Reading this after playing a session of Theme Hospital and I actually felt a bit younger again afterwards 

Let’s go with the Tuesday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Steam’s Top 10
 
(Click here for the Top 100)

Steam has new deals and sales/events:

• The Séance of Blake Manor has a demo and a 40% discount that will last until the 8th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1395520/The_Seance_of_Blake_Manor/
• Endzone - A World Apart will be a massive 92% off until the 8th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/933820/Endzone__A_World_Apart/
• Layers of Fear 2 (2019) gets another massive 90% discount until September 14: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1029890/Layers_of_Fear_2_2019/
• These are the new sales/events:
  • Platformer Fever shows upcoming titles, demos and games up to 90% off. Most deals will end between the 6th and 7th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/46234690/sale/PlatformerFever
  • GCX2026-Gran Canarias Experience Festival shows lots of upcoming titles from Spanish studios, as well as some up to 80% off deals until September 7: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/46231839/sale/GCX26
  • Gundam Franchise Sale has the games on sale with up to 75% discounts until September 8: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/GundamFranchise
  • The Serious Sam Franchise Sale celebrates the launch of its latest game putting the older games on sale with up to 90% discounts until the 14th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/serioussam2026
  • Publisher Kalypso celebrates its 20th Anniversary showing two of its upcoming titles and putting the rest up to 90% off until the 14th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/20thAnniversaryKalypsoPublisherSale2026
• Last, but not least, there are also the new weeklong deals

I didn’t saw it yesterday, but Humble Bundle had a second new bundle: the Dread and Dark Fantasies RPG Collection /u>, with up to 8 items (there’s the Torchlight 1-3 bundle, making it an up to 10 games bundle), during the next 17 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/dread-and-dark-fantasies-rpg-collection

Fanatical has two new deals:

• The new Star Deal is Kotama and Academy Citadel , 33% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/kotama-and-academy-citadel
• The former is part of the 2P Games Publisher Sale, with up to 90% discounts until the 9th of September: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/2p-games

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Nothing-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Gears of War: Redux Update 1.1 Available for Download
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/gears-of-war-redux-update-1-1-available-for-download/
As promised, modder ‘PunishedWolf’ has released Update 1.1 for Gears of War: Redux. This is a major update for this community overhaul of Gears of War 1. Additionally, the modder has shared some more details about it. So, let’s dive in.
For those who did not know, Gears of War Redux is a community overhaul of Gears of War 1 on PC that adds the content and quality-of-life improvements the original release never got.
(...some paragraphs explaining this mod again...)
Update 1.1 will add three new weapons. These are the Sawed-off Shotgun, Sawed-off Bayonet, and Breechshot. We’ll also get a new Launcher and new Executions.
Not only that, but we’ll get some new mutators for both the campaign and the horde modes. As such, the campaign will now have enemies from Gears of War 2. Plus, we’ll get some bug fixes and a number of QoL improvements.
It’s also worth noting that we get some new tech features. For instance, we now have fluid surfaces. Water will now react to what happens in it. Update 1.1 also brings fractured static meshes. Geometry will now shatter into real pieces under fire. Moreover, we get the destructible props from Gears of War 2. Cars, trucks, gas pumps, desks, cabinets, and more will now be breakable.
And there is more. Gears of War: Redux now supports NVIDIA’s RTX Remix. NVIDIA owners can now enable it from the launcher. From what I’ve seen, though, there aren’t any PBR materials. So, it may take a while until we get a proper path-traced version of it.
All in all, this is a huge update for Gears of War: Redux. You can download it from this link (moddb). You can also find its full changelog here.
>> The article has an almost 2 minutes video.

Sonic and the Secret Rings PC Fan Remake Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/sonic-and-the-secret-rings-pc-fan-remake-released/
In October 2024, I informed you about a PC fan remake of Sonic and the Secret Rings, called Project Reignition. And today, I’m happy to report that its full version has been released. As such, PC gamers can now experience this Sonic game on their PCs.
For those who did not know, Sonic and the Secret Rings came out on Nintendo Wii in 2007. It uses the Godot game engine and aims to bring Secret Rings to modern standards. As such, you can expect standard controller support, updated visuals, and improved gameplay.
Version 1.0 contains everything from the original retail release. The only thing missing is the party mode, which will be included in a future update.
Those interested can go ahead and download it from this link (Gamejolt). At the end of the article, you can also find a trailer for it. If you are a big Sonic fan, I highly recommend checking it out.

