I bought on Steam with the promotions :

- Persona 5 Royal
- Final Fantasy XIII Trilogy as a gift for a friend
- Lost Judgement
- Soul Hackers 2

I miss the days when Steam sales felt like absolute steals. Now years old games stay at full price permanently and only the occasional sale gets it near a price it ought to be for its age. Used to pick up great games for as little as a dollar; now it's a special occasion if a complete AAA game of any age reaches $20 on a big sale.

That's nice haul. Is FF13 available as trilogy or you bought individually. 

Individually. It costs like 21€ for buying all three.

I bought the Ori games, A Plague Tale: Innocence, Wasteland 3, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, Remnant: From the Ashes and Cyberpunk 2077. Looking to give my new rig a workout on Cyberpunk and I've been eying the Mass Effect collection for some time. I think that's all I need though, I'm still on Diablo IV, and the news of Baldur's Gate III early release just landed as well. Now, if only the heat can calm down so I can actually stand using my PC during daytime... :P

Ngl, this is me every Steam sale these days:

I take one look at my wishlist, sort by discount order, then by price, study my list, then go back to playing DRG. Flash deals or steep discounts really spoiled us back in the day, to the point where today's deals don't even feel like deals, they feel like semi-clever markups (especially evident when you look at how Ubisoft is pricing their base games to their Ult editions).

The indie games I have on my list are going for around £5-10, which is great, but sadly they are either really short ones, or still stuck in early access, and I swore to myself that I wouldn't dive headfirst into too many games in their ea phases (project Zomboid is one of them, as well as 7 days to die). 

Yakuza Collection is pretty good for 55 Canadian pesos or your regional equivalent. These games are so long and they run well on 4060.

Damn, I actually witnessed my GPU reach 70 degrees for the first time today while cranking ~200fps in Remnant: From the Ashes!

Let's go with the Friday news!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

The Humble Store has launched the Top Picks Sale 2023, with up to 90% discounts. While the vast majority of the keys are for Steam, there are also a handful ones for GOG and EGS. The length if teh discounts vary from game to game, with some ending in 5 days while others lasting up to 13. Check them out here: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/top-picks-sale-2023/.

Fanatical has launched a new VIP Mystery Bundle, with three unknown games to get: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/vip-mystery-bundle.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

One of Fallout 4's most ambitious mods just got delayed to get out the way of Starfield
https://www.pcgamer.com/one-of-fallout-4s-most-ambitious-mods-just-got-delayed-to-get-out-the-way-of-starfield/
Fallout: London, a full conversion mod for Fallout 4 that transports players across the pond to the capital of the UK, has been delayed. Instead of releasing in Q3 of this year—that's the Q after this one, if you're not sure—it will now release sometime in Q4, meaning October or after.
"Now you might be wondering, 'Why so late?'" said Fallout: London project lead Prilladog, "well, initially, we had hoped for it to be in the third quarter … however, a certain space game got delayed and is now scheduled to come out around the same time we had planned".
That game, of course, is Starfield. Bethesda's RPG has, appropriately enough, become a bit of a black hole lurking at the heart of September, prompting all sorts of studios to scramble out of its orbit. "This not only gives you all more time to play Starfield," said Prilladog, "but also allows us more time for playtesting and bug fixing, so it's a win/win situation".

The Witcher 3 Next-Gen gets a new 8K Texture Pack for Ciri
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/the-witcher-3-next-gen-gets-a-new-8k-texture-pack-for-ciri/
Earlier this month, modder ‘Instanity’ released two 8K Texture Packs for The Witcher 3 Next-Gen, overhauling Geralt and Yennefer. And yesterday, the modder shared a new 8K Mod that improves the textures of Ciri.
Going into more details, this mod improves Ciri`s face, body and clothes textures. The mod covers both the Adult and Young 3D models of Ciri. And, for those wondering, the new textures are 8192×8192.
>> The article has four screenshots.

GAMING NEWS

Annapurna has announced a new Blade Runner game, Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/annapurna-has-announced-a-new-blade-runner-game-blade-runner-2033-labyrinth/
Annapurna Interactive has just announced a new Blade Runner game, called Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth. Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth brings the revered franchise back to games for the first time in 25 years, and you can find below its announcement trailer.

