Let's go with the Friday news!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Sea of Thieves now has over 20 million players
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/sea-of-thieves-now-has-over-20-million-players/
Microsoft and Rare announced that since Sea of Thieves’ launch back in March 2018, over 20 million players have begun to chart their own tales of high seas adventure.
(...)
Sea of Thieves’ March 18th Update brings a number of fixes. For instance, Emissary Flags should no longer float away if hit by a moving ship. Additionally, crew status nameplates should accurately show when a player is taking damage from other players or skeletons.
>> Congratulations to them.

Bleak sci-fi adventure The Fall is free on the Epic Games Store right now
https://www.pcgamer.com/bleak-sci-fi-adventure-the-fall-is-free-on-the-epic-games-store-right-now/
The Fall is the best British band to ever exist, but it’s also a 2014 sidescrolling adventure game about ARID, a marooned AI combat suit tasked with protecting the unconscious human inside it. (...)
If you’ve yet to try The Fall now there’s no excuse: it’s this week’s free Epic Games Store game. It’s available until March 25, at which time Creature in the Well will be next in line for the freebie treatment.

The Humble Store has two new sales:

• The Goblinz Publishing Anniversary Sale brings up to 80% discounts during the next 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/goblinz-publishing-anniversary-sale/
• And there's an Ubisoft BYOB Sale with 24 games to make your up to 5 games bundle. And remember, the more games you pick, the bigger the discount, up to 85% off. All the keys are for UPlay: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/ubisoft-build-your-own-bundle/

Fanatical has a new Star Deal and also a contest:

• The new Star Deal is Watch_Dogs 2, 86% off during the next 48 hours. The keys are for UPlay: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/watch-dogs-2
• And there's a contest to win Resident Evil Prizes that started two days ago (sorry ), but you still have a couple more days to take part in it: https://www.fanatical.com/en/blog/st-patricks-day-lucky7-contest-win-resident-evil-village-merchandise-more

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

AMD Radeon Software 21.3.1 driver improves Radeon Boost & Radeon Anti-Lag
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/amd-radeon-software-21-3-1-driver-improves-radeon-boost-radeon-anti-lag/
AMD has released a brand new driver for its graphics cards. According to the release notes, the AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020 Edition 21.3.1 driver improves Radeon Boost and Radeon Anti-Lag, and introduces a new built-in tool for Performance Tuning.
Going into more details, Radeon Boost now supports DirectX12 with Variable Rate Shading for select titles. Furthermore, Radeon Anti-Lag now supports DirectX 12.
Additionally, AMD has added support for DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods – Part Two, as well as the AMD Radeon RX 6700XT.
>> Available from here.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

-Empty-

GAMING NEWS

Project Athia to be called Forspoken, gets new gameplay trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/project-athia-to-be-called-forspoken-gets-new-gameplay-trailer/
Square Enix has announced that Project Athia will be officially called Forspoken. This game is coming to PS5 and PC in 2022, and you can find below a new gameplay trailer for it.
>> CGI-Quality has made a thread about it. And here are the first official screenshots.

Survive the Fall is a new post-apocalyptic tactical strategy game
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/survive-the-fall-is-a-new-post-apocalyptic-tactical-strategy-game/
Angry Bulls Studio has announced a new post-apocalyptic tactical strategy game, Survive the Fall. In order to celebrate this announcement, the team released the game’s debut trailer that you can find below.

Godfall Update 2.4.54 released, full patch notes revealed
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/godfall-update-2-4-54-released-full-patch-notes-revealed/
Counterplay Games has released a brand new patch, Update 2.4.54, for Godfall. According to the release notes, this update fixes numerous bugs and glitches.

Cloud Imperium collaborates with Firesprite for Star Citizen’s MP mode, Theaters of War
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/cloud-imperium-collaborates-with-firesprite-for-star-citizens-mp-mode-theaters-of-war/
Cloud Imperium Games and Firesprite publicly announced a collaboration on the forthcoming Star Citizen multiplayer mode, “Theaters of War” (working title). Star Citizen’s “Theaters of War” mode is a PvP multiplayer experience.

