Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League no longer has a set release date, though it's still expected this year, according to a report on Bloomberg by Jason Schreier. This quotes a "person with direct knowledge of the matter" saying Warner Bros. is delaying Rocksteady's multiplayer shooter again. It was right about a year ago that the game's release was pushed back to this spring, and the Bloomberg report says it was specifically targeting May 26th. This new rumor says the extra time is to fix bugs and core gameplay, and not to address concerns about the game's always on internet requirement. Warner Bros. has not yet responded to this report.

The KFC Website reveals the fast-food chicken restaurant is partnering with Blizzard to offer Early Access to the Diablo IV beta (thanks Blizzplanet). Purchasing a KFC sandwich online will get you a code to redeem here to qualify for the Early Access weekend starting March 17th. Though KFC boasts more than 25,000 restaurants in over 145 countries, this offer is unfortunately only good in the U.S. Here are the terms:

For a limited time at participating locations. Prices may vary. Early access code exclusively available with purchase of sandwich on KFC.com or the KFC app between 3/8 and 3/18, while supplies last. Offer not available in restaurant or on third-party platforms. Customers will receive a code to the email provided at time of eligible purchase for early beta access to play Diablo IV between 3/17 and 3/19. Limit 1 redemption code per person. Only U.S. orders eligible. © 2023 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. Diablo and Battle.net are registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

The Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Demo is now available for PC and consoles, offering a special version of the opening sequence of the survival/horror remake. The Windows edition is on Steam, where there's the following description:

Survival is just the beginning.

Experience a taste of Resident Evil 4, a reimagining of the original game released in 2005.

This demo consists of a specially tuned version of the game's opening sequence and can be played repeatedly without time restrictions.

With modernized gameplay, a reworked story, and vividly detailed graphics, you can relive the nightmare of survival horror.

PlayStation.Blog has details on the imminent PC edition of The Last of Us, Part I, which will arrive on March 28th. This includes a trailer showing off PC-specific features as well as complete PC system specifications. Here's are some details and those specs:

Whatever your previous experience with The Last of Us Part I, its PC release brings with it plenty of PC features to bring Joel and Ellie’s tense and unforgettable journey to life. This version of The Last of Us Part I is optimized for PC with PC-centric quality-of-life enhancements. Part I will feature AMD FSR 2.2 support, Nvidia DLSS Super Resolution support*, VSync and frame rate cap options, and a host of features designed specifically for PC, including adjustable Texture Quality, Shadows, Reflections, Ambient Occlusion, and more.

Through the experiences of Joel and Ellie, PC players can fully immerse themselves in beautiful yet haunting environments in stunning detail with true 4K resolutions**. From the harsh, oppressive streets of the Boston QZ to the overgrown and abandoned homes of Bill’s Town to so much more, embark on a beautiful journey across the United States of America with Ultra-Wide Monitor Support for both 21:9 Ultrawide and 32:9 Super Ultrawide aspect ratios.

Continue here to read the full story.

Figment 2: Creed Valley is now available for PC and consoles, offering a surreal action/adventure follow-up from Bedtime Digital Games. The Windows edition is available on the Epic Games Store, GOG.com,* and Steam. The launch discount situation is oddly complicated. Epic shows a 33% discount, and GOG and Steam have 15% discounts. However, there's also a Figment Bundle on Steam with both Figment and Figment 2. Those of us who collected a free copy of the original Figment on Steam last week can buy the bundle and get Figment 2 at a 43% discount. Also, GOG will give you a free copy of Figment with your purchase if you didn't already cash in on one of the recent giveaways. Here's the Launch Trailer and here's more:

Figment 2: Creed Valley is an action-adventure game set in the human mind. Nightmares are spreading chaos and enemies have overrun once-peaceful lands. Join Dusty, The Mind’s courage, as you make your way through puzzles, musical boss fights and unique environments. Face your fears head-on.

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item. Continue here to read the full story.

