Back to action folks. PC also got quieter with new PSU which is always good.

Let's go with the news, all of them in one single post:

SALES & DEALS

Cultist Simulator has sold over 100,000 copies
https://www.pcgamer.com/cultist-simulator-has-sold-over-100000-copies/
Weather Factory are an indie studio founded by two former Failbetter employees who worked on Fallen London and Sunless Skies, and their debut game came out last year. Cultist Simulator is a singleplayer card game about being the head of an occult societ, delving into mysteries that ought not be delved, avoiding the police, and spending all your money on books. It's a fun puzzle to solve, but hardly a safe bet in the world of videogames.
However, it seems to have paid off. In a detailed blog post over on the Weather Factory website, co-founder Alexis Kennedy talks about how the studio's first year went. There's a complete budget in there, which isn't the kind of thing every studio shares, and full sales data. Cultist Simulator sold most of its copies on Steam (85,200 after refunds) with the rest via Humble, GOG, and itch.io. The total comes to a healthy 105,000, give or take.

At Steam, we have a new daily deal as well as a new weeklong sale:

• The daily deal is SOMA, 80% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/282140/SOMA/
• Exiled Kingdoms is 25% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/788270/Exiled_Kingdoms/
• RUSH is 40% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/844040/RUSH/
• Reignfall is half its usual price: https://store.steampowered.com/app/935930/Reignfall/
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands is 65% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/460930/Tom_Clancys_Ghost_Recon_Wildlands/
• Europa Universalis III Complete is 75% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/25800/Europa_Universalis_III_Complete/
• And POSTAL 2 is 90% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/223470/POSTAL_2/

On the Humble Store, 505 Games is the star of the publisher sale, with up to 90% deals for the next 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/505-games-publisher-sale/

And at Fanatical, the Bundlefest has started:

• The first of the Bundlefest bundle is the Colossus bundle, with 13 games (including 2 hidden ones) split into 3 tiers of 3, 11 and 13 for the next 13 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/colossus-bundle
• The second one is the Festival Mystery bundle with 10 unknown games to choose from for the next 14 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/festival-mystery-bundle
• And if that's not enough, take a look at all the current bundles from here (with 2 new ones): https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle

SOFTWARE/DRIVERS

Aether Engine to be powered by Microsoft’s cloud computing service, Microsoft Azure
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/aether-engine-to-be-powered-by-microsofts-cloud-computing-service-microsoft-azure/
Hadean announced today that its Aether Engine will be powered by Microsoft Azure, allowing developers to more seamlessly scale their applications at increased speed and ease across the cloud. Hadean’s technology will also be integrated with other parts of Microsoft’s developer suite, including Visual Studio.
As the press release reads, today’s compute environment requires applications to run reliably at massive scale. In the gaming industry, there is an ever-increasing demand for larger and more complex multiplayer games. Hadean’s work with Microsoft will bring these experiences to life and allow developers to focus solely on building innovative and effective experiences for their users – whether in a game studio, a research institute, or simply on their machine at home.

MODS/EMULATORS

-empty-

GAMING NEWS

DiRT Rally 2.0 looks gorgeous on the PC in 4K
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/dirt-rally-2-0-looks-gorgeous-on-the-pc-in-4k/
DiRT Rally 2.0 releases in a few days and below you can find some 4K screenshots on Ultra settings for this new rally sim game. This may come as a surprise to some but DiRT Rally 2.0 is easily one of the most beautiful racing games on the PC, with some really impressive lighting effects.

Daedalic announces new tactical RPG, Iratus: Lord of the Dead
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/daedalic-announces-new-tactical-rpg-iratus-lord-of-the-dead/
Daedalic Entertainment and new development studio Unfrozen announced today a new fantasy RPG, Iratus: Lord of the Dead. In this new game, players assume the role of the resurrected necromancer Iratus who is trapped inside a dark dungeon prison and seeks vengeance against those who imprisoned him.

