There is just something really nice about having all my games in one spot.  And Steam works well.  I have no complaints, except too many sales and I buy more than I can play.

Intel Core Ultra 285K/265K and 245K review leaks out

https://videocardz.com/pixel/intel-core-ultra-285k-265k-and-245k-review-leaks-out

May as well advertise "Get Ryzen X3D instead" if these are legit

Linux Creator Linus Torvalds Calls Out Intel, AMD, NVIDIA & Others For “Buggy Hardware”, Claiming That They Are Behind The OS’s Vulnerabilities

https://wccftech.com/linuxs-creator-linus-torvalds-calls-out-intel-amd-nvidia-for-buggy-hardware/

"Fuck you big 3"

AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme APU For Next-Gen Handhelds Features 16 RDNA 3.5 GPU Cores & 8 “Zen 5” CPU Cores

https://wccftech.com/amd-ryzen-z2-extreme-apu-next-gen-handhelds-16-rdna-3-5-gpu-8-zen-5-cpu-cores/

AMD’s Next-Gen Ryzen Z2 Series Handheld APU Lineup Revealed: Ryzen Z2 Extreme “Strix”, Z2 “Hawk” & Z2G “Rembrandt”, Up To 12 RDNA 3.5 GPU Cores

https://wccftech.com/amd-next-gen-ryzen-z2-series-handheld-apus-ryzen-z2-extreme-strix-z2-hawk-z2g-rembrandt/

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D box leaked, 2nd Gen 3D V-Cache teased

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-ryzen-7-9800x3d-box-leaked-2nd-gen-3d-v-cache-teased

Games that make good use of it? Yes. Games that use it as a marketing checkbox while only putting in RT shadows? No.

The news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Like Fanatical yesterday, GOG has launched the Fallout Day Sale, with games between 60 and 75% off during 5 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/2024_fallout_day.

Steam has several new deals:

• We also find a Fallout Day franchise sale here, with up to 75% discounts until the 29th of October. Plus. Fallout 76 will be free to try during 6 days: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/falloutdaysale2024
• The Realpolitiks franchise is on sale, with up to 85% discounts until October 29: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/realpolitiksfranchise2024
• Project Planet - Earth vs Humanity will be 40% off until November 5: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2224610/Project_Planet__Earth_vs_Humanity/" target="_blank"> https://store.steampowered.com/app/2224610/Project_Planet__Earth_vs_Humanity/

The Humble Store has launched its Fallout Day 2024 Sale as well, with up to 80% discounts during 6 days: https://es.humblebundle.com/store/promo/fallout-day-2024/.

Fanatical has two new deals:

• The new Star Deal is Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition, 79% off during 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/fallout-4-game-of-the-year-edition
• And the new RPG Mystery Bundle has three unknown games to get: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/rpg-mystery-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Driveclub, THE best-looking PS4 racing game, boots on shadPS4
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/driveclub-the-best-looking-ps4-racing-game-boots-on-shadps4/
You know what? It’s a real shame to what happened to Driveclub. When it launched, the game had major online/network issues. And although Evolution Studios addressed most of them, Sony decided to close the studio and completely abandon Driveclub.
What’s really funny is that Sony did not even enhance the game for PS5. Ironically, even to this date, Driveclub is one of the best-looking racing games. In fact, it was THE best-looking racing game on PS4. Its rain effects, in particular, were gorgeous.
Since this is a PS4 game, it’s locked at 1080p and 30fps. And although Sony does not plan to enhance it for PS5, PC gamers may someday actually play it at 4K with 60fps. Because, as the title implies, yes. The best PS4 emulator, shadPS4, can now boot Driveclub.
From what I know, right now Driveclub is not playable. Still, the fact that shadPS4 can boot it is already an incredible step.
>> There’s only one screenshot in the article to prove that it actually boots.

