HDR on PC is a bit of a mess, but provided you haven’t been put off by Windows 10’s hazy support for it or the astronomical prices of the best gaming monitors for HDR, then the next step on your path to high dynamic range glory is to get a graphics card that actually supports it. Below, you’ll find a complete list of all the Nvidia and AMD graphics cards that have built-in support for HDR, as well as everything you need to know about getting one that also supports Nvidia and AMD’s own HDR standards, G-Sync HDR and FreeSync 2.
We’ve also put together a list of all the PC games that support HDR as well. There aren’t many of them, all told, but we’ll be updating this list with more titles as and when they come out so it’s always up to date.
We’ve just passed the half-way point of 2018, so Ian Gatekeeper and all his fabulously wealthy chums over at Valve have revealed which hundred games have sold best on Steam over the past six months. It’s a list dominated by pre-2018 names, to be frank, a great many of which you’ll be expected, but there are a few surprises in there.
2018 releases Jurassic World Evolution, Far Cry 5 Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Warhammer: Vermintide II are wearing some spectacular money-hats, for example, while the relatively lesser-known likes of Raft, Eco and Deep Rock Galactic have made themselves heard above the din of triple-A marketing budgets. (more…)
Warad, a child from the southern lands of Middle-Earth, is taken from his family and sent north as a hostage of peace. Adopted by one of the principal families of the country, he takes on a new name Baranor and rises through the ranks of the Gondorian army to become second-in-command of one of its principal fortresses. One of the few men capable of keeping the forces of darkness at bay. With that background, you d be forgiven for believing that Baranor is the main character of Middle-Earth: Shadow of War. He isn t, initially. He s a prominent NPC in the campaign (even fighting alongside you in some missions), a player skin, and finally, in DLC campaign Desolation of Mordor, he’s the starring character.
This growth is impressive, not just because he s a cool character, but because Baranor is a playable black man. Someone who, in many other fantasy games, wouldn t exist. (more…)
Middle-earth: Shadow of War Desolation of Mordor is the most nonsensical sequence of words I have typed in some time. Yes, this is the second expansion for the popular orc dating simulator set in the land of Lord of the Rings, featuring two brothers who love to fight sand and all the animals that live in the sand. It s out now, and a free update alongside the expansion also brings the first of those loot box rollbacks promised by Monolith. (more…)
Thanks to Tim, the mere thought of Middle-earth: Shadow of War conjures Mozû the Blight's disfigured kisser in my mind. A far handsomer face is Minis Ithil sargeant Baranor's—who supported Talion in the main campaign and who stars in its latest story expansion, Desolation of Mordor.The latter is out today and has a typically explosive trailer. Observe:
Could that chump at the trailer's end be a contender for Mozû's malevolent crown? It's possible, given the guy who designed Shadow of War's orcs is super proud that they're such dicks.
In any event, Desolation of Mordor sees players joining forces with Dwarven Hunter Torvin—who crafts powerful shields, gauntlets and grapples, among other new combat tools. The expansion also includes a new roguelike campaign mode, a host of new outpost missions and a fresh ensemble of baddies. A Baranor character skin can be unlocked for the main story campaign, too. Mozû might not see you coming this time.
And speaking of the main campaign, the arrival of Desolation of Mordor coincides with an extensive base game update. Full details on that can be read here, with Photo Mode upgrades, tweaks to Online Fight Pits, and the addition of a new Brutal Difficulty setting among the highlights.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War's Desolation of Mordor story expansion costs £15.99/$19.99 standalone—or comes packaged with the game's Story Expansion Pass. This also includes the Blade of Galadriel story DLC.