*** FREE GAME ***

Here's another free game: Arcade Moonlander Plus https://store.steampowered.com/app/727020/Arcade_Moonlander_Plus/

It will be free until April 13.

Let's go with the news. Needless to say, after almost 4 days since the last update, there are lots of news to post:

SALES & DEALS

Steam's Top 10

1. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
2. Valve Index VR Kit
3. Tabletop Simulator
4. Green Hell
5. Resident Evil 3
6. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
7. No Man's Sky
8. DOOM Eternal
9. Last Oasis
10. Sid Meier’s Civilization VI

Call of Duty: Warzone has over 50 million players worldwide in a month
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/call-of-duty-warzone-has-over-50-million-players-worldwide-in-a-month/
Infinity Ward has just announced that Call of Duty: Warzone has over 50 million players worldwide. The game came out one month ago, and hit 30 million players in its first 10 days. Thus, it took Infinity Ward 20 more days in order to increase its fan base and hit its 50 million goal.
>> The game came just in time for the lockdown.

Resident Evil 3 Remake has sold 2 million copies worldwide in five days
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/resident-evil-3-remake-has-sold-2-million-copies-worldwide-in-five-days/
Capcom has announced that Resident Evil 3 Remake has sold 2 million copies worldwide in five days. The new Resident Evil 3 is a reimagining of the 1999 release of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, which went on to sell a cumulative 3.5 million units.

Assassin’s Creed 2 will be free to own on UPLAY on April 14th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/assassins-creed-2-will-be-free-to-own-on-uplay-on-april-14th/
It appears that Ubisoft will be offering the second part in its Assassin’s Creed series for free next week. According to Mydealz and industry insider ZhugeEX, Ubisoft will be giving away Assassin’s Creed 2 on UPLAY on April 14th.
>> Great game.

Total War: Shogun 2 will be free to keep on Steam for a limited time
https://www.pcgamer.com/total-war-shogun-2-is-going-to-be-free-to-keep-on-steam-for-a-limited-time/
SteamDB keeps a list of upcoming free promotions so you can keep abreast of all the free weekends on Steam in advance. It also notes when games will be free-to-keep, which is why we can see that Total War: Shogun 2 will be given away to anyone who grabs it between April 27 and May 1.
>> Oh! I didn't know about that list. I'll keep an eye on it. Also listed in that page, but I already knew about it, is that the game The Search is free to keep. It started yesterday and the promo will last for another 18 hours or so, so you better hurry! https://store.steampowered.com/app/566190/The_Search/

GOG has two new sales:

• The weekly sale features lots of sea/water related games up to 80% off: https://www.gog.com/promo/20200413_weekly_sale
• There's also a Dungeons & Dragons games sale, with up to 66% discounts for the next 3 days: https://www.gog.com/promo/dungeons_dragons_sale

Steam has two new sales, as well as a new round of weeklong deals:

• The Early Access title Spin Rhythm XD is 33% off for the next 50 hours: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1058830/Spin_Rhythm_XD/
• Pure Rock Crawling, also in Early Access, will be 25% off for 5 days: https://store.steampowered.com/app/824720/Pure_Rock_Crawling/
• And here are some of the weeklong deals:
  • Nobodies is 20% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1038280/Nobodies/
  • The raunchy Lucy Got Problems, that has a demo, is 36% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/879510/Lucy_Got_Problems/
  • Age of Rivals is half its price: https://store.steampowered.com/app/597970/Age_of_Rivals/
  • Driftland: The Magic Revival gets a 66% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/718650/Driftland_The_Magic_Revival/
  • Last Day of June is 75% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/635320/Last_Day_of_June/
  • And Kelvin and the Infamous Machine is 85% cheaper: https://store.steampowered.com/app/376520/Kelvin_and_the_Infamous_Machine/

The Humble Store has three new sales:

• A GTA sale features up to 65% discounts for the Rockstar Social Club during the next 2 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/gta-sale/
• Publisher Merge Games has its games up to 90% off for the next 3 days. Most keys are for Steam, but a couple games are also available for GOG: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/merge-games-sale/
• And the last one is a Lost in Space sale with up to 75% discounts for the next 6 days. The keys provided are for several stores: Steam, GOG, Epic Store, UPlay and even Origin: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/lost-in-space-sale/

Fanatical has two new sales:

• The new Star Deal is Borderlands 3 - Super Deluxe Edition, that includes the game as well as the Season Pass and other bits of content, 55% off during the next 24 hours. The key is for Steam: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/borderlands-3-super-deluxe-edition
• SNK has put its games up to 75% off for the next 13 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/snk-corporation

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Valve patented a Steam Controller design with swappable controls
https://www.pcgamer.com/valve-patented-a-steam-controller-design-with-swappable-controls/
Last year, Valve sold off its last batch of Steam Controllers at $5 a pop, a bargain for what we still consider the best PC controller for games that don't officially support them, and seemingly an end to that project. But Valve may not be done with its experiments in handheld game input. A recently published patent application filed by Valve describes a Steam Controller model with detachable parts.
Spotted by Tyler McVicker of Valve News Network, the patent is titled "Handheld controllers with swappable controls." It's exactly what it sounds like.