Fallout: London just hit one million downloads
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/fallout-london-just-hit-one-million-downloads/
Team FOLON has announced that its DLC-sized mod for Fallout 4, Fallout: London, has hit one million downloads. Fallout: London came out in July 2024, meaning that it took around three months to hit that milestone.

GAMING NEWS

Alan Wake 2 Anniversary Update Released, Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/alan-wake-2-anniversary-update-released-full-patch-notes/
Remedy has just released the Anniversary Update for its latest horror game, Alan Wake 2, and shared its full patch notes. This Update is 20GB in size on PC, and it includes The Lake House expansion for the Deluxe Edition owners.

Take a look at the first teaser trailer for Remedy’s CONTROL 2
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/take-a-look-at-the-first-teaser-trailer-for-remedys-control-2/
It appears that Remedy has included the first teaser trailer for CONTROL 2 in the latest DLC for Alan Wake 2. This teaser sets the setting for the next CONTROL game. So, if you are a fan of this franchise, I highly recommend watching it.

Monster Hunter Wilds PC Open Beta begins on October 31st
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/monster-hunter-wilds-pc-open-beta-begins-on-october-31st/
Capcom has just announced that an Open Beta Testing for Monster Hunter Wilds will begin on PC on October 31st. The Open Beta Testing will last until November 1st, and it will allow you to test the game prior to its official release.

The news, the long, second part:

Spooky survival game Angst knows just I want: Survival mechanics that get out the way of my quest to steal a sad orb from the guy in the basement
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/spooky-survival-game-angst-knows-just-i-want-survival-mechanics-that-get-out-the-way-of-my-quest-to-steal-a-sad-orb-from-the-guy-in-the-basement/
Survival games! They're all the rage. Since the dawn of time, mankind has dreamt of exacting vengeance on its hated ancestral enemy: the tree. These games make those dreams reality—you punch trees, fashion their corpses into bizarre shapes, set them alight. Generally just a lot of tree torture going on.
Angst, whose ongoing playtest I spent a while mucking around in this morning, starts out much the same way. You wake up, it's cold, hit the trees, you know the drill. But things start getting weird when the tutorial voice on your banged-up ham radio starts imploring you to stick food in an old wooden chest. That would, ordinarily, be quite normal—you need to preserve food in these games all the time—but the voice makes clear that the food isn't for you.

Pal-dora's Box yawns open as Sega sues MementoMori developers over mechanic patents, seeking 1 billion yen in damages
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/pal-doras-box-yawns-open-as-sega-sues-mementomori-developers-over-mechanic-patents-seeking-1-billion-yen-in-damages/
It's too early to say exactly which way the wind is blowing, but it sure feels like Nintendo's opened a Pandora's Box of patent lawsuits in Japan—for the uninitiated, Nintendo took a public swing at Palworld after a few months of relative silence, filing a lawsuit in September. Now Sega's following suit, attempting to claim similar damages from MementoMori, a 2022 gacha game that's primarily mobile-focused, though it does have a client for PC as well.
>> Sega does what Ninten… does first.

This gaudy Ghost Face cosmetic isn't exactly helping Hunt: Showdown 1896 players escape the feeling of corporate crossover creep
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/this-gaudy-ghost-face-cosmetic-isnt-exactly-helping-hunt-showdown-1896-players-escape-the-feeling-of-corporate-crossover-creep/
Hunt: Showdown 1896's been going through it in recent months. Despite releasing a great new map in August and maintaining a pretty healthy playerbase on Steam, its UI update—criticised for its bad controls, confusing layouts, and prominent store tab—saw its score tanked to the tune of 10,000 negative reviews back in August.
(...)
Now Hunt: Showdown 1896 is dipping its toes into this same uglification trend, as Crytek has revealed a Scream crossover bundle starring Ghost Face himself, the first of its kind in the game. The awkward pairing has sent the game's subreddit into a frenzy. "Today, Hunt's identity died," proclaims a mourner in a top-rated Reddit post, "I cannot think of a different IP that has less to do with Hunt."

