Confession time, everyone: I'm still only about 2.5 hours into Disco Elysium. Games journalism sin or what? Somehow, despite being primed by the excellent time I had with its demo five years ago, I just bounced off this one. I very quickly got stuck in a frustrating loop of fatally ballsing up no matter what I did - presumably I badly biffed my stats right out the gate to get soft-locked in the first area - and despite deciding I'd restart in a day or two, several years later my play-time hasn't extended past that first session. Sad times all round, I'm sure you'll agree, but what's it got to do with Betrayal At Club Low?

Well, when I picked up Betrayal At Club Low for the RPS Game Club this month, I was transported back to my abortive run at Disco Elysium. It's not that I've never played a stat-check-heavy RPG before. Far from it. But somehow, each game's presentation resonated together in my weird brain mush. It must have been something to do with the combination of a surreal, seedy, not-quite-our-world-but-still-very-recognisable setting, and the constant presence of numbers reminding me of my character's strengths stacked up against their many, many weaknesses.

Read more

Last time, you decided that unit veterancy is better than rerolling dice. I'm not surprised, given that rerolling dice is a pretty niche thing only seen in a handful of games, but oh what a glorious niche thing! Fine, fine. We continue. This week, I ask you to choose between the mechanism for controlling magic and the mechanism for controlling a big daft rock. What's better: cool spellcasting gestures, or seizing control of a rolling boulder trap?

Read more

Here's an idea! You know that 2.5-inch laptop drive that you have sitting around ever since you upgraded a year or two back? How about repurposing it as a portable SSD or HDD with this USB-C enclosure? For £6, you can give that drive a new lease on life. Your new drive will be useful too, ideal for backups, moving video files to your TV or just moving game directories between PCs.

n.b. Face in image above is unrelated, I just wanted to fill out the space without drawing attention to the USB cables that stop at the edge. Thanks to my pal Ross for the illustration.

Read more

I've written before about my love for the standard Xbox Series Wireless Controller, which provide a comfortable feel, responsive controls and laudable build quality for a default console gamepad. These units normally retail for $64.99 in the US, but today the Electric Volt colour is down to $39.99 at Walmart.

Read more

Kingston's Fury Renegade SSD was the fastest one we'd tested in early 2022, although it was later surpassed by the marginally faster WD SN850x and Samsung 990 Pro. Regardless, it's an extremely capable PCIe 4.0 SSD - and now it's available for $134.99 for a 2TB model after a discount at B&H Photo Video in the US. To get this price, which represents an oustanding $45 discount, you just need to add the drive to your cart - easy enough, right?

Read more

The EVGA Z20 optical mechanical keyboard is a super-solid option with a boatload of features - and it's currently 69% off at Amazon UK, bringing it down to a measly £39.98. This is an awesome price for a keyboard of this size and quality, and well worth picking up even if you've already got a mechanical keyboard - or if you've never tried one before.

Read more

The Steam Deck is a handy device, but its 45W charger isn't the most convenient to lug around as it only charges one thing at a time and takes up a fair amount of space. That's why I tend to opt for a multi-port charger, so I set out to find one recently that would charge my Steam Deck, MacBook, Pixel smartphone and Pixel watch all from a single point.

I eventually ended up with this 65W GaN charger from UGreen, which includes three USB-C ports and one USB-A for £39.99 - but today this model has been reduced by 15%, bringing it down to £33.99 where it's well worth recommending.

Read more

Every weekend, indie devs show off current work on Twitter's #screenshotsaturday tag. And every Monday, I bring you a selection of these snaps and clips. This week, genuinely by chance, my eye was caught mostly by first-person shooters. Come for those, stay for the impressive puppet tech, the giant snake, the cute dog, and the colossal crocodile. Check out all these interesting and attractive indie games!

Read more

For all its flamingo thigh stews, misshapen clothes model characters and pizza-themed DJ-ing, Betrayal At Club Low is an old-school, dice-throwing RPG through and through. Every interaction you have at Club Low is determined by the rolling of dice, whether it's simply attempting to spark a conversation with a hard-of-hearing bartender, or bluffing your way into VIP backrooms where your blown fellow agent Gemini Jay is currently being grilled by the intimidating Big Mo.

Whether you're successful in your endeavours depends on whether you can roll higher or equal to whatever value is thrown by your opponent, with each face corresponding to a particular Skill Dice you're trying to deploy to win that scenario. A lot of the time, your skill numbers aren't nearly good enough to beat your fellow clubber outright, but for me, the thrill of Club Low comes from clinching a very plain, and highly unremarkable draw, earning you the accolade of 'Success. Barely' in the ensuing results breakdown. It may not sound very sexy, but in a world where the odds are fully stacked against you, barely succeeding will do me just fine here, thanks.

Read more

Sundays are for getting your glasses frames rejigged so they actually fit your face! Before you pop them on, let's read this week's best writing about games (and game related things).

Read more