Tuesday news:

SALES & DEALS

At Steam, there are two daily deals (one legit, one fake), as well as the new weeklong deals:

• The legit daily deal is a playdead sale with its two games, LIMBO and INSIDE, on sale, one 65 and the other 85% off (and the pack with both 74% off): https://store.steampowered.com/sale/playdead/
• The other "daily" deal is Assault Spy / アサルトスパイ, 50% off for the next 6 days: https://store.steampowered.com/app/767930/Assault_Spy/
• When it comes to the weeklong deals, the first of the 5 games I'll mention is Macrotis: A Mother's Journey is 15% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/823840/Macrotis_A_Mothers_Journey/
• Hand of Fate 2 gets a 40% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/456670/Hand_of_Fate_2/
• The Escapists 2 is 60% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/641990/The_Escapists_2/
• The BioShock: The Collection is 75% off: https://store.steampowered.com/sub/127633/
• And Super Trench Attack! is a great 90% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/311870/Super_Trench_Attack/

On the Humble Store, there's a new sale, The World At War, with war games of all genres up to 75% off: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/the-world-at-war/

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Google will announce the price, games and launch details for Stadia on June 6th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/google-will-announce-the-price-games-and-launch-details-for-stadia-on-june-6th/
Google announced that it will hold its first ever Stadia Connect on June 6th, 2019, at 9AM PDT/6PM CET in which the company will reveal more Stadia news, including pricing, games, and launch details.
>> shikamaru317 made a thread about this yesterday.

MODS/EMULATORS

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and other Nintendo games can support path tracing
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-and-other-nintendo-games-can-support-path-tracing/
It seems a certain Nintendo emulator is capable of utilising the path tracing capabilities that have been built into the Reshade post-processing effects. BSoD Gaming shared a video a few days ago in which a selection of Nintendo games, including Breath of the Wild, was running at 60 frames per second while supporting path tracing effects.
Not only does BSoD Gaming’s video reveal a proper before and after montage, the video also compares the same scene with textures removed with only light-mapping activated. These scenes demonstrate how the the most popular Wii U emulator, Cemu, has no problem with allowing Reshade to render beautiful ambient occlusion in games like Mario Kart 8, as well as Splatoon.

GAMING NEWS

Outriders is a new game published by Square Enix, teaser trailer, official reveal at E3 2019
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/outriders-is-a-new-game-published-by-square-enix-teaser-trailer-official-reveal-at-e3-2019/
Square Enix has just launched the Twitter account for a brand new game that it will be published, called Outriders. Alongside the Twitter account, the publisher has also shared a teaser trailer that you can find below.

Second major update for Blood: Fresh Supply released, full patch release notes unveiled
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/second-major-update-for-blood-fresh-supply-released-full-patch-release-notes-unveiled/
Nightdive Studios has released the second major update for the updated version of Blood that is using Nightdive Studio’s KEX Engine, Blood: Fresh Supply. According to the release notes, patch 2 allows reflection effects to appear on player when picking up the reflection powerup, makes the Ecto Skull Projectile to be transparent, and makes Gargoyle Statues and Phantasm to bleed when shot.

World War Z Update 1.05 available for download, weights around 9GB, features free DLC content & FOV slider
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/world-war-z-update-1-05-available-for-download-weights-around-9gb-features-free-dlc-content-fov-slider/
Saber Interactive has released the first major free content update for its action-packed co-op shooter, World War Z. According to the release notes, patch 1.05 is 9GB in size for the PC and adds the Tokyo 3 level, a new special zombie that will spawn on all levels, as well as a FOV scale slider option.

Quake 2 RTX – Official PC Minimum System Requirements + New Screenshots
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/quake-2-rtx-official-pc-minimum-system-requirements-new-screenshots/
NVIDIA has just revealed the official PC minimum system requirements for Quake 2 RTX. In addition, the green team has also released some new screenshots, showcasing the new real-time ray tracing effects, that you can find below.
>> An RTX 2060 is the min. req. card.

New Watch_Dogs game is called Watch Dogs Legion, first details leaked online
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-watch_dogs-game-is-called-watch-dogs-legion-first-details-leaked-online/
Amazon has just leaked the next part in the Watch Dogs that Ubisoft will reveal at E3 2019. According to the game’s product page, the new Watch Dogs game is called Watch Dogs Legion and will let gamers play as any NPC that is available in the London city.

