Part two of the news:

Total War: Three Kingdoms' Mandate of Heaven prequel DLC is coming in January
https://www.pcgamer.com/total-war-three-kingdoms-mandate-of-heaven-prequel-dlc-is-coming-in-january/
Creative Assembly is trying something a bit different in its Mandate of Heaven DLC for Total War: Three Kingdoms. In previous historical Total Wars, new campaigns have been kept apart from the grand campaign, but this time you'll be able to start with the prequel DLC and keep playing.

The Forgotten City is being completely overhauled, but that means it's delayed too
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-forgotten-city-is-being-completely-overhauled-but-that-means-its-delayed-too/
Developer Modern Storyteller announced today that it has signed a deal with Dear Villagers, whose previous releases include Dead in Vinland and Bury Me, My Love, to publish The Forgotten City. The partnership will enable Modern Storyteller to expand the scope of the game with "entirely updated visuals, a new setting and story, professionally voice-acted characters, and a stirring original soundtrack." That's good news, but you don't get that kind of top-to-bottom upgrade without a price, which in this case is a lengthy delay.

Want more Fortnite Star Wars skins? By god, you're getting 'em
https://www.pcgamer.com/want-more-fortnite-star-wars-skins-by-god-youre-getting-em/
Three days. Just three more days until The Rise of Skywalker and then we never have to think about Star Wars again, right? A fool can hope, but he can also buy another Star Wars skin in Fortnite to tide him over, according to a new leak.

Fortnite's Battle Lab lets you create your own battle royale modes
https://www.pcgamer.com/fortnite-patch-notes-11-31-battle-lab/
Fortnite's 11.36 update is here, introducing a new customisable mode that will let you duke it out with 15 mates on your own private battle royale island. The Battle Lab is available now, along with a bunch of bug fixes.

Free-to-play sci-fi shooter Ironsight debuts on Steam today
https://www.pcgamer.com/free-to-play-sci-fi-shooter-ironsight-launches-on-steam-today/
Ironsight is a free-to-play sci-fi military shooter set in a near-future that's been devastated by natural disasters. As is the way of things, the world has split into two factions, constantly at war over what few natural resources remains, including a new and powerful energy source called Trinitium. It's been in open beta since February 2018 at aeriagames.com, but today the beta will finally make the move to Steam.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is bringing back classic maps and Cranked today
https://www.pcgamer.com/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-season-one-refresh/
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's Season One update only arrived a couple of weeks ago, but there's more in store for players before the end of the year. Today, the 'Season One Refresh' will pop returning maps like Vacant and Shipment into the roster, along with a new mode, missions and Operator.

Destiny 2's The Dawning event adds $220 worth of items to Eververse
https://www.pcgamer.com/destiny-2s-the-dawning-event-adds-dollar220-worth-of-items-to-eververse/
Destiny 2's annual festive event, The Dawning, has returned, and with it the important holiday tradition of spending money on ornaments for your funky sci-fi guns. This year, Eververse is fit to burst with ornaments, emotes and ships. Alongside the regular offerings is a long list of event items, and collectors will need to part with a hefty sum if they want them all.

i was thinking of using that ubi sale for cheaper operators for siege

*** NEW CONTEST ***

• HEXUS EPIC Giveaway Day 10: Win one of three Noctua cooling bundles https://hexus.net/tech/features/cooling/137480-day-10-win-one-three-noctua-cooling-bundles/
  
  • 1st prize consists of: a NH-D15 chromax.black CPU cooler, 4x NF-F12 chromax.black.swap 120mm fans and NT-H2 10g thermal compound
  • 2nd prize consists of: a NH-U12A CPU cooler, 4x NF-A12x25 PWM 120mm fans and NT-H2 10g thermal compound
  • 3rd prize consists of: 4x NF-P14s redux-1500 PWM 140mm fan, 4x NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM 120mm fans and NT-H1 10g thermal compound

This contest is GLOBAL.

Once more: The news!

