Thx. The i5 probably could've stuck around a few more years with some upgrades, but with AMD pricing in general, plus the sales that were coming, it just made sense to build a couple new rigs. Usually I would build a master race level PC which I would share with my brother, along with our console(s), and then 3-5 years down the road I would pass it off to my parents and build another high end rig. Neither I or my bro have been into PC gaming near as much, since the PS3 and 360 era slowly pulled us in and has kept us since for the most part. That's why I still had the Q6600 from 2007. The shame, oh the shame.

*** NEW CONTEST ***

• HEXUS EPIC Giveaway Day 21: Win a Sapphire Radeon graphics card https://hexus.net/tech/features/graphics/137513-day-21-win-sapphire-radeon-graphics-card/
  
  • 1st prize: a Pulse RX 5700
  • 2nd prize: a Nitro+ RX 590

The contest is GLOBAL.

Yep, both of you should be ashamed of yourselves.

In my case it was the opposite, it was during the jump to HD gaming with the 360 that I started to play more and more on PC. Until now, that I don't have any of the current consoles.

Monday news, all in one post:

SALES & DEALS

Superhot VR grosses over $2 million in a single week
https://www.pcgamer.com/superhot-vr-grosses-over-dollar2-million-in-a-single-week/
Superhot VR is one of our favorite VR games, one where "it’s possible to toss a brick at a man, knock his semi-auto pistol into the air, catch it, and bash him over the head with it before shooting three other men out of a helicopter behind you." It's done quite well for indie studio Superhot Team, as their director of special projects Callum Underwood boasted on Twitter: "SUPERHOT VR has grossed over 2 million dollars on all platforms in the past 7 days alone. Thank you players!!"
>> I wonder how much of that came from Epic's pocket to make the game free for a day.

Tower of Time, story-rich dungeon crawler, is available for free on GOG for the next 46 hours
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/tower-of-time-story-rich-dungeon-crawler-is-available-for-free-on-gog-for-the-next-46-hours/
Event Horizon is currently offering its RPG, Tower of Time, for free on GOG for the next 46 hours. PC gamers can visit the game’s GOG page and acquire their free copy right now.
>> Get it from here.

GOG's winter sale ends in less than 3 days. Maybe you should give it another look before it's too late?

Steam's Winter Sale will also end on January 2nd, so maybe another look wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Fanatical has two new sales:

• The new Star Deal is Ara Fell, 90% off for the next 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/ara-fell
• The new Aksys Games Bundle has 5 games at a 94% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/aksys-games-bundle

Epic's new free game is Hello Neighbor: https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/product/hello-neighbor/home

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-empty-

MODS/EMULATORS

Here are Gothic Remake and Assassin’s Creed Black Flag with Reshade Ray Tracing
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-gothic-remake-and-assassins-creed-black-flag-with-reshade-ray-tracing/
Digital Dreams has shared two cool videos, showing some Reshade Ray Tracing effects in Gothic Remake and Assassin’s Creed Black Flag. These videos showcase the graphical benefits of this experimental Reshade Ray Tracing mod, and we are pretty sure that some of you will be interested in them.

Red Dead Redemption Damned Enhancement overhaul mod has been cancelled, again
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/red-dead-redemption-damned-enhancement-overhaul-mod-has-been-cancelled-again/
In August 2019, we informed you about Red Dead Redemption Damned Enhancement; an overhaul mod for the X360 and PS3 versions of the first Red Dead Redemption game. This mod aimed to bring new graphical features to the game so that PC gamers could enjoy via both X360 and PS3 emulators. However, it appears that the project has been cancelled… again.
In September 2019, Take-Two attempted to shut down the project. Then, in November 2019, modder GamingDamned claimed that the development for this fan “remaster”of RDR has been resumed. However, Take-Two has now filled a lawsuit at a New York court against a Johnathan Wyckof.
As the lawsuit reads, Red Dead Redemption: Damned Enhancement Project will dramatically change the RDR2 experience. Not only that, but it will also reduce interest in purchasing a future release of RDR1 or a RDR1 add-on map for RDR2. Do note that Take-Two and Rockstar have not announced anything yet about a possible PC release of the first Red Dead Redemption on the PC. Still, Take-Two claims that this mod will destroy the market for an official, updated version. Moreover, it will create competition for Take-Two’s PC-version of RDR2.
>> Yeah, because they'll launch RDR on PC. Sure...

