Friday news, part two:
New Phasmophobia ghosts are available today
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/phasmophobia-new-ghosts/
A major new Phasmophobia update is coming today—probably by the time you read this—at 11 am PT/7 pm BST. On the menu this time is two new ghosts, a new tool, and a visual overhaul for your entire library of ghost-hunting tools.
Overwatch's McCree is being renamed
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/overwatchs-mccree-is-being-renamed/
Earlier this month, Diablo 4 lead level designer Jesse McCree was dismissed from Blizzard when his involvement in the now infamous "Cosby Suite" group chats came to light after the company was sued over allegations of widespread sexual harassment and discrimination. For that reason, some Overwatch casters stopped using the name of the Overwatch character McCree, who was named after the former Blizzard employee, while a large segment of the player base demanded that the name be changed.
Today, Blizzard announced that it will rename McCree.
>> They've also announced that they'll no longer name characters after real people.
World of Warships uses bonus code to say 'FK U' to streamer, uses another code to apologize
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/world-of-warships-bonus-code-insult-apology/
World of Warships developer Wargaming has apologized for using an in-game bonus code to say "f— you" to a former member of its Community Contributors program—and demonstrated the sincerity of its contrition by issuing another in-game bonus code that says sorry.
Life is Strange: True Colors shows how empathy is a superpower in a new trailer
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/life-is-strange-true-colors-shows-how-empathy-is-a-superpower-in-a-new-trailer/
Life is Strange: True Colors is only a few weeks away, and the Future Games Show at Gamescom has given a further glimpse into protagonist Alex Chen's powers.
Rustler is basically old-school Grand Theft Auto set in a 'historically inaccurate' medieval world
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/rustler-is-basically-old-school-grand-theft-auto-set-in-a-historically-inaccurate-medieval-world/
Rustler is very much like an old-school Grand Theft Auto game, in a couple of ways. It's a top-down action game in which you'll commit all sorts of heinous and bizarre crimes and quests, and it takes place in what developer Jutsu Games describes as "historically inaccurate medieval setting" filled with "humor, anachronisms, and pop culture references."
>> It has a demo, in case you want to try it.
Build a beaver empire in Timberborn next month
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/build-a-beaver-empire-in-timberborn-next-month/
Timberborn ticks all of my boxes. Humans have been wiped out, the animals are now in charge, and beavers can build cities. Smart critters and no humans? Sign me up. Yes, my boxes are very specific. And you won't have long to wait if you feel the same way, as an Early Access release date was announced during the Future Games Show.
Barter with frogs the old-fashioned way in cute indie game Trading Time
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/barter-with-frogs-the-old-fashioned-way-in-cute-indie-game-trading-time/
It's funny to think about a time before we bought and sold everything according to paper money or imaginary digital currency. Maybe it wasn't for all that long, but I assume at some point people simply traded things for things instead of money, and they never had to think about credit card reward points. You know, bartering!
That's the world that Trading Time, an adorable new game from indie outfit Half Past Yellow, is cooking up. You can watch the announcement trailer above from today's Future Games Show.
Sail across massive deserts in open world action RPG Sands of Aura
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/sail-across-massive-deserts-in-open-world-action-rpg-sands-of-aura/
The world is covered in sand, not due to erosion or some natural disaster, but because the hourglass of time has been shattered by an angry god, spilling its contents and burying cities.
That's the state of the fantasy world you'll explore and fight through in Sands of Aura, an open world action RPG coming to Steam Early Access on October 21.
Soulstice's combat has my Devil May Cry senses tingling
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/soulstices-combat-has-my-devil-may-cry-senses-tingling/
We first saw Soulstice two months ago at the PC Gaming Show, and it looked cool: It's a combat-focused game in the vein of Japanese action games like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, but from a small Italian studio. A new trailer from the Future Games Show today gives us a bit more background on Soulstice's two main characters, a pair of sisters who have managed to stay pretty tight despite one of them being a ghost. I'm really here for a few more glimpses of the action, though, and we definitely get that.
Cute voxel 'fishing RPG' Moonglow Bay is coming soon
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/moonglow-bay-release-date-announced/
Just in time for my birthday, "fishing RPG" Moonglow Bay is releasing on October 7, 2021.
If you haven't caught a glimpse at Moonglow Bay yet, it won the hearts of "wholesome" game lovers everywhere a few months ago when it was announced during . You play as a rookie angler on the east Canadian shoreline. Your partner has passed away, and their final wish was that you'd keep the family business going through a tough bankruptcy.
In this spooky metroidvania, your best friend is a teddy bear ghost
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/nine-years-of-shadows-trailer/
At first glance, Nine Years of Shadows has just about everything you could ask from a dark fantasy metroidvania: A warrior with a golden halberd, Lovecraftian statues speaking of ancient prophecies, and a giant spider demon wearing golden armor.