The Surge 2 releases on September 24th according to Microsoft Store Pre-Order listing
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-surge-2-releases-on-september-24th-according-to-microsoft-store-pre-order-listing/
It appears that Microsoft may have just leaked the release date for The Surge 2. According to the Microsoft Store pre-order listing, The Surge 2 is currently planned for a September 24th, 2019, release. September 24th is a Thursday, so this appears to be a legit date (and not a placeholder).
>> These damn stores leaking info .

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom releases on the PC on July 25th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/monster-boy-and-the-cursed-kingdom-releases-on-the-pc-on-july-25th/
A few days ago, we informed you about the release of the PC demo for Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom. And today, I’m happy to report that this new Monster Boy game will be released on the PC on July 25th.

Project Genesis is a new mash-up of the FPS and space combat genres that is coming to the PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/project-genesis-is-a-new-mash-up-of-the-fps-and-space-combat-genres-that-is-coming-to-the-pc/
8 Circuit Studios has announced Project Genesis; a mash-up of the FPS and space combat genres. Project Genesis is described as the perfect blend of epic ship-to-ship skirmishes and face-to-face FPS close quarter combat aboard galactic capital vessels. Players will be able to grab a ship and an avatar to pilot with their team, and use their firepower and abilities to take victory in rounds of objective-based battle.

Stay in the Light is a new horror FPS that takes advantage of real-time Ray Tracing tech
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/stay-in-the-light-is-a-new-horror-fps-that-take-advantage-of-real-time-ray-tracing-tech/
Sunside Games has released an immersive first person horror game, Stay in the Light, that uses a combination of unique features: Real-time Ray Tracing and random dungeon generator. Using the latest version of Unreal Engine 4, the game makes use of ray traced reflections and shadows for gameplay that could only be done with this new technology.

Tuesday news, the short part two:

The Division 2's next Specialization is the minigun-toting Gunner
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-division-2s-next-specialization-is-the-minigun-toting-gunner/
Ubisoft has revealed the first new endgame specialization coming to The Division 2: It's the Gunner class, armed with a hefty minigun and a signature ability that drives enemies out of cover.

Hearthstone's Rise of the Mech update is now live
https://www.pcgamer.com/hearthstones-rise-of-the-mech-update-is-now-live/
Hearthstone's 14.4 update, Rise of the Mech, is now live on PC (mobile to follow later today), bringing buffs to every class (which you can read about in detail here), quality of life changes including improved reconnection options and matchmaking, Arena set rotations, new card backs, and a free golden SN1P-SN4P, the new neutral Legendary Mech who caused Blizzard some surprise headaches a couple weeks ago, for everyone who logs in between now and July 1.

Geralt is now in Euro Truck Simulator 2 and I'm not even kidding
https://www.pcgamer.com/geralt-is-now-in-euro-truck-simulator-2-and-im-not-even-kidding/
You may not know the name Doug Cockle, but the odds are pretty good that you know his work. He provided the voice of Geralt, The Witcher, guiding the character from humble roots in 2007 to major mainstream success as one of the most recognizable and fully-realized videogame protagonists of all time. And with that great character finally retired in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's acclaimed 2016 DLC Blood and Wine, Cockle has now moved on to his next big role: An optional GPS voice in Euro Truck Simulator 2.

The AI that kicked ass at Quake 3 CTF is learning how to play the rest of the game
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-ai-that-kicked-ass-at-quake-3-ctf-is-learning-how-to-play-the-rest-of-the-game/
The DeepMind AI has a real knack for videogames. It handles itself well on old Atari arcade classics, it kicks ass at StarCraft 2, and it drops the hammer on Quake 3 Arena Capture the Flag. And it's getting better: As detailed in an updated DeepMind blog post that builds on last year's research, the AI-powered CTF squad that laid a beatdown on human players is quickly learning how to play the rest of the game too.

Minecraft Earth's AR demo put a huge tower onstage
https://www.pcgamer.com/minecraft-earths-ar-demo-put-a-huge-tower-onstage/
Following its announcement last month, Minecraft Earth has been shown off at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference. Mojang's upcoming augmented reality spin-off will let players play Minecraft in the real world, from building little dioramas on their desk to actually exploring their full-sized creations.

