The PC edition of MONSTER HUNTER RISE is now available on Steam, allowing Windows gamers to experience Capcom's action/adventure game that debuted on Switch. Word is: "The PC release of Monster Hunter Rise offers features including 4K resolution support, advanced graphics options, voice chat, ultra-wide monitor support, and more." Here's the PC Launch Trailer with a look at gameplay and PC enhancements. If you want more of a sample, the Steam listing includes a playable demo. This post on Steam discusses the launch, and the release of a free celebratory item pack. A later post includes troubleshooting guides for the game or the demo for those encountering problems. Here's a description:

Rise to the challenge and join the hunt! In Monster Hunter Rise, the latest installment in the award-winning and top-selling Monster Hunter series, you’ll become a hunter, explore brand new maps and use a variety of weapons to take down fearsome monsters as part of an all-new storyline. The PC release also comes packed with a number of additional visual and performance enhancing optimizations.

Hunt down a plethora of monsters with distinct behaviors and deadly ferocity. From classic returning monsters to all-new creatures inspired by Japanese folklore, including the flagship wyvern Magnamalo, you’ll need to think on your feet and master their unique tendencies if you hope to reap any of the rewards!

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MCV Develop 974, dated January 2022 has a profile of Cloud Imperium Games and the Star Citizen/Squadron 42 project. The title of the article on the crowdfunded space games is called "Star Citizen: Its Five Year Mission." Obviously this is a play on Star Trek, but it bears noting that development has gone on for well over five years now (as well as longer than the Apollo moon project). And as highlighted on Wccftech, the waiting will continue, as there are quotes that indicate Star Citizen is not likely to move out of the alpha stage anytime soon. Interestingly, however, COO Carl Jones is also already referencing sequels. Word on the single-player Squadron 42 project is tough to decipher. Jones is non-committal, but seems to indicate Chris Roberts relocating to the UK for a stretch means it's possibly just two years out. "I guess we'll see how long he needs to be over. But yeah, it could be one or two years more," says Jones. "He's spending more time over here with the Squadron 42 team and with our other developers, but it'll be this year when he moves over for longer periods of time. Hopefully that means we can progress Squadron 42 through to completion faster. We want to get that game finished, but it will be finished when it's ready." As for Star Citizen, we're presented with a scenario where five years from now it is operating as a "very large" MMORPG:

However, the news last November that CIG's main development studio in Cheshire would be moving to Manchester's Enterprise City, site of the old Grenada Studios, with a view to expanding operations to 1000 staff within five years, seemed to suggest that while we may never know where Star Citizen will end up or what state it will be in when it gets there, we can at least put an ETA to what that that might be: Five years from now, if our maths is correct, is the year 2027.

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Moon Farming - Prologue is available on Steam, offering a free sample of Moon Farming, an upcoming simulation of growing crops on the moon (the astronomical object, not your butt). We're not sure of the science behind this, but when it comes to space botany we're no Mark Whatney. Or Mark Wahlberg, for that matter. Here's a Gameplay Trailer. The description doesn't shed much light on practical questions, emphasizing the novelty of the lunar environment:

Tired from the same farming games on Earth? Now, take on the new role of a super modern farmer on the Moon! Explore new farming possibilities in a new Moon environment. Prepare land on Moon for your base and vertical farming inside of it. For sure, it will be farming like never Before!

Continue here to read the full story.

• G4 Xplay Host Froskurinn Calls Out Sexist Gamers On Live Stream.

• PC Building Simulator Bundle (pay what you want and help charity).*

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item

Content creator video.

• Honest Game Trailers - Halo Infinite.

• Sonic 4: Episode II Speedrun Record Broken By Player In Cursed Sonic Outfit.

• Call Of Duty: Vanguard Zombies How To Complete The Prologue Easter Egg.

• Hunt- Showdown -- Coming Soon to Hunt in 1.7.2.

• Sony Interactive Entertainment pulling PlayStation Now cards from retailers in United Kingdom.
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Alpha Skip-Ahead (2202.220110-2200). Thanks Console General.
• Sense - A Cyberpunk Ghost Story Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X-S.

