Yeah I should have - but for gameplay I scored it a 7 compared to the other versions where it was 10.

Which is why you see the first game being 3 points less.

Now that I remember, it was mainly the first game that had a lot of issues but the others had long loading times and FPS drops too.

Still it was playable lol

I never payed XX, my favourite one is everyone's usual darling, MS 3.

How did Sony manage to butcher that up so badly? I mean, I have the Wii version and that one doesn't have any slowdowns or anything like that.

Apparently its based upon the PS2 version which had the same exact issues.

Supposedly some people got it refunded for the PS4 version.

I got it for cheap - was like $6 when I got it - ironically its on sale right now for $4

Hello guys, here come the Monday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG starts the week with three new Limited Time Offers that will last 46 hours:

• Nebuchadnezzar gets a 50% deal: https://www.gog.com/en/game/nebuchadnezzar
• E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy - Single-Player Edition is 70% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/eye_divine_cybermancy
• And Willy Morgan and the Curse of Bone Town gets an 80% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/willy_morgan_and_the_curse_of_bone_town

Steam also has three new deals:

• The Early Access title TerraTech Worlds features a 30% discount until the 4th of August: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2313330/TerraTech_Worlds/
• A Plague Tale: Innocence is 80% off until August 6: https://store.steampowered.com/app/752590/A_Plague_Tale_Innocence/
• And Curious Expedition 2, that has a demo, has a 75% deal until August, 11th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1040230/Curious_Expedition_2/

And Fanatical also has three new deals for us:

• The Star Deal is DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT, 70% off. It started yesterday and will last another 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/death-stranding-director-s-cut
• Deep Silver puts its games on sale with up to 92% discounts during 6 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/deep-silver
• And the BYO Bento Bundle REDUX features 22 games to choose for your 3+, 5+ or 10+ bundle: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-bento-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Unofficial PC port now looks almost as good as the official PS5 version
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/marvels-spider-man-2-unofficial-pc-port-now-looks-almost-as-good-as-the-official-ps5-version/
Team Brazil has released a new version of its unofficial PC port of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. This version appears to be almost as good as the official PS5 version, and below you can find a comparison video between them.
For those wondering, the latest version of this unofficial PC port is V1.5.2. Like always, we won’t allow any links to it. Still, I’m pretty sure that most of you will be able to find it. All you have to do is a Google search and… well… that’s it. Just be careful with what you’ll be downloading though.
As we can see in this comparison, the unofficial PC port looks almost as good as the official PS5 version. Since the PC version can run at native 4K, it looks sharper than the PS5 version. And, as we’ve already showcased, it can run with 120fps, provided you have a high-end PC.
However, the PC version still lacks some shader and lighting effects. So, it’s not perfect yet. Let’s also not forget that this video compares a specific area. Other areas may lack even more shaders or may have various graphical glitches.
Not only that but Team Brazil has not implemented properly – at least yet – any Ray Tracing effects. Right now, the DX11 version appears to be the team’s main focus. Nevertheless, for an unofficial port, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 looks incredible on PC.
>> You’ll find the video in the article and it’s a tad over 10 minutes long.

Legend of Legaia Fan Remake Demo in Unreal Engine 5.3 Available for Download
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/legend-of-legaia-fan-remake-demo-in-unreal-engine-5-3-available-for-download/
YouTube’s ‘Lix Studios’ has been working on a fan remake of Legend of Legaia in Unreal Engine 5.3. And, last week, the artist shared a playable demo for it. Yes yes, you can download this demo and play it on your PC.
Going into more details, this demo took Lix Studios almost 8 months to create. According to the artist, the demo also has numerous Easter Eggs for players to discover.
What’s also cool is that the demo comes with a number of graphics settings to tweak. PC gamers can adjust the quality of Textures, Post-Process, Shadows, View Distance, Foliage, and more. The demo supports uncapped framerates, and it has support for dynamic resolution. Oh, there is also support for HDR.
You can go ahead and download the demo from this link. From what I know, the artist does not plan to remake the entire game. Instead, he will remake parts of the game in chapters.
>> The article has a less than 5 minutes video of the remake.

