Mudrunner is now available for free on the Epic Games Store, offering the chance to spin your wheels in Saber Interactive's off-roading game at no cost. This can be yours to keep if you grab it between now and next Thursday. At that time they will begin another giveaway, which they announce will be Cave Story+. Here's more on MudRunner:

MudRunner is the ultimate off-road experience putting the players in the driver seat and dares them to take charge of incredible all-terrain vehicles, venturing across extreme Siberian landscapes with only a map and compass as guides!

Blackout Z: Slaughterhouse Edition is currently free on Steam, offering a 100% discount on this top-down shooter (thanks Ant). This will be yours to keep as long as you claim your copy before the offer expires on January 4th. Here's the story on this game:

• Blackout Z: Slaughterhouse edition is an addictive fast paced top down shooter game. Slaughter tons of zombies and try to avoid sharp saws while the battery of your flashlight is slowly draining.
• Perfect to play when you want some fast action and have not much time or while you are on a queue for another game , this is a small re-playable arcade game, the objectives included are: Score Chase (with online leaderboards), unlock weapons and hats, achievements.
• Blackout Z is based on a free game that I made for Ludum Dare 39 the "Slaughterhouse edition" includes more weapons, better graphics, improved gameplay, more tracks and more...

Black Mesa is finally complete (again), as the definitive edition of Crowbar Collective's remake of the original Half-Life is now available for Windows on Steam (thanks RedEye9). An explanation of what makes this edition of the first-person shooter so definitive can be found in this post:

Highlights of the Definitive Edition

• Massive polish and art updates throughout the game
• Complete lighting and gameplay pass to the chapter “Power Up”
• Complete redesign of second “On A Rail” map (map B)
• Significant optimizations across the whole game that will improve performance on low to mid range PCs
• Outdoor art passes for “We’ve Got Hostiles”, “On A Rail”, “Questionable Ethics”, “Surface Tension”, and “Forget About Freeman”
  
  

Continue here to read the full story.

NACON and Focus Home Interactive announce plans to expand Greedfall with new content, as well as to release the RPG on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X. There aren't a lot of specifics for now, here's what they say:

Following the success of GreedFall, which sold more than a million copies in less than a year, and considering the enthusiasm of all those who travelled the rich lands of Teer Fradee, NACON and Focus Home Interactive are happy to announce a new partnership aiming to expand the game with new content, as well as a release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X.

The two companies have thus reached an agreement, in which Focus Home Interactive will be in charge of the publishing of the upcoming additional content and expansion, as well as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X versions of GreedFall. The GreedFall brand is now integrated as part of the NACON portfolio.

The Epic Games Store Black Friday Sale 2020 is now underway. In this case Black Friday will last a week. Word is: "No queues or stock shortages here, just care-free seasonal shopping! Save up to 75% on selected games and add-ons until December 3."

Piranha Games announces their upcoming Heroes of the Inner Sphere DLC for MechWarrior 5 Mercenaries is the latest game content that will alter its schedule to avoid Cyberpunk 2077. They now plan on releasing this in spring of 2021, when it will come to Xbox as well as PC. Since the release of CD PROJEKT RED's RPG was delayed to December 10th it has provoked delays to The Medium, the Path of Exile expansion patch, and EVERSPACE 2 Early Access. Here's more on the latest delay to steer clear of the 800 lb gorilla that is Cyberpunk 2077:

As many of you know, the delay in the release of Cyberpunk 2077 until December 10th had us reconsidering our release date for the Heroes of the Inner Sphere DLC, as well as the launch of MechWarrior 5 Mercenaries on Steam and GoG. Any developer wants their titles to get as much attention as possible, and obviously sharing a release date with Cyberpunk was less than optimal. Day one sales and marketing are so important to a successful product launch, and we believe that rescheduling our release date will allow MechWarrior 5 Mercenaries to have the opportunity and attention it deserves.

