The 7650GRE is pretty piss poor effort and a pointless GPU in general. I get it... Chinese targeted part.
But price/performance hasn't really shifted.

Hopefully the 9060 is a more compelling part.

Hopefully so. Because right now, unless the 9070XT performs like the 5080, people will pick the 5070Ti over AMD's card for brand recognition and the proven and widely adopted DLSS.

Well, considering some 5080 have an announced selling price of over $1800 despite the MSRP being almost half that (and pretty much all non-FE cards were at least $1300), I wouldn't give much to those prices just yet.

The Monday news, part one:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has almost hit 2 million sales, a 'reminder' to parent company Embracer 'to bring great products to the market'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/kingdom-come-deliverance-2-has-almost-hit-2-million-sales-a-reminder-to-parent-company-embracer-to-bring-great-products-to-the-market/
As reported by VGC, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is nearing two million units sold across all platforms just under two weeks after it hit one million on its launch day alone. This has apparently "reminded" developer Warhorse's parent company, The Embracer Group, that selling good games that people like and want to buy is an important part of the business.
“The success of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a reminder of our core⁠—to bring great products to the market,” Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors said in response to the news. “High-quality teams need to have the resources and the time to execute their visions. When you have the right teams, this trust benefits everyone, including gamers, employees, and shareholders. I am convinced that we will remain among the industry leaders in our core business verticals in the future.”
Which is the kind of observation that should seem obvious to anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the industry, but is rapidly becoming a radical stance among the C-suite set as the experienced teams behind beloved games are forced to crunch on ill-considered projects outside their expertise or interest areas, then shut down when those games inevitably flop. Embracer's own Daedalic Entertainment had a good thing going making 2D adventure games before it was tasked with the now-infamous licensed triple-A action-adventure, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. Daedalic has since laid off a third of its staff and pivoted away from developing its own games entirely.

France's biggest game industry union puts together a 'Grève Bundle' to support striking workers
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/frances-biggest-game-industry-union-puts-together-a-greve-bundle-to-support-striking-workers/
Workers in France's videogame industry took part in a nationwide one-day strike yesterday, and to help cover their lost wages the Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Jeu Vidéo (STJV) union has put together a Grève {"Strike") Bundle on Itch.io, offering a mix of more than 50 games, digital books, and other material for $10.
The strike was in protest of "layoffs and exhausting working conditions" in the game industry, and saw more than 1,000 people take part across the country. While there have been strikes at individual French studios in the past, this is apparently the first-ever industry-wide strike, according to an RFI report, and comes as the industry continues to grapple with layoffs, studio closures, and other labor disputes. As of 2022, there were 580 game studios in France.

To celebrate the launch of the latest game in the series, GOG brings the Trails Series Sale 2025, with up to 60% discounts until the end of the month: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20250214_trails_series_sale.

Steam has these deals:

• Publisher DON'T NOD celebrates the upcoming release of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage with a sale featuring games up to 80% off. The length of the deals vary, with some lasting until the 21st and others until the 28th of February: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33977966/sale/dontnod2025
• Lucky Tower Ultimate, still in Early Access, will be 20% off until the 23rd of February: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1700270/Lucky_Tower_Ultimate/
• The Trails Series Sale 2025 is also here on Steam with up to 60% discounts and will also last until the 28th of February: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32623015/sale/trails2025
• Publisher Frogwares puts its games up to 90% off until the 28th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/frogwares2025
• Sorry We're Closed, that has a demo, gets a 25% discount until the 2nd of March: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1796580/Sorry_Were_Closed/
• The Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga Deluxe Edition, with the game and DLC will be 55% off until March 2 (the game alone is 65% off): https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/34522/Symphony_of_War_The_Nephilim_Saga_Deluxe_Edition/

Humble Bundle presents the Deckbuilder Bonanza Bundle, with up to 6 games to get during 18 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/deckbuilder-bonanza.

Fanatical starts the week strong with the Gaming Legends Sale and also the following deals:

• The new Star Deal is Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition, with a 78% deal during 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/monster-hunter-world-iceborne-master-edition
• The last of the Bundlefest bundles is NeuroVoider - Deluxe Edition, with the game and DLC at a 18% discount during 6 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/neurovoider-deluxe-edition
• And there are four Publisher Sales:
  • Plug In Digital puts its games on sale with up to 92% discounts during 6 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/plug-in-digital
  • Team 17 has its games up to 91% off during 7 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/team17-digital-ltd
  • 11bit Studios puts its games up to 92% off for the next 7 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/11-bit-studios
  • And Aspyr has up to 95% discounts during 7 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/aspyr

