Welcome, all of you, to a new edition of the news:
SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS
Steam's Top 10
(Click here for the Top 100).
Action roguelike Skul: The Hero Slayer has sold more than 2M copies
https://www.pcgamer.com/action-roguelike-skul-the-hero-slayer-has-sold-more-than-2m-copies/
Skul: The Hero Slayer has sold 2 million copies since release, putting the sidescrolling action roguelike in that top tier of multi-million-selling games. Skul's Dead Cells-esque and Hollow Knight-like action never had a huge single spike in popularity, but has steadily grown in sales since its January 2021 release alongside pretty regular large additions and patches.
"We are beyond excited to announce that Skul: The Hero Slayer has surpassed 2 million copies in sales. This is another huge record achieved since we announced that Skul sold 1 million copies last year. We would like to express sincere gratitude to everyone for playing Skul and giving tremendous support up until now," said developer Southpaw Games in an announcement.
Skul is the story of a little skeleton who battles the forces of humanity in order to save his master, the demon king.
Monster Hunter: World just hit its highest concurrent player count in over 3 years
https://www.pcgamer.com/monster-hunter-world-just-hit-its-highest-concurrent-player-count-in-over-3-years/
Well, it turns out I wasn't the only person who had a hankering for returning to Monster Hunter: World for the first time in forever this holiday season. The game has seen a resurgence over the last couple of weeks, culminating in a peak concurrent count of 131,964 players on January 1 according to SteamDB. That's the largest number of hunters exploring the New World since October 2020.
It was the 12th most played game on New Year's Day, drawing in more folk than games like Rust, The Finals, Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077. Not too bad for a game that was released in 2018, if you ask me.
Neither GOG, Steam or Humble have any new deal. As a reminder, all three have big sales that will end in two days.
The Epic Store gives away the game 20 Minutes Till Dawn: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/20-minutes-till-dawn-be3305.
And Fanatical, whose Winter Sale has gone encore and should likely end in two days like the rest, has a new Star Deal: Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, that will be 49% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/marvel-s-spider-man-remastered.
SOFTWARE & DRIVERS
-Empty-
MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS
This Cyberpunk 2077 Mod fixes the game’s broken Ray Tracing/Path Tracing reflections
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/this-cyberpunk-2077-mod-fixes-the-games-broken-ray-tracing-path-tracing-reflections/
Modder ‘TenebrisVenit’ has released a new mod for Cyberpunk 2077 that aims to fix the game’s broken Ray Tracing/Path Tracing reflections. This mod is for version 2.1 which became available earlier this month.
For those unaware, CDPR has somehow made the Ray Tracing and Path Tracing reflections look worse in V2.1. So, by using this mod, you can improve their quality. I’ve tested the mod and I can confirm that the reflections now look better and are more consistent. However, this mod does not fix the weird billboard and shadow issues. I’ve detailed these issues in my previous article, so be sure to read it.
You can download this mod from this link. Below you can also find some comparison screenshots. The vanilla version is on the left, whereas the modded version is on the right. I’ve also circled the points of interest in these screenshots.
First version of Portal 64 Demake available now for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/first-version-of-portal-64-demake-available-now-for-download/
Portal fans, here is something for you today. James Lambert has just released the first version of his Portal 64 Demake for the Nintendo 64. Yeap, you read that right. Portal 64 is a real thing, you can download it right now.
Portal 64: First Slice features the first 13 chambers from Portal. It has working portals and a portal gun. And yes, it will run on the real Nintendo 64 console. Not only that, but Lambert plans to demake other test chambers in future versions.
Naturally, PC gamers can use Nintendo 64 emulators in order to play it on their PC. And I know. Most of you will ask “But why?”. Why play a demake of Portal when you can enjoy it in all its Path Tracing glory? Well, I have an easy answer to that question. “Why not?” This is a free N64 ROM/game, showcasing what could have been achieved on that classic console. It’s like watching Doom running on a calculator. It is fun.
So anyway, if you want to download Portal 64 and give it a go, you can do so by clicking on this link. Do note that to create the ROM file, you’ll need the PC version of Portal. Otherwise, you won’t be able to create the N64 file. Below you can also find its latest trailer. So, be sure to watch it.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Demo in Unreal Engine 5.3.2 available for free to everyone
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-demo-in-unreal-engine-5-3-2-available-for-free-to-everyone/
CryZENx has released a new version of his unofficial remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Demo in Unreal Engine 5.3.2. This demo features all the levels the artist has created this year. Not only that but the demo is free for everyone, and you can download it right now.
In this Zelda fan game, you can explore the environments and fight several enemies. You can also use your ocarina, break objects, collect items, and speak to NPCs. Not only that but this fan remake of this classic N64 Zelda game in Unreal Engine 5 also has some cut-scenes and an inventory system. In short, it’s more than your typical “remake a map from a popular game in UE5” projects.
Earlier this month, CryZENx released a version of this remake that supported NVIDIA’s DLSS 3 tech. And the good news is that this demo also supports DLSS 3 Frame Generation. As such, you can enable it and get smooth framerates, even at high resolutions.
You can download this new demo for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Demo in Unreal Engine 5.3.2 from this link. In total, you can expect over one hour of gameplay. And yes, this is CryZENx’s Patreon. However, the demo is not behind a “paid” wall. The download link is free to everyone. At the end of the article, you can also find a showcase video from it. So, be sure to at least watch it.
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall Remake in Unity Engine Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-elder-scrolls-ii-daggerfall-remake-unity-engine-released/
Gavin “Interkarma” Clayton just dropped Version 1.0 of the unofficial remake of The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall in Unity Engine, called Daggerfall Unity. This is a dream come true for all old-school TES fans. And yes, we highly recommend playing it.