MODS/EMULATORS

Here is Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune running on the PC with Reshade Ray Tracing
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-is-uncharted-drakes-fortune-running-on-the-pc-with-reshade-ray-tracing/
Digital Dreams has shared a video, showing the PS3 version of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune running on the PC with Reshade Ray Tracing. In order to achieve this, Digital Dreams used the Playstation 3 emulator, RPCS3. Moreover, it used Pascal Glicher’s Reshade Ray Tracing Mod.
Now before continuing, we should note that RPCS3 does not perfectly emulate Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune yet. As such, there are both graphical glitches/bugs and performance issues. Still, it’s really cool witnessing this Reshade Ray Tracing mod in really old games.

This 4.3GB AI-enhanced HD Mod brings high quality textures and normal maps to Half-Life: Source
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/this-4-3gb-ai-enhanced-hd-mod-brings-high-quality-textures-and-bump-maps-to-half-life-source/
Modder ‘Coomer’ has released a brand new version of his AI Uspcale Mod for Half-Life Source. This new version adds normal maps to almost all textures. Thankfully, though, the modder has not added bump maps to the Xen levels.
This pack uses a batch of generated normal maps with alpha channel to make dark parts of the textures non-reflective. As a result of that, the size of the mod is now around 4.38GB . Furthermore, the modder had to reduce the size of the normal maps to 512×512 due to the big file size. However, he does plan to generate better and bigger size normal maps as soon as he finds a good algorithm.
>> Available from ModDB.

Fallout New California Beta 231 released, features world map adjustments & new exploration content
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/fallout-new-california-beta-231-released-features-world-map-adjustments-new-exploration-content/
Radian-Helix Media has released a brand new beta version of its Fallout: New Vegas fan prequel, Fallout New California. According to the team, Fallout New California Beta 231 features re-compressed meshes and textures. These new NIFs should avoid random crashes and performance issues that were present in the previous versions.
Moreover, Fallout New California Beta 231 contains a great deal of world map adjustments and new exploration content It also packs overall improvements to the look of things outside the Vault.
>> This one is also available from ModDB.

The Witcher 3 Redux Version 2.1 released, tweaks AHI, adds new icons, improves gameplay & more
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-witcher-3-redux-version-2-1-released-tweaks-ahi-adds-new-icons-improves-gameplay-more/
It appears that modder ‘Aleks Vuckovic’ has been constantly updating his gameplay overhaul mod for The Witcher 3. The Witcher 3 Redux Version 2.1 is now available for download and brings a number of gameplay tweaks and improvements.
Going into more details, Version 2.1 adds new icons for White Gull, Black Gull, Dragon Blood and Black Powder. Moreover, it further tweaks Adaptive Human Intelligence (AHI). Thus, enemies affected by certain critical effects (eg: burning, knockdown, stagger, stun) will not have AHI buffs applied during the critical effect duration.
Version 2.1 also comes with some gameplay tweaks. For instance, consumable drinks now increase stamina regeneration instead of vitality. Furthermore, it lowers the circumference in which cluster bombs explode to lower the randomness of their spread. It also resolves an issue where Geralt could get fatigued outside of combat.
>> You can get this mod from Nexus Mods. Also, check the article for another The Witcher 3 mod that focuses on Gwent.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Unreal Engine 4 Remake Update 6 available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-unreal-engine-4-remake-update-6-available-for-download/
CryZENx has released a brand new version of his amazing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake in Unreal Engine 4. This new version features a lot of tweaks and gameplay improvements, as well as new environments to explore. In order to celebrate the release of this new update, CryZENx has also shared a playthrough video. This video showcases the entire remake, and is over one hour. Thus, we strongly suggest watching this if you don’t want to download this fan remake.
>> You can download it from its Discord channel.

First Half-Life: Alyx non-VR mod that lets you complete the entire game is available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/first-non-vr-mod-for-half-life-alyx-that-lets-you-complete-the-entire-game-is-available-for-download/
Earlier this month, we informed you about a mod for Half-Life: Alyx that made the gameplay playable on keyboard and mouse. Created by modder ‘r57zone’, this non-VR mod for Half-Life: Alyx had a lot of potential. And today, we are happy to report that the modder has released a new version that lets you complete the entire game.
From what we know so far, this is the first mod (driver) that allows to fully complete the game. Thus, everyone can use it in order to play the game with mouse and keyboard, and without a VR headset.
>> You can get it from GitHub.

There is now a Dismemberment Mod for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord that you can download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/there-is-now-a-dismemberment-mod-for-mount-blade-ii-bannerlord-that-you-can-download/
It has been a couple of weeks since Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord released in Early Access on Steam. Even in its current state the game is very popular, and there are hundreds of mods available for download.
The game is missing several things, and one of them is gore. Though fear not, because the modder jedijosh920 has already created a dismemberment mod for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord.
The mod adds the gore aspect of dismemberment. Both players and NPCs will get a chance to decapitate the head of the enemy, if they do fatal cut damage to an enemy’s head by swinging left or right.
>> You can get it from Nexus Mods.

Protect your precious butter with this Bannerlord mod that lets you form anti-bandit patrols
https://www.pcgamer.com/protect-your-precious-butter-with-this-bannerlord-mod-that-lets-you-form-anti-bandit-patrols/
It's challenging to rise from a penniless peasant to a proper Bannerlord in Mount & Blade 2, and things don't really get easier once you've got your own castle and a few villages to manage. Roving bandit squads no longer pose a threat to you personally once you've built a massive, gleaming army, but you can't be everywhere at once, and your villages can still fall prey to bandits while you're off fighting in distant wars.
That's why the Buy Patrols mod for Bannerlord is such a great idea. With it, you can hire up to three anti-bandit patrols for each village you own. Pay them a daily wage and they'll restlessly scour the area around your villages, preemptively clashing with any bandit squads who are on the hunt for butter, grain, fish, and other precious resources your villages produce.

