The Callisto Protocol developer Striking Distance Studios has opened up some new positions for an upcoming project that's being built in Unreal Engine 5. It seems the studio is on the hunt for additional talent, just months after last August's layoffs.

As reported by VGC, Twitter user MauroNL – a games industry analyst – has noted that Striking Distance is embarking on a new venture. A total of nine vacancies have become available, with the studio intending to create something brand-new.

Some of the positions include a Lead Technical Artist, UI Technical Artist, Lead Gameplay Animator, and a Lead Gameplay Engineer. What this elusive project will be is anyone's guess at this stage.

Can only go up from here, yeah?

With 32 people being laid off from the studio and director Glen Schofield leaving last September, things didn't look good for Striking Distance. The Callisto Protocol should have been a slam-dunk, particularly with it being billed as a spiritual successor to Dead Space.

However, poor performance left people unimpressed with the developer's first release. While recent scores on Steam have it at "Mostly Positive," overall it remains "Mixed." Even with patches to fix issues, the damage appeared to have already been done.

Now that a new game is said to be in the works, maybe some will give Callisto Protocol another chance. Still, what's left of the team is still trucking along on something. Maybe the next one will be more of a success.

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Earlier in the year (wait... it's still January?!) we mentioned how Hitman: Blood Money was making an appearance on the Switch. Well, that day has now arrived, and this special "Reprisal" edition comes with some features just for this port.

If you have a Switch and you're a fan of some of the more classic entries in the Hitman franchise, this one may be worth a look-in. It released on January 25 and, according to the Nintendo website, this version features "gameplay improvements inspired by later games in the series," including Instinct Mode.

It's also been given an "an artful redesign of a stealth-action classic," which has been specially adapted for the hybrid console.

Not bad for an 18-year-old game

The timing of this is pretty nifty (if you have a Switch, of course). With the Hitman: World of Assassination trilogy about to leave Xbox Game Pass, Blood Money - Reprisal will keep your thirst for Agent 47 well and truly sated.

Many consider the 2006 entry one of the best of the series. I only managed to play it for the first time a couple of years ago, and I can see the appeal. Personally, I'm utterly in love with the recent installments and will be sad to see them exiting Game Pass.

I'm also one of those rare specimens that actually really enjoyed Absolution. I understand the criticisms people had, but the fact that it was the first Hitman game I actually managed to get all the way through makes it special to me (you never forget your first).

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Last year, we reported that Twitch was introducing a new Partner Plus Program, which brought with it changes to how streamers are paid. While it was met with some praise, it was also criticized for certain threshold requirements. As a result, the company has implemented a few changes.

In a recent blog, Twitch announced its updated payouts for Partner Plus. For starters, it's now allowing Affiliated rather than just Partners to be included in the program. The changes also lower the threshold from 350 to 300, which means more streamers can qualify.

When the scheme began last October, it adjusted the 50/50 split to a 70/30 one, giving streamers more income. Now, with a lower threshold of 100 Plus Point (presumably this is in relation to how many subscribers channels have), a new Level 1 entry point will give content creators a 60/40 split, while Level 2 retains the 70/30 split.

Twitch has received "clear feedback"

Additionally, when the Partner Plus Program (which is dropping the "Partner" from the name) was first introduced, it put a cap on how much streamers could earn. In a nutshell, anyone whose revenue was $100k or more would go back down to the 50/50 split. This idea has now been scrapped.

The program was met with some backlash from the community, many of whom were concerned that the 350 subscriber threshold was unobtainable for many channels. Add onto that the income cap, and it was not Twitch's finest hour.

However, judging by responses to its Twitter thread on the news, it seems many are much happier with these new changes that will be coming into effect this May.

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It may be approaching nine years old at this point, but fans of Until Dawn may wish to know that Supermassive's interactive horror game could be coming to PS5 and PC. That's according to at least one report so far.

In a recent story from Billbil-kin over on Dealabs (as translated by IGN), an announcement could be arriving soon regarding a modern port of Until Dawn. It's also possible that the rumored enhanced version of the game has been in development for "at least a year."

At the time of writing, there's been no official confirmation from developer Supermassive, Sony, or any other company officially associated with the game. What's interesting is this comes just a week after it was revealed Until Dawn was being adapted into a movie.

Isn't it basically a "movie" already?

If you've never played the game before, it's essentially an interactive slasher film in which you're tasked with navigating characters to safety from a serial killer. It was quite a horror hit when it launched in 2015. Sadly, it was only available on PS4 at the time, so a PlayStation 5 and PC version would be welcomed.

We actually think of it as one of the best horror games from the PlayStation 4 era, up there with the likes of Alien: Isolation and SOMA. Okay, some might not be a fan of its minimal interaction – largely reduced to quick time events – but it was offering something a little different in the genre.

As I said, we don't know whether there will be an enhanced version of the game yet. This is just a rumor, so hopefully we'll get some feedback on whether this is true or not.

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Say what you will about the likes of Resident Evil 4, its iconic B-movie cheese means it's a game that doesn't take itself too seriously. However, there's being flippant about certain aspects of your IP and...whatever's going on with this mod.

If you want to see the kinds of things people do to mess about with their favorite games, look no further than Nexus Mods user SupremeLeader777. For some reason, they've decided to take Ada Wong from Resident Evil 4's "Separate Ways" DLC and swap out her character model for that of a harbor seal.

If there's any rationale behind it, they're not saying so on the download page. The images suggest it's exactly as you would imagine: RE4 Remake with a seal instead of Ada running (flapping?) around the place.

You can almost hear the slapping sounds

As far as I can tell, it's still the same DLC content – still the same game – just you play as a slippery, Arctic mammal instead of the infamous mercenary. If you go through SupremeLeader777's other mods, you'll see this is not the first instance of swapping the vanilla character out for someone (or something) else. It's the appeal of modding, I guess.

A couple of days ago, I wrote about how someone has made it possible to play RE4 in first-person without needing a headset. One might argue this is quite a nifty download for anyone who hasn't got – and/or can't afford – VR.

That's not to say anything negative about the Ada Wong/seal mod. Seeing the silly things people in the community do is one of the reasons I love talking about modding. But now all I can think about is whether the harbor seal speaks in Wong's voice, or the audio has been replaced by "arfs" instead.

