Rumors say that the 7900XTX will still be the fastest product, and that part trades blows with the 4080. Sadly, I don't think the 8800XT would be up there with them.

Also, the 7800XT launch price, for the reference model, was $500, which was the reason the 7700XT at only $50 less fared so bad in reviews. I'd love for AMD to keep the same $500 price for the 8800XT, with the 8700XT launching at $400 to make it more competitive and the 8600XT at around $300 (the RX 7600 was $269 and the 7600XT was $329 and offered basically nothing over the base model other than more VRAM).

Thank you.

The 7900XTX is generally a couple percent faster in Raster than the 4080, and the gap to the 4070Ti Super is too large. Maybe I should have said slightly slower than the 4080.

The Monday news are here!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG’s Back to School Sale is still life, and brings another GIVEAWAY: Once Upon a Jester will be free to get during 72 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/once_upon_a_jester.

Steam has three new deals:

• The Fabulous Fear Machine will be 50% off until the 8th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1540350/The_Fabulous_Fear_Machine/
• Hot Lava gets a 70% discount until September 8: https://store.steampowered.com/app/382560/Hot_Lava/
• And Superliminal features a 66% deal until the 15th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1049410/Superliminal/

Fanatical dosn’t have a new Star Deal, but it has two other deals:

• Publisher Aspyr Games puts its titles on sale, up to 90% off during 10 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/aspyr
• The Elder Scrolls Bundle has 6 games and 1 DLC and an up to 84% discount. The games are split into two tiers of 6 and 7 items: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/the-elder-scrolls-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

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MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Rebirth 6.8 Available for Download
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/the-elder-scrolls-iii-morrowind-rebirth-6-8-available-for-download/
Modder ‘trancemaster_1988’ has released Version 6.8 for the amazing The Elder Scrolls: III Morrowind Rebirth project. The modder has also listed all the tweaks, fixes, and changes featured in it. So, let’s take a look at them.
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.
Morrowind Rebirth 6.8 is filled to the brim with cool stuff. Players can expect numerous bug fixes, graphical improvements, new creatures, and much much more.
Going into more details, Morrowind Rebirth 6.8 packs dozens of UV fixes and improvements. It also brings new models for Spell Breaker, Staada, and Dremora Archer. There are also new ground models for a majority of robes, shirts, and pants.
As said, this new version also has a lot of bug fixes. I won’t list all of them here as it will make this article lengthy. Still, you can find all of them on its ModDB page or at the end of the article. The list is huge though, so make sure to keep that in mind.
>> The article has the full changelog, but no screenshots nor videos.

With its 10th and final update, Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition is complete
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/with-its-10th-and-final-update-silent-hill-2-enhanced-edition-is-complete/
Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition, the years-long fan project to improve Silent Hill 2's original PC port, has just released its 10th and final update. As the hour-plus video demonstrates, this update adds features like "enhanced environmental assets, restored flashlight reflections, improved water visuals, true 60 fps FMVs, a ton of general game improvements, and more."
I played Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition one or two updates ago and it was already a lovely HD version of Silent Hill 2. Many of the changes made by this patch are fairly minor compared to the Enhanced Edition's headline features, like making the classic survival horror headfuck playable in widescreen on modern hardware with upscaled graphics and better controls.
Still, it's fascinating to see the little tweaks the team decided to complete before saying goodbye to Silent Hill 2. For instance, if you ever noticed that the sign for the Cafe Texan was sometimes displayed backwards, that's now been fixed, as have various flickering Z-fighting glitches where textures overlapped at doors and on windows, some incorrect textures, a missing payphone, and bugged-out model seams like one on the cover over the hot dog cart.
As the project completion notes explain, "If any major bugs or issues are found that are directly caused by changes to our project's code for this final update, we will go back and address them." But, assuming they don't need to, this is the final update for Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition. And no, the timing wasn't planned to beat Bloober's remake to the punch. "This update (Update#10) was planned by our own volition to be our final update for two years now. After working on the project for nearly seven years, we are satisfied with everything we wanted to develop and ultimately achieved for the game."
>> The article has that hour-plus video.

