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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

June 1, 2023RockPaperShotgun

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

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Minecraft Legends could be you and your kids’ next Game Pass favourite

April 12, 2023VG247

The Easter holidays may have only just come to a close, but ahead of the summer – and those long, school-less weeks – you should remember Minecraft Legends. What do you think of when you think of the word ‘Minecraft’? If you’re anything like me – and the now-numerous generations that have been raised by the game – you’ll think of creativity, exploration, the freedom to do things your own way. The original game (now a Microsoft property) took the reins off, allowed you to explore the geometric sandbox at your leisure, and let you revel in the world in…

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there’d-be-no-mario-kart-8-deluxe-without-mario-kart-wii-–-here’s-why VG247

There’d be no Mario Kart 8 Deluxe without Mario Kart Wii – here’s why

April 11, 2023VG247

Often overlooked, but never without influence, Mario Kart Wii is a more important part of the series’ history than you might think. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is one of the best-selling games of all time. The little plumber and his ragtag bunch of unlikely friends have convinced over 50 million people to empty their wallets and purses for his tarmac-based exploits since the game launched in 2017. However, none of that would have been possible without Mario Kart Wii, which first hit Nintendo’s motion-tracking mini-console 15 years ago today. The oft-overlooked entry in the esteemed karting series introduced new ways…

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a-short-history-of-how-mario,-gaming’s-most-famous-italian,-almost-wasn’t-italian VG247

A short history of how Mario, gaming’s most famous Italian, almost wasn’t Italian

April 6, 2023VG247

The list of celebrities that Italy has gifted to the world is definitely quite long: Dante, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci. But, obviously, the most famous of all remains a short and stocky mustachioed plumber by the name of Mario. But how Italian is he, really, and what exactly is his story? I talked about it with a few Italian developers and found out that, in the end, almost everyone loves “doing the Mario”. If this doesn’t do something to you, you have no soul. In the early 80s, video game characters did not really have a well-defined backstory or,…

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The Lion King pounces into Disney Dreamlight Valley next week

April 2, 2023VG247

A new realm and some feline friends. The Lion King is making its way to Disney Dreamlight Valley next week as part of the games fourth update. We got a sneak peak of April’s Disney Dreamlight Valley back in February as part of a Nintendo Direct, but we weren’t exactly sure when it would be out. Well, it’s pretty soon now, as Simba and Nala will be joining the rest of the Disney cast April 5 (thanks, Eurogamer). Unsurprisingly, they’re bringing a new Lion King themed realm along with them, as well as more “surprises,” and a new Star Path….

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Lego 2K Drive: I’m in for a new Lego Racing game no questions asked – but what we really need is Lego Island

March 21, 2023VG247

Could this rumoured new game be the start of Lego returning to its more experimental era? If so, then I have an idea… If you like Lego and video games, it’s an exciting time. For the first time in years, it’s looking like we’re going to get a fairly large-budget, console-based Lego game that isn’t some sort of spin on the Traveler’s Tales formula perfected in Lego Star Wars and its kin. Not some mobile game, not a limited-scope indie-style effort like the excellent Lego Bricktales – but something mainstream, mass-market, and different. So. Who wants a Lego Mario game,…

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Please, Nintendo, let Mario take on more mature genres

March 14, 2023VG247

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope has reminded us of all the potential out there for the Mario franchise outside well-trodden sports games and safe spinoffs. I find it virtually impossible to get mad at Mario games. The fact they’re pretty good most of the time definitely helps, and even when the franchise is running in circles, the final products never fail to put a smile on my face. Nintendo truly cares about the quality of its most famous IP, and the spinoffs other studios put out. But what about taking risks? That’s a different story altogether. Ever wanted to…

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the-rps-selection-box:-liam’s-bonus-games-of-the-year-2022 Rock,Paper,Shotgun

The RPS Selection Box: Liam’s bonus games of the year 2022

January 2, 2023RockPaperShotgun

Oh. OK. I guess it’s time for me to publicly confess which games I voted for in this year’s advent calendar but that didn’t get it, and without the usual protection of anonymity granted by group lists. Listen: please don’t judge me. I just want to say that up top before you find out where I live and start sending me pizzas or something. I am fallible. You cut me, I bleed red. I put my bread in the toaster one slice at a time. Anyway, with that out the way, here’s a list of things I liked this year…