Blasphemous is a gory Metroidvania with some weird bosses
https://www.pcgamer.com/blasphemous-is-a-gory-metroidvania-with-some-weird-bosses/
Blasphemous is a blood-soaked Metroidvania where you are cursed to the wear the world's most ridiculous hat while slicing monsters. When last we wrote about it, Blasphemous had just finished a successful Kickstarter campaign. It's since been picked up by publisher Team17 and is due out this year.

Yep, it's completely ridiculous.

A lot of remaining driver bugs because there's a point where developers will stop working around them which is why many currently maintained open-source project using OpenGL don't target them anymore ... 

I don't expect them to make an official announcement after 7+ years of no results ... 

Samsung likely already threw in the towel judging from AMD's PR where they said that Samsung is specifically licensing their RDNA 'architecture' ... 

I don't think AMD are going to be following Nvidia in trying to make their GPUs specifically more efficient for mobile users. AMD's only job is to meet design goals, not power targets for their customers since they have the liberty of being able to down clock ... 

In saying that AMD's main advantages are is that they prioritize advanced feature sets and simple drivers which is a godsend over other mobile Android graphics vendors ... 

That'd be a really bad idea to just let Qualcomm monopolize the mobile chipset market ... 

Samsung don't even make their own graphics drivers and in fact are currently both being supplied from ARM and Qualcomm so they don't have much to lose to switching to AMD in this regard ... 

AMD are probably going to have to make the drivers but that's OK since they're getting other contributors like Google, Red Hat, and Valve for their open-source efforts ... 

One of my most anticipated games of the year.  Can't wait.

It's premise is certainly unique.

And it's also interesting how popular are Metroidvania games nowadays, specially given the little love that publishers have given them for years.

Let's go with the news:

SALES & DEALS

Nier: Automata has sold more than 4 million copies
https://www.pcgamer.com/nier-automata-has-sold-more-than-4-million-copies/
Since it launched in 2017, Nier: Automata has sold more than 4 million physical and digital copies, which is quite a turnaround given that developer Platinum was on the ropes before 2B and 9S's misadventure made its way into players' hands.
"It's fair to say it's keeping the lights on at Platinum" said designer Takahisa Taura in a video marking the occasion.

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is just $6 on Steam right now
https://www.pcgamer.com/borderlands-the-handsome-collection-is-just-dollar6-on-steam-right-now/
Borderlands 3 is due to arrive later this year, but if you've never played the previous games (we won't judge too harshly), catching up on the series has never been cheaper. The Handsome Collection, which includes Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel, and all the additional content for both games, is now just $6.02 on Steam.
There's a massive amount of DLC bundled up here, including "hundreds of hours" of extra story missions, various cosmetic items, and other goodies. All it's missing is the original game, which is "only" on sale for 33 percent off.
To get the deal, just visit The Handsome Collection's page on Steam.

Steam's latest sale supports Greenpeace and other environmental organizations
https://www.pcgamer.com/steams-latest-sale-supports-greenpeace-and-other-environmental-organizations/
Steam's latest sale comes in recognition of the UN's World Environment Day, and generally encompasses games which have water or greenery in them, such as Raft, Equilinox, Flower, and Samorost 3.
The sale was set up by Fugl developer Johan Gjestland, and a portion of the revenue from participating games will be donated to "organizations like Greenpeace, World Land Trust and The Nature Conservatory."
>> That's just one of the Midweek sales. The other three as well as the two daily deals are:

• The first daily deal is Epistory - Typing Chronicles, 75% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/398850/Epistory__Typing_Chronicles/
• The other one is TIS-100, also 75% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/370360/TIS100/
• On the Midweek sales, Northgard is 50% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/466560/Northgard/
• The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing is 90% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/215530/The_Incredible_Adventures_of_Van_Helsing/
• And HeadUp Games celebrates its 10th anniversary putting its games on sale: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/headupgames/

GOG's Summer Sale has added games from Bethesda with 50% discounts on all its titles. It may be worth giving it a look.

