The original Elex was divisive, to say the least. It was a game in which I was perpetually lonely and confused and being battered to death by carcinogenic poultry, but it must have been a profitable enough venture on its own terms to warrant a follow-up. That follow-up is Elex II, which is still several months away from release right now, but one I've been playing an early preview build of recently, showing off the first chapter of the game.

I was talking to Graham (RPS in peace) about this and he said: "Eventually one of these RPG sci-fi fantasy things will get close enough to being a BioWare game that it makes loads of money." This being the games equivalent of monkeys and typewriters. But although I agreed with Graham at the time, I think comparing it to BioWare might be mistaking the particular appeal of Elex II. It would be too simple to say that I "enjoyed" the hours I have spent with it so far. I didn't not> enjoy it. I mostly came away respecting it for how little it respected me. Like the popular kids on the playground making life so difficult for you that you wish to become best friends with them.

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It's easy to underestimate the nuances of buying a new keyboard, but it isn't as simple as finding one that's got all 26 letters on it. Whether you want lightning fast keystrokes to get the edge in multiplayer gaming, a fantastic-feeling keypress for a more tactile experience, or an RGB lightshow that makes your desk look like it's hosting a tiny rock concert, there's are many different factors to consider when investing in a new letter-rectangle.

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It's tough to keep the lid on the sixth RPS Advent Calendar door. There's almost too much banter, too many highjinks, too much quipping. It's enough to give you quiplash, I tells ya.

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Epic Games ended Chapter 2 of Fortnite over the weekend with a live in-game event which a live in-game event which involved a hole in reality, a UFO invasion, a sexy babe, and a new character played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The game's island flipped over too, revealing a whole new map for players to explore in Chapter 3 Season 1. And I find myself being lured in by two new features I usually adore in games: sliding on your knees while shooting, and swinging around like Spider-Man.

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Time to open the fifth door on the Calendar. I reckon we might need to batter this one down with a solid attack from our infantry, backed up with archers.

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A side effect of fatherhood is that I now see everything through my five-year-old's eyes. Hot Wheels Unleashed is, to me, most likely a middling racing game and lesser Trackmania - but then, if I think about it, I know my kid would love it.

Hot Wheels Unleashed's Batman expansion, featuring a handful of cars and a Batcave? To me, meaningless licensed tie-in. But my kid... My kid must never know this exists.

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Please pay attention to the fourth door of our Advent Calendar. But try not to blink. Or do blink, if you want, maybe.

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Friday comes around once again, dear reader, and on this particular Friday you find us a much diminished team, since by hook, crook, or coincidence almost all the rooms in the treehouse are empty. A shock indeed. There are at least a few of us left, walking up and down the halls looking for something to do. Maybe we'll find some games to play! Who knows? It is my eternal hope, at least.

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I hate to caveat a recommendation with “it gets good later” but unfortunately, the first hour of Chorus (despite the title stylisation, promotional materials do not write it out as Chorvs, cowards) is not good. Yet beyond that lacklustre start is a surprisingly tight arcade space fighter wrapped up in a wonderful bundle of pompous space magic.

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Phew. Ready to open the third door? There's still a lot of work ahead of us, but if we go through it all methodically, and make sure it's all in the right place, then we'll be okay. Weird how much you can fit in one box, isn't it?

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