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

[JEMC]

Monday news, part two:

 

Manage monsters and inevitably get eaten in Lobotomy Corporation
https://www.pcgamer.com/manage-monsters-and-inevitably-get-eaten-in-lobotomy-corporation/
Inspired by the likes of SCP Containment Breach and Cabin in the Woods, Lobotomy Corporation is a management sim about extracting energy from horrible monsters and keeping the employees doing the extracting from getting maimed, eaten or otherwise eviscerated. It entered Steam Early Access in late 2016, and earlier this week it officially launched on Steam for $25.

 

The first Sea of Thieves content update is coming in May with a new 'AI threat'
https://www.pcgamer.com/sea-of-thieves-update/
We knew that Rare planned to expand Sea of Thieves with content updates after launch, but the last big update focused entirely on fixing technical problems (see the next page for the archived story). Now that things have settled a little, Rare is ready to talk about what else is coming. The answer: a lot of stuff, including weekly events, a new ship type, and a new area.

 

Gwent release set for October, but a full redesign is coming first
https://www.pcgamer.com/gwent-release-set-for-october-but-a-full-redesign-is-coming-first/
It's been a bit of a rocky road for CD Projekt's Witcher-based card game Gwent. Fans are enthusiastic, but the Thronebreaker campaign that was supposed to arrive in 2017 was delayed into this year (and still isn't out), and in January the studio issued an apology for problems with the mid-winter update, which it admitted was rushed to hit a deadline. Today the studio announced a new phase of development called Homecoming, expected to last for six months of "fully-focused development," after which both Gwent and Thronebreaker will go into full release.

 

Take a tour of the Stygian Abyss in the first Underworld Ascendant trailer
https://www.pcgamer.com/take-a-tour-of-the-stygian-abyss-in-the-first-underworld-ascendant-trailer/
The first full trailer for Underworld Ascendant, the modernized followup to the great Looking Glass RPG Ultima Underworld, showcases colorful dungeons, broken stone halls, magic, traps, and a bunch of underground beasties looking to do you harm. Developer Otherside Entertainment also released a new dev diary video in which writer and game director Joe Fielder, lead designer Tim Stellmach, and lead engineer Will Teixeira talk about their approach to "crafting an immersive sim."

 

Northgard teases new clan and a multiplayer ranking system
https://www.pcgamer.com/northgard-patch-squashes-bugs-teases-new-clan-and-a-multiplayer-ranking-system/
If you like RTSs then Northgard should be on your radar. As Fraser said in his review, its campaign isn't the best but its Skirmish mode shows just how elegant its systems are, creating unpredictable matches that pull you all over its Viking maps. In its latest patch, Shiro Games has fixed a long list of bugs that users have reported since the game came out last month, improved certain features, and teased what to expect in future updates.

 

Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle is a free game about cartoon murder
https://www.pcgamer.com/friday-the-13th-killer-puzzle-is-a-free-game-about-cartoon-murder/
If you fancy a bit of cartoon murder and don't want to pay for it, then you should give Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle a whirl. It's an officially-licensed game about directing masked murderer Jason Voorhees around a grid so that he can slaughter camp counselors. The kills are gruesome, and range from skewering them like a kebab to walloping them round the head with a giant fish (there are PG and R-rated modes so you can choose how gory you want it). It's out now on Steam.

 

EA's new chief designer promises to avoid repeat of Battlefront 2's loot box controversy
https://www.pcgamer.com/eas-new-chief-game-designer-promises-to-avoid-repeats-of-battlefront-2s-loot-box-controversy/
EA's new chief design officer has vowed to "learn from" the mistakes the company made with loot boxes in Star Wars Battlefront 2, and has promised that it will "do better" in future games. Patrick Söderlund, who was head of worldwide studios at EA until an executive reshuffle this week, told The Verge that the controversy around the decision to box-ify everything in the game has "had an effect on EA as a company and an effect on us as management", and that it is determined to avoid similar mistakes in upcoming open-world shooter Anthem and the Battlefield series.

>>Sure... They'll be good for a couple years and then try this, or something similar, again. We know you, EA (and others).

 

Latest Code Vein trailer shows off demonic finishing moves
https://www.pcgamer.com/latest-code-vein-trailer-shows-off-demonic-finishing-moves/
Vampiric hack-and-slasher Code Vein showed off more of its combat in a new trailer this week, the highlight of which is definitely a deadly finishing move in which our hero summons the heads of two demonic wolves (that's what they look like, anyway) from his back to devour an opponent. Not a bad party trick.

 

Civilization 6 spring update will make England strong again
https://www.pcgamer.com/civilization-6-spring-update-will-make-england-strong-again/
England have taken a bit of a battering in Civlization 6 recently, with a series of nerfs making it harder to win with Queen Victoria. Developer Firaxis plans to put that right in its spring update, after which Victoria's Pax Britannica leader bonus will grant a free unit both when you settle in a foreign continent and when you build a Royal Navy dockyard in that new city. That additional unit should make it easier to expand your borders.

 

Tower of Time ventures out of Early Access
https://www.pcgamer.com/tower-of-time-ventures-out-of-early-access/
Old-school RPG Tower of Time's nine-month Early Access journey (slightly longer than developer Event Horizon intended) is now over, and if you like the sound of a blend of magic, advanced technology, and party-based real-time combat, then it might be worth a quick look.

 

Pathologic 2 shows off new combat mechanics and smarter AI
https://www.pcgamer.com/pathologic-2-shows-off-new-combat-mechanics-and-smarter-ai/
After playing an early demo of Ice-Pick Lodge's Pathologic remake in late 2016, I genuinely couldn't sleep at night. I loved the open-world survival horror original—which has since been remastered—and admired the creepy and equally dysfunctional direction in which the devs were steering this one. Now named Pathologic 2, the game's latest progress report teases its new combat mechanics, smarter AI NPCs and some of the nightmare-inducing locations that are set to feature in the final game.

 

Radical Heights teases female character model and outfits
https://www.pcgamer.com/radical-heights-teases-female-character-model-and-outfits/
Last week, Boss Key Productions revealed and released Radical Heights—an '80s-themed free-to-play battle royale 'em up, set inside a futuristic game show-meets-survival scavenger hunt. Studio frontman Cliff Bleszinski has now teased the game's incoming female character models.

>>I have the feeling that we'll get a lot of news related with this game... *sigh*

 

Two Point Hospital newsletter signees get a free golden toilet
https://www.pcgamer.com/two-point-hospital-newsletter-signees-get-a-free-golden-toilet/
I can't imagine how stressful running a hospital must be. I can't imagine how stressful curing outlandish illnesses such as Lightheadedness and Mummification must be. I can imagine how digital doctors and directors take a load off in the wake of such situations—courtesy of Two Point Hospital's latest reveal.