Since Counter-Strike 2's full launch in September 2023, Valve has been continuously pushing updates to fix all the issues plaguing the game. The title has received massive changes after leaving the Limited Test, overhauling important parts of the game in the following patches, primarily dealing with the sub-tick system. As per the current release notes for November 16, 2023, Valve has brought forth a plethora of changes for the title, tweaking the sub-tick system's animations, weapon animations, and other UI issues.

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Also read: Counter-Strike 2 Release Notes: Reworked Agent Skin, Jump Animation Adjustments, And More

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AWP Buff in Latest Update: Complete Counter-Strike 2 Release Notes for November 16, 2023

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Gameplay

• More sub-tick visual and audio feedback improvements
• Reduced sniper scope bob animation magnitude and frequency
• Fixed a bug causing duck to be slower when the Duck Mode was set to Toggle
• Fixed a case where grenade throws weren't registering on the server
• Thrown grenades no longer prematurely detonate if thrown while intersecting a teammate
• Players can no longer mitigate fall damage by defusing the bomb
• Adjusted weapon drop trajectories to make throwing weapons more consistent, especially when throwing weapons downward
• When a network interruption is detected by official game servers, the affected match will be canceled
• Added unique sounds for running and jumping on metal railings and poles

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Animation

• Fixed a bug that occurred when interrupting the CZ75a deployment with inspect
• Fixed the inspection and other animations for the Shadow Daggers
• Fixed a 'broken wrist' animation with the Survival Knife
• Adjusted the Mac10 first-person animation to include strap and bolt movement
• Fixed AWP and SSG firing animation/inspect behavior while zoomed in
• Fixed a case where the Deagle slide would fail to reset on round restart
• The Revolver barrel now incrementally rotates for each shot
• Fixed some animation issues with weapons placed in community maps
• Fixed cases where the C4 light would not blink when held or holstered by players
• Fixed some cases where the player's shadow would show an incorrect pose

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Miscellaneous

• Fixed a bug where bot_knives_only didn't work for T's
• Fixed some visual issues with demo playback
• Improved performance of screen particle effects
• Fixed the Mute Enemy Team and Mute All But Friends settings failing to mute the voice
• Text from blocked players will no longer be visible in the premier pregame chat
• Players frozen by half-time game rules are now immune to certain damage types
• Decals now evict the lowermost decal if enough decals overlap in a single location
• Player visibility fog adjustment no longer applies to dead ragdolls
• Smoke particles no longer stick to dead ragdolls
• Fixed self/team burn damage getting recorded as enemy damage

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UI

• Revised some common chat strings
• Added convert cl_deathnotices_show_numbers for observers to have quick access to the player's spectate index
• Added a warning message for AMD and Nvidia graphics users with out-of-date drivers
• The "Kevlar & Helmet" entry in the Buy Menu will now present itself as simply "Helmet" when contextually correct
• Added time to weekly rollover to the reduced XP message in the player profile tooltip
• Fixed kill feed and death panel not displaying correct information if the killer died earlier or disconnected
• Fixed round-delayed stats not updating at match end
• Changed deathmatch scoreboard stats from K/D/A/Score to K/HS%/DMG/Score
• Fixed case where text during defuse would get cut off
• Added direction indicators to players in the square radar
• Fixed case where the kill icon would not display in the post-round damage info panel
• Fixed bad string in the commend dialog panel
• Fixed case where round stats in the Watch Menu would be assigned to the wrong side

Workshop

• Fixed custom sound events files in workshop maps
• Added some material settings for water refraction/caustics
• Workshop maps can now be tagged as supporting Wingman mode
• Linux clients can now run workshop maps without requiring -insecure
• Added trigger_hostage_reset trigger and logic_eventlistener entities
• Added covers sv_walkable_normal and sv_standable_normal to allow community servers to tweak player movement on angled surfaces
• Fixed health getting clipped when it exceeds 3 digits

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Maps

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Overpass

• Fixed various cases where level mesh was disappearing occasionally
• Various visual updates and fixes to models and materials
• Straightened out some collision that was pushing players off of walls or corners
• Turned off the collision of some light fixtures that were pushing players off of walls
• Added a metal plate to swat van to hide player feet, adjusted clipping around the van
• Fixed some small holes in the world
• Fixed some texture mapping seams
• Added player clipping on some floor grates to smooth player movement
• Fixed some issues with the collision and surface property of fire extinguishers
• Added and adjusted some grenade clipping
• Adjusted some clipping on boxes and cable stacks in the connector

Ancient

• More player and grenade clip adjustments
• Closed various holes and cracks in the world

