When a creative's imagination ??is the limit, there's no shortage of attractive characters in gaming. And when you spend hours, sometimes even dozens or hundreds of them, staring at a protagonist, villain, or trusted companion, it never hurts for them to be easy on the eyes.

Sometimes, I find myself a bit head-over-heels for a few of them, reminiscing about the handsome men I've met on a few of my journeys. While I'm not sure I could fully commit to a relationship with a troubling few of these guys—regrettably, I can't fix h?im—I’d definitely take them out for a nice dinner date. 

10 Video game guys I'd take to dinner, and (maybe) a movie

10. James Sunderland from Silent Hill 2

Whether it be just dinner or grabbing coffee, any kind of commitment to James is probably a bad idea, given his track record with Mary in Silent Hill 2. He may have seen it as a mercy killing, or purely out of selfishness to seek a life free from burden, but either way, i?t's not exactly something I'd be willing to look past.

It's just that I think James could really use the pick-me-up a nice dinner date would give him after the whole being stuck in a haunting mind hell ordeal, you know? Plus, he’s quite easy on the eyes, and dependable if I’m being attacked by the horrific creatures of th??e eerie town of Silent Hill. So, I’ll take him on a date, but just one.

9. Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII

Look at that flowin?g, gorgeous hair. The cool black jacket, the sword, the wings? Obviously, I would say yes to a date with Sephiroth if he asked me, just ba?sed on aura alone. You can’t ignore him.

However, this is the only character on this list I probably wouldn’t even enjoy the date with. He’s so consumed by hi??s hatred that I don’t think he could put it aside for even one meal at a cozy bistro in the city. But, seeing as? he’s just so pretty, he had to be here.

8. Johnny Gat from Saint’s Row

Johnny Gat is a murderous gang banger to the extreme. But, he’s a handsome murderous gang banger. ??And he’s? pretty fun to chill out with when he’s just hanging out at the crib with his fellow Saints. 

Sadly, Johnny also lost his girl Aisha to the Ronin in Saint’s Row 2, so I’m not so sure he could protect me from those same rival gangs. That’s why a relationship with him w??ould never work out; it's just not practical. Surely, they won’t target me if we go on just one date, right?

7. Solid Snake from Metal Gear

We love a man who can get things done, and nobod??y does it as well as Snake. This is the man who makes the impossible, possible after all. Give Snake a mission, and you can bet it’ll be completed, whether it’s a highly classified operation or loading the dishwasher.

Unfortunately, the rapid aging business ?puts a huge damper on things. Does he still deserve love? Yes. Could I provide it, knowing his lifesp??an is dramatically shorter than mine thanks to all the espionage? Probably not. So a few nice dates we both enjoy, but move on from, will work.

6. Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption 2

You could just tell me I’m going on a date with a real cowboy, and I’d be there. But Arthur Morgan? He’s not only a cowboy but a true Wild West heartthrob. We could hunt for dinner ourselves, then enj??oy it under the stars by a roaring campfire.

However, there’s one major issue with Arthur: spoiler alert, he’s dead. I'm not really looking to go back in time, either, especially a time so far back I'm lacking modern ??comforts. And seeing as how the game takes place in 1899, it's just a non-starter. Time may keep us apart, but I can dream about the lovely dinner I’d enjoy with this cowboy.

5. Master Chief from Halo

The suit stays on. I don’t need to know what he looks like underneath it. It does??n’t matter. This man almost single-handedly saved all of humanity from both The Covenant and The Flood—that alone would get me out the door and sat in an Olive Garden booth.

Master Chief also has?? one of the smoothest voices in the history of gaming, and you just know an intimate conversation with him would be music to the ears. I don’t think marrying him would be ideal, though, since if anyone’s committed to their job, it’s him. I’ll go on as many dates with him as I can before the UNSC calls him back yet again.

4. Wyll from Baldur’s Gate 3

I’m sick of everyone talking about Astarion and Gale all the time. Yes, they’re lovely, but you’re missing out on this hunk of a Warlock, Wyll. This folk hero is kind, brave, and will do anything to keep Baldur's Gate safe. Plus, he’s? got the whole tortured, dark secret that haunts him every day going for him. All the makings of a great romantic interest.

Now, there is the whole Mizora soul-binding thing to contend with, and I understand how that will turn people away. However, I can look pas?t it. Not forever, but at least for a few romantic steak dinners before we part ways.

3. Link from Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

He’s the Hero of Hyrule and nearly e?very gamer girl’s first crush, so, obviously, I would take Link out to dinner. Even better, he can just cook dinner for us since he’s got the skills to make things like meat pies in ?a single cooking pot. There’s a reason nearly everyone in Hyrule is thirsting over him during the Era of the Wild.

There is one issue with Link though, and it’s that he’s very committed to someone already. He is so committed to Princess Zelda that he will, and has, died for her??. I’m not willing to get between their relationship, and I don’t think I could. But I’m sure Link can spare me a few dates just to make my thirteen-year-old self happy.

2. Waluigi from Super Mario Bros

I don’t need to explain this one. If y?ou know, you know.

1. Leon Kennedy from Resident Evil

How could you look at this man and not want to take him on a date?? He’s beautiful. He fights zombies. He’s got some of the most luscious hair in all of gaming. Of course, Leon Kennedy is number one on this list because he’s clearly the best option.

Much like Link, though, Leon seems to already be involved with Ada. Their relationship is far more ??complicated than Link and Zelda’s, but it’s pretty clear he’s not going to let her?? go. I hope they can both be happy together, but only after I get my dinner date with Leon first.

The post 10 Video ga??me ??guys I’d take out to dinner (and maybe a movie) appeared first on Destructoid.

The annual? user-voted Steam Awards are over for this?? year, and the winners have been revealed. Voting ran from 21 December at 10 AM PT until 2 January at 10 AM PT.

If you've been paying attention to gaming last year?, then many of the winners won't be a surprise, although there are a few unexpected titles that make the final list.

Baldur's Gate 3 snatches up Game of the Year. With a reputation that has placed it among one of the best CRPGs of all time, this isn't unexpected. It faced competition from titles like Resident Evil 4 Remake, Lethal Company, and Hogwarts Legacy. Larian's game also wins the Out??standing Story-Rich ?Game Award.

The Best Game on Steam Deck award goes to Hogwarts Legacy, which runs superbly on the handheld with the right settings. Its competitors were titles like Diablo 4, Dredge, and Brotato. Starfield also scores a win in the Most Innovative Gameplay Aw?ard category.

All The 2023 Steam Awards winners

These are the titles ?that came out on top in The ??2023 Steam Awards:

• Game of the Year - Baldur's Gate 3
• VR Game of the Year - Labyrinthine
• Labor of Love - Red Dead Redemption 2
• Best Game on Steam Deck - Hogwarts Legacy
• Better with Friends - Lethal Company
• Outstanding Visual Style - Atomic Heart
• Most Innovative Gameplay - Starfield
• Best Game You Suck At - SIFU
• Best Soundtrack - The Last of Us Part 1
• Outstanding Story-Rich Game - Baldur's Gate 3
• Sit Back and Relax - Dave the Diver

Winner?s receive a Steam Awards trophy shipped to the developers' offices in addition to a virtual trophy on the store page.

The post Winners of The 2023 Steam Awards announced appeared first on Destructoid.

The Internet has no shortage of lists depicting the creepiest enemies you c?an find in video games. Yeah, the Pyramid Head is very scary, but what about NPCs that, due to glitches or wacky design, become just as monstrous as the most intentionally scary monsters in gaming?

Sure, we already ??covered the creepiest glitches in video games. But for those who need even more cursed con??tent, here's a list just for you.

Kids in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

‌In previous Assassin's Creed games, Ubisoft generally modeled regular-looking kids. But in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, the company managed t??o come up with a bunch of monstrosities when it c??ame to portraying Viking children.