Before that, just a quick reminder: VGChartz PC SECRET SANTA Thread is OPEN. Join here: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread.php?id=241476

And now...

SALES & DEALS

GOG has added more games to its Winter Sale, and has put together the top 50 highest rated games up to 85% off:

• Newcomers: https://www.gog.com/promo/20191219_winter_sale_newcomers
• Top 50 highest rated games: https://www.gog.com/promo/20191218_winter_sale_top_rated

Steam doesn't have new sales as later today will start its Winter Sale.

Fanatical has two new sales:

• The new Star Deal is Indivisible, 35% off for the next 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/indivisible
• And there's a new bundle, the Quest Hunter: Collector's Edition with the game and 2 DLCs with a 48% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/quest-hunter-collectors-edition

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

NVIDIA officially announces PhysX 5.0, will be available in 2020
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/nvidia-officially-announces-physx-5-0-will-be-available-in-2020/
NVIDIA has officially announced the next version of its physics SDK, PhysX 5.0. According to the green team, PhysX 5.0 will be available in 2020. This new version of PhysX will have support for a unified constrained particle simulation framework.
>> And just one day after AMD revealed its own physics software. What a coincidence, right?

MODS/EMULATORS

This 2.8GB AI-enhanced mod overhauls the textures of Half-Life, Blue Shift and Opposing Force
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/this-2-8gb-ai-enhanced-mod-overhauls-the-textures-of-half-life-blue-shift-and-opposing-force/
Modder ‘Leaufai’ has released a new AI-enhanced HD Texture Pack for the classic Half-Life games. This mod, which is 2.8GB in size, overhauls the textures of Half-Life, Half-Life: Opposing Force and Half-Life: Blueshift.
As its description reads, Half-Life: ReSrced packs HD textures upscaled from the original low-res textures using advanced AI-powered software. Combined with detail textures and support for a variety of HD model packs for Half-Life and its expansion packs, ReSrced makes the classic game look sharp and modern, while keeping true to the original aesthetic.
This mod requires the Xash3D FWGS engine whi
ch is included in the download. Furthermore, this mod works with the Steam version of Half-Life on Windows. Other platforms or versions of Half-Life might be compatible, though the modder can guarantee about it.

New Red Dead Redemption 2 mods give Arthur Star Wars Jedi/Sith abilities, like telekinesis
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-red-dead-redemption-2-mods-give-arthur-star-wars-jedi-sith-abilities-like-telekinesis/
Modder ‘HCL’ has released two interesting script mods for Red Dead Redemption 2. These mods will give Arthur some Star Wars Jedi (or Sith if you prefer the villains) abilities, like telekinesis and teleportation.
Going into more details, today we present you two mods; “Telekinesis and Pyrokinesis” and “Blink (Teleportation) “.
The first mod allows you to move things from a distance, attack distant enemies with telekinetic pins or create fire explosions. Players can move with their minds a lot of objects. Players can also create either small or big fire explosions.
On the other hand, the second mod gives your character the ability to blink (teleport). All you have to do is press X and your character will blink to the location you are looking at.
(...)
As a bonus, here is also a mod that allows Arthur to walk faster. However, do note that this particular mod is definitely incompatible with the “Blink (Teleportation)” mod in its default state. Players will have to edit the .INI file and replace the “F11” button/key with another one.

The Witcher: Total War swaps hunting monsters for building empires
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-witcher-total-war-swaps-hunting-monsters-for-building-empires/
Fantasy universes are great fodder for Total War mods. Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Warcraft—they've all inspired massive total conversions. And with three games, loads of books and a new TV show just about to air, The Witcher is conspicuously absent from the list. That's set to change, however, as The Witcher: Total War is now in development for Medieval 2.
While The Witcher is mostly concerned with the shenanigans of Geralt and Ciri, the books and games are still pretty dense with history, petty kings and armies itching for a fight. The team is starting small, with three factions and a map that encompasses Velen and Novigrad, over which the Nilfgaardian Empire will compete with Redanaia and Novigrad. When that's complete, it will be released as a demo and then grow from there.