The Witcher 3 Next-Gen Just Got A Movement Overhaul Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/the-witcher-3-next-gen-just-got-a-movement-overhaul-mod/
Modder ‘zenlung’ has released an amazing movement overhaul mod for The Witcher 3 Next-Gen. The mod adds extra states between the vanilla running, jogging, and sprinting states. Moreover, it brings a RDR2-like sprinting mechanic to the game.
Going into more details, the Movement Overhaul Mod replaces the vanilla slow walk, walk, run, and sprint states with 9 different speeds. Moreover, it brings a 2-step speed variance in deep water walk animation with the sprint button.
Players can tap the sprint button (A or LS on a gamepad or L-Shift on keyboard) to gradually increase the movement speed. This works similarly to the sprinting in Red Dead Redemption 2. Players can also hold the sprint button to keep the speed stable. By releasing the sprint button, Geralt will gradually decrease his speed.
To showcase what this mod does, the modder shared the following video. So, be sure to watch it as it will demonstrate and explain all the changes.
>> The video is a bit over 2 minutes long.

Classic Far Cry gets unofficial support for multiplayer, including a Battle Royale Mode
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/classic-far-cry-gets-unofficial-support-for-multiplayer-including-a-battle-royale-mode/
The 3TOP TEAM has released a new version of Far Cry Advanced Version which adds support for multiplayer, including a Battle Royale Mode. Thanks to FCAV, you’ll now be able to play this classic Far Cry game with your friends. In other words, it’s a must for all old-school FPS fans.
For those unaware, Far Cry Advanced Version aims to fix the most known issues of the game, and make it more optimized. Its latest version brings multiplayer support to it, and it introduces a Battle Royale Mode.
Since this is an unofficial method to enable multiplayer, it will rely heavily on the amount of users that have installed it. If there are only a few PC gamers that use it, you may have a hard time finding matches. If, on the other hand, it goes viral, it will allow you to properly enjoy FC online.
>> Besides the link to the mod, the article also explains how to install it and has an over 10 minutes long AI voiced video.

'It's a soccer ball': Modders are already correcting Fallout: London's local lingo one sport at a time
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fallout/its-a-soccer-ball-modders-are-already-correcting-fallout-londons-local-lingo-one-sport-at-a-time/
After four years in development and one mod-breaking Fallout 4 next-gen update, Fallout: London has finally been released. Players flocked to the DLC-sized mod over the weekend, and despite some difficulties installing it, many are currently exploring everything that this new wasteland has to offer. 
But while it's brilliant to see the world of Fallout outside of its usual American setting, some players are having a tough time with all the colloquial differences. Someone's even created a mod with the sole purpose of changing all references to association football to its American name, soccer. 
"It's a soccer ball" was uploaded to Nexus mods over the weekend, and as you may guess, most users aren't seeing the funny side. "No, it's definitely a football," one player says."Only Americans incorrectly call it "Soccer" for some reason, what even is a "Soccer" lmao."
A few do acknowledge that this mod is pretty harmless, as it really doesn't affect anyone who doesn't want to use it. The mod's creator, who goes by GrumpyOldNord, even confirms that this should be taken with a grain of salt: "To be fair, I only tagged it as humor, joke, or just for fun." However, they do note that other users have since added unrealistic and horror tags. 
>> Leaving aside the heresy of this mod, the article lacks any media.

