And here's a short part three of the gaming news:

RuneScape boss says he killed Pride events to keep things going 'as apolitically as possible,' which doesn't sound very apolitical to me
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/runescape-boss-says-he-killed-pride-events-to-keep-things-going-as-apolitically-as-possible-which-doesnt-sound-very-apolitical-to-me/
Jagex CEO Jon Bellamy—appointed in March—drew fire earlier this year when an anonymous employee accused him of kowtowing to the Trump administration's assault on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives with a decision to dramatically scale back Pride Month celebrations in RuneScape and Old School RuneScape.

The next two heroes coming to Marvel Rivals have officially been announced, and I only know who one of them is
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/the-next-two-heroes-coming-to-marvel-rivals-have-officially-been-announced-and-i-only-know-who-one-of-them-is/
As usual, there's been rumours flying around about which two new heroes would be coming to Marvel Rivals Season 4 pretty much as soon as Season 3's newbies were confirmed. There was some speculation that a couple of Spider-Man's friends would be joining the roster, but now we know for sure who's ready for September 12.

2 of Deadlock's 6 new heroes are running over low-skill matches—I'd know, because they've been stomping me flat into the sidewalk like a chump
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/moba/2-of-deadlocks-6-new-heroes-are-running-over-low-skill-matches-id-know-because-theyve-been-stomping-me-flat-into-the-sidewalk-like-a-chump/
Deadlock's "Six New Heroes" update has added, you guessed it, six new heroes. You gotta respect the economy of language there. Two of which, the Drifter and Victor, are causing a bit of a scene.

Silksong crashed Steam the nanosecond it released
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/silksong-crashed-steam-the-nanosecond-it-released/
It's Silksong release day! Actually, at time of writing, it's literally Silksong release minute, and the sheer unbridled hype of the whole situation has, um, brought Steam to a crashing halt. Whoops!
As I type these very words, attempting to access the Steam store results in an E502 L3 error message and a bashful "Something went wrong." I know what went wrong, Steam, everyone clicked the Silksong button at the same time!
>> That was almost one hour ago. I don’t know how things are right now. Hopefully better. By the way, Ryuu96  has made a thread about it, that also affects consoles.

Two more stories: one with potential and anotehr just for the sake of it:

Valve applies to use 'Steam Frame' as a trademark for a new console as speculation over a mythical next-gen Half-Life game continues
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-pcs/valve-applies-to-use-steam-frame-as-a-trademark-for-a-new-console-as-speculation-over-a-mythical-next-gen-half-life-game-continues/
Remember Fremont, that supposed SteamOS device from Valve that popped up in Geekbench's CPU results and according to some sources is a new console designed to connect to TV sets and running AMD CPU and GPU hardware? Well, now Valve has trademarked "Steam Frame" a new brand for use with gaming consoles and peripherals.

The shizzle here involves a couple of new trade mark applications by Valve centred on the term "Steam Frame", as spotted on Reddit yesterday. The more interesting and specific of the two says, "STEAM FRAME™ trademark registration is intended to cover the categories of computer game consoles for recreational game playing; video game consoles; video game accessories, namely, controllers for video games."

Fill your entire field of vision with this ridiculous ultrawide handheld gaming PC
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/handheld-gaming-pcs/fill-your-entire-field-of-vision-with-this-ridiculous-ultrawide-handheld-gaming-pc/

My favourite builds are the ones where you know someone asked if they could, and wasted no more time asking if they should—they just went for it. Enter this homebrew ultrawide handheld that practically encourages backseat gaming.

NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti Drops Below MSRP; More RTX 50 Series GPUs And Pre-Builts Are Now Available At Great Prices

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-rtx-5070-ti-drops-below-msrp-rtx-50-gpus-pre-builts-now-available-great-prices/

Lenovo Legion Go 2 Handheld Official With AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme Chip, Starting At $1049, Plus Our Hands On

https://wccftech.com/lenovo-legion-go-2-handheld-official-amd-ryzen-z2-extreme-1049-usd-price-hands-on/

ASUS confirms JEDEC DDR5-7200 specs support for Intel 800-series motherboards

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-confirms-jedec-ddr5-7200-specs-support-for-intel-800-series-motherboards

Lenovo Pairs AMD’s Ryzen 8000HX Mobile CPUs With RTX 50 Desktop GPUs In Its LOQ Tower PC, Legion Pro 7 16″ Laptop Gets Up To Ryzen 9 9955HX3D With RTX 5080

https://wccftech.com/lenovo-pairs-amd-ryzen-8000hx-cpus-rtx-50-desktop-gpus-loq-tower-pc-legion-pro-7-16-laptop-ryzen-9-9955hx3d-rtx-5080/

President Trump Warns Chipmakers: Face ‘Hefty’ Tariffs If You Don’t Invest in America, as U.S. Manufacturing Becomes the Top Priority

https://wccftech.com/president-trump-warns-chipmakers-face-hefty-tariffs-if-you-dont-invest-in-america/

