Rock, Paper, Shotgun

The primary function of ragdoll physics in video games, everyone knows, is to freak out and make people laugh. Everyone knows this. The technology was created explicitly to bring a subversive touch of merry mayhem to po-faced murdergames. Everyone knows this. But developers are wary of overdoing it or openly acknowledging this fact which everyone knows. This is why, sadly, Call Of Duty: Vanguard will indeed 'fix' the 'bug' which could make attack dogs turn into a giant maelstrom of limbs, teeth, and mashing meat noises, a phenomenom known as the 'dognado'. Tragic.

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Rock, Paper, Shotgun

It’s funny to think how different the use cases are for setting up two monitors for your gaming PC, compared to setting up three. A trio of displays lets you play in ultrawide with a wraparound effect that even most purpose-built ultrawide monitors can’t match, but while you can configure a dual-monitor setup to run games across displays, it doesn’t make nearly as much sense. With the borders of each screen running straight down the middle, most of the best ultrawide PC games would be nigh-unplayable. Still! If you can budget for it, two remains better than one. It’s an expanded but focused setup for when you’re playing a full-screen game but also want a browser tab, video, or streaming controls visible at the same time.

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Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Looking for the best classes and builds in Diablo 2: Resurrected? The shiny new remaster is finally here, but the gameplay of Diablo 2: Resurrected will be very familiar to veterans. If you’re playing for the first time, however, the game’s complex character progression can seem overwhelming. The foundations of your experience are your choice of class, and the skill(s) you build around on that class. Each of Diablo 2’s seven classes features multiple talent trees that grant you new abilities and define how you approach the game.

If you’re planning to play on Hardcore mode or push deep into Hell difficulty, you will want a quality build. Blizzard has not made balance adjustments to Diablo 2: Resurrected, so the long-established meta still holds in the remaster. Prepare for Hell with our guide to the best classes and builds in Diablo 2: Resurrected.

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Trying to wrap your head around Runes in Diablo 2: Resurrected? Runes are the cornerstone of Diablo 2’s gear system. As there are no balance changes in Diablo 2: Resurrected, longtime players will be familiar. If you’re new, however, this system will look entirely unfamiliar, even if you’ve played Diablo 3 or Path of Exile. There’s nothing quite like Diablo 2’s Rune system in the ARPG genre. If you’re having trouble wrapping your head around the quirks of Runes and Runewords, we’re here to help.

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Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Looking for the best farming spots in Diablo 2? An ARPG would be nothing without a grind. The grind in Diablo 2 is the foundation of the genre’s last 20 years. The genre-defining classic has seen very few changes for the remastered version, Diablo 2: Resurrected, so veterans of the original will have their strategies in place. If you’re a new player looking to optimize your character after beating the game though, you’ll need to know where to farm your gear.

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Rock, Paper, Shotgun

This week on The Electronic Wireless Show podcast I was inspired by the extremely cute little monsters the Rot, who are you besties in Kena: Bridge Of Spirits, to ask Matthew and Nate about their favourite animal companions in video games. You will probably be able to predict some of their answers. Others, not so much.

A big digression about trains and commuter rage this week, as well as a shocking update from Matthew re. the farewell fizzy drink tour. But most exciting is that the Cavern Of Lies is replaced this week by a Cavern Of Announcements! Yes, we have very special news indeed, and you have to listen to at least two thirds of the podcast to find out what it is. But it is genuinely incredible.

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Where can you find Tar Pits in Valheim? Tar is a new resource introduced in Valheim's Hearth & Home update. It's a versatile crafting resource that you'll need before you can make many of the update's new items, including Darkwood furniture and building materials, Raven and Wolf Adornments, and — last but never least — the hot tub.

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A new Sea Of Thieves content update heralds the start of a new season today, encouraging pirates to plunge overboard and explore the beautiful halls and mysteries of the Sunken Kingdom. All sorts of coral-y PvE surprises await, with Shrines to quietly explore and Treasures to plunder by force. As beautiful as the game's water is from above, I'm very keen to see more from below.

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Ever since Chorus first broke out of hyperspace during Microsoft's Xbox Series X showcase last year, Fishlabs' enigmatic space shooter has been a tricky thing to pin down. The first trailer gave us a taste of its high speed combat and third-person battles, but its deep, ominous narration, hints of a mysterious cosmic power, and that final image of a planet being sucked into a black hole almost looked like it was verging into horror territory rather than plain sci-fi. Having now played around an hour of Chorus, I can safely say it's very much a pure breed of space combat shooter, following in the same, adrenalin-fuelled vein as EVE: Valkyrie and Star Wars Squadrons.

Forsaken, the sentient ship you control in Chorus that's piloted by the rebel cultist Nara, is probably a similarly slippery thing to nail down in the eyes of your enemies, too. Thanks to one of Nara's special Rite powers, bestowed on her by that aforementioned cosmic power you'll be hunting down over the course of the game, Forsaken is able to shift and teleport right behind enemy ships for brutal, bullet-ridden takedowns. It's immensely satisfying, and can also make for daring, last-minute escapes from incoming crosshairs. But you'll need much more than Nara's crafty Rite powers to survive Chorus' unforgiving dogfights. Forsaken went up in flames more times than I care to admit in my hour of hands on time, but I'm very much looking forward to going back for more when it finally launches on Steam and the Epic Games Store on December 3rd later this year.

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Discord has started testing official YouTube integration, rolling out a new feature named Watch Together which, well, allows users watch YouTube vids together. It comes just a few weeks after Google's lawyers shut down several third-party Discord bots with a similar function. Watch Together has reportedly been enabled in a limited number of Discord servers for now, with plans to roll it out to everyone by the end of October.

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