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It could also spell good news for future Steam releases. EAC is free to developers and relatively easy to implement, so is likely to be the anti-cheat of choice for many more games to come; as such, issues arising from a lack of compatible anti-cheat might not be as common. With Valve’s own VAC and now EAC clearing the way, one notable anti-cheat holdout is BattlEye. This would currently hamstring some of Steam’s other most popular online games, including Plunkbat and Rainbow Six Siege, much in the same way that EAC would before Epic brought it to Deck-ready platforms....

Before we get stuck in, here’s the sitch. PC code for FF Origin went out a bit late, so the thoughts below are my initial impressions of the game based on the chunk I’ve played so far, which is about half the game. This isn’t a full review, but I also can’t see my thoughts changing. Anyway. Let’s embrace Chaos. Final Fantasy Origin isn’t a direct retelling of the original Final Fantasy, but more of a story that takes place in a parallel universe....

The developers of Suspicious Developments describe Tactical Breach Wizards as a “small-scale, turn-based tactics game where you play a team of wizards in modern-day tactical gear, breaching and clearing rooms full of armed hostiles by making clever use of interesting spells.” I’ve had my eye on TacWiz for a bit now because it honestly looks like a good laugh. I may not be a fantastic tactitian, but I really enjoy turn-based tactical puzzles....

As with past Tales Of games, the new Arise trailer shows how players will be able to prepare meals to restore party members’ health or give them buffs. In Arise, you’ll also be able to go fishing for ingredients and raise livestock too. There appears to be a bit of management involved in the livestock rearing process as well, posting dogs and cats as guards for the stables and checking on the growth of your animals....

But this column isn’t about games that I haven’t played! It’s about those I have, and this week the ones I’ve got for you are proper fun. They’re all chilled puzzle games, I suppose, although the form of their puzzles are very different. But they’re also all about art (kinda; you’ll need to trust me on the third one) and emotions, and are perfect for a bank holiday weekend....

So, inspired by that, this week I’ve got three text-based games for you, but with a twist. They each do something a bit different, maybe in how they play with the format, or how they bring in interactivity. For a bonus, definitely check out the Pokémon parody in a font file that Lauren wrote about a couple of weeks back. Sarawak Who’s it by? Cowleyfornia Studios Where can I get it?...

“Hell is other people,” wrote Jean-Paul Sartre. “But also my favourite level in Doom.” He was a smart man, and he probably lives in hell now, on account of all the atheism. But listen, hell doesn’t seem that bad. Bit hot. Bit demonic. You could do a lot worse than a trip to the underworld, is what I’m saying, and as luck would have it, we have the perfect means for you to go there without singeing your eyebrows or being dunked in a toxic lake for eternity....

I have always struggled with sleep, you see. It doesn’t happen regularly, nor when I invite it. It simply comes when it comes (I’ve tried whatever you’re about to suggest, thanks), and I’ve learned that it’s best to take advantage of it when it does. But games have sometimes helped, in those cases where the brother of Death lingered awkwardly on the doorstep. Here then, are some of the soundtracks I’ve consistently dropped off to....

Burley Bean Bowl - Final Fantasy XV It’s basically a chilli con chocobo. Chocobean, I mean. Excuse my slip. I don’t put chocobo meat in my bean bowl. Who would do that? Anyway, bespectacled chef and walking thoughtful-face emoji, Ignis, is the man who keeps the party well-fed on this JRPG road trip across Eos. And there is a frankly concerning amount of meals to be eaten on this journey (when you’re not lazily scoffing Cup Noodles™)....

Announced last month, the Historical Collection bundles together the first four Anno games - from 1998’s Anno 1602 to series high-point Anno 1404 - cleaning them up for a fresh start on modern hardware. These are some proper old games mind, with the oldest (Anno 1602) being only a little younger than myself. While Ubi aren’t giving them a dramatic remastering, the “History Edition” rereleases update each game to 64-bit to tidy up stability issues....