Intel spent so much cash on research and development last year that it outspent Nvidia by 28% and AMD by a whopping 156%

https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/intel-spent-so-much-cash-on-research-and-development-last-year-that-it-outspent-nvidia-by-28-percent-and-amd-by-a-whopping-156-percent/

Fabs are one hell of a money sink

Let’s go with the Friday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Silksong already has the 18th highest all-time peak player count in Steam history as it draws over 500,000 concurrent players in its first 4 hours
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/silksong-already-has-the-18th-highest-all-time-peak-player-count-in-steam-history-as-it-draws-over-500-000-players-in-its-first-4-hours/
The day is finally upon us. The gates are open. The silk is singing, the bugs are depressed, and after six years of waiting, people are finally playing Hollow Knight: Silksong. A lot of people.
While the Skong-frenzied masses left Steam's store server infrastructure a smoking ruin for a few hours, it only delayed what's become a still-rising flood of first day players. At time of writing, more than 500,000 people are playing Silksong on Steam, and the number's increasing every time I refresh the SteamDB chart.
In its first 24 hours, Silksong's all-time peak player count is already the 18th highest in Steam history. And it'll likely rank higher before the day's out.

The Humble Store is back to usual and brings two new sales:

• Back to School Brainteasers Sale brings games up to 95% off during 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/back-to-school-brainteasers
• Focus Entertainment has its own Back to School Sale, with up to 90% discounts during 13 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/focus-entertainment-back-to-school

Fanatical has launched the War Child Charity Bundle 2025, with 14 games to get during 34 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/war-child-charity-bundle-2025.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

STALKER 2 Mod Adds Better Enemy Weapons, Loot, and Gear Upgrades
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/stalker-2-gets-amazing-enemy-weapon-attachments-mod
Modder ScepraX has released a cool new mod for STALKER 2. This mod makes enemies’ weapons better by adding attachments to them.
The mod also makes enemy weapons stronger, gives them better ammo as your rank goes up, and changes what gear they carry. Sometimes, you can even loot armor, helmets, attachments, detectors, and artifacts from them. Plus, it rebalances consumables as well.
The mod uses refurl, so it works with most other mods and doesn’t replace the game’s original files. Weapons have a 50% chance to come with attachments, and armor or helmets have a 50% chance to come with upgrades. The changes show up after about 1 in-game hour. If you sleep or use a guide, you’ll notice better loot on human corpses.
It’s worth noting that randomly placed dead bodies will drop the same loot as enemies you kill in combat. The new weapons from version 1.5 are also included. This mod affects all major human groups like Duty, Freedom, Bandits, Monolith, Mercenaries, Military, Scientists, and more.
>> The article has no media.

GAMING NEWS

Here’s your first look at the new 3D engine of Football Manager 26
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/heres-your-first-look-at-the-new-3d-engine-of-football-manager-26
SEGA has released a new gameplay video that gives us our first look at the new 3D engine of Football Manager 26. Football Manager 26 will be powered by the Unity Engine, and it will have FIFA-like visuals.
>> And these are the system requirements.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle NVIDIA RTX Hair Visual Comparison
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/indiana-jones-and-the-great-circle-nvidia-rtx-hair-visual-comparison
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is the first game that supports NVIDIA’s new RTX Hair tech. YouTube’s ‘Compusemble’ has shared a cool video, showcasing how this tech can improve the hair of all characters. So, let’s take a look at it.

The second part of the gaming news:

MindsEye's messy launch shenanigans has IO Interactive hesitant to play publisher for more games in the future: 'That remains to be seen'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/mindseyes-messy-launch-shenanigans-has-io-interactive-hesitant-to-play-publisher-for-more-games-in-the-future-that-remains-to-be-seen/
When it comes to messy videogame launches, MindsEye has certainly been a hot contender. The first third-party game to be published under Hitman developer IO Interactive's Partners programme, its debut has been rather sour—poor sales, a Mostly Negative rating on Steam, and layoffs at developer Build a Rocket Boy.
(...)
It's enough of a palaver to make anyone wary of trying again, and IOI CEO Hakan Abrak certainly seems apprehensive to re-enter the lion's den. During a recent interview with IGN, Abrak reflected on the initial response to MindsEye: "It was a tough reception," he said.

Silksong achievement suggests it'll take at least 10 hours longer to 100% complete compared to Hollow Knight—even for the fastest players
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/silksong-achievement-suggests-itll-take-at-least-10-hours-longer-to-100-percent-complete-compared-to-hollow-knight-even-for-the-fastest-players/
Hollow Knight: Silksong is out. I'm not playing it right now, because it is my accursed duty to write news for the hungry masses—given a lot of you are currently fighting Steam, tooth and nail. News like "hey, did you know that Silksong has two separate speedrun achievements?"
>> Naturally, speedrunners are already at work. By the way, there is a bench in the first nightmare area.