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Excitement for Obsidian Entertainment's upcoming action-RPG Avowed has no doubt ramped up since it was shown off at Developer Direct. Since then, some extended footage has been doing the rounds, with an in-depth discussion about the game from its two directors.

In the recent video from the official Xbox podcast, Game Director Carrie Patel and Gameplay Director Gabe Paramo take us through some moments from Avowed's Shatterskarp area. We get a pretty tasty morsel of what's to come from Obsidian's next release (though it needs to be said that all footage is from the alpha build currently).

The action looks pretty sweet and while the game is not intending to be Skyrim adjacent, I can't help but see a little bit of TES5 in all that sword swinging and shield bashing. I'm here for it, essentially.

Doing what Obsidian does best

While all this high-octane, fantasy action is a key part of the gameplay, there will be plenty of people who'll be interested in how well the story will be written (yo). Obsidian is known for crafting rich worlds with great dialogue options, something which Avowed will likely feature.

Remember, this is the same studio that brought us the narrative-rich Pentiment (a game I absolutely fell in love with when I played it). Oh, also something called Fallout: New Vegas. Maybe you've heard of it.

It seems Obsidian Entertainment can't do much wrong at the minute. Whatever genre it dips its toes into, the studio often come up with something that has an equal mix of great gameplay and fantastic writing. Win-win.

On top of that, Avowed will be coming to Xbox Game Pass on launch day. We don't know when it's releasing exactly, but it's expected later this year.

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Time marches forward, and with it, gaming must also keep itself relevant. A few months back, we talked about how Nintendo was ending online support for two of its now-defunct consoles. A recent update from the company has since narrowed down exactly when that's going to be happening.

As of April 8 – at exactly 4 p.m. PDT – most online services for the 3DS and Wii U will be shut down for good. That's according to a recent Twitter post, which leads to a customer support page that goes into more detail.

The information says the discontinuation will be for the following: New Nintendo 3DS, New 3DS XL, New 2DS XL, 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS, Wii U Deluxe, and Wii U Basic. This will affect "online co-operative play, internet rankings, and data distribution." A second tweet says it's possible to "merge your unused Nintendo eShop balance to your Nintendo Account" for use on the Switch. Details about that can be found here.

A number of caveats

While the servers themselves are being turned off, Nintendo does say that players "will still be able to use features and game modes that do not require online communication." It also won't be ending the StreetPass feature for now, as that uses local communication and doesn't require online connectivity.

For the time being, you will still be able to update and redownload purchased games, and the service shutdown won't have an immediate impact on Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter. People should still be able to download update data and redownload purchased software and DLC from the eShop. Again, that can all change in the future.

I was honestly surprised online was still supported for the Wii U and 3DS. The latter was discontinued in 2020, while the former's lifecycle was ended back in 2017, almost seven years ago. Shows how much I have my finger on the pulse of outdated Nintendo consoles.

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If you've been itching to see retro games be given a bit of a pep in this modern gaming world, Nvidia's RTX modding toolkit is already realizing that dream. With the open beta now out, prepare yourselves for an upscaled return of some classics.

In a rather lengthy post, Nvidia has outlined exactly what the RTX Remix software is capable of. In a nutshell: it's a "cutting-edge modding platform" that allows for games from a bygone era to be given a bit of a remaster.

The above video shows what it can do. In this instance, we can see ray-tracing versions of Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind and Half-Life 2, complete with higher definition assets. We're already seeing it in the likes of Tomb Raider and Vice City, so expect a lot more to come out of the woodwork now Remix is out in beta.

Also comes with DLSS 3.5 and Ray Reconstruction

I suppose one of the questions modders may have is: will RTX Remix be compatible with any game? While it's designed to work with a lot of different titles, Nvidia says its "level of compatibility may vary depending on the complexity of the game’s assets and engine."

We know it works on older games because we've already seen it in action. The software "works best with DirectX 8 and 9 games with fixed function pipelines." Things like Hitman 2, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, and Call of Duty 2 should work, as well as the aforementioned ones.

Whether you're sick of remasters, remakes, reboots, and other "re-" words or not, RTX Remix is probably going to see a boon in unofficial remasters of video games from yesterday that have been given a shiny new coat.

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With Phantom Liberty now done and dusted, CD Projekt Red is keen to get cracking on some new projects. With that in-mind, it seems the studio is now looking to make some headway on the new Witcher saga.

That's according to a recent report from Reuters. The developer's joint CEO, Adam Badowski, tells the publication that the team is aiming to start the "production phase" on the first entry in the next set of Witcher games, currently codenamed Polaris.

Badowski goes on to say that the company would like to "have around 400 people working on the project by the middle of the year." CDPR is also at the "conceptual phase" regarding the follow-up to Cyberpunk 2077, with around 80 people expected to be working on that game by the end of 2024. CD Projekt Red has also apparently considered multiplayer elements for the new Cyberpunk, but isn't discussing details right now.

Win some, lose some

On top of this, a recent post on Twitter announced that Phantom Liberty has been nominated for "Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project" at the 22nd Annual Visual Effects Society Award.

The Cyberpunk DLC was not only the culmination of a lot of work fixing the glaring issues that plagued the game, but it was also something of a swansong for the dystopian RPG. CD Projekt Red may well take what harsh lessons it's learned and apply them to the sequel.

However, the Reuters report goes on to say that the studio may be looking into artificial intelligence for some of its future releases. Michal Nowakowsk said he thinks "AI is something that can help improve certain processes in game production," but added that it couldn't "replace people." Make of that what you will.

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If you've stepped into the gaming world for even a yoctosecond these past few days, you'll have heard of Palworld. Maybe it's a bit cliché to say it's taking the industry by storm, but the data shows just how massive it's been in such a short span of time.

We've already spoken about how the game has been smashing Steam records, but the numbers just keep going up and up. At the time of writing, not only has Palworld surpassed 1.8 million players within the last few minutes, but it's also become the second-most-played Steam game ever, according to stats from SteamDB. This puts it ahead of Valve's own Counter-Strike 2.

On top of that, a recent tweet from the developer says the game has now sold more than six million copies. That's in the space of four days, remember?

Let me catch my breath, please!

I seriously can't keep up with the figures. Between pitching this story and writing these very words, Palworld seems to keep breaking expectations. By the time this article gets published, I'm anticipating news about how it's elevated itself above human comprehension and has taken over the very cosmos.

