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

[JEMC]

And here’s the third part of the news:

'The Middle East's answer to Marvel Rivals' is an 'AI-powered', crypto-infused hero shooter that looks like hot garbage
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/the-middle-easts-answer-to-marvel-rivals-is-an-ai-powered-crypto-infused-hero-shooter-that-looks-like-hot-garbage/
If Farcana is "the Middle East's answer to the acclaimed Marvel Rivals," as its developer claims, I don't see Disney quivering in its boots anytime soon. Developed by 160-person Abu Dhabi-based studio Dizzaract—which apparently makes it the largest game studio in the region—Farcana is a 5v5 hero shooter packing the noxious double whammy of AI and crypto.
>> Yeah, I’d probably skip this game altogether.

Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders is getting a new mountain next month and a whole bunch more throughout the year, including a game editor
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/racing/lonely-mountains-snow-riders-is-getting-a-new-mountain-next-month-and-a-whole-bunch-more-throughout-the-year-including-a-game-editor/
Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders is getting lots of new content in 2025, studio Megagon Industries announced today. The wait won't be long either: a new mountain will be added on April 9 in a free update, bringing the total to four. Like the existing slopes it'll boast four trails, each with harder variations and challenges. Apparently "it's the most beautiful mountain we've done yet". I can't wait to tumble graciously down its slopes.

GOG's version of Silent Hill 4 has been updated with missing content from the original console game
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/gogs-version-of-silent-hill-4-has-been-updated-with-missing-content-from-the-original-console-game/
Silent Hill 4: The Room may not be my favorite Silent Hill, but it's far from the worst and it occupies an important place in the series—it's the last one Team Silent worked on. So it's always been a shame the PC version is incomplete, missing stuff that was in the PlayStation 2 version.
Until now, that is. As part of GOG's Preservation Program, the version of Silent Hill 4 that it's selling has been updated to include all those missing bits.

Animal Use Protocol's dysfunctional chimp-rat alliance drags the Stasis series into a horrible new first-person era
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/animal-use-protocols-dysfunctional-chimp-rat-alliance-drags-the-stasis-series-into-a-horrible-new-first-person-era/
When chimp-and-rat buddy horror adventure Animal Use Protocol was first announced late last year, I felt fear. Not the good kind that tiny South African indie outfit The Brotherhood had so well cultivated with their Stasis point-and-click adventure series, but worries that shifting to a real-time, first-person perspective would ruin the perfectly unpleasant vibes the pre-rendered art of the series was so well known for.
Judging by yesterday’s new gameplay trailer (rolled out during the Future Games Show Spring showcase), I’m no longer worried. About the art, that is. I am however absolutely creeped out by the gameplay that they’ve shown.

Valve CMO threatened the company would walk away from games if it didn't own the rights to Half-Life—'It wasn't an idle threat—we weren't going to take on all of the risk to make other people rich'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/valve-cmo-threatened-the-company-would-walk-away-from-games-if-it-didnt-own-the-rights-to-half-life-it-wasnt-an-idle-threat-we-werent-going-to-take-on-all-of-the-risk-to-make-other-people-rich/
It's the 2025 Game Developer's Conference, and one of this year's most interesting talks was delivered by Monica Harrington, a founding member of Valve and the company's first chief marketing officer.
Harrington's career has been very much on the business side of software development but, way back in Valve's early days, she suddenly realised "there were a few things I didn't know" about the deal the company had signed with publisher Sierra to distribute Half-Life (thanks, GamesRadar).

X-Com creator Julian Gollop unexpectedly takes over sequel to sprawling board game adaptation, and you can try out the closed beta next week
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/board-games/x-com-creator-julian-gollop-unexpectedly-takes-over-sequel-to-sprawling-board-game-adaptation-and-you-can-try-out-the-closed-beta-next-week/
As much as I like getting friends sat down around a table, I breathed a deep sigh of relief when it was announced that tactical dungeon crawler Gloomhaven was coming to PC, due to the tabletop version being a terrifyingly huge (and expensive) obelisk full of smaller boxes, each containing innumerable smaller, easily lost pieces.
I feel a similar twang of relief now that its semi-standalone sequel Frosthaven is also going digital, this time coming from Phoenix Point studio Snapshot Games, and headed up by original X-Com megamind Julian Gollop.

Baldur's Gate 3's latest stress test update fixes heartbreaking bug that caused a total party-wipe on Ironman Mode at the game's final boss, forcing dejected testers to restart the entire game
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/baldurs-gate/baldurs-gate-3s-latest-stress-test-update-fixes-heartbreaking-bug-that-caused-a-total-party-wipe-on-ironman-mode-at-the-games-final-boss-forcing-dejected-testers-to-restart-the-entire-game/
It has been exactly one year since we published news that Larian was done with Baldur's Gate 3. You'd be forgiven for forgetting, given that the studio has released one patch and seven hotfixes for the game since then.
But wait, there's more. Yesterday, Larian announced that it's got a third stress test update for everyone currently helping the studio test its upcoming patch 8, which promises to bring 12 new subclasses to the game alongside a whole host of other tweaks and changes.

