Btw I m going on vacation so won't be able to post news till next week

Have a nice vacation!

Relax and have fun. And remember, be good, but not too good.

Welcome to the Monday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Steam has four new deals:

• Ratropolis will have a 66% discount until the 6th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1108370/Ratropolis/
• The Messenger will be 80% off until the 6th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/764790/The_Messenger/
• CONTROL Ultimate Edition gets a 90% discount until September 7: https://store.steampowered.com/app/870780/CONTROL_Ultimate_Edition/
• IfSunSets , still in Early Access, is going to be 40% off until the 13th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2271930/IfSunSets/

Humble Bundle has the new PAX West 2026 Bundle, with up to 9 items to get (8 games + 1 coupon) during 18 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/pax-west-2026-bundle

Fanatical’s Star Deal is Directive 8020 , 36% off. It started yesterday and will last another 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/directive-8020

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

A massive cache of Valve data has reportedly leaked online, appearing to include Portal 2's elusive beta build and a potential weapon from Half-Life 2: Episode 3
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/a-massive-cache-of-valve-data-has-reportedly-leaked-online-appearing-to-include-portal-2s-elusive-beta-build-and-a-potential-weapon-from-half-life-2-episode-3/
A massive cache of internal builds from Valve has reportedly leaked online, including beta builds of several classic Valve titles and possible weapons from Half-Life 2's cancelled third episode.
The leak, which began circulating on Saturday and comes from an unknown source, includes 12 terabytes of data currently being sifted through by data miners. The files are dated from a ten-year period between 2003 and 2013, and include builds and assets of many Valve projects across that timespan.
Thus far, data from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Left 4 Dead, and Portal 2 have all been claimed to feature in the leak. This reportedly includes the complete Portal 2 beta from 2009, a much sought-after artifact for Portal 2 fans.
>> The leak appears to also include third party titles (link)

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Unofficial Native PC Version of Blue Dragon Available for Download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/unofficial-native-pc-version-of-blue-dragon-available-for-download/
Now here is something truly amazing for our Akira Toriyama PC fans. An unofficial native PC version of Blue Dragon has just been released. As such, PC gamers can now enjoy this RPG on their PC without the need to use an emulator.
The PC version of Blue Dragon supports resolutions up to 4K. It has windowed and fullscreen modes, and it supports a lot of aspect ratios. To be more precise, it supports 16:9, 4:3, 16:10, 21:9, 32:9.
What’s also interesting here is that the PC port has four quality presets, from Low all the way to Ultra. It also supports MSAA up to 8x or SSAA up to 4x. We also get settings for Anisotropic Filtering, Shadow Quality, Draw Distance, and Depth of Field. Oh, and there is also support for unlocked framerates.
And that’s not all. This PC version feels like a proper native PC port. For instance, it has native keyboard and mouse support with cursor and look modes supported by mouse. We also get a FOV setting, and lots of optional framerate settings.
We get a full area map on the world map screen, with zoom, floor switching, and a legend. There are also optional map markers for the hidden items, chests, and barriers a floor still has, plus per-floor counts, carried onto the field compass. The field HUD can fade out once you stop pressing anything, or stay off entirely. Furthermore, we get the ability to skip all the in-game tutorial pages.
In short, this is miles better than the typical unofficial PC ports we’ve been getting lately. So, if you’ve never played Blue Dragon, I suggest downloading this unofficial PC version. You can get it from here (Github). To run it, you will also need disc images of its three DVDs.
>> The article has a 2 minutes video.

Behold the Classic SNES StarFox, Running on PC With Proper High Framerates
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/behold-the-classic-snes-starfox-running-on-pc-with-proper-high-framerates/
It appears that a native PC version of the classic SNES game StarFox is now in development. This PC version will let you play the game at high frame rates while keeping its original physics.
In other words, the game will not run faster just because of the higher frame rate. And now, you can get an early look at the project, as a new gameplay video has appeared online.
It’s pretty crazy witnessing StarFox running this smoothly. For those who did not know, some emulators allowed you to overclock the CPU and the SuperFX chip. However, their results were a bit mixed. It was better than the original SNES console, but it wasn’t a buttery smooth gaming experience.
With this unofficial PC port, though, things get way more interesting. As you will see in the video, there aren’t any slowdowns at all. This is the smoothest I’ve seen StarFox running on any platform. And, as I said, the physics work correctly. Nothing is sped up, and the game runs at its original pace.
This is a dream come true for a lot of SNES StarFox fans. However, there is a catch. Right now, you’ll have to build the repo yourselves. There isn’t an “easy” build that you can download. This will most likely put off a large number of gamers. So, let’s hope that we’ll get a proper public release of it soon.
Those interested can visit its GitHub page. That page contains instructions on how you can build the repo.
>> The article has a 10 minutes video, in case you want to check that smoothness the article talks about.

