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

[JEMC]

Let's go with today's news:

SALES & DEALS

Metro Exodus performs great on Steam, Shenmue 3 has done fine financially
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/metro-exodus-performs-great-on-steam-shenmue-3-has-done-fine-financially/
During its latest earnings presentation, Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors claimed that Metro Exodus performs great on Steam. The game came out a few days ago, and these days have been great according to Wingefors.
(...)
Wingefors also stated that Shenmue 3 is doing fine. While Wingefors acknowledged that this game targets a niche market, he did say that it has done fine financially.
Lastly, it’s also worth noting that Embracer Group has also acquired Saber Interactive. Saber Interactive was the team behind the multiplayer game, World War Z.
>> Sadly, no figures were provided.

GOG's Midweek Sale features games for animal lovers (whatever that means) up to 90% off for the next 3 days: https://www.gog.com/promo/20200219_midweek_sale

Steam has two new daily deals and four Midweek Madness deals:

• The first daily deal is The Beast Inside, that has a demo, 25% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/792300/The_Beast_Inside/
• The other daily deal is the Early Access title Chef: A Restaurant Tycoon Game, 40% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/886900/Chef_A_Restaurant_Tycoon_Game/
• And these are the Midweek Madness deals:
  • The first one is the Early Access title Hell Let Loose, 20% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/686810/Hell_Let_Loose/
  • Age of Wonders: Planetfall is 50% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/718850/Age_of_Wonders_Planetfall/
  • Space Pirates And Zombies 2 gets an 80% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/252470/Space_Pirates_And_Zombies_2/
  • And lastly the Sonic Franchise is on sale, up to 75% off: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/36333614/sale/sonic_ultimate_sale

At Humble, there are three new sales:

• There's a new Humble Bundle: the Digital Tabletop 2 bundle with up to 7 games available for the next 20 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/digital-tabletop-2
• Age of Wonders: Planetfall is the new flash sale, up to 50% off for the next 2 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/age-of-wonders-planetfall-flash-deal/
• And EA has its games on sale for Origin. Up to 85% off for the next 13 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/ea-publisher-sale/

And don't forget the BundleBast fest at Fanatical, with new bundles added constantly (every 2 hours or so).

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

13 of Steam's top 20 new games in January were made in Asia
https://www.pcgamer.com/13-of-steams-top-20-new-games-in-january-were-made-in-asia/
Valve's rundown of the top 20 games released on Steam in January 2020 comes with a fun little side of trivia: The top 20 games released in January 2010. The 2010 list isn't actually a top 20, though, but just a top 11, because there were only 11 new games released on the platform that month—and of that 11, only three would have made it into the top 20 list in 2020.

Someone is selling the free, open source Playnite launcher on Steam for $100
https://www.pcgamer.com/someone-is-selling-the-free-open-source-playnite-launcher-on-steam-for-dollar100/
Playnite is a free open source PC application designed to be an all-in-one answer to the growing number of game launchers we've all got on our desktops. In other words, it combines libraries from the likes of Steam, Epic Games Store, Uplay and GOG Galaxy, and then lets you organise them however you see fit. Jody tried it last year and came away impressed.
I should emphasise the "free" above: it is available straight from the source here and, according to the site, "no features are locked behind a paywall and the complete source code is available under the MIT license". The MIT license basically surrenders the software to any kind of use with no restrictions, including resales.
That latter point has clearly resonated for some, because a version of Playnite has appeared on Steam for a whopping $100 (£79 / AU$139). It bears the same Playnite logo, the same UI, and all of the same features. And as you've probably guessed, it's entirely within the publisher's rights to do so.

MODS/EMULATORS

DX11 Renderer released for Unreal & Deus Ex, supports POM, Hardware Tesselation & more
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/dx11-renderer-released-for-unreal-deus-ex-supporting-pom-hardware-tesselation-more/
Old-school first-person shooter fans, here is something really special for you today. Modder ‘darknovismc’ has released a new version of the DirectX 11 renderer for some classic Unreal Engine games. This new renderer add some new graphical features, including support for hardware tessellation.
Going into more details, this DX11 renderer works with Unreal, Unreal Tournament, Deus Ex and Rune. These dll extensions allow you to play these games on full HD resolution with some modern-day features.

