Watch the official trailer for writer-director Alex Garland’s CIVIL WAR, starring Academy Award nominee Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Nick Offerman.
Author - Jerry Paxton
Roll20 has partnered with Darrington Press to bring the Candela Obscura roleplaying game to the virtual tabletop! It is available now on both the Roll20 Market and DriveThruRPG. Roll20 is the leading virtual tabletop with over 12 million users, and DriveThruRPG is the largest online marketplace dedicated to tabletop roleplaying games.
As seen on the show Critical Role, players in Candela Obscura protect the world from occult horrors as investigators with a group of allies called a circle. This narrative-driven RPG, set in an alternate version of our world at the turn of the 20th century, explores mysteries surrounding magical creatures and artifacts – and the horrors they cause. Candela Obscura is the first to use the Illuminated Worlds System, a newly designed system that uses 6-sided dice and lends itself to narrative, arc-driven play.
Candela Obscura joins the growing number of games available on Roll20 Characters, the newest product from Roll20, where players can create character sheets and try new games outside the virtual tabletop. Take your game with you and play directly from the sheets on your laptop or tablet.
The Roll20 Candela Obscura digital character sheet includes custom options for homebrew roles, specialities, abilities, Illumination Keys, and gear. Players can manage their Illumination Track and resources for their group’s circle on the special circle character sheet.
Play online on the Roll20 virtual tabletop using tools like the searchable compendium – the complete Candela Obscura Core Rulebook accessible during your game – and a Rules and Rolls Reference for the table. Game Masters can use Roll20 exclusive GM aids including a countdown die to fully immerse their otherworldly experience.
Roll20 provides free basic rules for players to explore and the official free Quickstart Guide is downloadable on DriveThruRPG.
Unlock the Candela Obscura Core Rulebook for character building and virtual tabletop play on Roll20 for the limited launch discount price of just $19.99. Or, grab the PDF from DriveThruRPG for $19.99 and get the Roll20 version for only $10 included in the Candela Obscura bundle.
In this edition of the 2023 GamingShogun holiday gift guide series, we’ll be looking at our top PC hardware picks for the computer-builder in your life – enjoy!
Best Graphics Card
XFX Speedster MERC310 AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX
The XFX Speedster MERC310 AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX is a powerhouse graphics card that delivers blistering performance and surprisingly cool operation, making it a tempting choice for high-end gamers. It boasts a hefty 20% increase in compute units and a much faster memory subsystem compared to its predecessor, resulting in a 53% generational performance leap.
Price: $971.66
Best Power Supply
be quiet! Straight Power 12 1500W
Powering up with the be quiet! Straight Power 12 1500W is a masterclass in silent efficiency. This hefty PSU delivers a whopping 1500W of clean, stable power, effortlessly handling even the most power-hungry rigs, all while remaining whisper-quiet. Its meticulously crafted German engineering shines through in its top-notch components, including Japanese capacitors and a high-efficiency LLC resonant circuit, ensuring rock-solid reliability and minimal energy waste.
Price: $279.80
Best Motherboard
Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Xtreme
Gigabyte’s Z790 Aorus Xtreme reigns supreme as a flagship motherboard, packing a potent punch for overclockers and enthusiasts. Its 24+1+2 VRM with stacked fins and a large heatsink effortlessly handles even the hungriest 13th Gen Intel CPUs.
Price: $199.99
Best Memory
G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6000 (2 x 16GB)
G.Skill’s Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6000 (2 x 16GB) memory kit is a blazing-fast blend of cutting-edge performance, stunning aesthetics, and surprisingly affordable pricing. Boasting a 6000MHz clock speed and tight CL36 timings, it unleashes smooth gameplay in demanding titles and speeds up everyday tasks with ease.
Price: $117.99
Best PC Case
be quiet! Shadow Base 800 FX
Be quiet!’s Shadow Base 800 FX is a mid-tower marvel, striking a perfect balance between breathtaking aesthetics, silent operation, and top-notch airflow.
Price: $174.90
Malevolent AI mastermind SHODAN famously has no love for pathetic, fleshy humans. But what about the self-aware, puzzle-solving androids of The Talos Principle II?
