I also still have our old 17 inch CRT monitor and CRT TV (for the consoles) for this exact reason.

And while they didn't look that pixelated, they tended to have the problem of looking somewhat washed out due to the color bleeding.

CRT TVs are certainly not without their own set of problems, but for 2D games of 8/16 bit era I find them to be exactly what those games were counting on (though later CRT TVs, from 00s, were maybe even a bit "too good").

For 3D era, I don't mind rendering games with higher res internally and with plenty of AA (thus not being completely faithful to the original), so they look quite nice on modern TVs.

EDIT: Found this nice comparison from NES version of Wizardry

https://vgdensetsu.tumblr.com/post/179656817318/designing-2d-graphics-in-the-japanese-industry

Today’s news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

The Epic Store gives away Aerial_Knight's Never Yield: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/aerial-knights-never-yield
And next week, they’ll give away Astro Duel 2.

Someone at GOG must have realized that they’ve haven’t done much this week when it comes to deals, because today there’s a lot:

• First things first: there’s a new GIVEAWAY: Nomads of Driftland: The Forgotten Passage will be free to get during 184 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/nomads_of_driftland_the_forgotten_passage
• Let’s follow with the new Deals of the Day, that will last only 22 hours:
  • Age of Wonders 4: Premium Edition will be 20% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/age_of_wonders_4_premium_edition
  • Hardspace: Shipbreaker gets a 60% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/hardspace_shipbreaker
  • And the third one is Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, with a 65% deal: https://www.gog.com/en/game/indiana_jones_and_the_infernal_machine
• The Sci-Fi Sale puts games of this genre up to 90% off during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20240229_sci_fi_sale
• The Star Drifters Publisher Sale gets up to 90% discounts during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20240229_star_drifters_publisher_sale
• The HypeTrain Digital Publisher Sale features up to 75% discounts during the next 14 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20240229_hypetrain_publisher_sale
• And there’s another publisher sale with Movie Games, that puts its games up to 90% off during 14 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20240229_movie_games_publisher_sale

Steam “only” has two new deals:

• Spiritfall will be 25% off until the 6th of March: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1835240/Spiritfall/
• And Cartel Tycoon gets a 60% discount until the same March, 6: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1220140/Cartel_Tycoon/

There’s a new Humble Bundle: The Creative Sandbox Bundle, with up to 8 items to get during 20 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/creative-sandbox-bundle.

And Fanatical has two new deals:

• The new Star Deal is Dreamscaper, 85% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/dreamscaper
• And the Diamond Collection BYOB has 18 titles to choose from for your 3, 4 or 5 games bundle: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/diamond-collection-build-your-own-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Microsoft confirms DirectSR is the 'missing link', an API designed to ease the introduction of Nvidia, AMD, and Intel upscalers into DirectX games
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/microsoft-confirms-directsr-is-the-missing-link-an-api-designed-to-ease-the-introduction-of-nvidia-amd-and-intel-upscalers-into-directx-games/
As this year's Game Developers Conference (GDC) fast approaches, we're starting to see teasers and previews of what might be discussed at the sessions beginning on March 18. We'd already spotted Microsoft's DirectX "State of the Union" and its announcement of a preview to something called DirectSR, which we speculated to be a new hardware-agnostic upscaler, and guess what? Microsoft has confirmed that this isn't quite the case, but something that might be even more useful.
In a post on the DirectX developer blog, Microsoft has discussed further details around DirectSR, describing it as "the missing link developers have been waiting for" in regards to integrating Super Resolution features (more generally referred to as upscalers) into DirectX games.
The new API has been designed in partnership with GPU hardware vendors and allows a single code path to activate a plethora of different upscaling solutions, including the big names you might expect: Nvidia DLSS, AMD FSR, and Intel XeSS are all mentioned as receiving support from the new API, which is said to be available soon in the Agility SDK for developers to test and provide feedback.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Gets New 4K Mod, Improving the Quality of 2300 Textures
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-gets-new-4k-mod-improving-the-quality-of-2300-textures/
Modder ‘slowpard’ has released a new 4K mod for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, aiming to improve the quality of 2300 textures. This Texture Pack is based on the Better Cities Mod, which overhauls and enhances all the cities from the original game adding new buildings, new NPCs, and new quests.
Going into more details, the modder has cleaned and decompressed all of the original textures. He then batch-upscaled them at 4X with around 15 different models (RGB/alpha separately, color-matched to the original). After upscaling them, he chose the best results to include to the pack. Moreover, in many cases, different upscales were blended, edited or redone from downscaled samples. Normals were either upscaled (RG channels, then unit vector normalized with the B channel) or regenerated from the upscaled diffuse maps. And finally, slowpard recompressed them to dds with NVIDIA Texture Exporter.
Those interested can go ahead and download this new 4K mod from this link. Do note, though, that it might not be compatible with the previous 4K Texture Packs we’ve shared for Oblivion. At the end of the article, you can also find some comparison screenshots. These screenshots will give you an idea of what you can expect from it.

