This is becoming more like the norm rather than an exception. Here’s part three of the news:

Russian nun simulator Indika, my most anticipated game this year, breaks out the dancing PVC fetish men to announce its May release date
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/russian-nun-simulator-indika-my-most-anticipated-game-this-year-breaks-out-the-dancing-pvc-fetish-men-to-announce-its-may-release-date/
Call me solipsistic, but I'm still not convinced Indika isn't a game someone made specifically for me. The tale of an Orthodox nun on a journey to the centre of the spirit through an alternate 19th-century Russia, it pulls on everything from Mikhail Bulgakov to 8-bit arcade games to create something that felt entirely singular when I tried its demo earlier this year. Now we know when the full thing is due, courtesy of the Future Games Show Spring Showcase.
Indika is set to release on May 8 this year on Steam, GOG, and Epic, and honestly I can't wait. (...)

PSA: Don't use the 'Load from Last Inn Rest' option in Dragon's Dogma 2 unless you want to risk permanently losing progress
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/dragons-dogma-2-inn-save/
While playing Dragon's Dogma 2 I lost around four hours of progress and it's all because of that pesky little "Load from Last Inn Rest" option in the main menu. You see, Dragon's Dogma 2 is pretty hardcore when it comes to saves, consequences, and just generally wanting you to bear the brunt of your decisions.

The Dragon's Dogma 2 microtransactions are real and bafflingly silly, since nearly all of them can be found in the game without too much trouble
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/the-dragons-dogma-2-microtransactions-are-real-and-bafflingly-silly-since-nearly-all-of-them-can-be-found-in-the-game-without-too-much-trouble/
I want to say up-front that I am, by no means, defending the choice to slap a bunch of microtransactions onto Dragon's Dogma 2. I'm also not surprised by the current state of the game's Steam reviews—sitting at "Mixed" at the time of writing, in the same way that I'm not surprised when kicking beehives gets your ankles stung.
(...)
If you're opposed to the idea of microtransactions in fully-priced games in general, I don't want to tell you that you're wrong for abstaining. However, if you were looking forward to Dragon's Dogma 2, I want to reassure you that you can find almost all of these items just… lying around, or in shops.

'It took a while, we know': Epic Games is introducing a first-person camera to Fortnite, which I'll probably just use to look at all the Peter Griffin skins
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/it-took-a-while-we-know-epic-games-is-introducing-a-first-person-camera-which-ill-probably-just-use-to-look-at-all-the-peter-griffin-skins/
Fortnite is getting a new camera perspective, and I'm cautiously excited to see what that means for the battle royale. It was revealed in a presentation slide during the State of Unreal livestream at GDC 2024. It was here that Epic Games not only outlined a public roadmap for Fortnite but also confirmed that we'll likely get to play in first-person perspective later this year. 

Larian is finished with Baldur's Gate: 'We're going to move away from D&D and we're going to start making a new thing'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/larian-is-finished-with-baldurs-gate-were-going-to-move-away-from-dandd-and-were-going-to-start-making-a-new-thing/
Bad news for anyone hoping for a Baldur's Gate 3 expansion, Baldur's Gate 4, or anything else Dungeons and Dragons-related from Larian Studios: Speaking at GDC today, Larian CEO Swen Vincke said the company is finished with its D&D adventure and is now moving on to something new.

Larian CEO Swen Vincke accepts Baldur's Gate 3's latest award by blasting corporate 'greed' devastating devs: 'I've been fighting with publishers my whole life, and I keep on seeing the same mistakes'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/larian-ceo-swen-vincke-accepts-baldurs-gate-3s-latest-award-by-blasting-corporate-greed-devastating-devs-ive-been-fighting-with-publishers-my-whole-life-and-i-keep-on-seeing-the-same-mistakes/
The dire state of the games industry has been impossible to ignore at this year's GDC: Dwarf Fortress' Tarn Adams has been excoriating execs, devs have been literally screaming about it, and now Larian CEO Swen Vincke has taken to the stage and criticised the "greed, which has been fucking this thing up for so long."