This mod adds 10 new classes to Dark Souls 3
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/this-mod-adds-10-new-classes-to-dark-souls-3/
Anonim01 has released a brand new mod for Dark Souls 3. According to its description, this mod adds ten new classes to FromSoftware’s action RPG. Thus, I’m pretty sure that some Dark Souls 3 die-hard fans will find this mod interesting. (...) In addition, this mod modifies Sorcerer, Pyromancer and Cleric. Furthermore, it adds Ghost Rapier, Ghost Greatsword and Ghost Shield as new weapons.
>> If you're interested, Nexus Mods is your place to go.

P.T. remade in ancient Mac tool HyperCard
https://www.pcgamer.com/pt-remade-in-ancient-mac-tool-hypercard/
If you're not familiar with HyperCard, it was an approachable development tool for the Macintosh that allowed creators to use then-revolutionary hyperlinks to make databases, multimedia presentations, and even...games. Myst was made using HyperCard, by letting players warp from one stationary image to another (and by using video files to further flesh out its world).
(...)
There's something about old technology that gels sublimely with the horror genre, so a recreation of P.T. in a 33-year-old development tool is an idea that makes a lot of sense. Hyper P.T. has ties to, well to P.T., but also to old Macintosh games such as Uninvited. In playing it (it comes packaged with a Mac emulator), you're playing an unholy fusion of the past and the recent present. It's pretty wild, and freely available, if you're interested, from itch.io. (Many thanks, Warp Door.)

The Final Fantasy 7 Remako mod is the best way to play the original game on PC
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-final-fantasy-7-remako-mod-is-the-best-way-to-play-the-original-game-on-pc/
While we twiddle our thumbs and wait for the inevitable announcement of a PC version of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, playing through the original game isn't a bad plan for new and returning players alike. And what better way than as Shiva intended, with an upscaling mod that makes FF7 look great (or, at least, as good as possible) on modern high resolution monitors?
The Final Fantasy 7 Remako mod uses AI-upscaling to magically convert all those blurry pre-rendered backdrops into sharp high-res images. Remako also improves the quality of battlefield textures, overworld textures, and juices cutscene resolution.
>> It looks dated, but not bad nor blurry.

GAMING NEWS

Cyberpunk 2077’s DLCs and expansions will be similar to The Witcher 3
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/cyberpunk-2077-dlcs-and-expansions-will-be-similar-to-the-witcher-3/
We recently informed you that Cyberpunk 2077 is in a complete form. CD Projekt Red is now only fixing and polishing the game. CDPR’s president Adam Kicinski, recently spoke in a Polish investor Q&A confirming that Cyberpunk 2077 will have “no less DLC than The Witcher 3 had”.

World of Warcraft Shadowlands adds support for DXR, Ray Tracing Shadows & Variable Rate Shading
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/world-of-warcraft-shadowlands-adds-support-for-dxr-ray-tracing-shadows-variable-rate-shading/
It appears that the alpha build of World of Warcraft Shadowlands has some technical features. According to its code, the game’s engine supports both DXR and raytraced shadows. Moreover, there is also support for VRS (Variable Rate Shading).

Valve on Half-Life: Alyx’s ending and the future of Half-Life
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/valve-on-half-life-alyxs-ending-and-the-future-of-half-life/
This article will obviously spoil the very ending of Half-Life: Alyx. Thus, if you haven’t finished the game, you shouldn’t continue reading. You have been warned.

First Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord beta patch released, improves performance & AI, fixes bugs & crashes
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/first-mount-blade-ii-bannerlord-beta-patch-released-improves-performance-ai-fixes-bugs-crashes/
Taleworlds Entertainment has released the first beta patch for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. This beta patch aims to improve the game’s overall performance. Moreover, it packs a number of fixes, as well as tweaks and improvements to the AI.

Mechwarrior 5 now supports real-time DXR Ray Tracing Effects [UPDATE]
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/mechwarrior-5-now-supports-real-time-dxr-ray-tracing-effects/
After adding support for DLSS 2.0, Piranha Games released a new patch that adds real-time ray tracing effects in Mechwarrior 5. According to the developers, these Ray Tracing effects are still in a beta phase. Still, PC gamers can now enable them in the latest version of the game.
UPDATE: In order to test the new Ray Tracing effects, we’ve re-installed Mechwarrior 5. However, there isn’t currently any option that enables the RTX effects.
However, and after testing the game, we’ve discovered that the game uses screen-space reflections instead of RTX reflections. You can easily test it by lowering your camera and witnessing the screen-space side effects (reflections disappearing).

Riot Games on Valorant’s anti-cheat: “we run a driver at system startup, it doesn’t scan anything”
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/riot-games-on-valorant-anti-cheat-we-run-a-driver-at-system-startup-it-doesnt-scan-anything/
Riot Games has shed some light on the Anti-Cheat system that it uses for Valorant. According to the developers, Riot Games uses a a driver at system startup that it doesn’t scan anything. So yeah, the game actually installs an external program, however, players are free to remove it whenever they want.

Resident Evil 4 Remake is real, dev team larger than Resident Evil 3 Remake, is a couple of years away
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/resident-evil-4-remake-is-real-dev-team-larger-than-resident-evil-3-remake-is-a-couple-of-years-away/
A few hours ago, we informed you about a rumour regarding Resident Evil 4 Remake. And apparently, this remake is actually real. Capcom insider, Dusk Golem, has confirmed these rumours, suggesting that Resident Evil 4 Remake is indeed happening.
>> shikamaru317 made a thread about this rumor a couple days ago.

