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

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Thursday news, the long second part:

Ill-fated co-op slasher Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance disappears in February, though will still be playable solo
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/ill-fated-co-op-slasher-dungeons-and-dragons-dark-alliance-disappears-in-february-though-will-still-be-playable-solo/
In news that's only surprising on account of the fact that the game lasted as long as it did, Tuque Games' co-op hack-and-slasher Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance will be shutting down servers and be removed from sale on February 24, 2025. The game will still be available to play single-player, but as things stand there will be no more online functionality as of that date, which is pretty much a death knell for a game largely built around co-op dungeoneering.

Helldivers 2 players rip into Arrowhead for 'straight-up ridiculous' Killzone crossover prices, CEO defends the choice: 'The more of this we sell, the more Illuminate-type stuff we can keep dropping for free'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2-players-rip-into-arrowhead-for-straight-up-ridiculous-killzone-crossover-prices-ceo-defends-the-choice-the-more-of-this-we-sell-the-more-illuminate-type-stuff-we-can-keep-dropping-for-free/
Helldivers 2 takes two steps forward and one leap back. Less than a week after surprise dropping the Omens of Tyranny update at The Game Awards, Arrowhead has dropped another surprise, though this one isn't as fun or exciting: Helldivers 2 just got a Killzone armor set, cosmetics, and a Helghast gun, which is kinda cool, except they cost three times more than usual and can't be earned in a warbond.
(...)
Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani addressed the angry mob this morning in a rare appearance on the Helldivers Discord server:
"Hey, quick comment on the Helghast stuff. Firstly, this is our first collaboration so we'll be figuring it out as we go along. Let us know what you'd like to see in the future," Jorjani wrote. "Secondly it's optional. The more of this we sell, the more Illuminate-type stuff we can keep dropping for free."

'We are beholden to the lore': CD Projekt says there are 'valid worries' about Ciri as a witcher, but 'the answers we want to give in The Witcher 4 are in line with this attitude'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/we-are-beholden-to-the-lore-cd-projekt-says-there-are-valid-worries-about-ciri-as-a-witcher-but-the-answers-we-want-to-give-in-the-witcher-4-are-in-line-with-this-attitude/
So Ciri's a Witcher now, taking the lead in The Witcher 4, and that has resulted in questions. Some of them are the predictable hue and cry about a girl taking over for Geralt—complaints about "wokeness" and DEI and all that sort of nonsense—but there are also legitimate questions about how it all fits with the established Witcher lore. The Trial of the Grasses, for instance, was previously only survivable by young boys (and only a small portion of them), so how did Ciri get through it—or did she at all? And what about the powers enabled by her Elder Blood?
In an interview with Eurogamer, narrative director Phillipp Weber and director Sebastian Kalemba acknowledged that there are "many very valid worries and responses" about what was shown at The Game Awards, but reassured fans that they're not just making stuff up on the fly.

'Gooner 9/11' averted as Zenless Zone Zero's butt-obfuscation technology is rolled back in the face of horny outrage
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/gooner-9-11-averted-as-zenless-zone-zeros-butt-obfuscation-technology-is-rolled-back-in-the-face-of-horny-outrage/
I'm really not sure where to begin with this one, so I'm just going to lay it out and then try to explain later: A recent update to Zenless Zone Zero made it impossible to get a good look at character's asses, and the blowback was so fierce developer MiHoYo reverted the change less than a day later.

Project Zomboid's new Build 42 update, 3 years in the making, is the biggest game release of 2024 for me—here's why
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/project-zomboid-build-42-update-patch-notes-new-features/
Christmas came early for me yesterday. After previously announcing Project Zomboid's long-awaited Build 42 would be out by the end of the year, developer The Indie Stone released the absolutely colossal update on Tuesday. In terms of the sheer number of features—from a total crafting overhaul to a considerable expansion of the already huge map—this is the biggest update Zomboid has ever gotten. And for me? It's the biggest game release of 2024. Move aside, Shadow of the Erdtree.

XDefiant's final content patch is unexpectedly massive: 'Not all journeys end well but we can all be proud of what we accomplished'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/xdefiants-final-content-patch-is-unexpectedly-massive-not-all-journeys-end-well-but-we-can-all-be-proud-of-what-we-accomplished/
I had fun playing XDefiant when it launched: It was a free-to-play hero shooter with a lot of Call of Duty in its veins, and it was pretty good, but not popular enough to dodge the live service graveyard. Ubisoft announced this year that XDefiant will shut down in 2025, and executive producer Mark Rubin just announced that its final content patch is here.

The game director of Elden Ring: Nightreign has delivered an ultimatum to gaming couples everywhere: Find a third wheel or play by yourself
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/the-game-director-of-elden-ring-nightreign-has-delivered-an-ultimatum-to-gaming-couples-everywhere-find-a-third-wheel-or-play-by-yourself/
Learning about a new Elden Ring spin-off was my highlight of The Game Awards. Over the last few years, my partner and I have spent a great deal of time playing Elden Ring and its Shadow of the Erdtree DLC alongside each other, occasionally teaming up to explore the lands between or fight a particularly tricky boss. Still, summoning other players is still quite fiddly Elden Ring: Nightreign seemed like the perfect solution.
(...)
During an interview with IGN, game director Junya Ishizaki explained why FromSoftware decided to opt for such an awkward number. "The game is designed to be played as a three-person team, but you can play it as a solo player," Ishizaki says. "The reason that we went with a three-player focus was that we wanted to retain that sense of accomplishment you get from battling a boss together or from conquering a map together and that sense of enjoyment, but we wanted to recreate that in a fresh way. And we felt like focusing on a three-player co-op experience would provide a brand new sense of accomplishment with it."