Early Access to Relic Space is now available on Steam, offering a sci-fi Windows and Linux RPG from Fourfold Games and Aurora Punks. This offers 4X strategy elements, hex-based combat, and "realistic movement rules" (especially if you exhibit two-dimensional thinking, like Khan). This post marks the occasion, saying over three years of development have led to this point. Check out the Early Access Trailer and this frank pitch:

With detailed combat mechanics, faction-based strategy elements, multiple game modes, and countless ship upgrades, the EA version already offers a complete 'roguelike' gameplay experience with tens of hours of gameplay.

At the time of launching EA the available missions are mostly procedurally generated, and a lot more content – including the full handcrafted storyline, and new pilot skills, ships, and equipment – is planned, to create the truly epic experience we are aiming for. (So if your main interest is in the story, you may prefer to wait until full release before playing the game.)

Continue here to read the full story.

NCSOFT announce Battle Crush, an action brawler coming to PC, Switch, and mobile this year. Here's a trailer and here's another showing off the kind of fast, colorful gameplay that platform list suggests. Here's word on this upcoming chance to crush it:

Premiere game developer and publisher NCSOFT, has taken the gloves off and unveiled their upcoming action battle brawler Battle Crush in two brand new trailers. Showcasing a vibrant world and cast of Greek and Roman mythological characters, Battle Crush is non-stop fun with battles for up to 30 players.

It’s all about the last man standing in Battle Crush. Play as some of the heavy hitters from Greek and Roman mythology, like Poseidon and Urus across various battlefields in fast-paced action-packed brawls. Battle Crush features a casual battle design and simple controls, coupled with unpredictable braw battles amplifying the fun. Take a look at the exciting world of Battle Crush in the official announcement trailer below.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Spanish Language and Travel by Lonely Planet and Utalk (pay what you want and help charity).*
• Nacon Connect Sale with the publisher’s titles discounted up to -90% and GreedFall II coming soon! - GOG.com.*
• Save 90% on INSIDE on Steam.
• Halo Infinite on Steam.
• Save 60% on Dead by Daylight on Steam.
• Save 50% on Dungeon Defenders- Awakened on Steam.

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

• The Super Mario Bros. Movie - Final Trailer.

Official trailers.

• RoboCop: Rogue City - Gameplay Overview.
• Tintin Reporter - Cigars of the Pharaoh - Reveal Trailer.
• For Honor- Content of the Week - 9 March.
• For Honor: Year 7 Season 1 - Heresy Launch Trailer.

• GOG Interview- what makes Terraformers special, why Mars, how early access influenced the final outcome and more.

Thanks Console General.

• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Omega (2303.230306-2200).
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Delta (2303.230306-2200).
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Beta (2303.230307-2200).

Thanks Console General.

• HP outrages printer users with firmware update suddenly bricking third-party ink. Thanks Slashdot.
• Yes, ChatGPT Is Coming for Your Office Job (may require registration or subscription).
• Visual Studio Code v1.76.1.
• StreamFab v6.1.1.2.
• Stardock Fences v4.10.06.

• This malicious Word doc doesn't even have to be opened to infect your PC.
• Hackers might be able to crack this top password manager and steal your logins.

• Senators reintroduce bill to protect personal data online. What a coincidence.

Here's a reminder we have more maintenance on the forums scheduled for tomorrow at 6:00 am EST. The site will remain available, but the forums will be offline. This is expected to be completed in under an hour.

Obituary: Robert Blake Dead- 'Baretta' Star Who Was Tried for Murder Was 89.

Following the themes of the two stories below, Call of the Sea is now available for free on the Epic Games Store as its latest freebie. As usual, this giveaway will last a week, and next Thursday Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War will take its place. But if you heed the Call of the Sea, it will be yours to keep. Here's what that gets you:

It is 1934, in the far reaches of the South Pacific. Norah has crossed the ocean following the trail of her missing husband’s expedition and finds herself on a lush island paradise - a nameless, forgotten place, dotted with the remnants of a lost civilization.

What strange secrets does it hold, and what might Norah unearth in her quest for the truth?

Explore a stunning tropical island (meticulously modelled in Unreal Engine 4), brimming with fantastic sights, lost ruins and occult mysteries.