Civilization 7 studio Firaxis confirms layoffs as it 'optimizes its development process for adaptability, collaboration, and creativity,' which is somehow even worse than just saying 'agility'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/civilization-7-studio-firaxis-confirms-layoffs-as-it-optimizes-its-development-process-for-adaptability-collaboration-and-creativity-which-is-somehow-even-worse-than-just-saying-agility/
As Civilization 7 continues to underperform, developer Firaxis Games has confirmed that an unspecified number of employees have been let go.
Emma Kidwell, a writer on Civilization 7 whose past credits include Marvel's Midnight Suns, Hindsight, and Life is Strange 2, first reported the cuts earlier today on Bluesky. Several other Firaxis employees shared similar layoff messages on their own social media accounts.

Dune: Awakening will be on sale for the first time next week, along with a 'zero restrictions' free weekend
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/dune-awakening-will-be-on-sale-for-the-first-time-next-week-along-with-a-zero-restrictions-free-weekend/
As the saying goes on Arrakis, the spice must flow—and for a limited time starting next week that spice will be on sale. Dune: Awakening is having its first discount starting on September 11 and running until September 22, during which Funcom's survival MMO will be on sale for 20% off.
This sale coincides with another free weekend, though unlike the last one in late August, this free to play period comes with "zero restrictions." Play as many hours as you want from September 11 to September 15 (the first free weekend, bizarrely, was capped at 10 hours).

Silksong is so popular, even people in the Piracy subreddit are encouraging others to just buy it: 'If we can afford to support them, we should'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/silksong-is-so-popular-even-people-in-the-piracy-subreddit-are-encouraging-others-to-just-buy-it-if-we-can-afford-to-support-them-we-should/
Hollow Knight: Silksong finally went live today—you may have heard something about that—and its arrival absolutely demolished Steam, which simply could not hold up under the crushing demand of Skongmania. As Steam crumbled like a train bridge made of soggy noodles, GOG did what it does best: Took a shot from the shadows.
"It appears that Silkzillion gamers worldwide are trying to get their hands on Hollow Knight: Silksong, and digital storefronts are struggling to handle the traffic," GOG posted on X. "But the DRM-free Bastion stands strong." Naturally, there was a link to Silksong on GOG.
(...)
Except, maybe not. Sure enough, Silksong was available through less-than-legal channels almost immediately after launch, but as noticed by GamesRadar, the 2.4 million strong Piracy subreddit seemed torn on the topic: Unexpectedly, quite a few of its members have been urging people not to pirate Silksong.
>> Another bit of the game: Stardew Valley's Eric Barone is in the Hollow Knight: Silksong credits.

'PLEASE DON'T NERF COYOTE': The new Helldivers 2 warbond has a fire-breathing rifle so good that players are begging Arrowhead to leave it alone
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/please-dont-nerf-coyote-the-new-helldivers-2-warbond-has-a-fire-breathing-rifle-so-good-that-players-are-begging-arrowhead-to-leave-it-alone/
While the metroidvania inclined celebrate the release of a long-awaited bug game, Helldivers 2's stalwart protectors of freedom are hard at work ensuring no bugs will know another day of peace. This week, the Into the Unjust update kicked off a new offensive into Terminid strongholds, a directive that's proving tougher than expected.
A new "Rupture" class of Terminid, recognizable by its red armor plating and burrowing technique, is wreaking havoc on reinforcements. While players have identified effective weapons to counter the novel threat, it's no coincidence that the latest premium warbond, Dust Devils, is packing what might be the ultimate anti-Terminid primary: the AR-2 Coyote.
The most active corner of the Helldivers 2 community has already anointed the Coyote to gun royalty, singing its praises against bugs and preemptively begging Arrowhead not to nerf it.

Cult of the Lamb's Woolhaven DLC will be 'almost the length of the original game' because the developers 'flew a little too close to the sun'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/cult-of-the-lambs-woolhaven-dlc-will-be-almost-the-length-of-the-original-game-because-the-developers-flew-a-little-too-close-to-the-sun/
Cult of the Lamb is releasing its Woolhaven DLC early next year, but with only a reveal trailer so far, there's still a lot we don't know about what it has in store for us. Fortunately, the Cult of the Lamb social media pages have been drip-feeding information to us about the size of the DLC in comparison to the first game, how it ended up getting slightly out of hand, and why the devs have chosen to release a paid update rather than another free one.

Coughing baby vs hydrogen bomb comes to Marvel Rivals: They just buffed Scarlet Witch's ult damage from 800 to 9,999
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/coughing-baby-vs-hydrogen-bomb-comes-to-marvel-rivals-they-just-buffed-scarlet-witchs-ult-damage-from-800-to-9-999/
We're a week out from Marvel Rivals Season 4 now, but before we can all enjoy the arrival of a new Vanguard and map, there's still some time to grind the battle pass and competitive, if you're brave enough. But before you do that, it may be a good idea to check out the new balance patch—there are some… interesting details in there.

