Digital Foundry has a verdict on Overwatch 2, and its conclusions are clear: It’s a beautiful game that runs great on both console and PC. However, the site says though the changes offered are a net positive for the game, it’s not quite as ambitious as you might expect.

Writer Thomas Morgan praises the game’s new 5v5 format, as well as its colorful new maps, particularly Paraiso and New Queen Street. Though he notes the many improvements to the game’s graphics claimed by Blizzard–including better particle effects, shaders, cloth physics, fog, and more–Morgan describes these changes as “fine tweaks” rather than generational leaps.

That said, he praises the game’s improved shading as a major difference-maker, as well as the revamped character models for returning heroes. He judges the gap in visual quality between the old and new models to be quite distinct. He also details the significant technical changes to the game, including the addition of HDR and 4K support for next-gen consoles. The bottom line is that Overwatch 2 runs well on all platforms, except Nintendo Switch, which suffers sub-30fps drops. I think everyone expects that at this point, though.

In other Overwatch 2 news, the game hit 25 million players in its first few weeks of existence, despite a rough launch. Blizzard recently discussed some potential character changes in a blog post. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for help with your favorite heroes, check out our hero guides.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Original Bayonetta voice actress Hellena Taylor urged fans to boycott Bayonetta 3 after she revealed how much she was offered to reprise her role as the eponymous character but ultimately turned down. She didn’t return to voice Bayonetta because she claims to have only been offered $4,000 for working on the entire game.

“The Bayonetta franchise made an approximated $450 million, and that’s not including merchandise,” Taylor claimed in a video on Twitter. “As an actor, I trained for a total of seven and a half years. Three years at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, LAMDA, with voice coach Barbara Berkery, and four and a half years with the legendary Larry Moss in Los Angeles. And what did they think this was worth? What did they offer to pay me? The final offer to do the whole game as a buyout, flat rate, was $4,000 USD.

She went on to say that the rate she was offered was an insult to her and was only asking for a livable wage commensurate with her experience. Taylor then encouraged fans to take the money they would have spent on the game and donate it to charity.

In a second video, she continued, “I am not afraid of the non-disclosure agreement, I can’t even afford to run a car. What are they going to do, take my clothes? Good luck to them. Bayonetta always stands up for those with less power, and stands up for what’s right, and in doing this, you stand with her.”

In a third and final video, Taylor explained that she was asked to re-audition for the role, noting that this was understandable given that voices change over time. She passed her audition and PlatinumGames offered her a rate following the audition. However, Taylor said that it was “insulting.” She says that she had a friend who knew Japanese to write to executive director Hideki Kamiya so that she could ask to be paid for what her talent was worth.

“That is when they offered me $4,000 USD,” said Taylor. “And you know, Platinum had the cheek to say that I was busy, that they couldn’t make it work with Ms. Taylor’s schedule. Well, I had nothing but time,” referring to GameInformer’s recent interview with PlatinumGames.

Jennifer Hale is the new voice for Bayonetta in Bayonetta 3. While Taylor wishes her the best, she noted, “They now have a new girl voicing her over, and I love actors and I wish her all the joy in the world and all the jobs, but she has no right to say she is Bayonetta.”

In addition to boycotting Bayonetta 3, Taylor said that PlatinumGames and Nintendo might do a spin-off of Bayonetta with Jennifer Hale as well and encourages fans not to buy it if it happens.

While neither PlatinumGames nor Nintendo provided statements, executive director Hideki Kimaya responded to the claims on Twitter, saying, “Sad and deplorable about the attitude of untruth. That’s what all I can tell now.”

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

The future of the Silent Hill franchise has been as foggy as the town itself for some time, but the fog will soon clear as Konami has announced a Silent Hill Transmission livestream for October 19 at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET.

According to a Sunday tweet from the official Konami Twitter account, the “latest updates for the Silent Hill series” are set to be discussed during the event. No specific details about the livestream, or whether it will focus on games or other types of media, have been announced.

In your restless dreams, do you see that town?
The latest updates for the SILENT HILL series, will be revealed during the #SILENTHILL Transmission on Wednesday, October 19th, at 2:00 PM. PDThttps://t.co/18sulbhIaR

— Konami (@Konami) October 16, 2022

Reactions and responses to the Konami tweet could offer some clues about what is to come during the Silent Hill Transmission. The franchise’s longtime music composer, Akira Yamaoka, retweeted Konami via his personal account, as did artist Masahiro Ito, who is credited with the creation of Silent Hill’s iconic villain Pyramid Head… even if he wishes he never had. Others not associated with any Silent Hill project at the moment, including Elijah Wood, also referenced the announcement in separate tweets.

The livestream announcement comes weeks after a previously unknown game, Silent Hill: The Short Message, appeared on a Korean ratings board. Rumors have swirled about a new game in the franchise since earlier this year, including one that said “multiple Silent Hill projects” were in the works.