Epic Games announces the official launch of tools to allow game developers to self-publish on the Epic Games Store. This includes Epic's 88/12% revenue split and options to collect 100% of in-game purchases. There's a note in the announcement making it clear this is an effort at making further inroads against rival Steam: "The store is open to all developers and publishers whose titles meet the Epic Games Store requirements. These requirements are designed to provide a best-in-class player experience that doesn’t lock players into a single store." To that point, one requirement is indeed crossplay support across all PC stores. Here's the pitch:

Why bring your games to the Epic Games Store?

• Access an audience of over 230 million users from all over the world. See additional stats in our 2022 Year in Review blog here.
• Publishers receive 88% of the revenue for the games sold through Epic Games Store with an option to use your own or a 3rd-party payment solution to receive 100% of the revenue from in-app purchases.
• Our Developer Portal has an integrated process for obtaining IARC ratings (required in some countries and very useful in others) at no cost to you.
• Epic provides professional localization for your game pages at no additional cost. Request this service through a Developer Portal support ticket.
• The Support-A-Creator affiliate program allows you to incentivize content creators and amplify your game outside of the store by sharing a percentage of your revenue with them.
• For games built on Unreal Engine, engine royalty fees are waived for in-store purchases using Epic’s payment processor. In-app purchases and products using their own payment processor are not exempt from engine royalties.

The above news comes alongside a Year in Review article recapping how 2022 went on the Epic Games Store. This includes some metrics, saying the store now boasts more than 230 million users. This total is fuelled in part by Epic's relentless weekly (and more) game giveaways, and Epic announces these will continue throughout this year: "Last, but not least, we’re also excited to confirm that our weekly Free Games Program will continue in 2023!" Word is last year's giveaways added up to well over $2000 per user:

Publishers and developers brought 626 new PC titles to the store in 2022, bringing our total count up to 1,548. That’s more than any previous year and represents a significant increase over games we had available to players in 2021. Players spent $355M on 3rd Party applications, up 18% year over year. Including Epic’s own games, players spent $820M in 2022, down 2% from 2021.

The Epic Games Store Free Games program had another strong year in 2022. Many developers and publishers partnered with us to bring our users 99 free games worth $2,240 USD. Of those, 70 of the games offered in our free games program broke their peak concurrent user records on PC, with an average increase of 25 times their all-time records! This year nearly 700 million free games in total were claimed by players, bringing those titles to new and expanded audiences.

Revived publisher Atari announces the launch of Caverns of Mars: Recharged, its latest revived arcade game, saying this is now available for Windows, macOS, and consoles. The PC edition can be picked up on the Epic Games Store and Steam. Here's a Release Trailer showing the game in action. Read on for more:

Available now on PC via Steam and Epic Games, and PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One and Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch, Caverns of Mars: Recharged retains the retro roots and nostalgic charm of the original while embracing a fresh look and funky new soundtrack. Players will pilot a spacecraft and delve deep into Mars’ depths, where the environment is fully destructible and the enemies are more than plentiful.

Captaining a fully armed spacecraft, players will progress through 30 unique missions set within three primary “depths” of Mars. Featuring both a Challenge and Arcade mode, furiously blast through swaths of enemies (and even the environment), sinking deeper into the depths of Mars. Be careful though, while the ship’s ammo is limited the foes’ certainly aren’t. Featuring a unique local co-op mode, players can team up with one partner assigned to navigation while the other player shoots from an indestructible drone!

Continue here to read the full story.

Tiny Troopers: Global Ops is now available for Windows on Steam and for consoles, offering a twin-stick shooter where you lead a squad of mini soldiers through bullet hell. The PC edition also has a listing on GOG.com,* but this still says "coming soon" at this time. The Launch Trailer shows off the global ops this allows you to tackle, including support for crossplay with the console editions. Here's word:

Tiny Troopers: Global Ops features the same explosive, bite-sized action fans of the franchise have come to enjoy, but this time there’s a host of new features and an epic campaign with over 50 globe trotting missions. Battle enemies with a lethal arsenal of weapons including machine guns, flamethrowers and rocket launchers, or mount-up for vehicular combat/

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item. Continue here to read the full story.

