Monday news, part two:

Following a disastrous beta test, Killing Floor 3 is delayed less than three weeks before launch: 'We've realized we missed the mark'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/following-a-disastrous-open-beta-killing-floor-3-is-delayed-less-than-three-weeks-before-launch-weve-realized-we-missed-the-mark/
The upcoming zombie horde shooter Killing Floor 3 recently held a closed beta test ahead of its planned launch on March 25, and it did not go well at all. The response from Killing Floor fans was so negative that less than three weeks ahead of release, the game has been delayed to an unspecified date later in 2025.

Half-a-dozen 2000AD games were in the works before fizzling out: 'The games you get to see are a tiny representative of the number that get started—sadly'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/around-half-a-dozen-2000ad-games-were-in-the-works-before-fizzling-out-the-games-you-get-to-see-are-a-tiny-representative-of-the-number-that-get-started-sadly/
British studio and publisher Rebellion is gearing up for the release of Atomfall, an alt-history Stalker-like with a stiff upper lip that CEO Jason Kingsley calls a "dream game." PCG's intrepid Joshua Wolens recently spent several hours in the game, and found himself charmed by the endless distractions, a lack of things like quest markers, and the feel of a world where a rusty revolver is an instant argument-ender.
Atomfall is a new direction from a studio that arguably remains best-known for the Sniper Elite series but, especially in the UK, Rebellion is also known as the publisher and owner of the venerable 2000AD. 2000AD is one of the world's greatest science fiction comics, published since 1977, and the amount of original characters and stories it's produced is endless.
(...)
"2000 AD has always been a challenge," Kingsley told PCG in 2018. "I've always said I wanted to do more 2000 AD-based licences in games, but for one reason or another it's never really happened for us. And it's always slightly embarrassing when people ask me, 'why haven't you done more?' Simple answer is, it hasn't happened really.

Rebellion CEO puts the studio's recent avoidance of layoffs down to control of scope and cost: 'Sometimes we say, guys, this game's too big'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/rebellion-ceo-puts-the-studios-recent-avoidance-of-layoffs-down-to-control-of-scope-and-cost-sometimes-we-say-guys-this-games-too-big/
PC Gamer's Joshua Wolens recently spoke to Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley about the studio's extremely British survival FPS Atomfall, which is a kind of Fallout: It's Grim Up North Edition. (Or possibly Stalker: Shadow of Cumbria.) During that conversation, Josh asked how the studio had managed to avoid the layoffageddon that's hit the rest of the games industry following the Covid boom.
"It would be incredibly egotistical to just say it was entirely due to our incredible skill at running a company," Kingsley replied. "I think there's always a little bit of luck involved. I think we control our budgets quite carefully. We have substantial budgets, in terms of millions and millions of pounds, but we don't have hundreds of millions of pounds. We try to make it that we can make a really good game, and it has a very decent chance of making a profit. And that's really what it comes down to."
>> Common sense. It's not so common, after all.

The official Balatro Timeline documents the history of 2024's biggest game as its developer went from 'obsessed' with making it to 'shocked' at the reception
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/card-games/the-official-balatro-timeline-documents-the-history-of-2024s-biggest-game-as-its-developer-went-from-obsessed-with-making-it-to-shocked-at-the-reception/
By any measure, Balatro is a phenomenon. A weird little indie card game that came out of nowhere in 2023, it earned rave reviews when it launched in early 2024, claimed our Game of the Year crown, and has some of the biggest developers and publishers in the world lining up to get in on the action.
Today, a little over a year after its release, developer LocalThunk has shared the official "Balatro Timeline," a detailed and surprisingly dramatic rundown of how it all came to be (including, in case you were curious, the origins of his name) that's also just a straight ton of fun to read.