Fortnite brings back the devastating Infinity Blade
https://www.pcgamer.com/fortnite-brings-back-the-devastating-infinity-blade/
Fortnite's Infinity Blade, which sowed chaos during the Winter Royale and was subsequently vaulted a couple of days later, has now returned to the battle royale, but with some tweaks and locked inside a separate mode.

Far Cry New Dawn's lush setting is built around 'real world' scenarios
https://www.pcgamer.com/far-cry-new-dawns-lush-setting-is-built-around-real-world-scenarios/
The world itself doesn't look all that awful, either. While games like Fallout and Metro present players with classic "blasted wasteland" environments, Far Cry New Dawn's world is lush and pretty. Associate narrative director James Nadiger told GamesIndustry that the more colorful, upbeat setting helps set New Dawn apart from other end-of-the-world games, and it's not entirely fantastical.
>> And there's a bunch of easter eggs.

The Bard's Tale 4 is getting a 'Director's Cut' overhaul
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-bards-tale-4-is-getting-a-directors-cut-overhaul/
I thought The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep was an excellent dungeon crawler when it came out in the fall of 2018, but not everyone was quite so satisfied with the experience. I enthusiastically stand by my assessment—I enjoyed it throughout, even though the ending was a bit of a bummer—but if you're on the "disappointed" side of the divide, inXile is working on a "Director's Cut" version of the game that might give you a reason to take another look.

John Romero's Sigil, the spiritual successor to Ultimate Doom, is delayed
https://www.pcgamer.com/john-romeros-sigil-the-spiritual-successor-to-ultimate-doom-is-delayed/
John Romero teased, and then revealed, a new Doom megawad late last year called Sigil, "an unofficial spiritual successor" to the fourth episode of Ultimate Doom. At the time it was expected to be out in February, but Romero announced today that because of complications with the physical editions, everything is being pushed back to April.

Technobabylon: Birthright is a 3D sequel to cyberpunk adventure Technobabylon
https://www.pcgamer.com/technobabylon-birthright-is-a-3d-sequel-to-cyberpunk-adventure-technobabylon/
Wadjet Eye's last game Unavowed was a high point for the publisher, but back in 2015 they put out another well-received adventure game called Technobabylon—a cyberpunk mystery about a killer called "the Mind Jacker".
(...)
Today developer Dave Gilbert tweeted that a sequel called Technobabylon: Birthright has been in the works "for awhile now" and attached a few screenshots.

Apex Legends update tackles crashes
https://www.pcgamer.com/apex-legends-update-tackles-crashes/
Apex Legends' second update is live now, but it's a pretty small one. The battle royale launched in a surprisingly polished, complete state earlier in the month, so presumably there's not much that needs fixing. My matches have been thankfully free of issues, but if you've been noticing a few crashes, this update aims to deal with that.
>> And then they revealed a few more fixes that this patch takes care about.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Operation Grand Heist season roadmap revealed
https://www.pcgamer.com/call-of-duty-black-ops-4-operation-grand-heist-roadmap/
Activision and Treyarch have revealed the roadmap for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's new season, Operation Grand Heist, which kicks off today on PS4 then seven days later on PC. Among the new modes and weapons, it adds Western-themed areas to the Blackout map and a new specialist, the Outrider, who returns from Black Ops 3.

Final Fantasy 15's final DLC, Episode Ardyn, has a release date
https://www.pcgamer.com/final-fantasy-15s-final-dlc-episode-ardyn-has-a-release-date/
Episode Ardyn, the last of the Final Fantasy 15 DLC packs, is out on March 26, Square Enix has confirmed with the longest trailer of all time. Well, technically, it's not a trailer, more an animated prologue attached to a trailer, but it still takes a while to get to the bloody point. Scroll ahead to the 13:40 mark if you just want to see the in-game action. You get to play as Ifrit in Episode Ardyn, and it's nice to see this fiery summon making an appearance outside the game's brief finale.

