This weekend I spent some time trying out a bunch of games that I meant to try earlier, but didn't have the time to. I played through all of Superliminal, for example, and really enjoyed it until the very end when I got an inspirational lecture from an invisible scientist living in my ear - and I did not> care for it. One game I played for literally half an hour and thought it was great, but I was not good enough to beat the first boss I came across. But I thought to myself, other people are better at Metroidvanias, and at least one of them might appreciate being nudged in the direction of a year old one I think is cute. Thus: Islets.
We rarely cover power supplies when it comes to RPS deals, and when we do they're almost always massive 800 to 1000W units that are suitable for top-end systems - but not exactly what the average PC gamer needs in their rig. Today we're righting that (minor) wrong, as we feature a 550W power supply slapped with a healthy $45 Amazon discount - bringing it down to $60.
The PSU in question is the Cooler Master V550 Gold V2, an 80+ Gold rated unit with a semi-modular design that comes in a fetching white colourway. It's well-rated by reviewers and suitable for mid-range systems, and thanks to this limited time deal it's way cheaper than anything else similar on the market!
Last time, you decided that an enemy which can't see you but can sense you is better than one which only moves when you're not looking. I concede that the former opens so many possibilities in games but god, I hate the latter in a way I enjoy so much. Perfect terrible beings. But, science has decided and we must move on. This week, I ask you to pick between two forms of movement. What's better: glowing wings, or slipstreaming?
As well as it runs on your average desktop PC, it wasn’t until I began playing Diablo IV on the Steam Deck that its demon-thwacking really clicked for me. Largely because this was my first experience of it with gamepad controls, and using thumbsticks and face buttons to move and toss out spells just feels more... I don't know, direct? Like I’m actually> controlling my Necromancer and her boney bodyguards, not just clicking a unit and watching their animations.
It helps that Diablo IV’s Steam Deck performance is surprisingly spry, with fast 45-60fps framerates within reach even when leaving the majority of graphics settings on Ultra quality. Unlike all of the other best Steam Deck games, there’s no native support for its Battle.net launcher, but with some resourcefulness, that needs only be a temporary barrier.
Some games adapt to VR more naturally than others. Games that take place primarily in a cockpit, like Elite Dangerous or Euro Truck Simulator 2, need relatively little adjustment to make them enjoyable in VR. They don't require the player to move around much, and their whole shtick about providing an authentic, immersive experience.
Games that require a lot of fast movement, or require the player to keep track of a lot of different objects, are generally harder to make work through VR Goggles. Hence why Amid Evil VR caught my attention. Shooters are common VR fodder, but they're typically built as VR experiences from the ground up. Amid Evil, on the other hand, is a flatscreen retro shooter designed to be reactive, surreal, and above all, fast. It's a game where you zip around arcane dimensions like a magic missile, splattering weird little armoured guys with enchanted swords and a staff that fires planets. It's a brilliant game, one of the best old-skool shooters to emerge from the genre's revival. But on paper, it's about as VR friendly as Morpheus.
The RX 6650 XT has emerged as one of the best value graphics cards for 1080p gaming, and today you can pick one up for a new low price. Newegg has discounted the AsRock Challenger D model to just $229.99 when you use the code VGAEXCAA735 at the checkout, knocking $20 off the usual price.
The Crucial P3 Plus is an SSD that we recommend as one of the best for gaming, and today it's even cheaper than usual - with a price drop on Amazon UK bringing it to £43.79, nearly 60% off RRP and a solid £17 reduction from its price back in April. This makes it an incredible time to upgrade your system with super-fast PCIe 4.0 storage.
Itching to click on skeletons but not sure about Diablo 4? Have a gander at Halls Of Torment, a game I'll broadly describe as 'Vampire Survivors meets Diablo'. It lets you click on: so many skeletons. Halls Of Torment launched into early access last month and I've had a few hours of fun for a couple quid. The Diablo vibes are strong, it has some neat ideas for the genre, and it has a demo you can try for free. I only wish it drew a little more inspiration from Diablo and a little less from Survivors 'em up conventions.
With the arrival of Nvidia RTX 40-series graphics cards in gaming laptops, models with previous-gen RTX 30-series cards are becoming super-affordable. Now you can get even high-models for less than £1000, including this HP Omen machine which includes a 16.1-inch 1440p 165Hz display, RTX 3070 Ti graphics card and Ryzen 7 6800H CPU for £972 on Amazon.
The same machine retailed for £1629 in March this year, so this is a huge bargain - especially given that this is still hugely a powerful machine for 1440p gaming. The spec even includes a 1TB NVMe SSD and 16GB of DDR5 RAM, so it's a convincing machine from top to bottom.
I've spoken on many occasions about my love for Cooler Master's NR200 small form factor PC case, and today it's gone on sale in the US for the first time in a while - so I thought I'd let you know!
Right now you can pick up the NR200 in white for $70, down from $115. To get this price, you'll need to use code CMJUND2 at the cart and then use a rebate form for an additional $25 back. That's a bit of a faff for sure, but in exchange you do get one of the best and most popular SFF PC cases on the market.