Rock, Paper, Shotgun

AMD have finally launched the Radeon RX 6600, the new entry-level model (which is still kind of a mid-ranger) in the RX 6000 graphics cards series. As expected, it’s a tuned-down relative of the Radeon RX 6600 XT, with fewer cores and lower clock speeds – but the same 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM. As far as I can see, it’s also sold out immediately, despite just releasing with models from Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, XFX, PowerColor and more.

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Is it called rally driving or rally racing? Oh, it's neither of these options: it's called rallying. As you can see, I'm no expert on the act of flinging cars around dirt tracks. The only experience I've got is watching other people do so rather beautifully. In fact, that's what inspired me to give rally simulator WRC 10 a whirl and finally learn how to drive, drive.

But what I've really learned is terrible, actually. I've learned to totally ignore the bloke who sits next to you and dictates corners. I've learned not to pay attention at all. I'm in my own head, thinking back to that Greek yoghurt I just had. And I'm driving superbly. If I concentrate for even just a second my drive goes to shambles. So long as I find zen, I'm in control.

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Want to know the best build for Holly in Back 4 Blood? Holly is our own Alice Bee’s favourite character, and with very good reason. Holly recovers 10 stamina each time she kills a Ridden, gets +10% damage resistance, and even gives the whole team an extra 25 stamina. However, with the right cards, you can push Holly even further, making her an absolute powerhouse and solidifying her position as one of the best characters in Back 4 Blood.

This guide will show you how to create the best build for Holly in Back 4 Blood, so you can dive into a session and start punching, stabbing, and smacking Ridden with your choice of melee weapon.

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The Communications Workers Of America union (CWA) have filed an objection to the proposed settlement between Activision Blizzard and the USA's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). As part of the settlement to this, one of several current legal battles, ActiBliz have agreed to create an $18 million fund for those who experienced harm from "sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination and/or related retaliation". But the CWA says there are "a number of serious deficiencies" with the agreement, and are requesting a fairness hearing to address them.

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After 13 years, Fallout 3 has finally removed Microsoft's reviled (and broken) Games For Windows Live service from the Steam release. Hooray! FO3 is still busted because Bethesda haven't updated the game to run happily on modern Windows, but I'll take any opportunity to dance on GFWL's grave. However, avoid the update if you play FO3 with lots of mods.

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When will Arataki Itto be coming to Genshin Impact? Arataki Itto is an upcoming playable character in Genshin Impact whose imminent arrival as a potential party member is causing a great deal of excitement, and let's not pretend we can't work out why.

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Shadow Hulk and I, we've been through a lot in MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV. I've learned to love his run, and together we've been largely been taken aback at just how nice everyone in the game is. Right now, though, we've hit a bit of a wall. We're deep in what I've dubbed the 'Filler City' quest line, as we attempt to reach the game's first expansion, Heavensward. Motivation has dipped considerably as of late.

But you should have seen me at the Endwalker hands-on preview, Final Fantasy XIV's upcoming fourth expansion. I played as a tall bunny boy, not Shadow Hulk. I was suddenly at the highest level cap, not the foothills of the early-mid game. I soared over new zones and wrestled through a new dungeon in a state of delirium. And now, writing this in the present, I desperately want to go back. Motivation? Renewed.

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Can you play Split Screen co-op in Back 4 Blood? Back 4 Blood harkens back to some classic co-op games like Left 4 Dead, so many of you are probably wondering whether you can hunker down on the sofa and play split screen like you did before.

This guide will let you know whether you can play split screen in Back 4 Blood, so that you can jump into a match, pick up a gun, and start slaying all kinds of zombies and Special Ridden with your friends.

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Riot Games have announced they're disabling /all chat in matchmade queues in League Of Legends to cut back on verbal abuse. Players in the same team will still be able to type to each other, and post-match chat will remain cross-team too, so you'll still be able to throw out your "ggs". But, as of League's next patch, you'll no longer be able to see messages from enemies mid-game. Good riddance, I say.

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Want to know how to enable crossplay in Back 4 Blood? Nightmare mode can be pretty tough, so you’ll want to assemble the best team possible to survive the zombie onslaught in Back 4 Blood. Although you won't be able to play wit friends using split screen on the same device, you can stretch beyond your platform to find only the best zombie slayers by enabling crossplay.

This guide will explain how to enable and disable crossplay, so that you can pick and choose exactly who you play with in Back 4 Blood. Before hopping online, you should probably finish up the tutorial and figure out how to unlock all cleaners so that you can fit into any team.

