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

[JEMC]

Wednesday news, part two:

Arnie is coming to Predator: Hunting Grounds
https://www.pcgamer.com/arnie-is-coming-to-predator-hunting-grounds/
The titular alien monster in Predator: Hunting Grounds is already too much of a wimp, Chris thought when he took the asymmetrical multiplayer romp for a spin, and now it's going to be facing its most dangerous foe: Arnold Schwarzenegger.

A trio of Crucible trailers reveal more about the sci-fi shooter's alien world
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-trio-of-crucible-trailers-reveal-more-about-the-sci-fi-shooters-alien-world/
Amazon has released a trio of videos for its upcoming free-to-play shooter, Crucible. The videos outline each of the shooter's three different game modes that take place on Crucible's alien world, explaining what each mode is and what players will have to do to win.

The Culling is making an unexpected return with a baffling business model
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-culling-is-making-an-unexpected-return-with-a-baffling-business-model/
The saga of Xaviant's small-scale battle royale, The Culling, is a twisted, tangled affair that led to not one but two games being killed off. But now it's coming back for some reason, starting on Xbox One this week. A PC version is also in the works.

Larian 'playing around' with Divinity: Original Sin 2, teases June announcements
https://www.pcgamer.com/larian-teases-divinity-announcements-coming-in-june/
Larian Studios is deep into Baldur's Gate 3 right now, and that's a good thing. I'm not sure anyone can bring back that series in a way that will satisfy old CRPGers with hazy, nostalgia-laced memories, but if I had to pick one studio to take a crack at the job it'd probably be Larian.

Riot bans nearly 9,000 Valorant cheaters, warns that this is 'only the beginning'
https://www.pcgamer.com/riot-bans-nearly-9000-valorant-cheaters-warns-that-this-is-only-the-beginning/
Valorant is still in closed beta, but that hasn't stopped cheaters from doing what they do—that is, cheating and spoiling the game for everyone else. Riot's efforts to put a halt to it, primarily through its Vanguard system, have been controversial, primarily because it's a kernel mode driver that loads at boot and is always running, even when you're not playing the game. You can disable it if you like, or uninstall it completely, but you'll need to re-enable or reinstall it if you want to play Valorant.
Controversial or not, the system appears to be working. Riot anti-cheat data engineer Phillip Koskinas said on Twitter today that the studio recently dropped the banhammer on nearly 8,900 Valorant cheaters. It's not known how many people are actually playing in the closed beta, so we have no way to judge the number as a percentage, but even if it's just a tiny fraction of the overall player count, 8,900 fewer cheaters is a step in the right direction.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla will bring back 'social stealth' and wrist blade insta-kills
https://www.pcgamer.com/assassins-creed-valhalla-will-bring-back-social-stealth-and-wrist-blade-insta-kills/
When I think about Assassin's Creed, I envision high-flying ninja types in stylish hoodies gliding effortlessly through crowds, climbing spires, shanking their targets, and then, poof—they're gone, into the night. Times and circumstances will vary, but there's always a distinct element of professionalism to the whole thing. Giant Viking berserkers swinging battleaxes over their heads with two hands, as we saw in the Assassin's Creed Valhalla cinematic, doesn't exactly fit neatly into that perception.
The series has changed a lot over the years, as it's evolved from Altair to Alexios, and so has the hidden blade that assassins wear on their arms and pop like a low-rent Wolverine when they need to wrap things up in a hurry. Recent games have seen its utility reduced somewhat, from a tool of quiet instant kills to just another blade, albeit one you can wear. But Valhalla creative director Ashraf Ismail told Kotaku that its effectiveness as a stealth weapon will be restored in the new game, in part because it will have a perhaps unexpected focus on stealth-based gameplay.

Hearthstone players can claim the Nemsy Necrofizzle hero skin for free this week
https://www.pcgamer.com/hearthstone-players-can-claim-the-nemsy-necrofizzle-hero-skin-for-free-this-week/
Nemsy Necrofizzle is a Warlock hero skin for Hearthstone which was introduced in 2017 and is free for all players—with one catch. The only way to get the skin is to attend and throw down in a Blizzard-approved Fireside Gathering, the live-and-in-person fan meetups. That makes it a relatively rare skin, and thus one of the more sought-after hero skins in the game.
Alas, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced an end to Fireside Gatherings, and that's made it impossible for anyone to get the skin. So for the next week, Blizzard is giving it away to everyone: Just log into Hearthstone by May 19 and it's yours, free and for keeps, and without any of the attendant hassles of actually having to interact with other people.

Gorgeous cyberpunk adventure VirtuaVerse is out today
https://www.pcgamer.com/gorgeous-cyberpunk-adventure-virtuaverse-is-out-today/
Cyberpunk enthusiasts are spoiled at the moment. Between Cloudpunk and the forthcoming Cyberpunk 2077, there's a lot of purple fluorescent lighting to be excited about. Add VirtuaVerse to that list: it's a lushly illustrated point and click adventure set in a grim (but wonderfully lit) future dystopia ruled by artificial intelligence.

Titans get a tiny statue for winning the Destiny 2 Guardian Games
https://www.pcgamer.com/titans-get-a-tiny-statue-for-winning-the-destiny-2-guardian-games/
Destiny 2's inaugural Guardian Games event is over, likely to the relief of players who have been competing over the last three weeks. It was a mess, Tim said, calling it tonally jarring and a big ol' grindfest. One class rose above the rest, determining once and for all, or at least until next year, that Titans are the best Guardians, and everyone else is a scrub.

Play 25 demos in Steam's Indie Celebration
https://www.pcgamer.com/play-25-demos-in-steams-indie-celebration/
The upside of so many events going digital this summer is that we're going to inundated with demos without needing to queue up in hot, crowded convention centres. If you venture onto Steam across the next three days, you'll find plenty of them in the Indie Celebration, curated by Digital Dragons.

Call of Duty: Warzone gets two-step authentication to stem the tide of cheaters
https://www.pcgamer.com/call-of-duty-warzone-gets-two-step-authentication-to-stem-the-tide-of-cheaters/
Call of Duty: Warzone has managed to seduce plenty of players into an endless cycle of dropping and shooting, and with them has come a substantial number of cheaters. Infinity Ward has taken some steps to address this already, and the latest one introduces two-step SMS authentication for new players.