But how long can something like this last? It's not even been a week, but the number of people playing has exceeded what anyone could have predicted. It's knocked the Steam Deck off its number one spot, which is something that even the most hyped-up games struggle to do.

And the best part is, it is still in Early Access. It's pretty bug-ridden (it's straight up crashed my Xbox twice already, to the point where I thought it had bricked the console at one point), but there's something about a "Pokémon-with-guns" game that's got everyone talking. Surely the bubble will burst soon, yeah?

The post Palworld just keeps hitting milestone after milestone appeared first on Destructoid.

One might say that Steam has something of a reputation when it comes to video game sales. We get quite a few of them throughout the year, and this latest one will appeal to your inner pirate (and ninja. Don't forget the ninjas).

As of January 22, the Steam Pirates vs. Ninjas Fest began, providing a host of discounts on all things related to the aforementioned buccaneer and/or stealth assassin lifestyle. The best way to get an idea of what exactly is in the sale is to open the link above, but the video below gives a quick overview of what to expect.

You'll find games like Sekiro, Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection, Pillars of Eternity II, Secret of Monkey Island, TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, and may more as part of the event. Essentially, if it's a pirate or ninja-themed game, it's probably here.

From laissez-faire economics to bootleggin'

Personally, I'm tempted by Monkey Island, as it's still something I haven't got round to playing yet. From the ninja category...well, you can't go massively wrong with the original Shadow Warrior. Ah, 3D Realms. Whatever happened to you? Oh, yeah. You were acquired by Embracer Group.

It feels like we've had one Steam sale event already since 2024 began. That's because we did. The Capitalism and Economy Fest was just a couple of weeks ago. These things tend to come around pretty quickly, I find.

Anyway, the Steam Pirates vs. Ninjas Fest is ongoing until Monday, 29 January. So the standard week-long event for these types of sales. Blow me down, me hearties, etc.

The post Have you checked out Steam’s swashbucklin’ Pirates vs Ninjas Fest yet? appeared first on Destructoid.

Last week, many of us were excited to see the official reveal trailer of MachineGames' upcoming Indiana Jones title The Great Circle. But footage shown at Developer Direct last week appears to be hinting at the return of Quake.

During the showcase of the upcoming Indiana Jones release – at around the 11:35 mark – we see a quick shot of a whiteboard, covered in barely legible red ink. However, among these scrawls you can clearly make out the iconic logo from the first Quake game.

Just above that, it's also possible to make out the characters "AKE 6." Given that the first letter is almost cut off from the screen, it could be inferred that this is the other half of the word "QUAKE."

Indy goes gothic

This could easily be nothing more than a throwaway reference, but the fact that it appears at all is interesting. Now, you don't need me to tell you that there's been no confirmation of any Quake projects in the pipeline. At least none that we're aware of.

Having said that, with developer MachineGames taking the reins on the modern Wolfenstein titles – not to mention last year's Quake 2 remaster, in which the studio contributed new maps – no one would be surprised if the team turned its attention to the original Quake.

Whether this would be a reboot or a new entry cannot be said, but given that the number six is present in the Indiana Jones trailer, it could be a continuation. If you're thinking there are only four games in the Quake series, consider Quake Champions the fifth installment. Or even Enemy Territory: Quake Wars.

In any case, these are just rumors at the moment. Chances are, if anyone was going to bring the legendary FPS back, who better than id Software? But MachineGames would definitely be a solid choice, so we'll just have to wait and see if the hidden clue in the video is more than just an Easter egg.

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Outside of Resident Evil, Alone in the Dark is one of the most influential survival horror games of all time. While we wait for Pieces Interactive's take on the upcoming reimagining, THQ Nordic has shown what you can expect if you opt for the special version of the game.

Over on the publisher's YouTube channel (as spotted by Bloody Disgusting), we get a little showcase on the Alone in the Dark bonuses that come with the Deluxe Edition. For starters, there are some "authentic Vintage Horror Filters," as well as the director's commentary, if that's your thing.

But the one that will strike a chord with older fans is the "1992 Costume Pack." This – as the name implies – gives the new game the same, low-poly look that the original AITD release had all the way back in the early 90s.

"Ma'am, please stop staring at my triangular nose."

Specifically, it affects the models, turning them from their more modern, highly detailed selves to how they originally looked. It's a nice little way of seeing just how far we've come in terms of video game visuals. Also, nostalgia. Nostalgia is good as well.

While it's been tough for Alone in the Dark to keep its head above the water – what with some mediocre reboots and new installments – this could be the one that reignites interest in the iconic series once more.

I'll tell you for why: For me, personally, this latest attempt to breathe new life into the franchise has been penned by Mikael Hedberg. Even if you don't recognize the name, horror fans will know his work from Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Amnesia: Rebirth, and – more importantly – SOMA. That's enough to get me excited for March 20, at least.

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While there's nothing wrong with playing the remake of Resident Evil 4 as intended, some have been hoping for a first-person view. The VR update does allow for that, but now there is a mod for those that don't have a headset but still want a first-person RE4 experience.

As noted by PCGamer, Nexus Mods user elsuperaguas has released the beta version of a mod for Resident Evil 4 that switches the perspective. Now, without having to use the PSVR 2, you can play last year's remake in glorious first-person.

A recent video from the YouTube channel Residence of Evil shows it in action. It's as you would expect, bringing RE4 more in-line with the seventh and eighth installments in Capcom's iconic survival horror series.

Even Leon's curtains don't get in the way

There are some things you might want to take into account before you install the mod, however. On the download page, elsuperaguas says you will need to install a few things before you can play RE4 in first-person.

Those things are:

1. "Headless Leon" mod so you don't see inside Leon's head.
2. "Laser for every handgun" to fix the misalign of the laser beam.
3. "Invisible Weird Headgears" so you don't see the accessories.

You can also install "Headless Main Characters" if you want to play as Ashley or the Mercenaries content. Once all that's done, you should be good to go.

Unsurprisingly, we declared Resident Evil 4 the best remake/remaster of 2023. Much like the modern takes on RE2 and RE3, Capcom did a fantastic job of making the classic game feel fresh without losing what made the original highly praised special.

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Much of the gaming world is holding its breath in anticipation of the Switch 2, or whatever Nintendo decides to call the follow-up to its hybrid console. For now, we know nothing about it, but it seems developers are already working on titles for the mystery machine (not to be confused with the van from Scooby-Doo).

