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

[JEMC]

Monday news, the huuuuge part two:

 

Echoplex stalks full release this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/echoplex-stalks-full-release-this-month/
Echoplex is a creepy puzzle game that pits you against a stalking doppelganger. Its conundrums pull on everything from Portal to QUBE, yet its listless mirror image incarnations are as unsettling as anything served by the horror genre.

 

Ubisoft acquires Brawlhalla studio Blue Mammoth Games
https://www.pcgamer.com/ubisoft-acquires-brawlhalla-studio-blue-mammoth-games/
We recently ruminated on some of the game studios Microsoft might be interested in buying to strengthen its first-party game output. But right now it's Ubisoft (which was on our hypothetical Microsoft shopping list) that's actually making the moves. Earlier this week Ubi revealed that it had acquired mobile developer 1492 Studio, and today it announced that Blue Mammoth Games, developer of the free-to-play fighting game Brawlhalla, is now parked in its garage.

 

Watch this gross trailer for Carrion, a 'reverse horror' sidescroller from the makers of Butcher
https://www.pcgamer.com/watch-this-gross-trailer-for-carrion-a-reverse-horror-sidescroller-from-the-makers-of-butcher/
Back in February the developers of Butcher announced that they'd begun work on a new "gory reverse horror game" called Carrion—"reverse horror" meaning that instead of playing the victim, you'll be the ooey-gooey creature from another dimension who hunts them down, one by one. Yesterday the studio released some pre-alpha gameplay footage showcasing that creepy-crawly murderbeast in action, and I can honestly say that I don't think I've ever seen a trailer quite like this one.

 

Meet the villainous Seed family in four new Far Cry 5 teasers
https://www.pcgamer.com/meet-the-villainous-seed-family-in-four-new-far-cry-5-teasers/
A few weeks ago, Ubisoft rolled out a "Guns For Hire" trailer introducing the odd assortment of characters who will back you up during your gunslinging adventurers through Montana's back country in Far Cry 5. Now it's time to meet the people responsible for all the trouble: Joseph, John, Jacob, and Faith, collectively known as the Seeds.

 

Prey Twitter hints at an expansion set on the moon
https://www.pcgamer.com/prey-twitter-hints-at-an-expansion-set-on-the-moon/
Well, this is a surprise. Arkane Studios' immersive sim Prey landed last May and gave us a richly detailed space station to explore. That was the last we heard of it until this Friday, when the Prey Twitter account dropped the surprise tweet above. It's either asking a philosophical question about space travel, or we're headed for the moon.

 

Slay the Spire deals 'super hard' daily challenge mode in latest patch
https://www.pcgamer.com/slay-the-spire-deals-super-hard-daily-challenge-mode-in-latest-patch/
After spending a few weeks banging my head against deck-building roguelike Slay the Spire's excellent main mode, I feel like I could use a change of scenery. The Early Access game's new daily challenge mode, added this week, might just provide it, although it sounds even tougher than the rest of the game (the developers call it "super hard").

 

Euro Truck Simulator 2 is headed to the Baltic states in next expansion
https://www.pcgamer.com/euro-truck-simulator-2-is-headed-to-the-baltic-states-in-next-expansion/
Euro Truck Simulator 2's next expansion will let you ease around the bends of the Baltic states, developer SCS Software has revealed. The DLC will include the whole of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, parts of southern Finland and a section of western Russia, including Saint Petersburg.

>>It's not too surprising as it was one of the three "easy" expansions they could do. My bet is that the next one will tackle the Balkans, maybe even up to Greece.

 

Q.U.B.E. 2's new trailer shows off its story ahead of March 13 release
https://www.pcgamer.com/qube-2s-new-trailer-shows-off-its-story-ahead-of-march-13-release/
Q.U.B.E., the 2012 game about manipulating blocks with high-tech gloves, attracted comparisons to Portal, but while its puzzles were smart it lacked the personality of Valve's classic. In Q.U.B.E. 2, story and personality will be a major focus, as Austin found out when he spent some time with it earlier this year, and that comes across in the latest trailer.