GAMING NEWS

War Thunder now supports Ray Traced Global Illumination effects on the PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/war-thunder-now-supports-ray-traced-global-illumination-effects-on-the-pc/
Gaijin Entertainment has released a new update for War Thunder. According to the developers, Update 1.95 brings an upgraded graphical engine with stunning Ray Traced Global Illumination, HDR support and a physical spark system.

New official screenshots released for Pearl Abyss’ massively multiplayer online shooter, PLAN 8
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/new-official-screenshots-released-for-pearl-abyss-massively-multiplayer-online-shooter-plan-8/
Pearl Abyss has released a new set of screenshots for its exosuit massively multiplayer online shooter, PLAN 8. These new screenshots showcase some of the weapons and gears that players will be able to equip their characters.

First WRATH: Aeon of Ruin patch adds 21:9 support, increases FOV limit, improves skyboxes & more
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/first-wrath-aeon-of-ruin-patch-adds-219-support-increases-fov-limit-improves-skyboxes-more/
3D Realms has released the first patch for its old-school first-person shooter, WRATH: Aeon of Ruin. This patch adds support for 21:9 monitors and increases FOV limit to 120. Moreover, it increases mouse sensitivity increments for fine tuning and improves skyboxes.

New teaser trailer released for Oddworld: Soulstorm
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-teaser-trailer-released-for-oddworld-soulstorm/
Oddworld Inhabitants has released a new teaser trailer for Oddworld: Soulstorm. According to the team, this teaser gives us a glimpse at the game’s slightly dark narrative. It doesn’t show much, but then again some Oddworld fans may be interested in it.

Minecraft – New Rasterize vs Ray Tracing Comparison Video
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/minecraft-new-rasterize-vs-ray-tracing-comparison-video/
NVIDIA has released a new video, comparing the rasterized and the ray tracing versions of Minecraft. NVIDIA and Mojang will add official support for Ray Tracing in Minecraft in 2020. Thus, this video will give you an idea of the visual improvements you can expect from it.

Honkai Impact 3rd is coming to the PC on December 26th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/honkai-impact-3rd-is-coming-to-the-pc-on-december-26th/
miHoYo has announced that its critically-acclaimed title, Honkai Impact 3rd, will be officially coming to the PC on December 26th. In order to celebrate this announcement, the team has also released a new trailer that you can find below.

New 5.5GB Update for Deliver Us The Moon adds its promised Ray Tracing effects
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-5-5gb-update-for-deliver-us-the-moon-adds-its-promised-ray-tracing-effects/
Wired Productions and KeokeN Interactive have announced the incoming launch of real-time ray tracing support for Deliver Us The Moon. Wired Productions has also shared a new trailer, showcasing some of the new RTX effects.

Official Microsoft Store page for Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind DLC hints at a PC version
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/official-microsoft-store-page-for-the-re-mind-dlc-hints-at-a-pc-version-of-kingdom-hearts-iii/
While Square Enix has been heavily supporting the PC platform, there is one game that is currently exclusive on home consoles, and that is no other than Kingdom Hearts 3. However, the official Microsoft Store page for the game’s latest DLC, Re Wind, hints at a Windows 10 release.

The news, part two:

Fortnite is giving away a Millennium Falcon glider for Winterfest
https://www.pcgamer.com/fortnite-is-giving-away-a-millennium-falcon-glider-for-winterfest/
Fortnite has replaced its 14 Days of Fortnite event with Winterfest, but the important thing is that there are still challenges to complete and presents to unwrap, netting you plenty of freebies between now and January, including a nifty Millennium Falcon glider.

15 years after release, Gish is getting a new update
https://www.pcgamer.com/15-years-after-release-gish-is-getting-a-new-update/
Gish is a sidescrolling platformer, released in 2004, about a sticky blob-type thing who sets off to rescue his girlfriend after she's kidnapped by a mysterious creature of darkness. It sounds weird but it's actually really good—good enough to warrant inclusion in the first-ever Humble Bundle, all the way back in 2010. And more than 15 years after release, it's also getting a new update.