Crytek shares cryptic message, hinting at either Crysis 4 or Crysis Remake/Remaster
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/crytek-shares-cryptic-message-hinting-at-either-crysis-4-or-crysis-remake-remaster/
Back on April 1st, Crytek updated the official website for Crysis. And while its source code hinting at this being an April Fool's joke, Crytek may very well be working on a new Crysis game. Earlier today, the team has shared a cryptic message, hinting at either Crysis 4 or Crysis Remake/Remaster.

Here is the launch trailer for Gears Tactics
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-is-the-launch-trailer-for-gears-tactics/
The official launch trailer for Gears Tactics is here. Gears Tactics will be expanding the Gears of War universe by going back twelve years before the original title. Gabe Diaz is on a desperate mission to hunt down the leader of the Locust army.

Journey is coming to Steam on June 11th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/journey-is-coming-to-steam-on-june-11th/
Annapurna Interactive has announced that Journey will be coming to Steam on June 11th. In case you’re wondering, that’s one year after the game’s release on Epic Games Store. And, since the game was timed exclusive on EGS, I’m pretty sure it will be exactly the same with it.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint Title Update 2.0.3 released, is 1.41GB in size, full patch notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/tom-clancys-ghost-recon-breakpoint-title-update-2-0-3-released-is-1-41gb-in-size-full-patch-notes/
Ubisoft has released a brand new update for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. Patch 2.0.3 is 1.41GB in size and fixes a memory leak that could occur when using the Vulkan renderer. Moreover, it comes with some fixes for its UI, PvP, Raid, Ghost Experience and more.

Fallout 76: Wastelanders Update is now available and here are its full patch release notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/fallout-76-wastelanders-update-is-now-available-and-here-are-its-full-patch-release-notes/
Bethesda has finally released the Wastelanders Update for Fallout 76. This is the biggest update to date for Fallout 76 and introduces human NPCs with which players can interact. Moreover, it adds all-new main quests, as well as Factions.

Minecraft RTX Ray Tracing Beta releases on April 16th, will also support DLSS 2.0
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/minecraft-rtx-ray-tracing-beta-releases-on-april-16th-will-also-support-dlss-2-0/
NVIDIA has announced that the beta phase for Minecraft RTX will begin on April 16th. PC gamers will be able to download a beta patch that adds real-time ray tracing effects to Minecraft, and share their RTX creations.

The Tuesday news, part two:

Super Mega Baseball 3 shows off the depth of its new franchise mode
https://www.pcgamer.com/super-mega-baseball-3-shows-off-the-depth-of-its-new-franchise-mode/
With Major League Baseball sidelined for most likely the entire year due to the coronavirus pandemic, and until MLB The Show maybe-possibly releases on PC next year, PC gaming baseball fans don't have a heck of a lot of options. But it's not all bad news—Metalhead Software released a lengthy video today showcasing some of the changes coming to Super Mega Baseball 3, and there's a lot to be excited about. You can check out the video above.
>> And it will let you import your teams from Super Mega Baseball 2.

Dordogne is a promising watercolour adventure game with a stunning trailer
https://www.pcgamer.com/dordogne-is-a-promising-watercolour-adventure-game-with-a-stunning-trailer/
It made me a little emotional, this beautiful trailer for Dordogne: an upcoming adventure game that seems to be deeply in love with nature and the outside world. You remember the outside, I hope, a place of stunning watercolour scenery and childhood adventuring, or at least, it is in the distinctly French Dordogne.

Rocket League's next temporary mode turns the ball into a goalseeking missile
https://www.pcgamer.com/rocket-leagues-next-temporary-mode-makes-it-more-like-pong/
I am a long time proponent of Rocket League's non-standard modes, and the next one on the way looks like it could be delightfully stupid. At the very least, I expect high scoring games in Heatseeker, which will come to Rocket League on April 16.

Call of Duty: Warzone brings back Trios mode after 2 days
https://www.pcgamer.com/call-of-duty-warzone-brings-back-trios-mode-after-2-days/
That didn't take long. Call of Duty: Warzone's developers briefly replaced the Trios mode with a new Quads playlist, and fans weren't happy about it. If three's a crowd, what is a four player squad, a damn clown car? Anyway, Infinity Ward seemingly decided there were enough players to support another playlist, because Trios is now back in the game's latest update.

You might get evicted when Wastelanders move into Fallout 76
https://www.pcgamer.com/you-might-get-evicted-when-wastelanders-move-into-fallout-76/
The imminent arrival of Fallout 76's Wastelanders expansion might mean it's also time for a few players to pack up camp and find a new spot. All those incoming human NPCs need places to pitch their own tents and, announced today on the Fallout Twitter account, Bethesda's already promised them the land. That means anyone currently homesteading in a newly designated no-build-zone will need to find a new spot to plant some roots.
>> Given that the expansion is already out, some of you may have found about it the hard way.

Here's a treasure hoard of free digital D&D resources
https://www.pcgamer.com/heres-a-treasure-hoard-of-free-digital-dandd-resources/
With everyone locked in their homes, Wizards of the Coast has put up a mini-site directing you to tons of resources for playing Dungeons & Dragons online with your friends on your very own personal computer. There’s a lot of good stuff here, from resources for veterans to how-to guides for new players wanting to play online. There’s even stuff in here to get you playing in real-life with your family, kids, and/or friends. There’s also coloring book pages and they’re cool? Look, there’s a lot of good stuff. They’re adding new stuff to this page, daily, Monday to Friday. There's already five days of stuff in the can, to boot!

