The news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG has a surprise explained in more detail in the next section and four new sales:

• GOG celebrates its 16th anniversary with a sale featuring up to 95% discounts during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/2024_16_gog_anniversary
• The Management Games Promo has games up to 90% off during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20241113_management_promo
• The Sci-Fi Promo has up to 95% discounts and will last 10 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/2024_sci-fi_promo
• And the Anshar Publishing Publisher Sale brings games up to 70% off and will last 14 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20241113_anshar_publisher_sale

Steam has two new deals:

• Ultros, that has a demo, features a 50% discount until November 26: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2386310/Ultros/
• Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr is going to be 80% off until the same 26th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/527430/Warhammer_40000_Inquisitor__Martyr/

Fanatical has new Flash Deals and a bundle:

• These are the three 24h Flash Deals:
  • INDIKA is 42% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/indika
  • Total War: WARHAMMER III gets a 65% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/total-war-warhammer-iii
  • And the Prey + RAGE 2 Pack has a 92% deal: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/prey-rage-2-pack
• The new Action Mystery Bundle has 3 unknown games to get: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/action-mystery-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

INTEL Arc Graphics 32.0.101.6297 driver
https://videocardz.com/driver/intel-arc-graphics-32-0-101-6297
Highlights Gaming Highlights
Intel Game On Driver support on Intel Arc A-series Graphics GPUs and Intel Core Ultra with built-in Intel Arc GPUs for:

• Farming Simulator 25
• Planet Coaster 2
• Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake

GOG is gonna keep games like New Vegas running on modern systems by itself, using its own devs to keep oldies going 'for generations to come'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/gog-is-gonna-keep-games-like-new-vegas-running-on-modern-systems-by-itself-using-its-own-devs-to-keep-a-growing-set-of-oldies-going-for-generations-to-come/
Great news, everyone: GOG is going to make it easier than ever for me to not play anything that came out after the second George W. Bush administration. The company is launching a new GOG Preservation program, announced today, that promises to gather up over 100 games and keep them compatible from now until the end of time. Which could be a few years, the way things are going.
"We’re excited to launch the GOG Preservation Program," says GOG. "It’s a new initiative in which we commit our own resources to maintaining games’ compatibility with modern and future systems. Over 100 improved classics… will receive an official stamp starting November 13th, 3 PM CET." You can find the full list of games down below, and GOG says the list will expand as time goes by.
In other words, GOG is taking "a growing collection of hand-picked games" and running them through a barrage of tests to see if they work according to its own quality standards. "Every game in the program will receive ongoing updates and care from GOG, preserving the spirit of gaming for today’s players and generations to come." Plus, the ones brought up to snuff get a shiny silver "Good Old Game" badge.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Nintendo seems to have set up shop in the condemned home of Switch emulator Ryujinx, claiming its domain name for its own
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/nintendo-seems-to-have-set-up-shop-in-the-condemned-home-of-switch-emulator-ryujinx-claiming-its-domain-name-for-its-own/
Nintendo's been on a litigious roll this year—and by roll, I mean in the Katamari Damacy way, where eventually the thing's soaking up entire aeroplanes and grown large enough to blot out the sun as it hurtles towards your apartment in a screaming amalgam of metal and concrete. Where was I? Oh, right.
Going after Palworld, taking around 20 years of Garry's Mod items from the Steam Workshop, elbow-dropping Citra and Yuzu, grabbing a chair from the announcer's table and slamming it over the head of a Palworld-to-Pokémon mod, and seemingly being so scary that Valve preemptively snubbed a N64 Portal remake just in case the Disney of videogames tried anything expensive and legislatively exhausting: Everything I've just listed was in 2024, by the way, the list goes on.
Anyway, Switch emulator Ryujinx was the latest emulator told to muscle out or sleep with the fishes, a legal demand its creators very quickly complied with. As if to add insult to injury, though, it looks like Nintendo's now set up shop in Ryujinx's domain name (thanks, Gamesradar).

