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

[JEMC]

Time for the Friday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Despite limping on Steam charts with a 24-hour peak of less than 200, FBC: Firebreak hits 1 million players milestone—and, let's face it, it's probably Game Pass
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/despite-limping-on-steam-charts-with-a-24-hour-peak-of-less-than-200-fbc-firebreak-hits-1-million-players-milestone-and-lets-face-it-its-probably-game-pass/
Remedy's latest multiplayer shooter has… uh, not done particularly well for itself, if the Steam numbers are anything to go by. At the time of writing, the game has a 24-hour peak player count of 169 (no, I did not miss a digit) and a 'mixed' rating on Steam. Critically speaking, we gave it 60% in our FBC: Firebreak review, and having bounced off it like a rubber ball, I can't argue with that assessment.
When it comes to the overall player numbers—that is, people who have played it? Remedy's in better nick. As per the game's X account, over one million people have given FBC: Firebreak a try.
It seems like the game's saving grace is, if I were to take a guess, Game Pass—I mean, it's out on consoles and the Epic game store, too, but let's face it. It's probably Game Pass. Maybe Firebreak is super popular on the Microsoft Xbox Series X or something, but I'd be willing to bet good money on my hunch, here.
>> The all-time peak on Steam isn’t much better, only 1,992 players.

The Humble Store has four new sales:

• Dice & Destiny has games up to 90% off during 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/dice-destiny/
• The Playstation Summer Sale features up to 60% discounts during 13 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/playstation-summer-sale/
• The Konami Summer Sale has games up to 85% off during 13 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/konami-summer-sale/
• And the Bandai Namco Summer Mega Sale is full of games with up to 90% discounts that will also last 13 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/bandai-namco-summer-mega-sale/

Fanatical has a new sale and a bundle:

• SEGA puts its games on sale with up to 82% discounts during 10 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/sega
• The Batman: Arkham Collection is back, this time 88% off during 13 days : https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/batman-arkham-collection

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

It's not just you—Steam is getting absolutely crushed under the Summer Sale
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/its-not-just-you-steam-is-getting-absolutely-crushed-under-the-summer-sale/
Most of us have been down this road before, but in case you have not, don't be too concerned if you're struggling to load pages or wring search results out of Steam right now: The Summer Sale kicked off an hour ago, and the whole thing is getting slammed.
Your mileage may vary on this depending on where you're located. Steam seems to be working pretty well for me overall in Canada, although I cannot get Steam Deck pricing to load for love or money.
California-based Morgan Park hasn't been able to load the "Under $5" section for the past half-hour, though, and in the UK Rich Stanton is struggling with art and text loading.
>> I stopped trying to check my wishlist after many failed attempts. Even trying to check my library was in vein. Steam managed to hold quite well at least the last couple big sales, but not this time.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

New Silent Hill 2 Remake Mod Improves Reflections and Lighting
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/new-silent-hill-2-remake-mod-improves-reflections-and-lighting/
NexusMods’ member ‘Wolfic’ has released a must-have config file for Silent Hill 2 Remake. This “mod” aims to fix the awful lighting noise and improve the quality of lighting and reflection on rough surfaces.
Wolfic made a number of cool changes in this mod. He improved how light bounces around in the game. He also reduced the grainy noise from ray tracing, especially inside buildings and on rough surfaces. On top of that, he removed the Vignette effect, making the game look sharper and clearer.
The modder made these changes for when Ray Tracing is turned on. So, for the best results, you should enable Ray Tracing. These upgrades might also work a little with Software Lumen, but it’s not guaranteed.
To showcase these visual improvements, Wolfic shared the following comparison screenshots. And, as you can see, the modded version looks way better than the vanilla. Reflections look better and more stable now. The lighting is also more stable and less grainy. In other words, this isn’t a “placebo mod.” This does improve the game’s graphics.
>> The article has the screenshots, link to the mod and instructions to install it.

Halo: GoldSource V1.0 Is Now Available for Download
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/halo-goldsource-v1-0-is-now-available-for-download/
Halo and Half-Life fans, here is something for you today. The Phoenix Project Software has just released the final standalone version of its Halo Mod for Half-Life, Halo: GoldSource. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
Halo: GoldSource is a fan-made game that brings Halo’s gameplay into the Half-Life engine. It’s built using something called the Aura codebase. The game has two main modes: Slayer and Firefight. You’ll find lots of classic Halo maps and some new ones made just for Firefight. Plus, you can use many cool Halo weapons.
Version 1.0 includes jumping that feels like Halo. It also has smooth camera movement and weapon lag to make it feel more real. Shields work and sound just like in the Halo games. You can also adjust multiplayer settings and set a list of maps to play. There’s even basic support for controllers.
Do note that this is a multiplayer mod. It does NOT bring the campaign mode from Halo to the Half-Life engine. So, if you were expecting something like that, you’ll be disappointed. For everyone else, this should be a cool fan game to play.
You can download the latest version of Halo: GoldSource from this link. At the end of the article, you can also find a trailer for it.
My biggest gripe with Halo: GoldSource is the weird and stuttery mouse movement. You can clearly see it in many parts of the trailer. It makes the game feel disorienting. The team really should have fixed this.
>> The video is less than 2 minutes long.

GAMING NEWS

New short but sweet gameplay footage for Resident Evil Requiem
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-short-but-sweet-gameplay-footage-for-resident-evil-requiem/
During its latest Spotlight event, Capcom showcased a short but sweet gameplay video for Resident Evil 9, Resident Evil Requiem. The video shows both the first-person and third-person viewpoints. So, make sure to watch it if you are looking forward to it.
>> In the video (5:05 minutes long), we get a good reason for not making Leon the protagonist.

Capcom shares story, gameplay & combat details for PRAGMATA
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/capcom-shares-story-and-gameplay-details-for-pragmata/
Capcom has shared new story, combat, and gameplay details for its new IP, PRAGMATA. PRAGMATA is coming to PC in 2026, and below you can also find a new trailer for it. So, let’s dive in.

Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 2 Will Reduce VRAM Usage, Add Support for AMD FSR 4.0 & NVIDIA DLSS 4 (Full Patch Notes)
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/monster-hunter-wilds-title-update-2-will-reduce-vram-usage-add-support-for-amd-fsr-4-0-full-patch-notes/
Capcom announced that Title Update 2 for Monster Hunter Wilds will be released this Monday and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new update will bring to the table.