I semi enjoyed it for what it was (despite the lack of agency and it not feeling like a living world/cops being redundant), the story was alright, but not as in depth as the board game lore was (really wish we got the kind of lore the board game had).

I probably won't be playing it again until I get a completely new rig, which is likely 5 or so years from now due to tight wallet constraints (bill to pay out my backside and all that).

Though I gotta say, I did lul at PCgamer trying to make 2.0/PL DLC as the "ultimate redemption" of 2077. Like hell naw, that's not even close. A game like NMS spent years trying to redeem itself and launching free content since their original launch and they managed to reach an actual redemption arc, while 2077 had to patch their game up to 2.0 to make the game what it should have been around 3 years ago, and you still have to pay for the PL DLC (instead of pulling a NMS and making it free, they don't need the extra money because they made way more money on pre-orders alone, let alone money off the game these past 3 yrs in general, they can make PL free content and not lose money). 

Still I am sad that they're letting RED engine go, because with what they managed to do with Witcher 3/2077, it looked like a decent contender to UE, just without the part where Timmy buys up tech to be made exclusive to his own engine (I will always make mention of that when it comes to his engine, because I find that anti-competitive). 

The Thursday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

The Epic Store will give away two games (note that the direction of the links have numbers, so they may not work):

• Out of Line: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/out-of-line
• The Forest Quartet: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/forest-quartet

Next week, they'll give away Model Builder and Soulstice.

Steam has two new deals:

• Supraland, that has a demo, will be 70% off until September, 27th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/813630/Supraland/
• And Tinkertown will get a 60% discount until the 4th of October: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1276660/Tinkertown/

We find three new deals at Humble:

• There are two new Humble Bundles:
  • The Get Your Head in the Game VR Bundle features up to 8 games to get during 20 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/get-your-head-in-game-vr
  • The Herocraft PC Complete Collection Bundle has up to 17 games + DLCs to get during 20 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/herocraft-complete-collection
• And the Humble Store has the Square-Enix TGS Sale, with up to 90% discounts until October, the 3rd. All the keys are for Steam: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/square-enix-tgs-sale/

Fanatical has a new sale and two new bundles:

• Paradox Interactive puts its games up to 77% off during 10 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/paradox-interactive
• The Batman: Arkham Collection, with three games, gets a 86% discount during 10 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/batman-arkham-collection
• And the Fanatical Favorite BYOB comes with 19 titles to choose for your 2, 3 or 5 games bundle: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/fanatical-favorites-build-your-own-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready 537.42
https://videocardz.com/driver/nvidia-geforce-game-ready-537-42
Highlights
This new Game Ready Driver provides the best gaming experience for the latest new games supporting DLSS 3.5 technology and DLSS Ray Reconstruction including Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. Further support for new titles leveraging NVIDIA DLSS technology includes the launch of Warhaven and Witchfire which support DLSS 3, as well as the arrival of Party Animals which supports DLSS Super Resolution and NVIDIA Reflex technology.

Fixed Issues

• [Octane Render]: intersection shaders cause slowdown in performance [4164876]
• [Octane Render]: inconsistent behavior and broken motion keys using TLAS with numKeys=2 [4088077]

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Starfield gets a new DLSS 3 Mod with extensive in-game settings
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/starfield-gets-a-new-dlss-3-mod-with-extensive-in-game-settings/
Modder ‘Nukem’ has released the best DLSS 3 Mod for Bethesda’s latest RPG, Starfield. This mod adds proper in-game settings/options, allowing players to adjust both DLSS 3 Super Resolution and DLSS 3 Frame Generation while playing the game.
For those unaware, PureDark’s DLSS 3 Mod adds to the game Reshade and breaks compatibility with the SpecialK Mod. It’s also a paid mod so most of you won’t really bother with it. On the other hand, the free DLSS 3 Mod from LukeFZ only allows you to change settings via a TXT file. This basically means that in order to make any changes to DLSS 3, you’ll have to quit the game, make the changes, and then re-launch Starfield.
With this latest DLSS 3 Mod, however, you can easily make changes to DLSS 3 while playing the game. Below you can find the new graphics settings.
As we can see, PC gamers can even make changes to the Upscaling Mip Bias, the Model Preset of DLSS, and its Sharpening Method. Seriously, this is the most advanced DLSS 3 menu we’ve ever seen. So, kudos to the modder for including all these options.
>> There's only one screenshot, showing the graphical options.