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Epic gave away nearly 600 million games in 2024, and it's 'not slowing down' for 2025
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/epic-gave-away-nearly-600-million-games-in-2024-and-its-not-slowing-down-for-2025/
With 2024 now well behind us, the Epic Games Store has shared its annual look back at the year that was. On the whole, it sounds like a pretty good year for Epic, which saw the number of games on its store, and the number of people using it, both take big jumps.
The Epic Games Store rang up 295 million users in 2024, an increase over 2023 of 25 million, and the "Epic ecosystem" grew as well, to 898 million "total Epic cross-platform accounts," up by 94 million from the 2023 number. What really surprised me, though, is that 1,100 new games were released on Epic in 2024, taking the total number of games on the storefront to over 4,000. Frankly, I didn't realize there were 1,100 games on the Epic Store in total.
(...)
Epic also shared a rundown of its top PC games in 2024, and while specific numbers aren't included it's interesting to see how they break down across three separate categories. Farming Simulator 2022 raised my eyebrow, but 2023 and '24 editions weren't released, and the most recent version, Farming Simulator 2025, didn't come out until mid-November 2024.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth gets a 21GB Texture Pack that enhances 98% of the interiors, overhauling around 14000 textures
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/final-fantasy-7-rebirth-gets-a-21gb-texture-pack-that-enhances-98-of-the-interiors-overhauling-around-14000-textures/
Modder ‘Romi’ is back with another must-have Texture Pack for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. This pack is 21GB in size and covers 98% of the game’s interiors, overhauling around 14000 textures.
To showcase some of the new textures, the modder shared the following comparison screenshots. So, be sure to check them out as they can give you a pretty good idea of what you can expect from it.

Here’s Skyrim with 3500+ mods at 8K on an NVIDIA RTX 5090
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/heres-skyrim-with-3500-mods-at-8k-on-an-nvidia-rtx-5090/
YouTube’s ‘Digital Dreams’ has shared a video, showcasing a heavily modified version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim running at 8K on an NVIDIA RTX 5090. So, let’s see whether this new high-end GPU can handle Skyrim with over 3500 mods.
To capture this video, Digital Dreams used an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D with 64GB of RAM and an NVIDIA RTX 5090. Moreover, the YouTuber included a Performance Tab, meaning that we can see how the game actually runs on this specific PC system.
As we can see, the game runs with an average of 55FPS. The minimum framerate is at around 40FPS in forest areas. On the other hand, in less demanding areas, the game can run with 60FPS.
In theory, Skyrim would benefit from Smooth Motion. From what I can tell, Digital Dreams did not enable it. Since the base framerate is above 40FPS, Smooth Motion should do a pretty good job at improving overall performance.
It’s also worth noting that Digital Dreams has shared the list of mods he has used. So, if you want to make Skyrim look like what you see in this video, you can download the modlist from this link.
>> The article has an over 10 minutes video.

New Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Mod Enables Async Compute
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/new-kingdom-come-deliverance-2-mod-enables-async-compute/
Modder ‘ChemBoy1’ has released a must-have mod for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 that enables Async Compute. By enabling Async Compute, you’ll get a better performance in this game without any drawbacks whatsoever.
Async Compute basically lets the render pipeline run tasks asynchronously rather than synchronously. This can help the GPU finish rendering frames in a shorter time, thus improving your framerate.
I’ve tried the mod and I can confirm that it does boost overall performance. At Native 4K/Experimental Settings, I was getting 66/75FPS on my NVIDIA RTX 5090. After installing the mod, I got 71/80FPS (which is around 6-7% better performance).
With DLSS Quality Mode at 4K, I was having 82/91FPS without the mod. With the mod, I was having 90/101FPS. That’s an 11% performance increase.
In short, yes. This mod works. It will improve your overall performance. And no, I did not experience any issues with it. Everything looked and felt exactly the same. So, as I said, this is a must-have mod for everyone.
>> The article has no media.

The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal is another DLC-sized mod for Skyrim
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/the-gray-cowl-of-nocturnal-is-another-dlc-sized-mod-for-skyrim/
Modder ‘MannyGT’ has released a new version of his The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal fan expansion for Skyrim: Special Edition. This DLC-sized mod packs over 8 hours of new gameplay. So, make sure to download it if you are currently playing it.
Going into more details, the mod contains many new assets like new meshes, new sounds, new textures and new voices. You’ll see new dungeons, new houses and new landscapes. Most of these 3D assets were created by MannyGT himself.
As said, this is a DLC-sized mod. In total, you can expect 8-15 hours of gameplay time. And this right here is the reason why Skyrim will never die. As long as modders release new fan expansions for it, players will keep enjoying it. In a way, this reminds me of the mods we were getting back for Quake 2. Ah, those were the good days.
>> There’s an over 2 minutes video in the article.