Microsoft's Civilization 7 competitor escalates tensions with Firaxis' embattled 4X, announcing that nukes are coming with its impending diplomacy update
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/microsofts-civilization-7-competitor-escalates-tensions-with-firaxis-embattled-4x-announcing-that-nukes-are-coming-with-its-impending-diplomacy-update/
Ara: History Untold was a decent attempt by Microsoft to snatch some strategic territory from Firaxis' Civilization series, but all its sabre-rattling didn't seem to come to much when it launched last September. Perhaps this is due to the fact its pleasingly modular city construction was undermined by hefty micromanagement. Or maybe it's because it launched without some key features, like a diplomacy system deeper than a puddle, and more specifically, the ability to annihilate rival cultures in a flash of nuclear fire.
Both will be addressed by Ara's impending Diplomacy Update, which Oxide Games recently announced is "coming soon". Patch 1.3 adds a bunch of features to Ara, including new diplomatic options, new diplomatic events, and, of course, the ability to build and launch nuclear weapons.

Planet Coaster 2's spring roadmap splashes down, with 'round-bottomed flumes' coming in March and buildable restaurants arriving in April
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/planet-coaster-2s-spring-roadmap-splashes-down-with-round-bottomed-flumes-coming-in-march-and-buildable-restaurants-arriving-in-april/
Planet Coaster 2 may have endured some ups and downs when it launched back in October, but Frontier Developments' post-release support for its theme-park building sequel has been as steady as a lazy river. January brought improved flume simulation to the sequel's all-new waterslides, while February added video billboards players can create their own custom adverts for. Now, Frontier has unveiled its roadmap for the next few updates landing over the spring, and there are some substantial new features being added to the management sim in the coming months.

Parents are suing Epic over Fortnite item shop 'FOMO' timers they say are inaccurate and manipulative
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/battle-royale/parents-are-suing-epic-over-fortnite-item-shop-fomo-timers-they-say-are-inaccurate-and-manipulative/
First reported by Polygon, two parents in the US are suing Epic Games over limited-time sales of Fortnite skins and cosmetics that they argue aren't really limited time at all, creating a false sense of "FOMO"—a term actually used in the lawsuit—for Fortnite's younger players.

'I think only the shotguns are the same,' says Doom: The Dark Ages director, otherwise the guns are brand-new or significantly transformed
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/i-think-only-the-shotguns-are-the-same-says-doom-the-dark-ages-director-otherwise-the-guns-are-brand-new-or-significantly-transformed/
Speaking to Doom: The Dark Ages game director Hugo Martin and producer Marty Stratton for our Doom cover story in the upcoming issue 408 (396 in the US) of PC Gamer's print magazine, the two had plenty to say about the FPS' arsenal.
"I think only the shotguns are the same," Martin said of the guns in The Dark Ages. "The plasma is so different, so the rest are brand new. That was by design, really making sure that we were giving you new tools to master."
>> One of the new weapons is the Skullcrusher

Doom: The Dark Ages already sneakily revealed its 'new Marauder,' and the devs hope he'll be just as challenging, but a little less frustrating
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/doom-the-dark-ages-already-sneakily-revealed-its-new-marauder-and-the-devs-hope-hell-be-just-as-challenging-but-a-little-less-frustrating/
Speaking to Doom: The Dark Ages project director Hugo Martin and producer Marty Stratton for our upcoming print issue 408 (396 in the US), I had to ask about the Marauder.
This infamous miniboss in Doom Eternal split the player base, with some loving its next-level challenge, while others decried it as an unwelcome difficulty spike. With The Dark Ages' equivalent enemy, Martin and Stratton hope to offer a similarly memorable challenge that doesn't catch players off-guard to the same extent.
>> If you want a challenge, you can try to beat the game without using a gun.

Doom: The Dark Ages won't end with the Slayer in a coffin waiting for the start of Doom 2016: 'That would mean that we couldn't tell any more medieval stories'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/doom-the-dark-ages-wont-end-with-the-slayer-in-a-coffin-waiting-for-the-start-of-doom-2016-that-would-mean-that-we-couldnt-tell-any-more-medieval-stories/
Talking to Doom: The Dark Ages game director Hugo Martin and producer Marty Stratton for the cover story of PC Gamer's upcoming print issue 408 (396 in the US), I had to ask what they thought about "the prequel problem."
Doom 2016 begins with the Slayer locked in a coffin with all his friends long-dead, and Doom Eternal goes into greater detail sketching out how heroically tragic the Slayer's Night Sentinel buddies were. Won't this story wind up being a big 'ole Halo Reach-style bummer?
But Stratton and Martin were willing to reveal a surprising detail about The Dark Ages' ending: It won't conclude with the Slayer locked in that coffin, and may leave the door open for future prequel stories.

