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

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Monday news, the long part two:

'We have no regrets when it comes to banning toxic players,' says Ubisoft
https://www.pcgamer.com/we-have-no-regrets-when-it-comes-to-banning-toxic-players-says-ubisoft/
Rainbow Six Siege players who use slurs are now getting instantly banned. Ubisoft's zero tolerance approach to toxicity was first installed in July, and Siege's brand director Alexandre Remy tells us the system is "evolving" as the dev aims to maintain and grow a respectful community.

 

Twin Mirror, Dontnod's next narrative game, explores film noir roots in dev diary
https://www.pcgamer.com/twin-mirror-dontnods-next-narrative-game-explores-film-noir-roots-in-dev-diary/
Revealed ahead of E3, Twin Mirror is a 'story-driven investigation game' from Life is Strange studio Dontnod. Its latest developer diary explores its film noir roots, and the dark and emotional choices you'll inevitably force protagonist Samuel Higgs to make.

 

Larian is going to 'make new stuff' now that Divinity: Original Sin 2 is updated
https://www.pcgamer.com/larian-is-going-to-make-new-stuff-now-that-divinity-original-sin-2-is-updated/
Larian could probably tweak, fix, enhance, and otherwise append things to Divinity: Original Sin 2 for the next decade and still not be done with it, but now that the Definitive Edition is out (it's a free update on PC), studio founder Swen Vincke says it's time to move on to the next project.

 

System Shock: Enhanced Edition update adds 4K and official mod support
https://www.pcgamer.com/system-shock-enhanced-edition-update-adds-4k-and-official-mod-support/
While we wait on Nightdive's remake of System Shock—due in 2020—the studio has given us the next best thing: a new version of the classic immersive sim that runs in 4K, has an adjustable field of view and extra keyboard rebinding options.
The new features arrive in a free update to System Shock: Enhanced Edition. It already offered graphical improvements on the base game plus basic mouselook support, but the latest update—called the 'source port update'—adds so much more, including new hi-res assets and smoother camera movement. You can read about all the additions here.

 

Assassin's Creed Odyssey system requirements revealed
https://www.pcgamer.com/assassins-creed-odyssey-system-requirements-revealed/
Ubisoft has released the minimum and recommended system requirements for Assassin's Creed Odyssey, which is due out on October 5. It recommends a GTX 970/R9 290 for resolutions below 4K, and if you want to play in 4K, it recommends a Vega 64 or GTX 1080. The minimum required graphics card is a GTX 660/R9 285.

>>walterbates made a thread about it during the weekend.

 

Stop a plague of barbarians, not viruses, in Pandemic: Fall of Rome
https://www.pcgamer.com/stop-a-plague-of-barbarians-not-viruses-in-pandemic-fall-of-rome/
The spinoffs and twists on disease-fighting board game Pandemic just keep coming, with the game’s digital port making it to Steam recently.
Pandemic: Fall of Rome is the second game in the series to explore a theme other than disease control, following last year’s Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu. Fall of Rome will release in "Q4" of this year and will retail for $49.99. It's currently available for pre-order at that price. You can read the full announcement on Z-Man Games’ website.

 

Sci-fi hack-and-slasher The Surge is getting a Wild West-themed expansion
https://www.pcgamer.com/sci-fi-souls-like-the-surge-is-getting-a-wild-west-themed-expansion/
The Surge was a generic, half-decent sci-fi combat game that Jody described as "Dark Souls in a junkyard" in his review. Deck13 tried to liven up the bland setting with a theme park-themed DLC last year, and next month it'll launch a new expansion, The Good, the Bad, and the Augmented, which is similarly out of left field.

 

Watch the first gameplay footage from Age of Wonders: Planetfall
https://www.pcgamer.com/watch-the-first-gameplay-footage-from-age-of-wonders-planetfall/
Joe got a good look at Triumph Studios' upcoming sci-fi 4X strategy game Age of Wonders: Planetfall in May, and came away impressed. Now, you can make your own mind up by watching 90 minutes of gameplay footage that the developer released this week.

 

Hand of Fate 2 patch makes significant improvements to combat
https://www.pcgamer.com/hand-of-fate-2-patch-makes-improvements-to-combat/
When he reviewed Hand of Fate 2 for us back in November, Eric Watson had plenty of praise for the solo card game that's also an action-RPG. He did, however, call out one aspect of it as a flaw: "Combat is unfortunately the least improved aspect of the sequel," he wrote, "despite still being a major focus of many challenges and cards."
That's set to change with the latest update, which developers Defiant are calling "Combat reforged".

