Author: Jack Grimshaw

NME

Blizzard’s classic RPG Diablo II has received many mods over its long lifetime, but the biggest, Median XL – Sigma, has recently been overhauled.

• READ MORE: California sues Activision Blizzard over sexual harassment

The Meidan XL – Sigma mod has received a 2.0 version that changes nearly everything in Diablo 2 in small or large ways. First spotted by PCGamesN, the mods update focuses on changes to the games higher difficulty while using the lower difficulties to introduce mechanics usually only seen in Hell or Nightmare.

Many of the monsters have had an overhaul with the patch notes saying, “All monsters in the classic zones of Acts 1 to 5 have been reworked. This includes different monsters on Nightmare and Hell compared to Normal, new skills, new assets, new stat scaling and more.”

“One of the problems of the original Diablo 2 campaign is Nightmare difficulty. Nothing interesting really happens here. There is no new content compared to Normal and the best items aren’t available yet. More specifically for Median, you are rushing to get to Hell and progress the added endgame quests while monsters in the first 4 acts provide barely any resistance to characters with decent gear.

“Ideally we would simply be rid of Nightmare and scale content so that one playthrough gets you to Hell where the real fun starts.” However they say that this is not possible in the Diablo 2 engine, so this is the next best option.

Diablo II’s boss battles have also received a pass, with Mephisto and Durel receive full reworks to their encounters. Andariel and Nihlathak have also had their item drops increased on higher difficulties.

Another big change is support for 2K and 4K monitor resolutions. This does require users to install and configure the CNC-DDraw video modes separate from the mod. Diablo II will also need to continue to run in the 4:3 aspect ratio to avoid unexpected problems.

Elsewhere, the Dead Space development team will be sharing an early look at the remaster in a live stream later today.

The post ‘Diablo II’’s largest and most impactful mod just got even bigger appeared first on NME.

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A modder has added several tracks from Mario Kart 8 into Microsoft Flight Simulator that players can fly through.

• READ MORE: ‘Recompile’ review: a bite-sized but disappointing Metroidvania

In a recent Twitch stream, Illogicoma has added several tracks from Nintendo’s Mario Kart 8 into Microsoft Flight Simulator. Players can fly through Mount Wario, Mute City, Cloudtop Cruise, Moo Moo Meadows, Rainbow Road, Bowser’s Castle, and Shy Guy Falls.

First spotted by VGC, the modder has uploaded a replay of their stream to YouTube, where anyone can watch the streamer’s Mario Kart flight.

The tracks cannot be raced on, but Illogicoma has added rings above the course that players can fly through and follow the track’s route as best they can. This would present a unique challenge to fans of the flight sim.

To create the mod, Illogicoma used tracks gathered from The Models Resource and then used Blender2MSFS to import the models across to the game.

One of the comments on the video said that the game appeared a little slow. Illogicoma replied saying “It’s kind of slow, but I think I might have to try it again once the Top Gun update happens.”

During Gamescom 2021, Microsoft announced that Flight Simulator would be receiving competitive multiplayer in a future update. These will take the form of the Reno Air Races expansion in the autumn, free to all players. The update will allow players to compete against friends and other pilots in competitive races. Players will also be able to use planes from the actual Reno Air Races.

Microsoft also announced that Flight Simulator would get another world update focusing on Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. These world updates go over countries in finer detail and update the AI used to generate location from maps. They will also add unique landmarks to the locations chosen.

Elsewhere, League Of Legends has released a preview of their upcoming patch, including several nerfs and buffs to a range of competitive staples.

The post Modder adds ‘Mario Kart’ tracks to ‘Microsoft Flight Simulator’ appeared first on NME.

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Iron Gate is getting close to releasing Hearth and Home, and the latest Valheim video shows new foods and a way to empty stomachs

• READ MORE: ‘Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut’ review: more of that thing you like, but unlikely to win new fans

Valheim’s Hearth and Home is releasing soon, as the update is scheduled for September 16. A series of short videos have detailed the updates, and the latest reveals some new foods. Players will be able to gather animal-specific meats, a big change as previously all animals dropped generic raw meat. After the update, boars, wolves, and deer will all drop unique meat.

There will also be a new crop to cultivate, with onions being a new farmable resource that can be used in recipes. Pies will no longer be pre-cooked, and a new oven will allow players to finish them off once crafted. The cauldron will also receive some changes. Similar to how workbench upgrades work, players will now be able to build a butchers table, spice rack, and others to upgrade the quality of their cauldron.