Battlefield 6's Assault Class is finally getting a signature gadget that can rival the motion sensor and blowtorch: A ladder
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/battlefield-6s-assault-class-is-finally-getting-a-signature-gadget-that-can-rival-the-motion-sensor-and-blowtorch-a-ladder/
The Assault class for Battlefield 6 is getting a small upgrade in terms of its signature gadget. Instead of the old-school adrenaline injector, which grants temporary buffs like speed increase, explosive resistance, and super hearing, the basic grunts of Battlefield 6 will be granted the power and responsibility to wield a ladder.

Former Call of Duty director stopped making foreign countries the enemy because he wanted 'to go to these countries' without needing a bodyguard
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/former-call-of-duty-director-stopped-making-foreign-countries-the-enemy-because-he-wanted-to-go-to-these-countries-without-needing-a-bodyguard/
Call of Duty has been around the block a few times, and across the years it's turned a lot of foreign countries into videogame enemies. In the first batch of games, when CoD was still a World War 2 shooter, it was simple. Fighting Nazis is extremely cathartic, and they don't reflect modern Germany.
In contemporary or near-future games, though, it can be more problematic, as former Call of Duty director Glen Schofield realised when he was promoting the first incarnation of Modern Warfare 3.

It looks like GOG has decided to not launch more sales/promos on weekends, which is a shame. In any case, we can still check what Steam has prepared for us:

+Steam

• CarX Street is free to try during the weekend and 55% off until the 11th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1114150/CarX_Street
• Dorfromantik has a 60% discount until the 11th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1455840/Dorfromantik
• Heads Will Roll: Reforged will have a 75% discount until the 18th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/app/687800/Heads_Will_Roll_Reforged
• Fling to the Finish is going to be 80% off until the 18th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1054430/Fling_to_the_Finish
• Rubber Bandits will be 90% off until September 18: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1206610/Rubber_Bandits
• And these are the 6 sales/events:
  • Avalon Publisher Sale features up to 90% discounts until the 9th: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/36173274/sale/PUBLISHERWEEKEND2025
  • ANZ IndieFest has a lot of upcoming titles, some with demos, and (I think), up to 60% discounts on some titles. The page will be up until the 11th, but the length of the deals vary from tomorrow until at least the 12th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/ANZIndieFest2025
  • Publisher Wired Productions will have its games up to 90% off until next Thursday: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/WIREDPublisherSale
  • The Outer Worlds franchise is on sale with up to 75% discounts until the 15th: https://store.steampowered.com/developer/PrivateDivision/sale/outerworldssale
  • Focus Entertainment puts its games up to 80% off until September 15 (and Void Crew is free to try during the weekend): https://store.steampowered.com/sale/FocusPublisherSale2025
  • And the LEVEL UP Games Showcase 2025 has lots of upcoming games and one single game on sale with a 20% discount until the 16th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/LEVELUPKL2025

Nothing else to add other than wishing you a happy and gaming weekend.

I was all set to post some comments on the latest PC news but the story about hacker inserting his favorite anime girl all over Blue Archive has me in stitches.

NVIDIA’s High-End GeForce RTX 5090 & RTX PRO 6000 GPUs Reportedly Affected by Virtualization Bug, Requiring Full System Reboot to Recover

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-high-end-geforce-rtx-5090-rtx-pro-6000-gpus-getting-bricked-by-virtualization-bug/

AMD’s Ryzen naming issues and Radeon NOW plans addressed at IFA 2025

https://videocardz.com/newz/amds-ryzen-naming-issues-and-radeon-now-plans-addressed-at-ifa-2025

AMD Ryzen 5 9500F reportedly launches September 16th

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-ryzen-5-9500f-reportedly-launches-september-16th

OneXGPU Lite eGPU with Radeon RX 7600M XT comes with “USB 5.0” support

https://videocardz.com/newz/onexgpu-lite-egpu-with-radeon-rx-7600m-xt-comes-with-usb-5-0-support

First-ever micro-LED smartwatch unveiled by Garmin – up to 4500 nits

https://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1756969046

Here come the Monday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater sells over a million at launch
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/metal-gear-solid-delta-snake-eater-sells-over-a-million-at-launch/
Konami has finally returned to the Metal Gear series with its remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and the results have been instantaneous. The publisher has announced that MGS Delta: Snake Eater surpassed a million sales across all platforms (PC, PS5, and Xbox) on its launch day.
MGS Delta: Snake Eater launched on August 28, though was available a couple of days earlier for those who shelled out for the digital deluxe edition. PCG's review concluded that "Delta answers the question it most needed to answer: Can Konami still make a great Metal Gear game? By most metrics I think this has aced it." The sales might be impressive but the launch hasn't gone completely to plan, with the game suffering some significant performance issues, particularly with frame drops. Konami has acknowledged the issues and says it's "currently investigating the causes and working on a patch to resolve these problems", but as yet there's no ETA.

