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AMD has announced its new Ryzen 7000-series processors today, along with the news that the architecture is actually performing better than it initially expected. Back at the Computex reveal earlier in the year Zen 4 was given an 8 - 10% instructions per clock (IPC) increase over its Zen 3 progenitors, but now we're told that's gone up to around a 13% IPC gain.
With Zen 4 it became important for us to work on how we feed the instructions even faster into the machine.
Mark Papermaster, AMDIt is worth breaking that down, however. Both to get an idea of where that extra performance has come from, and how it actually breaks down in terms of how the architecture performs under different circumstances... because it's not just a straight 13% higher across the board. There are some pretty significant variances.
For starters, the geomean figures are derived from a performance testing suite of 22 different workloads, all run at a standardised 4GHz, and with the eight-core Zen 3 and Zen 4 processors.
That allows us to see straight architectural benefits, taking the increased clock speed of Zen 4 entirely out of the equation, on essentially like-for-like chips.
Mark Papermaster breaks down the performance increase at today's event, explaining that: "Zen 4 is a derivative of Zen 3. So we targeted, of course, enhancing on that base of Zen 3, building on the success.
"With Zen 3 we increased the execution width and so with Zen 4 it became important for us to work on how we feed the instructions even faster into the machine. And that's why you see most of the improvements coming from the front end and branch prediction. Really that makes up almost 60% of that IPC gain."
Image 1 of 2(Image credit: AMD)
Image 2 of 2(Image credit: AMD)AMD has also increased the amount of cache on the chip, though not to the same extent as it has with the 3D V-cache on the Ryzen 7 5800X3D. That has an increased last level cache, but with Zen 4 AMD has doubled the L2 cache instead.
That's been done "to provide critical data faster," says Mark Papermaster, "leading to that overall 13% IPC."
It's worth digging into those 22 different workloads, however. Because you'll see some games actually showing a far greater than 13% improvement, but also some, such as GTA V and Fortnite, showing far lower single figure increases.
It's also worth looking at the single threaded Cinebench R23 and CPU-Z figures, which show a 9% and 1% increase respectively. When AMD wants to talk separately about a single thread performance gain of 29% it uses the full 5.7GHz Ryzen 9 7950X running Geekbench to highlight that.
Image 1 of 2(Image credit: AMD)Image 2 of 2(Image credit: AMD)There is also the 5nm production process to think about here, too. When discussing the performance and efficiency benefits of using TSMC's 5nm production process for the computational dies of Zen 4, Papermaster explains the most significant performance gains appear at the lower-end of the power consumption curve.
When a 7950X is running at its 170W TDP it's showing up to 35% higher performance in the Cinebench R23 multi-threaded test compared with a 5950X. That rises to 37% at 105W, and to an astounding 74% at 65W.
(Image credit: AMD)That could highlight what a beast the lower TDP cores might end up being, particularly in laptop configurations. But it also potentially suggests the 13% IPC gains, performed as they were on an 8-core Zen 4 core running at 4GHz, aren't necessarily going to match in the real world when it's drawing a lot more power with something like the 170W 7900X or 7950X.
In the end the numbers AMD has provided are still worth interrogating because they provide a tantalising glimpse into what the new architecture can offer. And, when a Zen 4 core is pushed to a higher power draw it will be running at a significantly higher clock speed, which will also deliver more performance.
So there may yet be some fascinating benchmark results once we get chips in hand later next month.
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AMD has confirmed its commitment to the new AM5 CPU socket, promising to support the platform until at least 2025, and likely beyond.
With the new AMD Ryzen 7000-series CPUs the red team is introducing its first new processor socket in six years, and the first LGA design, too. Yes, finally no need to keep an old credit card handy to fix those damned bent pins. Though you are going to need to be more careful about the pins now sitting in the new AM5 socket, however.
The old AM4 socket was around before even the first Zen processor, but it's being effectively retired from front line duty with the release of the next generation of AMD CPU. We shouldn't, however, expect AMD to start introducing a new socket every other year, like some people.
*cough* Intel *cough*
"We built the platform around next generation technologies so that you can build today and upgrade as your needs grow over time," explains AMD's David McAfee at today's event. "And, just like AM4, we're making a commitment to support the AM5 platform with new technologies and next generation architectures through at least 2025. We're really excited about the next era of rising desktops with AM5."
But AM4 is not done: "We do expect AM4 and AM5 to coexist for quite some time," Lisa Su tells us. "You should expect that, like with AM4, we'll build out the entire AM5 stack, but it will it will take some time to build out and we want to make sure the cost points are right, as always."
Image 1 of 2(Image credit: AMD)Image 2 of 2(Image credit: AMD)That's an impressive commitment to both socket designs, and builds on AMD's focus on providing continued support around its platforms. The company has gone to great lengths to ensure the existing AM4 CPU coolers will all fit the new AM5 motherboards, meaning you may not even need to replace your cooler when Zen 5 appears in 2024.
Because, yes, AMD has also confirmed that it's on track with the new Zen 5 core design, too.
"I'm also glad," says AMD's Mark Papermaster, "to share that we remain on track for Zen 5 featuring a new grounds up core for 2024. Zen 5 will bring a combination of performance gains as well as further optimizations for the growing AI workloads."
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We've become used to the new shiny things being completely unavailable at launch, and lately that's been down to a supply chain crisis that hamstrung the entire industry. AMD's popular CEO, Dr. Lisa Su, however, does not see that being an issue for the upcoming Zen 4 CPU launch.
At today's Ryzen 7000-series processor announcement in Austin, Dr. Su responded to a question from the gathered audience about supply chain disruption in relation to the release of its new CPUs.
"It is true that if you look at the past 18 months there have been a number of things, whether its capacity limitations or logistics," says Dr. Su. "From an AMD standpoint, we have dramatically increased our overall capacity, in terms of wafers, as well as substrates and on the back end. So with our launch of Zen 4 we don't expect any supply constraints.
"Logistically it takes a little bit longer for things to get into region. So we're having this event at the end of August and we're on sale on September 27. One of the reasons for that time, frankly, is to make sure that we do have product in region so that people can really look at buying across the board."
That's great news for anyone looking to make the big upgrade to the brand new Ryzen platform. There will be a host of high-end motherboards, as well as four distinct Ryzen 7000-series processors hitting the market on September 27.
Price Cores | Threads Base clock Boost clock Cache (L2+L3) TDP Ryzen 9 7950X $699 16 | 32 4.5GHz 5.7GHz 80MB 170W Ryzen 9 7900X $549 12 | 24 4.7GHz 5.6GHz 76MB 170W Ryzen 7 7700X $399 8 | 16 4.5GHz 5.4GHz 40MB 105W Ryzen 5 7600X $299 6 | 12 4.7GHz 5.3GHz 38MB 105W AMD has already spoken about the increased performance outlook for its new Zen 4 processors—positing a ~13% IPC gain over its previous generation. Compared with the 8 - 10% increase it initially suggested back at Computex, that's a bit of a jump. And is a good sign of the health of the new architecture at the start of its life.
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AMD has today taken the wraps off its new Ryzen 7000-seres CPUs, claiming higher than expected performance for its new Zen 4 processors. It also promised the best gaming CPU will land on September 27 for $699. That's the 16-core, 32-thread Ryzen 9 7950X, and, contrary to the earlier pricing rumours, that puts it a full $100 below the original price of the similarly specced Zen 3 Ryzen 9 5950X.
The initial gen-on-gen performance boost for the new Zen 4 CPUs was between 8 and 10% instructions per clock (IPC) increase, but the biggest surprise of today's keynote at AMD's Austin tech day is the upwards adjustment of that number to ~13%.
For contrast, the 19% IPC boost for Zen 3 over Zen 2 was called "historic" at the time, and this isn't a million miles off that. For something that was suspected might be a bit more iterative in terms of performance gains that's not looking bad.
Obviously, we're relying on normalised metrics, and a geomean score across multiple different benchmarks—both computational and gaming—so that still has to be taken with a touch of salt until we get the different chips into our own test rigs for a proper CPU playtest.
For us gamers the single threaded metrics are arguably more important than an ephemeral IPC increase, and AMD is also adjusting the previous 15% total single threaded performance gain up to 29%. That's almost double, though that number is taken from a Geekbench test compared to a 5950X chip, rather than anything actually gaming related.