Two years after unveiling a new studio aimed at building 'the next big thing in gaming,' Netflix has closed it down
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/two-years-after-unveiling-a-new-studio-aimed-at-building-the-next-big-thing-in-gaming-netflix-has-closed-it-down/
Netflix's big-time gaming ambitions seem to have hit a slippery patch, as Gamefile reports that the internal studio known as Team Blue has been closed.
Team Blue was revealed, without the catchy name, in October 2022, and appeared to signify a real escalation of Netflix's gaming ambitions. The company said in 2021 that its move into gaming would be focused primarily on mobile games, but a year later it was "seriously exploring" cloud gaming and hiring some big names for its second internal studio, including former Overwatch executive producer Chacko Sonny as studio head, former Halo Infinite creative lead Joseph Staten, and former Sony Santa Monica art director Rafael Grassetti.

Life sim Inzoi is still set to release in early access this year, Krafton confirms
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/life-sim-inzoi-is-still-set-to-release-in-early-access-this-year-krafton-confirms/
It has been our understanding that upcoming life sim Inzoi will release in early access this year, but there hasn't been much in the way of hard confirmation, and unless the earth's orbit slows down considerably, 2024 is nearly over. At a game demonstration this week, however, a Krafton representative confirmed to PC Gamer that the plan is still to release Inzoi in early access before the year is out.

Assassin's Creed Shadows drops promised early access for its big collector's edition, but it's also going to be $50 cheaper than planned
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/assassins-creed-shadows-drops-promised-early-access-for-its-big-collectors-edition-but-its-also-going-to-be-usd50-cheaper-than-planned/
Ubisoft has confirmed that the Assassin's Creed Shadows collector's edition, a honkin' big package that comes complete with a 16-inch statue, art book, wall scroll, and other such good stuff, will not include three days of early access to the game.

Sony carves off more of Bungie: The Creative Studios team is now officially a part of PlayStation Studios
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/sony-carves-off-more-of-bungie-the-creative-studios-team-is-now-officially-a-part-of-playstation-studios/
Sony's assimilation of Destiny 2 studio Bungie took another step forward today with the announcement that its Creative Studios arm, responsible for directing and developing the "artistic vision" and branding of Bungie games, is now fully a part of PlayStation Studios.

Metaphor: ReFantazio director Katsura Hashino is already working on a new game
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/metaphor-refantazio-director-katsura-hashino-is-already-working-on-a-new-game/
Metaphor: ReFantazio released last week to unanimous critical acclaim, which is probably not surprising: its famed director Katsura Hashino commandeered Persona 5. Following the success of Persona 5, Hashino formed a new Atlus arm called Studio Zero in 2016 to work on Metaphor: ReFantazio (then known as Zero Re Fantasy), which involved leaving Persona in the hands of P-Studio.
In a new machine-translated Famitsu interview shared with Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, Hashino revealed Studio Zero is already working on a new game. Asked what the studio will move to after Metaphor, Hashino replied "Ah, they've already started".

The real shocker with Disney Dreamlight Valley's Halloween event is that it's the same as last year
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/the-real-shocker-with-disney-dreamlight-valleys-halloween-event-is-that-its-the-same-as-last-year/
The annual Trick-or-Treat event has begun again in Disney Dreamlight Valley, and never in my life have I been so excited to collect virtual candy buckets. Much like last year a set of tasks are available for you to complete in the days leading up to and including October 31, and while you wander around completing your Dreamlight Duties you may find some new foragables around the Plaza. 
(...several paragraphs later...)
But even though I'm thrilled to get ahold of some Halloween decorations and have another chance to craft the Mickey Mouse candy bowl, I can't help but feel a little disappointed about the fact the event is the exact same as last year. With how constant Disney Dreamlight Valley is rolling out updates and adding new characters for us to spend hours unlocking, it's a shame that the same tasks and rewards are being recycled this year. 