Fallout 4 Now Has a 28 Days Later-Inspired Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/fallout-4-now-has-a-28-days-later-inspired-mod/
In June 2026, we informed you about a mod for Fallout 4 that was inspired by the 28 Years Later movie. Created by Anderson2888, that mod brought film-accurate recreations of the infected from 28 Years Later to Fallout 4. And apparently, there is another mod based on 28 Days Later.
Going into more details, this mod adds film-accurate recreations of the infected from 28 Days Later. Moreover, the modder added custom sounds siphoned directly from the movie to make them feel more like their film counterparts. These new infected will spawn alongside ferals.
Anderson2888 got in touch with us and told me that this mod is more advanced than the 28 Years Later mod. It also appears to look better than the other mod. So, if you are a fan of this franchise, you should check it out.
Those interested can download the mod from this link (Nexusmods).
>> The article doesn’t have any media.

Here Are Fallout 4, Tekken 8, GTA 5, The Last of Us, Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Tomb Raider, and More Games With NVIDIA DLSS 5
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-fallout-4-tekken-8-gta-5-the-last-of-us-cyberpunk-2077-elden-ring-tomb-raider-and-more-games-with-nvidia-dlss-5/
As I reported a couple of days ago, NBA 2K27 leaked the DLL files for NVIDIA DLSS 5. Since then, modders have been able to force DLSS 5 in a lot of games. So, instead of flooding you with numerous articles, I’ve decided to collect and share the most impressive DLSS 5 results in one big article.
>> The article has 18 videos.

Here’s How You Can Install and Enable DLSS 5 in Every DX9, DX10, DX11, DX12, and Vulkan Game
https://www.dsogaming.com/articles/heres-how-you-can-install-dlss-5-to-all-dx9-dx10-dx11-dx12-and-vulkan-games/
NVIDIA DLSS 5 may very well be one of the biggest visual improvements we’ll get in PC games. We’ve already shared numerous examples in which DLSS 5 can literally transform a game. But how can you install it? And is it possible to use it in really old games that use DX9? Yes, it is, and here’s how you can install and enable it in every game you want.
>> The article has 6 videos. And be careful if you do it with FF 7, or you may turn Claude into… Claudette? (link)

Unofficial PC Version of Donkey Kong 64 Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/unofficial-pc-version-of-donkey-kong-64-released/
Another day, another unofficial PC version of an old console-only game. This time, an unofficial PC version of Donkey Kong 64 has been released. So, if you’ve never played this Donkey Kong game before, you can now give it a try. Donkey Kong 64: Recompiled is built on the N64: Recompiled project. N64: Recompiled is a tool that converts Nintendo 64 game code into C code. The new code can then be compiled to run on many different platforms. This makes it possible to create native PC ports and other tools. It can also run game code much faster than traditional emulators that rely on interpretation or dynamic recompilation. This unofficial PC version of Donkey Kong 64 supports unlocked frame rates. That means you can play at well above 60 FPS if your PC is powerful enough. As a result, the game feels much smoother than it did on the Nintendo 64 when it launched in 1999. Moreover, there is support for widescreen and high resolutions. Those owning a 4K monitor will be able to game at Native 4K. What’s also cool is that the cut-scenes have been updated so that they can work with widescreen resolutions. It’s also worth noting that this unofficial PC version appears to offer the best controls. The modding team has updated the mini-games to scale with lagless gameplay. There will also be very low input delay. Furthermore, there is mod support, with DK64: Randomizer coming at a later date. Since I’m a big fan of the Donkey Kong games on the SNES, I was never very excited about Donkey Kong 64. I still feel that the series did not translate very well to 3D. That said, this is a game that may still interest some of you. You can go ahead and download it from this link (Github). As with all recompilations, it does not contain any in-game assets. This means that you will have to use the N64 ROM file. Also note that DK64 Recompiled currently supports only the US version.
>> There is a 1 minute trailer.