This Elden Ring Mod adds new classes with their own custom moves, including vampires & summoners
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/this-elden-ring-mod-adds-new-classes-with-their-own-custom-moves-including-vampires-summoners/
LilwolfXL has released an amazing new mod for Elden Ring that adds new custom classes to it, each with its own custom move sets and AOW. Among these new classes are vampires and summoners, two classes that a lot of Elden Ring fans were looking forward to.
Going into more details, the new classes that PC gamers can use are Primeval Swordsman, Vampire, Uchiha, Demigod Runt, Nightmare and Summoner.
As LilwolfXL noted, the mod also increases the game’s difficulty to give a better sense of balance. We should also note that some NPCs will give items in a different order. So yeah, make sure to also keep that in mind. Regardless of that, players will still have everything they need to progress through the game.
>> There are two videos.

GAMING NEWS

Witchfire gets an official gameplay overview trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/witchfire-gets-an-official-gameplay-overview-trailer/
The Astronauts has released the official gameplay overview trailer for Witchfire. This trailer dives deep into the gameplay systems of this new first-person shooter.

EA Sports WRC gets an official gameplay deep dive trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/ea-sports-wrc-gets-an-official-gameplay-deep-dive-trailer/
Electronic Arts has released an official gameplay deep dive trailer for its upcoming WRC game. This trailer provides details about the game’s stages, vehicle classes, driving tools, driver pace notes, and its dynamic handling system.

Where Winds Meet looks amazing in this latest TGS 2023 gameplay video
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/where-winds-meet-looks-amazing-in-this-latest-tgs-2023-gameplay-video/
IGN has shared a new video, showcasing 18 minutes of gameplay footage from the TGS 2023 PC demo of Where Winds Meet. This video shows off the game’s boss fights, character customization, combat and exploration.

New off-camera gameplay footage from Dragon’s Dogma 2
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-off-camera-gameplay-footage-from-dragons-dogma-2/
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a game that a lot of gamers are looking forward to. This new action RPG is playable at the Tokyo Game Show 2023, and below you can find an off-camera video, showcasing 3 minutes of gameplay footage from it.

Thursday news, part two:

This charming magic zoo game is all about keeping misbehaving critters in check long enough to help them
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-charming-magic-zoo-game-is-all-about-keeping-misbehaving-critters-in-check-long-enough-to-help-them/
Some time into figuring out Fantastic Haven's UI and menu options, I received a notification that a gryphon—who I'd so nicely made a little patch of grassland for—had gone rogue. Tabbing back to my settlement, I watched the little rascal sprint for my quarantine building and smack it before my helpful golems came along to calm the poor blighter down.
These charming little vignettes give the creatures of Fantastic Haven a whole lot of personality, even if they're only in your enclosures for a short period of time. Fantastic Haven is a Fantasy Management builder—meaning you'll be making adjustments to your clinic for wondrous beasts from a top-down view, plonking down buildings, assigning your wizards to tasks, navigating a research tree, that sort of thing.

Terraria developer sticks it to Unity with $200K donation to open-source competitors, doesn't even use Unity itself
https://www.pcgamer.com/terraria-developer-sticks-it-to-unity-with-dollar200k-donation-to-open-source-competitors-doesnt-even-use-unity-itself/
The irony has been pointed out many times: When game engine Unity revealed its new per-install fee last week, game developers were possibly the most united they've ever been—in disgust. Even developers who don't use Unity expressed anger or criticized the unprecedented change of terms.
Perhaps the best example of this game dev rallying occurred this week when Terraria developer Re-Logic announced that it's giving away $200,000 to open-source game engines as a Unity counteroffensive, despite barely using Unity itself.

How Cyberpunk 2077 clawed its way back from disaster to complete one of the greatest redemption arcs in gaming history
https://www.pcgamer.com/how-cyberpunk-2077-clawed-its-way-back-from-disaster-to-complete-one-of-the-greatest-redemption-arcs-in-gaming-history/
Cyberpunk 2077 may be the most successful flop of all time. Within weeks of launch, the RPG had sold 13 million copies, even accounting for dissatisfied players refunding the game. It made its eight year budget back in a single day. But those accomplishments couldn't stop Cyberpunk from widely being seen as a disappointment.
(...)
CD Projekt's stock price may not have recovered over the last three years, but Cyberpunk 2077 has. In his Phantom Liberty review, associate editor Ted Litchfield called the expansion "a thrilling capstone for Cyberpunk 2077's 3-year redemption arc." The big 2.0 patch released to everyone for free, meanwhile, completely remakes Cyberpunk's progression system, cyberware, vehicle combat, and police. For the last three years, CD Projekt has seemingly been determined to deliver on the potential Cyberpunk 2077 had, but failed to reach, in December 2020.
>> Here's when the 2.0 patch unlocks.

