It’s Monday and these are the gaming news:
SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS
Steam has new deals and sales:
Humble Bundle presents the Best of Humble Bundle: The Sid Meier Collection, with 13 items to get (games + 3 coupons) during 11 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/best-of-humble-bundle-sid-meier-collection
And Fanatical has two deals:
SOFTWARE & DRIVERS
It turns out, GOG players get more achievements than Steam users do
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/it-turns-out-gog-players-get-more-achievements-than-steam-users-do/
I don't love giving my data to companies, but boy oh boy I sure do love it when they repackage it back to me in the form of a fun yearly review. GOG–which is under new ownership—has joined the likes of Spotify, Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and even virtual bank Monzo, to offer us the chance to see how many games we played, how many achievements we earned, and how many hours we spent living out other lives.
GOG shared the news of this new feature earlier today on X. It's called GOG Year 2025, and it provides a breakdown of how you played. My favourite part of the feature isn't the info on the games I played, but how long I've had my GOG account. It's been active for six years, back before I was even a videogame journalist. I was still at university finishing my Master's degree.
(...)
What's interesting is that it seems gamers on GOG get more achievements than those on Steam. The average number for GOG is 14, whereas the median on Steam is 11. It's important to note that average and median are different ways of measuring large data sets, so it's not a perfect comparison, but it's cool to see nonetheless.
As for the total number of games played, Steam appears to have beaten GOG, with a median of four games per player compared to an average of 2.4 for the DRM-free storefront. Again, these aren't perfect mirrors to each other, but it's still useful to know.
A big difference between the platforms is that GOG reveals your total playtime as well as the average across all users (137 hours) while steam only offers you percentages of how much of your total time each game took up. Maybe Gabe is saving us from outing ourselves when we no-life a new update.
MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS
Clive Barker’s Undying RTX Remix Path Tracing Mod Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/clive-barkers-undying-rtx-remix-path-tracing-mod-released/
Modder ‘Pathtraced Paradise’ has released the first version of his RTX Remix Path Tracing Mod for Clive Barker’s Undying. This mod adds real-time path tracing to the classic FPS and includes over 1,000 upgraded textures with PBR materials for better lighting and detail.
As the modder noted, he used Topaz Gigapixel models to upscale and add new level of detail to all the new 1000 textures, and he then hand edited those that needed a bit more work. Then, he used PBRFusion via ComfyUI for the PBR map generation.
This RTX Remix Demo Mod covers the first two hours of the game. These early areas have been heavily worked so that they are playable with Path Tracing. So, if you are a Clive Barker’s Undying fan, you might want to take a look at it.
>> The article has two videos.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate Gets a Dark, Dramatic Overhaul With a New Total Conversion Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/assassins-creed-syndicate-gets-a-dark-dramatic-overhaul-with-a-new-total-conversion-mod/
Modder ‘ACVictoryProject’ has released a 3GB total conversion mod for Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, called Assassin’s Creed Victory. This mod aims to make Syndicate feel more like its earlier version, based on leaked screenshots from 2014.
Going into more details, Assassin’s Creed Victory Project is an ambitious total conversion mod that turns the game into an early version of what the devs were originally making. Back in 2014, some screenshots of this early build were leaked online, and you can still find them on many websites today. Anyone who looks at those images can quickly see that the final game, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, turned out very different. The early version had a much more serious tone, a different-looking main character, and a completely different style overall.
The modder has added custom models, changed the story missions, and even included a new soundtrack. Because of this, Assassin’s Creed Victory feels completely different from the original game. It’s made for players who want something closer in style to AC Unity or the older Assassin’s Creed titles. The mod is darker, more serious, more dramatic, and overall more exciting. The story of the mod finishes in the Jack the Ripper DLC.
The bad news is that installing this mod is a bit tricky. This is because a lot of things were changed, and you have to install everything by hand, so the content stays optional. Files with lower numbers take priority over higher-numbered files, so you can rename the starting numbers if you want—just don’t name anything “0.” It’s a good idea to do this because if your old game data has lower numbers, it will override the mod files.
