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

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The Monday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Steam's Top 10

Apex Legends hits all-time player count peak on PC following team deathmatch update, free hero giveaway
https://www.pcgamer.com/apex-legends-hits-all-time-player-count-peak-on-pc-following-team-deathmatch-update-free-hero-giveaway/
As spotted by Kotaku, Apex Legends surpassed its all-time peak Steam player count on February 15, logging 610,433 concurrent gamers and blowing away its previous high of 510,000 last August. This milestone comes in the midst of a beefy four-year anniversary update to the game that added a new class system to organize its heroes, a team deathmatch mode, and free hero giveaways.
The new class system is probably the biggest long-term change to Apex. The preexisting heroes have been organized into team roles in a similar fashion to Overwatch, and the new archetypes confer additional bonuses to their respective heroes. (...)

Steam celebrates Carnival with its first-ever Made in Brazil Sale
https://www.pcgamer.com/steam-celebrates-carnival-with-its-first-ever-made-in-brazil-sale/
Brazil's gaming scene doesn't get enough attention, Wes said in his feature on Brazilian gamers and developers last year, but it will get a big publicity bump soon thanks to Steam's first-ever Made in Brazil Sale, which will kick off tomorrow with more than 500 games made by Brazilian teams.
The sale was the brainchild of BitCake Studio founder Eduardo Lamhut, who tweeted about his plan for the sale back in September 2022. From there, BitCake coordinated the development and approval of the sale, which has attracted more than 250 game companies and a range of genres "from action and adventure to strategy and simulation."
>> The sale started Saturday 18 and will last until Thursday 23. But that's not the only deals at Steam:

• Hard West II will be 50% off until February 26: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1282410/Hard_West_2/
• And Edge Of Eternity gets a 60% off until Sunday, 26th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/269190/Edge_Of_Eternity/

By the way, a new "Mystery Fest" event will start with today's refresh.

GOG has decided that it hates me and have launched three new sales and, once again, 9 Deals of the Day:

• These are the Deals of the Day, that will last until Wednesday:
  • Harvest Days: My Dream Farm, still in development, will be 40% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/harvest_days_my_dream_farm
  • Hard West 2 gets a 45% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/hard_west_2
  • The Necromunda: Hired Gun – Bundle (game+ OST + artbook) is 47% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/necromunda_hired_gun_bundle
  • Stardew Valley sports a 50% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/stardew_valley
  • Train Valley is also 50% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/train_valley
  • Alternate DiMansion Diary is getting a 60% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/alternate_dimansion_diary
  • Dreamfall: The Longest Journey is also going to be 60% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/dreamfall_the_longest_journey
  • Trine 4: Melody of Mystery gets a 75% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/trine_4_melody_of_mystery
  • The last one is Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, 76% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/pillars_of_eternity_2_game
• The first sale is the Weekly Sale, with up to 90% discounts until next Monday: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20230220_weekly_sale
• The Tate Multimedia Publisher Sale features up to 90% discounts during the next 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/tate_multimedia_week
• And the Special Craft & Create Sale brings up to 90% discounts until February 27: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20230220_craft_create

There are three new deals at Humble:

• At Humble Bundle we find the Fishing Season: Bassmaster & More Bundle, with up to 24 items to get (mostly DLCs) during the next 18 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/fishing-season-bassmaster-more
• And at the Humble Store there are two sales:
  • The Far Cry Franchise Sale comes with up to 80% discounts during 4 days. Most keys are for UConnect, but the keys for the first two games are for GOG: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/far-cry-franchise-sale/
  • The Strategy & Tactics Sale comes with up to 90% discounts during 4 days. There are keys for Steam, GOG, EGS (2) and UConnect https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/strategy-tactics-sale/

And Fanatical has four new deals:

• The new Star Deal is Neon White, 39% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/neon-white
• Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Complete Edition will be 68% off during 6 days. The key is for UConnect: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/assassin-s-creed-valhalla-complete-edition
• Bandai Namco puts its games on sale with up to 91% discounts during 6 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/bandai-namco-entertainment
• The Star Deal is part of the Annapurna Interactive Sale, with up to 75% discounts during 11 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/annapurna-interactive

