Dune. It’s a foundational word in PC gaming, one that not only defined the modern RTS, but continues to echo throughout the medium. From Warhammer 40,000 to the grand player-driven space operas of Stellaris, PC games have a lot to owe to Frank Herbert’s spicy little planet.
This month, we’re battling over the savage sands of Arrakis in Dune: Spice Wars – and chatting to the developers about how they’re working to create a real-time 4X that embodies the grand sci-fi battles, scheming politics, and, well, giant sand worms of the classic novel. We’ve also taken a look back at a game Spice Wars walks in the footsteps of: the iconic Dune 2, a game that defined the RTS genre as we know it today.
We’ve also delved deep into Overwatch 2, getting the lowdown from Blizzard developers on how they see the new changes, and going hands-on to find out for ourselves whether it feels like a full-fledged sequel, or an update in disguise. Is a switch from 6v6 to 5v5, new heroes, and reworked abilities enough to make the shooter feel fresh again, or is there more work to be done? Join us as we find out.
Over in our hardware pages, we’ve investigated whether expensive peripherals really do get in-game results. Will a costly mouse, monitor, and keyboard really push you up the scoreboard? The answer is… complicated.
All that, plus new info on Bethesda’s ‘Skyrim in space’, Starfield; our review of the game that combines XCOM combat with the world of Warhammer 40,000; the secrets of gaming on the lowest settings; the time travelling point-and-click cleverness of Old Skies; and much more.
Issue 371 is on shelves now and available on all your digital devices from the App Store (opens in new tab) and Zinio (opens in new tab). You can also order directly from Magazines Direct (opens in new tab) or purchase a subscription (opens in new tab) to save yourself some cash, receive monthly deliveries, and nab snazzy subscriber-exclusive covers.
This month:
- Dune 2 defined the RTS as we know it. Can Dune: Sands of Arrakis do the same for 4X strategy?
- Does Overwatch 2 justify its sequel status? Tyler C and Morgan both dip in with conflicting impressions on the controversial hero shooter.
- XCOM meets Warhammer in our review of Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Demonhunter.
- Reviews of the month’s biggest games, including Rogue Legacy 2, The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe, Teardown.
- A look into the difficult – and surprisingly vital – task of developing games for low-spec machines.
- Plus much, much more!