Crimson Desert arrives today on PC and console, and if you have been waiting for this game, I think you are in for a treat. I have been playing the game for a couple of weeks, not for review (Gaming Nexus has decided to review Crimson Desert on PlayStation Pro), but rather to get a feel for the title and to create other content, like the guide that will be going live tonight.

With that goal in mind, I never intended to play as much of Crimson Desert as I have. I figured I would drop in, get a feel for the game, and drop back out. Instead, my save file is pushing 50 hours and I've barely left the opening area. I can see the titular Crimson Desert on my map, but it seems very far away indeed. I don't think I'm going to be getting there this month. Indeed, I might aim towards arriving in the desert sometime this summer. Suffice it to say that Crimson Desert's beautiful and ornate world has pulled me in, big time. I'm in no hurry to leave.

If I were reviewing Crimson Desert right now, I would give it it a 9.5. The only thing keeping the game from a solid 10 in my mind are the janky control system and weird UI choices. You have probably read some reviews by now, and have seen various complaints about the main character being bland, and the story being obtuse and non-propulsive. These are legitimate complaints. I just don't care. 

Yes, the boss fights are way too hard. Yes, the inventory system kinda sucks. Yes, you need to constantly hunt for food and gather ore to upgrade your gear. Don't care. Don't care. Don't care. If players make enough ruckus, a lot of that weirdness can be patched out (if Pearl Abyss even wants to do so). But none of that stuff changes the fact that Crimson Desert is possibly the best single player open world game I've ever played. Or, if you prefer that I not use terms like "the best", we can just call it my favorite open world game. 

For an example of why I love this game so much, let me tell you a quick story about about a goose. A few days ago, I was walking through a little village, just minding my own business. A couple of geese were crossing in front of me. I ignored the geese and kept walking. This led to my character getting his feet tangled up with a goose. My guy actually kinda stumbled, and the goose honked at me angrily. It happened so fast that I was a bit dumbfounded, like "Did that actually just happen?". Because what that means is that whoever created this game actually sat around and thought "What if the player stumbles over a goose?" and then Pearl Abyss accounted for that interaction with a goose-stumbling animation. 

That goose interaction is why this game might be my favorite open world game. The level of detail and interaction with the gorgeous open world is just insane, and it seeps into every corner of the world. You can literally pluck insects out of the air and put them into your inventory. You can grab a nearby racoon and chuck it over a cliff. If you bump into somebody carrying a basket of oranges, the dump the oranges on the ground and then kneel down and start picking them up one by one. And you can steal the dang oranges if you are feeling rude. 

Yes, a lot of the game design is obtuse, but that is purposeful. In a brief chat with Pearl Abyss before the review period, their representative mentioned that the company isn't overly "into tutorials". They are proud of it. It's an ethic. It's a guiding principal. And for whatever reason, that lack of guidance has clicked with me in a way I never expected it to. I hate games that leave you to figure things out on your own, but for whatever reason I want to figure things out in Crimson Desert, much in the way that I wanted to figure things out in the modern Legend of Zelda titles.

Because that's what this game feels like. It feels like an enormous Legend of Zelda game, if all of the Nintendo friendliness was stripped out, and the world builders let George R.R. Martin take a crack at the world building. Your character can do a lot of the same things that Link can do in Zelda, from levitating items to swooping across the sky on a glider. There is a lot of shared DNA with a lot of titles, frankly, but there is a maturity and complexity here that feels missing from other similar games. And no, I'm not saying that Zelda is a kids game (I love Zelda). I'm just saying that it's the closest comparison I can make to Crimson Desert, and the more adult nature of this game is one of the differentiating factors. The same sense of discovery and wonder is present, it just feels like it is projected through a more mature lens.

The depth of the setting is frankly stunning in a way that makes the actual story taking place secondary to the experience of just being there. The world of Crimson Desert feels mature and fleshed out in a way that dwarfs most other games on the market. I have found exploring the cities and wilderness to be endlessly fascinating and enormously entertaining. The visuals are beautiful and detailed in a way that few games are, and the map is full of secrets that feel impenetrable and deeply mysterious. 

In most games, it feels like the world has been set up specifically for the player character to interact and explore. In Crimson Desert, it feels like the world doesn't care if you are there or not. If you don't show up at the market, the market will still be busily going about it's business. Those nerds up in the tower will still be doing their research into the Abyss. Farmers will farm. Blacksmiths will blacksmith. This "living world" dynamic is a feeling that a lot of games try to emulate, but few really achieve. Crimson Desert pulls it off.

After fifty hours with the game, I'm delighted that I'm not actually reviewing the game; I find that I don't much care about advancing the story, and I don't want to rush through it. I'm taking my time and relishing the experience. I just like tromping around in this world. Sometimes the story moves forward if I wander into the appropriate area to trigger the next quest, and sometimes I go for hours dorking around with my pickaxe. And sometimes I just run around all day doing favors for people, or doing quests to increase my standing with a particular faction so I can get some sweet new boots. In many ways this meandering pace I've set for myself feels like playing an MMO, except the world feels far richer and more alive than in any MMO I've ever played. 

