Open Transport Tycoon Deluxe is one of the seven wonders of PC gaming. It's a standalone remake and expansion of Chris Sawyer's management game Transport Tycoon Deluxe, it's free and open source, and after over 15 years, it's still regularly maintained. Now it should hopefully find a new audience, as it's coming to Steam for the first time on April 1st.
Factorio, the conveyor construction sim, is going to get a big expansion - although not for at least a year. This was discussed in a development update post marking the release of 1.1, the last major update for the base game.
Is this a story I'm writing as another excuse to say, "VR gaming is doing fine, actually", or is it a story I'm writing as another excuse to say, "Beat Saber is the best VR game? I'm a man of many motivations.
Beat Saber, a rhythm game and the best VR game, has sold 4 million copies and over 40 million songs via DLC, so VR is doing fine, actually.
Hitman 3 is a great game and a fitting end to one of PC gaming's best trilogies, but it has been released under a small dark cloud. Players were supposed to be able to import locations from Hitman 1 and 2, if they owned them, into the latest iteration of IO Interactive's assassin sim, but there was a change in plans related, its assumed, to Hitman 3 being an Epic Games store exclusive. Right now, three weeks after release, if you want to get Hitman 2 locations into Hitman 3, you have to re-buy Hitman 2 on Epic.
IOI have committed to finding a solution, and now say that it'll be ready before the end of February.
Final Fantasy 14's next expansion is called Endwalker, and it's coming this autumn. Revealed during a livestream last night, the expansion to the long-running MMO will also bring its story to a close while sending players to the moon. The teaser trailer makes me want to play this game I've never touched before.
Alright then! We've still a bit of sawing and hammering going on in the RPS treehouse this week following the new design's launch, but repairs and tweaks are coming along nicely. So take a load off and tell me: what are you playing this weekend?
I've fallen out of love with the concept of crafting games lately because it so often boils down to stacks of items in my inventory that I press a button to process. Potion Craft has reignited the excitement I used to feel about crafty games with its lovely, clever little demo about brewing potions for your shop. If you've been itching for a properly good crafting game of late, let me tell you why you should fire up the demo this weekend.
Perhaps it says something about the state of mind around here that early access building smasher Teardown has been quite popular with the RPS hivemind. The extreme destruction crime simulator lets you put your mark on places as you decide the best ways to rip your way through windows, walls, and the like to steal some goods and get out. You can make it even more your own now as Tuxedo Labs have released a level editor for you to build your own smashing sandboxes.
Looks like your prince is out playing time rewinder again because the Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time remake has been delayed once again. Ubisoft previously pushed the expected release back from January to March of this year. They've now announced that the Sands Of Time needs some more time, but haven't actually said how much. Someone will need to track down the prince and get him to stop running around Ubisoft offices with that dangerous time dagger.
Steam has blessed us once again with the paralysing terror of having too much choice. Like a Friday night "what d'you wanna watch on Netflix? Like, a comedy or...?" of indecision, but lasting an entire week. Yes, it is another Steam Game Festival showcasing upcoming games and free demos for them, and this time there are 500 of the things!
Covering the Steam Game Fest has actually become one of my favourite things to do. Each time I play I am staggered, yet again, by how many good games there actually are. Alas, it's impossible for me to play 500 demos, but I've played quite a few, and have curated a list of my favourites to give you a jumping off point. There's a bit of action, puzzling, strategy, platforming, and unsettling groups of tiny mushroom people going "Dap!"
Would that I could have done more. To paraphrase Lucas from Empire Records, I do not regret the games I played, but those I did not play.