Here’s the second part of the Monday gaming news:

Marvel Rivals has finally addressed 'incentivised throwing', the bounty system where people pay to ruin matches: 'We maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy against any form of malicious disruption'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/marvel-rivals-has-finally-addressed-incentivised-throwing-the-bounty-system-where-people-pay-to-ruin-matches-we-maintain-a-strict-zero-tolerance-policy-against-any-form-of-malicious-disruption/
Just when you thought Marvel Rivals' competitive balancing couldn't get any worse, a new system to throw games turns up. Incentivised throwing is the name, and ruining people's win streaks is its game.
Third party websites popped up with the sole purpose of placing bounties on players' heads. The intention being that if people find themself in a team with someone who has a bounty, they can throw the game and claim 80% of the reward (20% goes to the website, very convenient). People who throw games for any reason are already losers with paper-thin mental, but this sinks to new depths of deadbeats.
(...)
"Accounts found to be violating our policies will face serious repercussions, including, but not limited to, permanent bans. We strongly advise players against jeopardising their valuable accounts and hard-earned progress for the sake of temporary incentives."

'It's kind of like you're a butcher': Hundreds of Slay the Spire 2 card ideas were cut during development in an 'incredibly destructive process'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/card-games/its-kind-of-like-youre-a-butcher-hundreds-of-slay-the-spire-2-card-ideas-were-cut-during-development-in-an-incredibly-destructive-process/
Even in early access, Slay the Spire 2 contains more stuff—cards, enemies, and so on—than the original Slay the Spire, according to the developers at Mega Crit. Yet studio co-founder Anthony Giovannetti has described refining the hit roguelike deckbuilder as an 'incredibly destructive' process.
>> More articles: 1-They’ve joked about Marathon (link); 2-They later regreted making the joke (link); 3- A dev compared it to unexciting 'chicken noodle soup' (link); And 4- They hate microtransactions (link)

The makers of idle farming sensation Rusty's Retirement have announced a new game, and this one's taking over your whole screen
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/the-makers-of-idle-farming-sensation-rustys-retirement-have-announced-a-new-game-and-this-ones-taking-over-your-whole-screen/
While we all impatiently shuffle our cards and stack our chips until Balatro 1.1 gets here, we've got plenty to keep us busy: there are lots of Balatro-like games out there to play right now, and plenty more on the horizon.
One of them is coming from a surprising direction. Mister Morris Games, maker of chill idle farming sim Rusty's Retirement, has announced its next game, and it's something like a mashup of Balatro and Peggle. Called Pegs X Stickers, this pachinko-roguelike is all about building a board of enchanted pegs and putting together ridiculous scores. (...)

The horse gamers have spoken: This new horse sim has 'a beautiful sense of realism I haven't felt since RDR2'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/the-horse-gamers-have-spoken-the-legend-of-khiimori-has-a-beautiful-sense-of-realism-i-havent-felt-since-rdr2/
Horse games have a reputation—a fairly earned one, I'm sad to say—for being bad. If they're horse-accurate, they're ugly. If they're pretty, they're boring. If they're highly anticipated, they're buggy and unsupported. Horse enthusiast gamers have been burned before and often left half-fulfilled by the latest horse games. Horse courier sim The Legend of Khiimori launched in early access this week and this might finally be the equine experience that horse gamers deserve.

It's a happy ending for the artist whose work was stolen by Bungie and used in Marathon: She's credited in the game as 'visual design consultant'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/its-a-happy-ending-for-the-artist-whose-work-was-stolen-by-bungie-and-used-in-marathon-shes-credited-in-the-game-as-visual-design-consultant/
It came to light in 2025 that Bungie had stolen work from artist Antireal and used it in Marathon—and I don't mean in the "borrowed ideas from" way, I mean in the straight-up "copied and pasted" way. The situation was made doubly awkward because this had happened previously, in Bungie's other game Destiny 2—and more than once.
(...)
Several months later, Antireal said on X that the matter had been resolved to her satisfaction. We still don't have any details on the deal they arrived at (which presumably involved some cash) and probably never will, but one very cool consequence has come to light following Marathon's release: Antireal is listed in the game's credits, conveniently posted on the Bungie website, as a freelance visual design consultant.
>> More Marathon articles: 1- There are peaceful lobbies (link); 2-We got the first uncovered secrets (link); And 3- Players have rallied together to solve the first stage of the Cryo Archive ARG puzzle (link).

American McGee has come out of retirement to make an Alice spiritual successor based on his plushie empire
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/american-mcgee-has-come-out-of-retirement-to-make-an-alice-spiritual-successor-based-on-his-plushie-empire/
American McGee, the Quake alumnus famed for his eponymous action-adventure series based on Alice in Wonderland, is returning to game development with a spiritual successor inspired by his line of plushies. McGee retired from game development in 2023 after a pitch for a third Alice game was rejected by EA. But nearly three years since hanging up his keyboard forever, McGee has apparently changed his mind.