Warhammer: Vermintide 2 celebrates 7 years of rat bashing with a new versus map and double XP for all players, but its hotly anticipated weapon pack 'won't be coming out this year'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/warhammer-vermintide-2-celebrates-7-years-of-rat-bashing-with-a-new-versus-map-and-double-xp-for-all-players-but-its-hotly-anticipated-weapon-pack-wont-be-coming-out-this-year/
It's preposterous to me that Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is seven years old, when that's so clearly the length of time that has passed since Left4Dead 2 launched. Sadly, Steam, the calendar, and indeed the universe all state that I am wrong, so I suppose I'll just have to go along with Fatshark's celebration of its cooperative Skaven-smasher's seventh birthday.
Headlining the anniversary festivities is the return of the event "A Quiet Drink", a unique, limited time mission in which the Ubersreik five head out into Helmgart in search of a pint (or more specifically, a whole casket of Bugman's brew). Needless to say, this hunt for a laid-back beverage proves anything but relaxing, and chaotic, bloody shenanigans ensue. Although this is a reintroduced level rather than a new one, players who complete it will net themselves a fancy portrait frame themed around something extraordinarily unpleasant being done to a pig.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2's director had big plans for a third entry in the series, with your squad reuniting for an impossible mission amid a war between Russia and the US over Alaska
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/battlefield-bad-company-2s-director-had-big-plans-for-a-third-entry-in-the-series-with-your-squad-reuniting-for-an-impossible-mission-amid-a-war-between-russia-and-the-us-over-alaska/
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 remains one of the most beloved of DICE's multiplayer shooters, thrilling players with its destructible warzones and cementing the Swedish studio's reputation for incredible audio design. Despite the game's reputation, DICE never greenlit a third entry in the spinoff series. But that didn't stop BC2's director David Goldfarb from making plans for one all the same.

Rust's crafting update gives the survival sim real-time food cooking and pies to rival Monster Hunter, but the tastiest treat is the ability to make and throw 'bee grenades'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/rusts-crafting-update-gives-the-survival-sim-real-time-food-cooking-and-pies-to-rival-monster-hunter-but-the-tastiest-treat-is-the-ability-to-make-and-throw-bee-grenades/
Video gaming is currently in an arms race (or should that be 'farms race') to depict the most delectable virtual food possible. It’s a race variously led by the Yakuza series, Final Fantasy, and most recently, Monster Hunter: Wilds, which features a cheese naan so mouthwatering it caused a sales surge of dairy-filled bread products in Japan.
Now, brutal survival sim Rust is getting in on the culinary action, with its arguably misnamed 'Crafting update' placing a big emphasis on home cooking. Described by developer Facepunch as bringing a "feast of changes" to the game, it adds numerous features dedicated to the creation of haute cuisine.

At least it's not NFTs this time: The new Wizardry RPG is a gacha game
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/at-least-its-not-nfts-this-time-the-new-wizardry-rpg-is-a-gacha-game/
Back in 1981, the original Wizardry, subtitled Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, was the first party-based CRPG. It was a hit both in the west and Japan, where it even had its own anime. The series it inspired has recently been revived, and the results are a bit of a mixed bag. There's a faithful remake of the original, sure. There's also a blockchain abomination with Minecraft-looking characters, who are also NFTs.
And there's a gacha game. Wizardry Variants Daphne, originally released on mobile and now available on Steam, plays like an OG dungeon-crawl blobber. It's first-person with grid-based movement, your entire party traveling with you in a blob as you explore dungeons full of hobgoblins and open trapped treasure chests. But among the things you collect in those dungeons are the bones of lost adventurers you can revive, and who come from a random selection complete with rarity tiers. Also there are about a dozen currencies, and season passes.

