Get off the bench, sporty game folks. Electronic Arts' upcoming competitive team dodgeball game Knockout City is coming up next week and they've gone and made it free to play for the first ten days after launch. A couple of the RPS crew have already had a decent time trying it earlier this year, so it may be one you'll want to jump in on. EA have queued up quite a few events during the free trial period, and are kicking off the first of KOC's seasons then too. They've just announced what all you can get up to starting on May 21st.
It's here! It's here! Put on your best space shoes, it's time to chat up some aliens. Mass Effect Legendary Edition is out right now, remastering Commander Shepard's trilogy of adventures, and bringing back all your extraterrestrial pals with some spruced-up graphics. It's been a long while since I last explored BioWare's epic sci-fi RPG series, and I can't tell you how excited I am to zoom off into the Milky Way again.
One thing video games have over most other mediums is that you> can change the outcome. When cinemas properly open up again, and we all get to see big blockbusters on the massive telly, it's not like Major Fistipunch's fate will depend on whether or not you looked at his Gauntlets Of Hurtiness in the fourth scene.
So – shining a spotlight on one of the things that makes games special – this week's Mystery Steam Reviews revolves around video games that don't go the linear route and have multiple endings. Although, if you do want to watch a film that has multiple endings, you should check out Clue. You should watch Clue anyway, because it's tremendous.
It might be my secret super power, but I seem to be unusually good at avoiding spoilers. I just don't see 'em. Indeed, despite the fact that Resident Evil 7 came out four years ago now, the only thing I really knew about it before I started playing was a) it was set in the horrible Baker mansion, and b) the second half is a lot more action-focused than the first, which a lot of people don't seem to like. Until now, I never really understood why that was. In fairness, I still don't really get it if I'm being honest, because having finally waded through the end of Resident Evil 7 earlier this week, I'm here to tell you that I actually liked> the second half of Resi 7, and I don't care who knows it. Time to rock some boats.
I've come to regret trying to theme these posts, reader, but this week I have been listening to the audio book of Rotherweird as my bedtime listen. I keep falling asleep at "man is interviewed for weird teaching job" and waking up at 3am to "the weasel-man spoke to the hideous spider-woman in the magical mixing garden". So I wanted to find some horrible hybrid monsters for you this week. Alas, it seems that is a niche concern (either that or games about hybrid monsters are not tagged correctly on Itch, where I thought I'd find them).
Instead I found some games about dead monsters, more or less. I found some of them suprisingly cathartic, and at least one of them surprisingly difficult.
There are many things other adults do that I have never gotten the hang of. I don’t go to pubs. I don’t bother with coffee or tea (tea is particularly terrible, what is wrong with you all?). And I don’t drink wine. I have tried. I’ve swooshed and slurped and spat. It always ends with me putting the glass down and backing warily out the room on the way to the nearest sink.
With that disclosed, I do like the look of Hundred Days, a genteel vineyard management game that just launched on Steam. There’s a lot of detailed work that goes into making wrong Ribena.
If you like to play Microsoft Flight Simulator as a tourist, I’d suggest hooking your game up to Bushtalk Radio. It’s a community generated landmark database that tracks where you are in-game. Get close to a registered landmark and the site will automatically start telling you all about it, just like my mum does when we're in the car ('Ooh, a red Volvo.'). Think of it as an audio tour for the entire world, one that covers everything from magnificent waterfalls to the world’s largest beaver dam.
I couldn’t believe it when I searched the RPS tag system and didn’t find any mention of Earth Defense Force: World Brothers. I thought the site was doing that thing where it searches EDF-free universes again, but the IT department assures me that the multiverse toggle is off. It seems we just didn’t know that there was a cute spin-off of gaming’s greatest bug hunt, and that it was out very soon. This month, actually.
Wireless gaming mice are a great way to cut the clutter on your gaming desk, so to help you get the best wireless gaming mouse for your money, we've put together this list of our top recommendations. Wireless gaming mice can often be quite a bit more expensive than wired gaming mice, but we cover all budgets here, with our cheapest pick going for just £50 / $50. We've also got some top picks for those after the best ultralight wireless gaming mouse, as well as those after something a bit chunkier. Whatever you're looking for, we've got a wireless gaming mouse pick for you.
If you've been waiting patiently for Subnautica: Below Zero to leave its early access adventure, then I have some good news for you: the icy explore-a-thon launched in full today. Set two years after the events of the first Subnautica, Below Zero plunges you into a frostbitten new region with new creatures to discover - such as terrifying penguins with beaks atop their heads.