While exploring our options, we saw the potential to fulfill a longstanding dream of Piranha Games. To simultaneously ship across multiple platforms, including delivering a modern MechWarrior title to console gamers worldwide. So after much consideration and debate, we have decided that moving the release date of MechWarrior 5 Mercenaries DLC Heroes of the Inner Sphere to Spring 2021 is the right choice. This will allow us to fulfill that dream and more. We are excited and proud to announce that now, in addition to playing MechWarrior 5 Mercenaries on PC, it will also be available on the XBox Series X|S and XBox One. This will be the first MechWarrior title on a console since 2004's MechAssault 2, and in our opinion, the first true MechWarrior experience ever on a console.

Reports are emerging that a portion of SNK is being purchased by a Saudi company called Electronic Gaming Development Company (EGDC). This unconfirmed story is causing a stir as EGDC is reportedly funded by Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince who the CIA says ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. There's more on the deal on Kotaku:

Previously, the majority stake in SNK was owned by Hong Kong-based Zuikaku Co., Limited, which owned 33.16 percent of SNK’s shares. Perfect World, China’s third-largest game company, owns 18.23 percent, while, while yet another Hong Kong entity owns the remaining 6.6 percent.

Electronic Gaming Development Company will purchase 28.8 percent of Zuikaku’s stake, a total of 6.06 million shares. After three months, the Saudi Arabian company has the option to purchase more shares, including Perfect World’s stake.

Warcave announces the demo for Black Legend is now available on Steam, offering the chance to try out their upcoming turn-based RPG. This was originally released during the Steam Autumn Festival, which made it available for a limited time (we're still trying to figure out the logic of that). The Windows demo covers about the first hour of the game, which is expected for release in Q1 of next year. It is accompanied by a new video developer diary that's a deeper dive into the creation of the game. Here's more on the legend of Black Legend:

In Black Legend, the player leads a custom squadron of mercenaries into the accursed city of Grant to aid a struggling resistance against a deadly cult of fanatics. Piece together stories from survivors, discover new equipment and classes for your team, and delve into many locations during your quest to discover how to stop the city’s curse from spreading. Explore deep into the city to eradicate a madness inflicting fog that shrouds the streets in this thrilling alternate history turn-based strategy RPG!

Continue here to read the full story.

Winter Resort Simulator Season 2 is now available on Steam, providing the chance to enjoy some simulated wintersports without having to leave the warmth of home. The title may cause confusion, but this is a standalone game. There is also an accompanying Winter Resort Simulator Season 2 - Content Pack as well as a Winter Resort Simulator Season 2 Complete Edition that bundles them both together. Here's the Release Trailer and here's more on this winter wonderland:

The most important new feature of Winter Resort Simulator Season 2 is the multiplayer mode for up to 7 layers. Players can play cooperatively and prepare slopes, operate ropeways, go on excursions with one of the numerous vehicles or simply get together for a snowball fight. Thanks to the new snow system, working the snow with vehicles and snow groomers is even more fun.

Winter Resort Simulator Season 2 features new vehicles and transport systems that have been licensed by world class manufacturers. All models are recreated down to the smallest detail. Players will be able to operate a wide variety of Doppelmayr ropeways and chairlifts using the original controls. There are several tutorials to help newcomers to the do's and don'ts of professional ropeway operation.

Continue here to read the full story.

Android Hunter A is now available on Steam, offering a side-scrolling action game for Windows. Much to our disappointment, there seems to be no accompanying Windows Hunter B for Android phones, which seems like a missed opportunity. The Launch Trailer shows off gameplay, and here's more on what this holds:

Rocket launcher at the ready, it's time for players to take to the streets as a deadly Android Hunter in this 2.5D adventure. A corrupt robotic uprising is swarming the city, and you're the machine designed for the job of putting a stop to their destruction.

Fusing classic side-scrolling gameplay with fully animated cinematic cutscenes, Android Hunter A is looking to bring features of nostalgic titles like Megaman X into the current generation of gaming. The action packed run-and-gun revitalizes retro platforming, with online leaderboards and slick combat inspired by classic fighting games Tekken and Street Fighter - ideal for genre veterans and new players alike.

Continue here to read the full story.

Thanks ConsoleGenRL.

• STAR WARS: Squadrons - 3.0 Release Notes.
• Watch Dogs: Legion Patch Notes TU 2.20.