Age of Wonders: Planetfall release date seemingly revealed by Microsoft
https://www.pcgamer.com/age-of-wonders-planetfall-release-date-seemingly-revealed-by-microsoft/
It's been a while since we heard anything of Age of Wonders: Planetfall, the sci-fi spin-off of the long-running 4X series, but now it seems to have a release date: August 6th. The source is Microsoft, which brazenly lists this date on its store. This hasn't been officially confirmed by publisher Paradox, but one of the major platform holders seems like a pretty good source on this kind of stuff.

Total War: Three Kingdoms trailer shows more realistic 'Records' mode
https://www.pcgamer.com/total-war-three-kingdoms-trailer-shows-more-realistic-records-mode/
So far we've seen plenty of the Total War: Three Kingdoms Romance mode but little of the more realistic version of the campaign, called 'Records'. It sounds like this mainly changes the power of heroes in battles. Instead of being lone warriors capable of fending off entire units, heroes fight as part of a unit of fighters. They are also more vulnerable than they are in Romance mode.

Congratulations!

@chazore

The biggest thing on the Epic Store is Fortnite. You know who plays Fortnite? Young kids who had very limited time with Steam, if any. They're the ones who will become the future of PC gaming and currently they're building their library on the Epic store and not steam. It would be naive to brush off the Store as non threatening to Steam.

Casuals have already been doing that, it's called Mobile gaming. The casual groups always eventually destroy what the dedicated once cherished/loved. 

Epic doesn't care about what I want or what any other group wants. They just want easy going dolts that will take a paddle slap on the arse. 

I don't see Epic as a threat, because I know their lack of pro-consumer stance will eventually bite them in the arse, when their casual crowd eventually catches on (It takes time for the non caring to care when they get stung a few times in the arse). That and they cannot keep the 12% and free games gig going on indefinitely, especially since two other storefronts basically stopped doing that after a number of years.

Epic is not some overlord juggernaut that is going to completely engulf all of PC gaming though. To imagine that would be a fools game. Steam is still where it's at, as well as GoG. The other clients are as usual, nothing special and lower on average with users compared to Steam.

Also, those FN players?, yeah that total count of FN players that some people keep muttering, doesn't encompass the entire PC player-base, nor are the total number of FN players all PC only. They are a fraction at that. The game is far more popular on consoles than it is PC, especially when you account for the fact that Switch is still selling good, Sony has more players than Xbox, granting both more FN players, with Xbox being another tag-along in terms of total console users combined. 

I welcome Epic as a new challenger. If some game is on their store exclusively that's not on them, but on the publisher who signed the deal. I don't know what consumer unfriendly thing their store did but I know that Valve are already complete assholes, I don't think Epic will be able to surpass them in that regard very soon. They don't have the power to do that yet.

The news:

SALES & DEALS

Just Cause 4 performed below expectations; “we sold fewer units on launch than we had anticipated”
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/just-cause-4-performed-below-expectations-we-sold-fewer-units-on-launch-than-we-had-anticipated/
During its latest financial results briefing session, Square Enix revealed that Just Cause 4 performed below expectations and that it sold fewer units than what Square Enix had anticipated. Given the state of the game we are not really shocked by this news, though we don’t know whether this is the final nail in the Just Cause series coffin.
>> And Tomb Raider hasn't performed as they wanted either.

At Steam we have a new daily deal and 4 Midweek Madness deals:

• The daily deal involves publisher Spiderweb Software, that celebrates its 25th anniversary putting its games on sale: https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/spiderwebsoftware/
• Scythe: Digital Edition is 50% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/718560/Scythe_Digital_Edition/
• Dying Light is going to be 66% off until the 26th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/239140/Dying_Light/
• Darkest Dungeon is 75% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/262060/Darkest_Dungeon/
• And publisher Slitherine is putting its games on sale, with discounts ranging from 10 to 90%: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/slitherine_midweek/

At Fanatical, there are 4 new deals:

