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Painted Kingdoms combines real-time strategy with firefighting on lavish maps made entirely of paper
PC

Painted Kingdoms combines real-time strategy with firefighting on lavish maps made entirely of paper

It takes a lot to get me interested in anything tower-defensive these days, and I'm getting pretty grouchy about paper-based aesthetics, too, but "minimalist strategy game" Painted Kingdoms combines them to promising effect. It takes place in a living book, where each chapter is illustrated according to a different cultural heritage, extending from Europe to China. As a roving general-hero, your job is to build a settlement by filling in the blank pages with your magic brush, giving rise to bot

Pretend you own an undelayed Steam Machine with this fine Steam Deck dock, now 33% off in the Amazon Spring Sale
PC

Pretend you own an undelayed Steam Machine with this fine Steam Deck dock, now 33% off in the Amazon Spring Sale

The new Steam Machine remains an almost tragically distant prospect, despite Valve’s attempts at reassurance. But y’ know what the next best thing is? Not caring about hardware release dates, obviously. The second next best thing is to equip a Steam Deck with Ugreen’s handy 9-in-1 docking station, which is down from $60 to $40 in the Amazon US Spring Sale – and isn’t all that expensive in the UK either. Read more

One of my favourite gaming keyboards is back to its record low price for the US Amazon Spring Sale
PC

One of my favourite gaming keyboards is back to its record low price for the US Amazon Spring Sale

The Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless has been a long-time favourite mechanical keyboard of mine. That's because of its highly functional, near-full-size layout, its smooth, lubricated switches, and just the sense that the entire package feels thoughtful and well-put-together. I tried looking for a deal for in in the UK, sadly to no avail, though our US pals will be happy to learn it's currently $130 from Amazon US in their Spring Sale (that, for some strange reason, is happening over a week

Imagine GTA with AI-generated characters "just going along with whatever insane thing you say," muses Valve writer, absent-mindedly spotlighting what terrifies me about genAI
PC

Imagine GTA with AI-generated characters "just going along with whatever insane thing you say," muses Valve writer, absent-mindedly spotlighting what terrifies me about genAI

Like many people at companies preoccupied with discovering the next "goose that lays the golden egg", Half-Life 2 and Portal writer Erik Wolpaw has been "poking around" with generative AI. He and a small team at Valve have been testing out different applications, in what Wolpaw assures us isn't a "concerted" effort at implementing the soul-regurgitating, workforce-abrading gadgetry in any particular new game. Wolpaw's current feeling is that generative AI isn't very good at anything "creative",

Only a "skeletal crew" are left working on Fallout: London, and the massive mod's next DLC will miss a planned April release window
PC

Only a "skeletal crew" are left working on Fallout: London, and the massive mod's next DLC will miss a planned April release window

Around the turn of the new year, Fallout: London developers Team FOLON teased plans to drop the second of the brilliantly British Fallout 4 mod's second DLC in early 2026, assuming no hiccups got in the way of those plans. Sadly, it seems that's exactly what's happened, necessitating the "skeletal crew" still working on the mod to push Last Orders beyond a projected April release window. Read more