Matt Clarius

From the very first mission of The Long War 2, the stakes are different. Your enlarged squad isn’t doing anything as brash as blowing up an Advent statue; instead, they’ve managed to track down an under-strength patrol and are determined to take it down. Two things are immediately clear: the insurgency aren’t as bold as at the beginning of vanilla XCOM 2, but, as individuals and as squads, they’re far more cunning.

Mission one: eight soldiers, all with protective vests, frags and flashbangs. Tougher recruits for a tougher war. The fight for Earth isn’t just longer, it’s broader and more involved at every level. The Long War is available now and we’ve been in the thick of the right for the past few days.

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Picks up after book trilogy ends

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We all get sick every once in a while. When certain unnameable stars are ascendant and the pollen count is high, the writers of RPS are stricken with a variety of ailments ranging from the mildly irritating Wheezing Calamities to the truly dreadful Kneecaps-A-Shudder that causes the sound of grinding bones to echo around our word-cubicles, day and night. We have a proud record of ‘zero plagues’ in 2016 though and that’s something to celebrate.

Crusader Kings II [official site] is set in more sickly times though and the next expansion to the bestest of all historical strategy games will explore illness, death and all that other good stuff.

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GOG have launched their big summer sale and yes, many fine games are very cheap right now but the important news is: System Shock 2 is free if you grab it within the next two days.

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Fans of Firaxis' excellent controller support rejoice

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Everyone's doing just fine...

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All I really wanted from the full, commercial release of SUPERHOT [official site] was more of the same. The original prototype ranks among my favourite FPS games of recent years, its ‘time only moves when you move’ idea causing it to play out like a turn-based Hotline Miami, viewed from a fresh perspective. Can that central idea carry an entire game, however, or would it become stretched thin? Here’s wot I think.

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In 2012, Firaxis took on the seemingly impossible task of reviving one of the most beloved PC games ever made. The original X-COM is widely considered to be one of the masterpieces of the nineties golden age, and since its release there have been sequels, spin-offs and unofficial revivals, but Firaxis’ XCOM was a complete, licensed reinterpretation. It was also rather good. Now, with XCOM 2 [official site] ready for release, Firaxis aim to improve on the formula that made Enemy Unknown such a triumph. Here’s wot I think.

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I like to think of Crusader Kings II [official site] players as those shopfolk in comedies who painstakingly stack vast pyramids of cans, only for our hero to breeze through and trash it. So they start over. Then our hero returns. Restart, return. And again. That’s you, CK2 players. That’s you and new expansions coming along just as you’ve managed to get your kingdom running smoothly. Hey look, here comes the Conclave expansion, ready to make councils interfere with your rule. Pick up your cans, Canno.

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If you want to be a space explorer, you’re one step closer to quitting your day job. NASA is now accepting applications for its astronaut program. It's the first time the space agency has opened up applications since 2011. If you think you have what it takes to break free of the bonds of Earth's gravity and live in the cold, harsh vacuum that engulfs our tiny planet, then you can apply online at USAJobs.gov. Applications will be accepted through February 18th.

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The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed

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Nothing else matters so long as there's mercy. Always mercy.

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Fear makes companions of us all.

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I suspect our Adam will be filing a fulsome hands-on XCOM 2 report from the Gamescom frontline before too long, but as my frail vegetarian body couldn’t possibly cope with another week of watching people eat sausages, all I have to go on in these here 19 screenshots and a video. They’re particularly exciting screenshots for me, however, because they focus on soldier customisation, what goes on back at base and how the aliens are now essentially playing XCOM themselves. I want it I want it I want it, and I’ve written some thoughts about what’s been revealed below.
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Paradox’s internal development studio, responsible for Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis, Victoria and Hearts of Iron, is deep into development on a space strategy game. We’ve already seen it, and picked the brains of CK II maestro and project lead Henrik Fåhraeus and EU IV designer Tomas Johansson about this giant leap for the studio. The project, which the company announced at their Gamescom fan gathering moments ago, goes by the name Stellaris and it’s shaping up to be one of the most exciting games in recent years.