This demake of King's Quest 6 has been 18 years in the making
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/this-demake-of-kings-quest-6-has-been-18-years-in-the-making/
In the early 1980s, Sierra was at the forefront of the move from text adventures to adventures of the graphical kind—first with Mystery House, and later a string of games made in the studio's own Adventure Game Interpreter, like the first King's Quest and its immediate sequels. AGI allowed for sound effects, music, and 16-color vector graphics, depicting protagonists who moved around scenes with the arrow keys. You still had to type "lift plank" and "get ring" to interact with things, but you had something nice to look at in addition to the paragraph of text you'd get by typing "look" in each new location.
(...)
Brandon Kouri's introduction to videogames were King's Quest 5 through 7, as well as Myst, which he played with his dad and sister. It was only when he decided to go back to the series' beginnings that he saw AGI with its distinctively large pixels and power-walking characters. "I was enthralled by it," Kouri says. "Something about it really sparked something in me, and I wanted to know everything about it and how it worked."
(…)
When Kouri discovered community tools used by fans to make their own games in AGI, he tinkered with small projects like his own version of Oregon Trail before wondering what King's Quest 6 would look like had it been made in the older scripting language. When he began, he had no way of knowing it would become an 18-year-long project.
>> The article has some screenshots and the link to its own site.

GAMING NEWS

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII will use the Denuvo anti-tamper tech
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/sid-meiers-civilization-vii-will-use-the-denuvo-anti-tamper-tech/
2K Games and Firaxis Games have updated the Steam store page for Sid Meier’s Civilization VII, revealing that the game will use Denuvo. This new Civ game will come out in February 2025. So, we at least know months before its release that it will have it.

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 won’t have Denuvo, but Harry Potter: Quidditch Champion will have it
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/warhammer-40k-space-marine-2-wont-have-denuvo-but-harry-potter-quidditch-champion-will-have-it/
Well, it appears we have today some good and some bad news for you. Saber Interactive has confirmed that Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 won’t have Denuvo. On the other hand, the new Harry Potter game, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champion, will have it.

NBA 2K25 will support Ray Tracing on PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/nba-2k25-will-support-ray-tracing-on-pc/
As we’ve already reported, the PC version of NBA 2K25 will be based on the current-gen console version. As such, the game on PC will look as good as on PS5 and Xbox Series X. Moreover, 2K Games has revealed that the game will support Ray Tracing effects on PC.

Here are 24 minutes of brand new gameplay from Slitterhead
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-24-minutes-of-brand-new-gameplay-from-slitterhead/
Bokeh Game Studio had a playable demo for its upcoming third-person game, Slitterhead, at PAX West 2024. And, thankfully, Gematsu has shared three videos from it. These videos will give you your first proper look at the game. Moreover, they pack around 24 minutes of new gameplay footage from it. So, that will please most of those who are looking forward to it.

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land is coming to PC on March 21st, gets first gameplay trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/atelier-yumia-the-alchemist-of-memories-the-envisioned-land-is-coming-to-pc-on-march-21st-gets-first-gameplay-trailer/
KOEI Tecmo has announced that Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land will be released on PC on March 21st, 2025. To celebrate this announcement, the publisher has also shared the game’s first gameplay trailer.

The Forever Winter hits Steam Early Access on September 24th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-forever-winter-hits-steam-early-access-on-september-24th/
Fun Dog Studios has announced that its co-op tactical survival horror shooter, The Forever Winter, will hit Steam Early Access on September 24th. To celebrate this announcement, the devs have also shared a new gameplay trailer that you can find below.

Monday news, the second part:

After 10 years of reinventing The Elder Scrolls Online, its devs say they'd have only done one thing differently: 'Pick the game you want to make'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/after-10-years-of-reinventing-the-elder-scrolls-online-its-devs-say-theyd-have-only-done-one-thing-differently-pick-the-game-you-want-to-make/
At Gamescom last week, PC Gamer's Harvey Randall sat down with the devs of The Elder Scrolls Online to talk about where the game's headed in its 10th year and how it's changed along the way. For Matt Firor, studio director of ESO developer Zenimax Online Studios, those ten years have been a testament to Zenimax's willingness to reshape the game for the better.
>> They also revealed that they talked with Todd Howard to make sure they stayed in cannon. How long were those talks? Well, about three months.