According to the latest GDC State of the Game Industry survey (as spotted by VGC), about 8% of development teams are currently developing a project for the Switch successor. Considering around over 3,000 developers were asked, this equates to quite a few people saying they're working on something for the Switch successor.

On top of this, when asked which platforms people in the industry were most interested in as developers, 32% said the Nintendo Switch successor. This is above the Xbox Series X|S and the current-gen Switch, but just behind the PS5, which 41% are still interested in.

More are working on Switch 2 games than Amazon Luna

We've been getting hints here and there about the elusive system. Last year, it was rumored that the next Nintendo Switch had been demoed at Gamescom 2023, exclusively for developers.

Given what we've seen in the GDC report, it seems likely that the console must be in the works at this point. The Switch has been out since 2017 and even with the OLED edition launching in 2021, it feels like it's been coming to the end of its lifecycle for some time now.

Those who are said to be working on Switch 2 games are almost certainly being asked to keep mum about it. But with a decent number of dev teams saying they are involved in projects for the as-yet-to-be-announced Nintendo console, we may hopefully start to hear word about it soon. Hope springs eternal, and all that.

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Payday 3 was one of those games that was briefly hyped up, but then sank back down once it had been released. Much of that came from the issues that plagued the heist FPS threequel, but it seems developer Starbreeze is determined to make things right.

In a recent post on the Payday 3 website, the studio said it understands that "many of you aren’t satisfied with the game the way it is in its current state." Going forward, then, a "strike team of veteran developers" has been put together, formed from various in-house departments.

The idea, it seems, is to tackle some of the game's biggest problems head-on with a dedicated bunch of developers. Currently, the team is "creating a plan" and "deciding what will shape the game into the heisting experience you expect."

I can hear the A-Team music in my head

Payday 3's insistence that players must be always online even when playing solo resulted in a lot of negative feedback from the community. The developer also released DLC – Syntax Error – just a few weeks after the main game was released.

Given that what fans really want is for the main story they paid full price for to be in working condition, asking for additional money for new content could easily be seen as a bit of an insult.

As such, the new Payday installment is currently showing as "Mostly Negative" for recent Steam reviews, with "Mixed" overall. Starbreeze says it will be revealing further details about plans for updates and improvements sometime in February.

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I keep hitting refresh on the SteamDB page of Palworld. Each time I do, the numbers keep shooting up. Despite the fact that Pocketpick's new game has only come out today – in Early Access as well – the numbers suggest it's going to be a big hit.

When the third-party Steam tracking website posted on Twitter/X earlier, it said Palworld had already reached over 110,000 concurrent players. At the time of writing, that number has gone up to 329,563.

The Top Sellers list on Steam shows it's shot to the number two position (behind the Steam Deck, natch). While this isn't too unusual for a brand-new game that's got some hype behind it, it could well be a sign of things to come for the cute, Pokemon-inspired survival game.

What exactly is Palworld?

If you haven't heard of or are familiar with Palworld yet, don't worry. I wasn't until literally two days ago. If you want a nice breakdown of what the game's like and how it plays, a couple of our writers took a quick look at it.

The Steam page has this to say about it:

Fight, farm, build and work alongside mysterious creatures called "Pals" in this completely new multiplayer, open world survival and crafting game!

It has a little bit of everything, from what I can tell. Well, maybe not everything, but certainly enough for most gamers to get into. I must admit, I'm quietly curious myself. To such an extent that I'm currently downloading it through Xbox Game Pass. May as well, right?

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Oh, Starfield. We all had such hope for you. You're not a bad game, of course, but there was definitely some lost potential there. Still, you won a Steam award which is nice, and you're kicking off the new year with the game's first major update.

Originally due to come out on Wednesday, Bethesda released a major patch for Starfield to Steam Beta yesterday, which aims to fix a number of bugs. If you take a look at the official website, you'll see exactly what version 1.9.47.0 comes with.

A quick scroll down the list shows there's been a boatload of fixes to the game. There's some general stuff, such as patching out corruptions to save files on PC, improvements to things like reflections and shadows, and some much-needed tweaks to quests and "random encounters."

But is it enough?

Bethesda says this latest update comes with "over a hundred fixes and adjustments" with some quality-of-life shenanigans thrown into the mix as well. The post on the Starfield website also asks fans to keep sharing feedback on the off-chance a particular fix people have been waiting for isn't in this version.

While squashing bugs is always appreciated in games, it's probably going to take a lot more than that for people to start taking an interest in Starfield again.

We've been told by the developer that new implementations and features are coming at some point – including new ways of traveling – so that's something to keep in mind as we barrel on into 2024. But it's tough to say whether any and all improvements will be able to rescue Bethesda's new game from disappearing into the proverbial black hole.

Starfield version 1.9.47.0 patch notes

FIXES AND IMPROVEMENTS

ANIMATION

• Fixed player character’s eyes remaining closed instead of blinking in third person view.
• Addressed rare cases where small animation pops could be seen in third person.

CREATURES AND ENEMIESs

• Fixed incorrectly invisible creatures on some planets.
• Fixed an issue that could occur on some enemies causing them to stand instead of falling to the ground.

CREW AND COMPANIONS

• Fixed crew members and companions positioning near the cockpit after fast traveling to the ship.
• Companions: Fixed a possible control-lock when talking to a companion without entering a dialogue while simultaneously trying to exit the ship.

GENERAL

• Fixed an issue that prevented Windows users saving if their username featured certain characters (PC).
• Fixed rare save game corruptions on PC (MSS and Steam).
• Fixed an issue that could lead to a control lock or a crash after loading a quicksave while in the targeting mode.
• Fixed player marker following the camera on the surface map.
• Fixed a rare issue that could prevent access to the main menu on when prompted to “Press any button to Start” (Xbox).
• Body type should no longer reset to default when loading a Starborn save from the main menu.
• Fixed flickering on Neon’s Trade Tower elevator panel.
• Improved the appearance of the Ryujin Kiosk material during nighttime.
• Fixed rare issue with how Cydonia’s panel could display the hours without incident.
• Added Optimizations to cloud syncing of save games (MSS/Xbox).
• Improved how crowds behave when desired target is reserved.
• Fixed an issue that could cause airlock doors to sometimes appear floating in sky when arriving at locations.
• Fixed unintended text appearing on the shipbuilder’s UI.
• Fixed game session not properly resuming from shutdown in Energy Save mode (Xbox).
• Various stability improvements.

