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Dec 07, 07:00


Kotaku Tuesday, December 7, 2021 6:30 AM
    

Today, Sony held an online event called Sony Technology Day to showcase different technology that the company is developing. One presentation showed Sony's prototype for an 8K VR headset.

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Kotaku Tuesday, December 7, 2021 5:30 AM
    

The English title for Demon Slayer's second season is Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc. The Japanese word used for the arc is yuukaku (遊廓), and that word has a much more pointed meaning than "entertainment district."

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PCGamesN Tuesday, December 7, 2021 6:48 AM
     Windows update fixes most Intel Alder Lake DRM issues on gaming PCs

Intel's Alder Lake lineup launched last month with some expected issues, and Windows DRM incompatibility rendered over 50 games unplayable when using the new chip. Thankfully, Intel and Microsoft have cooked up a fix for the chip's DRM related drawbacks, meaning the majority of your Steam library should play nice with 12th gen CPUs.

According to Intel's support page, only three out of the original 51 affected games are still experiencing Alder Lake DRM issues; Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, Fernbus Simulator, and Madden 22. The update post doesn't specify whether or not a fix is in the works for the remaining entries, but the shortlist will change subject to patch releases.

Of course, if you're rocking one of the big blue's best gaming CPUs and you're looking to run this troublesome trio of games, you can still use last month's scroll lock workaround. While this fix involves turning on Legacy Game Compatibility BIOS settings, MSI and Gigabyte have simplified things by enabling players to toggle compatibility mode on and off with a button.

RELATED LINKS: Intel Core i9 9900K review, Intel Core i7 9700K review, Best CPU for gaming

PCGamesN Tuesday, December 7, 2021 6:47 AM
     Forza Horizon 5 devs reveal 20 new cars headed to the racing game

Forza Horizon 5 launched a month ago to roaring crowds, scoring highly in reviews across the board and launching to some pretty hefty player numbers. Now, the devs at Playground Games have given us a peek at what's coming up next for its new racing game with Series 2 and 3, and it looks like there are plenty of new cars on the way.

In the studio's latest Forza Horizon 5: Let's ¡GO! stream (below), Playground revealed a further 20 cars coming up, following the four that were unveiled in its Forza Monthly show shortly beforehand. Revealing each new set of wheels one by one through a little holiday calendar (aww), the team gave us a peek at some varied and slick new rides in action.

Kicking off with the Lamborghini Aventador J (at the 7:20 mark), we get a look at many others, such as ones you might recognise from the roads of our times, like the 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO and the 2012 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder Performante LP570-4. Then there are others you probably won't, like the 1939 Maserati 8CTF classic car.

RELATED LINKS: Forza Horizon 5 review, The best racing games on PC, The best open-world games on PC

PCGamesN Tuesday, December 7, 2021 6:46 AM
     Icarus devs targeting daily updates for the survival game following bumpy launch

Now that the dust has cleared on Icarus's opening weekend, developer RocketWerkz is charting the path forward. In a Steam blog, game runner Dean Hall explains that while the survival game has proven popular - hitting a peak concurrent Steam player count of 50,000 - it's not been without its "lows".

"Many people have let us know in the reviews that the game just didn't work well enough for them to enjoy it - and that's not good enough for us," Hall explains. "If people couldn't connect or run the game with acceptable performance to even try the game out, then we need to remedy that."

Hall explains that the team is targeting daily updates to get the new PC game into a more stable position, with three hotfixes going out over the launch weekend alone. The initial updates focused on squashing critical bugs, though Hall elaborates that future patches will target performance optimisations, connectivity, and mission fixes. "These updates can disrupt your time playing the game, but they are critical for us to quickly improve the game for you," he says.