Mirage

• Fixed clipping around scaffolding at bombsite b to prevent one-way peeking through geo

Office

• Fixed player getting stuck on a large crate in the garage
• General grenade clip polish
• The vending machine break sequence now only happens once to avoid strobing lights
• Removed collision from pipes and CCTV cameras at CT spawn garage
• Added grenade clips to doors at the stairwell
• Fixed hole in door frame at t-spawn
• Fixed texture errors on the ceiling in the conference room
• Fixed some lighting errors on low settings
• Fixed weapons getting stuck behind crates in the back way
• Fixed lighting artifacts in the front courtyard
• Fixed bad boost onto electrical boxes in the garage

Anubis

• Fixed z-fighting on stairs in the connector
• Improved ground at bombsite A so that it has more accurate footstep sounds
• Fixed gap in the world around them B-site planting area
• Fixed z-fighting a backdrop temple near t-spawn
• Fixed missing collision at connector that would allow grenades to fall through the world
• Fixed hole in the world at the street that allowed players to see through to the canal
• Fixed vis issue on street looking back to t-spawn
• Fixed UV stretching in the connector
• Sealed up holes in building rooftops for the entire level to prevent grenades from getting stuck in the void
• Fixed holes in the lower tunnel
• Fixed hole in canal

Inferno

• Moved bucket on scaffolding on bombsite B that could be mistaken for player during combat
• Closed hole to prevent grenades from falling through the map on bombsite A
• More player clip adjustments
• Fixed various micro gaps

Nuke

• Minor clipping fixes on rooftops and hut
• Better caustics in the pool at the B site
• Fixed vis issue in the garage looking towards hell

Vertigo

• Fixed some light fixtures showing backfaces
• Fixed some light fixtures being misaligned
• Fixed missing vent pieces in Tunnels
• Attempt to fix players clipping through wood boards by stairwell at bombsite b
• The fixed bad clip above the door at the elevator
• Fixed flashbang inconsistency with metal gratings at scaffolding
• Fixed missing collision on horizontal tower beams at B-site
• Added grenade clips around bombsite b to prevent smoke from getting caught in bad spaces
• Cleaned up geo and did a grenade clip pass around the scaffold to make grenades work better
• Added grenade clip to B platform
• Fixed disconnected girders in mid
• Moved stack of drywall at back door>b for better movement/cover
• Improved clipping at the side
• Jobsite injury signs are more responsive

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Sega’s popular Virtua Fighter series is set to make a return, the publisher has confirmed, some 18 years after the launch of its most recent numbered installment, Virtua Fighter 5.

Since then, there’ve been numerous updated releases of Virtua Fighter 5 with 2021’s Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown, itself a remaster of the earlier Final Showdown, alongside mobile installments, and even an arcade update for Virtual Fighter 3. What’s missing from the series, though, is a brand-new game.

Also Read: Assassin’s Creed Shadows Will Have New Angle For Storyline

What To Expect From Sega’s New Virtua Game

Sega’s new global head of transmedia, Justin Scarpone, has offered some hope in an interview with VGC. "So we have a suite of titles in development right now that fall into that legacy bucket," he explained, "which we announced last year at The Game Awards; Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Streets of Rage, Shinobi."

"And we have another Virtua Fighter being developed," Scrapone added, before covering over the revelation completely, "And then in certain instances, we're also doing animation series, or live-action films to augment that and be part of those roadmaps."

Despite announcing a plethora of legacy game revivals last year - including Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Streets of Rage, Shinobi, Golden Axe, “and more” - details remain limited. Sega has shared a little about its Crazy Taxi update -- calling it an open-world, massively multiplayer game that’s “AAA” in scope.

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Sega Teases Shadow The Hedgehog Design In New Sketches

One of the best parts of Sonic x Shadow Generations, released last week, is the wealth of music, stories, and art in the game’s Collection. Acquired hidden emblems throughout each stage can be used as keys to unlock treasure chests throughout the White Space central hub zone and, with a quick shift of location, Shadow can check out his history through some wonderful artwork.

Earlier, Hoshino worked as an artist and character designer on several games such as Sonic the Hedgehog CD, Sonic Adventure, and Sonic Heroes. Shadow the Hedgehog as a character was first launched in 2001’s Sonic Adventure 2 as the ‘Ultimate Lifeform,’ before appearing in his own standalone game in 2005 where he wields a gun. Hoshino worked as an art director on both projects. With further details provided by Hoshino, the sketches reveal early concepts for not only Shadow’s design, but the proposed weaponry, and bad guy Black Doom.

