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

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Monday news, the long second part:

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 includes an arachnophobia setting that plucks all the zombie spiders' legs and leaves them as floating, horrible leeches
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/call-of-duty-black-ops-6-includes-an-arachnophobia-setting-that-plucks-all-the-zombie-spiders-legs-and-leaves-them-as-floating-horrible-leeches/
Arachnophobia is an unfortunate burden to bear when spiders happen to be one of the standard stock enemy types that game designers reach for when they need to fill a cave or spooky ruin, even if we all might be getting a bit tired of dealing with the associated poisons, webs, and spiderling-stuffed egg clutches. Thankfully, it's only getting more common for developers to address spider concerns—whether with arachnophobia modes, or simply deciding to skip spiders entirely—and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is following suit.

Deadlock adds 6 new heroes only available for veteran players, but none of that matters anymore because Valve has renamed Slork
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/moba/deadlock-adds-six-new-heroes-only-available-for-veteran-players-but-none-of-that-matters-anymore-because-valve-has-renamed-slork/
Deadlock's recent patch is a big one. There are big hero changes, map redesigns, and six new heroes for players to check out if they've got 50 games under their belt. Although these won't be added to ranked or casual play for some time, don't worry—you won't be at a disadvantage.
The six new heroes added are Calico, Holliday, Magician, Viper, Wrecker, and Fathom, who was originally named Slork. It was a bold and innovative name, and I can't figure out why Valve had decided to change it, but there's no use crying over spilled milk, so we'll all just have to make the best of the situation and promise to only refer to him as Slork.

Deadlock's latest patch buffs three of the most annoying heroes but manages to leave out the biggest thorn in my side
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/moba/deadlocks-latest-patch-buffs-three-of-the-most-annoying-heroes-but-manages-to-leave-out-the-biggest-thorn-in-my-side/
Valve is forever dishing out small patches for Deadlock as the devs try to balance all the new heroes and team compositions. After a major update, which saw six new heroes added to the Hero Labs, we've got a small update that strengthens a few heroes and weakens a few others.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is effectively banned in Kuwait, so Activision is issuing refunds for pre-orders: 'We remain hopeful that local authorities will reconsider'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/call-of-duty-black-ops-6-is-effectively-banned-in-kuwait-so-activision-is-issuing-refunds-for-pre-orders-we-remain-hopeful-that-local-authorities-will-reconsider/
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is finally here, but if you live in Kuwait you won't be able to play it, at least not legally: Activision has confirmed that the Kuwaiti government has not approved the new shooter for sale in the country.
>> I don’t think it affects any of us here in the thread, but it’s always curious to see how these things still happen in countries other than the usual ones.

The next Helldivers 2 Warbond is going full baddies mode with armor and weaponry from the Ministry of Truth
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/the-next-helldivers-2-warbond-is-going-full-baddies-mode-with-armor-and-weaponry-from-the-ministry-of-truth/
I wouldn't say this where any of the Super Earth censors could hear it, but I've begun to suspect that the Ministry of Truth might not be the nicest guys. I can't prove it, of course, but when I look at the offerings arriving next week with Truth Enforcers, Helldivers 2's next premium Warbond, I can't help but feel a little afraid about what truth I might receive from the folks in bright crimson armor plating who're toting shotguns that shoot flechette rounds.
Maybe it's the fact that the new armor cosmetics look like the kind of guys who tend to get cut up by lightsaber-wielding protagonists in Star Wars movies? Could be coincidence, I guess.

