Daily Archives: February 28, 2025

Games, Gaming, News

LEGO classics and F.E.A.R. joins the GOG Preservation Program

In the ever-evolving world of video games, preserving the classics is a mission that resonates deeply with gamers and historians alike. The GOG Preservation Program, launched in November 2024, is a testament to this commitment. This initiative ensures that iconic games remain playable on modern systems, even after their developers have ceased support. Let’s dive into the latest additions to this program and explore the backstory of this noble endeavor.

Latest Additions: LEGO Games and F.E.A.R.

The GOG Preservation Program recently welcomed a slew of classic LEGO games and the horror shooter F.E.A.R. into its fold. These additions are not just about nostalgia; they are about ensuring that these beloved titles remain accessible and enjoyable for future generations.

LEGO Games: GOG has added 11 classic LEGO games to its Preservation Program. This includes fan favorites like LEGO Batman: The Video Game, LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures, and LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game. These games have been updated to ensure compatibility with modern PCs, running at a default 1080p resolution with V-Sync enabled and a locked 60Hz frame rate.

F.E.A.R.: In a move to honor the contributions of the now-shuttered developer Monolith Productions, GOG has added F.E.A.R. Platinum to its Preservation Program ahead of schedule. This collection includes the base game and its expansions, ensuring that the legacy of Monolith’s work lives on.

The GOG Preservation Program is more than just a collection of old games; it’s a commitment to preserving gaming history. The idea was born out of a recognition that many classic games were becoming unplayable due to technological advancements and the discontinuation of support from developers.

The GOG Preservation Program aims to ensure that classic games remain playable on modern and future systems. This involves updating games to be compatible with current operating systems, fixing bugs, and sometimes even enhancing the graphics and gameplay. The program also includes dedicated tech support and offline installers, ensuring that players can enjoy these classics without any hassle.

Community Involvement

GOG actively involves the gaming community in its preservation efforts. Players can vote for their favorite classic games to be added to the program, ensuring that the most beloved titles are preserved. This community-driven approach helps GOG prioritize which games to update and maintain.

The GOG Preservation Program is a beacon of hope for gamers who cherish the classics. By ensuring that these games remain accessible and playable, GOG is preserving a vital part of gaming history. Whether you’re a fan of LEGO adventures or the spine-chilling thrills of F.E.A.R., the GOG Preservation Program has something for everyone. So, let’s celebrate these timeless classics and the efforts to keep them alive for generations to come.

Breaking, Games, Gaming, News

Surprising Command & Conquer move by Electronic Arts

In a groundbreaking move that has thrilled gamers and developers alike, Electronic Arts has released the source code for several classic titles in the Command & Conquer series. This decision marks a significant milestone in the history of gaming, as it not only preserves the legacy of these iconic real-time strategy (RTS) games but also empowers the community to breathe new life into them.

The Command & Conquer series, often abbreviated as C&C, debuted in 1995 with Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn. Developed by Westwood Studios, the game was a pioneer in the RTS genre, introducing players to a world of strategic warfare, resource management, and gripping narratives. The series quickly gained a cult following, with subsequent titles like Red Alert, Renegade, and Generals cementing its place in gaming history.

Over the years, the franchise faced challenges, including the closure of Westwood Studios in 2003 and mixed reception to later entries. Despite these hurdles, the C&C community remained passionate, keeping the spirit of the games alive through mods, fan projects, and online forums.

The Road to Open Source

EA’s decision to release the source code for Tiberian Dawn, Red Alert, Renegade, and Generals under the GNU General Public License (GPL) is a testament to the enduring legacy of the series. This initiative builds on the success of the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection, released in 2020, which included remastered versions of Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert. The remastered collection was praised for its faithful recreation of the originals and its inclusion of modding tools.

The journey to open source was spearheaded by Luke “CCHyper” Feenan, a veteran of the C&C community and a key figure in the development of the remastered collection. Over the past year, Feenan worked closely with EA to restore the original source code archives to a buildable state. This meticulous process involved recovering and organizing decades-old files, ensuring that the code could be used effectively by the community.

