The second part of the Monday news:
PAX announces 'optimistic' dates for 2021 events
https://www.pcgamer.com/pax-announces-optimistic-dates-for-2021-events/
The COVID-19 pandemic that brought a very sudden halt to gaming conventions like E3, PAX, and Gamescom in 2020 is still raging, but despite that, the Penny Arcade folks have announced the dates for the 2021 slate of PAX events. Organizers acknowledged that the dates are "optimistic" and scheduled shows ultimately may not come to pass, but said that they're announcing dates now to help with planning and "start conversations about how to bring attendees, panelists, exhibitors, and our broader community together."
BioWare teases Dragon Age 4 'reveal' at The Game Awards
https://www.pcgamer.com/bioware-teases-dragon-age-4-reveal-at-the-game-awards/
Electronic Arts revealed what was widely believed to the first look at Dragon Age 4 during an EA Play livestream in June. There wasn't much to it, nor was the Dragon Age name uttered at any point, but it was very clearly Dragon Age imagery. Today, however, we've got something more concrete: EA has announced that more information about the next Dragon Age game will be revealed at The Game Awards.
Call of Duty: Warzone's new map is coming a week later than expected
https://www.pcgamer.com/call-of-duty-warzones-new-map-is-coming-a-week-later-than-expected/
Call of Duty's free-to-play battle royale offshoot, Warzone, will get a new map and mode, 30 new weapons, and "a new Gulag experience" later this month.
This is expected: Activision previously announced that Warzone would be integrated with new Call of Duty releases, and that the standalone battle royale game would get an infusion of Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War stuff on December 10. There's been a slight delay, though, and the Cold War x Warzone Season One update has been pushed back to December 16.
The factory-building tower defense of Mindustry gets a huge 6.0 update
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-factory-building-tower-defense-of-mindustry-gets-a-huge-60-update/
Mindustry has a huge update this week adding a ton of new stuff to the 2019 game. The system for controlling units has been hugely upgraded, the campaign completely overhauled, new blocks, turrets, and a logic system for your base, as well as new maps and weather effects for all the old maps. It's a lot, and you can view the whole update on the Steam post.
The original version of Dragon Quest 11 has been delisted from Steam to make way for a Switch port
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-original-version-of-dragon-quest-11-has-been-delisted-from-steam-to-make-way-for-a-switch-port/
Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age was the first mainline game in the Dragon Quest series to arrive on Steam—part of a move intended to broaden its appeal in the west. (...)
That version, the "Digital Edition of Light", is no longer available for sale. Owners can still download it, and its Steam page still exists, though it notes, "At the request of the publisher, DRAGON QUEST® XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Digital Edition of Light is unlisted on the Steam store and will not appear in search."
Instead, customers are directed toward the page for the newly released Dragon Quest 11 S: Definitive Edition. It adds more companion-related quests, a photo mode, and a host of other changes including the option to choose Japanese voice acting, play in 16-bit 2D rather than 3D, speed up battles, and hear a full orchestral version of the soundtrack. It's also a port of the Switch version, which means it's a bit of a graphical downgrade. It'll run at a higher resolution than the Switch version, and at a higher framerate, so it comes down to how much it bothers you that things like water don't look as nice.
Matrix Games announces 2021 wargame lineup, including War in the East 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/matrix-games-announces-2021-wargame-lineup-including-war-in-the-east-2/
Matrix Games has announced their top-tier wargames for 2021, all sequels to the publisher's most popular series. The most surprising might be that War in the East 2 is coming in 2021. War in the East 2 will be a sequel to the biggest, most complex, most beloved World War 2 wargames there are: Gary Grigsby's War in the East and Gary Grigsby's War in the West. They're hugely ambitious games and shockingly successful games that let you control an entire front of the war from the operational level. War in the East 2 has a suite of changes, most significant of which is a major upgrade to command and control of your air wings.
Invent civilization in city builder Sumerians
https://www.pcgamer.com/invent-civilization-in-city-builder-sumerians/
Here's a city builder for you, but like, literally building the city. As in you're building the concept of cities. Sumerians hit Steam Early Access this week as a pretty enticing demo of what's to come in the game's future. It's focused on the basics of how early cities evolved, with you as manager for the state in charge of building up the walls, zoning for civilian construction, hiring workers for state projects and storage, expanding the irrigation network, and maintaining the varied temples or monuments. The historical divide between property which is owned by the state and can be used for public works, versus all other private property which is merely taxed, is quite well reflected in the game mechanics.
Hell Let Loose adds supply trucks and bullet penetration to its very pretty WW2
https://www.pcgamer.com/hell-let-loose-adds-supply-trucks-and-bullet-penetration-to-its-very-pretty-ww2/
Hell Let Loose, a gorgeous and quite fun World War 2 shooter, has released its latest update this week. Update 8, code-named "The Red Ball Express," has overhauled the support and engineer roles with the addition of trucks. Specifically, supply and transport trucks. Support soldiers can now use their trucks to deliver large batches of supplies and/or large groups of soldiers to the front, and those supplies can then be used by engineers to build lots of super-tough fortifications.
Lord of the Rings Online will get a visual overhaul to capitalise on Amazon's upcoming TV series
https://www.pcgamer.com/lord-of-the-rings-online-will-get-a-visual-overhaul-to-capitalise-on-amazons-upcoming-tv-series/
Last week Enand Global 7 acquired Daybreak Game Company, the developer and publisher formerly known as Sony Online Entertainment. The studio's name was changed after it split from Sony, and it's behind a bunch of games including H1Z1, the EverQuests, Planetside 2, and DC Universe Online. It's also the publisher of The Lord of the Rings Online, developed by Standing Stone Games.
(... lots of stuff...)
It tells investors that the developers are "Planning visual and technical updates for LOTRO for PC and nextgen consoles to capitalize on Amazon’s highly publicized large investment (~$500mm) in LOTR TV series." This is scheduled for 2022 (the TTV series is scheuled to begin in 2021).
Cyberpunk 2077 preloads are live, with an easter egg
https://www.pcgamer.com/cyberpunk-2077-pre-loads-are-live-with-an-easter-egg/
Preloads for Cyberpunk 2077 are now live on GOG.com, with Steam and the Epic Games Store to follow at 8 am PT/11 am ET/5pm CET today. The release date is December 10 in CD Projekt's home of Poland but, because it's a simultaneous worldwide release on PC and Stadia, some will technically get it a little early. Also, the game is nine whole pence cheaper on GOG than Steam and Epic if you're in the UK.
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