The modder didn’t put everything into one big .forge archive because the files are huge. This means you must first download and install Kamzik’s AnvilToolKit, then pack the .data files the modder provided into .forge files manually.
>> There are also two videos in the article.
One of the best N64 games, Banjo-Kazooie, has been ported to PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/one-of-the-best-n64-games-banjo-kazooie-has-been-ported-to-pc/
Now here is something truly special for our retro fans. A team of modders has just ported one of the best Nintendo 64 games, Banjo-Kazooie, to the PC.
Banjo: Recompiled is a project that takes Banjo-Kazooie and turns it into a native PC port using N64: Recompiled. This new version adds many new features, improvements, and lots of mod support. It also uses RT64 as its rendering engine to give the game better graphics.
The cool thing about this PC version of Banjo-Kazooie is that it supports high framerates and high resolutions. This means you can play the game at more than 60FPS. There is also support for mods, as well as for ultra-wide screens. All the advanced visual effects, like the jigsaw puzzle screen transition and Bottles’ Moving Picture Game, work as intended. Even small details, like the game’s original mipmapping, are kept with very accurate quality.
The music and sounds are exactly like the original N64 version of the game. All of the audio processing works correctly, with no popping or stuttering. Any scenes that match sound to visuals have been fixed so the timing stays perfectly in sync, just like on the original hardware.
This unofficial PC port is similar to all the other PC ports of the console-only games we’ve covered in the past. In other words, it does not contain any assets. As such, you’ll also need its ROM file, otherwise, you won’t be able to run it. To be more precise, you’ll need the North American 1.0 version.
>> The article has an almost 4 minutes video.
New Baldur’s Gate 3 Mod Injects a Dynamic Behavior System Into Your Party Members
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/new-baldurs-gate-3-mod-injects-a-dynamic-behavior-system-into-your-party-members/
Modder ‘ExcelsiorOne’ has released a new cool mod for Baldur’s Gate 3. This mod aims to bring your party to life by injecting a dynamic behavior system into your party members.
Going into more details, your companions will automatically light nearby torches, candles, and lamps. If they stand near a chair, bench, or bed, they might sit down or take a short nap, which gives them a small amount of health back. They can also admire paintings, look closely at statues, check themselves in mirrors, or poke around strange devices like globes, telescopes, or old machines.
And that’s not everything. Your companions will also look at gravestones, use water pumps and blacksmith bellows, and inspect the “Shallow Vestiges” left behind by spirits. They’ll even break weak or cracked walls on their own to open new paths. And if there’s nothing around to interact with, they might just take a short walk to stretch their legs.
The mod also includes a smart “Scavenging” system that helps you without filling your inventory with junk. If there are loose items on the ground, like weapons, gold, scrolls, potions, or gems, your companions will run over and pick them up. There’s also a safety feature: if they grab a weapon or torch, they will instantly unequip it so they don’t mess up their loadout.
Your companions will also walk to crates, chests, and dead bodies to “inspect” them. They’ll open the lid or look over the body, but they won’t take anything from inside. The AI also checks if something is owned before touching it. They will never grab “red” (owned) items or open owned containers, so you won’t accidentally get into trouble with guards.
>> We’ve gone from two, to one and now to zero videos, as this article has no media.
Red Dead Redemption 2 Got a Lightweight Visual Overhaul Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/red-dead-redemption-2-got-a-lightweight-visual-overhaul-mod/
Modder “rzzzblend” has released a new lightweight visual overhaul for Red Dead Redemption 2 called Natural Light Reworked. This mod focuses on making the game’s lighting look more natural, giving the world a more realistic atmosphere and softer, more controlled colors. The result is a cleaner and more grounded look for the game.
Going into more details, the mod increases GI intensity so the world has more natural-looking light. Lanterns you carry now give off a warm, orange glow. Nighttime is darker and feels more immersive. The mod also removes the fake “glow” that normally appears around NPCs and the player, making everything look more realistic.
If you’re interested, you can download the mod from this link. The modder didn’t share a comparison video, but he did share several screenshots, and you can see some of them at the end of the article. On the NexusMods page, you’ll also find comparison images. These will help you clearly see the visual improvements the mod offers.