PCGamesN Tuesday, December 7, 2021 6:11 AM
     Here's how you can play Battle for Middle-Earth 1 and 2 online with HD models

Battle for Middle-earth I and II were two excellent RTS games in which the armies of Tolkien's iconic fantasy setting vie for supremacy, with the assistance of hero units from the books and films. The strategy games came out in 2004 and 2006 respectively, so they can look pretty drab by modern standards but, thanks to their fans, mods are available to bring both excellent Lord of the Rings games into the era of HD graphics.

The HD mods are essentially texture packs, featuring both reworked and all-new unit and hero models. Battle for Middle-earth 1: HD Edition and Battle for Middle Earth 2: HD Edition were both released in 2017, and both are still getting supported in 2021 as the mod team works on version 8.0. BFME2 even has a version to support the also popular Age of the Ring mod.

Original publishers EA were forced to switch off the official servers on New Year's Eve 2010 due to the expiration of their Lord of the Rings videogame licence, but you can still play multiplayer games of BFME 1, 2, and Rise of the Witch-King via the T3A: Online unofficial server and through services like GameRanger.

RELATED LINKS: Best strategy games on PC, Best RTS games

PCGamesN Tuesday, December 7, 2021 5:54 AM
     Diablo 3 Season 25 kicks off this week

You're getting more Diablo content to sink your teeth into this week. Blizzard confirms in a post on Diablo 3's forums that Season 25 kicks off on December 10 at 5pm local time across all regions. That'll be shortly after the next Diablo 3 update, so prepare for a download.

The big new addition of this season is a new type of socketable item called Soul Shards. You've got seven unique types of Soul Shard that give you demonic new powers. If you think they look familiar at all, it's because the Lords of Hell provide their influence. Breaking that down even further, you're getting three Prime Evil Soul Shards that can be slotted into helms and four Lesser Evil Soul Shards that can be equipped into weapons. You can only use one of each Soul Shard simultaneously, though you can upgrade each of them three times using a new seasonal-exclusive consumable called the Hellforge Ember.

So how do you get 'em? Soul Shards and Hellforge Embers can drop from anywhere in Sanctuary, really, but you'll want to be besting bosses for a higher chance at snagging Soul Shards. Happy grinding, folks.

RELATED LINKS: Diablo 3 builds, Diablo 3 Necromancer skills, Diablo 3 Necromancer beta

PCGamesN Tuesday, December 7, 2021 5:18 AM
     The best Civilization games: every Civ game ranked from worst to best

So, you want to know what the best Civilization game is? Sid Meier's classic line of 4X strategy games is quite long in the tooth now, and that's not even counting all of the spin-offs. With a series this old, and a fan base so engaged, players can't help but ask the ultimate question: which Civ game is best?

Luckily - considering we're all sitting around waiting for Civilization 7 at the moment - we've not got anything better to do, so we've put together a guide to answer this very question. As you're about to see, before subsequently spitting your coffee over your screen like a sitcom character, we've included the Call to Power games in this list. We've also omitted Beyond Earth and Alpha Centauri, even though the former carries the Civ nomenclature and the latter carries the Meier name.

Why? Because Civ games, to us, are about guiding a people from prehistory to the future, journeying through recognisable periods of human history and doing it on Earth. While CtP deviates from that formula slightly, it's still very recognisable as the classic Civ experience. Beyond Earth and Alpha Centauri? Well, their names say it all. Which entries propelled Civ to glory, and which are best left in the past? Join us as we chart the series from its ancient era to the modern day, and rank each of the Civilization games from worst to best.


PCGamesN Tuesday, December 7, 2021 4:46 AM
     Razer Basilisk V3 review – the smartest scroll wheel

The Logitech G502 has many challengers, with plenty successfully replicating its precision, comfort, and abundance of buttons. However, it's rare to find a gaming mouse that includes an unlockable scroll wheel, let alone does it better. The Razer Basilisk V3 not only lets you to spin it to your heart's content, but it's now smarter than ever with the option to automatically unlock depending on how hard you flick it.

While the G502 uses an analogue button to switch between the two scroll wheel modes, Razer opts for a digital connection with the Basilisk V3. You still have access to a dedicated button that switches between standard and resistanceless scrolling depending on your preference, but it's remappable if you want to give it another function.