Valheim’s food system works by providing a buff when food is consumed that gradually dissipates. Once a food item has worn off enough, players can eat something else to top it off. Currently, the only way to change your food buffs is to wait until the current meal has worn off, but in Hearth And Home players will be able to manually eject meals to change up their active food. This is accomplished using the new Bukeberries, allowing Vikings to take a tactical chunder. Eating these berries will make a Viking sick and promptly vomit all over the surrounding area, clearing all active food buffs.

Hearth and Home will also bring big changes to shields. Tower shields will have increased knockback to serve better as a tanking tool, while bucklers will also gain the ability to parry enemy attacks.

Elsewhere, one Destiny 2 player claims to have achieved the maximum possible damage by stacking buffs for the Titan’s throwing hammer.

The post ‘Valheim’ Hearth and Home will add new food and barf berries appeared first on NME.

NME

Iron Gate is getting close to releasing Hearth and Home, and the latest Valheim video shows new foods and a way to empty stomachs

• READ MORE: ‘Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut’ review: more of that thing you like, but unlikely to win new fans

Valheim’s Hearth and Home is releasing soon, as the update is scheduled for September 16. A series of short videos have detailed the updates, and the latest reveals some new foods. Players will be able to gather animal-specific meats, a big change as previously all animals dropped generic raw meat. After the update, boars, wolves, and deer will all drop unique meat.

There will also be a new crop to cultivate, with onions being a new farmable resource that can be used in recipes. Pies will no longer be pre-cooked, and a new oven will allow players to finish them off once crafted. The cauldron will also receive some changes. Similar to how workbench upgrades work, players will now be able to build a butchers table, spice rack, and others to upgrade the quality of their cauldron.

Valheim’s food system works by providing a buff when food is consumed that gradually dissipates. Once a food item has worn off enough, players can eat something else to top it off. Currently, the only way to change your food buffs is to wait until the current meal has worn off, but in Hearth And Home players will be able to manually eject meals to change up their active food. This is accomplished using the new Bukeberries, allowing Vikings to take a tactical chunder. Eating these berries will make a Viking sick and promptly vomit all over the surrounding area, clearing all active food buffs.

Hearth and Home will also bring big changes to shields. Tower shields will have increased knockback to serve better as a tanking tool, while bucklers will also gain the ability to parry enemy attacks.

Elsewhere, one Destiny 2 player claims to have achieved the maximum possible damage by stacking buffs for the Titan’s throwing hammer.

The post ‘Valheim’ Hearth and Home will add new food and barf berries appeared first on NME.

NME

Microsoft Studios’ General Manager Aaron Greenberg has said on Twitter that Starfield exclusivity is not timed or limited in any way.

• READ MORE: Meet the supernatural heroes of ‘Marvel’s Midnight Suns’

Despite Bethesda’s Pete Hines saying that he did not know how exclusive their games would be, Aaron Greenberg has said on Twitter that PlayStation fans shouldn’t hold out hope for a port any time soon.

Greenberg said, “Starfield will be launching exclusively on Xbox Series X|S and PC on November 11, 2022. Game Pass members can play it day one as well on Xbox & PC. I know we have said this all before and none of that has or will change.”

He also said in a follow-up tweet, “We have tried to be as clear as possible, not a timed exclusive, this is simply where the game is being made.”

Some PlayStation players had been holding out hope that Starfield would come to their systems in some form at a later date, as most Bethesda titles have. However, after Microsoft’s recent acquisition, it seems unclear if any of Bethesda’s upcoming games will still be allowed onto the system.

Starfield’s devs recently released three short videos detailing three of the cities players can expect to explore. The first of which is the city of New Atlantis, the capital city of the united colonies. This is the most powerful military and political faction in the game.

The second is the city of Akila, the capital of the Freestar collective. A loose confederation of three distinct star systems, this city has tall walls to protect its citizen from alien predators described as a cross between a wolf and a velociraptor.

The third is the pleasure city of Neon, which is built upon a vast aquatic world where a psychotropic fish was discovered. This fish then became a drug that attracts visitors from all of the galaxy.

Elsewhere, Monster Hunter Stores 2 has received its third free update, which adds three new Monsties.

The post ‘Starfield’ is definitely not coming to PlayStation consoles appeared first on NME.

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Bungie has removed the Radiant Dance Machines from Destiny 2 PVP, which allowed hunters to dodge far too frequently.