I don’t quite have the pizazz of a Bowie. The persona that emerges through my dialogue options and sartorial choices is more of a Marty McFly: a guitar-shredding virtuoso decked in a Buddy Holly outfit. The game only took me two and a half hours to beat, but you could spend considerably longer perusing the costume creator that pops up halfway through. Likewise, picking a suitable rockstar descriptor at the outset of the quest: it tickles me that voice actor, Michael Johnston, had to bellow loads of these, selling the “Hello Wembley!...

You will need to choose your team wisely to beat Nightmare difficulty, and we’re here to help with our guide to Back 4 Blood’s best characters. The best characters in Back 4 Blood Let’s cut to the chase - the best characters in Back 4 Blood are Hoffman, Mom, Doc, and Holly. If you’re struggling to beat Nightmare or even Veteran difficulty, this combination is your best bet. Resources are incredibly scarce in Back 4 Blood, and this team will help you survive when your inventories are empty and things are looking bleak....

Below you’ll find a collection of the very best platform games on PC - including puzzle platformers, physics platformers, platformers with roguelike elements, and platformers about absolutely nothing but pixel-perfect jumping. Best platform games on PC Cuphead Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove Inside The Cave Braid Mark Of The Ninja Gunpoint Grow Home Spelunky Super Meat Boy Mirror’s Edge N++ Celeste VVVVVV Psychonauts Rayman Origins Cuphead Cuphead. We’ve all seen it....

The stuttering and slowing down whenever anything moves is especially problematic in a horror game where your survival depends on quickly dodge-reacting to sudden threats. So I can’t, right now, recommend you get The Callisto Protocol on PC. If Striking Distance get it running properly? Eh. Maybe. I playtested the game on PC for a few hours, which is why the screens I’ve got (aside from the header, which is a PR shot) are from the early part of the game....

There is game chat, yes, but also a lot of talk about pizzas, Matthew’s concerns about eating pork, and the British Museum. Strangely, we are low on fish chat this week. I think over time we are gradually transitioning to being a podcast about the specific food anxieties of one man. You can listen above, or on on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or Pocket Casts. You can find the RSS feed here, and you can discuss the episode on our Discord channel, which has a dedicated room for podcast chat....

There’s only a brief intermission to discuss what counts as a mystery (mysteries being a topic we designate “Matthew Kibble”, similar to “Nate Bait”), but watch out for the extended break where I choke with laughter because Matthew has to take a Rennie, live on air. We also introduce a lot of Adrian Chiles chat. Only time can tell if Chiles will become a regular podcast character. Also: yes I did get the episode number wrong....

The Expanse: A Telltale Game was revealed during last year’s The Game Awards, and stars the telly show actor Cara Gee. Telltale seem to have the claustrophobic tin-can atmosphere of the show down from today’s new footage, and the graphical style they’ve chosen for this one is impressively television-esque compared to The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us. Good to see you’ll be able to fire people out of airlocks and float around in zero-gravity too....

The Mother series of RPGs is near the top of my mental list of games that won’t ever see another sequel. Mother 3 was released in 2006 and never launched outside of Japan. EarthBound (Mother 2) was the last to have an English translation and any chance of seeing the series again feels impossibly unlikely. A group of fans have been working to create their own Mother 4 game since before 2014 but it was beginning to feel like even the fan version of the series would never launch....

Time to enjoy your lovely joke! Q: Which RPG character do you always want on your quiz team? A: Geralt of Trivia

Set in the second half of 1942, a time when the Battle of the Atlantic was delicately poised, Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter will put us on the rain-lashed bridge of USS Janson, a fictional Fletcher-class destroyer. Janson, together with three AI-controlled-but-taskable companions, has been given the job of ensuring an “important convoy” reaches Blighty with minimal losses. Judging by the trailer and the information released thus far, the commission won’t be an easy one....