But AMD isn't just promising stellar gaming performance on its most powerful, highest spec processor, at today's event in Austin Dr. Lisa Su also demonstrated just how far ahead of Intel's Core i9 12900K its lower-end Ryzen 5 7600X is in gaming terms.
After initially showing AMD's new six-core CPU besting Intel's 16-core Alder Lake chip by 11% in F1 2022, it showed an average 5% gain over the competition across a suite of five games.
Image 1 of 3(Image credit: AMD)Image 2 of 3(Image credit: AMD)Image 3 of 3(Image credit: AMD)It does bear saying that of those five games, Cyberpunk 2077 shows a tie with Intel, and GTA V shows a 3% deficit in gaming performance. Still, we are talking about a $299 processor being able to deliver against a $650 (at launch) chip, which is an impressive showing.
In between the Ryzen 9 7950X at the top and the Ryzen 5 7600X at the bottom of the initial four CPU launch stack there's the Ryzen 9 7900X and the Ryzen 7 7700X processors. Pricing-wise, the rest of the new chips are either the same price at launch as their predecessors or, in the case of the 7700X, a little cheaper than the equivalent Zen 3 octa-core processor.
Price Cores | Threads Base clock Boost clock Cache (L2+L3) TDP Ryzen 9 7950X $699 16 | 32 4.5GHz 5.7GHz 80MB 170W Ryzen 9 7900X $549 12 | 24 4.7GHz 5.6GHz 76MB 170W Ryzen 7 7700X $399 8 | 16 4.5GHz 5.4GHz 40MB 105W Ryzen 5 7600X $299 6 | 12 4.7GHz 5.3GHz 38MB 105W Your next upgrade(Image credit: Future)Best CPU for gaming: The top chips from Intel and AMD
Best gaming motherboard: The right boards
Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits
Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game ahead of the restThe new chips will launch at the end of September alongside a whole new motherboard chipset and socket. The new X670 and X670 Extreme motherboards will launch at the same time, starting at $125, though with many, many far more expensive options being offered out by the likes of Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI.
The more affordable B650 and recently announced B650 Extreme boards won't appear until October, though will still offer both PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 support, but with only the Extreme version offering both graphics and storage support for PCIe 5. Though if you were hoping PCIe 5.0 SSDs might launch alongside Zen 4 it looks like that's slipped a bit, as now the first next-gen SSD is set for a November 2022 launch.
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In an August 26 Twitter thread clarifying the different versions of Hogwarts Legacy and what comes with them, the game's official account revealed that PlayStation editions of the game "come with an exclusive quest," while pre-orders of PlayStation editions also get the vaunted "Felix Felicis Potion Recipe" of Harry Potter lore.
My knee-jerk reaction is to be frustrated with platform exclusive content, but you can almost guess the character of what's on offer. An NPC who maybe only has idle dialogue in other versions of the game will have some kind of collect-a-thon for you with quest rewards that are kind of OP in the early to mid game. Maybe they'll even send you to a bespoke dungeon if it's on the higher end of things. We'll know more soon, I guess.
Full-on console exclusivity is becoming more and more a thing of the past, but small bits of DLC tied to different consoles and promotions are still stubbornly holding on, remnants of 2010 in 2022.
Long before Bungie was acquired by Sony, Destiny had some exclusive goodies for PlayStation players—a great gun or two here, an okay Strike there. It was never anything earth shattering, and all of the exclusive stuff eventually made its way to other platforms a year or two down the line. Meanwhile, fellow live service game Marvel's Avengers has Spider-Man forever platform-locked to PlayStation.
The same year as Destiny, Konami double-dipped in platform exclusivity with Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes missions specially made for PlayStation and Xbox. On PS4, players got an extra side mission in which Big Boss recreates scenes from MGS1 on the Ground Zeroes map (kinda boring). Xbox pulled the longer straw with a mission starring Metal Gear Revengeance's Raiden tasked with killing "Body Snatcher" enemies from the 1988 Kojima game Snatcher (sick). Thankfully, all of this content eventually made its way to the PC version.
It wasn't a console exclusive, but in the same spirit, Mass Effect 2's coolest helmet, the Recon Hood, was an exclusive Dr Pepper promotion requiring you to enter a code from a bottle cap. I love Dr Pepper, but I missed out, so I wound up keeping a cracked download for the Recon Hood on my hard drive for 10 years until the Legendary Edition released with all the DLC.
And that absurd little experience really cuts to the core of things here: will we on PC be that much less spiritually fulfilled, deprived as we are of the Harry Potter sidequest to find all of Bloody Bernie Boffo's Every Flavored Beans in exchange for a green rarity wand that makes Hogwarts Legacy's first boss slightly easier? Not really, but the concept is just exhausting to even think about. Trying to understand the rest of Hogwarts Legacy's version differences is similarly tedious.
Whatever happened to $60 for a manual, a cloth map, and an honest day's gaming? I guess that $300 electromagnetic floating wand edition of Legacy is cool, if you're into that kind of thing.
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Paradox Interactive launched a new publishing label called Paradox Arc earlier this month, and now it's asking for people to sign up for its first beta testing, which is "in the very near future." There's just one catch: You don't get to know what the game is.
"We will be running a beta test in the very near future and need people to help us!" the signup form states. "We cannot give the name of the game at the moment until an agreement and NDA has been signed.
"The purpose of this particular beta test, however, is to stress test the online capabilities of the game and to gather player feedback on this test. The beta test is limited and will run for only one week starting on September 5th, 2022."
We know that the test isn't going to involve one of Paradox's major games (or at least, we can be reasonably confident about it): Paradox Arc was billed as a kind of indie-focused publishing label when it was announced, with a focus on "deep, endless, and replayable games from smaller development teams." The first game released under the publishing label is Across the Obelisk, a "coop RPG deckbuilding roguelite" that launched into early access on Steam last year and went into full release earlier this month. (Paradox Arc has been tweeting about Across the Obelisk almost exclusively over the past week, which made me think that it was the game being tested, until I realized that it's already launched.)
There are a few rules if you want to take part in whatever this is: You need to be at least 18 years of age, you need to have a Discord account, and you have to sign up by September 1. Once you've filled out the initial form, a second form containing your legal agreement and NDA will be sent to you via email; submit that, and on September 5 a final email with instructions on how to access the game and Discord server will be sent.
Want to be involved in a Beta Test with us? We have limited spaces. We can't say more until NDAs have been signed, but you can sign up here: https://t.co/bCyVJQtvyOBe sure to read instructions about the process and complete the first form before 10am CEST on Sept 1st! pic.twitter.com/8lVfGLrxlsAugust 29, 2022
See moreIt seems like Paradox Arc is going to a lot of trouble to keep this one a secret, but I've reached out to Paradox for more information anyway and will update if I receive a reply. Do note, if you sign up to take part, that Paradox will likely be taking the NDA seriously: The signup form says that verification for the Discord server will be via "a unique single-use code" for each user.
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When it comes to virtual tennis I have two main reference points: Tennis for the NES back in 1984 and Wii Sports Tennis in 2006. Since my pattern seems to be waiting 15-20 years to try out a new tennis game, it's the perfect time for a game called Tennis the Menace to pop up on Steam.
And I'm excited to see Tennis the Menace finally fixes the main problem with tennis as a sport: the lack of powers like bullet-time and teleportation. Finally, a bit of magic in the so-called sport of kings.
"So you've just chased down a drop-shot with your greatest effort and you're happy just to get the ball back into play," read's the game's description on Steam. "You find yourself off to the side of the court watching as your opponent is left with an easy shot into an open court. What to do?"
Traditionally you'd stand there watching your opponent completely stuff you, or you might try throwing your racket at the ball, or maybe protest to the judge that the ball was out. But those wouldn't be guaranteed to work. So, Tennis the Menace invented a new option for you to quickly cross the court: "instantaneously teleport into a position where you can hit the ball."
Yes, a blink-style teleportation skill definitely comes in handy in tennis, but it's not the only superpower you have in Tennis the Menace. You can also slow down time. Does your opponent have a blisteringly fast serve or return? Who cares? You can control time. Their vicious overhand smashes become harmless, languid lobs.
If this sounds like a cheat code to make winning every tennis game easy, well…it definitely isn't. In Tennis the Menace, just learning how to serve or return the ball is going to challenge your muscle memory. It's played with a keyboard and mouse, and you use the mouse buttons to select the spin and power, not actually hit the ball itself, and you aim your shot "at an invisible vertical plane above the tennis net." It's… weird. It's one of the weirder sports games I've played and so far I haven't mastered much except a couple of basic serves.
