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Remember the big 4K update for Fallout 4 that was announced in 2022 as part of the 25th anniversary celebration of the original Fallout? The good news is that it’s still happening, but the bad news is that it’s not happening until sometime in 2024.

The Fallout 4 “next-gen update” for PC, Xbox Series X-S, and PlayStation 5, promises “performance mode features for high frame rates, quality features for 4K resolution gameplay, bug fixes and even bonus Creation Club content.” It was slated for release sometime in 2023, and I assumed it would be relatively early in the year, given that it’s an update to a game that was, at the time, seven years old. But Bethesda moves at its own pace, and if there’s one thing we’ve learned from The Elder Scrolls 6, that pace is not always rapid.

“Thank you for your patience with us as we work on the Fallout 4 next-gen update,” Bethesda tweeted on the official Fallout account. “We know you’re excited, and so are we! But we need a bit more time and look forward to an exciting return to the Commonwealth in 2024.”

It’s disappointing, although the general reaction from fans is that it’s better to wait than to rush things, and even though…

Fortune’s Run is one of PC Gamer’s most anticipated games of 2023, a fast-paced, acrobatic FPS/immersive sim in a grungy sci-fi future that’s like the original Deus Ex meets the Star Wars Expanded Universe. In a new trailer at the PC Gaming Show, Team Fortune shows off some of the new features coming to the game’s free demo, as well as its early access release date of September 1.

Fortune’s Run’s new trailer begins with a slapstick kerfuffle of a docking sequence at the game’s “fully simulated centrifugal gravity space station level,” before cutting to the interior of the shuttle where protagonist Mozah is quickly recognized and a firefight ensues. We get a combat sizzle reel showing off new enemies and locations coming in the game’s early access release, as well as a peek at some new features added to Fortune’s Run’s demo that you can play right now.

The big ticket item is dual wielding, which Team Fortune told me to think of “like power stancing” in FromSoftware games. “Some weapons allow you to carry a second one [offhand], which opens up a new moveset and/or a greater ammo pool.

“However, you can only use the power stance until you run out of ammo, because …

The first proper hands-on review of AMD’s RDNA 3 graphics has emerged. Notebookcheck has done the deed on the Asus TUF Gaming A16 equipped with the AMD Radeon RX 7600S GPU and found it performs pretty much on a par with Nvidia’s RTX 3060 mobile chip.

As we detailed when RDNA 3 headed to gaming laptops back in January, the RX 7600S is the entry level variant of the new RDNA 3 line. In fact, all four RDNA 3 mobile GPUs are based on the same Navi 33 silicon.

The 7600S gets 1,792 shaders and clocks in at 1,865MHz. Other variants offer up to 2,048 shaders and 2,300MHz clocks.

As for exactly how the 7600S performs, in 3DMark Firestrike it tops out at 25,900 points, a decent notch above the RTX 3060 with 22,915. For the record, AMD’s previous generation mobile GPU from one tier above, the RX 6700S, is quoted at 24,315 points in the same test. 

As for, ya know, actual games, the RX 7600S notches up 85.5fps in GTA V at 1080p maximum settings, while the RTX 3060 delivers 103 fps. In Dota 2 Reborn, it’s 110 fps plays 148 fps, so the RTX 3060 has a bigger advantage there.

On the other hand, in Strange Brigade, the 7600S clocks up 163 fps to the RTX 3060’s …

If you’re not familiar with Blink, it’s the best episode of Doctor Who and maybe one of the best things ever broadcast on television. I guess the moon landing is probably up there too. Anyway, it’s the episode with the weeping angels, which look like the kind of sad lady statues you see in graveyards only whenever you’re not looking, they move. Hence the advice when dealing with the weeping angels: “Don’t blink.” They’re terrifying.

Which is why I was hesitant to try Baba Yaga and the Labyrinth, a quest mod for Skyrim Special Edition by modders Kreiste and wSkeever. At least the angels are limited to a location this mod adds to Skyrim’s worldspace, rather than roaming the countryside at random. I mean, I hope they are.