Steam has new deals and sales/events:

• Perennial Order is going to be 50% off until Sunday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1411020/Perennial_Order
• Proverbs has a demo and a 66% discount until the 14th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3083300/Proverbs
• Lawn Mowing Simulator will be 75% off until September, the 18th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1480560/Lawn_Mowing_Simulator
• Railbound gets a 50% discount until the 19th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1967510/Railbound
• Builders of Egypt has a demo and a 51% discount until the 21st: https://store.steampowered.com/app/818520/Builders_of_Egypt
• And these are the sales/events:
  • The Clue/Cluedo franchise is up to 75% off until the 15th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33373301/sale/cluedo_sale
  • The Hungry Ghost Festival is full of horror games and demos. The festival will end on the 13th but some deals will last until as far as the 20th: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45022621/sale/TheHungryGhostFestival2025

Humble Bundle presents the Curve Game Care Package Bundle, with up to 12 items to get (10 games and 2 coupons) during 18 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/curve-games-care-package.

And Fanatical brings a new Star Deal and has started a new Bundlefest

• The new Star Deal is DREDGE, 59% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/dredge
• The first bundle of the new Bundlefest is the BYO Capcom All-Stars Bundle, with 21 titles to choose from for your 2+, 3+ or 4+ game bundles during 34 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-capcom-all-stars-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Fallout: New Vegas Gets a Baldur’s Gate 3-Like Dynamic Ambient Dialogue
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/fallout-new-vegas-gets-a-baldurs-gate-3-like-dynamic-ambient-dialogue
Modder ‘Naughtilus’ has shared a cool new mod that brings to Fallout: New Vegas the floating dialogue subtitles of Baldur’s Gate 3. This is a subtle but great QoL improvement that a lot of FNV fans may find interesting.
This mod adds a new subtitle system to the game. It shows floating text above characters when they talk to the player outside of normal dialogue menus (this is called Ambient Dialogue). If someone is talking but you can’t see them, the mod makes sure their lines still show up. The subtitle from the closest character to you will appear in the center, even if multiple people are speaking at the same time.
To be clear, this subtitle system was not invented by Baldur’s Gate 3. This is something that other games have done in the past, too. Nevertheless, that was the game that inspired the modder.
>> The article has a 3 minutes video of the mod.

Rayman 3 Unreal Engine 5 Fan Remake Demo Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/rayman-3-unreal-engine-5-fan-remake-demo-released
In April 2024, we informed you about a cool fan remake of Rayman 3 in Unreal Engine 5. And today, I’m happy to report that a playable free demo of it has been released, allowing everyone to get their hands on it.
Going into more details, Rayman 3 Havoc Reignited is a non-commercial fan reimagining of Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc. As said, the artist used UE5 to re-imagine it. The demo that you can download lets you explore the first area/world, the Fairy Council.
Unlike most other fan remakes, this one has real cut-scenes and gameplay features. Just like in the original game, Rayman can jump, collect coins, and fight enemies. It’s a great example of what fans can create. The artist even rebuilt parts of the game’s logic, like movement, combat, and a point system for collecting gems.
>> There is a less than 2 minutes video in the article.

Rayman 2 Fan Remake Demo Available for Download
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/rayman-2-fan-remake-demo-available-for-download
Yesterday, we shared a fan remake demo for Rayman 3. Well, Rayman fans, we have more exciting news for you today. A team of artists is also working on a fan remake of Rayman 2, and has shared a demo for it that you can download right now.
As the team noted, the demo is a vertical slice of the full game and includes the entirety of The Fairy Glade level, as well as a small obstacle course that showcases parts of Rayman’s move set.
What’s interesting here is that this Rayman 2 fan remake uses Unreal Engine 5.6. So, this is one of the few projects that run on the latest version of UE5. I went ahead and tried it on my NVIDIA RTX 5090 and I was getting 100FPS at Native 4K on Ultra Settings.
The good news is that I did not get any stutters. Then again, Rayman 2 has small environments, so this could be the reason why everything felt so smooth. Still, for an indie project, this looks and runs great.
>> If it didn’t run well on a 5090, then what would be the point of releasing this demo, right? Anyway, there is a shorter than 2 minutes video of the game.

All of Silksong's top mods make the game easier, including a returning Hollow Knight QoL favorite: An always-on compass without wasting a tool slot
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/all-of-silksongs-top-mods-make-the-game-easier-including-a-returning-hollow-knight-qol-favorite-an-always-on-compass-without-wasting-a-tool-slot/
As with all big releases, Silksong's launch was the starting gun for two gaming races: Modding and speedrunning. The latter is still in a discovery phase before recordkeeping begins on Speedrun.com on October 1, but the Silksong Nexus already has mods up the wazoo⁠—mostly to make the challenging metroidvania a little bit easier.
The number two slot on the Nexus top 30 feels like an old friend: Always Have Compass Effect by Synthlight. Silksong, like the first Hollow Knight, requires you to give up space among your buildcrafting "tools"—the equivalent of charms from the first game⁠—to have an icon showing your place on the map screen.
You effectively have to make yourself weaker to receive that comforting navigation aid. Synthlight's mod just gives you the effect for free, and the author has a similar project for the magnet tool that makes picking up currency easier. Both projects require the BepInEx Unity plugin to function.
>> The article has no media and, if you go to the article and check the Nexus top 30 Sliksong mods, you’ll find the ones to lower the difficulty.