And as for your abilities, they're activated with the QWER and ASDF keys, so get used to using those two rows while clicking two mouse buttons (and sometimes holding one) while aiming at a spot over the net with the mouse. As you play a match, you intermittently get to upgrade your abilities, too, everything from your magic powers to your movement skills to the various types of shots you can make to something called "health bar distance."
Look, even after playing a bit I can admit I don't entirely get everything going on in this game. But it's definitely a fresh take on tennis, and even though I don't fully understand it, I like it. You'll find Tennis the Menace on Steam for $6.
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Summer is the best time of year to play free games. During the summer doldrums (or the winter doldrums, if you're in the southern hemisphere) there aren't many big games coming out, which means it's time for the best free PC games to really shine.
There are new bite-sized freebies hitting the PC every week, and our favorite free-to-play games are updated just as often with new features and special seasonal events. Have you seen Goku in Fortnite lately? It's kamehame-heaven over there.
Best of the best(Image credit: Paradox)2022 games: This year's launches
Best PC games: All-time favorites
Best laptop games: Low-specsThe only thing that the games on this list cost you is time. But there are so many ways you could spend that time, any game you devote those precious hours to better be worth it. Everything on this page most definitely is.
Our selection of the best free PC games is regularly updated with the PC Gamer team's personal picks. It's divided into some basic categories: major free-to-play games, casual free games you can pick up for an afternoon, and PC classics you can now download for free or play online.
If you're looking for free games to add to your permanent game library, make sure to check a couple of our other guides:
- Epic Games Store free giveaway list
- Everything else temporarily free right now
The best free PC games right now
(Image credit: Subcreation Studio)The best free games: September 2022
- Waves 2 - A twin stick shooter with shades of the phenomenal Geometry Wars. Waves and Waves 2 were made by indie dev Rob Hale, who died of cancer in August and requested both games be made free posthumously.
- Haunted PS1 demo disc: Spectral Mall - Low-poly horror gets another generous collection. This one features 18 games, most coming in full form later this year. But you can play them all in brief right now.
- Entropy: Zero 2 - This massive mod expansion to Half-Life 2 is practically a sequel: it's a full seven chapter campaign with new weapons and a sidestory to Gordon's adventure. It's not technically free as you need to own Half-Life 2, but enough people own Half-Life 2 that it felt like a worthy entry for the free list.
- Covert Critter - What if Metal Gear Solid, but instead of Snake, you were a gecko? Despite being made by two devs in 12 days, Covert Critter is amazingly faithful to the '90s MGS and its stealth gameplay. Just, you know, without those hours of cutscenes.
- The Looker - Someone made an entire game just to parody The Witness, and it's actually quite fun. And you really have to admire the commitment to the bit.
- The best games like Wordle - Try Quordle for a pure word game, Dungleon for a cute fantasy tile-based alternative, or Nerdle if you're a math wiz.
Free-to-play games
(Image credit: Warner Bros. Interactive)The best F2P games: September 2022
Free puzzle games
(Image credit: Rusty Lake)Best free PC games: Puzzle
Transmute! - Play as a wizard who can transform into different objects. You might turn into a key to open a lock, or a boat to sail the open sea. And you’ll do so to unlock a friendly little fantasy world.
Mirror Isles - No list of puzzle games is really complete without a PuzzleScript game from Alan Hazelden, and Mirror Isles is one of the very best. It’s a top-down, Sokoban-style puzzler where you have to hop between islands, by using magic mirrors to swap places with your reflection.
Cube Escape - There’s a strange atmosphere to developer Rusty Lake’s series of locked room puzzle games. Getting out of each one will test your brain, but you’ll be even more taxed trying to figure out what’s going on in their bizarre universe.
Corrypt - What starts as a relatively simple block-pushing game ends as one where you’ll reshape the world, by using magic to reprogram the state of the environment.
The Republia Times - You're the editor of a newspaper in a totalitarian state in this game from the creator of Return of the Obra Dinn. Each day you must choose which stories to run and how much space to give them, impacting your paper's popularity and the government's approval with the general populace. Smart and cynical.
Free horror games
(Image credit: papercookies)Best free PC games: Horror
No Players Online - In the spooky No Players Online, you log onto an old FPS server, but where you’re the only player in a futile game of Capture the Flag.
We Are Broken - An interactive visual novel where you must talk your way out of being eaten by a vampire. We Are Broken conjures a dark and cruel world with cutting visuals and music that makes your skin crawl.
Bleakshore - This chilling adventure uses the fuzzy, lo-fi aesthetic of PS1-era 3D graphics to create an impressively eerie atmosphere as a shadowy figure stalks you across the landscape...
Faith - Faith lures you into feeling secure—if a little jumpy—with its retro aesthetic, before it transcends its limitations in one shockingly scary moment.
David Lynch Teaches Typing - What begins as a friendly typing lesson from film director David Lynch slowly descends into a surreal, disorientating nightmare. At one point you have to touch a gross twitching bug. Great work, kiddo!
Best free strategy games
(Image credit: Free Lives)Best free PC games: Strategy
Dwarf Fortress - A complex game of colony management that’s still in development 18 years after its original inception. The incredible depth of its simulation doesn’t just add depth and challenge, it allows for emergent stories to arise as you play, giving your dwarves a life of their own.
Tiny Islands - You’re drawing maps of little islands in the sea here, by placing beaches, houses, even waves as random cards are dealt out to you. But placement is everything, as every icon has its own set of rules.
Brogue - ASCII roguelikes have a reputation for being impenetrable. Brogue, despite staying true to the genre, works hard to feel approachable. The controls make navigating its dungeons a breeze, and the elegant shading makes its symbols atmospheric and readable.
Terra Nil - Terra Nil begins at the ultimate end of civilisation, letting you breathe life back into a post-apocalyptic wasteland. In this relaxing, therapeutic anti-builder, you construct devices to cleanse the earth, and to regrow green plants and trees.
Best free Story & Adventure games
(Image credit: Octavi Navarro)Best free PC games: Story & Adventure
Deltarune: Chapters 1&2 - This sorta sequel to Undertale is packed with memorable characters, catchy tunes, and emotive dialogue. Chapter 2 released in 2021 and was a Big Deal for Undertale fans.
The Doll Shop - Blending horror with romance, The Doll Shop transports you to a small village, which is being buried under a relentless snowfall. It tells a sinister story involving creepy handmade dolls. The art is sublime and the ending is especially memorable.
The Supper - The Supper is a dark story of revenge that brings to mind Sweeney Todd. You play as a peg-legged tavern owner, who has to serve three very special dishes to a trio of horrible pirates, who really should have checked the Food Standards rating first...
Lockheart Indigo - This is a sci-fi detective game that feels a lot like a JRPG. You’ve arrived at a vast mansion to solve the murder of its former owner, but locked doors and suspects stand in your way.
The Herbalist - A wordless adventure about a traveller searching for a mysterious herb. You wander around its strange world trying to interpret symbols, in the hope of discovering the plant you need.
Off-Peak - Stranding you at an otherworldly train station, Off-Peak encourages you to explore, talk to the locals, and luxuriate in its strange atmosphere. It’s got an incredible sense of place, despite feeling like nowhere on Earth, and as you poke around its nooks and crannies, the true nature of its world is revealed piece by piece.
Emily is Away - Party like it’s the early-’00s in this narrative game set in a chat client. You’ll get to know fellow high school student Emily through snippets of online conversations about life, love and indie rock music. If you enjoy this, paid-for sequel Emily is Away Too is worth checking out.
Olav and the Lute - An enigmatic adventure game set in a post-apocalyptic world, with a cracking central mechanic. Rather than combining objects with other objects, you're affecting the world with a lute by plucking at its colour-coded strings.
Free action & platformer games
(Image credit: Chromacool)Best free PC games: Action & Platformers
1Boss1Battle1Button - This tough rhythm game pits you against a scary Picasso-faced monster, and your only hopes of survival lie with a single button. Pressing it in time with certain beats lets you jump, crouch, and dodge out of the way of oncoming attacks.
N 2.0 - In this ultra hardcore platformer with simple controls and a minimalist aesthetic, the focus is entirely on quick, precise control. And lots and lots of practice.