Maybe I'll finally stop getting lost in Fallout: New Vegas' Bison Steve Hotel thanks to this new minimap mod
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fallout/maybe-ill-finally-stop-getting-lost-in-fallout-new-vegas-bison-steve-hotel-thanks-to-this-new-minimap-mod/
Earlier this month, modder Stentorious on the New Vegas Nexus graced us with one of those "oh my god, why hadn't somebody done this already" quality of life tweaks for Obsidian's open world classic: Modern Minimap, a handy, legible minimap for navigating the Mojave's twistiest interiors.
New Vegas' floating quest markers are good enough for navigating most of the time, but if you're looking for something outside the bounds of quest objectives, some of the game's areas can be a bit of a bear to orient yourself in. The Bison Steve Hotel's upper floors, with their samey rooms and collapsed passageways, immediately spring to mind for me. Freeside and its neighbors are pretty bad offenders as well, split up as they are into multiple separate, nested loading zones.
And New Vegas' local map on the Pip Boy pause screen, inherited from Fallout 3, is practically no help. The faint outlines of navigable paths and obstacles blend together with a confounding amount of clutter and visual noise on the monochrome screen, making the slight delay of bringing up the Pip Boy to orient yourself always feel like wasted time.
The Modern Minimap mod thankfully works with the Local Map Overhaul to help with all of those problems, presenting a far cleaner, more legible output than New Vegas' default while still fitting the retro-futurist Pip Boy aesthetic, and all without having to pause your game. Modern Minimap has two versions, with minimalist and maximalist approaches to icons and other features. I'd probably stick to the "Lite" version, but I'm a bit of a purist stickler when it comes to mods. Modern Minimap has a fair number of dependencies that you'll also have to download, but some of them, like NVSE and Johnny Guitar, are essential addons you should always just grab by default when reinstalling New Vegas.
>> The article has a three minutes video.

Dark Messiah of Might and Magic gets co-op mode and extra content thanks to the mod community's collaboration with Ubisoft: 'To see it all come together has been very emotional for us'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/dark-messiah-of-might-and-magic-gets-co-op-mode-and-extra-content-thanks-to-the-mod-communitys-collaboration-with-ubisoft-to-see-it-all-come-together-has-been-very-emotional-for-us/
I never cease to be amazed at the modding community's ability to make PC games bigger, better, and in many cases weirder. But the love shown by modder KingDavidW to Arkane's pre-Dishonored hack 'n' slash Dark Messiah of Might and Magic goes above and beyond. As recently outlined in a lengthy update on ModDB, KingDavidW has been actively working with Ubisoft—Dark Messiah's publisher—and Nvidia to bring a swathe of mods and modding tools to the 2006 action game. Now, that collaboration has begun to yield fruit.
KingDavidW leads with details regarding the collaboration between themselves and Ubisoft/Nvidia, which feeds into numerous mods currently being created by the game's modding community. "The official support we've had from the Ubisoft and Nvidia partnership has allowed us to reach heights we never thought we could in our work here," he writes, noting that "Our contacts at Ubisoft have been fighting for us to bring everything we can think of to this amazing community".
One of the ways Ubisoft has assisted the modders is with restoring cut content to Dark Messiah, which is the new aim of the suitably titled "Dark Messiah: Restoration Mod". KingDavidW explains this mod was originally limited to fixing "gameplay related bugs" such as buggy ropes, level soft-locks and "the dreaded French keyboard popup", a phrase that sounds like a particularly difficult magic trick.
However, Ubisoft provided access to some "amazing assets" from Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Element, the Xbox 360 version of the game. "Within that there was a load of cut content never before seen In Dark Messiah." Now, the Restoration mod provides access to bonus missions, alternate levels, a "cut level" from Dark Messiah called The Caves, and several cut weapons such as the "Sword of Misery or the Necromancer Staff".
Alongside this cut content, Ubisoft is also helping the modders work on an "advanced SDK", which KingDavidW hopes will result in a release within "the next few months instead of the end of the year." As for Nvidia's assistance, KingDavidW doesn't specify precisely how the company has helped. Presumably it has to do with the Dark Messiah RTX mod the community is working on. This remains heavily in development, as it requires reworking models and textures which KingDavidW says take "extremely long to make". The community has put together a trailer showing the mod's progress so far, which you can view below:
**shorter than 2 minutes video here**
Finally, the modders have sort-of released a cooperative mod for Dark Messiah. This is still technically unfinished and hasn't been added to ModDB yet, but the modders have made it available on Github for public testing,. KingDavidW says that "all the main kinks should be ironed out for a playable experience" but that the team needs to "refine" the levels to make them ideal for co-op play. Regardless, I can easily imagine how much fun Dark Messiah must be in co-op, what with its bevy of physics-based traps and spells. Who fancies a game of keepie-uppies with a ragdoll orc?