'Let's just have closure on Baldur's Gate 3, it's been great. We've done our job': Larian CEO says he hit the brakes on DLC plans because the team's heart wasn't in it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/baldurs-gate/lets-just-have-closure-on-baldurs-gate-3-its-been-great-weve-done-our-job-larian-ceo-says-he-hit-the-brakes-on-dlc-plans-because-the-teams-heart-wasnt-in-it/
Baldur's Gate 3 is a great game. Even that feels like an understatement, though. It's one of our highest-scoring games in a decade and a half, a landmark RPG so significant it sparked actual debates in the developer community about its own quality. It's also done. 
While the game's going to keep getting patches and updates, there won't be much in the way of significant DLCs—but Swen Vincke (developer Larian Studios' CEO and founder) says that choice was mostly down to studio enthusiasm. That's as per a talk Vincke had with IGN at GDC earlier this week.

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

+GOG

• First things first: there’s a new GIVEAWAY: Book of Demons will be free to get during 70 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/book_of_demons
• The giveaway is part of the Spring Sale that takes place until the 3rd of April, in case you had forgotten.
• And there are four Deals of the Day, that will last until Monday’s refresh:
  • South of the Circle: Deluxe Edition gets a 20% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/south_of_the_circle_deluxe_edition
  • Heroines of Swords & Spells + Green Furies DLC features a 75% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/heroines_of_swords_spells
  • Sea Dogs is 80% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/sea_dogs
  • And Hero of the Kingdom is 85% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/hero_of_the_kingdom

+Steam

• The 20th edition of the PAX East arrives on Steam until the 24th of March with future releases, items to get with your Steam Points and up to 80% discounts on some games: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/PAXEast24
• If you’re looking for not yet released games, you can also check the Day of the Devs: San Francisco Edition 2024 (there are no games on sale here): https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43041140-iam8bit/sale/dayofthedevssanfranciscoedition2024
• The Square Enix Publisher Sale is also present on Steam, with up to 90% discounts, but until March, 25th; https://store.steampowered.com/sale/squareenix_publishersale24
• Fernbus Simulator is going to be 50% off until the 28th of March: https://store.steampowered.com/app/427100/Fernbus_Simulator/
• Panzer Corps 2 will be 60% off until the 28th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1072040/Panzer_Corps_2/
• The Battlefield franchise is on sale, with Battlefield 2042 free to try during the weekend and up to 85% discounts until Thursday, the 28th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/battlefield-franchise
• Contraband Police, that has a demo, will be 30% off until the 4th of April: https://store.steampowered.com/app/756800/Contraband_Police/
• And Midnight Ghost Hunt, that reached its 1.0 version yesterday, will be free to try during the weekend and gets a 66% discount until April, the 4th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/915810/Midnight_Ghost_Hunt/

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

I've kept myself busy with Graveyard Keeper, with the last week or so trying to get enough money to buy the Aristocrat papers and move forward the story of (at least) a couple characters.

I think that scaling down the number of games you play at the same is a long time coming decision that will help you enjoy them more.

As for what I'll play next, I'm still not sure. I may go with AC Origins if only to have an excuse to install Ubi's client on my PC, something I haven't done yet (neither have the Epic one, but that may change next week with the free game they'll give away).

*** NEW CONTEST ***

TechPowerUp and Arctic Giveaway: $1000+ in Prizes: Liquid Freezer III, Freezer 36, Fans & TIM Cooling Bundles
https://www.techpowerup.com/320636/techpowerup-and-arctic-giveaway-usd-1000-in-prizes-liquid-freezer-iii-freezer-36-fans-tim-cooling-bundles
Arctic, in partnership with TechPowerUp brings you the season's biggest Giveaway, to celebrate Arctic's 23rd anniversary. Open worldwide (wherever legal), six lucky winners stand to win prizes worth over $1000 in various combos of CPU coolers, case fans, and thermal compounds from Arctic!

Ok, now the other news round-up:

Playtron unveils cross-vendor and cross-platform Gaming OS for handhelds based on Linux
https://videocardz.com/newz/playtron-unveils-cross-vendor-and-cross-platform-gaming-os-for-handhelds-based-on-linux

PlayStation VR2 Firmware Update Enables PC Access
https://www.techpowerup.com/320691/playstation-vr2-firmware-update-enables-pc-access
The "iVRy VR" community-backed project has slowly chipped away at unlocking the PlayStation VR2's full potential—Sony's $550 (MSRP) virtual reality headset is locked into the PlayStation 5 ecosystem, but many gamers have requested that it become compatible with PC platforms. iVRy's progress on this front could be surpassed by first-party efforts—a month ago, Sony indicated that it was exploring new avenues (…)
iVRy has monitored Sony's progress with great interest—the former's social media account has disclosed the discovery of a new development milestone: "(their) latest firmware update enables PC access! This means it's no longer necessary to use driver/hardware workarounds to make it work on Windows. Still to be confirmed whether this update enables NVIDIA use, but all indications are that Sony's 'PC games' plans involve direct connection."