Free game Happy’s Humble Burger Barn is really freaking me out
https://www.pcgamer.com/free-game-happys-humble-burger-barn-is-really-freaking-me-out/
You have a new job, and the job is working at a fast food burger place. You do normal things like make burgers and serve fries and drinks and salmon nuggets. Also, everything is absolutely terrifying because it looks like a game from the PS1 era. Happy’s Humble Burger Barn is a free “Fast Food Horror Sim” that has some pretty thrilling moments and an oddly captivating aesthetic for a game about burgers. It’s a game with a specific time and place it’s emulating, a kind of low-grade, lo-fi horror thrill akin to Twin Peaks or your first job in high school. I quite like it, and I’m looking forward to what else creators Scythe Dev Team come up with in the future.

Farming game meets roguelike shooter Atomicrops now has a release date
https://www.pcgamer.com/farming-game-meets-roguelike-shooter-atomicrops-now-has-a-release-date/
Who’s up for post-apocalyptic punk aesthetics, roguelike shooter mechanics, and classic farm sim gameplay all in one? I don’t know who besides me has been watching the development of Atomicrops closely, but here you go: It’s coming to full release on May 28th. Atomicrops is developed by Bird Bath Games and published by Raw Fury, who have shown pretty impeccable taste as a publisher so far and whom I am always excited to see another game from. We first called it “an unholy union between Stardew Valley and Nuclear Throne” which is still spot-on a year later. Atomicrops also has excellent music.

Foxhole's latest update adds mass production to fuel the MMO war
https://www.pcgamer.com/foxholes-latest-update-adds-mass-production-to-fuel-the-mmo-war/
Foxhole's latest update focuses on the logistics system, adding Mass Production Factories to the persistent world's largest industrial towns along with huge stationary cranes to support them. The new factories produce larger quantities of material at a discount, but are often far from the front lines and require a proportionately huge amount of resources despite the discount. The new factories can also produce vehicles in bulk, a process which previously had to be done one at a time. Plus, I mean, look at these cranes. Love a good crane.

Songs of Syx is a base building game with massive scale battles
https://www.pcgamer.com/songs-of-syx-is-a-base-building-game-with-massive-scale-battles/
Songs of Syx is an upcoming strategy game from developer Jakob de Laval that promises to dwarf its competition in the survival strategy/colony builder/base building genre. It’s a fantasy city-state simulator where you start off with a small colony and build yourself into a prosperous mega-city with a powerful military and detailed international relations. It’s also huge, with plans for massive battles and cities with tens of thousands of residents. Songs of Syx’s real banner feature is scale. Cities promise to have “5-digit populations” and battles with tens of thousands of warriors on each side.

Space colony sim Meeple Station leaves Early Access
https://www.pcgamer.com/space-colony-sim-meeple-station-leaves-early-access/
In case you haven't heard about Meeple Station already, it's the space station management sim that Jon Bolding compared to Rimworld, and which is being made with a high degree of moddability in mind. It came out in Early Access at the start of last year.

Monstrous tactics game Alder's Blood trickles out, with a hefty discount
https://www.pcgamer.com/monstrous-tactics-game-alders-blood-trickles-out-with-a-hefty-discount/
What if mankind killed God? What if Bloodborne were a sneaky strategy game? Alder's Blood is the answer to both of these questions, as well as being a game that just popped up on Steam and GOG.

Sizeable demo boasts some lovely, tactile puzzling
https://www.pcgamer.com/sizeable-demo-boasts-some-lovely-tactile-puzzling/
There isn't a puzzle in the world that can't be 'solved' by manhandling the thing in question, either by ripping open a Rubik's Cube or taking a pair of scissors, and some glue, to a jigsaw puzzle. Very occasionally, wanton prodding is the intended process for solving it, as it is in the lovely Sizeable: a game of futzing about with beautiful scenes, to see what happens.

ESRB adds a new warning label for loot boxes
https://www.pcgamer.com/esrb-adds-a-new-warning-label-for-loot-boxes/
In February 2018, the Entertainment Software Rating Board said that it would begin labeling physical copies of games with microtransactions as having "In-Game Purchases. (...)
That system has evolved: The ESRB announced today that it will begin applying a new label, "In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)," to any game that offers randomized items for purchase, including loot boxes, card packs, treasure chests, and gacha games. The original "In-Game Purchases" label will continue to be used on games that offer only non-randomized purchases, such as expansions and cosmetics.

The Steam Game Festival is coming back on the day E3 would've started
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-steam-game-festival-is-coming-back-on-the-day-e3-wouldve-started/
In March, Valve ran the Steam Game Festival: Spring Edition, a showcase of more than 40 game demos that had been destined for GDC before it was cancelled by the coronavirus outbreak. It's coming back this June.
The Steam Game Festival: Summer Edition will run June 9-14, and will once again offer demos or "short playable experiences" for games scheduled to come out within the next year. The spring event was indie focused, and that'll probably stay true, though this one could be a bigger tent given that it gets underway on the same day that E3 2020 was meant to.
>> And maybe some 10 days later, the Summer Sale?