GAMING NEWS

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl Patch 1.2.1 Released & Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/stalker-2-heart-of-chornobyl-patch-1-2-1-released-detailed/
Yesterday, GSC GameWorld released a massive new update for STALKER 2. And today, the devs pushed another small one. So, let’s see what this new update brings to the table.
Title Update 1.2.1 is dedicated mostly to fixing crashes, including those on loading save files. As such, the game will now be more stable on your PC system. Moreover, it won’t longer crash upon loading saves.

9 minutes of gameplay from the third-person post-apocalyptic survival horror game, M.I.N.S.K.
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/9-minutes-of-gameplay-from-the-third-person-post-apocalyptic-survival-horror-game-m-i-n-s-k/
YouTube’s ‘Punish’ has shared a video, showcasing 9 minutes of gameplay from the new third-person post-apocalyptic survival horror game, M.I.N.S.K. This is an indie game that appears to be using Unreal Engine 5. Or at least that’s the vibe I get from the video.

Here’s how you can somewhat fix the awful mouse camera in NINJA GAIDEN 2 Black
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/heres-how-you-can-somehow-fix-the-awful-mouse-camera-in-ninja-gaiden-2-black/
After finishing Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, I’ve decided to play NINJA GAIDEN 2 Black. And man, its default mouse camera movement is among the worst I’ve ever seen. Thankfully, though, there is a way to somewhat fix it and make the game playable with KB&M.

Get ready for the second part of the news:

Nightdive's spent 6 years on its update of System Shock 2, so it's now the '25th Anniversary Remaster' and will finally announce its release date on March 20
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/nightdives-spent-6-years-on-its-update-of-system-shock-2-so-its-now-the-25th-anniversary-remaster-and-will-finally-announce-its-release-date-on-march-20/
Being, as I am, a fashionable man with his finger on the pulse, interested in only the latest and greatest that the videogame world has to offer, the game I'm probably most excited about this year is System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition. That's Nightdive's remaster (not remake, let's be clear) of the original 1999 classic, one of my favourite games of all time. If Nightdive can do for SS2 what it did for System Shock 1 in its enhanced edition of that, I'll be very happy.
Except it's not called System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition anymore, apparently. It's just unveiled itself as System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster, which is a pretty nice way of spinning the six years since it was announced all the way back in 2019. When life gives you lemons, make the lemonade look like it was your plan all along.

Presumably much to Miyazaki's dismay, Elden Ring Nightreign is decidedly void of poison swamps: 'Maybe no one wanted to include it'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/presumably-much-to-miyazakis-dismay-elden-ring-nightreign-is-decidedly-void-of-poison-swamps-maybe-no-one-wanted-to-include-it/
As we know all too well at this point, Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki freaking loves a poison swamp. They've become a staple of FromSoftware's environments, a lovely poisonous debuff enveloping you while scraggly little creatures try to chip away at your health even further. Back in 2022, he said he "rediscovered" his love for a good old toxic bog, adding "I know how people feel about them but I suddenly realize I'm in the middle of making one and I can't help myself. It just happens."
He then admitted last year that maybe he went a little overboard with chucking them in every single game, though of course there was still one in Shadow of the Erdtree. One upcoming FromSoft game that notably doesn't include a poison swamp, however, is Elden Ring's roguelike spinoff Nightreign.

Dark and Darker developer did not commit copyright infringement, court rules, but has to pay Nexon nearly $6 million anyway
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/dark-and-darker-developer-did-not-commit-copyright-infringement-court-rules-but-has-to-pay-nexon-nearly-usd6-million-anyway/
A South Korean court has ruled that Dark and Darker developer Ironmace did not commit copyright infringement against Nexon, according to a Korea Times report. But Ironmace is going to have to fork over some bucks anyway, because the court also ruled that it did infringe on Nexon's trade secrets.

Just two weeks after launch, 'extraction survival horror' game Level Zero: Extraction ends development: 'It's no longer feasible for our relatively small teams to sustain the game'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/just-two-weeks-after-launch-extraction-survival-horror-game-level-zero-extraction-ends-development-its-no-longer-feasible-for-our-relatively-small-teams-to-sustain-the-game/
Just two weeks after launching on Steam, "multiplayer extraction survival horror" shooter Level Zero: Extraction has reached the end of the road. In a message posted to Steam, community manager Antishyr said the game has "underperformed compared to our expectations," and thus "it's no longer feasible for our relatively small teams to sustain the game from a financial standpoint."

