Speaking of fan curves, I've had to readjust my GPU's fan curve, because one of my 1080ti's fans seems to have run into a coil whine issue. Normally my max speed would be around the 70-80% mark if my GPU reaches 60-65c, because I prefer mine not going over 60-65c, but recently the coil whine started kicking in and made it a wee bit unbearable, so I had to do some fan curve testing.

Here's what it was like before:

Now here's it after:

So far temps when playing games like Battlefront 2 and Minecraft Java with custom shaders have the GPU going up to 59/49 respectively, but at the same time there is no more coil whine, and the new curve adjustments keep those temps in line, as in 1-3c difference in line. Playing MC for example had the temp stuck at 49c, and it even ended up dropping at 45c, which was really nice. I wasn't monitoring Battlefront II, but when I tabbed out it was around 59c. It also likely helped that I had a spare fan lying around, so I hooked it up to the side panel tio give the GPU/mobo more cool air intake. The only outtake fans I have are the two top vent fans and the closed loop CPU cooler at the rear. Two at the side are intake as well as the front.

That being said, I do fancy upgrading to a different case altogether, mostly because I love the newer cases where the PSU/drive bays are hidden at the bottom of the case (my current Corsair c90 case has drive bays at the front, going down to the bottom, which does have two fans, but behind the drive bays and I feel that obstructs sufficient airflow), thus allowing for the fans at the front of the rig to take in air consistently (plus it looks cleaner, visually speaking).

**commercial music sounds**

Do you game on two or even three monitors (up to 27")?

Do bezels bother you?

Do you happen to have 110 USD laying around?

If you said yes to all three questions... congratulations! Asus has something for you!

Time for the last news of the week!

SALES & DEALS

RDR 2 saw a substantial boost after launching on Steam, GTA 5 had its best month since December 2017
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/rdr-2-saw-a-substantial-boost-after-launching-on-steam-gta-5-had-its-best-month-since-december-2017/
SuperData has shared its monthly report, stating that Red Dead Redemption 2 received a substantial boost after launching on Steam. Moreover, Grand Theft Auto 5 had its best month since December 2017.
Going into more details, the digital unit sales for RDR 2 sales more than doubled. According to the report, the PC sales figure went from 406K in November to 1M in December. The game became available on Steam on December 5th. That’s one month after releasing elsewhere including the Epic Games Store and Rockstar Games Launcher.
On the other hand, GTA 5 earned $84.7M across Console and PC as in December 2019. Additionally, the release of the Diamond Casino Heist content update resulted in increased spending on premium currency.
In other news, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s revenue in Q4 2019 was 4% higher than Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII during its launch quarter. In December 2019, its in-game sales reached $78.7M. As the report reads, this is nearly as much as was spent on Black Ops IIII in-game content during that game’s entire first quarter ($92.9M).

Stardew Valley has sold more than 10 million copies
https://www.pcgamer.com/stardew-valley-has-sold-more-than-10-million-copies/
The peaceful, pleasant farm-life sim Stardew Valley was released on Steam in February 2016, and by April it had surpassed one million copies sold—a big benchmark of success for just about any game, and particularly for a niche indie release developed entirely by one guy. Four years later, the game is available on Mac and Linux, consoles, and mobile devices, and it's now moved past ten million.

Steam's Lunar New Year Sale has begun
https://www.pcgamer.com/steams-lunar-new-year-sale-is-live/
The Steam Lunar New Year Sale 2020, with discounts on thousands of games and a festive Night Market to explore, is now underway.
Each day of the sale, Steam users will be given a red envelope containing Year of the Rat tokens that can be spent in the Lunar New Year Night Market. Similar to the Holiday Market in the recently-ended Winter Sale, it will offer seasonal Steam stuff including animated profile backgrounds, chat room effects, chat stickers, and more. If you plan on going heavy on games purchases, you can also opt to buy a Lunar New Year Coupon that can be used throughout the sale.
>> The sale will last the whole weekend, until the usual Monday refresh.

The Bridge is now available for free on Epic Games Store until January 30th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-bridge-is-now-available-for-free-on-epic-games-store-until-january-30th/
The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild and Epic Games are currently offering for free The Bridge. From today and until January 30th, players can visit the game’s Epic Games Store page and acquire their free copy.
>> I think I'll pass. But I won't pass on the next free game: Farm Simulator 19. I always wanted to try it to see why this series is so popular, but there wasn't any demo. Now will be my chance.

