US regulator says no, that is not an N95 respirator after all Razer, makers of variouspretty good gaming peripheralsand one deeply questionable face mask, have been slapped with a $1.1 million fine by US regulators after said mask was determined to have misled buyers over the amount of protection it afforded.Kotakureports that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took issue with Razer’s claim that the Zephyr, an RGB monstrosity released during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, could act as a medical-grade N95 respirator – it could not – and will allocate $1 million of that fine towards refunds for fooled, if colourfully illuminated, buyers....

(In space) The debate on whether sticking the word ‘space’ in front of something instantly makes it better rages eternal with the heat of a thousand space-air fryers, but the yaysayers are at least victorious in the case of retro-futuristicRPGBeyond Galaxyland, in which turn-based combat is aided by your pal Boom Boom, who is a space guinea pig with a gun and a little waistcoat. I like this creature , but honestly, you could replace them with a sentient bin bag, and I’d be happy....

Come bathe in the glare of this pixellated neutron star Dread Delusionis a creepo-tasticopen worldRPGthat positively reeks of King’s Field and the Elder Scrolls of yore. Created by Lovely Hellplace and published by horror anthology specialists DreadXP, it’s so far up my alley it’s probably been mugged by some kind of hideous clockwork cutthroat - and yet somehow, I’ve never played the thing. I’ll be rectifying that on 14th May, when Dread Delusion leaves early access....

Aiming for fewer, higher quality games The loss and increased focus come “in light of the myriad changes underway in the environment surrounding” the company, according tothe brief statement made to shareholders. This announcement follows several months of similar rhetoric from the publisher. Earlier this year, Square Enix announced changes in structure designed to reduce its reliance on external resources “and focus more on in-house triple-A games.” Those changes included thelong-serving producer of Dragon Quest gamesstepping away from the series....

Care for a can of “Savage man child” energy drink? I once went back to a gathering after a friend-of-a-friend’s metal gig that I distinctly remember not because of either the party or the show, but because we drunkenly went to a big Tesco afterwards to get snacks. I also distinctly remember making a not-completely serious but also somewhat true statement at the party about how that Tesco trip was the most fun I’d had in months, after which one of the metal men sneered at me....

A released game may eventually be good Wow, rememberStarfield? I do, just about, although any interest in it feels like a distant dream now. But not to Todd Howard! The Bethesboss had a chat withKinda Funnyand confirmed that Shattered Space, the first big DLC for the brave little spaceRPGthat could, has a release window of “in the fall”. Shattered Space adds new locations and stories and gear, and is the sort of DLC that was announced before the game came out, and you got it bundled with some of the super mega hyper awesome pre-order editions (you can still get it bundled with theStarfieldPremium Edition if you want to spend an extra 30 quid)....

The game’s first AAAA update Unveiled last night at the IGN x ID@Xbox Digital Showcase,Vampire Survivorshas received a free new update called Laborratory (yes, with two ‘r’s). It includes one new character, one secret character, three weapons, one stage, and a bonus go-cart racing stage. But perhaps most importantly of all, Poncle say they’ll answer the question that’s been on everyone’s lips: “Why is it called Santa Water?”. This is something that’s puzzled me since the game’s inception, and therefore, I will be thrusting myself back into the game where there are, in fact, no vampires at all....

Stuck on the Wordle word for April 30? Read our hint or find the answer below! This guide is for a previous day! Looking for today’s solution? Check out theWordle hint and answer for Thursday 12th December! Need a hint for today’s Wordle answer?We have a list of hints to keep that precious streak in shape and save any word-based disappointment. Every day,Wordlepresents its legions of players with a deviously simple quandary: can you guess the right five-letter word within just six guesses?...

Of course it’s Eddy Button mashing is advised against in fighting games if you want to climb the ranks. But those of us who’ve been destroyed by unpredictable little brothers going ham on a joystick know a secret. Sometimes spamming works. OneTekken 8player is proving this point. They have programmed a bot of Eddy Gordo, the whirling Capoeira fighter, to slap the same button repeatedly, and nothing else, while broadcasting its performance against real players on Twitch....

Baldur’s Village will also add a whole new map inspired by the D&D dating sim A team of enterprising modders are looking to unite two of the internet’s favourite dating games -Baldur’s Gate 3andStardew Valley- in one beautiful thirst trap. The mod set to launch a thousands AO3 ships is Baldur’s Village, which transports your favourite adventuring companions to the pastoral climes of Stardew’s farming towns. The impressive project is more than a quick palette swap for Stardew’s villagers, introducing Baldur’s Gate 3’s Astarion, Shadowheart, Gale and Halsin as completely new residents in their own right, complete with highly detailed custom portraits that look straight out of actual Stardew, occupying a brand new custom map inspired by the Forgotten Realms: the titular Baldur’s Village....

“No Rest for the Wicked is like our Lord of the Rings” If you’re holding out hope for anotherOri and the Blind Forestsequel afterWill of the Wisps, bad news: it’s probably going to be a while. Developers Moon Studios have said they’re all-in onSoulslikeaction-RPGNo Rest for the Wicked, suggesting that their “magnum opus” will be their focus for up to a decade. That’s the belief of studio CEO Thomas Mahler, anyway, who took to X to declare that the game’s current early access release was “just the beginning for us” and promise that the team’s plans extend far beyond its 1....

Slay a day Dungeons of Hinterberg’s alpine mix of dungeon-crawling and relationship-tending will be upon us this summer, with the fetching cel-shaded blend ofZeldaandPersonanow having a fresh release date announcement for July. Before then, though, we’ll all be able to spend a couple of days socialising and monster-slaying in the Alps next month thanks to a public playtest. Developers Microbird revealed their very charming social dungeon-run game last summer, following up with closer looks at its use of Persona-like social bonds as Luisa chats with the residents of the titular mountain village andits more than two dozen Zelda-like puzzle dungeons, in which you’ll delve equipped with the gear and perks acquired from palling around with people between your adventures....

Clone survivor Distinguishing onemetroidvaniafrom another is a dicey challenge, and not just because there’s a 37.8% chance that saying the word “metroidvania” will cause RPS regular Sin Vega tomaterialise in the mirrorand assassinate you with cheesewire. Metroidvanias stand apart for me only in hindsight - it’s all about the precise ratio of abilities to ability gates, of jump-doublers to overhangs, all things that take time to assess properly.Echo Weaversets itself apart early, however, by declaring that “time is your currency” and that “when faced with eternity, knowledge is the only gear you need”, a phrase that, admittedly, I would probably have extended to “…oh, and a spacetime-folding glaive that works like a throwable fast travel point”....