Rock Paper Shotgun – PC Game Reviews, Previews, Subjectivity

The Samsung 970 Evo may have been replaced by the 970 Evo Plus quite some time ago, but when the UK's BT Shop currently has the 500GB model for a very agreeable £78 versus the Plus' usual going price of over £100, this is one SSD deal that's definitely worth snapping up if you're in need of some new storage. They've also got the 1TB model for £138, which is a good £40 cheaper than its equivalent Plus model.

It's time to collect your driving licence, because Fortnite's Joyride update just added some shiny new vehicles for you to race around in. There are four cars/trucks for players to find across the battle royale now, each allowing you to pick up your buds, hang out the windows and cause some carnage. You can even stick on their radios for a little sing-along if you fancy.

As Prison Architect proved, you can hide dark themes inside a cute wrapper and people will swallow it. It now looks like the ‘70s set Honey, I Joined A Cult is trying to pull off the same trick.

The upcoming cult management sim just got a shiny new trailer, and confirms it's coming to early access in 2021. The pitch is that you design a cult HQ and recruit acolytes to your ‘cause’ while dealing with the nosey press (ugh, hate those guys) and rival heretics. I’ve double-checked and the trailer contains no subliminal messages. Now join us, brothers and sisters! I mean, let’s watch the trailer. Ahahhahaa.

If you've played as or against Valorant's explodey agent Raze, you'll know that her ultimate ability is pretty darn strong. It's basically a massive rocket launcher that fires off a single shot, but one so powerful it can instantly kill all enemies in a decent-sized blast radius. As you might expect, it can be pretty hard to avoid, so in yesterday's Act 2 patch Riot Games put in a small nerf for it. Except, something went very wrong with said nerf, because after the patch went live, she was able to fire multiple rockets at her poor unsuspecting foes.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance was released. 21 years ago, in fact. But to look at the work the people at X-Wing Alliance Upgrade are doing to the classic space dogfighting game you wouldn't think it was from the '90s. They’ve added dynamic cockpits, modern lighting, upgraded all the ship models, and have even ported it to VR. Below is a comparison between the original game and the updated version that’ll get your midi-chlorians flowing.

The battle-royale-but-not-like-that videogame known as Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout has exploded. In a good way. Everyone and their squishy cartoon dog has been playing it, to the point where developers Mediatonic had to repeatedly take down their servers for beefing purposes.

It's a game show in the vein of Total Wipeout, or possibly an extremely squidgy version of Takeshi's castle. Players are whittled down from 60 as they get eliminated via various mini-games, then whoever's left has to race up a hill, dodging obstacles in the hope of being the first to grab a crown. So far I've played two matches and wound up cackling in near constant delight - but for now I just want to show you some of the best Falls from the internet. I can virtually guarantee they will improve your Wednesday.

Blizzard have confirmed that they’ll be hosting BlizzCon as an online event due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The annual celebration of their games and communities was cancelled this year, with a suggestion that they’ll be holding it virtually in 2021. During a recent earnings call, Blizzard’s president J. Allen Brack confirmed that it will be happening “early 2021”.

However many people enter the RPS treehouse, the same number of people eventually leave. There's no fighting inside, just fun and games. In this Dave Irwin leaving RPS guide, I'll say goodbye to Dave, thank him for his work, and explain how you can do the same.

Why did the game developer cross the road? To make a living, probably, but after traversing dozens of mobile highways it's about time to look to the stars. Announced earlier today, Tombstar sees Crossy Road developer Andy Sum team up with designer Marcus Grambau in ditching the sidewalk to pick up a sci-fi six-shooter sometime this year. Let's just hope his aim's as good as his traffic-dodging gymnastics, eh?

That wasn't a terrible first lap, Formula Fusion, but it could've gone better. So, off you pop into the pit lane for a fresh coat of paint, a rebranding, and we'll take another shot at this whole release thing. Going by the much snappier Pacer moniker, R8 Games reckon their tuned-up sci-fi racer is finally ready to leave the garage, bringing it back to Steam on September 17th.

It's summer! Scotland might've missed the memo (my soaked jeans can attest to that), but at least Overwatch is willing and able to have some fun in the virtual sun. The Summer Games have returned to Blizzard's hero shooter, bringing in a fresh collection of hot beach looks - whether you're chilling by the pool or pushing that dang payload.