"I wanted to create a deep, mature story suited to backstory. Shadow was created with the idea of him being a lead character and not just part of a cast of characters," Hoshino tells Eurogamer of working on the Shadow the Hedgehog game, where that promise was fulfilled.

The recent Silent Hill 2 remake will be enhanced for PS5 Pro. Released for PS5 and PC in October, Silent Hill 2 sold over a million copies in its first three days, instantly becoming a huge hit. Soon, PS5 Pro users will be able to enjoy the new version of this classic title.

While some gamers were skeptical of Bloober Team’s ability to remake the classic Silent Hill 2, the game was praised for its combat and atmosphere. With Silent Hill 2 receiving mostly positive reviews from critics, it obtained an average score of 87 on the review aggregate site OpenCritic.

Also Read: Ex-Red Dead Redemption 2 Dev Working On New Game

Bloober Team and Konami Improving The Game

Now, the Silent Hill 2 remake has been tagged as “PS5 Pro Enhanced” on the PS Store, indicating that Bloober Team and Konami have decided to upgrade the game for the launch of Sony’s new console model. Sadly, there are currently no details on how exactly the upgraded version will work.

The current version of Silent Hill 2 for PS5 has both Performance Mode and Quality Mode, enabling gamers to run the game at 1440p with 30fps, or 1080p with 6-FPS, respectively.

Given the scenario, it’s likely that the PS5 Pro Update will make way for greater resolutions and frame rates at the same time. It’s also likely that the Bloober Team will unveil a new Silent Hill 2 update soon to implement these changes.

Also Read: Xbox Game Pass November Line-Up Revealed

When Is The Game Coming To PS5 Pro

What’s surprising about the PS5 Pro Enhanced version of Silent Hill 2 is that it was not properly announced before. Recently, Sony released a list of games confirmed to get PS5 upgrades. While the list included popular titles such as Alan Wake 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Final Fantasy 7, Rebirth, Horizon Forbidden West, and others, it did not include the remake of Konami’s classic horror game.

The PS5 Pro will break cover on November 7, and it has been a very controversial topic since its original announcement. The console is being released at a hefty price of $700 in the US, and it may be even more expensive in other countries.

Despite the new model offering a 45% faster GPU and advanced ray tracing, the high price prompted a discussion about whether the console was worth it, as a normal PS5 would still run the same games and be considerably less expensive.

Steam Game Recording is officially out of beta and available to all users, giving PC, Mac, and Steam Deck players a built-in way to record and share audio and video from their gaming sessions.

The console joins many other ways PC gamers have been able to record their highlights, including as a feature of tools like the Xbox Game bar, Nvidia GeForce, and AMD’s Adrenalin.

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Valve Updates Steam Game Recording

The version of the Steam client is also the first to drop support for Windows 7 and 8 machines, as well as Macs running macOS 10.13 and 10.14 after the company announced the move at the beginning of this year.

After an automatic update, players can start recording manually using a hotkey or set it to trigger automatically, with options to restrict the length, quality, and storage space that Steam can use. Valve says it works with any game, including now-Steam games that enable Steam Overlay to run. The recording is off by default -- users will find its settings in a new Game Recording tab in Steam’s settings.

The company has updated Steam Game Recording with a handful of new features that weren’t there when the beta period began in June, including adding “advanced” export options and the ability to configure game-specific settings. Valve also added Session View, which includes a “Recordings & Screenshots manager with game-specific tags and data.”

Also Read: Diablo 4 Rolls Out New Hotfix Update For November 2024

Valve To Stop Releasing New Steam Deck Models Yearly

The Steam Deck will not be getting yearly updates. At least that’s what one of its designers has suggested. But a Steam Deck 2 will likely happen at some point. During an interview with Reviews.org (via The Verge), Steam Deck designer Lawrence Yang said, "We’re not going to do a bump every year. There’s no reason to do that."

He explained that he thought it wasn’t fair to users to provide only incremental improvements each year. He said, "...we do want to wait for a generational leap in computing without sacrificing battery life before we ship the real second generation of Steam Deck." This aligns with previous statements from Valve. On many occasions in 2023, Valve employees stated that a more powerful Steam Deck would be years away-- late 2025 at the earliest.

Valve engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais explained that part of the Steam Deck brand is that every model can play the same games; Valve doesn’t want to change that until Steam Deck performance gets a significant jump without compromising on the battery life. During the interview, Yang did note that the company is working on a Steam Deck successor.

