Premature Evaluation is the weekly column in which we explore the wilds of early access. This week, Fraser s moonlighting as a grouchy stall owner in Medieval Shopkeeper Simulator, a first-person fantasy retail romp. >

With the chaos of E3 fast approaching, I m looking for a more sedate racket. No more of this videogame malarky, I m going to sell rocks and sticks to the impoverished serfs of Medieval Shopkeeper Simulator. It will be the greatest rock and stick emporium in all the land, or at least this postcode. I used to work in retail, so I m sure I ll have a handle on it in no time.

(more…)

With every mega-corporation and their mega-dog throwing fat sacks of cash at Virtual Reality right now, and a multitude of headsets available, it’s easy to forget that nobody really> has any idea what they’re doing right now. While consensus on how to advance headset technology seems to be fairly universal, every company seems to have their own idea of how to control things in virtual space. Valve’s stopgap solution until folks can agree on stuff is SteamVR Input, a unified control-binding system for (quelle surprise) SteamVR.

(more…)

After much weeping and gnashing of teeth and disappointing first looks, proper, honest to goodness HDR finally looks like it’s about to become a reality on PC. We’ve already seen how AMD’s FreeSync 2 tech made the Samsung CHG90 one of the best monitors I’ve ever tested, and it’s shortly going to be joined by the rather stunning Nvidia G-Sync HDR-enabled Acer Predator X27 and Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ over the coming weeks as well.

I’ll have more words on those two Nvidia monitors in the next day or two, but those on the FreeSync side of the HDR fence need not fret about being left behind, as AMD have announced another new addition to their FreeSync 2 roster, this time in the form of the BenQ EX3203R.

(more…)

Ever since Avatar: The Last Airbender (the original cartoon, not the film) did the rounds on TV, the concept of magic as martial arts has been steadily rising in popularity. Who needs MP bars or long casting times when you can just use the elements as extensions of your body? Punch with the force of a boulder, leap like the wind and kick arcs of flame into people’s faces.

Wizard of Legend, Contingent99’s new action roguelike for one or two players (local only) builds stylishly on the concept, putting you in the swooshy cloak of a mage-in-training, invited to a festival of simulated dungeon-crawling/martial arts exhibition. No fate-of-the-world stuff here, just mystical showboating.

(more…)

If there’s one thing experience has taught me about prolific RPG powerhouse Larian Studios, it’s that they’re perfectionists. Early access really is just a foundational step, and even the ‘final’ retail release is just a dry run. As with their last several games, they’ve just announced that their RPG mega-hit Divinity: Original Sin 2 is getting a Definitive Edition re-release this August, presumably in an attempt to scoop up all the Best RPG Of 2018 awards on top of cleaning house last year.

(more…)

When all you’ve got is a fist, every problem starts to look like a face to punch. And when those faces just happen to look as chunky and blocky as everything else in the world, well, why not punch them all? Weird little first-person brawler (fist-person?) Spartan Fist has launched today, promising roguelike structure, ’80s punk-aerobics aesthetics and scurrilous cats offering you sketchy under-the-table deals. Within, the punchily-paced launch trailer.

(more…)

Compared to Asus’ usual crop of PC peripherals, the ROG Strix Flare is a refreshing sight. Unlike the ROG Claymore, the ROG Strix X470F-Gaming motherboard or indeed anything else bearing the ROG moniker, the Flare doesn’t have a single bit of sci-fi / Aztec / cyber text pattern anywhere on its grey plastic chassis – and looks all the better for it. There is, admittedly, a tiny RGB ROG logo peeking out of a small, triangular cut-out in the top right corner (which can either be removed or swapped for your very own 3D printed something-or-other, according to Asus), but otherwise this is a decidedly plain – and dare I say even vaguely stylish? – mechanical keyboard.

Okay, so you’ve still got RGB LEDs up the wazoo, whether it’s the Cherry MX switches themselves, that aforementioned ROG logo, or – wait for it – its pair of underfloor RGB strips (yep, you heard me). Not everyone will be on board with all of that. But as mechanical keyboards go, the Flare does a pretty good job of making it all appear quite tasteful – and more importantly, doesn’t charge you extra for a number pad like its Claymore cousin.

(more…)

Here is a list of reasons for why I’m strongly considering taking a break from a game I’m really enjoying, so that I can play Omensight (which just came out) instead.

• It’s about re-living the day of the apocalypse and attempting to stop it by solving a murder.
• You solve that murder by following different characters, manipulating them, then allying with or fighting them based on what you learn.
• There’s time-bendy combat that reminds me of Transistor in all the right ways.
• It’s got some cute mice in it.
• It’s about re-living the day of the apocalypse and attempting to stop it by solving a murder.

(more…)

Say, have you played The Curious Expedition, the turn-based colonial-era exploration game which we declared our favourite roguelikelike of 2016? You can’t all have, as otherwise developers Maschinen-Mensch wouldn’t have released a demo today. It contains two expeditions. So whoever you missing-outers are, go on, get in, give it a go. You needn’t even download anything special to play, as the demo runs in your browser. (more…)

It’s hard to believe that it’s been two and a half years since Undertale was the talk of the town. While pangs of early nostalgia are still easy to feel, a recent return to the underground reminded me that yes, it really was every bit as good as the hype suggested. Possibly moreso, even – it’s a modern classic, which makes it quite unsurprising that its fans are still picking it apart and reassembling it in fun new ways.

Undertale’s fans continue to be an industrious and driven lot, using the game’s rich blend of gameplay systems and easily-written characters to piece together their own stories inspired by Toby Fox’s low-fi RPG opus. Among them, a full-length Team Fortress 2-themed retelling of the tale. Step inside for a tour of this and other great free games you could play today.

(more…)