New trailers released for Super Mario Bros. X 2.0 Beta 4 and WGRealms 2020
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-trailers-released-for-super-mario-bros-x-2-0-beta-4-and-wgrealms-2020/
The SMBX2 Dev Team and WilliamGee have released new trailer for Super Mario Bros. X 2.0 Beta 4 and WGRealms 2020. This latest trailer for WGRealms 2020 showcases its reverse gravity mechanics, whereas the trailer for SMBX2 shows the new content that will be coming in Beta 4.
WGRealms 2020 is a standalone total conversion of Duke Nukem3D with influences from DooM, Quake, Hexen, Lord of the rings, Unreal and more. WGRealms 2020 is an old school retro game that will be using Eduke32 and Duke Nukem 3D as a base. Its latest version will be coming out in 2020.
On the other hand, Super Mario Bros. X is a Mario platform free game that blends elements from Super Mario 1, 2, 3 and World. Super Mario Bros. X features new blocks, playable characters from other Nintendo games, both classic and brand new power ups, as well as new NPCs. Its latest beta version will come out in January 2020.

Middle Earth Path of the Hobbit mod for Skyrim released, has over 500 NPCs, quests, spells & more
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/middle-earth-path-of-the-hobbit-mod-for-skyrim-released-has-over-500-npcs-quests-spells-more/
The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings and Skyrim fans, here is something special for you today. Junk has released a new version of the Middle Earth Path of the Hobbit mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and we highly recommend downloading it.
Middle Earth Path of the Hobbit adds Middle Earth to Skyrim. This total conversion includes the entire journey from The Shire to Smaug’s Lonely Mountain.
The mod features over 500 custom NPCs. Moreover, it comes with a number of quests, rings of power, weapons, armor, spells, and much more.
>> Available from Nexus Mods.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl Remaster Mod is coming out soon, gets new trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/s-t-a-l-k-e-r-shadow-of-chernobyl-remaster-mod-is-coming-out-soon-gets-new-trailer/
Strelokkkkk has announced that his remaster project for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl will release soon. In order to celebrate this announcement, the modder has also released a brand new gameplay trailer that you can find below. This trailer will give you an idea of its visual/graphical improvements.
According to the modder, Stalker SoC Remaster will have 4K skyboxes and a new particle system ( with dynamic collision with static objects). Moreover, it will increase the poly count for NPC ( up to 70/80k). It will also increase the poly count for mutants and for some static and dynamic objects.

New Batman: Arkham Knight mods allow you to change FOV, enable invincibility and more
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-batman-arkham-knight-mods-allow-you-to-change-fov-enable-invincibility-and-more/
Batman fans, here are two brand new mods that you can use in Batman: Arkham Knight. The first mod introduces an in-game option to adjust the game’s FOV. On the other hand, the second mod enables a console cheats mode via which you can enable some cheats.
>> Check out the article to learn more about the mods and to find their Nexus Mods links.

Butcher some cosmic horrors in Doom 2 mod Shrine
https://www.pcgamer.com/butcher-some-cosmic-horrors-in-doom-2-mod-shrine/
Ever wanted to butcher some Lovecraftian horrors because they stepped too hard on your turf? Well, have I got the free game for you. SHRINE is a total conversion for Doom 2 that turns you into a grumpy red demon with a lot of guns who doesn’t like the various monsters of cosmic horror that are hanging around one bit.
Modder scumhead released the game in November, but gave it a nice balance tweak just this month. It has a unique art style with a color palette that really stands out from other Doom mods. It’s only about an hour long, but it has new enemies and levels. It also features organic looking weird guns, a rad shotgun sprite, a spinal column that roars and tears things apart like a chainsaw, and whatever the hell this is
>> You can get it from ModDB.

This Minecraft texture pack will make you feel like you’ve dropped acid
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-minecraft-texture-pack-will-make-you-feel-like-youve-dropped-acid/
I now have a headache because I’ve been staring at this gif of a Minecraft texture pack for five minutes.
That’s correct: It makes the textures move one pixel per frame in a single direction. It is the experience of having dropped acid without the risk of flashbacks, except every night in your dreams when you recall the experience of this mod. To the creator: Thanks, I hate it.
The resource pack, aptly named Moving Blocks Resource Pack, is available for free on Resource-Pack. The creator calls it “very suitable for challenges” which I think will probably be directly correlated with how likely you are to get motion sickness. Imagine the stark colors of The End, but they are all constantly moving in a strange swirl. The entire world a treadmill.

GAMING NEWS

RetroArch update adds a screen reader to emulated games using AI
https://www.pcgamer.com/retroarch-update-adds-a-screen-reader-to-emulated-games-using-ai/
RetroArch is an incredibly popular application that can run classic games using "cores"—plug-ins that add emulators for many different platforms. It allows people to play games for countless platforms all in one place, and now, people who are blind or visually impaired can give it a spin, too.

