Tuesday news, part two:

The Black Ops 4 beta will be updated in September, so don't delete it
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-black-ops-4-beta-will-be-updated-in-september-so-dont-delete-it/
Did you play the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 multiplayer beta over the weekend? Did you like it? Are you looking forward to the second beta, coming in September, which will include the Blackout battle royale mode? If you answered "yes" to questions 1 and 3 (number 2 is optional), then Activision has a helpful suggestion.

The King's Bird is a lovely platformer that combines jumping and gliding in a secret world
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-kings-bird-is-a-lovely-platformer-that-combines-jumping-and-gliding-in-a-secret-world/
I'm a sucker for pretty platformers. Give me a piano-led soundtrack and a heavy-handed shot of "behold my art," and I'm there—even though I'm not actually very good at platformers in the first place. Thus my interest in The King's Bird, "an artistic, momentum-based game that seamlessly combines precision-platforming with physics-based gliding."

Destiny 2's Solstice of Heroes event is hiding a quest honoring Cayde-6
https://www.pcgamer.com/destiny-2s-solstice-of-heroes-event-is-hiding-a-quest-honoring-cayde-6/
Bungie has repeatedly confirmed that beloved Destiny 2 Vanguard leader Cayde-6 is going to die in the game's upcoming Forsaken expansion, and that he's not coming back. Players have been grappling with Cayde's fate for several weeks, going so far as to build a shrine in his honor at E3 earlier this year. It looks like Bungie has a send-off of its own in store: According to new entries in the Destiny 2 database, a quest called Cayde's Spicy Ramen is part of the Solstice of Heroes event going on this month.

Rainbow Six Siege's first shield-carrying defender is a Scotland Yard officer named Clash
https://www.pcgamer.com/rainbow-six-sieges-first-shield-carrying-defender-is-a-scotland-yard-specialist-named-clash/
The slow, steady rollout of the next season of Rainbow Six Siege, entitled Operation Grim Sky, continued today with a teaser introducing one of the game's two new operators: Morowa "Clash" Evans, a defender who bears an uncanny resemblance—at least for a brief, flashing second—to Shodan, the infamous AI villain of System Shock.

Phantom Doctrine has multiplayer, here’s how it works
https://www.pcgamer.com/phantom-doctrine-has-multiplayer-heres-how-it-works/
Strategic spy thriller Phantom Doctrine launches today, letting players explore the treacherous world of Cold War espionage through XCOM-like stealth and combat. While predominately a single-player experience, CreativeForge’s game also allows players to compete in head-to-head multiplayer battles.

SEGA re-launches Yakuza 0 patch, after rolling it back
https://www.pcgamer.com/sega-re-launches-yakuza-0-patch-after-rolling-it-back/
SEGA has re-launched Patch 1 for its PC port of Yakuza 0, after having rolled it back due to complaints from some users about further issues caused.
Yesterday, the patch re-emerged. In an announcement on Steam titled “THE PATCH IS BACK.” SEGA thanked everyone who provided feedback on the beta branch version. “Your continued patience and support have been greatly appreciated. We’re continuing to work on the other issues some of you are experiencing and will have more information for you soon.”

World of Warcraft’s new level cap has already been hit
https://www.pcgamer.com/world-of-warcrafts-new-level-cap-has-already-been-hit/
World of Warcraft’s new expansion Battle for Azeroth launched last night, and the level cap has already been met.
It took just four hours and seventeen minutes for Gingi, a member of World of Warcraft’s hardcore guild Method, to make the jump from WoW’s previous level cap of 110 to the new cutoff point of 120.

Europa Universalis IV’s Dharma expansion gets a release date
https://www.pcgamer.com/europa-universalis-ivs-dharma-expansion-gets-a-release-date/
Paradox Interactive has announced that Europa Universalis IV’s latest expansion, titled Dharma, will launch on September 6.
The announcement came bundled with a new story trailer, which details the expansion’s focus on India, specifically the conflict between the established Indian ruling classes and the European trading companies, which began encroaching upon Indian territory in the eighteenth century.