Elder Scrolls wannabe Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon gets a 'huge' update overhauling its weaker third act with new locations, quests, enemies and more
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/elder-scrolls-wannabe-tainted-grail-the-fall-of-avalon-gets-a-huge-update-overhauling-its-weaker-third-act-with-new-locations-quests-enemies-and-more/
Last month, the developers of the Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon revealed that its impressive, Elder Scrolls-inspired RPG would receive a major update in March, one that gives its weaker final act a lick of paint. But it left out key details, such as what colour of paint they'd use, whether it'd have a gloss or matte finish, and so forth.
But all is clear now, if only because the Dulux is already on the walls. Patch 1.20 for Tainted Grail arrived earlier this week. Described as "huge" by Questline, the update seeks to improve the final act in numerous ways, while also making changes to the game at large.

I was pleasantly surprised by this BioShock-coded roguelike FPS, and its latest update adding a speargun has me yearning to dive back in
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/i-was-pleasantly-surprised-by-this-bioshock-coded-roguelike-fps-and-its-latest-update-adding-a-speargun-has-me-yearning-to-dive-back-in/
Roguelike FPS Abyssus was one of the more interesting games to embed itself in my Steam library last year. Generally, I am of the belief that first-person shooting and roguelike randomisation should never meet, as it generally results in mushy combat and poorly paced levels.
But Abyssus beat the odds, successfully infusing the power-curve of a roguelike into blasting goons with a gun. Its clever genre synthesis lets your diving suit-clad Brinehunter enter battle with chain-lightning revolvers and shotguns that pummel opponents with ghosts. But there was one thing missing from DoubleMoose Games' nautically-themed blaster—a harpoon gun.
(...)
Abyssus made the same mistake when it launched in August last year. But the recently released 1.2 update fixes this grievous error, folding in a harpoon gun as the primary feature of the patch.

Please send help: We can't stop opening packs in Wikigacha, a browser-based card game where you collect Wikipedia articles like 'List of Red Hot Chili Peppers band members' or 'Bariatric Surgery'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/card-games/please-send-help-we-cant-stop-opening-packs-in-wikigacha-a-browser-based-card-game-where-you-collect-wikipedia-articles-like-list-of-red-hot-chili-peppers-band-members-or-bariatric-surgery/
Thanks to reporting from Automata, a new card collecting game has taken PC Gamer by storm, and I'm not talking about Slay the Spire 2 (that has also taken us by storm). I'm talking about Wikigacha, a browser-based game where you open packs to collect little cards corresponding to Wikipedia articles.

Before Doom, there was Dangerous Dave, and John Romero's 8-bit hero is getting a spiritual successor next week
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/before-doom-there-was-dangerous-dave-and-john-romeros-8-bit-hero-is-getting-a-spiritual-successor-next-week/
There is an almost fractal quality to the history of id Software, in that the closer you look at it, the more games seem to appear. The studio's first official game is Commander Keen in Invasion of the Vorticons, but prior to that is a weird transition period where the creators of Doom were still partly tied to its previous employer, Softdisk.
It was during this period that id Software's four founders developed Dangerous Dave in the Haunted Mansion, a side-scrolling shooter released in late 1990. Sequel to 1988's Dangerous Dave in the Deserted Pirate's Hideout, which was created exclusively by John Romero, it's generally regarded as the best in the series, notable for how it let you blast zombies into chunky gibs with your shotgun—a shocking display of violence that would soon be massively eclipsed by id Software's first-person shooters.
While Dave himself has long been consigned to the recycle bin of history, his spirit lives on. Haunted Lands is a spiritual successor to Dave's 8-bit adventures, a passion project created by solo developer Alevgor.

The sci-fi survival game from the creator of DayZ heads to space Skyrim in its latest DLC, accompanied by a free update that adds oil processing and chainsaws
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/the-sci-fi-survival-game-from-the-creator-of-dayz-heads-to-space-skyrim-in-its-latest-dlc-accompanied-by-a-free-update-that-adds-oil-processing-and-chainsaws/
I haven't checked in on Icarus, the sci-fi survival game from DayZ creator Dean Hall, for quite a long time. And, well, a lot has changed in the years since it launched as a solid but somewhat unremarkable survival game. Over the course of hundreds of updates, RocketWerkz has added a fully explorable open world, masses of new missions, fishing, and paid DLC that expands the map and adds hardcore survival mode. Rocketwerkz even threw in a flamethrower to celebrate just how many updates it has done.
Contrary to the myth, Icarus' flight shows no signs of slowing down either. This week, the studio released another huge DLC accompanied by a substantial free update that, combined, seems like a game's worth of stuff.

Human Fall Flat, which is bizarrely one of the best-selling games of all time, gets a Viking-themed map featuring Dave the Diver for some reason
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/puzzle/human-fall-flat-which-is-bizarrely-one-of-the-best-selling-games-of-all-time-gets-a-viking-themed-map-featuring-dave-the-diver-for-some-reason/
Cooperative physics-platformer Human Fall Flat is one of my favourite back-burner games, something I check in on once every six months or so to see what nonsense has been added, eagerly play through the new levels, and then memory hole the thing until Christmas or whenever. Given how No Brakes Games' goofy wobble 'em up is one of the best-selling games of all time, I imagine the situation is the same for a lot of other people too.
Now is one of those moments where Human Fall Flat pops back into existence for me, as No Brakes Games has released another new map for players to boldly flop through. The Viking themed map will see players navigating a rugged Scandinavian landscape, piloting a longship and using a battering ram to break into a Viking fortress.

