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

[JEMC]

Thursday news, part two:

V Rising gets the crossover every self-respecting vampire wants: Castlevania's Simon Belmont is coming to try and kill you
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/v-rising-gets-the-crossover-every-self-respecting-vampire-wants-castlevanias-simon-belmont-is-coming-to-try-and-kill-you/
The vamp-em-up V Rising remains in early access, even though it's already pretty good, and is scheduled for its full release later in the year. Before that, though, developer Stunlock Studios has announced the crossover any pasty-faced garlic hater wants to see: Legacy of Castlevania arrives May 8, and per the teaser will let players battle Simon Belmont.

17 years after Hellgate: London fizzled out, one of the original creators is bringing the series back for an all-new 'triple-A' game
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/17-years-after-hellgate-london-fizzled-out-one-of-the-original-creators-is-bringing-the-series-back-for-an-all-new-triple-a-game/
Hellgate: London is the game that will not die. It first launched in 2007 as an action-RPG set in a demon-infested London, but developer Flagship Games went under in 2008 and the game was closed the following year. It re-emerged in 2011 as a free-to-play MMO in South Korea, then took a run at Steam Greenlight in 2014 (which I don't think went anywhere), and then finally launched on Steam several years later, where it continues to get not much attention. And now, for some reason, it's coming back again in Hellgate: Redemption.

Baldur's Gate 3 has at least 24 ways Shadowheart can hurl the main MacGuffin at you as part of Larian's New Vegas-Style 'n+1' system for players who ignore the plot: 'It might be even more'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/baldurs-gate/baldurs-gate-3-has-at-least-24-ways-shadowheart-can-hurl-the-main-macguffin-at-you-as-part-of-larians-new-vegas-style-n1-system-for-plot-oblivious-players-it-might-be-even-more/
Baldur's Gate 3 is bafflingly reactive. You can't drop-kick an owlbear without the ripples spreading out and causing some kind of reaction later on down the line. But it goes even deeper than I knew: In a recent interview, Larian CEO Swen Vincke shed some light on the studio's "n+1" design philosophy, and revealed just how far it goes to create solutions for times when "the player fucked up everything."
>> Ken Levine may have narrative LEGOs, but Larian has n+1. What’s better?

Baldur's Gate 3's latest hotfix declares 'No more free lunches' as it stops you bamboozling merchants with boxes, confusingly also makes it easier to literally give people free lunches
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/baldurs-gate/baldurs-gate-3s-latest-hotfix-declares-no-more-free-lunches-as-it-stops-you-bamboozling-merchants-with-boxes-confusingly-also-makes-it-easier-to-literally-give-people-free-lunches/
Larian is done with Baldur's Gate 3, but Baldur's Gate 3 isn't done with Larian. The studio just put out the game's 23rd hotfix, fixing a bunch of crashes and bugs and, notably, declaring "No more free lunches!" which is—in the case of this specific patch—metaphorically true, but entirely inaccurate in a literal sense.

Beware gifts of counterfeit 'ferristones' in Dragon's Dogma 2—nothing bad'll happen if you use one, you'll just look stupid in front of all your gossipy pawns
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/beware-gifts-of-counterfeit-ferristones-in-dragons-dogma-2nothing-badll-happen-if-you-use-one-youll-just-look-stupid-in-front-of-all-your-gossipy-pawns/
Dragon's Dogma 2 lets you hire other players' main pawns for both pyramid scheme good and plague-spreading evil—both some pretty big extremes on the spectrum of compassion and injustice. Well, turns out there's a more chaotic neutral way to bother another player via pawns—nothing harmful, it's just kinda funny. Welcome to the wonderful world of counterfeit items.
>> And players have found new ways to explore the world.

After a bumpy entry, Capcom asks players for feedback on Dragon's Dogma 2 (and if they'd like some proper DLC) via an online survey
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/after-a-bumpy-entry-capcom-asks-players-for-feedback-on-dragons-dogma-2-and-if-theyd-like-some-proper-dlc-via-an-online-survey/
Dragon's Dogma 2, despite being a solid bit of action RPG fun, definitely has its problems. (…) I'm having a smashing time myself, but who knows. Maybe the 40 plus hour ennui hasn't set in, or maybe it's just a taste thing: there's no accounting for it, after all. Still, it looks like Capcom's been at least a little shaken by the backlash. A Dragon's Dogma 2 user survey has hit the web, asking for player feedback regarding what they did and didn't like about the game. 

After buying Nightdive and Digital Eclipse last year, Atari CEO says the company has 'already opened more doors and more opportunities' for both studios
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/after-buying-nightdive-and-digital-eclipse-last-year-atari-ceo-says-the-company-has-already-opened-more-doors-and-more-opportunities-for-both-studios/
Last year, after a reborn, retro-focused Atari acquired Nightdive Studios for $10 million, the PC remaster specialists tried to reassure fans that the deal was a good fit. (...) Then in November Atari purchased another retro-focused studio, Digital Eclipse, bringing the two game developers most focused on preserving and reviving gaming history under the same corporate roof.
(…)
(…) So at last week's Game Developers Conference, I asked Atari CEO Wade Rosen about what happens if the company ends up in dire financial straits, given how many other game companies are currently struggling and doing layoffs.

Overwatch 2's first free hero will be playable this weekend ahead of their season 10 debut
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/overwatch-2-dps-hero-venture-trial/
Overwatch 2's first free hero will be playable for a limited time—before their proper release in season 10—starting tomorrow and ending on Sunday, March 31.

Europa, the gorgeous indie platformer about the only human awake on a terraformed moon, is delayed
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/europa-the-gorgeous-indie-platformer-about-the-only-human-awake-on-a-terraformed-moon-is-delayed/
Puzzle-platformer Europa has associate editor Ted Litchfield excited, and for good reason: It looks and sounds fantastic, and the demo did not disappoint. But the April 16 release date that was announced at the end of 2023 isn't going to happen—instead, it'll probably be out sometime this summer.

The Taskmaster videogame has a creative mode so you can invent your own custom tasks and challenge your friends
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/vr/the-taskmaster-videogame-has-a-creative-mode-so-you-can-invent-your-own-custom-tasks-and-challenge-your-friends/
With comedy game show Taskmaster about to begin its 17th series later this week, I shudder to imagine how many people have suggested ideas for tasks to Little Alex Horne over the years. The number must be in the thousands, and I'll bet every Taskmaster fan has at least a few good ideas for tasks rolling around in their heads, even if they're never tried to put them directly in Horne's hands.
The good news is that if you've ever wanted to create a Taskmaster task and then harshly judge your family and friends on how poorly they completed it, you'll get your chance someday soon. Taskmaster VR has announced a Creative Mode that'll let you become the Taskmaster's Assistant's Assistant—so you won't just complete tasks for Lord Greg Davies in Taskmaster VR, you'll be able to invent your own.