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

[JEMC]

The Monday news are here!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG’s Back to School Sale is still life, and brings another GIVEAWAY: Once Upon a Jester will be free to get during 72 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/once_upon_a_jester.

Steam has three new deals:

• The Fabulous Fear Machine will be 50% off until the 8th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1540350/The_Fabulous_Fear_Machine/
• Hot Lava gets a 70% discount until September 8: https://store.steampowered.com/app/382560/Hot_Lava/
• And Superliminal features a 66% deal until the 15th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1049410/Superliminal/

Fanatical dosn’t have a new Star Deal, but it has two other deals:

• Publisher Aspyr Games puts its titles on sale, up to 90% off during 10 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/aspyr
• The Elder Scrolls Bundle has 6 games and 1 DLC and an up to 84% discount. The games are split into two tiers of 6 and 7 items: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/the-elder-scrolls-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

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MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Rebirth 6.8 Available for Download
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/the-elder-scrolls-iii-morrowind-rebirth-6-8-available-for-download/
Modder ‘trancemaster_1988’ has released Version 6.8 for the amazing The Elder Scrolls: III Morrowind Rebirth project. The modder has also listed all the tweaks, fixes, and changes featured in it. So, let’s take a look at them.
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.
Morrowind Rebirth 6.8 is filled to the brim with cool stuff. Players can expect numerous bug fixes, graphical improvements, new creatures, and much much more.
Going into more details, Morrowind Rebirth 6.8 packs dozens of UV fixes and improvements. It also brings new models for Spell Breaker, Staada, and Dremora Archer. There are also new ground models for a majority of robes, shirts, and pants.
As said, this new version also has a lot of bug fixes. I won’t list all of them here as it will make this article lengthy. Still, you can find all of them on its ModDB page or at the end of the article. The list is huge though, so make sure to keep that in mind.
>> The article has the full changelog, but no screenshots nor videos.

With its 10th and final update, Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition is complete
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/with-its-10th-and-final-update-silent-hill-2-enhanced-edition-is-complete/
Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition, the years-long fan project to improve Silent Hill 2's original PC port, has just released its 10th and final update. As the hour-plus video demonstrates, this update adds features like "enhanced environmental assets, restored flashlight reflections, improved water visuals, true 60 fps FMVs, a ton of general game improvements, and more."
I played Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition one or two updates ago and it was already a lovely HD version of Silent Hill 2. Many of the changes made by this patch are fairly minor compared to the Enhanced Edition's headline features, like making the classic survival horror headfuck playable in widescreen on modern hardware with upscaled graphics and better controls.
Still, it's fascinating to see the little tweaks the team decided to complete before saying goodbye to Silent Hill 2. For instance, if you ever noticed that the sign for the Cafe Texan was sometimes displayed backwards, that's now been fixed, as have various flickering Z-fighting glitches where textures overlapped at doors and on windows, some incorrect textures, a missing payphone, and bugged-out model seams like one on the cover over the hot dog cart.
As the project completion notes explain, "If any major bugs or issues are found that are directly caused by changes to our project's code for this final update, we will go back and address them." But, assuming they don't need to, this is the final update for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition. And no, the timing wasn't planned to beat Bloober's remake to the punch. "This update (Update#10) was planned by our own volition to be our final update for two years now. After working on the project for nearly seven years, we are satisfied with everything we wanted to develop and ultimately achieved for the game."
>> The article has that hour-plus video.

This demake of King's Quest 6 has been 18 years in the making
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/this-demake-of-kings-quest-6-has-been-18-years-in-the-making/
In the early 1980s, Sierra was at the forefront of the move from text adventures to adventures of the graphical kind—first with Mystery House, and later a string of games made in the studio's own Adventure Game Interpreter, like the first King's Quest and its immediate sequels. AGI allowed for sound effects, music, and 16-color vector graphics, depicting protagonists who moved around scenes with the arrow keys. You still had to type "lift plank" and "get ring" to interact with things, but you had something nice to look at in addition to the paragraph of text you'd get by typing "look" in each new location.
(...)
Brandon Kouri's introduction to videogames were King's Quest 5 through 7, as well as Myst, which he played with his dad and sister. It was only when he decided to go back to the series' beginnings that he saw AGI with its distinctively large pixels and power-walking characters. "I was enthralled by it," Kouri says. "Something about it really sparked something in me, and I wanted to know everything about it and how it worked."
(…)
When Kouri discovered community tools used by fans to make their own games in AGI, he tinkered with small projects like his own version of Oregon Trail before wondering what King's Quest 6 would look like had it been made in the older scripting language. When he began, he had no way of knowing it would become an 18-year-long project.
>> The article has some screenshots and the link to its own site.

GAMING NEWS

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII will use the Denuvo anti-tamper tech
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/sid-meiers-civilization-vii-will-use-the-denuvo-anti-tamper-tech/
2K Games and Firaxis Games have updated the Steam store page for Sid Meier’s Civilization VII, revealing that the game will use Denuvo. This new Civ game will come out in February 2025. So, we at least know months before its release that it will have it.

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 won’t have Denuvo, but Harry Potter: Quidditch Champion will have it
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/warhammer-40k-space-marine-2-wont-have-denuvo-but-harry-potter-quidditch-champion-will-have-it/
Well, it appears we have today some good and some bad news for you. Saber Interactive has confirmed that Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 won’t have Denuvo. On the other hand, the new Harry Potter game, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champion, will have it.

NBA 2K25 will support Ray Tracing on PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/nba-2k25-will-support-ray-tracing-on-pc/
As we’ve already reported, the PC version of NBA 2K25 will be based on the current-gen console version. As such, the game on PC will look as good as on PS5 and Xbox Series X. Moreover, 2K Games has revealed that the game will support Ray Tracing effects on PC.

Here are 24 minutes of brand new gameplay from Slitterhead
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-24-minutes-of-brand-new-gameplay-from-slitterhead/
Bokeh Game Studio had a playable demo for its upcoming third-person game, Slitterhead, at PAX West 2024. And, thankfully, Gematsu has shared three videos from it. These videos will give you your first proper look at the game. Moreover, they pack around 24 minutes of new gameplay footage from it. So, that will please most of those who are looking forward to it.

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land is coming to PC on March 21st, gets first gameplay trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/atelier-yumia-the-alchemist-of-memories-the-envisioned-land-is-coming-to-pc-on-march-21st-gets-first-gameplay-trailer/
KOEI Tecmo has announced that Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land will be released on PC on March 21st, 2025. To celebrate this announcement, the publisher has also shared the game’s first gameplay trailer.

The Forever Winter hits Steam Early Access on September 24th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-forever-winter-hits-steam-early-access-on-september-24th/
Fun Dog Studios has announced that its co-op tactical survival horror shooter, The Forever Winter, will hit Steam Early Access on September 24th. To celebrate this announcement, the devs have also shared a new gameplay trailer that you can find below.