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

[JEMC]

Here comes the also long third part of the Monday news:

'Borderlands 4 does have some open-world-like features,' says Gearbox, before clarifying it isn't an open world game 'in the traditional use of that term'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/borderlands-4-does-have-some-open-world-like-features-says-gearbox-before-clarifying-it-isnt-an-open-world-game-in-the-traditional-use-of-that-term/
Last year, in an interview with Gamespot, Gearbox boss and professional amateur magician Randy Pitchford compared the upcoming Borderlands 4 to its predecessor. "With Borderlands 3, with the idea of going to different planets, it was more compartmentalized," he said. "It felt a little less open and free. Borderlands 4 is the most open and free ever".
More recently, Gearbox's senior project producer Anthony Nicholson told GamesRadar that while "Borderlands 4 does have some open-world-like features" including "seamless travel between zones" that doesn't mean we should expect, I dunno, Ubisoft towers or whatever tedious nonsense open world games are full of nowadays. He clarified that, "we did not set out with the intent to create an 'open world game' in the traditional use of that term."

EVE lays out a busy 2025 focusing on player customization and fan-favorite events
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/eve-lays-out-a-busy-2025-focusing-on-player-customization-and-fan-favorite-events/
Sandbox space MMO Eve Online is going strong in its third decade, with developer CCP Games outlining its slate of 2025 development plans in a recent stream. It'll feature two major expansions and the return of some much-loved fan favorite in-game events.

Civilization 7's post-launch roadmap will bring the Bermuda Triangle and Mount Everest to all players in March
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/civilization-7s-post-launch-roadmap-will-bring-the-bermuda-triangle-and-mount-everest-to-all-players-in-march/
As Civilization 7 rumbles ever closer toward launch, publisher 2k has begun detailing plans for after the strategy sequel arrives on February 11. In a special livestream earlier this week, the publisher unveiled Civ 7's roadmap for the rest of 2025, revealing two paid DLCs and two free updates landing between now and September, with "more to come" later in the year.

After a decade of delays, Defenders Quest 2 is finally out, bringing with it wild character designs and nostalgic tower defense shenanigans
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/after-a-decade-of-delays-defenders-quest-2-is-finally-out-bringing-with-it-wild-character-designs-and-nostalgic-tower-defense-shenanigans/
The first thought that popped into my head upon dipping my toes into Defender’s Quest 2: Mists of Ruin is that they don’t make tower defense games like this anymore. The second thought was that my tea was suddenly stone cold and that the past four hours had mysteriously disappeared. This is pure videogame comfort food, if you’ve even the slightest bit of nostalgia for the latter era of flash game design, and the boom of the indie scene. This may be a relic lost in time, after over a decade of delays, but it still shines bright.

Palworld developer 'blown away' by the response to its new publishing arm, which has received 150 game pitches just one week after opening
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/palworld-developer-blown-away-by-the-response-to-its-new-publishing-arm-which-has-received-150-game-pitches-just-one-week-after-opening/
Palworld developer Pocketpair launched a new publishing business last week, following the gargantuan success of its Pokémon-inspired survival game. The response was, shall we say, enthusiastic, with Pocketpair's comms director and publishing manager John Buckley stating he received 1,500 LinkedIn requests within 24 hours.
Now, one week after getting into the publishing business, Pocketpair has revealed the response goes far beyond LinkedIn requests. Posting on X (via GamesRadar) the official Pocketpair Publishing account explained it had received "400 emails, 150 pitches [and] 2000+ Linkedin requests" in the seven days since opening up to finance third-party titles. "We are blown away by the interest we have received from YOU, the developers," the post continued, assuring that "we're doing our best to review each request and pitch."

Techno Banter channels Yakuza and Bojack Horseman as you destroy club rejects with words
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/techno-banter-channels-yakuza-and-bojack-horseman-as-you-destroy-club-rejects-with-words/
If you want to get me invested in a dialogue-heavy game, there's worse ways to do it than invoking Monkey Island's insult battles. Techno Banter, freshly launched on Steam and GOG from Berlin-based indie outfit Dexai Arts does all that and a bag of chips, riffing off the man-about-town adventuring of the Yakuza series, and channelling the weird, rough-edged universe of Bojack Horseman. Hell of a mix for a game about being a humble Berlin techno club doorman.

Besiege celebrates a decade of building deadly contraptions with a reworked sandbox mode, adjusted level designs and slow-motion explosions
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/besiege-celebrates-a-decade-of-building-deadly-contraptions-with-a-reworked-sandbox-mode-adjusted-level-designs-and-slow-motion-explosions/
Besiege, the physics puzzler about building rickety siege contraptions, has officially been pummelling castle walls for ten long years. To celebrate, developer Spiderling Studios has an "exciting year" planned for the decade-old construction sim with "community events & future updates" coming throughout the next twelve months. The first of these updates is already here, making numerous additions and adjustments to the game.

Killing Floor 3 splatters onto PC on March 25, but you can get your hands dirty a month early via its closed beta
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/killing-floor-3-splatters-onto-pc-on-march-25-but-you-can-get-your-hands-dirty-a-month-early-via-its-closed-beta/
I hope you've got your mop ready, because Killing Floor 3 has officially announced its release date. Tripwire Interactive's zombie-blasting sequel will slop wetly on your PC in two month's time: The studio revealed the game's release date on its X channel, simply stating 'The battle begins on March 25'.

Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser's new project looks like nothing special, to be perfectly honest
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/rockstar-co-founder-dan-housers-new-project-looks-like-nothing-special-to-be-perfectly-honest/
Absurd Ventures, the game and creative studio started by Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser back in 2021, has shown a first-look image of characters from its upcoming Absurdaverse setting, and announced an in-development game set there.

BioWare has reportedly lost at least half its staff, with fewer than 100 people left and the studio a ghost of its former self
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/dragon-age/bioware-has-reportedly-lost-at-least-half-its-staff-with-fewer-than-100-people-left-and-the-studio-a-ghost-of-its-former-self/
Bloomberg reports that, following EA's layoffs and restructuring at BioWare, the studio now has fewer than 100 employees, down from more than 200 during the development of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Meanwhile, at its peak, BioWare consisted of three studios and, conservatively, over 400 employees.

The best FPS of 2024 just got a surprise free update with 30 new maps, 9 new weapons, and just one cheeky cosmetic
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-best-fps-of-2024-just-got-a-surprise-free-update-with-30-new-maps-9-new-weapons-and-just-one-cheeky-cosmetic/
STRAFTAT, the winner of our Best FPS of 2024 award, has just come out with a beefy free update that consists of 30 new maps (plus three more for DLC-owning players), nine new weapons, new features and QoL tweaks, as well as a lone new suit for the arena shooter's delightfully ugly little potato men.

Marvel Rivals' ranked distribution for Season 1 is pretty evenly spread except for the 482,526 players just sat in Bronze 3
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/marvel-rivals-ranked-distribution-for-season-1-is-pretty-evenly-spread-except-for-the-482-526-players-just-sat-in-bronze-3/
Marvel Rivals Season 1 started off with a pretty serious rank reset that saw everyone go down at least seven levels from where they finished in Season 0. This was to prevent any stagnation and ensure everyone in the higher ranks are active in the game, but even still, the reset spread chaos throughout Season 1's ranks.
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Currently, if you look at RivalsTracker, you can see a chart that shows the distribution of Marvel Rivals ranks only for PC. Silver and Gold have roughly the same number of players, with 418,426 players and 359,062 players, respectively. It's not until you get into Plat and above that you start to get a dwindling population. I'm one of 12,494 players in Diamond 2 right now, and Eternity is just sat with 24 players, while One Above All has 71 players right now. But the most impressive thing about this graph is just how many players are in Bronze 3, the lowest rank.

We're getting a warm and a cold cow in Minecraft, and even though it's not our beloved Moobloom, it's still a win for variant enjoyers
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/were-getting-a-warm-and-a-cold-cow-in-minecraft-and-even-though-its-not-our-beloved-moobloom-its-still-a-win-for-variant-enjoyers/
Not long ago, we got the news that Minecraft would be getting a couple of new pig variants, the warm and the cold pig. Following that, we've just heard that cows will also be getting the same treatment, meaning we'll get fluffy highland Minecraft cows which you can test out before it gets added for good.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's developer is 'fed up' of being dragged into the culture war: 'It seems like someone is always trying to brand us somehow, and we are just trying to make a cool videogame'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/kingdom-come-deliverance-2s-developer-is-fed-up-of-being-dragged-into-the-culture-war-it-seems-like-someone-is-always-trying-to-brand-us-somehow-and-we-are-just-trying-to-make-a-cool-videogame/
"History rhymes. It's not repeating itself. It rhymes." Warhorse's global PR manager Tobias Stolz-Zwilling is paraphrasing an aphorism often attributed to Mark Twain—though its origins are actually unknown. He is bemoaning the fact that, once again, the Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 studio has found itself embroiled in the exhausting culture war.

There's a whole world of MMOs you probably don't know about, and the best way to play them just got basically its own Steam Workshop
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/theres-a-whole-world-of-mmos-you-probably-dont-know-about-and-the-best-way-to-play-them-just-got-basically-its-own-steam-workshop/
Unless you're one of the fewer-than-50 people who still play it regularly, there are solid odds you've never heard of Lusternia, Age of Ascension, a 21-year-old, free MMO that's been quietly, contentedly trundling along for most of this century. That's a shame, I reckon, because as someone who is decidedly 'not an MMO guy,' I've always loved it and the many, many games like it—games like Achaea, or Aardwolf, or Discworld, or Multi-users in Middle-earth. The simple scope of what you can do in a lot of them is staggering. Become a fighter, a performer, an explorer, or get stuck into the messy and labyrinthine player-controlled politics: guilds against guilds against cities against gods against philosophies against religions.
(...)
These are text games, baby. These are Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs): a more elegant MMO for a more civilised age, and what they lack in graphical fidelity they make up for in scope and ambition. That screenshot is my Lusternia character running in Mudlet, a client you can use to access the aforementioned games alongside, well, probably any of the 100 MUDs listed here and more besides. Anyway, I've just spent three(ish) paragraphs telling you what MUDs are because Mudlet just got a big update that makes them easier to get into than ever: a new mod organiser, updater, and downloader.
>> I think this article may hold the new links in an article record.