Croteam and Devolver Digital’s philosophical open-world puzzle game has previously been played by Portal’s GLaDOS (https://youtu.be/GGiI_ybK8mY), who pointed out some alleged similarities between it and another game featuring lasers and cubes.
But now it’s time for gaming’s other favorite misanthropic hyper-intelligent AI to have a go, courtesy of original SHODAN voice actor Terri Brosius.
System Shock’s infamous Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network, or SHODAN to her friends (if she had any), has been playing The Talos Principle II too, and she has some thoughts about these humanoid machines who consider themselves humans.
Talk about hard to please. But ignore SHODAN. Her circuits are full of hate. The Talos Principle II is great (critics have called it “a masterpiece,” “thought-provoking” and “genius”) and it’s available right now on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.
Also, to celebrate the ninth anniversary of The Talos Principle, we’re offering deep discounts on the entire series on Steam—including, for the first time, 20% off The Talos Principle II (currently $23.99) until Jan. 4. There’s never been a better time to dive in and put your brain to the test: https://store.steampowered.com/app/835960/The_Talos_Principle_2/
Frozen District is excited to share the final preview trailer of their eagerly awaited House Flipper 2 game on their YouTube channel. This reveal, highlighting the game’s advanced features and gameplay enhancements, precedes its official launch on PC, scheduled for December 14, 2023. The game will also be available on console platforms in March 2024.
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown unveils The Racer, an unprecedented trailer presenting another playing style, for the most competitive drivers. After The Cruiser, aimed at those who just love the driving experience, this episode illustrates the social interactions and competitive aspect of the game.
Challenging other players is one of the many experiences offered by Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown. Naturally, one of the core audiences in its design were those who want to measure themselves against others, test their limits and hoist themselves up to the top of the rankings.
A whole bunch of competitive content
To slake these players’ thirst for adrenaline, the MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online game) offers a host of activities: Circuit, Domination, Sprint, Time Trials, and other online competitions, in which the rules and environments make for highly varied challenges. These include the Instant Challenge, a feature which enables players to set up a head-to-head with a rival. If the challenge is accepted, a finish line is generated at random on the map. To give it all some extra spice, the participants must wager their precious Solar Coins.
Customising your cars, another way to mingle
Any self-respecting competitor must take an interest in the mechanics of their speedster if they expect to test themselves against other competitors. To meet this need, there are workshops accessible in every district on the island. These can enhance cars’ performances, but also their visual appearance. These genuine preparation workshops are part of the various social hubs in which players can interact with each other and check out their competitors’ plans for inspiration.
Other aspects of Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown will be presented in the forthcoming trailers and promote various ways of getting the most out of the game and the richness of the Hong Kong Island setting.
On its 1:1 scale recreation of Hong Kong Island, take part in an extraordinary competition, Solar Crown, organised by the influential organisation Radiant. Behind the wheel of exceptional speedsters, by prestigious brands such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Koenigsegg, Dodge, Apollo and many others, you can freely explore the island with its wide variety of environments or take part in the highest-profile competitions on Hong Kong Island. Beyond your cars, which reflect your inspirations and rewards for your progress in the game, you can customise your game experience in your own image: choose your clan, Sharp or Street, and cultivate your style to impress others, stand out from the crowd and defend your clan. Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown has retained the DNA of the earlier editions, bringing a contemporary, updated look to the multiplayer racing game, offering the players luxury, exceptional cars and competition.
Get ready to immerse yourself in the Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown experience in 2024 on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Assetto Corsa Competizione, the official GT world challenge racing simulator developed by KUNOS Simulazioni and published by 505 Games, introduces console cross play for the first time in a free update, today on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Key Info:
- Drivers on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S can compete in all online modes with each other as of this free cross-platform online multiplayer update
- These include Public Multiplayer’s casual and quick-paced races, Competition Servers that offer hour-long races with advanced settings enabled, and Private Leagues that offer their own rules and race organizations
- Assetto Corsa Competizione continues its ongoing support of the community with free and paid updates, new tracks, new cars and cosmetic features for a customized experience
THQ Nordic, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and YUKE’S Co., Ltd. today released the Beat The Elite DLC for AEW: Fight Forever®. This marks the second DLC drop of Season 2 and introduces the new offline single-player game mode “Beat The Elite.” Beat the Elite (€ 6.99 / $ 6.99 / £ 5.79) is now available to AEW: Fight Forever players on PS4™, PS5™, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
In the highly competitive “Beat The Elite” mode, players face 10 randomly selected wrestlers from AEW’s world-class roster. The last fight will always be against one fighter from “The Elite” such as Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson and Adam “Hangman” Page. Winning all those matches will reward the player with different in-game cosmetic items, depending on the difficulty setting selected.