Helldivers 2 gave players a deliberately awful, crusty rifle from 1903 but they love it because they can bayonet charge bugs like sci-fi Waterloo
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/helldivers-2-gave-players-a-deliberately-awful-crusty-rifle-from-1903-but-they-love-it-because-they-can-bayonet-charge-bugs-like-sci-fi-waterloo/
Another liberty day has come and gone in the world of Helldivers 2, with the patriotic citizens of Super Earth rewarded by developers Arrowhead Game Studios with a throwback to the first Helldivers and the game's first melee weapon: The 2124 Constitution rifle and the armor set from the original game. A thinly-disguised M1903 Springfield, the American rifle of choice in the First World War, the Constitution is described in-game as the rifle given to all citizens of Super Earth at the age of 16 and in the timeline of Helldivers 2 is a design nearly 300 years old. Suffice to say that with its five-round magazine reloaded one bullet at a time and bolt action, it is basically terrible... but unlike every other gun in the game so far, it has a bayonet on it.

Cancel your weekend plans because this cozy cowboy life sim just went into open beta and you can play it for free
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/cancel-your-weekend-plans-because-this-cozy-cowboy-life-sim-just-went-into-open-beta-and-you-can-play-it-for-free/
Imagine if Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption 2 visited Stardew Valley. Actually, don't imagine that because he'd probably rob the train and shoot the mayor dead and drag Pierre through the town behind his horse. How about this: imagine Arthur Morgan had a twin brother named, um, Garthur, and Garthur Morgan wasn't a violent bank-robbing outlaw but a nice gentle farmer who enjoyed a quiet life of fishing and crafting and chatting with townsfolk. And he only occasionally shot a few bandits and cattle rustlers.
That's what you'll find if you mosey on over to Cattle Country on Steam: a cozy cowboy life sim where you plant crops, raise livestock, go fishing, romance the locals, and sometimes get into a few scraps. And guess what, partner? Cattle Country has just entered open beta so you can play it for free.
>> Needless to say, this article is from Friday.

US copyright law 'forces researchers to explore extra-legal methods' for game preservation, say historians who are 'disappointed' after being denied a DMCA exemption
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/us-copyright-law-forces-researchers-to-explore-extra-legal-methods-for-game-preservation-say-historians-who-are-disappointed-after-being-denied-a-dmca-exemption/
The Video Game History Foundation says it is "disappointed" by the US Copyright Office's refusal to grant a new Digital Millennium Copyright Act exemption to help support videogame preservation, saying the game industry's resistance to the proposed change "forces researchers to explore extra-legal methods to access the vast majority of out-of-print video games."

This surrealist horror game made entirely in PowerPoint will get your Halloween started right
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/this-surrealist-horror-game-made-entirely-in-powerpoint-will-get-your-halloween-started-right/
If you glanced at the dismal nightmare of Roche Limit, with its empty pixel art landscapes and figures, you probably wouldn't know it's all running in PowerPoint. Leaves fall, eyes blink, and trees writhe in a way that is far beyond anything I thought was possible in a piece of organizational software I have successfully avoided since high school. I remember thinking dissolve transitions were cool, but I guess an entire horror game is too.
Quietly released in 2022 but recently gaining buzz, developer Jack Strait stitched together the "one-thousand-something slide presentation" using gifs and hyperlinks, according to a 2023 interview with him on Game Developer. His first game, The EdCo Incident, was also made in PowerPoint because he lost his copy of Gamer Maker a few years prior.

Diablo 4 boss asks if the new class dealing billions of damage should be 'fixed' or not
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/diablo-4-boss-asks-if-the-new-class-dealing-billions-of-damage-should-be-fixed-or-not/
Diablo boss Rod Fergusson made a very brave decision yesterday and dropped a "non-binding" poll for his thousands of X followers on whether or not Blizzard should "fix" the bugs that cause its newest class to vastly outperform the others.
"I'm not saying we're doing anything, I'm just saying that a class that's been out for 3 weeks versus 16 months is going to have some issues that need to be addressed," he wrote. "Real question is when."