GRAPHICS

• Improved widescreen support (32:9, 21:9 and 16:10).
• Added support for stars displaying sun disk geometry.
• Shadows can now be seen on planet rings from planet surface.
• Improved eyes and skin on crowd characters.
• Improved reflection on water.
• Improved contact shadows on character skin (Xbox and PC Medium/High/Ultra).
• Improved contact shadows on character cloth (PC High/Ultra).
• Improved contact shadows on first person (PC Ultra).
• Improved lighting in character generation menu.
• Reduced the appearance of some minor artifacts during cutscene camera transitions.
• Fixed flickering on a number of VFX (Sandstorm, corrosive liquid pools, waterfall).
• Fixed a rare issue where the camera would lock while in handscanner mode whenever watching flying fauna (Xbox).
• Fixed potential control lock when opening a game menu a moment before triggering a dialogue with another character.
• Addressed various shadow popping, flickering and artifact issues.
• Improved the visibility of the sun’s lens flare during sunrise and sunset.
• Fixed a rare issue where foam or grime would not show up.
• Fixed rare flickering VFX that could occur in space (Xbox Series S).
• Fixed rare hair flickering (Xbox Series X/S).
• Fixed occasional flicker on digiframes and TV screens.
• Adjusted the appearance of bloom when activating the handscanner.
• Improved the appearance of clouds during weather transitions.
• Fixed rare cases where alignment of grass and wind could appear disconnected. 
• Reduced bloom intensity effect while motion blur is active (PC).
• Addressed issues with concealment effect not always applying when using the handscanner.
• Fixed visible edge of the ocean in the distance when seen from a very high point of view.
• Fixed rare white flickering dots around characters' hair during cut scenes.
• Fixed a readability issue in the Starmap when using large menu font mode.
• Fixed inventory menu occasionally failing to generate previews when using a mouse (PC).
• Fixed a brief Depth of Field issue that sometimes occurred when aiming, alt-tabbing or leaving a dialogue screen. 
• Fixed occasional lighting transition issues after loading or exiting a location.
• Fixed an issue that could cause intermittent bands to appear in distance fog.
• Fixed a rare issue that could cause fog color to appear inconsistent.
• Fixed a rare issue that could cause rocks to disappear near the player on the surface of a planet.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when switching to DLSS with dynamic resolution active (PC).
• Fixed flickering and delayed shadows sometimes occurring after unpausing the game.
• Fixed various FSR2 and DLSS artifacts (noise, black dots, ghosting).
• Fixed flickering when using the handscanner with DLSS enabled.
• Fixed initial lighting conditions when landing on a planet.
• Improved lighting at 73 locations.
• Fixed various geometry, texture, and ghosting issues.

OUTPOSTS

• Fixed a rare missing terrain issue that could occur after fast traveling to an outpost near New Atlantis.
• Fixed an issue that could cause bulldozed objects to reappear when returning to an outpost.
• Fixed an issue that caused hazard damage to remain even when the hazard was removed by bulldozing in outposts.
• Fixed an issue where outpost’s cargo links would be removed from the terminal list if connected, disconnected, then reconnected to another cargo link during the cargo ship landing sequence.
• Fixed an issue where weapon cases built by the player in an Outpost would populate with weapons and ammo after reloading the game.

POWERS

• Fixed a rare issue that could cause the Phased Time power to remain enabled.
• Fixed the extreme speed that could occur in zero G when using the Phased Time power.
• Solar Flare Power now accounts for critical hits.

QUESTS AND RANDOM ENCOUNTERS

• Absolute Power: Fixed missing slate in the safe preventing from completing the optional objective “Locate Evidence to Extort Ayumi Komiko”.
• Background Checks: Fixed possible control-lock that could occur if caught by security.
• Derelict Ship: Fixed an issue preventing the player from reaching the pilot seat if they did not have access to advanced locks.
• Drinks on the House: Fixed rare occurrence where the door to Sub 12 could remain locked.
• Echoes of the Past: Fixed Delgado getting stuck at bottom of stairs during "Continue Exploring the Lock" that could occur if The Lock was left during Delgado's history dialogue.
• Echoes of the Past: Resolved an issue that could cause Mathis' and Delgado’s guns to be invisible.
• Eye of the Storm: Fixed an issue that could cause data transfer to not start after placing the Data Core.
• Eye of the Storm: Fixed an issue where the docking prompt would be missing on the Legacy ship if the player undocked with the Legacy and then reloaded a save before having started the mission.
• Executive Level: Fixed an issue where players could get stuck on a chair in the Ryujin Industries HQ conference room.
• Failure to Communicate: Fixed an issue that prevented the player from finishing the quest if they downed all the members of the defense pact (Alban Lopez, Jacquelyn Lemaire, and Chanda Banda).
• Further Into the Unknown: Fixed a rare crash that could occur when trying to dock with The Eye.
• Groundpounder: Fixed an issue where the door to Lezama could sometimes be locked if the player left the location during the quest and came back later.
• Hostile Intelligence: Fixed blocked doors in the Steam Tunnels room where the Terrormorph transformation occurs.
• Into the Unknown: Fixed a rare issue that could prevent the quest from starting after completing The Old Neighborhood.
• Into the Unknown: Fixed a rare issue where a Temple location might not populate when receiving the “Go to” objective.
• Legacy’s End: Fixed an issue that could prevent interacting with Delgado when he was behind the glass inside in the command center of The Key.
• Legacy’s End: Fixed a debris pile where to player could become stuck while trying to reach the Mess Hall.
• Missed Beyond Measure: Fixed a dialogue between Sarah and Walter not playing at The Lodge.
• No Sudden Moves: Fixed companions not following player during personal quests.
• On The Run: Fixed various issues related to Mei Devine becoming inaccessible the objective updated to “Listen to Mei Devine’s Introduction”.
• On The Run: Fixed a possible control lock when sitting at the table to talk to Jade MacMillan.
• One Small Step: Fixed a rare issue that could prevent Lin / Heller from exiting the airlock.
• Operation Starseed: Fixed a bad view that could occur if the Beagle was boarded after a long idle.
• Power From Beyond: Fixed an issue that caused missing Starborn temples and scanner disturbances that could prevent obtaining all Starborn powers from that universe.
• Rough Landings: Resolved an issue that could occur during the “Meet up with Milena Axelrod” objective that could prevent ships from appearing at the desired location.
• Shadows in Neon: Fixed an issue that could occur when repeatedly using the door to Jaylen Pryce's office before he progressed to Neon Core.
• Supra et Ultra: Fixed a control lock that could occur when entering the Flight Simulator while a guard is attempting arrest.
• Tapping the Grid: Fixed inaccessible junction boxes that could occur after the Hunter attacks the Lodge.
• The Best There Is: Fixed an issue that could prevent objective from advancing when talking to Naeva and Jasmine in the engineering room.
• The Empty Nest: Fixed and issue that could cause Sam Coe’s gun to be invisible when inside Jacob’s house.
• The Heart of Mars: Fixed another location that could potentially prevent recovering The Heart of Mars.
• The Pale Lady: Fixed rare case of inaccessible ship crew log data slate making it impossible to complete the encounter.
• Top of the L.I.S.T.: Phil Hill should now accept survey data for Sumati.
• War Relics: Resolved an issue that could prevent Kaiser from moving to the mission site.
• Where Hope is Built: Fixed a crash that could occur with a specific set of player behaviors.

