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

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The Friday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

The first Half-Life is available for free until November 20th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-first-half-life-is-available-for-free-until-november-20th/
Now here is a pleasant surprise. Valve has just made the first Half-Life game available for free on Steam. Until November 20th, PC gamers can visit its Steam store page and acquire their free copy.
Half-Life is Valve’s debut title which originally came out in 1998. This was one of the first FPS games that managed to provide a cinematic experience. Not only that but it came with a multiplayer mode, and it was friendly to modders. Let’s also not forget that some truly incredible MP games originated from it. Counter-Strike anyone? Or how about Team Fortress Classic? Half-Life was a phenomenon when it came out.
So, if for some reason you don’t own this classic FPS, you can go ahead and acquire your free copy from Steam. As said, the game will be free until November 20th. So, grab it while you still can.
>> You know what to do.

Fanatical has several new deals, sales and bundles:

• The new Star Deal is Breathedge, 80% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/breathedge
• Publisher Annapurna Interactive puts its games on sale with up to 77% discounts during 12 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/annapurna-interactive
• WB games are also on sale, up to 92% off, but there's no mention of how long it will last: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/warner-bros-interactive-entertainment
• The Batman: Arkham Collection comes back with an 87% discount during 3 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/batman-arkham-collection
• And the Star Wars Collection is also back, 79% off during 6 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/star-wars-collection

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

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MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Rebirth 6.5 Available for Download
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/the-elder-scrolls-iii-morrowind-rebirth-6-5-available-for-download/
Modder ‘trancemaster_1988’ just dropped Version 6.5 of the Rebirth Mod for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Version 6.5 improves Vivec City and gives Dagoth Ur a makeover. Plus, there are cool new armors and weapons to play with. And the best part? The update fixed some bugs and made the graphics even better.
For those who don’t know, 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 who want to replay this classic TES game.
Version 6.5 brings some important fixes for the original game too. Now, you won’t find big gaps in the Arkngthand, Hall of Centrifuge. This version also makes it possible to reach the lower level in Odirniran, which wasn’t working before. And guess what? Vadeni Rethan, Kunirai, will be just as hostile as the other NPCs in the same area. All these problems are sorted out with this update.
The new Morrowind Rebirth Version 6.5 has even more fixes to make the game better. Now, some models won’t crash the game in OpenMW. The update also fixed collisions in various places. And hey, they sorted out the problem where several instances of the Sixth House hammer were in the wrong spots.
>> It's a long post with long release notes, but not a single video or screenshot.

Discovery Freelancer turns the classic PC space game into an MMORPG
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/discovery-freelancer-turns-the-classic-pc-space-game-into-an-mmorpg/
In 2003, an amazing space game, called Freelancer, hit the PC. And guess what? After almost 20 years, a new mod just dropped, bringing multiplayer PVE and PVP action to the game. So, it’s time for some intergalactic fun.
Discovery Freelancer takes the original Freelancer story and makes it even better. This mod tweaks the game to be as close as possible to a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing experience. Its modding team has added lots of new technical features and content. Not only that, but players can expect some changes to the existing story and lore.
In Freelancer, you get to explore space, engage in big battles with computer-controlled enemies, and compete against other players. There are lots of different jobs and things to do, and you can create your own space story.
Discovery Freelancer adds a lot to the regular game. It takes place 33 years after the main story and has a special roleplay server that’s always on, where up to 200 players can join in. The mod introduces over 100 new ships, from small fighters to huge dreadnoughts. You can explore 90 star systems, including a new 5th House and dangerous alien areas. Plus, there are 69 different factions to check out.
>> The article has two videos.

Dark Souls mod turns FromSoft's game into the PSP demasterpiece it was always meant to be
https://www.pcgamer.com/dark-souls-mod-turns-fromsofts-masterpiece-into-the-psp-port-it-was-always-meant-to-be/
I think a crucial test of a game's visual identity is how well it holds up to a demaster. Bloodborne, for instance, manages to remain recognisably and wonderfully itself when you turn it into some kind of PS1-style kart racer, and it's in no small part down to the talent of both the demaster's makers and FromSoft's art team. And hey, perhaps unsurprisingly, it turns out that applies to other games in the studio's catalogue too.
Pixel Souls: Demastered is a mod for Dark Souls: Remastered that "changes all textures, icons, fonts, and visual effects into pixel art based on the original game textures." On top of that, it also puts the game's sound effects through a fuzzy, lo-fi filter to give the game a "fun, somewhat cursed, 'retro' feel." It was done using author thegreatgramcracker's own "custom image processing algorithm," with a little bit of personal input and tweaking from the modder themself. AI wasn't used for any part of the mod.
It works incredibly well, if you ask me, and turns Dark Souls into a weird PSP version of itself soundtracked by the hottest tunes a sound card from 2005 can handle. Most of those tunes, by the way, are just de-rezzed versions of the original DS soundtrack, but the author secured permission from Soulsborne YouTuber and musician Illusory Wall to use their 8-bit remixes of the Firelink Shrine and Gwyn's Theme tracks from original Dark Souls. They're looking for more like those, too, if you happen to have a generous heart and some retro Dark Souls remixes lying around.
Installing the mod is pretty straightforward, you just need to download the main mod file from Nexus Mods and extract the contents over to your Dark Souls: Remastered Steam directory, overwriting whatever files are already in there. If you don't fancy the low-fi tunes to restore humanity to, you can skip the "sound" folder (do the same for the "font" folder if you don't want to replace the usual DS fonts, too).
>> The article has a 1:29 video of the mod.

GAMING NEWS

Redfall Title Update 3 Released & Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/redfall-title-update-3-released-detailed/
Arkane just dropped the third big update for its latest game, Redfall. This update adds a new UV-powered Unrivaled Sniper Rifle and the Basilisk. And that’s not all – there are some cool improvements to make your gaming life even better.
>> On the negative side, new heroes and content won't arrive until 2024.

Outcast – A New Beginning gets a combat trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/outcast-a-new-beginning-gets-a-combat-trailer/
THQ Nordic just dropped the new combat trailer for Outcast – A New Beginning. Outcast – A New Beginning is the sequel to one of the first games that took advantage of voxels on PC. Outcast, alongside Delta Force, pushed some truly big environments when they came out. And, a lot of PC gamers enjoyed these two games.

Lords of the Fallen Update v.1.1.326 brings improvements to Nanite, performance, bosses, AI and lock-on system
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/lords-of-the-fallen-update-v-1-1-326-brings-improvements-to-nanite-performance-boss-fights-and-lock-on-system/
Hexworks has released Update v.1.1.326 for Lords of the Fallen. This new patch brings major improvements to Nanite and overall performance. It also increases the difficulty of bosses and introduces a new lock-on system.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 may release on March 22nd, 2024
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/dragons-dogma-2-may-release-on-march-22nd-2024/
The ESRB page for Dragon’s Dogma 2 went live and it may have leaked the game’s release date. According to ESRB, Dragon’s Dogma 2 will release on March 22nd, 2024.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Hotfix #11 released and here are all its fixes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/baldurs-gate-3-hotfix-11-released-and-here-are-all-its-fixes/
Larian Studios has just released Hotfix #11 for Baldur’s Gate 3, and shared its full list of fixes and tweaks. This update addresses several bugs, visual issues and blockers. So, time to take a look at all of them.