Fraser Brown lamented that when he's playing Total War or Dawn of War, he can't paint his own troops like miniatures for the tabletop. Sure, Dawn of War let you pick colors, but Might & Magic: Showdown let you actually paint with virtual brushes. You could even choose brush size and opacity. It's offline these days, and more recent games haven't stepped up to fill that gap.
Natalie Clayton has been visiting some of the parts of Elite: Dangerous that aren't boring, like its killer moon. Mitterand Hollow is a speedy lump of rock that orbits New Africa at a cracking pace, making it a trickier challenge than usual to land on. When you do, you're treated to one heck of an impressive view.
Tyler Wilde played Breathedge, a sci-fi survival game with a sense of humor. Unfortunately, it's not a sense of humor that gelled with him. Breathedge isn't so much 'Subnautica in space' as it is 'Family Guy with an oxygen meter'. The fart gags and dated digs at "political correctness gone mad" put him off even more than the fact tools need to be constantly repaired.
James Davenport has been exploring the world of Valheim architecture, where players have made Hagrid's hut, a treehouse for portals, and a home carved out of a mountain. All of them are super impressive and mean that when I finally play Valheim and end up constructing a rudimentary lean-to and shivering in the cold I'll feel even more inferior.
Enough about us. What about you? Have you been circling around a fragmentary world in Loop Hero, or hunting demons through small-town Australia in HellSign? Maybe grinding for legendaries in the Outriders demo? Let us know!
