Inspired by Dune 2, what’s the best game with a load of sand in it?

What’s course, rough, and irritating, but gets nowhere? It’s the VG247 podcast!

Three podcast hosts reacting to a Dune worm with Anakin Skywalker's head poking out of it. - 1

Image credit:VG247, Funcom, Disney

Watch the video version ofThe Best Games Ever Showhere:

This is the video. You should watch it, you get to see our faces as Tom drops his latest bit.Watch on YouTube

Listen to the audio version ofThe Best Games Ever Showhere:

This is the audio. You should listen to it, that way you don’t have to see our faces when Tom drops his latest bit.

It’s been long and arduous road to something resembling a worthy adaptation of Frank “dirty” Herbert’s sand-based epic Dune, but with the recent release of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune 2, we can safely call that one done. I just hope we get enough sequels for the films to start covering such nonsense as half-worm emperors and chair dogs.

Aside from the various video game adaptations of Dune - from classic RTS games to modern upcoming survival games - there have been plenty of games that effectively use the desolation and devastation of desert sand. Who can forget the arresting third act of Uncharted 3, or the Tatooine section of KOTOR, or the grand majesty of Assassin’s Creed Origins , with its ambitious recreation of sun-drenched North Africa?

But which sandy game is the best one, according to our lovely panel? If Alex Donaldson was in this episode, he’d have picked Fifty Cent: Blood on the Sand, but he isn’t. To find out what was actually pitched, listen to The Best Games Ever Podcast!

The Best Games Ever Podcast from VG247. It’s a good show for smart people who are cool.

Special thanks to David Bulmer for performing “Jim’s Theme”.

Inspired by Dune 2, what's the best game with a load of sand in it? - 5

Dune II

Video Game

Inspired by Dune 2, what's the best game with a load of sand in it? - 6

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings

Nintendo DS

Inspired by Dune 2, what's the best game with a load of sand in it? - 7

Mad Max

PS4 , Xbox One , PS3 , PC

Wishlisted - Our 10 Best Steam Next Fest Demos

Another Next Fest kicks off soon, but we’ve already done the digging for you.

Welcome to Wishlisted, a showcase of our favourite demos from Steam Next Fest: June 2024. Check the video above or watch on YouTube .

Finding the Best NextFest Demos is all about the joy of discovery, but with so many Steam Next Fest demos getting released in such a short amount of time, it can be bewildering. So we’ve decided to show you our ten Best Steam Next Fest games which we think deserve your attention. These are all upcoming Steam Next Fest games that we’re genuinely excited for, and that we think should play nicely on PC handhelds too!

This is just the start of our Next Fest coverage. This week we’ll be previewing loads of upcoming demos across the entire network - right here on VG247, of course, but also over on our sister sites Eurogamer and Rock Paper Shotgun. Bookmark our Wishlisted Steam Fest hub to stay in the loop. And this is well before Next Fest actually starts, so you, dear reader, get to bask for a solid fortnight celebrating all the wonderful new games that are just around the corner. Enjoy!