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

[JEMC]

Tuesday news, part two:

As the CMA recriminations rumble on, Microsoft signs yet another ten-year deal with a cloud platform you've never heard of
https://www.pcgamer.com/as-the-cma-recriminations-rumble-on-microsoft-signs-yet-another-ten-year-deal-with-a-cloud-platform-youve-never-heard-of/
This week brought something of a bombshell for Microsoft: The UK's Competition and Markets Authority delivered its verdict on the company's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and it was a big fat no. Furious executives immediately took to the air to decry the regulator, with Microsoft president Brad Smith going so far as to say the UK government should consider the CMS's future role, adding this was Microsoft's 'darkest day' in four decades in Britain.
(...)
Today Brad Smith, having calmed down a little after his exertions, announced the latest partnership on social media. The deal brings Xbox's PC games to the European-based Nware streaming service, "as well as Activision Blizzard titles after the acquisition closes."

The best co-op survival game of 2022 is getting animal companions and a creative mode
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-co-op-survival-game-of-2022-is-getting-animal-companions-and-a-creative-mode/
Whether you play survival co-op sandbox Core Keeper alone or with friends, there are some new companions headed your way. On May 10 the Paws & Claws update will arrive to introduce pets you can bring with you on your subterranean adventures. And for those of you who love to build forts and bases, there's even more exciting news: the same update will add a creative mode that lets you build without restrictions or resources.

Cyberpunk 2077 fans will get 'hands-on opportunities' with the Phantom Liberty expansion before it launches
https://www.pcgamer.com/cyberpunk-2077-fans-will-get-hands-on-opportunities-with-the-phantom-liberty-expansion-before-it-launches/
CD Projekt said on Twitter today that it will start talking about the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 expansion Phantom Liberty in June—and then immediately broke that pledge by talking about the expansion in literally the same tweet.

EA kinda sorta apologizes for poor Star Wars Jedi: Survivor performance, cites high-end hardware as a problem
https://www.pcgamer.com/ea-kinda-sorta-apologizes-for-poor-star-wars-jedi-survivor-performance-cites-high-end-hardware-as-a-problem/
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is having a rough start on PC. (...)
In response to the PC version backlash, EA issued a half-apology, half-explanatory tweet outlining what it believes to be a significant reason behind Jedi: Survivor's performance: PC players running Windows 10 on high-end CPUs designed for Windows 11, and powerful GPUs coupled with less powerful CPUs.
>> How dare you have hardware more powerful than that of consoles that show the f*cking mess we've made! It's your own fault!

This 'edutainment horror' game that just released on Steam is creeping me out
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-edutainment-horror-game-that-just-released-on-steam-is-creeping-me-out/
The way kids' show characters like Dora the Explorer pause for responses as if they can hear all the five-year-olds shouting at them is mildly unsettling, and probably contributes to the confused notions kids sometimes have about television. The ones that lead to questions like: Can they see me? Amanda the Adventurer, a "found footage edutainment horror" game that released on Steam this week, exploits that creepiness by having us watch and respond to VHS tapes of a made-up kids show starring a little girl named Amanda, who in the first episode bakes a pie without parental supervision despite the protests of her poor little friend, a Wooly the sheep.

Sony confirms more PC ports are coming, because it's making a ton of money
https://www.pcgamer.com/sony-confirms-more-pc-ports-are-coming-because-its-making-a-ton-of-money/
The Last of Us Part 1 on PC has not gone well, to put it mildly. Eyebrows Joel was fun for a while but it's been a month now, and Naughty Dog is still struggling to get it right. Sony's overall strategy of putting out more of its first-party games on PC, on the other hand, seems to be going very well indeed.

This windswept platformer is going to have entirely embroidered character art
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-windswept-platformer-is-going-to-have-entirely-embroidered-character-art/
"Hi, I'm making a game where all characters have embroidered animation," developer Eva Navratilova declared in a tweet about her upcoming platformer, Scarlet Deer Inn. The accompanying video shows a young girl running through a vibrant, beautifully-painted village while similarly embroidered geese flap nearby. It then cuts to a close-up of an embroidery machine crafting the little girl's run cycle. Alright, I'm already sold, but how do you actually… do that?

Be a robo-judge hunting down dystopian criminals in the demo of Mega City Police
https://www.pcgamer.com/be-a-robo-judge-hunting-down-dystopian-criminals-in-the-demo-of-mega-city-police/
Want to play a game where a you're a wildly irresponsible, extremely dangerous police officer with a suite of armaments you probably shouldn't have fighting equally-overarmed villains in a dystopian future city? Well, aspiring cyborg-cop or dreadful judge-jury-executioner type, there's an upcoming game for you: Mega City Police.

League of Legends' AI bots are getting a major reboot
https://www.pcgamer.com/league-of-legends-ai-bots-are-getting-a-major-reboot/
Buried inside League of Legends' most recent developer update is a big, very interesting change for the venerable moba: Riot's going to retool and reinvest development time in making bots much better at actually playing League of Legends in the way it's, you know, played by actual League players.

Be a mushroom postal worker delivering to woodland animals in this cozy platformer
https://www.pcgamer.com/be-a-mushroom-postal-worker-delivering-to-woodland-animals-in-this-cozy-platformer/
Cozy platformer Mail Time hit this week, offering you the opportunity to become a Mail Scout, complete with mushroom hat and paraglider, delivering the post to woodland critters across the entirety of the vast Grumblewood Grove. Developer Kela van der Deijl describes it as a exploration-focused "cozy, cottagecore light-platformer adventure."

This Doom-powered, nautical shooter boldly asks 'what if Spongebob was on Adult Swim in 2006'
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-doom-powered-nautical-shooter-boldly-asks-what-if-spongebob-was-on-adult-swim-in-2006/
People are doing so many cool things in Doom modding these days, it takes a lot to stand out. First spotted by Alpha Beta Gamer, Captain Wayne - Vacation Desperation does so with aplomb, boasting a grungy "smart people doing dumb guy," Duke Nukem-y sense of humor and the colorful, nautical fun of Spongebob Squarepants⁠—just with like, swears and stuff.

Water is life and death is permanent in this tense, laconic, $3 sci-fi adventure
https://www.pcgamer.com/water-is-life-and-death-is-permanent-in-this-tense-laconic-dollar3-sci-fi-adventure/
I was immediately intrigued by It Comes In Waves on seeing its screenshots and early gameplay on developer Antonio Freyre's Twitter. It has a dusty, analogue, desert sci-fi setting reminiscent of Dune and Star Wars' iconic ripping-off of Dune. After playing it, I'm happy to say I can heartily recommend this brief, creative exercise in tension and dread.