By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
JEMC on 03 March 2025
Edit Thread

It’s time for the Monday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Monster Hunter Wilds claws past Dota 2 and Lost Ark to be Steam's 5th most-played game ever, with a nearly 1.4 million peak player count
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/monster-hunter-wilds-steam-concurrent-player-record/
Short of a catastrophic server meltdown, it was almost inevitable Monster Hunter Wilds would smash its way into the Steam record books. But I didn't think it would happen this fast.
Update, 3/1/25, 12:00 PM ET: One day post-launch, and Monster Hunter Wilds keeps smashing records on Steam. It's currently cruising at 1.2 million players at the time of writing, but peaked at 1,384,608 earlier today. That means it's eclipsed Dota 2 and Lost Arc to secure the fifth-highest peak player count in Steam's history. Wilds has a ways to go to hit number four, though: Counter-Strike 2/Global Offensive is sitting pretty at 1.8 million players for its all-time peak, nearly matched that number in the past 24 hours, and has a whopping 1.4 million in-game at this very moment.
>> Players have been busy recreating Bob Ross, Ronald McDonald and others.

An $8 cooperative horror game is rocketing up Steam's top sellers list: 'Never occurred to me Lethal Company was missing physics until I played this'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/an-usd8-cooperative-horror-game-is-rocketing-up-steams-top-sellers-list-never-occurred-to-me-lethal-company-was-missing-physics-until-i-played-this/
'Lethal Company clone' is one of the three remaining genres that now encompass the entirety of Steam, the other two being 'Vampire Survivors clone' and 'hentai'. Most of these games briefly clog up the new releases tab before being replaced by yet more cooperative, autobattling horror porn (the first person who develops that game will make a squillion bucks). Yet occasionally, one sticks the landing. Such is the case with REPO, a game about repossessing items from creepy buildings that, at the time of writing, is selling more copies than Civilization 7.
Looking at REPO, it isn't hard to see why. It takes the monster-chewed bones of Lethal Company, expands the max player count from four to six, and adds two differentiating features. First, it casts players as googly-eyed, primary coloured pedal bins resembling the storybots from Netflix's Sesame Street knockoff Ask the Storybots, complete with mouths that flap like a muppet's whenever the player speaks over voice chat. Second, it imbues the entire experience with wibbly-wobbly physics.
(...)
All of this had led to REPO quickly garnering an 'Overwhelmingly Positive' rating on Steam from almost 2,000 reviews. "Never occurred to me Lethal Company was missing physics until I played this game," writes Steam user eternalreflect, adding its "surprising how much fun you can have throwing around objects—or being thrown yourself." User Polaris, meanwhile, praises REPO's more freewheeling approach to cooperative horror action. "I personally love the fact that there really isn't a time limit when you're in the mission, you can explore and take as much time as you need."
It's also worth noting that REPO is an early access game, with developer semiwork stating it expects to release the final version in "around 6 to 12 months." While the studio doesn't detail its exact plans for the early access period, merely stating it wants to "work with the community to make this game the best it can be", it points out REPO is already "perfectly playable" and "fleshed out" with three worlds, 19 enemies, 29 equipment items and eight player upgrades.

Steam has a lot of deals for a Monday:

Fanatical has launched its Spring Sale, with up to 96% deals, three 24h Flash Deals and a bundle:

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Steam sets new record with over 40 million concurrent players
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/steam-sets-new-record-with-over-40-million-concurrent-players/
Steam has just set a new record of concurrent players. Earlier today, Valve’s service passed over 40 million concurrent players. To be more precise, it hit 40,270,997 concurrent players.
Steam set its previous record of 39 million concurrent players in December 2024. In other words, it took around two months to break it.
>> Koragg made a thread about this new feat yesterday.

