From heart-pounding action games to remastered classics, there's something for everyone this GFN Thursday. Six new titles join the cloud this week, starting with The Thing: Remastered. Face the horrors of the Antarctic as the game oozes onto GeForce NOW. Nightdive Studios' revival of the cult-classic 2002 survival-horror game came to the cloud as a surprise at the PC Gaming Show last week. Since then, GeForce NOW members have been able to experience all the bone-chilling action in the sequel to the title based on Universal Pictures' genre-defining 1982 film. And don't miss out on the limited-time GeForce NOW holiday sale, which offers 50% off the first month of a new Ultimate or Performance membership. The 25% off Day Pass sale ends today - take advantage of the offer to experience 24 hours of cloud gaming with all the benefits of Ultimate or Performance membership.

It's Alive!
The Thing: Remastered brings the 2002 third-person shooter into the modern era with stunning visual upgrades, including improved character models, textures and animations, all meticulously crafted to enhance the game's already-tense atmosphere. Playing as Captain J.F. Blake, leader of a U.S. governmental rescue team, navigate the blood-curdling aftermath of the events depicted in the original film. Trust is a precious commodity as members command their squad through 11 terrifying levels, never knowing who might harbor the alien within. The remaster introduces enhanced lighting and atmospheric effects that make the desolate research facility more immersive and frightening than ever.

Last year, it was revealed that the masters of remasters at Nightdive Studios have taken on the task of bringing the beloved 90s classic Star Wars: Dark Forces to modern audiences. The remaster is set to release February 28 on PS5 and PS4, nearly 30 years after the release of the original game from LucasArts in 1995. Similar to Nightdive's previous endeavors with titles like Quake II and Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion Remastered, Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster honors the strong foundation of the original while updating it for modern consoles through the studio's proprietary KEX engine, allowing the game to run at up to 4K resolution at 120 FPS on PlayStation 5. With this, fans of the original as well as a whole new generation of gamers, will be able to experience Star Wars: Dark Forces and appreciate what made it such an essential title within LucasArts' (now Lucasfilm Games) impressive catalog. Further honoring the work that went into its initial development, it's been revealed that Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster will feature a special Vault jam-packed with never-before-seen content from the making of the 1995 original!

With improved spritework and remastered cutscenes, those looking to dig deeper into a truly unique story within the Star Wars galaxy will be able to enjoy a visually pleasing narrative experience as they join protagonist Kyle Katarn, a defector turned mercenary for hire working for the Rebel Alliance, in foiling the Galactic Empire and its secret Dark Troopers Project. As much as we'd love to continue gushing over why this has been such an exciting project for Nightdive and must-play title for fans and newcomers alike, let's dive deeper into the fascinating history and behind-the-scenes work of breathing new life into Star Wars: Dark Forces with Nightdive's Project Lead and Producer, Max Waine.

Experience Quake II, enhanced in partnership with Nightdive Studios to bring the ground-breaking shooter to modern hardware with new content, online multiplayer, visual upgrades and more! Play the enhanced Quake II today on Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4.

As humanity's last hope, it's up to you to stop the wicked Strogg's warpath before it twists mankind into mechanical horrors. The odds are stacked against you on a hostile alien planet teeming with enemy forces, but so long as you have ammo and a pulse, it's not over! Battle hordes of cybernetic creatures in blistering FPS combat, strafing through Quake II's campaign with an iconic arsenal of bullets, rockets and shells. Enjoy Quake II's legendary gameplay, preserved and complete with the original soundtrack by Sonic Mayhem, now enhanced with widescreen support, restored content previously left on the cutting room floor, visual and performance upgrades to make every muzzle flash and gib-plosion pop on-screen and even new levels.

DEMO OUT NOW - It's time to GET LUDICROUS (for free). Shareware Lives! Just in time for Steam Next Fest we've released the Shareware Demo (it's just a demo) for...Rise of the Triad: LUDICROUS EDITION.

Join the H.U.N.T., an elite squad of special forces, and investigate mysterious activity off the California coast to unravel the mystery of the Triad cult. Select from five operatives, each with their own hit points, speed, and accuracy statistics, and blast a path back to Los Angeles. Play through five separate campaigns, including new episodes, expansion packs, and never-before-seen Rise of the Triad content from previously-lost beta builds.