 

Lo-fi horror game Paratopic gains a Definitive Cut, comes to Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/lo-fi-horror-game-paratopic-gains-a-definitive-cut-comes-to-steam/
Paratopic is an indie first-person horror game that launched on itch.io earlier this year. You play as three characters—a smuggler, an assassin, and a birdwatcher—in strange adventure game vignettes.(...)
Paratopic's new definitive cut adds a couple of new areas to discover, more dialogue, and more interactable stuff. It's now available on Steam, as well as itch. "The game contains weirdness, dismemberment, gore, body horror and coarse language" they warn.

 

Dead in Vinland will get first DLC and a free new game mode on September 19
https://www.pcgamer.com/dead-in-vinland-will-get-first-dlc-and-a-free-new-game-mode-on-september-19/
Turn-based Viking survival game Dead in Vinland, which Jody "couldn't stop playing" despite its flaws, will get its first DLC and a free new mode on September 19, developer CCCP has announced.

 

Batman: Arkham developer Rocksteady hiring for 'highly anticipated AAA' game
https://www.pcgamer.com/batman-arkham-developer-rocksteady-hiring-for-highly-anticipated-aaa-game/
Rocksteady Studios, developer of three Batman: Arkham games (Asylum, City and Knight) has kept quiet about what it's working on next—but new job postings suggest that it might announce its new game soon.

 

Blade Symphony's massive Harmonious Prelude update goes live later this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/blade-symphonys-massive-harmonious-prelude-update-goes-live-later-this-month/
Blade Symphony's huge Harmonious Prelude update, which will act as a "precursor" to the multiplayer swordfighting game going free-to-play, will be out later this month, developer Puny Human has announced.

 

Musical adventure Wandersong takes the stage later this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/musical-adventure-wandersong-takes-the-stage-later-this-month/
Wandersong, a cutesy indie adventure about a bard who sings to stop the end of the world, was on our January list of 2018 indie games we were most excited about, and now it has a release date: September 27.

 

Sega Mega Drive shoot-'em-up Steel Empire launches on PC next week
https://www.pcgamer.com/sega-mega-drive-shoot-em-up-steel-empire-launches-on-pc-next-week/
Side-scrolling steampunk shooter Steel Empire is coming to PC next week, more than 25 years after it first appeared on the Sega Mega Drive.
The PC version will launch on Steam on Thursday, and it'll be based on the 2014 3DS port. Publisher Teyon says it'll have "improved graphics and controls" along with full controller and Steam achievement support. It doesn't give any more specifics on the visual changes, or what resolutions it'll run at.

 

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw, a 'sort-of-prequel' to space combat sim Rebel Galaxy, out in 2019
https://www.pcgamer.com/rebel-galaxy-outlaw-a-sort-of-prequel-to-space-combat-sim-rebel-galaxy-out-in-2019/
Double Damage Games has announced Rebel Galaxy Outlaw, a space combat sim that's a "sort-of-prequel" to Rebel Galaxy, which Chris thought was fun, if a little too repetitive.
Outlaw, which will be out early next year, will stick you inside the cockpit (in contrast to Rebel Galaxy, which had a pulled-back camera), and you'll be completing various story and side missions that you pick up from seedy bars across the galaxy.

 

Prey: Mooncrash update celebrates Arkane's favorite roguelikes and roguelites
https://www.pcgamer.com/prey-mooncrash-update-celebrates-arkanes-favorite-roguelikes-and-roguelites/
This one flew under the radar when it was announced several days back, but in case you also missed it, the Mooncrash expansion for Prey received a free update called Rogue Moon. It's a tribute to some of Arkane's favorite games in the indie roguelike/roguelite/general permadeath space, adding new operator skins themed on Darkest Dungeon, Dead Cells, Spelunky, Don't Starve, Rogue Legacy, and Risk of Rain.

 

Shadow of the Tomb Raider lets you unlock a 'low poly' Lara Croft model
https://www.pcgamer.com/shadow-of-the-tomb-raider-lets-you-unlock-a-low-poly-lara-croft-model/
Shadow of the Tomb Raider rolls out later this week and Andy likes it. "A greater focus on raiding tombs, and massively improved stealth combat, make this one of Lara Croft's best modern adventures", he tells us in his 84-scored review—the details of which we'll get to sample for ourselves on Friday.
When we do, we'll apparently unlock an 'Inventory' option early on in the game after resting at a base camp. Within, an 'Outfits' tab will let us tinker with Lara's aesthetic—with the following low poly Lara à la early PSOne Tomb Raider games as default.

 

The first hour of Call of Cthulhu escapes R'lyeh
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-first-hour-of-call-of-cthulhu-escapes-rlyeh/
If the first Call of Cthulhu gameplay trailer left you craving more creeping horror and hardboiled detective shenanigans, you’re in luck. Publisher Focus Home Interactive hosted a stream with developer Cyanide Studio, showcasing the first hour of their tabletop-inspired RPG. If you like chatting up salty sailors, you’ll be quite happy.