STALKER: Call of Pripyat Co-Op Mod Available for Download
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/stalker-call-of-pripyat-co-op-mod-available-for-download/
STALKER fans, here is something cool for you today. The xrMPE team has released a new mod for STALKER: Call of Pripyat that allows you to play with others in co-op.
In this co-op addon for the X-Ray Multiplayer Extension, all story and additional tasks are available. Moreover, almost all the mechanics of the original game are adapted for multiple players.
The mod currently supports up to four players. This will completely change the way you experience this STALKER game. As such, I highly suggest downloading it from this link. At the end of the article, you can also find a trailer for it.

Red Dead Redemption just got a must-have 3.4GB lore-friendly HD Texture Pack
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/red-dead-redemption-just-got-a-must-have-3-4gb-lore-friendly-hd-texture-pack/
One of my biggest gripes with Red Dead Redemption on PC was its low-quality textures. And, as we were expecting, a modder decided to do Rockstar’s job and upscale all of the game’s textures.
In order to upscale the game’s textures, DayL used AI tools. As such, the improved textures retain the art style of the original ones. Moreover, they look sharper and better than before. In other words, this is a must-have for pretty much everyone.
According to the modder, this isn’t just a quick AI upscale project. Instead, he edited some textures by hand to sharpen and improve every detail while keeping the game’s original look. The mod also includes new normal maps for each texture, matching the resolution of the main texture.
Players can expect 4K textures for all roads, trails, and cliffs. The pack also comes with 2K textures for terrain, ground vegetation, and rocks.
In future versions, the modder plans to improve textures for trees, bushes, cacti, and other plants. He also plans to improve textures for train tracks, Blackwater streets, pavement, and other outdoor terrain. So, this HD pack will get even better as time passes.
>> The article has a series of comparison screenshots.

GAMING NEWS

Here are the final PC requirements for STALKER 2
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/here-are-the-final-pc-requirements-for-stalker-2/
Earlier this month, some media outlets shared some outdated PC requirements for STALKER 2. Those PC specs were from 2021, and they gave PC gamers the wrong idea about how the game would perform. Thankfully, though. GSC GameWorld shared its final PC specs. So, let’s take a look at them.

Project TH seems to be the Splinter Cell game we’ve been waiting for
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/project-th-seems-to-be-the-splinter-cell-game-weve-been-waiting-for/
Back in February 2023, we informed you about Project TH. Developed by EVR Studio, this third-person action game appears to be the Splinter Cell game we all have been waiting for.
Based on the webtoon Moodang, Project TH takes place in the Unified Nation of Korea in the near future. The story follows different events around the main characters. The devs have been working on it for the past six years. Despite that, from what I see, it’s still in a very early development stage.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard PC Patch 2 Released & Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/dragon-age-the-veilguard-pc-patch-2-released-detailed/
BioWare has just released the second PC patch for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and shared its complete changelog. Title Update 2 is around 250MB in size, and it will address only two issues that plagued the game.

The news, part two:

Tripwire says it's 'leaving no game behind' as it releases a surprise update for the 7-year-old Rising Storm 2: Vietnam
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/tripwire-says-its-leaving-no-game-behind-as-it-releases-a-surprise-update-for-the-7-year-old-rising-storm-2-vietnam/
Rising Storm 2: Vietnam launched in 2017, and it was last updated more than three years ago, in June 2021. Or so it was until yesterday, when developer Tripwire Interactive dropped a surprise update aimed at improving server behavior and security, and fixing a number of VOIP-related bugs.

Rockstar drops an unexpected GTA Trilogy update that makes the PC version almost as good as the one you can play on your phone
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/rockstar-drops-an-unexpected-gta-trilogy-update-that-makes-the-pc-version-almost-as-good-as-the-one-you-can-play-on-your-phone/
Rockstar has rolled out a surprise update for Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition (which I will henceforth be calling the GTA Trilogy) and it's good news for fans, because apparently the PC edition is almost as good as the mobile version now.
(...)
The mobile version, which arrived in late 2023 via Netflix, was outstanding by comparison: Mobile gaming site TouchArcade scored it 4.5/5, calling it "better than the PC and console versions in almost every way." One of the big reasons for that was the addition of a "Classic Lighting mode," which Rockstar said at the time "restores the look and feel of the sky in the original games."
It took the better part of a year but that mode has finally made its way to the PC version of the GTA Trilogy, and console editions too if that's your thing. Today's update also makes "numerous fixes and improvements" to the game, and I wish I could tell you more but that is literally the entirety of the patch notes