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What is there to do once you reach the endgame in New World? Currently at least, New World has a level cap of 60. There's a debate among MMO fans as to whether reaching the endgame should be the whole point of playing, or if it's really just a nice bonus after you've finished the satisfying business of levelling your character up from nothing. Whichever opinion you hold, most can agree that it's nice to have something to keep you coming back to the game that you've spent all those hours mastering.

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Want to know the best Walker build in Back 4 Blood? Walker is a sharpshooter who gains increased accuracy with precision kills. He also deals 10% more damage and increases everyone’s health by 10, making him an invaluable member of any team. However, to really unlock his full potential, you need to create the best build using all of the cards at your disposal. There are over 100 cards in Back 4 Blood, so check out our Supply Lines guide to see how you can start unlocking them all.

If you want to stop looking at stat numbers and start looking at mushy piles of zombies, then you’re in the right place. This guide will cover everything that you need to know to make the best Walker build in Back 4 Blood.

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Want to learn how to create the best Eula build in Genshin Impact? While Cryo Claymore user Eula isn’t the most loved by her fellow Mondstadt citizens thanks to her family’s tyrannical history, you’re sure to love her if you have her on your team. Eula has an all-around solid moveset, making her a stellar main DPS.

This guide will show you how to create the best Eula build in Genshin Impact. Below we'll cover everything you need to know about Eula, including wishing, weapons, artifacts, ascension materials, talents, abilities, and constellations.

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Call Of Duty: Vanguard has started to dribble out a few more details about its story in new trailers, with a particular focus on its five new protagonists. If those characters are appealing, then good news: Vanguard's developers say that they hope to make a Vanguard 2 and 3 with the same cast.

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Team Fortress 2 launched its Halloween update last week. Scream Fortress XIII adds new maps, cosmetics, taunts and contracts, amongst a lot else. One of the additions has caused a stir, however.

The "Corpse Carrier" is a cosmetic item wearable by Scouts that makes the speedster look as if he's carrying his own severed torso. It's a nightmare for snipers for obvious reasons, but it was initially easy to obtain and wearable all year round. Valve have since changed both of those things - and in turn, created a new, highly valuable item within TF2's trading marketplace.

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In 2012, a player named BarryMode completed Spelunky Classic in two minutes and 30 seconds. Since then, this time has stood as the world record, and no other speedrunner has come close. Now, BarryMode's speedrun has been revealed as fraudulent.

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Looking for the best Ironhide loadout in Warzone? The new lever-action Shotgun probably won’t crack the meta, but it’s aesthetically killer. If you’re looking for something different now that the Gallo has been nerfed, the Ironhide is an excellent choice. With two-shot kill potential, it’s a menace up close. To maximize its strengths though, you’re going to need the best build.

To make Shotguns work in Warzone, you need as much range and hipfire accuracy as you can get. Target those stats with this build:

This may be a shotgun, but we’re still starting off with an Agency Choke and Task Force Barrel. Both attachments grant a big boost to damage range, though the Task Force comes with a hipfire penalty. That's why the SOF Target Designator is also a must on Cold War shotguns, as it provides even more of the two stats we need; hipfire accuracy and damage range. You have some options in the stock slot, but we’ve gone with No Stock here. This is the biggest mobility boost you can get on your Ironhide, which is a big help when dueling SMG users. Unfortunately, it also comes with a hipfire penatly. These unfortunate tradeoffs have really held Cold War shotguns back in the meta. If you find the hipfire spread on this build isn't tight enough, a Wire Stock boosts sprint-to-fire speed without a penalty. Finally, we’ve gone with the 7 Round Tube magazine to help take on groups of foes without a reload.

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Looking for the best Grav loadout in Warzone Season 6? Warzone’s newest rifle packs a potent combination of damage and fire rate that makes for excellent time-to-kill numbers. The Grav also boasts one of the highest bullet velocities in the Assault Rifle category and is one of the only Cold War weapons with a caliber-conversion magazine. Get a handle on its beastly recoil, and the Grav has the potential to be a top-tier rifle. Here are the best ways to build it out.

The Grav’s excellent damage and bullet velocity make it highly effective at long-range if you can control the recoil. That’s no easy task, but this build will help:

As usual, you’ll want to start with an Agency Suppressor and Task Force Barrel. I’m as tired of writing that sentence as you are of reading it, but until Vanguard drops this is the long-range combo for every Cold War weapon. The pile of damage range and recoil control stats these two attachments provide are too good to pass up. You’ll want a Field Agent Grip as well for maximum recoil control. The Grav has a lot of vertical climb, so even skilled players should welcome the help. You’ll want some zoom for range as well, and the Axial Arms 3x remains the go-to. If you prefer a Royal and Kross 4x or other optic though, you’ll have no issues making a substitution.

