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

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Monday news, the second part:

Rockstar is remaking Max Payne 3's soundtrack
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/rockstar-is-remaking-max-payne-3s-soundtrack/
I was, and remain, very excited by the news that Remedy is remaking Max Payne 1 and 2. I was also immediately hopeful that the excellent but underappreciated Max Payne 3 would get some love, too—a less likely prospect given that it was developed by Rockstar and remains in its hands, but I am nothing if not an optimist. Today my wish came at least partially true, sort of: To mark the 10th anniversary of Max Payne 3, Rockstar has announced that it is updating and re-releasing the game's soundtrack.

Datamined content suggests Elden Ring almost had Covenants like Dark Souls
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/datamined-content-suggests-elden-ring-almost-had-covenants-like-dark-souls/
Elden Ring dataminer and PvP content creator StrayKurtis recently shared a screenshot of unused messages from Elden Ring which imply the game's various factions may once have had more formal membership and progression.

Repair your escape pod or die trying in this tense space survival sim
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/repair-your-escape-pod-or-die-trying-in-this-tense-space-survival-sim/
In space, no one can hear you flip through a 35-page technical manual looking for an error code before you asphyxiate to death. But that's what you'll have to do to survive Tin Can: It's a first-person survival simulation game where you, a space janitor, have to bail out of an exploding space station in an escape pod, and then somehow keep yourself alive in the extreme hazards of outer space.

Genshin Impact maker reveals its new game, beta signups are now open
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/genshin-impact-maker-reveals-its-new-game-beta-signups-are-now-open/
The new game from the creators of Genshin Impact has been unveiled as Zenless Zone Zero, an action-RPG set in the last outpost of civilization following a world-ending calamity.

Konami just had its best-ever year, thanks to games you've never heard of
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/konami-just-had-its-best-ever-year-thanks-to-games-youve-never-heard-of/
Konami has announced that its last financial year (April 2021—March 2022) was the most profitable in the company's history by a huge distance. The Japanese publisher's operating profit was ¥74.4 billion, which translates to roughly $577 million USD, and its net profit was ¥54.8 billion or about $425 million.
Despite the perception among some that Konami doesn't make games anymore and is basically a pachinko business, the financial results show that the opposite is the case. What is true, however, is that many of Konami's biggest successes either don't come to the West, or largely go under the radar outside of their captive audiences.

Robocop—the original, good one—comes to Fortnite
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/robocopthe-original-good-onecomes-to-fortnite/
Robocop, the horrific cyborg creation of a rapacious mega-corp seeking to impose its will on the sick, crumbling remains of a capitalist empire, is the latest pop culture icon to make its way to Fortnite.

After 40 years, the creator of one of gaming's first female protagonists has been found
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/after-40-years-the-creator-of-one-of-gamings-first-female-protagonists-has-been-found/
Van Mai, creator of one of the first female protagonists in videogame history, has been found and interviewed by gaming historians Kate Willært and Kevin Bunch. Mai had left the games industry shortly after completing her first project, leaving historians and enthusiasts struggling to find her when the importance of her contribution was fully realized years later.
In 1982, Texas-based developer Apollo released a game called Wabbit for the Atari 2600 (also known as the Video Computer System or VCS). Wabbit is a shooter where you take control of a young girl, Billie Sue, as she fends off marauding rabbits from her carrot patch. It was well-received at the time, and had some impressive sprite work for the VCS, but also holds an important place in videogame history: Billie Sue is one of the very first female game protagonists we have on record, and is the first named female protagonist to appear on home consoles.

Leak alleges Arma Reforger will be next game in series and a bridge to Arma 4
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/leak-alleges-arma-reforger-will-be-next-game-in-series-and-a-bridge-to-arma-4/
A leaked marketing guide has alleged that the next game in the Arma series may be Arma Reforger, a game using Bohemia Interactive's new Enfusion engine which is not, notably, Arma 4. Due to the complexity of developing Arma 4, says the guide, Bohemia intends for Arma Reforger to be a bridge between the current Arma community and the new game that will also introduce the franchise to a new audience—console players. Arma Reforger will supposedly launch on both Xbox and PlayStation consoles.

Overwatch creators explain they didn't use King's 'creepy' diversity charts
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/overwatch-creators-explain-they-didnt-use-kings-creepy-diversity-charts/
On May 12, the Activision Blizzard newsroom published a blog post titled https://www.activisionblizzard.com/newsroom/2022/05/king-diversity-space-tool">King's diversity space tool: a leap forward for inclusion in gaming. It explained that King, the Candy Crush developer acquired by Activision Blizzard in 2016, had been working since that year alongside the MIT Game Lab to make software that would "create and monitor guidelines for character conception and creation" to identify how diverse a set of character designs are.

Pippin's actor from Lord of the Rings joins the cast of The Elder Scrolls Online
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/pippins-actor-from-lord-of-the-rings-joins-the-cast-of-the-elder-scrolls-online/
Scottish actor Billy Boyd, most famous for playing Pippin in Peter Jackson's adaptations of The Lord of the Rings, will be part of the cast of the Elder Scrolls Online's upcoming expansion, "High Isle."
Boyd takes the role of Braghas, a charming card sharp who introduces players to TESO's new Gwent-like "Tales of Tribute'' card game.

Build broken combos to gun down cosmic horrors in 20 Minutes Till Dawn
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/build-broken-combos-to-gun-down-cosmic-horrors-in-20-minutes-till-dawn/
We all like roguelite action games right now, no? Here's a cool one: 20 Minutes Till Dawn, a shoot-em-up that lets you choose a character, a weapon, and go hog wild with twisty upgrades to mow down monstrous baddies to survive that titular 20 minutes. You might be a fire wizard with a shotgun, for example, or an agile ninja with a crossbow and a ghost helper.

Strategy JRPG Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is now on PC
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/strategy-jrpg-brigandine-the-legend-of-runersia-is-now-on-pc/
If you want the definition of a cult classic, look no further than 1998 strategy JRPG Brigandine: The Legend of Forsena. All these years later, Brigandine got a sequel, and now that sequel has come to PC.

Rumor: Gears of War series to get remasters in the vein of the Master Chief Collection
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/rumor-gears-of-war-series-to-get-remasters-in-the-vein-of-the-master-chief-collection/
On the latest episode of the XboxEra Podcast, co-host Nick Baker said, "Remember there was a rumor mill a while back where I said that there is another Microsoft franchise that's getting the Master Chief Collection-type treatment? I am of the belief that that is coming this year." Though Baker was coy about which series he was discussing, he namechecked Gears later and the YouTube timestamp for that section is even labeled, "Oh, Gears Collection?"

Please pet Call of Duty: Vanguard's very polite gun dogs
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/please-pet-call-of-duty-vanguards-very-polite-gun-dogs/
Call of Duty: Vanguard is a game set during World War 2. I'm no veteran, but I'm pretty sure the army wasn't decked out with Cerberus-adorned weaponry. However, historical accuracy hasn't been at the forefront of a Call of Duty game for a hot sec. So screw it, dog gun. Dog gun you can pet.

Square Enix made $394 million profit last year, and continues to bang on about the blockchain
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/square-enix-made-dollar394-million-profit-last-year-and-continues-to-bang-on-about-the-blockchain/
Square Enix has announced its results for the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2022, and the take-home message is that it made a lot of money, and a lot of that money is going into the blockchain. The results document shows that the company had sales of ¥365.2 billion (about $2.82 billion) and made a profit of ¥51 billion ($394 million). That profit is just under double what Square Enix managed in the last financial years but even so, interestingly enough, Konami is still more profitable than it.