What’s better: funicular fights or elaborate corridor architecture?

throwing knives are better than active reload. I enjoyed the spirited discussion over which throwing knives are good and which are bad. I can’t help but feel active reload didn’t get a fair shake because so few games do it outside Gears Of War, but the results are science and we must continue. This week, I suppose our choices are both about architecture, but in very different ways. What’s better: funicular fights or elaborate corridor architecture?

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Pharaoh A New Era review: the venerable city builder king has never looked better

Pharaoh came out in 1999, almost 25 years ago. It was one of that era’s City Building series that included Zeus and all of the Caesars, a run of games so good that they earned the capital letters. Pharaoh also happens to be one of my foundational video games, and I played it when I was knee-high to my big brother’s desk, at a time when family homes had one (1) yellow-grey computer with a CRT screen. And now it’s back, baby.

Pharaoh: A New Era means I can play that game of my childhood on my shiny black RGB-lit bastard. Honestly though, the “A New Era” part is a bit much. Sure, the updated graphics are fabulous and the quality of life changes mean it plays like smooth peanut butter to the 90s’ extra crunchy. It’s a good remake of a solid game, but the mummy in the casket is fundamentally the same.

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Before We Leave devs next chill city builder is set on top of a giant space whale

Before We Leave was a chill, planet-hopping city builder with the occasional space whale who might hoover up your world’s hexagonal tiles. Now developer Balancing Monkey is back for another go at spacefaring management, but this time your city is built on top of a space whale, rather than being terrorised by one. Their follow-up, Beyond These Stars, will be hitting early access on PC later this year.

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