Starfield’s different playstyles lets you be more than just a shooty-shooty space cowboy

If you’re like me and thought that Starfield was just gonna be a shooty shooty space cowboy game, then think again. Revealed during the Starfield Direct that happened just after the Xbox Games Showcase, Bethesda highlighted a number of different playstyles that Starfield will be able to facilitate when it launches this September, including everything from being gung-ho all lasers blazing to a stealthy assassin.

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The Hardspace: Shipbreaker dev’s new game is a sci-fi deckbuilder with Battlestar Galactica vibes

Okay, so you’re not being chased by an army of murderous robots that are only seconds behind you, but you’re still jumping around trying to find a new home for the last of humanity who managed to escape a doomed planet. Earthless is a roguelike deckbuilder from Blackbird Interactive, although you wouldn’t know it from the cinematic teaser trailer shown at the PC Gaming Show tonight, which was heavy on the dramatic yet hopeful voiceover. As the captain of the fleet, your job is to lead everyone to a safe harbour.

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Citizen Sleeper 2 is real and I couldn’t be happier

When solo developer Gareth Damian Martin started teasing they were working on another project together with Citizen Sleeper‘s composer Amos Roddy and character artist Guillaume Singelin last month, I didn’t even dare to hope that it might be another Citizen Sleeper game. I adored the first one – and even picked it for May’s RPS Game Club – but the prospect of a sequel seemed almost too good to be true. Happily, tonight’s PC Gaming Show brought the news I was waiting for. After a dramatic animated trailer reveal, I’m happy to report that Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is indeed a real thing, and I spoke to Damian Martin earlier this week to find out all about it.

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The Banner Saga devs announce a side-scrolling brawler that’s not as depressing as The Banner Saga

Looks like I won’t be regretting every in-game decision I’ve ever made with Stoic’s new game Towerborne. It’s an action RPG that looks much more light-hearted than the studio’s previous Viking-ish trilogy The Banner Saga, where I killed every character I loved and made a host of bad choices. Announced during the Xbox Game Showcase at this year’s not-E3, Towerborne looks much more family-friendly. Which is lucky because you’ll be wanting to grab family members, as it’s also a co-op adventure. Check out the trailer below.

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Jumplight Odyssey is just the right balance of spaceship pressure cooker

I’ve been itching to get my hands on League Of Geeks’ new roguelike colony sim ever since I first clapped eyes on its 70s anime-infused visuals back in November last year. The good news is that you’ll soon be able to do exactly that, as tonight’s PC Gaming Show confirmed that Jumplight Odyssey will be getting a Steam Next Fest demo on June 19th. That’s just over a week away at time of writing, and having played an early version of that demo myself, I’m pleased to report that it’s shaping up very nicely indeed – even if my first attempt ended in catastrophic disaster after I was boarded by half a dozen crews of angry green alien lads.

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Cyberpunk 2077’s Phantom Liberty expansion totally transforms the game’s combat

I’ve spent around an hour with Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, the one and only expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 starring your boy Idris Elba. Yes, I saw him in the game, and yes, he fits in great. But what really struck me about the new DLC was how it had morphed the overall combat into a chunkier, more flavoursome affair. Whereas before your guns had about as much impact as the buzz of your phone in silent mode, they now feel like they’ve got some real weight behind each trigger pull. The new area of Dogtown is pretty sweet, too.

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Spiritfarer studio’s next game is a 33-player roguelike based on MMO raids

MMO raids can be some of the most satisfying experiences in multiplayer gaming, so it’s a shame that they’re so often one of the last things you gain access to after a whole lot of time and grinding. That makes me very interested in 33 Immortals, the newly announced next game from Jotun and Spiritfarer studio Thunder Lotus. It’s a 33-player cooperative action roguelikelike which they say offers “ultra-fast runs through a streamlined distillation of the MMO raid experience,” with “pick-up and raid” matchmaking. Huh!

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PC Gaming Show 2023 liveblog

Welcome to our PC Gaming Show liveblog, where we’ll be bringing you some extremely live coverage of PC Gamer’s contribution to the current NotE3/Summer Game Fest proceedings. If it’s anything like last year’s, the 2023 PC Gaming Show will be a breathless barrage of PC-focused game announcements, reveals, and trailers – and myself and Liam will be on hand to relay them all, one or two lines at a time.

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I wish Mortal Kombat 1 had a modern control scheme like Street Fighter 6

Mortal Kombat 1 is surely going to delight fans of fighting games and fans of Mortal Kombat. Having given it a whirl for around 45 minutes at Summer Game Fest, I’m convinced it’s gorgeous, gory, and guaranteed to please a demanding electronic sports audience who can actually memorise inputs and string together combos. Yet, the entirety of my time with Mortal Kombat 1 had me desperate for an equivalent to Street Fighter 6‘s modern control scheme: a simplified remap of the buttons which enables anyone to hop in and do cool moves.

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Cocoon is easily one of the best games at Summer Game Fest 2023

Right folks, listen up: from just 30 minutes of Cocoon, I’m already convinced it’s one of the best games here at Summer Game Fest 2023. It’s the Annapurna one masterminded by Jeppe Carlsen, the lead gameplay designer for Playdead’s Inside. And in the 30 minutes I spent with it, I actually sat up on the sofa and did a colossal goblin lean towards the telly in full view of everyone. I needed to commune properly with the mighty insect lad, who hoists orbs that contain entire worlds onto his back in the game’s wonderful mix of puzzler and top-down action. He commanded my full attention and he got it all.

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