Innehållsförteckning för issue 272 från PC Powerplay

Corsair’s just added a new cooler to its popular Hydro series - the H100i PRO Liquid CPU Cooler. (Note: this is for cooling CPUs with liquid, not for cooling liquid CPUs, which aren’t a thing) Also, wait, the full name is even longer... so we’ll only say this once: CORSAIR Hydro Series H100i PRO RGB 240mm Liquid CPU Cooler. Lordy. Anyhoo, the H100i PRO boasts a pump-head lit by shiny RGB LEDs, connected to a 24mm radiator with two ML120 PWM magnetic levitation fans. The low friction fans spin very quietly, while PWM power allows for precise control of fan speeds. And the whole thing works with Corsairs’ iCUE software so you can get all your RGB hardware synced up and looking cool, while the lighting on the pumphead can…

“ The industry is well supported with a variety of grants available from Creative Victoria and Film Victoria” PCPP: In a time when there’s a vocal minority that calls for politics to be left out of games, Ice Caves of Europa seems to put them front and center – why do you think that’s important? Conor: If games are to be taken seriously as a mature medium, there needs to be games that are more than just entertainment. Game design is just like any other creative pursuit such as writing, painting, or directing. In film for example, there’s room for action-packed summer blockbusters with little plot but lots of explosions, as well as thoughtful ‘indie’ films that deal with important or difficult topics. The same should be true of games…

1 Throw Anything DEVELOPER VISUALLIGHT PUBLISHER VISUALLIGHT DUE NOW www.vltgame.com/ Another one that just scraped in to the issue, but looks really cool. It’s a VR game, but the premise is hilarious – you’re trapped in an apartment, and need to hold off the zombie hordes. The kick is that EVERYTHING is a possible weapon. Out of ammo? No problemo! Just smash anything – and everything is destructible – and throw the bits at the shambling dead. Even NPCs can be tossed to their doom, and your salvation. It’s smash or be killed. 2 Guacamelee! 2 DEVELOPER DRINKBOX STUDIOS PUBLISHER DRINKBOX STUDIOS DUE AUGUST 2018 www.guacamelee2.com This one pops into Steam in that awkward spot between this magazine going to the printers (so we can’t review it), and it going…

In a way, this is a preview. Little did I know at the time when I bought my tickets, Simosity is only in its soft-launch phase. For those unaware, Simosity is most easily described as Sydney’s answer to Melbourne’s Zero Latency VR experience. At its core, Simosity is a VR experience. But instead of standing or sitting you move around in the real world and your avatar is tracked in real-time with unnoticeable latency. This is achieved by wearing a Ghostbusters-like backpack. While it’s not overly cumbersome, the weight of it combined with the headset and an assault rifle peripheral, as well as the 1km+ ground you cover in around half an hour of play time makes for a sweaty experience. I’ve played it twice now, both times co-petitively. Y’see,…

“It’s a great idea, but in practice it feels more like you’re simply checking details off a list.” DEVELOPER DONTNOD ENTERTAINMENT • PUBLISHER FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE • PRICE $US49.99 • AVAILABLE AT STEAM www.vampyr-game.com The older I get, the more I suspect I’m going to be saying this quite a lot about games: “I really wanted to like X, but…” So, let’s get this out of the way now, shall we? I really wanted to like Vampyr, but all it really made me think as I was playing it was that I’d much rather be playing Dishonored instead. Now, to be fair, it did make me also think how much some of Vampyr’s mechanics would really add to Arkane Studio’s game of leaping assassins stabbing people in the face. Vampyr…

“Controls are wonderfully precise, and you can even play pretty well on keyboard.” DEVELOPER CYBERNETIC WALRUS • PUBLISHER ICEBERG INTERACTIVE • PRICE $24.99 • AVAILABLE AT STEAM www.antigraviator.com Antigraviator is one of those games that wears its heart upon its racing sleeve, and that very definitely belongs to Wipeout series of games made popular on various PlayStation iterations – a game that happens to be that rare racing game I am madly fond of. And while Antigraviator may not bring much new to the genre, it’s a loving enough remake that it’s easy to sink some time into. It’s great in short bursts of intense racing that are guaranteed to – let me check my wrist – yes, definitely getting the old pace racing. But the game lacks some of…