• PUBG Mobile Version 1.8 Update: Spider-Man Swings Into The Action.
• Wordle copycat creator apologizes for ripping off the popular free word game.
• Your old laptop could last longer if you follow these tips. Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Ex-Google Employee Alleged Drinking Culture, Harassment in Reddit Post. Thanks brother19.
• Yahaha Studios raises $50M for a no-code game creation metaverse.
• GM is creating an online used car marketplace called CarBravo.
• Netflix Plans Back-To-Back "Red Notice" Sequels. Damn, the first one already felt like a Part III.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Alder Lake Celeron Matches i9-10900K in Single-Core Benchmark.
• PCIe 6.0 will give us SSDs with speeds beyond your wildest dreams.
• Puget Releases Hardware Reliability Report- CPUs, GPUs and SSDs.
• Windows 11 is finally getting a new volume indicator. Hear hear!
• Stardock Start11: Restore the Classic Start Menu in Windows 10 and 11. Thanks Console General.
• NVIDIA Named America’s Best Place to Work on Latest Glassdoor List. Thanks Hypothermia.

• Maryland officials confirm ransomware attack shut down Department of Health.
• Teen hacker finds bug that lets him control 25+ Teslas remotely.
• Ransomware demands… a new approach to security.
• Ransomware puts New Mexico prison in lockdown.
• Fortinet: Cybercriminals are exploiting Omicron news to distribute RedLine malware.
• Scammers put fake QR codes on parking meters to intercept parkers’ payments.

• FTC has a “plausible claim” that Facebook is an illegal monopoly, judge says.
• Kim Kardashian sued in crypto 'pump and dump' case. Too easy.

• PUBG sees large Steam player count spike following free-to-play update…

Last Link of the Day: Watch- Man smothered by loving donkeys who are entranced with his singing.

Obituary: Ronnie Spector, lead singer of The Ronettes, dead at 78. Just like Ronnie sang... be my little baby.

A tweet from GSC Game World announces a delay to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl. The message, in the form of an image to thwart Twitter's limits and web crawlers, says the first-person shooter sequel is now expected on December 8, 2022, though a specific time goes unmentioned. Here's the announcement:

We've made a decision to postpone the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl to December 8th, 2022.

These additional seven months of development are needed to fulfill our vision and achieve the desired state of the game. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is the biggest project in the history of GSC, and it requires thorough testing and polishing. We are convinced that development should take as long as necessary, especially in the case of such a project.

This decision is not an easy one, but we are doing the best possible to deliver you a game that can live up to the expectations. With more information, updates and showcases coming, we have an exciting and important year ahead. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Continue here to read the full story.

An update from Riot Games is a lengthy discussion of the future direction of the developer from CEO Nicolo Laurent. This takes the long view, discussing goals for the company spanning the next five years. This discusses plans to focus on core gaming strengths. It also addresses the settlement of the gender discrimination lawsuit: "While we’re proud of how far we’ve come since 2018, it’s important that we also take responsibility for our past. Given the ambitious goals we have for the future and the tens of millions of dollars we’d spend each year on lawyers to help resolve these cases—money we’d rather pay to the women in the class and to invest in Riot’s future—it became clear during these past several months that the best outcome for everyone would be to come to a final resolution." And after being involved in scandals and legal actions over its workplace culture, the company is stressing having the right people on staff. Since this will include changing roles for some staff, Riot is expanding the "Queue Dodge" program that allows a graceful exit for unhappy employees. For happy employees, the company is expanding its compensation program to give partial ownership to its staff. Here's a bit:

With our new strategic plan, evolutions to our culture, new compensation and operating models, and new teams in place, we’re confident that we’re putting Riot in the best position to hit our ambitious goals. But some Rioters might not share that same confidence. They might not be excited about our strategy, or might not be feeling great about our new operating model. They might not like the changes we’re making to our culture or our plans to return to the office on a flex schedule. Or maybe they’re looking at this transition point as an opportunity to explore something different outside of Riot.

For anyone who isn’t on board with everything above and isn’t committed to the things we want to make for players, there will be no hard feelings. We want every Rioter to feel energized, supported and excited for the next phase of our climb.