'We should be a little scared of what we're putting out there': Overwatch 2 lead designer says hero perks are about 'letting go' of perfect balance
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/we-should-be-a-little-scared-of-what-were-putting-out-there-overwatch-2-lead-designer-says-hero-perks-are-about-letting-go-of-perfect-balance/
This week, Blizzard threw a curveball at Overwatch 2 fans just a few months shy of its ninth anniversary. As of next week, Overwatch 2's static heroes will level up throughout a match with mini-skill trees. Blizzard calls them perks, and based on my playtime with them, they're the single largest shakeup of Overwatch's format since 5v5—one perk lets Mercy's blue beam change to two allies at all times, another gives Reaper an entirely secondary fire, and my favorite trades Orisa's javelin spin for a barrier, letting her pivot to a defensive tank role.
While it's natural to question if Overwatch's pivot to mid-game power ups is a direct response to Marvel Rivals' team-up abilities that can similarly elevate heroes, Overwatch 2 lead gameplay designer Alec Dawson told a roundtable of press at Blizzard's Irvine campus this week that perks were in the works long before Rivals was the new hero shooter hotness. That said, the motivation ultimately came from a growing feeling that Overwatch was at risk of stagnating.

Indie FPS developer targets content creators who take undisclosed payments from rival developers and then dunk on his game: 'You and I will have legal problems'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/indie-fps-developer-targets-content-creators-who-take-undisclosed-payments-from-rival-developers-and-then-dunk-on-his-game-you-and-i-will-have-legal-problems/
The developer of independent military shooter Operation: Harsh Doorstop has waded into the thorny topic of streamers and YouTubers getting paid for positive coverage of video games, taking specific issue with content creators who accept large payments for producing positive reviews of one game, then disparage other, similar games that they haven't been paid directly to review.
Connor Drake, Operation: Harsh Doorstop's lead developer, who goes by the online monicker BlueDrake42, posted a "warning" on X last week (via GamesRadar) to "every content creator", in light of an imminent update to his game. "If you have taken over $10,000 USD in payments from studios we compete with in the last 12 months and you don't disclose that in any 'review', you create about our game, then you and I will have legal problems."
>> It feels like he’s asking for trouble. Not that he’s wrong, tho.

Planet Coaster 2's latest update adds synchronised rides, customisable video billboards, and stops guests suffering from perpetual panic
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/planet-coaster-2s-latest-update-adds-synchronised-rides-customisable-video-billboards-and-stops-guests-suffering-from-perpetual-panic/
Planet Coaster 2 has been quietly expanding its virtual theme parks since the sequel launched last November. Just before Christmas, the game's first major update enhanced the simulation of its new flume rides, and improved the user interface—one of the main sources of criticism from the community on launch. Now, a second update has splashed down into Planet Coaster 2's glittering pools, letting you create your own video billboards for your park, as well as the advertisements played on them.

We can't have Bloodborne on PC but we can have Mudborne, a thematically similar game about breeding frogs
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/we-cant-have-bloodborne-on-pc-but-we-can-have-mudborne-a-thematically-similar-game-about-breeding-frogs/
Awoken from a long hibernation, you find the pond abandoned and ruined. Through genetic manipulation of local frogs and plants you must restore your world, solving puzzles across frog generations in order to meet odd little goals—a bit of mad science experimentation along the way is encouraged. It's not Bloodborne, it's Mudborne, which is set to release in March.

Monster Hunter producer says 'There are more players than ever playing on PC, including in Japan,' and that the series' handheld wilderness years prepared them for Wilds' day 1 PC launch and crossplay
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/monster-hunter-producer-says-there-are-more-players-than-ever-playing-on-pc-including-in-japan-and-that-the-series-handheld-wilderness-years-prepared-them-for-wilds-day-1-pc-launch-and-crossplay/
Speaking with GamesRadar, Monster Hunter Wilds producer Ryozo Tsujimoto talked about Capcom's evolving stance toward PC gamers, and some of what it took to make Monster Hunter Wilds a simultaneous launch on all platforms with crossplay.

Former EA exec says the ailing mega-publisher missed a chance to snag Blizzard and other heavy hitters before Activision: 'EA saw all those first and passed on all of them'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/former-ea-exec-says-the-ailing-mega-publisher-missed-a-chance-to-snag-blizzard-and-other-heavy-hitters-before-activision-ea-saw-all-those-first-and-passed-on-all-of-them/
As reported by IGN, former EA chief creative officer Bing Gordon revealed on a recent Grit podcast appearance that the company had turned down opportunities to own Call of Duty and Guitar Hero, and even acquire Blizzard. Gordon was speaking to former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, whose company wound up capitalizing on all of those games.