Gorgeous deck-building shop sim Potionomics just got a patch that fixes all my problems with it—plus voice acting, and an option to smooch everyone in a single playthrough
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/card-games/gorgeous-deck-building-shop-sim-potionomics-just-got-a-patch-that-fixes-all-my-problems-with-it-plus-voice-acting-and-an-option-to-smooch-everyone-in-a-single-playthrough/
I had a ton of fondness for Potionomics when it came out in 2022—as did PC Gamer, apparently, as we gave it an 87 in our Potionomics review. In case you missed this charming gem—it's a shop simulator by Voracious Games about inheriting a bunch of debt and a potions store. The way it handles selling those potions (and competing in competitions) is via deckbuilding—with the protagonist gaining new sales tactics from the people she interacts with, then flogging her wares in Slay the Spire-style battles.
It's a genuinely gorgeous little thing. Everything from its UI, to its character designs, to its animations are designed to give you a lovely little fuzz of belonging, and it helps that its mechanics all slot together satisfyingly, too. Alas, it had a few key problems when I played it that stopped me from finishing my playthrough—problems that are now thoroughly fixed via a major update that dropped yesterday.

Telltale heaves a long, dog-tired sigh at 'unsubstantiated Reddit threads', reassures fans that The Wolf Among Us 2 is still being made, honest
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/telltale-heaves-a-long-dog-tired-sigh-at-unsubstantiated-reddit-threads-reassures-fans-that-the-wolf-among-us-2-is-still-being-made-honest/
The Wolf Among Us 2 is still in development, says Telltale, after having to remind the internet at large that "unsubstantiated Reddit threads" don't mean a game's getting shut down, no matter how bad things have looked in past years.

FF16's Ben Starr will host the 42nd Golden Joystick Awards this November
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/ff16s-ben-starr-will-host-the-42nd-golden-joystick-awards-this-november/
Since the dawn of time, mankind has asked itself the question: What are the year's best videogames according to a wide-ranging yet sober and precise array of categories? We're finally going to get our answer.
Actually, we're going to get it for the 42nd time, because the Golden Joysticks will be back this November 21, live from London. What's more, the show has revealed its host. None other than Ben Starr (FF16's Clive, dater of summons) will be on stage to guide us through proceedings at this year's event, which also makes it a great opportunity to generate exciting new memes of his face.

The Day Before developer cancels second Kickstarter after it whimpers out with $2,200 of funding, immediately goes all-in on a third game in the same announcement
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-day-before-developer-cancels-kickstarter-after-it-whimpers-out-with-usd2-200-of-funding-immediately-goes-all-in-on-a-third-game-in-the-same-announcement/
In what I can only describe as a display of biblical hubris, The Day Before developers have announced a third game, instead of going quietly into that good night.

Gets included as a luminary in the x86 EAG. First thing he does is throw them under the bus.

But hey, he likely knows what he's talking about.

By the way, for those with Win10 PCs that don't meet the Win11 specs, here's another workaround to install it:

A new method to circumvent Windows 11's 'annoying' system requirements just came out
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/windows/a-new-method-to-circumvent-windows-11s-annoying-system-requirements-just-came-out/
Windows 11 has been adopted a little slowly, leaving many on the very popular Windows 10 to this day. Part of this is that many think "It ain't broke, don't fix it" and don't particularly like all the ways that Windows 11 tries to sell you on the likes of One Drive and Xbox Game Pass. Another is that Windows 11 had some pretty tough system requirements. Though thankfully there are many ways around those, including this newly-published tool.

A free tool called Rufus has been a good workaround for a long time to ignore system requirements, but a new method has just been made available that might be worth a try.

Flyby11 is the name of a new program you can find on GitHub (as spotted by Neowin) and it simply "removes the annoying restrictions preventing you from installing Windows 11 (24H2) on unsupported hardware". Windows 11 version 24H2 is the most recent version of the software currently available outside of a beta.