The Humble Store is running a Winter Sale Encore until the 27th. Also the Sims 4 franchise is on sale (for Origin, of course), up to 75% off for the next 13 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/the-sims-sale/

Fanatical, that has been running its own Lunar Sale for some days now, has two new deals:

• The new Star Deal is Tropico 5, 86% off for the next 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/tropico-5
• And Skater XL - The Ultimate Skateboarding Game is 20% off for the next 6 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/skater-xl-the-ultimate-skateboarding-game

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Resident Evil 3 Remake will be using the Denuvo anti-tamper tech
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/resident-evil-3-remake-will-be-using-the-denuvo-anti-tamper-tech/
Capcom has revealed, via the game’s Steam store page, that Resident Evil 3 Remake will be using the Denuvo anti-tamper tech. It’s worth noting that Resident Evil 2 Remake also used Denuvo at launch. Then, almost a year later, Capcom removed this controversial anti-tamper tech from the game.

MODS/EMULATORS

Modder is working on an overhaul lighting mod for Dark Souls 2, first comparison screenshots
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/modder-is-working-on-an-overhaul-lighting-mod-for-dark-souls-2-first-comparison-screenshots/
Lighting Artist ‘Stayd ‘ is currently working on an overhaul lighting mod for Dark Souls 2. This mod aims to come close to – or even surpass – the pre-release version of FromSoftware’s title. In order to showcase some of the changes, the modder released some comparison screenshots.
In case you weren’t aware of, the pre-release version of Dark Souls 2 featured a more advanced lighting model. However, and mainly due to the fact that consoles were unable to run the game, FromSoftware replaced it with a simpler one. Unfortunately, the PC version was also a victim of this downgrade.

This mod allows you to play as Ciri from The Witcher 3 in Resident Evil 2 Remake
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/this-mod-allows-you-to-play-as-ciri-from-the-witcher-3-in-resident-evil-2-remake/
Now here is something cool for all The Witcher 3 and Resident Evil 2 fans. Wiwilz has released a brand new mod for Resident Evil 2 Remake that allows players to play as Ciri from The Witcher 3. Moreover, this mod replaces combat knives with Ciri’s sword, the Zirael.
In this first version of the mod, Ciri’s face is not animated. The modder is looking into adding such animations, though nothing is certain at this point. Furthermore, there is a bug causing Zirael to stay on Ciri’s back while wielding the modded knives.
>> You can get this mod from Nexus Mods, but you'll need fluffyquack’s mod manager to install it.

GAMING NEWS

New patch for Disco Elysium adds Hardcore Mode and Ultrawide monitor support
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-patch-for-disco-elysium-adds-hardcore-mode-and-ultrawide-monitor-support/
ZA/UM announced that a new update is now available for its multi-award winning role-playing game, Disco Elysium. This latest update adds an extreme Hardcore Mode, as well as ultrawide monitor support. In order to celebrate this announcement, the studio has also released a new trailer that you can find below.

Wasteland Remastered releases on February 25th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/wasteland-remastered-releases-on-february-25th/
inXile Entertainment has announced that Wasteland Remastered will release on February 25th. The game will be available on Steam, Windows Store and GOG, as well as on Xbox Game Pass.

Friday news, part two:

MMO Last Oasis wants clans to test its open-world PvP
https://www.pcgamer.com/mmo-last-oasis-wants-clans-to-test-its-open-world-pvp/
Last Oasis developer Donkey Crew goes into more detail about the survival MMO's PvP system in a new developer video that you can watch above. PvP will be risky, apparently, and aggressive players will need to take into account their resources, how long a fight will take, and where they're fighting.

Vermintide 2 heads to Castle Drachenfels and opens its in-game store
https://www.pcgamer.com/vermintide-2-heads-to-castle-drachenfels-and-opens-its-in-game-store/
Vermintide 2 is returning to Castle Drachenfels today with the first chapter of Curse of Drachenfels. It looks like you didn't kill enough Skaven in the last game and the place is still troubled. It's free for all players, and it coincides with the launch of the in-game store.

New Fallout 76 Wastelanders screenshots prove the raiders definitely have the coolest base
https://www.pcgamer.com/new-fallout-76-wastelanders-screenshots-prove-the-raiders-definitely-have-the-coolest-base/
Where would you like to live? A brown, wooden settlement in Spruce Knob, or in the wreckage of a massive crashed space station? I feel like it's an obvious choice. Space station, please! Even a space station that's no longer in space is cooler than anything else on the ground.