Lae'zel's voice actor Devora Wilde also auditioned for Shadowheart, Karlach, 'And probably Astarion?'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/baldurs-gate/laezels-voice-actor-devora-wilde-also-auditioned-for-shadowheart-karlach-and-probably-astarion/
GINX TV's video series The Games That Made Me has featured interviews with several cast members of Baldur's Gate 3, including Astarion actor Neil Newbon, who talked about his work on Fallout London. The latest is with Devora Wilde, who plays Lae'zel with such snarling ferocity it's tough to imagine her as any of the other characters. And yet, as she told GINX, she auditioned for several roles in Larian's romance-em-up.

Metal Eden is a movement-shooter that looks like cyberpunk Doom Eternal
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/metal-eden-is-a-movement-shooter-that-looks-like-cyberpunk-doom-eternal/
Buried in the onslaught of Sony's State of Play announcements—a scattershot blast of Too Much Videogame I'm still tweezering out pellets of—was the announcement of Metal Eden. Being developed by Polish studio Reikon, who formerly made birdseye action game Ruiner, Metal Eden's only been seen briefly before, back when it was codenamed Final Form.

Mintrocket's director is delighted to bring Like a Dragon's Ichiban into Dave the Diver, 'It's been a dream of mine to invite these iconic characters into Dave’s world'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/mintrockets-director-is-delighted-to-bring-like-a-dragons-ichiban-into-dave-the-diver-its-been-a-dream-of-mine-to-invite-these-iconic-characters-into-daves-world/
Normally I feel about brand crossovers the same way I feel about poutine. Gravy and chips are both wonderful things when eaten separately, but combine them and you end up with a soggy mush that loses all sense of texture. But I'm willing to give Dave the Diver's latest Like a Dragon DLC crossover a pass, because the story behind it is really rather sweet. The latest DLC for Mintrocket's wildly successful aquatic adventure brings Like a Dragon's Ichiban and several other characters and minigames from the series into Dave the Diver.

Saber Interactive's head honcho pulled a wild stunt to nab the Halo: Combat Evolved remaster, telling Microsoft he'd do the job for free before ultimately squeezing the publisher for millions
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/halo/saber-interactives-head-honcho-pulled-a-wild-stunt-to-nab-the-halo-combat-evolved-remaster-telling-microsoft-hed-do-the-job-for-free-before-ultimately-squeezing-the-publisher-for-millions/
If you've ever wondered how Saber Interactive ended up handling the remaster of one of the biggest shooters of all time, well, Saber's CEO Matthew Karch recently regaled journalist Stephen Totilo with the tale of landing the contract for Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, and includes some of the most absurd business shenanigans I've read about for a long time.

Dawnfolk is a satisfying city builder puzzle game that works great on Steam Deck
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/plop-tiles-to-drive-back-darkness-and-build-cute-cities-in-strategic-puzzler-dawnfolk/
Somewhere between puzzle and strategy game is Dawnfolk, a tile-placement city builder that has you plopping down buildings in order to gather resources so that you can build a settlement capable of driving back a supernatural darkness that has overtaken the world. From the fiery center of your camp you spread out across different terrain types, playing minigames to harvest their resources and placing buildings on what remains.

Take a breath to get ready for the third part of the news:

Capcom says Ōkami sold quite well, actually, and it's wanted to do a sequel for ages but was waiting for 'the stars to align'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/capcom-says-okami-sold-quite-well-actually-and-its-wanted-to-do-a-sequel-for-ages-but-was-waiting-for-the-stars-to-align/
Capcom's announcement of a sequel to Ōkami came as a big surprise last year, not least because the original is notorious for being a commercial flop. But in a recent interview, Capcom producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi pointed out that Ōkami's reputation for underselling is no longer deserved, and because of that the publisher has wanted to do an Ōkami sequel for a while.

LAN Party simulates LAN parties without the LAN
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/vr/lan-party-simulates-lan-parties-without-the-lan/
Have you ever wanted to have a LAN party but without the, you know, LAN? Just the watching over other peoples' shoulders and taking a break for a movie? Well, developer LAN Party Technologies is delivering precisely that. It may well be perfect if you've ever thought that your friend group's Discord server should have a fully-featured 3D front end where someone can post infinitely looping meme gifs on the wall.

Viktor Antonov, the visionary artist who defined Half-Life 2 and Dishonored, has died
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/viktor-antonov-the-visionary-artist-who-defined-half-life-2-and-dishonored-has-died/
Viktor Antonov, the Bulgarian artist who served as art director on both Half-Life 2 and Dishonored, has died at the age of 52. The news comes by way of some of Antonov's former colleagues in the industry, who also shared their thoughts on Antonov's legacy as an artist.

