The universe, you’ll know if you buy the DVDs of my teachings, was created as a perfect loop. All matter, energy, and thought were fractal repetitions of one divine event. Then someone’s mate Dave kicked over the universe while dancing smashed on Lambrini at the universe’s launch party and it got wonked into a spiral which loops increasingly broken. Case in point: Twitch began as a gaming subcategory added to livestream-your-life site Justin.tv, then it span off into its own site, then Justin closed down, and now Twitch has added livestreaming your life as a subcategory. Thanks again, Dave. … [visit site to read more]

Day seventeen of The RPS Advent Calendar, which highlights our favourite games of the year, takes us away from the red tides of murder and into absolute serenity. A driving game without races, a vehicle game more about what’s at the side of the road than what’s ahead of you. A state of mind as much as it is a videogame.

It’s American Truck Simulator!

… [visit site to read more]

If you’ve heard folks talk about Shenzhen I/O, you’ve likely heard them celebrate the fiendish and delightful puzzles of building and programming hardware. You were likely a bit blindsided when they went on to praise its in-universe solitaire game. Well! If Zachlikes are a bit much for you but you do enjoy a nice bit of solitaire, good news: Zachtronics have now released Shenzhen I/O’s solitaire separately as a cheap standalone game. … [visit site to read more]

I don’t mean to alarm you but I should inform you that you’re almost out of 2016 WWAPWPAP?? opportunities. Speak now or forever hold your peace: what are you playing this weekend? Here’s what we’re clicking on. … [visit site to read more]

Playing any nation in Hearts of Iron IV [official site] beyond the big players, like Great Britain or Germany, is a lot like sitting at the kid s table. The pace is slow, there are less complex decisions to make, and it never feels like anything that s going on is nearly as important as what s happening at the adult s lavish banquet table. They re dragging the world into a global war while you re wondering if you ve been completely forgotten.

Together for Victory promises to change that, at least for the Commonwealth countries: Canada, Australia, South Africa, India and New Zealand. The expansion gives these five nations a serious makeover, and they now sport unique national focus trees, historical and speculative events, and more freedom even while they remain stuck to Britain.

… [visit site to read more]

If you look beyond the celebrity death epidemic, killer clowns, political turmoil and the fact the Great British Bake Off parted ways with the BBC, 2016 has actually been a pretty great year. Well, it’s at least been a pretty great year for videogames, and a pretty great year for game modifications.

As you’ve probably spied elsewhere on the coveted pages of RPS of late, we’re list-entry deep in Best Of season which means I’m now here to present you with this year’s best PC mods. In no particular order, the following collection gathers the best modifications that have either been launched or have been significantly updated in 2016. While our previous Best Mods lists have tended to focus on specific games, this ‘un looks at the specific mods themselves – often considering those which provide extra mileage for some of our favourite games.

Naturally I’ve almost certainly missed your personal favourite, so please feel free to shout your own mods of choice at me in the comments at the foot of this article.

… [visit site to read more]

Serious Sam VR [official site], the cybergoggle first-person shooter Alec declared “VR at its most stupid and most brilliant”, now has co-op. You and a pal can stand virtuaside by virtuaside waving your arms as imaginary guns, mowing down hordes of monsters. A sensible adult would suggest that you never play in the same room lest violent and terrible accidents occur but mate, come on, play it together and put a video of the ensuing brawl on YouTube for your ol’ chum Alice to see. … [visit site to read more]

Valve has dressed its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive [official site] chickens up in many a festive outfit over the years, from chicken-sized Christmas jumpers to pink Easter bunny ears. But how do these festive fowl stack up against one another in terms of holiday loveliness? There’s only one way to find out: an Alice and Pip chat.>

Pip: Alice! It’s the most wonderful tiiiiiiiiime of the yeeeeeeeear. With the CS: GO chickens all wearing their knitting and I’m of good cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer! It’s the most wonderful tiiiiiiiiiime of the year.

That said there are other wonderful times of the year if we’re talking chicken dress-up. Halloween! Easter! CS:GO’s birthday! Can we truly decide which is the *most* wonderful time of the year?

Alice: It’d take two grizzled experts with a long history of dressing up imaginary characters. Two hardened veterans committed to arguing the toss. Two people who understand that the Halloween chickens wearing spooky ghost sheets are the best and if you don’t agree I WILL END THIS FRIENDSHIP RIGHT HERE. … [visit site to read more]

Sokpop, the Dutch collective whose members were behind such lovelies as Bernband and Lisa (the one with the nice meadow, not Lisa: The Painful RPG), have released a collection of small games. The Bamboo EP [Steam page] contains three games which involve bamboo in some way but are all quite different. They cover the three main genres of video game: swimming in ponds; swordfighting animals; and local multiplayer ballsports. That’s worth three quid to me all right. … [visit site to read more]

The treat behind the next door on our calendar gives you wings and lets you soar. Day sixteen of The RPS Advent Calendar, which highlights our favourite games of the year, brings…

The year’s best platformer, Owlboy [official site]!

… [visit site to read more]