Eggnogg+ - This is Nidhogg, but free, and with different moves, and a bit more tongue-in-cheek. Expect hyperactive duels in a series of arenas.
Cuckoo Curling - A fun four-player game that combines the rules of curling with Connect Four. An easy game to pick up and play with friends, you can play Cuckoo Curling in local or online multiplayer.
First Cut - Flashy fighting games are all well and good, but there’s something satisfying about the one-on-one sword duel, as evidenced in Square’s classic Bushido Blade. First Cut is that but in 2D, essentially, offering feudal Japan-themed duels against some truly beautiful pixel art backdrops.
Best free PC games: Chill and relaxing
(Image credit: Victoria Smith)Best free chill games
Toripon - You’re stuck inside your flat, thankfully with company. Instead of friends, your companions here are loads and loads of birds. Don’t look a gift parakeet in the mouth. Just sit back and explore your apartment, examining every nook and every crevice for your feathered friends.
Lieve Oma - Lieve Oma takes you on a relaxing jaunt through an autumnal wood on the hunt for mushrooms. As you scamper around, your granny follows slowly behind, teaching you about which mushrooms are okay to eat and teaching you her humble life lessons.
Forest Are For Trees - Walking through the forest is something that takes on new meaning in this mind-expanding exploration game, which is small and possibly infinite all at once. It’s a walking sim, sort of, where you traipse around an eerie woodland. But something funny happens when you make contact with a tree. Inside every tree there’s another forest full of ghostly trees.
Best weird and funny games
(Image credit: blarfnip)Best free PC games: Comedy and Oddity
Pet the Pup at the Party - You’ve run out of small talk at a rambunctious house party and before anyone notices how awkward you are, you must find a pooch and pet it.
Head Over Hooves: My Heart Bleats For You - An apocalyptic dating sim where you must make a goat fall in love with you and then sacrifice it to save the world from eternal damnation.
Alfonso's Bowling Challenge - This sort-of sports game swerves away from its premise quickly, building on its strange version of bowling until you’re making breakfast and chopping hair with your bowling ball.
Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, And The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist - This team-up of The Stanley Parable creator William Pugh and stand-up comedian Simon Amstell takes you on a hilarious journey behind the scenes of a game falling apart at the seams.
The Book Of Beasts and Buddies - An interactive monster manual filled with curious creatures. Each page throws you into a brief Pokémon-inspired encounter, and through interacting with them you can gather your findings for the bestiary.
Stick Shift - As creator Robert Yang says, "Stick Shift is an autoerotic night-driving game about pleasuring a gay car." It’s part of an anthology with Hurt Me Plenty and Succulent, covering eroticism, politics and more. Stick Shift is funny while also offering food for thought.
Best free PC games: Classics
(Image credit: Revolution Software)Free classic games
StarCraft - These days Blizzard sells a shiny remaster, but if the original’s good enough for South Korea, it’s good enough for us. There’s a reason that even today it’s an esports sensation – this iconic RTS remains a triumph of tight strategy and intense competition, with an incredible amount of depth for devotees to get lost in.
The Dark Mod - A tribute to the Thief series, this standalone game lets you download a massive variety of user-made stealth levels, from tightly contained ones like Thief’s Den to the more open variety of Return to the City, and plenty of spooky ones like The Creeps.
The Operative: No One Lives Forever - The classic stealth FPS, never re-released thanks to licensing hell. Its clever humour and charming 1960s setting hold up nicely, as do the arsenal of goofy, Bond-esque gadgets at your disposal. That includes lipstick bombs, sleeping gas perfume, and a briefcase rocket launcher.
The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall - 1996's Elder Scrolls sequel was huge and ambitious, letting you explore High Rock and Hammerfell. A lot of series staples, like joining the Mages Guild, started here.
Beneath a Steel Sky - This point-and-click adventure features art by Watchmen’s Dave Gibbons, a twisty sci-fi story, and a really goofy sense of humour. One of its neatest ideas is how you can stick your AI pal Joey’s electronic brain into different mechanical robots to solve puzzles.
The MS-DOS Archive.org library - A collection of thousands of classic, free PC games playable in your browser. The MS-DOS collection on Archive.org contains more than 4,000 games, all emulated and easy to play in just a few seconds. Wolfenstein 3D, Prince of Persia, Jazz Jackrabbit, Carmen Sandiego... you could spend a lifetime of lunch breaks in here. But then you might starve.
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There are a lot of big names in Warner's cartoon fighting game MultiVersus, but one bigger than all the rest may soon be on the way. That's right, I'm talking about the one, the only, the chunky bunny boi, Big Chungus.
The potential presence of Big Chungus was revealed in a European Union trademark filing, dug up and shared on Twitter by Andrew Marmo:
Warner Bros. trademark Big Chungus for use of a video game. pic.twitter.com/T9tTg9jrkoAugust 27, 2022
See moreFirst things first. Big Chungus, as explained by Know Your Meme, originates from a 1941 Merrie Melodies cartoon in which Elmer Fudd tries to find some peace and quiet at Jellostone Park, and Bugs Bunny, for no reason except that he's kind of a dick, immediately and without provocation begins hassling him. In one of his asides, Bugs balloons up to make fun of Elmer, who in this early iteration (before taking on his more well-known hunter persona) was notably obese and bulbous-headed.
The word "chungus" was apparently coined by videogame journalist Jim Sterling sometime prior to December 2012. Several years later, near the end of 2016, someone had the bright idea to put them together, and thus was Big Chungus born. It's not the most sophisticated meme of all time, but it is pretty funny.
(Image credit: BIG CHUNGUS)The trademark filing doesn't mention MultiVersus specifically, but it does cover game software as well as a range of other good and services. MultiVersus does seem like the natural, even obvious, fit: The meme has taken on a life well beyond its internet roots, and in fact Big Chungus is now arguably a part of the official Looney Tunes canon thanks to his appearance in Looney Tunes World of Mayhem, a mobile game for iOS and Android devices.
Your world may not be ready for him.But our World of Mayhem is. pic.twitter.com/0MxoCrYrunMarch 29, 2021
See moreAnd if he can turn up in that game, why not this one? MultiVersus has already made a habit of drawing inspiration from internet culture. Shaggy's in-game moveset is based around the "Ultra Instinct Shaggy" meme and one of LeBron James' moves is a reference to his most iconic face of bewilderment. Big Chungus is a perfect addition to that mix, and the fans want it to happen:
(Image credit: BIG CHUNGUS)I've reached out to Warner for comment on the Big Chungus situation because, you know, I'm a professional and that's what I do. In the meantime, enjoy this very real regulatory filing.
(Image credit: BIG CHUNGUS) -
The world of Minecraft is forever growing, which Mojang now talks about in detail during its yearly Minecraft Live showcases. During one of its more frequent Minecraft Now streams where developers play together and answer questions, creative director Agnes Larsson fielded a question about the next major Mojang showcase.
"First of all, there will be a Minecraft Live this year," Larsson said, in case there was any doubt. The date for that will be October 15, 2022. She also explained that Mojang has learned from past events what to show players and, crucially, what not to.
Larsson said that one of the major goals of Minecraft Live is to "create player dreams" and celebrate with fans. "For this Live we have actually taken concrete actions to make sure we really, really can fulfill these dreams. [...] This year we will make sure the features we show have come really far in the development process."
She calls that focus "learning from mistakes," most likely referring to the big Minecraft Live 2020 that laid out plans for a ton of upcoming features. The deep dark biome and wardens launched in the 1.19 update, a year later than the 1.17 update they were planned for. Others, like the frog food debacle, were changed during development. Most notably, the backpack-like bundles and the archeology system were both put on hold.
"Of course we will still tweak [features] with feedback but we will be really confident that this is going to make it [into the game]," Larsson says.
Like past years, we can likely expect Mojang to run a community vote on which new creature to add into mainline Minecraft—the yearly "mob vote." And, almost certainly, a feature and name reveal for the inevitable version 1.20.
Historically, Minecraft Live covers all things Minecraft, not just the core game. We'll probably hear a bit more talk about Mojang's upcoming RTS spinoff Minecraft Legends, the action RPG Minecraft Dungeons, and probably something from Minecraft Education Edition too.
As ever, you'll be able to catch the Minecraft Live presentation on Mojang's YouTube channel at a to-be-announced time on October 15.
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First spotted by PCGamesN, a judge for the Central District of California has dismissed a lawsuit by choreographer Kyle Hanagami against Epic. Hanagami filed the suit in April, alleging that Epic had used his choreography for the 2017 music video "How Long" by Charlie Puth without permission or attribution.
