Friday news, part two:

Miyazaki says Bloodborne is 'a title we hold very dear' but remains maddeningly vague about whether it'll ever come to PC
https://www.pcgamer.com/miyazaki-says-bloodborne-is-a-title-we-hold-very-dear-but-remains-maddeningly-vague-about-whether-itll-ever-come-to-pc/
This week we got our first serious look at Shadow of the Erdtree, and it looks like FromSoft is out to exceed its own incredibly high DLC standards. But let's put 2022's hottest title to one side for a moment, because what matters is that the Erdtree trailer has been accompanied by FromSoftware CEO Hidetaka Miyazaki giving some interviews about the game: during some of which he was asked about my own white whale, the endless rumours and requests for a Bloodborne PC release and/or remaster.
(...)
But that doesn't stop the asking. IGN went up first and ran straight into a classic misdirection. "Unfortunately, and I've said this in other interviews, it's not in my place to talk about Bloodborne specifically," said Miyazaki. "We simply don't own the IP at FromSoftware. For me personally, it was a great project, and I have a lot of great memories for that game, but we're not at liberty to speak to it."

Elden Ring director says the expansion's new weapons are 'a main selling point,' including double-bladed shields, reverse-grip ninja swords, and acrobatic martial arts
https://www.pcgamer.com/elden-ring-director-says-the-expansions-new-weapons-are-a-main-selling-point-including-double-bladed-shields-reverse-grip-ninja-swords-and-acrobatic-martial-arts/
One of the real "oh crap" moments from Shadow of the Erdtree's reveal trailer was when a guy dressed like a vicar launched into some flying kicks straight out of an '80s Hong Kong martial arts movie. Not only do FromSoftware DLCs often play host to their games' best experiences, but they also usually have a monopoly on the coolest weapons too.
That seems to hold true for Shadow of the Erdtree as well. In addition to what was shown off in the trailer, Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki provided some absolutely mouthwatering weapon details during an interview with Famitsu. Theangryfurlong on Reddit provided an English transcript of the talk, which I also checked against a machine translation.

Vindication for Dark Souls 2 defenders as Hidetaka Miyazaki says many of its ideas 'carried the rest of the series'
https://www.pcgamer.com/vindication-for-dark-souls-2-defenders-as-hidetaka-miyazaki-says-many-of-its-ideas-carried-the-rest-of-the-series/
There's a scurrilous belief that Dark Souls 2 is the runt of the Soulsborne litter, and that the fact it wasn't directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki is black mark against its name—one that led to numerous creative decisions that just don't fit with what Dark Souls should be. Virtuous and correct Dark Souls 2 fans have borne these insults with dignity over the years, and guess what? Sounds like Miyazaki's on our side.
In a chat with IGN, Miyazaki was asked about Dark Souls 2 and specifically about its relationship to Elden Ring, with which it shares a kind of open-ended design approach. Turns out Miyazaki's very proud of the game, and credits it with influencing a lot of the FromSoft projects that came after.

Paradox's toe-to-toe bout with Sid Meier scheduled for March as Millennia gets a release date
https://www.pcgamer.com/paradoxs-toe-to-toe-bout-with-sid-meier-scheduled-for-march-as-millennia-gets-a-release-date/
Millennia, that Paradox-published Civilization-like from C-Prompt Games, has gotten its release date. It's coming March 26, giving you a shot at navigating 10,000 years of history in an orderly, hex-based manner across all sorts of ages and crises.

Helldivers 2's community manager gets mistaken for an automaton by Discord, gets locked out of account for over 40 hours due to 'sending too many DMs too fast'
https://www.pcgamer.com/helldivers-2s-community-manager-gets-mistaken-for-an-automaton-by-discord-gets-locked-out-of-account-for-over-40-hours-due-to-sending-too-many-dms-too-fast/
The team over at Arrowhead Games has been wildly busy with Helldivers 2—which is to be expected. After a meteoric rise in concurrent players that forced a raised cap to 700,000, the game's playerbase has swelled to near-unmanageable levels which, as you might imagine, would keep a community manager very busy.
So busy in fact that Discord mistook said community manager for an automaton. At around 4 pm GMT February 21, Katherine Baskin (who is also the author of those charming Super Earth High Command dispatches you see on the game's official Discord server) was locked out of her account due to "sending too many DMs too fast."