With kinetic gun-fu and tense thrills, Trepang2 is an indie FEAR
https://www.pcgamer.com/with-kinetic-gun-fu-and-tense-thrills-trepang2-is-an-indie-fear/
There have been a lot of attempts to recreate the FEAR games over the years, with varying success. With a recently released demo on Steam, Trepang2 is one of the more promising that I’ve played. The fairly short demo, and accompanying horde mode, is a gory blast from the FPS past in how it mixes slides, melee, and bullet time. It even has a creepy thriller aspect, making its influences all the more apparent.

Fire Emblem creator releases new tactics RPG Vestaria Saga on Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/fire-emblem-creator-releases-new-tactics-rpg-vestaria-saga-on-steam/
Tactics JRPG Vestaria Saga I: War of the Scions has just released on Steam, marking the first new game from Fire Emblem creator Shouzo Kaga in a decade. It’s a basic-looking game, but has been praised by fans for its sprawling, complicated maps with multiple interlocking events based on your tactical decisions and placement of characters. Sprawling maps are something that many fans feel Fire Emblem games lacked after Kaga’s departure from developer Intelligent Systems in 1999. Kaga continued to develop games until 2005 before taking a decade hiatus from the industry.

Jungle survival sim Green Hell now has multi-story mud huts, co-op soon
https://www.pcgamer.com/jungle-survival-sim-green-hell-now-has-multi-story-mud-huts-co-op-soon/
Green Hell, the amazonian survival game that made Christopher Livingston so mad he punched an armadillo, now has mud huts with two, even three stories. Remarkable, I know. The Expanded Shelters update brings the ability to make your mud and bamboo buildings into multi-story wonders with new doors, walls, ladders and ceilings. Just imagine the possibilities: A sprawling mud mansion, a clay castle, a veritable Versailles of molded muck, a manor in the mire, perhaps even several châteaux of sprawling, stately sludge.

25-year-old game thought lost until creator sees someone stream it
https://www.pcgamer.com/25-year-old-game-thought-lost-until-creator-sees-someone-stream-it/
Rick Brewster is the creator of freeware graphics editor Paint.NET, but back in the early 1990s he was a precocious young developer of videogames. One of those games, made when he was only 12, was The Golden Flute 4: The Flute of Immortality. Until recently Brewster thought his game was gone forever, the only copy given away to a cousin and then lost.

This deep simulation of space economics is surprisingly compelling
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-deep-simulation-of-space-economics-is-surprisingly-compelling/
I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but people really like games about economics. They like them even more so if you put the economics in space. Prosperous Universe is a browser-based space economics MMO that puts you in ownership of a company in newly-settled human space. Running the company is handled through the in-browser APEX interface, a customizable framework that uses all kinds of tricky little text codes to bring up new windows for buying, selling, and transferring goods. It takes place in real time, so most players only log in one or two times a day to check their trades or send ships out with goods. It is in active development, with the game recently adding player elections for planetary governorships.

Gray Zone is a sci-fi RTS releasing in Early Access next year
https://www.pcgamer.com/gray-zone-is-a-sci-fi-rts-releasing-in-early-access-next-year/
Slovakian developers Eastworks Studios have announced they'll be releasing Gray Zone, a "Narrative driven tactical RTS game", in 2020. Set hundreds of years in the future, the narrative part of its pitch involves a slave turning against his masters. "Expect memorable characters, fun dialogs and lots of action!" It'll also feature a tactics mode where you can freeze time and issue orders to your troops.

By the way, DSOGaming has made a couple of articles with the best and worst optimized PC releases of 2019, in their opinion. In case you're curious, here you have them:

• Top 10 Worst Optimized PC Games of 2019: https://www.dsogaming.com/editorial/top-10-worst-optimized-pc-games-of-2019/
• Top 10 Most Optimized PC Games of 2019: https://www.dsogaming.com/editorial/top-10-most-optimized-pc-games-of-2019/

For those who glossed over it in JEMCs news above: The Tower of time is currently free on GOG.com. Hurry up, the promotional giveaway ends at the turn of the year.

^A reminder always come in handy (key word being "a". If there's more, it gets annoying).

Quick question to all: have any of you played Planet Coaster? What do you think of it? Could someone like me, with no imagination to make custom amusement rides, still enjoy it?

IMO, Planet Coaster is sort of clunky and the leaning curve is steep. It has nothing of the magic of the early RTC games, sadly.

Thanks for the input.

I still prefer Theme Park over RTC. A Theme Park with it's tons of bugs fixed, that would be my dream...

"Two ships, two directions. Sounds like providence, doesn't it, Morpheus?"

Luckily PC's can be upgraded, so maybe one day I'll take the red pill, wake up, and redeem myself.........."I know kung fu".