Rocket League for Linux and Mac is losing online multiplayer
https://www.pcgamer.com/rocket-league-for-linux-and-mac-is-losing-online-multiplayer/
Psyonix is dropping ongoing support for Rocket League on Linux and MacOS. A patch will roll out in early March which will eliminate the game's online component, though local matches and split-screen play will still function.

Rush Grotto is a cute, fast-paced, free dungeon crawler
https://www.pcgamer.com/rush-grotto-is-a-cute-fast-paced-free-dungeon-crawler/
When you want to raid a dungeon but you only have a few minutes to spare, consider Rush Grotto: an extremely fast-paced, perhaps the fastest-paced roguey dungeon crawler you can play, for free, in your browser.

Amnesia developer Frictional Games is teasing its next game with an ARG
https://www.pcgamer.com/amnesia-developer-frictional-games-is-teasing-its-next-game-with-an-arg/
A few weeks ago, Amnesia developer Frictional Games started teasing something on a website that's been dormant for four years—a pulsating neuron. Then that neuron grew, transforming into what looked like a cell, still pulsating. And now it's undergone yet another change, kicking off an ARG.

Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition is getting a beta soon
https://www.pcgamer.com/age-of-empires-3-definitive-edition-is-getting-a-beta-soon/
Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition is the last of Microsoft's Age of Empires remasters, and with the second one out of the way it's the next one on the docket. We've not heard much about it so far, but starting in February, Microsoft will be inviting people into the beta.

Hearts of Iron 4: La Resistance will let you build a spy network next month
https://www.pcgamer.com/hearts-of-iron-4-la-resistance-will-let-you-build-a-spy-network-next-month/
Announced back in October, Hearts of Iron 4: La Resistance steps away from the front lines and lets leaders create their own spy network or support the resistance in fighting off their conquerors. You can put on your oversized sunglasses and start pencilling in clandestine meetings soon, as it's due out in just a month.

Apex Legends' new character is a big, beefy boy with a metal arm
https://www.pcgamer.com/apex-legends-new-character-is-a-big-beefy-boy-with-a-metal-arm/
A new season of Apex Legends will begin in February, and when it does a new character will join the ranks of contenders. His name is Forge, and he's a heavyweight who uses his massive size and Shatter Gauntlets to pound his opponents into goo.

Apex Legends dataminers have a good theory about the mysterious flying lights
https://www.pcgamer.com/apex-legends-dataminers-have-a-good-theory-about-the-mysterious-flying-lights/
Three mysterious lights were recently spotted in the skies above Apex Legends' World's Edge map. They're too high up for players to get a closer look, but dataminers have offered up a rather convincing theory, potentially backed up by some datamined code.

Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 finally has a release date
https://www.pcgamer.com/fortnite-chapter-2-season-2-finally-has-a-release-date/
Fortnite Chapter 2's incredibly long first season will be coming to an end soon, and Epic has revealed the release date for Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2. Epic decided to extend Season 1 until early February, but now it looks like the change has been pushed back a little further, until February 20.

Normally I'd put now the GOG and Steam deals for the weekend, but we already know that Steam has its Lunar Sale. What does GOG have in store?

• First comes the weekly sale with up to 90% discounts: https://www.gog.com/promo/20200120_weekly_sale
• The Midweek sale featuring EA games up to 75% off will last another 22 hours: https://www.gog.com/promo/20200122_midweek_sale
• Today sees the release of Commandos 2 HD Remaster and Praetorians - HD Remaster, and both have a 15% discount untilt January 31st.
• Those aren't the only games to launch at GOG: three games of the Styx series are now on the store, and up to 80% off until the 31st: https://www.gog.com/promo/20200124_promo_launch_styx" target="_blank"> https://www.gog.com/promo/20200124_promo_launch_styx
• Finally, GOG also has a Lunar Sale with up to 90% discounts. Also, you can check with is your chinese zodiac sign, and see if your gaming taste fits in their description (mine kind of does).

That's all folks! Have a happy and gaming weekend.

Fanatical is having sale on 12 games, with all the earnings going to the Australia Bushfire Appeal, started by the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Among the games are Doom for $5, Dishonored 2 for $8, Prey for $6, Rime for $1.

^Thank you. Some of those are very good deals.

