It feels like an age since the last Elder Scrolls game was released (seven years, to be precise), and it's probably going to be several years more before we see the next one. It's an agonising wait, and for some older fans, it really is a race against time. But thanks to an online campaign, fans are hoping at least one Skyrim-playing grandma will be involved in the next game. In at least some sense of the word.

As possibly the coolest grandma on the internet, you may well have already heard of Shirley Curry. She's an 82-year-old YouTuber who primarily records herself playing Skyrim, and has pretty much won the hearts of everyone in the Elder Scrolls community. Referring to her subscribers as "grandkids", she goes out of her way to reply to every comment on her videos, and her let's plays are basically the most wholesome thing you can find on the internet. And, if you still doubted her credentials, last year she even made it into the Guinness World Record book as the oldest video game YouTuber. Here's her latest Skyrim video, should you want a look:

Her place at the centre of an internet campaign, however, began after a Reddit user spotted her comment on a YouTube video analysing the comments Pete Hines made to Eurogamer about TES6's release window. "I guess that puts the nail in my coffin," Curry wrote. "When Skyrim 6 comes out I'll be 88! So I probably won't get to play it."

Read more…

It's easy to understand why brutalism has been such a potent source of architectural inspiration for games. The raw forms - solid, legible and with clear lineation - are the perfect material for level designers to craft their worlds with. Simultaneously, these same structures are able to ignite imaginations and gesture outwards, their dramatic shapes and monumental dimensions shocking and attention-seizing.

Brutalism is a branch of architecture that spans roughly 30 years (1950s-1970s). It was borne out of the devastation of two world wars, when there was a need to rebuild. In this aftermath brutalism became a vital global phenomenon. If you live in a city, you've no doubt passed by a hulking example.

The term derives from a French invention: b ton brut, meaning raw concrete. This is the structure's most prominent feature - sheer concrete surface, often left rough, exposed or unfinished. Significant in the emergence of brutalism was the architect Le Corbusier and his Unit d'Habitation. Built from reinforced concrete, the housing unit was an attempt to create what Le Corbusier called "a machine for living" - a place that met our every need. It was a thoroughly modern, progressive and even utopian conception of architecture. Regardless of the visual force of brutalism, it's impossible to divorce it from this socio-historical background.

Read more…

Looking at places to live in games, it would be easy for the most magnificent, pompous and elegant palaces and castles to dominate any appreciation. But there is plenty of room to appreciate those residences that are tucked away, perhaps underrated, that are not major hubs or destinations and that are only subtle intrusions. Some draw a curious sense of attachment from players, eliciting a sense of pseudo-topophilia - a close relationship with a virtual land or place. The resulting effect is sometimes enough to cause the sentiment: if this place were real, I would live there.

Right in the corner of the Hinterlands in Dragon Age: Inquisition is the Grand Forest Villa. Its position in the landscape is not obtrusive or jarring, and in turn makes use of the surrounding Hinterlands as its grounds and gardens. Not only does it look fantastic in its geographical context, the residence fits the medieval-fantasy context, oozing grandeur and splendour. But it also serves a purpose: in the Dragon Age lore, it was built for a special friend of the Arl of Redcliffe to allow him to stay near Redcliffe Castle, but far enough away to not raise eyebrows or induce scandal. Designed to be elegant and bold, the Villa - which is a generous term - would have been a beautiful place to live. Even though there are no obvious living spaces on show to relate to they are there - probably within the thick stone walls that add a strange, yet weirdly complete juxtaposition of woodland villa aesthetic next to defensive fortress.

Its semi-open nature permeates its design. Opening up sides and boundaries has the effect of bringing the outside, inside - nowadays, think about homes that have entire walls made of glass to bring their garden 'inside' - blurring the boundary between indoor luxury and the pleasantness of nature, landscapes and plants. It also opens up expansive and brilliant vistas from the Grand Forest Villa, the importance of which is demonstrated by the design of designated viewing decks or points offering fabulous views over the lush and rolling Hinterlands landscape.

Read more…

It's fast approaching the 10-year anniversary of Fallout 3's release, and for half that time, one dedicated fan has been plugging away at a DLC-sized mod for the game. If that doesn't make you feel inadequate, I don't know what will.

Released yesterday, Washington's Malevolence is a quest mod which transports players to Maddox Island on a treasure hunt for the old Rocky Cape Bank - "a pre-war bank said to house untold riches". According to the project's NexusMods description, Washington's Malevolence allows players to "explore the island, visit several new locations, and meet different people from different backgrounds" who will "shape and mould the events that take place during the player's visit". To be honest, even this nuclear wasteland sounds like a far nicer place to visit than real-life Washington DC at the moment.

The project is the work of one-person modding team Garfield2004B, along with a cast of supporting voice actors. It sounds like a substantial creation, and judging by the gameplay trailer, seems like it's pretty well-written. Although not all the roles have been voiced, and the mod is non-canon (due to the release of Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 since development started), this fan-made creation is certainly a labour of love.

Read more…

"Come on. Lighten up. Have a whiff."