GAMING NEWS

Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced Update 1.0.7 Releases Today – Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-update-1-0-7-releases-today-full-patch-notes/
Ubisoft announced that Title Update 1.0.7 for Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced will be released today and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new update brings to the table.

Crimson Desert Has a Free Demo You Can Play Without Downloading
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/crimson-desert-has-a-free-demo-you-can-play-without-downloading/
Now here is something cool. Pearl Abyss has released a free playable demo for Crimson Desert that you can play without downloading. This will allow you, in just mere seconds, to start and play the demo. So, if you don’t have enough free time, this PC demo is for you.

NVIDIA DLSS 5 Will Be Officially Released on September 4th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/nvidia-dlss-5-will-be-officially-released-on-september-4th/
NVIDIA has just announced that DLSS 5 will be officially released on September 4th. The first game that will support it will be NBA 2K27. Moreover, the green team has shared some additional details about it. So, let’s dive in.

Part two of the Tuesday gaming news:

Fable's story will be '15-20 hours' long, according to its game director, although the game's life systems are 'limitless'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/fables-story-will-be-15-20-hours-long-according-to-its-game-director-although-the-games-life-systems-are-limitless/
Throughout all of Fable's showcases and demonstrations this year, one aspect of it has proved difficult to figure out—how big it's going to be. The original Fable games were decently-sized, but not massive, and monster roleplaying games like Elden Ring and Baldur's Gate 3 have dramatically shifted expectations on what an RPG's scope should be.
But it turns out that Fable will stick closely to tradition when it comes to its size, with the caveat that players could potentially hang around in Playground's RPG forever depending on how invested they become in the world they help to forge.
Speaking to Polygon in a Q&A session, associate game director Will Kennedy explained that Fable will have a total of around 40 hours of things to do in the world. "We have around 15-20 hours of mainline quest gameplay, we have around 15-20 of side and open-world exploration content gameplay," Kennedy said.

Haunted Chocolatier's development has been 'very productive' in recent months, Eric Barone says: 'Working on Haunted Chocolatier is what I’m most eager and driven to do'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/haunted-chocolatiers-development-has-been-very-productive-in-recent-months-eric-barone-says-working-on-haunted-chocolatier-is-what-im-most-eager-and-driven-to-do/
We find ourselves at the end of another month, and as ever, the passing phases of the moon leave us asking the same question: What's going on with Haunted Chocolatier?
Knowing all too well how the hungry masses clamor for details about his next game, Stardew Valley developer Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone has posted another of his intermittent check-in blogs to confirm that, yes, he's still hard at work on Haunted Chocolatier. And while he's still not sharing many specifics, Barone sounds like he's satisfied with his recent progress.

Some of WoW's hardest dungeons and raids have gotten just a bit easier—that's on purpose, developers say
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/some-of-wows-hardest-dungeons-and-raids-have-gotten-just-a-bit-easier-thats-on-purpose-developers-say/
World of Warcraft's developers are making some subtle shifts in dungeons and raids to help players with its more-difficult content, in the hopes that a variety of knock-on effects result, including increased participation in the game overall and a better balance of tanks, healers and damage dealers.
>> They’re also doing a “thorough scrub” of illegitimate World of Warcraft Mythic-Plus dungeon rankings (link).

Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded are officially over as 1047 Games says it's probably done making arena shooters
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/empulse-and-splitgate-arena-reloaded-are-officially-over-as-1047-games-says-its-probably-done-making-arena-shooters/
Just two months after the release of the PvP arena shooter Empulse, 1047 Games is halting work on the game and its predecessor, Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, saying that neither is making enough money to support their operating costs. The studio itself will remain but its "focus is changing," and its next game "may look very different from what people expect."

