound alerting you to attend an emergency at Vault 88. Once there, you ll lay waste to a group of unpleasant raiders and will then happen upon the vault s charming yet distinctly odd ghoul-transformed overseer. She s into weird experiments, you learn, and that s where your quest kicks off.

You ll start off by interviewing some potential new settlers, searching for the perfect subject for all your nefarious tests, explains a blog post on the Bethesda site. From there you will be tasked with running a series of experiments, each with different outcomes, depending on the choices you make. Will you be a benevolent leader? Or a cruel tyrant? Or maybe somewhere in the middle?

Your choice of test parameters will affect the final version of each experimental object, so think carefully. Whatever you end up crafting for your experiment will be permanently added to the Workshop, allowing you to build it whenever you want.

If that all sounds a bit too gross for your liking, you don t actually need to complete the quest, says Bethesda the pure Workshop experience can be had by offing the vault keeper or by dismissing her upon arrival. If you do choose to kill her or force her out, you ll still be able to build a basic version of each experiment item, adds the blog post.

The Vault-Tec Workshop expansion also brings with it a host of nifty tools and items, such as clean furniture, new Vault-themed decorations including a Vault Boy and Vault Girl statue, the experiment-related items you create during the quest part of the add-on, and the newly added Barber and Surgeon chairs the latter of which means you can now change your look without making the trek to Diamond City.

Fallout 4's Vault-Tec Workshop DLC is due July 26.

Me and my travelling robot are a regular odd couple, he with hammers for fists and me with human-sized fists, he grappling with the quandaries of existence, me fairly comfortable in my sentience. Oh how we laugh when poison gas from his rear-mounted toxic canisters suffocates a group of super mutants, HA. HA. HA. That s actually what I ve named him, the tip of the silicone mastication module taking a trip of three steps down the platinum palate to tap, at three, on the bone fangs. After playing through Fallout 4 s Automaton, an expansion that lets you create companions from the building blocks of life ie, oil, screws, plastic I can t imagine the Commonwealth without this bucket of bolts.

I can customise HA. HA. HA s appearance at my workbench in Sanctuary. First, I arm him with weed-whackers, give him a grinning skull through which to communicate using beeps and boops, and paint him jet black, but I m finding him hard to like. A bit inaccessible. I want a companion both charming and despicable the boundless enthusiasm of a dog mixed with the deadliness of a tank so I embark on Automaton s questline.

It sends us hunting a mysterious figure called the Mechanist, whose merciless machine army is causing havoc. Where is he hiding? A brain in a jar of liquid promises to reveal all if we build her a body.

It isn t quite what I had envisioned, Jezebel remarks of her new vacuum cleaner arms and squat refrigerator torso, but I suppose it will have to suffice. Rude. And she kills people, too.

Assisting a human to the best of my abilities only affords a 25% survival rate, she says. Therefore it s better to hasten the human s death and put them out of their likely chance of misery than to deplete my limited time. Once she tells me the Mechanist s location, I use my new arsenal of toys to blow her up. This DLC gives me a hollowed-out eyebot to wear on my head, Tesla T-60 power armour that decorates my pauldrons with hissing electrodes, and the laser-pulse-emitting head of a salvaged assaultron bot I hold by the spinal cabling.

All this I bring on my exploits with companion 2.0, Robot de Niro. He is the smiley emoji taken to its frightening natural conclusion: an expression of joy carved into rusted sheet metal, with a drill on one hand and a flamethrower on the other, and sleek people-shaped legs for that much-needed form factor. Bless him, he often brings me gifts, like lightbulbs and dishrags and broken toasters. Thankfully his carrying capabilities dwarf mine due to the extra packs and pockets I ve strapped onto him, so I immediately give it all back, and he s glad of the work. My dog-tank dream is a reality.

We finish Automatron in an hour or two, but with hordes of rogue robots still out there, the adventure is just beginning. I ve found a friend in this cold, calculating, and endlessly configurable robot.

As promised earlier this week, Gary Busey is now live as Hitman s seventh Elusive Target. For the next seven days, the Hollywood legend and so-called infamous loose cannon will be wandering the sun-kissed streets of Sapienza after a falling out with advertisement organisers. You ll never find me, Busey is reported to have said following the dispute. I have the power of invisibility.

Whether or not that s true remains to be seen, however one thing is certain: his ex-clients want him gone and it s on you to make that happen.