New trailers for STALKER 2, Second Extinction & The Ascent coming on March 26th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-trailers-for-stalker-2-second-extinction-the-ascent-coming-on-march-26th/
Microsoft has announced that it will hold its first /twitchgaming Showcase, ID@Xbox, on March 26th. During that event, the team will reveal new trailers and gameplay from STALKER 2, Second Extinction and The Ascent.

SCARLET NEXUS PC Requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/scarlet-nexus-pc-requirements/
Bandai Namco has launched the Steam store page for SCARLET NEXUS, revealing the game’s official PC system requirements. According to the specs, PC gamers will need a 64-bit operating system, and 50GB of free hard-disk space.

PAYDAY 3 to be published by Koch Media in 2023
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/payday-3-to-be-published-by-koch-media-in-2023/
Koch Media has signed a publishing deal with Starbreeze for PAYDAY 3. As the press release reads, the game now targets a 2023 release date. Furthermore, Starbreeze will offer additional content and functionalities for long beyond the original release date.

Friday news, part two:

Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection will run at 60 fps and 4K on PC, but drops online play
https://www.pcgamer.com/ninja-gaiden-master-collection-will-run-at-60-fps-and-4k-on-pc-but-drops-online-play/
Last month we learned, via a Nintendo Direct of all things, that the Ninja Gaiden series will finally be heading to PC (no, Yaiba doesn't count).
(...)
The tweet above (machine-translated) tells us that Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection "supports 4K resolution and 60 fps when played in an operating environment that meets the conditions on [Steam]." It rather ominously adds that "the resolution and fps may drop temporarily depending on the playing conditions." I say ominous because Sigma 2 in particular had some bad frame-drop issues on PS3, but we'll see.

After Genshin Impact 1.5 update leaks, MiHoYo is threatening to crack down
https://www.pcgamer.com/after-genshin-impact-15-update-leaks-mihoyo-is-threatening-to-crack-down/
Genshin Impact's current update is barely a day old, but several players have already leaked a significant number of features from its upcoming 1.5 update, coming later this year. In addition to two new characters, it looks like Genshin Impact might be getting some form of player housing and a new boss fight later this year. In response to the leaks (which have been an ongoing issue since Genshin's launch), MiHoYo released a statement asking players to stay away from leaks and promising it will "increase its efforts to deal with illegal disclosures."

In Necromunda: Hired Gun you're a 40K bounty hunter with a murderous robo-dog
https://www.pcgamer.com/in-necromunda-hired-gun-youre-a-40k-bounty-hunter-with-a-murderous-robo-dog/
Following yesterday's leak, Focus Home Interactive and StreumOn Studio has officially announced the upcoming FPS Necromunda: Hired Gun, a shooter in Games Workshop's Necromunda setting: basically a nightmarish 'hive city' filled with scum and villainy. The trailer suggests some reasons for cautious optimism, which is a welcome surprise with a 40K game (come on, it's ridiculous there aren't more good 40K games).

Assassin's Creed Valhalla sails to Ireland next month
https://www.pcgamer.com/assassins-creed-valhalla-sails-to-ireland-next-month/
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is preparing for a wee trip to Ireland next month, but there's plenty of free festivities to get through before Wrath Of The Druids kicks off.

Life Is Strange: Remastered Collection coming later this year
https://www.pcgamer.com/life-is-strange-remastered-collection-coming-later-this-year/
Has it really been six years since Life Is Strange first walked into town, jumping through time, squeezing "hella" into every other sentence? This year, Dontnod's original superpowered teen drama and Deck Nine follow-up Before The Storm are getting spruced up as the Life Is Strange: Remastered Collection.

Black Panther is coming to Marvel's Avengers
https://www.pcgamer.com/black-panther-is-coming-to-marvels-avengers/
Black Panther had always been part of the plan for Marvel's Avengers, but then last year tragedy struck: actor Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed the character in the MCU's lauded Black Panther film, died in August 2020 at the age of 43. As a mark of respect, Crystal Dynamics delayed the arrival of their own take on Black Panther in Marvel's Avengers.
Today at the Square Enix showcase, the first trailer for the upcoming expansion was shown. Called Black Panther: War for Wakanda, it features a voiceover by the character's arch-nemesis Klaw, finalising arrangements for invading Black Panther's kingdom with an army. We see the lush new Wakanda biome (Avengers' nomenclature for its open environments), before a look at Black Panther himself.

