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[JEMC]

Tuesday news, part two:

Rogue hit with multiple nerfs in Hearthstone balance update
https://www.pcgamer.com/hearthstone-card-balance-update-to-rebalance-rogues/
Since Hearthstone's Rise of Shadows expansion released last month, Rogue decks have been enjoying the kind of ubiquitous popularity on ladder that means two things: 1) Some of the class's cards are straight-up busted, and 2) Blizzard is about to take a trip to nerftown.

Cosmic camping adventure Outer Wilds comes out next week
https://www.pcgamer.com/cosmic-camping-adventure-outer-wilds-comes-out-next-week/
Annapurna Interactive dropped a new trailer today to announce that Outer Wilds, the intriguing sci-fi exploration camping trip that won the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the 2015 IGF Awards (in a very early iteration, obviously) will be out on May 30.

Elite Dangerous hacks are becoming a problem, and Frontier is investigating
https://www.pcgamer.com/elite-dangerous-hacks-are-becoming-a-problem-and-frontier-is-investigating/
While unscrupulous smugglers, bounty hunters and pirates might be welcome in Elite Dangerous, some rogues have been ruffling their fellow pilots' feathers by using hacks to augment their ships. Programs used to exploit the game aren't new to Elite, but members of the community have noticed a rise, with a recent Reddit thread highlighting a specific group that's been active since at least August 2018.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer pledges improved safety and inclusivity in online games
https://www.pcgamer.com/xbox-boss-phil-spencer-pledges-improved-safety-and-inclusivity-in-online-games/
Earlier this month, Microsoft shared some examples of "trash talk" in an Xbox Community Standards update that were amusing in their relative inoffensiveness, substitution of "" and "" for actual profanity and racial slurs, and heavy reliance on "potato" as an insult, which I'll admit is a new one on me. But the company seems serious about addressing abusive behavior in games, a point Head of Xbox Phil Spencer emphasized in a blog post in which he wrote that "gaming is for everyone."

Ooblets may get an alpha test, and you might be able to take part
https://www.pcgamer.com/ooblets-may-get-an-alpha-test-and-you-might-be-able-to-take-part/
The farm life-meets-Pokemon sim Ooblets will likely get an early access release of some sort, creator Rebecca Cordingley said back in March. But maybe, hypothetically, there might also be some closed alpha testing before that happens. And if it did—which is not to say that it will!—and you wanted to take part, that might be a possibility as well.

Total War: Three Kingdoms DLC plans and mod tools announced
https://www.pcgamer.com/total-war-three-kingdoms-dlc-plans-and-mod-tools-announced/
With Total War: Three Kingdoms' impending launch, Creative Assembly has revealed some of its post-launch plans, including a slightly new type of DLC pack and the new Assembly Kit.

Steel Division 2 shows off its 1:1 dynamic campaign
https://www.pcgamer.com/steel-division-2-shows-off-its-11-dynamic-campaign/
Steel Division 2, now due out in June, is a game of explosive spectacle, full of roaring tanks churning up dirt and hammering enemies in real-time tactical scraps. That's just one side of the war, however, and it's accompanied by larger, turn-based campaigns where you manage a 1:1 scale conflict, setting your battalions up for the real-time battles. Check out the video above to see it in action.

World War Z developer approached Valve about a Half-Life 2 remake
https://www.pcgamer.com/world-war-z-developer-approached-valve-about-a-half-life-2-remake/
World War Z developer Saber Interactive has dipped its toe into quite a few series, including Halo and Quake, and it looks like it also tried to add Half-Life to the list, asking Valve if it could remake Half-Life 2.