You're not going to see 'Peter Griffin or anime characters coming to Hunt,' says Crytek in response to fears that its Scream crossover means it's Fortnite now
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/youre-not-going-to-see-peter-griffin-or-anime-characters-coming-to-hunt-says-crytek-in-response-to-fears-that-its-scream-crossover-means-its-fortnite-now/
Hunt: Showdown 1896's first premium crossover cosmetic didn't go over well with a lot of players, who feel that the mask from Scream doesn't quite fit into a paranormal extraction shooter set over 100 years in the past. Is the Ghost Face Rampage DLC the beginning of the Fortnite-ification of Hunt? Crytek says no.
In an email correspondence with PC Gamer, the developer said that it plans to do more collaborations "with IPs and personalities that have ties to the world of Hunt," but that "you won't see Peter Griffin or anime characters coming to Hunt any time soon."

Capricious Valve fixes 17 year-old Team Fortress 2 bug that made Scout's pants the wrong color, almost immediately un-fixes it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/17-years-later-valve-fixes-team-fortress-2-bug-that-made-scouts-pants-the-wrong-color-bug-so-old-it-could-have-enlisted-with-parental-consent/
The dream team at Valve Software has done it again, adding another footnote to the definition of Valve Time by releasing a new update for Team Fortress 2 that corrects a 17-year old bug.
The update's notes contain the innocuous line "Fixed BLU Scout using the incorrect team color pants." The news that one of Team Fortress 2's characters has apparently been running around in the wrong trousers for such a long time has, needless to say, caused consternation, shock and awe around one of the most excitable-slash-resigned fanbases out there. It also has amusing implications about Scout's ability to get himself dressed.
Update 10/26/25: It's so over. The day after issuing this fix, and scant hours after this article was published, the Valve janitor sprang into action. A new patch for Team Fortress 2 has "reverted BLU Scout pants fix because it conflicts with too many existing cosmetics."
>> lol. The link in the update leads to another PCGamer article that explains the problem.

Multiplayer mech shooter Mecha Break teases a 'pilot combat mode' where you leave the cockpit and run around like reverse Titanfall
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/multiplayer-mech-shooter-mecha-break-teases-a-pilot-combat-mode-where-you-leave-the-cockpit-and-run-around-like-reverse-titanfall/
In a recent video from Mecha Break developer Amazing Seasun, company CEO Kris Kwok revealed that a "pilot combat mode" where you leave your mech and explore the battlefield on foot is part of the studio's long-term plan for the game after its release in 2025.

Hideo Kojima games have already gotten big reappraisals 5-10 years after release, now the auteur says he wants to make games that will impress space aliens centuries into the future
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/hideo-kojima-games-have-already-gotten-big-reappraisals-5-10-years-after-release-now-the-auteur-says-he-wants-to-make-games-that-will-impress-space-aliens-centuries-into-the-future/
Remember how everyone thought Raiden was stupid and dorky when Metal Gear Solid 2 came out, then ten years later the consensus was all of a sudden that MGS2 was a postmodern masterpiece? Well now we know what the endgame of that "Kojima Cycle" might look like: Future space aliens agreeing that you should absolutely give Death Stranding another shot.
Kojima's meditation on the potential afterlife of a piece of art comes from a fan Q&A organized by Anan News (by way of GamesRadar). In response to a question about the mindset a successful game developer needs to have, Kojima replied that it's "to make something that you're satisfied with. Or rather, you can't create something that you are not satisfied with.

Life is Strange co-creator says 'nothing justifies' the vitriol the series' current devs are getting while allowing that 'we would not have written things the same way'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/life-is-strange-co-creator-says-nothing-justifies-the-vitriol-the-series-current-devs-are-getting-while-allowing-that-we-would-not-have-written-things-the-same-way/
Life is Strange co-creator and Don't Nod creative director Michel Koch has taken to X, "The Everything App" to call for civility from Life is Strange fans upset with the series' current developer, Deck Nine. Though Deck Nine has been developing new Life is Strange games for some time, the recently released Double Exposure is the first to revisit the characters from the 2015 original, resulting in some controversy.