Star Wars Genesis Gets Update 8.6 — Available to Download
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/star-wars-genesis-gets-major-8-6-update-available-to-download/
Modder ‘DeityVengy’ has released a new major update, Patch 8.6, for his amazing Star Wars mod for Starfield, Star Wars Genesis. Star Wars Genesis is the ultimate Star Wars mod for Starfield. So, let’s see what this new version offers.
Star Wars Genesis has a unique main story, a Rebellion story, and several standalone quests. The game’s five factions are fully changed, and the mod also adds five brand-new Star Wars factions. It includes new music and sounds, and it replaces all weapons, armor, and droids with Star Wars versions. On top of that, the mod adds many famous locations from the Star Wars universe.
According to the modder, Version 8.6 includes 40,000 rewritten voice lines. It also features alien races, droids, and custom cities and planets. The mod adds a unique armor progression system, smarter AI, and better ragdoll physics. And yes, you can use Force Powers in battles. On top of that, the mod has iconic Star Wars ships and more than 300 repeatable sandbox missions.
But that’s not all. Star Wars Genesis Update 8.6 now comes with an automated installer. This makes installing the mod much easier, which is something many Starfield fans have been asking for. With this new tool, you can set up the mod quickly and without any hassle.
The modder also claimed that Star Wars Genesis Update 8.6 reduces loading screens and includes a full overhaul of third-person animations. The game now has realistic damage, better scaling, and a rebalanced economy. Players will also find unique sub-factions to interact with. On top of that, the update brings a complete biome overhaul and a dynamic weather system. NPCs now follow daily schedules, and stealth has been improved in many ways. The mod even adds custom bosses, new dungeons, and a city light system that changes between day and night.
All in all, this is a must-have mod for all Star Wars fans who are currently playing Starfield. If you are one of them, you can download the latest version of Star Wars Genesis from this link. At the end of the article, you can also find a new gameplay video for it.
Version 2.2 of RE:Enhance Mod for Resident Evil 3 Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/version-2-2-of-reenhance-mod-for-resident-evil-3-released/
The RE:Enhance Mod is perhaps the best mod you can use to replay Capcom’s classic Resident Evil 3. Yesterday, the modder released a brand new version of it. So, let’s see what Version 2.2 brings to the table, shall we?
For those who did not know, this mod enhances the pre-rendered backgrounds via AI tools. Moreover, the modder made thousands of manual edits to the backgrounds. The result is a game that can look crisper and more detailed than before.
Now, what’s interesting here is that this mod appears to offer better backgrounds than the Seamless HD Project. Or at least that’s what the modder claims. To prove his claims, SonicB00M shared a couple of comparisons between SHDP and RE: Enhance. From what I can see, RE: Enhance does a better job at upscaling the pre-rendered backgrounds.
Version 2.2 brings a lot of improvements that make the mod look much better. The biggest change is that hundreds of posters, signs, and labels all across the game have been manually fixed, cleaned up, or even completely remade. Many of these text details were impossible to read at the game’s original low resolution. When the images were upscaled, AI tools often guessed wrong and created messy or strange-looking text.
To fix this, the modder went through every image himself and improved all the tiny details. In some cases, he even made new assets that still fit the style and feel of the game. Thanks to this, most of the blurry or weird AI-generated text is now gone. However, he did not correct Capcom’s original spelling mistakes (like “Japanies Food,” “Restourant,” or “Shoues”). As he said, he kept them so that the game could still retain its original personality.
SonicB00M has also improved the look of most zombies and dead bodies in the background. Because of this, they now blend in much better with the environment. The Epilogue Files, inventory portraits, and end screens have been completely recreated. The new Epilogue Files look very close to the originals, but they now have much higher resolution and more detail.
Many textures for 3D models were upgraded as well. For example, Nemesis now looks much more detailed. Characters’ faces and clothing also no longer have the blurry, “smeared” look that came from older AI upscaling tools.
>> This mod also lacks any media, unfortunately.