Dying Light 2 Title Update 1.11 released, full patch notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/dying-light-2-title-update-1-11-released-full-patch-notes/
Techland has released Title Update 1.11, called Good Night Good Luch, for Dying Light 2. According to the patch notes, this update enhances the nighttime by introducing heightened tension, horror, and the presence of roaming Volatiles.

The Crew Motorfest feels like a new Forza Horizon game
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/the-crew-motorfest-feels-like-a-new-forza-horizon-game/
Ubisoft has released a new in-engine trailer for The Crew Motorfest. And, as you will see, this new The Crew game feels – and looks – like a new Forza Horizon game.
>> Not by coincidence.

Nixxes’ graphics programmer comments on DLSS/FSR exclusivity
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/nixxes-graphics-programmer-comments-on-dlss-fsr-exclusivity/
Nixxes’ graphics programmer, Nico van Bentum, shared his thoughts on the recent PC drama surrounding the upscaling techniques. And, as everyone has been saying, Nico believes there’s no excuse to support only one PC upscaling tech and not all three of them.

The Elder Scrolls 6 targets a 2026 release date according to Microsoft
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-elder-scrolls-6-targets-a-2026-release-date-according-to-microsoft/
The Elder Scrolls 6 will be the next game that Bethesda will develop (after Starfield). And, surprisingly enough, Microsoft expects this game to come out in 2026.

New Forza Motorsport gameplay footage leaks online
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-forza-motorsport-gameplay-footage-leaks-online/
A new video, featuring 30 seconds of new gameplay footage from the upcoming Forza Motorsport game, has been leaked online. This video features two cars and one track, and can show off the game’s real-time dynamic time of day.

Friday news, part two:

Baldur's Gate 3 makes a critical save against Starfield and is now launching nearly a month early
https://www.pcgamer.com/baldurs-gate-3-makes-a-critical-save-against-starfield-and-is-now-launching-nearly-a-month-early/
In a June 29 update on Steam, Larian announced that upcoming mega-RPG Baldur's Gate 3 will be launching nearly a month earlier than initially planned: August 3 instead of its original August 31 date. The post also revealed that the PlayStation 5 version has been delayed a week to September 6.

Baldur's Gate 3 promises level 12 cap, new races, 22 new subclasses, and whopping 174 hours of cinematics in community update
https://www.pcgamer.com/baldurs-gate-3-promises-level-12-cap-new-races-22-new-subclasses-and-whopping-174-hours-of-cinematics-in-community-update/
Baldur's Gate 3 just keeps getting bigger. Larian Studios dropped a new community update today, revealing a new release date as well as a huge package of features that'll be included with the full release.

'Iran's Call of Duty' is all about destroying the US and NATO, and 'with God's permission will make a lot of money'
https://www.pcgamer.com/irans-call-of-duty-is-all-about-iran-and-russia-destroying-the-us-and-nato-and-with-gods-permission-will-make-a-lot-of-money/
Iranian animation outfit Kosar3D recently announced a new direction: videogames. Specifically, Kosar3D's game Revenge "deals with the military alliance of Iran and Russia against NATO" (but mainly, it seems, the United States and Israel). It is being developed by a team of programmers in Mashhad and directed by Farhad Azima, whose previous works include the film Battle for the Persian Gulf 2 ("an Armed Conflict between Iranian Revolutionary Guard and U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf").

Shuffle a barrel of pirate monkeys in the demo for promising deckbuilding RPG Cross Blitz
https://www.pcgamer.com/shuffle-a-barrel-of-pirate-monkeys-in-the-demo-for-promising-deckbuilding-rpg-cross-blitz/
A promising upcoming deckbuilder surfaced during the Steam Next Fest last week: Cross Blitz is a whimsically cartoonish pixelated deckbuilding RPG that aims to incorporate both a plot-driven story mode and a roguelike mode.

Y'all farmed Elden Ring so hard the list of most-killed enemies is all out of whack
https://www.pcgamer.com/elden-ring-enemies-killed-stats/
Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco has released some new stats on what people have been getting up to in the year and change since Elden Ring released in February 2022. Having sold now over 20 million copies, Elden Ring is a certified hit—but how much are its owners actually playing it? A lot, it turns out.

It doesn't seem fair that this wonderfully weird visual novel about alien whales is completely free
https://www.pcgamer.com/it-doesnt-seem-fair-that-this-wonderfully-weird-visual-novel-about-alien-whales-is-completely-free/
I was just minding my own business on a quiet evening when I stumbled across Alpha Beta Gamer's coverage of South Scrimshaw: Part One, a free visual novel that presents a nature documentary about alien whales. I couldn't ignore a premise that good, but I still had all my expectations blown out of the water (pun fully intended).