In case you missed it, Hitman's developers IO Interactive launched a poll back in March that asked players which famous actor they d like to see catch a bullet as one of the game's Elusive Targets: Gary Cole or Gary Busey. The latter won, which is why we ve ended up in this, um, strange situation. To confuse things further still, Gary Cole is apparently also roaming Sapienza an "angered co-star" who may lead you straight to your target reckons contract-handler Diana.

Again, you ve got seven days to make Busey The Wild Card meet his match. You've also got just one shot, so make it count.

The YouTuber known as Limit Breakers may have a little too much time on his hands a judgment I make because, for reasons that are not entirely clear, he used the iGP11 texture replacement utility to change every texture in Dark Souls 3 to a crab.

It's crabs and nothing but, as far as the eye can see. Crab on the shield, crab on the cape, crabs on the ground, crabs in the sky, crab on the face, crabs in the... well, you get the idea. It's like a Red Lobster expansion into the Kingdom of Lothric gone seriously (seriously!) wrong.

I can't even begin to fathom what leads a person to do something like this. Maybe it's some kind of psychological payback for a bad encounter with a Great Crab at some point in the past? The video ends in an encounter with one a crab wearing a crab, naturally and it doesn't go well. It's all very strange, isn't it?

Weirdness notwithstanding, Dark Souls 3 is really good good enough to ensnare even Andy Kelly, who didn't care much for the first two games in the series. Find out why here (it wasn't because of the crabs).

There s no denying that Riot has come a long way since their original forty champions. While there have been countless hiccups along the way from launch to today, including horrors like release Xin Zhao, the multiple Ryze reworks, and a few artistic fumbles, Riot has grown creatively. The process of making a champion, which lasts for months on end, is fascinating to explore. While Riot is often critiqued for having many arms, each carrying out their own task, and little communication between those departments, this falls away when it comes to the recent champion releases. Art, design, balance, spell graphics, voice acting there are so many components that go into each release, and it s obvious that Riot are pushing themselves with each new character.

There s more than just the surface to look at, however. While the artistic and balance sides of new champion releases are worth applauding (even if it took a while for Taliyah to find her footing on the Rift), what I find most interesting is how Riot s new champion designs unify their visuals with the fantasy of playing them.

 Starting from the bottom

In order to fully appreciate some of the modern designs, let s take a look at two of the original forty champions (both of whom are in sore need of a rework): Kayle and Morgana. Kayle and Morgana both have kits that work and basic visual fantasies that are easily understandable. One is an angel paladin, one is a fallen succubus, and they re sisters who hate each other.

While Kayle and Morgana are both cool characters at first glance, their kits don t interact with each other. Kayle sits in the backlines and does a bit of healing and protection, but mostly pumps out damage with her E.

Morgana snares and farms with her W. While her shield and ult have given her more modern prominence as a support, they re both flat characters compared to the modern cast, in both gameplay and theme. Sure, the core ideas of vengeful angel , fallen sister , and eternal war are cool, but they don t come through in play or execution at all.

Multi-layered design 

Consider, for a moment, a more modern duo (although we re still not sure whether they re sisters): Vi and Jinx. None of their abilities necessarily interact with each other, but consider how they play out:

Jinx sits in the backlines, dancing back and throwing out volleys of carnage while laughing maniacally. The more damage she causes, the easier it is for her to get away thanks to the speed boost on Get Excited! If she performs her role correctly, she should be untouched and a complete menace, and annoying to boot.

Vi, on the other hand, desperately wants to catch Jinx and shut her down. She should be charging through the backlines, smashing into Jinx and pummeling her. If the carry manages to evade her Q, it s time to bring down the long arm of the law and use her ult.

In short, their gameplay dynamics are fun, exciting to watch, and directly reflect their relationship in game.

 Avoiding pitfalls

Vi and Jinx are a great example, but not every release has gone so smoothly. It s worth noting that Vi and Jinx share a designer: August Gypsylord Browning (Gypsylord has also been behind Gnar, Ekko, and Jhin). Different designers are behind different champions, and each one leaves their mark. There are also multiple other factors that have to be considered during a champion s design.

Like: will this be unique? Part of the recent mid season mage update was to make the mages distinct from one another. Vel koz, Lux, Xerath, and Ziggs all had significant overlap, and if one was successful in competitive play, it was because it was superior to the other choices. However, they all fulfilled the same role. Future updates and redesigns will be likely keeping this in mind does a champion have an unique niche that stands out? This is no small task, with such an enormous roster.