'Calm down!' says Facepunch Studios: Garry's Mod successor s&box is getting a fan-requested sandbox mode and an alternative to 'Sausage Men'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/game-development/calm-down-says-facepunch-studios-garrys-mod-successor-s-and-box-is-getting-a-fan-requested-sandbox-mode-and-an-alternative-to-sausage-men/
It's sort of weird that the successor to the ultimate sandbox, Garry's Mod, which is called s&box and pronounced sandbox, apparently wasn't going to have an actual sandbox mode. But the game development platform from Facepunch Studios, which was announced way back in 2017, finally has a page on Steam, and in its first news post the devs say, yes, it will indeed have a sandbox mode.

Fortnite OG is back, baby: Chapter 1 season 1 is returning in December and this time it's here to stay
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/battle-royale/fortnite-og-is-back-baby-chapter-1-season-1-is-returning-in-december-and-this-time-its-here-to-stay/
Good news for Fortnite players yearning for a return to the glory days of 2017: Fortnite OG is back, baby, and this time it's not going away.
Real heads will know that the true OG Fortnite is "a game about PvE base-building, and killing zombies, and watching cutscenes, and grinding for color-coded epics and legendaries in high-level zones."
But that's not what Fortnite OG is: Originally a limited-time event that ran last year, it's a return to Fortnite battle royale as it existed at the moment Epic pivoted from the original game to launch the mode that now rules the world.

Call of Duty YouTuber does the math and determines these Black Ops 6 barrels barely do anything
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/black-ops-6-barrels-barely-do-anything/
Well this doesn't bode well for Black Ops 6's iteration of Gunsmith. Helpful CoD YouTuber TheXclusiveAce recently published a breakdown of Blops 6's barrel attachments and determined, amazingly, that most of them are essentially useless.

'Explain yourself': Old School RuneScape births a new meme as bug-exploiting scoundrels lay waste to unsuspecting F2P players with gear that shouldn't exist
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/explain-yourself-old-school-runescape-births-a-new-meme-as-bug-exploiting-scoundrels-lay-waste-to-unsuspecting-f2p-players-with-gear-that-shouldnt-exist/
In Old School RuneScape, every moment spent in the Wilderness is a risk. It's a PvP-enabled region stretching across the northern portions of the game's main continent, and whenever you're there, you're vulnerable. While the Wilderness has housed some of the game's high-end content over the years, its greatest threats are the player-killers: those who've armed and honed their characters for PvP combat. Venturing into the Wilderness means exposing yourself to a potential ambush from someone who might have been stalking those wastes for over a decade. And because death in RuneScape comes with a high cost—when you die, you lose everything in your inventory except your three most valuable items—encountering a PKer in the Wilderness could mean losing gear you worked dozens of hours for.
Luckily, there are safeguards in place to prevent free-to-play players from suffering the full range of lethality enjoyed by PKers with paid memberships. While OSRS players with memberships have access to years of members-exclusive quests, activities, and rewards (many of which easily outclass the much smaller selection of gear that free-to-play players can acquire), they can't turn that higher-quality equipment on their free-to-play peers. Equipment and spells they acquire from member content can't be equipped or used in free-to-play servers, ensuring any PvP that takes place in a free-to-play setting happens on a relatively even playing field.
At least, that's the idea. Unfortunately, some free-to-play OSRS players have recently found themselves on the receiving end of weapons that should be impossible to wield against them.

'Enjoy what you've got now': Blizzard has its sights on Diablo 4's overpowered new class but promises not to pull the nerf trigger until next season
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/enjoy-what-youve-got-now-blizzard-has-its-sights-on-diablo-4s-overpowered-new-class-but-promises-not-to-pull-nerf-trigger-until-next-season/
Diablo 4's new class is safe, for now. On a livestream discussing class balance changes in the next patch, Blizzard said it won't take away the spiritborn's ability to deal quadrillions of damage until the next season.