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Disney Dreamlight Valley will introduce Toy Story’s Woody and Buzz Lightyear in December

November 23, 2022VG247

The duo will be added to the game as part of its second major content update. Disney Dreamlight Valley has been in Early Access for a short while now, but has amassed a dozen of players with its relaxing simulation gameplay and fan-favourite characters. I’ve spent my fair share of time addicted to it, and now it’s a matter of time before I return so that I can see what all-new characters are getting up to. Catch the Toy Story realm reveal here. When it comes to new characters, Disney Dreamlight Valley has now announced its second major content update,…

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multiversus’-new-battle-pass-now-has-even-more-grind-than-before Rock,Paper,Shotgun

MultiVersus’ new battle pass now has even more grind than before

November 21, 2022RockPaperShotgun

Season 2 of Warner Bros. licensed brawler MultiVersus began last week, bringing with it a fresh battle pass for players to dig into. They’ll definitely be digging for a while too, because this season the amount of XP needed to complete the battle pass has nearly doubled. As MultiVersus tweeter and data miner LaisulMV noted, to complete the original Season 1 battle pass you’d need to accrue 47,650 XP to make it from Level 1 to Level 50. Season 2’s battle pass, on the other hand, requires a total of 87,450 XP. Levels 41-50 alone take almost as much effort…

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agdq-2023-lineup-includes-a-no-soap-powerwash-simulator-speedrun Rock,Paper,Shotgun

AGDQ 2023 lineup includes a no-soap PowerWash Simulator speedrun

November 8, 2022RockPaperShotgun

Speedrunning charity event Awesome Games Done Quick is returning in January, and there’s plenty of PC runs among its freshly announced preliminary schedule. Notable standouts this time around are PowerWash Simulator, which might well be my personal GOTY contender, and a bonus appearance from cutesy cyberpunk cat sim Stray. There’s also a Google Stadia run of nautical indie action-adventure Wavetale, just a week before the streaming platform closes for good. Read more

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Google Play Games beta for Windows expands to the US and seven more countries

November 3, 2022RockPaperShotgun

Internet jupiter-brains Google have popped another eight countries on the eligibility list for their Google Play Games beta for Windows. PC owners in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore can now play their Android games on their desktop or laptop. It’s not exactly a replacement for the Google Stadia streaming service that’s shutting down in January, but if you play a lot of Android games on your phone, tablet, or Chromebook then at least it’s an option. Read more

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scammers-are-impersonating-farming-sim-coral-island,-with-added-nfts Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Scammers are impersonating farming sim Coral Island, with added NFTs

November 1, 2022RockPaperShotgun

Halloween might be over, but island farming sim Coral Island appears to have generated a doppelganger on social media that has a hankering for NFTs. Coral Island’s developers Stairway Games have brought attention to the scam account, which uses the real game’s logo and key art but adds an extra web3 cryptobro twist by linking itself to the GameFi blockchain gaming platform. Stairway, as you would, are calling shenanigans. Read more

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have-you-played…-crystal-caves? Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Have You Played… Crystal Caves?

October 25, 2022RockPaperShotgun

Shareware platformers defined my PC gaming as a kid. Yeah, a cheeky blast on Wolfenstein 3D was okay, but Commander Keen and Duke Nukem were an amazing discovery for a small person who’d been introduced to games through the NES. One of my all-time favourites is Apogee’s Crystal Caves, a gem of a platformer about an interstellar miner who goes space spelunking in search of alien crystals. Read more

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dreamlight-valley-is-a-waking-nightmare-and-disney-must-be-stopped VG247

Dreamlight Valley is a waking nightmare and Disney must be stopped

October 18, 2022VG247

Disney’s attempt to bottle Animal Crossing’s lightning has created a product of pure, unfiltered evil – but did you expect any less? A lot of the discussion around Dreamlight Valley – Disney’s astonishingly flagrant Stardew Valley rip-off – has been around how it holds up mechanically against its cosy farming peers. It’s certainly worth talking about things such as crop diversity, villager interaction, and hoe-feel in a game like this… but nobody seems to be addressing Dreamlight’s unique feature. That at any moment, an evil cartoon lion inspired by Adolf Hitler could move into town. Here it is, Disney’s corporate…

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