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

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Let’s check the Friday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Slay the Spire 2 is the #1 seller on Steam today, above Marathon and Resident Evil Requiem
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/card-games/slay-the-spire-2-is-the-1-seller-on-steam-today-above-marathon-and-resident-evil-requiem/
You never know what's going to happen with sequels to influential indie sensations like Slay the Spire, which inspired a torrent of other roguelike deckbuilders after it released in early access in 2017. Sometimes, the follow-up gets lost in the sea of its own imitators, and doesn't blow up like the first one.
Not this time. Slay the Spire 2 released in early access today, and immediately shot to the top of Steam's top sellers list: It's #1 globally, above Marathon. In the early evening here in North America, it's also fourth right now for concurrent players, with a first-day peak of 177,362.
I put about an hour into it earlier today, and yeah, it immediately got its hooks in me. From what I've seen so far, it is a classic 'more of what you already liked' kind of sequel: Same format, same basic design, but new enemies, new cards and effects, new artifacts, and so on.

Captain Obvious time: The Fallout TV series has massively increased game sales, even for the '90s originals
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fallout/captain-obvious-time-the-fallout-tv-series-has-massively-increased-game-sales-even-for-the-90s-originals/
Fallout season two recently ended and, as one of Amazon's biggest hits, you can bet it won't be too long before we're all enjoying season three. We already noticed player numbers double as a knock-on effect from season two's premiere, but the show has had an even bigger impact on the games than we first realized.
The data comes from key reseller G2A.com (first reported by MCV UK) and focuses on Fallout's PC sales across the two years of the show running. Get ready for some jargon:

• Permanent Growth: While Season 1 (April 2024) triggered a massive acquisition spike, sales throughout 2025 stabilised at a baseline significantly higher than the pre-series era.
• The Anticipation Surge: Sales volume in the month immediately preceding the Season 2 premiere was 78% higher than the average monthly volume of the previous quarter. This demonstrates that the ‘Halo Effect’ now begins weeks before a show actually airs.
• Sustainable Growth: Even during the gaps between seasons, the ongoing interest remained multiple times higher than the early 2024 baseline, proving that the show successfully onboarded a permanent new audience.

There are obviously some caveats here, primarily that G2A is only one digital outlet, and far from the biggest (it's also been the target of harsh criticism from game publishers in the past). But here it does seem to be reflecting a wider trend: looking at the SteamDB entries for both Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 shows an enormous spike in players over April and May 2024 (the show premiered on April 10, 2024). In both cases the player counts shot up by roughly ten times, with Fallout 4 at one point averaging just under 200,000 daily players.
(...)
G2A's data incorporates every entry in the series apart from Tactics: all editions of Fallout 4, Fallout 76, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 3, Fallout 2, and Fallout Classic Collection. Yeah it is all a bit Captain Obvious. But what this should really drive home is that Bethesda needs to pull its finger out, and give us a new post-apocalypse to play around in.

The Humble Store has two new sales:

• Jump & Stomp Sale has games up to 90% off and will last 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/jump-stomp-sale/
• Devolver Digital puts its games on sale with up to 90% discounts during 13 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/devolver-publisher-sale/

Fanatical has the Premier Mystery Bundle, with five unknown games, but it doesn’t say how long it will last: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/premier-mystery-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Nothing today-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Fallout: The New West Brings The Cancelled Fallout: Van Buren to Fallout: New Vegas – Download Now
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/fallout-the-new-west-brings-the-cancelled-fallout-van-buren-to-fallout-new-vegas-download-now/
Fallout fans, here is something special for you today. Last month, we informed you about Fallout: New West, a total conversion mod for Fallout: New Vegas that is inspired by the cancelled Fallout: Van Buren game. And today, we are happy to report that its first version is available for download.
Fallout: The New West adapts the main story ideas from Van Buren and expands them into a complete, fully playable experience. Built on the Fallout: New Vegas engine, the project will combine modern gameplay systems, deeper role-playing options, and the classic Fallout tone and mechanics fans love.
Fallout: New West aims to bring together the many unfinished story ideas from the original Van Buren design documents. This includes major plot points like the NCR–Brotherhood conflict, the Great Tribal War between Caesar’s Legion and the Daughters of Hecate, and the struggle for control of the Mormon State. The goal is to turn these scattered concepts into a unified, satisfying narrative that stays true to the original vision.
Players take on the role of a new protagonist, “the Prisoner,” who is released from captivity in 2253. The story takes place in an alternate timeline that comes before, and reimagines, the events of Fallout: New Vegas.
Going into even more details, Fallout: New West offers an alternate entry point into the Mojave Wasteland. It has brand new, artistically crafted criminal traits, as well as new weapons and armour, some of which are integrated into the main quest of Fallout: New Vegas. There are 15 new fully voiced NPCs featuring 3,000+ lines of dialogue, and 7 fully voiced quests adapted from the Van Buren design documents. You will also find new classic robots inspired by the Interplay era. On top of that, the mod comes with gameplay systems and choice architecture inspired by classic Fallout titles.
>> The article features the over 3 minutes teaser of this mod.