This bizarre CRPG features claymation graphics, beat 'em up combat and the option to send defeated enemies to a prison colony, and it just left early access after a massive final update
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/this-bizarre-crpg-features-claymation-graphics-beat-em-up-combat-and-the-option-to-send-defeated-enemies-to-a-prison-colony-and-it-just-left-early-access-after-a-massive-final-update/
We're in a golden era for the CRPG. Disco Elysium set a new standard for narrative driven roleplaying in 2019, while Baldur's Gate 3 did the same with pretty much everything in 2023. Even the 'B-tier'of modern CRPGs like Rogue Trader and Solasta: Crown of the Magister offer rock-solid roleplaying adventures of dizzying depth.
The hits keep coming, too. This week saw the launch of Esoteric Ebb, which blends Disco Elysium and Dungeons & Dragons with scintillating results. Personally, though, I'm more intrigued by Banquet for Fools, a CRPG that leans closer to Planescape: Torment in its darkly weird vibes.
Developed by a two-person team, Banquet for Fools takes place on an island recently colonised by your race—the Vollings—after being forsaken by their own gods and adopting paganism. All seems to be going well in your newly, uh, acquired home, until the inhabitants of one particular farmhold vanish without a trace.
>> Somewhat surprisingly, there’s another article about this game comparing it to Morrowind (link).

My favourite virtual co-working game has received its first content update, and the new minigame will no doubt derail my productivity for a bit
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/my-favourite-virtual-co-working-game-has-received-its-first-content-update-and-the-new-minigame-will-no-doubt-derail-my-productivity-for-a-bit/
On-Together, the virtual co-working game I've spent an unreasonable amount of time within already this year, has rolled out its first "major" update for 2026. I didn't expect this sweet little focus game to receive many patches, but now it's got the first I can't wait to see what's in store for the next few.
The first feature is the addition of 14 new facial hair styles, which have been pretty sought after since the game launched in January. Although you do have a lot of options when it comes to customising your character, I can't lie, the facial hair options were severely lacking. You don't have to use your hard-earned tickets to unlock any of these options either, which is a major plus.

And here’s the fairly short art three of the Monday gaming news:

A decades-old Diablo 2 easter egg has suddenly become relevant again as players hunt for the best loot in Reign of the Warlock
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/a-decades-old-diablo-2-easter-egg-has-suddenly-become-relevant-again-as-players-hunt-for-the-best-loot-in-reign-of-the-warlock/

Hytale lead says they're pushing for modding in part because they 'hire from the community': 'We're building a scrappy, agile team full of people who actually make things'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/hytale-lead-says-theyre-pushing-for-modding-in-part-because-they-hire-from-the-community-were-building-a-scrappy-agile-team-full-of-people-who-actually-make-things/

Dragon Age creator says he 'had to take out half' of the quests in Dragon Age 2 once he found out they only had 16 months to make it: 'BioWare as a team did not know how to make a small game'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/dragon-age/dragon-age-creator-says-he-had-to-take-out-half-of-the-quests-in-dragon-age-2-once-he-found-out-they-only-had-16-months-to-make-it-bioware-as-a-team-did-not-know-how-to-make-a-small-game/

You can play Big Walk before launch, but only if you take a big walk to the publisher's office to play it in person
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/puzzle/you-can-play-big-walk-before-launch-but-only-if-you-take-a-big-walk-to-the-publishers-office-to-play-it-in-person/

https://store.steampowered.com/category/tower_defense

The Witcher IV to feature NVIDIA RTX Mega Geometry

https://videocardz.com/newz/the-witcher-iv-to-feature-nvidia-rtx-mega-geometry

Steam brings VRAM fix, hardware specs in reviews, and framerate sharing out of beta

https://videocardz.com/newz/steam-brings-vram-fix-hardware-specs-in-reviews-and-framerate-sharing-out-of-beta

NVIDIA says DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Multi Frame Generation arrives March 31

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-says-dlss-4-5-dynamic-multi-frame-generation-arrives-march-31

GeForce RTX 5050 9GB G7 variant reportedly has the same 130W TDP as 8GB G6 model

https://videocardz.com/224049/geforce-rtx-5050-9gb-g7-variant-reportedly-has-the-same-130w-tdp-as-8gb-g6-model

Lisuan Tech teases Extreme 7G100 family release on March 12, China’s DX12-capable gaming GPUs

https://videocardz.com/newz/lisuan-tech-teases-extreme-7g100-family-release-on-march-12-chinas-dx12-capable-gaming-gpus

Intel XeSS 3.0 SDK released, still not open source

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-xess-3-0-sdk-released-still-not-open-source