It's Quakecon At Home this weekend, and to celebrate this year's socially distanced Bethesda fest, GOG and Green Man Gaming are holding a huge sale with lots of tasty game deals. Chief among them is 56% off Doom Eternal over at GMG, and 75% off Prey for would-be GOG-ers, so read on below for our pick of the very best deals from each sale.

Cosplayer Zibartas is someone who will never run out of light. His latest creation is Mercy’s wings from Overwatch. They’re built out of steel and aluminium, glow with the perfect amount of heavenly light, and unfurl like he’s just activated an ultimate. There are very few moments of true beauty in the world at the moment, but I'd argue that seeing these snake out like a visit from an angel is one of them. I'd hug him if it weren't physically impossible.

When Assassin's Creed Valhalla releases this November, it will put players in the shoes of Eivor - a big, tough Viking assassin, fully prepared to slaughter the English. Now, if that's not quite the selling point you were after, it might please you to know that this burly warrior will also be able to pet and snuggle all the cats they come across on their journey, too.

Well, it certainly isn't going to make me any less likely to buy the game.

Don't dust off your swords or wizardly staves just yet, adventurers. Today, developers Larian announced that Baldur's Gate 3 will no longer be setting forth on its early access adventure this month. A new release date will instead be announced during a livestream in two weeks time, one that'll be also drag omnipresent videogames man Goeff Keighley on screen for some "big news" regarding the dungeon-crawling threequel.

It's a rotten day out, and amphibious as they may be, no frog should have to suffer a bare head in this weather. If you must play Frog Fractions: Game Of The Decade Edition, you owe it to poor Hop to pitch in for a swish beanie. See, Hop's Iconic Cap isn't just a sweet piece of froggy fashion - nestled in that hat is an entirely new, fourth(?) entry in the Frog Fractions extended universe.

The Games And Online Harassment Hotline is a new service for anyone in the games industry to use if they want to talk to someone about abuse, burnout, depression, or other issues they might be facing. It's free and anonymous, and it's designed to encourage people to seek help when they need it. Headed by Feminist Frequency's Anita Sarkeesian, the idea for the hotline was born during the #MeToo movement the games industry experienced in August last year. The movement has continued in 2020, most prominently in accusations about Ubisoft's company culture.

"When we started seeing this in August many of us were like, 'okay, we've got to do something about it'," Sarkeesian tells me.

Season five of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone is out tomorrow, so here’s a release trailer to make your fingers itch. Imogen went over all of the operators and guns last week, but Warzone in particular is my jam so I’m focusing on that.

Yep, there’s a train coming to Verdansk, and I’m already making space on my hard-drive for this rolling stock of death. The trailer also gives us a look inside the stadium, and has the surprise inclusion of what appears to be a raven assassination.

Rainbow Six Siege is getting in on some 80s sci-fi action with its new limited time event, M.U.T.E. Protocol, kicking off today. Ubisoft's tactical FPS has cyberpunked-up one of its Secure Area game mode maps, dropping players in as all manner of funky neon robots to attack or defend a Comm Tower. It's not just cosmetic, though, as players will be able to use special futuristic powers to warp themselves through their tech, too.

Bill English, co-creator of the computer mouse with his colleague Doug Engelbart, has passed away at the age of 91. The two built the first computer mouse in 1963 at the Stanford Research Institute. A block of wood with two wheels and potentiometers that would measure movement forever changed how we interacted with computers.

New storylines, new bosses, new NPCs, New Game+, new areas and even a new dog you can pet are what await you today in Blasphemous, because the Stir Of Dawn DLC has arrived. The Game Kitchen's excellent gothic metroidvania has absolutely tons of new stuff to get your hands on today, and it's all part of a free update that's available to download right now.

The latest twist on the ‘royale’ genre, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, is out today. I had a quick run around it to write this post because I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was dragged into a colourful, bizarre obstacle course with 59 other people. The brief time I spent with it was more of a last-place simulator, sadly. I was humiliated.

As we draw closer to the release date of Crusader Kings 3 on September 1, Paradox has started a series of videos to get you up to speed with their grand strategy game. First up is a look at how characteristics shape your regal avatar. It begins with the story of Erik the Heathen, a greedy, brave, and zealous Viking. Despite ruling Sweden, he is not chill.