Overwatch fans call for boycott and recast after Pharah voice actor calls to 'free Palestine from Hamas'
https://www.pcgamer.com/overwatch-fans-call-for-boycott-and-recast-after-pharah-voice-actor-calls-to-free-palestine-from-hamas/
Overwatch fans are calling for the recasting of Pharah—one of the game's lineup of DPS heroes—following comments on the current situation in Israel and Palestine made by her voice actor, Jen Cohn, in a TikTok and YouTube livestream.
In response to viewers commenting "free Palestine" in the chat of one of her Ask Bird Mom livestreams on February 12, Cohn said "Yes, free Palestine from Hamas." Cohn, who is Jewish, then expressed her wish for Palestinian "autonomy" and "safety," but angered some viewers by referring to Israel's campaign in Gaza as a "war" and saying that "when both sides are able to stop fighting, it will be wonderful."

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

+GOG

• Let's start with the Deals of the Day, that will last until Monday:
  • Hollow Knight is 50% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/hollow_knight
  • Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy gets a 65% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/star_wars_jedi_knight_jedi_academy
  • Yakuza: Like a Dragon is 80% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/yakuza_like_a_dragon
• The Racing & Sports Sale features up to 90% discounts during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20240223_racing_sports_sale
• And the Git Gud Sale has roguelike or survival games up to 95% off during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20240223_git_gud_sale

+Steam

• No Man's Sky is 50% off until Monday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/275850/No_Mans_Sky/
• Lies of P gets a 25% discount until February, the 28th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1627720/Lies_of_P/
• Disney Dreamlight Valley will be 25% off until the 29th of February: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1401590/Disney_Dreamlight_Valley/
• Escape Simulator will have a 34% discount until the same 29th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1435790/Escape_Simulator/
• Rail Route is going to be 25% off until the 4th of March: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1124180/Rail_Route/
• Inkulinati features a 40% discount until the 7th of March: https://store.steampowered.com/app/957960/Inkulinati/
• Dying Light 2 Stay Human: Reloaded Edition will be free to try during the weekend and 50% off until March, 7: https://store.steampowered.com/app/534380/Dying_Light_2_Stay_Human_Reloaded_Edition/
• The last deal is from 2K, that puts its games on sale with up to 90% discounts until March, the 7th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/2kpublishersale2024

And that's it. Until the next time, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.

Let's wrap this week of news with some more hardware related ones. The first two are kind of related with news I posted the other day:

MSI locks firmware updates for its QD-OLED monitor to more expensive models
https://videocardz.com/newz/msi-locks-firmware-updates-for-its-qd-oled-monitor-to-more-expensive-models
>>What a way to shot yourself in the foot.

Intel Core i9-13900K and i7-13700K Gaming Stability Issues Linked to Power Limit Unlocks
https://www.techpowerup.com/319432/intel-core-i9-13900k-and-i7-13700k-gaming-stability-issues-linked-to-power-limit-unlocks

MSI Intel and AMD Motherboards Now Fully Support Up to 256GB of Memory Capacity
https://www.techpowerup.com/319489/msi-intel-and-amd-motherboards-now-fully-support-up-to-256gb-of-memory-capacity
>>RAM disks are no longer a thing, right? Because with this amount of RAM, you could almost skip the need for an OS drive.

Intel unveils “Intel 14A” process node, new Foundry roadmap presented
https://videocardz.com/press-release/intel-unveils-intel-14a-process-node-new-foundry-roadmap-presented

Intel CEO Confirms TSMC’s Process Nodes To Power Next-Gen CPUs: N3 For Arrow Lake & N3B For Lunar Lake
https://wccftech.com/intel-ceo-confirms-tsmc-process-nodes-next-gen-cpus-n3-arrow-lake-n3b-lunar-lake/

Samsung Foundry Reportedly Producing 2 nm Prototypes for Qualcomm
https://www.techpowerup.com/319509/samsung-foundry-reportedly-producing-2-nm-prototypes-for-qualcomm

NVIDIA Will Be “More Than Happy” To Do Custom Chips, Says CEO Jensen Huang
https://wccftech.com/nvidia-will-be-more-than-happy-to-do-custom-chips-says-ceo-jensen-huang/

NVIDIA expects data-center Blackwell GPUs to be supply constrained at launch
https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-expects-data-center-blackwell-gpus-to-be-supply-constrained-at-launch

Somewhat related to the above, SK hynix has sold all its HBM supply for 2024.

