Metro: Last Light Complete Edition is now available completely free on Steam, allowing even the most ardent of cheapskates the chance to own this first-person shooter from 4A Games. This supports Windows, macOS, and Linux, and it's yours to keep if you claim it over the next seven days. For more details, train your eyes on the following:

Beneath the ruins of post-apocalyptic Moscow, in the tunnels of the Metro, the remnants of mankind are besieged by deadly threats from outside – and within. Mutants stalk the catacombs beneath the desolate surface, and hunt amidst the poisoned skies above.

But rather than stand united, the station-cities of the Metro are locked in a struggle for the ultimate power, a doomsday device from the military vaults of D6. A civil war is stirring that could wipe humanity from the face of the earth forever.

The Epic Games MEGA Sale 2023 is now underway, offering discounts of up to 75% off thousands of games. As in the past, the sale features Epic's rolling coupon system for additional discounts. Here's the explanation:

There are more opportunities to save than ever in one of the biggest sales we’ve ever had. We have enormous discounts of up to 75% off select titles. The Epic Coupon returns, with additional savings of 25% on eligible games. And we just launched a brand new Epic Rewards program that lets you earn 5% of your purchase back to spend on your next eligible Epic Game Store transaction.

Rule the Waves 3 is now available for Windows on Steam, offering a third installment in this series where you design, construct, and operate naval warships. The Launch Trailer is here with a look. It's probably a little dry for most, but it will be catnip for the target audience. Here's more on this sea power arms race:

Rule the Waves III is a simulation of naval ship design and construction, fleet management and naval warfare from 1890 to 1970.

It will place you in the role of 'Grand Admiral' of a navy from the time when steam and iron dominated warship design up to the missile age.

Rule the Waves III will let you design and build the ships of your navy, and lead them into battle when war erupts. You will guide your navy's deployment, construction and operations during a period of great technological innovation and political tensions. While the game derives much of its technology and events from 'actual' history, you will find that you forge your own new history each and every time you play!

Continue here to read the full story.

Murtop is now out for PC and Switch, and the Windows, Linux, and macOS edition of this action/arcade game is available on Steam. There's a playable demo to dig into for a sample. This gameplay trailer shows off the influence arcade classics like Dig Dug and Bomberman have on gameplay, though the bomb-pooping seems original. Here's word:

Murtop is fast-paced arcade game packed with action, as if it was taken out directly from the 80's, where Dig Dug meets Bomberman. Help Murti save the world from an invasion of carrot-hungry moles with her bomb-pooping skills!

Continue here to read the full story.

• Metro Franchise Weekend Deal + FREE Metro- Last Light (2013).
• Save 85% on Tom Clancy’s The Division® 2 on Steam.
• Save 50% on Barn Finders on Steam.
• Save 75% on Unity of Command II on Steam.

• Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Announces Commencement of Tender Offer for 3.300% Senior Notes Due 2024.

Official patches.

• Sid Meier’s Civilization VI April 2023 Update Available Now.
• PlanetSide 2 - Patch Notes - PlanetSide 2- Fortification (PC Update).

• Xbox Debuts PC Games to NVIDIA GeForce NOW Members Beginning Today.

• Combatting Demons with Accessibility in Diablo IV.
• Xbox Celebrates Commitment to Accessibility on Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2023.

Official trailers.

• For Honor- Content of the Week - 18 May.

• Take-Two's Zelnick criticizes key companies taking E3 for granted - GamesIndustry.biz.

• WarframeTennoCon 2023 Virtual Tickets On Sale.
• We’re Raising Hell—Diablo Immortal is Turning One.
• Brawlhalla Celebrates 100 Million Lifetime Players With In-Game Event. Here's a Launch Trailer.

• Free Play Days – XCOM 2, Tom Clancy's The Division 2, Warhammer 40,000- Inquisitor - Martyr Ultimate Edition, and Warhammer: Chaosbane Slayer Edition Xbox Series X|S.
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Beta (2306.230515-2200). Thanks Console General.

