Christmas is coming, PC gamers. The Untitled Goose is getting fat. Somewhere in the distant north, a scarlet priest works his elven minions into a frenzy as he prepares for the rite of the magic baby. Sprouts will be consumed in their millions, the Great Escape snoozed through by bloated grandparents far and wide. Most importantly, gifts of roughly equivalent financial value will be exchanged to demonstrate affection and prolong the reign of capitalism.

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I’ve been hands-on with Sifu, a beat ‘em up action-adventure game by Absolver developers Sloclap. My hands weren’t exactly “on”, but more “around”, actually. That’s one thing I learned from my time with this kung-fu caper. To keep my fists flowing, I needed to be patient, and not mash the buttons. Seriously, slap those buttons with zero thought and you’re dead.

Death in Sifu means you age, and if you die lots, you age faster. Hit 70 and you won’t be rising from the dirt again. Instead, you'll have to start your quest for vengeance over from the beginning. While it can be tempting to cling onto your youth for this reason alone, I actually liked growing old, with my beard and my harder-hitting attacks. Not only do you develop a relationship with your body in Sifu, but your trips to the afterlife also help you master its myriad of moves. Sifu really does get better with age.

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The fifteenth door on the Advent Calendar is a bit of a mish-mash, almost as if six different artists had a go at making it at different times. Interesting. Let's see what lies on the other side of it.

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When I finished watching The Game Awards reveal trailer for Rumbleverse, the new Epic-published battle royale game that looks a bit like Fortnite but with melee combat, I raised a practiced eyebrow of derision. "Well, that looks terrible," chortled I, knowing full well that I'd still give it a go at the earliest opportunity because I am an absolute sucker for battle royales.

Two things happened later that day that I did not expect. First: I got the opportunity to dive into Rumbleverse's action-packed 40-player matches far earlier than I'd anticipated, as part of a one day early look at the game. I downloaded and installed it in short order, and jumped right in. Two hours later, at 1am in the morning as the servers shut down, I happened across a second, far more unexpected thing. I found myself absolutely desperate to play more. I've sunk thousands of hours into Apex Legends, Fortnite, Plunkbat, Hunt: Showdown, Warzone, and various other behemoths of the genre. Yet those two hours I spent playing Rumbleverse might> be the most fun I've ever had in a battle royale.

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Praey Of The Gods initially looks too similar to Shadow Of The Colossus for comfort. And then you think: why wouldn't> someone make another game where you climb and bring low gigantic beasts? After almost three years in early access, Praey has reached v1.0, adding two new boss battles in the process.

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Like many people, I've had a difficult year. My dad died, an uncle died soon after, and everything is a lot, you know? Even in the best of years, I find Christmas challenging. That's why I'm filling my ears with the maximalist sounds of a song which knows true suffering, a song from a fictional musician in a video game. Reader dear, it's that time of year: if you've not already started, pour a cocoa and join me for Christmas Pain In Christmas Town.

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The question isn't where> is the fourteenth door on the RPS Advent Calendar, but when> is it.

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When it comes to PC upgrades, no single change can give you a bigger performance jump than a new GPU – so availing yourself of one of the best graphics cards deals is just good sense. Especially if you want to make the switch from 1080p to 4K gaming, or to start enabling pretty ray tracing effects in your games.

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Ever wanted to stick your pick deep into the centre of an octopus? How about a bug or a barnacle? If none of that tickles your pick(le)s you could try a keyhole which twists dimensions? Or perhaps one with a steampunk or frost-bitten feel? If literally any of that got your immersion senses tingling then three Skyrim modders have something for you. Creating a cache of realistic looking catches, they have brought the Dragonborn what they've been desperate for; a more riveting lockpicking experience.

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As someone with bipolar, I have often wondered why sinking several hours into something soothing such as Shovel Knight does so much for my soul. However I recently read that Geek Therapy, a non-profit advocating the use of video games for wellness, promote using world-building games such as Minecraft, Roblox, Animal Crossing, and Fortnite to help people deal with mental health issues. While play therapy has long promoted the therapeutic powers of escapism to imaginary worlds, it is more recently that thought has gone into how these online experiences can be used to combat my, I mean someone's, anxiety and depression.

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