Have you been busy recently? I’ve been unable to pry my fingers and thumbs away from my keyboard and mouse for any significant period of time for the last few days. That because all the games are cheap right now. There’s several worthwhile sales going on, including some excellent discounts on a few classics, and the first significant discounts on some of the hottest games from this year. From now until around mid-January is the cheapest time of the year to buy games, so you’ll want to stay plugged in to SavyGamer.co.uk. This is just the start. (more…)

We are approaching the singularity. First there were bundles and then there was Kickstarter. That’s pretty much how I’ll remember the last couple of years. Exciting sci-fi god game Maia has done the unthinkable and combined the two. That’s an update worth checking out. Currently performing victory dances in the endzone are Hero-U and Shadowgate, while two promising RPGs fall short – one promises to return soon, perhaps too soon, while the other may be gone for good. And if all that isn’t enough for you, there’s also a one-man space game that’s quite a bit cheaper than Elite: Dangerous, an egg and Peter Molyneux. Let’s take a look.>

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In which Adam, who has played it all, and Alec, who has played around a third of it, gather to discuss IO Interactive’s divisive Hitman: Absolution. Devout Blood Money disciple Adam felt let down by this latest reinvention of Agent 47 – does Alec feel differently? (“No.”) They do find some positive things to say about it though, promise.>

Alec: I’ve been playing some Absolution. It’s brilliant! Just kidding. It’s a nasty, grimy, uneven game.

Adam: I almost wish I had someone to debate it with, who did think it was brilliant. But I think I’d just say YOU’RE WRONG and we’d find little common ground. I have been pondering how much of my dislike does come from the ugliness of it – I don’t think it’s well designed on the whole but there are bright spots. I wonder if I’d feel more sympathetic toward those if they weren’t wrapped in grime. (more…)

Would you rather cause a crowd of people to move as one, surrendering their bodies to a primal need that is the closest many of them will come to a spiritual experience, or unblock a toilet? Being a DJ is six hundred million times more amazing than being a plumber, so it stands to reason that Rush Bros is a much better game than anything starring Mario and his moustache. It’s not really a traditional platformer though, with a focus on two player splitscreen action and levels that are essentially side-scrolling races. There’s a demo available (Mac and PC) and a trailer below.

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Last time I looked at Ravaged a demo had been released, which can be an effective way to entice new players into a purchase, but people notified me that the demo servers were the busiest of the lot. It’d be fantastic for the developers if all of those people decided to buy the game but their next move suggests that hasn’t been happening. The game launched at £22.99 and is currently £3.49 in the Steam sale. When the sale finishes it won’t revert back to the original price point though – instead it’ll be permanently reduced to £6.99. The demo will also be removed at the end of the sale. Along with those changes, free DLC is on the way and some of the new content can be seen in the video below.

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Talented RPS writer chum Patricia Hernandez asked us if she could write about the influence of RPG-classic Fallout 2 on her life. We agreed, and what she came back with was a stark personal tale of how videogame fantasy can inspire interest, provoke thought, and ultimately change how we see the world.> (more…)

What a difference words can make. If I’d seen this new Far Cry 3 video last week, my first reaction would probably have been to chortle about magical tattoo abilities. After reading Jim’s thoughts on the game, I’m too giddily excited by watching those abilities in action to spend any time laughing at minor bits of silliness. Far Cry 2 was a mess but it still managed to produce some of the finest moments I’ve ever experienced in an FPS, so when I see the words “it has kept what was good…and builds on everything else”, damn straight the lens through which I view the trailers changes. Very excited.

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So… what are you up to this weekend? What are you going to play? Did you risk Hitman? Or are you going Planetside? Do you ever take a weekend off just to plough through a whole bunch of indie games that you bought or bookmarked by never got around to? I have to admit I’ve been playing catchup of late – which might explain the tardiness of a few of my reviews, but anyway. This is about you>: I particularly want to hear from folks playing multiplayer games – what are you playing, who are you playing it with, and does it involve the RPS gang in any way?

(There are some great PS2 threads here and here, if you want a game with friendly types.)

Speak!

I was talking to someone about Crusader Kings II last weekend and about twenty minutes into a hand-waving sermon about how brilliant it is, I realised I’d described it as a turn-based strategy game. It isn’t turn-based, of course, but I spend so much time pausing and pondering that I’ve managed to convince myself that it is. The I started thinking – what was> the best turn-based strategy game of the year? XCOM is tactical, I didn’t warm to Fallen Enchantress and Warlock was solid but unspectacular. Have I forgotten something? Eador looks like it might have learned a trick or two from Age of Wonders and even though it won’t be out for Christmas, beta signups have begun. Here’s a new video.

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Where do you stand on the issue of simulated poison gas? If your answer is “Upwind!” then read on, I’ve a couple of new games here that may tickle your fancy. Commander: The Great War and Squad Battles: First World War come at The War To End All Wars from opposite directions. The former bestrides Europe and offers two-week turns and army-sized units. The latter bestrides No Man’s Land (sometimes not even that) and occasionally lets a single plucky infantry squad turn the tide of battle. Both are mechanically conservative, but – based on the evidence of my preliminary playtests – rammed with the kinds of period challenges and pleasures that military-minded gamers will struggle to find elsewhere. (more…)