Below, you’ll find everything we know, including how randomised alien species will ensure that each new galaxy is mysterious, and why the commitment to an intelligent and subversive end-game could make this one of the smartest interpretations of 4X strategy ever made.

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Stellaris, "a grand strategy game set in space with emphasis on exploration and procedural storytelling," programmer Henrik Fahraeus announced during the Paradox Interactive Gamescom 2015 press conference today.

Stellaris is "the space game we've been asked to make for the last decade, at least," Fahraeus said. Set against the vastness of space, the strategy game will deliver new stories every time players play.

It's about discovery and exploration, Fahraeus said. Players will send out ships to survey unexplored parts of the galaxy. And then, in the mid-game, players will bump into the aliens, where Paradox fans and hardcore strategy players will find the familiar hardcore tactics Paradox makes in games like those in the Crusader Kings...

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There's bad news for anyone who hasn't ordered but still wants the Fallout 4 Pip-Boy Edition — which comes with a Pip-Boy wrist case for a smartphone. No more will be made. No more can be made, even. The gray market for these should be rather ... vibrant around the game's November launch.

Pete Hines of Bethesda Softworks told GameSpot that the company hit its limit of the number of Pip-Boys it could manufacture. The facility said it ran out of capacity. "We reached a point where we'd go back to the factories and they were like, 'guys, this is it, sorry.'"

"Sorry, this is as many as we can make."

The game doesn't launch until Nov. 10, and the $119.99 Pip-Boy edition for all three platforms, PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One, is...

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When Wet Hot American Summer first came out in 2001, it was mostly summarized by critics as a parody of '70s and '80s teen sex comedies like Porky's and Meatballs, but the deconstruction went further than that. Anyone who has spent enough time with the post-State comedy of director David Wain (and his fellow The State and Stella colleagues Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter) knows that at the foundation of a joke is a complete irreverence for anything that could be taken even vaguely seriously in any other narrative, comedic or otherwise. It goes beyond just mocking a premise or a setup or a cultural trend, Saturday Night Live style. Line to line, gag to gag, Wet Hot American Summer was an idiotic, puerile, completely brilliant...

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XCOM 2 starts out by assuming that you failed.

It’s the sequel to 2012’s XCOM: Enemy Unknown, which rebooted the long-running series, bringing its brand of sci-fi strategy to a brand new audience. But the premise this time is that humanity failed in its attempt to defeat the alien invaders, and two decades later we’re now fighting to free the planet from alien rule.

This shift means a new look for the series, with human cities that are now overrun with alien creatures and technology, including new species like the Viper, essentially a giant humanoid snake. In a shift from the previous game, XCOM 2 also features procedurally generated maps, so that missions are slightly different each time you play. So how do you go about...

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I was the first member of my family to go to university. Before my ascent of the ivory towers of academia, the Smiths had known how to work with their hands. No more. Currently, I’m the last of my line and the most impressive thing I’ve handcrafted in my life is a spicy avocado wrap.

If your family tree is in danger of withering, Crusader Kings II’s [official site] new Horse Lords expansion has fresh solutions. While Christian leaders lock children in a tower, you could take a more nurturing approach as a new nomadic clan leader over on the steppes of Central Asia. Send your kids out into the world to make a name for themselves as mercenary warlords. That way they might forge a dynasty rather than fretting over the lack of fresh coriander.

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Firaxis Games brought a demo of XCOM 2 to E3, and today released a short gameplay video to the public. The 10-minute clip shows off the new setting for the franchise, which picks up some 20 years after humanity has capitulated to a superior alien force.

The single mission takes place in an urban area, where members of a heavily-armed force referred to as Advent are deployed to protect a press conference. The event is being held to commemorate Unification Day, the anniversary of the day two decades ago when humanity fell. The target for XCOM forces, now playing the role of guerilla-style fighters, is a statue. It's a sabotage mission, something entirely new to the series.

The Advent's messaging, delivered by friendly news organizations...

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Hannibal was a beautiful, bloody look at the slow seduction of one many by another. So you know, basically ratings gold. The fact the show never found a huge audience wasn't shocking, but the reality of the three seasons produced was almost more than most fans of the show were expecting.

The show has been cancelled by NBC. The third season, airing now, will be its last.