Destiny 2's next act will bring Street Fighter 6 cosmetics and a 300% buff to roaming supers
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/destiny-2s-next-act-will-bring-street-fighter-6-cosmetics-and-a-300-percent-buff-to-roaming-supers/
Earlier today, Bungie tugged back the curtain on Act II of the Revenant episode, which starts on Tuesday 19 November. As had been widely expected, the update will include a reprised version of the Prison Of Elders activity, which has now been made more roguelike—think The Coil and Riven's Lair, if you've played either of those. Interestingly, a new mechanic will enable dialled in fireteams to skip certain sections with the tradeoff being that they'll face more difficult enemies. Conversely, teams which are struggling will face a longer slog but less punishing opponents. I'm sure that won't lead to any toxicity in LFG teams.
(...)
The livestream also detailed other changes coming as part of Act II. On the cosmetic front, a Street Fighter VI tie-in will include emotes, finishers (including Spinning Bird Kick and Hadouken), and a Blanka helmet ornament that any class of guardian can wear, much like the Tiger one we got with the 30th Anniversary event. For the more kawaii-inclined guardian, Bungie has also lined up a 'doki-doki' themed set of armor for each class. Personally, the recent Halloween wizard's outfit is about as wacky as I'm willing to go, but I support your fashion choices. You can see some of the gear below, via a data mine which JpDeathBlade shared on X.

Webfishing dev thought 'like 100 people would play it ever', thanks the 24,000+ people who flooded in to play their 'silly project', and hints at future updates
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/webfishing-dev-thought-like-100-people-would-play-it-ever-thanks-the-24-000-people-who-flooded-in-to-play-their-silly-project-and-hints-at-future-updates/
Webfishing, a chill little fishing game that I can only describe as 'Club Penguin for tired millennials who just want to vibe', has been a bit of a sleeper hit this year. SteamDB saw it pulling in over 24,000 concurrent players, a steady climb it's achieved through word of mouth since its release in the middle of last month.
(...)
Its creator, who also goes by the name West/Lamedev, wasn't expecting the schools of players to swim to it, though. In a recent post made to X, West writes: "It's been a MONTH (?!?!) since Webfishing launched and I just really wanted to say a heartfelt thanks for all of the support and attention y'all gave this silly project. I can truly say I figured MAYBE like 100 people would play it ever—but here we are!"

Global GPU market to hit $100 billion in 2024: JPR

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/global-gpu-market-to-hit-usd100-billion-in-2024-jpr

NVIDIA Blackwell Up To 2.2x Faster Than Hopper In MLPerf v4.1 AI Training Benchmarks, New World Records Set & Hopper Now Even Better

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-blackwell-2-2x-faster-hopper-mlperf-ai-training-benchmarks-new-world-records/

AMD Might Have Prepped B850E Chipset But Canceled It For The AM5 Motherboard Lineup

https://wccftech.com/amd-b850e-chipset-motherboard-cancelled-rumor/

Intel Core Ultra 200S “T” & “F” CPU Specs Leaked: Seven SKUs In 35W & 65W Configs

https://wccftech.com/intel-core-ultra-200s-t-f-cpu-specs-leak-seven-skus-35w-65w-configs/

AMD Ryzen 9800X3D CPU has totally sold out – and a new worry is that fresh stock may not arrive until late December

https://www.techradar.com/computing/cpu/amd-ryzen-9800x3d-cpu-has-totally-sold-out-and-a-new-worry-is-that-fresh-stock-may-not-arrive-until-late-december

AMD said to GamesNexus in their latest news roundup video that they would supply new units every week, and GN talked with retailers stating that they expect new chips once or twice a week, and that the stock they got for day one was in the thousands... whatever it means.

The news about its lack of supply may be a bit exagerated, but we'll see.

Is this the group?

Because Steam lists it as public, which means that you should be able to join by just clicking the Join group.

