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

[JEMC]

Yes, this is another edition of the news:

SALES & DEALS

At GOG there's a new sale starring Supergiant Games, that celebrates its 10th anniversary with up to 80% discounts on its games for the next 6 days: https://www.gog.com/promo/20190822_promo_launch_supergiant_anniversary

At Steam there are two new daily deals:

• We. The Revolution is 30% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/736850/We_The_Revolution/
• The Early Access game Gloria Victis is 50% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/327070/Gloria_Victis/

At Fanatical there are two new deals:

• The new Star Deal is Shadow of the Tomb Raider Croft Edition, 64% off for the next 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/shadow-of-the-tomb-raider-croft-edition
• The new Indie Legends IX Bundle brings 12 games split into 3 tiers of 4, 10 & 12 games for the next 13 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/indie-legends-ix-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Steam China will be 'almost entirely independent of Steam'
https://www.pcgamer.com/steam-china-will-be-almost-entirely-independent-of-steam/
PC gaming is big in China, and so is Steam. It's not officially approved to operate there, yet millions of Chinese gamers use it every day (Simplified Chinese is the second-most-common language used on the platform), Chinese developers are flourishing, and major international publishers are intensifying their efforts to cater to the market.
Valve itself is looking to capitalize on that extremely lucrative market as well. Right now, the Steam situation in China is muddy at best: As Steven explained in his in-depth report on "censorship, Steam, and the explosive rise of PC gaming in China," the Chinese authorities tightly regulate videogames in the country, yet Steam has somehow escaped scrutiny—and nobody seems quite sure why. Perhaps working on the assumption that this state of affairs can't hold forever, Valve is working with Chinese gaming company Perfect World to launch an officially-sanctioned version of its storefront in the country.

MODS/EMULATORS

New version of the Playstation 3 emulator, RPCS3, brings significant improvements to Metal Gear Solid 4
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-version-of-the-playstation-3-emulator-rpcs3-brings-significant-improvements-to-metal-gear-solid-4/
It appears that PC gamers may be able to play Metal Gear Solid 4 sooner than expected. Last week, the RPCS3 team released a new version of its Playstation 3 emulator that could boot MGS 4. Fast forward a week and a new version is now available, fixing almost all of the game’s graphical issues.
Going into more details, kd-11 has fixed the depth issue which caused geometry to flicker in and out as well as being able to see through walls/characters. Moreover, the shadows are no longer black thanks to kd-11’s latest fixes.

A modder recreated the classic Dust 2 map textures for CS:GO using artificial-intelligence
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-modder-recreated-the-classic-dust-2-map-textures-for-csgo-using-artificial-intelligence/
The Dust 2 map may be about as iconic as Counter-Strike itself, inspiring recreations in other games, specifically a lot of iterations in Minecraft, apparently. I know this to be true because I've never touched a Counter-Strike game, CS:GO or otherwise, but even I know this desert compound when I see it.
Dust 2 is so closely tied with Counter-Strike itself that Valve added the classic "retro" version of the map to CS:GO earlier this summer for the 20th anniversary of the original Counter-Strike. But one modder wanted a version of Dust 2 even more faithful to the original map than Valve's retro recreation. They used AI to upscale the original Dust 2 textures and replace them in a custom version of the map that you can find in Steam's CS:GO workshop.
Modder "3kliksphilip" also put together a YouTube video that you can watch below explaining their process in upscaling the old textures.

GAMING NEWS

Here are 14 minutes of gameplay footage from the Gamescom 2019 demo of Kingdom Under Fire 2
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-14-minutes-of-gameplay-footage-from-the-gamescom-2019-demo-of-kingdom-under-fire-2/
IGN and Gameforge have shared a new video, showing 14 minutes of brand new gameplay footage from Kingdom Under Fire 2. This video showcases some of the game’s environments, its combat mechanics, as well as some quests.