• READ MORE: ‘Aliens: Fireteam Elite’ review: a terrible ‘Aliens’ game but an excellent co-op blaster

The Destiny 2 Radiant Dance Machines exotic boots have been removed from the Crucible PVP modes. The hunter-exclusive item allowed players to use their dodge ability more frequently when they are near enemies. This power in itself would be annoying but not game-breaking, however several mods synergise with the hunter dodge that vastly increases its potency. The power level gained from these combos caused the developers to prevent the items use in PVP, with Bungie Help tweeting the change.

One mod, Dynamo, provides super energy whenever a hunter uses their dodge. This allowed hunters to charge their supers very quickly. Supers are important in Destiny PVP, and having one charged will change how enemies attempt to engage. However, a hunter with Dynamo and Radiant Dance Machines can be far more liberal with their super.

Another mod that synergises with the hunter dodge is Distribution. This caused the cooldown of grenades and melee abilities to be reduced when a dodge is used near an enemy. Since this is where Radiant Dance Machines come into effect, hunters could power up grenades and throw knives as fast as they could use them.

The exotic is disabled in all PVP activities within Destiny 2, including Gambit. However, the boots are still usable in PVE activities, so expect to see hunters continuing to dodge around aliens across the system.

Bungie has warned players that the recent addition of BattlEye anti-cheat technology to Destiny 2 may cause performance issues. The software was added to improve anti-cheat security and improve the quality of Destiny’s PVP modes. The software may cause problems with performance, most notably when the game launches, as it may increase start up time. Overall, gameplay should be mostly unaffected outside of a slight frame rate reduction.

Elsewhere, Norman Reedus has said that Death Stranding 2 is currently in negotiation.

The post Bungie removes overpowered dancing shoes from ‘Destiny 2’ PVP appeared first on NME.

NME

Bungie has removed the Radiant Dance Machines from Destiny 2 PVP, which allowed hunters to dodge far too frequently.

• READ MORE: ‘Aliens: Fireteam Elite’ review: a terrible ‘Aliens’ game but an excellent co-op blaster

The Destiny 2 Radiant Dance Machines exotic boots have been removed from the Crucible PVP modes. The hunter-exclusive item allowed players to use their dodge ability more frequently when they are near enemies. This power in itself would be annoying but not game-breaking, however several mods synergise with the hunter dodge that vastly increases its potency. The power level gained from these combos caused the developers to prevent the items use in PVP, with Bungie Help tweeting the change.

One mod, Dynamo, provides super energy whenever a hunter uses their dodge. This allowed hunters to charge their supers very quickly. Supers are important in Destiny PVP, and having one charged will change how enemies attempt to engage. However, a hunter with Dynamo and Radiant Dance Machines can be far more liberal with their super.

Another mod that synergises with the hunter dodge is Distribution. This caused the cooldown of grenades and melee abilities to be reduced when a dodge is used near an enemy. Since this is where Radiant Dance Machines come into effect, hunters could power up grenades and throw knives as fast as they could use them.

The exotic is disabled in all PVP activities within Destiny 2, including Gambit. However, the boots are still usable in PVE activities, so expect to see hunters continuing to dodge around aliens across the system.

Bungie has warned players that the recent addition of BattlEye anti-cheat technology to Destiny 2 may cause performance issues. The software was added to improve anti-cheat security and improve the quality of Destiny’s PVP modes. The software may cause problems with performance, most notably when the game launches, as it may increase start up time. Overall, gameplay should be mostly unaffected outside of a slight frame rate reduction.

Elsewhere, Norman Reedus has said that Death Stranding 2 is currently in negotiation.

The post Bungie removes overpowered dancing shoes from ‘Destiny 2’ PVP appeared first on NME.

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Amplitude Studios is focusing on releasing Humankind mod tools as soon as possible, though they may be more limited than intended.

• READ MORE: ‘Recompile’ review: a bite-sized but disappointing Metroidvania

Humankind is a 4X strategy game that covers all of human history. Since releasing, developers have been working on fixing bugs but are now ready to start introducing mod tools, which were originally intended to be available at launch. A blog post on the Humankind website provides information on the upcoming tools:

“We’ve talked about our intentions for the modding capabilities of Humankind before, and while the scope of our plans has not changed, we cannot deny that the timing did not work out as we had planned.”

They add that “We’re still working on the modding tools and the Day 1 mod, though we are focusing on the modding tools first to put the first version of these tools into your hands as soon as possible to empower you to create your own mods. This initial release will have more limited capabilities than what we would like to achieve, but we hope to be able to deliver this together with one of the upcoming patches.”