This Skyrim Mod adds 1350+ lore-friendly lines of dialogue to the existing residents of Windhelm
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/this-skyrim-mod-adds-1350-lore-friendly-lines-of-dialogue-to-the-existing-residents-of-windhelm/
Modder AdamDunmer just dropped an awesome mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. This mod brings in over 1350 new lines of dialogue to the folks in Windhelm. It’s totally in line with the game’s lore, making it a must-try for an even better gaming experience. So, give it a shot to level up your Skyrim adventure.
This mod tweaks about 30 NPCs in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The modder made sure to give them major upgrades in their dialogue to capture the cold and unwelcoming vibe of Windhelm. Not only that but there are now around 30 additional scenes with NPCs having cool conversations with each other. It’s like a whole new level of interaction in the game.
So, there are now nineteen cool new scenes in Candlehearth, four fresh market scenes, and two new scenes between Viola and the Captain. If that’s not enough, there are also two new dockworker scenes in Lonely-Gale and a new blacksmith scene. Some of these scenes unlock when you complete quests like Innocence Lost, CW Imperial victory, CW Stormcloaks victory, and if you’re an Argonian, after finishing the quest “Blood On the Ice”.
>> The article has an almost 4 minutes video of the mod.

GAMING NEWS

Alone in the Dark gets new in-engine trailer & PC requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/alone-in-the-dark-gets-new-in-engine-trailer-pc-requirements/
THQ Nordic just dropped a new trailer for Alone in the Dark. In this trailer, Jodie Comer and David Harbour talk about the game’s story endings and introduce you to some of its characters. So, be sure to check it out.

Project L33T is a new PvEvP hardcore tactical extraction shooter
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/project-l33t-is-a-new-pvevp-hardcore-tactical-extraction-shooter/
Holmgard Games has just announced a new PvEvP hardcore tactical extraction shooter, called Project L33T. To celebrate this announcement, the team shared its first gameplay trailer which you can find below.

Mortal Kombat 1 February 28th Update Released, Adds Crossplay Support, Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/mortal-kombat-1-february-28th-update-released-adds-crossplay-support-full-patch-notes/
NetherRealm Studios has just released the February 28th Title Update for Mortal Kombat 1. This patch finally adds crossplay support between PC and consoles. So, let’s take a closer look at its full list of changes.

Cyberpunk 2077 Title Update 2.12 Released, Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/cyberpunk-2077-title-update-2-12-released-full-patch-notes/
CD Projekt RED has released Title Update 2.12 for Cyberpunk 2077, and shared its full patch notes. According to the changelog, this latest update addresses some bugs that have plagued the game. Moreover, it comes with some PC-specific tweaks and fixes.

Part two of today’s news:

Croft-y sleuths discover Tomb Raider Remastered 1-3 has a better version on the Epic Games store, of all places—except for some busted achievements
https://www.pcgamer.com/croft-y-sleuths-discover-tomb-raider-remastered-1-3-has-a-better-version-on-the-epic-games-store-of-all-placesexcept-for-some-busted-achievements/
The brush-up of Lara Croft's classic adventures to pilfer tombs and shoot dinosaurs has mostly gone down well with fans—we even gave it a very respectable 78% in our Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered Review. Turns out it could've been even better if you bought it on the—checking my notes here—Epic Games Store. Wait, really?
As spotted by several players, the remaster appears to have two different versions—the one available on Steam/GOG, and the one available on the Epic Games Store (thanks, Eurogamer). 