• The first aftermarket Steam Deck screen upgrade is here, but it sure seems like a bad idea.
• Nothing Phone (2) taps Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and OnePlus talent.
• AI in your pocket: ChatGPT officially comes to iPhone with new app.
• Android fans are switching to iPhones in record numbers – here’s why.

• Virtual Museum Day Out - Pocket Gallery — Google Arts & Culture. Virtual visits. Thanks Cutter.
• 'Futurama' returns July 24th as a Hulu original after a 10-year hiatus.
• Google Chrome now detects typos in your URLs. Hope it helps all the people who accidentally spell bluesnews as google.

• Apple security updates released. Thanks Ant.
• Razer Nommo V2 2.1 PC Gaming Speakers with Wired Subwoofer.
• StreamFab v6.1.2.3. Thanks Console General.

• Extremism Finds Fertile Ground in Chat Rooms for Gamers. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Microsoft lets Azure AD choose authentication method.
• Malwarebytes 4.5.29.268-CU 1.0.2022. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.

• SCOTUS spares Section 230, rules Google, Twitter not liable for aiding ISIS.
• Another class action lawsuit accuses FunPlus of false advertising.

Last Link of the Day: Tabasco vs. Cholula vs. Frank's RedHot vs. Sriracha. I'm a green sauce guy, but in the red space it's all Frank's all day. Thanks RedEye9.

Obituary: NYC red-tailed hawk, Pale Male, dead at 33.

It's time to get your Thursday snag on, as the weekly freebie cycle has refreshed on the Epic Games Store. As of now, everyone is entitled to a free copy of DEATH STRANDING, the critically acclaimed walking simulator from KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS. The offer is good for a week, and the game is for keeps as long as you act in time. Like last week, Epic is playing it close to the vest when it comes to the future. So next week's giveaway is once again a "mystery game." Here's more on what to expect from the Walking Dead guy and the Bionic Woman in DEATH STRANDING:

From legendary game creator Hideo Kojima comes an all-new, genre-defying experience. Stay connected with the "Social Strand System™”.

Sam Bridges must brave a world utterly transformed by the Death Stranding. Carrying the disconnected remnants of our future in his hands, he embarks on a journey to reconnect the shattered world one step at a time.

Starring Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux and Lindsay Wagner.

Epic Games announces the launch of the Epic Rewards Program on the Epic Games Store. It is straightforward: as of today, purchases on the store earn 5% of the purchase price back in rewards. Rewards can apply to future purchases and combine with other offers and discounts. Participation does not require any action. All customers are enrolled automatically. Here's more:

Getting started is easy! The new Epic Rewards program is always on, free to join, and requires no sign-up. All Epic Games account holders will be enrolled in the Epic Rewards program at purchase point, so all you have to do is buy any games, apps, add-ons, or virtual currency on the Epic Games Store – even V-Bucks. You’ll automatically earn 5% back in Epic Rewards, which will be added to your Rewards Balance two weeks (14 days) after completing the associated purchase.

Once you receive your Epic Rewards, you can apply them at checkout to get a discount off future eligible purchases, or save them for later. Epic Rewards can also be combined with other discounts and coupons for even better deals. Just keep in mind that Epic Rewards do expire eventually (25 months from the date they were granted to your Rewards Balance, to be exact). Go forth and apply your rewards to find your next favorite game!

Warner Bros. Games announces Mortal Kombat 1, and the rumored reboot of the seminal fighting game series is coming to PC and consoles on September 19th. It is in the works at NetherRealm Studios, promising reimagined versions of the game's fighters "as they’ve never been seen before." A first look is in the Official Announcement Trailer. Preorders begin tomorrow, and the Windows edition will be on the Epic Games Store and Steam. Here's more on what will change and what will remain the same:

NetherRealm’s genre-defining Story Mode returns with an immersive cinematic narrative featuring unexpected twists on classic rivalries and original backstories for a wide-ranging cast of legendary fighters, including Liu Kang, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, Kung Lao, Kitana, Mileena, Shang Tsung, Johnny Cage, and many others. Mortal Kombat 1 will also introduce Kameo Fighters, a unique roster of partner characters that can assist during matches, creating expanded gameplay possibilities for players.