The Last Spell is now officially available for Windows on GOG.com* and Steam. This spells an end to the game's run in Early Access, where it had been for a spell, selling over 250,000 copies. A new Launch Trailer offers cinematic and gameplay footage, hoping to inspire everyone to pick this up during its 10% launch discount phase. Here developer Ishtar Games and publisher The Arcade Crew spell out more details:

As seen in the fantastically stylized animation and action-packed gameplay from today’s launch trailer, The Last Spell‘s grand battles find humanity’s final Haven surrounded by a relentless evil advancing from all sides. In order to protect the Magic Circle at all costs, players must expertly guide teams of warriors and the Haven’s development against seemingly insurmountable odds and unpredictable attacks, intuitively adapting their strategy as monstrous hordes tear at defensive fortifications to raze the Haven’s supportive inner structures and extinguish the last flicker of humankind.

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item. Continue here to read the full story.

KOEI TECMO announces the release of FATAL FRAME: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse for Windows via Steam as well as for PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X|S, and Switch. The original horror/adventure was released in 2008 in Japan, and now a new version is here with updated graphics for more recent systems. The end result can be seen in the Launch Trailer which highlights a Dead or Alive Marie Rose costume being offered as an Early Purchase Bonus. For more, here's the official website and a bit of the announcement:

FATAL FRAME: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse takes place a decade after five girls mysteriously disappeared at a moonlight festival on Rogetsu Isle, an island in southern Japan. While all of the girls were eventually rescued, their memories were lost, with only the faint remembrance of a single melody and a seemingly possessed masked woman dancing in the moonlight. Now, ten years later, with still no memory of the events surrounding their disappearances, two of the five girls have died, and the remaining three teenagers -- Ruka Minazuki, Misaki Aso and Madoka Tsukimori -- head back to the eerie island to solve the mystery of their friends’ deaths, while also unlocking the mystery of the memories left behind.

Continue here to read the full story.

AurumDust announces that Ash of Gods: The Way will arrive on Steam on April 27th, offering turn-based combat with collectible card mechanics. But the chance to check out how this comes together is here right now in the Ash of Gods: The Way Prologue. This comes along with a new Story Trailer & Prologue Release Trailer to show us the way of The Way. Here's way more:

As Finn, build decks of warriors, weapons and wizardry to win tactical, hand-crafted battles with ever changing rules and to progress through the story. Listen to friends and foes, and make choices that will change the fate of the world in this combination of a collectible card game, RPG style conversations, and turn-based tactical battles. There are many ways… but only one Way can be yours!

Continue here to read the full story.

• Report: LEGO Disney And Guardians Of The Galaxy Projects Among Multiple Cancellations At TT Games. Thanks DualShockers.

• Save 50% On First Month of Ubisoft+ From March 9-16.
• Special Sale: 2023 Pégases Awards with this year’s nominees discounted up to -75% - GOG.com.*
• Release: Wreckfest with Season Pass 1, Season Pass 2 and discounts up to -60% - GOG.com.*

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

• Microsoft is running full-page ads in UK papers promoting its Activision Blizzard merger plans. The harder the sell, the weaker the product.

• "God of War" TV Series Feeling Pressure. Thanks Ant.

Official patches.

• Escape Simulator - Leonardo's Workshop is OUT NOW. Here's a trailer.
• Returnal - March 9th Patch is Now Available.
• Steam Beta Client Update- March 8th.
• Steam Deck Beta Client Update- March 8th.
• Way of the Hunter - New version of 1.22 update is live on all platforms.
• World of Warcraft Hotfixes- March 8, 2023.

• Private Division is working on a performance patch for The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition.

Official trailer.

• Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 2 MEGA Cinematic Trailer.

• E3 opens industry registration and claims ‘AAA companies’ will appear.
• World of Warcraft Recruit A Friend: Fetch Your Friends for Fresh Rewards on March 21.
• PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS -- 6TH BIRTHDAY! MESSAGE TO PU6G Event.

• PS VR2 pilots to get new War Thunder combat sim game, Aces of Thunder.
• Trackmania Console Technical Test registrations are open. Thanks Frans.

