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

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And this is the third, and final, part of the gaming news:

'You'll now be at the mercy of what loot you can find': Rust's latest update brings back hardcore mode tougher than ever, removing the ability to craft guns entirely
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/youll-now-be-at-the-mercy-of-what-loot-you-can-find-rusts-latest-update-brings-back-hardcore-mode-tougher-than-ever-removing-the-ability-to-craft-guns-entirely/
Rust has been playing with its parameters a lot lately (which mum once told me can make you go blind). Back in February, developer Facepunch introduced a medieval-themed Primitive, while April saw Rust's softcore mode become even softer. But just in case you suspect Rust is losing its edge in its advancing years, the survival sim's latest update goes in the complete opposite direction. Hardcore mode is back, baby, and it's less forgiving than ever.

'The prejudice against turn-based RPGs isn’t completely gone': despite Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's massive success, its director reckons real-time action games still have an easier time
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/the-prejudice-against-turn-based-rpgs-isnt-completely-gone-despite-clair-obscur-expedition-33s-massive-success-its-director-reckons-real-time-action-games-still-have-an-easier-time/
The runaway success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been exhaustively documented by this point. But the game's ecstatic reception by players came as a surprise not only because the game was made by a small (though not that small) team, but also because it's a turn-based RPG at a time when the market is dominated by roguelites and soulslikes and real-time action, with even Final Fantasy shifting toward fluid, reaction-based combat systems in recent years.

New study shows that Gen Z is spending way less money on videogames than older gamers
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/new-study-shows-that-gen-z-is-spending-way-less-money-on-videogames-than-older-gamers/
Young people are so strapped for cash that even video games are getting too expensive for them. A June study by Circana, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, found that spending among 18-to-24-year-olds dropped by 13% from January to April 2025 compared to last year. Video game purchases were hit particularly hard, falling nearly 25% according to a chart Circana's Mat Piscatella shared on BlueSky.
>> Well, most cell-phone games are “free”, and the $80 per game the industry is adopting doesn’t help.

This asynchronous autobattler is like Backpack Battles meets FTL
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/check-the-demo-for-this-asynchronous-autobattler-thats-like-backpack-battles-meets-ftl/
Who among us doesn't enjoy cobbling together a ridiculous spaceship from spare parts and throwing it against a gauntlet of other spaceships to see which ship is the best?
Probably some of us actually, as that's pretty specific, but it does describe Down with the Ship, a game that released a nice little demo on Steam this week that'll let you fight for asynchronous autobattling PvP glory.

Much anticipated Persona-like RPG Demonschool finally has a release date
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/much-anticiapted-persona-like-rpg-demonschool-finally-has-a-release-date/
Tactical RPG Demonschool will release on September 3, 2025, just under a month from now. We've been looking forward to this one for years, since the first previews back in 2022, and though it was pushed back from 2024 it looks like we're finally, properly getting a crack at a good education and some demon battling via violent motion.

'Everyone's little monkey brains like shelter and food': Subnautica 2 designer says primal instinct is the reason we're so drawn to smashing blocks of wood into weapons
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/everyones-little-monkey-brains-like-shelter-and-food-subnautica-2-designer-says-primal-instinct-is-the-reason-were-so-drawn-to-smashing-blocks-of-wood-into-weapons/
As someone who typically takes a rather unga bunga approach to videogames, I must admit I finally feel rather seen by Subnautica 2 designer Anthony Gallegos proclaiming that we're all monkey-brained gamers who love survival crafting because of how they tap into our most primal instincts.

Take Endless Legend 2 for a spin ahead of its early access launch—you've got a week to conquer an alien world in the new demo, starting today
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/take-endless-legend-2-for-a-spin-ahead-of-its-early-access-launch-youve-got-a-week-to-conquer-an-alien-world-in-the-new-demo-starting-today/
Endless Legend 2's early access launch delay—it's arriving on September 22 now—is a less bitter pill to swallow thanks to the appearance of another demo today. It's a limited-time deal, giving you a week to "experience a taste of the full game".