GTA 4 RTX Remix Path Tracing Mod Update 1.5.1 Adds DLSS 5 and DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction Support
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/gta-4-rtx-remix-path-tracing-mod-update-1-5-1-adds-dlss-5-and-dlss-4-5-ray-reconstruction-support/
Modder ‘xoxor4d’ has released Title Update 1.5.1 for the GTA 4 RTX Remix Path Tracing mod that adds support for DLSS 5. This update also comes with some other tweaks. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
As I said, Patch 1.5.1 adds support for DLSS 5. Moreover, it updates the remix runtime to the very latest commit, which now officially has DLSS RR 4.5. This is amazing news, as you can now get a much better image with DLSS Ray Reconstruction.
From what I can see, these are the two main features of Update 1.5.1. The modder has also fixed an issue that could cause the sun/moon to get stuck. Furthermore, he has added some fixes in the remix_vars module. Plus, we get slower/smoother sunrise and sunset, as well as slightly adjusted times for the Numos sky system.
You can go ahead and download this latest version of the RTX Remix Path Tracing Mod for GTA 4 from here (Github).
>> There is a 5 minutes video in the article.

A Star Wars Galaxies community server was allegedly hacked with AI assistance by a Reddit moderator harboring a primeval grudge
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/a-star-wars-galaxies-community-server-was-allegedly-hacked-with-ai-assistance-by-a-reddit-moderator-harboring-a-primeval-grudge/
Star Wars Galaxies Legends, one of many community servers offering a version of the defunct MMO with custom additions, reportedly had its assets decrypted by a hacker with the username levarrishawk (via Massively OP). In a post on the Star Wars Galaxies subreddit, Levarris confirmed the details of a Discord post shared by the server's development team.
"[W]e’ve confirmed that Levarris, aka levarrishawk from r/swg, used AI tools to decrypt our client side game asset files," the Discord post reads. "This gave him access to assets from all of our custom content: items, questlines … We do know that he’s actively offered these files to other servers, and while we can’t confirm that he’s had any takers yet, if you start seeing Legends‑exclusive content out in other worlds it was likely taken from us.
"We’re obviously bothered by this, but there isn’t much we can do outside of being upfront with all of you and staying focused on what makes Legends great."
Notably, no player data or personal info was accessed. The response from Levarris, who is a moderator for the Star Wars Galaxies subreddit, reveals the motivation behind this hack: some drama that goes back "roughly fourteen years ago."
Levarris claims that some folks who'd eventually work on Legends used a "honeypot" scheme to acquire dev tools that Sony Online Entertainment used when working on the live game, and then didn't share those tools with other community devs trying to revive it. "You don't get to protect and hoard from the greater community things built on stolen goods," Levarris wrote.
>> I feel a big ego, small pp energy from the attacker.

GAMING NEWS

Early Gameplay Trailer Leaked for Marvel’s Iron Man
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/early-gameplay-trailer-leaked-for-marvels-iron-man/
As we reported in September 2022, EA Motive has been working on an Iron Man game. And from the looks of it, an early gameplay trailer has been leaked online. EA has confirmed the leak, meaning that this is a real trailer for the game, and not an AI-generated fake trailer.
>> The article doesn’t have the leaked video. You’ll have to look for it and hope EA hasn’t taken down every link out there.

Fable Official PC System Requirements Revealed
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/fable-official-pc-system-requirements-revealed/
Microsoft has revealed the official PC system requirements for Fable. So, let’s see what PC system you’ll need to run it. (… several paragraphs later...) To run it, PC gamers will at least need an Intel i7 6850K or an AMD Ryzen 5 2600 with 12GB of RAM and an Nvidia Geforce RTX 5050, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060, an AMD Radeon RX 6600, or an Intel A580. With this PC setup, you will be able to run it at 1080p/Low Settings at 30FPS.
>> Oh, and the director of the game says they’re not scared of other big games… except one (link).