GAMING NEWS

EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 6 has been slammed with Negative Reviews on Steam due to its “hidden” requirement of an Epic Games account for online play [UPDATE]
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/earth-defense-force-6-has-been-slammed-with-negative-reviews-on-steam-due-to-its-hidden-requirement-of-an-epic-games-account-for-online-play/
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 6 has just been released on PC and it has immediately received Mostly Negative Reviews on Steam. The reason behind these negative reviews is a “hidden” requirement for an Epic Games account for playing online.
(...)
UPDATE:
SANDLOT has issued an update, revealing that it’s currently reviewing and planning changes to the specification that requires sign-in to Epic Games account. Although there is no ETA, the team will continue to work on it as we address the feedback we have received.
>> Is it PR talk or have sales numbers been lower than expected and are actually trying to do something? We’ll see.

Here are the PC requirements for Visions of Mana
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/here-are-the-pc-requirements-for-visions-of-mana/
Square Enix has revealed the official PC system requirements for Visions of Mana. Visions of Mana is a brand-new story and mainline entry to the Mana series that will hit the PC on August 29th. And, as we’ve reported, the game will be using the Denuvo anti-tamper tech.

New gameplay footage for Lost Soul Aside emerges at ChinaJoy 2024
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-gameplay-footage-for-lost-soul-aside-emerges-at-chinajoy-2024/
At ChinaJoy 2024, UltiZeroGames presented a new demo for its upcoming action RPG, Lost Soul Aside. So, below, you can find a video that showcases 8 minutes of gameplay from it.

World of Goo 2 releases on August 2nd and gets official PC requirements, but it won’t be available on Steam
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/world-of-goo-2-releases-on-august-2nd-and-gets-official-pc-requirements-but-it-wont-be-available-on-steam/
Tomorrow Corporation has announced that World of Goo 2 will be released on August 2nd. To celebrate this announcement, the publisher shared a new gameplay trailer, as well as the game’s official PC requirements.
As the title suggests, World of Goo 2 won’t be available on Steam. Instead, the game will be released on Epic Games Store and on its official website. The good news here though is that the version that will be available at the WorldOfGoo2 website will be DRM-free.

Kill The Shadow is a new narrative-driven detective puzzle game, PC demo available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/kill-the-shadow-is-a-narrative-driven-detective-puzzle-game-pc-demo-available-for-download/
663 Games has announced a new narrative-driven detective puzzle game, called Kill The Shadow. Developed by Shadowlight Sanctuary, Kill The Shadow takes place in the alternate post-war divided Dark Water City, where you will take on the role of Detective Ah’Guang.

KOEI TECMO shares first storyline details for DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/koei-tecmo-shares-first-storyline-details-for-dynasty-warriors-origins/
KOEI TECMO and Omega Force revealed the first storyline details of their upcoming 1 vs. 1,000 action game, DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS. Promising to deliver the most intense action of any Warriors title to date, DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS introduces fans to a heroic martial artist destined to overcome the immense odds as he fights his way through waves of enemies across the battlefields of the ancient Three Kingdoms.

Monday news, part two:

My favorite indie answer to the Elder Scrolls, Dread Delusion, just got a surprise final content update⁠—including a dungeon built inside the remains of a giant flying squid
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/my-favorite-indie-answer-to-the-elder-scrolls-dread-delusion-just-got-a-surprise-final-content-updateincluding-a-dungeon-built-inside-the-remains-of-a-giant-flying-squid/
Indie RPG Dread Delusion got its 1.0 release in May after two years of early access, but developer Lovely Hellplace had one more big addition left for the surreal adventure: a free "final content update" that focuses on Dread Delusion's endgame.

Date Everything is a dating sim with 100 fully voiced household objects to woo, such as a smoke alarm and a cabinet
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/visual-novel/date-everything-is-a-dating-sim-with-100-fully-voiced-household-objects-to-woo-such-as-a-smoke-alarm-and-a-cabinet/
Dating sims have let you date swords and pigeons and Colonel Sanders from KFC, but the dating sim-gularity had yet approached—only now we are arrived. Upcoming dating sim Date Everything will feature 100 fully-voiced household objects to romance, befriend, or even become enemies with. This is all thanks to a pair of magic glasses that let your character interact with the things in their home as if they were people.
>> The article features the trailer of the game, in case you want to know more.

