Friday news, part two… but not the last one:

Greedfall 2 aims to turn around a disastrous early access launch with a combat overhaul and a big new boat
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/greedfall-2-aims-to-turn-around-a-disastrous-early-access-launch-with-a-combat-overhaul-and-a-big-new-boat/
PC Gamer's Fraser Brown wrote in his September 2024 preview of Greedfall 2 that the decision to completely overhaul the combat system of the original game and release it in a rough, early access state, was a "risky gamble" for developer Spiders. Prophetic words, as it turns out. While Greedfall is quite well regarded, especially among fans of ye olde Eurojank, Greedfall 2 is struggling badly.
The big issue is the combat system: Numerous negative user reviews on Steam, many posted by fans of the first game, call it out as slow, shallow, clunky, and just not much fun. Today's update aims to make combat "more dynamic," Spiders said, "with snappier reactions and animations, clearer visual feedback, new ways of handling different situations, and more."

Raidou Remastered is finally bringing the historical Shin Megami Tensei supernatural sleuth spinoff to PC this June
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/raidou-remastered-is-finally-bringing-the-historical-shin-megami-tensei-supernatural-sleuth-spinoff-to-pc-this-june/
One lovely side-effect of nearly every game coming to PC these days is that Nintendo Direct showcases tend to be full of great new announcements for us. Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is one that falls especially near and dear to my heart.
Released way back in 2006 on the PlayStation 2, it’s a historical spinoff from Atlus’ venerable Shin Megami Tensei series. The first half of a duology of games about a paranormal detective solving crimes (and averting the occasional apocalypse) in 1930s Tokyo.

'I can't really say what they were thinking' says whistleblowing modder, as Final Fantasy 14's attempt to thwart stalkers falls terribly short of the mark
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/final-fantasy/i-cant-really-say-what-they-were-thinking-says-whistleblowing-modder-as-final-fantasy-14s-attempt-to-thwart-stalkers-falls-terribly-short-of-the-mark/
Final Fantasy 14 has a major problem in its code. Back in January, it was discovered that Square Enix's efforts to improve their blacklist system just made it terrible in an entirely different way.
Essentially, the new system beamed account IDs straight to other clients, rather than player IDs. These IDs, easily scrapable by basic software, allowed bad actors and stalkers to gain a full list of their target's alts, allowing for easier harassment. While mods like the controversial PlayerScope helped collect and present this information, they were just the tip of an iceberg that had been slowly growing since the expansion's release.
Square Enix promised to tackle the problem, and things seemed to be looking up before Patch 7.2—with an overhaul to the system hopefully signalling the end of the nightmare. Less than a day later, it was discovered by coder NotNite that "the obfuscation is vulnerable, and that the account IDs are actually reversible."

You've probably been pronouncing Balatro wrong all along, but 'it's kind of a gif/jif situation'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/youve-probably-been-pronouncing-balatro-wrong-all-along-but-its-kind-of-a-gif-jif-situation/
Balatro wasn't just PC Gamer's game of the year 2024: pretty much every developer seems hooked on it (including Swen Vincke). But unfortunately things have now taken a distressing turn.
There's an official way to pronounce Balatro, and it's not what I thought. I say Ba-lah-tro and so do most members of the PCG team. But Stephen Totilo over at Game File recently put the question to Naman Budhwar, head of marketing at the game's publisher Playstack, and he says otherwise.
"BAH-luh-trow is how LocalThunk says it," says Budhwar. "But it’s kind of a 'gif / jif' situation, where he doesn’t really mind how people say it.

My favourite, most underrated anime golf game series is actually getting a PC entry for the first time in its nearly 30-year history
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/my-favourite-most-underrated-anime-golf-game-series-is-actually-getting-a-pc-entry-for-the-first-time-in-its-nearly-30-year-history/
Golf may very well be one of the most underrated videogame sports. I blame my own lack of interest in them on the fact that so many of them are stuffed with real-life golfers—celebrities to some, sure, but to me they're mostly random geezers.
Then, there's Everybody's Golf. It's a series that's been around since the late '90s, and it's bloody fantastic. (...)
The series has never actually made its way to PC, and I'd feared the whole thing had died since we haven't actually had an entry since 2017's Everybody's Golf on the PlayStation 4.
But then. But then. The latest Nintendo Direct happened—these things are starting to get pretty lucrative for PC gamers too, mind, with a lot of the announcements usually crossing over to PC—and we were blessed with a brand new entry in Everybody's Golf Hot Shots. Better yet, the damn thing's even coming to Steam, marking it as the first Everybody's Golf game to actually make its way to our humble desktops.