“For everyone else, there’s a compelling survival experience that rewards the curious player...” DEVELOPER ENDNIGHT GAMES • PUBLISHER ENDNIGHT GAMES • PRICE $US19.99 • AVAILABLE AT STEAM endnightgames.com/games/the-forest I’ve had a love-love relationship with The Forest since I first bought it in 2015. At that stage, despite its Early Access state and complete lack of a story, the core gameplay loop was incredibly compelling. I have incredibly fond memories of spending an entire night in the ocean, risking the potential of sharks (which, as I later discovered, weren’t in the game at that point) rather than dealing with the howling horrors that lurked in my base above. Fast forward a couple of years, and I revisited The Forest with a few friends, playing around 20 hours over the course of…

“Your agents are professionals, and will either do minimum or maximum damage with each shot.” DEVELOPER CREATIVEFORGE GAMES • PUBLISHER GOOD SHEPHERD ENTERTAINMENT • PRICE $TBC • AVAILABLE AT STEAM goodshepherd.games/games/phantom-doctrine I like to imagine the elevator pitch for Phantom Doctrine was pretty simple. “It’s XCOM, but for spies!” and someone at Good Shepherd went “Heck yes!” But it’s also a pitch which doesn’t do the game any justice, because in a lot of ways it is far, far better. Phantom Doctrine’s core loop is almost identical to XCOM’s – the game switches from managing the strategic picture of the Cold War during the 1980s, to the tactical stage of running operations across various global hotspots with your team of agents. But whereas XCOM is almost entirely about shooting aliens…

AMD is on a roll that started with the Zen-core Ryzen, and now we have what is potentially the most powerful consumer/prosumer CPU you can buy. While this isn’t a CPU intended for gaming, strictly speaking, it can game within single digit percentage points of Intel’s best when you look at single core performance, AND stream effortlessly at the same time. The number of people doing that is increasing by the day, and, for people that do run apps that can leverage this abundance of processing power, Threadripper 2 is true wonder of the computing world. It’s pleasing to see AMD’s continued confidence in the Zen core, and with that, its drive to keep pushing. It’s only been just over a year since Ryzen launched, though it feels like longer.…

PRICE $5181 www.dell.com.au Alienware has been making gaming products since before the turn of the century, well before its acquisition by Dell. In years past Alienware was something of a boutique manufacturer, but with access to Dell’s market reach and economies of scale, Alienware products challenge as some of the most desirable gaming products available, like the 2018 Alienware R4 we are reviewing here. It has a spec to match all but the very highest end laptops on the market. The Alienware R4 can be highly customised, with a variety of CPUs and Nvidia GPUs to choose from. The spec we have on hand is one of the top configurations available, with a price to match. Let’s start with an overclockable Intel i9-8950HK and Max-Q 8GB GTX 1080. Add in…

PRICE $179 www.corsair.com It’s really, really nice to open up a box, slap a set of headphones around your ears, and actually get excited. It’s easy to get a little jaded in this old reviewing business, so remembering just how important a truly good product can be is kinda cool. And exciting, important, and cool pretty much sums up the new HS70 headphones from Corsair. There’s a lot to like, but the key feature will always be sound, and the HS70 cans manage to balance gaming pedigree with everyday subtlety. Many gaming headphones boost the lower range to punch up gunshots and explosions with chest-pounding power, but the HS70s, while offering clear and solid audio in-game, don’t go too far over the top. More importantly, the virtual 7.1 surround sound…

PRICE $69.95 www.hyperxgaming.com First things first, yes, this is a console headset. So, you may well ask “David. Mate, what do you think you’re doing?” Well, the lines have blurred considerably on console/PC hardware over the last few years, and while the HyperX Cloud Stinger Core (I can only assume no one could settle on a single name) proudly proclaims its PS4 compatibility, it works on just about any device – Xbox, your smartphone, and yes, your PC. On top that, given that it’s short cable is designed for plugging into a controller – and many PC gamers do use controllers – we feel it’s still a realistic use-case. So, my answer: “Mate, hear me out.” They say first impressions are everything, but the Cloud Stinger Core is actually –…