Did the devs have a huge bone to pick with Scandinavians? At best, t?hese NPCs only look okay. Most look extremely scary.

And that's not even the glitch. That's the feature. The glitch is one that makes these kids grow as large as adults.

Babies in Bioshock Infinite

‌Eerie children have been a staple of horror movies for the longest time, so it's no surprise that video games would eventually follow that trend. Granted, the world of Bioshock Infinite is weird. But it never gets worse than when you look at some of its bab??ies.

‌What the hell is that? Why does the game ha??ve some normal babies in it, and then some have the bodies of children but the heads and faces of adult men? Is this a side effect of taking? plasmids during pregnancy? That could've made for such a great side plot.

The super-human drone controller in The Division 2

Upon release, the drone controller NPC in The Division 2 was just something else. Sh??e was just too good, like, impossibly good. Please see if you notice anything strange about her mannerisms in the clip above. Imagine being a poor criminal or rebel and knowing that's what you're up ag??ainst.

‌I'm not keen on drone warfare in real life, so I act?ually enjoy Ubisoft's accid??ental attempt at making it look gross and weird in games.

The mannequins in Skyrim are straight out of a horror movie

‌If you look closely at the mannequins in Skyrim, you might? notice that they look back at you. In fact, they never?? stop following you with their unseeing eyes.

That's because those goddamn mannequins aren’t objects, they're secret NPCs. Sometimes you gotta make some shortcuts when you're developing a game, but some shortcuts will do more harm than good. This is not one of those cases, bec?ause I absolutely love these cursed monstrosities.

The soldiers�wives in Medal Of Honor Warfighter

‌Remember Medal Of Honor? That series met its demise after the launch of Medal Of Honor Warfighter, a?? big-budget game that came out in 2012 with NPCs that look straight out of the early 00's.

The male models don’t look great, but they have one thing going for them: short hair. Their wives, on the other hand, have both really weird faces and hair animations. Also, how ?old are they? They manage to look both 30 and 60 at the same time.

The cutscene looks like an attempt to make one of those creepy AI-made deepfakes long before that was a thi??ng.

Stalker Watson in Sherlock Holmes Nemesis

Watson in Sherlock Holmes Nemesis is alwa??ys following players around, and telep??orting behind their backs when they let him out of sight. It's a good thing that this man loves Holmes. Otherwise, there'd be serious cause for concern.

This odd feature grew into such a classic that the devs behind the vastly superior Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments made an in-engine short film star?ring Sherlock Holmes' creepiest friend.

Red Dead Redemption 2’s Bald Man

‌The Bald Man is a weird NPC that has appeared for many Red Dead Redemption 2 players seemingly just to haunt them. Nobody knows why he’s there or how he showed up. He's become the Slenderman of the RDR2 community.

The only thing we know about the Bald Man is that sometimes he's floating, and sometimes he shows up in a see-through manner, just like a ghost. I don't really know anything about him, as nobody does, but I recommend that you don't engage with him in a shootout. We know how well sho??oting supernatural entities turned out for John Marston.

This poor man from Assassin’s Creed Unity who is is immune to hanging

Assassin's Creed Unity caught a lot of heat upon release due to the presence? of a variety of obvious glitches, but I believe that more discrete glitches make for better horror.

What you see above is not an NPC that you'll learn later was faking his death. That's supposedly a very hanged, very dead, man. Still??, a weird glitch forced him to be conscious and hilariously nonplussed about the fact that his neck was broken.

I just find it very interesting that the Assassin's Creed series, one that I'm assuming is made by peo?ple who know a lot about death, don't a??lways manage to kill their NPCs dead.

The post Most unintentionally creepy NPCs in video games appeared first on Destructoid.

Winning several awards back in 2018, Red Dead Redemption 2 is still held aloft as one of gaming's crowning achievements. Five years later, Rockstar's open-world tribute to the Wild West ??is still highly regarded for its gorgeous visuals. However, one person is working to make it look even ?better.

Currently a "work-in-progress," Razed Mods* (as spotted by PCGamesN) �real name Jamal �is bringing the world an even sleeker looking RDR2. Essentially, they've released a graphical overhaul for the Red Dead Redemption game, with a lot of enhancements to it.

In its current state, there are improvements to the weather, shadow distance, as well as tweaks to things like bloom render on lights, he?at haze, plus more. It also supports the RedM multiplayer client.

How do you improve on near-perfection?

While a side-by-side comparison between Red Dead Redemption 2's original visuals and Jamal's mod would be useful, you can at least check?? out some of the screenshots from this ?overhauled version There's also the video above showing some of it off.

Despite Rockstar pretty much abandoning its critically acclaimed sequel, it's pulling in a lot of players to this day. The series itself isn't dead (ha!) yet, with the first Red Dead Redemption releasing to Switch and PS4 in August. Sadly,?? those versions weren't massively well-received, given that they were ports with a $50 pri??ce tag.

On top of that, many are still hopeful that a third installment will eventually see the light of day. No one can say for certain what the future holds for this franchise. Even if RDR3 does get made, it probably won't be until long after GTA 6 has come out. Whenever that's going to be.

*Sidenote: Depending on yo?ur resolution, you may need to full-screen (F11) your browser ??window in order to access the mod proper.

The post Red Dead Redemption 2 looks even?? more stunning with this graphical overha?ul appeared first on Destructoid.

Take-Two Interactive, the publishing company which owns both Rockstar Games and 2K, released its first-quarter financial results on Augus??t 8. There are some pretty impressive numbers? in there.

Overall, Take-Two is in a strong position, kicking off its financial year with a net booking of $1.2 billion, as chairman and chief officer Strauss Zelnick stated in a conf??erence call. The Red Dead franchise is highlighted, with Zelnick revealing that Red Dead Redemption 2 has sold over 55 million copies. Grand Theft Auto 5 and NBA 2K23 also receive a spotlight here. According to Zelnick, they exceeded the company’s expectations, proving the “long-lasting benefits of producing the highest-quality offerings.�/p>

[caption id="attachment_395658" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid.[/caption]

Red Dead and Grand Theft Auto are still cash cows

Red Dead Redemption 2 left a strong impression in 2018 thanks to its large scope and immersive realism. Rockstar's investment in the game seems to have paid off, as it is one of the studio's bestselling titles. News of RDR 2’s latest sales figures comes just after the announcement of PS4 and Switch ports of Red Dead Redemption.

The Grand Theft Auto franchise was also discussed at length. GTA 5 has “sold-in more than 185 million units,�according to Zelnick. GTA: Online continues to ??print money for Rockstar, and in June it "recorded more players than any other June in its history outside of the height of the pandemic." The online phenomenon also rakes money in through the GTA+ subscription service which Zelnick claims is still seeing strong growth in adoption with every passing quarter.

Though Rockstar titles received a lot of attention, they didn’t hog the entire spotlight. Sporting titles by 2K have also performed well. NBA 2K23 has “sold-in over 13 million units, representing 11% year-over-year growth.�The game has the franchise’s “highest sell-through ever �with only NBA 2K20 achieving higher unit sales.�WWE 2K23 was also mentioned, with Zelnick describing it as “the highest-rated game in our wrestling franchise’s history and the second highest-rated sports simulation title of the year.�/p>

Both Rockstar and 2K are performing well financially, and they have big titles ahead. While 2K continues with its lucrative sporting franchises, Rockstar is hard at work on Grand Theft Auto 6. Despite a controversial leak last year, Rockstar has yet to announce a release date for the long-awaited seque??l.

The post Red Dead Redemption? 2 has sold over 55 million units appeared first on Destructoid.

Howdy, mister!

Get ready to hit the brakes on all that Red Dead Redemption 2 adventuring. If you fancy your chances at earning an honest buck in this turn of the century RPG, there's a mod you can download that lets you? become a fine, upstanding worker.