So...dedicated ray-tracing hardware in latest nVidia's architecture (Turing)

https://www.anandtech.com/show/13214/nvidia-reveals-next-gen-turing-gpu-architecture

We'll see how that translates to the gaming cards. I've read that the 2080 could have 3072 CUDA cores, 192 TMUs and 64 ROPs, and could boost up to 2GHz at stock.

We'll see in less than a week.

Still a long way to realizing fully ray traced games. Next-gen won't do it. Generation after that *might* but I have my doubts.
7th gen started to dabble with Ray Tracing in games using a hybrid approach, so the transition will likely just be a gradual one as hardware gets more capable and commonplace.

But it's nice to finally have the hardware on the market with the support, it really helps get the ball rolling with developers.

I'd be happy to see at least this much for start - objects and enviroment blend much nicer with ray tracing

Time for the news:

SALES & "SALES"/DEALS

China freezes all game license approvals
https://www.pcgamer.com/china-freezes-all-game-license-approvals/
China has frozen all approvals of game licences amid a government shakeup.
Bloomberg reported that it has been four months since China’s regulators approved any new games for sale in the market.
According to “people familiar with the matter” (all sources declined to be named) the freeze has occurred due to an ongoing restructuring of departments within the Chinese Government, including the National Television and Radio Administration, which is responsible for granting licenses, and the ministry of Culture and Tourism, which has become increasingly stringent about game regulation in the last couple of years.

>>Too bad for chinese players

GOG's daily deal is Nantucket, 33% off: https://www.gog.com/game/nantucket

Let's go now to Steam with its daily and four Midweek Madness deals:

• The daily deal is the Early Access title DESOLATE, 33% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/671510/DESOLATE/
• theHunter: Call of the Wild is the first of the MM deals, and it's 50% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/518790/theHunter_Call_of_the_Wild/
• Next comes Rock of Ages 2: Bigger & Boulder, 66% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/434460/Rock_of_Ages_2_Bigger__Boulder/
• The Batman, both Arkham and LEGO franchises, are on sale, with up to 75% discounts: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/batman/
• And finally we have Team17, that's having a publisher sale with up to 90% discounts: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/team17pub/

There's a new Humble Bundle, the Humble Jackbox Party Bundle full of party games for us: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/jackbox-party-bundle

SOFTWARE

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MODS/EMULATORS

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GAMING NEWS

Rebellion’s Strange Brigade gets an extended gameplay overview trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/rebellions-strange-brigade-gets-an-extended-gameplay-overview-trailer/
Rebellion has released an extended gameplay overview trailer for its upcoming 1930s third person adventure game, Strange Brigade. Today’s new trailer gives newcomers to the game all the info needed to become a fully-fledged hero. From the lowdown on the Brigade’s supernatural powers to the veritable legion of mystical malefactors in their way, this video has got the lot.

Lunacy: Saint Rhodes is a new first-person survival horror game, coming to the PC in 2019
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/lunacy-saint-rhodes-is-a-new-first-person-survival-horror-game-coming-to-the-pc-in-2019/
Iceberg Interactive and developer Lazarus Studio have announced Lunacy: Saint Rhodes, a first-person survival horror game in which you’re never truly safe – as the game watches your every move and adapts to your playing style. Lunacy: Saint Rhodes is slated for release for PC in 2019.

Open world action-RPG, Outward, to be published by Deep Silver
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/open-world-action-rpg-outward-to-be-published-by-deep-silver/
Deep Silver and Nine Dots Studio, together with Maximum Games, have announced their collaboration to publish the forthcoming open-world action RPG, Outward. The global publishing deal will cover the release on all platforms, in both physical and digital formats.

Here are 20 minutes of gameplay footage from the beautiful platformer, GRIS
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-20-minutes-of-gameplay-footage-from-the-beautiful-platformer-gris/
Yesterday, we informed you about GRIS; a beautiful platformer that is coming to the PC later this year. Developed by Nomada Studio, GRIS looks really interesting and Gamespot has shared a video showing 20 minutes of gameplay footage.