PRICE $189.00 www.gigabyte.com/au/ Gigabyte’s latest gaming keyboard, the Aorus K9 Optical, looks like exactly the kind of keyboard I prefer. Sure, I’m more than a little cynical about the RGB lighting fad, but otherwise it’s a classic keyboard design, reassuringly slab-like in both appearance and apparent construction. It sits on your desk, weighty and immobile, and the all-black, relatively unadorned construction goes with any PC setup. And while I have been warming to the K9’s big selling point – its optical switches - I’m still not entirely sold on them compared to my usual, trusty, Cherry MX-powered keyboard. The K9’s switches are optical, but they’re also still mechanical, by the way. There’s still a hardware-based switch, but the actuation is based on an optical trigger. The benefit is that, being…

Pathfinder is arguably the most celebrated of all Dungeons & Dragons spinoff settings, with a rich setting and even richer ruleset based off the D20 engine - and the video game iteration is hitting PC in September this year! DeepSilver made the announcement this morning that Pathfinder: Kingmaker will be released on the 25th of September, and this gives us some serious hype. The game is set in the Stolen Lands and explores characters and locations both well known to tabletop fans, and all new creations for the game on PC. One of the most interesting features is the ability to found a whole kingdom, which reflects the player’s character and their beliefs and the choices they’ve made in game.…

Warner is being kind of... a jerk when it boasts that this new update for Middle of Earth: Shadow of War is ‘free’. I should hope so, since it largely exists to fix up problems that were baked into the game at launch. The new update streamlines the endgame Shadow Wars, and adds in new narrations from the Witch King, Talion, and - fucking hell - Shelob. Winning this part of game also unlocks new rewards, and you can keep on on upgrading your fortresses after the campaign finishes. There are also new customisation options and a new level cap - it’s boosted up to 80 now - and Nemesis mission now offer more XP for faster campaign progression. There are also new Legendary Orcs to cut to pieces, and…

A few years back you’d scoff at the idea of a range of gaming hardware and PCs coming from *checks notes*... HP? But that was then, and now HP’s Omen range is going gangbusters, with striking designs in both desktop and laptop form factors, and now joined by a range of peripherals to match. At the top of the range is the new Omen by HP 15, which... yes, the name is a bit naff, but the hardware is solid. Under the sleek gaming design MAX-Q GTX 1070, 8th gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, and up to 32GB of RAM, alongside a range of storage options. There’s a 15.6in display that runs at either 144hz 1080p, 60Hz 4k, or 60Hz 1080p and NVIDIA G-SYNC. And easy to use…

“As I often do, I went to Carl’s Sims 4 Guide to get some hints...” As I have previously mentioned, the way I play The Sims 4 is diabolical. Everyone is perfect, no-one has any friends and the unfortunate townies who contribute genetic data to furthering my fiendish lineage only see their offspring if I can be bothered inviting them over; which is never. There is, however, one expansion pack that always inspires humanity in me; melts my heart like spring snow, if you will. It makes The Sims feel that little bit more real. No, it’s not Laundry Day Stuff but, my word, that is an actual thing. It is, of course, Seasons. My undoing was immediate. I invited the female townie (who was only ever supposed to be…

During the unveiling of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at Ubisoft’s E3 press conference, Ubisoft Quebec described the latest entry in the series as an “epic RPG”. As Ubisoft Montreal began to change the series’ linear action adventure roots to that of a more action-focused RPG in Assassin’s Creed Origins, Ubisoft Quebec continued to develop the franchise into what fans of epic player-drive role playing games love; creating a lovechild of Ubisoft open worlds and the beloved consequential deep roleplay universes of CD Projekt Red, Bioware and Bethesda. “The Elders Scrolls V: Skyrim, Fallout, those two are probably some of my favourites,” Director Scott Phillips told GameSpot. “And if you look at those games, they give players a lot of options. For us, that was what we wanted to push Assassin’s Creed…