After 3,878 days in early access, zombie survival game 7 Days to Die finally releases
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/after-3878-days-in-early-access-zombie-survival-game-7-days-to-die-finally-releases/
Veteran zombie survival game 7 Days to Die has released out of Early Access after more than 11.5 years of availability on Steam. It's from, you know, back when Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball was a charting hit and Barack Obama was the US president. The now "finished" game adds new high definition character models, a new system of player armor and clothing, new animal models, a new challenge system to replace tutorials and quests, new models for vehicles, a spate of improvements for randomly generated worlds, over 75 new points of interest to explore, new zombie model variants, tweaks to character progression, a lighting update, and many, many optimizations to game code.

Survival RTS Cataclismo added a sandbox mode, because sometimes we just want to make our silly little castles in peace
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/survival-rts-cataclismo-added-a-sandbox-mode-because-sometimes-we-just-want-to-make-our-silly-little-castles-in-peace/
In our Cataclismo preview earlier this month, we enthused about the survival RTS's toolset for meticulous base-building, which lets our inner Lego kids delight in the delicate, piece-by-piece placement of masonry, merlons, and murder holes. In fact, the building is so satisfying that the lack of a sandbox mode was one of our few sticking points. Good news: Cataclismo lacks no longer.

Actors' union 'not happy' about GTA 6 strike exemption, but confirms it's in the contract: 'Insane, but it's there'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/grand-theft-auto/actors-union-not-happy-about-gta-6-strike-exemption-but-confirms-its-in-a-contract-insane-but-its-there/
Videogame actors are on strike: The approximately 160,000-member SAG-AFTRA union says that major game makers have refused to include sufficient protections against generative AI in their contracts. The game makers disagree, and for now, the parties are at an impasse.
(...)
GTA 6 and many other games are exempt from the strike, because it doesn't affect games that started production over a year ago, according to statements from the union and the game makers, which were acquired by Kotaku.

Every ARPG needs a good endgame, and for No Rest for the Wicked, it's a roguelite that just got a huge update
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/every-arpg-needs-a-good-endgame-and-for-no-rest-for-the-wicked-its-a-roguelite-that-just-got-a-huge-update/
No Rest for the Wicked, the Early Access ARPG from the developers behind Ori and the Blind Forest, just got its first major content update since release, and it's a big one.

Valley Peaks trades Getting Over It's frustration for cozy frog vibes, but keeps you climbing
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/valley-peaks-trades-getting-over-its-frustration-for-cozy-frog-vibes-but-keeps-you-climbing/
Valley Peaks, which released on Steam this week, is a cozy first-person platformer where you play as a frog tasked with climbing mountains and installing radio transmitters on them. It's on sale for the first two weeks, 10% off until August 7. 

Activision secretly experimented on 50% of Call of Duty players by 'decreasing' skill-based matchmaking, and determined players like SBMM even if they don't know it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/activision-secretly-experimented-on-50-of-call-of-duty-players-by-decreasing-skill-based-matchmaking-and-determined-players-like-sbmm-even-if-they-don-t-know-it/
If you ever find yourself in the middle of an argument about Call of Duty and want to toss a tank of gasoline on the fire, recite these four letters in order: S-B-M-M. Skill-based matchmaking is the invisible system by which Call of Duty, as well as most modern multiplayer games, match you with similarly-skilled players so that every matchup is as fair as possible.
(...)
Activision has historically stayed on the sidelines during these debates, but that changed earlier this year when the publisher finally lifted the veil on how matchmaking works in every modern Call of Duty game, and explaining its reasoning for choosing SBMM. Building on that, today the company published the second in a series of white papers diving deep (and I mean terminology tables and multi-format graphs deep) on matchmaking.

