760°

Half-Life 2 with HDR

The Fakefactory Cinematic Mod 7 is out, and it delivers something that the original Half-Life 2 is not capable of: HDR-Rendering in the way Valve does it. While this is not comparable to "real" HDR effects, the bloom effects look cool anyway. German website PCGH.de shows a lot of screenshot comparisons, so you can choose whether the hefty 5 Gigabyte download is worth the traffic.

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mighty_douche5886d ago (Edited 5886d ago )

ah... I was hoping to see some actual HL2 with HDR shots, instead its just some geeks HL2 photoshopped w*nk bank material. Guess the caption gave it away.

Some of the scenery is nice though.

Ghoul5886d ago (Edited 5886d ago )

what are you talking about

this is a real mod and ingame.

but it looks bad imo, i loved alyx for NOT beeing hypersexualized and now they turned her into a wankimagery, awefull. the new lighting is nice the rest is not type.

Kakkoii5886d ago

Meh, that's just your preference I guess. But when I'm playing a game. I like to enjoy what I'm looking at. And that upgrade to her definitely improves gameplay experience for me :)

(Damn she's fine now lol. Just look at the detail put into her body :P.)

TheIneffableBob5886d ago

The mod comes with a tool to switch Alyx's skin. You can use the original if you'd like, but the mod comes with numerous custom skins.

Avto5886d ago

wait HDR is something all modern games have right, although some X360 games make me wonder, so what's up with Half-Life.

ambientFLIER5886d ago

No, there aren't many modern games that use HDR on the consoles. Halo 3 is one, and there are a few others, but they're coming, slowly but surely.

Extreme_Coolcat5886d ago

Erm, this is real time rendering, not photoshopped. But you're right, some of the effects look overdone, but the guys who make the mod do constant tweaking.

Leo Atrox5886d ago

Is this just an illusion produced soley on having different textures on the models?

Well, not to say that it isn't better, but if they're promoting lighting effects, then it seems like a scam to me. Anybody can swap out textures and say "look how different it looks." Well, no kidding it looks different; we're looking at different things.

The different textures hides the lighting effects that their talking about. Leave the original textures and show the effects ... Then we can see whether it is better or not. Or we need a video comparison. HDR--real or simulated--is about motion. Stills don't show HDR. They show textures.

TheIneffableBob5886d ago

FakeFactory's Cinematic Mod is mainly a texture upgrade mod with some added cinematic music and model modifications. The latest version adds a type of bloom tonemapping that simulates HDR.

ianp6225886d ago

I like the lighting better, but I hate the new character faces. Why did they change them?

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130°

Essential Video Games Everyone Needs To Play At Least Once

Video games are no longer just a simple past time. Today's games are evolving into true works of art. Offering intriguing narratives, cinematic setpieces, and profound messages, games can entertain us for hundreds of hours.

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Chard13d ago (Edited 13d ago )

I never got around to mass effect - I’m skeptical that it would hold up if I were to try it now

Furesis13d ago

I would say it does. The combat is a bit shit for todays standards but everything else is great.

anast13d ago

It's worth a play through today.

gold_drake13d ago

the first one is abit the odd one out but after u finished it, believe it it gets tremendously better and better

230°

All the Essential Video Games Everyone Needs To Play At Least Once

Given the medium's wild diversity, this primer of the essential video games everyone should try is a good place to start.

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thorstein56d ago

.... from the 2000s (mostly).

shinoff218356d ago

I can't fk with this list. They missed on alot of games probably before the writers times. Also I know people loved some portal but I was never a fan.

Cacabunga56d ago

Tomb Raider 1
Driver 1
Abe’s Odyssey
FF6
King of Fighters 94
Mortal Kombat OG
LINK 2 the past
Street Fighter 2
Resident Evil 1

Inverno56d ago

Infinite but not the first two games? Witcher 3 but not the first two games?? GTA V but not literally any of the games before it??? Portal 2 but not the first? Also if you're going to play Shadow of The Colossus play the remaster and not the remake. Can't say I disagree with the list but my man it's all over the place.

Name Last Name56d ago

I mean some sequels are objectively better and you don’t need to play the whole series.

Inverno56d ago

But most of these games have a story to follow, sure you can catch up with a YouTube vid but where's the fun in that?

LucasRuinedChildhood55d ago (Edited 55d ago )

A list like this isn't telling you not to play the previous games if you want to. It's just giving you legendary games to play.

But tbh, you don't always have to force yourself to play every entry in a franchise to get to the better ones.

- The vast majority of Witcher 3 players never played the first 2 and had a great time. The first 2 games aren't in the same league.
- The GTA games are self-contained with the odd fun reference. You can easily jump into any of them.
- The Shadow Of The Colossus remake looks and controls better than the original (plus it has a 60fps option while the remaster is just 30fps). New players will enjoy it more.
- Portal 2 is a lot better than Portal 1 and takes the concept much further gameplay-wise. Storywise, Portal 1 is fairly light too. Not that you shouldn't play it but realistically ... you'd love Portal 2 whether you play it or not (at lot of Portal 2 players have never played 1).

Bioshock 1 is the only one I agree with you on simply because it's one the best games of all time and arguably better than Infinite. No other setting like Rapture.

Looking at the list, I'd recommend playing Uncharted 1 before 2 but no doubt, 2 is the legendary one you have to play.

Inverno55d ago

I get it, but that's just my opinion on his opinion. I just think that before you play a sequel you should still play what came before it. Maybe it's just me but i find it fascinating playing through the first game in a series and seeing how it has evolved through its sequels. Like I said I don't disagree with the list, other than SoTC which I strongly believe the remaster of the original should be played above the remake.

AuraAbjure55d ago

Awesome list! Hot take on Fear (and it's hard af expansion Persaus Mandate!) Bioshock Infinite is stellar, so is the Witcher 3 and you nailed it by having Ocarina of Time. So many fantastic games! Gotta play 'em all! Next one on my list is Prey after I beat Dead Space 2 and Splinter Cell Conviction.

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80°

All The Major 2024 Game Anniversaries Worth Celebrating

The 2024 Game Anniversaries include some major titles including Half-Life 2, Uncharted 2, and Minecraft.

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