New Unreal Engine 5.3 Tech Demo, inspired by Samaritan, Blade Runner & Cyberpunk, is available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/unreal-engine-5-3-tech-demo-samaritan-blade-runner-cyberpunk-download/
UE5 fans, here is something for you. Artist Sciontidesign has released a new Unreal Engine 5.3 Tech Demo that you can download right now. This demo is heavily inspired by the Samaritan UE3 Demo, Blade Runner and Cyberpunk.
Going into more details, the demo only uses dynamic lighting. Sciontidesign also used Nanite with Distance field Meshes and Ambient Occlusion with Screen Space Reflection.
This demo does not have Lumen, Path Tracing, RTX, DLSS, or baked lighting. So, this is what UE5 can achieve without any of its advanced features.
>> If you don’t want to test it, you can just watch the 4 minutes video in the article.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Left 4 Dead 2 RTX Remix Path Tracing Mod Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/left-4-dead-2-rtx-remix-path-tracing-mod-released/
Left 4 Dead 2 fans, here is something special for you today. Modder ‘xoxor4d’ released a mod that allows you to play this classic FPS game with RTX Remix Path Tracing.
Do note that this is a compatibility mod. As such, it just makes Left 4 Dead 2 compatible with RTX Remix. It does not add new high-quality assets. And despite that, the game already looks great with it.
But what can you expect from this RTX Remix Mod? Well, right now, most things are rendered using the fixed-function pipeline. And, like most RTX Remix Mods, it does allow you to enjoy the game with Path Tracing. Still, it’s not perfect. Right now, it does not have any PBR textures. Plus, you might encounter some small visual bugs.
>> The article has an over 10 minutes video of the mod.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Nextgen Edition gets HD Texture Pack
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/grand-theft-auto-vice-city-nextgen-edition-gets-hd-texture-pack/
In January 2025, we informed you about Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Nextgen Edition. And today, I’m happy to report that an HD Texture Pack has been released for it, overhauling over 700 textures.
For those unaware, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Nextgen Edition is a free remaster of the classic GTA game. This project brought all the missions, the whole map, and content from the original game to the RAGE Engine. And yes, this feels better in every way than the sloppy official remaster that Take-Two released in 2023.
GTA Vice City Nextgen Edition has an improved version of the city – and weapons – from the Definitive Edition. All the cars from the Xbox version of the original game will be present here. Additionally, all the models of all characters and peds will be from the Xbox version. So, the game should look better than the original PC version. And that’s without using any mods for it.
All the original radio stations are present in this unofficial remaster. And although the project has the cut-scenes and the style of the original game, it comes with better particle effects and some lighting improvements. Thus, most die-hard Vice City fans will like it.
It’s also worth noting that Take-Two attempted to take down this project. Thankfully, though, the game has been spread across the web. Thus, it should be easy to find and download it.
This new HD Texture Pack upgrades over 700 textures. It completely redesigns 90% of the ads and signs across the map while staying true to the game’s story and time period. Interiors, most terrains, and many other textures have also been improved. Not only that, but the modder has manually reworked every texture without using AI upscaling. So, this isn’t your typical AI HD Texture Pack.
>> This article also has an over 10 minutes video, plus another two mods; one to play it in first person mode and another that improves the handling of cars and bikes.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Mod Enhances Global Illumination
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/kingdom-come-deliverance-2-mod-enhances-global-illumination/
Modder ‘nimbul’ has released an amazing new mod for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 that attempts to enhance its Global Illumination. By default, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 uses CRYENGINE’s SVOGI. And, with this mod, you can take it to the next level.
Going into more details, this mod enhances specific aspects of the global illumination. For instance, some areas appear too dark when they should be more illuminated. So, by using this mod, you will improve those areas. Plus, the mod aims to increase the amount of light bouncing from surrounding materials, allowing them to reflect more colored light. Additionally, it attempts to minimize light leakage.
>> In the article you’ll find some comparison screenshots and an almost 15 minutes video.

