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

[JEMC]

The Friday news, the last part:

Starfield pioneer murders the same elite enemy 100 times to reach a damning scientific verdict: The loot is bad
https://www.pcgamer.com/starfield-murders-the-same-elite-enemy-100-times-to-reach-a-damning-scientific-verdict-the-loot-is-bad/
You ever feel like Starfield's best drops are a bit thin on the ground? Specifically, that its toughest elite enemies seem only ever to drop fairly naff rare and epic weapons instead of the legendary drops that come with three gameplay-altering modifiers? You're not alone, but now, as spotted by GamesRadar, one enterprising player has applied the scientific method to the conundrum.

Dead Island 2 trades zombie fiction for the everyday reality of Silicon Valley by adding a 'billionaire's secret techno-death cult' in its first expansion
https://www.pcgamer.com/dead-island-2-trades-zombie-fiction-for-the-everyday-reality-of-silicon-valley-by-adding-a-billionaires-secret-techno-death-cult-in-its-first-expansion/
Haus, the first story expansion for the zombie beatdown romp Dead Island 2, promises to take players on a journey through a "surreal, psycho-horror dreamscape" as they investigate a previously unknown cult that's fighting to survive (and spread a somewhat dubious vision for the future of humanity) in an all-new region of undead-infested Los Angeles.

You can still play CS:GO, at least if you consider bizarre custom servers where you fight Final Fantasy summons 'playing CS:GO'
https://www.pcgamer.com/you-can-still-play-csgo-at-least-if-you-consider-custom-servers-where-you-fight-final-fantasy-summons-playing-csgo/
The launch of Counter-Strike 2 has been exciting, but it comes with the disappointing caveat that, rather than succeeding CS:GO, it has completely replaced it. Well, almost completely: It's actually still possible to launch CS:GO, and will be indefinitely, although you get a very limited version that may break in the future.
(...)
If you do find yourself a CS:GO community server to join—and there are many still populated—you might be in for a treat, or possibly just bewilderment. People don't generally run custom Counter-Strike servers just to play regular Counter-Strike. They run custom servers to play maps where you "surf" by strafing into angled surfaces, or fight Final Fantasy summons like in Ze FFVII Mako Reactor, one of many bizarre custom maps that seem to defy all game design conventions. (After running around with Master Chiefs, Scout Troopers, and bananas, I got turned into a zombie for reasons I will never comprehend, and then watched the other players cast Ultima and beat up Bahamut.)
>> The article lists several other servers, some with interesting names.

Heroes of Might and Magic 3 is having a crossover with World of Warships for some reason
https://www.pcgamer.com/heroes-of-might-and-magic-3-is-having-a-crossover-with-world-of-warships-for-some-reason/
Previous crossovers in World of Warships have added ships based on Popeye and Warhammer 40,000, as well as Chuck Norris. And yet there's something particularly baffling about the addition of a cast of characters from beloved 1999 turn-based strategy classic Heroes of Might and Magic 3 specifically.

Bobby Kotick to remain Activision CEO 'through the end of 2023' as Microsoft quickly closes acquisition following UK approval
https://www.pcgamer.com/one-of-the-most-drawn-out-tales-in-videogames-is-nearly-at-an-end-as-uk-approval-clears-the-way-for-microsoftactivision-deal-to-close/
And just like that, our shared 21-month slog is over. Long live our new, possibly lifelong slog. In a press release today, titled "Microsoft concession a gamechanger that will promote competition," the UK's Competition and Market Authority (CMA) has announced that it's approving Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, reversing its April decision to block the deal and clearing the way for the deal to close in the very near future.
Update 13/10/2023: Activision Blizzard is officially a Microsoft company. Lightning fast, Microsoft has moved to close the deal after getting the nod from the UK CMA, announcing a grand welcome to "the Legendary Teams at Activision Blizzard King" in a post on the Xbox blog.
In an email to Activision employees uploaded to the Microsoft news site, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick announced that "Phil [Spencer] has asked me to stay on as CEO of ABK, reporting to him, and we have agreed that I will do that through the end of 2023," after which a new, Kotick-less era will begin at the company.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty used AI to reproduce late Polish voice actor's performance as Viktor Vektor, with the family's blessing
https://www.pcgamer.com/cyberpunk-2077-phantom-liberty-used-ai-to-reproduce-late-polish-voice-actors-performance-as-viktor-vektor-with-the-familys-blessing/
As reported by Bloomberg, it's been revealed that CD Projekt used AI to replicate the voice of the late Miłogost Reczek, who voiced Night City's most reliable ripper doc, Viktor Vektor, in the base game's Polish localisation back in 2020.
(...)
CD Projekt's localisation director Mikołaj Szwed says they had considered hiring a new actor to retroactively dub over Reczek's work from the base game: "We didn’t like [that] approach … This way we could keep his performance in the game and pay tribute to his wonderful performance as Viktor Vektor."
The studio obtained the blessing of Rezeck's family, who Szwed describes as "very supportive" of the decision, to use a voice-cloning AI named Respeecher—meaning CD Projekt likely hired a voice actor to record the character's new lines in Phantom Liberty, then altered it to match Rezeck's original performance.

Diablo 4 will be Steam Deck ready when it leaves its Battle.net exclusivity next week, confirms community director
https://www.pcgamer.com/diablo-4-will-be-steam-deck-ready-when-it-leaves-its-battlenet-exclusivity-next-week-confirms-community-director/
Diablo 4's leap to Steam—alongside other games like Overwatch 2—is welcome news to gamers wanting to keep their rigs launcher-slim. Adam Fletcher, the game's Global Community Development Director, has fully confirmed on Twitter that the game will be coming Steam Deck verified next Tuesday.

Finally, let's check the weekend deals at GOG and Steam:
+GOG

• The only Deal of the Day is Brütal Legend, 75% off during 70 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/brutal_legend
• Publisher Frogwares puts its games on sale with up to 90% discounts during 3 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20231012_frogwares_publisher_sale
• Cyan Worlds also puts its games on sale, up to 90% off until October, 16th: https://www.gog.com/en/games?developers=cyan-worlds
• And finally there's the Microids Publisher Sale, with (once again) up to 90% discounts during the next 9 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20231013_microids_publisher_sale

+Steam

• Carrier Command 2 will be 30% off until the 19th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1489630/Carrier_Command_2/
• Stormworks: Build and Rescue gets a 40% discount until next Thursday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/573090/Stormworks_Build_and_Rescue/
• Forts will be free to try during the weekend and 50% off until Thursday, the 19th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/410900/Forts/
• The COMPLETE SUPERHOT Bundle, with three games, will be 73% off until October, 19th. The individual games are also on sale, between 60 and 70% off: https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/13218/THE_COMPLETE_SUPERHOT_BUNDLE/
• Green Hell gets a 40% discount until the 23rd of October: https://store.steampowered.com/app/815370/Green_Hell/
• The Battlefield franchise is on sale, up to 84-85% off until the 26th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/battlefield-franchise
• The Jagex Publisher Sale features up to 90% discounts, but there's no mention of how long this sale will last: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/jagexpubsale2023
• Also, while the number of games on sale are less than a handful, the PAX Australia 20023 Expo is a good place to find lots of upcoming games you may not know about yet: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/paxaus2023

And that's it. Enough news for the week, now it's time relax, and that's why I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.