Rick May, voice of the Soldier in Team Fortress 2, has died
https://www.pcgamer.com/rick-may-voice-of-the-soldier-in-team-fortress-2-dies/
Rick May, a voice actor best known to PC gamers for his portrayal of the gruff-talking Soldier in Team Fortress 2, has died after contracting COVID-19. His death was reported by the Rekindle School, an independent art, acting, and film school in Seattle, Washington where May was a teacher.

Terraria: Journey's End finally has a firm release date
https://www.pcgamer.com/terraria-journeys-end-finally-has-a-firm-release-date/
Terraria's fourth and final update, Journey's End, will release on May 16. Studio ReLogic confirmed the news today, noting that May 16 is also the ninth anniversary of the game's original release. Journey's End will be free, and is the final major update to the game.

Here's how Artifact is overhauling deployment
https://www.pcgamer.com/heres-how-artifact-is-overhauling-deployment/
Valve continues to share its progress on Artifact, its briefly popular card game that ultimately became, according to Gabe Newell, an "interesting failure". In thlatest deep dive, Valve's Eric Tams shows off how deployment has changed, though it's still not clear when players will be able to check out the changes for themselves.

Watch 20 minutes of Grounded singleplayer
https://www.pcgamer.com/watch-20-minutes-of-grounded-singleplayer/
Obsidian's diminutive survival game, Grounded, will be making an appearance in July when it launches as an Xbox Game Preview affair, but ahead of that you can get an extended look at what's going on in this deadly garden thanks to a new developer walkthrough. Check it out above.

Superman concept art has been spotted in a WB Games contractor's portfolio
https://www.pcgamer.com/superman-concept-art-has-been-spotted-in-a-wb-games-contractors-portfolio/
Twitter user tatlinksy noticed the concept art when browsing Joël Dos Reis Viegas's portfolio. Viegas was contracted to work on both Origins and Arkham Knight, helping the team "flesh out original designs." Most of the concept art, naturally, relates to Batman and his foes, including the Joker and Harley. And then there's Supes, flying over a city that doesn't immediately look like Metropolis or Gotham.

Call of Duty: Warzone gets a snipers and shotguns mode
https://www.pcgamer.com/call-of-duty-warzone-gets-a-snipers-and-shotguns-mode/
Call of Duty: Warzone players can practice their close and long-range shooting skills in a new mode: Scopes and Scatter Guns Trios. It doesn't quite roll off the tongue, does it? It's essentially a snipers and shotguns mode.

Surprise, there's a new XCOM spinoff coming next week
https://www.pcgamer.com/xcom-chimera-squad-is-coming-on-april-24/
I can't say I saw this coming: a new XCOM game will release next Friday, April 24.
XCOM: Chimera Squad isn't a direct continuation of XCOM 2, but a smaller, standalone spin-off that puts you in control of a fixed set of developer-created, human and human-alien hybrid characters within a branching campaign about 20 hours in length. Interestingly, it'll be half-price on Steam ($10) until May 1, after which it will go up to its regular price of $20.
>> I can't say I saw this coming either. But I'm not complaining.

Crusader Kings 3 lets you play as bisexual or asexual rulers
https://www.pcgamer.com/crusader-kings-3-lets-you-play-as-bisexual-or-asexual-rulers/
Crusader Kings 3 is a big ol' sandbox that promises to let you slip into the shoes of all sorts of medieval rulers, and while history likes to emphasise the accomplishments of heterosexual men, it looks like Paradox is avoiding that trap.

im hoping for 2s in cod

Wednesday news:

SALES & DEALS

BioShock, Borderlands and XCOM feature in this generous 2K Humble Bundle
https://www.pcgamer.com/bioshock-borderlands-and-xcom-feature-in-this-generous-2k-humble-bundle/
If you're in the market for exactly 16 games published by 2K Games, the stars have aligned and your specific shopping desires are fulfilled: and it only costs $20 (AU$33) in the 2K Humble Bundle. As usual there are three tiers. The cheapest is a dollar (AU$1.50) and nets you The Darkness 2, Sid Meier's Pirates, Carnival Games VR and Spec Ops: The Line. Spend around $12 (AU$19) and you'll also get The Golf Club 2019, Civilization III, NBA 2K Playgrounds 2, and the BioShock Collection, which packages all three BioShock games. The top tier - the $20 one - includes all of the above but adds NBA 2K20, WWE 2K20, XCOM, Enemy Unknown, Borderlands (the enhanced edition) and the Borderlands Handsome Collection, which bundles Borderlands 2 and the Pre-Sequel.
>> This bundle will last 13 days. Meanwhile the Humble Store has a new sale on its own, offering the game For The King 60% off during the next 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/for-the-king-weekly-deal/

GOG's Midweek Sale features "engaging builder games" with up to 80% discounts for the next 3 days: https://www.gog.com/promo/20200415_midweek_sale

Steam has two new daily deals and an array of Midweek Madness deals:

• The first daily deal is the Early Access title Gloria Victis: MMORPG, 60% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/327070/Gloria_Victis_MMORPG/
• The second one is Valkyria Chronicles 4 Complete Edition, 66% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/790820/Valkyria_Chronicles_4_Complete_Edition/
• And these are the Midweek Madness deals:
  • Stoneshard, still in Early Access, is 20% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/625960/Stoneshard/
  • The Plague Inc. and Rebel Inc. bundle is 43% off (the individual games are 60 and 20% off respectively): https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/13986/Plague_Inc_and_Rebel_Inc/
  • Developer Piranha Bytes puts its games up to 80% off: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/piranhabytes/
  • ASTRONEER is "only" 35% off, but the discount will last until April 20: https://store.steampowered.com/app/361420/ASTRONEER/
  • And For The King will be 60% off until April 23: https://store.steampowered.com/app/527230/For_The_King/