Lost Fallout: New Vegas post-ending dialogue has been found and restored
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/lost-fallout-new-vegas-post-ending-dialogue-has-been-found-and-restored/
One of many good ideas Obsidian had for Fallout: New Vegas that tragically had to be cut for time was that you'd be able to keep playing after the ending slideshow, sidequesting across a version of the Mojave Wasteland that reflected your decisions in the main campaign. And while modders restored a version of that vision a while back, now we've got a closer look at what Obsidian originally planned.
The recently leaked beta full of cut content is the source for this, and as the video above shows it's mostly additional dialogue relating to which ending you chose. If you sided with the Legion, Caesar's forces take over the Strip and merchants like Lupe the water vendor close shop and leave while Easy Pete waits on his porch to give those gosh dang Legionaries "a face full of dynamite for their trouble." If you help the NCR win at Hoover Dam, your companion Cass is pleased you delivered the Legion "a royal asskicking". "I ain't looking forward to the taxes, though," says a prospector.
Meanwhile, if you pursue independence for New Vegas, the King declares it "a new golden age," while the Brotherhood of Steel takes over the Helios One power plant and your supportive pal Yes Man stops being quite so obsequious. Finally, putting Mr House in charge results in him letting you keep your apartment at the Lucky 38 while Lily the nightkin tells you she's "so proud of her little angel."
These lines are being restored thanks to the Post-Game Dialogue Restored mod, a work in progress that you'll also need to have the Functional Post Game Ending mod installed to make use of.
>> The article has an almost 20 minutes video.

GAMING NEWS

Bandai Namco has announced Echoes of Aincrad, coming to PC on July 10th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/bandai-namco-has-announced-echoes-of-aincrad-coming-to-pc-on-july-10th/
Bandai Namco has just announced a new RPG that will be using Unreal Engine 5, called Echoes of Aincrad. Echoes of Aincrad will be coming to PC on July 10th, and below you can find its debut in-engine trailer.

Here are 9 minutes of gameplay footage from Forza Horizon 6
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-9-minutes-of-gameplay-footage-from-forza-horizon-6/
IGN has shared a video showcasing 9 minutes of gameplay footage from Forza Horizon 6. This is our first proper look at the new Forza Horizon game. Also, keep in mind that this is pre-release gameplay footage. As such, it may not reflect the quality of the final game.

New trailers for PRAGMATA and Onimusha: Way of the Sword
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-trailers-for-pragmata-and-onimusha-way-of-the-sword/
Capcom has released new trailers for its upcoming titles, PRAGMATA and Onimusha: Way of the Sword. The trailer for PRAGMATA shows us some more enemies and environments. On the other hand, the trailer for Onimusha: Way of the Sword is basically an overview gameplay trailer.
>> The trailer of PRAGMATA has a curprise at the end: it will now launch a week early (link- PCGamer)

FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE PC Demo Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/fatal-frame-ii-crimson-butterfly-remake-pc-demo-released/
KOEI Tecmo has just released a PC demo for FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE on Steam. As such, PC gamers can download and test the game on their PC systems.

Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss Gets PC Requirements & Story Trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/cthulhu-the-cosmic-abyss-gets-pc-requirements-story-trailer/
NACON has revealed the official PC system requirements and the story trailer for Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss. So, let’s see what PC system you’ll need to run it.

Robocop: Rogue City May Have Leaked a New Hunter: The Reckoning Game
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/robocop-rogue-city-may-have-leaked-a-new-hunter-the-reckoning-game/
Now, here is one of the best ways to leak a game. Earlier today, Teyon pushed a 32GB update for Robocop: Rogue City. However, it appears that someone has pushed the wrong button and published a dev build from an unannounced game. That game is what appears to be an adaptation of Hunter: The Reckoning.