Considered by many to be one of the best open-world games of all time, you may feel sad that Arthur Morgan's life of crime has come to an end. In which case, "Jobs - Expanded and Enhanced" could be just what you're looking for. Uploaded to Nexus Mods by user Shtivi, you can now experience what it's like to get a regular job in Red Dead Redemption 2.

[caption id="attachment_390274" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Image via Shtivi/Nexus Mods.[/caption]

As the name implies, you'll be able to take on a number of vocations in order to make ends meet. Such examples include being a mail man, chauffeur, or ranch hand. If you don't feel ready to give the tough life up just yet, you can take on wagon protection. This is actually an updated version of a previous mod, originally made by user Bolmin. Additionally, this rece??nt upload claims to be a complete makeover, ??which includes "new mechanics and new jobs."

It's not always about the rootin' 'n' tootin'

With such stunning beauty and character development, the second installment in Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption series is often held aloft as an example of great game desig??n. It's worth diving into this Wild West a??dventure again, for the vistas alone if nothing else.

Rockstar is no longer supporting it, but at least the developer can dedicate more time to GTA 6, whenever that's coming. We can't tell if Red Dead Redemption 2 will ??recieve a followup at this stage. But at the very least, PC users have a metric ton of mods to ke?ep the game going.

The post Become a mail carrier in this Red Dead Redemption 2 ‘jobs’ mod appeared first on Destructoid.

The money makers

Video games are a pretty darn profitable industry. As it turns out, a lot of people are willing to pay a lot of money to press little buttons. But only a select few button-pressing facilitators can claim to have made the most money. And only a?n even more select few can claim to actual?ly be good.

High sales don't always translate into high quality. That's not a secret �there's a reason the fine folks at the British Film Institute don't factor box office take into the Sight & Sound poll (I like Avengers: Endgame, but it's not standing side-by-side with 2001: A Space Odyssey). Still, the Top 10 best-selling games in history have turned a lot of copies, and there's got to be some reason they connect ??with so many players.

So let's look at that Top 10 list and see which of these games are worth playing, and which are collecting dust on many millions of shelves. Before we get started, I'd like to clarify �there are a lot of different metrics by which one can measure the "best-selling games of all time," but for the purposes of this ranking, I'll be borrowing IGN's rigorously maintained top 10 list and backlinking to original sources.

[caption id="attachment_358334" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Blizzard Entertainment[/caption]

10. Overwatch

Per Bloomberg, Blizzard Entertainment's hero shooter Overwatch sold somewhere around 50 million u??nits during its time on the market. By IGN's estimation, that makes it the seventh highest-selling game of all time. It's also tough to recommend, given that you can't actually play it right now.

Overwatch might be a little higher on this list if it was still playable. Unfortunately, it's been replaced by a free-to-play sequel, Overwatch 2. While the second game isn't dramatically different from the first, most of the changes made to the formula have made the game less entertaining. Pay-to-win battle pass progression, heroes locked behind heavy grinding, a team comp overhaul that feels more like a downgrade, making Overwatch 2, in its current state, less than pleasant.

[caption id="attachment_358335" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via KRAFTON, Inc.[/caption]

9. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds

According to The Verge, PUBG sold about 75 million units before going free-to-play, making it the fifth best-selling game ever. There's a good reason for that: when it came out, PUBG was a bit of a revelation. There had been battle royale mods and modes for various other games before, but a game designed from the ground up with 100-person death matches in mind was an uncommon sight. And PUBG was a solid first foray into a budding genre.

In 2023, you can't toss a twig without hitting a battle royale. They aren't all as good as PUBG, but, well, free-to-play PUBG isn't quite as good as 2017 PUBG either. If you really want to play a battle royale game, you're pretty spoiled for choice, and while PUBG isn't the worst option, it is a bit stale.

[caption id="attachment_358336" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Rockstar Games[/caption]

8. Grand Theft Auto V

Publisher Take-Two Interactive says Grand Theft Auto V has sold more than 170 million copies as of September 2022. That's a pretty hefty figure, one that makes it the third third-highest seller in the medium. To be completely fair, though, it's not like GTA fans are spoiled for choice. There hasn't been a fully new GTA game in nearly a decade, and Rockstar just keeps porting GTA V.

The game is solid! It's a Grand Theft Auto game. It's a pretty incremental series, and the incremental improvements made in V are good. The writing is decent (if a little cynical for my taste), the open world is fairly compelling, and the primal joy of ramming cars into civilians has remained potent for many years. But, well... it's not really special at this point. Once again, we've seen an awful lot of great open-world games in the last nine years, and GTA V is getting a little long in the tooth.

Let's?? hope the next game is worth the long, long wait.

[caption id="attachment_358337" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

7. Pokémon Red/Green(/Yellow/Blue)

The Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA), a Japanese publication that tracks the games industry, claims that the four original releases of the first Pokémon generation have sold somewhere around 45 million units, and Nintendo says we can add 1.5 million units to that figure for the 3DS re-releases. That makes the original Pokémon the ninth highest-selling game in history (even if it had to be four games to earn that s?pot).

I think most video game fans have at least a small soft spot for Pokémon, and the first generation is undeniably lovable. There are better JRPGs out there �hell, there are better Pokémon games out there???? �but you can't discount the raw charm of the classics.

[caption id="attachment_358338" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

6. Super Mario Bros.

Turning once more to CESA's 2021 White Papers, Super Mario Bros. has reportedly sold around 48 million units across various platforms. That makes? it the eighth best-selling game of all time. It's an undeniable platforming classic, genre-defining title that somehow still feels fresh.

When a game has been so foundational to a genre, going back to it can feel like visiting a museum �it's interesting, sure, but there's other, more fun stuff you could do. That's not the case with Super Mario Bros. The game may have laid the groundwork for 2D platformers to come, but it also mastered its own me?chanic??s, with level layouts that are still fun and clever nearly 40 years later.

[caption id="attachment_358339" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

5. Wii Sports

Wii Sports was bundled with the Nintendo Wii at launch in all territories except Japan, which certainly helps its incredible Nintendo-reported 82.9 million unit sales. That figure makes it the fourth highest-selling game of all time. Honestly, though, I have a feeling that even without the pack-in numbers, Wii Sports could've made this list.

There's simply no better proof-of-concept for the Wii than Wii Sports. Every included sport demonstrates a different use for the Wiimote, and while no other game really found the same level of versatility in the device, Wii Sports was a shining reminder of what motion controls co?uld be. It? was the perfect pack-in game, yes, but it was also an excellent game in its own right.

[caption id="attachment_358340" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Microsoft[/caption]

4. Minecraft

The first time I played Minecraft, I probably wouldn't have guessed that it was fated to become the second highest-selling game of all time. And yet, according to Microsoft, this unassuming survival sandbox turned proto-Metaverse has sold a staggering 238 million units.

In some ways, calling Minecraft one video game is a? little unfair. In add?ition to having nearly two dozen editions across different platforms, it's also more of a host for games than anything else. The single-player survival mode is still a lot of fun, and creative mode is a good way to bang out some architectural concepts, but multiplayer servers and mods are where the real party is at.

There are so many different things that can be done with the foundations of Minecraft, and that adaptability is the game's gre??atest strength.

[caption id="attachment_358341" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

3. Mario Kart 8

Nintendo's financial reports put Mario Kart 8, across its two editions, at about 57 million units sold, making it the sixth highest-selling game of all time. It seems pretty staggering that a Wii U game, of all things, could climb so high in the rankings, but I gu??ess that's the power of the Nintendo Switch port.

Mario Kart rules. It's a simple fact of life that everyone on earth likes playing Mario Kart, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe ?is probably the best entry in the franchise, period. Th??at's really all there is to say.

[caption id="attachment_358342" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Rockstar Games[/caption]

2. Red Dead Redemption 2

According to Take-Two Interactive's August 202?2 financial report, Red Dead Redemption 2 has sold over 45 million units (not counting individual copies of Red Dead Online). That makes it the 10th highest-selling game of all time, but it's number two in the?? quality rankings.