“The wider supernatural world is fleshed out enough that you feel like a part of something bigger” DEVELOPER WADJET EYE GAMES • PUBLISHER STEAM • PRICE $14.99 • AVAILABLE AT STEAM www.wadjeteyegames.com/games/unavowed/ There is a sequence, late in Unavowed, where everything finally clicks together. The choices you’ve made thus far are drawn into sharper contrast, the story turns a fascinating corner, and the reasoning behind numerous design decisions is suddenly clear. The scope of the game’s ambitions is brought into focus, and it’s a wonder to witness. This is not a spoiler, but it’s worth knowing up front that Unavowed – a game that sometimes feels constrained by its focus on choice and narrative over puzzles – has tremendous payoff. It’s a good adventure game that becomes great if you…

“It would have been far wiser to break away from the original and tell a new story.” DEVELOPER WEAPPY STUDIO • PUBLISHER NORDIC GAMES • PRICE US$14.99 • AVAILABLE AT STEAM N/A The original This is the Police was an interesting concept that didn’t quite come together. You played as Jack Boyd, a corrupt police captain, and had to decide how far you’d go and what you’d willingly compromise on to build up the cash reserves needed for your impending retirement. Reactions varied somewhat, but most agreed the game did not live up to its full potential, and that its portrayal of police corruption as a necessary evil was a real problem. The game presented serious social issues but rarely gave the option to respond to them, portraying racism, sexism,…

“...it doesn’t really get good until you hit level cap and start unlocking end-game content...” DEVELOPER NEOCOREGAMES • PUBLISHER NEOCOREGAMES • PRICE $US49.99 • AVAILABLE AT STEAM neocoregames.com/en/games/warhammer-40k-inquisitor-martyr I’m not the only one who’s a little jaded by the rapid release date of games based on Games Workshop franchises. As the satirical games website Point and Clickbait notes, it feels like just about anyone can get into the action (track down its story about a pigeon becoming a GW developer – it’s worth the read). So it’s rare that a game like Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr comes along – that is, a game that I’m actually genuinely keen to play. Martyr – no WAY am I saying the overblown full name every time – is essentially grim-dark take on…

For many players it was enough in 2009, but these days your mileage will of course vary. DEVELOPER VOLITION • PUBLISHER THQ NORDIC • PRICE US$19.99 • AVAILABLE AT STEAM xxxxxxxxx Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Marstered hasn’t lost much of its charm, and that’s largely owing to its environmental destruction technology, Geomod 2, which really hasn’t been replicated by many peers in the years since Guerrilla first arrived, not to mention the gameplay that was quite sensibly tied to it. As a terrorist rebel militia, chief among the Red Faction’s means of revolt is to blow shit up, and Guerrilla gives you ample outlets to do this. Whether eliminating an enemy stronghold, destroying a moving convoy, rescuing captured rebels from behind fortifications, or the various demolition-specific missions that time-challenge you to…

“It’s no surprise that the 2990WX absolutely dominates the heavily threaded benchmarks.” PRICE $TBC www.amd.com Yep, Threadripper 2 CPUs are beasts! Obviously we know from their apt names that they will perform very strongly with multi-threaded workloads. With that in mind, benchmarking Threadripper 2 proved to be a challenging undertaking for several reasons. As we discovered when testing both the 2990WX and 2950X, and let’s not forget Intel’s i9-7980XE, many of our consumer focused benchmarks that make use of multi-threading simply don’t scale up to the insane core counts we’re seeing here. The key takeaway is that you MUST have a use-case for a CPU like the 2990WX. Things like rendering, encoding and hashing algorithms perform magnificently when supported, but if you can’t use all the cores, then the lower-priced…

PRICE $TBA www.acer.com.au The Acer Predator Helios range of laptops has proven popular thanks to its good bang for buck. The Helios 300 (specifically the G3-571-768G model) we have on hand for review doesn’t set the world alight specification wise, but it does offer value and should provide a good gaming experience for the value conscious buyer. How does it stack up in a tough marketplace? The Helios 300 we were provided features an Intel i7-7700HQ CPU and a 6GB GTX 1060. While the 7700HQ is now considered an older model, it provides more than enough gaming grunt. The 1060 is a good pairing for the 15.6In 1920x1080 screen, meaning all modern games will run at their native res without sacrificing much, if anything, in the way of eye candy.…