AMD CEO to keynote at Computex 2024 on June 3rd, Zen5 incoming?
https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-ceo-to-keynote-at-computex-2024-on-june-3rd-zen5-incoming

AMD Ryzen 7 8700GE 35W desktop Zen4/RDNA APU tested, 23% less GPU performance at half the power
https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-ryzen-7-8700ge-35w-desktop-zen4-rdna-apu-tested-23-less-gpu-performance-at-half-the-power

Monday has come, and so have the news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Steam brings us two new deals:

• Grand Emprise: Time Travel Survival is going to be 30% off until the 4th of March: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2236300/Grand_Emprise_Time_Travel_Survival/
• The Games Aid Charity Sale features up to 80% discounts. Be warned, most deals I've checked end with today's refresh, but others will last more, up until the 6th of March: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/GamesAidCharitySale2024

Fanatical has a Star Deal and a sale:

• It started yesterday, but the Star Deal is System Shock and will be 45% off during another 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/system-shock
• Nacon puts its games on sale with up to 92% discounts. There's no sign of when it will end: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/nacon

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Microsoft will officially reveal its DLSS-like Windows DirectSR at GDC 2024
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/microsoft-will-officially-reveal-its-dlss-like-windows-directsr-at-gdc-2024/
It appears that Microsoft is currently working on a DLSS-like upscaling tech for DirectX. And, from the looks of it, Microsoft will officially reveal this tech, which is called DirectSR, at GDC 2024.
On March 21st, Microsoft will hold the “DirectX State of the Union” presentation. And, as its description reads, MS will demonstrate DirectSR. DirectSR stands for Direct Super Resolution. Microsoft claims that DirectSR will make it easier than ever for game devs to scale super resolution support across Windows devices.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Fallout 4 just got a new horror quest mod, inspired by Lovecraft, Resident Evil and Dead Space
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/fallout-4-new-horror-quest-mod/
Modder ‘RascalArt’ has released a horror dungeon/quest mod for Fallout 4 that is heavily inspired by Lovecraft, Resident Evil and Dead Space.
Titled In The Flesh, this mod will allow players to venture into a secret Institute facility and face the evil that dwells within. This mod appears to offer an hour of gameplay. So, consider this a somehow small mod. Still, this is new free content for Fallout 4. So, if you are still playing it, you can go ahead and download it from this link.
For the ultimate “horror” experience, the modder suggests avoiding the pipboy light. You should also leave your companions outside (so that you can immerse yourselves in this quest). Make also sure to turn up the music for an even spookier vibe.
And that is that. At the end of the article, you can find a full walkthrough video for this horror mod. So, if you don’t fancy downloading it, you can at least watch it.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Rebirth 6.6 Available for Download
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/the-elder-scrolls-iii-morrowind-rebirth-6-6-available-for-download/
Modder ‘trancemaster_1988’ just dropped Version 6.6 of the Rebirth Mod for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. According to the modder, this latest version fixes some bugs and adds some QoL improvements. So, let’s take a closer look at what it brings to the table.
For those who don’t know, Morrowind Rebirth is a complete overhaul of Bethesda’s classic RPG. This mod adds countless new details, weapons, armors and much more for you to see and do. Basically, this is a must-have mod for those who want to replay this classic TES game.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Rebirth 6.6 fixes issues where there were several geometry issues. It also addresses some collision issues. Not only that but it fixes some names, titles and ownership issues, and it brings various landscape fixes and improvements.
This new version also brings some balance tweaks to the game’s spells. Moreover, it adds some new 3D models for weapons and items. For instance, you’ll find a new model for Severia’s Imperial Shortsword, Bow of Shadows and Ring of Equity.
>> The article has the long changelog, but no screenshots nor videos.

New Skyrim Mod Makes NPCs Smarter, Enabling Dynamic AI and Allowing Them to Seek Cover
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/new-skyrim-mod-npcs-smarter-dynamic-ai/
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim fans, here is something special for you today. Modder ‘JaySerpa’ has released a new mod that overhauls the AI of all NPCs. This is a must-have mod, so make sure to download it.
Now what’s cool here is that instead of making enemies more “spongy”, this mod actually makes your enemies smarter. As such, they will now seek for cover once they lose sight of you. Previously, enemies were standing still and players could cheese their way. Well, not anymore.
Thanks to a dynamic AI system, enemies will relocate the moment they notice you can potentially shoot them from your current location. Moreover, NPCs move more than in vanilla while in cover, making them a harder target to hit.
And that’s not all. Enemies will start combat if they see you loading up your bows/magic nearby and aiming in their direction, instead of always waiting for you to shoot them in the face first. Oh, and did I mention that they also have 200 voiced reactions? Yeap, NPCs can now call you out on your dirty tactics.
>> There's a five minutes video.