And Fanatical's new Star Deal is the Atari Vault, 90% off for 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/atari-vault-off

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-empty-

MODS/EMULATORS

STALKER Clear Sky Fan Remaster released, features 64-bit Engine, UHD Textures and more
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/stalker-clear-sky-fan-remaster-released-features-64-bit-engine-uhd-textures-and-more/
RemasterStudio has released the first beta version of a graphics overhaul mod for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky. STALKER Clear Sky Remaster ports the game to the latest version of the X-Ray Engine, and introduces a lot of modern-day graphical features.
Going into more details, this fan remaster now packs a 64 bit engine which is more efficient. Thus, the game will most likely run faster on existing hardware, and will be more stable.
Furthermore, STALKER Clear Sky Remaster adds Ultra HD Textures. Most of these textures are 2K and 4K, though there are some that are 8K. Moreover, PC gamers can find 2K ( and even 4K in some cases) bump maps.
Alongside these new features, this fan remaster adds enhanced NPC and mutants models. According to the modder, NPCs have around 30- 70K polygons, whereas the mutants have around 20- 40K polygons.
>> Unfortunately it's only available for its Patreon subscribers, for now.

Turn Half-Life: Alyx into a horde shooter with this new mod
https://www.pcgamer.com/turn-half-life-alyx-into-a-horde-shooter-with-this-new-mod/
Half-Life: Alyx is a damn good shooter as far as VR goes, so it's no surprise that one of the earliest mods for the game adds a horde mode. It comes in the form of XenThug, which is available to download now.
Created by modder Manello, it operates like a fairly typical horde mode: waves of enemies approach you, and you shoot them. Every fallen enemy drops a bit of currency, which you can spend between rounds on getting kitted up. According to the FAQ, the mod will throw a bunch of waves at you featuring different enemy types, but once these are passed it'll cycle back to the beginning... only enemies will have double HP.

GAMING NEWS

New trailers for War of the Worlds, Hunting Simulator 2, The Dark Pictures: Little Hope & more
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-trailers-for-war-of-the-worlds-hunting-simulator-2-the-dark-pictures-little-hope-more/
Nacon, Bandai Namco, Steel Arts Software and more have released new trailers for their upcoming games. Thus, we’ve decided to gather -- and share -- all of them in one single article. As such, below you can find the trailers for War of the Worlds, Hunting Simulator 2, The Dark Pictures: Little Hope, Ship Graveyard Simulator, Timelie, ARBORIA and Noah’s Ark.

Crytek is working on an unannounced triple-A game
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/crytek-is-working-on-an-unannounced-triple-a-game/
According to a recent job listing, Crytek is currently working on an unannounced triple-A game. While the job listing does not provide any other details, this triple-A game could be the upcoming remake/remaster of Crysis.
>> Well, given that they mention Nomad in a tweet, it's a given that it's something related to Crysis.

PUBG Update 7.1 released, overhauls Vivendi Map, greatly improves performance & stability
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/pubg-update-7-1-released-overhauls-vivendi-map-greatly-improves-performance-stability/
PUBG Corporation has released a brand new update for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds on the test server. According to the release notes, Update 7.1 overhauls the Vivendi Map. Moreover, it brings a number of performance and stability improvements, as well as some Quality of Life Improvements.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare April 14th Update adds new icons to the killcam, full patch notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-april-14th-update-adds-new-icons-to-the-killcam-full-patch-notes/
Infinity Ward has released a new patch for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty Warzone. According to the release notes, the April 14th update features some playlist changes. Moreover, it fixes a number of bugs and adds new icons to the killcam.

Monster Hunter World PC will be on par with console version on April 23rd, Update 13.01.00 now available
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/monster-hunter-world-pc-will-be-on-par-with-console-version-on-april-23rd-update-13-01-00-now-available/
Capcom has announced that a new major update for Monster Hunter World Iceborne will come out on April 23rd. This update will finally bring the PC version on par with the console version. Moreover, Capcom has recently released a new patch for the PC version of Monster Hunter World.

Half-Life: Alyx Update 1.2.1 released, fixes numerous bugs and crashes, full patch notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/half-life-alyx-update-1-2-1-released-fixes-numerous-bugs-and-crashes-full-patch-notes/
Valve has released a brand new update for Half-Life Alyx. According to the release notes, update 1.2.1 fixes a number of bugs and gameplay issues. Moreover, it improves rendering of Japanese narrow subtitles and packs localization improvements in multiple supported languages.

Marvel’s Avengers Game Overview Gameplay Trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/marvels-avengers-game-overview-gameplay-trailer/
Square Enix has released a new gameplay trailer for Marvel’s Avengers. This trailer dives deeply into how you customize Super Heroes’ Gear, Skills, Outfits, and how to launch missions from your helicarrier base of operations to take on AIM.

Wednesday news, part two:

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope is coming this summer
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-dark-pictures-anthology-little-hope-is-coming-this-summer/
The second episode in Supermassive's Dark Pictures Anthology is due out this summer, spinning a yarn that straddles the history of the titular town, which once played host to both witches and witchfinders. Check out the reveal trailer above.