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New reports have been published containing further allegations of abuse at Swedish publisher Paradox Interactive. The reports, published initially by Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet (paywalled), are based primarily on interviews with Paradox staff who wished to remain anonymous.

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Fast IPS monitors like the Dell S2721DGFA and LG 27GN800 have become some of my personal favourites to recommend, thanks to their combination of excellent motion handlin, wide viewing angles and gorgeous colours. We've seen these 27-in models discounted to around £300 a few times over the past few months, but today a couple of discount codes have dropped the price to historic lows.

You can choose from the Dell S2721DGFA, a 165Hz monitor with great ergonomics, for £270, or the LG 27GN800, a 144Hz monitor with a more basic stand, for £238. Either way, you'll get an incredible value gaming monitor that's perfect for a wide range of games and gaming PCs.

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Back 4 Blood is out today, that new game from the original developers of Left 4 Dead that is definitely not Left 4 Dead 3, but is still about turning waves of zombies into splashes on the post-apocalyptic pavement as a co-op team. And yes, I still love it. It is fun. It is so much fun. When is this formula not fun? The release version is, in several respects, an improvement on the beta. The characters do more bantering, it has cinematic cutscenes, and if you have to play with bots those bots do not spend all their time shooting into the drywall. Tick, tick, tick.

But in playing the full game in context, with stuff like opening cinematics and tutorialising videos all embedded in it, something else has become clear: this game is peak early-00s cheese. Not just because many of the enemies have the same texture as a fully loaded pizza.

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When it comes to giant external hard drives, WD sells more drives than anyone - and they might see a fair few more sales today. Their 12TB Elements external hard drive has been sharply discounted over at Newegg, with the code EMC2AAZAA27 knocking off $50 off the usual price of $249.99.

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Despite having sunk several hours into Monster Hunter Rise on my Nintendo Switch this year, I cannot tell you how excited I am to play the upcoming PC version. While my relationship with the previous game in the series, Monster Hunter: World, has been somewhat tainted by excessive hours of benchmarking, the Monster Hunter series has always been a sight to behold on PC, and Rise looks set to be no different - especially now I've had a chance to play the upcoming PC demo ahead of its release on Steam tomorrow, October 13th.

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Most of my Back 4 Blood playtime has been spent getting brutalised by an endless queue of Special Ridden, like an zombified take on that bit in Airplane!. Even so, it’s nice to see Turtle Rock Studios’ latest co-op shooter goes a lot easier on PC hardware than it does on me. It runs smoothly on older low-end hardware, and scales well enough on luxury kit that with one of the best graphics cards you can easily secure 144fps at 4K. Back 4 Blood is also one of few games to support both Nvidia DLSS and AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), so there’s ample opportunity to boost performance via upscaling.

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If you're a little bored of Hearthstone's usual card shenanigans, Blizzard are releasing a new game mode that turns the CCG into a roguelike-ish RPG. Named Mercenaries, players will be able to gather Hearthstone characters then send them off into combat to collect bounties. Like Battlegrounds, you won't use your collection of cards for this, you'll have to gather a party as you venture on. It comes out later today, and will be free-to-play.

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Today is apparently the day for live service games to start Halloween events, with Destiny 2 throwing its wizard hat into the ritual ring too. Festival Of The Lost returns for another year at reset time today, with some welcome new elements. For one, the tired Haunted Forest event is replaced by Haunted Lost Sectors. For another, this year's seasonal outfit is DINOSAUR COSTUMES. Rawr!

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Want to know the best build for Evangelo in Back 4 Blood? Whilst the best cards could fit into any deck, you should always aim to specialise when creating a specific build in Back 4 Blood. Creating the best build for your character is essential if you want to survive on Nightmare difficulty, but it can be tricky to weed through every card to find the perfect match.

If you've looked through the characters and decided that you like Evangelo, then you're in luck. This guide covers the best melee build for Evangelo in Back 4 Blood, so that you can stop scratching your head looking at cards and start slashing (which is sort of his speciality). Evangelo might not be one of the best characters at first, but you can transform him into a powerhouse with certain cards.

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Want to know the best weapons in Back 4 Blood? Once you’ve figured out the best characters for your playstyle, you’ll need to think about the best weapons for your build. There are over 30 weapons to choose from in Back 4 Blood, so you’re spoilt for choice in your fight against the Ridden.

The weapon that you choose will mostly come down to your playstyle. If you want to run and gun, an SMG will be best, whilst a sniper rifle will suit those who want to pick off their targets from a distance. This guide will show you the best weapons in Back 4 Blood in every category.

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We have a bunch of Pokémon-like monster catching games on PC now, but if you're tired of Temtem or Coromon, you could give Monster Crown a go. It's an RPG with turn-based combat that launched in full today after a year of early access. It sounds a little darker than other Pokélikes though, because instead of taming or catching your mons in magical contraptions, you make pacts with them.