"We have been tremendously proud of Hannibal over its three seasons," NBC said in a statement. "Bryan and his team of writers and producers, as well as our incredible actors, have brought a visual palette of storytelling that has been second to none in all of television — broadcast or cable. We thank Gaumont and everyone involved in the show for their tireless ...

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Valve launched this year's Steam Summer Sale today, the "Monster Summer Sale," offering a wide variety of deals from today through June 21.

The Monster Summer Sale kicks off with daily deals on the Metro franchise, Grand Theft Auto 5, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, the XCOM franchise, Valkyria Chronicles and more. Flash sales, which last 12 hours, are available for titles such as Mirror's Edge, Fez and Papers, Please.

Along with the Summer Sale comes a "minigame" in which the Steam community can unlock additional sales. Users can collect the 10 Steam trading cards available for the Summer Sale to craft the Summer Sale badge. Then they can play a "Monster Summer Game" to help their team level up, unlock abilities and achieve community...

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Paradox are preparing to inject some of that “Khan-do” spirit into Crusader Kings II [official site]. The eighth major expansion for the grand strategy masterpiece was announced a couple of days ago. I didn’t report on it at the time because Paradox had dropped me in the middle of an altogether different war and I was somewhat distracted (full coverage of that on Monday).

The Horse Lords deserves my attention though. If the new nomadic and horde mustering mechanics are effective, it could be as impressive an addition as The Old Gods. Trailer and full details below.

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Here at RPS, we like XCOM: Enemy Unknown so much that we named it the 12th best strategy game of all time. When Firaxis announced the sequel, the entire RPS team smiled, simultaneously for the first time since 1992. That doesn’t mean we’ll be happy with more of the same though and when we asked strategy expert Rob Zacny to contemplate the best possible XCOM 2, he made some bold suggestions. Bring back the fear, he says, and if your game is about insurgency, learn from the best.

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XCOM 2, a sequel to 2012's celebrated turn-based strategy game XCOM: Enemy Unknown, will be released this November, publisher 2K Games announced today.

It will be available only on Windows PC at launch, followed at a later date by Mac and Linux versions courtesy of Feral Interactive. Enemy Unknown debuted in October 2012 on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was followed by an expansion, XCOM: Enemy Within, in November 2013.

XCOM 2 is in development at Firaxis Games, the studio behind Enemy Unknown and the Civilization franchise. It is the game that publisher 2K Games teased last week as "Advent." As you can see in the XCOM 2 CG teaser trailer above, XCOM is now a guerrilla operation in which humanity is secretly fighting back against...

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It’s happening: Netflix has ordered a 13-episode season of Fuller House. John Stamos will produce the Full House sequel and guest star in his reprised role of Uncle Jesse. Candace Cameron-Bure, Jodie Sweetin and Andrea Barber will star. Discussions with other Full House cast members Bob Saget, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Dave Coulier and Lori Loughlin are said to be "ongoing." Jeff Franklin returns as the show’s creator.

Fuller House continues the Full House adventures, albeit this time with a gender reversal. Pregnant and recently widowed DJ Tanner-Fuller (Cameron-Bure) is living with her younger sister (Sweetin) and lifelong best friend (Barber) and her "feisty" teenage daughter. All join to help raise DJ’s two boys and prepare for...

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The one certainty with news items about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. [official site] is there’s at least a 70 percent chance they’ve been planted by Jim. Thanks Jim!

GOG.com continues to blow the horn in support of DRM-free everything with a new game reclaiming service, which you can check it out for yourself in this generously placed link. The idea is that if you bought a game legitimately but the game no longer works because of unsupported DRM or other causes, then you can enter your original game key in order to get a free copy of the game through GOG’s DRM-free online store.

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Oh thank goodness. After 77,000 backers, $4 million raised and nearly three years in development, Obsidian’s Pillars Of Eternity [official site] is here, and it’s just stunning.

This is the RPG I’ve been craving since Planescape: Torment, the first to win my absolute love since Dragon Age: Origin. It’s a vast, deep and wonderfully written game, malleable to how you want to approach the genre, replete with companions, side-quests, an enormously involved combat system, and lasts a solid 60 hours. Here’s wot I think:

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