Creator of DMCA'd Cyberpunk VR mod takes ball and goes home, removing access to all his VR mods after receiving a second DMCA takedown from 505 Games and a warning from Patreon
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/vr/creator-of-dmcad-cyberpunk-vr-mod-takes-ball-and-goes-home-removing-access-to-all-his-vr-mods-after-receiving-a-second-dmca-takedown-from-505-games-and-a-warning-from-patreon/
Last week, creator of the popular paid-access Cyberpunk 2077 R.E.A.L. VR mod Luke Ross found himself at the center of a growing controversy after receiving a DMCA notice from Cyberpunk developer CD Projekt, which claimed the modder was profiting from its IP. The studio had earlier requested that Ross make the mod free to download, but rather than submit to what he called "iron-clad corpo logic," Ross instead made the VR mod unavailable.
Now, after receiving a second DMCA notice from publisher 505 Games over his VR conversion mod for Ghostrunner, Ross has opted for the nuclear option and removed access to all 40+ of his VR mods from his Patreon rather than distribute them for free.
"Due to DMCA notices received from CD Projekt S.A. and 505 Games, I am forced to temporarily pause the Patreon page," says a disclaimer on the About page of Ross's Patreon. "You can still subscribe if you want to support me, but be advised that for the moment there will be no benefits available. No access to the 40+ mods or detailed information about my VR conversions, until the legal situation clears out."
On Reddit, users have shared an email that was supposedly sent out yesterday to Ross's Patreon subscribers. To give you an idea of the tone, the alleged email summarizes the last week of the Cyberpunk mod controversy as "the haters of VR, and defenders of some God-given right to free mods for commercial games found me guilty and sentenced us to be punished by taking away what we had worked for." So, you know. That's cool.
The email explains that receiving a second DMCA takedown from 505 Games triggered a warning from Patreon, who informed Ross that it "will terminate accounts that are the subject of repeated, compliant notifications of copyright infringement" and that he must "avoid posting material that will subject your account to further claims of copyright infringement."
After debuting in Nightdive's second remaster, one of the best mods for classic FPS Blood just released its concluding episode for everyone to play
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/after-debuting-in-nightdives-second-remaster-one-of-the-best-mods-for-classic-fps-blood-just-released-its-concluding-episode-for-everyone-to-play/
Late last year, Nightdive Studios released Blood: Refreshed Supply, its second remaster of Monolith Productions' brilliant FPS debut. For PC gamers with one Blood remaster already in their Steam library, the highlight of the package wasn't anything technical—it was the addition of the concluding part of one of Blood's best mods.
That mod is Marrow, a new campaign for Monolith's deviously difficult and ferociously violent shooter. It's sort of Blood's equivalent of John Romero's Sigil—a continuation of Blood's storyline that concluded with protagonist Caleb slaying his demonic former master Tchernobog. Like Sigil, Marrow restricts itself to Blood's original assets (weapons, enemies etc) to power the experience, focussing instead on using those assets to build large and complex new maps for the game.
Episode One of Marrow has been out for a while, releasing back in 2023. Marrow's creator, Nick Palsmier, intended to issue a general release of Chapter 2 as close to the launch of Nightdive's 2025 remaster as he could. But as he explains in a post on ModDB "Responsibilities and life got in the way. As did a trickle of small issues."
Still, it hasn't been that long since Blood: Refreshed Supply landed, and it seems like Marrow: Chapter 2 has been worth the wait. Chapter 2 is larger than Chapter 1, offering 13 maps compared to the first episode's 10. These maps are designed to be more elaborate and horror-focussed than Chapter 1's, and they seem to have gone down swimmingly with the community.
>> The article has a video, but it’s the trailer for the Blood remaster, not the mod.
Finally, a comprehensive overhaul for third-person movement animations in Fallout: New Vegas
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fallout/finally-a-comprehensive-overhaul-for-third-person-movement-animations-in-fallout-new-vegas/
When people call the modern Fallout games "first-person RPGs" a part of me dies. A significant chunk of the appeal of them, just like The Elder Scrolls, is the option to flick back and forth between first-person and third-person at the press of a button. When I'm in a cramped tunnel full of ghouls with an air-cooled automatic rifle and a depleting supply of .308 rounds, I want to be in claustrophobic first-person. When I'm jogging across the countryside in a duster, or swinging a golf club at Fiends coming from every direction, I want to be in open third-person.
