It’s Monday and these are the gaming news:
SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS
The Blood of Dawnwalker sold 1 million copies in just 3 days
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/the-blood-of-dawnwalker-sold-1-million-copies-in-just-3-days/
On September 5, Rebel Wolves took to Twitter on the official Blood of Dawnwalker account to announce that the dark vampire RPG had already surpassed one million copies sold just three days after its September 2 launch. "Thank you for playing, sharing, supporting, and being part of the community," the developer wrote in its celebratory post.
GOG doesn’t have any new sale or promo, but it has something better in the shape of a new GIVEAWAY: State of Mind will be free to get during 70 more hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/state_of_mind
Steam has four new deals and two sales/events:
There are two new Humble Bundles:
And Fanatical has launched a new BundleFest, and also a new Star Deal:
SOFTWARE & DRIVERS
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MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS
Cyberpunk 2077 Just Got an Amazing Immersive Third-Person Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/cyberpunk-2077-just-got-an-amazing-immersive-third-person-mod/
Modder ‘CybrDrake’ has released what appears to be the best third-person mod for Cyberpunk 2077, called Immersive Third-Person. This mod will let you play, from start to finish, the entire game in third-person mode.
This isn’t the first third-person mod for CP2077. From what I can recall, the first mod came out in 2021. Then, in 2024, we got another, more polished mod. However, this brand new mod blows all of them away.
Going into more details, most of the animations have been reworked for the female character from scratch, while the male character mainly gets some animation fixes. So you will have the best experience playing as female V right now. Thankfully, the modder plans to improve the animations of the male character in future versions.
What’s also cool here is that first-person and third-person animations are completely isolated from each other. This means you can switch back to first person at any time and get the full vanilla experience, while third person uses its own custom animations.
The mod also comes with a smart automatic switching mechanic. Therefore, the game will switch back to first person during combat, driving, cutscenes, terminals, and other situations where first person is required.
You can go ahead and download the mod from this link (Nexus Mods). At the end of the article, you can also find a video for it. So, be sure to watch it.
Unofficial PC Version of Classic SNES Game Star Fox Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/unofficial-pc-version-of-classic-snes-game-star-fox-released/
Last month, we informed you about an unofficial PC version of the SNES classic, Star Fox, that will run at framerates higher than 60FPS. And today, I’m happy to report that its alpha version is available for download.
As said, the biggest feature of the PC version is support for frame rates above 60 FPS. More precisely, Star Fox Enhanced supports 20, 30, 60, 90, 120, 240, 360, and 480 FPS. It keeps the original game’s NTSC speed and model data intact. The game’s core systems still run at the original 20 Hz rate. This includes the PATH/map data, strategies, collision, damage, RNG, animation, bosses, and stage progress. This means you can enjoy higher frame rates without changing how the original game plays.
Camera and object movement is only smoothed for display. This creates smooth motion at the selected frame rate without changing the game state.
All 3D models are decoded from the assembled UltraStarFox ROM. This includes vertices, faces, BSP order, animation frames, LODs, shadows, texture coordinates, colors, and collision data.
The PC version also uses the original BG tilemaps, palettes, OBJ graphics, HUD, text, route-map sprites, planet maps, particles, dust, and SPC700 music and effects.
Finally, the title screen, intro, controls, training, route selection, all three routes, game over, continue, credits, pause, and stage transitions are connected in the native flow.
All in all, this is a must for all Star Fox fans. This is a dream come true for all those who were playing this game on the SNES. If you are one of them, you can download it from this link (Github).
On its first launch, the game checks the user’s unmodified Star Fox USA v1.2 (Rev 2) ROM. It then rebuilds the Original and Star Fox EX runtime data on the user’s PC. The game also creates a version-specific Starfox-Assets.BIN file next to the executable. Later launches use this file, so the retail ROM does not need to stay on the PC. Version 0.0.4 is the current public alpha release.
>> There is an almost 20 minutes video in the article.
The Blood of Dawnwalker Just Got Two Must-Have Mods
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/the-blood-of-dawnwalker-just-got-two-must-have-mods/
Bandai Namco has released the new action RPG that was created by former The Witcher 3 devs, The Blood of Dawnwalker. And, from the looks of it, two must-have mods have just been released for it. So, let’s dive in.
(…)
One of my biggest complaints about the PC version was its 30FPS cinematics. And that’s exactly what the first mod fixes. According to its description, it removes the FPS cap from menus and cutscenes, with an optional custom FPS limit. The mod works with or without DLSS and Frame Generation. You can download it from here (Nexus Mods).
The second must-have mod is called Better Story Timer. This mod allows you to have as many days as you want for the story. You can also remove all trait time costs.
>> I already shared the second mod last Friday in a PCGamer article.