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

New Steam feature lets you copy games to the Steam Deck (or between PCs) without redownloading
https://www.pcgamer.com/new-steam-feature-will-let-you-copy-game-installs-to-the-steam-deck-or-between-pcs-without-redownloading/
PC gamers with slow internet connections or bandwidth caps rejoice: Valve has just launched a feature in the latest Steam beta allowing users to transfer game installations from a PC to the Steam Deck or another PC on the same local network. Instead of downloading all 50 gigabytes of Elden Ring on your desktop and laptop, for example, you can now download the game once and copy it to your second device.
The feature is live now in the latest Steam Deck beta and the latest beta client on desktop.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Metroid Prime Remastered is playable on PC via Nintendo Switch emulators
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/metroid-prime-remastered-is-playable-on-pc-via-nintendo-switch-emulators/
Nintendo released a remastered version of Metroid Prime for Nintendo Switch on February 8th. And, unsurprisingly, the game is already playable on PC at 4K/60fps via the yuzu Nintendo Switch emulator.
YouTube’s ‘reznoire’ shared the following video, showcasing the game running on the yuzu Early Access 3401 build. In order to capture this gameplay footage, reznoire used an Intel Core i9-12900K with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080. And, as we can see, the game runs smoothly at 1440p with locked 60fps.
>> Damn it! Now I want to play Prime again . The video is a bit less than 7 minutes long.

Take a look at The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim with over 1800 mods
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/take-a-look-at-the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-with-over-1800-mods/
YouTube’s ‘Digital Dreams’ has shared a video, showcasing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim with over 1800 mods. Additionally, Digital Dreams used Reshade Ray Tracing in order to further enhance the game’s graphics.
Do note that these 1800 mods cover pretty much everything; from gameplay tweaks to graphical enhancements. And although Digital Dreams did not share a link, you can download the Elysium Remastered modlist from here.
>> As far as I can see, there's no list with the mods used, but you can still enjoy the over 10 minutes video.

Skyrim mod adds Doctor Who's weeping angels in case you feel like wetting yourself
https://www.pcgamer.com/skyrim-mod-adds-doctor-whos-weeping-angels-in-case-you-feel-like-wetting-yourself/
If you're not familiar with Blink, it's the best episode of Doctor Who and maybe one of the best things ever broadcast on television. I guess the moon landing is probably up there too. Anyway, it's the episode with the weeping angels, which look like the kind of sad lady statues you see in graveyards only whenever you're not looking, they move. Hence the advice when dealing with the weeping angels: "Don't blink." They're terrifying.
Which is why I was hesitant to try Baba Yaga and the Labyrinth, a quest mod for Skyrim Special Edition by modders Kreiste and wSkeever. At least the angels are limited to a location this mod adds to Skyrim's worldspace, rather than roaming the countryside at random. I mean, I hope they are.
>> Weeping Angels? Oh, hell no!

Fallout 4 Mod adds support for NVIDIA DLSS 2, AMD FSR 2 & Intel XeSS
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/fallout-4-mod-adds-support-for-nvidia-dlss-2-amd-fsr-2-intel-xess/
Now here is something that passed under our radar. Earlier this month, modder “PureDark” released a new mod for Fallout 4 that added support for NVIDIA DLSS 2, AMD FSR 2.0 and Intel XeSS.
According to the modder, this DLSS/FSR2/XeSS Mod doesn’t currently work with ENB. However, you can still use DLAA with ENB since there’s no upscaling. The modder has implemented upscaling via the dynamic resolution scaling feature which is incomplete and hidden in the game, thus there might be issues related to DRS. Furthermore, the mod is not compatible with FO4VR.
Now as we all know, Fallout 4 can easily become CPU-bound, especially in cities. As such, you may not see a huge performance uplift in such CPU-heavy scenarios. After all, this isn’t DLSS 3. Nevertheless, the modder claims that both DLSS 2 and FSR 2.0 can provide better AA than the game’s default TAA.
>> The article has 2 videos.

The Witcher 3 Characters Reworked Project now improves over 100 characters
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/the-witcher-3-characters-reworked-project-now-improves-over-100-characters/
Earlier this month, we informed you about a mod for The Witcher 3 that attempted to improve the quality of numerous characters. And today, we are happy to report that a brand new version of it is available, overhauling over 100 characters.
The Witcher 3 Characters Reworked Project comes in three parts. The first part covers all Male Main and Secondary, whereas the second part covers all Main and Secondary Female Characters (Excluding Yen, Triss, Ciri, Shani). And then the third part, covers all Male background NPCs, Dwarfs, Elves and Halflings.