Let's start the news thing of this week:

SALES & DEALS

DSOGaming Giveaway – Win a free PC copy of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
https://www.dsogaming.com/editorial/dsogaming-giveaway-win-a-free-pc-copy-of-dragon-ball-z-kakarot/
As promised, each and every month will be giving away a triple-A game. Therefore, this month we are giving away a free PC copy of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot.
As with our previous contests, you can participate in this giveaway by simply leaving a ‘Thank You’ comment below. We will delete both duplicate and off-topic comments.
Moreover, your account must have at least 40 comments. This is a new rule we are implementing so we can avoid all the accounts that some have created solely for giveaways, . Comments from accounts that have less than 40 total comments (or have comments only on Giveaways) will be deleted. If you are new, you can start engaging with all other users in the Comment section and then participate in future giveaways.
The winner will be picked randomly via Random.org and comments will be counted from the oldest to the newest. This giveaway contest will end on Monday, January 27th at 22:00GMT.
>> You don't have much time left, but still enough to take part in the giveaway... if you meet the requirements, of course.

GOG starts the week with two sales:

• First comes the Lunar Sale, that will last another 4 days. Check out the gaming horoscope to find genre specific sales.
• And of course, there's a new weekly sale: Kids win the day, with up to 75% discounts: https://www.gog.com/promo/20200127_weekly_sale

At Steam, while the Lunar sale will end shortly, they have two new daily deals:

• Monster Prom is 50% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/743450/Monster_Prom/
• And Muse Dash is also 50% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/774171/Muse_Dash/

Fanatical's Star Deal, that started yesterday and will be available for another 24 hours, is Pathfinder: Kingmaker Explorer Edition. 62.5% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/pathfinder-kingmaker

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Unreal Engine 4 Apollo 11 Mission AR for Microsoft HoloLens 2 is now available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/unreal-engine-4-apollo-11-mission-ar-for-microsoft-hololens-2-is-now-available-for-download/
Now here is something that passed under our radar. Epic Games has released the Apollo 11 Mission AR demo for Microsoft HoloLens 2. This demo is currently available for download on Unreal Engine Marketplace, and it’s a must-have for everyone owning HoloLens.
Apollo 11 AR offers a bird’s-eye view of many aspects of the historic Apollo 11 mission, including the launch itself, an accurate model of the Saturn V, a detailed reenactment of the lunar landing, and a look at Neil Armstrong’s monumental first steps on the moon.
>> There's a video of it but, without an HoloLens, it loses most of its appeal.

MODS/EMULATORS

Uncharted 2, God of War 3, Metal Gear Solid 4 & more run faster on PC via the latest version of RPCS3
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/uncharted-2-god-of-war-3-metal-gear-solid-4-more-run-faster-on-pc-via-the-latest-version-of-rpcs3/
The RPCS3 team has released a new video, showcasing some of the improvements that it has implemented in the latest version of the Playstation 3 emulator. According to the team, Uncharted 2, God of War 3 and MGS 4 run faster now on the PC.
Going into more details, kd-11 rewrote RPCS3’s ZCULL implementation to improve scheduling efficiency. As the team noted, this resulted in a large performance uplift across many titles, especially in scenes with heavy culling. kd-11 also added a new setting to the advanced settings tab “Relaxed ZCULL Sync”. This new option changes the way zculling works.
As such, Red Dead Redemption and WipEout perform slightly better when Relaxed ZCULL Sync is active. Metal Gear Solid 4 also performs a lot better with this option.
Furthermore, WipEout is now playblae thanks to these performance improvements and some stability improvements by Eladash. Therefore, PC gamers can now enjoy this Playstation 3 exclusive game on the PC with higher resolutions.

Black Mesa: Military lets you experience Half-Life from the view of a HECU Marine, Version 2.2 released
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/black-mesa-military-lets-you-experience-half-life-from-the-view-of-a-hecu-marine-version-2-2-release/
The Black Mesa: Military Development Group has released a new version of Black Mesa: Military. Black Mesa: Military is a mod for Black Mesa that allows you to experience the events of Half-Life from the view of a Hazardous Environments Combat Unit marine, Steven Mills.
(...)
Version 2.2 covers the six chapters of the upcoming full release. Black Mesa Military currently features six chapters which are: Arrival, Dangerous Facility, Heavy Fire, Escalation, Eliminate Freeman! and Newcomers.
>> Available from ModDB.

