Galactic Civilizations 3 is developer Stardock’s space-based 4X strategy game, which proved good enough to earn itself a twinkling Recommended badge when it fell under the Eurogamer review-o-matic’s gaze back in 2015. “If you’ve sunk hundreds of hours into GalCiv 2, it may seem early on like you’re playing an HD upgrade rather than a sequel,” wrote reviewer Richie Shoemaker, “but once ship production is in full swing and the fleets are massing on the borders, you start to appreciate all that is new…[it’s] well deserving of the GalCiv name and offers enough in the way of traditional features and modern scalability to secure the series’ place at the very top of the 4X tech tree”....

Splitgate - which has been described as “Halo meets Portal” in some quarters - made quite the splash last year. Despite having been around on PC since May 2019, an open crossplay beta for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC proved so popular that 1047 Games elected to delay the game’s multi-platform early access launch in order to better accommodate its surge in popularity. 1047 Games has continued to build on that success in the months since, most recently launching Splitgate’s beta season two in July....

Other Android TV devices will also get Stadia support on the same date - the full list of officially supported screens and devices lies below. Even if your telly isn’t on the list, you can “opt into experimental support” to play Stadia, though “not every Android TV OS device will work pefectly”, Google warns. Stadia’s app will, as you might expect, become available via the Play Store and will support Stadia controllers and other compatible Bluetooth pads....

It’s the latest in a long-line of record-breaking stats for Valve, which first saw the number of concurrent users climb at the start of the pandemic in 2020. The all-time peak now sits at 28,230,853 concurrent players. “Concurrent users saw strong growth during 2020, due to the impact of COVID-19, but it’s clear that growth also continued to persist in 2021,” explains industry analyst, Daniel Ahmad, before pointing out that it’s the post-Christmas period that seemingly proves particularly popular for Steam....

Steam’s Big Picture mode first surfaced back in 2012, introducing an optional new UI for Valve’s storefront specifically designed for use with televisions and controllers. It’s changed in barely noticeable increments since then, lagging far behind Valve’s recent major overhaul for Steam’s desktop mode, but as of today, it’s out with the old and in with the new. Just as it promised last July, Valve has now replaced the old Big Picture mode with the far more modern UI created for its handheld gaming PC, Steam Deck....

Whilst not quite as impactful as the last patch, the game’s Steam page explains how the update hopes to address “exploits and stability issues”. The long bulletpointed list includes mostly quality of life (QoL) fixes, but some new game server settings will now enable server operator to “limit the amount of processing time the gamer server can spend on processing packets for each client per tick”. Clients that send packets causing server CPU processing time to exceed the configured number of milliseconds will be kicked....

Here’s the official blurb: “Lidia has always been an upright and resolute woman. She believes that justice requires absolute power, which is why she has shown great interest in karate from a very young age. The loss of her father stoked her interest in the family tradition of politics. Lidia showed great qualities in both areas, entering and winning her first karate world championship at 18, and more recently being one of the youngest rising stars in the Polish political arena....

On November 2 1947 the Hughes H-4 Hercules took its one and only flight. Setting off from just beyond the coastline of Long Beach, the Hughes H-4 - or Spruce Goose as it came to be known in deference to the wood that made up its duramold composite - was airborne for some 26 seconds, never getting above 100ft for a flight that saw it cover just over a mile....

Despite its presentation as a handheld console of sorts, the Steam Deck is ultimately a PC, meaning a whole range of accessories can be used to enhance your gaming experience. This includes headsets, keyboards, even monitors, all thanks to the multi-function USB-C port. On this page you’ll find everything you need to make the most out of your new Steam Deck. On this page: Ghostwire Tokyo: Deluxe Edition - £53....

Monthly active users rose from 32 million in 2019 to 56 million in December 2020, Epic announced in a blog post. That’s a big jump, but the Epic Games Store still has some way to go before it catches up with market leader Steam. Earlier this month, Valve announced Steam had over 120 million monthly active users. There are now over 160 million Epic Games Store PC users, Epic said....