Grand strategy fans gobsmacked by this outrageously detailed Holy Roman Empire map from the unannounced Europa Universalis 5
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/grand-strategy-fans-gobsmacked-by-this-outrageously-detailed-holy-roman-empire-map-from-the-unannounced-europa-universalis-5/
Every week for the past few months the developers at Paradox Tinto have been posting developer diaries and in-progress map screenshots from the game that everyone knows is Europa Universalis 5, but which for now they're just calling Project Caesar.
This week was a big one, as yesterday's Tinto  Maps post was the grand heart of early modern Europe: The Holy Roman Empire. Historical strategy fans long knew that this would be an immense undertaking at the level of fidelity which EU5 intends... but I don't think anyone truly saw this coming.

Blizzard politely tells Hearthstone players their game isn't dead just because it's not getting a new cosmetic board this expansion
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/card-games/blizzard-politely-tells-hearthstone-players-their-game-isnt-dead-just-because-its-not-getting-a-new-cosmetic-board-this-expansion/
Earlier this month Hearthstone players were surprised, and some were more than a little upset, to discover that upcoming expansion Perils in Paradise would not have its own custom game board, the background on which a Hearthstone match is played. It quickly led to many doom-and-gloom predictions that this was the beginning of the end for Hearthstone, the start of a degradation of service t hat would lead to its cancellation—like Blizzard's Heroes of the Storm before it.
Blizzard's development team has now responded by pretty much saying "We're not dying, honest." Instead Blizzard wants Hearthstone players to know that it's pivoting a bit on how Hearthstone updates are made while shifting some resources to other parts of Hearthstone, like player personalization—not to other projects entirely.

And here’s the third part of the Monday news:

Abstract factory-building sequel Shapez 2 will release in August
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/abstract-factory-game-sequel-shapez-2-will-release-in-august/
Hope you're ready to build some huge factories, because Shapez 2 is set to release in Early Access on August 15, 2024. The sequel to the previous hit factory-building game takes the simple, flat graphics of the prior and replaces them entirely with a massive 3D spacefield to fill with an infinitely large factory dedicated to one purpose: Making very specific shapes and then throwing them into a huge swirling abyss.

The Behemoth will update Castle Crashers, Battleblock Theater, and more
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-behemoth-will-update-castle-crashers-battleblock-theater-and-more/
Indie studio The Behemoth has announced a slate of updates and releases for its older games. The 20-some-year old development team will revisit its games Castle Crashers and Battleblock theater in particular. Castle Crashers will get a new DLC and a visual revamp. Battleblock Theater will get a nebulously-named "Quality of Life Update" which I think we can safely assume will include some quality of life updates for the now decade-old game.

Mortal Kombat 1 is getting animalities, the T-1000, Conan, and Ghostface from Scream
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fighting/mortal-kombat-1-is-getting-animalities-the-t-1000-conan-and-ghostface-from-scream/
I do like a NetherRealm fighting game story mode, and the upcoming expansion for Mortal Kombat 1, Khaos Reigns, is adding to the narrative with the return of Havik—though this time, a Havik from an alternate timeline. I don't expect to understand what's going on, but I do expect to see a bunch of gratuitous slow-motion martial arts and eviscerations, and that's always a good time.
The Khaos Reigns expansion also comes with Kombat Pack 2, adding several more fighters. Some are reimagined versions of returning characters seen in the story mode: Noob Saibot, Cyrax, and Sektor. It also comes with three crossover guest fighters: Conan the Barbarian (based on the version played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movies), Ghostface from the Scream series, and the T-1000 from Terminator 2.

Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford says he hasn't 'done a good enough job of hiding' the studio's next project, pretty much immediately confirms it's Borderlands
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/gearbox-ceo-randy-pitchford-says-he-hasn-t-done-a-good-enough-job-of-hiding-the-studio-s-next-project-immediately-pretty-much-confirms-it-s-borderlands/
Borderlands is a funny old series—one I have plenty of affection for, clumsy story aside. Its formula hasn't changed much in the past few years, ignoring the industry landslide of looter shooters all becoming live service games in favour of your bog-standard ARPG model, sans some expansion packs and class additions along the way.
Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford, naturally, has a lot of affection for it too. So much so, in fact, that he appears to have said too much and all but-confirmed a new Borderlands game is in the pipeline with details coming soon, stopping short of a wink wink, nudge nudge.