Promising '90s style point-and-clicker Rosewater rides out today, featuring trail-worn cowpoke authors and weird alt-universe science
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/promising-90s-style-point-and-clicker-rosewater-rides-out-today-featuring-trail-worn-cowpoke-authors-and-weird-alt-universe-science/
As someone who grew up with point-and-click adventures, it's hard not to feel a pang of nostalgia every time I see a new game like Rosewater rolling into town. Of course, those fond memories are often tempered with childhood trauma instilled by unfair puzzles, deadly staircases, and dead ends that required cycling save slots to avoid unwinnable situations. Thankfully, sins that are rare among the current crop.

Ubisoft and Tencent are forming a new company that will take control of its most successful franchises: Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/ubisoft-and-tencent-are-forming-a-new-company-that-will-take-control-of-its-most-successful-franchises-assassins-creed-far-cry-and-rainbow-six/
Ubisoft and Tencent have announced a new "dedicated subsidiary" that will "will focus on building game ecosystems designed to become truly evergreen and multi-platform" in the Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six brands.

'Medieval Batman' completes Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 pacifist playthrough with zero kills and 535 knockouts
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/medieval-batman-completes-kingdom-come-deliverance-2-pacifist-playthrough-with-zero-kills-and-535-knockouts/
One time in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, I decided to put its unarmed combat to the test against an armored bandit. I sheathed my sword, started throwing punches, and immediately discovered that I'd made a terrible mistake. For reasons that don't need explaining, fists deal almost zero damage to full plate armor. I got cut to size, reloaded a save, and never bothered throwing punches again outside the fighting ring.
All that to say, I'm stunned to learn that it's not only possible to play the entirety of KCD2 without killing a single soul, but somebody's already done it. Reddit user hamfinity shared his story of beating the RPG as "medieval Batman," completing darn near every quest while knocking out precisely 535 people.

The biggest update since Path of Exile 2's early access launch is coming next week, bringing a new class and a bunch of endgame changes
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/path-of-exile-2-dawn-of-the-hunt-everything-we-know/
Grinding Gear Games has announced the Dawn of the Hunt update for Path of Exile 2. It launches on April 4, and it's a big one: the first major content drop to hit the early access ARPG.
>> The director of the game isn’t scared of the competition.

Cozy gamers rejoice: Witchbrook finally has a release window, and yes, you can fly around on a broom with your friends
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/cozy-gamers-rejoice-witchbrook-finally-has-a-release-window-and-yes-you-can-fly-around-on-a-broom-with-your-friends/
Cozy games are as big as ever, with the likes of Stardew Valley maintaining their vice grip on chilling out and relaxing enthusiasts. It's hard to imagine how the formula for an unwind-'em-up could get much more appealing, but setting things in a school for witches seems like a good start. So it goes in the new Witchbrook trailer that dropped during today's Nintendo Direct, featuring mopeds, flying brooms, and the game's picturesque setting, the seaside city of Mossport.

Friday news, part three and last:

Story of Seasons is doing another Harvest Moon remake and it might be the best the series has ever looked
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/story-of-seasons-is-doing-another-harvest-moon-remake-and-it-might-be-the-best-the-series-has-ever-looked/
We're firmly in the era of Nintendo Direct presentations having announcements relevant to PC gamers and that's especially true when it comes to the cozy farm sim genre. This year's harvest of pastoral sims now includes Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar, announced with an August 27 release date during today's Direct.

An unannounced Hogwarts Legacy expansion and 'definitive edition' have reportedly been cancelled
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/an-unannounced-hogwarts-legacy-expansion-and-definitive-edition-have-reportedly-been-cancelled/
A new Bloomberg report says a planned expansion for Hogwarts Legacy, as well as a "Definitive Edition" release that would've included the base game and the new content in a single package, have been cancelled as part of the ongoing structuring of Warner's game business.