After the debacle of Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt says The Witcher 4 is already running on PC and consoles, promises 'it's going to run' on all target platforms
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-witcher/after-the-debacle-of-cyberpunk-2077-cd-projekt-says-the-witcher-4-is-already-running-on-pc-and-consoles-promises-its-going-to-run-on-all-target-platforms/
Cyberpunk 2077 now is one of the best RPGs money can buy. But Cyberpunk 2077 then, which is to say when it was new, was not. It was pretty okay on PC, aside from a horde of bugs, but it was such a performance catastrophe on the PlayStation 4 that Sony literally booted it off the PlayStation Store. Even when it was allowed back in the building six months later, Sony slapped a notice on it warning people that it was still potentially dodgy.
Speaking to Game Developer, CD Projekt Red co-CEO Michał Nowakowski said that failure arose from the studio's ambitions for the game, which led it to develop on PC first. (...)
Of course, Cyberpunk 2077 was most definitely not fine, and with that humiliation firmly burned into its collective consciousness, CD Projekt Red is approaching The Witcher 4 with a little more care and consideration to ensure the new game runs properly on all platforms it's coming to. If development hits a snag on any single platform, for instance, the studio stops to fix it rather than simply pressing ahead and coming back to clean it up later.

One of Elden Ring's top sleuths has already unmasked its new DLC characters
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/one-of-elden-rings-top-sleuths-has-already-unmasked-its-new-dlc-characters/
Longtime FromSoftware dataminer Zullie the Witch has come out with a new video showing off the close-up details of Elden Ring's two new NPC invaders. Knight Leontiel and Noble Broken Mask were both added to the game as part of Elden Ring's Tarnished Edition DLC.

The studio behind Star Wars Zero Company, which is currently a Steam bestseller, has reportedly furloughed the majority of its staff
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/the-studio-behind-star-wars-zero-company-which-is-currently-a-steam-bestseller-has-reportedly-furloughed-the-majority-of-its-staff/
The studio behind Star Wars Zero Company furloughed up to 80 percent of its staff in the lead up to the RPG's launch, a Game File report reveals. That means affected staff are technically still employed by the company, but will receive no wage during the furlough period.
A representative from Bit Reactor confirmed the furloughs to Game File, though didn't indicate how many employees are affected. The rep said uncertainty around the game's launch performance was to blame for the furloughs, and that they were Bit Reactor's decision and not EA or Disney's.

Persona 4 Revival won't finally realize Yosuke's gay romance because Atlus thinks it'd have to let you kiss every other guy, too
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/persona-4-revival-wont-finally-realize-yosukes-gay-romance-because-atlus-thinks-itd-have-to-let-you-kiss-every-other-guy-too/
With Persona 4 Revival giving my favourite game a modern-day makeover, I was hoping Atlus would use it as an opportunity to reintroduce features that didn't make the cut the first time around. You know, like a certain romance between protagonist Yu Narukami and his bestie Yosuke Hanamura.
Both English and Japanese voiced dialogue was found in the original game which heavily implied a planned romance between the two, though it never made an appearance in either Persona 4 or Persona 4 Golden. Revival's announcement had fans buzzing in anticipation of its addition, but unfortunately that isn't happening.

And a short third part:

CD Projekt Red opens its 'Arasaka hardware archives' to help an indie dev whose gear was stolen during 1 of at least 4 Gamescom thefts
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/cd-projekt-red-opens-its-arasaka-hardware-archives-to-help-an-indie-dev-whose-gear-was-stolen-during-1-of-at-least-4-gamescom-thefts/

Dwarf Fortress' creator says the industry's in shambles over AI and layoff-happy CEOs: 'Everyone I know, their bosses are slowly getting psychosis'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/dwarf-fortress-creator-says-the-industrys-in-shambles-over-ai-and-layoff-happy-ceos-everyone-i-know-their-bosses-are-slowly-getting-psychosis/

The Witcher 3 Remastered should run just fine on the Steam Deck, say devs
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-witcher/the-witcher-3-remastered-should-run-just-fine-on-the-steam-deck-say-devs/

The games for Humble Choice September 2026 have been revealed.

• Ballionaire
• Frostpunk 2
• GUNTOUCHABLES
• Keylocker
• Pocket Mirror ~ GoldenerTraum
• SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS
• Urban Jungle
• Voidtrain

Thanks, Rhonin.