Legendary Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu doesn't 'have the physical and mental strength' to create full game soundtracks anymore: 'I'd rather use the time I have left to work on other projects I love'
https://www.pcgamer.com/legendary-final-fantasy-composer-nobuo-uematsu-doesnt-have-the-physical-and-mental-strength-to-create-full-game-soundtracks-anymore-id-rather-use-the-time-i-have-left-to-work-on-other-projects-i-love/
Nobuo Uematsu, the legendary musician who composed the soundtracks for various Final Fantasy games, is done composing full soundtracks for the series. In a chat with German outlet Zeit (via VGC), Uematsu said he just doesn't have it in him to put together an entire game's soundtrack anymore.

RuneScape's official Twitter account unbanned after proving that, no, the game wasn't secretly an 8-year-old child
https://www.pcgamer.com/runescapes-official-twitter-account-unbanned-after-proving-that-no-the-game-wasnt-secretly-an-8-year-old-child/
You might have noticed that RuneScape was briefly banned from Twitter, yesterday—despite its Old School RuneScape and Jagex accounts remaining up. Not a peep, nor a whisper as to the how and why, just snapped out of existence by Mr. Musk.
"They shouldn't have used bots on Twitter," one commenter wrote. Another remarks: "I guess OSRS themselves is one of the 38," referencing a recent statement that only 38 out of dozens of thousands of bans in 2024 were mis-applied. Turns out, Twitter thought that RuneScape—yes, the official RuneScape account with over 300,000 followers—was helmed by an eight-year-old kid 15 years ago. No I'm not joking.
>> Twitter/X is such a joke nowadays.

Excellent multiplayer pirate FPS Blackwake's first update in 4 years makes it free to keep
https://www.pcgamer.com/excellent-multiplayer-pirate-fps-blackwakes-first-update-in-4-years-makes-it-free-to-keep/
When I was writing about pirate games you should play instead of Skull and Bones, I had to give a nod to Blackwake, even though it didn't quite make the cut. The multiplayer naval FPS   left early access back in 2020, after making a bit of a splash initially on YouTube thanks to its emergent mayhem. Think of it as a more aggressive, less cartoonish Sea of Thieves, where the focus is on blowing up ships and fighting their crews. Sadly, the player count dwindled soon after, and it stopped receiving updates before the year was out. 
Possibly in response to Skull and Bones' launch, someone from the now defunct studio is attempting to inject new life into the game, specifically by making it free to keep. Hop onto Steam and you can download it right now without spending any of your booty. 

Call of Duty veteran David Vonderhaar wants to make a 'more intimate and relatable' game, so he named his new studio BulletFarm
https://www.pcgamer.com/call-of-duty-veteran-david-vonderhaar-wants-to-make-a-more-intimate-and-relatable-game-so-he-named-his-new-studio-bulletfarm/
Veteran Call of Duty designer David Vonderhaar left Treyarch in 2023 after nearly 20 years at the studio, a stint that took him from Call of Duty 2 all the way through Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War. He said at the time that wasn't ready to talk about what he'd be getting up to next, but now he is: He's heading up a new NetEase studio called BulletFarm, which is working on "an ambitious new AAA game set in an original universe with an emphasis on co-operative gameplay."

Remedy takes control of Control in €17M deal with publisher 505 Games that 'gives us the freedom to decide the best path forward'
https://www.pcgamer.com/remedy-takes-control-of-control-in-euro17m-deal-with-publisher-505-games-that-gives-us-the-freedom-to-decide-the-best-path-forward/
Remedy has assumed control of Control: The studio announced today that it has made a €17 million ($18.4 million) deal with publisher 505 Games that grants it all rights to Control, Control 2, the multiplayer Control spinoff codenamed Condor, and "all future Control products."