Dustborn devs call out the 'tidal wave of hate and abuse' that's engulfed the game: 'Those who engage in such behavior will be removed from our community'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/dustborn-devs-call-out-the-tidal-wave-of-hate-and-abuse-thats-engulfed-the-game-those-who-engage-in-such-behavior-will-be-removed-from-our-community/#comment-jump
Dustborn developer Red Thread Games has released a statement decrying the "tidal wave of hate and abuse" that has surrounded the studio and game since its release last week.
(...)
Ten days after Dustborn's launch, Red Thread has had enough of it. "We expected Dustborn to spark conversation and debate, and looked forward to engaging with our players in a positive and constructive fashion," the studio said in a message posted to social media. "Unfortunately, that conversation has been drowned out by a tidal wave of hate and abuse.
"We welcome thoughtful feedback and respectful criticism. We embrace discussion and debate. But we have zero tolerance for hate speech, harassment, and threats of any kind. Those who engage in such behavior will be removed from our community."
>> Not to be rude or anything, but given how SteamDB lists an all-time peak of 83 players, what community is he talking about?

Runescape is increasing its membership subscription costs, and players aren't happy: 'Inflation my a**'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/runescape-is-increasing-its-membership-subscription-costs-and-players-arent-happy-inflation-my-a/
Earlier this week, Runescape developer Jagex announced upcoming pricing increases for Runescape membership costs. On September 27, 2024, the price of a membership subscription will increase from $12.49 USD per month to $13.99 USD per month. A premier 12 month subscription, which includes additional in-game bonuses for subscribing for an entire year at once, will increase in price from $79.99 USD annually to $99.48 USD annually.
Players currently subscribed on monthly or 6-month intervals will be able to continue paying their current "Grandfather Rate" for as long as they maintain their subscription. The Grandfather Rate is unavailable for players with annual premium memberships.

Black Ops 6 will let players talk directly to their meat shield hostages, and people are already bracing for heretofore unseen levels of toxicity and abuse
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/black-ops-6-will-let-players-talk-directly-to-their-meat-shield-hostages-fans-are-already-bracing-for-heretofore-unseen-levels-of-toxicity-and-abuse/
This is the best worst idea in videogames I've seen in a very long time: Treyarch says Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will give players the ability to talk directly to the people they're holding hostage and using as meat shields.
>> What could go wrong?

This week's Deadlock patch offered a brief peek at 3 unreleased heroes before a hotfix shoved them back behind the curtain
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/moba/this-weeks-deadlock-patch-offered-a-brief-peek-at-3-unreleased-heroes-before-a-hotfix-shoved-them-back-behind-the-curtain/
It's only been a week since Valve officially acknowledged Deadlock's existence, and gaming's least-closed beta test is already changing quite a bit. Yesterday, Deadlock got a hefty patch that added wall-jumping and more than a hundred hero balance tweaks, because the third person MOBA shooter wasn't already complicated enough without elaborate parkour. Also included in the patch is a new profile screen, showing statistics from a player's playtime with different heroes, which—as some eagle-eyed Deadlock enthusiasts noticed—included three heroes that we can't yet select in-game: Holliday, Mirage, and Wrecker.

Blizzard's next massive Diablo 4 update will let everyone enjoy its endgame in half the time and let blasters crank the difficulty up higher than ever before
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/blizzard-s-next-massive-diablo-4-update-will-let-everyone-enjoy-its-endgame-in-half-the-time-and-let-blasters-crank-the-difficulty-up-higher-than-ever-before/
Blizzard isn't quite done transforming Diablo 4 into an entirely different action RPG than it was when it launched. The current leveling process from 1 to 100 is going straight into the trash with its next update and will be replaced by an entirely new framework for how you progress your character.