Layoffs at Funko Fusion developer 10:10 Games blamed on 'complete commercial and critical failure' of the game
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/layoffs-at-funko-fusion-developer-10-10-games-blamed-on-complete-commercial-and-critical-failure-of-the-game/
10:10 Games, a studio based in Warrington, England, has laid off staff, according to sources quoted Insider Gaming, due to its first release being a "complete commercial and critical failure".

Shovel Knight artist says throwback games need 'retro authenticity' but can't coast on nostalgia alone: 'Part of the appeal of the NES era of game making was that everything was a new idea'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/shovel-knight-artist-says-throwback-games-need-retro-authenticity-but-cant-coast-on-nostalgia-alone-part-of-the-appeal-of-the-nes-era-of-game-making-was-that-everything-was-a-new-idea/
Ahead of the Shovel Knight: Steel They Shovel live concert series coming to New York and LA in the next month, I got the chance to talk to Yacht Club artist Nick Wozniak about the indie game's legacy and the state of games today. Wozniak understandably had a lot of thoughts on nailing an authentic retro arty style, but also pointed out that you can't get by on nostalgic authenticity alone.

Don't get rid of your starting horse in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2—there's a secret perk that makes her the best in the game
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/dont-get-rid-of-your-starting-horse-in-kingdom-come-deliverance-2-theres-a-secret-perk-that-makes-her-the-best-in-the-game/
My many years of experience have taught me: you should only stay with someone because of who they are, not who you think they could be. The last two weeks have taught me: unless they are a horse. Because it turns out that, if you stick with the worst nags in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 long enough, they'll eventually blossom into strong, valiant steeds.

'Not every story is told in that way': Phil Spencer says that live service games aren't the answer to every problem, and that smaller games play an important role
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/not-every-story-is-told-in-that-way-phil-spencer-says-that-live-service-games-arent-the-answer-to-every-problem-and-that-smaller-games-play-an-important-role/
Live service games are treated like some great and powerful cheat code for generating awesome amounts of shareholder value. It's so great that EA's CEO thought that it could've saved Dragon Age: The Veilguard from underperforming, and a recent GDC survey revealed that a third of "triple-A developers" are working on live service games as we speak. But despite what it may seem, not everyone is interested in seeing these kinds of games dominate the big budget side of the industry.
"I didn’t want to see every game turn into some big service based game because they felt like that’s where the business model was," Xbox boss Phil Spencer says in an interview with Xbox Era. "It’s not easy to do that. Not every story is told in that way. Not every game kind of supports that or creative idea supports that business model."

Asked point-blank if they're trolling dataminers with fake characters, Marvel Rivals dev scoffs and says they'd 'rather spend our time developing the game'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/asked-point-blank-if-theyre-trolling-dataminers-with-fake-characters-marvel-rivals-dev-scoffs-and-says-theyd-rather-spend-our-time-developing-the-game/
Marvel Rivals' popularity has led to that most contemporary of cottage industries: A whole bunch of dataminers and supposed leakers that descend upon any new version of the game, and get into the guts to predict what's coming next. Almost immediately after launch a large chunk of the future roster was apparently revealed via "hero tags" in the game's code, a leak that gained credence when the Fantastic Four turned out to be the big season one additions, with the likes of Blade rumoured for season two, and a whole wishlist of X-Men characters coming down the pipes.
Such information should always be taken with an entire shaker full of salt, even when official reveals seem to line-up with elements of it. And it leads to its own kind of expectations and even paranoia, with some of the dataminers involved recently speculating that developer NetEase has been intentionally planting red herrings to throw them off the scent.

Mass Effect 3 didn't have music like Vigil or Suicide Mission because composer Jack Wall had a spat with Casey Hudson: 'Casey was not particularly happy with me at the end'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mass-effect/mass-effect-3-didnt-have-music-like-vigil-or-suicide-mission-because-composer-jack-wall-had-a-spat-with-casey-hudson-casey-was-not-particularly-happy-with-me-at-the-end/
Mass Effect 1 and 2 are, as far as I'm concerned, two of the best albums ever released, and the games they put out to promote them aren't bad either. That's in no small part down to composer Jack Wall, whose fingerprints are all over the iconic, wobbly synths of tracks like Vigil, Suicide Mission, and that one that plays in the galaxy map.
You know what his fingerprints aren't all over, though? Mass Effect 3, whose music was done by Clint Mansell instead. ME3 had some bangers, sure, but it was a very different vibe, and Wall's absence was a major reason the game felt like such an odd duck in the original ME trilogy. Now, in a chat with The Guardian, Wall's reflected on what caused his absence from the third Mass Effect: he had a John Lennon and Paul McCartney-style split with Mass Effect series lead Casey Hudson.

