RPS Talk-o-Tron Talkback-o-Tron: 21/10/08

Yes, we know you have but one eye, which you understandably wish to keep forever trained on our front page in case we post a new story, or someone starts shouting about how publishers bribed us with free liposuction and toffee apples to give their game a high score.

However, it's well worth occasionally diverting that staring eye to the RPS Talk-o-Tron 3000, our shiny-new forum, which continues to attract all manner of excited and curious PC gaming discussion. Eventually we'll be better able to blend the front page and the forum, but for now a weekly round-up of the more interesting topics over there seems like a smart idea. We want the forum to be big, see. Bigger than Jesus. Bigger than Robo-Jesus. Bigger than Meta-Robo-Jesus.

• Kieron started off a thought experiment yesterday, asking how you'd redesign a game of your choice, given the chance. The various slaggings-off of Spore were the inspiration, but there's a lot of room to discuss how other games that, for one reason or another, disappointed you could have done it better. It's constructive criticism incarnate, hopefully.
• We got shouted at for not posting about the Far Cry 2 DRM (similar to that which infected Spore), and frankly that's because there just wasn't much interesting we could think to say about it. A lorra folks disagree, understandably, and their venting can be found here.
• There's an agreeably long discussion of supreme strategies for what I generally reckon is my all-time favourite game, X-Com, over yonder. You lot really have spent the long years since the game's release devising some intricate plays for the thing. Meanwhile, long-time reader Alphaxion is penning an ongoing Terror from the Deep play diary of his own, which he's self-deprecatingly posted about here.

• We're looking for a new leader for the RPS Destruction WAR Guild, as myself and Kieron are too assaulted by work overload in what's proven to be game release silly season to realistically manage the thing ourselves. Throw your - or another's - name into the hat here.
• Of course, not everyone's jumped aboard the WAR bandwagon - a noble group of RPSers are seeking companions for adventures in the reliably prettier, more cheerful World of Warcraft. Find out more about this nascent RPS Guild here.
• The birth of the Talk-o-Tron coincided with the release of possible/probable GOTY World of Goo, so it's no surprise that 2D Boy's beautiful first child has unsurprisingly been a huge talking point.
• We don't give enough love to Roguelikes on the site, but we'll get there. Meantime, discuss your favourites and seek tips for new'uns over here.
• The Planescape: Torment Amnesty - admit your shame at overlooking this classic of classics.
• What do you think RPS should post about? Tell us!
• Stalker has many mods. Many, many mods. But which are best?
• What a shame.