• The new Star Deal is Batman Arkham Pack, 10€ for the next 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/batman-arkham-pack
• The Bundlefest gives us another bundle, the LEGO Pick&Mix bundle where, for the next 7 days, wwe'll have 21 titles to choose from to make a 3 game bundle with a 90% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/lego-pick-and-mix
• The Early Access game PC Building Simulator is 15% off for the next 2 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/pc-building-simulator
• And Book of Demons is 20% off, also for the next 2 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/book-of-demons

SOFTWARE/DRIVERS

Steam is getting rid of all its non-gaming videos
https://www.pcgamer.com/steam-is-getting-rid-of-all-its-non-gaming-videos/
You may have forgotten that Steam sells movies, but it does, for some inexplicable reason. It's OK, Valve probably forgot, too. It's finally remembered, however, and has decided to retire this largely invisible part of Steam.
"For the past few years, we have worked on expanding Steam beyond games and software by building a video platform that supports paid and free video content," reads the announcement. "In reviewing what Steam users actually watch, it became clear we should focus our effort on offering content that is either directly related to gaming or, is accessory content for games or software sold on Steam."

Twitch Prime subscribers get a free Apex Legends skin and packs for February
https://www.pcgamer.com/twitch-prime-subscribers-get-a-free-apex-legends-skin-and-packs-for-february/
Do you play Apex Legends? Are you a Twitch Prime subscriber? If you answered "yes" to both those questions then you're up for some some bonus loot this month. Just link your EA and Twitch accounts, and a Legendary Omega Point Pathfinder skin and five Apex Packs filled with a random selection of cosmetics are yours for the taking.
Twitch Prime subscribers will also be given exclusive items in MapleStory 2 including a Flying Fan mount, White Rabbit outfit, Tamed Lil Boogie mount, and seven days of MapleStory 2 Premium Club. Six Vainglory heroes and two emojis are coming, and there's also loot on the way for League of Legends, Neverwinter, The Grand Tour Game, and others.

Seeing GPU crashes in Windows 7? Stop banging your head and grab this fix
https://www.pcgamer.com/seeing-gpu-crashes-in-windows-7-stop-banging-your-head-and-grab-this-fix/
Nvidia has rolled out a 'hotfix' driver for GeForce GPU owners who have been experiencing random application crashes and/or TDR (timeout detection and recovery) errors, but there's a catch—it's only for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users. Apparently these issues came about with the previous GeForce 418.81 driver release.
"A GeForce driver is an incredibly complex piece of software, We have an army of software engineers constantly adding features and fixing bugs. These changes are checked into the main driver branches, which are eventually run through a massive QA process and released," Nvidia's Manuel Guzman stated in the company's support forum.
>> Get the Hotfix from here.

MODS/EMULATORS

Resident Evil 2 Remake – Ada Wong Nude Mod is now available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/resident-evil-2-remake-ada-wong-nude-mod-is-now-available-for-download/
Well, it was only a matter of days. After the Claire Redfield nude mod for Resident Evil 2 Remake, we kind of guessed that the next big mod for this remake would be a naked mod for Ada Wong. And it appears that we were right as modder ‘MisterHecks’ has just released a naked mod for Ada Wong.
This mod replaces Ada from the red dress to completely nude, however do note that the installation requires the FluffyQuack mod manager in order to work. Furthermore, and during Leon’s campaign, you must use an alternate costume (like the Classic costume) to see naked Ada from the parking lot cutscene onward.
As the modder noted, this Ada Wong nude mod does not replace the Coat version of Ada. Also, after Ada falls into the scraps and injures her leg, the model will swap back to the red dress due to the game using a different model after that point. A brand new version of this mod will be released soon that will also replace that injured model.
>> You'll have to find this mod at Nexus Mods.

GAMING NEWS

Brand new screenshot for Shenmue 3 shows off Lan Di
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/brand-new-screenshot-for-shenmue-3-shows-off-lan-di/
It’s been a while since our last look on Shenmue 3, right? Well, good news for all Shenmue fans as Shibuya Productions has released a brand new screenshot from this highly anticipated title, showing off the in-game 3D model of Lan Di.