Denuvo/Irdeto "TraceMark for Gaming" Introduced at GDC 2024
https://www.techpowerup.com/320692/denuvo-irdeto-tracemark-for-gaming-introduced-at-gdc-2024
Denuvo by Irdeto, the leading provider of security solutions for the gaming industry, is excited to announce the launch of its groundbreaking product, TraceMark for Gaming, during the prestigious Game Developers Conference (GDC). (...)
TraceMark for Gaming uniquely addresses the challenge of content leakage, especially during the sensitive pre-release phase of game development. It introduces a deterrent effect by enabling the precise tracing of leaked content back to its source. This capability makes potential leakers think twice, knowing that any unauthorized distribution can be directly linked to them. (...)
>> See, this is the kind of DRM I can get behind.

Intel Arrow Lake-H processor with 24 cores has reportedly been photographed
https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-arrow-lake-h-processor-with-24-cores-has-reportedly-been-photographed
>> The picture also details what is each of the different dies in the package.

AMD Preps Ryzen 7 8700F & Ryzen 5 8400F “iGPU-Less” Desktop APUs For AM5 Platforms
https://wccftech.com/amd-preps-ryzen-7-8700f-ryzen-5-8400f-igpu-less-desktop-apus-for-am5/

AMD Confirms RDNA 3+ GPU Architecture For 2024, Coming To Strix Point APUs With XDNA 2 NPU
https://wccftech.com/amd-confirms-rdna-3-plus-gpu-architecture-2024-coming-strix-point-apus-xdna-2-npu/
>> These are the new desktop parts, in case someone was a bit lost with the names.

NVIDIA’s Fully-Enabled Blackwell B200 GPUs Consume Up To 1200W, Completely Different Architecture From Hopper
https://wccftech.com/nvidia-fully-enabled-blackwell-b200-gpus-consume-1200w-completely-different-architecture-from-hopper/
>> We had the doubt, now we have an answer.

NVIDIA to Implement GDDR7 Memory on Top-3 "Blackwell" GPUs
https://www.techpowerup.com/320639/nvidia-to-implement-gddr7-memory-on-top-3-blackwell-gpus
NVIDIA is confirmed to implement the GDDR7 memory standard with the top three GPU ASICs powering the next-generation "Blackwell" GeForce RTX 50-series, Tweaktown reports, citing XpeaGPU. By this, we mean the top three physical silicon types from which NVIDIA will carve out the majority of its SKUs. This would include the GB202, the GB203, and GB205; which will power successors to everything from the current RTX 4070 to the RTX 4090. NVIDIA is expected to build these chips on the TSMC 4N foundry node.
>> As for which memory chips they’ll use, Nvidia has options:

Samsung shows off GDDR7 memory with 28 and 32 Gbps speeds
https://videocardz.com/newz/samsung-shows-off-gddr7-memory-with-28-and-32-gbps-speeds

SK hynix teases GDDR7 memory with 40 Gbps speed and 3GB capacity
https://videocardz.com/newz/sk-hynix-teases-gddr7-memory-with-40-gbps-speed-and-3gb-capacity

Nice, my next AC game will likely be Rogue since I beat IV Black Flag earlier this year.

As for scaling down the number of games, I agree, I have a feeling I will enjoy the games more as well but its also a decision because I might not be able to invest time in so many games at the same time (unless I want to finish them like a year later lol) because I'm gonna be busy going forward in the Summer and afterwards.

Thinking about playing shorter/smaller games too.

Might have to use my headset to play games for a while instead of using my surround sound speakers too lol

Mostly Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix on PS4 lately, although I have Death Stranding: Director's Cut in progress as well. I'm 20 years late with Kingdom Hearts, but better late than never - and it's not like I often play games near release anyway. Anyway, almost done with the game, I think, and not sure what will follow. I have mixed feelings about the sequel, since the first game clearly isn't the greatest thing ever... But supposedly the second one is much better, I just don't know by how much. Will probably also get back to Cities: Skylines II next week, when the next major update and the mod support beta launch. Might also fiddle around with modding myself, if I can bother to get into how exactly modding the game works (I should have the skills, it's just about getting familiar with a piece of software I don't know, which is a huge bother to me).

Kingdom Hearts is like in my top 5 favorite franchises.