Hearthstone is getting 3D animated 'Diamond' cards and a revamped reward track
https://www.pcgamer.com/hearthstone-diamond-cards-announcement/
Hearthstone's sizable community of fan artists has often created cards with characters busting out of the frames to show how cool it would look. I never expected to see those designs made real, but Team 5 has been breaking a lot of self-imposed rules recently, and today pulled the curtain back on Diamond cards. These are a swanky new sort of card in which 3D-modelled artwork pops right out of an ornate diamond border.
(...)
Note that these cards are a purely cosmetic option, rather than an additional new tier of rarity (the example shown in the tweet above is a Legendary). According to Blizzard's blog post today, "each expansion will include one or more handcrafted Diamond Legendary cards." I'm pretty sure all Hearthstone cards are handcrafted, but we digress.

The next Among Us map is finally coming out, here's why it took longer than expected
https://www.pcgamer.com/among-us-airship-release-date-new-map/
The PC Gamer staff may have caught the Valheim bug at the start of 2021, but millions of people are still enjoying last year's craze, Among Us. Fans have been waiting patiently for the new map since it was shown at The Game Awards in December, and developer Innersloth is finally ready to start talking release dates. The Airship is officially dropping on March 31.

There's a job ad for professional Minecraft landscapers, and children keep applying
https://www.pcgamer.com/theres-a-job-ad-for-professional-minecraft-landscapers-and-children-keep-applying/
They say that if you do what you love then it doesn't feel like work. I'm pretty sure that's a bunch of baloney, but I can understand the allure of becoming a professional landscaper within Minecraft. That's the job on offer from WhatShed, a British publication that covers all things sheds and gardening. It's no surprise that such an interesting job is attracting a lot of applicants, I just didn't expect so many of them to be kids.
>>

Phasmophobia's next update will let ghosts touch your real human body
https://www.pcgamer.com/phasmaphobias-next-update-will-let-ghosts-touch-your-real-human-body/
Phasmophobia's ghosts will soon be able to reach out from the computer screen and grasp your actual, flesh-and-blood body—assuming you've shelled out for one of those newly-supported bHaptics suits.

Deathloop artist showcases the game's sharp '60s-inspired fashion
https://www.pcgamer.com/deathloop-artist-showcases-the-games-sharp-60s-inspired-fashion/
For a gang of brutal killers trapped on a timeless murder island, Deathloop's heroes and villains are impeccably well-dressed. In a new video from GameInformer, Arkane lead character artist Jean-Baptiste Ferder detailed how the team stitched together such a fashionable cast.

Disco Elysium: The Final Cut even gives your horrific necktie a voice
https://www.pcgamer.com/disco-elysium-the-final-cut-even-gives-your-horrific-necktie-a-voice/
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut arrives in just over a week, and then you'll finally know what the garish accessory you grabbed from a ceiling fan actually sounds like. Marvellous!
>> Unsurprisingly, Australia has refused to classificate the game.

And these are the GOG and Steam deals for the weekend:

+GOG

• The Weekly Sale has with up to 85% discounts: https://www.gog.com/promo/20210315_weekly_sale
• The Midweek Sale and its up to 88% discounts will last another 22 hours: https://www.gog.com/promo/20210317_midweek_sale
• The Dungeons & Dragons Games Sale with up to 75% discounts will also last another 22 hours: https://www.gog.com/promo/dnd_alphacast
• Crunching Koalas Publisher Sale and its up to 80% deals will last another 3 days: https://www.gog.com/promo/crunching_koalas
• The Weekend Sale comes with Deep Silver games up to 80% off: https://www.gog.com/promo/deep_silver_publisher_weekend
• Publisher Goblinz Studio celebrates its 5th anniversary with up to 60% discounts until March 25: https://www.gog.com/promo/goblinz_studio
• The Outher Worlds Sale, with up to 50% discounts will be available for the next 17 days: https://www.gog.com/promo/the_outer_worlds
• And there are also new releases:
  • Endzone - A World Apart gets out of development stage with a 35% discount until March 25: https://www.gog.com/game/endzone_a_world_apart
  • Beyond a Steel Sky lands with a 40% discount until April 5th: https://www.gog.com/game/beyond_a_steel_sky
  • And new Classics land on the store. Check them out here: https://www.gog.com/news/9_classic_games_that_are_sure_to_scratch_your_retro_itch

