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

[JEMC]

Thursday gaming news, part two:

I've never been so happy to be wrong: Marvel Rivals has turned Gambit into a Strategist that's focused on utility rather than just healing
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/ive-never-been-so-happy-to-be-wrong-marvel-rivals-has-turned-gambit-into-a-strategist-thats-focused-on-utility-rather-than-just-healing/
I'll always be here asking for more heroes to be added to the roles of Strategist and Vanguard in Marvel Rivals. Don't get me wrong, I love a bit of Duelist, but after adding more DPS heroes than tanks and healers combined to the initial game, NetEase has been playing catch-up to even out the spread between the roles a bit more.
Even so, when I first heard the murmurings of Rogue and Gambit joining Marvel Rivals, I had already resigned myself to the fact that Gambit would probably be a Duelist and NetEase would try and push Rogue into a Vanguard or Strategist role as compensation. But I was wrong, and I couldn't be happier.
Gambit's official character reveal trailer is out, and with it comes the information that NetEase has assigned him to the role of Strategist. His primary fire can heal allies and damage enemies, like most hitscan Strategists. Other abilities include his ultimate, which boosts allies, providing them with a supercharged jump, health regen, and explosive attacks. Then there are his dashes and Bo staff attack that damages enemies and heals allies when smashing it into the ground, exactly like Overwatch 2's latest hero, Wuyang.

Someone's finally making a spiritual successor to Bully, but I wish it wasn't inspired by some of the worst comedies ever made
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/someones-finally-making-a-spiritual-successor-to-bully-but-i-wish-it-wasnt-inspired-by-some-of-the-worst-comedies-ever-made/
I'm surprised it's taken this long for someone to make a spiritual successor to Bully. Not only is it one of Rockstar's most fondly remembered games, but it's also the one least likely to get a sequel, except perhaps for Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis. So credit where it's due to Agefield High for finally identifying that niche, even if I'm not convinced by how it's going about filling it.
Set in 2002, Agefield High: Rock the School sees you play as Sam, a new student looking to make friends, win over his dream girl, and generally leave his mark on the school social hierarchy. Like Rockstar's 2006 game, Agefield High is set in a school campus and a surrounding slice of open-ended suburbia, with a day/night cycle and a school itinerary you can choose to follow or flaunt.

Bloodlines 2 just got a new roadmap with Christmas-themed goodies, as well things that probably should have been there from the start like an FOV slider and motion blur toggle
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/bloodlines-2-just-got-a-new-roadmap-with-christmas-themed-goodies-as-well-things-that-probably-should-have-been-there-from-the-start-like-an-fov-slider-and-motion-blur-toggle/
Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 was always going to be polarizing given the oddball legacy of its cult hit predecessor, but I didn't expect it to polarize in the precise way that it did. As PC Gamer online editor Fraser Brown said in his review, the "good, sometimes even great" bite 'em up "is a sequel in name only, and it never really enthusiastically embraces being an RPG." Regardless, developer The Chinese Room has begun updating the game with fixes and features as teased in a roadmap that debuted in a blog post today.

'We would rather cut off our own arms': Demonschool developers dispute Nexon CEO's claim that 'every game company is now using AI' in response to Arc Raiders backlash
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/we-would-rather-cut-off-our-own-arms-demonschool-developers-dispute-nexon-ceos-claim-that-every-game-company-is-now-using-ai-in-response-to-arc-raiders-backlash/
Amid the news of an added duos mode and a new Helldivers 2-style community event, Arc Raiders has been dealing with some backlash. Embark Studios now has a track record of using generative AI for voice work in its games, first for The Finals and now for Arc Raiders, and it's causing no small amount of controversy.
The studio has been a tad flighty around the subject when it comes to Arc Raiders; the story seems to change every time someone asks. But recently the CEO of Embark's parent company Nexon, Junghun Lee, strongly defended the use of machine learning in game development, saying that "It's important to assume every game company is now using AI."
I've already given a list of all the reasons why I don't agree with the above and why I feel its framing is disingenuous. But now other developers are wading into the discourse and saying it straight: not all studios use generative AI.