Skyrim mod lets you match the pace of NPCs so you can more easily follow them around
https://www.pcgamer.com/skyrim-mod-lets-you-match-the-pace-of-npcs-so-you-can-more-easily-follow-them-around/
Surely everyone knows this extremely specific frustration: a game expects you to accompany an NPC while they lead you to the next part of the quest, talking the whole way, but they travel slower than your running speed and faster than your walking speed. You have to alternate awkwardly between a stroll and a jog the whole way, instead of just being able to walk alongside them like a normal person.
While some games let you match the pace of NPCs when you need to, Skyrim does not. Which can be a real hassle when Esbern or some other mouthy plot-related character has to guide you to the next bit of story. Here's modder wSkeever with the solution: Simplicity of Stalking—Automatically Follow NPCs.
It's a straightforward mod. Simply hold shift and mouse over an NPC to make the "follow" option appear. Press E to activate it, and you'll follow them wherever they go—even through loading screens—whether they're a quest NPC or a courier you just feel like following to see where they go. I tested it by doing exactly that, and it worked like a charm. To stop following them, press any movement key or attack.
>> There's a two minutes video of the mod.

New The Witcher 3 Next-Gen Mods Improve Ray Tracing Reflections & Shadows, Enable RT Mirrors
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/new-the-witcher-3-next-gen-mods-improve-ray-tracing-reflections-shadows-enable-rt-mirrors/
Modder ‘ScoutBr0’ has just released two must-have mods for The Witcher 3 Next-Gen. These mods improve the game’s Ray Tracing Reflections and Shadows, and enable Ray Tracing Mirrors.
Going into more details, the first mod aims to significantly improve the quality of ray-traced reflections and shadows. As such, reflections more accurately reflect the environment, and shadows are cast more accurately across the environment. This mod will only improve RT Reflections and Shadows. It will not make any changes to RT Global Illumination or Ambient Occlusion.
(...)
Let’s now talk about the second mod. This mod uses Ray Tracing in order to enable RT Mirrors. By using it, you can improve the game’s visuals, especially in indoor areas. Here is a comparison screenshot between the vanilla and the modded mirrors. Quite an improvement, don’t you think?
>> The article has some screenshots for both mods.

The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project NextGen Edition Showcased in Brand New Video
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/the-witcher-3-hd-reworked-project-nextgen-edition-showcased-in-brand-new-video/
Modder ‘Halk Hogan’ has shared a new video for his amazing The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project NextGen Edition Mod. This video shows off some of the new textures that the modder will include in its upcoming version.
For those unaware, The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project improves the game with top-notch textures that look great and run smoothly, without needing more VRAM. If you’re already playing on Max settings, you’ll be able to use this mod. The pack includes high-quality, accurate normal maps, many of which are made from detailed 3D models. The project also brings better LODs for objects.

Tomb Raider Redux is a free remake you can download right now
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/tomb-raider-redux-free-remake-download/
Now here is something that passed under my radar. In 2023, AngelOfDarkness released a free remake of the first Tomb Raider game, called Tomb Raider Redux. This fan remake is still available for download, so make sure to get it while you still can.
Going into more details, AngelOfDarkness has re-made and re-imagined the first Tomb Raider game in Tomb Raider Level Editor. This fan remake combines elements of Core’s unreleased Anniversary Edition with Crystal Dynamic’s Tomb Raider Anniversary. So, think of it as a cool mix between them. Moreover, it packs a number of original ideas.
As you’ll see in the following gameplay video, this remake is all about gameplay refinements. Lara’s movements have been overhauled, and the game plays a lot better. This remake does not focus on improving the game’s graphics. So, don’t expect any fancy Ray Tracing effects. Still, compared to the first game, Lara’s 3D model has been improved. So that’s at least something.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 PC Brazil v1.1.0 Released, Fixes Stutters, Reduces Crashes & Improves CPU Performance
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/marvels-spider-man-2-pc-brazil-v1-1-0-released-fixes-stutters-reduces-crashes-improves-cpu-performance/
The modding team behind the unofficial PC port for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has released a brand new version of it. Version 1.1.0 finally fixes the awful stuttering issues, reduces crashes, and improves CPU performance. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
Going into more details, this new version patches the Havok Physics Engine so that it no longer creates memory leaks. Thanks to these improvements, the game will no longer stutter. This is a huge improvement. Finally, you can now traverse the city without any stutters.
Version 1.1.0 is also less CPU intensive than before. So, if you have a less powerful CPU, you should now get a better gaming experience. It’s really cool to see what this modding team can do with this unofficial PC port.
And that’s not all. The team has fixed/updated a great number of shaders. It has also fixed the daytime skybox. Thus, the skybox will no longer be represented as a solid color.
>> The article has a six minutes video.