Cheekily described as "sneaking through the back door without anyone noticing", Flyby11 uses the Windows Server installation system to skip hardware compatibility checks. You simply have to run the tool and it will get Windows 11 working for you, regardless of what hardware you have in your machine.

However, it's worth pointing out that this is a very new method and the GitHub repository was created on October 19. According to community feedback, no significant issues have popped up with this method, though one user says "No doubt this coder will get a lot of feedback and it will get polished, until then I think I like Rufus."

The Rufus Windows 11 method has been around a good bit longer, and is even recommended by Microsoft (though it only recommends it for compatible rigs)

285K - possibly the worst CPU in recent times. Embargo finishes soon.

Thursday news, part one:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

This week, the Epic Store gives away Moving Out: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/moving-out
Next week, the free games will be Witch It and Ghostwire: Tokyo.

GOG has two LTO and a new sale:

• The two Limited Time Offers will last 22 hours and are:
  • The Legend of Skye, 30% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_legend_of_skye
  • Interstellar Space: Genesis, with a 67% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/interstellar_space_genesis
• The Yakuza Franchise Sale puts the games up to 70% off during 13 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20241024_yakuza_franchise_sale

Steam has two new deals:

• Ravenous Devils, that has a demo, gets a 55% discount until October 30: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1615290/Ravenous_Devils/
• Railbound is going to be 40% off until the 6th of November: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1967510/Railbound/

And Humble Bundle presents the Microids Mystery Menagerie Bundle, with up to 19 items to get (18 games + 1 coupon) during 20 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/microids-mystery-menagerie.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

You might want to hold off installing the latest Game Ready Nvidia GeForce driver if you're using Corsair iCUE or Bluestacks
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/graphics-cards/you-might-want-to-hold-off-installing-the-latest-game-ready-nvidia-geforce-driver-if-youre-using-corsair-icue-or-bluestacks/
Nvidia's latest Game Ready GeForce driver (566.03) is out and should optimise your rig for some new and upcoming games and DLC, but Corsair iCUE or Bluestacks users might want to hold off on pressing that shiny green update button.
In its release notes (PDF), Nvidia reports (via Overclock3D) "higher than normal CPU usage" as an "open issue" for iCUE and Bluestacks software. The former is software that allows for centralised control for all your Corsair hardware—you know, for that sweet, sweet RGB sync—and the latter is Android emulator software.

'It even breaks my heart a bit': Denuvo pushes back on its haters, says Steam forums are a 'very toxic, very hostile environment'
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-headsets/it-even-breaks-my-heart-a-bit-denuvo-pushes-back-on-its-haters-says-steam-forums-are-a-very-toxic-very-hostile-environment/
Not everyone thinks Denuvo DRM is a crime against PC gaming, but you'd probably struggle to find a PC gamer who says they like the anti-piracy software. And why should they? If it works properly, the only people who should notice the existence of Denuvo DRM are the software pirates trying to crack it. Everyone else is free to hate it—because they think it hurts performance, or just because they don't like DRM—or have no feelings about it at all.
That's been the status quo for a long time, but Denuvo is finally pushing back on gamers who characterize it as the Lex Luthor of PC gaming, and says that not only should we not hate it, we should appreciate Denuvo DRM for the good it does for game developers.
"It even breaks my heart a bit to see how our solutions, especially the anti-piracy solution, are picked up by the community," Denuvo product manager Andreas Ullmann told me earlier this year at the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco. "Because I think it's not fully understood the benefits that our solution can bring, because preventing piracy, you earn more through your game, which is then reinvested into making greater games. I don't have any proof for it, but probably, if our solution does not exist, maybe there are some great games that never get developed."
>> My take on it