This is because the Basilisk V3 has another trick up its sleeve: the smart wheel. By diving into the Razer Synapse 3 software, you can instruct the mouse to automatically enable its free-spin scrolling mode when you spin it harder, and it'll revert right back to tactile the moment it slows down.


PCGamesN Tuesday, December 7, 2021 4:10 AM
     League of Legends patch 11.24 notes – Debonair skins, Varus VFX update, Challenges

This is it, LoL fans - the final patch of the 2021 League of Legends patch cycle has come to the PBE for its fortnight of testing and tinkering. League of Legends patch 11.23 has made the leap from the testing grounds, bringing a round of Café Cuties skins for Annie, Soraka, Vladimir, Gwen, Bard, and Sivir, as well as all the Preseason 2022 changes to the live MOBA game. Now, it's 11.24's turn - so let's dig in.

First up, as usual we've got a brand-new batch of skins coming with the new update. This patch it's an emerald-hued range of Debonair skins for champions Brand, Draven, LeBlanc, Leona, Malzahar, Master Yi, and Zed, which brings them into the murky depths of the mobster-run Valoran City, as part of the Crime City Nightmare alternate universe. Lucky Brand even gets a Prestige Edition. You can check out the splash art and in-game previews for these shiny new styles in the New Champion Skins section in the patch notes below.

As is often the case when a brand-new patch hits the PBE, we don't have any coming balance changes to check out as yet, but it's possible some could arrive for a round of testing in the next week or so, so do keep checking back on these notes - we'll post everything you need to know right here.

RELATED LINKS: Best LoL Champions , League of Legends patch 11.24, LoL tier list

PCGamesN Tuesday, December 7, 2021 6:01 AM
     Call of Duty: Warzone devs walkout following reported QA layoffs

A group of Raven Software employees are walking out to protest Activision Blizzard's reported decision to lay off a dozen quality assurance staffers, which most notably work on Call of Duty: Warzone. As shared to Twitter by Axios' Stephen Totilo, the group released a statement calling for the 12 game testers to be offered full-time jobs alongside the rest of the Raven QA team.

"These individuals were let go in 'good standing', meaning they had not underperformed or committed any fireable offence," the statement reads. "The majority of those who were not let go on December 3 are still unsure about the status of their employment. These personnel cuts come after five weeks of overtime, and before an anticipated end of year crunch. The QA team, which at this point in time mainly works on Call of Duty: Warzone, so far has been reduced by just over 30%."

The statement goes on to say that the team was told "multiple times" by leadership that positive departmental changes were coming, which was also the reason no one on the team received standard promotions or raises that allegedly should have been in place by March 2021.


Twinfinite Tuesday, December 7, 2021 2:55 AM
    

Following the announcement of the crossover between Another Eden and Chrono Cross, Wright Flyer Studios released another trailer.

The post Another Eden × Chrono Cross Crossover Gets New Trailer Introducing Kid appeared first on Twinfinite.


Siliconera Tuesday, December 7, 2021 6:30 AM
    

U Rappin' Delicious!

The post Parappa Bakes a Cake in new PlayStation Recipe appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Tuesday, December 7, 2021 6:00 AM

Siliconera Tuesday, December 7, 2021 5:30 AM
    

Items include Lapras-themed seafood gratin and Geodude curry.

The post Lapras Pokemon Café Will Open for Limited Time in Sendai appeared first on Siliconera.


Pivotal Gamers Tuesday, December 7, 2021 3:15 AM
     What's up folks? We have another remarkable giveaway from Giveaway Of The Day for Antivirus CAT. Let's hear them out. Antivirus CAT is available as a Giveaway of the day!You have limited time to download, install and register it. A few words about Antivirus CAT Viruses broke into the global computer system and system errors fell. To remove viruses, a neuro-antivirus "CAT" w...