Remnant 2 announces plans for its 3rd DLC: The Dark Horizon—and it'll be chucking in a free game mode and 'progression system' to boot
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/remnant-2-announces-plans-for-its-3rd-dlc-the-dark-horizon-and-it-ll-be-chucking-in-a-free-game-mode-and-progression-system-to-boot/
Remnant 2 rules. I've not talked about (or played) it in a while, mind, but that's because it's not a game that overstays its welcome, nor does it string you along with battle passes and endless mandatory FOMO grinds. It's just a very competent, imaginative soulslikey shoot-'em-up ARPG that sees you gunning through multiple worlds, packed with some excellent build variety.
It's also received two generous DLCs—The Awakened King and The Forgotten Kingdom. Now the third one's on its way, and it's called The Dark Horizon. In the same way that Remnant 2's last two expansions further developed the base game's worlds of Yaesha and Losomn, The Dark Horizon will take place in the already-existing science fiction horrorscape N'Erud—a place that wears its Ridley Scott influences on its sleeve.

Fallout: New Vegas designer slams unrealistic release dates that 'burn out and demoralize the developers' as he shares tips on how to spot when a game needs more time in the oven
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fallout/fallout-new-vegas-designer-slams-unrealistic-release-dates-that-burn-out-and-demoralize-the-developers-as-he-shares-tips-on-how-to-spot-when-a-game-needs-more-time-in-the-oven/
Game development is a tricky business, and one consequence of this is that games often take longer to make than anticipated. The nature of the creative process means such delays are not always avoidable, but according to writer and designer Josh Sawyer, known for games like Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity, and medieval detective sim Pentiment, there are ways to identify when a game is going to get kicked down the calendar, and therefore set better expectations to avoid unnecessary stress, and overwork.

One last note: We’ll see if something changes, but right now it looks like I won’t be able to make the news tomorrow.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 to be in short supply in China next month due to lack of GDDR6X memory

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4070-to-be-in-short-supply-in-china-next-month-due-to-lack-of-gddr6x-memory

Was Ryzen 9000 delayed over a simple typo? AMD Ryzen 9 9700X spotted

https://videocardz.com/newz/was-ryzen-9000-delayed-over-a-simple-typo-amd-ryzen-9-9700x-spotted

AMD launches Ryzen AI 300 Zen5 “Strix Point” mobile series, first reviews now available

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-launches-ryzen-ai-300-zen5-strix-point-mobile-series-first-reviews-now-available

NVIDIA Showcases Real-Time Neural Materials Models, Offering Up To 24x Shading Speedup

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-real-time-neural-materials-models-up-to-24x-shading-speedup/

AMD Launches Fluid Motion Frames 2 With AI Optimization, Performance Enhancements, Low-Latency Frame-Gen, RX 6000 & RX 7000 GPU Support

https://wccftech.com/amd-fluid-motion-frames-2-ai-optimization-performance-enhancements-low-latency-frame-gen/

From the looks of it, it seems very efficient and quite powerful, beating the 8940HS by about 10% in performance while consuming much less - and pushes the Intel offerings into "also ran" territory.

Now I'll wait to see a Laptop with this chip that can actually use those 54W TDP to see what it's fully capable off, I feel the 28W is cutting it's legs short quite a bit, especially when it comes to the GPU.

Too bad however that it doesn't support SO-DIMMs anymore. I hope they'll come later with CAMM2 support instead, that would at least allow some memory extension (and with a fast memory, too!)

I very much doubt the delay for Zen5 processors is because of a typo. Sure, that could cause some confusion among buyers, but it doesn't explain the delay for review samples as a simple email explaining the mistake and that it would be fixed in retail products would be more than enough.

It's a weird error, but not the main cause of the delay.