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Starfield Mod adds daily routines to 40 NPCs across major cities
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/starfield-mod-adds-daily-routines-to-40-npcs-across-major-cities/
Starfield fans, here is something for you. Modder ‘FlippingEggs’ has released a pretty cool mod for it that adds daily routines to 36 named NPCs, and 4 unnamed NPCs across major cities and settlements.
Going into more details, this mod adds daily schedules to 40 NPCs in total. It also adds 10 new robots that work in various stores, so you can buy stuff when the store owner isn’t there. Plus, it adds 57 data slates to various store countertops and NPCs’ personal spaces.
The modder has added NPC routines that are controlled by custom AI packages which he created from scratch. As such, NPCs will physically walk from their store to various locations, and back. All schedules and store hours are based on a planet’s local time. The business directories for the New Atlantis and Akila information kiosks have been updated to show businesses that have hours and/or robots.
Not only that but FlippingEggs restored two vanilla dialogue scenes. Antonio Bianchi (UC Surplus in the Well) and Farad Kallob (Eit Clothiers) will now have unique greeting scenes. Plus, the modder added extra dialogue options that allow you to skip some of the longer greeting conversations that Neon vendors give to you the first time you talk to them.
>> The article has no media.

I played the banned Skyrim mod that turns it into World War 2 and, no kidding, it's honestly kind of incredible
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-elder-scrolls/i-played-the-banned-skyrim-mod-that-turns-it-into-world-war-2-and-no-kidding-its-honestly-kind-of-incredible/
I never quite got Skyrim. I'm a Morrowind nerd, yeah, sure, we're all very certain of that, but it's not my pining for the old days that meant the game never sat right with me. What was it? The slightly floaty combat? The streamlined skill system?
No. It was the fact that it never let me annihilate a mudcrab with a DP-27 light machine gun using 7.62x54mmR rounds, sending it speeding at 400 miles per hour across a lake surface and into the waiting arms of God.
Luckily, someone has solved that problem. Skyrim WW2 Overhaul is, well, just what it says: a mod that cuts Skyrim's plinky, do-nothing civil war that consists of four Norwegians smacking each other in a field and replaces it with the most destructive conflict in human history. Specifically, it turns it into the Eastern Front, turning Imperials and Stormcloaks into the Red Army and Wehrmacht (which is which depends on the flavour of mod you download).
(… a long and detailed description of the mod...)
It is, I cannot emphasise this enough, incredibly fun to just dip in and see how long you can go for. Which makes it a shame it's not technically on Nexus Mods right now. The big ol' mod site banned it for reasons I can't find, but if I were to guess I'd probably say the whole 'WW2 Eastern Front' thing made it a bit of a magnet for awful people, even if the author promised "This mod is created purely for entertainment and not to push any political agenda or offend. Great effort has been made to exclude any symbols/units/uniforms that can be seen as offensive."
I say technically because, if you have the link, you can still download the mod. This link right here, to be specific. And if that doesn't work, a noble soul has uploaded it to Archive.org too (although that website's currently down for other reasons). I'd grab it now, if I were you. War waits for no man.
>> The article has some screenshots and a 30 seconds video.

GAMING NEWS

Star Wars Outlaws Title Update 1.3.0 Released, Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/star-wars-outlaws-title-update-1-3-0-released-full-patch-notes/
Ubisoft has just released Title Update 1.3.0 for Star Wars Outlaws, and it shared its full patch notes. According to the devs, this new patch will improve stealth to give players more flexibility in how they approach situations. It also brings some other improvements and bug fixes. So, let’s take a look at all of them.

The second part of the Thursday news:

No More Room in Hell 2 might be too early for early access, with Steam reviews flagging endless technical issues and major server problems
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/no-more-room-in-hell-2-might-be-too-early-for-early-access-with-steam-reviews-flagging-endless-technical-issues-and-major-server-problems/
PC Gamer's Best Mod of 2012 was No More Room in Hell, a Romero-inspired Source mod that supports eight player co-op and offered a claustrophobic, intense survival experience like no other. The standalone sequel has been in development since 2016, from the original group of modders, which last year was acquired by Chivalry 2 studio Torn Banner and given a whole bunch more resources. No More Room in Hell 2 finally released yesterday and… oh. Oh dear.