Hearthstone is getting its fastest nerfs ever, but will they be enough to stop Shaman?
https://www.pcgamer.com/hearthstone-gets-its-fastest-nerfs-ever-but-will-they-be-enough-to-stop-shaman/
We noted when the Hearthstone expansion Descent of Dragons went live that it was widely considered one of the most overpowered sets to be released in years. (...)
Almost immediately after the expansion went live, Blizzard began working on an update aimed at toning down the Galakrond Shaman deck, which within the first 24 hours had become, as Fraser put it, an "unstoppable, storm-summoning forces of nature."
That update won't go live until tomorrow, but Blizzard revealed the coming changes today

Conan Chop Chop will be out in February
https://www.pcgamer.com/conan-chop-chop-will-be-out-in-february/
Conan Chop Chop was 'announced' on April 1 as a joke, but was then revealed to be a real game at 2019's PC Gaming Show. A couple months later, it met the first and only criterion for being a real game: being delayed.
Now we have a final, final release date: Chibi Conan and pals will start chopping their way through ghouls on February 25, 2020.

World War Z studio Saber Interactive is going to work on Killing Floor 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/world-war-z-studio-saber-interactive-is-going-to-work-on-killing-floor-2/
In a lengthy update posted yesterday to Steam, Killing Floor 2 studio Tripwire Interactive shared some of its plans for 2020, including more weapons, maps, and seasonal events. But the most interesting bit of news is that Tripwire will be working with World War Z developer Saber Interactive to create future features and content for the game.

Star soccer player Mesut Ozil removed from PES 2020 in China over tweets criticizing the government
https://www.pcgamer.com/star-soccer-player-mesut-ozil-removed-from-pes-2020-in-china-over-tweets-criticizing-the-government/
Arsenal star Mesut Ozil caused a stir last week when he criticized the alleged ongoing human rights abuses and persecution of Uighur Muslims by the Chinese government, and the failure of Muslims globally to adequately respond.(...)
Now the backlash has also spread to videogames, as Ozil has reportedly been cut from PES 2020 in China. According to the BBC, publisher Netease has removed Ozil from all three editions of the game available in China, saying in a statement that his comments "hurt the feelings of Chinese fans and violated the sport's spirit of love and peace. We do not understand, accept or forgive this."

Endzone: A World Apart is a post-apocalyptic city builder heading to Early Access soon
https://www.pcgamer.com/endzone-a-world-apart-is-a-post-apocalyptic-city-builder-heading-to-early-access-soon/
Now that all our end of year and decade reflections are going up, I've realised I forgot about one recent trend: the survival city builder. Since Banished, we've seen a few of them pop up, perhaps most notably Surviving Mars, which has since been followed up by a post-apocalyptic spin-off. Now it's got a bit of competition in the form of Endzone: A World Apart, which you can watch in action above.

Session is the most authentic skateboarding game ever made
https://www.pcgamer.com/session-is-the-most-authentic-skateboarding-game-ever-made/
A 900 Christ Air to Darkslide in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater is easier to pull off than a kickflip to noseslide on a low curb in Session. In early Early Access on Steam, Session's bizarre control scheme matches a foot to each stick for the most realistic skateboard manipulation yet. It's a sim where small lines are major victories—complex combos that require the perfect angle, momentum, and inputs from two sticks at once. No one's keeping score either. You either pull of something sick or you don't.

Rainbow Six Siege's core dev team is moving on
https://www.pcgamer.com/rainbow-six-sieges-core-dev-team-is-moving-on/
After four years, Rainbow Six Siege's core team is moving on, though still staying at Ubisoft. Creative director Xavier Marquis, brand director Alexandre Remy and other members of the team will be hopping onto new projects, leaving the game in the hands of a new squad of Rainbow Six Siege veterans.