It's late into Cyberpunk 2077's demo when Dum-Dum extends a claw toward V, offering a hit from a skull-adorned inhaler. Perhaps sensing the veiled hostility behind the supposed peace pipe being thrust under her nose, she obliges. Arachnid eye implants shine through a red haze. Dum-Dum takes his own hit, and flared nerves settle. Between all the talk of cred chips and bots, the tension that fuels this choice stems from a ritual as old as time. Breaking bread. Chinking cups. Passing the proverbial Dutchie to the left.

Adult games, as a medium, are often enamoured with their own portrayal of taboo subjects, but there's a streak of silently judgemental conservatism dulling the libertine sheen. By confining their use to grim settings, these stories condemn altered states of consciousness as the territory of society's dregs. At the same time, they're perfectly happy to hijack their aesthetics when it suits. Unexamined praise can be as useless as uninformed panic, of course, but let's be clear here: games are, for the most part, shit at doing drugs properly. Here's a brief history of drug use in games.

Read more…

Cyanide Interactive has unveiled a new gameplay trailer for its upcoming Lovecraft-inspired horror RPG Call of Cthulhu.

When we last saw the game in action, Cyanide offered an extended look at its atmospheric opening hour, setting the scene for its central investigation - which sees hard-drinking private detective Edward Pierce attempting to solve several mysterious deaths in the halls of Hawkins Manor, situated on the gloomy island of Darkwater Island, Massachusetts.

This time around, however, Cyanide teases a couple of sequences from much later in the game, delving, as the developer puts it, "deeper along the path of madness". Once again, the video stresses the futility of physical combat in Call of Cthulhu (although it's always an option as a last resort), offering a reminder that it's often far more effective to make use of your other skills, such as speech, medicine, and knowledge of the occult.

Read more…

Is there anything more spine-tingling than loading up Skyrim to hear those ominous chants? Now imagine that with a live choir, in London's Hammersmith Apollo, all in the name of charity. Oh - and with some epic Fallout music thrown into the mix too.

Bethesda is supporting War Child UK to put on a live performance of its biggest musical hits. This includes tunes from Fallout 3, Fallout 4, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and even the mysterious upcoming game Fallout 76. Personally, I can't wait to hear a preview of the soundtrack to which nukes will be dropping on my head.

The concert is due to take place on Saturday 3rd November at the London Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith. The music of composers Inon Zur and Jeremy Soule will be performed by the Parallax Orchestra and Choir, who are not new to more unusual classical concerts, having previously performed Bring Me The Horizon at the Royal Albert Hall.

Read more…

Developer Cyanide has hit the record button and proffered up a full hour of gameplay from its forthcoming Lovecraft-inspired horror RPG, Call of Cthulhu.

Cyanide's Call of Cthulhu (not to be confused with the other Lovecraft game in the works, Frogwares' The Sinking City) is the official video game adaptation of publisher Chaosium's much-loved classic pen and paper RPG. As such, it prioritises deduction and detective work over guns and combat - after all, the series sensibly reasons, a pistol likely wouldn't be much help against a formless elder being from beyond space and time.

Call of Cthulhu casts you as Edward Pierce, a hard-drinking private detective suffering from PTSD, who agrees to investigate the mysterious deaths of the Hawkins family at their foreboding, fog-swept mansion on Darkwater Island, Massachusetts. That, as you might imagine, involves hunting for clues, interrogating characters, and solving crime scenes - some of which you can see in the hour of gameplay below.

Read more…

Had enough of Skyrim ports? Can't quite hold on until the next Elder Scrolls game? Don't worry, modders have your back - and you can now play one of their best creations without ever leaving Steam. Hooray!

Enderal, developed by SureAI, is a total conversion mod that breaks down Skyrim and builds a new game using Skyrim's assets. We've previously published some Enderal gameplay impressions , but in brief it's an incredibly detailed and expansive mod which gives players a brand new world to explore. Oh, and it's critically acclaimed: Enderal won the Best Fan Creation category at the 2016 Game Awards. Not to mention it's been downloaded nearly 200,000 times on NexusMods.

So, what can you do in Enderal?

Read more…

Earlier this week, developer Frogwares shared more of its open-world, Lovecraft-inspired detective adventure The Sinking City, and it's looking more and more promising with each new peek. However, it's not the only Lovecraft video game on the horizon - there's also publisher Focus Interactive's Call of Cthulhu, which has now received its very first gameplay trailer.

Call of Cthulhu is, as its name implies, the official video game adaptation of the much-loved classic pen and paper RPG - and, interestingly enough, was originally being worked on by Frogwares before behind-the-scenes shenanigans saw Styx: Master of Shadows developer Cyanide Studio take over the reigns. And now we have two Lovecraft games!

Cyanide's offering, which has previously been described as "an RPG-Investigation game with psychological horror and stealth mechanics", casts players as Edward Pierce, setting them the task of investigating the mysterious Hawkins Mansion in Boston, Massachusetts, and the circumstances behind the tragic deaths that occurred within its foreboding walls.

Read more…