Rock,Paper,Shotgun

blaseball-is-closing-down-and-some-staff-are-being-laid-off Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Blaseball is closing down and some staff are being laid off

Blaseball, the supernatural baseball browser-based betting league that became a brief social phenomena in 2020, is closing down. Its developers The Game Band announced the news yesterday, writing that the cost of running the game, “literally and metaphorically, is too high.” An undisclosed number of staff are also being laid off. Read more

these-are-your-25-favourite-space-games-of-all-time Rock,Paper,Shotgun

These are your 25 favourite space games of all time

Earlier this month, we asked you to vote for your favourite space games of all time, and man alive did you lot come out swinging for this. Hundreds and hundreds of votes have been beamed in over the last few weeks, resulting in an overwhelming favourite that was (no word of a lie) several thousand points ahead of its nearest rival. Not hundreds. Thousands. When you see it, you’ll probably go, ‘Of course, of course that’s number one!’ but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Come and find out what other games made the cut as we count down your…

this-cool-50s-noir-game-lets-you-do-the-job-of-a-hotel-cleaner-(aka:-solve-a-mystery) Rock,Paper,Shotgun

This cool 50s noir game lets you do the job of a hotel cleaner (aka: solve a mystery)

You know who you shouldn’t trust? Hotel cleaners. Not in real life, I should add – where they are hardworking and one time one helped me catch and kill cockroach even though we didn’t speak the same language – but in the game This Bed We Made, a third person mystery set in a slightly grimy 1950s hotel. The reason why you shouldn’t trust this particular cleaner because it is, in fact, you, in the kitten heels of Sophie here, as you rifle through their belongings and ogle at their undies. There’s a demo of one such room on Steam…

chat-about-citizen-sleeper-with-us-in-rps-game-club-today Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Chat about Citizen Sleeper with us in RPS Game Club today

It’s time for the next gathering of the RPS Game Club! From 4pm BST today, June 2nd, we’ll be chatting about all things Citizen Sleeper – your favourite moments, your most heart-breaking questlines, and lots more. We’ve been having a swell time revisiting one of our favourite games from last year for this month’s Game Club, and we hope you’ve had fun playing it as well. So why not come and join in the discussion? See you at 4pm sharp! Read more

how-claymation,-an-x-com-screenshot-and-a-justice-league-tie-in-game-brought-us-diablo Rock,Paper,Shotgun

How claymation, an X-COM screenshot and a Justice League tie-in game brought us Diablo

David Brevik, now the president of Skystone Games, did not expect to encounter a doppelganger when he arrived at Chicago’s Consumer Electronic Show in the summer of 1994. He’d come to the tech expo with Condor, a studio he’d co-founded only a few months prior, to show off Justice League: Task Force. A humble fighting game in the vein of Street Fighter, it was given a small demo booth and placed next to another game that featured a cast of superheroes, a strikingly similar visual style and, much to Brevik’s surprise, the very same name. Without their knowing, Condor were…

the-epos-sennheiser-gsp-600-is-down-to-$54.99-in-the-us Rock,Paper,Shotgun

The EPOS Sennheiser GSP 600 is down to $54.99 in the US

EPOS make some of the best gaming headsets in the business, so it’s great to see a deep discount on one of their best Sennheiser co-creations. The GSP 600 offers extremely good build quality, great audio and incredible noise isolation too. Its list price is a faintly ridiculous $219, but right now you can pick up a brand new set of these headphones for $54.99 at Woot. That’s a solid $15 off the same set on Amazon, and a great price for headphones of this level of quality. Read more

intel’s-core-i5-13400f-is-down-to-$165-after-a-$50-best-buy-discount Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Intel’s Core i5 13400F is down to $165 after a $50 Best Buy discount

Intel’s mid-range Core i5 processors have long been some of the best choices for gaming PCs, versus Core i7 and Core i9 models that require much more cooling while not providing much more performance in GPU-limited scenarios. Their 13th-gen models are a particular favourite, and today we have a US deal on perhaps the best value gaming CPU in that lineup: the Core i5 13400F is now down to $164.99 at Best Buy following a $50 discount. Read more

indiescovery-episode-11:-our-favourite-indie-games-of-2023-so-far Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Indiescovery Episode 11: Our favourite indie games of 2023 so far

Somehow it’s June already, which means it’s time for the Indiescovery crew to suppress our existential dread at the fleetingness of existence and take a look at our favourite indie games from the first (almost) half of 2023! Don’t worry, we very quickly realise that June has such a slammed line-up we can probably give it a best-games episode all of its own to make up for the fact that we tackled this topic a bit early. Listen and subscribe via your podcast provider of choice! Find us on RSS feed, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music,…

hot-wheels-unleashed-2:-turbocharged-ups-the-chaos-and-vehicular-destruction-this-year Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged ups the chaos and vehicular destruction this year

Arcade racer Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is speeding our way on October 19th, developer Milestone have announced. Like the first surprisingly great game, you’ll race over 130 toy cars through real-world locations, zooming past dinner tables, out of windows, and across gardens. Seems like more good fun, whether you’re a five-year-old or a five-year-old stuck in an adult’s body. Read more

the-tartarus-key-review:-an-absolutely-nails-thriller-puzzler-that’s-worth-the-effort Rock,Paper,Shotgun