And at Fanatical... well, the old Star Deal has ended and the new one still hasn't appeared, so check it out for yourselves if you want.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Microsoft adds Variable Refresh Rate support to all DX11 games in Windows 10
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/microsoft-adds-variable-refresh-rate-support-to-all-dx11-games-in-windows-10/
Microsoft has announced that it has added a new toggle in Graphics Settings for variable refresh rate in the latest version of Windows 10, Windows 10 Version 1903. This option will allow you to have variable refresh rates in all DX11 games in full-screen mode, regardless of whether a game was previously compatible with VRR or not.
In case you aren’t aware of, Variable Refresh Rate (also known as VRR) is similar to NVIDIA’s G-SYNC and VESA DisplayPort Adaptive-Sync. In short, it allows your monitor to function in a variable refresh rate so that it can eliminate screen tearing.

Steam hardware survey shows RTX graphics cards growing in number
https://www.pcgamer.com/steam-hardware-survey-shows-rtx-graphics-cards-growing-in-number/
A new Steam hardware and software survey is out, and with it comes some interesting trends that can be observed. For one, we see an uptick in the number of GeForce RTX series graphics cards.
Ownership among Steam users rose 0.31 percent from the end of April to the end of May. Not surprisingly, the bulk of those were RTX 2060 upgrades, as that is the least expensive graphics card with dedicated RT cores to handle the brunt of ray-traced workloads.
In a vacuum, a 0.31 percent rise spread out among four GPUs is not eye-popping, and neither are the individual gains. However, compared against every other GPU surveyed, RTX adoption last month was among the highest.

Coherence aims to democratise online game development
https://www.pcgamer.com/coherence-aims-to-democratise-online-game-development/
Coherence is the latest project in the trend towards more democratised game development tools. Playdead and Jumpship co-founder Dino Patti, Unity co-founder David Helgason and DICE's Peter Björklund have teamed up to make an open-source platform designed to allow developers, regardless of size or experience level, to create persistent online games.
Helgason has an advisory role in the company, also called Coherence, while Patti and Björklund are CEO and CTO, respectively. They want to use Coherence to break down some of the barriers that developers face when taking on the significant challenge of building online worlds.

MODS/EMULATORS

You can now play The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in VR & first-person mode on the PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/you-can-now-play-the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-in-vr-first-person-mode-on-the-pc/
The Legend of Zelda fans, here is something special for you today. YouTube’s ‘Kaze Emanuar’ has released a new romhack for the Nintendo 64 version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time that allows you to play this classic Zelda game in VR and with a first-person perspective.
Since this is a romhack, you can only play it via an emulator (Kaze Emanuar suggests using the Dolphin emulator). As such, these new custom VR and first-person perspective modes can only be experienced on the PC, something that shows why emulation is so important for older games.
Now while this is a really cool concept (and gamers can play the entire game in VR and FPS), it has some issues. For instance there are black bars and the backgrounds could have been better. Kaze Emanuar promises to release a better version in case there is interest for this VR project in which he will disable culling and will have improved backgrounds and 3D house scenes.
>> Here's the download link (Mediafire).

This 4GB Texture Pack for Fallout 4 adds 4K textures for its landscapes
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/this-4gb-texture-pack-for-fallout-4-adds-4k-textures-for-its-landscapes/
Modder ‘Spiffyskytrooper’ has released a brand new version of his Natural Landscapes mod for Fallout 4. Natural Landscapes is described as a mod that aims to bring high quality, realistic 4K textures to the landscapes of Fallout 4.
As the modder noted, Natural Landscapes aims to stay true to vanilla where it can, and replace/expand upon textures where there’s room for improvement. This basically means that this texture pack stays true to the vanilla aesthetic while expanding where there isn’t much.
>> Get it from Nexus Mods. There's also a 2K version.

The Witcher 3 HD Project – New incredible comparison screenshots for its upcoming 2019 version
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/the-witcher-3-hd-project-new-incredible-comparison-screenshots-for-its-upcoming-2019-version/
Modder ‘Halk Hogan PL’ has released some new comparison screenshots between the vanilla version of The Witcher 3 and the latest version of his HD Project. These new screenshots showcase some of the new and highly detailed textures that will be coming soon to The Witcher 3.
For those not familiar with this mod, The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project aims to overhaul CD Projekt RED’s role-playing game, featuring high quality meshes with a lot of details (most of them are created from scratch and good optimalization is preserved), very high quality detailed textures with great sharpness and performance, without any unnecessary VRAM losses, very high quality accurate normal maps and specially customized materials for all reworked stuff.