Red Dead Redemption 2 can be slow, monotonous, and long, even by AAA game standards. But that meditative quiet is in service of one of the best narratives in high-budget gaming history. Red Dead Redemption 2 is ponderous and quiet, which has left it saddled with the descriptor of "boring" by folks who prefer their action a little hotter and heavier. Regardless, it's an uncommonly thoughtful game in a field often d??ominated by bright lights and flashin?g colors.

[caption id="attachment_358343" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via The Tetris Company[/caption]

1. Tetris

Sometimes bright lights and flashing colors are good. Quickly, throw a stick somewhere in your room. Good money says you just hit a copy of Tetris. According to The Tetris Company, somewhere in the area of 520 million copies of Tetris have been sold, mak?ing it the highest-selling video game in history?. It might also be the single best video game in history.

Tetris is one of those concepts that just works. Trying to fit things together in a tight space is satisfying on a primal level, and Tetris is a masterful piece of design work. It's almost silly to praise Tetris. Because ev?eryone already knows it's great. Because everyone has already bough?t it.

The post The top 10 best-selling video game titles of all time, ranked by quali?ty appeared first on Destructoid.

"We have been steadily moving more development resources towards the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series"

Major Red Dead Online support is coming to an end, according to a new blog post directly from Rockstar Games.

After spending the majority of the post talking about how much stuff is coming to GTA Online, the team broke the news to fans that major development would no longer be a focus for Red Dead Online �?something ?a lot of folks felt was a long time coming. Here's the initial salvo:

"Over the past few years, we have been steadily moving more development resources towards the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series �understanding more than ever the need to exceed players�expectations and for this next entry to be the best it can possibly be �and as a result, we are in the process of making some changes to how we support Red Dead Online."

It's a carefully-worded statement that you've read a billion times: the "end of life," or "maintenance mode" post that tries not to piss off fans. While Red Dead Online users will keep getting monthly and seasonal events (as we??ll as telegram missions), "major themed content updates" are o?ut, and the team says that they'll continue to share fan creations on social media.

Expect Rockstar to fully embrace the GTA universe for the foreseeable future, as it continues to spice up their moneymaker GTA Online, and continues working on the next ma??inline game �which is for sure going to break tons of records and make investors very happy.

The post Rockstar c?onfirms m??ajor Red Dead Online support is done, in favor of focusing on Grand Theft Auto appeared first on Destructoid.

Red Dead Redemption 2's photo mode is no joke

Red Dead Redemption 2 has been widely considered one of the most beautiful games of all time, at least when it comes to realism, and that beauty was officially recognized by way of photo mode at the Lo??ndon Games Festival this past week. The Virtual Photo Challenge was sponsored and judged by Nvidia and The Fourth Focus, and the official Screenshot of the Year was taken by Joe Meizies. The screenshot was displayed ?in Trafalgar Square as part of the weekend's festivities.

The festival organizers have been so kind as to publicly share a Google Drive folder of all of the best shots, which feature other games like Horizon Forbidden West, Gran Turismo, Ghost of Tsushima, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Cyberpunk 2077, and more.

"The challenge celebrates the new artistic medium of virtual photography where creators can bring video game design and virtual worlds to life. From a stunning landscape to intimate portrait, candid street to abstract architecture or historical to sci-fi fantasy," reads the contest's official website.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1280"] _{[Image Source: Rockstar Games / Joe Meizies]}[/caption]Photo mode has recently become a staple of larger AAA games, and the bonus feature has expanded drama??tically in recent years, with all new filters, settings, and effects that you can play with, a vast majority of which I have no idea what they do. It's really cool to see a new subsection of photography emerging organically before our eyes, which, by the sound of it, is exactly what this kind of contest is trying to foster.

Even if I don't know what I'm doing from a photography standpoint, photo mode can be a great way to see a game from a different angle (no pun intended), and it's nice to appreciate the art that the development team works so hard on??. It's also a great? way to ease yourself in if you're interested in seriously getting into real-life photography, and you have the benefit of having access to all of its tools within a game you already own.

Red Dead Redemption 2 and dozens of other games with photo mode are making photography more accessible than ever, which is not something I would have expected fro?m video games, but it's certainly something I'm gl??ad for.

The post ??Red Dead Redemption 2 takes home a?ward for photo mode contest at London Games Festival appeared first on Destructoid.

Any excuse to simp, am I right?

It's another Valentine's Day in quarantine, which means it's another Valentine's Day alone for a lot of us. What we do have, though, is access to plenty of video games, and that got me thinking about my sexiest video game characters, or more specifically, what I think are the sexiest video game voi??ces. Anyone can create a hunky beefcake or a busty blonde of a character model, but for me, so much of what makes certain video game characters sexy is their voices.

I can't let the sultry tone?s of these standout performances go unnoticed, so here's my list of the sexiest video game voices out t??here.

[caption id="attachment_308533" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{[Image Source: Twinfinite]}[/caption]

1. Meg from Hades

Hades is chalked full of sexy character designs and voices, but?? the standout for me was Megara. I have a thing for low, gravelly voices, w??hat can I say? Plus there was the whole negging thing that I usually hate, but really got me in a tizzy when it comes to her. There were lots of fun romance options in this game, but there was no contest when it came to my playthrough: it had to be Meg.

[caption id="attachment_308534" align="alignnone" width="1240"] _{[Image Source: Medium]}[/caption]

2. Booker from BioShock Infinite

Booker was one of my first video game crushes. Everything about his character design is appealing to me, with the obvious exception of him being a mass murderer. Gaming is packed to the brim with DILFs, but Booker is really top tier in my opinion. Infinite is a first-person game, so don't get to see much of him at all during its run time �that means his voice has to do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to making him sexy, and as questionably as Troy Baker has been behaving rec??ently, I can't discount the performance he gave when making this game.

3. Garrus from Mass Effect

I'm gonna level with you guys �the prospect of being able to smash some aliens in Mass Effect is like 7?0% of why I decided to play those games, and I do mean in a sexy way. As soon as I got to meet the cast, Garrus was at the top of my list. He's already got a leg up as being the least annoying squad member in my opinion, and there's something about the voice effects they put on him that really does something for me. I was a bit disappointed to learn that I don't get to smash him until the second game, but it gives me something to look forward to.

[caption id="attachment_308535" align="alignnone" width="640"] _{[Image Source: Thunder Wave]}[/caption]

4. Chloe from Uncharted

The low, gravelly voice is back, and I can't get enough of it. Chloe was introduced to the Uncharted series as another potential love interest for Nate, and as much as I love Elena, I would have gone for Chloe every time. She's flirty, adventurous, and has one of the best voices i?n a series full of incredible voice talent. Like Booker, Chloe was one of my first video game crushes, so I'll always hold a special place in my heart for her.

[caption id="attachment_308536" align="alignnone" width="799"] _{[Image Source: Literary Hub]}[/caption]

5. Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption 2

You know what else I have a thing for? Cowboys. And Arthur Morgan is just about as sexy as they come, vocally speaking. I mean I guess that is how you talk, isn't it? Anyway, Arthur's got it all �the southern accent, the twang, the grit. He may not be reinventing the idea of ho?w cowboys sound, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it. He's giving us quintessential southern American country boy, and as someone who thinks this accent is criminally underrated in talks of supposed sexiness, I'm kind of obsessed with it.

6. Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil Village

Another entry on this list that's kind of a given. I think I'm in the minority of people who feel the height thing just doesn't do it for them, but I have to admit that her voice is among the sexier I've h?eard from a video game character. Lady D has a certain poshness to her voice, which is a nice contrast to some of the other more rugged characters I have on this list. Don't get me wrong, I'm still terrified of her and this game, but I have to admit that there's something about her voice that I'm really drawn to.