If a new game is announced, it would be the first new entry in the Silent Hill franchise since 2012, which saw a core entry in March with Silent Hill: Downpour, as well as a side project called Silent Hill: Book of Memories which was released in October for the PlayStation Vita.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

The most memorable enemy I’ve encountered in a video game this year isn’t the rot valkyrie Malenia from Elden Ring, nor any other fearsome denizen of the Lands Between. Nor is it any of the bats, zombies, and ghastly ghouls that assault you after a few minutes of the bullet hell lunchbreak game Vampire Survivors. No, the enemy that most sticks in my mind is a humble foe from the first 30 minutes of Team Ninja’s 2020 samurai Soulslike Nioh 2–a foe that you will kill many hundreds of times throughout any playthrough of the game, but remains vitally important just the same.

Nioh 2’s first level makes a definite statement in every way imaginable. This is not a game that delicately eases you into its core loop past the tutorial. The Enki that you fight in the game’s first “Dark Realm” is a major challenge–and he’s merely the first enemy you can’t button-mash to death.

I was somewhat embarrassed when I died to this spear-wielding yokai for the first time–after all, as a person who beat Nioh 1, I thought I would be well-prepared for at least the first few hours of the sequel. The subsequent 20 deaths at his hand dulled this impression, however. You see, this first Enki is Nioh 2 in a nutshell. If you can beat him, you can conquer the rest of the game, but it’s not going to be easy for you either way.

The Nioh series is often described as Team Ninja’s take on a Soulslike, and that comparison is well-founded–at least to a certain extent. It has many of the signature elements of From Software’s games: winding levels with gradual checkpoints, enemies that respawn at every ‘bonfire,’ and extremely difficult bosses. However, once you get past this shallow layer, you’ll find that Nioh is more comparable to a character-action game like Devil May Cry than the likes of Elden Ring.

Your array of Yokai attacks really help even the odds.

The first lesson that the Enki teaches you is a fundamental one: enemies hit really hard in Nioh 2. Two chained blows from any foe is almost always enough to put you down for the count, and even weak enemies have four- or five-hit combos to rattle you with. The second lesson you’re likely to learn–especially if you’re coming from a Souls game–is that dodging through attacks rhythm-game style isn’t the way to go in Nioh, unless you really know what you’re doing. Instead, it’s best to use your block to bat away oncoming blows, using your dodge to get out of the path of big wind-up attacks.

The most important technique in Nioh 2 is the “ki pulse,” which is essentially a repurposed version of Gears of War’s active reload. Tapping the right shoulder button at the end of a combo gives you back a large portion of your stamina (called “ki”). If you perfectly time the pulse, it also dispels pockets of “dark realm” around you, which slow your ki regeneration speed and generally make yokai more difficult to deal with. Since blocking consumes ki, and nearly every action requires it, it’s fair to say that ki equals life in Nioh–if you run out of it, all you can do is stand there and try to block the inevitable killing blow from your opponent.

If that’s not enough to deal with, each weapon also has three different stances, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and moveset. Low stance is fast and slippery, mid stance excels at blocking and steady combos, and high stance is slow and hits like a truck. Switching between stances during a pulse gives you slightly more ki back, which strongly incentivizes you to learn their ins-and-outs to properly punish your enemies.

One of the big reasons this particular Enki is such a roadblock for many players is that it’s the first fight takes place in a “dark realm” area. Unlike the pockets I mentioned earlier, you can’t do anything about these washed-out monochrome sections, and they decrease your ki regeneration speed significantly. However, there are also some benefits: You can unleash your special yokai attacks far more frequently than normal, which can help you buy time for your meters to recharge.

This snake is one of the first really tough bosses in the game.

Defeating an enemy in Nioh isn’t just about draining their HP to zero–every foe has their own visible ki bar, which you can drain through an onslaught of attacks. Once it hits zero, you can “grapple” your opponent for big damage, or knock them to the ground for a devastating plunge attack. Yokai-type enemies (as opposed to human-type) become susceptible to stun-locking once they’re out of ki, and you can deplete the outline of the ki bar entirely for massive damage if you manage to keep the attack up.

I know this sounds complicated to those who haven’t played the game–and it is, especially compared to the old roll-and-R1 of the core Souls games. But once you get the hang of it, Nioh 2 almost feels like a game that’s just as much about solitaire-ing your own meters and combos well as it is learning your opponent’s moveset. Its combination of complex systems and Souls-style mechanics are like nothing else that I’ve found, and I’ve played a lot of the more popular Soulsy games over the years.

That’s not to say that either Nioh game is a flawless masterpiece, of course. Their level design is often uninspired and redundant, and they lack the fascinating, intricate lore that elevates the Souls series beyond its own imperfections. Those who have an existing interest in the Sengoku period may find its endless cast of squawking characters more appealing than I do–mostly I struggle to remember which badass swordsman is which.