Gearbox says Borderlands 4's humor will be grounded in its world: 'We want to make sure that it's situational, that it emerges naturally'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/gearbox-says-borderlands-4s-humor-will-be-grounded-in-its-world-we-want-to-make-sure-that-its-situational-that-it-emerges-naturally/
Last week's Borderlands 4 teaser didn't tell us much about Gearbox's next big co-op looter shooter, but at PAX West today, the creative leads lined up on stage to give us a little more insight—just a little—into what what we can expect from the next billions-of-guns looter shooter.
There weren't many specific Borderlands 4 details in the panel—big news: it takes place on a new planet with new vault hunters—but one takeaway is that Gearbox seems to be self-conscious about the perception of Borderlands' sense of humor as untethered, omg-so-random pop culture chaff. For Borderlands 4, the studio says it's emphasizing character-driven comedy that "emerges naturally."

This upcoming survival game promises an unusual twist: You're an alien botanist who's crash-landed on Earth 300,000 years ago
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/this-upcoming-survival-game-promises-an-unusual-twist-youre-an-alien-botanist-whos-crash-landed-on-earth-300000-years-ago/
In most survival games, you're cast naked and alone in a fantastical world with nothing but a rock and a stick to help you stay alive. The upcoming Astrobotanica promises to be a little different: Instead of playing as a human trying desperately to survive in an alien environment, you're an alien facing the same challenge on Earth in the very distant past.

Andrew C. Greenberg, co-creator of the influential Wizardry series of RPGs, has died
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/andrew-greenberg-co-creator-of-the-influential-wizardry-series-of-rpgs-has-died/
Andrew C. Greenberg, co-creator of the foundational Wizardry series of RPGs, has died at the age of 67. The news was shared to Facebook by his collaborator on Wizardry, Robert Woodhead, and also to Twitter by developer and game design professor David Mullich.
It's hard to overstate Greenberg and Woodhead's influence on RPGs and PC gaming. Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord was one of the first recognizable RPGs you could play on a home computer, a translation of tabletop RPGs and the games developed for the mighty PLATO mainframes present on college campuses at the time to the humble Apple II.

Goblin pachinko roguelike Peglin is finished, complete with some clutch reworks
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/goblin-pachinko-roguelike-peglin-is-finished-complete-with-some-clutch-reworks/
A couple years back some developers asked a question: What if you had the block-bustin, ball-bouncing, pachinko action of Peggle, but it was a weird roguelike deckbuild-esque thing where you toss magic balls and are a goblin? The result was Peglin, and here in 2024 Peglin has finally hit its 1.0 release.

Monday news, the last part:

Frostpunk 2 will have official modding support
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/frostpunk-2-will-have-official-modding-support/
The designers of Frostpunk 2 have announced that it will have full support for mods via a modding tool called FrostKit. While mods were an oft-requested feature for the first Frostpunk, 11 bit studios had used a proprietary, in-house engine to develop it. Switching to Unreal Engine has allowed them to release a native mod development tool alongside Frostpunk.

'AI is coming for all of us:' Mass Effect, Metal Gear Solid, and Baldur's Gate voice actor Jennifer Hale weighs in on SAG-AFTRA's games industry strike
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/ai-is-coming-for-all-of-us-mass-effect-metal-gear-solid-and-baldur-s-gate-voice-actor-jennifer-hale-weighs-in-on-sag-aftra-s-games-industry-strike/
In an interview with Variety, prolific videogame voice actor, Jennifer Hale, whose credits include Mass Effect, Planescape: Torment, and the original Baldur's Gate, defended SAG-AFTRA drilling down on AI protections for performers in its continued negotiations with major game publishers. Videogame voice actors have been on strike against publishers including EA, Activision, and Disney since July 26.

A hardcore, turn-based zombie survival roguelike is getting good buzz on Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/a-hardcore-turn-based-zombie-survival-roguelike-is-getting-good-buzz-on-steam/
A new zombie survival game on Steam is picking up some positive buzz. Terminus: Zombie survivors is "a 2D turn-based survival roguelike set during a zombie apocalypse" that sets itself apart from other games in the genre by focusing on a turn-based experience that doesn't require active reflexes, rather planning and a focus on using your limited action points effectively.