Fate of the Galaxy is a free first-person space combat Star Wars game, gets debut gameplay trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/fate-of-the-galaxy-is-a-free-first-person-space-combat-star-wars-game-gets-debut-gameplay-trailer/
The FotG team has announced a new free first-person space combat Star Wars game, Fate of the Galaxy. Fate of the Galaxy promises to feature the incredible starfighter battles of the Star Wars Original Trilogy. In order to showcase the game’s current development state, the team released a gameplay teaser trailer.
Fate of the Galaxy is a singleplayer and multiplayer total conversion for the FreeSpace 2 SCP engine set in the Star Wars universe. Instead of seeking to recreate the experience of some of the previous LucasArts X-Wing Space Simulation games, the team in basing its mod almost entirely on the Original Trilogy. Furthermore, the team will strive to reproduce the feel from the space combat scenes in those movies as accurately as possible.
>> How lon until Disney knocks on their doors?

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth gets a 5GB AI-enhanced HD Texture Pack
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/call-of-cthulhu-dark-corners-of-the-earth-gets-a-5gb-ai-enhanced-hd-texture-pack/
Ridiculous_Death has released a new AI-enhanced HD Texture Pack for Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth. This pack is 5.5GB in size and will overhaul all of the game’s textures. As such, this is a must have mod for everyone that wants to replay this Call of Cthulhu game.
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is a first-person horror game that combines intense action and adventure elements. This game came out in 2006, was developed by Headfirst Productions and was published by Bethesda.
>> You can get this mod from ModDB.

Fully naked Jill Valentine mod available now for download for Resident Evil: Revelations HD
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/fully-naked-jill-valentine-mod-available-now-for-download-for-resident-evil-revelations-hd/
Resident Evil 3 Remake is almost upon us, and we are pretty sure that one of its first mods will be a nude mod for Jill Valentine. Now while gamers can patiently await for such a mod, they can get a taste of it via this nude mod for Resident Evil: Revelations HD.
Created by modder ‘Maliwei777’, this nude mod provides a fully naked 3D model for Jill Valentine. Quality-wise, this is a high quality 3D model. There is also a cute heart tattoo on Jill’s butt.
As a bonus, Maliwei777 has also released an Ada Wong nude mod for Resident Evil 6. As its title suggests, this mod provides a fully naked 3D model for Ada Wong in Resident Evil 6.
>> Both mods are available from Nexus Mods: here's the Jill Valentine one and here's the Ada Wong one.

GAMING NEWS

Fortnite Update 11.50 will add support for Unreal Engine 4’s Chaos Physics System
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/fortnite-update-11-50-will-add-support-for-unreal-engine-4s-chaos-physics-system/
Epic Games has announced that Update 11.50 for Fortnite will add support for Unreal Engine 4’s Chaos Physics System. This basically means that all the physics will be calculated by the new Chaos System.

CD Projekt RED developer comments on Cyberpunk 2077’s delay, QLOC will provide additional support
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/cd-projekt-red-developer-comments-on-cyberpunk-2077s-delay-qloc-will-provide-additional-support/
A few days ago, we informed you about the possible reason behind Cyberpunk 2077’s delay. According to Polish insider Borys Niespielak, the game was delayed because its performance on current-gen consoles was underwhelming. And yesterday, both God of War’s director Cory Barlog and CD Projekt RED’s Benzenzimmern commented on this report.

Don’t expect real-time ray tracing effects in Doom Eternal anytime soon
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/dont-expect-real-time-ray-tracing-effects-in-doom-eternal-anytime-soon/
Back in July 2019, we informed you about Doom Eternal supporting real-time ray tracing effects. However, it appears that PC gamers will not be able to enjoy these effects anytime soon. As id Software’s Marty Stratton claimed, Ray Tracing isn’t currently a top priority for the team.

Zero Six – Behind Enemy Lines is a SOCOM-like third-person tactical shooter, first screenshots & details
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/zero-six-behind-enemy-lines-is-a-socom-like-third-person-tactical-shooter-first-screenshots-details/
An indie team is currently working on a SOCOM-like third-person tactical shooter, called Zero Six – Behind Enemy Lines. The game will be using Unreal Engine 4 and below you can find its first details and screenshots.

RESIDENCE of EVIL: VIGIL renamed to simply VIGIL, gets new official gameplay trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/residence-of-evil-vigil-renamed-to-simply-vigil-gets-new-official-gameplay-trailer/
MoonGlint and YouTube’s Residence of Evil have announced that their Resident Evil-inspired game, RESIDENCE of EVIL: VIGIL, is now renamed to simply VIGIL. Moreover, the teams released a brand new gameplay trailer that you can find below.

New Monster Hunter World Update further improves performance, reduces CPU usage, fixes Screen Freeze
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-monster-hunter-world-update-further-improves-performance-reduces-cpu-usage-fixes-screen-freeze/
Earlier this month, Capcom released the first 2020 performance patch for Monster Hunter World. That patch aimed to reduce CPU utilization and improve overall performance. And today, the Japanese company released a second patch that promises to further improve performance.

