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

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Wednesday gaming news, the long second part:

Fallout creator Tim Cain does the impossible, makes me shift my opinion on respecs just a little bit, because fine, I guess it does sometimes turn bad design 'into a player problem'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/game-development/fallout-creator-tim-cain-does-the-impossible-makes-me-shift-my-opinion-on-respecs-just-a-little-bit-because-fine-i-guess-it-does-sometimes-turn-bad-design-into-a-player-problem/
I don't like paid respecs. In fact, I think respecs should be straightforward, unlimited, and free. A bright future for all respecs! Allow me to explore and adore your game's many intricacies without starting multiple playthroughs! Viva la build! Unfortunately, Tim Cain, the OG lead on Fallout and a longtime CRPG (and MMORPG) developer besides, has ruined me.
The weapon? A perfectly reasonable argument from a seasoned developer explaining the pitfalls of free respec systems. Curses. That's per a recent video on his YouTube channel, where he fields questions from budding game developers.

Team Cherry will be making a 'Special Announcement' about Silksong on Thursday, and—wait, is it finally over? Can we all go home?
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/team-cherry-will-be-making-a-special-announcement-about-silksong-on-thursday-and-wait-is-it-finally-over-can-we-all-go-home/
Silksong is at Gamescom—this much we knew—but after years of silence Team Cherry is finally saying something. Not buried away in Discord, not via an advertisement for a handheld console, but an actual, honest-to-Hornet announcement. Like, on its YouTube channel and everything.
You can see the livestream here, but the atmosphere is electric. At the time of writing we've still got 47 hours to go, but I can't keep up with the chat scroll. The exact times are August 21, 7:30 pm Pt, 10:30 am ET, and 3:30 pm BST.

BioShock 4 studio lays off staff as former Diablo boss Rod Fergusson returns to get things back on track
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/bioshock-4-studio-lays-off-staff-as-former-diablo-boss-rod-fergusson-returns-to-get-things-back-on-track/
When former Diablo boss Rod Fergusson announced his departure from Blizzard earlier this month, my PC Gamer compatriot Tyler Colp put forth an interesting, amusing theory: He was headed back to 2K Games to get BioShock 4 back on track, just as he did with BioShock Infinite. And he called it: As confirmed by his LinkedIn page, Fergusson is now "senior vice president, head of the BioShock franchise at 2K."

Denshattack is a game where you do Tony Hawk stunts with Japanese trains whose developers would not confirm whether I can make a train do a Christ Air
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/denshattack-is-a-game-where-you-do-tony-hawk-stunts-with-japanese-trains-whose-developers-would-not-confirm-whether-i-can-make-a-train-do-a-christ-air/
For years, one of the most spiritually potent images on the internet was Multi-Track Drifting: It's a pair of double-page splash panels from the doujin parody manga Densha de D, depicting with mythic intensity a singular moment of locomotive stuntcraft. During a virtual preview event, developer Undercoders said it's channeling that same spirit of train stunt spectacle for Denshattack, a game where you can do sick Tony Hawk tricks with railway engines.

For the first time ever, a new game in one of China's most popular videogame series will be released simultaneously in the West
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/for-the-first-time-ever-a-new-game-in-one-of-chinas-most-popular-videogame-series-will-be-released-simultaneously-in-the-west/
Revealed today at Gamescom's Opening Night Live showcase, Swords of Legends is a brand new singleplayer action RPG based on Chinese mythology, and if that title rings a bell you're very likely thinking of Swords of Legends Online, the Chinese MMO that came our way in 2021. But this is a completely separate and different thing.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 release date set for November
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/call-of-duty-black-ops-7-release-date-set-for-november/
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 got its big campaign reveal trailer today during Opening Night Live, finally revealing what sort of movement gimmicks it's up to and shedding some light on the central characters.
And of course, we also got a release date: Black Ops 7 is coming November 14. If you're keeping up with the other big military FPS of the moment, that's just over a month after Battlefield 6 releases on October 10.
>> And there will be a Beta in October.

Final Fantasy 14 and Monster Hunter get together again for a crossover event swapping Omega and Arkveld
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/final-fantasy-xiv-and-monster-hunter-get-together-again-for-a-crossover-event-swapping-omega-and-arkveld/
It's been a while since Final Fantasy and Monster Hunter smashed their games together for a crossover event swapping some of their meanest beasties, but you've had eight years to get the Rathalos mount in Final Fantasy 14, so now it's time to move on to the next big grind.
During today's Opening Night Live, Square Enix and Capcom announced another crossover event between Final Fantasy 14 and the newer Monster Hunter Wilds with both games hosting their own interpretation of the other universe's creatures.
>> And you only need two things to take part in the collab: buy FF14 and... play around 500 hours until you’ve beaten the game.