PRICE $329 www.nvidia.com/en-us/shield/ Nvidia’s Shield is one of those things which is very exciting as an idea, but a little less than that in action. Which, by the way, is not to say that it is a bad device - far from it, it is an excellent streaming box with a lot of great features and apps. As a games console that leverages the power of your beloved PC and its collection of Steam games so you can play them on a nice big TV? Well, your mileage may vary on that front. Setting up the device is pretty simple, and if you already have an Android powered tablet or phone, you can simply port the settings from that to get the Shield dialed in to your home network. Of…

W› hen it comes to laptops, there’s usually a choice between a sober, work-friendly model, a bulky gaming machine and a svelte ultra-portable which sacrifices power for battery life. For years we’ve had to choose between one or the other or, in rare instances, a model that can excel at two of three facets. But not anymore. Finally, the trifecta has been achieved! Say hello to the latest Razer Blade. A TOUGH YET THIN STUNNER First off there are the looks. The matte-black finish oozes sophistication and yet it would not look out of place at a LAN party or in an office. The super-thin lid is solid enough to protect the screen from knocks and its new, sharper lines look cutting edge. The screen bezels are now unbelievably thin…

THQ Nordic has just announced that Darksiders III is coming to all platforms on the 27th of November this year. And yes... there’s are all kinds of flashy editions and pre-order bonuses to please Darksiders-starved fans. Here are the two big limited editions: Darksiders III Collector’s Edition: • Premium Box• Fury Figurine about 29cm - 11” high• Original Steelbook• Artbook• Soundtrack• Darksiders III Game• Exclusive Armor DLC; completely original skin replacing Fury’s base armor set (purely aesthetic, no gameplay impact Darksiders III Apocalypse Edition: • Box ~ cm -• Wall Scroll - Fabric print with hanger 77 x 100 - 30” x 40”• 4 Figurines: Fury (~29cm 11” high), Vulgrim, War, Death (each about 25cm 10”high)• Heavy weight amulet 5cm - 2” with necklace• Original Steelbook• Artbook• Soundtrack• Darksiders III…

“Bohemia’s aircraft carrier requires modding for it to actually launch aircraft.” Today’s most successful developers seem to devote all their resources towards creating paid cosmetic items at the expense of debugging their games. They don’t actually do this, but it certainly seems that way. The most extreme example of this trend is of course Star Citizen, a project funded by ‘concept sales’ of spaceships that haven’t been implemented (and at the rate they’re going, never will be). A game so buggy that sometimes time will flow backwards, and where smashing watermelons can crash the game client. But plenty of other games have been accused of cosmetics chiselling: Overwatch, World of Tanks, and even ArmA 3. Especially ArmA 3. It’s been a good five years since the release of the latest…

Wrecks & other debris litter the track, so each lap gets more and more like threading a needle. DEVELOPER BUGBEAR ENTERTAINMENT • PUBLISHER THQ NORDIC • PRICE $US44.99 • AVAILABLE AT STEAM store.steampowered.com/app/228380/Wreckfest Generally, when it comes to racing games, in my opinion there’s Wipeout, Mario Kart, and then everything else just… Well let’s just say I’m no real racing fan. I can’t even drive. In fact, I’m the last person who should be getting excited over a racing game, but here we are. Wreckfest is a goddamn DELIGHT. It kind of came out of nowhere for me, despite it’s years in early access (see above, re: racing noob), so getting into it now makes it feel like one of the most polished games I’ve played in years – period.…

“In a lot of ways the narrative of the game trumps the actual gameplay.” DEVELOPER IO NORMAL • PUBLISHER IO NORMAL • PRICE $US9.99 • AVAILABLE AT STEAM ionormal.com Sometime in the near future, a hail of asteroids smashes into the surface of one of the most mysterious bodies in the solar system – Jupiter’s icy, yet possibly watery moon, Europa. On Earth, our best and brightest decide this is a great opportunity for exploration, so a probe is sent to investigate. It’s a pretty hard sci-fi premise, but Ice Caves of Europa manages to marry that sense of cutting edge, but plausible technology with a touching and at times challenging narrative. I’ve got to be honest – the thing I love most about the game is just how much…