Portal: Alive & Kicking Is a Full Remake of the First Portal, Now Available
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/portal-alive-kicking-is-a-full-remake-of-the-first-portal-now-available/
Portal fans, here is something for you today. Rhubarb & Rhubarb has released Portal: Alive & Kicking, a full remake of the first Portal game in the Portal 2 engine.
Portal: Alive & Kicking is a full remake and reimagining of Valve’s Portal. It retells the original story of Chell and GLaDOS. It also adds changes from Portal 2 to fill in the story and bring its look in line with the sequel.
Players can expect both gameplay and visual enhancements. These improvements range from improved puzzle cues to a carefully designed visual style, as well as countless little details.
It’s also worth noting that this Portal Remake comes with an original soundtrack. This new dynamic soundtrack combines the styles of both Portal’s forlorn drones and Portal 2’s reactive scoring.
To run it, PC gamers will need a 3.0 GHz P4, Dual Core 2.0, or AMD64X2 with 2GB of RAM and an ATI Radeon X800 or higher, an NVIDIA GeForce 7600 or higher, or an Intel HD Graphics 2000 or higher.
Do also note that you must own Portal 2. This isn’t a free standalone mod. Instead, it requires a copy of Portal 2.
You can go ahead and download Portal: Alive & Kicking from here (Steam).
>> There is a roughly 1 minute trailer in the article.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword Mod Enables RTGI and RTAO
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/onimusha-way-of-the-sword-mod-enables-rtgi-and-rtao/
One of my biggest criticisms of Onimusha: Way of the Sword was its graphics. Although the game uses the RE Engine, it did not take full advantage of its Ray Tracing capabilities. As a result, it looked really flat. But now, a modder has overhauled the game by unlocking Ray Tracing GI and Ray Tracing Ambient Occlusion.
Going into more detail, the Graphics Enhancement Mod unlocks RTGI and RTAO. By default, the game only uses Ray Tracing for reflections. The mod also lets several other settings go beyond the limits of the in-game menu. This includes RT resolution and specular quality. You also get more control over shadows, screen-space effects, and denoising.
The modder has also shared some before-and-after comparison shots. Even though RTGI and RTAO are unofficial, these two RT features can greatly improve image quality. Thanks to them, the lighting feels more natural and grounded. We no longer get the flat look of rasterized lighting. Instead, everything feels like it belongs in the scene. The vanilla shots are on the left, whereas the Ray Tracing shots are on the right.
Now, you may notice that some areas look a bit darker with RTGI and RTAO. As the modder explained, Capcom games with official RTGI support often add extra light sources to each scene. This gives RTGI more light to bounce off and helps it look right.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword was not built with RTGI in mind. Capcom likely knew it would not be included. As a result, some areas have very little light.
The only real fix is to rework these scenes and add new light sources. This is similar to what the modder did with the Onimusha Enhanced Light demo mod and RE4R RE. However, JoHien has not yet decided if he will do the same for this game. It would take a lot of time to do it right.
Despite that, this mod is a must-have in my opinion. It can greatly improve the game’s graphics. Not only that, but it comes with a lot of graphics settings to tweak things. So, if you own a high-end GPU, I suggest trying it. You can go ahead and download it from here (Nexus Mods).
>> The article has some comparison screenshots.
Battlefield 2142 Got a Remaster Mod That Overhauls Everything
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/battlefield-2142-got-a-remaster-mod-that-overhauls-everything/
A team of modders has released the latest version of BF 2142 Project Remaster. The mod aims to overhaul almost every part of Battlefield 2142. It improves the game’s visuals, gameplay, AI, weapons, animations, maps, and overall experience. At the same time, it aims to keep the spirit of the original game intact.
(***It’s a fairly long article. Therefore, I’ve decided to only share the first and last paragraphs***)
You can go ahead and download BF 2142 Project Remaster from this link (Nexus Mods).
>> The article has an over 10 minutes video.
Modders Have Significantly Improved DLSS 5 Performance Before NVIDIA
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/modders-have-significantly-improved-dlss-5-performance-before-nvidia/
A few days ago, NVIDIA officially launched DLSS 5. So far, only one game officially supports it, and that’s NBA 2K27. And, as we’ve already reported, DLSS 5 is quite demanding.
From what we’ve seen, DLSS 5 does not seem to be affected by the internal render resolution. In its current state, it only appears to depend on the output resolution. However, modders have already found a way to run the DLSS 5 network at the render resolution. As such, DLSS 5 can now run before the game’s DLSS upscaler kicks in.
This is precisely what NVIDIA should have done from the get-go. Thanks to the modding community, DLSS 5 mods can now have Quality, Balance, and Performance Modes. These modes can significantly improve performance, though they may reduce the strength of DLSS 5.
Right now, DLSS 5 Autopilot offers this ability. The mod comes with matiasLombo’s add-on. When enabled, it runs the network at render resolution before the game’s DLSS upscales.