One of Square Enix' most underrated PlayStation-era JRPGs just shadow dropped on Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/one-of-square-enix-most-underrated-playstation-era-jrpgs-just-shadow-dropped-on-steam/
Saga Frontier 2 didn't exactly set the world on fire when it released for the original PlayStation in 2000—at least in the west—but time has treated it well. Like its predecessor, it ignores the then-ascendant move to 3D in favor of lavishly illustrated hand-drawn backgrounds and cheerful sprite work. As a result—and sure, this is subjective—its art style has held up remarkably well compared to the likes of Final Fantasy 7, for example.
Until now you've had to emulate SaGa Frontier 2 if you want to play it on PC. Not anymore: a remaster just dropped on Steam, after an announcement during the Nintendo Direct today. It follows the PC debut of the original SaGa Frontier, which was released in 2021.

Marvel Rivals director says a future patch will reduce the shooter's insatiable hunger for RAM: 'It's a very big problem'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/marvel-rivals-director-says-a-future-patch-will-reduce-the-shooters-insatiable-hunger-for-ram-its-a-very-big-problem/
Let all the modestly powerful computer owners breathe a sigh of relief. NetEase is aware that Marvel Rivals is currently a massive RAM hog and is working on a fix.
"On PC, we realize that [optimization] is a big problem, especially for the memory consumption," Marvel Rivals director Guangyun Chen told PC Gamer during an interview at GDC 2025. "So it may be that in Season 2, we will have an experimental check box in our launcher players can use to reduce memory [consumption] significantly."

Venom's gonna throw it back in Marvel Rivals and there's nothing any of us can do to stop him
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/venoms-gonna-throw-it-back-in-marvel-rivals-and-theres-nothing-any-of-us-can-do-to-stop-him/
Marvel Rivals has hit critical referential mass in a very Fortnitian (which is a word I just made up) way—see, being rooted in a long-standing comic franchise, and being a live service game, Marvel Rivals is incentivised to be self-referential with winks and nods to its own culture.
It just so happens that some of that culture involves, big, buff cheeks clapping. Shared here by leaker RivalsInfo, it appears as if Venom now has the ability to adopt a wide stance, brace his hands on his knees, and work that thing.

No Sleep For Kaname Date will have us dreaming of AI: The Somnium Files' deranged detective again this July
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/no-sleep-for-kaname-date-will-have-us-dreaming-of-ai-the-somnium-files-deranged-detective-again-this-july/
Yesterday's Nintendo Direct was just full of goodies for PC-focused sickos like myself. A shadow-dropped Saga Frontier 2 remaster, a remake of a great PS2 Shin Megami Tensei spinoff, and even a next-gen Super Robot Wars game headed to PC in English. But nestled among the announcements was a special treat, just for me: No Sleep For Kaname Date, the next in the dream-diving detective mystery series AI: The Somnium Files. It's out just before my birthday this July and confirmed coming to Steam.

The hardest parts of open world walking simulator Baby Steps are 'harder than Getting Over It by quite some distance,' says Bennett Foddy
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/the-hardest-parts-of-open-world-walking-simulator-baby-steps-are-harder-than-getting-over-it-by-quite-some-distance-says-bennett-foddy/
For those of you who spent hours trying to run just a few meters in slapstick physics game QWOP or wept in frustration after losing an hour's progress with one slip in climbing game Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy—brace yourselves.
The new walking simulator Baby Steps, published by Devolver and developed by Foddy, Gabe Cuzzillo, and Maxi Boch (Ape Out), is going to be even more of a challenge when it comes out later this year, at least in some ways.

And these are the weekend deals at GOG and Steam:

+GOG

• This is the second and also last weekend of the Spring Sale, that will end in 5 days.

+Steam

• Let’s go with the first of many: the Game Pavilion JP, and indie game exhibition with lots of upcoming games, some with demos, and a few ones on sale with up to 50% discounts. Some deals will end on March 31st, but others will last a bit more: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45279210/sale/GamePavilionJP2025
• TheoTown will be 50% off until the 31st: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1084020/TheoTown/
• Publisher Coffee Stain puts its games on sale with up to 85% discounts until the same 31st: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/CoffeeStainPublisherSale2025
• The SUGOI showcase comes with 34 indie games, mostly unreleased, with some demos and a couple discounts, that will last until the 3rd of April: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45443941/sale/SUGOIShowcase
• Atomic Heart that, in case you didn’t know, has a demo, is going to be 67% off until April 3: https://store.steampowered.com/app/668580/Atomic_Heart/
• Evil Genius 2: World Domination will have a 90% discount until the 3rd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/700600/Evil_Genius_2_World_Domination/
• Heavenly Bodies will be half its usual price until the 6th of April: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1138850/Heavenly_Bodies/
• Sweet Transit is next, 60% off until the 7th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1612770/Sweet_Transit/
• NBA 2K25 will have a 70% discount until the 7th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2878980/NBA_2K25/
• Squirrel with a Gun will be 35% off until the 10th of April: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2067050/Squirrel_with_a_Gun/
• Wild Bastards features a 60% discount that will last until April, the 10th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1660840/Wild_Bastards/
• Gearbox has a sale and their games are going to be up to 90% off until the 10th: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/2428135/sale/GearboxSale25

And here end today’s news. While I try to understand why did PCGamer focus so much on some games from the Nintendo Direct while leaving out others, like the former Sony exclusives Patapon games, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.