There are no doubt hundreds of people out there who picked up Nioh 2 on sale, only to give up after this Enki impales them a dozen times. But while some might castigate the game for this harsh treatment, I think it’s an understandable move. Nioh 2 will not appeal to everyone–it is an unapologetic “masocore” experience aimed at players who learned the hard lessons of Dark Souls and are willing to cast them aside in favor of a new discipline.

I would argue that playing other Souls games actually makes you worse at Nioh 2 for the first few hours, because the game punishes many of the habits that From Soft rewards, particularly panic-rolling and Estus-chugging. In a market where so many Soulslike games simply take the existing lore and mechanics of these games and switch around the proper nouns, Nioh isn’t afraid to stand alone with its own individual paradigm. And that’s why both of the games–especially Nioh 2–are worth playing. If you’re up to the challenge, of course.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Last year, Reddit user tosamyng had a problem. After seeing a post on a game collecting subreddit with several convincing fakes of popular Pokemon games, they began to wonder if their Pokemon collection was riddled with bootlegs, too. Luckily, they knew just where to go: r/gameverifying, the Game Verification subreddit.

Tosamyng posted a detailed gallery of their Pokemon games to the community, complete with boxes and photos of each individual game, front and back. In total, the haul represents thousands of dollars worth of retro goodness, with each of the “complete-in-box” GBA games fetching between $200 and $500 on the open market alone. It’s no exaggeration to say that if even a fraction of these copies had turned out to be bootlegs, it would represent a loss of hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars to the owner.

Fortunately, tosamyng’s story has a happy ending: All of their games passed the test. However, they’re one of the lucky ones. For almost three years now, the Game Verification subreddit has served as a bulwark against the waves of fake retro games that crest against the shores of eBay, Etsy, and other digital storefronts. But as the community’s co-creator, Frontzie puts it, the outpouring of fake and bootleg retro games has only gotten worse since COVID–and he expects it to stay that way.

“The number of bootlegs has increased over time, especially throughout the pandemic,” Frontzie says. “However, the production of bootlegs seems to be shifting over to better, more improved fakes, albeit in smaller numbers. We’ve noticed that fake Game Boy Color/Advance PCBs and shells have improved somewhat, getting closer to a 1:1 reproduction.”

On paper, r/gameverifying is a small community–at around 14,000 subscribers, it pales in comparison to similar boards like r/gamecollecting, which boasts over 210,000. Despite this, the subreddit gets dozens (sometimes hundreds) of posts a day from aspiring collectors who want to know if the amazing deal they found on eBay is indeed too good to be true. (It usually is.)

In fact, Frontzie and a friend originally founded the subreddit due to an onslaught of verification posts on r/gamecollecting, which caused some users to complain. Today, the community has 19 “trusted verifiers” who pronounce judgment on the flood of photos that users post of their collections. However, though most Redditors are wise enough to read the forum’s rules before jumping in–omit all seller information, don’t ask for valuations or grading, and definitely post front and back–some simply dump muddy, low-resolution auction images and expect the verifiers to do their best anyway. That’s a great way to ensure that you don’t get any advice at all.

“I think retro gaming has exploded in popularity because those gamers who grew up with Pokemon are now aged 25-45 and actually have ‘adult money’ to purchase things,” says Frostigator, a truster verifier and moderator. “My main tip is that if it sounds too good to be true, it’s a fake or a scam 99% of the time.”

Two of these games are real. Two are fake. Can you tell the difference? (credit u/ChaosEvaUnit)

As seasoned collectors know, fake and unauthorized games have existed for almost as long as the video game industry itself. For example, Atari’s original Pong was heavily “inspired” by the Magnavox Odyssey’s ping-pong game, arguably to the point of outright infringement. This ultimately resulted in a lawsuit. In terms of more obvious bootlegs there are a number of infamous Famicom carts from the ’80s and ’90s, including the misleadingly-titled porn game Super Maruo, and Somari, which essentially drops Mario in Sonic the Hedgehog 1.

Due to the fraudulent nature of fake games, it’s very difficult to pinpoint exactly how they’ve changed in recent years. Based on the experience of the verifiers, however, the volume of fake games has only increased over time. And while any game can be faked–Frontzie cites copies of Cooking Mama and Hello Kitty as frequent examples–the most common games posted to r/gameverifying all belong to the same franchise: Pokemon. In fact, several verifiers said that they first joined the community when they realized that their own Pokemon cartridges were fake.

“For me, it was a copy of HeartGold,” says Mutty, a trusted verifier. “I decided to join the community to train myself to recognize fake games, and to make sure other people didn’t have to experience what I went through. It’s mostly DS and GBA cartridges, since they’re the most common.”

