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

[JEMC]

Friday news, part two:

Even without Assassin's Creed Shadows, next month is so packed with big games that I'd need until February 2026 to play them all
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/february-2025-is-now-absurdly-stacked-with-big-games/
It's beginning to feel like the holiday game release season doesn't end until March. It used to be that the new year meant we could all take a breath, collect ourselves, and catch up on the big launches that piled up just before the holiday shopping rush. But as last-minute delays into the new year have grown more common, heavy hitters that need a bit of extra polish are now routinely dropping into the same release window as the games that set their early-year launch targets to dodge their biggest competition.
It's the makings of a perfect storm, and February's shaping up to be a real tempest. A genuine deluge. A proper Überschwemmung. Here are the games lighting up the radar.

Hyper Light Breaker will cost $30 and for a limited time come with a free copy of Drifter
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/hyper-light-breaker-will-cost-usd30-and-for-a-limited-time-come-with-a-free-copy-of-drifter/
Five days ahead of Hyper Light Breaker's January 14 launch, developer Heart Machine has revealed the price of the co-op action roguelike, as well as a nice launch deal to sweeten the pot: Hyper Light Breaker will cost $30, and from launch until January 28, will come with a free copy of 2016's Hyper Light Drifter.

Track down a missing person in this 'Geoguessr-inspired detective game' set on an alien planet
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/puzzle/track-down-a-missing-person-in-this-geoguessr-inspired-detective-game-set-on-an-alien-planet/
There are a couple distinct vibes in the demo for Locator, a mystery puzzle game from developer Empty Exhibit. It's got some DNA from Geoguessr, as you look at photos taken at ground level and try to suss out the locations they correspond to on a top-down zoomable map. It also gave me a big Strange Horticulture mood since you're examining a journal, diagrams, pictures, and other clues as if they're in front of you on a desktop.
As a final sweetener, you're doing this detective work on an alien planet. An archeologist crashed her spaceship there, so starting at the wreck site you need to follow her footsteps, figure out where she went, and discover her ultimate fate. The full game isn't out yet, but you can play the Locator demo for free on Steam right now.

Deadly LA fires lead to office closures for major game studios: 'Nothing can be said to truly acknowledge the pain and suffering that we are witnessing,' says Riot CEO
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/2025-la-firestorm-palisades-games-industry/
Los Angeles-based game developers are reacting to multiple severe wildfires that overwhelmed LA County firefighters on Tuesday and spread across thousands of acres in the most populous county in the United States, including the Pacific Palisades neighborhood near Santa Monica where Activision Blizzard, Riot Games, and other studios have offices.

The most important tool in Remedy's new co-op FPS is the shower: 'Saving water is essential'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-most-important-tool-in-remedys-new-co-op-fps-is-the-shower-saving-water-is-essential/
When Remedy announces a new game, I expect three things: A protagonist wearing street clothes, third-person shooting, and a pistol. FBC: Firebreak, a first-person co-op Control spinoff, has none of that, and that's incredibly exciting. We haven't heard much about Firebreak other than its 2025 release window, but in a recent interview with GamesRadar, Remedy revealed that a major mechanic in its first FPS is taking a shower.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii looks more like a zany RGG take on Black Flag than I dared hope
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-looks-more-like-a-zany-rgg-take-on-black-flag-than-i-dared-hope/
Yakuza in Hawaii launches next month, and I for one am excited to punch up "suspicious men" on the streets of Hawaii as Goro Majima. Today Sega and Ryu Gotoku Studio published a 15-minute presentation outlining everything from on-foot combat through to naval scraps, while confirming that new game plus will feature at launch (and not as a deluxe edition bonus, which was controversially the case with Infinite Wealth).

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided writer didn't like the ending either: 'Nothing is resolved'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/deus-ex-mankind-divided-writer-didnt-like-the-ending-either-nothing-is-resolved/
The finale of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided wasn't much-loved by fans, which was surprising because you'd think Deus Ex: Human Revolution would have lowered expectations. (...)
Mark Cecere, a writer on both Human Revolution and Mankind Divided, was recently interviewed by From Script to Life (via Kotaku), and agreed with much of the criticism of the ending. "It's definitely not finished," he said, explaining that final villain Marchenko was originally intended to be "the halfway boss" and after defeating him you'd get to travel to the augmented city of Rabi'ah. "He was never the brains behind the thing, right? He's the muscle. To me that's why it feels unsatisfying."