+Steam

• The new daily deal is Move or Die, 75% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/323850/Move_or_Die/
• Avalanche offers its games up to 90% off until Sunday 21st: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/2021AvalancheDevSale
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance will be 66% off until the 22nd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/379430/Kingdom_Come_Deliverance/
• There's an EA Star Wars Sale with up to 75% discounts until Monday: https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/EA/sale/starwarssale
• Bloons TD 6 is is 80% off until Monday 22nd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/960090/Bloons_TD_6/
• Endzone - A World Apart is also on sale here, 35% off until March 25: https://store.steampowered.com/app/933820/Endzone__A_World_Apart/
• Publisher Goblinz Studio also has its games on sale here, up to 90% off until the 25th: https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/goblinz_publishing/sale/publishersale
• And the Rockstar Games Sale features up to 70% discounts until April 1st: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/rockstarsale2021
• And of course, there's also the weeklong deals.

That's all folks! Until next time, have a happy and gaming weekend.

Yeah I'm regretting building a new PC without a GPU now, I should of just kept my Series X pre-order and went about my business on that instead for a few years and then revisited building a PC. I got a top tier emulation PC with a good CPU I guess if nothing else....

Gigabyte RTX 3070 in stock but its £800. AHAHAHA

No.

Looks like the Evil Within on PC Game pass/Windows Store is also getting a list of fixes that's not in the steam version as well as a number of other improvements

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpYE5VZRvDmhiMOGGrLee7Q/community?lb=UgxgrNtTPaEfw5cRxpl4AaABCQ

"EVIL WITHIN FANS REJOICE. The microsoft gamepass version of TEW1 is basically a remaster."
They Added
- first person mode + FOV option
- Infinite ammo mode
- Icons for lantern/sneaking in first person view
- Low/Medium options for Camera Bob
- The stamina has been adjusted, you can now run for 5 seconds at default stamina(was originally 3 seconds)
- All DLC Included
- Separate Achievement List from Xbox
- The game also feels less janky and smooth. definitely worth getting!

This is hella dumb that the Steam version now for both Nier and The Evil Within aren't getting them (least not yet anyway). I really hope they update the Steam version.


ASUS ROG STRIX XG43UQ 4K 144Hz gaming display with HDMI 2.1 now available for preorder

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-rog-strix-xg43uq-4k-144hz-gaming-display-with-hdmi-2-1-now-available-for-preorder

"The ASUS ROG STRIX XG43UQ is now available for 1,349 GBP (1,878 USD), 39,990 CZK 1,822 USD or 16,990 SEK (1,989 USD)."

The audacity of selling these expensive 4k IPS monitors at a higher price than LG OLED TVs.




Shin Megami Tensei III HD Remaster Rated For PC

https://twistedvoxel.com/shin-megami-tensei-iii-hd-remaster-rated-for-pc/

Wasn't expecting this to come to PC. Where the tits is Persona 5 Royal you hoes!

Really do wish manufacturers would try push OLED for monitors. If they made a 35" UW OLED with HDMI 2.1 that would be perfect.

'Member when we all laughed at Supes for getting 2080Ti. Who's laughing now

Really hope this isn't going to set a bad precedent, where Valve has to pay out their arse to get a publisher to fix their stupid mess, because that's garbage if that becomes a thing. PC used to get updates for free, and publishers were supposed to ship finished perfectly working products, not stuttery garbled junk. 

Yea I always get annoyed when publishers do this cause the people who bought this on steam are also paying customers that deserve the best version of the game. And I doubt it would take much effort to update the steam version since it's on the same platform.