How to describe Sorath's Hyper Demon, other than by labelling it an arena score-attacking FPS from the developer of Devil Daggers? Well, imagine you're a caveman, the descendant of a forgotten tribe miraculously preserved in the remote wilds. You accidentally eat some fermented berries one day and stumble upon a billionaire's wilderness Halloween fancy dress party.

Delirious and appalled by the teeming lights and faces, you trip and wedge your head inside the giant, Cirque-du-Soleil-supplied crystal ball the guests are using to predict each other's net worth fluctuations over the next year. Then you're chased into the middle of a firework show by flunkeys dressed as vintage heavy metal album covers, while the jet setters throw jewelry and bioluminescent canapes. There you go, this is approximately the experience of playing Hyper Demon. If you don't believe me, there's now a free 1v1 multiplayer version of the game on Steam.

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Ten hours into Arc Raiders, I felt betrayal's sharp sting for the first time.

The round began with generosity. I met a fellow raider who had dropped me a rare shotgun as well as a damaged heat sink to upgrade my workbench. They asked nothing in return. It was one of many friendly encounters I've had roaming the surface of Arc Raiders' hostile maps, but I also felt my heart rate rise: when you die you lose everything you're carrying, so I knew I had to reach an extraction point quickly and quietly.

On the way, I met another player. We exchanged "don't shoot" emotes followed by our actual voices on proximity chat, agreeing to cover each other until the exit. I even dropped him some bandages.

Fool.

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Marshal, if my hastily scribbled, made-up blackboard equations are correct, we should witness a double event within the next year or two. No, not a double kaiju event. A double kaiju clean-up event. Somewhat to my surprise, job sims in which you dismember dead Godzillas are a thing, now. And by thing I mean that there are at least two of them on the way.

It’s going to be a battle for the ages. Alien vs janitor: whoever wins, we… get to walk around outside without stepping in puddles of Mothra bile. Please, sir, join me next to this second blackboard full of hastily scribbled, made-up equations while I slap them haphazardly with a cane and shower everybody in spittle.

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