Last Epoch director assures fans it's 'here to stay' despite a rocky launch and flood of negative Steam reviews
https://www.pcgamer.com/we-are-committed-to-regaining-that-trust-last-epoch-director-assures-fans-its-here-to-stay-despite-a-rocky-launch-and-flood-of-negative-steam-reviews/
Over 300,000 eager players rushed to play Last Epoch when it launched last week and the servers quickly collapsed under the weight. The widespread connection issues that followed led to a slew of negative Steam reviews that knocked its "mostly positive" rating down to "mixed".
The worst of those issues now seem to be over, but the initial reactions still sit permanently on the game's Steam page. In a post reflecting on the launch yesterday, game director Judd Cobler seems confident the team can turn the sentiment around.

A Palworld breeding bug is causing all Cattivas to be born cowards, and other species trait dominance, but a fix is coming in another patch 'within a day or two,' Pocketpair says
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-palworld-breeding-bug-is-causing-all-cattivas-to-be-born-cowards-and-other-species-trait-dominance-but-a-fix-is-coming-in-another-patch-within-a-day-or-two-pocketpair-says/
The latest Palworld update has spawned another contentious change to the game: a bug to do with breeding Pals that's preventing amateur Pal biologists from perfecting Pal babies. Pocketpair is aware of the new bug, it says, and plans to fix the issue in another patch coming within the next couple of days.

Electronic Arts is laying off 5% of its workforce
https://www.pcgamer.com/electronic-arts-is-laying-off-5-of-its-workforce/
Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson announced today that the company is "advancing the way we work and continuing to evolve our business," and by that he means it will be laying off approximately 5% of its workforce.

Respawn's Star Wars FPS has been cancelled, Battlefield campaign studio Ridgeline Games is being closed
https://www.pcgamer.com/respawns-star-wars-fps-has-been-cancelled-battlefield-campaign-studio-ridgeline-games-is-being-closed/
Shortly after Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson announced plans to cut 5% of the studio's workforce, EA's entertainment and technology president Laura Miele said the company has also decided to cancel a Star Wars FPShttps://www.ea.com/news/a-note-from-laura-miele that was in development at Respawn and close the studio that was working on the singleplayer campaign for the next Battlefield game.

You could consider this the Helldivers 2 news post. You can skip it if you're not that interested in the game:

Leaked Helldivers 2 video shows multiple mechs in live combat
https://www.pcgamer.com/leaked-helldivers-2-video-shows-multiple-mechs-in-live-combat/
With Helldivers 2's server woes finally straightened out, Arrowhead Studios said earlier this week that it can now shift its focus to cooler things, including—speculatively—playable mechs. Those towers of mobile mayhem may be closer to joining the fray than we realize, as a video showing one in action has now leaked onto Reddit.

'We have an actual person with the title of Game Master': A single Helldivers 2 dev named Joel is pulling the strings on its galactic war like an all-powerful D&D dungeon master, war will become 'more and more sophisticated over time'
https://www.pcgamer.com/we-have-an-actual-person-with-the-title-of-game-master-a-single-helldivers-2-dev-named-joel-is-pulling-the-strings-on-its-galactic-war-like-an-all-powerful-dandd-dungeon-master-war-will-become-more-and-more-sophisticated-over-time/
Helldivers 2's galactic war is much more than a mission selector. In a short time, players have become invested in the status of their favorite planets and reacted to gains and losses in a sector's liberation. The simulated conflict playing out both in-game and on social media has become an unexpected focal point of the Helldivers 2 experience.
Unexpected to players, that is. To developer Arrowhead Game Studios, the war is a product of careful planning and storytelling by a specific behind-the-scenes individual pulling the strings: what Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt described to PC Gamer as Helldivers 2's "dungeon master."