With the Windows edition of God of War arriving in two days, we're seeing first reviews. Here's a roundup to help decide if this game is as godlike on PC as it is on PlayStation:

• God of War on PC delivers nearly everything we’d hoped for - Ars Technica.
• God of War PC Review - Attack of the Fanboy.
• God of War PC Review - AusGamers.com.
• God of War (PC) Review - CGMagazine.
• God of War PC impressions- this game deserves a second wind - Destructoid.
• God of War PC review – The definitive edition of an all-time classic - FTW.
• God of War PC Review - GameRant.
• God of War PC review - GodisaGeek.com.
• God of War PC review - PC Gamer.
• God of War PC review – a god for all seasons - PCGamesN.
• God of War (for PC) Review - PCMag.
• God of War PC review- The best PlayStation exclusive comes to Windows - Polygon.
• God Of War (PC) review- a fantastic action adventure epic with beauty, bleakness and heart - Rock Paper Shotgun.
• God Of War PC Review- A Mythological Marvel - Screen Rant.
• God of War shines in PC debut, finally free from its console shackles - Shacknews.
• Review- God of War is Still Impressive on PC - Siliconera.
• God of War PC Review - TheSixthAxis.
• God of War PC tech review - Norse a lot of big improvements - VG247.
• Review- God of War feels so much better on PC - VGC.
• God of War PC Impressions - The Best Action-Adventure Game Gets Even Better - Wccftech.
• God of War PC review- A pillar of its era, a masterpiece arrives on Windows - Windows Central.

New version 22.1.1 Radeon Software Adrenalin drivers are now available from AMD Support, offering new support for running AMD graphics cards under Windows. As seen in the Release Notes, these include enhancements for the PC editions of God of War and Monster Hunter Rise:

Support For

• Monster Hunter Rise™
• God of War™
  • Up to 7% increase in performance in God of War™ @ 4K Ultra Settings, using Radeon™ Software Adrenalin 22.1.1 on the 16 GB Radeon™ RX 6900 XT graphics card, versus the previous software driver version 21.12.1.
  • Up to 7% increase in performance in God of War™ @ 4K Ultra Settings, using Radeon™ Software Adrenalin 22.1.1 on the 16 GB Radeon™ RX 6800 XT graphics card, versus the previous software driver version 21.12.1.
  • Up to 7% increase in performance in God of War™ @ 4K Ultra Settings, using Radeon™ Software Adrenalin 22.1.1 on the 12 GB Radeon™ RX 6700 XT graphics card, versus the previous software driver version 21.12.1.

Continue here to read the full story.

Valve announces changes in plans for the Dota Pro Circuit. Word is the first Winter Major event is cancelled, and there will be no major tour: "While hopes were high that we could host an international LAN event, the discovery and spread of new strains of COVID-19 and the resulting increase of travel restrictions has made it unfeasible for all qualified teams to gather for a LAN tournament." The points from the first Major will be redistributed to the second and third Majors, though that presumes an easing of the COVID-19 concerns that inspired these changes in the first place. Here's more:

As there will be no major, Tour 1 will conclude after all of the regional league tournaments have ended. Players who have participated in Fantasy will receive their rewards before the start of Tour 2.

Teams participating in the DPC earn points by playing in their respective Regional Leagues as well as through international competition at the Majors. Since the first Major is no longer happening, we have decided to redistribute its points to the second and third Major. This way, the balance of points between regional and cross-region play remains the same.

• Ken Levine On New Game: "People Will Be Surprised But Unsurprised", Will Be Announced Closer To Launch.
• Ken Levine Talks New BioShock Game, Confirms He's 'Not Involved At All.'
• Final Fantasy 14 director addresses "verbal abuses" toward development staff.
• Shadow Warrior 3 will take 500 hours to complete 60 times.
• Warzone & Vanguard players slam "embarrassing" Attack on Titan crossover.

• Midweek Sale: a mix of games up to 90% off - GOG.com.

• Gwent Patch Notes 10.1.

↑ Official patches. ↓ Unofficial games, patches, and mods.

• Far Cry 2 gets a new unofficial patch, packing gameplay tweaks & fixes.

• Halo Infinite devs promise fix for desync bug that's ruining games.
• Vanguard's Season 1.5 update completely breaks Blueprints.

Content creator video.

• Castlevania: Seal of the Eclipse is a free fan game, announcement trailer.

• Why PUBG is going free-to-play - GamesRadar+.