If any of you with Nvidia cards have up to date drivers, you may want to read this:

GeForce 616.56 driver may cause monitor flickering, Nvidia is already working on a fix
https://videocardz.com/newz/geforce-616-56-driver-may-cause-monitor-flickering-nvidia-is-already-working-on-a-fix

NVIDIA’s GeForce Game Ready 616.56 driver appears to have introduced a display flickering issue for some users. Reports started appearing shortly after the driver was released on August 26, with users describing brief black or white flashes, brightness changes and color corruption.

The issue has been reported with several GeForce generations. Users with GeForce GTX 16, RTX 30, RTX 40 and RTX 50 series graphics cards have posted similar symptoms, often while browsing the web, scrolling through pages or playing video in Chromium-based applications. Several users report that returning to driver 610.88 removes the problem.

There is a temporal fix, which is to switch to 10-bit colour output. It's in the article.

Two screenshots of AC Black Flag Resynced I have done with DLSS 5. Don't worry, FFVII Rebirth will be back with Shader Injector but in a month or two.

Final Fantasy XVI with DLSS 5

Cersei if she was hot and beautiful

I'm in love with her

It’s Wednesday and these are the gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Steam features three new deals and the same number of sales/events:

• MineMogul, still in Early Access, has a demo and a 25% discount that will last until the 8th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3846120/MineMogul/
• Star Trucker will be 70% off until September 15: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2380050/Star_Trucker/
• EVERSPACE™ 2 is another game with a demo and it will have an 80% discount until the 15th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1128920/EVERSPACE_2/
• These are the Sales/Events:
  • PAX West – MADE IN JAPAN 2026 has upcoming titles and also games up to 70% off. The length of the deals vary greatly: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44279446/sale/paxwest2026
  • Seattle Indies Expo 2026 comes with upcoming releases, demos and games up to 85% off. The length of the deals also vary greatly : https://store.steampowered.com/curator/30111208/sale/SeattleIndiesExpo2026
  • Developer/Publisher Nomad Games puts its games on sale with up to 75% discounts until the 8th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32941517/sale/NomadGamesDeveloperSale

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

GTA 4 RTX Remix Update 1.5.2 Released & Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/gta-4-rtx-remix-update-1-5-2-released-detailed/
Modder ‘xoxor4d’ has just released Update 1.5.2 for his amazing RTX Remix Path Tracing Mod of Grand Theft Auto 4. So, let’s see what this new update brings to the table.
Patch 1.5.2 drops the initial DLSS 5 integration from Lunks and replaces it with Sparkles’ Implementation. As the modder noted, this reduces shadow flickering and makes everything much more stable. As such, you will get a better image now with DLSS 5.
Moreover, Update 1.5.2 slightly increases the alpha of Litsprite particles. This improves effects such as mist and tire smoke. The update also sets the default RTXDI sample count to 64. This helps make headlights look less noisy.
And that’s it. This patch appears to be a small one. Still, it will increase the game’s image fidelity. So, make sure to upgrade to it if you’re currently playing it. You can download it from this link (Github).
>> The article doesn’t have any media.

Tekken 8 With DLSS 5 Looks Even Better Than Its Mind-Blowing Pre-Release Trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/tekken-8-with-dlss-5-looks-even-better-than-its-mind-blowing-pre-release-trailer/
In September 2022, Bandai Namco revealed the first in-engine trailer for Tekken 8. That trailer blew everyone away with its graphics. Sadly, though, Bandai Namco downgraded the game’s graphics. But now, with DLSS 5, PC gamers can make Tekken 8 look even better than that pre-release trailer.
So, why did Bandai Namco downgrade Tekken 8’s graphics? In my opinion, there could be two main reasons.
First, current-gen consoles may have had trouble running the advanced lighting system. Tekken 8 is a 60FPS fighting game. So, the PS5 and Xbox Series X may have dropped below that target with the original lighting system.
Second, the devs may have prioritized gameplay over graphics. The simpler lighting system makes it easier to see what is happening on screen. Tekken 8 also uses baked lighting. So, after the developers switched to the simpler lighting system, they baked the lights for all the remaining stages.
No matter how you look at it, they should have never released the in-engine trailer. Yes, at the bottom of it, it says that it’s from a development build, and that it does not represent the quality of the final version. However, the final version has been severely downgraded.
And that’s where DLSS 5 comes in. With the DLSS 5 Mod, Tekken 8 can look even better than that trailer. And no, I’m not exaggerating. Below, you can find two videos. The first is the pre-release trailer. The second is the video with DLSS 5.
Still don’t believe me? Here are two shots from the same stage. While Jin and Kazuya have different outfits, you can clearly see the better lighting and shading of the DLSS 5 version.
>> The article has the screenshots and three videos (there’s also one of Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy), but no link to the mod.