Arrowhead CEO says the 'live service' aspect of Helldivers 2 has to be secondary to delivering a 'full experience' for $40: 'We view ourselves as a live service game because it's unfair to say anything else'
https://www.pcgamer.com/arrowhead-ceo-says-the-live-service-aspect-of-helldivers-2-has-to-be-secondary-to-delivering-a-full-experience-for-dollar40-we-view-ourselves-as-a-live-service-game-because-its-unfair-to-say-anything-else/
There are a lot of live service games out there these days, and it's not a trend we wholeheartedly love. But amidst the formulaic deluge, some games get it right. Helldivers 2 is a great example of that—but in a new interview with PC Gamer, Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt sounded almost reluctant to embrace the label.
>> He also talked about how he viewed the launch.

Helldivers 2 looks a lot like Metal Gear Solid 5 sometimes, but devs and fans alike agree that's great: 'More games should directly copy stuff'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/helldivers-2-looks-a-lot-like-metal-gear-solid-5-sometimes-but-devs-and-fans-alike-agree-thats-great-more-games-should-directly-copy-stuff/
Helldivers 2 fans (a demographic that encompasses 68% of the planet so far as I can tell) are feeling the spirit of Big Boss. Specifically, they've noticed that the game's movement and more than a few of its animations bear a striking resemblance to 2014's Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes and its follow-up The Phantom Pain. And you know what? They couldn't be happier about it.

Maybe they should ban the big twit since Musk is behaving like an 8-year old...

What I would like to see is a company go back and build a CRT for a modern market... Because I feel there is a large and growing market who are advocating for the older type displays in recent years.

Won't ever happen because the factories that made the individual components no longer exist.. But I would love a large modern CRT.

Good morning, buys. A new month has started, and you know what that means:

*** NEW CONTEST ***

Win an epic QNAP Thunderbolt 4 NAS with 10TB SSD storage
https://www.club386.com/win-a-qnap-tbs-h574tx-nas/
or https://gleam.io/s9smn/win-a-qnap-tbsh574tx-thunderbolt-4-nas

From the contest page: "Our goodie bag comprises an all-flash TBS-h574TX-i3-12G NASbook, complete with Intel Core i3 processor and dual Thunderbolt 4 connectors. Better still, to help get you up and running, we’re including five – yes, five – award-winning 2TB Kingston KC3000 M.2 SSDs!"

The contest is GLOBAL.

Good luck!

Let’s go with the Friday news!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

We're riding shotgun with Pacific Drive to give away a free copy of the game and a carload of great gear
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/were-riding-shotgun-with-pacific-drive-to-give-away-a-free-copy-of-the-game-and-a-carload-of-great-gear/
Everyone loves taking a road trip. Hop in the car, step on the gas, and head toward the horizon. In driving survival game Pacific Drive it's not quite that simple thanks to bizarre and deadly anomalies that are lurking along the road—but as you're speeding through the hazardous exclusion zone, this giveaway will make your drive a lot smoother.
Buckle up, because we've partnered with Pacific Drive to have some awesome stuff driven to your house. One lucky winner will get a whole trunkload of cool Pacific Drive gear, like a free key for the game on Steam, a shiny red toolbox, a mechanic's shirt with a customized name tag, a dashboard bobblehead, and of course an air freshener and bumper sticker. And more!
(...)
Our apologies to those of you in other parts of the world—this giveaway is for United States residents only. This giveaway will run from February 29 to March 14. 

The Humble Store has two new sales:

• The Burnin’Rubber Sale features up to 90% discounts during 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/burn-rubber-sale/
• And publisher Hypetrain Digital celebrates it’s Spring Sale by puting its games up to 85% off during 13 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/hypetrain-digital-spring-sale/

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

NVIDIA releases hotfix driver addressing NVENC encoding issues on GeForce GTX 16 cards
https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-releases-a-hotfix-driver-addressing-nvenc-encoding-issues-on-geforce-gtx-16-cards
Users who are using the GeForce GTX 1630, GTX 1650, and GTX 1650 Ti for video encoding through the NVIDIA NVENC encoder are urged to update their drivers. NVIDIA has identified a bug in the latest 551.61 driver, which could lead to video corruption or errors during GPU encoder utilization.