• Sony has decided to keep making PS4 due to PS5 shortages, it’s claimed.
• Demoniaca- Everlasting Night Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X-S.
• Summertime Madness Is Now Available For Digital Pre-order And Pre-download On Xbox One And Xbox Series X-S.
• Nintendo News- Explore a Mysterious World With Kirby and the Forgotten Land on March 25.

• The first Steam game to have its evaluation for Steam Deck compatibility published is Portal 2. Thanks Neowin.
• The App Store clones are here to profit off Wordle’s success.
• A mobile studio made its colleague a DLC character to secretly pay for their prosthetic arm.
• Samsung Galaxy S22 range could be more expensive than we’d expected.

• Gamers are ready for NFTs, whether they know it or not. Gamers are ready for sponsored propaganda, whether they know it or not.
• Japanese Firefighter Gets In Trouble For YouTube Gaming Gig.
• Shield TV gets its Android 11 update on all models.
• Tor Browser version 11.0.4.
• Wyze’s security camera pay-what-you-want subscription accepts $0.

Thanks Console General.

• NVIDIA announces DLDSR (Deep Learning Dynamic Super Resolution), coming to GeForce drivers on January 14th. Thanks roadczar.
• Samsung reschedules its plans for Exynos 2200 with AMD RDNA2 GPU reveal.
• GPU MSRP is Not Meaningless — HardOCP. Thanks RedEye9.
• AMD next-gen AM5 LGA-1718 socket exposed in newly leaked renders.
• Apple may be done with Intel Macs, but Hackintoshes can still use the newest CPUs. Thanks Slashdot via Ant.
• Plex Media Server version 1.25.3.5385.
• StreamFab version 5.0.1.5.

Thanks Ant.

• Fact-checkers label YouTube a 'major conduit of online disinformation.'
• LastPass appears to be holding users' passwords hostage alongside more expensive pricing plans. Thanks Max.
• Facebook Pixel Hunt. Mozilla tracking Facebook tracking. Thanks Hypothermia.
• Hotel chain switches to Chrome OS to recover from ransomware attack. Thanks Slashdot.
• Adobe Releases Security Updates for Multiple Products.
• This new malware wants to create backdoors and targets Windows, Linux and macOS.
• Remote Access Trojans spread through Microsoft Azure, AWS cloud service abuse.

• Nottingham man who used girl's webcam to spy on her jailed.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• CPU Cooler: Gigabyte Aorus Waterforce X360 AIO cooler - XDA.
• Headset: Sony WF-C500 review- For commuters and athletes - SoundGuys.
• Keyboard: Keychron Q2 Review- Small Size, Big Upgrades - Tom's Hardware.
• Keyboard: Mountain Everest Max Gaming Keyboard Review - ThinkComputers.org.
• PC: Corsair One i300 gaming PC review - PC Gamer.
• RAM: XPG SPECTRIX D50 ROG CERTIFIED RGB DDR4-3600 2x 8GB Review - TechPowerUp.

Obviously the New York Giants ownership read my rant yesterday and made the decision to fire head coach Joe Judge after just two seasons. He may very well succeed elsewhere, but he was clearly done here, so I'm happy the process won't drag out further. The team is amid a historically bad run, and far from looking like things were turning around, Judge's coaching and statements over the course of the season managed to turn a proud franchise into a laughingstock. The Giants need a frame-off restoration, so thankfully they are moving away from the idea they're just in the shop for a tune-up. Interestingly, with new ownership and in influx of new talent, The Mets are considered actual contenders in the MLB this season. The Giants have won four Super Bowls since the last Mets World Series victory, but maybe my two favorite teams have simply swapped fates?

Fired-up Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Story

• Capital One will stop charging overdraft fees and BOA is reducing them. Thanks RedEye9.

Science
Thanks Max.

• Psychosomatic illness: Can disease be caused by our memory?
• Where are memories stored in the brain? New research suggests they may be in the connections between your brain cells.

Media

• Mind Bending Physics Toy - Tensegrity Sculpture From LEGO. Thanks VideoSift.
• ADB Antonov An-225 Mriya UR-82060 Amazing landing in the fog. Thanks JDreyer.

Follow-up

• Cannabis Compounds Prevented Covid Infection in Laboratory Study (may require registration or subscription).