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

[JEMC]

Thursday news, part two:

The Marvel MMO project at Daybreak Games has been cancelled
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/the-marvel-mmo-project-at-daybreak-games-has-been-cancelled/
The Marvel MMO (opens in new tab) in development at Daybreak Game Company has been cancelled. Enad Global 7, Daybreak's parent company, announced today that instead of pouring a truckload of money into making the game happen, it's going to spread it out across a whole bunch of smaller projects, including updates to existing MMOs Lord of the Rings Online and DC Universe Online.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt ranked mode paused because PS5 owners keep getting wrecked
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodhunt-ranked-mode-paused-because-ps5-owners-keep-getting-wrecked/
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt (opens in new tab) is a very solid battle royale: I enjoyed it more than I expected to when I horsed around with it in the early days of its Early Access release, and more recently Morgan said he's "really impressed with how well developer Sharkmob has nailed the basics" in the full release. But it hasn't been entirely without problems, and today Sharkmob announced that ranked play will be paused until the launch of the next update.
>> Not because of cheaters, but because of the superiority of KB+M over a controller.

World of Warcraft finally lets Horde and Alliance players get along
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/world-of-warcraft-finally-lets-horde-and-alliance-players-get-along/
Before Blizzard made it a whole world, Warcraft has always been about two sets of fantasy action figures fighting each other. Orcs and humans. Horde and Alliance. Although World of Warcraft has had the opposing factions team up in the past to defeat big bads, they've never been able to do so as a permanent function of the MMO's grouping systems. In next week's Shadowlands patch 9.2.5, that finally changes.

Cyberpunk platformer Replaced is delayed because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/cyberpunk-platformer-replaced-is-delayed-because-of-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/
Revealed at the Xbox-Bethesda showcase in 2021, Replaced (opens in new tab) is a 2.5D cyberpunk action-platformer set in an alt-history 1980s US, a nation plagued by corruption, greed, and a general collapse of society in the wake of a catastrophic nuclear event. As an artificial intelligence imprisoned in a human body, players must explore the region of Phoenix-City and learn to adjust to human life, while "beginning to understand that everything comes at a price."
I dig the concept and the announcement trailer released last year (embedded above) is a real eye-grabber. Unfortunately, it's going to be a longer-than-expected wait before I (and you) get to play it. Publisher Coatsink said today that because of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, it's been forced to delay the release from 2022 to 2023.

Stalker-like online FPS Survarium is closing next week after 7 years in early access
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/stalker-like-online-fps-survarium-is-closing-next-week-after-7-years-in-early-access/
The Stalker-styled online FPS Survarium will close down for good at 11:59 pm Kyiv time on May 31, developer Vostok Games said today. The game will also be delisted from Steam.
"A bittersweet day approaches," Vostok wrote. "On one hand it is good to look to our future but on the other, it is difficult to say farewell to an old friend.

I regret to inform you Ni No Kuni's cute new MMO has blockchain crap up its sleeve
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/i-regret-to-inform-you-ni-no-kunis-cute-new-mmo-has-blockchain-crap-up-its-sleeve/
We quite liked Ni No Kuni 2 when we reviewed it back in 2018, calling it "an ambitious, beautiful JRPG that keeps on giving." Instead of following it up with another big budget console game, developer Level-5 took a different approach, releasing a mobile MMO titled Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds in 2021. Apparently it was a smash hit last June, raking in $101 million in just 11 days despite being available in only a few countries. That almost certainly makes Cross Worlds the most lucrative game in the series.
A year later, Cross Worlds is now available in English on PC and mobile, putting it in front of a much larger audience. And it's quite a looker, though early impressions indicate there's not as much to its combat as you'll find in comparable mobile/PC MMO Genshin Impact. Unfortunately publisher Netmarble also has a whole bunch of plans around NFTs and the blockchain that seem like they'll inevitably clog up Ni No Kuni with gross microtransactions.

Microsoft Flight Sim's Top Gun tie-in teaches you how to fly like a skillful maniac
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/microsoft-flight-sims-top-gun-tie-in-teaches-you-how-to-fly-like-a-skillful-maniac/
Microsoft Flight Simulator is brilliant for a lot of reasons, but for me, it's pretty much just an opportunity to take leisure cruises through parts of the world I've always wanted to visit. With a new Top Gun: Maverick expansion released today, we're now invited to perform ridiculous, high-skill manoeuvres in a specially decked-out F/A-18E Super Hornet, thus eliminating every trace of "chill" this game normally offers.

Game Grumps is working on a new psychological horror game
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/game-grumps-is-working-on-a-new-psychological-horror-game/
If Game Grumps was looking to create the antithesis to its vibrantly wholesome and daft dating sim Dream Daddy, it's very much succeeded with Homebody.
It's a psychological thriller and Game Grumps' second collaboration with publisher Rogue Games. Homebody puts you in the shoes of Emily, solving puzzles to try and stop your old college pals from getting murdered, all while unravelling Emily's shaky past. It's very PS1-era FMV, drawing inspiration from 80s slasher films and retro horror games for some perfectly spooky vibes.

Miyazaki's favourite Elden Ring boss is Radahn
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/miyazakis-favourite-elden-ring-boss-is-radahn/
Elden Ring (opens in new tab) has been a wild success for FromSoftware and publisher Bandai Namco, and Xbox Japan recently spoke to Hidetaka Miyazaki. Miyazaki's one of those figures where you have to be careful about ascribing too much to him—these games are, after all, made by hundreds of people—while at the same time acknowledging that, as a game director, the titles he works on have distinct and singular characteristics.
>> I copied the link to the interview, but be warned that it's in Japanese.