This driver doesn’t introduce any additional fixes or enhancements and should be downloaded and used only by those who have those cards and use them for video encoding. Others should definitely wait for the next WHQL or Game Ready release that will undoubtedly incorporate this fix regardless.

New Unreal Engine 5.3 Dune Desert Tech Demo Showcased
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/new-unreal-engine-5-3-dune-desert-tech-demo/
MAWI United has shared a video, showcasing a new Dune Desert Landscape tech demo for Unreal Engine 5.3. This demo shows off the stone pit area of the 400 sqkm Dune Desert that the team has created.
(...)
From what we know, the Dune Desert Landscape Demo uses both Lumen and Nanite. The majority of assets use 4K base color, normal, and utility textures. Moreover, the team used 1 million polygons for palms, 1-2 million polygons for rocks/debris, and 4000-200 polygons for plants.
The end result is pretty amazing. However, you’ll also need a really biffy PC system. Its UE5.1 demo pushed the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 to its limits. NVIDIA’s most powerful GPU was unable to run it smoothly at Native 4K with 60fps.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Super Mario 64 now has infinite randomly generated levels on PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/super-mario-64-mod-infinite-levels/
Now here is an amazing modification for the classic Nintendo 64 game, Super Mario 64. Created by ‘TwilightPB’, this project adds infinite randomly generated levels to the game. And this, right here is why modding is so amazing. Hear that Nintendo?
This random level generator for Super Mario 64 uses libsm64 and Godot Engine as a base. (...)
Joking aside, you should go ahead and try it. By using this mod, you can almost get an infinite amount of new levels. This will be a godsend for all those who have completed multiple times this classic platformer but still want to replay it.
You can download the mod from this link. For this to work, you’ll need an unmodified Super Mario 64 NTSC ROM in the game directory, or the game will not work. The ROM must be also named “SM64.z64”.
>> The article has an embedded tweet with a less than 2 minutes video of the mod.

GAMING NEWS

Delta Force: Hawk Ops Gets First Gameplay Trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/delta-force-hawk-ops-gets-first-gameplay-trailer/
Level Infinite and TiMi Studio Group have released the first gameplay trailer for Delta Force: Hawk Ops. And… well… this doesn’t look anything like the old Delta Force games.

NACON has announced Greedfall 2 The Dying World, coming to Steam Early Access in Summer 2024
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/nacon-has-announced-greedfall-2-the-dying-world-coming-to-steam-early-access-in-summer-2024/
NACON has just announced Greedfall 2 The Dying World, and shared a CG trailer for it. Greedfall 2 will be coming to Steam Early Access in Summer 2024, and below you can find its first official details.

Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown’s latest in-engine trailer looks really rough and “meh-ish”
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/test-drive-unlimited-solar-crowns-latest-in-engine-trailer-looks-really-rough-and-meh-ish/
NACON has released a new in-engine trailer for Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown, showcasing some of its off-road cars and environments. And, honestly, the game looks kind of bland and average.

Dragonkin – The Banished is a new Diablo-like action hack n slash RPG
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/dragonkin-the-banished-is-a-new-diablo-like-action-hack-n-slash-rpg/
Now here is a game that caught my attention. At Connect 2024, NACON revealed a new Diablo-like action hack n slash RPG, called Dragonkin – The Banished. Dragonkin – The Banished will be coming to PC in February 2025, and below you can find its first gameplay trailer.

Terminator: Survivors will release in October 2024, and here are the first official details for it
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/terminator-survivors-will-release-in-october-2024-and-here-are-the-first-official-details-for-it/
NACON has shared the first official details about its upcoming survival open-world game set in the Terminator universe, Terminator: Survivors. Moreover, the publisher stated that the game will hit Steam Early Access on October 24th, 2024.

Lords of the Fallen Patch 1.1.560 Brings Additional Performance Optimizations, Adds New Cinematic Graphics Setting
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/lords-of-the-fallen-patch-1-1-560-performance-cinematic/
Hexworks just dropped a new update for their game, Lords of the Fallen. The new patch, 1.1.560, makes the game run smoother on all PC hardware. And guess what? They added a fancy new Cinematic graphics setting. So, let’s take a closer look at it.