'Lore-accurate' Dawn of War 2 mod lets you make it more like Dawn of War 1
https://www.pcgamer.com/lore-accurate-dawn-of-war-2-mod-lets-you-make-it-more-like-dawn-of-war-1/
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2 shrunk the classic RTS down to squad-scale, presenting its battles as a series of close-range skirmishes between at most half-a-dozen units on each side. If you miss the larger scale and variety of factions in the original Dawn of War, the Codex Edition mod, which just released version 3.0, is for you.
Its focus is making Dawn of War 2 into "a more immersive, fluff-accurate, and realistic experience". It increases the range of weapons, adds base building (though unlike the original Dawn of War, base building isn't connected to research), ups the population capacity, and adds new units, including super-heavies like Imperial Knights and Gorkanauts. The zoom distance has been tweaked as well so you can pull back and see more of what's going on.
As well as reworking the existing factions with additional units, four new factions have been added: Necrons, T'au, Grey Knights, and the Adeptus Mechanicus. The terrain has been upscaled, the UI reworked, and existing units rebalanced so that, for instance, the Eldar and Space Marines move faster.
It's a comprehensive overhaul. Given that so many of the changes bring Dawn of War 2 more in line with a modded version of Dawn of War 1, which is still the best 40K game around, I'm not sure I need this particular mod myself. If you're more of a Dawn of War 2 enjoyer though, this might be for you. To install Codex Edition, you'll need to own Dawn of War 2: Retribution specifically, and you'll have to have it on Steam. You can download Codex Edition from ModDB.
>> The article has a cinematic intro taken from the mod.

GAMING NEWS

The Sims 5 Pre-Release PC Build Has Been Leaked Online
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/the-sims-5-pre-release-pc-build-has-been-leaked-online/
It appears that a pre-release PC build for The Sims 5 has been leaked online. Yeap, this is the real deal. Both PC and Android builds of this upcoming social game are circulating on the Internet as we speak.
According to some reports, the pre-release PC build uses the Denuvo anti-tamper tech. This falls in line with what EA has been doing with its latest PC releases.

Monday news, part two:

Here are the official co-streamers of the PC Gaming Show
https://www.pcgamer.com/here-are-the-official-co-streamers-of-the-pc-gaming-show/
The PC Gaming Show for summer 2024 is still just a twinkle in our editorial team's eye, but we've already lined up an all-star cast of Twitch creators to co-stream the show. When our 2024 showcase of the coolest, most exciting things coming to PC does roll around, you'll be able to enjoy it directly from us, or via one of our trusted co-streamers.

You can turn Baldur's Gate 3 into Arduous Gauntlets Done Quick, speedrunning its most gruelling dungeon using a basic 2nd-level spell
https://www.pcgamer.com/you-can-turn-baldurs-gate-3-into-arduous-gauntlets-done-quick-speedrunning-its-most-gruelling-dungeon-using-a-basic-2nd-level-spell/
Hey, remember how much time you spent tackling Shar's Gauntlet in Baldur's Gate 3? The bloodshed? The tears? The gems? It's a real, well, gauntlet. But here's something to make you feel even worse about it: you could have skipped the whole thing using one level 2 spell.
Spotted by GamesRadar, BG3 fans are currently reckoning with the fact that they may have wasted hours of their life overcoming Shar's trials when they could have just (magically) knocked. No, really. Ordinarily, overcoming Shar's Gauntlet means enduring her three trials, gathering a bunch of umbral gems, winning numerous fights, and then finally broaching a gigantic door at the bottom of her temple that leads to your true goal: the Nightsong.
Or you could just cast Knock on that gigantic door and bypass all that tedious trial-gem-fight stuff. You've got places to be.
>> This revelation is so shocking that they've made a second article about it.

Age of Mythology: Retold's developers are going 'way beyond' the definitive editions for Age of Empires: 'We want to build the game in your head'
https://www.pcgamer.com/age-of-mythology-retold-interview-preview/
The upcoming Age of Mythology: Retold has been shown off in-depth for the first time today during Microsoft's New Year, New Age livestream, marking the first showing of the definitive edition of everyone's favorite Age spinoff since its announcement in late 2022.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League 'has fallen short of our expectations,' Warner says
https://www.pcgamer.com/suicide-squad-kill-the-justice-league-has-fallen-short-of-our-expectations-warner-says/
Warner Bros. Discovery says sales of the superhero looter-shooter Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League did not meet the company's expectations, a shortfall that's put the company's game division on track for a "tough" first quarter in its 2024 fiscal year.
>> I'm shocked. I mean, who could see this coming?...