GAMING NEWS

Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York officially announced, coming to Steam in Q4 2019
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/vampire-the-masquerade-coteries-of-new-york-officially-announced-coming-to-steam-in-q4-2019/
Draw Distance has announced a new Vampire: The Masquerade game called Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York. Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York presents the conflict between two vampiric factions: the traditionalist Camarilla and the fiercely independent Anarchs among the iconic landmarks and night lights of The Big Apple.

Jumanji: The Video Game is coming to the PC on November 15th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/jumanji-the-video-game-is-coming-to-the-pc-on-november-15th/
Bandai Namco, Outright Games and UK based development studio Funsolve, in collaboration with Sony Pictures, today announced Jumanji: The Video Game, the officially licensed game set in the world of the massively successful Jumanji film franchise.

Anthem Public Test Server now available on the PC for its Cataclysm Endgame Event
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/anthem-public-test-server-now-available-on-the-pc-for-its-cataclysm-endgame-event/
Electronic Arts and Bioware have just announced that the PTS (Public Test Server) for Anthem’s endgame Cataclysm event is now available on the PC. In case you weren’t aware of, the PTS is a way for Anthem PC players to share their feedback about the Cataclysm experience before it’s available to everyone else.

First Halo: Infinite gameplay footage to be shown at E3 2019, will be running on the PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/halo-infinite-first-gameplay-footage-to-be-shown-at-e3-2019-will-be-running-on-the-pc/
Tech journalist Brad Sams, the man who revealed that Halo: The Master Chief Collection, was coming to the PC prior to its official announcement, has shared some new information about Microsoft’s E3 2019 conference. According to Sams, Microsoft will present the first gameplay footage of Halo: Infinite at E3 2019 which will be running on the PC.

Rocksteady will not be present at E3 2019
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/rocksteady-will-not-be-present-at-e3-2019/
Sefton Hill, Game Director and co-founder of Rocksteady Games, has announced that the team behind the Batman Arkham series will not be present at E3 2019. This obviously means that the mysterious DC game that the team is currently working on will not be announced during this upcoming gaming event.

F1 2019 vs F1 2018 official graphics comparison screenshots
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/f1-2019-vs-f1-2018-official-graphics-comparison-screenshots/
Codemasters today unveiled new visual improvements for F1 2019. As such, you can find below the visual evolution of night lighting through comparison screenshots between F1 2018 and F1 2019.

APEX Legends Patch 1.2 is now available for download, full patch release notes revealed
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/apex-legends-patch-1-2-is-now-available-for-download-full-patch-release-notes-revealed/
Respawn has released a brand new update for its battle royale game, APEX Legends. According to the release notes, patch 1.2 adjusts the mini map so its direction can now display correctly while in the ship or skydiving, improves server performance for some cases of rubberbanding when using items and improves skydiving so it should feel more responsive and smooth.

Focus Home Interactive confirms the September 24th release date for The Surge 2
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/focus-home-interactive-confirms-the-september-24th-release-date-for-the-surge-2/
Yesterday, we informed you about a possible leak regarding the release date of The Surge 2. And today, Focus Home Interactive and Deck13 confirmed that their hardcore action RPG, The Surge 2, will be indeed released on September 24th.

The Lord of the Rings Online now supports 64-bit operating systems, improving overall game performance
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-lord-of-the-rings-online-now-supports-64-bit-operating-systems-improving-overall-game-performance/
Standing Stone Games has released a brand new update for The Lord of the Rings Online. According to the developers, update 24 adds support for 64bit operating systems which can improve game performance.

Part two of the news:

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2's big Chaos campaign is coming soon
https://www.pcgamer.com/battlefleet-gothic-armada-2s-big-chaos-campaign-is-coming-soon/
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 will let you spread lots of jolly mayhem and destruction across the galaxy in the upcoming Chaos campaign. It's due later this month, letting you play as the tattoo and tentacle-loving minions of Chaos, wiping out the other factions sector by sector. Check out the teaser above.

