Lenovo Legion Tower 5i (Gen8) review

Lenovo isn’t messing around with its Legion gaming PCs. They are resolutely, uncompromisingly just PCs. Sure, there’s the faintest nod to ‘gamer’ styling with the RGB-illuminated front panel and the see-through side, but the Legion Tower 5i is, without wanting to sound at all mean, pretty basic. Which I think is grand. I am all…

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Dragon Age: Origins lead writer says Shale was saved partly by his real-life burning hatred for pigeon poop: ‘I wrote like the angry, angry wind’

One of my favourite companions in Dragon Age: Origins is Shale. She’s a deadpan, dry-voiced golem with a hatred for pigeons that does credit to her dwarven, grudge-bearing heritage. She was also a day-one DLC character but, while discussing her, series creator and lead writer David Gaider reveals that was mostly due to a lack…

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Former Atlus artist raises a glass to Metaphor: ReFantazio character designer and their mastery of ‘sex appeal’ that transcends stereotypes

Metaphor: ReFantazio is a good-looking game—it might not have the highest-resolution textures at times, but in terms of character design, visual worldbuilding, and menu aesthetics? It’s all downright peak. It’s also really sexy apparently, but, like, in a way that transcends gender boundaries. That’s according to a former Atlus artist, who goes by LAM online,…

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‘I can show this film to my parents, and they will understand better’: Director of touching WoW documentary The Remarkable Life of Ibelin reflects on the importance of online communities as sanctuaries

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin didn’t touch my heart so much as barged in, broke some bones to reset them for healing, and left me a puddle of tears in the emotional ER. It’s a deeply impactful and heartfelt story about the vital importance of online community in the lives of those who’d otherwise be…

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Half-Life 2 testers horsing around with physics props ‘to make the 47th playthrough of the game more interesting’ probably had no idea it would result in Gabe Newell launching a garden gnome into space 16 years later

“Little Rocket Man” is truly one of the greatest bits in videogame history⁠—a challenging achievement in Half-Life 2: Episode 2 that requires you to carry a cherubic little garden gnome named “Gnome Chompski” through the entirety of the campaign and deposit the wee fellow on a rocket ship to another dimension in the final level….

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‘We don’t have to worry about trillions of damage’: Path of Exile 2 is trying to avoid Diablo 4’s game-breaking damage numbers, director says

Action RPGs are complex and players are simple: They want power any way they can get it, even if it completely trivializes the entire game. Just about every Diablo 4 season has had something that does way more damage than it should, forcing Blizzard to play whack-a-mole to keep it balanced without pissing everyone off….

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