Crimson Desert feels "next gen" in a way that very few games do, and it is utterly unique. Those that want the game to be similar to every other game are completely missing the point. This is a game that refuses to play by the rule book. It knows what it wants to do, and it does it with style and intrigue. Pearl Abyss is operating an a peculiar frequency here, but if you are able to tune into that vibe, you will groove with it deeply. If you've wondered if this game is for you, I would encourage you to give it a shot.

At GTC, NVIDIA unveiled their next version of DLSS with DLSS 5. This looks to be a big leap over what the previous DLSS versions do in terms of improving visual fidelity. 

With DLSS 5, NVIDIA is using AI to, as they put it, "infuse the scene with photoreal lighting and materials that are anchored to source 3D content". DLSS 5 can drastically change the look of the original game and you can see the differences below in the video. In Resident Evil Requiem, Grace has a much more defined face with what looks to be more detailed hair. The background does look more realistic with more detail in things such as the post beside her and the items in the window.

Starfield's effect is pretty dramatic. The characters have a more realistic appearance and items in the background have a bigger pop to them. It does change the lighting of the example scenes though, which can be argued that that's not what the game truly depicts.

There are other interesting examples in the video, that I can see will cause some divisive opinions. It does beg the question if these features should be used as it can change the scene dramatically.

NVIDIA does say they will offer the tools for developers to mask out areas they don't want DLSS 5 to be used on. While I think that's a good option, it will add more work to someone's plate and game developers are already on tight deadlines with what they are tasked with.

Also, these changes do not reflect what the artists and developers of these games worked towards when creating it. I would be interested to hear how some of these folks feel about AI being used to change the aesthetic of their game. There's also many other unanswered questions such as how will this affect latency and what's the lowest tier of graphics card that can be used to run DLSS 5.

These effects were accomplished with another GeForce RTX 5090 in the system working in conjunction with the main GPU in the system so it's not an efficient setup to achieve these effects. NVIDIA has stated they will optimize it to work with one video card when it's released, so we'll have to see if you'll get the same visuals when they push this out to the public. I won't be surprised if they offer an option to run the AI features on a secondary video card.

The long-rumored PlayStation 5 version of Starfield is real and it’s landing on April 7th for $49.99, in addition to a premium edition for $69.99 that includes all DLCs. On the same day, Starfield’s largest update yet — Free Lanes — and a new premium story DLC — Terran Armada — will be available on all platforms.

The Free Lanes update includes an expanded space travel system that allows players to fly freely between planets in the same star system. Additionally, enemy encounter frequency is getting upped, new resources are being added, and there will be new ways to upgrade your Starborn abilities.

Meanwhile, the Terran Armada DLC sees the rise of the Terran Armada and its army of robots as it tries to bring unity to the Settled Systems. Those pesky robots are always up to something, eh? The new DLC also introduces new tech, a new companion, and new rewards.

On PS5, Starfield will include support for adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, and the PS5 Pro, which will support both native 4K running at 30 frames per second, or upscaled 4K at 60 frames per second.

See you amongst the stars in a few weeks, friends.

Warner Bros. Games has announced that LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight will now launch a week earlier, on May 22nd, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Moving up a game’s release date doesn’t happen very often, but this is already the second major title bumping up its launch by a week following Capcom bumping up Pragmata’s release as well.

Legacy of the Dark Knight takes us to an open-world Gotham City inspired by the entirety of The Caped Crusader’s legacy across film, television, comics, and games. Pre-orders are available now for LEGO Batman, with Deluxe Edition owners getting 72-hour early access, which will now be on May 19th. There’s also a Nintendo Switch 2 version in the works, but it’s dropping later in 2026.

Netmarble is preparing to launch The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin for PC and PlayStation 5 on March 16th, and they've dropped a new PS5 features trailer to get the PlayStation fanbase excited. The free-to-play gacha-style game will feature 4K resolution, haptic feedback, and adaptive trigger support on PS5, which are always welcome additions to any game releasing on Sony's hardware.

The Seven Deadly Sins: Origins is based on the popular Japanese manga and anime, and lets players explore an open-world Britannia as Prince Tristan and team up with characters from across the series in tag-based combat to restore order following a mysterious collision of space and time (sounds serious). When you're not questing and fighting, you can go fishing, cook meals, or just explore the massive open world looking for secrets.

While it will be free-to-play at launch, a pre-order pack of currencies and other goodies is available now for $9.99. There is also a pre-launch livestream taking place today, March 14th, over on the game's YouTube channel. I don't know anything about The Seven Deadly Sins universe, but I have to admit that I'm intrigued enough to check this out.

For me this was a shocker I never thought would happen as Defender of the Crown, a classic strategy game from the late 80's is getting a modern release called Defender of the Crown: The Legend Returns. This new version will include the original Amiga version but also include a modern version with updated visuals and gameplay. 

After the King of England is assassinated, the various Lords wage battles to conquer as much land as possible and proclaim themselves as the new King. I had this game on the NES and as a kid I had no idea what I was doing but when I got older I went back and played it again and absolutely loved it.