World of Tanks Update 1.7.1 released, adds three Double-barreled Soviet Tanks & the Demount Kit
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/world-of-tanks-update-1-7-1-released-adds-three-double-barreled-soviet-tanks-the-demount-kit/
Wargaming has released the first update of 2020 for World of Tanks, Update 1.7.1. As the press release reads, the new version features, among other things, a trio of heavies brandishing a couple of large-caliber guns each.

Monday news, part two:

Apex Legends fans have found more images of the rumored new character Revenant
https://www.pcgamer.com/apex-legends-fans-have-found-more-images-of-the-rumored-new-character-revenant/
EA and Respawn revealed yesterday that the new character coming in season 4 of Apex Legends is a big, Doomfist-looking brawler named Forge. That may have come as a bit of a surprise to fans of the game: Our October 2019 report on "what we know about the next Apex Legend" was all about a completely different character named Revenant. It's based entirely on leaks and rumors, and sometimes these things just don't pan out, but as unsubstantiated stories go it looked pretty solid.

Frame Fatales, the all-women speedrunning event, returns in February
https://www.pcgamer.com/frame-fatales-the-all-women-speedrunning-event-returns-in-february/
Good news for speedrunning fans struggling with the post-AGDQ blues: The GDQ-affiliated speedrunning event Frost Fatales is set to kick off in February, with runners blasting their way through a range of old and new games including Hyper Light Drifter, Spelunky, Portal, The Simpsons: Bart's House of Weirdness, Ducktales Remastered, Untitled Goose Game, and Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness.

Ark: Genesis delayed until February, but on the plus side it'll have giant space whales
https://www.pcgamer.com/ark-genesis-delayed-until-february-but-on-the-plus-side-itll-have-giant-space-whales/
Ark: Genesis, the first chapter of the next expansion for Ark: Survival Evolved, was originally planned for release in December of 2019, though it was later moved to January of 2020. Studio Wildcard announced today, however, that Genesis has been shuffled back once again, now to February 25, so you'll have to wait a bit longer to build your base on the back of a massive sea turtle.

As coronavirus sparks new interest in Plague Inc., dev warns it's 'not a scientific model'
https://www.pcgamer.com/coronavirus-outbreak-pushes-plague-inc-evolved-to-a-new-concurrent-player-record-on-steam/
Popular pandemic simulator Plague Inc. was released for mobile devices in 2012, while the updated Plague Inc. Evolved came to Steam in 2016. Despite that age, it hit its all-time peak concurrent player count today—8452 players, according to Steam Charts, well over the previous record of 4601, set in April 2018—and one of its highest average concurrent player counts within the past 30 days.

Play an endless, ruthless seagull battle royale in The Beach
https://www.pcgamer.com/play-an-endless-ruthless-seagull-battle-royale-in-the-beach/
You may have seen sandpipers feed on a beach at some point: small, chubby birds rush toward the ocean as the waves recede, dig in the wet sand for food, and then sprint back up the beach as the next wave rolls in, tiny little legs pumping furiously to keep ahead of the water.

When does Warcraft 3 Reforged unlock?
https://www.pcgamer.com/when-does-warcraft-3-reforged-unlock/
The multiplayer beta of Warcraft 3 Reforged, which retools the classic real-time strategy game for 4K, is available now. The full version, however, won't unlock until Tuesday, January 28. It releases at 3pm PT, but what does that mean in other timezones? Well, you can always find out at everytimezone.com, but here's a quick guide.

Duelyst to shut down servers forever
https://www.pcgamer.com/duelyst-to-shut-down-servers-forever/
Hybrid digital card game and tactics battler Duelyst will shut down its servers forever on February 27th, 2020. Developer Counterplay Games took to Steam to announce the shutdown with a post titled “Farewell Duelyst,” saying it was “Saddened” to announce the game’s closure. As Duelyst is online-only, this is effectively the end of the game entirely. Though Counterplay Games is the design studio, Duelyst is published in collaboration with Bandai Namco. Players who recently purchased Diamonds, Duelyst’s in-game currency, can receive a refund.