“I think the main reason that we see so many Pokemon bootleg cartridges is due to the value retention of legitimate Pokemon games,” says GameFrank, another trusted verifier. “Many gamers want to play the original versions for themselves, but maybe can’t afford to drop over $100 on a Nintendo DS or Game Boy cart. The bootlegs are, unfortunately, a cheaper alternative for those wanting to play these games in an affordable way.”

The further proliferation of bootlegs–as well as increased demand from buyers–has led the verifiers to create illustrated guides for console games from the Atari 2600 to the Nintendo Switch. These guides are currently hosted on the subreddit’s wiki, though the community’s staff are in the process of moving them to an external website. If you don’t have time to wait for a verifier to respond to your post, buyers hoping to plop their hard-earned cash on the real thing should check the subreddit’s wiki in order to divine an online listing’s legitimacy for themselves.

Some verification methods are more straightforward than others. If you’re in the market for 3DS or Switch games, you can rest easy for the most part. Modern copy-protection methods have made it very difficult (if not impossible) for would-be-bootleggers to make their own version of these late cartridge-based systems. However, if you’re ever in doubt about the legitimacy of your Switch games, you can lick them–it should taste quite bitter. This is a real method that Nintendo uses to prevent young children from biting down on your copy of Super Mario Odyssey.

The more obscure the console, the less likely you are to stumble on a bootleg. If you’re trying to collect WonderSwan games, you probably don’t need to worry about an army of fraudsters bilking you with fake carts. However, some of the more sought-after titles for lesser-known consoles are still in the danger zone. The Sega Saturn is usually only reserved for true enthusiasts, but there are so many reproductions of the classic Panzer Dragoon Saga out there that one user made a dedicated guide to identifying the real thing.

As for the more common collectable games, there are a few rules of thumb that can help you suss out a fake in a matter of seconds and with minimal tools. For example, fake Nintendo 64 games tend to be more rounded than their legitimate equivalents. Did you ever notice that the dot of the I in “Nintendo” on N64 carts is square? If it’s a circle, it’s a guaranteed bootleg. (Go ahead, check your collection. I know I did.) Even the shape of the screws in the back of the cartridge assembly can help determine a copy’s legitimacy. Real N64 carts are round all the way around the edge, while most bootlegs tend to have hexagonal screws.

However, some of these “rules of thumb” have become outdated over time, as bootleggers have become more savvy and quality-sensitive. Although fake DS games were once a rarity, many reproductions have “M8” etched near the top of the prongs, which collectors used as a telltale sign for years. Today, some bootlegs have taken to replacing this with “MB,” which could denote either a real or a fake cart.

Indeed, perhaps the most famous such “rule of thumb” is no longer reliable at all–a victim of its own success. For years, Pokemon fans looked for the “four gold rectangles” as an easy verification technique for highly desirable Game Boy Advance carts of Generation 3 games like Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. If you could make out four rectangles through the translucent plastic on the back of the cart, the story goes, you can be sure that your copy is legitimate.

Unfortunately, this factoid became so popular on video game forums and social media that fakers clued in to it, and verifiers no longer regard it as a reliable indicator of anything. One scammer even tried to pass off reproductions of Gen 3 Pokemon games by inserting a drawn piece of paper in the cart to “replicate” the look of the telltale rectangles. At least they tried.

Of course, short of these easy methods, there’s no substitute for opening up the cartridge and having a look at the board inside. However, that’s easier said than done. You can find authentic reference images of the innards of popular games with a little bit of Googling–the game verification wiki links to several repositories. Most carts for collectable consoles have small screws that require a specialty electronics set like the iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit. Some consoles are more hack-friendly than others. While opening a Game Boy Color game is pretty straightforward, it’s pretty much impossible to put a DS cart back together once you’ve opened it, so stick to external methods there.

While these specific verification methods are useful in their specific situations, if you want to avoid bootlegs altogether, it’s best to harness some logic rather than snapping up a “great deal” in a nostalgia-drenched haze. Mutty suggests that buyers check the site PriceCharting in order to determine if an online listing’s price is within a normal range. Others say to avoid sketchy online auctions altogether, especially on Etsy. “Retro game collecting is expensive,” Mutty says. “You need to learn how to find good deals.”

Once considered an easy verification method, the four golden rectangles are no longer safe.

“If you’re a first-time collector, you should make sure you’re purchasing from reputable sources,” GameFrank says. “While general market sites like eBay and Mercari have retro gaming options, I would advise trying to network with collectors. I myself have joined local Facebook groups to find gamers selling and trading their unwanted video games.”