SHIPS AND SHIP CUSTOMIZATION

• Fixed another case that could cause an asteroid to follow a ship in space.
• Fixed ship hatch being marked inaccessible after swapping to a new home ship.
• Fixed an issue where the ship could end up in an unintended state by simultaneously attempting fast travel during a grav jump.
• Fixed a view issue that could occur when fast traveling during ship targeting mode.
• Fixed an issue that could occur when entering Ship Targeting mode immediately after selecting a Grav Jump.
• Fixed an issue that caused non-functional ladders to appear when the player modified their ship with a Taiyo All-In-One Berth Top A and a Deimos 1x1.
• Fixed an issue where the Legendary ship could take too long to resume firing after the weapons were repaired.
• Space combat should now match ground combat difficulty increase with successive trips through the Unity.
• Fixed an issue where loading an exit save made while docked to a space station could cause names of ships to change.
• Fixed marker not pointing to the current home ship after performing a save/load between different ships.
• Fixed in issue that could cause the Frontier to incorrectly appear if a non-home ship was removed from a landing pad.

SKILLS

• REJUVENATION: Rejuvenation skill VFX no longer replay whenever the handscanner is opened in third person.
• SURVEYING: Fixed surveying challenge progress issue with mineral resource.
• TARGETING CONTROL SYSTEMS: Fixed inconsistencies with level 3 and 4.

WEAPONS AND ITEMS

• Fixed incorrect reload amounts that could occur when consuming a Trauma Pack.
• Fixed FOV and zoom issues with weapon scopes.
• Fixed weapon sound effects occasionally continuing to play after killing an enemy.
• Fixed turret state not being restored properly after and save and load.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the helmet light to not reappear in third person after a save and load.

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Just over a week ago, I mentioned how Nvidia was launching three GPUs in the new RTX 4000 SUPER range. Now, the first one of the bunch has been released, offering a bit of a performance boost compared to its predecessor.

The 4070 SUPER came out yesterday, and it already appears to be fairly popular. While sites like Newegg do have models from ZOTAC, GIGABYTE, ASUS, and more, there are quite a few that have sold out. Amazon UK appears to have limited stocks at the time of writing. A report from Videocardz points to a few brands that are already out of stock, so it seems like you might want to get in quick lest supplies run out.

Prices for the SUPER graphics card can be as low as $549 and as high as $759 (if not more), depending on where you get it from and which model you opt for.

Compare and contrast

Showing up to 14% improvement over the non-SUPER variant, the RTX 4070 SUPER is what you would expect from a somewhat souped-up version of a modern graphics card.

While it still retains 12GB of GDDR6X of memory – similar to the regular 4070 – it does boast more CUDA cores and a slight increase in its clock speed. It also has a higher TGP, now requiring an additional 20W of power.

It also appears as though the RTX 4070 has been given a price drop, so if you're not in the mood for a new-new graphics card from Nvidia, you could always go for the standard variant. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER and RTX 4080 SUPER are due to release on January 24 and January 31, respectively.

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You don't need me to tell you how highly praised Baldur's Gate 3 has been since it dropped last August. It's won multiple awards and is currently one of the top-selling games on Steam right now. So let's talk about Star Wars for a bit.

Well, we're still in Baldur's Gate territory, but this relates to a mod for the game that brings some of Lucas' IP to Larian Studios' release. As spotted by DSO Gaming, Nexus Mods user Palmaman33 has given us the ability to wield a lightsaber in BG3's otherwise magical, fantasy-based world.

The modder rationalizes their decision to mix fantasy with sci-fi by saying that "even in a world of dragons and wizards, nothing cuts through the darkness quite like a lightsaber." Indeed.

[Insert lightsaber sound here]

Palmaman33 goes on to say that the download grants you five color variants of the Star Wars weapon, as well as five variants: Legendary, Very Rare, Rare, Uncommon, and Common. They can be spawned via a tutorial chest from a separate mod or purchased from a trader.

Baldur's Gate 3 really does feel like one of those games that people are going to stick with for some time. Will it have the longevity of something like Skyrim? Who can say at this stage? It's a tall order, but someone's got to knock Bethesda's 2011 epic off its pedestal sooner or later.

And no, I still haven't got around to playing BG3 yet. Do you think if I keep mentioning that in my posts, my editor will give me a free copy? Xbox Series X if you're asking...

The post You want lightsabers in Baldur’s Gate 3? Yeah, you want lightsabers in Baldur’s Gate 3 appeared first on Destructoid.

Still the gaming behemoth it's been since it was released over twelve years ago, Minecraft continues to sell in droves. Much of that is its mass appeal of allowing near-infinite build potential. But the recent release of the Planet Earth III DLC probably isn't hurting things, either.

Inspired by the BBC documentary of the same name, the latest Minecraft content brings more of the natural world to the blocky sandbox game. But it goes beyond just pretty animals. A recent post on the official website gives details on what's in the DLC.

For example, there are a number of scenarios for you to take part in. You can become a fur seal who has to "steer clear of predators," or be the shark that's preying on the blubbery pinniped. There's also a chance to become a musk ox or an arctic wolf as you're "transported to the Canadian tundra in spring."