The tactics game based on The Dark Crystal comes out next month
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-tactics-game-based-on-the-dark-crystal-comes-out-next-month/
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics is due to release on February 4, bringing the grim-and-whimsical world of the original movie and the Netflix series to life on your PC. In the game, you lead the Gelfling resistance to unite the clans against the calamitous ker-kawing of the evil Skeksis through “50 unique turn-based tactics RPG battles.” It’s all very Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics looking, as you assign Gelflings “jobs” to get them new abilities and access to new equipment. The characters include some from the original film, and some from the Netflix series. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics is developed by BonusXP and published by En Masse Entertainment. It was originally announced for last year, but got pushed back to this year.

Village Monsters has a charming Stardew Valley meets Undertale vibe
https://www.pcgamer.com/village-monsters-has-a-charming-stardew-valley-meets-undertale-vibe/
Charmingly lo-fi village life game about outcasts and weirdos in a literally broken world? That’s what Village Monsters is. It's a low-key village life game, the kind where you go fishing and plant gardens and make your house nice. You also get to know the "dozens" of monster neighbors, learning their stories and likes and dislikes. The game also has a quirky angle—it is, in and of itself, set inside a forgotten videogame. You can apparently abuse the glitches in the game world to boost your own powers and fix things up. Finally, perhaps most mysteriously, there’s a lot of emphasis on the simulation of the world itself, with “shifting weather patterns, sweeping seasonal changes, and interesting system interactions” as well as emphasis on exploring places outside the monster village. I’ve not played it, but I can’t help but be charmed—many of the few reviews and comments are quite positive. I’ll definitely check it out.

Ballistic Craft is a bullet hell where you design the crazy weapons
https://www.pcgamer.com/ballistic-craft-is-a-bullet-hell-where-you-design-the-crazy-weapons/
Here’s a unique game: Ballistic Craft, a bullet hell where you design your own magical weapons using a customizable system. Players in Ballistic Craft are rival wizards using customizable magic “Shots” to blow each other up in new and creative ways. Ballistic Craft is due to release on Steam on February 13. It has a singleplayer RPG mode, called “Quest Mode,” which slowly unlocks new types of shots for you to use, and lets you then break down those shots into their individual components to design your own attacks. It's also due to have PvP modes, which I’m sure will be utterly absurd as people try to out-think and out-maneuver each other.

$33,000 EVE online ship sale, highest ever, to benefit Australian wildfire relief
https://www.pcgamer.com/most-expensive-eve-online-ship-sale-ever-to-benefit-australian-wildfire-relief/
Clocking in at nearly $33,000 dollars worth of internet spaceship, a rare Gold Magnate has sold for 1,001,001 PLEX in EVE Online. Space and science YouTube star Scott Manley made the winning bid, winning an auction from ship owner Kelon Darklight—that’s an in-game name—to benefit Australian wildfire relief via CCP Games’ Plex for Good campaign. PLEX is a currency used as game time in EVE, and purchasing that 1 million PLEX directly from CCP Games would cost you roughly $32,500. The Gold Magnate is one of the rarest ships in EVE Online, arguably the game’s most powerful Frigate. The Gold Magnate has only even been available as a tournament prize, and then only a handful of times throughout EVE’s history. Most of the Gold Magnates have been destroyed in combat or lost to player pirates since their distribution.

Lead mad sailors beyond the edge of the map in dice battler Here Be Dragons
https://www.pcgamer.com/lead-mad-sailors-beyond-the-edge-of-the-map-in-dice-battler-here-be-dragons/
Here Be Dragons is a whimsical looking game, part tribute to weird drawings on map edges and part dice battling puzzler, that’s due to release in just a few days. In it, you follow the journey of a bunch of oddball ne’er-do-wells as they attempt to murder every monster in the ocean, or something like that. It’s not clear exactly what the plot of Here Be Dragons is, probably because all the characters are incurably bonkers, but at least the game and I agree on one thing: Christopher Columbus was a jerk. Anyways, it’s a turn-based battle game where you use dice to activate your fleet of ships and use their powers to win combats against monsters, pirates, and sometimes even the legitimate authorities. Perhaps most uniquely, the game is narrated by the crazed crew, so you can gather up ink to change the story as it’s written by rewriting battle outcomes and dice rolls.

Here’s a breakdown of the new demons in Doom Eternal
https://www.pcgamer.com/heres-a-breakdown-of-the-new-demons-in-doom-eternal/
Doom Eternal Game Director Hugo Martin has outlined a load of new and returning demons in a NoClip documentary, highlighting his new “chess pieces” with which to threaten the players. A lot of the new enemies look particularly devious, forcing players to adopt new playstyles to defeat them. Like the Carcass, for example, which throws up an anti-rocket shield to confound one of Doom’s best weapons. “We’re cool with frustrating you as long as we’re teaching,” says Martin. The old Doom 2 creatures outlined are the Pain Elemental, Arachnotron, Archvile, and Hellified Soldiers. New to Doom Eternal are the Whiplash, Tentacles, Marauder, Doom Hunter, and Carcass.