Well, our vacationing pirate has shared some good news when it comes to GPUs. So now, naturally, I have to come up with disappointing ones:

Intel Reportedly Cancels Its High-End Xe2 Arc Battlemage “BMG-G31” GPUs
https://wccftech.com/intel-cancels-its-high-end-xe2-arc-battlemage-bmg-g31-gpus/
Intel has reportedly canceled its high-end Xe2-based Arc Battlemage "BMG-G31" GPUs which were going to be used in gaming graphics cards.

(...)

Based on the latest report by reliable insider and leaker, @Jaykihn0, it looks like the company has significantly altered its discrete GPU plans. It is said that the high-end Battlemage BMG-G31 GPU is more or less dead and that has been the case since Q3 of 2024. We did see some dies ship by the tail end of 2024, but it looks like those may just be for testing or evaluation purposes with plans for a retail launch being scrapped much earlier.

Not very surprising given that the B580 & B570 launched months ago and there hasn't been much talk about the 700 ones, but it's still disappointing as they could have done well against the 60 cards from both AMD and Nvidia.

That lines up with what I've seen in the UK this week lots of 5070TI's have been in stock a multiple stores and on pre-order for mid April delivery on Amazon at MSRP for a few days and a bunch of different retailers had 5080's at MSRP or within £50 of it and mid tier models of 5070/80 are definitely trending down I've not seen much 9070XT's restocked since launch yet mostly just the expensive flagships but most retailers list stock is due 1st or 2nd week of April so let's see how much and what price.

I actually think this gens stock and pricing is already starting to look better a lot faster than the previous 2 generations except the 90 class cards I don't think I've seen a single one of them in stock this time.

I keep seeing the B570 at £200-220 and thinking damn for a low end GPU that would be pretty great in a 1080p rig, I do hope the next gen has a card a tier higher to compete with the AMD/Nvidia 60 series especially if the new Intel node we keep hearing about tuns out good.

I can confirm, it also looks like it's getting better by the day in Europe. The number of available cards seems to stay above 20 in my main store, sometimes even going above 40 available RDNA4+Blackwell cards.

Prices of the 5070 and 9070 have also mostly come down here with cheapest cards now available for 659€ and 674€ respectively, so just a relatively small markup in line for the OC cards they are.

Anything above those are still heavily inflated though, especially the 5070Ti. 1069€ for the only one that was available? GTFO! 9070XT isn't quite as bad but still stuck at 799€, 5080 at 1449€ and the 5090 at an eye-watering 3229€.

Yeah, Intel made great progress with Battlemage and the B580 is a great card with the right CPU.

As for Celestial (I think?), I don't know what to say. Not launching the higher-end Xe2 cards is far from a reassuring message when it comes to Intel's future GPUs, and it's not like we had a ton of confidence in them to begin with.

I hope they make and launch them, and I also hope that they can keep improving the architecture like they've done this time and can compete with not only the 60 parts, but also the 70s.

Honestly Intel should stick to sub $250 gpu class. They still have plenty of driver issues and cpu overhead isn't doing them any favors. Being at sub $250 with 12/10GB of vram where neither Nvidia or Radeon will bother trying to compete means they could have the class all to themselves even at a low profit margin. At the very least, they can gain a customer base that Green and Red team no longer cater to.

True. But if they only do entry level cards (if $200 can be called that), the perception most people will get is that they only make good enough products, and that can harm them in the future if/when they ever try to put a fight in other segments.

It's like people arguing that AMD should always do higher end cards, even if they don't sell, because not competing in that segment damages their image.

Amanita Design, the studio behind Machinarium, Samorost, and others, is having a charity sale where 100% of the funds raised will go to support humanitarian relief in Ukraine.

Here is the bundle with their games and DLC.

I already own all their games, but I will buy the bundle for the soundtracks and stuff.