Risk of Rain 2 creators comment on Gearbox's first DLC without them: 'It's great to see new content for the game, but it's hard to see growing pains of the new team in real time'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/risk-of-rain-2-creators-weigh-in-on-gearbox-s-first-dlc-without-them-it-s-great-to-see-new-content-for-the-game-but-it-s-hard-to-see-growing-pains-of-the-new-team-in-real-time/
It hasn't been a good week to be a Risk of Rain fan. Gearbox released Seekers of the Storm, Risk of Rain 2's first DLC since the publisher bought the series from original developers Hopoo Games, and it's currently sitting at just 21% positive reviews on Steam.
(...)
On August 30, Risk of Rain co-creator Duncan Drummond wrote about Seekers of the Storm on X, "The Everything App," expressing understanding for the backlash but also sympathy for the development team at Gearbox.

Crusader Kings 3 players have pet their digital cats and dogs over 11 million times
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/crusader-kings-3-players-have-pet-their-digital-cats-and-dogs-over-11-million-times/
Paradox Interactive has shared some statistics to celebrate the fourth anniversarry of Crusader Kings 3, the historical grand strategy game that puts people in the shoes of ruling families across eurasia during the medieval era. It lets you do immersive historical stuff like die of the black plague, fight a stupid war because of your stupid cousin, and get a nice dog or cat to pet.
People have really pet them puppies and kitties, apparently, because between cats and dogs Crusader Kings 3 players have laid on 11,578,957 pets. That's 6,175,718 for the cates, and 5,403,239 for the dogs.

Baldur's Gate 3's beefy patch 7 will finally drop next week
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/baldurs-gate/baldur-s-gate-3-s-beefy-patch-7-will-finally-drop-next-week/
At the end of a PAX West panel looking back on the development and reception of Baldur's Gate 3, Larian boss Swen Vincke revealed that the game's highly anticipated Patch 7 will finally arrive next week after months of teasers and playtesting.
>> And by next week, they mean this week.

Larian looked to popular homebrew D&D rules for Baldur's Gate 3: 'We were like—okay, we're not crazy, some people do it, so maybe we can try it as well'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/baldurs-gate/larian-looked-to-popular-homebrew-d-d-rules-for-baldur-s-gate-3-we-were-like-okay-we-re-not-crazy-some-people-do-it-so-maybe-we-can-try-it-as-well/
Baldur's Gate 3 is a fascinating game if you're into Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition, the tabletop ruleset it's built upon—because while it's a decently faithful recreation of those rules, it also has enough homebrew nonsense (in the form of magic items and overall tweaks to the TTRPG's core systems) to stand out as its own thing.
Choosing what to scrap, change, and keep hasn't been a straightforward process, however, according to Larian Studio's co-founder Swen Vincke and design director Nick Pechenin during a retrospective panel at PAX West 2024 this weekend.
>> They also revealed that they considered a first person camera for dialogues, among other things.

Mouse: P.I. for Hire devs share ambitions to make a game that's more than 'just a cool art project': A satirical metroidvania shooter with 'adult, deep, gripping storylines'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/mouse-p-i-for-hire-devs-share-ambitions-to-make-a-game-that-s-more-than-just-a-cool-art-project-a-satirical-metroidvania-shooter-with-adult-deep-gripping-storylines/
I had the chance to sit down with the developers of Mouse: P.I. for Hire, a first-person shooter currently in development by Fumi Games. In a hands-off presentation shown to me by lead producer Maciej Krzemień and CEO/Game Director Mateusz Michalak at Gamescom, I was able to see quite a hefty chunk of gameplay, as well as get a little insight into the development process.