Dead Space creator leaves The Callisto Protocol studio to 'pursue new opportunities' after its sky-high ambitions fall through
https://www.pcgamer.com/dead-space-creator-leaves-callisto-protocol-studio-to-pursue-new-opportunities-after-its-sky-high-ambitions-fall-through/
The Callisto Protocol, intended to be a spiritual successor to Dead Space, didn't exactly have a smooth entry into the gaming atmosphere. While helmed by the creator of the sci-fi horror classic Glen Schofield, who joined Striking Distance Studios in 2019, things didn't exactly pan out as planned.
(...)
Schofield's resignation was confirmed by Bloomberg yesterday. A Krafton representative said he left to "pursue new opportunities". In a later statement he made to GameSpot, Schofield says the following: "Creating Striking Distance Studios has been an incredible journey and I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved with The Callisto Protocol, a game close to my heart. While pursuing a new adventure is exciting, leaving [Striking Distance Studios] is bittersweet, but I know the studio is in excellent hands."

Watch PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted on November 30
https://www.pcgamer.com/pc-gaming-show-most-wanted-announcement-november-2023/
The next PC Gaming Show will air on Thursday, November 30, with a new end-of-year format that we think you'll like.
Our second broadcast in 2023, PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted will deliver a ranked countdown of the 25 most exciting unreleased PC games, featuring new trailers, information, and announcements. The show will also include new game reveals and spotlight many more wishlist-worthy games beyond the 25.

Baldur's Gate 3 has some utterly heartbreaking voice lines for throwing a ball when there's no-one there to catch it
https://www.pcgamer.com/baldurs-gate-3-has-some-utterly-heartbreaking-voice-lines-for-throwing-a-ball-when-theres-no-one-there-to-catch-it/
Baldur's Gate 3 has had its dialogue datamined—by virtue of @roksik-dnd on Tumblr—and the community's been elbow-deep in the muck trying to discover the game's rarest voice clips. While that may seem overkill for a game that's been dissected for weeks already, the recent discovery of an ultra-rare fourth wall break has fans on the scent.

Baldur's Gate 3's next 'big' patch has been slightly delayed
https://www.pcgamer.com/baldurs-gate-3s-next-big-patch-has-been-slightly-delayed/
The next patch for Baldur's Gate 3 is going to be "a big one" according to a recent tweet from Larian Studios, but sadly we'll have to wait one whole day longer than we expected. The release of Patch 3 will be pushed from September 21st to September 22nd giving them time to "ensure thorough testing".

MSI Preps “The Limited Series” GPUs, Kicking Off With GeForce RTX 4060 NV Edition

https://wccftech.com/msi-preps-the-limited-series-gpus-kicking-off-with-geforce-rtx-4060-nv-edition/

Now I get why MSI isn't launching 7800XT/7700XT cards, they probably traded the sales opportunity for Nvidia exclusive stuff

Undervolted AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT with 200W power limit matches average performance of GeForce RTX 4070

https://videocardz.com/newz/undervolted-amd-radeon-rx-7800-xt-with-200w-power-limit-matches-average-performance-of-geforce-rtx-4070

Really feels like Radeon found their perfect card this gen

Better Ray Tracing, (Almost) No Cost - Nvidia DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction Tested

@Chazore you willing to hop back into Sea of Thieves now that they're adding private servers? Not monetized either, but they will be reducing rewards and removing certain features. 

Private server benefits

Public server benefits

Yeah CDPR for sure did overpromise and under-deliver at launch. The game was broken on consoles and was missing a lot of stuff. The Ai essentially a joke and riddled tonne of bugs. But now, with all these updates its like how the game it should've launched with plus a big DLC launched alongside it. And yeah its a bit of hyperbole calling it a the 'ultimate redemption', but I'll reserve judgement when I play the DLC and main story again. Excited to jump back into Night City anyways. Already downloaded the 2.0 update and will test to see how it runs on my PC *fingers crossed it doesn't blow up running PT*. Hopefully we see big advances in RT and PT next gen so this can be playable on most Blackwell GPU's and beyond because yeah you need a beefy system to run Pathtracing in this. Like a 5070 or something may finally be worthwhile upgrade from your 1080Ti.

For the game itself not read the board game lore but liked the story and characters. They are a bit edgy but I find that a charm of the series. From the dialect and slang made just for the world to the awkward dialog, it just feels like it should be. There's not many open world games that have decent world building, and unique and interesting feel to them and characters but this one had me from the moment I booted up the game.

To be fair the OG game is already quite expansive. And expansion is quite big - read its like 20hrs+ to complete. And I do like CDPR commitment in continual improvements and support for their games. Like the Witcher 3, the amount of updates and stuff are so good and they don't ask money for it either, unlike some companies. Its just they launched a year and maybe more early. And really sucks for console owners who had to wait anyway for them to fix the game.. and still to this day, I don't think its really a great game to play consoles. The game just feels shackled by consoles limited hardware and feels like it was made to be played on PC.