DLSS 5 Autopilot also includes jlrouzies-fr’s DLSS5-Feeder. This is the mod that allows you to enable DLSS 5 in any DX12, DX11, DX10, and Vulkan games, even if they do not support DLSS. As such, I highly recommend using DLSS 5 Autopilot, as it can give you a lot of more options.
You can go ahead and download DLSS 5 Autopilot from here (Github). At the end of the article, you can also find a video that showcases the improvements of this technique.
>> The article has give videos, but only one of them is about what the article is about.
Grand Theft Auto 5 RealityV 3.3 Graphics Mod Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/grand-theft-auto-5-enhanced-realityv-3-3-graphics-mod-released/
Modder ‘BadassBaboon’ has released Version 3.3 of his amazing graphics overhaul mod for GTA 5 Enhanced Edition, RealityV. This is one of the best graphics mods for Grand Theft Auto 5. So, let’s see what this new version brings to the table.
The main highlight of this update is the much better character skin rendering. This also includes the hair. Characters no longer look like plastic or clay dolls. The modder has also improved the water, taking inspiration from GTA 6 and Source 2. The waves now look more realistic and translucent. The update also adds a parallax effect to roads and more realistic grass. These changes help make the game world look much better.
It’s worth noting that RealityV V3.3 is available for both the Legacy and Enhanced Editions of GTA 5. The Legacy version is available for the Gold Tier members of BadassBaboon. The Enhanced version is free, and you can get it from here (Patreon).
From what I can see, the Legacy version is the most up-to-date version. And the modder has shared its full changelog.
>> The article has the patch notes but no media.
18 years after Metal Gear Solid 4 first launched, a modder has shown off its first custom map, MGS3's Groznyj Grad
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/18-years-after-metal-gear-solid-4-first-launched-a-modder-has-shown-off-its-first-modded-map-mgs3s-groznyj-grad/
It already felt weird and wonderful to say that PC Gamer has reviewed Metal Gear Solid 4, a game for the personal computer. Now it gets even weirder: MGS4 mods are incoming, with TriggerHappy on YouTube already showing off a custom map in Kojima's 2008 stealth-action classic.
(...)
Looking at the MGS4 Nexus (Nexus Mods), the projects on offer are fairly simple: Custom textures, miscellaneous tweaks, and an FPS unlocker all stood out to me. You can get DLSS5 working in there too, if you're into that sort of thing. Metal Gear is not a series I've ever strongly associated with modding, but I'm excited to see where we might go from here.
>> The article also has that linked video,
New DLSS 5 mod offloads Neural Rendering to a second card massively cutting the AI filter's performance hit
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/graphics-cards/new-dlss-5-mod-offloads-neural-rendering-to-a-second-card-massively-cutting-the-ai-filters-performance-hit/
A developer has vibe-coded a new ReShade add-on file that offloads the DLSS Neural Rendering workloads to a second GPU, almost negating the otherwise massive DLSS NR performance hit. Given the original DLSS 5 shots we saw when Jen-Hsun first showed off the feature around GDC and GTC in the Spring were running on two graphics cards, that's not wholly surprising, but this mod certainly does open the the potential for keeping your old GPU around for neural coprocessing in the future.
Like almost all of the current DLSS 5/Neural Rendering implementations we've seen where the user gets to pick the game, the model, and the weight of the effects, the Neural Coprocessor add-on file—mgpu_bridge (Github)—is designed for ReShade, an app used to inject different visual effects into PC games. The files exist on Github, can be downloaded and added into a game that's already been modded with DLSS 5 support, and could dramatically improve the performance.
This is, for me, the biggest issue with both the homebrew mods for DLSS Neural Rendering and the only release implementation we've seen from Nvidia and the developers themselves: the hefty performance penalty from turning it on.
>> There is an over 7 minutes video showing this mod/add-on.
GAMING NEWS
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Will Use Denuvo on PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/final-fantasy-7-revelation-will-use-denuvo-on-pc/
Square Enix has confirmed, via the game’s Steam store page, that Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will use the Denuvo anti-tamper tech. This is quite interesting, as the previous parts of the FF7 Remake Trilogy did not use it.
Mortal Kombat 1’s Denuvo Has Been Cracked
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/mortal-kombat-1s-denuvo-has-been-cracked/
Mortal Kombat 1 is the latest victim of voices38, who has managed to crack its Denuvo anti-tamper protection. Mortal Kombat 1 came out on PC in September 2023. This means that it took almost three years to crack it.
Voices38 Has Cracked the Denuvo of Star Wars: Outlaws, Persona 3 Reload, and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/voices38-has-cracked-the-denuvo-of-star-wars-outlaws-persona-3-reload-and-prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown/
Yesterday, we informed you about the cracks for Mortal Kombat 1 and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. However, it appears that voices38 has been quite busy lately. Today, the cracker has shared three more cracks. So, let’s dive in.