Fraud in video game collecting goes beyond selling bootlegs as the genuine article. There’s an argument to be made that the popularity of aftermarket consoles made by boutique companies like Analogue have also helped push the market into overdrive. But not every collector actually plays the games they buy. In recent years, game collecting as a community has moved towards “grading” individual copies of games for their quality and value. While there’s nothing wrong with trying to standardize the hobby, some observers have described the current state of the retro gaming market as a bubble, with collectors selling “highly-graded” sealed copies of popular (but common) games like Super Mario 64 at seemingly-inflated prices.

These high-profile auctions might raise eyebrows, but it remains to be seen if they have any impact beyond the very top-end of the market. However, judging by social media posts, it does seem that more collectors have interest in gobbling up factory-sealed copies of their favorite games, which often sell for five to 10 times more than a “complete-in-box” version. Unscrupulous sellers will simply “reseal” a legitimate copy of a game in shrink wrap and make far more profit. It’s often difficult to tell a fake seal from the real thing based on low-quality photos, but the verifiers do their best.

Overall, while the world of game-collecting is bigger than ever, it’s also fraught with peril for collectors that don’t do their research. If you’re planning to drop a significant chunk of money on one of your favorite childhood classics, you might want to ask the game verifiers before you click that buy button. And it’s unlikely that the verifiers will run out of work anytime soon–as younger gamers continue to age into spending money and nostalgia, brave new worlds of video game scams will emerge. For example, disc games have always been easier to pirate than their cartridge-based equivalents–and that extends to the bootlegging scene, too.

“It’ll be interesting to see how Blu-Rays will be affected,” Frontzie says. “The barrier to entry to creating your own counterfeit PS1 discs is $100. It’s scary.”

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

For players of a certain age, the Nintendo 64 is a sacred monument to nostalgia. However, the system’s low-poly aesthetics and obvious technical limitations can make revisiting beloved games like Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Banjo-Kazooie a shock. This inspired one group of modders from trying to create an improved version of Super Mario 64 that isn’t based on modern standards of graphical fidelity. Instead, they’re recreating the colorful, ultra-saturated art renders from the game’s promotional materials.

“I was amazed to see the ’90s promotional renders being given new life and actually playing the game with them,” says Render96 project lead “DorfDork.” “It’s still a surreal experience for me.”

Though Super Mario 64 is famous as the game that introduced true 3D platforming to the masses, it has remained relevant through the intervening years due to its competitive, hype-filled speedrunning scene. The game’s modding community has existed for decades in a primordial form, primarily working through emulators like Project64. The release of an unofficial PC port of the game in 2020 reignited interest in hacks and level packs, allowing a new generation of modders to play around with it far more easily than ever before.

When DorfDork heard about the reverse-engineered PC port of Super Mario 64, he was amazed by the level of technical prowess on display. It didn’t take long for him to decide to leverage the port’s improved modding support to fuel his own project. With a number of different “HD N64”-style projects already in development, DorfDork decided on a more tailored approach: recreating the very specific art style of the N64’s promotional materials for splashy exclusives like Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64. Render96 was born.

“The ’90s 3D style was ingrained in my head through countless advertisements and magazines I would read as a kid,” DorfDork says. “I would make arts and crafts based on those styles and place them around my room. When I was creating the 3D models, it was fun to deep-dive into the tiny details and figure out what the original artist’s thought process was.”

As a child of the late ’90s myself, I also have tremendous nostalgia for the early 3D era of gaming. The vibrant colors, smooth textures, and simple reflections of the period seem quaint today, especially now that we’ve achieved near-photorealism in projects like The Last of Us 2 and God of War. Such “photorealism” will be scrutinized for its every minute flaw five to 10 years from now. That said, the early three-dimensional graphics of the N64 represented not only the cutting-edge of technology, but also an unexplored domain that would transform the very face of gaming itself over the next few years.

The idea of retexturing old 3D games to modern standards is nothing new. In fact, Render96’s HQ texture pack lead “PokeHeadroom” says he was inspired to work on the project by YouTuber Nerrel, who published an immaculate HD texture pack for The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask back in 2021. While Nerrel redrew every texture in the game at a higher resolution, the Render96 project is all about keeping the art style true to the Silicon Graphics origins of the Nintendo 64.

“It didn’t have much to do with the look we were going for, because we were trying to keep it as accurate as possible,” PokeHeadroom says. “I wanted to showcase the amount of research that went into finding each texture. Nerrel’s pack gave me the motivation I needed. It was that ‘if he could, why shouldn’t I?’ type of mentality.”

In fact, the Render96 modders are so dedicated to this “vanilla” aesthetic that they’ve dedicated themselves to finding and matching the source textures that Nintendo developers used to craft the game’s assets in the first place. You can find their library on Archive.org, and it’s a very impressive repository of raw textures that were used not only in Super Mario 64, but other turn-of-the-millennium games like Ocarina, Sonic Adventure, Banjo-Kazooie, and more.