Ghoul players in Fallout 76 are starting to place their camps in the most radioactive areas of the map, and regular humans aren't happy: 'I had to inject 30+ radaway into my veins'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fallout/ghoul-players-in-fallout-76-are-starting-to-place-their-camps-in-the-most-radioactive-areas-of-the-map-and-regular-humans-arent-happy-i-had-to-inject-30-radaway-into-my-veins/
Ghouls made their way into Fallout 76 earlier this week, and since then it's mostly been positive. Regular players can now rely on ghouls to collect irradiated ore and venture into radioactive zones during events. But there's a small issue that's recently split the playerbase down the middle: access to ghoul camps can be a bit tricky for smoothskins.

This fighter is Marvel Vs Capcom for classic mecha anime sickos, launching into early access with a strategy RPG story mode on its heels
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fighting/this-fighter-is-marvel-vs-capcom-for-classic-mecha-anime-sickos-launching-into-early-access-with-a-strategy-rpg-story-mode-on-its-heels/
There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who can recognize Getter Robo and Mazinger Z immediately from their silhouettes, and people who have no idea what any of those words mean. Iron Saga Vs, making its debut on Steam today, is a fighting game aimed squarely at the former group. And for the latter, you still might get some fun out of it if you like the idea of skyscraper-sized robots (many from classic ‘70s and ‘80s anime) beating ten shades of metal paint out of each other.
>> What about people like me, that recognize Mazinger Z but not Getter Robo?

After a controversial coding slip-up fed stalkers info on their victim's alts, FF14 wipes the slate clean to try and fix its mistakes
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/final-fantasy/after-a-controversial-coding-mistake-fed-stalkers-info-on-their-victims-alts-ff14-wipes-the-slate-clean-to-try-and-fix-its-mistakes/
Final Fantasy 14's patch 7.2 is coming soon—which means preliminary patch notes. While these aren't usually of much interest, with much of the meat contained in the game's live letters, one particular note leapt out at me: FF14's making changes to its blacklist.
(...)
Well, as the preliminary patch notes read, Square has taken steps to stop it—and is wiping the slate clean for its account IDs as a hard reset:
"In accordance with measures introduced in Patch 7.2 to help prevent the identification of account IDs that are not displayed in-game, relevant saved client data has been reset. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and ask for your understanding as we introduce these measures."

PC Gamer vindicated by Swen Vincke: Larian boss calls Balatro his personal GOTY as it sweeps top prize from devs at GDC awards
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/pc-gamer-vindicated-by-swen-vincke-larian-boss-calls-balatro-his-personal-goty-as-it-sweeps-top-prize-from-devs-at-gdc-awards/
It's Game Developers Conference (GDC) season, which means it's time for industry luminaries from across the globe to descend on San Francisco to talk about, you know, advancements in SpeedTree and what-have-you. It's also time for a shadowy camarilla of "leading game creators from all parts of the industry" to hand out the Game Developers Choice Awards—trophies for things like Best Debut, Best Visual Art, that kind of thing.
Top gong, of course, is Game Of The Year, and what do you know? This year's GOTY went to none other than Balatro. You know who else gave a GOTY award to Balatro? A little computer games outlet called PC Gamer.
You know who else called Balatro their GOTY? A little videogame CEO called Swen Vincke (previously seen with his arms overflowing with his studio's own awards for Baldur's Gate 3).

And here are the weekend deals at GOG and Steam:

+GOG

• This one’s easy: the Spring Sale Is all you need.

+Steam

• The Square Enix Publisher Sale started a few days ago, and will have up to 90% discounts during another 3 days, until the 24th of March: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/squareenix_publishersale25
• KarmaZoo, with a demo, will be 50% off until the 27th of March: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1661630/KarmaZoo/
• Half-Life: Alyx will have a 70% discount until the same 27th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/546560/HalfLife_Alyx/
• Cities: Skylines will be free to try during the weekend and 90% off (the game, the DLCs up to 50% off) until the 31st of March: https://store.steampowered.com/app/255710/Cities_Skylines/
• House Builder will be half its usual price until the 1st of April: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1244630/House_Builder/
• BEYBLADE X XONE is going to have a 25% discount until the 3rd of April: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3023070/BEYBLADE_X_XONE/
• Cataclismo can be yours thanks to a 35% deal until April 3: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1422440/Cataclismo/
• Hero Siege will be 66% off until the 3rd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/269210/Hero_Siege/
• And that’s not all. Since the beginning of the Spring Sale there’s been some smaller sales/events going on, and since yesterday when it ended, another 9 have gone live. I don’t want to make this longer than necessary (and also because I’m lazy) so check them out from here: https://store.steampowered.com/news/collection/sales/

And that’s all for the news. Until the next time, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.