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

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Part two of the gaming news:

Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford spiels about how wonderful Borderlands 4 is going to be, then gets all coy about the price but jokes 'maybe we'll sell you that minimap that you guys want'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/gearbox-ceo-randy-pitchford-spiels-about-how-wonderful-borderlands-4-is-going-to-be-then-gets-all-coy-about-the-price-but-jokes-maybe-well-sell-you-that-minimap-that-you-guys-want/
Gearbox Software co-founder and CEO Randy Pitchford is going full PT Barnum for the release of Borderlands 4, bullishly telling everyone that this is going to be the best Borderlands since sliced bread, and wading into online fights to tell the doubters to "play the game first." Heck he even pulled a Todd Howard: "you see something anywhere on the screen, a mile away, up in the sky, you will be able to get there."

Iron Galaxy has explained why Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 won't feature the career mode: 'Our goal here is to make the ultimate package'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/iron-galaxy-has-explained-why-tony-hawks-pro-skater-3-4-wont-feature-the-career-mode-our-goal-here-is-to-make-the-ultimate-package/
The news that Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 wouldn't include the popular career mode from the original 4th game wasn't received well when it was announced in March. Instead, the timed challenges from the first three games would replace the mode that so many skaters loved.
In an interview with Game Informer, Iron Galaxy's design director Mike Rossi says: "We looked at 3, and that was obviously another very highly regarded title in the franchise. So then it was 'Let's look at 4. It's quite different, but what at its essence is it?' Our goal here is to make the ultimate package of 3 and 4. So ultimately, we felt that taking it into feeling more towards the 3 format as opposed to what 4 did originally, was a better representation for a cohesive package."

Elden Ring Nightreign's story is told in part through playable memories, so FromSoftware really is delivering lore through whacking things
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/elden-ring-nightreigns-story-is-told-in-part-through-playable-memories-so-fromsoftware-really-is-delivering-lore-through-whacking-things/
If one thing is clear about Elden Ring Nightreign, it's that this is gonna upset a lot of folks' expectations for what a FromSoftware Souls game is. The co-op roguelike is built around short sessions, with each complete run lasting roughly 40 minutes, and that comes with a relentless pace: if you just enjoy bashing horrible monsters with big weapons, you're sorted, but those who love the subtleties of these worlds and the freeform exploration are mostly out of luck.
But that doesn't mean the baby's been thrown out with the bathwater. In a new interview with IGN director Junya Ishizaki reveals how the game plans to tell its story: and in a game where hitting things is the main mechanic, they're making memories about it.

Clair Obscur player tanks their way through the entire game without dodging or parrying to prove a point: You can finish it without 'gamer reflexes'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/clair-obscur-player-tanks-their-way-through-the-entire-game-without-dodging-or-parrying-to-prove-a-point-you-can-finish-it-without-gamer-reflexes/
If Dark Souls is any indication, people take a lot of pride in mastering hard games. There's nothing wrong with that until the moment they make it about ego: getting smart and finding creative solutions through hard games can be so much more interesting than getting good. General sentiment seemed to be that it was impossible to finish the entirety of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 without engaging with its demanding dodging and parrying mechanics—that is until Reddit user HunterIV4 spent the last week proving the naysayers wrong.

Oblivion Remastered has an unleveled, legendary sword you can grab right after leaving the starting sewers⁠—just bring a lot of arrows or magicka potions
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-elder-scrolls/oblivion-remastered-umbra-sword-location-guide/
Even if you're taking advantage of one of the great mods to un-level or auto-upgrade Oblivion Remastered's quest rewards, you might still want to snag yourself something with a little extra oomph right out of the gate. That's where Umbra comes in.
This pitch-black, super evil longsword is a centerpiece of Elder Scrolls lore, and ties into the level-20 Daedric quest for Clavicus Vile. But the sword, and its wielder of the same name, still spawn out in the world even if you haven't activated the quest.

Dune: Awakening's stabby stunlock PvP exploit is being fixed, says Funcom: 'We've got this covered'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/dune-awakenings-stabby-stunlock-pvp-exploit-is-being-fixed-says-funcom-weve-got-this-covered/
The Dune: Awakening beta weekend has come to an end, and along with sandworms, speeders, and spice, there's another topic on everyone's mind: stunlock.
We learned over the weekend that Paul Atreides didn't need to spend all that time training to master the slow blade: he could have just repeatedly slashed his knife around in front of him and conquered Arrakis in a matter of minutes.

'Too many games let their players succeed' says developer of notoriously tough survival RPG Kenshi, and 'that's mind-numbingly boring to me'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/too-many-games-let-their-players-succeed-says-developer-of-notoriously-tough-survival-rpg-kenshi-and-thats-mind-numbingly-boring-to-me/
Open world survival RPG Kenshi can be cruel, especially in the early hours. As our reviewer put it back in 2018, "basic survival plans can be easily derailed by a city guard who plants drugs on you then demands money you don’t have, or by finding yourself deep in a region inhabited by vicious alien giraffes."
The tough, uncaring world is part of what makes Kenshi so great, however: you're not playing some fabled hero following a big quest arrow to fame and glory, you're just another average person trying to scrape by in a complex world. It's not supposed to be easy.
"A writer's job is to torment their protagonist," according to the designer of Kenshi, Chris Hunt of Lo-Fi Games, in a video released today. "That's what a lot of writers will tell you. And so I just adapted that."

Super Earth is under attack, and Helldivers 2's trouser-browning update is finally here—with weapon customisation, new Illuminate troops, and an inevitable battle on democracy's home turf
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/super-earth-is-under-attack-and-helldivers-2s-trouser-browning-update-is-finally-here-with-weapon-customisation-new-illuminate-troops-and-an-inevitable-battle-on-democracys-home-turf/
It turns out that the prophesied Helldivers 2 patch that would make you, erm, soil your breeches(?) was definitely still in the pipeline, no pun intended. Helldivers 2 just got a massive, hefty update that's shaken up the game's progression system in a major way and, for the first time, brought Super Earth under threat.

OG Infinity Ward dev says Call of Duty's gone the way of The Simpsons: 'It kind of feels like they've run out of ideas at times'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/og-infinity-ward-dev-says-call-of-dutys-gone-the-way-of-the-simpsons-it-kind-of-feels-like-theyve-run-out-of-ideas-at-times/
It's a sad truth of the world that there are only so many war crimes you can render in pornographic detail before it all starts to get ho-hum. The electric thrill wears off, the dizzying highs transform into stultifying mids, and even the Red Cross stops calling when you execute your millionth downed opponent.
This is, probably, not quite what former Call of Duty animator Chance Glasco was talking about in a recent interview with Tulsa's News 9 network (via GameSpot), but I like to pretend it is. Glasco—one of the original coterie of former Medal of Honor devs who founded Infinity Ward back when dinosaurs walked the Earth in 2002–-recently appeared on the network to chat about his experience working on CoD and what he thinks of the series' long trajectory over the last decade or two.