Monster Hunter Wilds open beta is coming next week, with a full character creator and two hunts
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/monster-hunter-wilds-open-beta-is-coming-next-week-with-a-full-character-creator-and-two-hunts/
Monster Hunter Wilds isn't set to arrive until February 28, 2025, but you can get a taste of what it's all about a whole lot sooner than that—next week, in fact—courtesy of the upcoming open beta test, which will give players access to "a limited portion" of the game including character creation and a couple of hunts.

Ubisoft made a good Prince of Persia game, so of course it's disbanded the team shortly after release
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/ubisoft-made-a-good-prince-of-persia-game-so-of-course-its-disbanded-the-team-shortly-after-release/
Ubisoft's stewardship of Prince of Persia has had extraordinary highs, more than a few lows, and has often felt a little confused. The latter impression wasn't helped this year by the release of two distinct Prince of Persia side-scrollers within a few months of one another: The Rogue Prince of Persia, developed by Dead Cells support studio Evil Empire, and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, developed by Ubisoft Montpellier.
The Lost Crown released in early January, and was generally well-received (across platforms, it holds a handsome 86 on Metacritic). PCG's Mollie Taylor liked it well enough, but felt a poor opening dragged down the fantastic second half. But the critical reception didn't lead to high sales, and a new report from a report by French YouTuber Gautoz for Origami, subsequently confirmed by a Ubisoft statement, says the development team behind it has now been disbanded across other projects.

Space Marine 2 will walk back unpopular difficulty changes, public test servers are coming to help avoid hassles like this in the future
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/space-marine-2-will-walk-back-unpopular-difficulty-changes-public-test-servers-are-coming-to-help-avoid-hassles-like-this-in-the-future/
Focus Interactive announced today that some of the changes made in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2's decidedly unpopular 4.0 patch will be rolled back later this week, and to avoid these kinds of headaches in the future, public test servers are on the way.

Fallout 76's playable ghoul will be able to 'rip the face off a deathclaw' among other ungodly perks, according to the Fallout Day Broadcast
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fallout/fallout-76s-playable-ghoul-will-be-able-to-rip-the-face-off-a-deathclaw-among-other-ungodly-perks-according-to-the-fallout-day-broadcast/
For the first time ever in a Fallout game, players will be able to play as a ghoul as part of an upcoming update to Fallout 76. I've been looking forward to this feature since it was announced at an Xbox showcase, with more information being revealed alongside the Skyline Valley update but now, after the Fallout Day broadcast, we know a bit more about what playing as a ghoul will be like. 

Fallout 76's next major update will be a 'traditional MMO-style dungeon' which will host 'the biggest boss in a Fallout game'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fallout/fallout-76s-next-major-update-will-be-a-traditional-mmo-style-dungeon-which-will-host-the-biggest-boss-in-a-fallout-game/
During the Fallout Day broadcast, we got a substantial look at what to expect from Fallout 76's next major update, and there are a ton of new features, improvements, and even a new raid to look forward to. 

Minecraft is dropping VR support next year
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/vr/minecraft-is-dropping-vr-support-next-year/
Minecraft VR currently holds a spot on our list of the best VR games available on PC, but we're going to have to make a little change on that pretty soon. In the latest Minecraft: Bedrock Edition changelog, Mojang said its "ability to support VR/MR devices has come to an end," and it will be dropped after a final update in March 2025.

The latest Cities: Skylines 2 patch addresses homelessness and pollution issues in an already-fraught election year
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/city-builder/the-latest-cities-skylines-2-patch-addresses-homelessness-and-pollution-issues-in-an-already-fraught-election-year/
Homelessness and pollution are complicated issues, I'm told, despite the surplus of unoccupied buildings and people who'd prefer to have breathable air. Luckily, addressing solvable problems is a fantasy we can live out even in the patch notes of Cities: Skylines 2, which just got fixes for buggy homeless encampments, inconsistent pollution behavior, and much more.