Epic faced controversy beginning in 2018 over the sourcing of its many emote dances in Fortnite. A sequence of artists including 2 Mily and Alfonso Ribeiro filed lawsuits against the company for copyright infringement, but a 2019 Supreme Court ruling determined that dance choreography has to be formally copyrighted before an artist can sue, thwarting most of the cases.
Not so for Hanagami's case: his choreography for How Long was copyrighted. Hanagami claims he was never approached for licensing by Epic, and his lawyer, David Hecht, shared a fairly convincing video demonstrating the similarities between the two dances.
Honestly, it looks pretty darn similar to me, but Judge Wilson's dismissal approaches it from a different angle. The judge argues that the standard for copyrightable choreography under the law applies to more lengthy movements than the several seconds at question in a Fortnite emote.
"The Copyright Act's legislative history specifically states that 'choreographic works do not include social dance steps and simple routines.'" the judge's ruling reads, later pointing to similar examples of an entire dance production being copyrighted, but shorter sequences within being fair game. The ruling continues later, "Whichever way the Court evaluates Plaintiff's Steps—two seconds, four beats of music, or eight body positions, repeated ten times throughout the Registered Choreography—Defendant has the better of the argument. There is no authority to suggest that Plaintiff's Steps are protectable when viewed out of the context of the whole of Plaintiff's work; indeed, the weight of authority suggests otherwise."
Based on this ruling, it seems doubtful that any choreographer could get the better of Epic in a suit over dance emotes, copyright or no. That's a pretty resounding victory for Epic in its quest to sell silly virtual dances to every last nephew and little cousin on the planet. So begins a 1,000-year imperium of Obi-Wan Kenobi doing the Griddy.
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The CEO of Ragnarok, a multiplayer metaverse RPG currently in alpha, admitted to losing almost $2 million of company money from trading during the most recent crypto crash. In a rare act of transparency, the CEO publicly disclosed the project's earnings and expenses, revealing a huge pay disparity between founder members and the rest of the staff.
The CEO of Ragnarok, who goes by Fanfaron, said on Substack that he made "mistakes by buying ETH (Ethereum) multiple times when [he] thought it was an advantageous investment for the project.
"Then to protect downside risk and with the plan to reinvest at a better time, I sold our position in ETH, multiple times. This led to approximately 1.827M in losses," Fanfaron said (thanks, web3isdoinggreat).
The company started with $1.75 million in seed funding and has made over $17.5 million from NFT sales and royalties. The game, which Fanfaron described as "similar to WoW but everything being digitally owned," has suffered some delays, which were blamed on overexpansion resulting in missed deadlines.
"If I am being honest, running Ragnarok has made me aware of many personal skill gaps, and it is one of the reasons I am prioritizing expanding our team and bringing on domain experts to help lead us into the next phase of growth," wrote Fanfaron. "Ultimately, I own our mistakes as the leader of Ragnarok, and I apologize to the community for the missteps and lack of communication thus far. I cannot promise that we won’t make mistakes going forward—we are all human, but I can promise stronger transparency and that we will always act in good faith for our community and this project."
The post includes a breakdown of the earnings and expenses for Ragnarok, including $5.4 million in salaries, $1.5 million of which was used to buy out a co-founder. For context, the project paid out $1.25 million in wages for 'core team members' over nine months for 56 people, which averages to about $22K a person; meanwhile, $400K in salaries were given to 'founding members' (2 people) for a year.
(Image credit: ragnarok)Almost $3.7 million in 'post-mint' compensation was paid out to team members and founders. It seems like the lion's share was again given to founders, though exactly how the split works for core team members is not specified.
One of the main reasons for releasing the company's revenue, expenses, and a record of repayments was for "transparency and context." Because, without it, Fanfaron said, the "complex structure of wallets and payments" surrounding the project "can paint a bad picture."
Your next machine(Image credit: Future)Best gaming PC: The top pre-built machines from the pros
Best gaming laptop: Perfect notebooks for mobile gamingThough more transparency in Ragnorok's development was promised, this may well be the last time we see such a detailed public financial breakdown since Ragnarok is not a public company.
Fanfaron says the project's investors still have "full trust and support" for him as CEO. He plans to pay back the $1.8 million lost from the trading and cut his salary from $1.2 million to $600,000. He also posted the wallet addresses where the repayments are coming from, including $200K chipped in from a former co-founder.
This wouldn't be the first time we've seen a metaverse game get hurt because of cryptocurrency volatility, but Ragnorak still has over $10 million in its war chest for development and legal costs, according to the post. The roadmap aims to implement more features like combat, quests, and NFT breeding in the coming months. Currently, players can explore the Ragnarok metaverse and interact with buildings and other players.
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Technically speaking, Shin-chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation is about a '90s anime and manga star spending a very strange week on holiday. There's an imperfect time loop, far more dinosaurs than any modern location should have, a curry-cooking ninja, and an ancient legend thrown into the mix—plenty to keep anyone occupied. But all of that's really just an excuse to give players a precious chance to tear around a small rural village in the carefree way only a five-year-old child could.
It's a simple idea—and one that could be easily misunderstood when viewed through gaming's overwhelmingly achievement-focused lens. When so many games tend to be designed to be exhausted just in time for the next wave of #content, something as gentle and unfussy as Shin-chan can feel wrong, as though the developer missed the global game design meeting. A playable summer holiday may sound like a great idea, but what are you actually supposed to do? There are extensive lists of fish to reel in and bugs to catch, and lots of errands Shin-chan can run for the local businesses. Those are all tasks to be completed, aren't they?
Well, yes… but also no.
If this game had to be pigeonholed into a genre, Shin-chan would probably be bundled into the same nameless box games like A Short Hike, Animal Crossing, and this same developer's Japan-only Boku no Natsuyasumi ("My Summer Holiday") series go in. They're games that, if they must be "about" anything, are about the joys of existing within small and supportive community-centred sandboxes, and looking damned cute while doing so.
There are plenty of defined goals to work towards—stories to follow up on, items to collect, new clothes to wear—but they're always presented more as a personal target, an optional something extra to help give the ongoing experience a little structure. There's always a lot that can be done, but very little that has to be done.
The relaxed pace is the key to enjoying Shin-chan's adventure. The endless supply of fish swimming in clear streams or in the shade of the village bridge aren't objectives to be grinded out until the digital supply's finally been fully catalogued after many repetitive hours. They're meant to be idly noticed as Shin-chan strolls by on another perfect summer's afternoon, and only fished if fishing sounds like fun in that exact moment.
Above: Turn the sound on and just soak in the atmosphere for a minute.
The waiting, the sound of the water, the eventual catch via a simple, reaction-based pull—maybe it'll be something new to photograph, maybe it'll be something familiar the local restaurant wants to put on the menu in exchange for a little pocket money, maybe it'll be some genuine rubbish only fit for the bin. The experience is the point, not any quantifiable success or progression that might come from it.
Adjusting to this laid-back lifestyle sort of requires turning off your gamer brain, but if you can manage that, living Shin-chan's holiday becomes far more fun than completing any defined task ever could. There's pride and pleasure in this relaxed frame of mind, in savouring a pleasant moment just because it's there.
Summer Vacation isn't a realistic sim, but it captures the feeling of chasing butterflies in a favourite spot during a peach-coloured dusk and letting the sound of the cicadas drown out everything else. I always wanted to take the time to stand outside Shin-chan's neighbour's house to listen to the mother next door read her children a different short story every night on the porch, even though there's no tangible reward for doing so.
The people living within this small summery world still manage to feel relatable even with all of the dinosaurs running around thanks to an honest sort of fine detail, which deftly anchors what could have been a shallow and stomach-churning sickly sweetness to a very ordinary sort of reality. Shin-chan's adventure in Asso village always feels like a summer holiday I maybe could've had for myself, if only I'd visited the right aunt for the right week too many decades ago. Tufts of grass grow next to worn dirt paths, concrete corners, and car parks. Beautiful sunsets silhouette a telephone pole. A pair of mismatched tables are pushed together at breakfast. Two people like like each other, but struggle to find the right words when they're together.