If that doesn't work, maybe try becoming friend with Raven, the Admin of the group, and ask him for an invitation.

By the way, is this your profile?

If it is, I'll send you a friend request to see if that helps you join the group.

That would be me.  I will work on joining the squad later today.  Thanks for the help.

The Thursday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

This week, the Epic Store gives away two games:

• Castlevania Anniversary Collection: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/castlevania-anniversary-collection-a61f94
• Snakebird Completehttps://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/snakebird-complete-e6f0ae

Next week, they’ll give away Beholder.

GOG has launched the Mystery and Romance Promo, with up to 95% discounts during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20241114_mystery_romance_promo.

Steam has four things for us:

• I Am Future has reached its 1,0 version and celebrates it bring 35% off until the 26th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1658040/I_Am_Future_Cozy_Apocalypse_Survival/
• Stacklands has a 40% discount until November 27: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1948280/Stacklands/
• Tchia will be 50% off until the 27th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1496590/Tchia/
• And publisher Anshar Publishing puts its games on sale with up to 75& discounts (note that the page has gaems up to 85% off, but they’re from “friends”, not them): https://store.steampowered.com/sale/AnsharPublishingPublisherSale2024

And Fanatical has new Flash Deals and a bundle:

• These are the new 24h Flash Deals:
  • DREDGE is 50% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/dredge https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/dredge
  • IXION gets a 66% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/ixion https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/ixion
  • And Frozenheim is 75% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/frozenheim https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/frozenheim
• The BYO Plentiful Bundle has 21 games to choose for your bundle of 1+, 5+ or 10+ titles during the next 46 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-plentiful-bundle https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-plentiful-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

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MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

-Also Empty-

GAMING NEWS

Blizzard has released remasters for Warcraft & Warcraft 2
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/blizzard-has-released-remasters-for-warcraft-warcraft-2/
Blizzard has just announced official remasters for the first two Warcraft games. These remasters are included in Warcraft Remastered Battle Chest, which is now available for purchase. So yes, this is a shadow drop that caught pretty much everyone by surprise.

Infinity Nikki will be released on December 5th, gets official PC system requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/infinity-nikki-will-be-released-on-december-5th-gets-official-pc-system-requirements/
PaperGames has announced that Infinity Nikki will be officially released on PC on December 5th. To celebrate this announcement, the team has also shared a new trailer that you can find below. Moreover, the devs have shared the game’s official PC system requirements.

Download and play for free Unreal Gold and Unreal Tournament
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/download-and-play-for-free-unreal-gold-and-unreal-tournament/
Unreal fans, here is something special for you today. Epic Games has allowed players to download and play for free the classic Unreal Gold and Unreal Tournament games. Yep, you read that right. You can play these classic Unreal games on PC for free.
>> The article has the links to get both games.

Half-Life 2 RTX just got a brand new gameplay trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/half-life-2-rtx-just-got-a-brand-new-gameplay-trailer/
NVIDIA has just released a brand new gameplay trailer for Half-Life 2 RTX. Developed by Orbifold Studios and in collaboration with NVIDIA, Half-Life 2 RTX will bring Full Ray Tracing/Path Tracing to this classic FPS.

The second part of the Thursday news:

Yawnoc is a new wave-based roguelike where killing your enemies the wrong way could send them growing out of control, and it's dirt cheap right now
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/yawnoc-is-a-new-wave-based-roguelike-where-killing-your-enemies-the-wrong-way-could-send-them-growing-out-of-control-and-its-dirt-cheap-right-now/
As someone who dedicates most of his life to obeying strange and esoteric rules that make no sense to anyone, you bet I was intrigued by Yawnoc, a newly released roguelike where you roam around a forest destroying machines "living on the rules of Conway's Game of Life and other cellular automata."
If you have no idea what that means, then you are my brother and comrade, but I've spent a solid several minutes looking at a Wikipedia page and a bit longer actually playing Yawnoc, and I think I've just about figured it out.

