Up close and a little too personal Image credit:One More Level/Lyrical Games I think my big problem with the proliferation of Soulslikes as a genre is twofold: one, that so many games get labelled as such despite not being such, and two, they’re all much too similar. There might be mechanical differences, but there’s no big thing that clearly sets them apart from what FromSoftware already does so well, not even an aesthetic overhaul....

In case you were wondering, no, the Nintendo Switch 2’s microSD Express cards aren’t good for the Steam Deck Pay more, get less Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun I swear I don’t actually have anything against the Nintendo Switch 2, other than its suspect attempt at Zoom Meetings But Games and some slight jealousy that it got DLSS support before a PC handheld did. Even so, I do feel obliged to warn Steam Deck owners – and, in fact, anyone who has any current portable PC – away from microSD Express cards, support for which is one of the Switch 2’s key storage upgrades....

Indiana Jones being first-person “separates” it from other action-adventures, says director And is part of the studio’s “DNA” Image credit:MachineGames Indiana Jones And The Great Circle was announced at this week’s Xbox Deveoper Direct. It looks good! There has been much discussion of its decision to make its tomb raiding first-person (with some third-person traversal and cutscenes), however. In an interview with Lucasfilm.com, game director Jerk Gustafsson said first-person was “part of MachineGames’ DNA”, and that the perspective “separates our game from many other action-adventure titles....

Indie gaming’s only three genres have inevitably converged into grimdark Balatro with a whimsical egg idiot Slots & Daggers is about “numbers, fights and goblins!” Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Friedemann Whimsy, grimdark, and gambling? And a roguelike to boot?! In my 2025 indie game? Eh, go on then. It looks neat. The trailer below features a desolate, hellish area called “The Pläins öf Päin” (umlauts mine) inhabited by lone egg idiot named ’eggo’....

Industrial Annihilation is a Planetary Annihilation successor with factory building Now seeking funding Image credit:Galactic Annihilation Some of the makers of planet-tossing real-time strategy game Planetary Annihilation are working on a sequel, called Industrial Annihilation , which aims to blend together RTS combat with factory building. It’s now in its last week of investment funding and is aiming to release into early access sometime this spring. Here’s a “pre-alpha visualisation” from a couple months ago, which we completely missed at the time:...

It’s time to create a character and benchmark a sandworm in Dune: Awakening, assuming you’re buying it in May Strapline pun was going to be fremen-to-play but it actually costs $49.99 Image credit:Funcom Sandworm-bothering MMO Dune: Awakening will release on 20th May, developers Funcom have announced, and you can start tailoring your very own Arrakish (I swear it’s a canonical term) adventurer by means of the just-released character creator. Any desert delver you produce with said creator can be imported to the full game at launch....

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2: Find out about poaching in the Kopanina forests Here’s how to complete the Bird Of Prey quest by finding the “ghost” poacher Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Deep Silver Wondering where to find the poacher in the Kopanina forests in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2? This pernicious and annoyingly well-hidden poacher forms part of the side quest “Bird Of Prey” in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 , which tasks you with ridding the Trosky region of poachers....

Lego Fortnite gets driveable, customisable vehicles in Mechanical Mayhem update Out now Image credit:Epic Games Lego Fortnite ’s latest update lets players construct their own vehicles. The Mechanical Mayhem update, out now, adds three vehicle builds, and new items which let players craft their own custom designs. It’s the second major update to the blocky survival game since its launch last year . Lego Fortnite’s Mechanical Mayhem update trailer.Watch on YouTube...

Let the Black Friday Steam Deck deals continue, with up to 33% off the clever JSAUX ModCase Protect your portable Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun Cases like Killswitch and ModCase are worthy add-ons, because unlike conventional carry cases – which are rarely all that different from the official case that all Steam Decks get for free – they actually offer a different kind of function altogether. The ModCase will still defend your handheld from bag-based bumps, as a case should, but because it’s more of a form-hugging protective skin than a separate container, it’s ready for playing as soon as you pop the top cover off....

Looks like the Asus ROG Ally X will get a honking great battery upgrade Refreshed handheld specs spring a leak Image credit:Asus The Asus ROG Ally X, a sort of semi-sequel to last year’s ROG Ally handheld PC, has had its specs spilled over at Videocardz . I’m usually a lot more suspicious of hardware leaks, which are often just out-of-date or otherwise inaccurate info, but I’ve also sat through enough mic-muted prebriefings to know an official slideshow when I see one, and that appears to be exactly what Videocardz got its hands on....

