!.04-Rock Paper Shotgun

!.04-Rock Paper Shotgun


The Game Awards 2021: Nominees, start times, and where to watch

Posted: 07 Dec 2021 09:15 AM PST

Geoff Keighley’s annual Game Awards show is here once again, with lots of awards to dish out and plenty of (in your best announcer voice) world premieres. Whether you want to see your favourite games win awards or you’re just here for the big reveals, you’ll want to know how to watch The Game Awards and when it’s all kicking off. Luckily, we have all the details right here.

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What is Resizable BAR, and should you use it?

Posted: 07 Dec 2021 07:56 AM PST

Nvidia’s updated Image Scaling isn’t the only way in which you can – on paper – give your graphics card performance a free boot up the backside. Earlier this year, Nvidia began enabling Resizable BAR on their GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs and laptops, with the promise of faster frame rates for no additional expense. But what exactly is Resizable BAR, and assuming you have compatible hardware, is it really worth switching on?

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Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is out now, adding bunnyboys (and other stuff)

Posted: 07 Dec 2021 06:10 AM PST

After a pre-order early access period so popular it overwhelmed servers and left players in long queues, Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker has now officially launched. The fourth expansion pack for Square Enix's fantasy MMORPG continues the story with new quests, adds two new player classes, takes us to new areas to fight new enemies, and, most importantly, opens a male option for the Viera race so you can play as a bunnyboy in a maid costume. Yeah, thirst for those bunnyboys will only make the queues longer.

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Call Of Duty: Warzone developers stage walkout following QA layoffs

Posted: 07 Dec 2021 05:06 AM PST

More than 60 developers at Call Of Duty: Warzone studio Raven Software reportedly held a walkout yesterday to protest Activision laying off quality assurance testers. On Friday, the studio let 12 contractors go due to restructuring, which is said to be around a third of the QA team.

"This has not only destroyed the morale of our workforce, but obliterated trust in the company that has been routinely asking us for patience in improving our work lives," said employee group ABetterABK.

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The RPS Advent Calendar 2021, December 7th

Posted: 07 Dec 2021 05:00 AM PST

We're rounding out our first week of the Advent Calendar with a game that'll let you chill out a bit. Listen, and you can hear what sounds like a fight going on. But an adorable one, with lots of cricket chirping.

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Titan Quest's fourth expansion, Eternal Embers, is out now

Posted: 06 Dec 2021 02:30 PM PST

I've seen Titan Quest described as the best Diablo 2-like available, and I've seen it praised for its colourful environments when its competitors (including Diablo 2) are either grey or brown. Well, now there's even more Titan Quest. The Eternal Embers expansion is out now, with Asian-inspired locations and loads of new things to hack and slash.

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Loot River, the Tetris-inspired dungeon crawler, now has a demo

Posted: 06 Dec 2021 01:58 PM PST

Loot River has an immediately appealing hook: its dungeon floors can be shifted around like Tetris blocks. So as you venture through procedural levels, slashing at inky monsters, you're also solving shape-shifting puzzles and using their movement to confuse and avoid enemies.

Now it has a demo up on Steam.

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Shadow Tactics standalone expansion Aiko's Choice is out now

Posted: 06 Dec 2021 01:00 PM PST

Aiko's Choice, the standalone expansion of the wonderful real-time tactics of Shadow Tactics, is out now. It's five years since the original game, so if you yearn for more sneaking and stabbing in Edo Japan, then here it is.

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Mechajammer review: a broken, brown disaster

Posted: 06 Dec 2021 09:30 AM PST

If I had to describe Mechajammer in a word, that word would be "brown". A second would be the sounds Joe Pesci makes in Home Alone.

When the first few dilemmas you face in an RPG aren't ethical or character ones, but about whether it would be more tedious to continue with this character or to play through the introduction again, you know there's a problem. By my third restart I'd abandoned all interest in playing any character I wanted, and started trying to estimate whatever would get this over with sooner. Mechajammer is a disaster. And not only because of the bugs.

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Halo Infinite has 14 hidden multiplayer modes on PC

Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:47 AM PST

If you're bored of Halo Infinite's usual multiplayer modes playlist, there's a sneaky way you might be able to gain access to more on PC. A player has discovered that if you boot the game offline you can look through and save 14 hidden modes that aren't yet available in the online game, including a new mode named Attrition, as well as a bunch of Fiesta and Tactical variants.

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The RPS RSS feed has evolved

Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:17 AM PST

Good news, RSS readers. The way you read RPS articles is about to get a whole lot easier. In addition to our main feed, you can now customise your RSS feed by subscribing to individual channels to get exactly the kind of articles you want in one concentrated dose of RPS goodness. Read on below to see how it works.

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The best gaming mouse deals, including Logitech and Razer

Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:04 AM PST

Buying a new mouse is about more than how accurate it is or how many buttons it has. It's about finding a mouse that's the right fit for your hand. You don't want to be cramping up your fingers trying to grip a mouse that's too small or big, or struggling with a shape that's isn't designed for your dominant hand. The feel of a mouse is as important as the fit, too. You're obviously going to be touching it a lot, so you want something with a comfortable texture and a click that feels right beneath your precious little fingers.