We may not have a roadmap or balance patch just yet, but at least Path of Exile 2's bugfix patch notes are funny
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/we-may-not-have-a-roadmap-or-balance-patch-just-yet-but-at-least-path-of-exile-2s-bugfix-patch-notes-are-funny/
If you've been spending all your time over the holidays playing the early access release of Path of Exile 2, you may be eagerly awaiting some substantial patch notes. We've all got our own gripes with the game, which despite an excellent skeleton still needs a lot of work. Thankfully, after weeks of radio silence from Griding Gear Games we're starting to get some drips of bugfixes—and they're hilarious.

All Zenless Zone Zero 1.5 livestream codes
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/zenless-zone-zero-1-5-livestream-codes/
The Zenless Zone Zero 1.5 code has arrived. Usually, miHoYo offers three codes as part of its update livestreams, but for some reason ZZZ just gets one big code, which saves a little hassle. For those who don't know, miHoYo puts on a livestream for each of its games every six weeks, showing off what's to come in the next version in terms of new characters, events, and quests. As a little incentive, it also provides a livestream code you can redeem.
In terms of new agents, it looks like we've got Astra Yao—an S-rank ether support—first off, and then Evelyn Chevalier in the second phase; also S-rank, but a fire attack agent instead. There are also apparently reruns for Ellen and Zhu Yuan, with the latter being perfect if you want an attack agent to combo with Astra Yao in an ether squad.

Harrowing report alleges years of horrific abuse at Brandoville Studios, an Indonesian support studio that worked on Assassin's Creed Shadows and The Last of Us Remake
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/harrowing-report-alleges-years-of-horrific-abuse-at-brandoville-studios-an-indonesian-support-studio-that-worked-on-assassins-creed-shadows-and-the-last-of-us-remake/
An in-depth investigation into the working conditions at Brandoville Studios (an Indonesian studio which has provided animation support to games like Assassin's Creed Shadows and The Last Of Us: Part I Remake) has been conducted by People Make Games, and alleges a shocking culture of abuse.

Final Fantasy 14 communities panic as it turns out change to blacklisting, meant to help reduce stalking, also lets players use mods to track their alts
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/final-fantasy/final-fantasy-14-communities-panic-as-it-turns-out-change-to-blacklisting-meant-to-help-reduce-stalking-also-lets-players-use-mods-to-track-their-alts/
Final Fantasy 14 communities have been in a bit of a commotion lately—as a recent mod stepping into the limelight has exposed a vulnerability in the way Square Enix has handled its new-and-'improved' blacklist feature. In essence, this solution to the game's stalker problem has inadvertently made it very easy for ToS-violating (but currently untraceable) players to uncover all of their target's alternate characters.

And as usual, let’s end this week of news by taking a look at the weekend deals from GOG and Steam:

+GOG

• There’s only one new deal at GOG and, weirdly enough, it’s the new Weekly Deals, and has games with up to 90% deals during the next 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20250110_weekly_deals_2_january

+Steam

• Starcom: Unknown Space will be 25% off until the 16th of January: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1750770/Starcom_Unknown_Space/
• Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader gets a 45% discount until the 16th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2186680/Warhammer_40000_Rogue_Trader/
• Hollow Knight is 50% off until January, the 16th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/367520/Hollow_Knight/
• TIEBREAK: Official game of the ATP and WTA is free to try during the weekend and has a 50% discount until, once again, the 16th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2264340/TIEBREAK_Official_game_of_the_ATP_and_WTA/
• Football Manager 2024 has a demo and a 60% discount until Thursday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2252570/Football_Manager_2024/
• Untitled Goose Game is going to be 65% off until Thursday, the 16th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/837470/Untitled_Goose_Game/
• Disco Elysium - The Final Cut is 75% off, and it’s also the last deal to last until the 16th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/632470/Disco_Elysium__The_Final_Cut/
• The Last Flame will have a 40% discount until the January 20: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1830970/The_Last_Flame/
• And Pet Shop Simulator also has a 40% deal, but it will last until the 23rd of January: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2401680/Pet_Shop_Simulator/

Nothing else to add, other than wishing you a happy and gaming weekend.