I've played the following games (with their scores out of 100)...

Kingdom Hearts I (PS2): 96
Kingdom Hearts I Final Mix (PS3): 97
Kingdom Hearts I Final Mix (PS4): 98
Kingdom Hearts II (PS2): 96
Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix (PS3): 97
Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix (PS4): 100
Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories (GBA): 81
Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories (PS2): 88
Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories (PS3): 88
Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories (PS4): 90
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS): 86
Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep (PSP): 97
Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep Final Mix (PS3): 98
Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep Final Mix (PS4): 99
Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded (DS): 73
Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance (3DS): 90

I love KH1 mainly cause of its story but ya the gameplay did not age as well.

Chain of Memories was okay, I enjoyed the GBA version moreso cause of its visual design but the remake (PS2, PS3 and PS4) versions were okay.

358/2 Days was enjoyable but I found it to be the most hardest one of the entire series I played cause a lot of the extra missions were high difficulty. The story was great and I felt the movie in the collections did not do the justice to showcase the entire story.

Birth By Sleep is my 2nd most favorite game in the series, the story and the gameplay overall was amazing.

2 is my most favorite game in the series - it was pretty much the perfect game in the series for me or as close as it would be lol

Re:Coded is hot garbage in comparison to the rest of the series, it was just a filler title that they felt making for mobile devices, its pretty much a Chain of Memories clone without any of the good story aspects. The gameplay was a mixed bag of multiple genres (platforming, turn based RPG, racing, etc) - it was a mess.

Dream Drop Distance was enjoyable, I would say its my fourth most favorite in the series - I'm gonna be playing the remaster for PS4 on my PS5 soon.

I havent played 3 or the Melody one - but I do have them, will play them in the future.

Thanks for the input! I think I've seen Re:Chain of Memories too be appreciated quite a lot, but there certainly seems to be some division as to which game people like the most etc. My biggest gripes with the first game so far are possibly the worst camera I've experienced in a game ever (although luckily the gameplay is such that the camera doesn't get too badly in the way, so not the worst camera experience per se), Gummi stuff, and just generally okay-level combat/gameplay. With nostalgia, I can see the game feeling a lot better though. I'm definitely interested in the rest of the series too and have higher hopes for it, but as always, it's about backlog prioritization...

I wish the series was available on Steam, but I guess Square Enix has made a pretty terrible deal (at least from a gamer point of view) with Epic.

Lots of different games.

Been completing all the achievements in some games I've played on and off: Coromon, rather decent clone of Pokemon; Galactic Civilizations III, getting the achievements for each civ was a grind; Disneyland Adventures; Fortix; Poker Night 1; Wintermoor Tactics Club; de Blob.

Several new games I started this year and completed: The Wild at Heart; DreamWorks Dragons: Legends of The Nine Realms; Poker Night 2; Beacon Pines, this one is rather short, but enjoyable.

Still grinding away at some other games: Cozy Grove, finally got the DLC that was released for it, almost finished but there are some achievements that will take a while; Burnout Paradise Remastered; Galactic Civilizations IV, all in all I consider it an improvement over the 3rd; Fortix 2; Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia; ANOTHER EDEN, new story content was released; Rise of Industry, rather similar to the old Transport Tycoon games; Plague Inc: Evolved; Cat Quest, it is a lot more challenging than it looks.

Some other games which I have not 100% yet, but finished with the main content so I'm taking a break from them: Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr, finished with the Tech-Adept class, still have the other classes to get their achievements; WrestleQuest, really fun game, I don't get most the wrestler references but I recognize a few.

Mostly been gravitating from my PC with StarCraft 2 and to the Xbox with Minecraft... Mostly because I had a motorcycle accident with full ACL, PCL and LCL knee reconstruction, so just chilling and resting... Minecraft has been a good mindless time sink.

And obviously playing with the 3D printer making all sorts of things.

Yeah the camera and the old battle mechanics are the worst aspects of the first KH game compared to the rest of the series.

The Gummi stuff I didnt like when first played KH1 on PS2 back in 2003 but my most recent run of the game which was on PS4 back in 2018 , I simply loved it and made a OP Gummi Ship lol.

And ya, I wish it was on Steam too - only reason why I havent bought it on PC. I have the series on the original platforms, PS4, and Xbox - was gonna get on Switch but its cloud version so passed on that too. If the rumored Portable Xbox has b/c and all - I might try out the KH series portable that way since Switch has cloud versions and I'm not interested in getting a Steam deck.