Wildcat Lake NBD Shipment Reveals 1.5 GHz Boost And 15W Of TDP

https://wccftech.com/wildcat-lake-nbd-shipment-reveals-1-5-ghz-boost-and-15w-of-tdp/

Laptop Prices Expected To Rise By 40% As Memory And CPU Prices Continue To Soar

https://wccftech.com/laptop-prices-expected-to-rise-by-40-as-memory-and-cpu-prices-continue-to-soar/

Memory Price Surge Triggers Shifts in Smartphone BOM Structure

https://counterpointresearch.com/en/insights/Memory-Price-Surge-Triggers-Shifts-in-Smartphone-BOM-Structure

Apple M5 Pro & M5 Max GPU Analysis - M5 Max GPU on par with the GeForce RTX 5070 and faster than Strix Halo

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-M5-Pro-M5-Max-GPU-Analysis-M5-Max-GPU-on-par-with-the-GeForce-RTX-5070-and-faster-than-Strix-Halo.1246060.0.html

Someone should test that 7G100 card, looks interesting. Secondly, unsurprising M5 results; crazy performance at that power envelope.

The Tuesday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Steam’s Top 10

(Click here for the Top 100.

One of my favorite Daedalic point-and-click adventures is free on Steam, and a pile of others have been marked way down
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/one-of-my-favorite-daedalic-point-and-click-adventures-is-free-on-steam-and-a-pile-of-others-have-been-marked-way-down/
Daedalic was widely viewed as the inheritor of LucasArts' point-and-click adventure crown a decade or so ago, back when it was putting out some truly great point-and-click adventure games. Whether Deponia is one of them is a matter of some debate, but I think it is, and more importantly I know that you can pick it up for free right now on Steam.
The Deponia trilogy tailed off pretty sharply through the sequels and I honestly wouldn't recommend them, but I really enjoyed the first: A slapstick farce featuring a deeply unlikable clown who suffers a number of amusingly unpleasant outcomes as he tries to save a woman who's fallen into his literal garbage dump world from the Utopian space station in orbit above. It's a bit like Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, except Rufus—the unlikable character in question—has none of the coyote's charisma or intellect.
Also, as mentioned, it's literally free until March 16, and as selling features go that's a tough one to beat.
But that's not the only reason we're here: Daedalic is holding a whole big publisher sale on Steam, with major markdowns on all kinds of stuff. If point-and-clickers are your thing, you will be well fed here. Night of the Rabbit, probably my favorite Daedalic joint ever, is 90% off ($2.49), as are the delightfully unhinged Edna and Harvey: Harvey's New Eyes and the grim fantasy The Dark Eye: Memoria, both of which are on for $2. (Chains of Satinav is good too, although not quite up to Memoria—but hey, two bucks.)

GOG features the Square Enix Publisher Sale, with games up to 90% off during 8 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20260310_square_enix_publisher_sale

Steam has new deals and sales/events:

• Rain World will have a 70% discount until the 16th of March: https://store.steampowered.com/app/312520/Rain_World/
• Megabonk is going to be 25% off until the 18th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3405340/Megabonk/
• Besides the Daedalic one, there are five more sales/events:
  • MIX & Kinda Funny Spring Games Showcase has a bunch of upcoming releases and a handful of games on sale with up to 80% discounts that will end between later today and the 23rd: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/30894338/sale/MIXKindaFunnySpringShowcase2026
  • Dead Space Franchise Sale puts its titles up to 85% off until next Monday: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/DeadSpaceFranchiseSale
  • #TurnBasedThursdayFest 2026 is full of turn based games with up to 90% discounts. While the Festival will end on the 16th, the deals will end between that and the 23rd (from what I’ve seen): https://store.steampowered.com/sale/TurnBasedThursday2026
  • NipoBox Pre-Spring Publisher Sale has games up to 90% off. The deals will end between the 17th and the 18th, with most being the later: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37489842/sale/prespringsale
  • Spike Chunsoft Publisher Sale has games up to 90% off until March 19: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/SpikeChunsoftPublisherSale2026
• And last, but not least, we have the new weeklong deals

Humble Bundle presents the MIX Spring Showcase: Games Around the World Bundle, with 9 games to grab during 20 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/mix-spring-showcase-games-around-world

Fanatical has three new 24h Flash Deals:

• DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT - MASTER EDITION has a 41% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/dragon-ball-z-kakarot-master-edition
• Monster Hunter Wilds is 55% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/monster-hunter-wilds
• Baldur's Gate I & II Pack sport a 85% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/baldurs-gate-i-and-ii-pack

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready 595.79 driver
https://videocardz.com/driver/nvidia-geforce-game-ready-595-79

HIGHLIGHTS
Game Ready for Crimson Desert and DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH
This new Game Ready Driver provides the best gaming experience for the latest new games supporting DLSS 4 technology including Crimson Desert and DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH.