Users don’t have to take great pains to preserve their Switch to make sure they can still play their favorite games on it years and years from now. Nintendo has revealed in its earnings report that the upcoming successor to the Switch will have backward compatibility and will be able to run games made for the current console.

Moreover, Switch Online will also be available on the Switch 2, which means their saves stored on the cloud will be carried over and they will be able to play NES, SNES, and Game Boy games on the new console.

The company explained that it’s making Switch Online available on the upcoming console because it thinks it’s important for Nintendo’s future to "carry over the good relationship" it has built with its more than 100 million annual playing users to the new device.

Also Read: Sony To Introduce 50+ Games To PS5 Pro On Launch Day

How Will Current Games Work On Nintendo Switch 2

The main way to do this is to make use of the Nintendo Account, which ties a user’s history to one account and allows the company to "maintain a continuous relationship" with them across console generations.

Before the Nintendo Account was introduced, Nintendo had no easy way to carry a user’s history and purchase the next console. "As a result, our relationship with the consumers was interrupted when a new system was purchased," it said.

The company assured to give out more information about the Switch 2 "at a later date," though it didn’t say when exactly. In a recent event where we thought the new console could be launched, Nintendo introduced an alarm clock instead.

Considering its earnings results, it looks like people could choose to wait for the new console instead of buying the current Switch. The company had to downgrade its sales forecast for the fiscal year due to a big decline in console sales compared to the same periods last year.

Also Read: Intel Teams With Dentsu Gaming, StreamO For Gamer Days 2024

Nintendo Switch 2 Launch “Very Unlikely” Before 2025

Nintendo is now “very unlikely” to launch its highly-anticipated Switch 2 hardware this year, a games industry analyst has told Eurogamer. The recent financial results from Nintendo revealed a larger-than-expected drop in hardware and software sales for the current Switch, as the console ages and its release calendar quietens.

The results also passed by without even talking about Switch 2 being shown - and perhaps with Nintendo’s new hardware not due to arrive until sometime in 2025 - for good reason.

During an interaction with Eurogamer, industry analyst Serkan Toto, CEO of Japanese game industry consultancy Kantan Games, said any mention of the anticipated Switch 2 now would only further hamper Switch 1 sales during the console’s last holiday season.

Almost a year ago, Rockstar Games released the first trailer for GTA 6, which marks the franchise’s first sequel since Grand Theft Auto 5 in 2013. Fans had been hoping that today’s fiscal report for Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive, would include a new GTA 6 trailer.

While that did not happen, Take-Two did confirm that the GTA sequel is still on track for a fall 2025 release. While speaking with CNBC, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledged that some of the company’s old games have slipped from their planned release dates.

Also Read: BioWare’s Dragon Age Trilogy Remaster 'Wouldn’t be Easy'

Rockstar Confident About GTA 6 Launch Timeline

However, Zelnick expressed his confidence that GTA 6 would make its release window. Zelnick also emphasized that the extended development of the game is more centered on enhancing the experience rather than removing out.

"In the case of an extraordinary title, for which there are extraordinary expectations, it's not really about bugs, it's about creating an experience that no one's seen before, and Rockstar Games seeks perfection in what they do," explained Zelnick. "And perfection is indeed hard to measure, it is more subjective than objective."

The company noted in this year’s fiscal statements that GTA 5 has sold 205 million copies to date across all platforms, while Red Dead Redemption 2 had 67 million copies to its name.

Take-Two also revealed that Borderlands 4 and Mafia: the Old Country is set to be released during the company’s fiscal 2026, which should fall between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026. The other upcoming games mentioned by name, CSR Racing 3 and Judas, have no specific release window yet.

Also Read: Nintendo Switch 2 Launch “Very Unlikely” Before 2025

Former Developer Claims GTA 6 Will ‘Blow People Away’

Game designer Ben Hinchliffe has worked at Rockstar Games for over 10 years, and he contributed to games like Grand Theft Auto V, Read Dear Redemption II, and Grand Theft Auto VI before parting ways with the company in 2022. During a recent interview, Hinchliffe briefly discussed GTA VI, saying he believes the game will “blow people away” and be a smashing success when it comes to sales.

"It will sell an absolute ton, as it always does. People will be talking about it for ages afterward, just like they do with GTA 5," Hinchliffe told GTA VI O'clock. "I think they've raised the bar again. They always do, and they have done again with GTA 6."

When asked about what he’s most excited about GTA VI, Hinchliffe said he’s keen on seeing how the game has evolved since he left in 2022. He did not give out any information, as it is expected to be a secretive project. Hinchliffe now works at Sniper Elite VR studio Just Add Water.