Wonder Boy in Monster Land released in Japanese arcades in 1987 and for the Sega Master System the following year. Its success led to numerous ports, including to ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Atari ST. Oddly, it never received an official PC port, though that long absence appeared to have come to an end on…
Years ago, I read that Jake Solomon prototyped the Firaxis reboot of XCOM by making a simple board game version. Something rudimentary that could be played in the office on scrap paper to get ideas across and figure out where the fun would be, without having to commit. But it’s surprising to hear the same…
There are mods for Seamless Grav Jumps and for Seamless Planet Takeoffs. But when you arrive at a planet in Starfield you still have to choose a landing spot, and then watch a loading screen and an animation. It’s another thing that contributes to the feeling your spaceship is more like a house that can…
The Golden Joystick Awards have been running for so long there was a period where they awarded separate prizes for 8-bit and 16-bit games in each category. In 1988, rail shooter Operation Wolf was the 8-bit Computer Game of the Year, while the Bitmap Brothers’ futuresport Speedball took home 16-bit Computer Game of the Year….
One of the great things about videogame conventions is there are always people up for playing a local multiplayer game, just waiting to be handed controls and thrown into a new experience. Which is how, at PAX Australia over the weekend, I found myself playing a game called Bumper Bout. It immediately impressed me with…
When the HMS Escapist sank everyone worth a damn swam away to form a YouTube channel called Second Wind, where Yahtzee Croshaw’s video series Zero Punctuation continued under the name Fully Ramblomatic. It’s not exactly the same—the people have glasses now—but it’s continuing the essential work of being rude about videogames on the internet. Back…
They say that art is never finished, only abandoned—but that doesn’t seem to be the case for Yoko Taro, creator of Nier and Drakengard, who you might recognize by the round, smiley Emil mask he wears. According to a report from Denfaminicogamer (via IGN), Taro said at the Tokyo French Institute last month that he’s…
I remember being a kid and wishing I had shoes that lit up. I know now that I was a fool. If I festooned myself with garish lights, how would I scavenge for supplies in a frozen wasteland without being spotted by strangers who may or may not kill me before I can use my…
New characters! New items! New courses! & More! Earlier this week, the news broke that the long-awaited ROM hack Super Mario Kart Deluxe finally has a release date: December 25th, 2026. The ambitious project, led by MrL314 and ScouB, has been on Time Extension’s radar since the site began in 2022, and looks to be…
Dungeon Master (Image credit: Future) Welcome to Dungeon Master, PC Gamer’s regular RPG column, where Online Editor Fraser Brown delves into PC gaming’s most beloved and enduring genre. Grab a seat in our badly-lit tavern and please ignore the goblin puke. Most videogame RPGs are selling a power fantasy—the idea that you are competent, clever…