'I strive to be half the hater he is': Elden Ring Nightreign players have decided that Margit was the most annoying invader during the playtest
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/i-strive-to-be-half-the-hater-he-is-elden-ring-nightreign-players-have-decided-that-margit-was-the-most-annoying-invader-during-the-playtest/
Fortnite-dropping into The Lands Between wasn't exactly how I thought I'd spend my weekend, but I also couldn't pass up on the opportunity to experience Elden Ring Nightreign for myself. Despite being a bit confused and very afraid to start with, I soon got the hang of the fast-paced fights and chaotic boss battles, except for Margit's repetitive surprise attacks.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is 16.6% faster than RTX 4070 Ti SUPER in leaked 3DMark tests

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-geforce-rtx-5070-ti-is-16-6-faster-than-rtx-4070-ti-super-in-leaked-3dmark-tests

NVIDIA GB202 GPU supply for RTX 5090 set to increase, retailer has 147 RTX 5080 Cards but not selling them separately

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-gb202-gpu-supply-for-rtx-5090-set-to-increase-retailer-has-147-rtx-5080-cards-but-not-selling-them-separately

Intel’s next-gen Arc “Celestial” discrete GPUs rumored to feature Xe3P architecture, may not use TSMC

https://videocardz.com/newz/intels-next-gen-arc-celestial-discrete-gpus-rumored-to-feature-xe3p-architecture-may-not-use-tsmc

PowerColor RX 9070 XT Red Devil Limited Edition listed by MicroCenter as PCIe 5.0 GPU

https://videocardz.com/newz/powercolor-rx-9070-xt-red-devil-limited-edition-listed-by-microcenter-as-pcie-5-0-gpu

GeForce RTX 5050 and RTX 5060 series spotted in EEC listing

https://videocardz.com/pixel/geforce-rtx-5050-spotted-in-eec-listing

NVIDIA & Memory Partners Rumored To Be Developing “Compact” SOCAMM Modules, Focused Towards Personal AI Supercomputers

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-memory-partners-rumored-to-be-developing-compact-socamm-modules/

GTA VI PC Might Launch Early Next Year, According to Corsair

https://wccftech.com/gta-vi-pc-might-launch-early-next-year-according-to-corsair/

Some at AMD are a bit tired of the 32GB rumor making a comeback, and have decided to "one up" the rumors:

You joke, but I still want one: AMD 'teases' the 320 GB 90700.05XTXT Max with a 96-pin power connector and a 1.21 gigawatt power requirement
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/graphics-cards/you-joke-but-i-still-want-one-amd-teases-the-320-gb-90700-05xtxt-max-with-a-96-pin-power-connector-and-a-1-21-gigawatt-power-requirement/
AMD's Frank Azor was quick to step on rumours last week of a 32 GB variant of the RX 9070 XT, categorically denying the mega-VRAM-equipped hypotheti-card would be released. Now it seems he's just playing with us, as he's taken to his X account once more to "tease" a 320 GB card called the 90700.05XTXT Max.

Honestly, given AMD's naming schemes at this point, it doesn't seem that far out of the realms of possibility. As for the specs, however, the absurdity is pretty clear. A 96-pin power connector? Presumably that's nearly as wide as the card itself, and glows under heavy usage. Particularly when paired with a Back to the Future-friendly 1.21 gigawatt power supply.

Those stupid high 9070XT prices are starting to "make sense" if these 5070TI prices hold true. $900 is a joke. Nvidia will have essentially looked a AMD's joke pricing and said "hold my beer."

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-geforce-rtx-5070-ti-prime-msrp-card-now-listed-at-899-by-two-us-retailers

The prices are inflated for Nvidia for sure due to the low stock levels which I think will eventually balance out in the upcoming months and we will start to see models be closer to that MSRP as supply catches up with demand. What Radeon needs to do is make sure the MSRP they are going to announce is based on not the current market prices of Nvidia counterparts but rather MSRP and performance of what Nvidia already announced.

Because if Radeon makes the mistake of pricing 9070 XT at say $700 USD due to current market trends, reviewers will compare to 5070 Ti with it's MSRP of $750 and likely shit on it greatly which is something Radeon can't afford to happen again. Radeon should price the 9070 XT correctly and then let AIBs adjust the prices based on market conditions like they are doing with RTX 5000. That way reviewers won't bash on them while letting AIBs have their way with prices until the market settles down.