“So I opened one up and… squirrel meat? A prairie-lion skin? Beaver meat?” DEVELOPER DJ2 ENTERTAINMENT • PUBLISHER WWO PARTNERS • PRICE $US29.99 • AVAILABLE AT STEAM www.playwwo.com There’s just no easy way to say this, so I’m going to be blunt – VERY blunt. Wild West Online – a game that I have really been looking forward to for some time – is just not very good. Actually, wait, that’s not blunt enough. It is bad, and while I am sure that many people have put in a lot of work, the fact remains that this is a game that has no right being in full release at this point in time, with a price tag of $US29.99 on Steam. They say “show, don’t tell” is the best way…

“Oh, and occasionally a giant bull will invade the level and run across the screen sideways...” DEVELOPER TERACTIVE, CROTEAM INCUBATOR • PUBLISHER DEVOLVER DIGITAL • PRICE $US14.99 • AVAILABLE AT STEAM store.steampowered.com/app/575820/I_Hate_Running_Backwards Ts a I Running Backwards that we’ve all seen before. The top scrolling screen, the numerous bullet-hell style powerups, the ‘roguelite’ appellation that basically means “We can’t be arsed designing the levels, so let’s let the code do it”, and even some of the characters – like Serious Sam and Lo Wang. But you know what? It all hangs together very well, and there’s a surprising amount of depth to the game’s core mechanic, which sees you running backwards towards the top of the screen, as the level scrolls down, and enemies appear from below. And holy heck…

PRICE $2399 www.dell.com.au If you’ve ever considered a business or ultra-portable laptop, the chances are you’ve looked at the Dell XPS series. They have long been considered some of the very best laptops on the market. The competition never stands still though, so an update was welcomed. It’s not easy to improve on an already excellent design. Can Dell keep its position at the top of the pops? Take one look at it. It just oozes high end appeal thanks to its aluminium shell, amazing screen and solid build quality. Our test sample came equipped with an optional rose gold shell combined with a white glass fibre like interior. We understand this design is simply a matter of taste, but it does appear a bit garish to our personal taste.…

PRICE $139.00 au.msi.com This year’s Computex showed us a PC industry that is taking a breath. With no new major motherboard or video card releases, lots of companies are expanding into new areas, and MSI’s taking a leap at gaming peripherals – first off the rank for the component maker is its new Clutch GM70 gaming mouse. Now, I want to call this a wireless mouse, as it’s clearly designed for wireless operation, but have noted that MSI has called it a wireless/wired mouse, which is a little too clever by half in my opinion. Sure, you can use the mouse in either configuration, but you don’t purchase a wireless mouse to use in wired mode – and yet, the GM70 really does prefer to be tethered to your PC…

What makes a PC a “gaming” PC? The platform is, by its nature, multi-purpose. And yet these days, unless you’re into video or animation or really gigantic spreadsheets, roughly 95% of the “performance” in your PC is dedicated to gaming. And running the corpulent Windows 10, I suppose. So what is it about gaming, in a fundamental sense, that means you have to spend so much more for a PC that can merely watch those games being played on YouTube? For my money (so much money, since probably 1993 if I think about it) the answer is floating point arithmetic. Floating point arithmetic is more or less the entire reason your GPU needs to exist. Because real time 3D graphics deal in both very large numbers and very small numbers,…

“Back home with a giant stack of photos, Mechner then traced each one into the Apple IIe with the VersaWriter.” PRINCE OF PERSIA (THE FIRST ONE) DEVELOPERS JORDAN MECHNER PERSONALITIES UH... JORDAN MECHNER RELEASED 1989 NUTSHELL Simultaneously “failing” college and at the same moment having his Apple IIe game Karateka hit the Billboard number one [“Me and Madonna. Yow.”] put Mechner in a weird creative space. As a result, he made a game with animation at least five years ahead of its time. By cheating just like Walt Disney. Good artists master technique. Great artists invent some kind of tool or machine so they can skip the tedious 10,000 hour process of mastering that technique. We have a special word for this kind of artist: Engineer. Jordan Mechner isn’t an…