Plus: are the design and visuals aligned? Shen is a ninja, but he looks like a tank. Katarina has long steel blades but does magic damage. While many of the older cast are likely stuck with these discrepancies (hence Shen s rework leaving him as a tank, and Katarina s future rework unlikely to turn her into an AD assassin), it s important to avoid this with new releases.

 What comes next?

Ryze s rework stripped away his steroid ult and gave him a mass teleport. The next champion will be even crazier . Taliyah has a long ranged wall that allows her to slide into fights and begin dishing out damage. As Riot works to create thematically appropriate and narratively consistent characters, they re also going to be stretching the limits of what is possible. Even scrapped abilities, like Taliyah s ability to destroy an entire piece of terrain for a limited amount of time, could come back for future champions.

There will likely be patterns of repetition (three hit combos! Gimmick passives!) as well as champions who come out undertuned or overpowered, and occasionally champions who just need to be re-tuned as the years tick by. However, Riot has clearly put a lot of love into not just their champions, but the very process that builds them up from a basic concept. The end result is that the future remains bright for League. If they can continue to create champions that are fun to play for casuals and exciting to watch in competitive, the League machine can keep chugging along for a long while yet. It s been a wild ride since those first forty champions, but there s no disputing Riot has seriously stepped up their game in creating a cohesive offering across the board.

The CS:GO skin gambling saga continues. After declaring it would start taking action against a list of alleged guilty parties last week, Valve has now cemented its intentions by issuing cease and desist orders to over 20 different gambling sites (including one Dota2 site) for using their Steam accounts for commercial purposes. In turn, this breaches the terms and conditions of the alleged offenders' Steam Subscriber Agreements.

This has been a tricky story to follow, so allow me to recap: although skin gambling in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has existed for about three years, the topic was thrust into the spotlight just over two weeks ago when it emerged betting site CSGO Lotto was in fact owned by two YouTube personalities who d previously promoted the site without obviously declaring their involvement.

If you re unfamiliar with how CS:GO betting works, I d suggest checking out Evan s detailed overview. As players play the game, they earn cases which, when opened, grants them randomised skins for their weapons. In order to open said cases, you ll need to cough up actual money, and once acquired you can trade with other players. Ultimately the websites in question allow users to bet their skins against match outcomes, or use them to gamble in a variety of casino-style, browser-based games.

The short version is that Valve wants to stop this from happening, however to confuse matters further there s also a concurrent case running against Valve where one Michael John McLeod believes the blame lies not with the many CS:GO betting sites, but with Valve for enabling and supporting their existence. Whether this comes to anything is a matter of debate. Regardless, Valve has since denied any connection to gambling sites and last week announced plans to shut them down. (Evan also explored the impact this had on CS:GO skin prices.)

Anyway, the list of guilty websites noted above in its entirety was tweeted out by esports person Wykrhm Reddy last night, and appeared to be corroborated hours later by one of the sites listed CSGOBig who attached Valve s formal complaint. The letter is signed by Valve s general councel Karl Quackenbush and reads as follows:

We are aware that you are operating one of the gambling sites listed below. You are using Steam accounts to conduct this business. Your use of Steam is subject to the terms of the Steam Subscriber Agreement ("SSA"). Under the SSA Steam and Steam services are licensed for personal, non-commercial use only.

Your commercial use of Steam accounts is unlicensed and in violation of the SSA. You should immediately cease and desist further use of your Steam accounts for any commercial purpose. If you fail to do this within ten (10) days Valve will pursue all available remedies including without limitation terminating your accounts.

In response, CSGOBig suggests it is only shutting down temporarily and that it ll definitely be back soon." The wording of Valve s pretty explicit order, though, might suggest otherwise.

We ve contacted Valve for further comment and will update as and when we hear back.

Space Marine is a third person fighting game from Relic Entertainment, a studio best known for their fine RTS games. Space Marine was an attempt to break into new genres and find new audiences. Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 universe was the vehicle, and the opportunity to paste dozens of rampaging space Orks was the primary draw.

Space Marine commits completely to the core mission, and its realisation of 40K's exaggerated close combat weapons is unexpectedly good. The chain sword feels like a low-fi counterpoint to the common lightsaber archetype. Instead of the warm 'vrwooom' of plasma, the chain sword's gears roar with every swipe a brutal weapon for an uncivilised age.