Robocop: Rogue City and Remnant 2 now support AMD FSR 3.0 Frame Generation
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/robocop-rogue-city-and-remnant-2-now-support-amd-fsr-3-0-frame-generation/
Gunfire Games and Teyon have released new patches for Robocop: Rogue City and Remnant 2 that add official support for AMD FSR 3.0 Frame Generation. Thanks to these updates, players can enjoy higher framerates in these two UE5 games.

Friday news, part two:

The Palworld breeding bug that was causing all Cattivas to be born cowards, and other species trait dominance, has been fixed in a new patch
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-palworld-breeding-bug-is-causing-all-cattivas-to-be-born-cowards-and-other-species-trait-dominance-but-a-fix-is-coming-in-another-patch-within-a-day-or-two-pocketpair-says/
The latest Palworld update has spawned another contentious change to the game: a bug to do with breeding Pals that's preventing amateur Pal biologists from perfecting Pal babies. Pocketpair is aware of the new bug, it says, and plans to fix the issue in another patch coming within the next couple of days.
Recent updates
February 29, 2024: Pocketpair has released the patch notes for Palworld version 0.1.5.1 that confirms a fix for this breeding bug.

WoW Classic's Season of Discovery devs announce plans to slash mount prices in half, ramp up XP gains to 100%, and create an eventual 20-player Molten Core
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/wow-classics-season-of-discovery-devs-announce-plans-to-slash-mount-prices-in-half-ramp-up-xp-gains-to-100-and-create-an-eventual-20-player-molten-core/
Season of Discovery phase 2 has been chugging along, bringing players to a level cap of 40—also leading to a harsher demand when it comes to Classic's old XP and gold grinds. In case you missed the boat entirely, SoD is a version of WoW Classic with a smaller team that's all about mixing things up: Smaller, phase-by-phase level caps, new abilities, low-level raids, taking rogues and healing mages, and so on.
In a recent developer update, the SoD team unveiled a few plans for the future, both immediate and distant. First up—XP Santa is here ahead of schedule. Discoverer's Delight is a catch-up mechanism for returning players, which lets them get to season-current content just that bit faster. Previously, this was a 50% boost that stopped at level 24—the past season's cap. Now it'll be a 100% boost that stops at level 39, just one level shy of the current phase's ceiling. 

Counter-Strike pros write open letter to Valve asking for default female skins, histrionic reaction shows why that's probably a good idea
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/counter-strike-pros-write-open-letter-to-valve-asking-for-default-female-skins-histrionic-reaction-shows-why-thats-probably-a-good-idea/
The Astralis Counter-Strike womens' team has released an open letter to developer Valve, asking for the game to include female skins as a default option in future. The letter was posted by team rifler Josefine Jensen, signed and shared by the other members of the roster (Aurora Lyngdal, Marie Toft, Anja Soelberg and Isabella Ferslev), and reads in part:
"We share the passion for Counter-Strike with millions of gamers world-wide and we love being a part of a truly global community. Unfortunately, we currently feel we are only guests at the party.
"Using a female agent skin costs extra, while default skins are all male. We don't know why it is so, but we know that it strikes us as being both unfair and a bit unwelcoming. It certainly feels that way and in some way it supports the sexism that we unfortunately still encounter."

Baldur's Gate 3 hotfix stops Minthara from just doing whatever the heck she wants
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/baldurs-gate/baldurs-gate-3-hotfix-stops-minthara-from-just-doing-whatever-the-heck-she-wants/
It's good when RPGs give your companions a bit of agency, but in the case of Baldur's Gate 3's Minthara, one of your more dastardly pals, a bug caused her to take that to extremes, sometimes refusing to follow the party, and sometimes refusing to leave it. Make up your mind!
Initially it was pretty tough to get Minthara to team up with you at all, unless you were an evil bastard who hates peaceful druids and refugees, but Larian has made it a bit easier for you to recruit her since launch. Even so, it's not all been plain sailing for Minthara stans. She's still causing trouble, and Larian's clocked an issue where she sometimes stops following the party in Act II and III, which isn't really what you want from a companion. Meanwhile, when she was meant to leave the party after being escorted out of Moonrise Towers, sometimes she just wouldn't. 
Both of these issues have been resolved in the game's latest hotfix, as explained in the update post. 