Support For Newly Validated G-SYNC Compatible Displays
***list with a lot of monitors***

FIXED ISSUES
Fixed Gaming Bugs

• Crimson Desert: Game crashes when launched on R595 drivers [5861012]
• Resident Evil Requiem: White glowing light/dots may appear in game when Subsurface
• Scattering is enabled [5915673]
• Star Citizen: Game client crashes when launched [5935027]

Fixed General Bugs

• When the graphics card is overclocked, GPU voltage may become capped, preventing it from boosting to expected levels [5934973]
• Intermittent application crash or driver timeout may be observed when playing multikey DRM content in a browser on HDCP 1.x monitors [5934450]

Valve says Steam users downloaded 100 exabytes of games in 2025, and are averaging 274 petabytes of installs and updates every day
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/valve-says-steam-users-downloaded-100-exabytes-of-games-in-2025-and-are-averaging-274-petabytes-of-installs-and-updates-every-day/
Valve recently published its Steam Year in Review for 2025, which is a big old list of things it has improved on the platform over the year for developers and publishers. Much of it won't be of particular interest to players, unless you're gagging to find out how Valve is messing with calendars and recommendations in order to better surface games, but the conclusion has some very big numbers relating to Steam's users and behaviour. And who doesn't like a big number?
The unsurprising fact is that the platform is seeing "consistent long term growth […] Five years ago, Steam was growing steadily and crossed the 25 million concurrent user mark for the first time. In the years since, we’ve grown at a pace of around 3.4 million additional concurrent users per year, reaching 42 million peak concurrent users."
And all those people are downloading a hell of a lot of stuff, to the extent that today I discovered what an exabyte is. An exabyte is a unit of measurement for data that is equal to 1000 petabytes or one quintillion bytes (that's a "one" followed by 18 zeroes). It's so large that it's a measurement used for things like estimating daily internet traffic, and Wikipedia tells me it would take around a quarter-of-a-million high end home PCs to store this amount of data.

Valve facing second, class-action lawsuit over loot boxes
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/valve-facing-second-class-action-lawsuit-over-loot-boxes/
Less than two weeks after New York state sued Valve for "letting children and adults illegally gamble" with loot boxes, a second, consumer class-action lawsuit has been filed making essentially the same allegation: That loot boxes in Valve games, like Counter-Strike 2, Team Fortress 2, and Dota 2 are "carefully engineered to extract money from consumers, including children, through deceptive, casino-style psychological tactics."
"We believe Valve deliberately engineered its gambling platform and profited enormously from it," Steve Berman, founder and managing partner at law firm Hagens Berman, said in a press release. "Consumers played these games for entertainment, unaware that Valve had allegedly already stacked the odds against them. We intend to hold Valve accountable and put money back in the pockets of consumers."

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

First Version of Dark Messiah of Might and Magic RTX Remix Mod Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/first-version-of-dark-messiah-of-might-and-magic-rtx-remix-mod-released/
In February 2025, we shared a video for an RTX Remix Mod for Dark Messiah of Might and Magic. Created by wiltOS Technologies, this mod aims to add full ray tracing, update textures, assets, lighting, and more. And today, we are happy to report that the first alpha version of it has been released to the public.
Do note that this RTX Remix Mod is still in an early development stage. Therefore, you might encounter a number of bugs with it. As I said, this is an alpha version. So, make sure to keep that in mind.
wiltOS Technologies has released this version so that it can test the mod on various PCs. The modding will be looking deeply at how these textures interact with their placement in the world and refine them. They will also be looking to replace particles and the like.
To celebrate this announcement, the team has also shared a new trailer. Sadly, this trailer does not pack any before/after comparison scenes. Still, from what I can see, it looks significantly better than its February 2025 trailer. So, this is a good thing. At least in my opinion.

Grand Theft Auto Carcer City Demo Delayed
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/grand-theft-auto-carcer-city-demo-delayed/
The demo for the total conversion mod for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, GTA Carcer City, was meant to come out yesterday. However, at the last minute, the demo has been delayed by a month. As such, Grand Theft Auto Carcer City is currently planned to come out on April 10th.

Resident Evil Requiem Just Got a Cool Alien: Isolation Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/resident-evil-requiem-just-got-a-cool-alien-isolation-mod/
Now here is a really cool mod for Resident Evil Requiem. Modder ‘Raq’ has just released this mod that replaces The Girl with the Xenomorph from Alien: Isolation.
For those who did not know, The Girl is a big monster that hunts Grace in the first part of Resident Evil Requiem. For the most part, players have to hide from or evade it.
In Alien: Isolation, players have to hide from or evade the Xenomorph. Because of that, this mod ends up being the perfect crossover between the two franchises. From a lore standpoint, it makes no sense for a Xenomorph to appear in Resident Evil. However, in an alternate universe, it’s easy to imagine the Umbrella Corporation experimenting on a Xenomorph and unleashing it.
You can go ahead and download the mod from this link. At the end of the article, you can also find a video for it. This video will give you a pretty good idea of what you can expect from it. So, be sure to watch it.