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While Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy doesn't launch for another fortnight, the superhero game's launch trailer arrived today. That's a long run-up, that. If I'm running up for a launch for two weeks straight, I'm either leaping directly into the sun or falling asleep half-way. Presumably Square Enix are hoping for the former, given the ehhhh reaction to their Avengers game. Here, have a watch below.

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Where do you find more Far Cry 6 Leaders? It's a common question among many players who have discovered the delights of the Bandido Operations minigame, and want to maximise their chances of victory by sending the right people to lead their Guerrilla expeditions. There are eight Leaders to be unlocked in Far Cry 6, each of whom brings different skills to your growing Libertad army. Learn where to find and how to unlock each of the Far Cry 6 Leaders below.

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According to video games, Halloween officially starts today. Look, I don't make the rules! Tonight marks the start of Halloween events in Overwatch, Apex Legends, and Rainbow Six Siege. Ubisoft's tactical first-person shooter is bringing back Doktor's Curse, its 5v5 hide-and-seek mode where a team of monsters have to survive in a spookily decked-out Theme Park while exterminators hunt them down. This year, new operators are joining the fray too.

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Last week, California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) filed an objection to an $18 million proposed settlement between Activision Blizzard and the USA's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), claiming it could harm their own lawsuit with the Call Of Duty and World Of Warcraft publishers. This objection might have an adverse affect on their legal battle however, because it revealed that two lawyers working on the DFEH suit had previously worked for the EEOC, specifically investigating Activision Blizzard.

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Strange and wonderful detective RPG Disco Elysium launches on Xbox and Nintendo Switch today, which is good for them. That's good for you too, person who wants to talk about Disco Elysium all the time but finds pub conversations waylaid by platform unavailability. And hey, it's good for PC peeps who haven't yet bought the game either, because it has a tidy 45% discount on Steam for the next week. Win-win-win.

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Want to know how to unlock all of the cleaners in Back 4 Blood? When you start Back 4 Blood, you will see that only 4 out of the 8 cleaners are playable. Doc, Hoffman, Jim, and Karlee are locked, so you won’t be able to play as them straight away. Doc and Hoffman are some of the best characters in Back 4 Blood, so you’ll want to know how to unlock them as soon as possible.

Back 4 Blood is a difficult game, regardless of whether you are playing on Recruit or Nightmare mode. If you’re new to the game, you won’t have many cards unlocked, so it’s especially important to choose the best cleaners and weapons for your team in the early stages. This guide will cover everything that you need to know to unlock all cleaners in Back 4 Blood.

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We've spoken about the Crucial MX500 before, but the short version is this: it's a fast SATA SSD that also offers great value. Today, it's even better value than normal in the UK, as Amazon have discounted the gargantuan 2TB size of the drive to just £149.97, a 30% discount from its normal £214 RRP.

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Blue Microphones are known for their popular Yeti podcasting and streaming mic, but they also make a great budget USB model called the Snowball. Its small, adorably round shape belies its capability to make surprisingly detailed recordings, and it's currently half price at Amazon in the UK. That means you need to pay just £40 to take home this mic that normally retails for £80, the cheapest it's been by some margin for years. If you're interested in streaming or podcasting, or just fancy a USB mic to use alongside headphones without a mic (or a rubbish one), then this is a great shout.

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Getting Monster Hunter games on PC still feels like a new treat, even after Monster Hunter World has been out for a few years. Next up for the action and fashion series is Monster Hunter Rise, which is already out on the Nintendo Switch and coming to PC in January. With the PC release coming ten months after the Switch, it's no surprise that MonHunt fans would be keen on being able to carry their save files over to PC in January with cross-progression. Capcom looked into the possibility they say, and cross-platform multiplayer too, but won't be doing either, they've now said.

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Come relive your old MMO nostalgia in that early aughts MMO you definitely remember—HitFlesh! What, you never played HitFlesh? Ah, well lucky you that fans have propped up a classic game server that's totally free to play on. That's the setup, at least, for this story-driven adventure game about spelunking through a classic MMO by the same name. Something's gone spooky in these fan servers though. You can catch the new trailer for HitFlesh down here while you wait for its upcoming free demo.

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Mojang's big all-things-Minecraft show Minecraft Live is coming up this weekend and, like last year, they'll have players voting on which new creature should be added to the game. They've shown off just one of the options so far, the Glare mob that can alert you to monster-spawning light levels. It seems like a neat little friend, from what we can see down here in the little teaser video, but I'm wondering if there's more to this new mob than they've let on. We'll be seeing more new mob options throughout this week as the show and the vote approach.

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