Deadlock dev discusses Valve's progress on perfecting MMR, 'It'll be more effective once we finish a full rewrite of the matchmaking system'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/moba/deadlock-dev-discusses-valves-progress-on-perfecting-mmr-itll-be-more-effective-once-we-finish-a-full-rewrite-of-the-matchmaking-system/
Deadlock's MMR is a bit all over the place right now. But this isn't entirely unexpected from a game that's only been out in closed beta for just over a week. Luckily, it seems like the devs have some upcoming plans for improving match-making. 
Some of the developers on the official Discord server (which you can access via an in-game link) are pretty good at answering players' questions. Over the weekend, one such query happened to be whether there is any MMR matchmaking in Deadlock currently, whether that be for overall teams or down to specific lanes. 

Hopefully somethiong between the 7900XT and the XTX cards.

But of course, that's only if we believe the rumor that there won't be any card faster than the current top card, which I only do to keep expectations in check.

I just checked and was surprised that was the case, I thought it was closer to the 4090 in pure raster.

With the increasing prevalence of DLSS, these RDNA3 cards are not aging well regardless. Here's hoping RDNA4 is at least for Nvidia at least in RT which seems to be the main focus there.

Intel Battlemage “Xe2” GPU Gets More Optimizations Ahead Of The Recent Pull Request For Linux 6.12 Kernel

https://wccftech.com/intel-xe2-battlemage-lunar-lake-gpu-optimizations-linux-kernel-6-12-patch/

AMD Ryzen 7000 Look Far Better Value Than Ryzen 9000 With Latest Price Cuts: Ryzen 9 7950X $410 & Ryzen 7 7700X For $220

https://wccftech.com/amd-ryzen-7000-better-value-ryzen-9000-price-cuts-ryzen-9-7950x-410-ryzen-7-7700x-220/

NVIDIA “Powering Advanced AI” Is The New Tagline For GeForce RTX GPUs & AI PC Platforms

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-powering-advanced-ai-new-tagline-geforce-rtx-gpus-ai-pc-platforms/

Former Intel CPU Architecture Experts Unveil Their RISC-V Focused Startup “AheadComputing”

https://wccftech.com/former-intel-cpu-architecture-experts-unveil-risc-v-focused-startup-aheadcomputing/

AMD Ryzen 9 9900X sees up to 12% price drop in U.S, 9950X now $29 cheaper

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-ryzen-9-9900x-sees-up-to-12-price-drop-in-u-s-9950x-now-29-cheaper

The Tuesday news, all in one post:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Steam’s Top 10

(Click here for the Top 100)

Steam has new deals, a theme sale and new weeklong deals:

• Core Keeper will be 20% off until the 5th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1621690/Core_Keeper/
• The KINGDOM HEARTS INTEGRUM MASTERPIECE bundle, with the three games, gets a 31% discount until the 9th of September. The individual games also get a 31% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/sub/1000794
• The Games From Croatia Sale features up to 90% discounts. Most deals will end on the 9th, but some will last longer than that, until the 14th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/GamesfromCroatia
• The Space Exploration Fest will let you find the perfect game to live your Sci-Fi dreams with new demos and up to 90% deals until September 9: https://store.steampowered.com/category/space_exploration/
• Hell Pie will be 75% off until September 13: https://store.steampowered.com/app/889910/Hell_Pie/
• And here are some of the weeklong deals:
  • Jack Holmes : Master of Puppets is 35% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2235820/Jack_Holmes__Master_of_Puppets/
  • Aidan in Danger gets a 40% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2924650/Aidan_in_Danger/
  • art of rally is half its current price: https://store.steampowered.com/app/550320/art_of_rally/
  • Per Aspera gets a 67% deal: https://store.steampowered.com/app/803050/Per_Aspera/
  • ScourgeBringer features a 75% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1037020/ScourgeBringer/
  • And White Night will be 9% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/301560/White_Night/

The Humble Store presents the Kepler Interactive Publisher Sale, with up to 75% deals during 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/kepler-publisher-sale/.