Resident Evil Ambassadors have been invited to test another new game
https://www.pcgamer.com/resident-evil-ambassadors-have-been-invited-to-test-another-new-game/
Resident Evil fans who have signed up for the Resident Evil Ambassador programme received an update from Capcom yesterday, touting a new ranking system and another opportunity to play a game before anyone else.

*** NEW CONTESTS ***

• Guru3D 2019 December 20th contest: RTX = ON with the Palit GeForce RTX 2070 JetStream https://www.guru3d.com/news-story/guru3d-2019-december-20th-contest-rtx-on-win-a-palit-geforce-rtx-2070-jetstream.html
• HEXUS EPIC Giveaway Day 11: Win an Antec PC upgrade https://hexus.net/tech/features/chassis/137483-day-11-win-antec-pc-upgrade/
  
  • Consists of: a P120 case, a Prizm Cooling Matrix (two 120mm fans ogether with fancy RGB) and a 700W Neo Eco Zen PSU

The second contest is locked to UK and EU Only.

Let's go with the Friday news!

VGChartz's PC SECRET SANTA is about to happen. Join in the next few hours before it's too late!: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread.php?id=241476

SALES & DEALS

Epic Games Store launches its Holiday Sale 2019, offers free games for the next 12 days
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/epic-games-store-launches-its-holiday-sale-2019-offers-free-games-for-the-next-12-days/
Epic Games has launched its Holiday Sale 2019. Moreover, the team will be offering free games for the next twelve days. Therefore, today Epic Games is giving away a turn-based strategy game, Into the Breach.
Furthermore, Epic Games is offering a $10 Epic Coupon (to use on eligible games of $14.99 or above or local currency equivalent). The $10 Epic Coupon will be applied automatically at checkout. These coupons will expire on May 1st, 2020 2:59am EST.

Steam launches its Winter Sale 2019, will end on January 2nd
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/steam-launches-its-winter-sale-2019-will-end-on-january-2nd/
Similarly to Epic Games, Valve has launched Steam’s Winter Sale 2019. This sale will last until January 2nd and PC gamers can find a lot of games at great discounts. Moreover, Valve is offering a coupon via which gamers can save more money.

TowerFall Ascension is now free on Epic Games Store for the next 24 hours
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/towerfall-ascension-is-now-free-on-epic-games-store-for-the-next-24-hours/
Epic Games has announced that TowerFall Ascension is currently available for free on Epic Games Store. The game will be available for free for the next 24 hours, and PC gamers can visit the game’s EGS page in order to acquire their free copy.

On the Humble Store there are 4 new sales:

• The Star Wars games are up to 65% off for the next 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/star-wars-sale/
• Football Manager 2020 is 15% off for the next 13 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/football-manager-2020
• Koei Tecmo has put its games on sale, up to 65% off for the next 13 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/koei-tecmo-winter-sale/
• And Konami has also put its games on sale, up to 75% off for the next 13 days too: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/konami-winter-flash-sale/

Fanatical has 4 new sales:

• The new Star Deal is Yakuza Kiwami 2, 33% off for the next 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/yakuza-kiwami-2
• That's part of a Sega Sale, with up to 86% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/sega
• Ubisoft also has its games on sale, up to 80% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/ubisoft
• 2K Games has its games on sale too, with up to 81% discounts: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/2k-games
• The Enchanted Bundle has 9 games plus 1 DLC 97% off for the next 14 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/enchanted-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

AMD's Adrenalin 19.12.3 GPU driver fixes a litany of bugs for Radeon owners
https://www.pcgamer.com/amds-adrenalin-19123-gpu-driver-fixes-a-litany-of-bugs-for-radeon-owners/
It didn't take long for AMD to push out an incremental update to its completely retooled Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 2020 driver package introduced last week. While the initial release brought with it an overhaul with a bunch of new and improved features, the new 19.12.3 update is entirely focused on ridding the software of bugs, helping your graphics card reach its full potential.
>> Available from here.

