By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
JEMC 1 day ago
Edit Thread

The first news of the week:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Steam’s Top 10

(Click here for the Top 100)

PC Gamer's Best City Builder of 2024 has sold over 2.5 million, but here's the big news: Now it has bridges
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/manor-lords-has-sold-over-2-5-million-copies-and-the-publisher-says-it-would-almost-be-arrogant-not-to-be-taken-aback-by-the-success/
Publisher Hooded Horse has announced that Manor Lords has sold over 2.5 million copies, which makes PC Gamer's best city builder of 2024 an undeniable smash hit. Speaking in a recent interview with the BBC, Hooded Horse co-founder Snow Rui says that, even though the publisher realised there was interest in the game's pre-release trailers and marketing, the sheer scale of the game's popularity was a surprise: "It would almost be arrogant not to be taken aback by how successful it turned out to be."
Rui reckons that Manor Lords' success is down to the twists it brings to the genre, and in particular that it allows players to wander around their own creations. When it became clear the game was selling extremely well, says Rui, the best piece of advice the publisher got was "don't roll too fast" and expand in the expectation that the good times will last forever.
(...)
Getting back to Manor Lords, the game's latest update is in beta (you can access it from your Steam library by selecting the beta in "properties" and using password "veryNiceBasket") and essentially streamlines some of the economic busywork. Players can now overstock and upgrade buildings like the tavern, while fuel and fabric stores have been removed and replaced with an all-in-one general goods stall, and workers will now automatically recover leftover stock from abandoned stalls and use it in new ones.

That Banana clicker game is somehow still one of Steam's most-played games, with 100K+ concurrents seeing it consistently outranking the likes of Call of Duty and Helldivers 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/that-banana-clicker-game-is-somehow-still-one-of-steams-most-played-games-with-100k-concurrents-seeing-it-consistently-outranking-the-likes-of-call-of-duty-and-helldivers-2/
Last year we reported on a phenomenon that, frankly, left PC Gamer's editorial team a little baffled. We were in one of our morning meetings when someone shared Banana, a free-to-play game available on Steam where you click on an image of a banana, but what was mind-blowing were the player counts. This was in May 2024 and, at the time, tens of thousands of players were just… clicking away on bananas.
The intrepid Harvey Randall looked into Banana's success, and discovered an entire genre which he dubbed "Egglikes" after the ur-culprit turned out to be the game that inspired banana: Egg. Again, you click an egg.
As you may have gathered, the "game" here is really the trappings outside of the game itself. Egglikes are all about the Steam marketplace and generating items that can be sold, mostly for pennies, with Banana serving up a banana item roughly every three hours and a "rare drop pool" that drops once every 18 hours. There are even special event bananas.
So there's one explanation for why the concurrents were getting so massive. Banana is a game that you don't really need to play but, if you're into it, you probably have it idling on your PC at least once a day in order to get your bananas.
What's amazing is that Banana only seems to have gathered momentum since those early days. The game is now the 13th most-played game on Steam, with over 100,000 people currently in-game, a ranking that puts it just below Apex Legends but above titles like Warframe, Call of Duty, Helldivers 2, Baldur's Gate 3, Rainbow Six: Siege, and EA Sports FC.

GOG presents the Indie Games Promo, featuring over 600 games with up to 95% discounts during 10 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20250107_indie_promo.

Steam brings the following deals:

Humble Bundle has the Speedrunning with Awesome Games Done Quick Bundle, with 7 games to get during 10 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/speedrunning-with-awesome-gdq.

And Fanatical has a few deals as well:

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Modders recreated the whole Zelda: Breath of the Wild in Minecraft
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/modders-recreated-the-entirety-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-in-minecraft/
Now here is something special for all our Zelda and Minecraft fans. A team of modders has recreated the entirety of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in Minecraft. And it looks retro-glorious.
This project took Grazzy 3 years to create. And yes, as the title implies, the entirety of Breath of the Wild is featured in this map. As such, you can explore its world map.
Grazzy has also released some other cool maps for Minecraft that I highly recommend checking out. For instance, there is a map based on Attack on Titan’s final episode. You can also download a map, featuring the entirety of Skyloft from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Plus, there is Mario Kart 8 mod that has four tracks from it.
>> There’s a well over 1 hour long video of this project.