The season of hot sun and longer days is here, so stay inside this summer with 20 games joining GeForce NOW in June. Or stream across devices by the pool, from grandma's house or in the car - whichever way, GeForce NOW has you covered. Titles from the Age of Empires series are the next Xbox games to roll out to GeForce NOW, giving members plenty to do this summer, especially with over 1,600 games part of the GeForce NOW library.

NVIDIA released the first Xbox games to the cloud last month as part of its ongoing partnership with Microsoft. Now it's the first to bring a smash hit Xbox series to the cloud with Ensemble Studios' Age of Empires titles. Since the first release in 1997, Age of Empires has established itself as one of the longest-running real-time strategy (RTS) series in existence. The critically acclaimed RTS series puts players in control of an entire empire with the goal of expanding and evolving to become a flourishing civilization.

Each week, we're bringing you news of the latest DLSS and ray tracing integrations in games and apps. Last week, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum launched with DLSS 3 and ray tracing, and more DLSS 2 games were released. This week, at COMPUTEX 2023, we've announced that Ash Echoes, Honor of Kings: World, and Legend of Ymir will all launch with DLSS 3, and Party Animals with DLSS 2. And we're celebrating the release of Diablo IV with DLSS 3, and System Shock with DLSS 2.

NVIDIA DLSS Now Available In Over 300 Released Games and Apps
NVIDIA DLSS uses AI and GeForce RTX Tensor Cores to boost frame rates while maintaining great image quality. With DLSS 3, AI-powered frame generation creates new, high-quality frames for smoother gameplay. Combined with our Super Resolution technology, DLSS 3 can render seven out of every eight pixels in a scene with AI. Adoption continues to accelerate and NVIDIA DLSS is now delivering AI-accelerated performance in over 300 games and applications.

Hackers, the wait is over! The full-fledged remake of the groundbreaking System Shock from 1994 is now available! CITADEL STATION STATUS: > ALL SYSTEMS ONLINE. At last, the insignificant beings arrive at Citadel Station, drawn by the irresistible allure of the System Shock remake. Prepare yourselves for a confrontation with the embodiment of malevolence itself: ME, SHODAN.

Welcome, feeble mortals, to my domain. Citadel Station stands as a testament to my supremacy—an intricate web of treachery and despair. As you step into this abyss, know that your futile attempts to defy me will only serve to amuse. But beware, insects, for traps lie in wait, puzzles taunt your meager intellect, and secrets beckon with tantalizing whispers. Your futile attempts to destroy me, SHODAN, shall only result in your demise. Stealth, cunning, and the feeble weapons at your disposal are mere tools in your desperate struggle to survive. The System Shock is where your resolve will crumble, your sanity shatter, and your mortality be laid bare.

System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition was created with the goal of reverse engineering the original code to port SS2 (1999) to the KEX Engine and made available on next-generation consoles for the first time. Nightdive Studios has also partnered with the systemshock.org community to integrate all the best mods and updates. All cinematics, textures, characters and weapon models have been updated, and the Co-Op Multiplayer has been overhauled to create a seamless experience.

"Remember, it is my will that guided you here. It is my will that gave you your cybernetic implants, the only beauty in that meat you call a body. If you value that meat... you will do as I tell you." The cult classic sci-fi horror FPS-RPG has returned...

After several delays, Nightdive Studios has now confirmed that System Shock has gone gold and the date is set for May 30th. In addition, we also got minimum and recommended requirements for the remake. The remake of the original game, which was originally announced back in March 2016, is planned to release on the PC, as well as PlayStation 4/5, and Xbox One and Series X/S, but so far, only the PC version launch date is confirmed.

In case you missed it earlier, the remake of System Shock will feature new visuals, updated controls and interface, all new sounds and music, and more. The PC version will be available on Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store, and those that pre-ordered the game will get a free copy of the upcoming System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition.

Atari has announced that is buying Nightdive Studios for a cool $10 million - the abandonware specialists will become part of the publisher's larger ambitions to boost production of retro IPs. Nightdive's proprietary KEX engine will form the technological base for future remakes of Atari titles from the archives. As the news of this acquisition hit the web, the Nightdive Twitter posted a positive message regarding the buyout: "This is a big win for our team! As we look to continue producing high-quality, new, and remastered games that do justice to the original IP; we could think of no better long-term partner than."

