Thursday news, the sequel:
Microsoft Flight Simulator adds a bunch of European cities, letting you grab Zagreb and try The Hague
https://www.pcgamer.com/microsoft-flight-simulator-adds-a-bunch-of-european-cities-letting-you-grab-zagreb-and-try-the-hague/
I love how Microsoft Flight Simulator exists in the background now, like the distant roar of an overhead flight path. Not only is it just nice to have a shiny, new version of one of the gaming OGs there to pick up and play at any time, every now and then it drops an absolutely gorgeous new trailer showing off some wild technical wizardry or hyper-detailed new cityscape. That's exactly what's happened now, with Flight Sim's latest update inviting you to pay a flying visit to an eclectic collection of European cities.
Baldur's Gate 3 lead writer says that Minthara doesn't have 'a redemption arc', she's just 'a pragmatic, evil person' with a soft side
https://www.pcgamer.com/baldurs-gate-3-lead-writer-says-that-minthara-doesnt-have-a-redemption-arc-shes-just-a-pragmatic-evil-person-with-a-soft-side/
I'm just now getting to know Minthara in Baldur's Gate 3—both on my evil necromancer playthrough and my Honour Mode run, where I intend to pick her up from Moonrise Towers after risking my neck to knock her out.
Still, I've cast off the shackles of spoilers after completing my first playthrough—gleefully getting my mitts on whatever details I can about my future drow bestie—which makes this a good point to mention that there'll be spoilers for Minthara's full plot line below.
At last, Shrek has come to Minecraft, but only for the next few days
https://www.pcgamer.com/at-last-shrek-has-come-to-minecraft-but-only-for-the-next-few-days/
I've never been to Universal Studios in Hollywood, but I have been to the Universal Studios Theme Park in Florida. It was so long ago that the Jaws ride was still around, and my main memory from it is the overwhelming stench of petrol from all the very real flames that surrounded the ride.
Luckily, gasoline-filled nostrils won't be a problem in Minecraft's Universal Studios event, which is currently underway. This lets players join an online world "inspired" by Universal's Hollywood Studio Tour. According to an announcement published on the Minecraft website, this event "will take you through iconic sets inspired by some of your favourite movies and TV shows, but also behind-the-scenes to see how they're made and meet some of the characters."
Overwatch 2's executive producer says controversial winter event is a disaster of framing, anger 'surprised' him: 'What we wanted was for players to have more choice'
https://www.pcgamer.com/overwatch-2s-executive-producer-says-controversial-winter-event-is-a-disaster-of-framing-anger-surprised-him-what-we-wanted-was-for-players-to-have-more-choice/
Overwatch 2 has had some trouble in the past year-and-a-bit since its release—between promised PvE content being absent, an outright admission that the game has been in decline, and a 'colourful' reception on Steam, the game's freemium model has been a point of contention—especially for players who bought Overwatch 1 fully-priced.
A recent controversy has made that sentiment worse, with players responding to the bitter fact that they wouldn't be able to earn every cosmetic in the Winter Fair event even if they went for the premium option—things worsened after executive producer Jared Neuss responded to a player in a post on X, where he wrote: "It's $5 for 4 Legendary skins"—though some of them are recolours of past skins—"which feels squarely in the spirit of the Holidays to me."
Xbox chief Phil Spencer thanks Bobby Kotick for his 'invaluable contributions' to the games industry as Kotick officially exits Activision Blizzard after 32 years
https://www.pcgamer.com/xbox-chief-phil-spencer-thanks-bobby-kotick-for-his-invaluable-contributions-to-the-games-industry-as-kotick-officially-exits-activision-blizzard-after-32-years/
It is now official: In a farewell message to employees, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has confirmed that he will be leaving the company.
Kotick's future with Activision Blizzard came into question almost as soon as Microsoft announced its intention to acquire the company back in January 2022. The decision appeared to be all but made after that deal was finally closed, as Kotick said Xbox boss Phil Spencer had asked him to stay on as CEO "through the end of 2023," which isn't generally the sort of timeline you announce if you're expecting to stick around. But today's message makes it a done deal.
>> Bye.
Starfield promises 'all new gameplay options' and 'new survival mechanics' in 2024
https://www.pcgamer.com/starfield-promises-all-new-gameplay-options-and-new-survival-mechanics-in-2024/
Today Bethesda posted a recap of the year Starfield has had in the form of a few fun facts: in 2023 players visited a collective 1.9 billion planets, spent 26 million hours building ships, and ate more than 18 million battlemeal multipacks. (Weirdly, no sandwich tally was provided.)
The same post also sheds more light on the major updates Starfield will receive in 2024, including an expansion. Beginning in February Starfield will receive updates "roughly every six weeks," with those updates including new features we've already been teased with like "all new ways of traveling," official mod support, and city maps.
Blizzard just doubled the drop rate of Diablo 4's rarest loot, so now's your chance to grab those Uber Uniques
https://www.pcgamer.com/blizzard-just-doubled-the-drop-rate-of-diablo-4s-rarest-loot-so-nows-your-chance-to-grab-those-uber-uniques/
Diablo 4's newest season has been its most generous yet and Blizzard just dropped a hotfix that makes it even better. The action RPG's hardest endgame boss, Echo of Duriel, will now drop the game's most powerful items, Uber Uniques, at twice the usual rate until the season ends on January 8.
Steam keys for the unavailable disaster game The Day Before are being resold for up to $400, despite its servers' uncertain future
https://www.pcgamer.com/steam-keys-for-the-unavailable-disaster-game-the-day-before-are-being-resold-for-up-to-dollar400-despite-its-servers-uncertain-future/
The Day Before is 2023's fastest-moving disaster—starting off as a top-wishlisted game on Steam after an alluring trailer, it only took four days after its (eventual) launch before the thing was taken down. Following that, the Discord server, YouTube, and even CEO's social media channels disappeared or were scrubbed. The developer's response? "Shit happens."
In the wake of this absolute calamity of a launch, you might think that absolutely no-one would want to play The Day Before. Unfortunately, that's not how rarity and value works. As reported by Kotaku, Steam Keys for The Day Before are being sold for anywhere from $200-$400 at the time of writing. That's according to a third-party key seller aggregator GG Deals.
>> It's now a collector's item.
Game receives huge free update following 10th anniversary and instantly quintuples its previous player-count high
https://www.pcgamer.com/game-receives-huge-free-update-following-10th-anniversary-and-instantly-quintuples-its-previous-player-count-high/
Geometry Dash is a cheap and cheerful rhythm-based platformer that originally launched on Steam in December 2014. It recently celebrated its 10-year-anniversary (the game released on mobile devices the year before), which would normally see fans and developers reflecting fondly on a well-made game. But turns out developer RobTop Games had far more in store, as it just released a massive new update for the game, almost seven years after the last one.
Update 2.2 adds a new level to Geometry Dash's core experience, a new, Flappy Bird-ish game mode called Swing, a new game-type called Platformer, which comes with four levels, a new collectible, 700 new character icons, and a huge overhaul of its level editor.
In short, it's a substantial expansion of the game, and as reported by PCGamesN, the response of Geometry Dash's fans has been emphatic. According to Steam DB, the game surged to a massive new all-time concurrent player peak of 88,346 players last night, with 42,537 people playing Geometry Dash as I type these words.
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