Destiny 2: Shadowkeep expansion datamined
https://www.pcgamer.com/destiny-2-shadowkeep-expansion-datamined/
Destiny 2 is going back to the Moon, according to datamined details found in the PC files. It follows on from Destiny 2: Forsaken, and the official announcement is expected on Thursday June 6.

Destiny 2 Season of Opulence patch notes confirm those nasty nerfs
https://www.pcgamer.com/destiny-2-opulence-patch-notes/
A few weeks ago Bungie announced big changes to many of Destiny 2's most popular pinnacle and exotic weapon and armour pieces. The community was not happy, but maybe the addition of a new raid (in a few hours) and the new Menagerie activity can distract from the sandbox update.

Starbreeze lays off 25% of its workforce
https://www.pcgamer.com/starbreeze-lays-off-25-of-its-workforce/
Starbreeze, the struggling publisher of games including Payday 2 and Overkill's The Walking Dead, has announced that it will lay off approximately 60 employees—roughly 25 percent of its total workforce—in an effort to reduce costs and establish long-term profitability. The company said the layoffs are expected to be "fully implemented" in November 2019.

Gearbox names Borderlands 3 weapon after fan who has terminal cancer
https://www.pcgamer.com/gearbox-names-borderlands-3-weapon-after-fan-who-has-terminal-cancer/
Last month, 26-year-old Trevor Eastman posted a message in the Borderlands subreddit describing the "bad hand" he'd been dealt: He had been diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal, stomach, and liver cancer in June 2018, and given one year to live.

Smelter is a strange but cool hybrid of RTS and Mega Man X
https://www.pcgamer.com/smelter-is-a-strange-but-cool-hybrid-of-rts-and-mega-man-x/
Mega Man X with melee attacks instead of a blaster—that's the platforming of Smelter at its most basic level, which I learned from a demo at Bitsummit last weekend. Japanese-based developer XPlus was showing off the game for the first time at the Kyoto indie festival, and there were a couple things that differentiated it from the many other 2D pixel art platformers I saw and played over the weekend.

Justin Roiland's Trover Saves the Universe launches with the day's most disturbing trailer
https://www.pcgamer.com/justin-roilands-trover-saves-the-universe-launches-with-the-days-most-disturbing-trailer/
Trover Saves the Universe, the new release from Squanch Games—that's the studio co-founded in 2016 by Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland and former Gears of War executive producer Tanya Watson—is now available on Steam and the Epic Games Store. And it brings to us one of the weirdest, most pointless, disturbing, and longest-feeling launch trailers in memory, featuring Rich Fulcher as a deranged man in his underwear with large globs of sentient Play-Doh jammed into his eyes.

Part 2 of the Endless Space dating sim is free on Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/part-2-of-the-endless-space-dating-sim-is-free-on-steam/
Love Thyself—A Horatio Story, an April Fools' joke turned into a real game, has received a new chapter, concluding the story of clones and romance. It's available now as an update to Part 1, and both are free.
>> Check it out on Steam.

Barotrauma, the 16-player submarine sim, hits Early Access
https://www.pcgamer.com/barotrauma-the-16-player-submarine-sim-hits-early-access/
Disaster-prone submarine sim Barotrauma has launched on Steam Early Access, letting crews pilot a floating coffin through a nightmarish alien ocean. Up to 16 players can work together in a submarine, taking on the role of captain or engineer or whatever else needs filling. There will be fires, tentacles and respectful discussions that will definitely not devolve into friendship-ruining arguments.

Destiny 2 might get cross-saving, according to a datamine
https://www.pcgamer.com/destiny-2-cross-save/
Bungie will announce the next chapter of Destiny 2 tomorrow, which a datamine suggests will see us returning to the Moon, and it looks like the Shadowkeep expansion will also be accompanied by the addition of cross-saving.

Let's go with the Thursday news:

SALES & DEALS

Today it's Beamdog who joins GOG's Summer Sale, with up to 85% discounts.