In the early days of 3D gaming, these pioneering developers relied on data disks filled with raw, high-resolution assets, as well as other stock images. Those assets were then manipulated or altered (or not, as the case may be) and then downsized to fit the brutal limitations of these early machines. For example, the N64 had a mere 4MB of RAM for most of its lifespan.

The blurry ground and wall textures that look so muddy and washed-out to us today had to be compressed within an inch of their lives just to fit on the cartridge. The group’s wiki states that most of these matches were found through Google, machine translation, and persistence alone. One contributor named “charlyCN” put in hours, if not days, looking for the haunting skybox texture of the famously-weird level Wet-Dry World, only to finally determine that it’s an image of a city in Yemen. Now that’s dedication.

NO ERA CASARES, ESPAÑA.
Era Shibam, Yemen.
Los edificios del Skybox de Wet Dry World en Super Mario 64 es de la ciudad que se le conoce como “El Manhattan del desierto”: Shibam
Al final ver puro edificio en Google Imagenes si valió la pena:,) pic.twitter.com/x2tsfiM0nR

— Charly Con Nostalgia (@CharlyCNintendo) February 24, 2021

“It’s fairly time-consuming to figure out if you don’t know where to start,” says Render96 texture research lead “Fanamel.” “I would start by digging through anything that might be related, or even Googling things like ‘Texture CD 1994’ translated to Japanese. I got incredibly lucky with SM64, because Google Photos graced me with a Japanese texture CD case that happened to have previews on the back of it with an image that looked exactly like a SM64 texture. We then found out Nintendo and other Japanese companies would frequently use this company’s photos, which narrowed it down a lot.”

Of course, cleaning up these textures isn’t an exact science. PokeHeadroom says that even though the Render96 team has been able to find more source textures than they ever imagined, he still wants to go back and redraw some of the originals to make them look better on the project’s B-side branch. “The project has helped me grow immensely as an artist,” he says.

In the past few months, Render96’s levels mod has fully leapfrogged its early texture-replacing remit. The latest footage looks like the fever dream of a ’90s kid who fell asleep reading the official Super Mario 64 player’s guide. The mod’s rendition of Bob-Omb Battlefield is particularly impressive, bringing life and depth to a level that many players can navigate blindfolded. A big part of the visual appeal is Dario’s ray tracing mod, since the SM64 engine cannot handle complex lighting on its own.

These days, it can be easy to forget that the video games of the ’80s and ’90s had an air of incompleteness about them. The chunky pixels of Super Mario Bros. require a child’s imagination to fully bring the character of Mario to life. That’s what motivates Fanamel to continue grinding on the project.

“I personally loved the partial mysteriousness they have,” Fanamel says. “I found myself wondering how the games would look if they were more like the high-quality renders. Since I’ve actually learned how they work, I really have a fondness for the unique feel the lighting brings to the table. Modern games usually try to stay away from that kind of lighting.”

Like a lot of people my age, I remember poring over the 3D renders of Super Mario 64 levels in Nintendo Power and the game’s official strategy guide and thinking, “There’s no way that graphics could ever look that good.” Now that the Render96 team is beginning to make that a reality, it really shows how our conception of “good graphics” can change along with the technology itself.

Though photorealism remains the dominant art style in gaming, we’ve also seen indie developers embrace the low-poly aesthetics of early 3D titles, especially in the horror space. The Render96 team hopes that contemporary developers who aim to work in this milieu will use its asset library as a reference when creating their own hauntingly-muddy textures.

“When it comes to professional games, I feel like there isn’t much demand for it,” says Fanamel. “A lot of professional 3D artists aren’t in a rush to use visual styles that can be viewed as primitive…Right now, to accurately replicate the style within a game, you need a GPU capable of real-time ray tracing. Not too many people have that yet, but I do think it should be possible to fake the look in a convincing way with lower requirements.”

With the technical strides that modders have made in recent years, the release of true HD texture packs for the most beloved N64 games seems almost inevitable. But while the smooth, vibrant look of the late ’90s ads might not be to everyone’s taste, it’s a logical conclusion of a decades-old process. The artists who crafted the iconic renders of these well-known levels likely never expected Mario to actually run and yahoo-jump his way through them, but the fans are finally fulfilling that unspoken promise more than 25 years later.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

After announcing a four-player co-op mode will be coming to Gotham Knights next month, Warner Bros. Montreal has shared another piece of less exciting news: The game will run at 30 frames per second on console with no performance mode option.

The announcement was made via the official Gotham Knights Discord server by the game’s executive producer Fleur Marty. She confirmed that the game will not provide an option to switch between a high-quality graphics mode and a performance mode which will raise the frame rate.

WB Games Montreal has confirmed that Gotham Knights on consoles will run at 30 FPS with no performance/quality mode option pic.twitter.com/blAiNAFwoc

— Wario64 (@Wario64) October 15, 2022

“Due to the types of features we have in our game, like providing a fully untethered co-op experience in our highly detailed open world,” Marty writes, “it’s not as straightforward as lowering the resolution and getting a higher frame rate.” Marty continues by confirming that Gotham Knights “does not have a performance/quality toggle option” and will run at “30 FPS on consoles.”

