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

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The Monday news are here:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

More people are playing Half-Life 2 now than at any point since Steam started keeping track
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/more-people-are-playing-half-life-2-now-than-at-any-point-since-steam-started-keeping-track/
Taking a look at SteamDB, the hullabaloo around Half-Life 2's 20th anniversary has sent fans coming back to the single player FPS in droves: With a 24 hour peak of 52,027 players at the time of writing, that's more people playing Half-Life 2 than at any point since Steam started keeping track of concurrent players (or at least the data became available) in 2008.
Now that is a big asterisk, missing both Half-Life 2's original release in 2005 and the launch of the Orange Box in 2007. All the same, it's still an impressive showing for a 20-year-old singleplayer game. While pure nostalgia and hype from the release of Valve's 2-hour anniversary documentary are definitely big factors, the main driver is likely Valve's beefy new update to Half-Life 2.

GOG has two new promos:

• The Bargains Bazaar Promo is full of all kinds of games up to 90% off during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20241118_bargains_bazaar
• Meanwhile, in the Gore & Violence Promo you’ll games up to 95% discounts during the same 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20241118_gore_violence_promo

Steam has two new deals:

• The Oregon Trail, the new one, is going to be 50% off until the 25th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2013360/The_Oregon_Trail/
• Godhood has a 75% deal until December 1st: https://store.steampowered.com/app/917150/Godhood/

Two new deals from Humble

• Humble Bundle has The Telltale Collection, featuring up to 8 items (6 games + 2 DLCs) during the next 18 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/the-telltale-collection
• Humble Store presents the Thunderful Publisher Sale, with up to 95% discounts during 3 more days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/thunderful-publisher-sale/

Fanatical’s Star Deal is Saints Row. It started yesterday but will last another 24 hours and features an 80% deal: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/saints-row-gold-edition.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

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MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines RTX Remix Remaster Alpha 0.0.1 Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-rtx-remix-remaster-alpha-0-0-1-released/
Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines fans, here is something for you today. Modder ‘Safemilk’ has just released an alpha version of his RTX Remix Mod for this classic RPG.
As with all the RTX Remix Mods, this one will add Full Ray Tracing/Path Tracing to Bloodlines. However, since this is an alpha release, it may have numerous visual glitches. Also, it’s not representative of what RTX Remix can achieve. At least in its current state. I mean, even the modder calls it a “rough” release.
For instance, VTM:B uses the alpha channel as an emissive mask for many textures in the game. So, the modder did a rough pass of converting these to emissive maps and applying them to their corresponding textures. So now the things that should light up, should light up.
In short, you should temper your expectations. This mod is still in a very early dev stage. So, don’t expect it to look as polished as some of the other Path Tracing Mods we’ve shared. Still, this is a start.
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You can now play Portal 2 with RTX Remix Path Tracing
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/you-can-now-play-portal-2-with-rtx-remix-path-tracing/
In December 2022, NVIDIA released Portal RTX to the public. This enhanced version of Portal had Full Ray Tracing/Path Tracing, allowing you to experience this Half-Life puzzle game with amazing graphics. And, from the looks of it, a modder has figured out a way to bring RTX Remix to Portal 2.
Surprisingly enough, this RTX Remix Mod works like a charm with Portal 2. There are some visual issues but most of you may not even notice them.
For instance, a lot of effects in Portal 2 are rendered using shaders. Effects can get glitchy the further away you are from the map center. Their performance is not the best either.
Anyway, this is one of the best RTX Remix mods you can use right now. So, go ahead and download it from this link. At the end of the article, you can also find a video for it. This video will give you an idea of what you can expect from it.

GAMING NEWS

Half-Life 2: Episode Three Prototype Gameplay Footage
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/half-life-2-episode-three-prototype-gameplay-footage/
Yesterday, Valve shared a documentary for the 20th anniversary of Half-Life 2. And, in that documentary, we got to see some prototype gameplay footage from Half-Life 2: Episode Three. Not only that, but Gabe Newell shared his thoughts about why Half Life 2: Episode Three never came out.

First official gameplay trailer for ARC Raiders
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/first-official-gameplay-trailer-for-arc-raiders/
Embark Studios has released the first official gameplay trailer for its upcoming title, ARC Raiders. This trailer features gameplay footage from the recent October 2024 Tech Test, so it will give you an idea of what the game looks in its current state.

Alan Wake 2 Patch 1.2.4 Released & Fully Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/alan-wake-2-patch-1-2-4-released-fully-detailed/
Remedy has just released Title Update 1.2.4 for Alan Wake 2, and shared its full patch notes. Although this new patch mainly focuses on the game’s latest DLC, it still packs some tweaks for the main game. So, let’s see what it brings to the table.