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Elex II is a weird science fantasy RPG that doesn't care about you at all, and I respect that

Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:00 AM PST

The original Elex was divisive, to say the least. It was a game in which I was perpetually lonely and confused and being battered to death by carcinogenic poultry, but it must have been a profitable enough venture on its own terms to warrant a follow-up. That follow-up is Elex II, which is still several months away from release right now, but one I've been playing an early preview build of recently, showing off the first chapter of the game.

I was talking to Graham (RPS in peace) about this and he said: "Eventually one of these RPG sci-fi fantasy things will get close enough to being a BioWare game that it makes loads of money." This being the games equivalent of monkeys and typewriters. But although I agreed with Graham at the time, I think comparing it to BioWare might be mistaking the particular appeal of Elex II. It would be too simple to say that I "enjoyed" the hours I have spent with it so far. I didn't not enjoy it. I mostly came away respecting it for how little it respected me. Like the popular kids on the playground making life so difficult for you that you wish to become best friends with them.

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The best gaming keyboard deals: Logitech, Razer, Roccat and more

Posted: 06 Dec 2021 07:59 AM PST

It's easy to underestimate the nuances of buying a new keyboard, but it isn't as simple as finding one that's got all 26 letters on it. Whether you want lightning fast keystrokes to get the edge in multiplayer gaming, a fantastic-feeling keypress for a more tactile experience, or an RGB lightshow that makes your desk look like it's hosting a tiny rock concert, there's are many different factors to consider when investing in a new letter-rectangle.

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Final Fantasy XIV giving players a free week in apology for queues

Posted: 06 Dec 2021 07:52 AM PST

Even before the official launch of Final Fantasy XIV's Endwalker expansion on Tuesday, the MMORPG's servers have been overloaded during its early access period for pre-orderers, leaving players in long queues to join. Oh, the perils of popularity! Sharing a status update over the weekend, game director Naoki Yoshida apologised again for the problems, and said they plan to give all active subscribers seven days of free game time.

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The RPS Advent Calendar 2021, December 6th

Posted: 06 Dec 2021 05:00 AM PST

It's tough to keep the lid on the sixth RPS Advent Calendar door. There's almost too much banter, too many highjinks, too much quipping. It's enough to give you quiplash, I tells ya.

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Oh hell, do I have to play Fortnite now it's adding sliding and Spider-Man web-swinging?

Posted: 06 Dec 2021 04:59 AM PST

Epic Games ended Chapter 2 of Fortnite over the weekend with a live in-game event which a live in-game event which involved a hole in reality, a UFO invasion, a sexy babe, and a new character played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The game's island flipped over too, revealing a whole new map for players to explore in Chapter 3 Season 1. And I find myself being lured in by two new features I usually adore in games: sliding on your knees while shooting, and swinging around like Spider-Man.

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Dragon Age 4 will be "single-player focused", BioWare confirm

Posted: 06 Dec 2021 04:35 AM PST

Since 2018, Dragon Age fans have celebrated an unofficial Dragon Age Day on December 4th, highlighting all sorts of community work and events. This year, BioWare got involved too, releasing new short stories and hosting charity streams. They also took the opportunity to remind fans that Dragon Age 4 is still on the way, confirming that it'll be singleplayer. Don't get your hopes up for Game Awards news though, because it sounds like we won't hear any more about it until 2022.

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Powerwash Simulator has added online co-op multiplayer

Posted: 06 Dec 2021 03:18 AM PST

The breakout novelty simulator this year for me is Powerwash Simulator, a game about methodically moving your mouse over the surface of objects to blast away grime and rust with a murderously strong stream of water. It's not a chaotic system like Viscera Cleanup Detail, it's just a game where you slowly make something dirty all sparkling clean. Very chill. Now you can unwind with your pals and clean cars, toilets, fairground rides, and the rest together, thanks to the online co-op added in a recent update.

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Halo Infinite review: grappling hooks and jeep joyrides make up for a shaky sci-fi plot

Posted: 06 Dec 2021 12:01 AM PST

Driving around with three snipers in the back of your jeep is overkill. But the shiny soldier boy of the Halo games has never cared less. This is the prime indulgence of Halo Infinite, the latest of the venerable sci-fi shootybangs. Sweet moments where it's just you, an open country of undulating hillsides, and a truck full of trigger-happy marines. The developers have taken the eponymous second level of the first Halo, in which the big tin fella had to drive about helping his marooned space crew, and they've used it as a mood board for an entire game. Aside from a few gripes, it has worked splendidly.

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The RPS Advent Calendar 2021, December 5th

Posted: 05 Dec 2021 05:00 AM PST

Time to open the fifth door on the Calendar. I reckon we might need to batter this one down with a solid attack from our infantry, backed up with archers.

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