GAMING NEWS

MindsEye Title Update 4 Released – Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/mindseye-title-update-4-released-full-patch-notes
Build A Rocket Boy has released the fourth major title update for MindsEye and shared its full patch notes. According to the devs, this patch introduces a range of UX improvements, numerous performance enhancements, and bug fixes. So, let’s take a closer look at it.

Official PC requirements for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/official-pc-requirements-for-vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2
Paradox Interactive and The Chinese Room have shared the official PC system requirements for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. So, let’s see what PC system you’ll need to run it.

Metal Gear Solid 3 – Original vs Fox Engine Remake vs Unreal Engine 5 Remake
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/metal-gear-solid-3-original-vs-fox-engine-remake-vs-unreal-engine-5-remake
Now here is something cool. YouTube’s ‘Cycu1’ has shared a video in which he compares the original, Fox Engine Remake, and Unreal Engine 5 Remake of Metal Gear Solid 3. So, let’s take a look at it.
For those who did not know, Konami has remade a lot of the MGS3 cut-scenes in Fox Engine. But instead of a game, they used them for an MGS3 pachinko machine, which really upset fans. But hey, we at least got a faithful remake of MGS3, only this time Konami and Virtuos used Unreal Engine 5 and not the Fox Engine.

Monday gaming news, part two:

Former Bethesda marketing VP says he fought against reusing the Prey name for Arkane's 2017 immersive sim: 'I definitely pissed some people off internally over that'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/former-bethesda-marketing-vp-says-he-fought-against-reusing-the-prey-name-for-arkanes-2017-immersive-sim-i-definitely-pissed-some-people-off-internally-over-that/
Arkane's 2017 immersive sim Prey is a genuinely great videogame, with a genuinely weird name—shared with a pre-existing shooter and a famously cancelled sequel that it has absolutely nothing to do with. Arkane founder Raphael Colantonio said a few years ago that he really did not want to call it Prey, and it turns out he was not alone on that: Former Bethesda marketing and communications boss Pete Hines said in an interview with Dbltap that he was dead-set against it too.
>> He also talked about the problem with the Fallout 76 bags included in the Power Armor Edition of the game.

Starfield fans are pretty sure Bethesda just dropped the first teaser for the game's second expansion: 'We look forward to the adventures yet to come'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/starfield-fans-are-pretty-sure-bethesda-just-dropped-the-first-teaser-for-the-games-second-expansion-we-look-forward-to-the-adventures-yet-to-come/
Hard to believe but it's been two years since Bethesda unleashed Starfield onto the world, a sci-fi epic that—to torque a metaphor—didn't quite achieve escape velocity. Updates have followed at something of a ponderous pace, but there's been no sign of the second expansion that was promised more than a year ago.
But now that seems to have changed. An otherwise unremarkable post on X acknowledging "two incredible years" contains a wee little "Happy Anniversary" video clip--and in that video are brief, scattered flashes of letters. A mystery!

Borderlands 4 global release times mean some of you can play a day earlier than expected
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/borderlands-4-global-release-times-mean-some-of-you-can-play-a-day-earlier-than-expected/
If you requested time off from work ahead of the new Borderlands launch next Friday, consider a last-minute addendum to the ask. Gearbox has revealed its plans to give Borderlands 4 the global release treatment, so some players will technically venture to Kairos a day early.
>> And Randy Pitchford opened his mouth once again, this time to talk about the Stop Killing Games initiative.

This brilliant boomer shooter inspired by Blood gets a whole new campaign and a free update later this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/this-brilliant-boomer-shooter-inspired-by-blood-gets-a-whole-new-campaign-and-a-free-update-later-this-month/
If you're a FPS fan and haven't played Cultic yet, you should. Where most retro-shooters take Doom or Quake or Duke Nukem as their primary inspiration, Cultic wades from the primordial pool of Monolith's 1997 classic Blood. Cultic's grungy, lusciously lo-fi action sees you blowing away crazed hooded monks with double barrelled shotguns and fistfuls of dynamite, set within ambitious, semi-open levels that are a delight to explore.

Command & Conquer successor Tempest Rising gets a big new update next week, adding massive 3v3 multiplayer matches and active pause to singleplayer
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rts/command-and-conquer-successor-tempest-rising-gets-a-big-new-update-next-week-adding-massive-3v3-multiplayer-matches-and-active-pause-to-singleplayer/
Tempest Rising finally broke the RTS curse when it arrived earlier this year, delivering a thrilling remix of Command & Conquer's classic strategy action, while also remembering to add proper singleplayer campaigns alongside its competitive multiplayer.
If I had one complaint, though, it would be that keeping up with the pace of its singleplayer could be difficult sometimes. While I generally approved of Tempest Rising's balance between tension and fun, my reaction times aren't what they used to be during C&C's heyday, and having a little more time to think wouldn't have gone amiss in some of its scenarios.
Fortunately, this will no longer be a problem as of next week. Tempest Rising's next update will bring several of the community's most hotly requested features. Among these is an active pause feature and a game speed adjustment tool designed specifically for the singleplayer campaign, letting you tweak the pace of the action to your liking, or freeze the game entirely while issuing orders to your units.