Modders have tended to focus on first-person animations, both because it's the more popular view and the easiest to tweak. Which is why it's taken until now for modder Wombat to bless us with a full third-person animation overhaul for Fallout: New Vegas. And yes, it does cover NPCs as well.
Enhanced Animations – 3rd Person Movement is apparently the first in a series of planned Enhanced Animation mods. As Wombat explains, "It covers all general movement animations when standing, which include idle, walking, running, jumping, and landing animations, all with directional variants. There are also some extra animations for melee weapon and minigun attacks, a bit of [a] teaser of what's to come in the future."
It also includes some bug fixes for animation issues that weren't covered in the previous 3rd Person Animation Fixpack mod, which focused on things like fingers bending at unlikely angles, stutters at the end of animation loops, and the way characters slide along the ground for a moment if you stop moving while turning the camera in third-person.
While some of the tweaks in the Enhanced Animations mod are extremely specific, like the one that makes leaning back while holding a minigun look less back-breaking, the improvements for melee attacks and jumps made during movement should be much more noticeable.
To install this mod you'll first need to install the kNVSE Animation Plugin and the JIP LN NVSE Plugin, both of which you may well have already as they're basic prerequisites for multiple mods. Then you can go ahead and add Enhanced Animations – 3rd Person Movement, and you'll be ready to minigun airborne cazodors to your heart's content.
>> There is an over 3 minutes video of the mod.
GAMING NEWS
Here are the official PC system requirements for Highguard
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/here-are-the-official-pc-system-requirements-for-highguard/
Wildlight Entertainment, a team of former Apex Legends and Titanfall developers, has revealed the PC requirements for Highguard. Highguard is a new free-to-play PvP raid shooter. So, let’s see what PC system you’ll need to run it.
Paper Mario-Inspired RPG Escape from Ever After Is Now Available on PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/paper-mario-inspired-rpg-escape-from-ever-after-is-now-available-on-pc/
HypeTrain Digital has released its new RPG that is inspired by the Paper Mario games, Escape from Ever After. This is a must for everyone who wants to play a Paper Mario-like game on PC. So, if you are one of them, you should definitely check it out.
Nioh 3 Gets a 13-Minute Gameplay Showcase Video
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/nioh-3-gets-a-13-minute-gameplay-showcase-video/
KOEI Tecmo and Team Ninja have released a new 13-minute gameplay showcase video for Nioh 3. This video demonstrates unique yokai, historical heroes, samurai and ninja-style combat, as well as the Crucible. So, if you’ve been looking forward to it, you should definitely watch this latest trailer.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Will Stick to Unreal Engine 4 Instead of Upgrading to Unreal Engine 5
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/final-fantasy-7-remake-part-3-will-stick-to-unreal-engine-4-instead-of-upgrading-to-unreal-engine-5/
In an interview with Gamespot, Naoki Hamaguchi confirmed that Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 will not be using Unreal Engine 5. Instead, the devs will stick with Unreal Engine 4, which was used for the previous parts of the remake.
This Might Be Your First and Only Look at the Prince from the Canceled Prince of Persia Remake
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/this-might-be-your-first-and-only-look-at-the-prince-from-the-canceled-prince-of-persia-remake/
Twitter/X user “j0nathan” appears to have leaked a screenshot from the canceled Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake. This screenshot features the Prince himself and gives us a glimpse of what he would have looked like.
>> There are also claims that the game was “close to the finish line” (link), which I doubt.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Patch 1.2.4 Released & Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/metal-gear-solid-delta-snake-eater-patch-1-2-4-released-detailed/
Konami has just released Title Update 1.2.4 for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. From what I can see, this is a minor update that does not bring any huge tweaks or changes to the game. Still, it’s at least good to know that Konami has not abandoned the game. At least not yet.
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