However, Humankind players interested in custom content and tools can still make use of the map editor. To promote the community’s creativity, Amplitude has started a map-making contest with prizes available to win.

Also included in the post are changes and fixes which will be coming in an update soon:

• Broadened generation conditions of Oil and Uranium deposits to reduce the risk of not enough deposits of either spawning
• Fixed GamePass players being unable to use multiplayer with the error message “You were forcibly disconnected from the game”
• Fixed “Stuck on tenet screen if all tenets are taken” bug
• Fixed several causes of turns not processing and getting stuck
• Improved AI behaviour and performance

Elsewhere, Norman Reedus reveals that Death Stranding 2 is in negotiations.

The post ‘Humankind’ developers are focusing on releasing modding tools appeared first on NME.

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Goodboy Galaxy is an exploration platform game coming to the Game Boy Advance in cartridge form. It will also be available on PC and Nintendo Switch.

• READ MORE: ‘Jurassic World Evolution 2’ hands-on preview: can life find a way?

Goodboy Galaxy went live on Kickstarter with a funding goal of £18,000. It currently has £62,000 pledged and has comfortable surpassed its goal less than a day after the campaign began.

“Goodboy Galaxy is a brand-new exploration-focused adventure platform game in development for the 20-years-old Game Boy Advance. It’s kind of like Cave Story or a cuter Metroid. It’ll be released on real cartridges as well as digitally for GBA and modern platforms.” Says the Kickstarter page.

“We’re also hoping to raise enough to fund an enhanced version for PC and Switch that will take advantage of stronger hardware capabilities (modern aspect ratio, remastered audio, couch co-op and other extras).” This stretch goal has already been achieved. Another reached goal was the release of the game on physical Nintendo Switch cartridges.

Goodboy Galaxy will contain colourful levels with multiple routes. There will also be hidden secret areas, in true Metroidvania style. Throughout the galaxy, you will be able to meet 50 characters and collect their friendship cards.

A demo is currently available for Goodboy Galaxy. This chapter zero is not planned to be part of the main game to avoid spoilers. Much of the content is expected to be changed in the full release version of the game. However, this should provide insight into the direction, style, and quality that players can expect from the full game.

The Kickstarter page shares details on the people behind the game and why they chose the legacy GBA system. “Goodboy Galaxy is being created by two friends, Rik and Jeremy. We’re both big fans of the Gameboy Advance and its killer library of games, so we really wanted to make something that’d feel at home on the system.”

Elsewhere, A League Of Legends mockumentary series from the team behind American Vandal is in the works.

The post ‘Goodboy Galaxy’ GBA game beats Kickstarter goal in less than a day appeared first on NME.

NME

Goodboy Galaxy is an exploration platform game coming to the Game Boy Advance in cartridge form. It will also be available on PC and Nintendo Switch.

• READ MORE: ‘Jurassic World Evolution 2’ hands-on preview: can life find a way?

Goodboy Galaxy went live on Kickstarter with a funding goal of £18,000. It currently has £62,000 pledged and has comfortable surpassed its goal less than a day after the campaign began.

“Goodboy Galaxy is a brand-new exploration-focused adventure platform game in development for the 20-years-old Game Boy Advance. It’s kind of like Cave Story or a cuter Metroid. It’ll be released on real cartridges as well as digitally for GBA and modern platforms.” Says the Kickstarter page.

“We’re also hoping to raise enough to fund an enhanced version for PC and Switch that will take advantage of stronger hardware capabilities (modern aspect ratio, remastered audio, couch co-op and other extras).” This stretch goal has already been achieved. Another reached goal was the release of the game on physical Nintendo Switch cartridges.

Goodboy Galaxy will contain colourful levels with multiple routes. There will also be hidden secret areas, in true Metroidvania style. Throughout the galaxy, you will be able to meet 50 characters and collect their friendship cards.

A demo is currently available for Goodboy Galaxy. This chapter zero is not planned to be part of the main game to avoid spoilers. Much of the content is expected to be changed in the full release version of the game. However, this should provide insight into the direction, style, and quality that players can expect from the full game.

The Kickstarter page shares details on the people behind the game and why they chose the legacy GBA system. “Goodboy Galaxy is being created by two friends, Rik and Jeremy. We’re both big fans of the Gameboy Advance and its killer library of games, so we really wanted to make something that’d feel at home on the system.”

Elsewhere, A League Of Legends mockumentary series from the team behind American Vandal is in the works.

The post ‘Goodboy Galaxy’ GBA game beats Kickstarter goal in less than a day appeared first on NME.