Fresh from a layoff bloodbath that cost over 2,500 jobs, Microsoft is already thinking about dropping the big bucks on more acquisitions
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/fresh-from-a-layoff-bloodbath-that-cost-over-2-500-jobs-microsoft-is-already-thinking-about-dropping-the-big-bucks-on-more-acquisitions/
If you were an international megacorp that had just emerged into the light, dripping from head to toe in gore after a wave of layoffs that saw over 2,500 people lose their livelihoods following a $69 billion acquisition, what would your first move be?
If you answered 'start eyeing up more acquisitions,' then congratulations, you've got the makings of a CEO in you. In a recent chat with Bloomberg, Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer got bullish about Xbox's health, declaring that "The Xbox business has never been more healthy," even as it transitions from a plain-Jane console maker to a multiplatform dev giant. "The business is performing right now, and I think that means a more healthy future for hardware and the games we build," said Spencer. Hardware like a gaming handheld, perhaps?
But old Phil is after "geographic diversity" in Microsoft's gaming moves. That means he's got his eyes open for more potential acquisitions even as Microsoft is still digesting the absolutely enormous bite that was its purchase of Activision Blizzard last year.
>> Here we go again…

Hundreds of ZeniMax workers go on strike to protest Microsoft 'dragging their feet' on negotiations over job security and remote work
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/hundreds-of-zenimax-workers-go-on-strike-to-protest-microsoft-dragging-their-feet-on-negotiations-over-job-security-and-remote-work/
Hundreds of members of the ZeniMax Workers United union have gone on strike today to protest the "lack of progress" in negotiations with ZeniMax parent company Microsoft, as well as the company's recent "unilateral decision" to outsource QA work amidst widespread layoffs in the videogame industry.

The First Descendant announces 'important news': it's getting official 'jiggle physics,' which it somehow didn't already have
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/the-first-descendant-announces-important-news-its-getting-official-jiggle-physics-which-it-somehow-didnt-already-have/
Somehow, it turns out that The First Descendant, the game PC Gamer's Morgan Park called "dollar store Destiny starring exclusively hot people," does not have jiggle physics. I know this because, as noticed by GamesRadar, a developer has announced on Discord the "important news" that The First Descendant is getting jiggle physics.

The remake of one of the best cult classics from one of the best years in gaming just dropped, and I have become 9 years old again
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/the-remake-of-one-of-the-best-cult-classics-from-one-of-the-best-years-in-gaming-just-dropped-and-i-have-become-9-years-old-again/
30 years ago, we experienced one of the best years in the history of videogames. It's actually wild how many all-time greats landed in 1994. Genre-defining—heck even genre-creating—classics were just being flung at our heads with wild abandon.
X-COM, Warcraft, Doom 2, TIE Fighter, Super Metroid, EarthBound, Final Fantasy 6, System Shock, Wing Commander 3, The Elder Scrolls: Arena, Master of Magic, Theme Park, Beneath a Steel Sky, Tekken—and this is just a taste of what we were playing three decades ago.
But for 9-year-old Fraser, who had very limited spending money, it was all about one game: the peculiar French action-adventure romp, Little Big Adventure. (...)
The remake, Little Big Adventure – Twinsen's Quest, is out today, and I am experiencing a nostalgia overdose. It has changed quite a bit, from the art direction, which makes the world a bit more exaggerated and cartoonishly colourful, right down to the mechanics, but so much of what enchanted me the first time around perseveres—just with less of the stuff that frustrated me.
>> While the link lists the Steam page, it’s also available at GOG.

Black Ops 6 players can calm down because the devs have confirmed that the 'Assault Rifle changes have not made headshots less effective'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/black-ops-6-players-can-calm-down-because-the-devs-have-confirmed-that-the-assault-rifle-changes-have-not-made-headshots-less-effective/
After weeks of teasing new maps for multiplayer and hinting at new Zombies features, we've finally got the full scope of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's season 1 patch notes, and there is a lot to unpack.

