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

[JEMC]

Wednesday gaming news, the third part:

Here's how to watch Clair Obscur, KCD2 and others jostle for GOTY at the Golden Joystick Awards 2025
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/how-to-watch-golden-joystick-awards-2025/
It feels like it gets earlier every year. The decorations are up. The kids are abuzz with excitement. There's magic in the air and—oh, who's that? There's a very recognisable and jolly silhouette on the horizon. It's Resident Evil 8's Lady Dimitrescu, whose actor Maggie Robertson will be your glamorous host for the 43rd annual Golden Joystick Awards.

Megabonk developer withdraws from 'Best Debut Indie Game' nomination at The Game Awards for a pretty good reason: 'It's not my debut game'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/megabonk-developer-withdraws-from-best-debut-indie-game-nomination-at-the-game-awards-for-a-pretty-good-reason-its-not-my-debut-game/
The Vampire Survivors-like Megabonk is one of the big indie hits of the year, selling a million copies in just two weeks and earning a nomination for best debut indie game in The Game Awards 2025. That sort of exposure is a big deal, especially for a small indie release, but developer vedinad said they're withdrawing from the show for one simple and very understandable reason: Megabonk isn't actually their first game.
>> An honest person? In 2025? Inconceivable!

Right after 'saving' Hytale from 7 years of development limbo, its new owner releases 16 minutes of 'raw and broken' gameplay footage to 'break the curse once and for all'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/right-after-saving-hytale-from-7-years-of-development-limbo-its-new-owner-releases-16-minutes-of-raw-and-broken-gameplay-footage-to-break-the-curse-once-and-for-all/
Hytale, up until this point, has been one of gaming's biggest messes. Announced back in 2018, Hytale looked like it was about to waltz in and start tidily eating Mojang's lunch. Riot even saw promise in the studio, acquiring it in 2020. Seven years later, scope creep and an apparently ill-advised engine rewrite caused Riot to call curtains on the whole thing.
(...)
What looked like the executioner's axe for ol' Hytale, though, might well have been its salvation. Riot sold the game's rights back to Simon Collins-Laflamme, the studio's original co-founder, passing the torch from Noxy back to Laflamme to go "back to the original vision for Hytale."
You might think that "original vision" would take some considerable time to cobble together, but it turns out, er, no. There's enough meat on this bone for a 16-minute gameplay video to just… be released. As the description states, "No bells or whistles. Just the game as it is. Raw and broken, but still beautiful."
>> Smart, but it also kind of feels a bit like a desperate move to gain awareness and, maybe, an investor.

Borderlands 4 has a 'very stupid' glitch that lets you unlock a character's most powerful abilities before refunding all your skill points, but don't expect it to be around long as Gearbox says 'we're on it'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/borderlands-4-has-a-very-stupid-glitch-that-lets-you-unlock-a-characters-most-powerful-abilities-before-refunding-all-your-skill-points-but-dont-expect-it-to-be-around-long-as-gearbox-says-were-on-it/
Borderlands 4 players have already discovered some ridiculous glitches and exploits, like its overpowered crit knives that were subsequently nerfed, and a bugged interaction that caused "total existence failure" for endgame bosses. But the latest glitch discovered in Gearbox's looter shooter might just take the cake, allowing players to unlock a character's most powerful abilities and then refund nearly all of their skill points.

The best way to level your horse in Disney Dreamlight Valley isn't through daily gifts, it's by creating a shoddy obstacle course
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/the-best-way-to-level-your-horse-in-disney-dreamlight-valley-isnt-through-daily-gifts-its-by-creating-a-shoddy-obstacle-course/
Levelling your horse in Disney Dreamlight Valley's Wishblossom Ranch DLC is essential when it comes to progressing through the story, but that doesn't mean it's easy. Much like levelling your friendship with the villagers, you can do this by giving up to three gifts per day, spending quality time with them, or brushing and petting them. Even then, you'll only get an XP boost once a day from these actions, and waiting until the next day when you want to head to the next area can feel like waiting a lifetime.
When you hit level 2 with your horses, you can also assign skills to each pony like mining rocks, digging holes, and harvesting or watering crops which does give you another avenue for XP farming. But, as much as I love how efficient it is to mine resources and farm now you don't have to deplete your own stamina, it's by no means a fast process. Luckily, outside of gift giving and quality time, you can also work on your bond by riding them around and jumping over obstacles, but this process is still pretty arduous. Fortunately, I've found a hidden spot that, with a bit of decorating, can be a vital tool in levelling your horses, and make things feel much more efficient.

WoW's proposed transmog overhaul is 1 step forward, 2 steps back, and has Azeroth's fashionistas rioting: 'Blizzard truly are the masters at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/wows-proposed-transmog-overhaul-is-1-step-forward-2-steps-back-and-has-azeroths-fashionistas-rioting-blizzard-truly-are-the-masters-at-snatching-defeat-from-the-jaws-of-victory/
World of Warcraft: Midnight has a huge task ahead of it—fixing the arms race of AddOns by nixing combat-related mods (and thus having to provide its own offerings), installing Player Housing for the first time and, relevant to the problems I'm about to get into, overhauling the transmog system.

Guild Wars celebrates 20 years with a 'Reforged' overhaul that's free for existing players, and offers the whole shebang to newbies for $20: 'It was a good time to give it a refresh'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/guild-wars-celebrates-20-years-with-a-reforged-overhaul-thats-free-for-existing-players-and-offers-the-whole-shebang-to-newbies-for-usd20-it-was-a-good-time-to-give-it-a-refresh/
Guild Wars released in 2005 and, even in the wake of the all-conquering World of Warcraft, offered an MMO experience that was distinct and freeform enough that, 20 years later, you'll still find people saying it's the best MMO around. OK, these days they're probably more likely to be on-board with the superb sequel, but still.
With that 20th anniversary in mind, developer ArenaNet has announced the most substantial overhaul in the game's history: December 3 will see the launch of Guild Wars Reforged, a visual and gameplay overhaul for the venerable monster-bothering quest-em-up.