Here are 8 minutes of gameplay footage from the new Battletoads game
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-8-minutes-of-gameplay-footage-from-the-new-battletoads-game/
Microsoft and Gamersyde have shared a video, showing 8 minutes of new gameplay footage from the upcoming Battletoads game. Zitz, Pimple and Rash return to Morph Attack their way through an all-new action-packed adventure of choreographed chaos.
>> Zombie9ers made a thread about this video yesterday.

24 minutes of new multiplayer gameplay footage from the PC version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/24-minutes-of-new-multiplayer-gameplay-footage-from-the-pc-version-of-call-of-duty-modern-warfare/
At Gamescom 2019, NVIDIA revealed that Infinity Ward will take advantage of real-time ray tracing for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. As Infinity Ward noted, it will use RTX in order to ray trace the game’s shadows. Moreover, below you can find a video showing brand new gameplay footage from its PC version.

28 minutes of gameplay footage from the Gamescom 2019 demo of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/28-minutes-of-gameplay-footage-from-the-gamescom-2019-demo-of-vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2/
IGN has shared a new video, showing 28 minutes of brand new gameplay footage from the Gamescom 2019 demo of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. Hardsuit Labs announced recently that it will use ray tracing in order to enhance the game’s lighting and reflections. However, it appears that this video does not feature any RTX effects.

Here are 7 minutes of gameplay footage from the Gamescom 2019 demo of Need for Speed: Heat
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-7-minutes-of-gameplay-footage-from-the-gamescom-2019-demo-of-need-for-speed-heat/
At Gamescom 2019, Electronic Arts revealed the first gameplay trailer for Need for Speed: Heat. However, it appears that a demo version of this new racing game is available to the press. As such, IGN has shared a video showing 7 minutes of gameplay footage from it.

First gameplay footage from the Gamescom 2019 build of FIFA 20 surfaces online
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/first-gameplay-footage-from-the-gamescom-2019-build-of-fifa-20-surfaces-online/
I’m pretty sure that soccer fans have been playing lately the PC demo of eFootball PES 2020. And while there is still no word on when the demo of its big opponent, FIFA 20, will come out, we can finally watch some gameplay footage from it.

Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is coming to the PC on September 24th, official PC requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/power-rangers-battle-for-the-grid-is-coming-to-the-pc-on-september-24th-official-pc-requirements/
nWay has announced that Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid will release on the PC on September 24th. Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is a new fighting game that allows you to pit current and classic Rangers and villains in 3vs3 tag battles. Moreover, the team released the game’s official PC requirements that you can find below.

Here are five minutes of gameplay footage from the tactical sci-fi multiplayer shooter, Boundary
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-five-minutes-of-gameplay-footage-from-the-tactical-sci-fi-multiplayer-shooter-boundary/
Boundary is a game I’m really looking forward to. This tactical sci-fi multiplayer shooter reminds me of Futuremark’s Shattered Horizon; a PC exclusive that was way ahead of its time. Unfortunately, Shattered Horizon did not meet commercial success, but you can clearly see the similarities between them.

Here are ten minutes of gameplay footage from ONE PIECE: Pirate Warriors 4
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-ten-minutes-of-gameplay-footage-from-one-piece-pirate-warriors-4/
At Gamescom 2019, Bandai Namco presented a new demo build for One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4. As such, Gamersyde has captured and shared a video showing 10 minutes of gameplay footage. This video will give you an idea of what you can expect from this new ONE PIECE game.

Cyberpunk 2077 – Six new 4K Gamescom 2019 screenshots released, showing gorgeous graphics
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/cyberpunk-2077-six-new-4k-gamescom-2019-screenshots-released-showing-gorgeous-graphics/
CD Projekt RED has been constantly releasing new screenshots for its upcoming RPG, Cyberpunk 2077, lately. Today, the team released six new 4K screenshots, showcasing the game’s beautiful environments.

First Nioh 2 screenshots surface online
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/first-nioh-2-screenshots-surface-online/
KOEI Tecmo has released the first screenshots Nioh 2. These screenshots showcase some of the in-game 3D models, as well as some of the environments. Aesthetically, the game looks similar to the first game, something that will definitely please its fans.