“With Mortal Kombat 1 we are bringing a reimagined universe to the legendary franchise which has captivated gamers for more than 30 years and continues to top itself,” said David Haddad, President, Warner Bros. Games. “The talented team at NetherRealm Studios continues to push the series forward in bold ways that have consistently expanded the global audience, and we believe Mortal Kombat 1 will continue to attract new players as well as thrill our core fans.”

Continue here to read the full story.

NVIDIA officially announces the GeForce RTX 4060 family of graphics cards, new entry-level enthusiast parts that start at the formerly premium price of USD$300. An 8GB RTX 4060 Ti will launch for $399 on May 24th, and a $499 16GB model will follow in July. The base 4060 will also arrive in July. These offer support for DLSS 3, and the RTX 4060 Ti is described as "the ultimate graphics card for 1080p gaming." It is reportedly 2.6x faster on average than the RTX 2060 SUPER GPU and 1.7x faster than the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GPU. A Summer of RTX Sweepstakes & Giveaway, as NVIDIA is partnering with streamers to give away hundreds of the new cards. Here's more:

NVIDIA today announced the GeForce RTX™ 4060 family of GPUs, with two graphics cards that deliver all the advancements of the NVIDIA® Ada Lovelace architecture — including DLSS 3 neural rendering and third-generation ray-tracing technologies at high frame rates — starting at just $299.

The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti and GeForce RTX 4060 deliver unparalleled performance at fantastic value — bringing for the first time to the company’s popular 60-class twice the horsepower of the latest gaming consoles, including ray tracing for premium image quality on top games.

Continue here to read the full story.

A free weekend is now underway for Tom Clancy's The Division 2, offering a few days to sample this open-world action/RPG. All the details are on this page. It covers PC and consoles, and Windows users can participate through Ubi Connect or the Epic Games Store. As is usually the case, any progress from the free weekend will carry over if you buy the game. Here's a refresher:

Washington D.C. is on the brink of collapse. Lawlessness and instability threaten our society, and rumours of a coup in the Capitol are only amplifying the chaos. All active Division agents are desperately needed to save the city before it's too late

In Tom Clancy’s The Division®2, the fate of the free world is on the line.
Lead a team of elite agents into a post-pandemic Washington DC to restore order and prevent the collapse of the city.

CI Games announces everyone looking forward to Lords of the Fallen is in luck, as the action/RPG will launch for PC and consoles on Friday, the 13th of October. The release date is part of a new Official Gameplay Reveal Trailer highlighting the game's Unreal Engine 5 graphics. Here's more on the game, the date, the trailer, and its soundtrack:

The eagerly-awaited launch date was announced by way of an all-new four minute trailer, finally presenting fans with an extended look at its gruesome gameplay, built in Unreal Engine 5. Featuring fast, challenging combat and colossal boss battles, players will travel across the parallel worlds of the living and the dead in their quest to overthrow Adyr, the demon God.

With the new trailer featuring music by the lords of heavy metal, Iron Maiden, viewers can expect a whole host of new reasons to ‘Fear of the Dark’, from three-headed dragons to lava-spewing fire giants. As for those unperturbed by such horrors, pre-orders are live from today with the game available in three editions - Standard, Deluxe and Collector’s, the latter featuring an impressive 10’’ statue of the Dark Crusader.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Publisher Sale: Bethesda’s iconic games up to -80% - GOG.com.*

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

• iam8bit - Cuphead Physical Edition.
• JAKKS Pacific Reveals Brand New Line of Sonic Prime Action Figures, Playsets and Plush.

Official patches.

• World of Warcraft Hotfixes: May 17, 2023.

• Xbox has launched its first game on GeForce Now.

• X8 Early Access underway on Steam. Also available on Oculus Quest. "X8 is a VR multiplayer hero shooter game that offers gamers customizable loadouts of weapons, armor, items, and abilities, allowing players to equip their heroes before the battle begins." Here's a Launch Trailer.