The future of GTA roleplaying remains in GTA 5 for now, as Rockstar touts new invite-only Nopixel V RP server
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/grand-theft-auto/rockstar-touts-new-invite-only-nopixel-v-gta-roleplaying-server-as-the-next-evolution-of-the-rp-community/
Rockstar announced today that Nopixel V is "the next evolution of the GTA 5 roleplay community," which has led to some head-scratching from casual GTA RP followers (like myself), because Nopixel V isn't something you or I can just jump into and play.
Nopixel Studios runs both public and private GTA 5 roleplaying servers, and Nopixel V is the latest version of its modded sandbox. The Nopixel V beta was developed in collaboration with Rockstar, and will be accessible through the Rockstar Games Launcher, but only for invited streamers, a list of whom can be found on the Nopixel website.
"Over time, access [to Nopixel V] will expand, including more phases of invites," Nopixel announced on its Discord server earlier in August. However, "for everyone on nopixel Public and nopixel 4.0, nothing changes."
So, at least for now, it doesn't sound like there's a way into the Nopixel V improv troupe other than being called up from one of the minor leagues. Rockstar's announcement thus focuses not on the opportunity to play Nopixel V, but to watch it being played by streamers.
Those details aren't too surprising once unpicked—streaming and server whitelisting are endemic to the GTA roleplaying scene—but the impending release of GTA 6 contributed to some of the head-scratching. One might expect talk of "the next evolution" of GTA roleplaying to have something to do with the big new GTA game releasing in a couple months, but alas, Rockstar has yet to announce any plans for GTA Online as it relates to GTA 6. (Nor has it given GTA 6 a PC release date.)

Super Mario World Remastered Available for Download on PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/super-mario-world-remastered-available-for-download-on-pc/
Mario fans, here is something cool for you today. Super Buzzy Yoshi has just released Super Mario World Remastered for PC. As such, PC gamers can download and play this fan remaster of the classic SNES Mario game.
Super Mario World Remastered features updated tilesets, custom background parallaxes, and refined level layouts. It keeps the core feel and identity of Dinosaur Land intact.
The remaster is mainly made as a custom episode for Super Mario Bros. X. This allows for better physics, custom assets, and a mix of modern and retro gameplay.
It also adds custom graphics, updated HUD elements, and cleaner sprites from community resources such as MFGG. These changes help remove the visual cut-offs seen in the original 16-bit game.
You can go ahead and download it from this link. Once you have downloaded it, you’ll also need SMBX2 Beta 5 Patch 4 to play it. You can download it from here. Install it, and then put the folder “Super Mario World Remastered” inside the “worlds” folder of the SMBX2 main directory.
I strongly suggest downloading Super Mario World Remastered PC right now. We don’t know how long it will be live or when Nintendo will take it down. So, grab it while it’s still available.
>> The article has two trailers for the game.

GAMING NEWS

Onimusha: Way of the Sword – Free Benchmark Tool Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/onimusha-way-of-the-sword-free-benchmark-tool-released/
Capcom has released an official PC benchmark tool for Onimusha: Way of the Sword. This will let you test how well the game will run on your PC before you buy it. I highly recommend giving it a try, especially if you’ve been looking forward to the game.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 Patch 3.2 Brings Major Performance Optimizations and Removes Denuvo
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/dragons-dogma-2-patch-3-2-released-with-major-performance-optimizations-removes-denuvo/
Capcom has just released Title Update 3.2 for Dragon’s Dogma 2 and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new update brings to the table.
Patch 3.2 brings major performance optimizations on all platforms. It also adds some new settings on PC, and it removes the Denuvo anti-tamper tech.