Two years after release Miyazaki says Elden Ring's world still has 'a small element that I feel has not yet been discovered'
https://www.pcgamer.com/two-years-after-release-miyazaki-says-elden-rings-world-still-has-a-small-element-that-i-feel-has-not-yet-been-discovered/
This week brought our first serious look at Shadow of the Erdtree, the major Elden Ring expansion set for release in June, and it certainly looks like FromSoftware is pushing the boat out. FromSoftware CEO and game director Hidetaka Miyazaki has gone on the interview circuit to accompany the trailer and, as well as being maddeningly vague about Bloodborne and re-claiming Dark Souls 2, has been musing on the secrets of Elden Ring's appeal.

If you like collecting critters in Palworld, how about collecting zombies in this co-op survival game?
https://www.pcgamer.com/if-you-like-collecting-critters-in-palworld-how-about-collecting-zombies-in-this-co-op-survival-game/
If you can't beat 'em… make 'em join you? That's not quite how the saying goes, but that's how co-op zombie survival game Welcome to Paradize works. The country has been overrun by zombie hordes, but instead of hacking them up with a machete you hack their brains with technology, turning them into loyal companions who can help you fight, gather, build, and survive.

Finally, a farm sim that will let me date hot demons and also collect capybaras
https://www.pcgamer.com/finally-a-farm-sim-that-will-let-me-date-hot-demon-people-and-also-collect-capybaras/
In the era of farmlife sims exploding on PC, new games really have to bring something special to catch my attention. The pitch for Tales of Seikyu includes kissing demon people and yeah, that'll do it for me. Honestly though, just about every part of this upcoming life sim has caught my eye: the animal transformations, the Japanese rural fantasy setting, and ranching capybaras too.

Fans of Pokémon-inspired MMO Temtem are arguing with the developer about what MMO means after Crema CEO says it's 'not feasible' to keep adding content forever
https://www.pcgamer.com/fans-of-pokemon-inspired-mmo-temtem-are-arguing-with-the-developer-about-what-mmo-means-after-crema-ceo-says-its-not-feasible-to-keep-adding-content-forever/
Temtem developer Crema announced a new game earlier this week called Temtem: Swarm, the latest Vampire Survivorsification of an existing game that eschews collecting and training in favor of all-out inter-Tem violence.
The news did not go over entirely well as some players of the 2022 Pokémon-style game complained about Temtem being abandoned, and that situation did not get better when Kikill0—that's Crema CEO Enrique Paños Montoya—waded into the fray to tell those fans exactly how they're wrong.

Rainbow Six Siege director says making a sequel after 9 years would be a mistake: 'I'm not going to name names, but you see games go through sequels and just completely drop the ball'
https://www.pcgamer.com/rainbow-six-siege-sequel-alex-karpazis/
Rainbow Six Siege turns nine years old in 2024, but in live service terms, it's more like 90. When Ubisoft's 5v5 FPS first released in 2015, Overwatch was still months away, PUBG didn't exist, and Fortnite was a zombie game we thought might never come out. Siege has been doing the live service game longer than the term has been a part of our vernacular.
That makes Siege one of the oldest games regularly receiving content updates. Ubisoft still plans to support Siege through Year 9 and beyond, but the game's many revisions and increasing age of its engine has led longtime players to ask a reasonable question as of late: Does Siege need a sequel?
The answer, according to Siege creative director Alexander Karpazis, is an emphatic no.

Games Workshop has no plans to bring Cathay and Kislev armies to Warhammer: The Old World 'for the foreseeable future'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games-workshop-has-no-plans-to-bring-cathay-and-kislev-armies-to-warhammer-the-old-world-for-the-foreseeable-future/
One of the exciting things about Warhammer: The Old World was the news of collaboration between the team working on it and Creative Assembly, which was working on Total War: Warhammer 3 at the time, to round out the army lists for Grand Cathay and Kislev. These two nations hadn't been focused on in tabletop Warhammer for years, and the thought of them being expanded in The Old World was tantalizing.
We even saw concept art for specific units, like Kislev's bear riders, Gryphon Legion, and Ice Guard. However, tucked away at the bottom of a news post about the additions coming to Total War: Warhammer 3's Shadows of Change DLC is the following statement: "Fans of Warhammer: The Old World should note that there aren't any current plans to bring Kislev or Grand Cathay to the tabletop for the foreseeable future."

Everybody loves the goofy glowing worm guy coming in Elden Ring's DLC, but we're also terrified something bad will happen to him
https://www.pcgamer.com/everybody-loves-the-goofy-glowing-worm-guy-coming-in-elden-rings-dlc-but-were-also-terrified-something-bad-will-happen-to-him/
There were many notable new characters in Shadow of the Erdtree's first trailer: future controller-snapping megaboss Messmer, zombie Lion Dance guy, gross bisected and impaled old dude, and, of course, the Wicker Man. The true people's champion, however, seems to have been squirreled away in supplemental promo screenshots⁠—I'm talking about the little worm guy.

