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

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The second part of the news:

Dune: Awakening says no to David Lynch and Sting in his underwear because the Herbert Estate hates fun
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/dune-awakening-says-no-to-david-lynch-and-sting-in-his-underwear-because-the-herbert-estate-hates-fun/
One of 2025's biggies is Funcom's Dune: Awakening, a survival MMO set on an alt-history version of Arrakis where Paul Atreides, the book's protagonist and (kinda) hero, was simply never born. PCG's own Josh Wolens had the chance to play the game recently, and found an unusual genre-blending mix that, above all else, strains to stay faithful to the source material. As the game's producer, Nils Ryborg, put it: "We're making a survival game, but we're making a Dune game, right? One of the design models we have is: make the game fit Dune, don't make Dune fit the game."

Destiny 2's latest season will run a lengthy 5 months, implying a July launch date for Frontiers
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/destiny-2s-latest-season-will-run-a-lengthy-5-months-implying-a-july-launch-date-for-frontiers/
It's an exciting day for Destiny. Heresy, Destiny 2's newest season (or episode, if we're keeping with the changes to the official nomenclature) is here, sending Guardians back to their own Taken King-era stomping grounds aboard the Dreadnaught. But while there are big things happening in Destiny's present moment, Heresy's also giving us a hint at Destiny's future, indicating we should expect a July launch date for the summer expansion that'll kick off the next multi-year Destiny 2 saga.
Update: The counter in question has now been removed, but it's unclear what that means, if anything.

After working on Ultima Online for 26 years, producer Bonnie Armstrong is stepping down to 'work in my greenhouse, play with puppies, and snuggle with my hubby'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/after-working-on-ultima-online-for-26-years-producer-bonnie-armstrong-is-stepping-down-to-work-in-my-greenhouse-play-with-puppies-and-snuggle-with-my-hubby/
The old-school MMO Ultima Online has been around for more than 27 years, and producer Bonnie Armstrong has been working on it for 26 of them. Earlier this week, though, Armstrong announced that she's stepping down from the role, although she's not leaving it behind completely.

Cozy undead gardening game Greenheart Necromancer is apparently 'a mixture of 'witchcore' and 'whimsigoth' with a healthy dose of 'grandma chic''
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/cozy-undead-gardening-game-greenheart-necromancer-is-apparently-a-mixture-of-witchcore-and-whimsigoth-with-a-healthy-dose-of-grandma-chic/
Normally in games where you inherit a farm or plant shop or garden from an elderly relative, you conveniently have enough of a green thumb to keep that farm or plant shop or garden alive and thriving. (At least until winter.) Not so in Greenheart Necromancer, a game in which your thumb is only green when it's got a bit of rotting flesh on it, because you are, as the name suggests, a necromancer.

Capcom can't stop spilling the beans on new Monster Hunter Wilds monsters
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/capcom-cant-stop-spilling-the-beans-on-new-monster-hunter-wilds-monsters/
I count 24 days until Monster Hunter Wilds is out. That's close enough that I'd recommend going on a full promotional blackout until you can play it yourself, but if you're already here, you should know Capcom's latest Wilds showcase debuted another handful of monsters I'd describe with varying levels of "gross" and "cool."
>> It will also have a photo mode and new hunter profiles.

Next Battlefield game set to release sooner than I expected, before April 2026: 'We're looking for this to be the biggest Battlefield we've ever made'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-next-battlefield-game-is-set-to-release-before-april-2026/
During its quarterly investor's call on Tuesday, EA said we can expect the next Battlefield game to release sometime during its 2026 fiscal year.
Different companies define their fiscal years differently. EA is currently in its 2025 fiscal year, but that ends this March, after which the 2026 fiscal year begins. So, where EA is concerned, the 2026 financial year starts this April. Yeah, it's baffling, but that's how they do it, and it means that the next Battlefield will be out sometime between this April and the start of April 2026, if everything goes to plan.

It sure sounds like Electronic Arts thinks cutting Dragon Age: The Veilguard's live service components was a mistake
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/it-sure-sounds-like-ea-thinks-cutting-dragon-age-the-veilguards-live-service-components-was-a-mistake/
Dragon Age: The Veilguard had a strong launch and solid reviews, but it ultimately fell significantly short of EA's sales expectations, leading to a dramatic downsizing of BioWare. As expected, the company addressed the question of what went wrong during today's quarterly financial call, and it sounds like CEO Andrew Wilson thinks the decision to ditch the live service elements of Veilguard was a mistake.
>> Has he heard about Suicide Squad?

Will Wright says the original Sims AI was actually too good: 'Almost anything the player did was worse than the Sims running on autopilot'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-sims/will-wright-says-the-original-sims-ai-was-actually-too-good-almost-anything-the-player-did-was-worse-than-the-sims-running-on-autopilot/
As part of the 25th anniversary of The Sims, the New York Times spoke to the original game's lead designer Will Wright, who gave some insight into how its AI was programmed. Part of the inspiration came from an unlikely source: his house burning down in 1991.

Overwatch Classic is bringing back the worst period in the game's history: The dreaded Mercy Moth Meta
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/overwatch-classic-is-bringing-back-the-worst-period-in-the-games-history-the-dreaded-mercy-moth-meta/
When Overwatch players talk about low points in the game's meta, most people tend to bring up GOATS or double shield; many forget the real ancient evil that plagued Overwatch early on: the Moth Meta. But now it's back for everyone to experience.

UK government says it won't change the rules on publishers taking videogames offline after selling them: 'We have no plans to amend existing consumer law on digital obsolescence'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/uk-government-says-it-wont-change-the-rules-on-publishers-taking-videogames-offline-after-selling-them-we-have-no-plans-to-amend-existing-consumer-law-on-digital-obsolescence/
The UK government has again responded to a petition demanding it change the law to prevent developers and publishers from taking games that have already been sold offline, reiterating its position of no, it won't do that.

Helldivers 2's latest warbond adds a stratagem I've craved since the galactic war started, a portable hellbomb
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/helldivers-2s-latest-warbond-adds-a-stratagem-ive-craved-since-the-galactic-war-started-a-portable-hellbomb/
While I've played and enjoyed many complex, nuanced video games in my life, I am ultimately a simple man at heart. I like video games that feature lots of explosions, and the bigger the explosions, the happier I'll be.
So when I first witnessed the colossal fireball created by Helldivers 2's ferocious hellbomb, you can bet that I grinned like a chimp saying 'cheese!'. (...)
Now, thanks to Helldivers 2' latest warbond allows you to do just that. Servants of Freedom introduces the B-100 portable hellbomb, a new stratagem which the official PlayStation blog describes as "a beacon of democratic truth in a convenient backpack format". The hellbomb can be activated by yourself or by a teammate, whereupon it will detonate after a 10 second countdown which, the blog stresses "cannot be cancelled".

Sim racers rejoice, F1 champ Max Verstappen says you're getting a '90 to 95%' accurate experience even without that megabucks motion rig
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/sim-racers-rejoice-f1-champ-max-verstappen-says-youre-getting-a-90-to-95-percent-accurate-experience-even-without-that-megabucks-motion-rig/
It's not actually true that four-time F1 champ Max Verstappen has a racing sim rig in his private plane. But he is a serious racing sim aficionado to the extent of having one in his motorhome at European F1 races and generating controversy over his late-night sim racing antics before actual F1 races. So, when Verstappen says racing sims are "90-95% there," you have to take notice.
What's more, the good news for those of us without the spare $10k to spend on a motion rig is that Verstappen doesn't think they're all that. Actually, they're too slow for him. Hold that thought.