AEW: Fight Forever Season Pass 2 also includes:
- 3 new wrestlers
- 37 new move-sets
- 60 new attire options
- The new AEW Dynamite arena
- “Beat the Elite” game mode
On Dec. 27, the Nintendo® Switch version will get the Season 2 content that is already available on the other Fight Forever platforms. These DLCs include Dynamite Featuring The Acclaimed and Beat The Elite, in addition to AEW: Fight Forever Bring the Boom deluxe edition.
AEW: Fight Forever is available for PS4™, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo® Switch at an SRP of € 59.99 / $ 59.99 / £ 49.99.
Twin Sails Interactive and developer Sparrow Night announced today that News Tower, the newspaper tycoon management sim, will launch into Steam Early Access on Feb. 13, 2024. Become a press mogul in 1930s New York in pursuit of the truth and profits! Expand your business, recruit new employees, and search for the decade’s most newsworthy stories for the front page.
As the publisher of a down-on-its-luck newspaper, your goal is to turn fortune around and build a media empire! Recruit and manage every profession necessary for success, including reporters, photographers, janitors, ad salespeople and lawyers. Uncover exciting news across the globe, matching your editorial line with readers’ interests, but watch out for powerful factions like the mayor and the mafia trying to peddle influence. Build and optimize your tower to ensure the well-being of your employees and meet your printing deadlines while balancing editorial quality and gaining new customers!
Key Features
- Investigate Scoops Around the Globe: From cat disappearances to historic events like Prohibition and the Great Depression, you’ve got to break the news while it’s hot! Follow leads across the world and choose which angles to pursue to develop each story. Will you maintain the integrity of freedom of the press, or trade influence with different factions in the city?
- Compose Your Newspaper: Each week you’ll oversee everything from the telegraph desk to the typesetting, laying out your paper with the articles you’ve produced. Hard-hitting journalism, sensational gossip, income-generating ads – you decide what makes the cut!
- Build & Optimize Your Tower: Manage the layout of your operations, improve your production processes, and hire the right people for each job. But don’t neglect the well-being of your employees while you’re chasing profits, or the final product may suffer!
- Grow Your News Empire: Start small and conquer New York by expanding your distribution to famous neighborhoods like Wall Street, Central Park and more, unlocking new upgrades and readers with their own interests.
Red Barrels, the indie development studio behind the critically-acclaimed and terrifying Outlast franchise, will deck the halls with boughs of gory in its Winter Kills update for the survival horror multiplayer The Outlast Trials.
With new cosmetics and challenges, quality of life improvements like full controller support, and more in-game lore to discover, survivors of Winter Kills will reap the bounty of true suffering. The event starts today and will continue throughout the Festive season, concluding Tuesday, January 9, 2024 at 10:00 EST / 07:00 PST / 16:00 EU.
Winter Kills Update Highlights
- Winter Kills Program – Experience the new Cold Snap and Find the Gifts variators. Survivors of Winter Kills will reap the bounty of true suffering.
- Winter Kills cosmetics – complete exclusive trials and challenges to unlock festive-themed character and sleep room enhancements.
- New MK-Challenges – pay another visit to the Courthouse for two new tests (Escape the Courthouse and Destroy the Evidence).
- New Evidence Documents – continue your investigation into the shady Murkoff Institute.
- Introducing Cell Decoration Bundles – new deluxe decoration packages for your personal cell.
- Controller support – full controller support with vibration and new controller layouts.
- Plus… even more additions, improvements, balancing, fixes and much more. Check out the full Patch Notes for details.
Launched into Early Access on PC during May 2023, The Outlast Trials has been a phenomenal success, with over 1.5 million copies sold worldwide. Red Barrels recently confirmed that is bringing its survival horror multiplayer to PC, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox® Series X|S and Xbox One® on March 5, 2024.