Another Metroid 2 Remake Version 1.5 released, adds Linux support, improves graphics and more
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/another-metroid-2-remake-version-1-5-released-adds-linux-support-improves-graphics-and-more/
Reddit’s ‘Lojemiru ‘ has released a brand new update for Another Metroid 2 Remake. Version 1.5 adds support for Linux, improves graphics, tweaks and re-sprites some enemies, revamps multiple sections of artwork, adds cheats compatibility and more.
In case you weren’t aware of, Another Metroid 2 Remake is a free fan-made project that is available on the PC. As its title suggests, AM2R aims to recreate Metroid 2 with updated graphics and gameplay.
>> Available from Reddit.

This Doom wad turns Zombies Ate My Neighbors into a first-person shooter
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-doom-wad-turns-zombies-ate-my-neighbors-into-a-first-person-shooter/
Zombies Ate My Neighbors released in 1993 for 16-bit consoles, and it was as straightforward as games come: you kill a bunch of monsters (not all of them are zombies) and rescue survivors. That very same year another game concerning the slaying of monsters released, and while it was arguably even more straightforward, it was a much bigger deal.
That game was Doom, and now in 2020, Doom and Zombies Ate My Neighbors are together at last. Modder Dude27th has been working on a Zombies Ate My Neighbors total conversion .wad for GZDOOM since at least 2016, and a demo was released last year. I only learned about it today (thanks, Destructoid), but it's worth drawing attention to, because the ye olde formula works remarkably well in a first-person game.

GAMING NEWS

Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders releases on the PC on February 28th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/kingdom-under-fire-the-crusaders-releases-on-the-pc-on-february-28th/
Blueside has announced that the RTS action hybrid Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders will release on February 28th. The PC port features the original’s beloved characters and lands of Bersia with a killer heavy metal soundtrack.

First gameplay footage for Baldur’s Gate 3 to be released on PAX East 2020
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/first-gameplay-footage-for-baldurs-gate-3-to-be-released-on-pax-east-2020/
Larian Studios has revealed that the first gameplay footage for Baldur’s Gate 3 will be unveiled at PAX East 2020. On February 27 at 15:30 ET, the team will reveal this first gameplay footage. The team will also share more details and news about this new Baldur’s Gate game.

Dead by Daylight Chains of Hate Update detailed, releases on March 10th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/dead-by-daylight-chains-of-hate-update-detailed-releases-on-march-10th/
Behaviour Interactive has revealed the all-new “Chains of Hate” update for the asymmetrical multiplayer horror game, Dead by Daylight. This major new content installment introduces a new killer, The Deathslinger who is a speargun-wielding engineer.

GTA4 returns to Steam on March 19th with Grand Theft Auto 4: Complete Edition, will not support Multiplayer
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/gta4-returns-to-steam-today-with-grand-theft-auto-4-complete-edition-will-not-support-multiplayer/
A while ago, Rockstar removed Grand Theft Auto 4 from Steam. Some people speculated that the team had removed the game so it can sell it, exclusively, via its new Rockstar Launcher. However, Rockstar announced today that GTA 4 will return on Steam via Grand Theft Auto 4: Complete Edition.

New Street Fighter 5 patch aims to improve netcode, breaks compatibility with the netcode mods
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-street-fighter-5-patch-aims-to-improve-netcode-breaks-compatibility-with-the-netcode-mods/
Capcom has just released a new patch for Street Fighter 5. According to the Japanese company, this update brings a number of netcode improvements. Thus, players on both PC and PS4 should expect a better online experience.

THQ Nordic officially announces Gothic Remake for next-generation platforms
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/thq-nordic-officially-announces-gothic-remake-for-next-generation-platforms/
THQ Nordic has announced that Gothic Remake is currently under development for next-generation platforms. This game will be based on the Gothic Remake Teaser that THQ Nordic released on Steam a while ago.
>> I think I can hear HoloDust cursing. Not sure about Viv, since he didn't said anything about the demo.

Experiment 101 issues a development update on BioMutant; still in development, no release date yet
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/experiment-101-issues-a-development-update-on-biomutant-still-in-development-no-release-date-yet/
BioMutant is a game that was originally planned for a 2019 release. However, and as you can tell by now, the game missed that date. And today, Experiment 101 has shared on Twitter a development update on the game’s progress.