The news follows the confirmation of a four-player co-op mode, called Heroic Assault, which will be added to the game for free on November 29. Heroic Assault will feature 30 levels of enemies and objectives for up to four players to challenge, joining the game’s two-player co-op story mode.

Gotham Knights launches October 21 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

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Deion Sanders was “him” back in the 1990s and Madden 23 is celebrating the legacy of #21 with Season 2: Prime Time–a fall content roadmap that doubles up on Most Feared and Team Diamonds. Title Update #3 was a win for Franchise lifers (and Reddit) and as a bonus, Season 2 paves the way for more customization in Ultimate Team with Prime Time gear drops, Legendary Strategy items, Team Of The Week picks by NBC Sports’ Matthew Berry, and an all-new Season 2 Field Pass that features new player rewards (Dalvin Cook, Bobby Wagner, more) and a 94 OVR Deion Sanders All-Madden item.

Did we mention there’s a 92 OVR Field Pass Josh Allen floating around somewhere? There’s a lot to digest and even more to be revealed so dive into our explainer on what’s new for Season 2 below.

S2 Champion: Deion Sanders

94 OVR Field Pass Deion Sanders (CB)

“Prime Time” changed the game and his 94 OVR All-Madden Team item is a small reminder of what he has accomplished as an eight-time Pro Bowler, former NFL Defensive Player of The Year (1994), and a two-time Super Bowl champion (1995, 1996). It’s a bit of a challenge to stat assign 54 career interceptions, but a man-to-man CB with 94 speed and 95 agility is a win for everyone involved–except opposing wideouts, of course.

Most Feared LTDS Are Back

Most Feared bites back with Monster Morphs.

‘Tis the Spooky Season, Most Feared returns to Madden 23 and the first step to this year’s three-part program includes an exclusive 92 OVR LTD Stephon Gilmore. There is also a new set of 20 Golds and 20 Elites as well as six 90 OVR Most Feared Heroes and four more 92 OVR Most Feared Champions–including Derrick Henry (HB), Julius Peppers (LE), Harold Carmichael (WR), and Derwin James Jr. (SS).

The first release for Most Feared is also headlined by four new 86 OVR Monsters: Ezekiel Elliott (HB), Devin White (MLB), Rasul Douglas (CB), and Chase Claypool (WR). All four Monsters can be earned for free through the Most Feared Field Pass and each one can evolve into a terrifying 89 OVR version via Monster Morph upgrades that can be obtained by completing Monster Maker objectives. The Monster items can also be powered by four new Most Feared Monster Chemistries: Ghoul, Gargoyle, Werewolf, and Vampire. Each one can apply one Head, Arms, Torso, or Lower Body Chemistry for key attribute boosts such as +1 BC Vision (HB), +1 Spin Move (WR), and +1 Jumping & Speed (CB).

For the XP grinders, there are also new Hero and Champion Sets, Most Feared and Dreams Of Dread Challenges, and a Most Feared House Rules which runs for two quarters with X-Factors always on and Monster Morphs active. The new House Rules comes with a 90 OVR Most Feared Hero Fantasy Pack, but each rewards milestone also includes a Most Feared Strategy Upgrade Item that can be applied to non-H2H strategies that boost the ratings of Most Feared players. These items include Monstrous Might (+1 Strength), Scary Speed (+1 Running), and Towering Terror (+1 Height).

New Field Pass, New Rewards

Neon Deion’s Pass is all about gamechangers.

The Season 2 Field Pass offers up a new Champion (94 OVR Deion Sanders) and features more than 60 tiers of rewards, including 140,000 total coins, Elite Packs, Pro Gameday Packs, and theme team items like New England’s Classic Alternates and the Atlanta Falcons 1970 Home Uniforms. There are also four exclusive player items: 86 OVR Mike Edwards, 88 OVR Dalvin Cook, 90 OVR Bobby Wagner, and a 92 OVR Josh Allen that is equipped with Fearless and Dashing Deadeye, and all of the above can be earned before the Field Pass expires at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET on Thursday, December 8th.

Most Feared’s Program Field Pass is more trick than treat with 30 levels of freebies like 90,000 coins, 175,000 Season XP, and three 86 OVR Monster BNDs that can be upgraded to 89 OVR through stat missions and Monster Maker Objectives. The final reward is a 90 OVR Fantasy Pack with Most Feared Heroes like Deebo Samuel (WR), Roquan Smith (MLB), Garrett Bolles (LT), Shaquill Griffin (CB), and Aidan Hutchinson (RE), and the Halloween-themed Field Pass wraps up on Thursday, December 8th.