[caption id="attachment_308537" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{[Image Source: Art Abyss]}[/caption]

7. Boxer from Transistor

Boxer technically doesn't have a name within the world of Transistor, but it's what fans affectionately call him, so it's what I'm gonna go with, too. I made a point to talk about the amazing voicework Logan Cunningham did in this role in my column about Transistor, because it's one of my favorite vocal performances in a game ever (and I al?so happen to think it's the sexiest).

It's ironic that Boxer is on this list, because in the game he's basically only a voice. There's also just something so romantic about his relationship with Red in the game, although whatever it is we don't really know. Either way, it's making me want to replay Transistor today, in the spirit of the holiday.

Well, that's my list for Valentine's Day. Do you agree with my picks? What do you think are some of ?the sexiest voices in video games? Let's discuss in the comments!

The post Here are 7 sexy ?video game voices that make m??e swoon appeared first on Destructoid.

A virtual home on the range

As a former horse girl, there's nothing I love more than seeing others lean into their love of all things equestrian. Calling someone a "horse girl" used to be a somewhat derogatory term, but has now been reclaimed as an identity, much like that of the "gamer." In fact, gamers and horse girls actually have a lot in common �most obviously in that they are willing to show their passion and enthusiasm for the things that they love, and often find community in them. When I heard that there was a wholesome group of horse girls that had taken over Red Dead Online, I wasn't surprised in the slightest.

PC Gamer's Lauren Morton shared an article this morning about a group known as The Rift Trails, which hosts a Discord server of 1,690 members. The server began two years ago, just as the pandemic started, and was a place for quarantined horse-lovers to meet up and hang out when they couldn't go and see their own horses in real life. Those in the group who played Red Dead suggested that they try a trail ride in-game, ?according to group member Chelsea Farace, and no?w the group hosts trail rides every day of the week.

[caption id="attachment_307955" align="alignnone" width="970"] _{[Image Source: Rockstar Games / Lauren Morton of PC Gamer]}[/caption]Morton describes a ride that she participated in, and while I don't even play Red Dead Online, it ?sounded so relaxing and? fun, I might just have to download it for myself.

The group members seem to share this sentiment too, as one of Rift's moderators, MU5K_0X, shared: "I have played many different games, but RDO is the only one that makes you feel any ??sort of at??tachment to your horse/partner in crime."

That bond is one of the things I miss most a?bout horseback riding, and it's pretty amazing that a video game could capture such a complex human-animal relations??hip.

According to the Rift members, Red Dead Online is the best game for people who love horses because the a??nimals have a mind of their own in-game, s?omething that ironically annoys a lot of non-equestrian gamers.

In light of how awful the world has been recently, nothing comforts me more that there's a group of horse girls (and other horse-loving people) who just casually ride through the trails of Red Dead Online, taking in the scenery and building community around it. If they can't all be together doing what they love, doing it in a go??rgeous game that seems to love horses as much as they do is the next best thing in my book.

The post A wholesome group of horse girls has taken over Red?? Dead Online appeared first on Destructoid.

Happy New Year!

Tonight we'll be entering 2022 together, and I'm honored to share that with you! We'll also be trying some new (to me) games out; Inscryption has been suggested since it's a puzzle-ish cool card game, and we have the monstrous Red Dead Redemption 2 to start if we'd like.

I know RDR2 is an extremely long game, but sometimes it can be good to have those games to return to and progress in some nights. I'm super excited to ??hang out and try these! Hope to see you there. ??:)

Drop by Destructoid’s Twitch channel every Friday starting at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

The post We’re streaming Inscryption and Red Dead Redemption 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

He's a man on a mission

It seems like Henry Cavill has spoken of nothing but video games for the past few years (I mean, who can blame him?), and now he's back at it again on the press tour for The Witcher's second season. This time around, he's been dropping names of other famous game franchises that he loves, like Mass Effect and Warhammer 40K, both of which he also wants to star in if they ever get their own adaptations. The most recent update to this list, however, is none other than the beloved open-world western adventure Red Dead Redemption, or more specifically, its sequel Red Dead Redemption 2.

When asked in a recent interview with GameReactor which game Cavill would want to adapt next, he responded that he's "actually started playing Red Dead Redemption 2—I know I'm a little bit late to that party—but I started playing it and I'm really enjoying it. And so, something like that I think would be fun to turn into a movie." At this point it seems like Cavill is just trying to manifest any and every game adaptation he's ever dreamed of, and I'm happy for him. I wouldn't be surprised if from here on out, his entire filmography wa??s just projects based on video games. You go, Henry Cavill, make those movies and shows us normal people can only dream of.

In seriousness though, it always makes me smile to see Cavill singing the praises of our favorite game franchises whenever he does press. You can tell he wants to do these projects because he really loves them, understands what makes them special, and sees the potential that these games have to really shine as other forms of media. He may be an insanely famous actor, but he's a nerd first (remember that video of him building a PC from a few years ago?) and I can't think of anyone better to represent the gamin??g community in mainstream media.

The post Henry Cavill wants to star in a movie based on the Red Dea??d franchis?e appeared first on Destructoid.

Actually it's been decided for you, it's a colorized photo

The process of colorization has led to some incredibly impactful media, like They Shall Not Grow Old, and numerous colorized photos that provide new context for past events. We're also at the point where open world games look exceedingly lifelike, which includes the lush landscapes of Red Dead Redemption 2. And now the twain shall meet!

As redditor kieferevans points out, this colorized 1906 photo from New Orleans below looks strikingly similar to a Red Dead Redemption 2 location, St. Denis. Given that St. Denis was modeled after New Orleans, it makes perfect sense that the Red Dead subreddit would pick up on this.

The image is actually from the talented artist Sanna Dullaway, who recreates old photos from many eras of the United States, spanning far beyond 1906. It really just goes to show you the insane amount of research that the team at Rockstar did to help craft St. Denis and make it as authentic as possible. My first thought is that famous "Assassin's Creed ve??rsus Rea??l Life Paris" comparison that came out a few years ago, which holds up in-game Unity photos near the actual Paris locations.

No matter how a game turns out, those teams can look at the work they did and go "my job is done." Open world games are often full of so much bloat and busywork these days, but a lot of the environmental work goes un??noticed and underappreciated. The fact that someone saw fit to compare this colorized photo to the game is enough to drive that home!

The post Colorized photo?? from 1906, or Red Dead Redemption 2 screenshot? You?? decide! appeared first on Destructoid.

May 7

Welp, the ti??me has finally come for Game Pass to get another heavy-hitter.

Announced by way of their official blog, Microsoft has revealed that Red Dead Redemption 2 will be arriving on the service on May 17. Microsoft is trumpeting this as a big win, noting its financial and critical prowess since it leapt onto the scene in 2018. Note that the publisher does explain that this is for "Xbox Game Pass for Console." The PC port arrived in late 2019 so it's still fairly fresh, and Rockstar likes to keep a lot of co?ntrol over it via their launcher.

Ironically, this Rockstar giant is coming in, and another Rockstar giant is leaving the building. Microsoft also points out that Grand Theft Auto V for Xbox Game? Pass for Console is leaving the service until May 7. You'll have until then to grab the full game for 20% off.

Like Netflix, Microsoft giveth and Microsoft taketh away. Maybe try to finish GTAV by that date if you somehow haven't by now!

Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass for ??Console: Red Dead Redemption 2 [Xbox]

The post Massiv??e-seller Red Dead Redemption 2 is joining Xbox Game Pass so?on appeared first on Destructoid.

Insane detail

Red Dead Redemption 2 has one of the biggest open world sandboxes yet, but the thing that sets it apart is? how full of life it really is.

Foxes diving into the snow, dogs who are left in the rain, birds eating leftover carcasses: these are things you may have noticed in your playthrough, or missed entirely. Given how expans??ive this world is, either could be true. YouTube channel Red Dead Online Guides is starting a new series called "Animals," that shows off some of the game's higher points.

They also provided a side-by-side GIF of the former aforementioned fox and a few other anim?als, comparing the real-life versions and their made-up video game ones. It's a breezy Tuesday morning watch, that's for sure!