Steam has two new daily deals:

• Project Hospital is 30% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/868360/Project_Hospital/
• Unruly Heroes gets also a 30% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/780350/Unruly_Heroes/

On the Humble Store, there are three new deals:

• The Spotlight deal is Shuyan Saga, 90% off: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/shuyan-saga
• 2K Games has some of its games on sale, up to 75% off for the next 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/2k-sale/
• And there's another Build Your Own Bundle, also starring 2K Games, but with more titles than in the other sale. After your third game, the discounts will be 80%, 83% with the fourth and with the fifth, 85%. And if you get more than five, all the Borderlands games will get a 90% discount. Check it out here: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/2k-build-your-own-bundle/

And at Fanatical, there are three new deals:

• The Star Deal is Batman: Arkham Knight Premium Edition, 80% off for the next 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/batman-arkham-knight-premium-edition
• Kerbal Space Program is 55% off for the next 3 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/kerbal-space-program
• And there's a new bundle, the Very Positive Pick & Mix Build Your Own Bundle, with 13 games with a "very positive" rating on Steam to build packs of 3, 6 or 9 games: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/very-positive-pick-and-mix

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Rumour: Google Stadia will launch in November, pricing revealed
https://www.pcgamer.com/rumour-google-stadia-will-launch-in-november-pricing-revealed/
Canadian news site Lapresse has published a list of Stadia details, including a November 14 release date, a $169 (presumably Canadian Dollars) Founders Edition and some of the games it will feature at launch.
The Founders Edition will apparently come with a gamepad, a Chromecast Ultra, Destiny 2 and a three month subscription to the service. The Chromecast is going to be necessary, as that's the only way you'll be able to use Stadia at launch, though it will work through any Google device next year.
There will be two subscription services, starting with Stadia Pro, which will let players enjoy 4K at 60 fps, but not all the games will be available with that subscription. Some games will have to be purchased. In 2020, Stadia Basic will offer a cheaper 1080p package, but that won't include any of the games you get at no extra cost with Stadia Pro.

MODS/EMULATORS

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GAMING NEWS

Metro Exodus is coming to Windows Store on June 9th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/metro-exodus-is-coming-to-the-windows-store-on-june-9th/
Now here is something really interesting. Microsoft has launched the Windows Store page for Metro Exodus, confirming that this previously exclusive to the Epic Games Store title will be coming to its store on June 9th.

THQ Nordic announces SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/thq-nordic-announces-spongebob-squarepants-battle-for-bikini-bottom-rehydrated/
THQ Nordic announced yesterday SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated. In order to celebrate this announcement, the company released an announcement teaser trailer that you can find below.

Here are 30 minutes of brand new gameplay footage from BioMutant
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-30-minutes-of-brand-new-gameplay-footage-from-biomutant/
YouTube’s ‘EDGE OFFICIAL’ has shared a video, showing 30 minutes of brand new gameplay footage from BioMutant. This video will give you an idea of what you can expect from this open-world action RPG, therefore we strongly suggest checking it out.

Kings of Lorn: The Fall of Ebris is a new first-person dark-fantasy survival-horror game
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/kings-of-lorn-the-fall-of-ebris-is-a-new-first-person-dark-fantasy-survival-horror-game/
TeamKill Media has announced a new first-person dark-fantasy survival-horror game that will be coming to the PC in September 2019, Kings of Lorn: The Fall of Ebris. In order to celebrate this announcement, the team has released the game’s E3 2019 official trailer that you can find below.

Here are 10 minutes of gameplay footage from Streets of Rage 4 [off-camera]
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-10-minutes-of-gameplay-footage-from-streets-of-rage-4-off-camera/
Streets of Rage fans, here is something for you today. YouTube’s ‘Low Score Boy_Gameplay’ has shared a video, showing 10 minutes of the Bitsummit 2019 demo for Streets of Rage 4. Since this is the first time we get an extended look at the game, we strongly suggest watching it (especially if you are interested in it).
>> It's very much what you'd expect from a Streets of Rage game.

E3 2019 screenshots and trailer for SPIDERS’ latest RPG, Greedfall
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/e3-2019-screenshots-and-trailer-for-spiders-latest-rpg-greedfall/
Focus Home Interactive has released the E3 2019 screenshots and trailer for SPIDERS’ upcoming RPG, Greedfall. Set in a 17th century setting embedded in magic, Greedfall promises to have a unique visual identity inspired by European Baroque art, depicting grandiose sceneries in muted warm colors and dark undertones.