Fanatical’s new Star Deal is Street Fighter™ 6 - Ultimate Edition, 60% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/street-fighter-6-ultimate-edition.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Bethesda bans Doom mod about a resurrected mech-demon Margaret Thatcher because it's apparently a bit close to 'real-world politics'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/bethesda-bans-doom-mod-about-a-resurrected-mech-demon-margaret-thatcher-because-its-apparently-a-bit-close-to-real-world-politics/
Bethesda has removed the Doom mod Thatcher's Techbase from its certified mod listings, apparently following a complaint from a user or users about the mod's subject matter being political. Thatcher's Techbase is built around attacking the hellish alt-universe lair of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who was in office from 1979 to 1990 and died in 2013, but has now been resurrected in "The Tenth Circle of Hell: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland."
Thatcher's Techbase has been around for years, but the problem is Bethesda's recent re-release of a "definitive" bundle of Doom 1 and 2, which incorporates a boatload of new features and official map packs alongside tools that allow modders to easily share their work in-game. This created a kind of semi-official status for popular mods, which are now being distributed directly through Bethesda's game, and it turns out that this might be an issue when said mod allows you to piss on the grave of a dead politician.

GAMING NEWS

'The Beatles had a 25% hit rate': Randy Pitchford reassures fans that he'll carry on 'making stuff' even after a disastrous Risk of Rain 2 expansion and the Borderlands movie
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-beatles-had-a-25-hit-rate-randy-pitchford-reassures-fans-that-hell-carry-on-making-stuff-even-after-a-disastrous-risk-of-rain-2-expansion-and-the-borderlands-movie/
Randy Pitchford, Gearbox boss, has continued his odd yet entertaining thread of replying to just about anyone online who doesn't like what he has to say with long, confusing responses. 
This time around, after someone pointed out the recent failures of both the Borderlands movie, which crashed and burned at the box office, and a Risk of Rain 2 expansion, which ended up being a bit of a train wreck, Pitchford decided to defend himself by comparing Gearbox to—and I'm completely serious here—The Beatles.

WoW's auction house broke for nearly a week, thanks to a code change that made a database table go from roughly 40,000 rows to 'tens of millions'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/wow-s-auction-house-broke-for-nearly-a-week-thanks-to-a-code-change-that-made-a-database-table-go-from-roughly-40-000-rows-to-tens-of-millions/
World of Warcraft: The War Within is off to a decent start (...)
Most players, it seems, have been having a good time. Unless they want to use the auction house, that is. Late last week, the in-game auction house—which players use to buy and sell important goods for things like crafting items—was busted on certain regional servers for an appreciable amount of players.
Blizzard called attention to the issue on the forums August 29, though according to some players, the bug had been persisting far longer, as far back as Wednesday in the same week.

Satisfactory's top-tier quantum tech will let you transmute metals like an alchemist
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/satisfactorys-top-tier-quantum-tech-will-let-you-transmute-metals-like-an-alchemist/
Not too long ago Coffee Stain Studios posted a nice, quiet video flying over the "Quantum" machines that'll make up the final tier of technology in their first-person factory-building survival crafting game Satisfactory. Now, a second 20-minute video has explained almost everything about what that tech will do in-game.

Check out the PSX vibes on spooky, lo-fi horror mystery Pinnacle Point
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/check-out-the-psx-vibes-on-spooky-lo-fi-horror-mystery-pinnacle-point/
An upcoming indie horror game has pretty promising vibes and the look that I know some of us love to see in a horror title. Pinnacle Point by solo developer Robin Shen, aka Ready2Run, is all kinds of fog and neon and blocky polygons that encapsulate the lo-fi vibe of the PSX era of gaming.