The players hunting for Diablo 4's secret cow level have suffered a major setback, but you'd be a fool to think that's stopping them
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-players-hunting-for-diablo-4s-secret-cow-level-have-suffered-a-major-setback-but-youd-be-a-fool-to-think-thats-stopping-them/
Diablo 4's latest patch has smashed the reset button on the search for the secret cow level.
(...)
And neither has this week's patch 1.0.3, which removed code for a quest that involved a cleansing ritual for "The Oxen Gods". The quest steps were the framework for how the Discord community assumed you'd unlock the secret cow level. It involved collecting a handful of unique relic items to perform a cleansing ritual in Ked Bardu that would reward you with a key to unlock a secret cellar. Inside that cellar, players assumed, would be the portal to the cow level.

Bungie targets the end of August to roll out fixes for endemic Destiny 2 connection errors: 'This is not a process that can happen overnight'
https://www.pcgamer.com/bungie-targets-the-end-of-august-to-roll-out-fixes-for-endemic-connection-errors-this-is-not-a-process-that-can-happen-overnight/
In its latest This Week in Destiny post, Bungie explained the online architecture issues that have led to a recent uptick in cheeky animal-named connection errors. Bungie also provided a roadmap of what fixes players can expect and when, but the promising-sounding "large set of improvements" won't be coming until the start of Season 22 at the end of August.

Call of Duty gets into psychological warfare as new anti-cheat tech plagues hackers with 'hallucinations'
https://www.pcgamer.com/call-of-duty-gets-into-psychological-warfare-as-new-anti-cheat-tech-plagues-hackers-with-hallucinations/
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 hackers are losing it, man. Team Ricochet, the cadre of COD devs with the unenviable task of foiling the game's many cheaters, has put out an update detailing a new bit of anti-cheat tech. It's called Hallucinations and, well, it does exactly what its name suggests.

Psychonauts creator Tim Schafer says he's never read anything that was 'meaningful, important or worthwhile' created by AI
https://www.pcgamer.com/psychonauts-creator-tim-schafer-says-hes-never-read-anything-that-was-meaningful-important-or-worthwhile-created-by-ai/
Tim Schafer, founder of Double Fine Productions and the mind behind games such as Psychonauts, Brutal Legend and Grim Fandango, spoke on AI during an interview with Twitch streamer Cressup earlier this week.

Microsoft CEO says he'd 'love to get rid' of console exclusives but it's all Sony's fault, your honor
https://www.pcgamer.com/microsoft-ceo-says-hed-love-to-get-rid-of-exclusives-but-its-all-sonys-fault-your-honor/
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is one of the many suits answering questions in court, as the US Federal Trade Commission attempts to block the software giant's acquisition of Activision Blizzard for $65 billion. Nadella was asked about Microsoft's strategy in cloud gaming, its ambitions within videogames and, at one point, the much-discussed value of exclusive titles.
"If it was up to me I would love to get rid of the entire exclusives on consoles," said Nadella. "But that’s not for me to define, especially as a low share player in the console market. The dominant player there has defined market competition using exclusives, so that’s the world we live in. I have no love for that world."
>> And he said that with a straight face.

And now, the GOG and Steam deals for the weekend:

+GOG

• GOG enters the last days of its Summer Sale, it ends in 79 hours, with a new GIVEAWAY: Beholder 2 will be free during these last 79 hours: https://www.gog.com/game/beholder_2
• The first of the six new Deals of the Day, that will last until Monday's refresh, is Silver Box Classics, a collection of four D&D games, 33% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/silver_box_classics
• STAR WARS™: The Force Unleashed™ II gets a 65% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/star_wars_the_force_unleashed_ii
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl will be 75% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/stalker_shadow_of_chernobyl
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat also gets a 75% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/stalker_call_of_pripyat
• The Incredible Machine Mega Pack is also 75% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_incredible_machine_mega_pack
• And the last DotD, Ring Runner: Flight of the Sages, gets a 90% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/ring_runner_flight_of_the_sages

+Steam

• ... I mean, we all know what started yesterday, right?

And that's it, until the next time, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend. And please, keep your wallets safe.