Stellaris' Shadows of the Shroud DLC will make communing with cosmic entities more rewarding later this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/stellaris-shadows-of-the-shroud-dlc-will-make-communing-with-cosmic-entities-more-rewarding-later-this-month/
Like a reverse black hole, Stellaris continues to pump out additional matter into its swirling galaxy of expansions. Just four months on from the Biogenesis addon, which built out the 4X's bioengineering pathways, the Shadows of the Shroud DLC will expand the minds of psionic players on September 22.

This Australian puzzler that took seven years to make is basically Myst with endearingly naff FMVs and music composed by a 10-year-old
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/puzzle/this-australian-puzzler-that-took-seven-years-to-make-is-basically-myst-with-endearingly-naff-fmvs-and-music-composed-by-a-10-year-old/
While Myst and its sequel Riven are omnipresent games thanks to developer Cyan Worlds constantly remaking them, games directly inspired by Myst are few and far between. The most notable example is Jonathan Blow's maze-obsessed puzzler The Witness, which distressingly will be a decade old come January.
Now though, veteran publisher MicroProse has just released Neyyah. That may read like onomatopoeia for the noise Minecraft villagers make, but it is in fact a first-person 3D point 'n' click puzzler, one that doesn't so much wear its Myst inspirations on its sleeve as have them tattooed all over its body.

Hollow Knight: Silksong sinks to 'Mixed' Steam review status among Chinese gamers over its bafflingly bad translation, with Team Cherry promising to improve it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/hollow-knight-silksong-sinks-to-mixed-steam-review-status-among-chinese-gamers-over-its-bafflingly-bad-translation-with-team-cherry-promising-to-improve-it/
As reported by Eurogamer, Hollow Knight: Silksong has not met Chinese players' expectations the way it has globally, with a 42% positive "Mixed" review status from nearly 20,000 Chinese language users, who say that the game's localization was abysmally, uniquely poor.
Team Cherry has already responded to the issue, promising to work on the Chinese localization. "We appreciate you letting us know about quality issues with the current Simplified Chinese translation of Hollow Knight: Silksong," wrote the game's publishing and marketing lead, Matthew Griffin. "We'll be working to improve the translation over the coming weeks."

Bigger guns are louder and therefore riskier as of Rust's latest update, with other players able to hear you from 'much further away'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/bigger-guns-are-louder-and-therefore-riskier-as-of-rusts-latest-update-with-other-players-able-to-hear-you-from-much-further-away/
Rust has entered a quieter period as it stocks the hold for its naval update due in a couple of months. But Facepunch Studios still continues to add bits here and there. July brought an improved mission system and more realistic erosion, while August saw the return of hardcore mode in tougher, meaner form.
September's update is by far the smallest for a while. But there is one adjustment that has potentially game-altering ramifications, and it all has to do with the noise that guns make. Basically, Facepunch has altered how sound propagation for firearms works, so gunshots can be heard at significantly longer distances than before.

RoadCraft introduces a free hard mode for all you SnowRunner sickos, adding limited fuel, more challenging convoy simulation and realistic gearboxes
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/roadcraft-introduces-a-free-hard-mode-for-all-you-snowrunner-sickos-adding-limited-fuel-more-challenging-convoy-simulation-and-realistic-gearboxes/
RoadCraft proved a surprisingly controversial entry in Saber Interactive's series of grungy vehicle sims after launching in May. It expanded upon SnowRunner's logistics simulation with systems like convoy automation and an emphasis on constructing road networks (hence the name). But these bigger features came at the cost of a more simplistic driving model, leaving players who preferred the stern navigational challenge of SnowRunner put out.
Now, though, Saber has released an update to RoadCraft that folds some of that driving complexity back in. Or at least, it gives players the option to reinstate it themselves if they so choose. The update adds a "hard mode" to RoadCraft in the form of several difficulty modifiers, each of which can be toggled on or off depending on how granular you want the experience to be.

And here’s part three of the gaming news:

Star Trucker celebrates a year of space haulage with an anniversary update and a half-price discount
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/star-trucker-celebrates-a-year-of-space-haulage-with-an-anniversary-update-and-a-half-price-discount/
Freight hauling may be a common activity among space sims like Elite Dangerous and No Man's Sky, but Star Trucker is a little different from other futuristic delivery fare. Monster and Monster's hybrid trucking sim dedicates itself to synthesising grand journeys across the cosmos with the specific vehicle handling and road networks of Euro Truck Simulator 2.
The combination was relatively well received by players when Star Trucker launched in 2024, earning itself a "Mostly Positive" rating on Steam out of just under 3,000 reviews. Now Monster and Monster is celebrating a whole year of interplanetary logistics, with the double delivery of an anniversary update and a big discount.