Overwatch 2 is launching another Le Sserafirm collab with 'more transformative' skin designs, guided by Blizzard Korea's keen eye for Korean trends and street style
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/overwatch-2-is-launching-another-le-sserafirm-collab-with-more-transformative-skin-designs-guided-by-blizzard-koreas-keen-eye-for-korean-trends-and-street-style/
Back in 2023, Overwatch harnessed the dread power of K-Pop, releasing a collaboration with Le Sserafim that included a debut song, five hero skins, and a new game mode. A lot has changed in the last couple of years, but one thing that has stayed steadfast is the Overwatch team's love for K-pop collaborations, as we'll be getting a whole new Le Sserafim event next week.

Yep, here’s the third part of the Monday news:

The next Monster Hunter Wilds update is set to launch on March 10 and will ensure that when you chop off monster parts, the right monster parts get chopped off
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/the-next-monster-hunter-wilds-update-is-set-to-launch-on-march-10-and-will-ensure-that-when-you-chop-off-monster-parts-the-right-monster-parts-get-chopped-off/
Monster Hunter Wilds is a major hit, and it's also kind of a mess: It put up nearly 1.4 million concurrent players on Steam alone on launch day, a massive jump over Monster Hunter: World's peak of 334,684, and rocketed to eight million copies sold in just three days—the fastest game to hit that mark in Capcom history. It also has a rather ugly "mixed" rating on Steam, where only 60% of the user reviews are positive.
(...)
"Since launch, you’ve probably seen us deploy a couple of patches that addressed priority issues such as progression blockers, game stability, and gameplay bugs," Capcom wrote.
"These were, in the grand scheme of things, relatively quick fixes, allowing us to move quickly and address them thanks to player reports. The team are currently working through other known issues, including network errors, crash issues and more."
The next Monster Hunter Wilds update, taking the game to version 1.000.05.00 (in case you keep track of these things) is set to go live on March 10 and intends to address the following

If you've captured them for a minute, monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds are legally allowed to leave
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/if-youve-captured-them-for-a-minute-monsters-in-monster-hunter-wilds-are-legally-allowed-to-leave/
In Monster Hunter Wilds, you can capture monsters—which is the slightly more humane alternative to lunging at them like a feral dog the moment your handler says it's OK to cut off all their tentacles and skin them for cool armour. Capturing involves laying down a pitfall or shock trap, then pelting the poor, wounded sod with tranq bombs when their health is low—which, depending on how much you've beaten the poor bugger, might actually be meaner.
Well, turns out, you've only tuckered out the monster for a minute maximum, as discovered on the game's subreddit by a flabbergasted hunter as the Nu Udra, a giant squid and apex monster of the game's third region, pops up from its power nap and slithers away like a director just called "cut!"

Hideo Kojima really just went 'screw it' and made Metal Gear Stranding
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/hideo-kojima-really-just-went-screw-it-and-made-metal-gear-stranding/
Towards the end of the new ten-minute (!) long trailer for Death Stranding 2, Hideo Kojima decides to throw the crowd some red meat. The footage has by this point established new character Neil, played by Italian actor Luca Marinelli, as what looks like Death Stranding 2's version of Cliff (Mads Mikkelson): someone forced into dirty jobs who can't let go of the past.
Then, as Neil begins to lead a small special forces unit of some kind, the camera focuses directly on the character's face as he ties a bandana around his forehead. It's a small detail but it's an unmistakable one for longtime Kojima-fanciers: From the first Metal Gear Solid, the bandana has been an iconic part of the look for both Solid Snake and Big Boss.