Official trailers.

• Dead by Daylight: Nicolas Cage - Teaser.
• MotoGP23 For Everyone.

• The EGX Full-Ride Fund will send seven people to EGX 2023.

• First look at new images and UI of the Access controller for PS5, an all-new accessibility controller kit.
• Nintendo Download: Now Step on It.

Thanks Ant.

• AT&T overtakes T-Mobile and Verizon in customer satisfaction, says study. Thanks Reddit.
• Verizon’s new plans make sense to nobody except Verizon. Thanks Slashdot.
• Take Your Ultrawide Monitors Everywhere With an AR Laptop (may require registration or subscription).

• YouTube is bringing unskippable 30-second ads to TV.
• Google, Meta, and Amazon’s next frontier- AI-generated ads.

• A Deeper Look At VRAM On GeForce RTX 40 Series Graphics Cards.
• Elon Musk used to say he put $100M in OpenAI, but now it’s $50M: Here are the receipts. Thanks RedEye9.
• The Daring Robot Surgery That Saved a Man’s Life (may require registration or subscription).

Thanks DSLReports and Ant.

• Why Mackenzie Investments' data breach is ‘so dangerous.’
• ScanSource says ransomware attack behind multi-day outages.
• Six million patients' data feared stolen from PharMerica.

• Justice Department Announces Five Cases as Part of Recently Launched Disruptive Technology Strike Force.
• Montana governor bans TikTok.

• Voyager is a chill little experiment and CHEAP to boot! - Indie Ramble (video).

• Case Fan: Montech AX120 PWM RGB Fan Review - TechPowerUp.
• CPU/AIO Cooler: MSI MEG CoreLiquid S360 AIO Liquid Cooling System - Nikk Tech.
• Laptop: HP EliteBook 645 G9 laptop review- A compact and robust office laptop with (unused) potential - NotebookCheck.net Reviews.
• Laptop: Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 14- 1,200 gram laptop with Core i7 - NotebookCheck.net News. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Motherboard: MSI MAG X670E Tomahawk WiFi review - Guru3D.
• Smartphone: Samsung A54 Review the mid range phone that provides impressive night photography and 5 years of security maintenance – OCWorkbench.

MrsBlue and I popped into an actual store yesterday. I was looking for shoes, the type of thing that's more difficult to shop for online. Part of this is due to sizing inconsistencies, leading to the clerk bringing me two size options of two different shoes to try on. As he was helpfully assisting me, an alarm on my phone went off. This annoyance was unnecessary, and I irritatedly pulled out my phone and told it, "I know, I know. You can just go away now," as I dismissed the alarm. At this point, the clerk put down the boxes and began walking off. To my horror, I realized he thought I was talking to him rather than my phone. I called him back and apologetically explained that I would never speak to someone like that. He was completely undisturbed, saying that people say far ruder things to him all the time. This left me flabbergasted. I know civility is on the general decline, but hearing this example of that was a little depressing. And the shoes didn't even fit, so I couldn't even buy something to make it up to him.

Rude Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Breakfast Link

• What Killed Hollywood's Golden Age?

Science

• Forgotten Antibiotic From Decades Ago Could Be a Superbug Killer. Thanks Max.
• Webb telescope spots signs of universe's biggest stars. Thanks Acleacius.

Media

• The Creator - Teaser Trailer. Thanks Redwood.
• True Facts Animal Awards- Tangle Worms, Creepiest Dave & Much More. Thanks RedEye9.
• Eight minutes of things getting smashed. So much waste, so much mess. Actually gets dumber and dumber.

Creature Features
Thanks Kxmode.

• Twitter needs this.. 😊. This little piggie went to market…
• What’s the dog thinking? Did Logan ever love me? Will I stick as CEO of Waystar Royco?

Auction

• Oldest Nearly Complete Hebrew Bible Sells for $38.1 Million.

The Funnies

• Savage Chickens - The Dinosaurs.