The post This footage shows just how real Red Dead Redemption 2’s animals are appeared first on Destructoid.

Sim Redemption 2

I grew up with real-time strategy games and city building simulators. There's something so satisfying about ruling over a township in Sim City 2000's birds-eye view or commanding an entire army in KKnD or Total Annihilation. This mod for Red Dead Redemption 2 taps into that.

The channel Red Dead Online Guides managed to use the tilt shift effect (as well as modding and some clever editing) to create a version of its world that looks like a "toy town out of Cities Skylines or another Sim game). It's a simple and relaxing video that showcases a day in the life of a typical Red Dead citizen, with the hustle and bustle of the city and the?? quaintness of rural, idyllic life.

Clocking in at just over a minute, the miniature world could be considered an open world case study of its own, and showcases just how packed and full of life this universe really is. I think my favorite sho?t is 0:27 — I love seeing the water with a pu?lled back camera angle!

[Thanks Eric!]

The post See the world of Red Dead Redemption 2 from a whole new perspective with the ‘Tilt Shift’ mod appeared first on Destructoid.

The boney bunch

So Red Dead Online is going through some growing pains on PC in terms of hacking, and this recent skeleton attack video from Reddit user Keisenberg shows us one of the better shades of that fallout??.

The timing of the below video is absolutely perfect. The camera swings around ominously, and "BAM!" he gets socked in the head by a two-headed skeleton who completely high tails it away. The fact that it looks like an extremely Jason and the Argonauts concoction is icing on the cake.

Red Dead Redemption has always been one of the craziest franchises in terms of hacks and bugs, and this clip firmly plants itself in those hallowed halls. As many in the Reddit thread have pointed out, it's both hilarious and frustrating to deal with hacks when playing Red Dead Online: most of the time they aren't this funny.

I got attacked by something I never expected from r/RedDeadOnline

The post This Red Dead Redemption ??2 hack is straight out of Jason and the Argonauts appeared first on Destructoid.

Take-Two had an interesting quarter

A lot of Rockstar and 2K's biggest franchises ended the most recent quarter with impressive sales figures. Parent company Take-Two I??nteractive?? just ended an investors conference call where the main takeaway was that the most prominent names in the portfolio continue to be the most profitable.

The most visible game over the past year or so has been Red Dead Redemption 2. An excellent launch period in late 2018 resulted in 23 million sell-in units (shipped) within the first few months. Following the recent PC port, Red Dead Redemption 2 sits at 29 million lifetime sales. That's nearly twice what the original Red Dead Redemption sold; although its most recent reported numbers are a couple years old, Take-Two said it was at 15 million lifetime sales in 2017.

However, Red Dead Redemption 2's previous success was directly responsible for Take-Two's current underwhelming financials. Quarterly revenue is down 25 percent year over year (from $1.25 billion to $930.1 million) largely in part because of how well Red Dead Redemption 2 sold at launch. Investors are evidently unimpressed, as VentureBeat reports Take-Two's stock dropped 9.6 percent in recent hours. The market isn't sure how to perceive Take-Two right now, especially following this week's departure of Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser, which also sent the stock in flux.

Despite all this, Take-Two had positive things to say about most of its lineup. Borderlands 3 is at eight million sales, which is higher than its initial projections. Take-Two expects it to set a record for the franchise in terms of net bookings, calling it "a massive hit by any standard." Interestingly, the Borderlands 3 season pass is performing incredibly well, as Take-Two says it has set an attach rate record for all of 2K Games. Borderlands 3&nbs??p;still has an eventual Steam release ahead, but Take-Two executives declined to elaborate on their expectation of how this would bolster sales.

Grand Theft Auto is still the biggest fish in the pond, as it added another 20 million sales in 2019. That brings its lifetimes sales to 120 million. Although GTA Online is a phenomenon of sorts, it's actually the NBA 2K series that leads the way in recurrent consumer spending (microtransactions, DLC, and other in-game purchases). Recurrent spending is up 37 percent this quarter, but Take-Two admits that NBA 2K20 could be performing better in this regard.

Take-Two also confirmed that Obsidian's The Outer Worlds surpassed two million sales. That seems to be considered a success, as Take-Two praised its critical acclaim and the number of awards it won. Publisher Private Division also had a deal in place with Microsoft for Outer Worlds to launch on Xbox Game Pass, meaning many more people played it than the total sales reflect. When asked whether Xbox Game Pass might've helped or hurt the success of Outer Worlds, a Take-Two executive commented "It's hard to say. Generally speaking, we want to be where the consumer is. We're willing to take ??experimental chances when it makes sense for a particular title, and when the underlying deal also makes sense."

The post Red D??ead Redemption 2 has nearly? doubled the sales of the original appeared first on Destructoid.

A hell of a year

Rockstar has had a hell of a year, and it owes everything to just two projects: Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2.

The one-two punch of a killer online component for the former and a strong solo campaign for the latter have proven to be quite the combo, as the two have reached a combined 150 million sold across all platforms. Now GTA V is doing most of the heavy-lifting there with over 115 million sold (and counting, as of last November), but it's still an amazing milestone nonetheless for two very similar open-world-with-online-m??odes titles.

Rockstar also says that December 2019 was "the largest month ever in terms of player numbers" for GTA Online, thanks to the popularity of the Diamond Casino Resort and Heist updates. GTA Online kicked off in October of 2013, for reference. The publisher also notes that 2019 was the "biggest year ever" for YouTube views for the game, with "a new record for engagements via likes and comments" for the week ending on January 12, 2020. In other words: it's still very much in the gaming zeitgeist nearly seven years l?ater.

Similar praises are sung for the lesser-loved Red Dead Online, which "reached peak player numbers in December" after the rather large Moonshiners update, with another increase in January of 2020. As a result of all of this fanfare, Rockstar is giving away $2,000,000 in GTA Online bonus cash by playing before February 5 (which g?r??ants you half of that amount): you can get the other half by playing between February 6 and February 12 of this year.

Red Dead Online is also gifting players a gunslinger's cache (a free Schofield Revolver, a free Varmint Rifle and the Devastating Ammo Bundle, which includes 100x Split Point Revolver Ammo, 100x High Velocity Pistol Ammo, 100x Express Repeater Ammo, 100x Slug Shotgun Ammo, and 20x Explosive Rifle Ammo) for playing between January 28 and February 3, with a bounty hunter'?s kit reward (a free Bounty Hunter license, 25x Bolas, and 25x Tracking Arrows.) for February 4 through February 10 logins.

Most of that means nothing to people who don't play those games, but one point is probably clear by now: Ro??ckstar is making money hand over fist supporting a game that's nearly a decade old.

Record-breaking holiday season [Rockstar]

The post GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 reach a combined? 150 million sales milest??one, and Rockstar is celebrating with in-game events appeared first on Destructoid.

25%

As Rockstar scrambles to bring more people back into Red Dead Online, more ??a??nd more events are constantly popping up on a regular basis. This week is no exception.

Rockstar is touting big XP bonuses this week, with 25% character and role XP boosts? for role-specific free roam events. Here's the big list: day of reckoning, manhunt, trade route, condor egg and salvage. You need to be bounty?? hunter rank four for the first two, trader rank four to gain the bonuses from trade route and collector rank four to reap the benefits of the latter two.

Legendary Bounties will also grant 2,000 Bounty Hunter XP, while Trader Sell Missions grant the same amount in Trader XP. You can also get 30% off any rifle in-game and PlayStation Plus users get a version of the Leavitt Jacket for free. Twitch Prime bonuses are still in effect.

Do all of these imaginary numbers and cosmetics excite you?! Gaming is in? a very weird state in 2020 and it'll only get weirder with time.

Play Frontier Pursuits [Rockstar]

The post Red Dead Online ?is giving out ma??ssive XP bonuses this week appeared first on Destructoid.