Need for Speed: Underground 2 Unreal Engine 5 Remake Demo Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/need-for-speed-underground-2-unreal-engine-5-remake-demo-released/
NFS fans, here is something for you today. YouTube’s ‘2Unreal5Underground’ has released a demo for an upcoming fan remake of Need for Speed: Underground 2 in Unreal Engine 5.
NostalgiaNexus has also released a video for a fan remake of NFS: Most Wanted in UE5. Contrary to the NFSU 2 remake, though, we don’t have a playable demo for it yet. Still, we might get one in the future. And if we do, we’ll make sure to share it.
Since this is a fan remake, created mainly by one guy, I suggest tempering your expectations. This will NOT look as good as a next-gen NFS game in Unreal Engine 5.
So, with that in mind, this fan remake is pretty amazing. The remake has nailed the driving mechanics and the camera movement. The car slides the way it should, and that’s a big plus in my opinion. Plus, the remake has the original car sounds (again, this is a great thing IMO).
>> The article has a slightly over 20 minutes video of the project.

Duke Nukem 3D Legacy Edition is a must for all die-hard FPS fans
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/duke-nukem-3d-legacy-edition-is-a-must-for-all-die-hard-fps-fans/
Duke Nukem 3D fans, here is something for you today. Earlier this week, modder ‘marcolino123’ released the Forever Update for the Duke Nukem 3D Legacy Edition Mod. So, let’s take a look at it, shall we?
For those unaware, Duke Nukem 3D Legacy Edition is a gameplay mod for the classic FPS shooter. The mod brings some balance changes, remixes a number of things, and makes the game harder. As such, it’s mostly for those die-hard DN3D fans who want a new challenge.
The Forever Update introduces the JETPACK DASH. By pressing SHIFT + any direction, players can dash. Double dashes are also available but require a cooldown.
Moreover, all bosses now have double HP and unique pain states that can be triggered in different ways. Plus, the update brings new hit sounds, sparks for armored enemies, and an optimized gore system. It also has tons of bug fixes to enhance the overall experience.
Before closing, the Forever Update also adds two new modes for the Shrinker and the Expander. The new mode for the Shrinker allows you to instantly shrink and destroy enemies without stomping. On the other hand, the alt-fire mode for the Expander consumes more ammo and does less damage but is perfect for weaker enemies in a pinch.
>> You’ll find a less than 3 minutes trailer in the article.

Modders have brought GTA 4’s Liberty City to GTA 5
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/modders-have-brought-gta-4s-liberty-city-to-gta-5/
Now here is something cool. A team of modders has ported Liberty City from Grand Theft Auto 4 to GTA 5. As such, you will be able to re-experience and explore this iconic GTA city with better graphics.
This mod is called Liberty City Preservation Project. LCPP is compatible with both GTA5’s official single-player campaign and with FiveM.
As said, the mod brings the entirety of Liberty City to GTA V. This includes the map, vehicles, pedestrians, interiors, ambiance, radio stations, and more. So, it’s not just a custom map for GTA 5. Instead, it feels more like an expansion.
What’s really cool here is that in single-player, the mod seamlessly integrates Liberty City with the vanilla game. On the other hand, in FiveM, it replaces Los Santos due to platform limitations.
>> The article has two videos and, given how Take Two and Rockstar have dealt with mods before, you better get it fast.

Sonic Galactic is a new amazing free 2D classic Sonic 32-bit game
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/sonic-galactic-is-a-new-amazing-free-2d-classic-sonic-32-bit-game/
Sonic fans, here is something for you today. Starteam has released a demo for Sonic Galactic, a new amazing 2D classic Sonic game that will be released for free on PC.
According to the team, Sonic Galactic is an interpretation of what a 2D-sidescrolling entry in the Sonic series could have looked like on 32-bit consoles. The game sports clean, hand-pixeled backgrounds and fluid animation. Plus, it aims for an aesthetic that pays tribute to the best of the era.
This new Sonic game has new zones, new concepts, new characters, a new setting, and more. The devs claim that they aim to put their own unique spin on the classic 2D Sonic formula. Moreover, this fan game will continue both the storyline and gameplay set forth from the classic Genesis/Mega Drive games.
>> Besides a link to a demo, the article also has an over 2 minutes video.