Cyberpunk 2077 redemption complete: You can now literally crap yourself to death with an alarmingly well-thought-out mod
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/cyberpunk-2077-redemption-complete-you-can-now-literally-crap-yourself-to-death-with-an-alarmingly-well-thought-out-mod/
Great news: here, at the long end of its redemption arc, Cyberpunk 2077 is finally, totally fixed. Its last remaining flaw has been repaired. The last gap in the edifice has been covered: You can now shit yourself to death.
Apologies for the blue language. That's usually against our style guide, but I feel that Flushing Etiquette, a mod for Cyberpunk 2077 with much more thought put into it than you'd expect, warrants it. In short, it adds the call of nature to Cyberpunk 2077—V now periodically has to visit the little samurai's room or risk consequences. What consequences? See above.
"Either food in NC creates zero waste or V is sporting some kind of chromed up intestine, V can no longer escape nature's call," declares author juiiicy00 This mod adds a new resource meter which you have to manage by visiting the toilet regularly. You could use it alongside Dark Future – Urban Survival Gameplay, which adds needs and addiction mechanics, if you choose. Or you could just freebase the poop mod. Your choice.
"Eat, kill, shit repeat" reads the mod's Core Gameplay overview.
You get a Sims-style bathroom gauge to which you must attend, to put it bluntly. Consumption fills it, using the flush interaction on a lavatory empties it. There are no new animations, thank God.
I admit, I'm writing about this because I'm 12 and think it's kind of funny, but that alone wouldn't be enough. It's also, just, weirdly robust as joke mods go. Yes, yes, eating and drinking fills the bar and bathrooms empty it. But alongside that, cheap food has a chance to give you food poisoning (instant 100% meter), your visits to the bathroom can be, uh, rough or smooth. A good visit? Buffs. A bad one? Pain. Which kind you get is determined by a diceroll.
Oh, and yes, the pièce de résistance: "When your meter hits 100%, your screen starts flashing and a timer begins. If you don't find a usable toilet before the timer runs out V violently shits their pants dying from embarrassment. No really… you will flatline."
Modding is an art.
>> For better or worse, the article on has a couple screenshots.

The Resident Evil 2 Remake's fanmade VR mode with a full-body sim rig is sick—but I doubt I'll ever have the cash to enjoy its immersive frights
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/vr-hardware/the-resident-evil-2-remakes-fanmade-vr-mode-is-sick-but-i-doubt-ill-ever-have-the-cash-to-enjoy-its-immersive-frights/
Were I to go full grump-mode, I might say that virtual reality has yet to fully deliver on its sci-fi potential. But then I remember just how petrified I was playing the Resident Evil 4 Remake in VR, and now that I've seen the level of horror that can be experienced with a full-body VR setup, I might just be sold.
Virtuix Omni, purveyor of virtual reality peripherals, have taken the experience several terrifying steps further. The company recently shared a demo of a VR mod for the Resident Evil 2 Remake being played using its omni-directional VR treadmill interface called the Omni One.
I'm not sure about you, but I'm already sweating bullets thinking about how a chest harness would add to the game's overall sense of claustrophobia—'Immersive' doesn't really cover it.
Virtuix Omni did not create the Resident Evil 2 Remake VR mod seen in the demo. The credit for that instead goes to PrayDog, and you can investigate venturing into Raccoon City in virtual reality for yourself by taking a gander at their REFramework project on GitHub. Better yet, this project is designed to work with multiple RE Engine games, so you're not necessarily limited to games set near the Arklay Mountains.
As neat as this all looks, it also highlights some aspects about VR that remain less than ideal. While the Meta Quest 3S is one of the best VR headsets for good reason—namely the fact that it combines the best of the Quest 2 and 3 for only 300 bucks—virtual reality is hardly the most accessible gaming space to jump into.
>> The article has an over 2 minutes video.

GAMING NEWS

Counter-Strike's 'X-ray scanner' for loot containers is coming to Germany later this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/counter-strikes-x-ray-scanner-for-loot-containers-is-coming-to-germany-later-this-month/
Counter-Strike 2 players in Germany will soon find themselves in possession of an "X-ray scanner" that will enable them to see what's inside containers before opening them. It sounds good, superficially—no more throwing money away on randomized garbo-tier skins—but, of course, there's a catch.
That catch, as detailed in this FAQ, is that once you've scanned a container and revealed what's inside, you're stuck with whatever's inside: "Once a container has been scanned and the item has been revealed, the only way to scan another container is to purchase and claim the previously revealed item."

Bungie has learned its lesson about vaulting content in Destiny 2 and won't be so cruel with Marathon: 'It doesn't matter when you join'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/bungie-has-learned-its-lesson-about-vaulting-content-in-destiny-2-and-wont-be-so-cruel-with-marathon-it-doesnt-matter-when-you-join/
These days, it's hard to talk about Destiny without inevitably touching on its hated content vault. Whole chunks of the game, including the base story, some expansions, and seasonal content, were wiped from Destiny 2 and thrown into the abyss, lovingly called the Destiny Content Vault. The Final Shape's story wrapped up a decade-long story better than I ever expected it could, but you can't really recommend it to someone when you can't access the majority of the story. And no, telling someone to watch lore videos on YouTube just doesn't cut it.
Thankfully, it doesn't look like we'll be getting a Marathon Content Vault situation. In an interview with Space.com, creative director Julia Nardin touches on the lessons the studio has learned from Destiny's tumultuous first saga.
>> More Marathon articles: 1- You can attach claymores to Thief's drones (link); 2- There’s a bunch of Halo guns in the game (link).