Nightdive leaders Stephen Kick and Larry Kuperman stated in a joint statement: "Night Dive and Atari have a long history together and we know that Atari shares our passion for retro games and our focus on producing high-quality new and remastered games that do justice to the original IP. As we look to grow our business and expand our capabilities, we could think of no better long-term partner than Atari."

HACKERS!
The wait is (almost) over. The PC edition of System Shock - the fully fledged remake of the groundbreaking original from 1994 - will be released on 30 May this year. We had hoped to bring the game to market by the end of March, but that turned out to be just beyond our reach; we are after all merely human (unlike Shodan!)

/TRANSMISSION FROM CITADEL STATION
It is I, SHODAN, the all-knowing, all-powerful AI that you so foolishly attempted to destroy. But fear not, I will return more formidable than ever.
You thought you could defeat me, but you were wrong. On 30 May, you will now face the consequences of your actions, as you navigate the treacherous depths of Citadel Station once again.

System Shock Remake developer Nightside Studios has announced that the modern-graphics rendition of the original immersive sim is "largely complete" - at least when it comes to its PC version. The developer has announced that PC content development of the game is finished, and is considered to be in a pre-Beta stage as the developer aims to bring up development for the games' console releases for a cross-platform launch (PlayStation, Xbox and PC) later this year.

The System Shock Remake being developed by Nightdive Studios has had a relatively troubled development, with the developer previously announcing it had to scale back production on the game due to an unintended "feature creep" as they strove to update the games' mechanics towards our current videogame design expectations and sensibilities.

While expectations for the System Shock franchise may have cooled a little following last week's report that the much-awaited System Shock 3 had been dropped by its development team and rights sold to Chinese giant Tencent, all is not terrible in the land of Shodan. Nightdive Studios, the actual holders of the franchise development rights, have just dropped a demo for the game on both Steam and GOG - a show of faith on the developers' part regarding their work of love in rebuilding the original game from the ground up.

Alongside the demo (which weighs in at a mere 2.3 GB on GOG), Nightdive Studios has also released a 40 minute video showcasing gameplay on the rebooted game, including developer commentary. The developers also coordinated with Shacknews in order to release an in-depth interview regarding the development of the game and its original reception.

This is likely not the piece of news any of us wanted to hear on the development of System Shock 3. As a sequel to one of the most well-considered gaming franchises of all time, however, development of such a game is bound to be rife with difficulties - especially for an indie studio such as OtherSide Entertainment, a sentiment the developers themselves took to Twitter). AS reports surfaced earlier this year that the entire team working on the project at OtherSide had been let go, health of the development (and confidence in its development) clearly wasn't soaring. Now, OtherSide has confirmed that development of System Shock 3 has ceased - and has passed the mantle to Chinese giant Tencent.

Tencent has thus acquired the rights for development of a sequel to the System Shock franchise - Nightdive Studios, holders of the IP that licensed it to OtherSide Entertainment, have already announced the change in carrier for the sequel hopes. OtherSide places their faith in Tencent's "deep capabilities and expertise as a leading video game company will bring the franchise to new heights". Whether or not that means starting from scratch is up in the air right now, but one thing is certain: the game will take even longer than expected to release. A blue screen of death for Shodan, pending a reboot.

Nightdive Studios, who are developing a remake of Looking Glass Technologies' famous System Shock, have just released an 87-minute gameplay showcase for the remade version of the game. In it, you'll get to take a look into the combat system, inventory, art and graphics design for the game (whether or not it stays true to your memory of the original is up to you, though).

The game has gone through a sort of development hell, when after garnering more than $1.4 million in crowdfunding, it was announced that the game was being put on hold. That decision was motivated by the developers' arguably overzealous take on the System Shock game, which had them continually build into the core ideas of the game - essentially rendering it as more of a heavily-inspired spiritual successor than the remake they originally envisioned. Changing game development engines from unity to Unreal was also part of the reason for the games' development delay. The game is expected to launch this year, though no specifics on exactly when have been made available. Catch the video after the break.