Rocksteady reportedly begins a round of layoffs after Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's shortcomings, slashes its QA team's numbers in half
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/rocksteady-reportedly-begins-a-round-of-layoffs-after-suicide-squad-kill-the-justice-league-s-shortcomings-slashes-its-qa-team-s-numbers-in-half/
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League didn't, by most metrics, do what it was supposed to. (...)
In practice, it fell short of expectations, lost Warner Bros Entertainment $200 million, and struggles even now to gather more than 200 concurrents on Steam. As I write, only 56 people are playing it on Valve's platform (though doubtless there are more elsewhere).
Things have gone from bad to worse. As reported by Eurogamer, Rocksteady has begun to lay off over half of its QA department with, as the report states, "poor sales of Suicide Squad directly cited as a reason". This would bring the department down from 33 members to 15.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer says he's made the 'worst game choice decisions,' letting exclusives like Destiny slip through his fingers
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/xbox-boss-phil-spencer-says-hes-made-the-worst-game-choice-decisions-letting-exclusives-like-destiny-slip-through-his-fingers/
CEOs have to make some tough decisions. Sure, mostly it's a matter of 'What shall I spend my seven-figure salary on this month?' and 'How many employees should we lay off for choices that had nothing to do with them?' But sometimes you have to make some executive calls that can massively impact the fortunes of the company you command.
Take, for instance, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, who revealed at a recent PAX Panel (via GamesRadar) that he's made more than a couple of bad calls when it comes to signing games for Xbox. Spencer says he's made some of the "worst game choice decisions" during his tenure at the company. For instance, he passed on picking up both Guitar Hero and Destiny as Xbox exclusives. 

Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl is downright gorgeous, and feels like it's using modern tech to fully realise the atmosphere the first game strove for
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/stalker-2-heart-of-chernobyl-is-downright-gorgeous-using-modern-tech-to-further-draw-its-player-into-the-atmosphere-the-first-game-wanted-to-create/
I am, unfortunately, a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to videogames—especially ones like Stalker. In my heart, I know that atmosphere has precious little to do with graphical fidelity, that a skilled artist can make a deeply immersive game with naught but a few pixels, some shillings, cardboard, and elbow grease.
But there's a reason I've never properly sunk my teeth into Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl despite all the praise it's gotten—and I have to admit it has quite a lot to do with presentation. The game never looked bad for its time, and its immersive atmosphere is rightfully lauded—but its visuals have had a short half life. It was developed in the X-Ray engine, but it gives me a source-engine smell that's impossible to disconnect from my misspent youth in Garry's Mod.
This is a personal failing. However, after sitting down and playing a hands-on demo of the game at Gamescom, I'm happy to report that developer GSC Game World has excelled in the areas it was already strong at, and is on its way to create a game that rivals the first's legendary texture with all the new modern toys in the studio's toolbox.
>> Very reassuring.

The win rates for Deadlock heroes have been revealed, and in the last 11 days, one character has been played over 2.5 million times
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/moba/the-win-rates-for-deadlock-heroes-have-been-revealed-and-in-the-last-11-days-one-character-has-been-played-over-25-million-times/
It's not been long since Deadlock officially launched into closed beta, but even still, some players are starting to figure out which heroes they really click with and which are simply too overpowered to ignore. 

'I want to incorporate more changes, I don't want to take a conservative approach': Final Fantasy 14 game director Yoshi-P expresses a desire to shake things up in the future
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/final-fantasy/i-want-to-incorporate-more-changes-i-don-t-want-to-take-a-conservative-approach-final-fantasy-14-game-director-yoshi-p-expresses-a-desire-to-shake-things-up-in-the-future/
(...)
FF14, simply put, innovates pretty slowly. That's not to say we haven't had new ideas come into the ecosystem, but they also had their own share of issues—Island Sanctuaries were cute at first, but wound up becoming a largely passive spreadsheet simulator. Variant Dungeons, meanwhile, were a ton of fun to play the first go around, but they suffered due to poor reward structures.
I sat down and spoke with the game's director, Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi-P) during Gamescom, and while we talked about the story's overall reception, and what to do with the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, something he said towards the tail-end of our interview also surprised me: It looks like Yoshi-P really does want to shake things up.

The games for Humble Choice September 2024 have been revealed.

• Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles
• Coral Island
• InfraSpace
• Lost Eidolons
• Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
• SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake
• Stranded: Alien Dawn
• You Suck at Parking® - Complete Edition

In other news, Concord is dead.

Concord Is Suddenly Getting Pulled Offline With Sony Promising Full Refunds
https://www.ign.com/articles/playstation-shooter-concord-going-offline-this-week
It has already been pulled from sale on Steam.