The Tartarus Key review: an absolutely nails thriller-puzzler that’s worth the effort

If you woke up in a mysterious mansion, with no memory of how you got there and only a walkie-talkie and a bunch of security cameras for company, how d’you reckon you’d handle it? Personally I know, sure as eggs is eggs, that I would absolutely go to pieces. I’m not hitting the end credits of The Tartarus Key in real life, but fortunately, it’s a nails thriller puzzle game that fuses PS1-style retro graphics with Saw-esque murder traps. Plus, you know, it’s only about six hours end to end, which isn’t bad for a semi-magical kidnap plot. In this…

this-claymation-game-makes-me-deeply-uncomfortable-so-of-course-i-need-to-play-it Rock,Paper,Shotgun

This claymation game makes me deeply uncomfortable so of course I need to play it

I feel like claymation has always been a bit creepy, you know? Yeah, sure the Aardman films are whimsical and fun, but have you seen those early Wallace and Gromit shorts? There’s something kind of unsettling about the odd shape of Wallace’s uneven head and I’ve always deeply hated that you can sometimes see the subtle lines of a thumb imprint on parts of his face, like he’s been smothered inbetween the pads of two giant fingers. It’s so uncomfortable – and don’t even get me started on that monster Morph. Ever since I first spotted the creepy Twitter gifs…

retro-rpgs-meet-the-world-of-pro-wrestling-in-wrestlequest,-releasing-this-august Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Retro RPGs meet the world of pro wrestling in WrestleQuest, releasing this August

The world of pro wrestling slams into an SNES-era RPG with WrestleQuest, which now has a release date of August 8th. Inspired by the older Final Fantasies and Dragon Questies, you’ll be engaging in turn-based brawls and running around in magical pixel realms. But unlike those games, you’ll climb the wrestling ladder from fresh-faced rookie to world champ – instead of the usual RPG trope where you go from a village’s rat-killer to the universe’s god-killer. Watch WrestleQuest’s latest trailer below: Read more

ratchet-&-clank:-rift-apart-is-coming-to-pc-in-july Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is coming to PC in July

Action platformer duo Ratchet & Clank have been around for over twenty years, but they’re only arriving on PC for the first time on July 26th. That’s when Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, the latest game in the series, will leap through the frequently used portal between PlayStation 5 and PC. Read more

tetris-has-a-sand-based-remix-that’s-devastatingly-good-for-procrastinating,-out-now-for-free Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Tetris has a sand-based remix that’s devastatingly good for procrastinating, out now for free

Tetris gobbled up so much of my time during the early years of university, partly because it functioned as a quick break between writing essays. Those quick breaks soon became trances though, as my eyes stayed unblinking and my fingers snapped across the keyboard with a mind of their own. The best game of all time, some might argue. Professional procrastinators can now rejoice as there’s a new way to play the blocky puzzler: Setris, or Tetris with sand. Read more

street-fighter-6-review:-the-former-champ-is-finally-back-on-top Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Street Fighter 6 review: the former champ is finally back on top

Back in February 1991, Capcom released Street Fighter 2 to arcades. Unbeknownst to Capcom at the time, Street Fighter 2’s massive success would cause it to become the blueprint for fighting games – a genre the game effectively created upon its release. This blueprint proved to be so influential that even some of Street Fighter 2’s most underwhelming elements are still being parroted in fighting games today. As a result, more than 30 years later, one constant in the fighting game genre has always remained true: the story mode is gonna suck. There have been some valiant attempts at rectifying…

get-noctua’s-premium-nf-p12-case-fans-for-12.95-each-at-amazon-uk Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Get Noctua’s premium NF-P12 case fans for £12.95 each at Amazon UK

Noctua’s fans are legendary in the PC space, offering exceptional performance and reliability in a love-it-or-hate-it brown and beige colourway. Their premier 120mm fan is the NF-P12, and this model has now been discounted to £12.95 at Amazon UK. That’s a lot to pay for a single fan, but these fans normally cost double – think upwards of £22 for a single fan! – so this is actually a heck of a bargain. Read more

if-you-think-writers-should-use-ai-you’re-a-giant-idiot-loser Rock,Paper,Shotgun

If you think writers should use AI you’re a giant idiot loser

Today is another out of sync Bank Holiday for me. It’s not one in Ireland, so I’m the only one rattling around in here at the moment. And it occurs to me that the vast, vast, vast majority of you will never have met me in real life. The evidence that I exist in physical space is comparatively minimal! How do you know I’m not an AI? An AI could probably replicate my writing style quite thoroughly, because there are at present many thousands of my – mine, my own – words on the internet, and they and everything else…

system-shock-remake-review:-nightdive-rebuilds-the-immersive-sim-mothership-just-as-it-was Rock,Paper,Shotgun

System Shock remake review: Nightdive rebuilds the immersive sim mothership just as it was

Sometime before SHODAN’s ethical constraints were removed and the rogue AI set about converting the people of Citadel Station into cyborgs, a researcher named Stacy Everson found a smoking gun hidden among the blinking servers of the spaceship’s library. Not an assault rifle or mini-pistol, but a decades-old email chain between her TriOptimum bosses and a psychologist named Jeffrey Hammer. In the early stages of Citadel’s construction, Hammer suggested that each level of the station be designed in such a way as to induce stress and anxiety, so that experts could study their impact on the human psyche during space…