Articles by RockPaperShotgun

join-us-for-our-first-rps-game-club-liveblog-this-thursday Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Join us for our first RPS Game Club liveblog this Thursday

Come one, come all to our very first RPS Game Club liveblog session about this month’s chosen pick, Hi-Fi Rush. We’ll be piling into a liveblog on Thursday March 30th at 4pm BST (that’s 9am PDT / 11am EDT), so please do come and join us to talk about what you loved most about Tango Gameworks’ infectious rhythm action brawler. Read more

steam-is-ending-support-for-windows-7-and-8-next-year Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Steam is ending support for Windows 7 and 8 next year

Steam will no longer support Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 operating systems starting from January 1st, 2024, Valve have announced. To continue playing games or using apps through Steam, you’ll need to update to a more recent version of Windows. After that date, the Steam Client will no longer run on older versions of the Windows OS. The reason? It’s Google Chrome. Read more

multiversus-“open-beta”-shutting-down-in-june,-relaunching-in-2024 Rock,Paper,Shotgun

MultiVersus “Open Beta” shutting down in June, relaunching in 2024

Warner Bros. crossover brawler MultiVersus is disabling online services on June 25th until the game’s full launch in early 2024, developer Play First Games have announced. Two seasons deep, the studio say they’re taking MultiVersus offline because it’s been in Open Beta this whole time (I know, shocker), so an extended break will give them time to prepare for their proper launch. Read more

amazon-spring-sale-2023:-all-the-best-pc-gaming-deals Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Amazon Spring Sale 2023: all the best PC gaming deals

Since some people apparently can’t go a few months without some sort of mega money-off event, here’s a guide to all the best Amazon Spring Sale deals on PC gaming hardware. This doesn’t look to be as much of a wide-ranging sale as Prime Day or Amazon’s Black Friday dealings, but there are still some decent savings to be had on plenty of RPS-approved gear, from gaming mice and keyboards to SSDs and gaming monitors. Read more

this-18tb-(!)-seagate-exos-hdd-is-down-to-245-thanks-to-an-ebay-code Rock,Paper,Shotgun

This 18TB (!) Seagate Exos HDD is down to £245 thanks to an Ebay code

Earlier today we looked at a great price on a Microsoft Xbox Wireless Controller in blue using a 20% off Ebay code, and now it’s time to check out another deal using the very same discount method. This time it’s a massive 18TB HDD from Seagate, an Exos enterprise-grade drive, which is available for £245 when you use the CATCH20 code at CCL’s Ebay shop front. Read more

the-great-war:-western-front-review:-alternately-compelling-and-exhausting,-which-is-probably-deliberate Rock,Paper,Shotgun

The Great War: Western Front review: alternately compelling and exhausting, which is probably deliberate

I keep alternating between wanting to play more and feeling weary at the prospect. While that might sound bad, it arguably means that it’s balanced an appealing strategic challenge with the grinding theme of trench warfare. The Great War Colon Western Front is about taking the Triple Alliance or Entente through the hell years of 1914-18, or beyond. It’s a purely military game about overcoming massed defences through attrition, both in localised real-time battles, and a turn-based strategic map. It’s perhaps unfair to criticise it for repetition and some intermittent sense of futility, since a First World War game without…

rps@pax-2023:-we-chat-with-tic-toc-games-about-their-upcoming,-smack-talking-rpg-wrestle-story Rock,Paper,Shotgun

RPS@PAX 2023: We chat with Tic Toc Games about their upcoming, smack-talking RPG Wrestle Story

Imagine for a moment, if you will, that Persona 5 let you suplex your opponents. Even better, imagine if those moves were pulled off through timing based minigames that resembled the battles found in Nintendo’s excellent (and underrated) Mario & Luigi RPG series. Sounds good, right? Well guess what, that game exists! It’s called Wrestle Story and it’s definitely a project to keep an eye on. After spending twenty glorious minutes with its colourful demo at PAX East, I was keen to chat to creative director Steve Jimenez about the team’s inspirations, the challenges of translating wrestling into a turn-based…

rps@pax-2023:-animal-well’s-subterranean-world-is-both-beautiful-and-unsettling Rock,Paper,Shotgun

RPS@PAX 2023: Animal Well’s subterranean world is both beautiful and unsettling

Earlier in the week, Liam and I had the opportunity to chat with Animal Well’s solo developer and publisher Bigmode about creating their eerie subterranean world. We then had a chance to go hands on with the PAX East demo, and wow, we were both incredibly impressed. Watch the video below for our enthusiastic impressions: If we could give an RPS ‘Bestest Best in show’ award to a game, is would be Animal Well. Liam and I loved the game’s dense atmosphere, spider-web of interconnected caverns, and creepy creatures that lurk in the dark. We also loves the effects the…

rps@pax-2023:-we-chat-with-the-wrestlequest-devs-about-broken-noses-and-busting-rpg-traditions Rock,Paper,Shotgun

RPS@PAX 2023: We chat with the WrestleQuest devs about broken noses and busting RPG traditions