Download and play an unofficial PC port of Sonic Unleashed
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/download-and-play-an-unofficial-pc-port-of-sonic-unleashed/
Sonic fans, get ready for a treat. A team of programmers and modders has released an unofficial PC port of the Xbox 360 Sonic game, Sonic Unleashed. This unofficial PC port is available for download right now.
Titled Unleashed Recompiled, this unofficial PC port was created through the process of static recompilation. The port offers both Windows and Linux support. Moreover, it comes with numerous built-in enhancements such as high resolutions, ultrawide support, high frame rates, and improved performance.
For those wondering, SEGA won’t take down this project. Unleashed Recompiled does not feature any game assets. In other words, it’s similar to the unofficial PC ports of Super Mario 64, Crash Team Racing, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Perfect Dark, and Jak & Daxter.
The team claims that it has taken special care to recreate the game’s visuals as accurately as possible. The colors are as vibrant as those of the PlayStation 3 version, which did not use the color correction filter present in the Xbox 360 version. This was how the game was originally meant to look like. However, there’s also an option to recreate the original warm filter from the Xbox 360 version.
This unofficial PC port of Sonic Unleashed also comes with some visual enhancements. For instance, it supports resolutions up to 4K and MSAA levels beyond the 2X. It also has support for “Alpha to Coverage” Anti-Aliasing to enhance the visual result of transparent textures with hard edges. Plus, you can expect higher quality DoF (Depth of Field) and an enhanced Motion Blur option.
And that’s not all. The team has written a new renderer from scratch to translate the game’s draw calls to modern APIs in a highly efficient way while also taking advantage of multi-threading.
Modern rendering techniques such as bindless textures and shader specialization are also used to maximize the performance on systems with modern hardware whilst also supporting a wide range of lower end hardware. Moreover, the new renderer brings multiple optimizations to the game’s shadow map rendering. Plus, there are special techniques to automatically detect and skip unnecessary texture copies that are no longer needed in modern APIs.
For those wondering, yes. This unofficial PC port supports uncapped framerates. Do note, though, that you might encounter some issues with an unlocked framerate. Thankfully, at 60FPS, the game works like a charm.
>> There are two videos in the article.

Demo released for Fallout Revelation Blues, a mod that aims to recreate Black Isle’s canceled Fallout 3 game in Fallout: New Vegas
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/demo-released-for-fallout-revelation-blues-a-mod-that-aims-to-recreate-black-isles-canceled-fallout-3-game-in-fallout-new-vegas/
United West Team has just released a demo for Fallout Revelation Blues. Fallout Revelation Blues is a mod that aims to recreate Black Isle’s canceled Fallout 3 game in Fallout: New Vegas. So, if you are fans of the Fallout franchise, you should definitely give it a go.
The demo features Burham Springs, where players can explore the area with new weather, new assets, new levels, and a whole lot more added to make the environment all the more eye-catching and unique. In terms of factions in the Burham Springs Demo, you will see some familiar faces like the NCR, the BoS and the Powder Gangers.
In Burham Springs, you will find a small mining town that was once under NCR control, now abandoned due to a terrible incident. You, the player, will be able to explore the ruins and have the story unfold before you. You will meet with the last few locales who are every bit on edge and possibly insane. Plus, you will find treasures and secrets buried away under the sand and rock of the ashy canyon.
All in all, this is a cool demo of the canceled Fallout 3 game. And, to be honest, I’m quite happy we got a demo for it. A lot of teams have been working on cool total conversion mods for Fallout 4 and New Vegas. And, as you know, some of them have been canceled. So, at least we get to play a demo for this TC Mod.
You can download the demo from this link. Do note that you’ll also need all of the game’s DLCs. To visit Burham Springs, you must travel to Boulder City, investigate the parked train and enjoy the ride.
>> In this article you’ll find a roughly 2 minutes video.