Aspyr admits 'mistake' of using uncredited mod in a trailer for its Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection, swears to the internet that the final game won't have any of that
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/aspyr-admits-mistake-of-using-uncredited-mod-in-a-trailer-for-its-star-wars-battlefront-classic-collection-swears-to-the-internet-that-the-final-game-wont-have-any-of-that/
Aspyr has denied that its upcoming Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection contains any "code or content" taken from sources the studio hasn't credited. In other words, Aspyr says no, we didn't steal anyone's mods for our game.

Embracer Group will reportedly sell Space Marine 2 studio Saber Interactive for $500 million
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/embracer-group-will-reportedly-sell-space-marine-2-studio-saber-interactive-for-dollar500-million/
A Bloomberg report says that Swedish holding company Embracer Group has reached a deal worth as much as $500 million to sell its Saber Interactive division to a group of private investors. The deal will make Saber Interactive a privately owned company, according to the report, with approximately 3,500 employees.

Destiny 2 is adding Back to the Future-style hoverboards and I doubt I'll ever ride a boring old Sparrow ever again
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/destiny-2-is-adding-back-to-the-future-style-hoverboards-and-i-doubt-ill-ever-ride-a-boring-old-sparrow-ever-again/
(...)
As part of today's This Week in Destiny blog, Bungie dropped the news that players are about to get a new type of personal transport: the Skimmer. It's the first time in the series' entire history that we've have had an alternative type of mount, with players standing on these Skimmers like surfboards rather than straddling them like the old and now terminally uncool Sparrows. 

Diablo 4's strongest builds won't be enough to prevail in its new 8-minute speedrun dungeon with leaderboards
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/diablo-4s-strongest-builds-wont-be-enough-to-prevail-in-its-new-8-minute-speedrun-dungeon-with-leaderboards/
Powerful gear won't be enough to climb the ranks in Diablo 4's upcoming speedrun dungeon, The Gauntlet.
Starting next week, The Gauntlet will offer a permanent challenge Diablo 4 hasn't had before: chasing a high score to climb the ranks in a leaderboard. Powerful gear will play a role, but it won't be enough to just blast through the dungeon once. You'll need to perfect an efficient route through it before the end of each week when everything resets.

Diablo 4's upcoming loot rework will be so massive Blizzard will let you playtest it early in its first PTR
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/diablo-4s-upcoming-loot-rework-will-be-so-massive-blizzard-will-let-you-playtest-it-early-in-its-first-ptr/
In a stream today, Blizzard said Diablo 4's next season "goes beyond the scope" of the massive changes it brought to the game in season 2 last year. And for the first time, you'll be able to play with all the new features before the season goes live via a playtest server in a few weeks.

Camelot Unchained, the MMO that raised more than $2.2M on Kickstarter in 2013, actually has a release target
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/camelot-unchained-the-mmo-that-raised-more-than-dollar22m-on-kickstarter-in-2013-actually-has-a-release-target/
Remember Camelot Unchained? A spiritual successor to the old Dark Age of Camelot MMO, it raised more than $2.2 million in a just-barely-successful 2013 Kickstarter campaign, but then fell way behind schedule through alpha and beta testing, and then basically fell off the map entirely. The last we heard of it was in 2020, when developer City State Entertainment managed to irritate backers by announcing plans for a new, entirely separate online game before the one they were supposed to be making was anywhere near complete.
But now it seems that things are finally starting to come together. In a press release (via MassivelyOP), the studio—now known as Unchained Entertainment—said that second online game, Final Stand: Ragnarok, is now going to be its first, as it's set to launch into early access (more on this later) in March, while Camelot Unchained is expected to finally arrive sometime in late 2025.