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

[JEMC]

Friday news, part three and last:

Story of Seasons is doing another Harvest Moon remake and it might be the best the series has ever looked
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/story-of-seasons-is-doing-another-harvest-moon-remake-and-it-might-be-the-best-the-series-has-ever-looked/
We're firmly in the era of Nintendo Direct presentations having announcements relevant to PC gamers and that's especially true when it comes to the cozy farm sim genre. This year's harvest of pastoral sims now includes Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar, announced with an August 27 release date during today's Direct.

An unannounced Hogwarts Legacy expansion and 'definitive edition' have reportedly been cancelled
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/an-unannounced-hogwarts-legacy-expansion-and-definitive-edition-have-reportedly-been-cancelled/
A new Bloomberg report says a planned expansion for Hogwarts Legacy, as well as a "Definitive Edition" release that would've included the base game and the new content in a single package, have been cancelled as part of the ongoing structuring of Warner's game business.

One of Square Enix' most underrated PlayStation-era JRPGs just shadow dropped on Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/one-of-square-enix-most-underrated-playstation-era-jrpgs-just-shadow-dropped-on-steam/
Saga Frontier 2 didn't exactly set the world on fire when it released for the original PlayStation in 2000—at least in the west—but time has treated it well. Like its predecessor, it ignores the then-ascendant move to 3D in favor of lavishly illustrated hand-drawn backgrounds and cheerful sprite work. As a result—and sure, this is subjective—its art style has held up remarkably well compared to the likes of Final Fantasy 7, for example.
Until now you've had to emulate SaGa Frontier 2 if you want to play it on PC. Not anymore: a remaster just dropped on Steam, after an announcement during the Nintendo Direct today. It follows the PC debut of the original SaGa Frontier, which was released in 2021.

Marvel Rivals director says a future patch will reduce the shooter's insatiable hunger for RAM: 'It's a very big problem'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/marvel-rivals-director-says-a-future-patch-will-reduce-the-shooters-insatiable-hunger-for-ram-its-a-very-big-problem/
Let all the modestly powerful computer owners breathe a sigh of relief. NetEase is aware that Marvel Rivals is currently a massive RAM hog and is working on a fix.
"On PC, we realize that [optimization] is a big problem, especially for the memory consumption," Marvel Rivals director Guangyun Chen told PC Gamer during an interview at GDC 2025. "So it may be that in Season 2, we will have an experimental check box in our launcher players can use to reduce memory [consumption] significantly."

Venom's gonna throw it back in Marvel Rivals and there's nothing any of us can do to stop him
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/venoms-gonna-throw-it-back-in-marvel-rivals-and-theres-nothing-any-of-us-can-do-to-stop-him/
Marvel Rivals has hit critical referential mass in a very Fortnitian (which is a word I just made up) way—see, being rooted in a long-standing comic franchise, and being a live service game, Marvel Rivals is incentivised to be self-referential with winks and nods to its own culture.
It just so happens that some of that culture involves, big, buff cheeks clapping. Shared here by leaker RivalsInfo, it appears as if Venom now has the ability to adopt a wide stance, brace his hands on his knees, and work that thing.

No Sleep For Kaname Date will have us dreaming of AI: The Somnium Files' deranged detective again this July
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/no-sleep-for-kaname-date-will-have-us-dreaming-of-ai-the-somnium-files-deranged-detective-again-this-july/
Yesterday's Nintendo Direct was just full of goodies for PC-focused sickos like myself. A shadow-dropped Saga Frontier 2 remaster, a remake of a great PS2 Shin Megami Tensei spinoff, and even a next-gen Super Robot Wars game headed to PC in English. But nestled among the announcements was a special treat, just for me: No Sleep For Kaname Date, the next in the dream-diving detective mystery series AI: The Somnium Files. It's out just before my birthday this July and confirmed coming to Steam.

The hardest parts of open world walking simulator Baby Steps are 'harder than Getting Over It by quite some distance,' says Bennett Foddy
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/the-hardest-parts-of-open-world-walking-simulator-baby-steps-are-harder-than-getting-over-it-by-quite-some-distance-says-bennett-foddy/
For those of you who spent hours trying to run just a few meters in slapstick physics game QWOP or wept in frustration after losing an hour's progress with one slip in climbing game Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy—brace yourselves.
The new walking simulator Baby Steps, published by Devolver and developed by Foddy, Gabe Cuzzillo, and Maxi Boch (Ape Out), is going to be even more of a challenge when it comes out later this year, at least in some ways.

And these are the weekend deals at GOG and Steam:

+GOG

• This is the second and also last weekend of the Spring Sale, that will end in 5 days.

+Steam

• Let’s go with the first of many: the Game Pavilion JP, and indie game exhibition with lots of upcoming games, some with demos, and a few ones on sale with up to 50% discounts. Some deals will end on March 31st, but others will last a bit more: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45279210/sale/GamePavilionJP2025
• TheoTown will be 50% off until the 31st: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1084020/TheoTown/
• Publisher Coffee Stain puts its games on sale with up to 85% discounts until the same 31st: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/CoffeeStainPublisherSale2025
• The SUGOI showcase comes with 34 indie games, mostly unreleased, with some demos and a couple discounts, that will last until the 3rd of April: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45443941/sale/SUGOIShowcase
• Atomic Heart that, in case you didn’t know, has a demo, is going to be 67% off until April 3: https://store.steampowered.com/app/668580/Atomic_Heart/
• Evil Genius 2: World Domination will have a 90% discount until the 3rd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/700600/Evil_Genius_2_World_Domination/
• Heavenly Bodies will be half its usual price until the 6th of April: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1138850/Heavenly_Bodies/
• Sweet Transit is next, 60% off until the 7th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1612770/Sweet_Transit/
• NBA 2K25 will have a 70% discount until the 7th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2878980/NBA_2K25/
• Squirrel with a Gun will be 35% off until the 10th of April: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2067050/Squirrel_with_a_Gun/
• Wild Bastards features a 60% discount that will last until April, the 10th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1660840/Wild_Bastards/
• Gearbox has a sale and their games are going to be up to 90% off until the 10th: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/2428135/sale/GearboxSale25

And here end today’s news. While I try to understand why did PCGamer focus so much on some games from the Nintendo Direct while leaving out others, like the former Sony exclusives Patapon games, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.