Nintendo had originally planned for a 2022 release. However, in a video statement, series producer Eiji Aonuma announced the game has been pushed back. “For those of you who have been looking forward to a release this year, we apologise,” he said. “As previously announced, the adventure in this sequel will take place not just on the ground as in the previous game, but also in the skies above. “However, the expanded world goes beyond that, and there will be an even wider variety of features you can enjoy, including new encounters and new gameplay elements....

To help you out, this guide covers exactly how long the Medium is and how many missions the game consists of. This way, you can decide whether you want to invest your time in this psychological horror game. If you’ve already decided to play the game, however, check out our guides on the finding the tie clip, conference room puzzle, the secret door code, The Medium’s achievements, finding Thomas’s hidden room and The Medium story guide for a selection of tips for the game....

The Sims is, of course, known for its sandbox gameplay. But scenarios add mission style objectives for a more focused experience. As a blog post explains, “the fun part is that there are different outcomes per Scenario and that there are many ways to achieve those outcomes. This means that there is more than one way to complete one Scenario so you as Simmers have multiple options toward the outcome that you want....

Morgues. All I have to do is write the word and it evokes a reaction. These places are steeped in our fundamental fears and preoccupations with death, and those fears and preoccupations are preyed upon by entertainment and amped up for horrors or police dramas. Chances are, you’ve never been in a morgue, but I bet you have an idea of what one looks like. I’ve been thinking about morgues this week because I’ve been in a couple and they made a strong impression on me....

The options for discounted Pokemon controllers are pretty limited to the most recent starters, with an option for Sobble, Grookey, Scorbunny, and one that has all of them combined (the cheapest one, interestingly). Wireless controllers are seen as pretty helpful for Switch uses, especially to those who like a more classic gaming experience. Speaking personally, they’re certainly more comfortable to hold than the regular Switch Joy-Cons, even slotted into the controller attachment....

Though details are light - more will be revealed in an upcoming livestream set for 21st August - we do learn more about new a 1 Health and 3 Speed Attacker Grim, a Singaporean with one goal: “to get the job done”. “Grim’s experience in the EOD taught him how easily things can blow up when a target’s position and proximity is unknown,” Ubisoft teases in a blog update. “That’s where the Kawan Hive Launcher comes in, with no reload and a low fire rate the launcher allows for versatile gameplay, using Intel-Gathering and Area Denial to counter roamers, make entry, and protect objectives....

Development will, according to an announcement buried at the bottom of Call of Duty’s most recent community update, be handled by long-time Call of Duty studio Infinity Ward. The developer is also said to be working on a new Warzone “experience”, both being designed together and both built from the “ground up” using a new engine. The announcement of a new Warzone was also expected - Bloomberg reported a follow-up to the Call of Duty themed Battle Royale experience was in the works several weeks ago - but it remains a curious proposition....

The streamer tweeted the news, stating: “I talked to the Chief of Police of London Police Services and I am no longer a suspect in the investigation. They are now acknowledging this situation as swatting.” A statement from police chief Steve Williams further confirms this. “As a result of further investigation, we do not believe that the threatening emails received by City Hall officials originated with Ms. Sorrenti,” it reads....

There are lots of ways to earn Kudosh and money, but only one way to get Course Points in Two Point Campus during the main campaign, which we’ll detail below, along with how to raise the Campus Level. How to get Course Points in Two Point Campus The only way to get Course Points during the main campaign of Two Point Campus is by raising your Campus Level. This is separate to each campus’ star rating, but you do need to raise your Campus Level to achieve multiple stars in each campus....

The developer said it had noticed the “rising issue” of players abusing AFK methods in recent weeks, which it said had disrupted play in the competitive online shooter. Last night, Ubisoft issued a wave of manual sanctions as it confirmed it was “evaluating design changes” to address the problem. Meanwhile, it’s adding new automatic AFK detections. Ubisoft also called on players to report those found abusing AFK methods. Why go AFK in Siege?...