Japanese game producer argues that thick thighs on anime girls are a natural byproduct of economic recession
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/japanese-game-producer-argues-that-thick-thighs-on-anime-girls-are-a-natural-byproduct-of-economic-recession/
Atelier, a Japanese RPG series, is—as you might expect—filled with conventionally attractive anime people. An upcoming entrant in the series, Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, is no exception—and it has big shoes to fill. See, the game's past protagonist, Ryza, made waves among its fanbase due to having body fat on her legs. How daring!
Speaking about these incredible past achievements in anime girl technology (my tongue is wedged in my cheek), producer Junzo Hosoi tells 4Gamer (translated via Automaton) that Ryza took off with fans because of the economy. No, really.

A lot is going on for Cities: Skylines' 10th anniversary—from freebies to new creator packs—but there's still a big ol' elephant in the room
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/a-lot-is-going-on-for-cities-skylines-10th-anniversary-from-freebies-to-new-creator-packs-but-theres-still-a-big-ol-elephant-in-the-room/
It's Old Father Time here—big beard, robes, clock fetish—spreading the harrowing news that Cities: Skylines is already a whole decade old. 2015 was, it turns out, actually quite a while ago, and not just the other day. Awful stuff.
Naturally, Paradox and Colossal Order are not letting this milestone pass without notice. A celebration is kicking off, across both games, featuring updates, freebies, free trials and new releases. Lovely stuff.

The Forever Winter, my favourite extraction shooter, just overhauled its most contentious feature for the second time: 'It was a hell of a rollercoaster to make the adjustment'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/the-forever-winter-my-favourite-extraction-shooter-just-overhauled-its-most-contentious-feature-for-the-second-time-it-was-a-hell-of-a-rollercoaster-to-make-the-adjustment/
The Forever Winter—the brutal early access extraction shooter that pits puny scavengers against armies of androids and building-sized mechs—has just released a huge change to its important but contentious water system.

Rebellion CEO says Evil Genius 3 could happen but wonders 'what else could we do with it other than a base-building game?'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/rebellion-ceo-says-evil-genius-3-could-happen-but-wonders-what-else-could-we-do-with-it-other-than-a-base-building-game/
I've always had a soft spot for Bond villain simulator Evil Genius, a spiritual successor to the Dungeon Keeper series that amped-up the cackling charm and packed-in more spy cliches than you could shake a vodka martini at.
(...)
PC Gamer's Josh Wolens recently had the chance to sit down with Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley to talk about and go hands-on with the studio's newest title, Atomfall. But like the diabolical villain he is, Wolens managed to sneak-in a very important question: Can you announce Evil Genius 3 please?

Nice!

The watermelon mission seems easy, but the physics when driving and one of the stops to "fix" them make it a little bit more challenging than it looks at first.

I checked a video of Khazan. I really like the art style but, as I said, I'm not a fan of Souls-like games, and this one didn't change my mind.

It still remains to be seen if they can deliver what they claim, but even then I don't think we'll see their stuff used for games. Not only are the times of add-on cards like Phys-X long gone, but it would also be quite hard to use them without adding latency or other issues in the games.

But if their tech is so good, it wouldn't surprise me if they get bought by someone, either Nvidia or AMD (I don't think Intel is in condition to buy anyone).

With 4608 cores, the 5060Ti is around 2/3 of the 5070 and not a big improvement over the 4060Ti that had 4352 cores. Unless Nvidia clocks it very high, I think it's going to be another disappointment. But maybe it will be able to beat the 3060Ti in every test, unlike its predecessor.

The 5060 has a bigger increase in core count, but those 8GB will stop it from doing much at anything above 1080p.

I said it the other day and I repeat it today, AMD should have gone with 16GB on the 9060XT and a 192-bit bus with 12GB for the 9060 to make something worth buying in that (unknown but easy to guess) price range.

If Intel releases a B750 or B770, it's going to be the better card of all three.

The tool to swap the dlls to enable FSR4 in titles with DLSS may help early adopters of RDNA4 cards, but hopefully AM can convince devs/publishers to also adopt their tech.

And, like the article says, this is close to what MSoft's DirectSR should have been, but MSoft sometimes act like AMD: being late to the party and trying to shine with their own tech that doesn't help nor fix anything.