A Halo co-creator who was working on the next Battlefield has seemingly left the franchise and EA
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-halo-co-creator-who-was-working-on-the-next-battlefield-has-seemingly-left-the-franchise-and-ea/
As reported by Insider Gaming and first spotted by Battlefield YouTuber DannyonPC, FPS veteran and Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto appears to have left his director position at Ridgeline Games, an EA subsidiary, where he was working on the next Battlefield game.

Here's a blocky voxel RTS from the studio that made the Command & Conquer remasters
https://www.pcgamer.com/heres-a-blocky-voxel-rts-from-the-studio-that-made-the-command-and-conquer-remasters/
Veteran real-time strategy studio Petroglyph has released a cute new RTS in Early Access on Steam: 9-Bit Armies: A Bit Too Far is a classic-style setup of building bases, cranking out units, and battering your enemy from every direction as fast as you can. It's just the kind of thing you'd expect from a studio founded by people who worked on the original Command & Conquer series at Westwood, and who were behind the Command & Conquer remasters a few years back.

And the third part of the Monday news:

You can punch a tank in retro beat 'em up G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra
https://www.pcgamer.com/you-can-punch-a-tank-in-retro-beat-em-up-gi-joe-wrath-of-cobra/
It's a good time to be into retro beat 'em ups based on classic toys and cartoons. We had Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge in 2022, and developers Maple Powered Games just revealed a new trailer for G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra at IGN Fan Fest.

Dwarf Fortress adventure mode preview shows off menu for grabbing enemies by their teeth
https://www.pcgamer.com/dwarf-fortress-adventure-mode-preview-shows-off-menu-for-grabbing-enemies-by-their-teeth/
Bay 12 and Kitfox have released a new preview for Dwarf Fortress' upcoming revamped adventure mode, the classic top-down RPG side of the famous colony builder slash fantasy world simulator. The preview itself focuses on the combat menus and actions, with Dwarf Fortress creator Tarn Adams taking the viewer through the basics of the UI and how it works.

Here's an indie tactics game inspired by X-Com, Rebelstar, and Laser Squad
https://www.pcgamer.com/heres-an-indie-tactics-game-inspired-by-x-com-rebelstar-and-laser-squad/
An upcoming turn-based tactics game hearkens back to the earliest days of the genre: Archrebel Tactics, an in-development indie game from solo developer Ularis Badler, draws directly from the well of Rebelstar, the 1984 ZX Spectrum ur-tactics game from Julian Gollop, the man who would later steer the creation of X-Com.

'Please stop that': In the run-up to Baldur's Gate 3 modding support, Larian's head of publishing speaks out against 'threats and toxicity against our devs and community teams'
https://www.pcgamer.com/please-stop-that-in-the-run-up-to-baldurs-gate-3-modding-support-larians-head-of-publishing-speaks-out-against-threats-and-toxicity-against-our-devs-and-community-teams/
Patch 6 of Baldur's Gate 3 released recently, and it came with its fair share of bugs and issues, most of which are getting fixed in short order. One thing that had modders' hackles raised, however, was a double-tap that busted the game's script extender (required to run the lion's share of mods) twice: One expected breakage when the patch dropped, and a second less-anticipated break from a hotfix.
>> The game has also received more award nominations, this time to the Gayming Awards.

Some Helldivers 2 players are inexplicably killing each other for resources, despite a dozen different UI elements telling you they're shared
https://www.pcgamer.com/some-helldivers-2-players-are-inexplicably-killing-each-other-for-resources-despite-a-dozen-different-ui-elements-telling-you-theyre-shared/
Helldivers 2 is a co-op game, and its mechanics are designed around that. All the samples, super credits, and medals you pick up get shared among your teammates at the end of a mission. Yet for some inexplicable reason, some players say randoms are gunning them down to swipe their goods—or yelling at them for impossible resource hogging.

Helldivers 2 finally liberated from the bulk of its server issues as Arrowhead CEO celebrates having 'time to focus on improvements' like rad mechs and (probably) stealth gear
https://www.pcgamer.com/helldivers-2-finally-liberated-from-the-bulk-of-its-server-issues-as-arrowhead-ceo-celebrates-having-time-to-focus-on-improvements-like-rad-mechs-and-probably-stealth-gear/
As you may have noticed, Helldivers 2 got really popular real fast—and has been suffering under the weight of success for a week and change. Reviews lamenting server problems caused it to dip into 'mixed' territory on Steam, and a harsh 15-minute AFK timer had to be implemented to curb server squatters.
But after raising the server cap to 700,000 (and walking back a sleep-deprived tweet or two), Helldivers 2 mostly held the fort with only mild turbulence. Anecdotally, I had zero issues logging in over the weekend—though I am in a UK time zone—and Arrowhead Games' CEO Johan Pilestedt confirms that they didn't hit any major problems on Twitter.

