Carzy Zarx’s PC Gaming Emporium - Catch Up on All the Latest PC Gaming Related News

[JEMC]

Let's go with the Tuesday news:

SALES & DEALS

World War Z has sold nearly two million copies worldwide in a month
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/world-war-z-has-sold-nearly-two-million-copies-worldwide-in-a-month/
Saber Interactive has announced that World War Z, the action-packed co-op shooter inspired by Paramount Pictures’ blockbuster film, has sold nearly 2 million copies globally in its first month. In order to celebrate this announcement, Saber and Focus Home Interactive has released a new trailer that you can find below.

Steam features two daily deals (one real, one fake) as well as a bunch of weeklong deals:

• The daily deal is a DC franchise sale, with up to 75% discounts: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/dc
• Sundered: Eldritch Edition is 75% off for the next 50 hours: https://store.steampowered.com/app/535480/Sundered_Eldritch_Edition/
• The first of the five games of the weekly sale I'll mention is Superflight, 30% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/732430/Superflight/
• Ancestors Legacy is 50% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/620590/Ancestors_Legacy/
• Homesick gets a 66% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/244910/Homesick/
• Anno 1404 Gold, that features the (probably best)game of the series plus the Venice expansion is 75% off: https://store.steampowered.com/sub/6849/
• And lastly, Perception gets a 90% deal: https://store.steampowered.com/app/426310/Perception/

Fanatical has several new sales:

• Yesterday's Star Deal will last another 24 hours, and features the game SYNTHETIK: Legion Rising with a 66% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/synthetik
• Paradox Interactive will have its games up to 80% cheaper during the next 6 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/paradox-interactive
• There's a new Elite Mystery bundle to choose between 1 to 5 mysterious games for the next 13 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/elite-mystery-bundle
• There's also a new Pick & Mix bundle with Slitherine with 17 games to choose a bundle of 1, 3 or 5 games: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/slitherine-pick-and-mix

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Buying games too fast on the Epic Games Store can lock your account
https://www.pcgamer.com/buying-games-too-fast-on-the-epic-games-store-can-lock-your-account/
The Epic Games Store's first major sale has had its fair share of teething problems, with games like Bloodlines 2 and Oxygen Not Included removed from the store shortly after the sale kicked off, followed by Borderlands 3. There are still plenty of discounts, but buying a lot of games could potentially result in your account being blocked from making more purchases.
Last week, streamer Patrick Boivin claimed he bought five games on the Epic Games Store and then his account was flagged as potentially fraudulent.
“This was a result of our aggressive fraud rules,” Epic Games' senior PR Nick Chester told Game Revolution. “If players run into this issue, they should contact player support so we can investigate.”
>> My honest reaction while reading this.

Electronic Arts showcases next-generation hair rendering, giving us a glimpse at next-gen graphics
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/electronic-arts-showcases-next-generation-hair-rendering-giving-us-a-glimpse-at-next-gen-graphics/
Electronic Arts and DICE have released some videos, showcasing the new hair rendering techniques that have been implemented in the Frostbite Engine. As the publisher noted, its goal is to produce a step change in real-time hair and reach results close to movie and offline rendering.
Moreover, these videos will offer you a glimpse into how future Frostbite-powered games will look like. In other words, EA and DICE will aim to provide these new hair rendering techniques in their upcoming next-generation games.

MODS/EMULATORS

You can now play as Takayuki Yagami from Yakuza Judgment in Yakuza Kiwami 2
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/you-can-now-play-as-takayuki-yagami-from-yakuza-judgment-in-yakuza-kiwami-2/
Judgement, also known as Project Judge and Judge Eyes, is the upcoming Yakuza spin-off that SEGA is currently working on. And while this game has only been announced for PS4 (at least for now), PC gamers can play as its protagonist in Yakuza Kiwami 2 thanks to a brand new mod.
This mod, called Yakuza Kiwami 2 mod: “Takayuki Yagami v.1”, is created by modder ‘Moonspell’ and replaces the Kiwami2 main protagonist Kazuma Kiryu with Takayuki Yagami from Yakuza Judgment. Takayuki Yagami’s 3D model will also replace Kiryu’s model during cut-scenes and the mini games, thus making it feel pretty consistent and cool (or should I say “rad”).
In order to install it, you’ll have to download it from here, create a Backup of “chara.par” and “db.par”, then use the Patcher (xdelta3) with the Patchfile, and then copy the new db.par to your Gamefolder “Data”.

Ninja Gaiden Ryu Hayabusa mod released for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/ninja-gaiden-ryu-hayabusa-mod-released-for-sekiro-shadows-die-twice/
Ninja Gaiden and Sekiro fans, here is something for you today. Christianbliss has released a brand new mod that brings the iconic ninja, Ryu Hayabusa, to FromSoftware’s latest action/stealth game, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
(...)
As the modder noted, and even though this 3D model also replaces Wolf’s model for all the in-game cut-scenes, its rigging is not perfect. In fact, Christianbliss described as “kinda bad” so expect to see some visual glitches and inconsistencies here and there. Still, the mod is functional and I’m pretty sure that some players will be interested in it.
>> The mod is available from Nexus Mods, but in order to run it you'll also need to install the Mod Engine.

GAMING NEWS

APEX Legends patch 1.1.3 makes audio engine 30% more CPU efficient, fixes Intel CPU crashes & more
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/apex-legends-patch-1-1-3-makes-audio-engine-30-more-cpu-efficient-fixes-intel-cpu-crashes-more/
Respawn has released a brand new update for its free to play battle royale game, APEX Legends. According to the release notes, patch 1.1.3 improves audio engine to be around 30% more CPU efficient, lessening the chance of distortion or dropouts, and lowers impact on data loading through code and content changes to improve potential dropout issues.

Two new screenshots released for The Surge 2
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/two-new-screenshots-released-for-the-surge-2/
Focus Home Interactive has launched the official Steam store page for The Surge 2, revealing two new screenshots. The Surge 2 promises to feature larger and more ambitious level design, more brutal combat, and an expanded limb-targeting system.

Games of Thrones’ George R.R. Martin confirms that he has consulted for a game out of Japan
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/games-of-thrones-george-r-r-martin-confirms-that-he-has-consulted-for-a-game-out-of-japan/
In his latest blog post, George R.R. Martin confirmed that he has consulted on a brand new video game out of Japan. This further strengths the rumours that surfaced earlier this year about George R.R. Martin working with FromSoftware for a new video game.
>> Xxain has made a thread about this.

Codemasters announces a new GRID game, to be released on September 13th 2019
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/codemasters-announces-a-new-grid-game-to-be-released-on-september-13th-2019/
Codemasters today announced that one of its most popular franchises, GRID , will soon be back with a brand new game. As the press release reads, this new racing game will be available on September 13th, 2019, on current-gen hardware. This fourth installment of the series will invite players to take the wheel in action-packed races on four continents, in the streets of the most famous cities or on legendary circuits.

The Dark Pictures – Man of Medan, from the developers of Until Dawn, releases on August 30th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-dark-pictures-man-of-medan-from-the-developers-of-until-dawn-releases-on-august-30th/
Bandai Namco has announced that the first part of The Dark Pictures, the next game from the team behind Until Dawn, will release on August 30th. The Dark Pictures Anthology is a series of stand-alone, cinematic horror games, designed to present a new terrifying experience on a regular basis. Each game is unconnected and will feature a brand new story, setting and new cast of characters.