What This Means for the Community

The release of the source code is a game-changer for the C&C community. Modders and developers now have unprecedented access to the inner workings of these classic games, enabling them to create new content, fix bugs, and even develop entirely new experiences. EA has also introduced Steam Workshop support for several titles, making it easier than ever for players to share and discover mods.

This move is not just about preserving the past; it’s about inspiring the future. By opening up the source code, EA has given the community the tools to innovate and expand upon the foundations laid by Westwood Studios. Whether it’s creating new campaigns, enhancing graphics, or experimenting with gameplay mechanics, the possibilities are endless.

The release of the source code is a bold step that underscores EA’s commitment to the C&C franchise and its fans. It acknowledges the importance of community-driven creativity and the role it plays in keeping classic games relevant in an ever-evolving industry.

As we look to the future, one thing is clear: the Command & Conquer series is far from over. With the passion and ingenuity of its community, these games will continue to inspire and entertain for generations to come.

Featured, Gaming, Hardware/Console, News, PC

AMD Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT are officially (re)announced

AMD has officially unveiled its latest graphics card, the Radeon RX 9070 XT, alongside its sibling, the RX 9070. These GPUs are built on AMD’s cutting-edge RDNA 4 architecture, promising a blend of high performance, efficiency, and affordability. Here’s everything you need to know about this exciting release.

Price and Availability

The Radeon RX 9070 XT is priced at $599, while the RX 9070 starts at $549. Both models are set to hit the market globally on March 6, 2025. This aggressive pricing strategy positions AMD as a strong competitor to NVIDIA, particularly against the RTX 5070 Ti, which is priced at $749.

The RX 9070 XT boasts impressive performance metrics:

  • Up to 51% faster than its predecessor, the RX 6900 XT, in 4K gaming.
  • Enhanced ray tracing capabilities with third-generation ray accelerators.
  • Improved AI-driven upscaling, thanks to second-generation AI accelerators.

AMD claims that the RX 9070 XT delivers comparable performance to NVIDIA’s RTX 5070 Ti but at a significantly lower price point. This makes it an attractive option for gamers seeking high-end performance without breaking the bank.

Key Features

  1. RDNA 4 Architecture: The new architecture introduces dynamic register allocation for better resource utilization and enhanced compute units for improved parallel processing.
  2. Memory Management: Optimized memory bandwidth usage ensures faster data processing and reduced latency.
  3. FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4): The latest iteration of AMD’s upscaling technology offers sharper visuals and higher frame rates, making it ideal for demanding gaming scenarios.

AMD’s pricing strategy and technological advancements send a clear message to the GPU market: high-performance gaming doesn’t have to come at a premium price. By undercutting NVIDIA’s pricing while delivering comparable or superior performance, AMD is poised to dominate the mid-to-high-end GPU segment in 2025.

Fidelity Super Resolution 4 is an RDNA4 exclusive

AMD has also re-confirmed that FSR 4 utilizes FP8 capabilities of RDNA 4’s 2nd gen AI accelerators, which means older generation will have to resort in the possibility of backporting FSR 4 or its subsets to older cards, but the alternative is currently unknown if AMD is doing the effort.

What is official is that FSR 4 promises to offer up to a 3.7x fps boost at 4K with ray tracing enabled. Essentially, Hypr-RX enables all aforementioned features for a game with a single click in the Adrenalin driver.

RDNA 4 cards will ship with Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 25.3.1 that offers a few nifty AI-powered features while largely retaining the familiar interface.

The latest Adrenalin offers Radeon Image Sharpening 2 that offers system-wide image sharpening without reliance on any third-party API. There’s support for up to 8K 75 fps video codec acceleration and hardware flip metering, leveraging the changes to the media engine in RDNA 4.

AMD is also bundling a few utilities with Adrenalin 25.3.1 including AMD Chat, Image Inspector, and AI Apps Manager.