In case that's your thing

Robbing banks were some of my favorite moments of Red Dead Redemption 2, but?? they mostly oc?curred during scripted story sequences. Well, a new mod says "screw that!" and lets you do them whenever you want.

Created by Unlosing and Jedijosh920, the mod is simply called "Bank Robberies," and allows players to trigger bank heists whenever they want. All you need to do is install ScriptHookRDR2 (which allows many non-RDO mods), then the mod itself and you're good to ?go. To actually initiate the mod, you just need to head to Valentine, Saint Denis or Rhodes banks, and aim your weapon at the teller. From there t?he event will kick off, but with a completely solo twist.

You can take a look ?at what the mod enables in the video below. It's an easy way ?for free cash and for instant action if you're craving a rapid showdown.

Bank Robberies [Nexus Mods]

The post A ne??w Red Dead Redemption 2 mod allows you to rob banks continuously appeared first on Destructoid.

Nani?

Now that Red Dead Redemption 2 is on PC, is that enough? Possibly not!

Rockstar dataminer Tez managed to locate a new wrinkle: a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller texture in Red Dead Redemption 2's texture file. It's very, very faint and transparent, but it's there. Now there's a reasonable explanation for this. Steam often provides controller fundamen??tals for many devices, and?? a future patch could add native Switch Pro controller support. It's the most likely reality.

The odds of a full-on Red Dead 2 port on Switch are probably pretty low at this point. Rockstar hasn't really worked with the system outside of small-time projects like the L.A. Noire Switch version, but its parent company Take-Two has found greater success and could eventually put the squeeze on them. Who knows! With The Witcher III working its magic on Switch it could be possible with some mass??ive visual and performance downgrades.

Tez2 [Twitter]

The post Red Dead Redemption 2 dataminer finds Switch Pro Controller icon in the game’s files appeared first on Destructoid.

Also, another Outlaw (season) pass

Red Dead Online continues its bid to keep people interested and eventually migrate over from Grand Theft Auto Online with yet another expansion.

This time the focus is on Moonshiners: a new mercantile class that sports its own storyline. The idea is that once you reach Trader Rank 5 (or finish a tr??ader sell mission) you'll have the opportunity to take part of the festivities and chat with Maggie Fike, the queen of bootlegging. The questline is huge and involves buying up proper??ty, actually making the hooch, then transporting it.

In other Red Dead Online news the "Outlaw Pass" is back, with the eloquently named "Outlaw Pass No. 2." For those of you who haven't been following along this is basically just a sea??son pass that every online game utilizes now, with 100 ranks to climb for rewards after paying ?up for the pass. This one will end on March 10, 2020 and will unlock new outfits, gun wraps, extra cash and items. It'll cost you 40 gold to partake in on the premium track, which is basically $20 given the $9.99-for-25 gold increments. If you haven't purchased gold before you can get the "one-time offer" of 25 gold for $4.99, then spring for the $9.99 pack.

You can also find brief patch notes for Red Dead Online below.

Moonshiners [Rockstar]

Red Dead Online Moonshiner's patch notes:

Today’s update to Red Dead Online also features new clothing including Bandoliers and Corsets (with more items due to arrive in the coming weeks), a powerful new sidearm in the Navy Revolver, and more in addition to gameplay improvements and enhancements as we continue to build on and refine the game world. Among many other improvement, today’s update adds:

• The ability to quick-swap weapons in the heat of battle – simply assign a “Quick Select” firearm within the Weapon Wheel, then tap L1/LB/Tab during gameplay to quickly switch between this and your currently-equipped weapon (you can still holster your weapon with a double tap of L1/LB/Tab or by selecting Unarmed in the Weapon Wheel)
• Ability Card rebalancing on certain cards, and limits on Tonic use to ensure a level playing field for all players
• Accessibility improvements for fishing, allowing players to reel in a catch by holding a button rather than circling the analogue stick
• Increased stability for Horses, making your steed slightly less likely to fall down after a collision and quicker to get back up after a fall or revival
• In addition, we’ve added the ability to spawn directly at your Camp and made improvements to help mitigate the issue players have been experiencing with setting up their camps.

The post Red Dead Onlin??e we??lcomes its massive Moonshiners update appeared first on Destructoid.

It's a ton of items

Red Dead Redemption 2 recently hit PC by way of a ton of different platforms: except Steam. That changes on December 5, but before then Rockstar ha?s done a ton of patchi?ng to smooth over that huge milestone of a launch.

Rockstar says that a "series of updates" have been deployed as of this week, which includes fixes for both th??e Rockstar Games Launcher (which has been causing many of the problems), as well as the appropriate NVIDIA drivers. The publisher says "the vast majority of performance issues...have now been resolved" on PC, but they're s?till working on "lingering issues" at this time.

To make up for a rocky PC launch, they're offering a free outfit (Preito Poncho, visible above and below) for Red Dead Online, as well as a "curated care package of items" that you can check out in full below. Don't get too excited: basically it's just a bunch of ammo, weapons and equipment to jump-s?tart some early game chicanery. You can grab it now at the Camp lock box or the post office.

Now that the PC launch is out of the way, Rockstar needs to keep adding to Red Dead Online beyond these little equipment drops. We recently got a decent little class update a few months ago, but many Rockstar fans are still sticking with Grand Theft Auto Online, forgoing the jump over. With the PC platform in the mix (and the power of Steam), maybe tho??se winds will shif?t.

Red Dead Redemption 2 [Rockstar]

• 100x Revolver Express Ammo
• 100x Pistol Express Ammo
• 100x Repeater Express Ammo
• 100x Rifle Express Ammo
• 100x Shotgun Slugs
• 20x Shotgun Incendiary Buckshot Slugs
• 20x Fire Arrows
• 20x Poison Throwing Knives
• 20x Volatile Fire Bottles
• 10x Potent Miracle Tonic – fully restores Health, Stamina and Dead Eye and Fortifies moderately
• 3x Horse Reviver – revives Horse from severe injury and moderately restores its Health
• 10x Minty Big Game – fully restores all Cores and yields a Gold Health Core
• 20x Baked Beans – moderately restores Health Core and Stamina Core

The post Rockstar says ‘vast majority’ of Red Dead Redemption 2 PC issues now fixed, offers free PC care package DLC appeared first on Destructoid.

The Wanted poster has Steam's picture

This time, the Epic Games Store exclusivity expired much quicker than usual. Red Dead Redemption 2 is currently available through three digital marketplaces: Epic, Google Stadia, and direct from Rockstar via?? the publisher's new(ish) launcher. Soon enough, it'll be four.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming to Steam before the year's end. That much we already knew. But, it turns out the vague window of a December release lends itself to an early date. Red Dead Redemption 2 will be sold through Steam on Decembe??r 5. That's exactly one month after the PC port originally launched on November 5.

Red Dead Redemption 2 for PC is coming to Steam on December 5 pic.twitter.com/IBi3zIcAZE

— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) November 27, 2019

The slight delay makes sense from a business perspective. Rockstar takes 100 percent of the revenue from sales through the Rockstar Launcher; it takes 88 percent from sales through Epic. Steam's revenue share model is more convoluted -- and Rockstar possibly has a custom, more publisher-friendly deal negotiated --  but that rate is likely closer to 80 percent. Additionally, Epic and Google are probably paying one way or another for the privilege of selling Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC.

There's no shortage of places to buy Red Dead Redemption 2, and now it's coming to the most popular store. ??The wild west is about to get a little more crowded with cowpokes and ne'er-do-wells.

The post Red Dead Redemption 2 strolls into Steam’s saloon on December 5 appeared first on Destructoid.

So hungry he could eat a horse

If only shedding unwanted pounds were this easy in real life. Red Dead Redemption 2's PC port has a problem that's tied to uncapped framerates, and it's turning Arthur?? Morgan into a skinny, frail man.