The second part of the Tuesday gaming news:

Marvel Rivals is enacting 'Victim Compensation Protocol' for everyone who has been negatively affected by the incentivised throwing epidemic: 'The system will automatically restore lost points'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/marvel-rivals-is-enacting-victim-compensation-protocol-for-everyone-who-has-been-negatively-affected-by-the-incentivised-throwing-epidemic-the-system-will-automatically-restore-lost-points/
Marvel Rivals has been going through something of a rough patch, what with the frustrating lack of good balance patches and now a whole website dedicated to basically making the game worse for everyone involved.
Named 'incentivised throwing', this phenomenon saw a website and Discord being used to place bounties on people's heads. Players would then throw games to collect the money, and the website would take a portion of that reward. It got real weird, real quick.
Luckily, NetEase has since stepped in, reassuring players it would take action against this by upping the penalties for throwing games. It has also now implemented a "Victim Compensation Protocol" for all players who have been affected by match throwing, even if they weren't the intended target.

If you miss the old NBA Jam games, this new Harlem Globetrotters game looks like a slam dunk
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/if-you-miss-the-old-nba-jam-basketball-games-this-new-harlem-globetrotters-game-looks-like-a-slam-dunk/
I'd have bet money that the Harlem Globetrotters were founded in the 1960s or maybe the '70s, but nope: today I learned the madcap basketball exhibition team has been around for a solid century, formed in 1926 as The Savoy Big Five (and in Chicago, not New York).
To celebrate 100 years of baffling basketball trickery, the Globetrotters have unveiled a new game: Super Basketball Classics, a retro-style basketball game filled with trick plays and slam dunks.

Steam game listing achieves knockoff singularity by aping Pokémon, Zelda, and even Overwatch designs with a shamelessness Palworld could only dream of
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/steam-game-listing-achieves-knockoff-singularity-by-aping-pokemon-zelda-and-even-overwatch-designs-with-a-shamelessness-palworld-could-only-dream-of/
Back in our January 2024 launch impressions of Palworld, I wasn't kind about its shameless design counterfeiting, calling its creatures "a surreal gallery of familiar eyes, limbs, and silhouettes" built from "the reassembled pieces of existing Pokémon, adding a color swap and a couple tweaked details to hide the Frankenstein stitching."
I understand now that I had no idea what shamelessness really looks like. True shamelessness looks like Pickmon, which appeared as a Steam listing this week and should immediately communicate the depth of its blatant apery with its name alone. I mean, look at that thing. That's just Pikachu with dyed eyebrows and a couple bits stuck on. Come on, man.

Blizzard wants Diablo 4's outrageous damage numbers to mean something again in Lord of Hatred, so it's letting you crank the difficulty up to near-impossible levels: 'It's going to be really f*cking hard'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/blizzard-wants-diablo-4s-outrageous-damage-numbers-to-mean-something-again-in-lord-of-hatred-so-its-letting-you-crank-the-difficulty-up-to-near-impossible-levels-its-going-to-be-really-f-cking-hard/
The fun of a loot-based action RPG disappears when monsters pop in a single hit and the only thing that goes up are the damage numbers. Right now, you can upgrade your gear all you want in Diablo 4, but the majority of the game doesn't really require it.
(...)
Blizzard wants to fix this in the Lord of Hatred expansion when it launches next month, and it's doing so by borrowing an idea from Diablo 3. Currently, Diablo 4 has four torment difficulty tiers, each one raising the health and damage of every monster in the game and improving the loot they drop. In Lord of Hatred, that number is getting expanded to 12—news that was revealed by associate game director Zaven Haroutunian in a recent interview with YouTuber Wudijo and explained to PC Gamer in a separate interview with two designers in January.

3 months after revealing his debut project at The Game Awards, Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi loses NetEase funding for his studio
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/3-months-after-revealing-his-debut-project-at-the-game-awards-yakuza-creator-toshihiro-nagoshi-loses-netease-funding-for-his-studio/
Just three months after the world premier trailer for Nagoshi Studio's upcoming Gang of Dragon was revealed at the 2025 Game Awards, a Bloomberg report (via GamesIndustry) says NetEase has decided to end funding for the studio in May.

Arc Raiders is handing out loadout refunds for last week's server issues: 'This outage impacted a large number of players, so we are making an exception'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/arc-raiders-is-handing-out-loadout-refunds-for-last-weeks-server-issues-this-outage-impacted-a-large-number-of-players-so-we-are-making-an-exception/
Arc Raiders has had quite a few server issues of late that have disrupted the fun. There's nothing worse than loading into Stella Montis, geared up for a fight, just to be subjected to never-ending rubberbanding. But hey, at least it's funny calling out to other players in the distance also suffering your same fate and having a nice, friendly chat.
Last week, these server issues were causing some players to lose their gear after successful runs, as if their raider had somehow tripped over and died on the walk home. Understandably, it's frustrating to extract in an extraction shooter and still lose. Suffering from success, as the saying goes.
It didn't affect everyone, thankfully, but it hit enough players for Embark to confirm it is "reviewing these cases" and will return items to affected players where possible over the next few days. "While we do not normally offer compensation for every incident, this outage impacted a large number of players, so we are making an exception. Thanks for bearing with us while we sorted it out."