The mod begins with the bartender of The Bee and Barb in Riften handing me a note, which sends me off to find a wild witch who lives in a walking hut. This isn’t Quest For Glory: So You Want to Be a Hero, so the hut’s easy to gain entry to. It’s also got some muscular wooden legs rather than the chicken legs Baba Yaga’s home has in the original myths, but then this one doesn’t belong to Baba Yaga. (Also it’s using Skyrim’s giant model.)

This hut’…

Watch On

In the early 2010s, Luke Muscat was team lead on two massive mobile games for Halfbrick Studios—the WarioWare microgame turned macrohit Fruit Ninja, and endless runner Jetpack Joyride. A decade later he’s gone solo, and is making an indie game for PC that looks like a cross between Dave the Diver and Dome Keeper.

Feed the Deep is a roguelike diving game where you explore procedurally generated undersea caverns to collect resources—the way you launch multiple lines to pick up colorful chunky objects in the trailer looks real satisfying—while avoiding obstacles like the waving coral tentacles that try to grab you. You’ve also got oxygen to consider, and air-consuming distractions that include a terminal where you can play a Rise of the Triad clone boomer shooter mid-dive for some reason.

That’s not the real weird part, though. The real weird part is that you’re exploring and harvesting in service of keeping some Cthulhu-esque eldritch monstrosity placated so it doesn’t rise up and eat the floating cities above. Dave the Diver didn’t have to deal with this stuff. (I didn’t play the Dredge crossover, maybe he did actually.)

Feed the Deep …

Baldur’s Gate 3 is done. Finished. Ended. Wound up and concluded save for future fixes and updates. Developer Larian Studios is onto new and strange things that only it knows the nature of. Frankly? I think that’s all good. I’m very eager to see what the studio does next, and I’m happy to keep BG3 as the singular, special thing that it already is.

But there is one question: What on Earth will become of those characters? None of us walked away from BG3 unchanged: We’ve all got some kind of doomed obsession with one of its beautiful cast of crackpots, mavericks and perverts. I like Lae’zel, personally, but it’s my understanding that most of you can’t stop making TikToks about the vampire boy.

Anyway, from this point forward, your favs’ futures are strictly in the hands of Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) and its parent company Hasbro. In a tweet earlier today, Larian CEO Swen Vincke said that “As for BG3 and its characters—they now belong to WOTC and I think they understand how important they are for the community. I trust that they’ll be treated with respect.”

That’s not really a surprise, of course. With Larian heading off, who else would have control over the…

For FPS lovers like myself, it’s a great time this week to be a PC gamer. That’s because the Steam FPS Fest, an event that looks to promote great shooters with free demos and discounts, is taking place.

From exceptional AAA experiences to interesting new boomer shooters, and onto FPS hybrid experiences that introduce roguelike, RPG or immersive SIM elements, there are loads of incredible FPS games playable right now.

And, what’s even better is that, if you play the free demo of a game and really like it, then you can pick up the full game during the Steam FPS Fest with a sizeable discount. Here are 10 free playable FPS demos I think it’s worth checking out right now.

There are plenty more demos to experience in the 2024 Steam FPS Fest. So if you like the look of some of these games then I’d advise heading on over to Steam sometime this week (the Steam FPS Fest runs until April 22), and scoping out what’s on offer.

…

Find some Wordle inspiration with today’s clue—it’s waiting for you just below. You’ll also find a wide range of tips and guides down there too, as well as the Wordle answer to the May 28 (708) puzzle if you need a win without the worry.

The first consonant I revealed today seemed to cause more problems than it solved, the sort of letter that felt wrong wherever I tried to make it fit. Thanks to this fuzzy guesswork, I ended up almost right after too many slightly panicked guesses and scraped by just before the end. Thank goodness I found today’s Wordle answer just in time. 

