I do not envy the job that Ubisoft Montreal have set themselves with Rainbow Six Siege, balancing their increasingly popular FPS to esports standards. Counter-Strike’s gameplay can be upset with a single tweak, and that isn’t a class-based, multi-phase game like Siege. Still, the past few major updates for the game have felt confident, and no massive community uproar has resulted, so clearly they’re doing something right. Today, patch 1.2 rolled out for the game, tweaking, tuning, and buffing several LMGs .

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Sometimes, all you need on that first day back at work is something to make you smile. I’ve yet to wipe the big daft grin off my face from playing around with Froach Club’s Titonic Fisherman, a little browser-based software toy/music synthesizer with an adorably doodled aesthetic, and a very silly range of samples to annoy the neighbours with.

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When Firaxis brought XCom back to life, it felt like an oasis of squad tactics in the middle of a boundless, barren desert. Now, the heavens have opened and the great deluge has begun. We’re practically drowning in squad-based tactical combat now, and the latest game threatening to drag me under this rising tide is Steam Marines 2. Sequel to tactical roguelike Steam Marines, the very first public alpha build of this promising squad tactics game has just breached the hull of Itch.io, and has begun sweeping for threats.

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Subnautica may be the latest big thing in the survival sandbox sphere, but Endnight Games’ The Forest was there first. Released as early access in 2014, it has evolved and mutated into a surprisingly deep blend of survival horror and sandbox. Today, it is officially finished, and version 1.0 has rolled out. Within, some quick thoughts on the new version of the game, plus a rather grim and violent launch trailer.

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Lovely farm ’em up Stardew Valley‘s multiplayer is alllmost ready, close enough to finished that today it launched an opt-in open beta. Stardew’s multiplayer will let players host up to three other players in their farm, chipping in to work the land, adventure, fish, and probably drink a whole lot. Heck, you can even get married to other players.

The beta branch is now live on Steam, will hit Stardew’s GOG version “in a few days”, and will officially launch in the main game… when it’s done. (more…)

Cooperative heist FPS Payday 2 has capped off a week of daily updates with a new heist, one busting into a heavily-defended research facility to swipe mysterious artefacts. They may or may not be magical or alien or… the story has grown a little more complicated than “steal money from a bank cos a boffin said so” over the past five years.

The week-long ‘Spring Break’ event also brought a new stealth heist, a new minigun, akimbo versions of another thirty guns, new masks, and more – all for free. (more…)

You’re lucky, readers. It’s an optimistic time of year, even for sour-faced mopes like myself, and I damn nearly opened with some lyrics. What can I say? The sun is singing, the birds are shining, and the latest selection of Unknown Pleasures is a zingy blend of drama, carefree fun, and creativity. I for one am feeling inspired.

Fooling us into thinking Summer won’t be repulsively hot, itchy and sticky this week: cowboy revenge, underground art, and bisexual pride.

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Now that our resident football knower is gone, the rest of Team RPS have to stare each other down whenever there s football game news. Today, I blinked first. The makers of FIFA 18, a digital recreation of the famous foot-based sport, have announced that a World Cup mode will be added as part of a free update, allowing players to score both stunners and blinders as one of the 32 power-hungry nation states taking part in the competition. It s launching May 29. (more…)

From my vantage point, there s something enchanting about the snow-capped palisades of Dinefwr. Although I imagine its majesty is somewhat lost on the seven hundred exhausted Welshmen I ve just ordered to breach the stronghold s walls, with nothing but battered wooden shields between them and a typical British forecast of flaming arrows. I d like to pretend their sacrifices come at the bitter end of a long, failed diplomatic campaign. Truthfully though, like so much of the conflict in history, they had something shiny, and I decided I wanted it. (more…)

Life isn’t great for Overwatch‘s Symmetra at the moment. Her auto-aiming default attack and Do-It-Themselves turrets can make her a good pick for newer players, but conventional wisdom holds that she doesn’t have a place when things get competitive: she’s the only hero that’s never been picked in an Overwatch League game.

So, how do you solve a problem like Symmetra? According to lead designer Geoff Goodman, you attach rockets to her turrets and turn her teleporter ult into a normal ability that can transport Torbjorn turrets and D.VA ults. You also maker her left-click beam attack much more powerful, and transform photon barrier into an ultimate that creates a wall which is “INFINITE in size” (my over-excited emphasis). None of these changes to Symmetra’s upcoming rework are set in stone, but they sound WILD.

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