Monday gaming news, part number two:

Path of Exile 2's first event league goes 'oops, all bosses' and reworks its worst mode so sane people can finally enjoy it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/path-of-exile-2s-first-event-league-goes-oops-all-bosses-and-reworks-its-worst-mode-so-sane-people-can-finally-enjoy-it/
After the tremendous Return of the Ancients update to Path of Exile 2, it wouldn't take much to convince me to play more of it. The action RPG is the best it's ever been and finally feels ready to come out later this year. So when developer Grinding Gear Games says it's dropping a new mini-league next week to fill some time before release, you can bet I'll be there.
On September 4, the first PoE 2 event league, Forbidden Rites, will begin. It's not like the other major updates we've seen with tons of balance changes and a whole new league mechanic. Instead, developer Grinding Gear Games is keeping this one pretty simple with a small twist to the campaign and a big rework to one of the most divisive endgame activities.
>> That next week is this week.

Hello Neighbor's multiplayer spinoff has been 'temporarily shut down' after a hacker wiped player progression and demanded the game's 'removal from sale across all platforms'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/hello-neighbors-multiplayer-spinoff-has-been-temporarily-shut-down-after-a-hacker-wiped-player-progression-and-demanded-the-games-removal-from-sale-across-all-platforms/
Secret Neighbor, the multiplayer spinoff for the 2017 horror game Hello Neighbor, has been temporarily taken offline following a security breach by a hacker who accessed the game's backend systems and deleted player data.

The Long Dark will get new DLC again as studio shifts devs away from the sequel to survive an 'uncertain' industry: 'We have to adapt to this'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/the-long-dark-will-get-new-dlc-again-as-studio-shifts-devs-away-from-the-sequel-to-survive-an-uncertain-industry-we-have-to-adapt-to-this/
Survival game The Long Dark was supposed to be over when its final story episode was released earlier this year. Developer Hinterland announced its sequel, Blackfrost, two years ago and planned to go the early access route with it just like the first game.
According to a new update from the studio, however, those plans have changed a little bit. While it continues to work on Blackfrost in the background, a small team of developers have been moved back onto The Long Dark to make new DLC for its survival mode. Hinterland hopes going back to the 9-year-old game will help it endure an "uncertain" industry.

This newly announced FPS will let you blast through the worlds of Medieval Europe's weirdest artist, and I really hope it includes the 500-year-old butt song from hell
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/this-newly-announced-fps-will-let-you-blast-through-the-worlds-of-medieval-europes-weirdest-artist-and-i-really-hope-it-includes-the-500-year-old-butt-song-from-hell/
One of video gaming's great strengths is letting players step into worlds that previously only existed in words or on canvas or celluloid. Lush fantasy kingdoms, sprawling sci-fi universes, and of course surrealist dreamscapes where people have music printed on their butts.
Admittedly, that last one is a relatively recent addition to gaming's ever-expanding map of the human imagination. It comes courtesy of Hieronymus, an in-development FPS based on the works of late-medieval Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch.

'Sidequests are almost my reason for doing videogames in the first place:' The dev behind one of the coolest upcoming RPGs says its word count is ballooning because they just love side stories so much
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/sidequests-are-almost-my-reason-for-doing-videogames-in-the-first-place-the-dev-behind-one-of-the-coolest-upcoming-rpgs-says-its-word-count-is-ballooning-because-they-just-love-side-stories-so-much/
The early access RPG Entropy would be cool enough in a vacuum: Experimental, JRPG-style combat in a bizarre, fallen world. But it's also a second outing from the devs of one of my favorite RPGs in recent memory, Dread Delusion.
Dread Delusion was a first-person homage to the Elder Scrolls that, true to its inspirations, had some absolutely killer sidequests, like an ethical dilemma surrounding vegetarian zombies or a seemingly Blade Runner 2049-inspired investigation into a person erased from history (and their loved ones' memories). With Entropy's subgenre shift, I wondered if developer Lovely Hellplace would keep up this side stuff streak.

1666: Amsterdam's developer says it 'won't be using AI anymore', and the tech was only used 'in conception and pre-production'—arguably the most creative phase of the entire process
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/1666-amsterdams-developer-says-it-wont-be-using-ai-anymore-and-the-tech-was-only-used-in-conception-and-pre-production-arguably-the-most-creative-phase-of-the-entire-process/
There was surprise and delight when Summer Game Fest brought the reveal of 1666: Amsterdam, the long awaited dream project from Assassin's Creed co-creator Patrice Désilets. But the mood quickly changed when eager players began exploring a playable prologue for the witchy action-adventure that was released alongside the announcement and began spotting in-game assets that had the distinct whiff of generative AI.
Désilets' studio Panache Digital Games copped to using AI in the production of certain assets, then apologised and promised to remove those elements in time for the early access launch. With that launch happening last week, Désilets now says that Panache has decoupled AI from its pipeline entirely and it won't be using AI in future.
Speaking to GamesRadar+, Désilets stressed that Panache was done with generative AI, and claimed that most of the AI used occurred in the early stages of the project. "Yes, we use some AI in the process, mostly at the beginning," Désilets explained. "In conception and pre-production. It's been totally removed and we won't be using it anymore."