The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted returns with announcements and reveals galore this December 5
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/the-pc-gaming-show-most-wanted-returns-with-announcements-and-reveals-galore-this-december-5/
We all know Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a pyramid of motivations—ranging from basic stuff like warmth and safety to abstract things like love and self-actualisation—that forms the core of human motivation. But where is Maslow's hierarchy of wants? He never made one; it would only have had one thing on it anyway: more videogames.
And guess what? We know exactly which videogames would top that pyramid. The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted returns this December 5 at 12pm PST, 3pm EST, 8pm GMT and 9pm CEST, hosted by the inimitable Frankie Ward and narrated by BG3's Amelia Tyler, to present the 25 most-anticipated games coming to PC, as assembled by our shadowy council of games industry experts, superstars, panjandrums, and luminaries.

Former Borderlands 3 creative director is working on a 'secret' multiplayer shooter at a new studio founded by developers tired of 'huge budgets and recycled mechanics'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/former-borderlands-3-creative-director-is-working-on-a-secret-multiplayer-shooter-at-a-new-studio-founded-by-developers-tired-of-huge-budgets-and-recycled-mechanics/
Former Borderlands 3 and Elder Scrolls Online creative director Paul Sage is heading up a new studio called Ruckus Games, which is now working on a "secret multiplayer title" in which players will "smash, grab, and grow" as they fight back against a mysterious attack on their heartland America hometown.

And there are so many articles after Blizzard's livestream for Warcraft's 30th anniversary, that I've put them all but one in this post:

Blizzard leans into maximum nostalgia by bringing back the Battle Chest to celebrate Warcraft's 30th anniversary
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rts/blizzard-leans-into-maximum-nostalgia-by-bringing-back-the-battle-chest-to-celebrate-warcrafts-30th-anniversary/
Blizzard isn't just releasing remastered versions of its first two real-time strategy games today: it's also bringing back the Battle Chest, a bundle containing both games that was a stroke of marketing genius back in the mid '90s.
(...)
Or, well, at least an old name. The Warcraft Battle Chest out today sadly isn't a box you can place on your shelf; it's just a digital bundle available on the Battle.net store. But it does still scratch that same "what a value!" reaction as the very first one did. It includes not just Warcraft 1 and 2 Remastered, but also Warcraft 3: Reforged (and the expansions, of course), and it's available today for $39.99.

Blizzard is trying to atone for the disaster that was Warcraft 3: Reforged nearly 5 years later with the 2.0 update, out today
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/blizzard-is-trying-to-atone-for-the-disaster-that-was-warcraft-3-reforged-nearly-5-years-later-with-the-2-0-update-out-today/
Warcraft 3: Reforged is "an exceptional RTS let down by a very disappointing remaster," I said back in 2020, before slapping it with a 59% score. Most of that 59% was simply down to the original Warcraft 3 being rad. After waiting nearly two decades for a sequel, all we got was a bad remaster.
(...)
Today sees the arrival of Warcraft 3: Reforged 2.0. "Throughout my career I've stuck to a few guiding principles," says Brad Chan, Warcraft RTS senior manager. "When something is broken, you fix it. When something is wrong, you make it right. And if things aren't good enough, you make them better."

Blizzard is relaunching WoW: Classic with 'all-new, fresh realms,' giving players another chance to experience WoW's earliest era
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/blizzard-is-relaunching-wow-classic-with-all-new-fresh-realms-giving-players-another-chance-to-experience-wows-earliest-era/
When WoW: Classic launched back in 2019, I held off. I'd lived through vanilla WoW once already; the nostalgia of revisiting Azeroth's early days didn't feel like it was worth losing the modernizations WoW's gotten in the years since. Eventually, though, I grew more fond of the idea—only to realize that WoW: Classic had moved on through three expansions, meaning Azeroth as it existed at launch was inaccessible all over again.
Luckily, Blizzard's about to reset the WoW: Classic clock once more. Announced during today's Warcraft 30th Anniversary livestream, Blizzard will soon be launching WoW: Classic 20th Anniversary Edition, a set of "all-new, fresh" Classic realms offering players a new start and an even playing field for another run at vanilla WoW's early years.