Image 1 of 6(Image credit: Neos Corporation)Image 2 of 6(Image credit: Neos Corporation)Image 3 of 6(Image credit: Neos Corporation)Image 4 of 6(Image credit: Neos Corporation)Image 5 of 6(Image credit: Neos Corporation)Image 6 of 6(Image credit: Neos Corporation)Shin-chan may be a cartoon character running around with his butt literally out in a game with its own resident "evil" professor, but the charm lies in how this strange little gremlin-child's escapades capture the spirit of a summer that almost was for all of us. It's a place just about real enough to linger in our imaginations, even if it's not somewhere we could truly visit.
In spite of its easygoing attitude it's not a long game (expect a start-to-credits run to take around 10 hours or so, even without a guide) but again, this is a carefully considered feature designed to enhance Shin-chan's sun-soaked atmosphere. An in-game day spent watering vegetables or playing with the local kids in a miniature robo-dino battle tournament can't be considered wasted if the "real" adventure's always so close at hand and so easily cleared, so why rush? Why not go investigate the local cows, learn the name of the beautiful pink blooms growing by the roadside, or even just watch fluffy clouds silently pass by near the top of the mountain?
Your summer will definitely be over before the next big game starts downloading anyway—the only problem is once you've gotten used to Shin-chan's carefree tempo, you might not be in such a rush to move on after all.
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A rumor surfaced earlier this year claiming that 2K Games' studio Hangar 13 was working on a new Mafia game under new leadership, following the departure of longtime president and chief creative officer Haden Blackman. Now it's official: In an interview posted at mafiagame.com to mark the 20th anniversary of the original Mafia, general manager Roman Hladík finally confirmed that it's happening.
"I'm happy to confirm we've started work on an all-new Mafia project!" Hladík said. "While it's a few years away and we can't share anything more right now, we're really excited to keep working on this beloved franchise and to entertain our players with new stories."
The May rumor indicated that the new Mafia game will be built in Unreal Engine 5 rather than the proprietary engine used for the previous games, and more interestingly it will reportedly be a prequel to the existing trilogy. The series has hopped around historically between games, from the early 1930s of the original game to the turbulent late-'60s of Mafia 3, so it's not entirely unexpected that the studio would opt for yet another era for the fourth game. There's certainly fertile ground for it: The Prohibition era is the classic Mafia setting but there was plenty going on around the turn of the 20th century, too.
It's equally unsurprising that a new Mafia game, regardless of details, is happening: Mafia 3 didn't exactly knock our socks off, but it's a successful and well-liked series, and that makes the question of a sequel not an "if," but a "when."
If you've never played Mafia and want to see where it all began, 2K Games is giving away the original on Steam over the weekend, beginning on September 1. The updated Mafia Definitive Edition is also on sale for $14/£12/€14—65% off the regular price—until September 8.
In honor of #Mafia20 let's go back to where it all started 🏙Get the original Mafia (digital) for FREE on @Steam from Sept. 1 - 5 pic.twitter.com/ZdxSFZrLwhAugust 29, 2022
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Flame Fatales is a summertime speedrun marathon held by the all-women speedrunning community Frame Fatales, which along with the winter variant Frost Fatales raises money for charity—in this case (and in previous events) the Malala Fund, which advocates for free, safe, quality education for women around the world. The previous event raised more than $132,000 for the fund, and this one managed to surpass it—just barely—with a grand total of $135,512.
So, what's fun to watch? Dozens of speedruns took place over the week and everyone will have their own favorites, but here are a few I think look fun and interesting:
Mirror's Edge – because it's Mirror's Edge.
Immortals: Fenyx Rising – I just think it looks neat.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 – It takes me longer than 20 minutes to figure out what class I want to be.
Elden Ring – Being level 1 in Farum Azula doesn't seem like a great idea to me, but I'm happy to watch someone else do it.
Wizards and Warriors – There's no school like old school.
With its summer speedrunner wrapped up, Frame Fatales confirmed that it will return again for the winter: The next Frost Fatales speedrunning extravaganza is set to run from February 26 to March 4, 2023.
Time#FlameFatales 2022 raised a total of $135,512 for @MalalaFund! Thank you runners, commentators, volunteers & GDQ staff who made this possible, and everyone that donated & supported the event!The @FrameFatales will be back this winter for Frost Fatales, see you then! pic.twitter.com/mL3wjsSQ0aAugust 28, 2022See more -
It's been a long wait for Dwarf Fortress' hotly anticipated Steam release, which was originally announced back in March 2019. But avid fans of large fortifications and small bearded dudes may not have to wait much longer. Replying to a tweet asking when Dwarf Fortress will launch on Steam, publisher Kitfox Games stated that it'll be coming "Sooner than you might think."
Sooner than you might think!August 28, 2022
See moreHow soon this will be, exactly, is of course up for debate. Kitfox Games provided no further specification about the release date, while the launch date on the game's Steam page still reads "time is subjective". Nonetheless, it seems unlikely that Kitfox Games would make this statement if the Steam release was, say, more than a year out.
Meanwhile, over on Dwarf Fortress' development blog, creator Tarn Adams teased an "exciting announcement" coming "soon" in his most recent update. Adams also mentioned that the announcement is related to the Dwarf Fortress demo that will be shown off at this year's PAX. Given the PAX expo starts this week, specifically running September 2-5, it seems likely that we'll hear more about this announcement in the coming days.
There's good reason why Dwarf Fortress fans are excited about the upcoming Steam release, which provides a massive overhaul to the game's presentation and UI. The ASCII visuals are being replaced with lovingly detailed tile-based sprites, which Shaun recently obsessed over while reporting on the game's update to its animal people. Meanwhile, the game's UI and menus are getting mouse support, buttons, extra tabs, and other quality of life updates that should make the game significantly easier to grapple with.
In any case, it's all very intriguing. Maybe I'll finally be able to play Bay 12's wildly ambitious colony sim, which up to this point I've simply found too idiosyncratic to get on with.
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Return to Monkey Island developer Terrible Toybox has taken to releasing short, weekly clips of the adventure game sequel on what it has dubbed "Monkey Island Mondays" (which are better than Full Throttle Fridays, but not as good as Sam & Max Saturdays). This week's clip is one of the most substantial so far, providing a glimpse of the game's inventory system and reuniting Guybrush with pop culture's second favourite disembodied skull after Yorick.
Posted on Twitter by Dave Grossman, the clip opens with Guybrush skulking through the brush of what looks like Monkey Island itself (the island's giant stone monkey head is seen in the background), whereupon he encounters Murray impaled on a wooden stake. "How was your trip to Monkey Island?" Guybrush asks. "Damp," Murray responds.
It's #MonkeyIslandMonday! Here's a clip from a section of Return to Monkey Island that @grumpygamer and I redesigned several times, about one of Guybrush's favorite hobbies. pic.twitter.com/k48iY9ExYZAugust 29, 2022
See moreGuybrush then proceeds to "conk" Murray over the head with a discarded arm bone, alongside a couple of other, less chatty skulls flanking Murray. In the process we see Guybrush's inventory which contains yet more skulls (what is it with Guybrush and de-fleshed craniums?) as well as other items like a knife, a key, and some rather ominous-looking books. It's also worth noting the inventory uses a drag-and-drop interface, which looks rather more intuitive than the old-fashioned verb-based UI.
The clip is yet more evidence that Return to Monkey Island is shaping up to be a delightful revival for the long-running series, although the rather dated Horse Armour jokes that accompanied last week's Gamecom presentation did put a tiny grain of doubt in my mind. On that note, I feel obliged to point out that Bethesda has published some of the best DLC around in the last few years, including Doom Eternal's two brilliant expansions, and all the extra content that Arkane released for Dishonored. Frankly, it's time to send that armoured horse off to retirement. Just make sure you take the armour off before you turn it into glue.
Horse Armour jokes aside, Return to Monkey Island looks great. You don't have long to wait until Guybrush sails back onto your PC, either. The game launches on September 19, which is only three weeks away.
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Turtle Rock's cooperative zombie shooter Back 4 Blood will regurgitate a fleshy new chunk of DLC from its gullet tomorrow. Titled Children of the Worm, it'll see players battling a very different kind of foe in an all-new campaign act.
As the DLC's title hints, these new enemies are pro-zombie cultists, who fight alongside the game's undead Ridden with guns, jars of acid, and Wolverine-style metallic claws. People fighting for the zombies is plainly ridiculous, I say, having just survived a pandemic that many people refused to believe was actually happening.
