Category: Rock, Paper, Shotgun

The Ryzen 5 7600X processor might be one of AMD’s cheapest options in their Zen 4 lineup, but this chip is still hugely powerful compared to prior Ryzen generations. It takes advantage of its 5nm process and the AM5 socket to hit higher clock speeds, has architectural improvements that raise its single-core prowess, and of course has access to DDR5 memory and PCIe 5.0 add-in cards too. That’s made it a strong option for gaming, but a high asking price of $300 at launch – plus expensive motherboards and DDR5 – put it out of reach of most sane budget builds. That’s slowly changing as these chips and other components become cheaper, and today the 7600X has hit a new low price in the US: just $200 at Amazon.com, a full $100 off its MSRP and a great deal for a processor with this kind of performance.

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We already knew that Assassin’s Creed Mirage will harken back to the more intimate, focused scope of the older games in Ubisoft’s sneaky-stabby time-hopping series. It looks like that restrained approach will extend to its post-launch content too, with its devs saying that they don’t currently have any plans to extend the game after release with DLC or other expansions.

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Long before 2023’s halcyon days of top-notch ports of PlayStation games on PC, there was WipeOut. The sci-fi racing game was a classic on the original PlayStation. Its PC release? Not so much. But now one fan has decided to do right by the almost 30-year-old title by releasing a remastered Phantom Edition that finally brings WipeOut’s original PC release in line with its beloved PlayStation version.

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Payday 3 has been back in the spotlight ahead of its September launch, making an appearance in the (Xbox green) limelight at last month’s Xbox Games Showcase – and then in the crosshairs of fans annoyed that you’ll always need to be online to play. There was actually another reveal for the game in recent days, too – but it snuck out so quietly that nobody realised it was there at first.

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Microsoft have announced that a new Game Pass tier will replace Xbox Live Gold on consoles. The new Xbox Game Pass Core tier will cost £7/$10 for a monthly subscription and £50/$60 for an annual one. Microsoft haven’t announced plans to bring Game Pass Core to PC players, although the new tier costs almost the same amount as the (frankly much better value) PC Game Pass variant – for now, at least.

Starting on September 14th, Xbox Live Gold subscribers will be automatically converted to Game Pass Core, which allows access to online multiplayer, exclusive discounts, and a compact collection of games. Xbox’s monthly freebie program Games With Gold is also getting axed, although you can still play previously redeemed games as long as you’re subscribed to either the Core or Ultimate tiers.

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A new demo invites you to marvel at a mysterious and alarming alien world in The Invincible, a video game adaptation of the 1964 sci-fi novel by Stanisław Lem (the Polish author also known for Solaris). It’s basically Firewatch in space. I’ve not read the book but I did have a pleasant time strolling around shiny 3D space spaces while taking part in a BBC Radio 4 drama.

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Developers Fireplace Games have announced that their stylish action game En Garde! is releasing on August 16th. The game’s mixture of improvisational melee combat and swashbuckling humour made it a standout at this year’s Summer Game Fest, and you can (and should) see the graceful action in action below.

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In Viewfinder, you solve puzzles by figuring out the right way of looking at things, and you do that here by both physically moving around its abstract 3D spaces, and by mentally wrapping your brain around its mind-bending rule set. Perspective is key because here’s the thing: this is a world where you can bring photos to life, the 2D image becoming a 3D reality when you place it within the puzzle world.

It’s an incredible hook and one which I’ve never seen in a puzzle game before. There are echoes of The Witness, Gorogoa, and Superliminal here, but Viewfinder’s dizzyingly mind-melting puzzles are still very much its own. It impresses from the get-go and continues to pull tricks out of its silky tophat right until the end of its four hour run time. It’s compact, brilliant, and one of the best puzzle games of 2023.

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Dragon Quest Treasures, a prequel to the excellent Dragon Quest XI: Echoes Of An Elusive Age, is out now on PC. The game launched last year as a Nintendo Switch exclusive, carrying the series’ iconic slimes, and music over to a brand new setting. Dragon Quest Treasures is also Steam Deck verified, should you want to complete its bite-sized treasure hunts on the go (or in the comfort of your bed.)

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Dominions 6 is in development and is expected to release “at the end of the year.” The low-key announcement was made on Steam’s Dominions 5 discussion forum, with designer Kristoffer Osterman saying that the next iteration of the fantasy 4X would have “more changes than any previous version, both mechanics-wise and UI/QoL-wise.”

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