Mafia: The Old Country is getting a free update filled with challenges, a new difficulty, and an okay-looking cinematic mode And it’s coming very soon! Image credit:Hanger 13 Anyone order a free Mafia: The Old Country update? Well, whether you did or not, a free update is what you’re getting. This one’s quite features driven, focusing a lot of challenges and cosmetics, but there’s a few new weapons and the like too....

Marvel Snap has been “banned” in the USA alongside TikTok, but devs insist it’ll be back online soon Card battler affected by US divest-or-ban policy towards Chinese parent company Image credit:Nuverse Superhero card game Marvel Snap has been taken offline in the USA as part of the US government’s ban-or-divest policy towards ByteDance, the Chinese company best known for owning and operating shortform video-streaming service TikTok. As reported by The Verge , mobile players in the US lost access to the Marvel Snap app without warning last Saturday, 18th January....

Metro Awakening brings the post-apocalyptic shooter series to VR Prequel story from creator Dmitry Glukhovsky Image credit:Vertigo Games It’s been a good few years since we last saw the Metro series in Metro Exodus . Its reappearance during tonight’s PlayStation State of Play showcase combined the surprise of its return with the surprise that the next Metro game will be exclusive to virtual reality. Metro Awakening is, as the name suggests, a prequel to the original Metro 2033 , itself based on the book by Dmitry Glukhovsky....

Microsoft are adding a dedicated AI button to Windows keyboards as they call 2024 “the year of the AI PC” New Copilot button is the first big change to Microsoft’s keyboards since the Windows key almost 30 years ago Image credit:Microsoft Get ready to infuriate yourself in a whole new way as you swap mistakenly opening the Windows Start Menu with an accidental keystroke for summoning an AI determined to paint you a picture....

Minecraft Bundles explained Here’s everything we know so far about Bundles in Minecraft Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Mojang Studios Want to know more about Minecraft Bundles? Thanks to the Minecraft 2024 Live , we got a glimpse into several new features due to be added to Minecraft . One such feature is Bundles . Bundles will be part of the ’ Bundles Of Bravery ’ update along with a hardcore mode for Bedrock players....

Miss the Knight from OG Hollow Knight? There’s a Silksong mod that’ll solve your little bug blues There’s always a mod for that Image credit:Team Cherry/ MCXGK3 Throughout my time playing Hollow Knight: Silksong , I mostly didn’t actually miss the first game’s not-so-titular Knight. I do love that bug, it’s just Hornet made for quite a compelling protagonist (even if I think that the game has a number of issues that go further than just it being potentially unfairly hard)....

Monster Hunter Wilds: Chapter 3-4 walkthrough The White Wraith’s story is nearing its end in Chapter 3-4 Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom Struggling to beat Monster Hunter Wilds’ Guardian Arkveld in Chapter 3-4? This is your second time fighting the White Wraith and we’ve got more tips in our walkthrough to help you survive. Make sure you’re prepared going in. This flagship monster fight is far from an easy one, meaning you’ll need every bit of help you can get....

MonsterVerze codes (February 2026) Looking to stand out with some exclusive MonsterVerze outfits? These codes will help Image credit:GirlDom Searching for codes in MonsterVerze? If you’re the kind of Dress To Impress player who only tops the podium when asked to create a blood-thirsty creature of the night, your talents are officially required. MonsterVerze is essentially every Roblox fashion game’s Halloween event but all year round, and that means you’ll be able to go full ghosts and ghouls mode without ever being confined to styling a ballroom dancer ever again (well, unless the ballroom dancer was bitten by a werewolf and transformed mid-routine… which, I have to admit, would be kinda metal)....

Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault is out now in early access with newly roguelike dungeons and more puzzling inventories Bilbo Baggage sim Image credit:11-Bit It’s been seven years since the first Moonlighter , and in all that time, I’ve somehow never noticed that the title is a reference to sleepless penury. My mind jumped to the association of moonlight with magic and romance, skimming clean over the less enchanting sense of “moonlighting” as working a second job after dark....

Most Civilization players don’t finish a single game, going by Civ 6 data, and perhaps that’s the best way to play Hence Civ 7’s Age system Image credit:2K Games If your time with foundational PC strategy 4X game series Sid Meier’s Civilization consists of exactly one save file that ended somewhere in the Middle Ages, don’t beat yourself up, for you have plenty of company. When they got hold of detailed audience data for Civilization 6 , Firaxis creative director Ed Beach and executive producer Dennis Shirk were dismayed to discover that fewer than 40% of their players ever finish a single game....