You'll be battling these cultists in the new fifth act of Back 4 Blood's campaign. The act has six chapters, which is a little shorter than the than the three main acts (although considerably longer than the one-shot fourth act). Nonetheless, going from the trailer footage, it looks like it'll take players to some interesting new locations, such as a prison overrun with Ridden, and what appears to be a wooden fort either built or occupied by the cultists.
Children of the Worm also introduces a couple of new weapons, including a bow for killing cultists silently, and a new "Cleaner" (good grief this game's naming convention is terrible). Said new Cleaner is Prophet Dan, a scripture spitting Irishman with a very fetching moustache. He's easily the most distinctive playable character I've seen in Back4Blood. Outside of a couple of characters like Holly and Hoffman, the Cleaners are a fairly forgettable bunch, an issue that extends to Back4Blood's visual design in general.
Nonetheless, I do think the Back 4 Blood is an enjoyable enough spin on Left4Dead's magical formula, and this DLC looks set to give the game an injection of personality that it's hitherto lacked. Children of the Worm launches tomorrow. Publisher Warner Bros hasn't specified a price, but the first DLC pack Tunnels of Terror debuted at $15/£12/€15, so expect Children of the Worm to within that ballpark.
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Diablo Immortal's free-to-play model has been lambasted by critics and players alike, although this hasn't stopped the game being downloaded by millions of players. One particular bugbear among the community is that Legendary Crests, items which boosts players' chances of receiving quality loot when running one of the game's randomly generated Elder Rifts, are visually very similar to Eternal Legendary Crests. These are a more expensive version of the Legendary Crests exclusive to the in the in-game store. They enable players to trade any gems (which are socketed into equipment for stat bonuses) they find on the game's gem market.
Incidentally, if all this sounds confusing, don't worry, it's supposed to. Such convoluted in-game economics helps obfuscate how much money players know they're spending on free-to-play games.
Anyway, it seems the feedback (or perhaps that should be blowback) has been such that Blizzard has opted to make some changes. As reported by PCGamesN, an image of the game's three crests appeared on Reddit, including what appeared to be a new, orange design for the standard Legendary Crest. Immortal's lead game designer Wyatt Cheng confirmed this in a response to the post, stating "This is artwork that we're working on to help differentiate the Legendary Crest (which will become to Orange one) [sic] from the Eternal Legendary Crest (which will remain the purple one in the middle)."
Cheng went on to explain the rationale behind the decision, stating "We want to make sure players know exactly what they're getting when they make a purchase, view them in inventory, and use them at the Elder Rift entrance." He also specified that "players should be able to distinguish the two quickly not only by colour but also by shape."
These aren't the only changes Cheng detailed in his response. Blizzard is adding the market icon to the Eternal Legendary Crest's item description "to reinforce the difference" and is also altering the Elder Rift Entrance UI so players can choose which Crest they want to use "as well as easily see how many of each you own".
The new design is definitely an improvement over the original, and any move toward greater transparency in a free-to-play game like Immortal should be recognised as such. However, the change hasn't put an end to the community's other concerns about the game, such as the rate at which Immortal supplies the standard Legendary Crests to users. "It would really help distinguish them better if we received 1 Legendary Crest every day for loggin as well," says user Nasanhak. "So we can have at least 30 pulls a month… You know like every gacha game out there."
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"Open world roguelite" isn't a set of words I hear together often, possibly for good reason, but Avalanche Studios subsidiary Systemic Reaction is determined to make it work. Systemic shared a hands-off preview with me this week from Gamescom, and creative director Emil Kraftling explained how the heck they're planning to make these two seemingly opposed concepts work together. It's hard to make a judgment call without getting to play it myself, but it sure looks like Systemic is on the right track here. And I'm not just saying that because you can fly around the entire map as a bird.
Ravenbound starts by rolling you three character options at the start of each run, randomly made up of the species (human to start), traits, and weapon types that you've unlocked. At the start of every run you'll leap out the Door of Gales, the first of seven, each leading to different elemental maps, and fly away as a raven.
Ravenbound immediately deviates from the roguelikes I'm used to. You aren't crawling through a dungeon room-by-room, or even exploring a non-linear Metroidvania style map as in Hollow Knight. You've got a literal bird's eye view of the forested Gales area with icons pointing out enemy groups, the keys you'll need to collect to progress, and the one town hub per zone.
(Image credit: Systemic Reaction)From up above it would be easy to mistake Ravenbound for an open world RPG, but Kraftling is very explicit that Systemic doesn't want players to expect exploration. It's inspired by Swedish folklore and baddies, but don't see "draugr" and think "Skyrim". As a roguelike, it is still all about combat, just without the linear constraint of a dungeon. The open world is all about offering players immediate choices—how much combat they want, how difficult a challenge they're willing to take on, and in what order.
Raven unbound
In the 17 minutes of gameplay footage Systemic shared with me, lead designer Simon Laserna soars past forests, bridges, and towers, eventually picking out an icon with a single skull denoting the easiest difficulty, also marked as the location of one of three keys he needs to open the boss door in the area.
He dives low to the ground, drops into human form, and uses a sword and shield to swing, guard, and dodge around a group of five humanoid wolf enemies. He can time his shield guard correctly to stun them and power up a high damage sword attack. The sliding dodge allows him to slide in arcs around the fight and he can reposition while jumping in the air too—both of which make combat look a bit loose and skate-y. Kraftling assures me it feels better to play than it appears in the video. I'll have to take his word for it until we get a chance to play ourselves.
After defeating the group, he wins an ability card draw from his deck which grows across runs as a form of meta progression. I'm a bit worn out on deckbuilding getting strapped to the hood of every genre, but not enough to hold it against an otherwise cool concept. Cards require mana to be used, which comes from leveling up, which comes from combat. There's a level gain cap in each of the zones, meaning that endless grinding is more likely to deprive you of your limited health potions than reward a card draw you wanted—be it more armor, a damage buff, or some other effect.
(Image credit: Systemic Reaction)Those initial enemies were basic stuff, but Laserna eventually takes on a group of three Vittras, flying wraith-like women who are quick with high damage daggers but easy to stagger by mastering the perfect guard. After that, he jumps off one of the raven pillars nearby to transform and fly over to the town where he buys a new health potion before taking on, and dying to, the area boss: a tall and fast knight lad with a sword and shield.
Although I don't get to see the next run, Kraftling explains that the landscape of the world will be the same but the placement of enemies, keys, and structures will change. "In one lifetime it could be a working mining camp and in another it could be an abandoned, haunted-by-draugr mining camp. Certain pathways or caves could be open or not open in different runs." Kraftling lets on briefly that Systemic also plans to deliver live service updates to the game, which may include new types of structures on the map.
Kraftling reckons getting through a single area takes about 20 minutes, and around an hour for a full run through the subsequent doors to the final boss. After you've spent around 10 hours dying, retrying, and unlocking new cards as one does in a roguelite, that is.
A lite touch
(Image credit: Systemic Reaction)"The roguelite and open world combination is not really done," Kraftling says of the mashup. "We felt that maybe more people would enjoy roguelites than actually do now and maybe we can bring something to the table to bring people into the light."
"Open world is what we've done so many times over 20 years through both Avalanche and Systemic Reaction. That's where we start. Then we look at what kind of games we like to play, and what kind of games [other] people like to play, and where there's overlap of something that we can feel passionate about and find a strong community."
Kraftling admits that yes, the two genres did clash with each other initially during development. It feels a bit like Systemic has put itself into that riddle about getting a fox, goose, and bag of grain across a river without any of them eating one another, imposing things like the area level cap to keep the open world bits from gobbling up the pressure of a roguelite. And yet, maybe they've solved it. Maybe the farmer gets all three to the other side.
I won't deny that 3rd-person action fantasy combat inspires some leeway in my mind. I rarely get on with roguelikes or lites. I'm not great with top-down combat or bullet-hells and most seem to wind up with one or both. A roguelite where I get to pick my battles though, with combat closer to something like The Witcher or modern Assassin's Creed games—maybe that's something I wouldn't mind dying in over and over again.
Also, being a raven looks cool.
Systemic Reaction hasn't given an expected launch window yet, but it is planning to run a closed beta "soon," which you can sign up for on its website or just wishlist it on Steam.
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In what represents the closest we've had to a Breaking Bad-related game on PC, everyone's favourite sleazy lawyer Saul Goodman has been modded into Marvel's Spider-Man: Remastered.