The glowing power axe seems to deal damage more efficiently, but lacks the mechanical ferocity of the chain sword. You have to wait until you find a thunder hammer to access the full force of the Adeptus Astartes armoury. This two-handed electric war hammer tenderises enemies with sweeping blows and overhead strikes. The latter emit a thunderous shockwaves that leaves enemies open to execution attacks, which provide some of Space Marine's most violent and satisfying moments.

Weapon impacts are improved by the addition of slow motion, judicious particle effects and some outstanding weapon noises. But let's not underestimate the role that your dance partners play. Orks lope towards you in swarms and pop explosively on death, charging with the misguided enthusiasm you'd expect of creatures that love to fight and barely feel pain. In defeat, as a chain sword grinds through various important bits, their primary emotion is surprise and outrage. It's telling that the game slumps in the final chapters, when another force usurps the Orks as your primary foe.

I mention these details because Space Marine demonstrates how careful attention to combat audiovisual can mitigate wider problems. Space Marine's environments are grey and samey, struggling to realise spectacle that the story demands, and that 40K fans expect. Thunder hammers rare and mighty tools of the Emperor's finest can frequently be found resting on small crates in cramped rooms. Fans of the universe can take pleasure in some authentically modelled vehicles and units, but many lie static and unused in the background.

Nonetheless, I can't stop myself going back to pick up a thunder hammer, strap on an assault jetpack and take it to the Greenskins. Space Marine isn't a classic but it does hammers, chain swords and exploding enemies very well indeed and that's good enough for a Why I Love in my book. Well done, Space Marine, the primarchs would be proud.

The first episode of Dontnod s multi-award winning adventure game Life Is Strange will be available to download for free tomorrow, publisher Square Enix has announced.

From July 21 onwards, the episodic tale of love, friendship and coming of age is set to offer players a complimentary trip to Arcadia Bay where they ll join Chloe and Max in the game s premier episode Chrysalis. To mark the occasion, Dontnod has released the following trailer:

Although perhaps not for everyone, one of the most impressive things about Life Is Strange is its propensity to affect people in so many different ways. It was Chris s Personal Pick of last year; whereas Phil described it as unfocused but earnest , but nevertheless found it to be one of his favourite games of 2015. Jody MacGregor discussed why a bad ending needn t ruin a great game after finishing Chloe and Max s tale; and Andy shared his thoughts on how it channels Twin Peaks.

If you re yet to try it, you can begin to craft your own slant when Life Is Strange s episode one launches for free tomorrow via its official website.

Allegations were raised earlier this week that James "PhantomL0rd" Varga, a Twitch streamer who according to PCGamesN has or had nearly 1.4 million followers, is also the owner of CSGO skin gambling site CSGOShuffle, which he heavily promoted on his channel without any sort of disclosure. The claims came to light after a hacker who was actually trying to rip the site off discovered Skype logs of conversations between Varga and CSGOShuffle coder Duhau Joris, which he provided to YouTuber Richard Lewis.

There's no photo of Varga standing over a body with a smoking gun in his hand, but Lewis says the exchanges between him and Joris heavily suggest, almost to a degree of certainty, that PhantomL0rd is the owner of CSGOShuffle, and on top of that, he has gambled exclusively with 'house money' taken from the business. The logs he presents in his video would appear to bear that out: Varga makes some rather large payments to Joris, seeks help winning bets, and appears clearly to be the man in charge.

The whole thing has powerful echoes of the recent CSGO Lotto fiasco, in that it appears all but certain that Varga was using his channel to promote a gambling site that he has a financial interest in. This is not allowed by either the FTC or Valve, and Twitch recently clarified its own position on the matter, which is basically that if a streamer breaks a third-party's terms of service, he also breaks Twitch's, and will be punished accordingly.

And that's what appears to have happened to Phantoml0rd, whose Twitch channel has been closed due to terms of service violations. Specific reasons for the shutdown aren't provided, and Varga himself seems to have gone to ground: He hasn't tweeted or posted a video to his YouTube channel since July 16, when he proclaimed ironically, as it turns out that his channel was about to undergo a big change. The CSGOShuffle website is also currently down.

I've reached out to Varga for comment, and will update if and when I receive a reply.