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

[JEMC]

Monday news, the long part two:

DayZ's ban in Australia now extends to digital sales
https://www.pcgamer.com/dayzs-ban-in-australia-now-extends-to-digital-sales/
Earlier in the week, DayZ was refused an age rating by the Australian Classification Board. Despite launching years ago and already having a 15+ rating, Australian distributor Five Star Games had to resubmit the game thanks to the impending launch of the physical edition. Unfortunately, the decision also extends to the digital version.

Stone Story, an ASCII art RPG, is out now in Steam Early Access
https://www.pcgamer.com/stone-story-an-ascii-art-rpg-is-out-now-in-steam-early-access/
Stone Story RPG has been in development for quite a while already—five years, according to developer Standardcombo. After a lot of updates on the TIG Source devblog forums starting back in 2014, it's finally ready for the world. It launched on Steam Early Access on August 8 and Standardcombo expects it to remain there for about a year, though it doesn't anticipate a price change between now and the final release.

Epic pledges loot box transparency across all of its games
https://www.pcgamer.com/epic-pledges-loot-box-transparency-across-all-of-its-games/
Starting next year, Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft and others have agreed to start sharing loot box odds. The ESA made the announcement this week, which included a lot of major publishers and platform owners. Since then, other ESA members have committed to transparency, including Epic Games.

Totally Accurate Battle Simulator's Renaissance update adds Da Vinci's tank
https://www.pcgamer.com/totally-accurate-battle-simulators-renaissance-update-adds-da-vincis-tank/
Totally Accurate Battle Simulator's newest update is out this week and adds the Renaissance faction along with a related new map, campaign, and lots of new units.
The Renaissance faction's home map is a Venetian-looking courtyard of tall, colorful buildings with a canal along the edge. Perfect for dunking enemy units in, I imagine. Along with its new 32-level campaign campaign, the Renaissance update brings seven new standard units.

Fantasy tavern simulator Crossroads Inn will release in October
https://www.pcgamer.com/crossroads-inn-release-date-sandbox-gameplay/
Earlier this year developer Kraken Unleashed successfully funded Crossroads Inn, a fantasy tavern management sim with RPG touches on Kickstarter. Now the team is feeling good enough to settle on a release date: October 18, 2019.

Indivisible, the action-RPG from the maker of Skullgirls, is coming in October
https://www.pcgamer.com/indivisible-the-action-rpg-from-the-maker-of-skullgirls-is-coming-in-october/
A little over four years after Skullgirls developer Lab Zero Games took the cover off the anime action-RPG Indivisible, it's just about ready for release. The tale of a good-natured tomboy with a rebellious streak named Ajna who decides to kick ass and chew bubblegum when her rural home is attacked (and she's all out of bubblegum) will go live on Steam on October 8.

Dog shelter simulator To The Rescue hits Kickstarter goal after two days
https://www.pcgamer.com/dog-shelter-simulator-to-the-rescue-hits-kickstarter-goal-after-two-days/
Adorable dog shelter simulator To The Rescue has surpassed its funding goal on Kickstarter two days after launching and has started chewing into its stretch goals. This pastel-colored game about caring for pups will challenge you to handle all the duties of running a shelter and sending these doggos to their forever homes. You'll make sure your dogs stay healthy and upgrade your shelter to expand your pup capacity.

Loot boxes are a matter of 'life or death' for problem gamblers, says researcher
https://www.pcgamer.com/loot-boxes-are-a-matter-of-life-or-death-for-problem-gamblers-says-researcher/
Speaking at a panel during the FTC's recent workshop on videogame loot boxes, York St. John University research Dr. David Zendle stated unequivocally that loot boxes are connected to problem gambling. As reported by GamesIndustry, Zendle acknowledged that the causal relationship between the two isn't clear, but said that the connection "is a clear cause for concern" that should not be trivialized.

Killing Floor 2 will offer 'paid weapon' DLC in future content updates
https://www.pcgamer.com/killing-floor-2-will-offer-paid-weapon-dlc-in-future-content-updates/
Killing Floor 2 has been around for close to three years now (longer if you count the Early Access period), and during that time developer Tripwire Interactive has been pretty generous with free content in updates like Back and Kickin' Brass, Season's Beatings, Infinite Onslaught, and the Summer Sideshow. Unfortunately, we live in a world where making games requires making money, and so Tripwire is going to change things up a bit in the next update.

This confounding game is chess, but with gravity
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-confounding-game-is-chess-but-with-gravity/
University professor Dr. Pippin Barr has made the version of chess they play in hell, and I love it. All conventional strategy is gone and every time you think you've found an opening, something confounding happens and it crumbles in a couple moves.
>> Here's the link to the game.

Epic reduces Fortnite mech spawns in Arena and Tournament playlists (Updated)
https://www.pcgamer.com/pro-fortnite-teams-beg-epic-to-scrap-mechs-for-competitive-play/
Ever since the start of Fortnite's Season 10, players have been venting about the addition of a powerful two-player mechs. Yesterday, Epic Games announced plans to nerf the mechs, but revealed that they'd remain in the game for competitive play—and the pros aren't pleased. A group of esports teams responded to the news with one voice, begging the dev team to scrap the mechs for Fortnite tournaments.
Updated: Epic has reduced the spawn rate of mechs in Fortnite's Arena and Tournament playlists ahead of next weekend's Champion series event. It comes after pro Fortnite teams asked for mechs to be banned from tournament play.