Defender of the Crown: The Legend Returns features three modes of play... 

Retro mode

• Lets you play the original Amiga version of the game with quality of life enhancements but as close to the original version as possible.

Classic mode

• A reimagined mode featuring updated graphics, updated mechanics and smoother gameplay. 

Kingdom mode

• Features procedurally generated maps, unlockable abilities, dice rolls, and multiple difficulty levels. .

Defender of the Crown: The Legend Returns launches sometime this year on PC, Switch 2, PS5 and Series X. 

When I first heard that Mighty Coconut's new Walkabout Mini Golf course was called "Passport: Hollywood", I pictured myself putting my way through scenes of famous Hollywood films. I thought I would be driving my ball through space battles, putting between tanks in war scenes, and dodging bullets in bank heist gun fights. And that's kind of what this new course is all about, and kind of not.

As usual, Mighty Coconut puts an unexpected and delightful spin on players' expectations with Passport: Hollywood. Instead of playing through the movies themselves, players are guiding through the backlot of a 1950's Hollywood backlot, with holes nestled among the props, lights, and cameras during various film shoots. As soon as I loaded into the course and saw the Warner Brothers-style front gates and water tower, I immediately knew that the reality was even better than my expectations.

Passport: Hollywood is arguably the most detailed setting yet released for Walkabout Mini Golf. The player weaves their way through three separate film sets - an Invasion From Mars-style 50s thriller, a bank heist noir film, and a pirate adventure. On each of these sets are the prerequisite filming equipment, but there are also signs of life from the film crew. Tools are left scattered about. A stray sandwich is positioned just off-camera. At one point, the player can divert and explore a prop room off to the side of one hole, just for the fun of it.

It's fun to see the way filming techniques and special effects have been woven into the experience. The two-by-fours used to rock a car back and forth for a chase scene become obstacles on one hole. Players can dip behind rear-projection screens, and closely examine miniatures and models used for filming, even getting a hole that goes through the model-making workshop.

Lots of hiding places in this room.

Folks like me that are addicted to Walkabout's hidden-ball finding minigame better buckle up, as all of this detail means that there are a lot of places to explore in the search. It took me two times through the course to find the ten balls required to open up the Hard version of Passport: Hollywood (and I haven't made par yet - my record is +1, which makes me insane). 

While the difficulty on the easy version of the course is not overly challenging, the Hard mode is absolutely diabolical. As usual, Mighty Coconut alters some holes with simple tweaks that can stymy players, but other holes have been completely redesigned to offer a much greater challenge. I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say that the 18th hole has been escalated in a way that had me ripping my remaining gray hair out of my head.

Walkabout Mini Golf remains one of the best values in gaming, and though Mighty Coconut has scaled back slightly in their cadence of delivering new courses, Passport: Hollywood shows that while the company is slightly lowing the quantity of DLC, it is certainly not skimping on the quality. So hop in and have fun. I think everyone is on break, so you don't need to keep it quiet on the set. 

Leverless controllers freak me out. Once, because I may have been a little too disappointed when I lost a Street Fighter V match to a guy with a leverless controller, and because I just don't understand it. The controller is literally all buttons. To move up, down, left and right, it's all buttons. To do a hadouken, I push the down and forward BUTTONS once after another, I guess. I don't really know. They freak me out. My friend Jason Young once told anyone who would listen, that I could adjust to any controller to play video games. I'm disappointing him with this post. 

Turtle Beach has updated their Vitrix Pro KO Leverless Fight Stick to the Street Fighter Championship Edition. The 2024 EVO Award winning controller has all the same goodness of the current one, but now sports a Street Fighter II' Champion Edition makeover. If I could play fighting games with this, it would be a day one purchase for me. 

The Victrix Pro KO Leverless Fight Stick - Street Fighter II: Champion Edition is compatible with PS4/5, and PC, and will run you $299.99/€279.99/£249.99. It launches April 9th, and preorders and more info is available here. 

Gaming giant Acclaim has announced Super Basketball Classics, a retro arcade basketball title inspired by the classic 8-bit and 16-bit hoops games. It will also feature the Harlem Globetrotters as a part of their 100-year anniversary (wow, time flies) and is coming to PC and consoles, though no specific platforms or release date were announced.

Super Basketball Classics features retro-style arcade basketball with some modern upgrades such as smoother controls, improved animations, and modern competitive balancing, as well as the Globetrotters signature moves and trick shots. It will include three modes – Exhibition, Season, and Tournament – as well as couch co-op and competitive play.

Check out the new teaser trailer below:

There's some really big games coming soon and they're going to look their best, thanks to RTX Path Tracing from NVIDIA. Tides of Annihilation, Control: Resonant, Pragmata, and 007 First Light will be exhibiting those sweet, sweet lighting effects on GeForce RTX cards.

There's also advances in the foliage with the help of Mega Geometry. The clustering of areas helps the card work on large scenes at a faster rate. One game that will probably benefit greatly from Mea Geometry and the new foliage system with increased detail will be The Witcher IV. With a more accurate lighting and higher detail in forest areas, this tech should make for games taking place in outdoor worlds to be much more visually appealing.