>>As someone that always tries to explore every single corner, this game looks both like a dream and a nightmare at the same time.

New screenshots and teaser trailer for Rune: Ragnarok, official PC system requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-screenshots-and-teaser-trailer-for-rune-ragnarok-official-pc-system-requirements/
Human Head Studios has released some new screenshots and a brand new teaser trailer for Rune: Ragnarok. Rune: Ragnarok is the sequel to the 17-year old Rune game and is set in a dangerous universe where gods, beasts, and the last remaining humans struggle to survive.

Koch Media acquires TimeSplitters and Second Sight, future games to be published by Deep Silver
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/koch-media-acquires-timesplitters-and-second-sight/
Koch Media today announced the acquisition of the cherished video games series Timesplitters. The agreement sees Koch Media become the owners of the intellectual property and the rights to create videogames based on the brand which will be produced by the Koch Media’s publishing label Deep Silver.

>>That almost guarantees a remake or remaster of those games. TomaTito has made a thread about it.

First gameplay trailer released for Battlerite Royale
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/first-gameplay-trailer-released-for-battlerite-royale/
Stunlock Studios has released the first gameplay trailer for Battlerite Royale. Combining an Action MOBA/Arena Brawler and Battle Royale survival gameplay, the new mode throws 20 players into a cutthroat island deathmatch, played “Free For All” or as a duo from a top-down perspective.

New Battlefield 5 gameplay trailer releases tomorrow, teaser trailer out now
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-battlefield-5-gameplay-trailer-releases-tomorrow-teaser-trailer-out-now/
Electronic Arts and DICE have released a new teaser trailer for Battlefield 5 and have revealed that a brand new, proper, gameplay trailer will be released tomorrow. Naturally, this trailer will be based on the Gamescom 2018 build that DICE will showcase at this upcoming gaming event.

First pre-alpha gameplay footage for Iron Danger; new tactical RPG with time manipulation mechanics
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/first-pre-alpha-gameplay-footage-for-iron-danger-new-tactical-rpg-with-time-manipulation-mechanics/
Action Squad Studios has released the first combat gameplay footage from their upcoming tactical RPG Iron Danger. In the video, player characters enter the fray with a group of Northlanders; an invading army of mechanically enhanced soldiers.

New Shenmue I & II Collection trailer focuses on combat and mini games
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-shenmue-i-ii-collection-trailer-focuses-on-combat-and-mini-games/
SEGA has released the third and final part of its series of videos exploring the world of the Shenmue. This final part focuses on the game’s combat mechanics and mini games, narrated by the English-version voice actor of Ryo Hazuki, Corey Marshall.

The news, part two:

Dishonored is 'resting,' Arkane lead designer says
https://www.pcgamer.com/dishonored-is-resting-arkane-lead-designer-says/
The Dishonored games were great—not perfect by any means, but very much the kind of thing I'd love to see more of. Sadly, that's not going to happen anytime soon, and may not happen at all, as Arkane lead designer Ricardo Bare told VG247 that the series may or may not be back.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 battle royale beta dates revealed
https://www.pcgamer.com/call-of-duty-black-ops-4-battle-royale-beta-dates-revealed/
Activision announced today that the second Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 public beta test will begin on September 10. On the PlayStation 4, that is—the rest of us will have to wait a little longer.
Assuming the schedule follows the same pattern as the first public beta, which debuted on August 3 for PS4 and August 10 for PC and Xbox One, we can expect it to come to PC the following weekend—so, September 17. An Activision rep said that date hasn't been confirmed yet, but I'll update if and when it is.

Fallout 76 instructional film shows how to make friends and watch them die horribly
https://www.pcgamer.com/fallout-76-instructional-film-shows-how-to-make-friends-and-watch-them-die-horribly/
Maybe if more educational films were like Bethesda's Fallout 76 instructional videos, I would have actually learned something in school. It's hard not to pay attention when important information is distributed alongside images of people's head's getting vaporized and super mutants being cut in half by gunfire. The premise of today's film, Let's Work With Others, is that the wasteland is a deadly place and making some pals will increase your chances of survival. You can watch the video above.