Saber Interactive drops the price of World War Z thanks to the Epic Store exclusivity deal
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/saber-interactive-drops-the-price-of-world-war-z-thanks-to-the-epic-store-exclusivity-deal/
Saber Interactive has announced that its exclusivity deal with Epic Games for releasing the game first on the Epic Store has allowed it drop the game’s price. As such, the game is now priced at $34.99 instead of $39.99, and contrary to Metro Exodus, this price drop is universal.

Battlerite Royale is now free to play on Steam
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/battlerite-royale-is-now-free-to-play-on-steam/
Stunlock Studios has announced that the MOBA and battle royale hybrid, Battlerite Royale, moves out of Steam Early Access into its free-to-play launch. For this occasion Stunlock Studios is simultaneously releasing the BIG PATCH, which brings exciting new changes and more content across the whole Battlerite franchise.

Crackdown 3 devs working on Wrecking Zone Party support, Campaign saved games and unlocked framerate for Co-op
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/crackdown-3-devs-working-on-wrecking-zone-party-support-campaign-saved-games-and-unlocked-framerate-for-co-op/
Sumo Digital has issued a developer update, revealing the first things that it is going to address via a post-launch update. According to the update, developers are currently working on implementing Wrecking Zone Party support, addressing the Campaign saved games issues and unlocking the framerate for the co-op mode.

Embark looks absolutely incredible in this Unreal Engine 4 test video
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/embark-looks-absolutely-incredible-in-this-unreal-engine-4-test-video/
Embark Studios has released a test engine video for Embark (working title), showing the capabilities of Unreal Engine 4. Embark is a cooperative free-to-play action game set in a distant future, about overcoming seemingly impossible odds by working together.

The news, part two:

See Warhammer: Chaosbane's trollslayer in action
https://www.pcgamer.com/warhammer-chaosbane-dwarf-slayer-video/
The forthcoming Warhammer ARPG Chaosbane has a slayer among its playable heroes, and his name is Bragi Axebiter. As you can see in the video, he's got a lot of flashy, over-the-top attacks that involve spinning in circles with his axes out and throwing them at things. He can launch himself at whatever he embeds his axe in too. He seems pretty manoeuvrable all round.

Darkest Dungeon 2 is coming: exclusive first details
https://www.pcgamer.com/darkest-dungeon-2-trailer/
Red Hook Studios is making Darkest Dungeon 2, a follow-up to the wonderfully grim turn-based roguelike that was our favorite RPG of 2016.
The studio isn't announcing many details beyond the game's existence and the teaser above, but did speak to us exclusively, saying that although Darkest Dungeon's combat system will be returning in a recognizable but "tuned-up" form, the studio is focused on creating a "completely different" structure for its metagame. Darkest Dungeon 2 will initially release in Early Access.

Ghost Recon Wildlands Special Operation 4 brings a new PvE mode next week
https://www.pcgamer.com/ghost-recon-wildlands-special-operation-4-brings-a-new-pve-mode-next-week/
Ghost Recon Wildlands Special Operation 4, the final update for year 2, will feature a new PvE mode "that will test your endurance," with a new outfit waiting for those who are able to get the job done. There will also be a new class added to the Ghost War PvP mode and two new maps, and an adjustable "Time of Day" option for the solo campaign and Ghost Mode.

Path of Exile: Synthesis is a tale of broken memories and lost secrets
https://www.pcgamer.com/path-of-exile-synthesis-is-a-tale-of-broken-memories-and-lost-secrets/
The action-RPG Path of Exile has been out since 2013, but it remains remarkably popular and deeply embedded within the top 100 games on Steam. The December 2018 release of the Betrayal update was actually its biggest yet, and today developer Grinding Gear Games unveiled the next big step in the game's progression: Synthesis, a new Challenge league in which players build their own dungeon by assembling different puzzle pieces together.