 

Bonkers strategy game Pit People springs out of Early Access
https://www.pcgamer.com/bonkers-strategy-game-pit-people-springs-out-of-early-access/
I've had an eye on Pit People ever since Tom played a chunk of it last year, and described how he went to battle with a squad consisting of a unicorn, a man wielding a sharpened candy cane, and a sentient cupcake. It's a turn-based strategy game with an absurd cartoon art style and a story—complete with side missions—that you can play through solo or in co-op. Developer The Behemoth, also of Castle Crashers, sent it into Early Access a year ago, and now it's out for good.

 

Rune: Ragnarok gives us a glimpse of its hack-and-slashing combat
https://www.pcgamer.com/rune-ragnarok-gives-us-a-glimpse-at-its-hack-and-slashing-combat/
Remember Rune, the Viking hack-and-slasher from 2000? Well, last year developer Human Head Studios announced an open-world RPG sequel called Rune: Ragnarok, which had a lot of people excited. The team later put out a stylish cinematic trailer, and now they've offered up an actual slice of gameplay with a short combat clip.

 

Spectrum Break is a colourful indie platformer about riding shapes suspended in zero gravity
https://www.pcgamer.com/spectrum-break-is-a-colourful-indie-platformer-about-riding-shapes-suspended-in-zero-gravity/
I'm curious about Spectrum Break. It's a platformer where your objective is not to reach a particular part of each level, but to light up every shape in sight by touching them. Each object is suspended in zero gravity and you move them around with your momentum, so if you get your angles right then you can ride on certain shapes to help you reach others. Part of me think it'll be relaxing, and part of me (the part that is terrible at platformers) thinks it's going to be too fast and stressful to properly enjoy all the bursts of colour. I'm eager to find out either way when it launches on March 29.

 

Square Enix teases Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth re-release with new trailer
https://www.pcgamer.com/square-enix-teases-valkyrie-profile-lenneth-re-release-with-new-trailer/
Square Enix has released a mystery trailer related to JRPG Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth that suggests a remaster, or at least a port, could be on the way. The teaser trailer, above, comes with the description: "In 2018, the goddess descends", and the publisher has launched a Twitter account off the back of it that promises more information soon.

 

Ubisoft is expanding The Division team
https://www.pcgamer.com/ubisoft-is-expanding-the-division-team/
The Division turns 2 this week, though Manhattan seems no closer to being saved than it was when Ubisoft’s apocalyptic multiplayer shooter launched in 2016. While a month-long series of global events is seducing people back to its frozen streets, Ubisoft is also on the lookout for new blood to add to the team, advertising 25 positions in Massive Entertainment.

 

Epic wants to fix the disparity between Fortnite's two control modes
https://www.pcgamer.com/epic-wants-to-fix-the-disparity-between-fortnites-two-control-modes/
While parity between gamepads and mouse and keyboard is unlikely, Epic is at least looking into making it easier to switch between the Save the World and Battle Royale control schemes.

 

StarCraft turns 20 this month and all of Blizzard's games are celebrating
https://www.pcgamer.com/starcraft-turns-20-this-month-and-all-of-blizzards-games-are-celebrating/
StarCraft turns 20 on March 31, and Blizzard is celebrating the venerable RTS’ birthday across the entire month. I’m lucky if I get a whole day to celebrate mine, but I’ll try not to be jealous of a game. The event spans all of Blizzard’s titles, so even if you don’t play StarCraft 2 or StarCraft: Remastered, there might still be something to tickle your fancy.

 

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth's Zandalari Troll Druids can turn into turtles
https://www.pcgamer.com/world-of-warcraft-battle-for-azeroths-zandalari-troll-druids-can-turn-into-turtles/
I’ve always been partial to Troll Druids in World of Warcraft. What can I say? I like my bears green. With the impending arrival of the Zandalari Troll Allied Race, however, I might have to ditch my bear for a turtle. Thanks to Wowhead’s dataminers, all but the Zandalari cat form has been revealed, and they’re all pretty big departures from the other races’ forms.

 

Firmament is a VR game from the creators of Myst
https://www.pcgamer.com/firmament-is-a-vr-game-from-the-creators-of-myst/
Cyan, the Myst and Obduction lot, have another adventure in the works, and more mysterious worlds filled with peculiar clockwork contraptions. Firmament will see players explore four different realms, accompanied by a floating clockwork pal and a chatty ghost, calling to mind a steampunk Destiny, minus all the shooting.