• Fundraiser by Leyline Nonprofit - A New Way to be Charitable. "We're building a new way to help defeat the world's greatest challenges, from COVID-19 to climate change. Read more below or check out our website at Leyline.gg. Finding solutions is complex. Finding ways to contribute shouldn't be. Leyline connects you to the causes you care about, and rewards you for doing good - whether that's contributing computing power to research, donating blood, or volunteering."

• This Week on Xbox: November 25, 2020.

• Analyst: Apple Silicon MacBooks with New Design Coming Next Year.
• Microsoft’s Surface Pro 8 and Surface Laptop 4 appear in leaked images.

• BBC Launches Artificial Intelligence Tool To Read Its Articles To Listeners. Thanks RedEye9.
• UK Rural broadband: Where has all the money gone?
• TikTok sale deadline pushed back to December.
• Why don't Facebook and Apple like each other.
• Bitcoin price plunges over 10% to stage Thanksgiving correction.

• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 3DMark Benchmarks Leak Out : 10% Slower Than The RTX 3070.
• Zalman Introduces the N4 Mid-Tower PC case. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• MSI Delayed RTX 3080, 3090 GPU Shipments to Fix Issues.

• Walmart-exclusive router and others sold on Amazon & eBay contain hidden backdoors to control devices. Thanks Rhialto.
• Security researcher accidentally discovers Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 zero-day.
• Xbox bug could have allowed hackers to link gamer tags with players' emails.
• US Fertility says patient data was stolen in a ransomware attack.
• Privacy campaigner flags concerns about Microsoft's creepy Productivity Score.

• Facebook fined in South Korea for sharing user data without consent.

• Destiny 2 Beyond Light Review - Time Loop - GameSpot.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Controller: Razer Wolverine V2 Review - IGN.
• Graphics Card: ASUS Radeon RX 6800 XT STRIX OC LC Review - Guru3D.
• Graphics Card: ASUS Radeon RX 6800 XT STRIX OC Liquid Cooled Review - Incredible OC Potential - TechPowerUp.
• Motherboard: MSI X570-A PRO Motherboard Review - The FPS Review.
• Monitor: Samsung Odyssey G9 review: the most immersive monitor you can buy - The Verge.
• Mouse: ROCCAT Burst Pro Review - TechPowerUp.
• RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4-3200 64GB Dual-Channel Memory Kit Review - TweakTown.

• The 'happy little trees' of Bob Ross are coming to Magic- The Gathering. Thanks Neutronbeam…

Happy Thanksgiving to those in the U.S. We picked up a small turkey last weekend that MrsBlue is in the midst of preparing, and we have plans to share the occasion with friends and family with a videoconference later today. This will provide some of the joy of having people over without having to clean the bathrooms (or wear pants for that matter), so this is actually something I could get used to.

Whether you are celebrating the occasion or not, here's hoping you have cause to be thankful. I certainly do. Despite how so many, myself included, have made references to what a horrorshow 2020 has been, I want to express my appreciation to those who have chosen to support the site through this difficult year. Your generosity is vitally important to keeping things going here.

I am also extremely grateful that I, MrsBlue, and our extended families have remained relatively untouched by the pandemic. This is an incredible blessing considering the suffering and loss so many have had to endure. Those who are not so lucky have my heartfelt sympathies. Words do not suffice.

Best wishes for the holiday, and here's to the possibility that things will return to some semblance of normal by the time next Thanksgiving rolls around.

Thankful Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Thanksgiving Link

• Too Much Happened In 2020 For Oxford Languages To Pick Only 1 'Word Of The Year. Thanks RedEye9.
• Here's New Offensive License Plate Mottos For Every State. Thanks brother19.

Stories

• New York couple finds more than 66 bottles of Prohibition-era whiskey hidden in the walls of their home.

Science

• Good COVID News: None of the SARS-CoV-2 Genetic Mutations Appear to Increase Transmissibility. Thanks RedEye9.
• Could soldiers silently communicate using brain signals in the future? Thanks JDreyer.
• Europe signs $102M deal to bring space trash home.

Media

• A live performance of 'Alice's Restaurant.'
• Colbert Vs. Obama in a game of "wastepaper basketball."
• Why Lotus Silk Is So Expensive.