Created by a modder who goes by Arthurvitormb, the mod lifts the Saul Goodman character model from the mobile game Breaking Bad: Criminal Elements, and plonks Jimmy McGill into Sony's acrobatic superhero sim, all for your entertainment.
"did you know you have rights?"#SpidermanPC pic.twitter.com/lNpjd4IBMDAugust 28, 2022
See moreThis may come as a shock, but initially I wasn't sure about putting Jimmy McGill into Marvel's Spider-Man. Seeing Saul perched atop a skyscraper in that hunched Spidey pose is deeply unsettling. He looks less like a superhero and more like something out of a Japanese horror film. It doesn't help that the model is quite blocky and angular, like it was taken from a PlayStation 2-era Grand Theft Auto game.
The more I thought about it, however, the more I realised how much sense it actually makes. Saul needs a healthy supply of low-level thugs and ne'er do wells to keep his business running, and what better way to acquire said clients than to personally put them in legal jeopardy? It's the perfect Slippin' Jimmy scheme, making him essentially a more ethically dubious Daredevil.
Anyway, you can download the mod here. Note that this isn't the only Better Call Saul related mod floating around for Marvel's Spider-Man. Another little mod adds the Better Call Saul theme into Insomniac's game, while a third replaces the Nelson & Murdock business card with one of Jimmy's exquisitely tacky creations.
Adding Saul Goodman into Marvel's Spider-Man isn't the weirdest place the game's modding scene has ventured either. One particularly bizarre mod lets you swing around New York as Uncle Ben's gravestone. Truly, the possibilities are limitless.
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You'll find the answer to today's Wordle right here, as well as all the hints and tips you need to solve the August 29 (436) puzzle by yourself. New to Wordle? We've already prepared an extensive range of guides and advice to help get you started on the right foot.
Finding a few greens on my first guess made me feel like I was in for a lucky day. A few helpful early eliminations and just the right mix of greens and yellows in my follow up meant I really didn't have to do much today apart from a little rearranging. What a great way to start the week.
Wordle hint
Today's Wordle: A hint for Monday, August 29
Today's answer is a term used to describe someone or something important; the most pressing issue in a meeting, the person in charge, the highest ranking officer in a group. Halo's green armoured hero is often referred to by this shortened version of his full title too.
Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day
If there's one thing better than playing Wordle, it's playing Wordle well, which is why I'm going to share a few quick tips to help set you on the path to success:
- A good opener contains a balanced mix of unique vowels and consonants.
- A tactical second guess helps to narrow down the pool of letters quickly.
- The solution may contain repeat letters.
There's no time pressure beyond making sure it's done by midnight. So there's no reason to not treat the game like a casual newspaper crossword and come back to it later if you're coming up blank.
Wordle answer
(Image credit: Josh Wardle)What is the Wordle 436 answer?
Almost there. The answer to the August 29 (436) Wordle is CHIEF.
Previous answers
Wordle archive: Which words have been used
The more past Wordle answers you can cram into your memory banks, the better your chances of guessing today's Wordle answer without accidentally picking a solution that's already been used. Past Wordle answers can also give you some excellent ideas for fun starting words that keep your daily puzzle solving fresh.
Here are some recent Wordle solutions:
- August 28: GAUZE
- August 27: RUDER
- August 26: IRONY
- August 25: CLOWN
- August 24: NEEDY
- August 23: WOVEN
- August 22: MERIT
- August 21: WASTE
- August 20: TREAT
- August 19: SHRUG
Learn more about Wordle
Every day Wordle presents you with six rows of five boxes, and it's up to you to work out which secret five-letter word is hiding inside them.
You'll want to start with a strong word like ALERT—something containing multiple vowels, common consonants, and no repeat letters. Hit Enter and the boxes will show you which letters you've got right or wrong. If a box turns
️, it means that letter isn't in the secret word at all. 
means the letter is in the word, but not in that position. 
means you've got the right letter in the right spot.You'll want your second go to compliment the first, using another "good" word to cover any common letters you missed last time while also trying to avoid any letter you now know for a fact isn't present in today's answer.
After that it's just a case of using what you've learned to narrow your guesses down to the right word. You have six tries in total and can only use real words (so no filling the boxes with EEEEE to see if there's an E). Don't forget letters can repeat too (ex: BOOKS).
If you need any further advice feel free to check out our Wordle tips, and if you'd like to find out which words have already been used you'll find those below.
Originally, Wordle was dreamed up by software engineer Josh Wardle, as a surprise for his partner who loves word games. From there it spread to his family, and finally got released to the public. The word puzzle game has since inspired tons of games like Wordle, refocusing the daily gimmick around music or math or geography. It wasn't long before Wordle became so popular it was sold to the New York Times for seven figures. Surely it's only a matter of time before we all solely communicate in tricolor boxes.
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Hardware announcements are cropping up all over the place recently, with many products being demonstrated during and around the Gamescom celebrations. With line ups like Hyper X's brand new line of gaming monitors and this crazy curving screen from Corsair, monitors aimed at gamers are seeing tonnes of hype.
One of the latest to be announced is the LG UltraGear 240 Hz curved OLED screen. It's set to be shown off in just a few days at IFA, a computing and gaming exhibit in Germany. However, what makes this screen a bit of an odd one is that it's using the same kooky curvable panel from the new Corsair monitor, but without the flat-to-curve potential.
Until we see it out in the wild, Corsair's Xeneon Flex monitors could turn out to be all gimmick. It's hard to say how functional constantly changing your monitor will feel in action, but it's definitely a neat idea. If the general specs of the Xeneon piqued your interest, and you're not too worried about the bendy screen, then LG's UltraGear could be worth a look.
It sports a wide 21:9 aspect ratio with 3440 x 1440 resolution on a 45-inch screen with a 240Hz refresh rate, so it's clearly aimed at gamers rather than graphic design. It also has that huge 800R curvature to encompass you, making it a potential great choice for things like racing sims. Plus the OLED screen paired with a high contrast ratio should make for some great looking scenes.
Screen queens(Image credit: Future)Best gaming monitor: pixel-perfect panels for your PC
Best high refresh rate monitor: screaming quick screens
Best 4K monitor for gaming: when only high-res will do
Best 4K TV for gaming: big-screen 4K PC gamingIt's also fair to say that a few gamers out there aren't too impressed with these latest panels. Many were hoping for higher resolutions, especially given the curved ones are designed to have you sit closer to the screen. Without seeing how they run in person it's impossible to speculate too much.
Additionally, while not too common at the moment, it's likely we're going to see new graphics cards support displayport 2.0 while these monitors are still only working with 1.4. That's not going to be a problem for most people looking to add a screen to an already existing kit, but for anyone wanting to make upgrades in the near future, DP 2.0 could be worth thinking about.
We'll hold off passing any judgements on the LG UltraGear until we've had the chance to go hands-on. Pricing is also yet to be announced, though we wouldn't expect this monitor to be super cheap. Still, this is LG's first curved OLED 240Hz display, so we're keen to check it out.
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If you come up with a pun name that's good enough, you have to follow through and make it real. I can only assume this is how CSGO Kart came to be. It's a mod for Counter-Strike Global Offensive that lets you play capture the flag as go-karts. The work of Luke Millanta and Dieter Stassen, aka Two Random Dudes, Luke is at pains to point out the karts aren't unarmed. "Think Rocket League but in CSGO... and with actual Rockets", he says.
Luke sums up the mod like this: "Instead of playing as soldiers / humans you instead take the form of a rocket-firing go kart. From here each team battles it out to capture the other team's flag and return it to their base. Every time they do this, they score a point. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. Throughout the map there are speed boosters, ammo (rockets), teleporters, and health kits / boosters."
As well as rockets each player has a slam attack, activating by pressing the jump key while you're in the air. Slamming onto the other team's base is how you capture their flag, and then you slam again on your own base to score. It looks ridiculous, with neon edging and brightly colored bubble karts that remind me of the car Homer Simpson designed, but certainly no more ridiculous than many of the other CSGO mods we've seen.
To refresh your memory, there was Squid Game in CSGO, Fall Guys in CSGO, Fortnite (or at least its building tools) in CSGO, and Classic Offensive, which was a recreation of Counter-Strike 1.6 in CSGO. Having a look over the recently released mods, I see there's now a Grove Street map so you can play Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in CS:GO as well. That, in addition to CSGO Kart, can be downloaded from the Steam Workshop.
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