Today’s Wordle hint

A Wordle hint for Sunday, May 28

Today’s answer’s a rather tight-fisted word. You’d use this when cutting corners or holding back time, money, or personal effort—even though you know you shouldn’t. You only need to find one vowel to solve this Wordle. 

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Is there a double letter in today’s Wordle? 

No letters are used twice in today’s puzzle. 

Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day 

Anyone can pick up and play Wordle, but if you want to do it well and …

Use our tips, tricks, and brand new Saturday clue to give your daily Wordle the best possible start. Feel free to take a look at our hint for the August 31 (1169) game if you’d like to make sure your guesses are headed in the right direction, or go straight for the win with today’s answer. However you like to play, we can help.

After yesterday’s struggle, I was pleased (and more than a little relieved) to see today’s Wordle reveal itself quickly and without any real fuss. Just me, some green letters, some more green letters, and then the warm fuzzy glow that comes from solving a weekend Wordle. Perfect.

Today’s Wordle hint

Wordle today: A hint for Saturday, August 31

Pouring liquids and liquids themselves are the theme today. This is the long tea-pouring part of a pot, the lip of a jug, and the gush of water from a fountain.  

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Is there a double letter in Wordle today? 

No, there is no double letter in today’s puzzle. 

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 f…

Great news, VR fans. Valve has just released SteamVR 2.0 in beta. This is the software that powers the entire virtual reality experience on Steam, from hooking up to hardware to the interface you use to whizz around virtual worlds, and it just got a ton more features.

“Today we are shipping SteamVR 2.0 in beta,” a Steam representative says. “We see this as the first major step toward our goal of bringing all of what’s new on the Steam platform into VR.”

Today’s beta release adds Steam Chat and Voice Chat, an improved Steam store with VR front and centre, and an updated keyboard. It also adds “most of” the current features from Steam and Steam Deck. That’s potentially pretty big, as since the launch of the Steam Deck, we’ve seen both Steam Deck and Steam receive heaps of improvements, most notably to big picture mode.

Beyond today’s updates, Valve has said this is only the beginning of SteamVR 2.0’s journey, noting that it’ll have “more to share in the coming weeks and months.” Once it’s collected feedback and had a “chance to iron out the kinks”, we’ll likely see a full release so everyone can give it a go. 

Everyone with a VR headset, that is.

Well, we finally got a big, long look at Starfield. It’s great to get a better sense of what the game really is, but it’s frustrating to see Bethesda retreading a load of the same old flaws its games have been suffering from for decades now. Nowhere is that more evident than the companion system.

As soon as Bethesda’s presentation moved to NPC friends, I got the heebie-jeebies. Though the studio boasts of improved animations, Starfield’s glassy-eyed characters still sit firmly in the uncanny valley, miles behind their contemporaries in other big budget games. That’s fine when all they’re doing is offering me quests or delivering exposition, but for the love of God don’t ask me to form relationships with them.

Companions are the characters that’ll actually follow you around, have personal quests, etc. It’s telling that the bland examples we’re introduced to, including “Sarah Morgan” and “Barrett”, seem to be defined more by their skills than any clear personality. But not only are we told we’ll be building relationships with this lot over the course of the game, Bethesda’s also threatening romance options.

The example love scene is brief but instantly unbearable…

The world’s been drab and grey ever since we learned Henry Cavill—world’s most beautiful PC gamer—announced he’d be hanging up his silver sword and departing Netflix’s Witcher TV series. With The Witcher season 3 (Cavill’s last) about to air, we’ve got more questions than ever. Will Liam Hemsworth be a decent Geralt? Why is Cavill leaving? Is there even a point continuing the show without him?

Turns out that The Witcher’s creative leads had similar questions themselves. In a recent chat with Total Film magazine (via GamesRadar), showrunner Lauren Hissrich revealed that, in the aftermath of Cavill’s departure, staff “had the choice to have Geralt exit and to end the show,” but it ultimately proved to be something that they weren’t “willing to do”.

“There’s just too many stories left to tell,” Hissrich told Total Film, adding that if they had “replaced Geralt with another witcher,” it would have meant “going fully away from the books, and I don’t think that’s what anyone wanted either”. 

