The new Painkiller is out now on Steam, and it brings me no pleasure to say that it’s really not very good—although it does at least maintain the 20-year streak of Painkiller follow-ups being pale, flaccid imitations of the original. Painkiller—intended as a reboot, I guess, hence coming to the table with the same unmodified…

NEED TO KNOW What is it A breezy first person RPG in a future that’s part raygun, part deco.Release date October 29, 2025Expect to pay $70/£60Publisher XboxDeveloper ObsidianReviewed on RX 9070 XT, Core i5 12600K, 32 GB RAMMultiplayer NoSteam Deck UnsupportedLink Official site The Outer Worlds 2 was a slow burn for me, and it…

I sometimes wonder if Steam Next Fest has run its course, if—like so much of Steam—it’s become so overwhelmed by stuff that it’s impossible to pick through it all and find the real gems. Is it really possible for little-known games to make a big splash anymore? I had my doubts. And turns out I…

Quantum computing is one of the most intriguing, and complicated future technologies currently under development. The esoteric tech always seems on the cusp of making a major breakthrough, but like a beach ball in a swimming pool, it consistently remains just out of reach. It’ll power the supercomputers of the future, we’re consistently told—eventually, once…

James Bentley, hardware writer (Image credit: Future) This week I’ve been: Playing Ghost of Yōtei and Silent Hill F on the PS5 and neglecting my Xbox Series X. Sorry, Xbox. I have played on Xbox for a long time, starting with an original Xbox, as a kid. That was a hand-me-down, and I distinctly remember…

Well, damn. The novelty of a brand new Star Trek: Voyager game tricked me into setting aside my natural cynicism, and I got burned. Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown, I’m sad to report, is about as tasty as Neelix’s cooking. A budget survival game that commits the worst sin: it’s just so bloody…