Amazon leaks the new Darksiders game, to be called Darksiders Genesis, first screenshots
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/amazon-leaks-the-new-darksiders-game-to-be-called-darksiders-genesis-first-screenshots/
Amazon has just leaked the new Darksiders game that THQ Nordic will reveal in the next couple of days. This new Darksiders game is called Darksiders Genesis, will feature an isometric viewpoint, and its first screenshots have surfaced.
>> Looks a bit like the Diablo, Titan Quest or Torchlight games.

Quake 2 RTX is now available for download on Steam for free
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/quake-2-rtx-is-now-available-for-download-on-steam-for-free/
And the time has finally come ray-tracing fans. NVIDIA has just released Quake 2 RTX on Steam for free. This free version includes the 3 levels from the original shareware distribution, and Quake 2 RTX is also compatible with the full game (so those owning it will be able to experience the entire game with ray tracing).

Destiny 2 is going free to play this September, to be called Destiny 2: New Light, will be available on Steam
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/destiny-2-is-going-free-to-play-this-september-to-be-called-destiny-2-new-light-will-be-available-on-steam/
It appears that Engadget has spoiled Activision’s surprise regarding Destiny 2. While the publisher will hold a Destiny 2 stream at 10AM Pacific / 1PM Eastern, Engadget leaked that the base game will go free to play this September, will be renamed to Destiny 2: New Light, and it will be also coming to Steam.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts – First screenshots, E3 2019 Trailer & official PC system requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/sniper-ghost-warrior-contracts-first-screenshots-e3-2019-trailer-official-pc-system-requirements/
CI Games has released the first official screenshots and the E3 2019 trailer for Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts. In addition, the team has unveiled the game’s official PC system requirements via its Steam store page.

Doom Eternal E3 2019 Teaser Trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/doom-eternal-e3-2019-teaser-trailer/
Bethesda has released an E3 2019 teaser trailer for the highly anticipated sequel to Doom 2016, Doom Eternal. The publisher will showcase this new shooter during its E3 2019 press conference so here is hoping that alongside the new gameplay footage we’ll also get a release date for it.

Thursday news, part two:

What to expect at the PC Gaming Show
https://www.pcgamer.com/what-to-expect-at-the-pc-gaming-show/
Every year we invite everyone who makes PC games and hardware to participate in the PC Gaming Show, a special showcase of new PC games, live interviews, and never-before-seen trailers at E3.
Next Monday June 10 at 10 AM PDT, we're rolling out the red carpet for more than 30 different presenters—independent creators, hardware companies, and major franchises that together represent a broad spectrum of what's happening in PC gaming now, and what's coming next. Here's some of what you'll see in this year's presentation

Diablo: Hellfire expansion added for free on GOG
https://www.pcgamer.com/diablo-hellfire-expansion-added-for-free-on-gog/
Diablo, which was recently released digitally for the first time on GOG, has now been joined by its non-canonical expansion, Hellfire. I confess I'd forgotten all about it, but enough people wanted to replay it that Blizzard has allowed GOG to throw it into Diablo. It's available as a free add-on for everyone who picks up base game.
>> The game is part of the Summer Sale, with a 10% discount.

Battlefield 5 is heading to the Pacific and getting six new maps
https://www.pcgamer.com/battlefield-5-is-heading-to-the-pacific-and-getting-six-new-maps/
DICE has given us our first look at six maps coming to Battlefield 5, starting this month with the arrival of Chapter 4: Defying the Odds on June 27. They'll take players across France, Greece and Norway. Then, with Chapter 5: Awakening the Giant, we'll finally be off to the Pacific theatre. Check out the trailer above.

Rocket League returns to the '80s with Ghostbusters and Knight Rider
https://www.pcgamer.com/rocket-league-returns-to-the-80s-with-ghostbusters-and-knight-rider/
Rocket League will take a trip back in time next week with the start of a new in-game event called Radical Summer. Beginning June 10 and running for nine weeks, the event will return players to the glory days of the 1980s with three separate celebrations of "iconic movies, television, and culture" from the era with new items, time-limited game modes, and cars.

Destiny 2: Shadowkeep is coming in September, according to preorder page
https://www.pcgamer.com/destiny-2-shadowkeep-is-coming-in-september-according-to-preorder-page/
Bungie is running out of things to announce for Destiny 2. The Shadowkeep expansion, which was datamined earlier this week, appeared briefly on the Microsoft Store, revealing preorder details and the return of Eris Morn.