For more on Madden 23, check out our review and this month’s edition of Gridiron Notes.

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Pokemon Go players will soon have a new challenge to pursue (literally), as Niantic has announced Elite Raids, a brand-new type of raid that can only be challenged in-person.

Elite Raids are special raids that will randomly be inserted into existing gyms within Pokemon Go. Once they appear in a gym, the special Elite Raid egg will take 24 hours to hatch, meaning players in the area will have a full day to organize if they wish to challenge the raid. Once the 24 hours are up and the egg has hatched, the Pokemon inside will only be available to challenge for 30 minutes.

Hoopa Unbound returns in Pokemon Go Elite Raids.

The first Elite Raid will feature Hoopa Unbound, a powered-up version of the Kalos region’s legendary Pokemon Hoopa. Both Pokemon originally appeared in Pokemon Go during the Season of Mischief in late 2021, with Hoopa Confined made available to Trainers after completing a special questline.

The Elite Raid announcement follows the reveal of Pokemon Go’s Halloween event, which will take place across two parts beginning October 20. The event will introduce Ghost- and Dark-type Pokemon into the wild, including a brand-new Mega Raid in Mega Banette, while also increasing the amount of Candy earned through catching or hatching Pokemon.

Pokemon Go is available to download now for free on iOS and Android devices.

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Tracer in Overwatch 2 remains one of the most versatile DPS characters and a change from your usual strikers. While Tracer can still wrack up the damage counters, her biggest utility is in flanking, confusing, and distracting the enemy. Just make sure to watch her back. Tracer won’t last long in a direct fight.Here’s all you need to know if you’re planning on making this front-and-center hero your main.

Tracer overview

Tracer is a DPS hero who prioritizes speed over fancy weaponry. Her pulse pistols are the only damage-dealing ability she has, outside her ultimate, which means she can take a bit of getting used to if you’re expecting something like a fast Soldier 76. However, Tracer’s speediness is even more useful in Overwatch 2 than it ever was, as flanking and quick maneuvers take on more important roles and digging in with your tank is a thing of the past.

Tracer abilities

Pulse Pistols: Unleashes rapid-fire blasts from two pistolsBlink: Tracer teleports horizontally in the indicated direction. Can be used three times consecutivelyRecall: Returns Tracer to a few seconds earlier in timePulse Bomb: Tracer throws a bomb that attaches to a character or surface and explodes after a few seconds

Now you see them

Tracer’s Blink ability makes her one of the fastest characters in the game. Unlike Genji, whose dash ability only works once before going on a long cooldown, Tracer can use hers almost constantly, as Blink has three charges. It only takes three seconds to restore one charge, so you can dash in and out of danger before enemies can even react.

Blink lends itself to a different kind of DPS, one better suited to flanking opposing teams and picking off their more vulnerable characters, such as Ana or other pesky supports. It also helps keep Tracer out of trouble. Rare is the situation where Tracer finds herself trapped and unable to get away, so don’t hesitate to adopt a slightly riskier style with her.

If I could turn back time

Tracer’s Recall ability also lends itself well to an aggressive and risky playstyle. Recall lets Tracer return to a point a few seconds previously, restoring her ammo in the process and returning her HP to the level it was at that time. The ability is highly useful in a pinch, but it also keeps your opponent guessing.

Tracer excels at fast-paced combat and creating distractions.

Tracer phases out of sight for a brief moment when she uses Blink as well. Your target might anticipate your Blink dash, but if you interrupt the movement with Blink and retreat, only to come back after they move on or from a different angle, you get a brief moment where you can surprise them again.

It’s a trap!

Playing Tracer as a harassment DPS has another benefit aside from flanking vulnerable enemies. Tracer can distract the enemy’s DPS or Tank and, if you’re lucky, potentially even antagonize them enough where they break their concentration and come after her instead of pursuing their original target. If they don’t, then Tracer can also just keep zipping around and firing at them.

Take care if you adopt this strategy, though, and make good use of Blink and Recall to keep Tracer out of harm’s way. She may be fast, but she can’t hold her own in single combat. If you can get the enemy to chase you, lead them to another DPS or your team’s tank so they can finish the job. Alternatively, cooperate with your team’s second DPS to blitz your target without leading them around.

Tracer has low HP, which means she can get one-shotted easily. Avoid open spaces when playing as herRecall saves Tracer from falling off the stage as wellTracer’s burst pistols fire quickly and have low ammo capacity, so make sure to aim carefully to make the most of each roundTracer’s ultimate can damage herself as well, so make sure to run after activating itTry luring enemies off ledges or into disadvantageous positions before using Recall to escape

If you’re keen on experimenting with other Overwatch 2 roles, check out our tank hero tier list and support hero tier list to see how they all match up. Or find another damage-focused hero for yourself with our DPS tier list.

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