Nightdive Studios says System Shock 2's multiplayer was 'so hard to get working' for modern platforms, but you should still 'probably play it in singleplayer first to get the true experience'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/nightdive-studios-says-system-shock-2s-multiplayer-was-so-hard-to-get-working-for-modern-platforms-but-you-should-still-probably-play-it-in-singleplayer-first-to-get-the-true-experience/
One of System Shock 2's more unusual quirks is how it supports four player co-op. This was extremely rare in PC gaming in general at the tail end of the nineties, and it makes System Shock 2 unique among the classic immersive sims.
With its 25th anniversary remaster, Nightdive Studios wanted to ensure this co-op functionality was brought up to date with the rest of System Shock 2. Yet according to producer Daniel Grayshon, getting it to work was a nightmare worthy of SHODAN herself.
>> Adding controller support was also a lot of work, but for other reasons.

If you've ever wanted to defuse a bomb with your friends, your chance is here with upcoming Werewolf-style co-op puzzler Cut That Wire
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/if-youve-ever-wanted-to-diffuse-a-bomb-with-your-friends-your-chance-is-here-with-upcoming-werewolf-style-co-op-puzzler-cut-that-wire/
Among Us meets Werewolf in the latest game from indie dev WakaStudio: Cut That Wire, a four player co-op puzzle game where you and your fellow players have to figure out how to defuse bombs while an imposter attempts to sabotage you. If you fail, you risk cutting the wrong wire and blowing yourself up.

After Indiana Jones, it sounds like MachineGames is ready to make another Wolfenstein game: 'We have always seen this as a trilogy'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/after-indiana-jones-it-sounds-like-machinegames-is-ready-to-make-another-wolfenstein-game-we-have-always-seen-this-as-a-trilogy/
At the end of the second episode of Noclip's video series on the history of MachineGames, studio head Jerk Gustafsson dropped a bit of a bombshell: The devs at MachineGames would like to make a direct sequel to 2017's Wolfenstein: The New Colossus.
"We have always seen this as a trilogy," said Gustafsson. "That journey for BJ, even during those first weeks at id, when we mapped out New Order, we still had the plan for at least [BJ], what would happen in the second one and what would happen in the third one.
>> Trilogy? Do they not count The Old Blood?

With Silksong in our hands, Steam's new reigning wishlist kings are both kind of basket cases: The partially-released Deadlock and lawsuit lightning rod Subnautica 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/with-silksong-in-our-hands-steams-new-reigning-wishlist-kings-are-both-kind-of-basket-cases-the-partially-released-deadlock-and-lawsuit-lightning-rod-subnautica-2/
Just as prior wishlist chart-toppers The Day Before (lol), Manor Lords, and (briefly) Stray gave way to Hollow Knight: Silksong's long reign, so too has Team Cherry's platformer passed the torch to a new contender. Subnautica 2 is now the most wishlisted game on Steam, followed by Valve's MOBA-shooter Deadlock. Slots three through five are taken up by Battlefield 6, Borderlands 4, and Light No Fire.

Monster Train 2 update details and Q&A: developers share info on 4 new cards
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/monster-train-2-lost-arsenal-update/
Monster Train 2 is 2025's best card game, a moreish menagerie of mushroom people, Frankensteinian experiments, moon faeries, and creatures who I'd describe as "Peaky Blinders but candles." I love the splashiness of Monster Train 2's card combos, and its three-tier floor system makes each fight a series of filters that enemies are sifted through.
Tomorrow the game will get its first major update: The Lost Arsenal, a free, 15-card set of new equipment and rooms. Shiny Shoe shared with PC Gamer exclusively four of the cards appearing in the update, and provided commentary on each of them. Some significant balance changes to existing cards are on the way too, outlined in this post on Steam.

Semiwork gets all mysterious about REPO's new monsters ahead of the next update
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/semiwork-gets-all-mysterious-about-repos-new-monsters-ahead-of-the-next-update/
REPO announced that a monster update would be coming at the end of October not too long ago, and have followed up with a video answering some of the questions players are throwing its way. Unfortunately though, if you wanted any sort of insight to what new monsters we can expect to face, or how many are being added, I've got some bad news. Semiwork will not be dishing out any information on how many monsters are coming, or their appearance, ahead of time.

Silksong players are wrestling with the game's 'stabs you and kicks you for crying about it' difficulty
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/silksong-players-are-wrestling-with-the-games-stabs-you-and-kicks-you-for-crying-about-it-difficulty/
Silksong's out, and folks are playing it—they're also throwing their controllers, gnashing their teeth, and doing a lot of complaining about masks, if the r/Silksong subreddit is to be believed. As someone currently arm-deep in Pharloom myself and having a whale of a time, I have plenty of thoughts about that—but first, let's see what the people have to say, shall we:
>> If you need help with the game, here is what to do if you miss a map, if you get stuck in Far Fields (here) or if Moorwing gives you troubles (here).