Fans dig up the likely name of Rainbow Six Siege's new blow torch operator
https://www.pcgamer.com/fans-dig-up-the-likely-name-of-rainbow-six-sieges-new-blow-torch-operator/
Following the official reveal of Rainbow Six Siege’s newest defender, Clash, fans have already been digging for even more info. And thanks to their tenaciousness, we now know the likely name of our new blow-torched attacker: Maverick.

Rune, the game that lets you use severed limbs as weapons, begins beta testing this weekend
https://www.pcgamer.com/rune-the-game-that-lets-you-use-severed-limbs-as-weapons-begins-beta-testing-this-weekend/
Human Head Studios announced today that the open world Viking RPG Rune, the game that lets you use hacked-off limbs as crude (but probably really funny) weapons, will go live on Steam Early Access in September.
(...)
Signups for the first closed beta test, slated to run from 1-5 pm Eastern on August 18, are open now at runeragnarok.com. It's an awfully short test, but a studio rep said that more beta tests will be held after this one.

Fortnite fans reckon its time rifts will close by the end of next week
https://www.pcgamer.com/fortnite-fans-reckon-its-time-rifts-will-close-by-the-end-of-next-week/
Fortnite's latest season is all about the wild effects of the time rifts that appeared in the game's map, from teleporting burgers to the second coming of the dinosaurs. However, according to Fortnite Battle Royale Leaks, the same source which recently uncovered Fortnite's new heavy sniper rifle, those time rifts are closing.

Patrick Stewart will narrate My Memory of Us, a game about children in the Holocaust
https://www.pcgamer.com/patrick-stewart-will-narrate-my-memory-of-us-a-game-about-children-in-the-holocaust/
My Memory of Us caught my attention early last year with a trailer revealing a visual style reminiscent of old-fashioned Disney animated shorts. It slyly subverts the game's setting, a Jewish ghetto in Poland during the Second World War, but it's also perfectly appropriate because the game world is seen through the eyes of children: German soldiers are seen as mindless robots, for instance, and the vicious antisemitism of adults remains an unlearned mystery among children.

New Strange Brigade trailer offers comprehensive gameplay overview
https://www.pcgamer.com/new-strange-brigade-trailer-offers-comprehensive-gameplay-overview/
Rebellion has released a comprehensive trailer of its upcoming co-op shooter Strange Brigade, which launches later this month.
The six-minute video provides a full overview of the game’s key features, detailing enemies, player abilities, weapons, and more.

Hi-Rez splits into three new studios
https://www.pcgamer.com/hi-rez-splits-into-three-new-studios/
Hi-Rez Studios has announced that it is establishing three new, separate developers.
The company, known for its free-to-play multiplayer games such as Paladins and Smite, is dividing its resources into a trio of new studios that will be overseen by a general manager.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey will be 'much longer' than Origins, but should it be?
https://www.pcgamer.com/assassins-creed-odyssey-will-be-much-longer-than-origins-but-should-it-be/
Assassin's Creed Odyssey will require more of a time investment than Origins, according to game director Scott Phillips. Speaking in the video above to Game Informer, Phillips is asked if the game is about the same length as Origins, and answers "No, much longer."

It really does! I would expect the above the be more or less the baseline for next gen though.

Open world action-RPG, Outward, to be published by Deep Silver
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/open-world-action-rpg-outward-to-be-published-by-deep-silver/
Deep Silver and Nine Dots Studio, together with Maximum Games, have announced their collaboration to publish the forthcoming open-world action RPG, Outward. The global publishing deal will cover the release on all platforms, in both physical and digital formats.

I tend to get more excited about this type of AA games than most of AAA offerings - probably cause most of my favourite games come from AA (or even A) devs.

It's perfectly normal. After all, given how much do AAA gams cost nowadays, it's easier to get excited by those smaller scale games because they can make a profit from games of genres with smaller adiences, and also because they try new ideas or new forms of gameplay.