Chrono Trigger’s first PC patch finally gives us sharp pixels

Update, April 10: The first update for the Chrono Trigger PC port is live, turning those blurry pixels razor-sharp.

Square Enix have deployed the first in a series of updates aimed at bringing Chrono Trigger’s Steam release up to snuff. Most notably, it removes the smeary blur filter that served as the chief complaint, defaulting now to show upscaled pixels in all their sharpened glory. If you prefer your retro games to look bad, you do have the option of turning the filter back on.

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This update also alters the font and dialog box graphics for “a more classic look and feel,” and changes the order of the opening animated sequences to bring them in line with earlier versions of the game.

New ransomware locks your files unless you play three seconds of PUBG

Ransomware is a particularly nasty form of malware that encrypts your files and demands some kind of fee in order to decrypt them. Normally that fee is measured in dollars, but a new program demands you pay by playing PUBG.

Here are our picks for the next PUBG maps.

PUBG Ransomware, as reported by BleepingComputer, encrypts files and folders on your desktop and drops a “.pubg” extension on the end. Once the process is done, it gives you this message: “Your files is encrypted by PUBG Ransomware! but don’t worry! It is not hard to unlock it. I don’t want money! Just play PUBG 1Hours!”

Stardew Valley multiplayer “should be ready in about a month”

Update, April 10: Stardew Valley’s multiplayer is closer than ever before.

A multiplayer update for Harvest Moon-alike Stardew Valley has been in the cooker for a very long time, but it seems we’re finally closing in on that day. Creator Eric Barone published an update to Twitter today, saying that the update “should be ready in about a month.”

Update on Stardew Valley multiplayer: still making good progress on fixing bugs, if all goes well it should be ready in about a month

— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) April 10, 2018

Find out more about what’s coming to Stardew Valley in update 1.3.

We learned a few months ago that there would be a public beta for the multiplayer, and it seems that’s what the Tweet is referring to. Barone did follow up to say that the update would head first to PC, then Switch, then the other console platforms.

Blizzard want cross-platform accounts in Overwatch, but it’s harder than you think

Overwatch’s new Retribution event launched earlier today, offering up a new reason to get together with some friends for some good old PvE action. But maybe your friends aren’t all PC gamers. Maybe on occasion you’re forced to Overwatch on a console because, like a sentimental old fool, you believe the people in your life are more important than the platform they choose to game on.

Check out all of Overwatch Retribution’s skins and modes.

Progress, skins, and cosmetics in Overwatch have always been locked to the platform you’re playing on, and up until this point you’ve never been able to transfer your profile between PC and either of the two console versions. Jeff Kaplan says it’s a problem the team’s serious about solving, but there are some obstacles to making it happen.

Overwatch’s Retribution event took nearly a year to make

Overwatch’s Retribution event took Blizzard nearly a year to make. In an interview with PCGamesN, the game’s assistant director Aaron Keller said that the team have been working on the upcoming game mode since last May.

Here’s what you need to know about Overwatch’s Retribution event.

Keller says that the team started working on Retribution almost immediately after last year’s Uprising event ended: “we basically ran the Uprising event, we finished it out, we did a bunch of post-morteming talking about what we really loved and didn’t love about Uprising, and almost started work immediately on Retribution.”

Here’s why Overwatch won’t make its PvE events permanent

Overwatch’s time-limited events are keenly anticipated by its millions of fans, and sometimes offer a rare way to play against AI rather than solely other players. It’s understandable that there is often a clamour for Blizzard to make these PvE game modes permanently available, but according to game director Jeff Kaplan, less is more.

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“It’s very flattering to us that players want them to stick around for longer than the event length,” Kaplan says. But “we have some concerns that leaving it available for the entire year may be fatiguing for players. 

Free games: Play Ghost Recon Wildlands for free this weekend

Ghost Recon Wildlands gears up for a new year of free content with the incoming Splinter Cell-themed update, and Ubisoft are kicking that off alongside a free weekend and a major sale for their drug-busting cooperative shooter.

Enjoy some of the best co-op games on PC.

The free weekend starts 00:01 PDT / 03:01 EDT / 07:00 GMT on April 12, lasting until 23:59 PDT on April 15. You’ll have access to the full game, including all of open world Bolivia and every single mission. And yes, that includes the new Sam Fisher crossover. No preloads, but you can sign in for the free weekend here.

Overwatch still has balance problems, and Jeff Kaplan is well aware

Overwatch Retribution, the new PvE event and second of the Overwatch Archives missions, goes live today. In advance of the event, we were invited to a roundtable Q&A session with game director Jeff Kaplan and principal software engineer Adrian Finol. The pair offered insights into Retribution’s development and enemies, the long-running challenge of balance, and if we can expect PvE to become a permanent mode in Overwatch. 

Take a look at everything included in the Overwatch Retribution PvE event. 

PCGN: How long has Retribution been in development?

Jeff Kaplan: Because we’re set up as a PvP team, making PvE content is difficult for us and very time consuming. We began work on Retribution in May last year. If you remember, Uprising was released in April of last year. We basically ran the Uprising event, we finished it out, we did a bunch of post-morteming – talking about what we really loved and didn’t love about Uprising – and almost started work immediately on Retribution. 

Overwatch’s Sombra and Doomfist are “not 100% where they need to be”

Overwatch is a game full of characters with wildly different aptitudes and abilities, and keeping them balanced without sanding off the edges of their unique strengths and weaknesses is a never-ending task. Two characters who’ve struggled in particular recently are Sombra and Doomfist, and director Jeff Kaplan says the team is well aware of that.

Check out the ever-evolving list of the best Overwatch characters.

“We’re never completely satisfied with where the balance is at the game,” Kaplan tells us. “Balance is an ongoing effort for us, and we’re constantly looking at all 27 heroes and how they’re netting out at the end of the day.”

Kaplan says “the amount of effort we’ve put into Doomfist lately has been very significant. The same goes for Sombra, we’re trying to make changes. We’re just trying to be responsible in the changes that we make to not swing them too far the other way. It’s very easy for us to overpower a hero.”

Overwatch’s new Rialto PvP map won’t launch until after Retribution

Overwatch’s Retribution event launches later today, unleashing players on Rialto, a new map set in Venice. Though the event is PvE, a PvP version of Rialto is in the works, but will not launch until after Retribution finishes.

Here are the best Overwatch characters in each class.

Speaking with press, Overwatch’s assistant game director, Aaron Keller, explained why we won’t be seeing the PvP map for a little while.