MODS/EMULATORS

Nexus Mods reports security breach, 'small number' of user records accessed
https://www.pcgamer.com/nexus-mods-reports-security-breach-small-number-of-user-records-accessed/
The popular mod repository Nexus Mods revealed today that it suffered a data breach in November, during which a "potentially malicious third-party actor" was able to access a small number of user records, including email addresses and password salts and hashes.
"Even though we were able to secure the endpoint as soon as we discovered the exploit, as a measure of security, we are informing all of you, as we cannot rule out that further access to other user data including email addresses, password hashes and password salts has taken place," Nexus Mods wrote.
"We immediately worked to rectify the situation and, as part of the process, brought forward our release schedule for our long-planned new user service to ensure no other potential exploits on the old user service could be used to obtain user data. This step we took is ensuring that the new passwords are not only better protected, but that any encrypted passwords that have - potentially - been obtained from the old user service are already out of date."

GAMING NEWS

New AO Tennis 2 trailer showcases its Content Editor, AO Tennis 2 Tools available now for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-ao-tennis-2-trailer-showcases-its-content-editor-ao-tennis-2-tools-available-now-for-download/
BIGBEN and Big Ant Studios are pleased to release a new video introducing the content editor in AO Tennis 2, the second game in the official Australia Open game series. With a user-friendly and comprehensive interface, the AO Tennis 2 player community now has access to an extensive range of customisation options to express themselves and create unique content including players, stadiums and scenarios.

WWE 2K20 Update 1.06 released, adds Create A Championship, addresses crashes, improves AI & collisions
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/wwe-2k20-update-1-06-released-adds-create-a-championship-addresses-crashes-improves-ai-collisions/
2K Games has released a brand new update for WWE 2K20. According to the release notes, this update adds the “Create A Championship” feature. Moreover, it addresses various crashes in order to improve overall stability.

Darksiders Genesis Patch 2 now available, adds Mayhem Difficulty & Game Speed, fixes numerous bugs
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/darksiders-genesis-patch-2-now-available-adds-mayhem-difficulty-game-speed-fixes-numerous-bugs/
Airship Syndicate has released the second major update for Darksiders Genesis. According to the release notes, Patch 2 adds the Mayhem Difficulty Mode and Game Speed. However, do note that Game Speed is only working in Single player or Split Screen.

First PC update released for Detroit: Become Human, addresses various crashes, full patch notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/first-pc-update-released-for-detroit-become-human-addresses-various-crashes-full-patch-notes/
Quantic Dream has released the first PC patch for Detroit: Become Human. According to the release notes, this first patch improves overall game stability by addressing a number of crashes. Moreover, it also comes with a fix for those using unicode characters in their Windows username.

New demo for the FEAR-inspired indie FPS, Trepang2, is now available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-demo-for-the-fear-inspired-indie-fps-trepang2-is-now-available-for-download/
Trepang Studios has released a brand new free demo for its upcoming FEAR-inspired indie FPS, Trepang2. This demo allows you to experience the game’s story prologue and fight through a 30+ wave horde mode.
>> Get the demo from IndieDB:

Free to play STALKER-inspired MMORPG, Stay Out, is now available on Steam Early Access
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/free-to-play-stalker-inspired-mmorpg-stay-out-is-now-available-on-steam-early-access/
Mobile Technologies has announced the release of its STALKER-inspired post-apocalyptic free-to-play MMORPG, Stay Out, on Steam Early Access. To celebrate the release the developers have also announced a winter wonderland of holiday events for players to enjoy.

Here are 11 minutes of new gameplay footage from Half-Life: Alyx
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-11-minutes-of-new-gameplay-footage-from-half-life-alyx/
Yesterday, Adam Savage released a new hands-on video with Valve’s upcoming VR game, Half-Life: Alyx. In this video, Savage shared some new gameplay footage from it and YouTube’s ‘zck2020’ has collected all of them in one single video.