A 38-year-old NES platformer is getting a Steam remake by its original husband-and-wife team, as the pair's 'final major game product'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/a-38-year-old-nes-platformer-is-getting-a-steam-remake-by-its-original-husband-and-wife-team-as-the-pairs-final-major-game-product/
Games get remade for all sorts of reasons, but I think you'd struggle to find one with as heartwarming a basis as this. The Battle of Olympus—a side-scrolling platformer originally released on the NES in 1988, is getting a remake early next year created by its original husband-and-wife team.
(...)
As for the remake, the Steam page describes it as a "handcrafted Steam remake", with Yukio and Reiko Horimoto's reformed Infinity Co "personally recreated in the code, redrawing the pixel art, and refining the game for modern PC players while preserving the spirit, atmosphere and challenge of the original."

And, of course, there’s a third part of the gaming news:

Valve assures Deadlock players hungry for its next big update that it will notify them, 'or order a ton of pizza', when it's ready
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/moba/valve-assures-deadlock-players-hungry-for-its-next-big-update-that-it-will-notify-them-or-order-a-ton-of-pizza-when-its-ready/

Elden Ring players are hard at work putting the new Tarnished Edition DLC's gear to the test /strong>
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/elden-ring-players-are-hard-at-work-putting-the-new-tarnished-edition-dlcs-new-gear-to-the-test/

PSA: Swap the radial ability menu in Star Wars Zero Company for more of a trad XCOM-style experience
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/psa-swap-the-radial-ability-menu-in-star-wars-zero-company-for-more-of-a-trad-xcom-style-experience/
>> Or don’t, and play the game like the devs wanted.

Peter Cullen, voice of Optimus Prime in The Transformers, dies aged 85
https://www.pcgamer.com/movies-tv/peter-cullen-voice-of-optimus-prime-in-the-transformers-dies-aged-85/

Activision serves cease and desist to infamous Call of Duty cheat maker—and films the whole thing: 'We will find you'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/activision-serves-cease-and-desist-to-infamous-call-of-duty-cheat-maker-and-films-the-whole-thing-we-will-find-you/

Am I out of touch? No, it's the children who are wrong: The Wii and PS3 are 'retro' now, according to iconic Japanese gaming show
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/am-i-out-of-touch-no-its-the-children-who-are-wrong-the-wii-and-ps3-are-retro-now-according-to-iconic-japanese-gaming-show/
>> Is 20 years enough to be retro? Even more important, do you feel old(er) all of a sudden?

Total War: Warhammer 40,000 wins best PC game at Gamescom
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/total-war-warhammer-40-000-wins-best-pc-game-at-gamescom/

https://store.steampowered.com/category/pve_survival_crafting

Oh no, there's nothing sudden here - I keep getting bombarded with news that keep making me feel old, so at this point it's just expected. The only thing that really changes is what makes me feel old each time, because newer and newer stuff ends up getting old. Those 20-year-old consoles have definitely felt quite old for a good while now, even though at the same time they do still feel quite close to what we have now. After all, the games we play are still very similar to what they were during that generation - I don't think games have evolved all that much since. I feel like that was the point at which gaming had matured close to what it is now, whereas before it progress was more noticeable.

I know what you mean. This morning while listening to the radio they casually mentioned that the first Harry Potter movie is 25 years old... Time sure flies.

As for the other part, I agree that the "cinematic" formula used by most games today started back then, and so those PS360 games look old for their graphics, but not so much for their gameplay.

Anyway, it's September. And that means one thing:

*** NEW CONTEST ***

Win 1 of 3 sublime Seasonic power supplies
https://www.club386.com/win-seasonic-psus/
or https://gleam.io/HVnza/win-1-of-3-seasonic-psus

The prizes are:

• Seasonic Prime PX-2200
• Seasonic Prime TX-1300
• Seasonic Focus GX-1000 Sakura Limited Edition

This contest is limited to resident sof UK and Europe ONLY.

Good luck!