Not to be cynical—I don’t doubt Hissrich and the rest of the crew care about the thing they’ve made—but I suspect The Witcher’s ability t…

Need a little help with today’s Wordle? Then you’re in the right place. We can offer you anything from general game-winning hints and tips to a daily clue, and if you’re really stuck—or would rather skip straight to the part where you win—you’ll find the answer to the February 27 (618) Wordle just below.

I had no greens at all after two guesses today… but I did have four yellows to rearrange into a winning combination, and today that turned out to be more than enough help, even so early on in the game. I’ll happily start my Wordle week like that.

Wordle hint

A Wordle hint for Monday, February 27

Today’s answer is the negative outcome of what can sometimes be a well-intentioned act—such as an amateur artist trying to restore an ancient painting to disastrous effect. To put it more simply: the opposite of making something better would be to make it  _____. 

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Is there a double letter in today’s Wordle? 

There are no double letters in today’s Wordle. 

Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day 

If you’ve decided to play Wordle but you’re not sur…

Game Informer has seen boobs—specifically, the magazine has seen a topless character in Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s character creator, which it previewed as part of a recent slate of exclusive articles. It’s the most overt nudity the Dragon Age series has featured so far.

“This is a mature RPG,” game director Corrine Busche told the magazine.

The character creator didn’t show any below-the-waist private anatomy, however, and Game Informer reports that when it asked BioWare whether the RPG will include full nudity—say, during romance scenes—the developer said that it wants fans to discover that for themselves.

I had to read that a couple times to be sure I’d understood it correctly. BioWare wants players to discover for themselves whether or not there are penises and vaginas in Dragon Age: The Veilguard? What a weird and whimsical answer! Game Informer itself noted that it was an “interesting answer, considering we’re talking about genitals,” but didn’t come away with clarification.

Not too long ago, I would’ve just assumed that the answer would be no. There was once a full-on cable news buffoon freakout over Mass Effect’s half-clothed ch…

Here’s my toxic trait: I get annoyed when games aren’t on Steam. Not for any principled reason, not because I love my Steam Deck (though I do), and not even because Steam—per our own ranking of the PC’s many launchers—is the best client of the bunch. I just don’t like my collection being scattered all over various clients. It feels like having all your games on one shelf in your living room but being compelled, by some mysterious force, to occasionally go and put some of them on a different shelf upstairs. It’s not right, it’s unnatural, and I shan’t have it.

Anyway, what were we talking about? Oh, right, I mention this because Dead Island 2—last year’s underwhelming zombie-basher that’s been hitherto Epic-only—is making the inevitable jump to Steam on April 22. You guessed it: that’s one year and one day after it came out on the Epic Games Store. If you close your eyes, you can visualise with almost crystal clarity the terms on the contract Deep Silver signed with Epic.

To celebrate the jump, you can pick up Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition for free over on Steam until Thursday, February 15, and Dead Island Retro Revenge is 75% off unt…

You know the company responsible for crashing 8.5 million computers, grounding planes, and halting health services across the world just a couple of weeks ago? Well, shockingly, it turns out this company’s shareholders aren’t very happy.

CrowdStrike is being sued (via the BBC) by its shareholders for an unspecified amount for the catastrophic blunder that recently plunged many of the world’s IT systems into blue-screen hell and many first-line IT support workers into despair. The issue, as CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz pointed out, thankfully was “not a security incident or cyberattack.” 

Cyberattack or not, it wreaked havoc across many industries, from healthcare to airports, banks, football clubs, and more. CrowdStrike deployed a fix quickly (within two hours) but it wasn’t easy for businesses to implement. In fact, Kurtz said that “over 97%” of systems were back online six days after the incident occurred, which is another way of saying that almost a week later some systems still hadn’t recovered. A week’s a long time in business. 

The lawsuit’s been launched by Plymouth County Retirement Association and alleges that CrowdStrike made “false and misl…