The Guardians of the Galaxy [official site] adventure that Telltale are tale-telling has revealed itself to us in the form of a trailer for the opening episode, due to come out this April. All the boyos and girlos are there. Starman, Racoon King, Treebeard, Woman Who Is Green, and everyone’s favourite source of taking-things-literally humour: Dracks. I’m a big fan of the Guardians. Come and enjoy the trailer with me below. … [visit site to read more]

In Thimbleweed Park [official site], few things are what they appear to be. The game, which reunites Ron Gilbert with his Maniac Mansion co-designer Gary Winnick, is a point and click comedy-mystery that looks like a relic from the past. Or, more accurately, like memories of the past; it has handsome lighting and a level of visual detail that actually fills in the blanks that memory often papers over.

Attractive as it is, should such pixels please your eye, it’s the quality of the story and the puzzles that really count. On one of those fronts, Thimbleweed eventually finds a way to go above and beyond anything I expected from it, but the combination of broad jokes and mystery-thriller sometimes creates confusion and frustration in both the narrative and the puzzling along the road.

… [visit site to read more]

Have You Played? is an endless stream of game retrospectives. One a day, every day of the year, perhaps for all time.>

I know you’re supposed> to say the first one’s best, but Mass Effect 2 is definitely my favourite in the series. … [visit site to read more]

“Game Of Thrones + Tinder = You Died,” Alec declared when he told us Wot He Thought of left-right-swiping monarch simulator Reigns [official site]. He enjoyed it, y’see, though I don’t know whether he engaged in intercourse with his PC or… I don’t know how this all works. Whatever he does, he (and you) can now do more of it, as a free update has added over 100 new cards, including new deaths and not an elephant. … [visit site to read more]

If the rumours are true, and they most likely are, this year we’ll be seeing Call Of Duty: WWII. People have reacted with concern, but I’m here to argue it’s the best possible news.

There was a time when learning a game was set in World War II was deserving of the heaviest of sighs. Not only did it mean that it would be one of seven thousand other games that year plundering the past for an excuse to bob a gun at the bottom of the screen, but it was more likely to be crass and ignorant than a tribute to the bravery and miserable deaths of our ancestors. We got well and truly sick of WW2 games. Then to save us, the march of the zombies began. We had a whole new theme to groan at, and the Second World War has had something of a break.

The temptation of hearing the rumours that the all-conquering shooter series is to return to its own origins is to start sighing once again. But there are some really good reasons not to. In fact, if there’s anything that could save CoD from itself, it’s heading back. … [visit site to read more]

EGX Rezzed 2017 is now underway in That London, filling Tobacco Dock [nb: offers neither boat trips nor fags -ed.]> with games, talks, and lights for three days. We’re Rezzed’s official “media partner” so we’ve dispatched Pip, Adam, and Graham (and, soon, Alec) to poke around, host some talks, interview some developers, look proud of our ‘Cave of Wonders’ showcase, cast a live pod, and go to the pub on official RPS business. To slack off, in other words. To ensure they continue generating content while on this holiday, I’m making them send me updates throughout their day. … [visit site to read more]

Note: I had this post brewing in my head over the past week, while I was off on holiday, but the good folks at Waypoint ran something apparently similar before I could write it. No matter, as I’m yet to read that piece beyond the headline, I’ll write something anyway, albeit briefer, in the hope it doesn’t entirely replicate it.>

Admittedly I haven’t progressed beyond the 10-hour demo portion of Mass Effect Andromeda yet, and the main reason for that is that I haven’t been much intrigued by its science-fiction. … [visit site to read more]

The best moment in cinematic history is, of course, any time a character says the title of the movie they’re in. This is the main reason I am excited for a Tomb Raider movie. At some point, surely someone will say in reverent tones “You’re… the Tomb Raider”.

Myself, I’m hoping Lara will rebuff accusations of grave robbery with “Please, my father was the Grave Robber. Call me the Tomb Raider.”

Oh, right, yes, the ‘news’: Warner Bros. have shared the first snaps of their movie based loosely on the gritty 2013 reboot, along with a blurb hinting at a “tomb raider” shoutout. … [visit site to read more]

DayZ creator Dean Hall has announced Stationeers, a game about constructing and operating a space station on your tod or with chums. No, don’t confuse this with Ion, his effectively-cancelled space sim. Stationeers promises complex simulation of station workings, and it’s encouraging that Hall cites the phenomenal (and phenomenally complex) Space Station 13 as an influence. It’s due to hit early access “soon” but is playable at EGX Rezzed so I assume some of the RPS rabble we sent to That London will swing by for a bash at some point. … [visit site to read more]

Newbie Mass Effect game Andromeda [official site] has proved to be the most controversial since, well, the last Mass Effect game. The fuss this time is not to do with convenient space magic endings and dangling plot threads, but instead a tri-gripe of its feeling somewhat routine, a shower of bugs and a feeling that its facial animations are a little bit Christmas panto.

Devs Bioware have been relatively quiet during the storm, but are now offering the first details on how they plan to get their new era for Mass Effect back on track. … [visit site to read more]