Marvel Rivals has some truly cursed mods, but that's what happens when you mix weirdly detailed character models with the internet
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/marvel-rivals-has-some-truly-cursed-mods-but-thats-what-happens-when-you-mix-weirdly-detailed-character-models-with-the-internet/
There's nothing more terrifying than getting jumped in the backline by an Iron Fist wearing the distorted skin of the adorable Jeff the Shark; I know this because it's happened to me on more than one occasion.
This horrifying apparition isn't a figure of my imagination but a mod that replaces Iron Fist with Jeff, which will apparently let you "awaken the real shark" or whatever that means. Players have been using this mod to scare the living daylights out of anyone who picks Jeff because this little shark is everyone's favourite strategist to hate—mainly thanks to his destructive ultimate that can throw everyone off the map for an insta-kill.
Other than being unnerving to look at and a new way to disturb the enemy team strategists this mod doesn't give Iron Fist any special perks but is purely cosmetic, like most of the other mods circling Marvel Rivals right now.
There are mods to give Spider-Man a symbiote skin, recolour Moon Knight's base skin to black, turn Mantis into a "Goth Mommy," and completely transform Iron Man into Vegeta. Some modders have taken things one step further and created some truly questionable things that I will not be linking here for both for my sanity and yours, but let's just say that these creations are far from surprising.
(...)
While most of these mods are just cosmetic, using mods or any unauthorised third-party software like cheats, bots, or hacks is directly against NetEase's terms of service and can lead to your account being banned if you're caught with them. But this kind of risk tends to be the case when it comes to modding most games. Although, as most of these mods seem to be changing characters' skins, it'll be interesting to see if NetEase takes a firm stance against this, as Marvel Rivals makes its money through selling cosmetics in-game, as is the case with most free-to-play games.
>> The article has no media.

Nexus Mods removes Marvel Rivals mods that replace Captain America with Trump and Biden: 'We don't want to handle all the nutjobs that come out the woodwork whenever these mods get posted'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/nexus-mods-removes-marvel-rivals-mods-that-replace-captain-america-with-trump-and-biden-we-dont-want-to-handle-all-the-nutjobs-that-come-out-the-woodwork-whenever-these-mods-get-posted/
A busy mod community quickly sprung up around popular multiplayer shooter Marvel Rivals—there are over 500 mods already and it's only been out for a month—but with mods, as always, comes drama. The current squall kicked up around the Nexus Mods' removal of a couple of mods for Marvel Rivals: one which replaces Captain America's head with Donald Trump's, and another that replaces it with the head of US President Joe Biden.
On Reddit, Nexus Mods owner TheDarkOne explained the reasoning behind removing the two political mods in a refreshingly blunt manner, pointing out that players and onlookers furious about the Trump mod being removed seem to not have noticed that the Biden mod was removed right along with it.
"We also removed the exact same mod with Joe Biden's head at the same time (on the 2nd of January) to ensure there was no bias and because we don't want to handle all the nutjobs that come out the woodwork whenever these mods get posted," TheDarkOne said in a now-locked Nexus Mods subreddit thread. "Funny how the outrage-bait YouTubers don't mention that, isn't it?"

If you want Fallout: New Vegas to look a little more lived-in, these mods have you covered
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/if-you-want-fallout-new-vegas-to-look-a-little-more-lived-in-these-mods-have-you-covered/
Fallout: New Vegas was famously released in a bit of a state. While subsequent patches dealt with the worst of the quest-breaking bugs and stability issues, there was another problem with the Nevada Wasteland. A lot of it looked suspiciously empty, and not in a post-apocalyptic way. More of a "we didn't have time to finish the clutter pass" kind of way.
A series of recent mods from Qolore7 have been addressing that by adding furniture, garden planters, water towers, outhouses, cooking fires, posters, and rugs that really tie the room together to various locations. So far Qolore7 is responsible for four mods in the series: Lived-In Goodsprings, Lived-In Primm, Lived-In Sloan, and Lived-In Mojave Outpost. That's enough to be getting on with, although maybe we'll see a Novac version in the future?
The goal of these mods is to add "subtle and realistic clutter" without a performance hit or a bunch of compatibility issues with existing mods. I can see them joining my fairly barebones New Vegas modlist alongside Unlimited Followers Everywhere, Convenient Fast Travel Markers, and Just Vanilla Sprint.
>> Again, there’s no media.

