Winter brings out a part of me that immediately seeks a mountain of blankets in which to burrow. Even in my seasonally confused state of Texas, the weather has tended towards the chilly and left me with little excuse not to have a kettle boiling interminably as I layer on socks and pull the biggest comforter from the top of the closet. But this presents a problem likely familiar to other cozy connoisseurs: how does one game while properly bundled?

I will admit it does limit possibilities considerably. That’s why I’ve curated a small selection of games perfectly playable while your other hand keeps coffee or tea always within sipping range.

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Torment: Tides Of Numenera is apparently a ‘thematic successor’ to Planescape: Torment, which, as descriptors go, is even more woolly than ‘spiritual successor’. Translated into jargon talk, this is a single-player RPG with an isometric perspective, set in a part-fantasy part-steampunk universe, and it’s so story driven that it’s basically like reading a book.

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While it still bears some reputation as a scrappy little browser-game toolset (and that’s no bad thing – it enabled much of the GMTK 2018 jam recently), ubiquitous game development platform Unity has spread to all corners. While I> don’t have a single creative bone in my body, the Humble Unity Bundle contains a pile of Unity tools and assets to build your dream game. Even if you’re not the creative type, there’s some good Unity-based games in here too, including ninja sneak ’em up Shadow Tactics, teen horror adventure Oxenfree and moody tearjerker The Last Day Of June.

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In the mid-to-late 2000s, publishers abandoned the CRPG genre an acronym describing the very specific genre of video games adapted from tabletop RPGs to be played on computers which a decade earlier had been a cornerstone of PC gaming. They were more interested in accessible, console-friendly series like Mass Effect and The Elder Scrolls, and PC-centric RPGs all but died out.

Then, around 2012, RPGs made a comeback, largely thanks to the rise of crowdfunding and an endless well of nostalgia. Since then we ve been treated to heaps of good ones Divinity: Original Sin, Pillars of Eternity, Wasteland 2, Torment: Tides of Numenera and there are plenty more in the works. But there s no guarantee that CRPGs are back for good. Some, such as Torment, haven t sold well. The future of crowdfunding remains uncertain. And asking fans to commit 50 hours to a single story is more difficult than ever, given the volume of great games that release every month. So how can developers ensure that the genre stays relevant?

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…and if you haven’t yet, then you probably should. We named Torment: Tides of Numenera as one of the best games of 2017 for a reason, you know. You can play Inxile Entertainment’s fascinating RPG until Sunday at 9PM BST through Steam, and pick it up for 60% off until Monday.

Oh go on, here’s a peek behind the curtain – I> basically named it one of the best games of 2017, by chucking loads of my voting points at it. And it turns out I wasn’t even playing it right.

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The calendar’s doors have been opened and the games inside have been eaten. But fear not, latecomer – we’ve reconstructed the list in this single post for easy re-consumption. Click on to discover the best games of 2017. (more…)

The Steam summer sale is in full blaze. For a while it even blazed so hot that the servers went on fire and all the price stickers peeled off the games. Either that or the store just got swamped with cheapskates looking for the best bargains. Cheapskates like you! Well, don t worry. We ve rounded up some recommendations – both general tips and some newly added staff choices.

Here are the things you should consider owning in your endless consumeristic lust for a happiness which always seems beyond reach. You’re welcome.

… [visit site to read more]

The Steam summer sale is in full blaze. For a while it even blazed so hot that the servers went on fire and all the price stickers peeled off the games. Either that or the store just got swamped with cheapskates looking for the best bargains. Cheapskates like you! Well, don t worry. We ve rounded up some recommendations – both general tips and some specific staff choices.

Here are the things you should consider owning in your endless consumeristic lust for a happiness which always seems beyond reach. You’re welcome.

… [visit site to read more]

2017 has already been an extraordinary year for PC games, from both big-name AAA successes to no-name surprise indie smashes. Keeping up with so much that’s worth playing is a tough job, but we’ve got your back. Here is a collection of the games that have rocked the RPS Treehouse so far this year.

We’ve all picked our favourites, and present them here in alphabetical order so as not to start any fights. You’re bound to have a game you’d have wanted to see on the list, so please do add it to the comments below. … [visit site to read more]

A new character has arrived in Torment: Tides of Numenera [official site] with a free update, one who might sound familiar. Oom, previously known as ‘Toy’, is a a character who was pitched as a stretch goal in the RPG’s crowdfunding campaign then vanished. Surprise! The glob of goo is now here to be your gamepal and join you on a new quest of their very own. … [visit site to read more]