World of Warcraft's next major patch will let you drift in a car '4 to 5 times faster' than a normal ground mount, all while learning 'more about goblin culture than ever before'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/world-of-warcrafts-next-major-patch-will-let-you-drift-in-a-car-4-to-5-times-faster-than-a-normal-ground-mount-all-while-learning-more-about-goblin-culture-than-ever-before/
World of Warcraft'll be getting its next major update—patch 11.1—early next year, as announced during the Warcraft 30 year celebration stream. Dubbed Undermine(d), this update will take you to, well, Undermine—the centre of the goblins' OSHA-violating trade empire, deep underground.
"We'll learn more about goblin culture than ever before … beyond the humour and the explosions," states Ion Hazzikostas, game director for World of Warcraft. "Though to be clear, there's gonna be a lot of explosions." Phew.
The city will feature all the major goblin enterprises, with Steamwheedle, Blackwater, Bilgewater, and The Venture Co. all making an appearance. Each will have faction goodies to earn from the company store of your choosing, given they've all been pitted against each other. But who cares about goblin politics (actually, writing that out, maybe I do): World of Warcraft's getting drifting, baby!

Player housing is coming to World of Warcraft after 20 years, though you'll have to wait until the next expansion: 'It's a tremendously large undertaking'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/player-housing-is-coming-to-world-of-warcraft-after-20-years-though-youll-have-to-wait-until-the-next-expansion-its-a-tremendously-large-undertaking/
World of Warcraft has been the biggest of big boy MMOs for most of its lifespan. But one thing always staggered me about it: despite being out for over 20 years, WoW has never taken an honest stab at player housing. Of course, there were garrisons, mind—but while games like FF14 and The Elder Scrolls: Online have had entire communities sprout up around their customisable homesteads, WoW has abstained. Until now.
As revealed at the tail-end of the Warcraft 30th anniversary stream, Ion Hazzikostas casually notes that the team "does have one more thing to share with you". Fade to black. Cue a warrior opening the door like me after a drunken night out and staggering, world-weary, into his chair by a fireplace, only to plonk down a mug that says "home sweet home".
This has been confirmed, in an interview with PC Gamer's Tyler Colp, to be player housing: "It is, in fact, what it appeared to be—player housing is officially coming to World of Warcraft", alas, as the big logo slapped over the end of the trailer says, "in the Midnight expansion."

Mists of Pandaria Classic is coming summer 2025
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/mists-of-pandaria-classic-is-coming-summer-2025/
World of Warcraft Classic is going to Pandaria.
Blizzard's relaunch of the original 2004 World of Warcraft (plus some modern features) has been working through the MMO's 20 years of expansions—it's currently on 2010's Cataclysm—and it'll reach 2012 next year with Mists of Pandaria Classic.

Warcraft Rumble, Blizzard's first new RTS in years, will finally shed its mobile shackles and come to PC in December
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rts/warcraft-rumble-blizzards-first-new-rts-in-years-will-finally-shed-its-mobile-shackles-and-come-to-pc-in-december/
We didn't get too excited when Blizzard unveiled Warcraft Rumble in 2023: It was the company's first new RTS in years, which made it kind of a big deal given that Blizzard made its bones on legendary RTS games like Warcraft and StarCraft, but it was a mobile game, and so we were left out of the fun. Until now, that is.
As part of today's celebration of the 30th anniversary of Warcraft—and boy, am I feeling old right now—Blizzard announced that Warcraft Rumble is on the way to PC, with a beta test set to begin on December 10.

'It's about time!': Hearthstone is getting a StarCraft crossover set starring Raynor, Kerrigan and Artanis
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/card-games/its-about-time-hearthstone-is-getting-a-starcraft-crossover-expansion-starring-raynor-kerrigan-and-artanis/
It's pretty wild that over its decade-long life, Hearthstone hasn't done any major crossovers with other Blizzard games. Obviously it's based on the Warcraft universe, but given the liberties taken with that source material (the current expansion involves launching spaceships) it's a surprise that we haven't seen any significant team-ups. That changes next January, with the launch of the Heroes of StarCraft mini-set.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'll send you a friend request, but we'll see if that helps or not.