Capcom expands testing of unannounced Resident Evil game
https://www.pcgamer.com/capcom-expands-testing-of-unannounced-resident-evil-game/
Capcom has ramped up testing on a new, unannounced Resident Evil game, inviting select players in the US to try the game in New York or Los Angeles next month.

SteamWorld Quest gets extra difficulty mode and new game plus in free update
https://www.pcgamer.com/steamworld-quest-gets-extra-difficulty-mode-and-new-game-plus-in-free-update/
Deckbuilding RPG SteamWorld Quest's latest free update is a biggie, adding a new game plus, a new difficulty setting, a cache of artwork and the complete soundtrack.

Deeply messed-up visual novel Saya no Uta is coming to Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/deeply-messed-up-visual-novel-saya-no-uta-is-coming-to-steam/
Steam's doors have been open to a lot of adult games it previously wouldn't have sold, but it's still a surprise to see Saya no Uta ~ Song of Saya appear in the list of upcoming games. This is a visual novel infamous because, as Brittany Vincent put it, "Not only are there descriptions of gratuitous violence, but sexual assault, adult scenes featuring a young-looking female character, and various other bits of awfulness are sprinkled throughout."

Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville trademarked by EA
https://www.pcgamer.com/plants-vs-zombies-battle-for-neighborville-trademarked-by-ea/
EA recently confirmed that while Plants vs. Zombies 3 will be a mobile-exclusive, there is also a new PvZ shooter in the works for PC. Codenamed Picnic, it's currently in alpha, but recent leaks have suggested that rather than being Garden Warfare 3 it'll be called Battle for Neighborville. A recent trademark listing for that name in Europe seems to confirm it.

Battlestar Galactica Deadlock DLC adds new campaign and ships later this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/battlestar-galactica-deadlock-expansion-adds-new-story-campaign-and-ships-later-this-month/
Space strategy game Battlestar Galactica Deadlock is getting an expansion later this month that will add a ten-mission story campaign, two new ships, and two new squadrons, alongside a free update that revamps the UI and control scheme.

Electronic Super Joy 2 could be your next ultra-hard platformer, out now
https://www.pcgamer.com/electronic-super-joy-2-could-be-your-next-ultra-hard-platformer-out-now/
Electronic Super Joy was a brutal platformer full of electronic music and was, by most accounts, very good indeed: 90% of its 2,500 Steam user reviews are positive. Developer Michael Todd Games has just released a sequel that's completely free, despite having more levels than the original.

Shortest Trip to Earth, the tricky FTL-like, leaves Early Access this week
https://www.pcgamer.com/shortest-trip-to-earth-the-tricky-ftl-like-leaves-early-access/
Ever since reading Tom's hands-on with Shortest Trip to Earth, which he described a "tough-as-hell spaceship management simulator...that takes time to truly enjoy", I've been awaiting its release, and developer Interactive Fate this week announced it's leaving Early Access on Thursday, August 15.

Still There is a dark, pensive game starring a space lighthouse keeper, out this year
https://www.pcgamer.com/still-there-is-a-dark-pensive-game-about-a-space-lighthouse-keeper-out-this-year/
Space adventure Still There, which is out this autumn/fall, plans a tricky balancing act: it's a game that wants you to confront depression, isolation and grief, but it also wants you to enjoy its dark sense of humor and eccentric AI companion, Gorky. I'm excited to see how it fares, and I like the look of its various old-school dials, joysticks and panels you'll be fiddling with to maintain the Bento Space Lighthouse, of which you're in charge.

Dwarf Fortress publisher explains why there's no release window
https://www.pcgamer.com/dwarf-fortress-publisher-explains-why-theres-no-release-window/
Dwarf Fortress is coming to Steam, complete with mod support and a new look. It's an exciting and significant change for the free ASCII game—don't worry, that version isn't going anywhere—but we still don't know when it's going to happen. In a recent post on Steam, publisher Kitfox explained why it's going to be tricky to give people a release window.

Horror meets skateboarding in the spookily rad, free Orange County
https://www.pcgamer.com/horror-meets-skateboarding-in-the-spookily-rad-free-orange-county/
Yes it's another retro-looking, first-person horror game, this time made for the Haunted PS1 Summer Spooks game jam. But, hang on a moment, as rather than walking around a creepy, boxy environment, you're skateboarding around one instead.

Gears 5's map builder makes creating murder rooms look easy
https://www.pcgamer.com/gears-5s-map-builder-makes-creating-murder-rooms-look-easy/
Gears 5's map builder will let you take a break from filling monsters will bullets to try your hand at crafting your very own Escape mode dungeon. A new video gives us a quick look at the editor, which seems pretty flexible, but also mercifully straightforward.

Knights and Bikes is a nostalgic co-op adventure coming this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/knights-and-bikes-release-date/
Knights and Bikes is co-op action-adventure about a pair of bicycling buds pedalling around a fictional British island in search of adventure. It's got Goonies vibes but looks like a hand-painted Costume Quest, and it's due to launch on August 27.

For more news, come later *fingers crossed*