Daggerfall Unity is a cool remake of the old-school The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall. Modder ‘Interkarma’ has re-imagined it in the Unity Engine to give today’s gamers a taste of this classic RPG. It’s a really cool project. Oh, and it’s free to download.
Daggerfall Unity requires a free copy of DOS Daggerfall to run. This will provide all necessary game assets such as textures, 3D models, and sound effects. And as you may have guessed, yes. Steam has the DOS version available for download. You can also download the game from GOG.
The modder claimed that this newest Daggerfall Unity version has all its planned features. Now, Interkarma will shift gears to focus on community support and keeping things running smoothly. Plus, the game’s development will now steer towards future mod support.
>> The article has some screenshots.
Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness Remake Demo in Unity Engine Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/tomb-raider-angel-of-darkness-remake-demo-unity-engine/
Now here is something that completely passed under my radar. In 2021, we informed you about an upcoming fan remake of Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness in Unreal Engine. However, it appears that a similar project was in development for the Unity Engine. And, from the looks of it, there is a demo that you can download and play.
This pre-alpha demo features only one level from Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness. It also comes with proper gameplay mechanics, meaning that you can climb ladders, use a flashlight, explore the environment and fight an enemy. It’s a pretty basic tech demo. Still, this is something that may interest some of our Tomb Raider fans.
Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness originally came out in 2003, and it’s considered one of the worst Tomb Raider games. That was mostly due to poor controls, weird camera angles and combat issues. The game also had a lot of bugs at launch.
Now from what I’ve seen, there are no plans to turn this Unity Engine project into a full-fledged project. After all, its creator has been inactive for the past two years. Still, it’s a cool tech demo for you to try.
>> The article has a 4:50 minutes video.
Praydog’s UEVR Beta allows you to play 11,000+ Unreal Engine games in 6DOF VR
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/praydogs-uevr-beta-allows-you-to-play-11000-unreal-engine-games-in-6dof-vr/
Praydog has just released a beta version of the UEVR project, allowing PC gamers to experience over 11,000 UE games in 6DOF VR. This is a must-have for all VR gamers. So, don’t sleep on it.
UEVR works on a universal level and out of the box and doesn’t contain any code about a specific game. For many games, you can just press “inject” and start playing. However, for more experienced VR gamers, there is a lot that you can tweak.
A lot of triple-A UE games work perfectly fine with this mod. For instance, you can play in VR, games like RoboCop: Rogue City, Returnal, Atomic Heart and Octopath Traveller. Hell, even some UE5 games like Jusant and the Tekken 8 Demo are compatible with it.
UEVR is not only a mod or a single tool, but a whole modding framework. You could launch a game in VR and get a nice, 6DOF, more bare-bones experience on a specific game. Then someone could spend months making full manual reloading mechanics, etc. with UEVR to take the VR experience even further. UEVR also has tools that can make things like adding motion controls to a game that was never designed to have motion controls super easy and without writing a single line of code. Again, this is an incredible VR project.
>> The article has several videos.
GTA Vice City Will Get a Next-Gen Remaster in GTA5’s Rage Engine
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/gta-vice-city-next-gen-remaster-gta5-rage-engine/
Revolution Team is currently working on a next-gen remaster mod for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in the GTA 5 RAGE Engine. This mod aims to be faithful to the original game and retain its art style. Below you can also find its debut trailer, so be sure to watch it.
GTA Vice City Nextgen Edition will be a complete transfer of all missions from the original game to the RAGE Engine. The mod currently targets a 2025 release date. So yeah, it will be a while until we can actually play it.
The mod will have 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. From what we know, there are no plans to increase their polygon count. However, all 3D characters will have better textures.
All the original radio stations will also be present in this unofficial remaster. And although the project will have the cut-scenes and the style of the original game, it will also pack better particle effects and some lighting improvements.
In short, this will be a faithful remaster of Vice City. Also, since it will be a mod for GTA5, we can assume that it won’t be taken down by Take-Two. Or at least we hope so.
>> The trailer is 1:32 minutes long.
Skyrim gets an Icewind Dale Prologue Remake Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/skyrim-icewind-dale-prologue-remake-mod/
Modder ‘Arx Vallium’ has released a cool new mod for Skyrim Special Edition that remakes the prologue area of Icewind Dale. As such, you can now get a glimpse at what a remake of this classic RPG could look like.
In TESV – Easthaven, players can explore the quiet fishing village of Easthaven located in the northernmost region of the DnD world of Faerûn. Players will be able to uncover omens that tell of a sinister plot unraveling in the Spine of the World Mountains. So, if you are a fan of Icewind Dale, we highly recommend downloading it.
To get to Easthaven, you’ll have to start a new game (that’s what the modder recommends). Then, as soon as you have access to the open world of Skyrim, immediately fast travel to “Portal to Faerûn” north of Winterhold. And that is that.
>> The article has a 2:16 trailer of this mod.
GAMING NEWS
The Day Of Survival is a new free game you can download right now
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-day-of-survival-is-a-new-free-game-you-can-download-right-now/
Well, here is something interesting. Developer ‘xHARDHeMPuS’ has released a free game for the PC, called The Day Of Survival. The Day Of Survival is a third-person post-apocalyptic game with numerous locations to explore, challenges to overcome and missions to complete.
(...)
The Day of Survival does not feature any story mode. Instead, it provides a number of quests for players to complete on a big map. Players can collect resources, face enemies or simply explore the environments.
>> The article has a thirty minutes video of the game, if you want to give it a look.