Helldivers 2 CEO talks DLSS and FSR: 'When you are in a prio meeting and it's more awesome content vs more tech the decision is easy…'
https://www.pcgamer.com/helldivers-2-ceo-talks-dlss-and-fsr-when-you-are-in-a-prio-meeting-and-its-more-awesome-content-vs-more-tech-the-decision-is-easy/
Helldivers 2 is probably been the biggest surprise hit of 2024 so far but not everyone has been happy with it. A response by Arrowhead's CEO Johan Pilestedt, to criticism over the lack of the option to use DLSS/FSR upscaling, was first interpreted as meaning that it wouldn't be implemented at all. Pilesedt quickly shot that notion right down, simply replying that "gameplay > cool tech".

A quarter century after its release, Age of Empires 2 is still getting DLC
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-quarter-century-after-its-release-age-of-empires-2-is-still-getting-dlc/
Ensemble's Age of Empires 2 released in 1999, and I know of at least one person who thinks gaming never got better than this. (...)
We thought the Definitive Edition was rather good, with PCG's strategy king Fraser Brown saying that though it "wavers between remaster and remake" it's "the best version of the best Age of Empires game by a wide margin." And while that may have been expected, what came next wasn't: Forgotten Worlds set a relatively rip-roaring pace of expansions, with the game receiving five so far (probably the most impressive being last year's Return of Rome, which brought over every civilization from the original AoE). And it's not slowing down.
Roll up Victors and Vanquished, AoE2: Definitive Edition's sixth expansion which is bringing a whopping 19 new scenarios to the game including campaigns featuring the Viking king Ragnar Lothbrok and emperor Charlemagne. 14 of these campaigns are based on user-created content and five are all-new, all of which have been polished-up with professional voice acting, music, balance tweaks, bugfixes, achievements, and various quality of life improvements.

Since AMD has finally decided to make the 7900GRE a global product not limited to OEMs, severla sites have decided to review it:

https://videocardz.com/174241/amd-radeon-rx-7900-gre-graphics-cards-review-roundup

At the same time, and a bit surprising since the card doesn't compete with the "new" one, AMD has given the 7700 a small price cut:

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-officially-lowers-the-price-of-radeon-rx-7700-xt-to-419

https://store.steampowered.com/category/dinos_robots

Stupid question but when did this pc master race conspiracy start. Because we know pc is the best system to play games but when did people start saying "pc master race" etc

Late 2000s I guess.

As someone who owned PC since early 90s, I never really understood it - I always considered PC as just an extension of home computers being used for playing games, and as such defined by different genres one could play on them that were native to computers. And for the most part, PC and console market were quite separate.

I'm guessing once a lot of titles started being released on both PCs and consoles (PS360 era), there made quite fertile ground for "my dick is bigger" type of arguments.

The "PC Master Race" came from a Zero Punctuation review of The Witcher (the first game in the series):

Go to 52 seconds and you'll get to the reference that started it all.

As a concept it probably began slowly during the PS2 era, maybe even late PSOne when PC games had graphics that made console games look like a decade behind thanks to GPU development vastly outpacing what the consoles could muster out of it's hardware. But it took until the PS360 era for it to really take off, mostly as a counter to the "real is brown" trend of early PS360 games, which had a very muted color palette due to the lack of RAM (later games picked more vibrant colors, making them more colorful despite still using a limited color palette), and because their old DX9-based GPUs (Xenos is based on a mashup between the Radeon X1900XT and the Radeon HD 2900 Pro; the RSX in the PS3 is based on the NVidia 7800GS but with double the cache so it could pull data from the system memory without too much a performance penalty) couldn't compete with the newer DX10-based GPUs on the PC market. It also made DX9 the de-facto standard for most games despite being horribly outdated by the end of the console generation.

By the end of the PS360 era PC games could visually do leagues above what consoles could achieve - but only a select few PC exclusives went that way (just look at the first Far Cry, which came out in 2004 and may look primitive now, but no game on the PS360 could really manage to replicate those graphics even 7 years later, especially the dense foliage and vibrant colors), and the rest had to conform with what the console versions can achieve, making many PC gamers feel like the consoles holding them back with their outdated hardware. Late in the generation AMD released their first APUs, and those managed to play the cross-platform games at console settings sometimes better than the consoles themselves did at the time, making them look like total potatoes.