• Call of Duty Mobile Will Be Phased Out For Warzone Mobile.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Microsoft Bing reaches 100 million daily users after 13 years of existence. That's a lot of accidental clicks.
• Google Translate on the web can now translate images for you.
• Top 10 Tips to Help You Get a Better Grip on Gmail.
• Mystery Science Theater 3000’s new season is finally streaming for free.
• Silvergate has collapsed.

• Nvidia Quietly Rolls Out GeForce RTX 4090 With New Die.
• Backblaze Annual Failure Rates for SSDs in 2022: Less Than One Percent.
• Humanoid robot takes a turn as a Mark's store clerk. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.
• 7 best GPUs of all time. Thanks Neutronbeam.

Thanks Ant.

• VW says sorry for child carjacking fiasco, makes safety service free. Thanks Slashdot.
• Congressional Data Breach: House Members’ Account And Personal Identification Stolen. Thanks DSLReports.
• Ransomware gang posts video of data stolen from Minneapolis schools. Thanks DSLReports.
• Warning: Don't Let Google Manage Your Passwords.

Thanks Ant.

• WhatsApp would rather be blocked in UK than weaken encryption.
• Risky Biz News- Canada's tax revenue agency tries to ToS itself out of hacking liability. Thanks Slashdot.
• Police raid homes of alleged hackers who attacked hospital systems. Thanks DSLReports.

• Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania Review - IGN.
• Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty - well-designed but technically unstable - Eurogamer.net.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Graphics Card: Sapphire RX 7900 XT Pulse - LanOC Reviews.
• Headset/Earbuds: Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 review- Excellent sound only goes so far - Engadget.
• Laptop: Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 review (2023 GU603VV model - i9, RTX 4060) - UltrabookReview.
• Laptop: Asus ROG Strix G18 G814JI laptop review- Light and shade with the 18-inch gaming machine - NotebookCheck.net Reviews.
• Mouse: Keychron M3 review- This wireless gaming mouse does everything - PCWorld.
• Mouse: MSI Clutch GM31 Lightweight Review - TechPowerUp.
• PSU: be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 1000W Power Supply Unit Review - Nikk Tech.
• RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-7000 32GB Dual-Channel Memory Kit - TweakTown.
• Sound Card/DAC: TOPPING E70-E70 VELVET DACs + L70 Amplifier Desktop Stack Review - TechPowerUp.

The maintenance I mentioned last night is complete. Frans says it was about 25 minutes in all. Following our server move, it became evident that certain forum functions seemed unusually slow. So Frans dug into it and found some areas for improvement. He made a detailed write-up if you are interested in the technical aspects of this. In short there were a couple of functions that benefited from a more comprehensive indexing scheme. If you hadn't noticed the problem, then you won't notice the solution, but certain forum functions that were previously a bit laggy are now much snappier. It does turn out an index deleted during the process wasn't as unnecessary as thought at first, so we'll have a similar maintenance period tomorrow morning to re-add that. This will again only affect the forums, and hopefully will be as brief and uneventful as today's work. This remaining fix is not a user-facing function, so you won't notice a difference. So everything on your end should be in order. Please let us know if you notice any slowdowns or unexpected behavior.

Obituary: Fiddler on the Roof icon Chaim Topol dead at 87. Thanks Console General.

Speedier Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Stories

• Pythons Spreading In Florida, According to USGS.
• Man accused of robbing Utah bank of $1, demanding to go to federal prison.

Science

• Australia’s massive wildfires shredded the ozone layer — now scientists know why. Thanks Acleacius.
• Scientists Have Developed Contact Lenses That Help Prevent Dry Eye Syndrome. Thanks Max.

Media

• We Cause Scenes (Full Length Improv Everywhere Documentary Film).
• Wave Rider - Perlan 2 Sailplane Soars to the Stratosphere. Thanks VideoSift.

Creature Features

• Ozzy Man Reviews: Angry Goat vs Town (NSFW). Thanks VideoSift.
• Metal Gorilla is Metal. Thanks VideoSift.