No narration from Sir David Attenborough, as far as I can tell

Oh, there are quite a few of these scenarios for you to take part in. And when you're done frolicking about the place like a spry impala, you can also check out the BBC Planet Earth Field Station hub.

To this day, it's still quite mind-boggling to see how far this game came from its humble beginnings. With the Minecraft movie now in development, there's some life left to be squeezed out of this ungodly successful IP.

The Planet Earth III content is available now for free for Minecraft: Education Edition and on the marketplace for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition.

The post Minecraft releases DLC inspired by the BBC’s Planet Earth show appeared first on Destructoid.

At some point today, Bethesda was scheduled to roll out a big update for Starfield, complete with bug fixes a-plenty. However, there's been a slight change to that, as the studio has had to delay the patch, but hopefully not by much.

According to a recent post on Twitter, the team has "discovered an issue we want to address" before the Starfield update can see the light of day. It doesn't say what this issue actually is, but Bethesda evidently needs a little more time before it can be sent out.

However, it doesn't seem as though we'll be waiting too long. The tweet goes on to say that the developer is "aiming to release it later this week," but they'll "confirm timing when we know for sure."

Delays can be good, right?

Considering the patch was supposed to be out today, and we're already on Wednesday, you'd be forgiven for thinking Bethesda might miss the boat for this week. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though.

Microsoft already wanted the release date for Starfield pushed back a few months, presumably so it could be polished to a more suitable standard. What we got was, what some might consider, one of the least buggy Bethesda games in a long time. Though that might not be the flex it initially sounds like.

As for the game itself, well...things aren't going great for Todd Howard's dream project. Over on Steam, reviews stand at "Mostly Negative" for recent scores and "Mixed" overall. There's every possibility Bethesda can make something of a U-turn, but the (now-delayed) update is going to have to be a very good omen of things to come.

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Along with a recent RTX Remix, the classic Tomb Raider games are about to come back in a pretty big way. Aspyr has been hard at work remastering the original three entries in the iconic series, and we've been given a bit of a breakdown of what's to come.

A recent post on the PlayStation Blog gives us a few details on the upcoming Tomb Raider remasters, which are set to release on February 14 (ooh, la la). Going way back to 1998 when the studio helped launch the second game on Mac, Aspyr is more than familiar with Lara's adventures.

This modern take on the classic installments will be brimming with the usual. We'll get up-to-date controls that "take inspiration from the Legend, Anniversary, and Underworld era." However, the studio will also be keeping the original tank controls for that dose of retro authenticity.

If looks could kill

Of course, it wouldn't be a remaster without some fresh visuals that don't veer too much from the source material. The post goes on to say that Aspyr has swapped out the 2D sprites for 3D models, as well as implemented real-time lighting effects, polished environments and character models, and more.

And because this is a modern game (or at least a modern interpretation), Tomb Raider Remastered will also come bundled with a photo mode. And much like the tank controls, you can switch between the newer and classic visuals, if that's your bag.

It's impressive that the series is still going after almost 30 years. If you are interested in raiding some tombs from a bygone era, the remasters will be coming to current and previous-gen consoles, as well as PCs.

The post Aspyr outlines what to expect in upcoming Tomb Raider remasters appeared first on Destructoid.

Morrowind is just one of those games I'll always go back to. While Skyrim reigns supreme as the most successful Elder Scrolls game, the third installment in Bethesda's series still draws me in. And that's to say nothing about the mods that keep it alive.

For example, if I wanted to release my inner creativity, I could opt for "Write Books and Scrolls," a seemingly simple download that lets you loose on the blank pages of Morrowind.

Brought to us by Nexus Mods user MomokeCome, it allows players to write their own scrolls and books within the world of TES3. Blank versions can be purchased from sellers, at which point you can put quill to paper and "write your own title and text."

Eat your heart out, Salman Rushdie

Okay, maybe I'm over-romanticizing it a bit. But when it comes to fantasy RPGs, not many people think to allow someone to become an in-game writer. We're all about having immense stories with rich lore, but this mod gives us the chance to craft some of our own.

The download page doesn't say whether the blank scrolls and books come with character or word limits, though. Anyone who's played Morrowind and has checked out the sheer breadth of literature available will know that some novels and history books can go on for a few pages.

I could wax lyrical about how I would use the mod to pen the great Elder Scrolls tale. Truth is, I'd probably just use it to remind my character to pick up more ash yams while in Balmora.

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A week ago, I told you about how MIS was the next tech firm to be gunning for Steam Deck's title in the portable PC market, with a device called The Claw. Well, it seems the company is thinking long, long term, with some newer versions of this yet-to-be-released system on the horizon.

In a recent interview with IGN, System Product Managing Director Clifford Chun discussed The Claw, saying that MSI began developing it two years ago. Additionally, this is just one of a possible four models of the device that are "already in the pipeline."

Details are scarce, as you would imagine, but it seems the team is anticipating the release of numerous versions as the technology allows for it. When asked about potential release dates, Chun says it "depends on, for example, the CPU or a graphic upgrade down the road," adding that we should anticipate what MSI will release next.

Has anyone made a Liar, Liar joke yet?

While it's tough to say whether Valve should be quaking in its proverbial boots, The Claw is yet one more in a line of Steam Deck competitors.

We've already had offerings from ASUS with its ROG Ally, and Lenovo released its Legion Go last November. Where The Claw may differ slightly is in its hardware, which is actually making use of the Intel Arc GPU technology.

Whether this will set it apart from the others remains to be seen at this stage (it's still using Windows 11, much like the ROG Ally and Legion Go). The Claw is set to release sometime this year. Who knows what other companies will be preparing their own mobile PC device by then. Oh wait.

The post MSI is aiming for the Steam Deck, with later models of The Claw ‘already in the pipeline’ appeared first on Destructoid.

Nvidia's RTX Remix is already proving popular with modders, as notable games are being given a new, shiny lease on life. As a result, we're getting to see things like GTA, Max Payne, and early Tomb Raider games get something of a spit polish, re-entering our collective consciousness.

I have DSO Gaming to thank for this. A number of recent posts from them show that RTX Remix is able to put a bit of a modern spin on some older releases, such as the aforementioned ones.