Friday news, part two:

Grab these Borderlands 3 Christmas Shift codes for holiday skins
https://www.pcgamer.com/grab-these-borderlands-3-christmas-shift-codes-for-holiday-skins/
Since its launch back in September, most of the Borderlands 3 Shift codes Gearbox has trickled out have rewarded Golden Keys used to get rare weapons. But this month it's all about the holiday spirit, and Gearbox has gotten festive with a whole pile of Borderlands 3 Christmas Shift codes which unlock a range of holiday skins. As Gearbox says, it's giving The Gift of Mayhem.
>> They're valid until Jan. 10, except for the Golden Keys.

Distant Worlds 2's first screenshots and details have been revealed
https://www.pcgamer.com/distant-worlds-2s-first-screenshots-and-details-have-been-revealed/
Distant Worlds 2, the sequel to one of the best 4X games, has been in development for four years, but we've heard very little about during that time. Today, publisher Slitherine has finally lifted the lid, just a little bit, and shown off the first screenshots, along with some details about the interstellar sandbox on its Twitch stream.

Red Dead Online is covered in snow, with free gifts coming soon
https://www.pcgamer.com/red-dead-online-is-covered-in-snow-with-free-gifts-coming-soon/
Pop into Red Dead Online and you'll find the place blanketed in snow, even the normally humid swamps of Lemoyne. Along with the winter weather, there are a few more festive touches, changes to Showdown modes, and Rockstar will soon be doling out free gifts.

Test PUBG's first flying vehicle this weekend
https://www.pcgamer.com/test-pubgs-first-flying-vehicle-this-weekend/
A new feature is being tested out in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, specifically in PUBG Labs, which players will be able to put through its paces all weekend. Finally, PUBG is experimenting with flying vehicles.

Toripon is a wholesome game about photographing your many bird friends
https://www.pcgamer.com/toripon-is-a-wholesome-game-about-photographing-your-many-bird-friends/
Birds are descended from dinosaurs and will almost certainly rule the Earth again one day, but in Toripon they are content to just invade one flat. Thankfully, they appear to be pretty decent house guests. There's not much you can do about this takeover, but you can take snaps and use them to increase your social media clout.

World of Warcraft's playable foxes and cyborg gnomes are arriving in January
https://www.pcgamer.com/world-of-warcrafts-playable-foxes-and-cyborg-gnomes-are-arriving-in-january/
World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth's next update sees the old god N'Zoth getting out of jail, which is presumably a bad thing. The big ol' tentacle monster hasn't served its time, so the heroes of Azeroth will need to fight it in a new raid, Ny'alotha, the Waking City. And you'll be able to play as a fox.

Time to check the GOG and Steam deals for the weekend... which is very easy:

+GOG

• This is easy: the Winter Sale! And here are some of the highlighted bundles:
  • These games are up to 60% off and will only be on sale until December 26th : https://www.gog.com/promo/20191212_winter_sale_focus
  • Here you'll find the newcomers, up to 75% off: https://www.gog.com/promo/20191219_winter_sale_newcomers
  • The Paradox Strategy bundle is up to 80% discounts: https://www.gog.com/promo/20191211_winter_sale_pdx_bundle
  • And here you can find the top 50 highest rated games, with up to 86% discounts: https://www.gog.com/promo/20191218_winter_sale_top_rated
• And GOG and the game Deliver Us The Moon have teamed up to make a contest, and the prize is... an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080!. Learn more here: https://www.gog.com/news/win_geforce_rtx_2080_card_as_deliver_us_the_moon_gets_an_rtx_update

+Steam

• You already know it by now, but I'll say it again: the Winter Sale is on! Go for it.

Enough news! Go and have a happy and gaming weekend.

I'll wait until I know which games I get from Epic during the next week and my Secret Santa.

After that I'll start my shopping spree through several digital stores.

So far, I only bought the "Shadow Mode" DLC-bundle for the two Telltale-Batman-games. I love the new "Sin City" look.

That's a wise move, I'll also wait for Epic even if I won't get any "new" games.

I don't have to worry about a Secret Santa.