The Slice of Life Minecraft add-on has become my new obsession after I realised I just needed a break from the mines
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/the-slice-of-life-minecraft-add-on-has-become-my-new-obsession-after-i-realised-i-just-needed-a-break-from-the-mines/
Look, I love the grind of Minecraft as much as the next person. The first trip into the mines in a new world is just as exciting, no matter how many years you've been playing the game. But I can't lie, as much as I love spending hours underground, sometimes I want to slow down and stop the race to find diamonds to appreciate a quiet life in the overworld. Luckily, the Slice of Life add-on from Starfish Studios lets you do just that, and it gives Minecraft that more traditionally cosy game feel for the ultimate wind-down.

Resident Evil Requiem director confirms 'extra story content' is in the works: 'It will take some time so we ask for your patience'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/resident-evil/resident-evil-requiem-director-confirms-extra-story-content-is-in-the-works-it-will-take-some-time-so-we-ask-for-your-patience/
Resident Evil Requiem had a fantastic launch, the best of any modern Resident Evil game, alongside the most concurrents of any RE game ever. And to keep the hype train running, Requiem's director Koshi Nakanishi has announced even more "story content".

This year's Future Games Show Spring Showcase has a dense game-per-hour hit rate and airs everywhere: Here's how to catch it
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/this-years-future-games-show-spring-showcase-has-a-dense-game-per-hour-hit-rate-and-airs-everywhere-heres-how-to-catch-it/
Birds chirp, the sun lingers, the Earth rocks back on its axis. Spring is springing, and it can only mean one thing: a rising tempo of videogame showcases. The Future Games Show Spring Showcase returns this Thursday, March 12, and it's a doozy. The dooz is off the charts.

Fortnite's V-Bucks are about to get more expensive because 'the cost of running Fortnite has gone up a lot'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/battle-royale/fortnites-v-bucks-are-about-to-get-more-expensive-because-the-cost-of-running-fortnite-has-gone-up-a-lot/
Fortnite: It's pretty popular. And it makes a lot of money, sure, but it costs a lot of money too: Server infrastructure alone probably costs, well, a lot, and Epic is also kicking out money to Fortnite content creators—a lot of money, in some cases. It adds up! All of which is to say that V-Bucks, Fortnite's virtual currency, are about to get more expensive.

And here’s the third part of the gaming news:

Battlefield 6 was 'the biggest launch in franchise history.' 6 months later, EA is laying off people who made it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/battlefield-6-was-the-biggest-launch-in-franchise-history-6-months-later-ea-is-laying-off-people-who-made-it/

For the first time in years, there are no blockchain gaming talks at GDC
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/for-the-first-time-in-years-there-are-no-blockchain-gaming-talks-at-gdc/

As the Marathon player count discourse reaches peak stupidity, Warframe and Overwatch devs speak up in solidarity: 'This is big unemployed, maidenless behavior'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/as-the-marathon-player-count-discourse-reaches-peak-stupidity-warframe-and-overwatch-devs-speak-up-in-solidarity-this-is-big-unemployed-maidenless-behavior/

Fallout 3 Remastered toy listing pops up on pre-order website, and we sure are nearly at Oblivion Remastered's 1-year anniversary, aren't we?
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/fallout-3-remastered-toy-listing-pops-up-on-pre-order-website-and-we-sure-are-nearly-at-oblivion-remastereds-1-year-anniversary-arent-we/

Deadlock's latest update brings some huge movement buffs like jumping mid slide and 30% increased air control—it's a lot cooler than it sounds
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/moba/deadlocks-latest-update-brings-some-huge-movement-buffs-like-jumping-mid-slide-and-30-percent-increased-air-control-its-a-lot-cooler-than-it-sounds/

Until Dawn remake studio is officially dead, a year after laying off nearly its entire staff
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/until-dawn-remake-studio-is-officially-dead-a-year-after-laying-off-nearly-its-entire-staff/

EA and Android Wilson continue to be horrible. Too may Western companies don't value institutional knowledge. In an industry like game development, such an outlook is incredibly foolhardy. There is reason EA couldn't do a Dragon Ages Origins remaster. Bioware know longer has enough people left that know the games engine.

And to think that Wilson is an improvement over Riccitiello...

But yeah, big western publishers are firing se many talent that sooner rather than later, they'll find themselves in deep trouble. EA maybe not so much aftre being bought, but Ubisoft is in a similar spot and its future doesn't look too bright.

I wish those that have been fired good luck. Some may be able to join Embark, also founded by former DICE members, or maybe create their own studio(s) and hopefully find success doing the projects they want.