In one article, we're treated to screenshots from a remixed version of Vice City – complete with Path Tracing – from user PC_Focus. We also have the above footage from turnpike, whose take on the original Max Payne gives the antihero's coat a nice sheen. Then there's skurtyyskirts, with a remixed version of the first Tomb Raider installment, showing Lara in a new light (literally).

The gaming equivalent of "rewind!"

Given that Nvidia is due to release its RTX Remix toolkit into open beta on January 22, we can expect to see more of this sort of thing happening. The above examples were done in the current version of the modding software, which means they might be improved upon even more at some point.

We've also seen the effect of it working in games like Half-Life 2, so it's not just suitable for ultra retro titles (although HL2 is turning 20 this year. Yikes, indeed).

Being able to inject modern techniques into classics, including ray tracing, image upscaling through the likes of DLSS, and more doesn't change how these games look or play overall. It gives them a fresh coat of paint and updated visuals, but they aren't remakes or even remasters. What they are, however, is a glance at just how far gaming technology has come over the years.

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Why not start as you mean to go on, yeah? Discord is probably one of the most popular chat services in the world, but even this monolithic communication tool is not immune to the dreaded "L" word. It turns out it, too, is about to lay a chunk of its workforce off.

According to a report from The Verge, Discord has announced it will be letting 17% of its staff go – the equivalent of 170 people – across numerous departments.

Company CEO Jason Citron has said the layoffs are an effort to help "sharpen our focus and improve the way we work together to bring more agility to our organization." It's up to you to decide whether that means anything or not.

Quick growth is to blame

The unfortunate impact is allegedly the result of a fast-expanding workforce, "increasing 5x since 2020," Citron goes on to say. He then adds that, as a result, "we took on more projects and became less efficient in how we operated."

This comes hot off the heels of Twitch saying it was letting 35% of its staff go and, just before that, Unity also announcing significant job cutbacks. I've said this in a previous post, but this really doesn't bode well for the gaming industry for 2024.

Discord has around 196 million monthly users, according to one source, and is often a go-to for gamers. It's such a shame that a sizeable portion of the company is being let go, especially after all the grim news about layoffs we saw in 2023.

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Look, I'm just going to say it. I haven't played Baldur's Gate 3 yet. I know, I know. The fact that it’s won so many awards should clue me into just how much of a gaming phenomenon it is. However, what I am really into is The Elder Scrolls series, and a recent mod is making my ears prick up.

Over on Nexus Mods, user Ghouls0Rules has made it possible to play Baldur's Gate 3 as a Dunmer, the dark elf race from such hits as Morrowind and Skyrim. While it has a "heavy focus on visuals," it goes beyond a simple skin and texture swap.

It also comes with additional features. The download page says it has "unique passives and spells," as well as "some level progression for each subrace." So this is more than just about looking like a TES character, as it has function too. You can get the mod from here. It actually came out in December, but I was too busy with Christmas and not playing BG3 to spot it at the time.

Feels like it fits, thematically

Gaming definitely had its ups and downs across the whole of 2023. While the industry experienced a lot of job losses and studio closures, Larian's Baldur's Gate 3 was definitely a high point.

It's currently flying high on the Steam top-sellers list, albeit it's now been pushed down one spot by Counter-Strike 2. Given the RPG's prestige, it's likely to be riding this success wave for some time. The fact that it's the ninth most played game in terms of peak concurrent players – according to SteamDB – should tell you everything.

And yet, I still need to get in on it. I don't really have any excuse, and as a long-time fan of The Elder Scrolls games, I have even less of one, thanks to this mod.

The post This Baldur’s Gate 3 mod lets you play as a Dunmer from The Elder Scrolls appeared first on Destructoid.

It's a shame Arkane Studios' Ravenholm was cancelled. That would have definitely filled the large Half-Life hole us fans have felt for some time. However, a modding team has been on the case with a custom story that lets us experience the creepy mining town some more.

From the people that brought us the Raising the Bar project – an overhaul of Half-Life 2 that breathes new life into the iconic FPS – comes Raising the Bar: Salvation. In this mod, we fill the shoes of Father Grigori, the pastor of Ravenholm who watches over Gordon Freeman in the official game, as he continues his story.

We get to trek back through the abandoned location, in which the devout man intends to burn the entire place down. You can download the mod here. The above video says you'll also need to install the Division 2.1 file from the Raising the Bar: Redux mod in order for Salvation to work.

The holiest shotgun-wielder around

What makes this slightly intriguing is its approach to combat. The team has said that resources are a bit more scarce, and players will only have a limited amount of supplies. With just a shotgun, custom mines, and a Duke Nukem-style kick, it becomes more about picking one's battles.

Father Grigori was definitely one of the most interesting characters in Half-Life 2. While only in the one section of the game, and not always visible on-screen, his presence is often felt by the player, as gunfire and manic laughs are heard in the distance.

He's part of what makes the Ravenholm chapter such a standout. While we may never know what happens to Gordon Freeman in any future Half-Life installments, Salvation at least fills in some of the side narrative. And isn't that just as important?

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While Nvidia and AMD duke it out to be supreme GPU champion in the PC gaming world, Intel is also here. Just smiling and waving. The chip firm entered the GPU arena back in 2022, and now it's a little closer to completing the next iteration of its Arc brand.

In an interview with PC World (as spotted by PC Gamer) at CES 2024, Intel Fellow Tom Petersen said that Arc Battlemage (the follow-up to Alchemist) "is coming." Around 30% of engineers are working on the GPU right now, "mostly on the software side." Ideally, this all wraps up before CES in January 2025.

On top of this, the hardware portion of the team is now moving onto Celestial, the next graphics card from Intel. Petersen says Battlemage has "already had its first silicon in the lab," and "more good news is coming."

A story arc that perhaps needs to pick up

As for when we can expect the next line of Arc GPUs, Petersen is unable – or unwilling – to go into details, but is hopeful we may get to see something at next year's CES event. That's not a given, but it might give some indication of perhaps when it could be released. That's all just pure speculation, for now.

Intel doesn't seem to have quite found its feet in the dedicated graphics card industry. With Nvidia and AMD flexing every muscle they have, Team Blue seems to be trailing behind. This could be because the Alchemist experienced delays, but it could be because the other two have just been in the game for much longer.

However, the upcoming Claw device from MSI is being powered by Intel hardware, including an Arch chip, so that's something. This time next year, things might be different, but it sounds like progress on Battlemage is coming along.

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