Rocket League has cross-platform parties now
https://www.pcgamer.com/rocket-league-has-cross-platform-parties-now/
Rocket League Season 10 has begun. Today's update delivers competitive players their Season 9 rewards—some nice wheels for most—and gives everyone's rank a "soft reset." Win half of your placement matches and you'll be plopped somewhere near your old rank to start the new season.
More importantly, Patch 1.58 adds cross-platform parties, completing the final step in bringing PS4, Xbox, Switch, and PC players together—we'll no longer just matchmake with Psynetters, we can now play with them on purpose. Wild stuff.

Heroes of Newerth, once LoL's biggest competitor, stops major updates after 10 years
https://www.pcgamer.com/heroes-of-newerth-once-lols-biggest-competitor-stops-major-updates-after-10-years/
In April 2009, Heroes of Newerth went into beta—the same month as League of Legends. The two were vying to win over the audience of popular Warcraft 3 mod Defense of the Ancients. LoL beat HoN out of beta by a few months, and Heroes of Newerth spent its first year costing $30 before going free-to-play. Before long LoL became the most-played games in the world. Despite its much smaller audience, Heroes of Newerth has impressively soldiered on for a decade, and has just announced what may be its last major patch.

Apex Legends is getting a new gun tomorrow
https://www.pcgamer.com/apex-legends-is-getting-a-new-gun-tomorrow/
Just a quick note: Respawn announced that it'll be announcing a new gun for Apex Legends tomorrow, an unnamed rifle shown in the pixelated clip on Twitter above.

Scum development roadmap teases vehicles, base building, and missions
https://www.pcgamer.com/scum-development-roadmap-teases-vehicles-base-building-and-missions/
The developers of Scum, the open-world survival game with the dressable, growable, uncontrollable dongs, have shared their development plans for the next three months. If those plans go well, they'll bring new vehicle physics to the game, base building, a complete overhaul of the inventory system, and reworks to the cooking and metabolism systems.

Anthem's worst section has already been improved
https://www.pcgamer.com/anthems-worst-section-has-already-been-patched/
This first week of Anthem, where only PC players get to access the full game, seems to have acted like an Early Access period in fast forward. While a larger suite of changes are intended for Friday when the game hits wide release, including some load time improvements, some smaller tweaks are rolling out before then.

The developer of Furi is making a co-op RPG
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-developers-of-furi-are-making-a-co-op-rpg/
Furi, 2016's stylish hack-and-slash-meets-bullet-hell cult hit, was actually too fast for my ageing hands to manage. Now its developer, The Game Bakers, has revealed its next project, which sounds a little gentler on reflexes: it's a romantic co-op RPG about "everyday love" called Haven. Check out the teaser trailer above.

I find the fact of excusing Epic, blaming the publisher, but also blaming Steam to being pretty arrogant and ignorant at best. You cannot excuse one storefront, from a company that has spent years doing nothing with R&D, nothing with looking into what consumers actually want, but also ragging on a storefront that's worked it's ass off for years to get where it is.

I'm sorry, but if you're going to root for a company like Epic, I can't really see said person as one who should ever, ever hold any power or sway over anything, simply because they cannot be trusted to think properly, besides injecting feelings and emotions into said choice. 

Epic doesn't have the power to do so period. This whole notion of "Epic will become the unstoppable juggernaut, just you watch" gig is just daft. let's say the same about the MS store, then Ubisoft's Uplay while we're at it, simply because they are rich companies.

In the end I disagree entirely with Epic being seen as "competition". The few of you here who see them as competition see competition in general as being very different to other forms of competition, ones that are actually more healthier and legit, that don't involve buying out your competition and deliberately killing them off.

Ignorance is claiming that one store front did nothing while the other did everything. I'd rather have 2 shitheads in a competition than one shithead holding a monopoly.

If you don't see Epic as competition then you have nothing to fear I guess. You can continue to drink the Kool-aid of your benevolent dictator Gaben in peace.

User Banned By ~ PwerlvlAmy