Liam and I had a fun time chatting with the folks over at Mega Cat Studios about their upcoming wrestling RPG WrestleQuest last year at PAX West, and this time at PAX East we finally cornered them in the ring for a proper interview. Watch below to learn about how the developers created their zero to hero story, how they’re addressing myths and persaonl issues in the world of pro wresting, as well as sharing a story about how one of the team got their nose broken in a wrestling accident during development. My main take away from the interview…

rps@pax-2023:-hell-of-an-office-is-a-fiendishly-fast-action-platformer-in-the-vein-of-neon-white Rock,Paper,Shotgun

RPS@PAX 2023: Hell Of An Office is a fiendishly fast action-platformer in the vein of Neon White

I’ve played a bunch of indie game demos at PAX East, but none left my head reeling as much as 43 Studios’ fiendishly frantic action platfotmer Hell Of An Office. It’s a super fast parkour adventure in the vein of Neon White, and after ten minutes with the demo my heart race was through the roof. If I owned a fitbit it would have been screaming at me to have a nice sit down with a cuppa. Check out my full impressions in the video below: Hell Of An Office puts your platforming reflexes to the test as you’re tasked…

rps@pax-2023:-become-besties-with-greek-gods-on-an-accidental-vacation-in-mythwrecked:-ambrosia-island Rock,Paper,Shotgun

RPS@PAX 2023: Become besties with Greek gods on an accidental vacation in Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island

I really enjoyed dark fantasy adventure Roki when it first released back in 2020, and keen to see what developers Polygon Treehouse have gotten up to since, I jumped at the opportunity to play the PAX East demo for Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island. You can watch my impressions of the demo in the video below: In Mythwrecked you play as Alex, a backpacker who has washed up on the sun-drenched shores of Ambrosia Island. As she begins exploring, she soon realises that this island seems to be a hot spot for the gods from ancient Greek myths. Your task is to…

the-sets-aren’t-ready,-and-the-actors-have-no-eyes:-making-game-trailers Rock,Paper,Shotgun

The sets aren’t ready, and the actors have no eyes: making game trailers

“Imagine someone saying ‘We need you to make a trailer for our movie, but we’ve only got half of the sets and props ready…” says Tim Bevan de Lange, Creative Director at Realtime Nordic, a studio that makes, specifically, video game trailers. “…and we haven’t actually shot anything, so you’ll need to do that yourself. Some of the actors won’t come out of their trailers. One of them will but if you shoot him from the front you realise he’s got no eyes, but don’t show the audience that. It’s not intentional, he’s getting them fixed. Also can you film…

sons-of-the-forest’s-newest-update-adds-a-demon-boss-and-nerfs-cat-food Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Sons Of The Forest’s newest update adds a demon boss and nerfs cat food

How are you surviving in Sons Of The Forest? Perhaps you’ve become a self-sufficient blueberry empire, surviving off handfuls of fruit while cannibals knock at your door. Or maybe you’ve gone full Charlie Kelly, consuming tins of cat food found around the island. If so, it’s time for a diet cleanse. Sons Of The Forest’s newest patch adds a demon boss, a new cave system, and tons of other improvements. It’s also nerfing cat food, since it was overpowered and, well, are there actually any cats in the game? Read more

resident-evil-4-remake:-steam-deck-performance-and-best-settings Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Resident Evil 4 remake: Steam Deck performance and best settings

The Resident Evil 4 remake is a mostly cool runner on desktops, and good news if you’re recently picked up a certain handheld PC in the sales: its Steam Deck performance is alright too. Maybe not to the battery-sipping, framerate-abundant extent of the very best Steam Deck games, but with the right settings, nu-Resi 4 can keep its burlap sacked head well above 30fps even in its most visually demanding scenes. Read more

the-games-of-2022,-according-to-this-year’s-gdc-and-igf-award-winners Rock,Paper,Shotgun

The games of 2022, according to this year’s GDC and IGF Award winners

This year’s Game Developers Choice and IGF Award ceremonies were really heartening stuff. Getting to see so many great developers have their games celebrated by their peers will always warm the old cockles, especially when we celebrated so many of them in our own RPS Advent Calendar at the end of last year. Well, I say ‘see’. In truth, I was tucked away backstage at this year’s IGF and GDC Awards, clutching my dictaphone with a single question in mind: if each winner had to give away their award to another game in their category, who would it be and…

after-20-years,-final-fantasy-11-is-heading-into-maintenance-mode Rock,Paper,Shotgun

After 20 years, Final Fantasy 11 is heading into maintenance mode

Long before Final Fantasy 14 swept over the MMO landscape, there was 2002’s Final Fantasy 11 Online. I wasn’t really away that Final Fantasy 11 was still running, but the MMO has been chugging along quietly for a few years – its last expansion having arrived in 2013. After 20 years of support, however, Square Enix is putting Final Fantasy 11 in maintenance mode, meaning servers will stay up and it’ll remain playable, but with limited support. Read more

elden-ring’s-ray-tracing-update-is-out-–-here’s-how-it-looks-and-runs-on-pc Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Elden Ring’s ray tracing update is out – here’s how it looks and runs on PC

Surprise! The long-promised patch that brings ray tracing to Elden Ring is here, over a year after release. There’s much more in the version 1.09 update besides – the patch notes list plenty of balance changes and bug fixes – but given the sheer amount of time the new ray tracing features have been in the works, not to mention the fact that Elden Ring has never exactly been an exemplar of technical reliability, I wanted to focus in on ’em and see what performance is like on PC. Read more