Civ designer's strategy game 10 Crowns is now called Old World, and it's coming to early access soon
https://www.pcgamer.com/civ-designers-strategy-game-10-crowns-is-now-called-old-world-and-its-coming-to-early-access-soon/
Back in 2018, Civ 3 and 4 designer Soren Johnson announced a new historical 4X game, with his indie team Mohawk Games. Mohawk is made up of a number of Civ veterans, and their last project was the great Offworld Trading Company. 10 Crowns was going to be published by Starbreeze, but then the company went into restructuring and sold back the publishing rights. That was all we'd heard about 10 Crowns until now: It's been unveiled with a new name, Old World, and it's coming to Early Access on the Epic Games Store in the next couple months.

Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 3 is getting pushed to June
https://www.pcgamer.com/fortnite-chapter-2-season-2-is-getting-pushed-to-june/
Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 has been extended. Originally scheduled to end on April 30, Season 2 will now continue until June 4. That's an extra month and change for the still infinitely popular battle royale shooter. Epic made the announcement in an official blog post on Tuesday.

The new Arma 3 scenario is about a retired badass who just wants to be left alone
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-new-arma-3-scenario-is-about-a-retired-badass-who-just-wants-to-be-left-alone/
You know all those mid-budget action flicks where the crusty old guy living in a remote cabin just wants people to leave him alone, but then some high-level d-bag shows up and starts causing trouble, and eventually it gets personal and then it's revealed that the crusty old guy is a retired CIA assassin who took an oath of non-violence, but just this once he's gonna make an exception? Now you can enjoy that experience as a videogame in Old Man, a new singleplayer scenario for Arma 3 Apex that was released for free today.

The Chex Quest HD remake is coming to Steam, and will be free
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-chex-quest-remake-is-coming-to-steam-this-summer/
I never played Chex Quest, the promotional Doom total conversion released in 1996, so I will have to take Evan's word that it was—and this is a direct quote—"gaming's best cereal-based shooter." Because Chex Quest is indeed based on Chex, the breakfast cereal that's been in bowls since the mid-'30s: It's still a first-person game, but reflecting the sensitivities of its younger-skewing audience, it forgoes shotguns, rocket launchers, and demons for "zorching" devices used to send anthropomorphic boogers back to their own dimension. Family-friendly fun.

Remnant: From the Ashes 'Swamps of Corsus' DLC will add a survival mode
https://www.pcgamer.com/remnant-from-the-ashes-swamps-of-corsus-dlc-will-add-a-survival-mode/
Remnant: From the Ashes will get new DLC on April 28 in the form of Swamps of Corsus, which adds a bunch of new content including a Survival Mode. According to studio Gunfire Games, this mode basically turns the game into a rogue-like.

Jalopy dev's new game lets you drunkenly build stuff in '80s working-class Britain
https://www.pcgamer.com/jalopy-devs-new-game-lets-you-drunkenly-build-stuff-in-80s-working-class-britain/
MinskWorks, the developer behind the car driving sim Jalopy, has announced that its new game Landlord's Super is heading to Steam Early Access on April 30. It's a first-person boozy building sim set in the British midlands during the 1980s.

You can now get beta access from any Valorant stream
https://www.pcgamer.com/valorant-twitch-key-drops/
We're loving Valorant at PC Gamer so far, but it's not without its issues. In their 11 thoughts on Valorant, Evan and Tyler highlight how much they appreciate the tactical shooter's depth, despite a lack of identity in its guns and characters. That excitement is shared by many of you, too: players are scrabbling to get access to the closed Valorant beta by watching specific Twitch streams, and the luck isn't with everyone.
Now, following this post on the game's official site, you can pick up a key from watching any Valorant Twitch stream, as long as the streamer is actively playing the game. Drops will continue to arrive 24/7 to players in Europe, Canada, United States, Turkey, Russia and CIS countries, but it's worth noting that the number of beta keys available won't increase—you'll just be able to get one from a greater number of sources.

F1 2020 will be releasing this July with a new team management mode
https://www.pcgamer.com/f1-2020-will-be-releasing-this-july-with-a-new-team-management-mode/
Codemasters has announced that F1 2020 will be released on July 10. The racing sim will launch on Steam, PS4, Xbox One, and, for the first time in the series, Google Stadia. F1 2020 will feature a new team management mode alongside its already established career mode.

Seems that Amazon France has listed Days Gone (Sony First Party Exclusive) for PC:

https://www.amazon.fr/Sony-Days-Gone-Edition/dp/B07NC188T6/

I believe they also listed Horizon Zero Dawn before that got announced

Persona 5 just got listed as well!

https://www.amazon.fr/Persona-5-Royal/dp/B082BRFLVZ/

The Persona 5 listing dosen't surprise me. It's been rumored several times alrady and it kind of makes sense given how much SEGA supports PC and that they own Atlus.

But the Days Gone listing is totally unexpected. I thought that Sony would have waited until Horizon had launched to see how it performed and decide if it's a worthy investement or not. But who knows, the game had a long development and maybe it hasn't sold well enough for Sony, who now wants to get some more money through PC gamers.

And, after all, Days Gone hasn't become an iconic IP like God of War, Uncharted, Horizon and others that are guaranteed to bring back the money they cost and more, so maybe this is their way to gauge if, with a broader audience, it can also become a profitable franchise.

That's true but let's not forget that Detroit: Become Human and other David cage games also came to PC on EGS and I wouldn't call them very iconic either. I think Sony is gonna port the rest of their library onto PC since it's a natural step after putting their exclusives onto PS Now which is also available on PC.