For the 30th time—yes, we're still counting—Ubisoft reassures everyone that Beyond Good and Evil 2 is still happening
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/for-the-30th-time-yes-were-still-counting-ubisoft-reassures-everyone-that-beyond-good-and-evil-2-is-still-happening/
Back in June, Ubisoft promised us for the 29th time—yes, we counted—that Beyond Good and Evil 2, which has somehow been in development since 2008, is still happening. Today, we bump that number up by one, making it a nice, round 30, because the game now has a new creative director, Fawzi Mesmar, who Ubisoft says has more than 20 successful game launches to his credit.
>> Honest question: do people still care about this game?

Blizzard coins 'Meat or Treat' for Diablo 4's upcoming Halloween event and I refuse to say it like that
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/blizzard-coins-meat-or-treat-for-diablo-4s-upcoming-halloween-event-and-i-refuse-to-say-it-like-that/
Whoever was tasked with naming Diablo 4's upcoming Halloween event must've been proud to come up with a phrase like "Meat or Treat", but I frankly don't like the sound of that and would've at least preferred it the other way around. I suppose it's too late to workshop it a bit more though because the four-day event starts next week.

And today there’s a third, and short, part of the news:

What exactly is up with Black Ops 6's 'Enhanced Headphone Mode' and its $20 paid tier
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/what-exactly-is-up-with-black-ops-6s-enhanced-headphone-mode-and-its-usd20-paid-tier/
The first thing you realize after playing a competitive FPS with headphones on is that you should never play a competitive FPS without headphones on. All games sound best with your ears squeezed between a nice pair of speakers, but in shooters, the ability to isolate background noise and pick out the direction of footsteps, callouts, and gunshots can literally make you a better player.
That relationship between skill and sound is the only reason I read an entire blog post dedicated to audio in Black Ops 6, and why I'm raising an ear-brow at a new "Enhanced Headphone Mode" that promises to maximize audio clarity for those willing to part with an extra $20.

For Halloween, No Man's Sky is going full-blown cosmic horror for a fortnight
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/for-halloween-no-mans-sky-is-going-full-blown-cosmic-horror-for-a-fortnight/
The new No Man's Sky expedition is a space horror outing where, instead of evading space pirates and mysteriously cute aliens, the boundaries of reality are out to get you. The Cursed, which launches today, takes place at the threshold between realities in a place called the twilight realm. It looks super pretty—much prettier than the dead planets I invariably encounter when I return to the game every six months or so.

SAG-AFTRA flexes its metaphorical K/D ratio 3 months into voice acting strike over AI: 'More than 120 games from 49 companies have now signed'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/sag-aftra-flexes-its-metaphorical-k-d-ratio-3-months-into-voice-acting-strike-over-ai-more-than-120-games-from-49-companies-have-now-signed/
It's been around three months since SAG-AFTRA, a union representing over 160,000 actors across the industry (note: also in videogames), declared a strike over AI, stating that "employers refuse to plainly affirm, in clear and enforceable language, that they will protect all performers covered by this contract in their AI language."
(...)
The strike has been proceeding apace according to the union, which shared some good news via an update posted to its website earlier this week: "On the eve of the scheduled resumption of negotiations on the video game contract, SAG-AFTRA has announced that more than 120 games from 49 companies have now signed the union’s tiered-budget or interim agreements.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's new set of patch notes reveals that aim assist will be 'much weaker at point blank range'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/call-of-duty-black-ops-6s-new-set-of-patch-notes-reveals-that-aim-assist-will-be-much-weaker-at-point-blank-range/
It's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launch day and just before everyone jumps into the game, Activision released some pretty hefty patch notes full of small tweaks and some more substantial changes.