Kerbal creator's Balsa flight simulator is launching an open beta right now
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/kerbal-creators-balsa-flight-simulator-is-available-in-open-beta-right-now/
Here's a nice surprise: a new game from a beloved game developer that we can play right now. A few years ago, Kerbal Space Program creator Felipe "HarvesteR" Falanghe struck out on his own to make Balsa Model Flight Simulator as an early VR game. After VR turned out to have a smaller audience than he hoped—especially for a flight simulation game about model planes—he went back to work on Balsa, turning it into a broader PC game that is now playable in open beta.
In Far: Changing Tides your ramshackle sailboat transforms into a sweet submarine
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/in-far-changing-tides-your-ramshackle-sailboat-transforms-into-a-sweet-submarine/
Far: Lone Sails was a compelling and melancholy adventure where you drove a bizarre, ramshackle vehicle across an apocalyptic wasteland, solving environmental puzzles along the way.
DokeV developers explain what that weird GTA: Babies game is actually about
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/dokev-developers-explain-what-that-weird-gta-babies-game-is-actually-about/
During yesterday's Opening Night Live stream at Gamescom we got a look at a new game called DokeV that, quite frankly, baffled all of us. (...)
The trailer was long and loud and thoroughly confusing—but kind of in a good way, if only because it left us wanting to know more about what was going on. During today's Future Games Show, we got it: While yesterday's presentation was all sound, fury, and confusion, today's is a clearer breakdown of what players have to look forward to.
Bungie confirms no new Darkness subclass coming to Destiny 2 next year
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/bungie-confirms-no-new-darkness-subclass-coming-to-destiny-2-next-year/
This week has delivered a smorgasbord of info about the future of Destiny 2 that has given me not just information overload, but quite possibly also information diabetes. It's been a lot to absorb. Perhaps the biggest surprise from Tuesday's rich spread of announcements was an omission: Contrary to the leaks, which have otherwise proved spot on, The Witch Queen will not add a new Darkness-based subclass when it arrives next February. Bungie instead outlined its plans to bring the existing Light subclasses up to the same standard of customisability as Stasis, which is the Darkness subclass that was added with the Beyond Light expansion last year.
Fallout veteran leaves Bethesda after 15 years
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/fallout-veteran-leaves-bethesda-after-15-years/
Fallout 76 project lead Jeff Gardiner has announced he is leaving Bethesda Game Studios after 15 years working on the series. Gardiner joined the studio in 2005 and has loads of credits, mostly on the Fallout series but also on The Elder Scrolls.
Blasphemous gets a final expansion in December and a sequel is on the way
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/blasphemous-gets-a-final-expansion-in-december-and-a-sequel-is-on-the-way/
Dark fantasy action-platformer Blasphemous will get a final expansion in December called Wounds of Eventide, which is good news. Even better news is that a sequel is planned for 2023. There's not much in the way of firm details about either, but you can check out the Wounds of Eventide cinematic trailer above.
Indie dev leaves industry 'indefinitely' thanks to exploitation of Steam's refund policy
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/indie-dev-leaves-industry-indefinitely-thanks-to-exploitation-of-steams-refund-policy/
A horror indie developer has stepped away from games development "indefinitely" because Steam's two-hour refund policy has led to a high number of returns on their latest game.
Solo developer Emika Games released the psychological thriller Summer of '58 at the end of July, receiving Mostly Positive reviews on Steam. But as they tweeted in a statement this week, the game's short length has led to a high number of refunds being processed, leaving Emika out of pocket.
>> That's the same kind of human scum that abused the same system during the Steam Sales and lead to the disappearance of the flash deals. F*ck them.
Saints Row devs 'not backing down' over reboot criticisms
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/saints-row-devs-not-backing-down-over-reboot-criticisms/
Saints Row developer Volition told fans it's "not backing down" over the reboot after the announcement trailer divided opinions.
The reboot was announced at Gamescom this week, waving goodbye to the former Third Street Saints in favour of a ragtag quartet of wannabe crime bosses. As VGC reports, the trailer has a startling number of dislikes across various YouTube channels, often outweighing or closely matching the number of likes.
>> I think that, in this game, a wait and see approach will be the best one. If it launches and it's good and has success, then awesome, we'll get a good game. And if it's not a success in its sales... well, we may get it for free at the Epic Store.
Here's why Halo Infinite's campaign wasn't at Gamescom
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/heres-why-halo-infinites-campaign-wasnt-at-gamescom/
Series veteran and Halo Infinite lead writer Joseph Staten has explained the conspicuous absence of the game's campaign details from Microsoft's Gamescom showcase, explaining that the team is currently in "shutdown mode."
Time to check the deals at GOG and Steam:
+GOG
+Steam
That's all for this week. Until the next time, have a happy and gaming weekend.