Studio ZA/UM's Disco Elysium follow-up drops a reveal trailer at Gamescom, and boy it sure looks like Disco Elysium
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/studio-za-ums-disco-elysium-follow-up-drops-a-reveal-trailer-at-gamescom-and-boy-it-sure-looks-like-disco-elysium/
Studio ZA/UM gave us our first look at its anticipated follow-up to Disco Elysium at today's Opening Night Live showcase, "a story-rich espionage RPG" called Zero Parades—previously codenamed C4—in which you'll become "a brilliant but tormented operant on a desperate assignment."

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is finally launching on October 21, and yes you'll technically be able to play as a Malkavian vampire
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2-is-finally-launching-on-october-21-and-yes-youll-technically-be-able-to-play-as-a-malkavian-vampire/
It's been a long, long, long road, but Bloodlines 2 is almost upon us. Finally! At Gamescom's Opening Night Live, Paradox and The Chinese Room announced its October 21 release date, as well as sharing some secrets they've been hiding up their sleeves for ages.
So, yes, you'll be able to play as a Malkavian vampire. But there's a twist. See, you won't be able to make Phyre, the game's protagonist, Malkavian.

Silent Hill F dials down the action just a bit for a new story-focused trailer
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/silent-hill-f-dials-down-the-action-just-a-bit-for-a-new-story-focused-trailer/
It won't be long until Silent Hill F terrorizes us all from the comfort of home, but Konami debuted a new trailer during today's Opening Night Live with a smidge less gore and violent spearing than the last, in exchange for a more focused look at its story.

Wargaming is making a new World of Tanks for the Overwatch generation: A tank-y hero shooter with 'heroic tank gameplay'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/wargaming-is-making-a-new-world-of-tanks-for-the-overwatch-generation-a-tank-y-hero-shooter-with-heroic-tank-gameplay/
Of the many heroes from World War 2, none were greater than tank. Zinaida Portnova? Sophie Scholl? Lyle Bouck? Very few if any of them had a 76.2mm gun capable of piercing 60mm of armour at distances of up to a kilometer. And yet who do we fill our so-called 'hero' shooters with? Humans. It's a disgrace.
But no longer, because I guess there's a World of Tanks hero-shooter-type thing now? Okay! Announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live, World of Tanks: Heat promises to bring World of Tanks' "tactical tank combat into faster, more dynamic, and explosive grounds."

World of Warcraft: Midnight's new intro cinematic is overflowing with elves and their abnormally long eyebrows
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/world-of-warcraft-midnights-new-intro-cinematic-is-overflowing-with-elves-and-their-abnormally-long-eyebrows/
World of Warcraft's next expansion is right around the corner, which means it was about time for Blizzard to drop a new cinematic.
Sure enough, we got our first look at what's going on in WoW: Midnight during the Gamescom Opening Night Live show, and it's a lot of elves with abnormally long eyebrows.
>> Midnight will also introduce a new Prey System.

Resident Evil Requiem video reveals the mom murder that kicks off this latest round of unpleasantness
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/resident-evil/this-new-resident-evil-requiem-video-reveals-the-mom-murder-behind-the-latest-round-of-unpleasantness/
This year's Gamescom Opening Night Live showcase concluded with a clip from Resident Evil Requiem (before the 'one more thing,' at least), and sets up the story of the ninth mainline Resident Evil game with a gruesome flashback.

Meet your snarky, sexy companions in The Outer Worlds 2: 'And no, you can't sleep with them'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/meet-your-snarky-sexy-companions-in-the-outer-worlds-2-and-no-you-cant-sleep-with-them/
The universe needs a hero, and every hero needs a trusty sidekick. Unfortunately for the universe in The Outer Worlds 2, instead of a hero, it's got you. Lucky for you, you've got them: a cadre of snarky, sexy companions who will follow you anywhere and kill anyone that gets in your way.

As Battlefield 6 commits to 'keeping it grounded' with skins, Call of Duty director makes an unconvincing promise to 'calibrate' cosmetics in Black Ops 7
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/as-battlefield-6-commits-to-keeping-it-grounded-with-skins-call-of-duty-director-makes-an-unconvincing-promise-to-calibrate-cosmetics-in-black-ops-7/
We're set for another Call of Duty vs. Battlefield face-off this year, and it's already been fascinating to watch how these two military shooters present themselves. When it comes to one of the most incendiary topics in multiplayer games at the moment, the rising prevalence of goofy Fortnite-style skins, Call of Duty has become the poster child of ugliness run amok.
>> How much can we believe them when they also confirm that all Black Ops 6 skins will carry over to 7?