PEGI digs its heels in over Balatro's 18+ rating, according to its disappointed dev: 'blaming EU laws, blaming storefronts, waiting for the future'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/pegi-digs-its-heels-in-over-balatros-18-rating-according-to-its-disappointed-dev-blaming-eu-laws-blaming-storefronts-waiting-for-the-future/
Balatro has been hit with an 18+ rating by PEGI, a European age rating system that's used in more than 35 countries, over its allusions to real-world gambling. The game's developer, LocalThunk, spoke out about the decision earlier this week—and has since contacted PEGI over the choice to lay down the law on a funny game with poker cards in it (but no microtransactions or actual gambling elements), while others with actual, chance-based microtransactions continue with 3+ age ratings unabated.
Unfortunately, the organisation is still adamant that its choices are in accordance with its guidelines, as LocalThunk writes on Bluesky: "I talked with PEGI and they do not see anything wrong Balatro being rated 18+, nor with EA sports FC (and similar games) having a 3+ rating." He goes on to say that the ratings board was "blaming EU laws, blaming storefronts, waiting for the future. Sitting on their hands. I thought some good might come of this, this sucks."

Hi-Fi Rush devs brim with optimism after their near-closure experience, say they're building a place 'where people feel like the work is their baby, not just some task to be done'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/hi-fi-rush-devs-brim-with-optimism-after-their-near-closure-experience-say-theyre-building-a-place-where-people-feel-like-the-work-is-their-baby-not-just-some-task-to-be-done/
Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks was part of a set of sweeping layoffs that shocked the industry earlier this year, least of all because the studio's last game, Hi-Fi Rush, was pretty much a success by most metrics, winning awards, a "breakout hit by all key measurements and expectations", according to Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg. Cue a parade of anything other than a straight answer.
Luckily Krafton, PUBG's publisher, came in at the last minute to snatch Tango from going the way of the dodo, acquiring the studio three months after its closure had been announced—not before half of its talent understandably went elsewhere, given they'd assumed the curtains had already been called.
Still, the studio's developers are putting on a brave face. Speaking to 4gamer (spotted and translated by Automaton), general manager Colin Mack, creative director John Johanas, and development director Kazuaki Egashira all had some optimistic words to share. For Egashira, nothing's changed about the studio's goal to take a stab at breakout IPs, whether they fly like Hi-Fi Rush or amble a little more, like Ghostwire: Tokyo

Skull and Bones is reportedly going to remain supported for Year 2, despite no one playing it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/skull-and-bones-is-reportedly-going-to-remain-supported-for-year-2-despite-no-one-playing-it/
The seas have been choppy of late for live services games looking to make a name for themselves, with most of them sinking forlornly to the bottom of the Steam charts. (...)
But it seems that Ubisoft isn't done with Skull and Bones yet, as Insider Gaming has reported that Ubisoft has plans for Year 2 content for the game. How many players will actually be around to play this content is a bit of a mystery. Steam Charts shows Skull and Bones averaging under 200 concurrent players in the last 30 days, though it's worth noting that it only came to Steam some six months after its initial launch on Ubisoft Connect. On the other hand, plenty of other online games—the Battlefield series, Titanfall 2, Sea of Thieves, to name a few—found success on Steam despite arriving on the platform years after their initial launch, so those Skull and Bones numbers don't look great comparatively.
>> Imagine how bad is Xdefinat doing if they’re closing that one but keeping this alive.

League of Legends hit by SAG-AFTRA union action as Riot delays English VO to 'respect the ongoing strike' over AI, though voice actors think it could be doing more to help
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/moba/league-of-legends-hit-by-sag-aftra-union-action-as-riot-delays-english-vo-to-respect-the-ongoing-strike-over-ai-though-voice-actors-think-it-could-be-doing-more-to-help/
This is the fallout of the SAG-AFTRA strike for ol' Riot: As announced on the studio's X account earlier this week, the Riot Games will "be temporarily using existing (base) VO for some English-language skins in League of Legends & Wild Rift. Other languages will still have custom VO. Once the strike ends, we’ll record new VO with the original actors."

This upcoming RPG is injecting a healthy dose of magic, demons, and steampunk gizmos into 19th-century Japan
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/this-upcoming-rpg-is-injecting-a-healthy-dose-of-magic-demons-and-steampunk-gizmos-into-19th-century-japan/
With Ghost of Tsushima, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and the recently announced Ghost of Yotei, the feudal Japanese setting is well accounted for in games these days. But considering the rich mythologies, aesthetics, and customs found throughout Japanese history, it's a tad surprising that developers haven't thought to merge that with more traditional RPG mechanics.
Enter Owlcat Games, publishers of the Pathfinder series and Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, who have teamed up with Another Angle Games to deliver Shadow of the Road, an isometric-presenting RPG that sees you mingling with yōkai in a dark-fantasy world inspired by Japanese folklore.