Players who have managed to avoid Red Dead Redemption 2's technical issues when moving the framerate beyond 30fps have run into a less-conventional complication. They're noticing that it's?? impossible to keep Arthur well-fed. Additionally, the day/night cycles and inclement weather systems all seem to move too fast.

Redditor jimmyoneshot appears to have figured out why the PC port seems off. The console versions run at a capped 30 frames per second, and it seems as though the game uses this as the measuring stick for calculating passage of time. When the framerate is set to 60fps, Red Dead Redemption 2 thinks twice as much time has passed??. It gets w?orse the higher you go.

This isn't an unprecedented gaffe. Dark Souls II had a similar problem. Playing on PC at 60fps made weapons degrade twice as quickly because the game thought it had been played twice as long. Bandai Namco put out a patch and everyone had a good laugh (unless you died ?a million times because your weapons kept breaking). 

So, Red Dead Redemption 2 PC players are left with a real Sophie's choice: Turn down the frames and deal with progression as intended, or crank up the frames -- one of the main perks of the PC port, mind you -- and cope with a perpetually underfed protagonist. Rockstar will probably (hopefully) fix this sooner rather than later. For now, Arthur might be constantly malnourished and have trouble regenerating health, but at? least he has a bangin' thigh gap.

I think I've just made a discovery about a big problem in the PC version of the game and wha??t causes it and I can prove it [reddit via PC Gamer]

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Rockstar has honed in on the stuttering problems

Rockstar Games has apologized for the state of Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC.

In a message posted to Twitter today, the company said that it has been "working as quickly as possible" to help Red Dead Redemption 2 players who have had a particularly rough go with the PC version since launch last week. After an initial round of patching, Rockstar now believes a "small number" of ??PC players are "still experiencing ongoing problems with the game stuttering." The culprit seems to be "specific combinations of Nvidia graphics drivers, Nvidia GPU cards, and certain CPUs."

"We will be rolling out an update to the game today which will address the stuttering issue alongside a host of other fixes," the studio said. "However, we are still currently working together with Nvidia to completely resolve the stuttering is??sue in a future update, and it may take us up to a few days to properly test everything and ensure the ne?xt update completely solves the problem."

There's no doubt in my mind Red Dead Redemption 2 will eventually get to a great place – for some players, it's already been 4K bliss – but right now, it's? an unchar?acteristically messy situation.

As an apology, Rockstar is handing out a Red Dead Online care package to "everyone who plays [RDR2] on PC this week and through to the holiday season." Expect to crack open the Prieto Poncho and "an assortment of provisions and ammo." What's?? that? You don't play Red Dead Online? Them's the breaks.

Rockstar Games [Twitter]

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Stability

While some folks are able to get into the newly minted Red Dead Redemption 2 PC port without issue, a lo??t of folks can't.

Issues are piling up that include Anti-Virus incompatibility, Vulkan setting problems (swap to DirectX12), an??d as I mentioned in my impressions piece, optimization troubles. But it seems like the main culprit isn't necessarily the game itself, but the new proprietary Rockstar launcher that popped into existence a few months?? back.

Who would have thought that a mandatory brand new launcher for what is ostensibly a very huge and potentially bug-prone game could have done this? Either way, expect at least a week of rockiness for Red Dead Redemption 2 PC if you don't have a top-end machine.

You can find the full patch notes below for 1.14, as well as additional updates beyond the scope of?? the launcher.

RDR2 Title Update 1.14 Notes [Rockstar]

[November 6, 2019] General / Miscellaneous – PC

• Improvements to address issues that resulted in Red Dead Redemption 2 crashing due to Anti-Virus software.

[November 4, 2019] General / Miscellaneous

• Various stability fixes

[November 4, 2019] New Content

• A new Legendary Bounty has been added to Red Dead Online:
  • Etta Doyle

• Weekly Collectible List – Fortune Teller’s Collection:
  • Ace of Cups
  • Ace of Wands
  • Absinthe

• Four new emotes have been added to the Wheeler, Rawson & Co. Catalogue:
  • Gentle Wave
  • Applause
  • Thumbs Down
  • Hush Your Mouth

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Yee haw in 4K

There was a period of time where my life was just one Red Dead Redemption 2 blur.

I can't say the same for Red Dead Online (yet), but the campaign enamored me and kept its tendrils in for weeks on end. It isn't often that I truly get sucked into an open world without feeling like it's just a collection of map dots and radar blips, and with a year's time, I was ready to jump in ?again on PC.

Naturally you want to hear about the latest graphics option??s, as Rockstar is touting this as their most advanced PC re?lease yet.

All of the bells and whistles from the console edition return, as well as the obvious upgrade of optional mouse and keyboard support. The bread and butter of the PC edition deals with the graphical options, of which there are many. Texture/lighting/shadow/reflection sliders are obvious well-worn territory, but it even gets as granular as mirror and ??water quality, as well as options for TAA (Temporal anti-aliasing)/FXAA (Fast Approximate anti-aliasing)/MSAA (Multisample anti-aliasing). Real-time ray tracing, the only major omission, is not in at the moment.

Then there's more advanced settings (that are locked by default) like volumetric resolution (lights and clouds), the quality of particle lighting, further water tweaking (refraction/reflection quality), and extra tweaks like fur and decal quality. The thing I noticed the most? The fantastic draw distance improvement, which is key for a game as big as this. NVIDIA has game-ready drivers for RDR2 available now, clocking in at roughly 576 MB on top of the huge 100GB+ file size of the game itself. Make some space, especially for updates/DLC! Load times can still be lengthy though: even with an SSD (with a sequential read speed of 3519.4 MB/s, with a write speed of 3290.4 MB/s), loading a new? save can hit 25 seconds. Upon jacking everything up to ultra, my game crashed. But other than exceeding the limitations of what my rig can handle, I haven't had any problems.

I'm rocking a new Falcon Northwest 20th Anniversary Talon with an Intel i9-9900KS with 32GB of RAM, installed on an SSD and (x2) GeForce RTX 2080 Supers (that I'll be reviewing soon!), so you could say that my rig is approaching top of the line. A benchmark tool is available, and running nearly everything on "ultra" or "high" settings in 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels), it hit an average FPS of 48.76 (topping out at 64.317) with SLI, 43.3 without. Running it at 2560x1600 yielded an average of 61.6284 also with SLI, 59.1352 without. Here's a visual comparison of 2560x1600 versus 4K. That should give you an idea of what's ?required to run this bad boy (optimization?), but popping yokels in 60FPS with a mouse and keyboard rules.

I know what you're thinking: another launcher, right? Although Red Dead Redemption 2 is available on multiple pla??tforms (Epic Games is the marquee alternative right now, with Steam to launch in December), I had access to it via the Rockstar Games launcher and so far it's been pretty seamless. Rockstar offers cloud save sync every time you connect and are online, and the Rockstar Social Club instantly loads because you've already authenticated. A small benefit, sure, but something to consider. Or you can wait for Steam.

So how's the game? Still good. It takes a while to really get started and introduce you to the true open range, but once that intro is over and done with it's off to the races. Mod support (which is being allowed so long as it's not commercial) will only make things better once the community gets started. The photo mode has been great, allowing for excess (read: 200) photo taking, on top of options like blur strength and more lens effects (here's tintype). Rockstar Club access is integrated for posting, allowing you to dump your pictures and keep freeing up space. This is the sort of game that begs for a photo mode (more so ?than nearly anything else this ?past year), so take advantage of it.

If you've been holding out for Red Dead Redemption 2, now is the time to strike, even if you have no interest in the online component. It has pretty much everything a PC enthusiast would want outside of ray tracing, which is more of a near-fut??ure tech anyway. If you're still on the fence, holding out for a sale?? (more platforms = more price drops!) and mods is also a smart idea. Everyone benefits from a PC release.

_{[These impressions are based on a retail copy of the PC edition of the game, provided by the publisher. If I had to score it, it would be the same as the console release - 9.5]}

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