Rumor: Two Silent Hill games are currently in development
https://www.pcgamer.com/rumor-two-silent-hill-games-are-currently-in-development/
Well, this sure would be nice if it turns out to be true. AestheticGamer aka DuskGolem, who previously provided accurate leaks about the Resident Evil 3 remake and Resident Evil 7's Not a Hero DLC, says that Konami reached out to developers to pitch two new Silent Hill games. Konami apparently wanted one to be a soft reboot, and the other an episodic game in the style of Telltale or Until Dawn.

Team up with your reflection in clever, free platformer ORUL
https://www.pcgamer.com/team-up-with-your-reflection-in-clever-free-platformer-orul/
In smart platformer ORUL, a shadow isn't just a blob of shade that follows you around: it's a mirror image that copies everything you do, and it resides in another realm that doesn't always have the same geography as the real world.

Rocket League Mac and Linux players can now get refunds
https://www.pcgamer.com/rocket-league-mac-and-linux-players-can-now-get-refunds/
Psyonix announced that it was dropping multiplayer support for the Mac and Linux versions of Rocket League last week, with the changes coming in early March. While the other modes will still be playable, multiplayer is a vital component of the car-ball romp, leaving its small community unimpressed—especially as there was seemingly no refund option. It looks like this was a miscommunication, however, and Psyonix has since clarified why it's dropping support, as well as offering players refunds.

Hearthstone VR was prototyped by Blizzard
https://www.pcgamer.com/hearthstone-vr-was-prototyped-by-blizzard/
Hearthstone's tavern seems impossibly cosy and welcoming, the perfect place for a friendly card battle, but our eyes are always fixed on the board. A VR version that plonks you by the bar and lets you do a bit more than just play cards sounds very tempting, and apparently Blizzard concurs, to the extent that it developed a Hearthstone VR prototype.

Lazr is a cyberpunk platformer with a free demo and a thing for cloth physics
https://www.pcgamer.com/lazr-is-a-cyberpunk-platformer-with-a-free-demo-and-a-thing-for-cloth-physics/
Lazr is an explosive cyberpunk platformer where you—the titular freelancing android with laser eyes—have to shoot and leap your way through corporate offices and neon streets. For all your futuristic tricks, however, you're a lo-fi gal at heart, and one of Lazr's most notable features is its cloth physics.

Fortnite and Warner Bros. tease a Birds of Prey crossover event
https://www.pcgamer.com/fortnite-and-warner-bros-tease-a-birds-of-prey-crossover-event/
Epic Games has dropped a little hint teasing that Birds of Prey will be the theme of Fortnite's next crossover event. Birds of Prey is the upcoming spin-off to Warner Bros. Pictures' superhero film, Suicide Squad.

Those of you with an AMD card and drivers that are not up to date, you should update to the newest 20.1.1 soon.

AMD Quietly Patched Four Major GPU Security Vulnerabilities with Radeon 20.1.1 Drivers
https://www.techpowerup.com/263237/amd-quietly-patched-four-major-gpu-security-vulnerabilities-with-radeon-20-1-1-drivers

If you haven't updated your AMD Radeon drivers in a while, here's one major reason to. The company secretly patched four major security vulnerabilities affecting Radeon GPUs, in its recent Adrenalin 20.1.1 drivers, with no mention of doing so in its changelog. Talos Intelligence reports four vulnerabilities, which are are chronicled under CVE-2019-5124, CVE-2019-5146, CVE-2019-5147 and CVE-2019-5183. This class of attacks exploits a vulnerability in the AMD Radeon driver file ATIDXX64.dll, which can lead to denial of service or even remote code execution. What makes things much more serious is that this attack vector can be used to exploit the host machine from a VM (tested with VMWare). It even seems possible to trigger the vulnerability from a web page, through WebGL (which allows running 3D applications on a remote website). The vulnerabilities were tested on Radeon RX 550 / 550 Series VMware Workstation 15 (15.5.0 build-14665864) with Windows 10 x64 as guest VM, but there is no reason to assume that the issue is limited to just RX 550 as the AMD shader compiler shares a common code basis for all recent DirectX 12 GPUs.

You can find the latest driver from here.

Likely to have a very rude week on the Bushfire front this week as well.