Finally someone turned Doom into an enriching cultural experience for art snobs
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/finally-someone-turned-doom-into-an-enriching-cultural-experience-for-art-snobs/
Doomguy has been everywhere. He's been to Mars, he's been to Hell, he's been to Thatcher's England. But what's he do between monster-murder sprees? He pops down to a museum opening to better himself.
In Doom: The Gallery Experience, you walk around a rejigged E1M1 with a cheeky glass of red in hand looking at Piero Di Cosimo's Return from the Hunt and a vase from the fourteenth century. There's not an imp in sight, unless you count the baby Jesus in Francesco Francia's Madonna and Child, who has always looked a bit sus if you ask me.
You walk through various cultural exhibits, with Doomguy's eyes looking left and right from behind glasses that, in my favorite touch, have been added to his face in the UI. The pickups include wine bottles, hors d'oeuvres that refill your cheese meter, and cash. You'll need the money, because of course you have to exit via the gift shop.
Examining each work of art brings up a link to The Metropolitan Museum of Art page for that piece, where you can learn a little about them. While it's intended as parody, Doom: The Gallery Experience is actually a better educational game than most of the ones I played in school.
>> There’s only one screenshot, and the mod is available through itch.io.

Hero modders take a break from their 25-year quest to make the rest of Morrowind to make the Oblivion we should have got instead
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-elder-scrolls/hero-modders-take-a-break-from-their-25-year-quest-to-make-the-rest-of-morrowind-to-make-the-oblivion-we-should-have-got-instead/
As loyal PC Gamer readers will know, Tamriel Rebuilt is the noble Morrowind modding effort to create every region of the game that Bethesda didn't make itself. Even after nearly a quarter-century, there's still plenty of the province to get to, and the project's current "optimistic" estimated time of full completion is 2035.
You might think, then, that its team would be laser-focused on that and nothing else. You think this because you lack their heroic and Promethean spirit. Instead, a contingent of the Tamriel Rebuilt devs—plus a few pals—has just put out the first expansion in their other project: an effort to make Cyrodiil (the setting for Oblivion) in Morrowind's rickety 2002 confines that adheres to the vision of the province presented in that game, which Oblivion decidedly did not.
Project Cyrodiil: Abecean Shoes released on December 22, bringing the western shores of the Imperial province to a Morrowind install near you. That's Anvil turf, "the largest and richest of the Colovian realms," and players who install the expansion will find "scores of memorable characters, handcrafted interiors, and intricate quests" in the territory's many "plazas, alleys, temples, and wharfs." The expansion features over 160 quests in an area "half the size" of base Morrowind. Which is ludicrous, frankly.
>> There’s a close to three minutes video.

GAMING NEWS

After 12 years, Arma 3 finally gets CPU multi-threading support
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/after-12-years-arma-3-finally-gets-cpu-multi-threading-support/
Arma 3 came out in 2013 and as I wrote in my PC Performance Analysis back then, it suffered from major CPU issues. A lot of Arma fans attacked me for stating the obvious; the game was single-threaded and that had a major negative effect on its performance. And, here we are 12 years later with a new beta version that finally has proper CPU multi-thread support.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer hits Steam Early Access on January 23rd, gets PC requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/tokyo-xtreme-racer-hits-steam-early-access-on-january-23rd-gets-pc-requirements/
Genki has announced that Tokyo Xtreme Racer will hit Steam Early Access on January 23rd. Moreover, the team has shared the game’s official PC system requirements, as well as a gameplay video for it.

NVIDIA shares first gameplay video for Virtua Fighter 6
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/nvidia-shares-first-gameplay-video-for-virtua-fighter-6/
At CES 2025, NVIDIA shared the first gameplay video for Virtua Fighter 6. And yes, this video confirms the leaked image of this new fighting game that circulated on the Internet a while ago. That image was legit.
Sadly, we don’t have a direct-feed video as of yet. And, to be honest, I don’t know whether – and if – NVIDIA will release one. As such, I’ve timestamped NVIDIA’s keynote. So, you will immediately get the chance to see it below.

Doom: The Dark Ages confirmed to have Full Ray Tracing/Path Tracing on PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/doom-the-dark-ages-confirmed-to-have-full-ray-tracing-path-tracing-on-pc/
NVIDIA has confirmed that Doom: The Dark Ages will support Full Ray Tracing/Path Tracing on PC. Moreover, this new shooter will support DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation and Ray Reconstruction. Thus, NVIDIA owners will get to enjoy this game in the best possible way.



Please excuse my bad English.

Currently gaming on a PC with an i5-4670k@stock (for now), 16Gb RAM 1600 MHz and a GTX 1070

Steam / Live / NNID : jonxiquet    Add me if you want, but I'm a single player gamer.