I just checked Techpowerups take on RR, and well, even though I've not had my glasses updated in like 6 years now, even I'm able to notice there are some screw ups with the RR=FG vs native. One guy in particular in the comments section on the last page points it out better than I could:

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/nvidia-dlss-3-5-ray-reconstruction.313829/

Also check the image slider comparisons and you'll see what I mean. It's not perfect, but I really wouldn't say "better than native", especially when there's some miscalculations and image changes going on, that don't make it stand above native in the objective sense. 

I mean I likely will at some point. I only tend to play it when 2 of my friends want to play it. I tried solo slooping a few times and I almost always got ganked either carrying nothing or trying to do a few regular forts (mostly for getting rare fish to get commendations).

My only gripe with that side by side slide, is that they won't let me captain my own customised ship for some reason in private, despite the fact that captained ships are purely cosmetic. The only possible reason they disallow them for private servers is absolutely going to be down to the fact that captained ships contain personal log books, books that are valuable to Reapers Bones, and PVP players 9/10 steal your emmy flag and your captains log book for rep gains.

I still think Rare are huffing their own farts though, because they still won't admit "their vision", is still completely borked, and that they are only doing this because their playerbase numbers have been dwindling (thanks to their super slow focus on TT releases and delays, but putting way more focus on paid cosmetic stuff and ignoring their PVP playerbase for years). They should really just bow and admit their vision isn't a vision shared by the majority and just fully give in and adhere to the customer's wants, because only then are you going to win back people more often.

Yea idk why they had that take on it. HUB summarizes RR very well. 60% the time, it's better than normal denoisers, 20% of the time it's the same and 20% of the time it's worse.

This is exactly why I'm not going to praise them. people praising them for spending 3 years to catch up to day 1, and also paying for that DLC are exactly why we are in this state of gaming releases. NMS fixed most of their issues after around 3ish years or more, but now it's been nearly a decade and so far they've been dolling out nothing but free content non stop per year.

I just feel like CDPR could have used at least half of that pre-order cash to dish out another free expac. Like Witcher 3's expansions weren't GTA levels of grandeur, but I know CDPR can afford something of that scale today with the money they got, it's likely they just ran by the numbers of "is it worth giving back to those we fooled?" and decided "nah not worth it, they're still buying out stuff regardless".

To me it just doesn't feel like the redemption arc is completed, and because we know PL is the only DLC we are getting, they will now have likely moved 90% of 2077's team onto the new Witcher project (still in it's draft stages after 1 year now, just like how 2077 was when it was announced after it's first year reveal), with the remaining staff being a skeleton crew to doll out patches for PL, as their 2.0 patch was based for the main game fixes and revamps. I naturally expect this to happen and thus I do not see a finished redemption arc (not on the level NMS had anyway), I just see a fixed-ish game (still seeing blurry piss poor jpeg level billboard signs in that tech powerup article btw) game, and 1 DLC thrown out and the losses are now life support is reaching it's end, since they likely don't see further profits being increased despite the work they could put in to repair the damage to their company image (which doesn't just vanish after 3 years).

I'll be waiting to see the prices of the 5000 series, but again, with how Nvidia has a sheer stranglehold on the GPU market atm, I'm not holding out hope of me ever getting a 5080 for a good price that isn't £1000+, and I've seen what Nvidia has done to their variants below their 80 series, they just get worse with perf, so to me it's 5080 or bust, just like it was with Yuri pointing out with the 4090 and at the time last gen, the 3080/90. Nvidia really needs to make their 70 series better somehow, that doesn't solely rely on FG/DLSS, because so far not using it means you are far, far worse off, and that's not a good sell to me personally.

I mean, when you look back on the board game's lore, that too has some edgy stories to it, even with Johnny Silverhand, but like, the board game made the Animals faction downright ruthless and batshit crazy, yet in-game they are the least threatening of all the factions, have little story to them, have such little rpecense in the game, and the character models have around 3-4 variants, compared to the art you see for their faction from the board game. Also I feel like Maelstrom got cut short (being shoehorned into the first proper gig with you and Jackie, and after that gig they are mostly there in pocket gangs hiding in the background of the general story). 

For me, the biggest let-down was Maxtec and Trauma team, the two of which were heavily marketed as one being a threatening appearance, the other being a hired security team for health insurance that does not fuck around with threatening others to stay back. The only instance you ever get with them is your first mission in 2077 and that's it, they don't do or serve much in the game afterwards and that really sucks, because 2077's original trailer looked fucking badass with the way they handled a gang getting in their way:

https://youtu.be/8X2kIfS6fb8?t=75