One of the best Return to Castle Wolfenstein mods just got an update that turns the WW2 FPS into a Killing Floor-style wave shooter
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/one-of-the-best-return-to-castle-wolfenstein-mods-just-got-an-update-that-turns-the-ww2-fps-into-a-killing-floor-style-wave-shooter/
RealRTCW is already one of the best mods for Return to Castle Wolfenstein, providing an extensive visual remaster of Gray Matter's 2001 shooter while also adding a bunch of new weapons like the M1 Garand and an MG42. Originally released in 2016, the mod officially came to Steam in 2020. But its creators have continued to support it since, with the latest update bringing an entirely new game mode.
Update 5.1 is the first major patch for the mod since June last year, and according to its creator WolfETPlayer "80%" of its development time was dedicated to adding the new mode—RealRTCW Survival. This converts Return To Castle Wolfenstein into a Killing Floor-style wave shooter, pitting you against human or undead enemies depending on which of its four maps you're playing.
The mod doesn't just spawn increasing numbers of enemies into a multiplayer map, either. RealRTCW survival has a whole bunch of supplementary mechanics built into it. Killing enemies earns you points (with headshots and melee kills earning you extra) which can be spent on new weapons, deployable traps like flame hazards, and even calling in AI reinforcements to help you in combat. There's also a perk system where you can buy and equip power ups dropped by enemies, providing you temporary buffs.
(...)
The new mode isn't all the update adds. It also introduces a new weapon, the HDM silenced pistol, and gives the Wilfburg village map an overhaul. This makes numerous visual improvements and, enticingly, restores cut content. "I won't spoil anything!" WolfETPlayer declares. "You'll need to discover it yourself."
>> There’s a less than 2 minutes video in the article.

I just started playing Monster Hunter Wilds and this monster health bar mod might be the first one I install
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/i-just-started-playing-monster-hunter-wilds-and-this-monster-health-bar-mod-might-be-the-first-one-i-install/
Monster Hunter Wilds mods are already here and I found the first one new players should install: a mod that adds a health bar for monsters, allowing you to see exactly how much damage you've dealt and how far you have left to go.
Veteran players of the Monster Hunter franchise may be familiar with mods like this for previous games, but if you're new, you might be wondering why you can't see monsters' HP. The lack of visibility can make it difficult to tell which weapons and combos work best for you, which is especially frustrating if you haven't played a Monster Hunter game before.
One modder, GreenComfyTea on Nexus Mods, created a tweak that adds a basic, no-frills health bar showing current and total HP under each monster's name. It's nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. As the mod's creator warns: "This a barebone mod without convenient in-game customization menu, optimizations, localization support and other cool features, made to be released in a shortest time possible. There will be no updates!"
The mod creator also noted you need REFramework Nightly installed for it to work. If you're new to modding RE Engine games, I'd recommend checking out a guide first to learn your way around. Before installing this mod, you'll also want to keep in mind that Capcom's official stance on mods isn't exactly warm and fuzzy. Back in 2023, Capcom claimed mods are "no different" than cheating in an R&D presentation.
>> There’s no media in the article.

GAMING NEWS

The Relic: The First Guardian gets a new official gameplay trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/the-relic-first-guardian-gets-a-new-official-gameplay-trailer/
IGN has shared a new gameplay trailer for the upcoming open-world action RPG, The Relic: The First Guardian. This short gameplay trailer gives us a glimpse at the game’s combat system. So, make sure to watch it if you are interested in it.

Blades of Fire Gets Official PC System Requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/blades-of-fire-gets-official-pc-system-requirements/
505 Games and MercurySteam have revealed the official PC system requirements for Blades of Fire. Blades of Fire is a new third-person action game that will come out May 22nd on PC via Epic Games Store. So, let’s see what PC you’ll need to run it.



Please excuse my bad English.

Former gaming PC: i5-4670k@stock (for now), 16Gb RAM 1600 MHz and a GTX 1070

Current gaming PC: R5-7600, 32GB RAM 6000MT/s (CL30) and a RX 9060XT 16GB

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