The first 2023 version of Morrowind Rebirth is available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/the-first-2023-version-of-morrowind-rebirth-is-available-for-download/
Modder ‘trancemaster_1988’ has released the first 2023 version of Morrowind Rebirth. According to the modder, this new release packs a number of fixes, new additions, and various improvements.
In case you weren’t aware, Morrowind Rebirth is a complete overhaul of Bethesda’s classic RPG. This mod adds countless new details, weapons, armors and much more for you to see and do. Basically, this is a must-have mod for those that want to replay this classic TES game.
>> There's a 3 minutes video of it.

Early Access Multiplayer Mod released for Hogwarts Legacy
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/early-access-multiplayer-mod-released-for-hogwars-legacy/
The modding team behind Skyrim Together has released an early access version of their upcoming multiplayer mod for Hogwarts Legacy. Moreover, the team has shared two gameplay videos that can give you a glimpse at what is currently possible with this mod.
The first video shows 10 players exploring the game’s world. The second video shows off the outfit synchronization, which now also includes Transmog.
Now as with all Early Access mods, this one is behind a Patreon wall. Yeap, it sucks but at least the final version will be free to everyone.

This randomizer mod reshuffles classic shooters like Duke 3D, Blood, and Shadow Warrior
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-randomizer-mod-reshuffles-classic-shooters-like-duke-3d-blood-and-shadow-warrior/
Modder Die4Ever has brought a selection of classic PC FPSes to the chaos realm with a new project, the Build Engine Randomizer. The mod lets players remix the enemy and item placements for games on Ken Silverman's legendary Build Engine⁠—most famous for Duke Nukem 3D, it also served as a middleware platform for developers like Monolith and Lobotomy.
Die4Ever's Build Randomizer works on Duke 3D, Shadow Warrior, Blood, Powerslave, and Voidpoint's 2019 Build FPS, Ion Fury. The mod creates new seeds of the game with reshuffled item and enemy placements, with added parameters for how difficult and how out there the new configurations might be, with Die4Ever warning that "putting every setting to maximum will make the game nearly impossible."

GAMING NEWS

First PC Update for Returnal released, is 1.3GB in size, full patch notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/first-pc-update-for-returnal-released-is-1-3gb-in-size-full-patch-notes/
Climax Studios and Housemarque have released the first PC update for Returnal. The February 17th Patch, which weighs around 1.3GB in size, fixes a number of issues that plagued the game. The developers have also confirmed that they are working on a performance patch that will come out in the future.

Diablo 4 Open Beta begins on March 24th, Early Access on March 17th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/diablo-4-open-beta-begins-on-march-24th-early-access-on-march-17th/
Blizzard has just announced the dates for the Open Beta phase of Diablo 4. Furthermore, IGN has shared the opening cinematic that you’ll be experiencing when you get your hands on the Open Beta.

Here are 5 hours of leaked gameplay footage from Atomic Heart
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-5-hours-of-leaked-gameplay-footage-from-atomic-heart/
Atomic Heart releases next week and it appears that someone has broken its review embargo, live-streaming five hours of gameplay footage from it. Now I’m certain that Focus Entertainment will soon take this video down, so be sure to watch it while you still can.

Atomic Heart Dev Build, that doesn’t have Denuvo, leaked online
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/atomic-heart-dev-build-that-doesnt-have-denuvo-leaked-online/
Following yesterday’s leaked gameplay footage, it appears that someone has leaked a dev build for Atomic Heart that’s one month old, and does not feature the Denuvo anti-tamper tech.

Dead Space Remake got a new patch & here are all of its changes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/dead-space-remake-got-a-new-patch-here-are-all-of-its-changes/
EA Motive has released a brand new update for Dead Space Remake. This Update packs a number of Steam Deck improvements, and fixes some bugs that plagued the game. However, it does not bring any performance optimizations.

Layers of Fear and Lies of P to be released in June and August 2023
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/layers-of-fear-and-lies-of-p-to-be-released-in-june-and-august-2023/
Bloober Team and NEOWIZ have revealed the release date windows for Layers of Fear and Lies of P, respectively. According to the Bloober Team, Layers of Fear targets a June 2023 release. On the other hand, NEOWIZ claims that Lies of P will release in August 2023.
>> They've also launched new trailers for both games.