CD Projekt Red was considered the 'ugly child' of CD Projekt as a whole before the first Witcher became a hit: 'They will never earn any money here'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-witcher/cd-projekt-red-was-considered-the-ugly-child-of-cd-projekt-as-a-whole-before-the-first-witcher-became-a-hit-they-will-never-earn-any-money-here/
CD Projekt is a game industry powerhouse. After 10 years we still can't get enough of The Witcher 3, which reached 50 million copies sold in 2023 and it has the world on tenterhooks in anticipation for The Witcher 4.
(...)
Mielniczuk said the seven years spent developing the first Witcher game came at great expense, financially and emotionally. "[CD Projekt Blue's] main business was publishing games, so a lot of people in CD Projekt Blue were really unhappy," Mielniczuk laughs. "[We were] like weird people [...] living in a cellar making some games, you know?" The assumptions were that "[CD Projekt Red] will never earn any money here" and that "This game, it's a total waste of time."

Responding to problems in a live-service game is like having a 'big clock,' says Battlefield 6 director: 'You measure and value your time to the player' so they know you're paying attention
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/responding-to-problems-in-a-live-service-game-is-like-having-a-big-clock-says-battlefield-6-director-you-measure-and-value-your-time-to-the-player-so-they-know-youre-paying-attention/
There was a brief, beautiful moment when everybody seemed happy with Battlefield 6. Sure, there was some grousing about map sizes and progression. But its return to modern-military gunplay with a big lick of destruction won over even the most cynical of multiplayer FPS heads.
But then its battle royale mode Redsec came out, and the live-service gears shrieked into motion with a disappointing new map and weekly challenges that mandated battle royale play, putting a decisive end to Battlefield 6's honeymoon period.
With BF Studios rushing to quell these issues as Steam reviews drop to Mixed, Battlefield 6's developers have also addressed the situation. Speaking to IGN, design director Justin Wiebe assured players that the studio is "always listening".

RuneScape fans have spoken: 'Treasure Hunter' microtransactions will be scrapped in January as 'part of a wider transformation across Jagex'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/runescape-fans-have-spoken-treasure-hunter-microtransactions-will-be-scrapped-in-january-as-part-of-a-wider-transformation-across-jagex/
It's not exactly a surprising outcome, but it is now official: RuneScape players have voted overwhelmingly to remove the game's 'Treasure Hunter' microtransaction system, and so it'll be cut out completely on January 19, 2026.

Mark your calendars: World of Warcraft will finally have player housing after 21 years when The War Within's final patch arrives next month
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/mark-your-calendars-world-of-warcraft-will-finally-have-player-housing-after-21-years-when-the-war-withins-final-patch-arrives-next-month/
The lull before a new expansion hits World of Warcraft has been dragged out for months in the past, but this time Blizzard isn't going to hold back the new stuff for very long. A patch is coming on December 2 that will act as a prologue to the Midnight expansion, and it'll mark the long, long-awaited arrival of player housing to the MMO.

Rockstar faces legal action from UK union after firing more than 30 employees last week: 'We are confident that what we’ve seen here is plain and simple union busting'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/rockstar-faces-legal-action-from-uk-union-after-firing-more-than-30-employees-last-week-we-are-confident-that-what-weve-seen-here-is-plain-and-simple-union-busting/
The Independent Workers of Great Britain has launched legal action against Grand Theft Auto 6 developer Rockstar Games over what it says was an unfair termination of employees "that we believe amount to victimisation and collective dismissal linked to trade union activity."

Over half of Arc Raiders players on Steam have barely engaged with PvP, and 19% have never even killed another player
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/over-half-of-arc-raiders-players-on-steam-have-barely-engaged-with-pvp-and-19-percent-have-never-even-killed-another-player/
Yesterday, I was looting a cache in Arc Raiders when someone walked up and blasted me with a shotgun. I returned fire with my measly Kettle peashooter and somehow won the fight, which triggered a Steam achievement:
Unyielding: Knock out 10 raiders (42.3%)
I thought that couldn't possibly be right. Over 35 hours in Arc Raiders, and that was only my tenth time getting a lick in with PvP? But after thinking about it, yea, it lines up. I haven't shot anybody on sight since my first couple of raids, and my modest kill count is almost entirely self-defense—all except for one time I was playing with friends and they decided to be aggressors (not my finest moment). My experience playing solo has been so overwhelmingly chill that I've hardly had any problems with other raiders roaming the Rust Belt.
After examining the achievement closer, it turns out my situation isn't unusual. Just 42.3% of Steam players have the Unyielding achievement, meaning that over half (57.7%) of the PC player base is at least as pacifist as me.
>> Just make yourself a favor and don’t wear this skin, or someone will shoot you (link).