Final Fantasy VII has a huge following. So much of one that at E3 back in 2005, the intro to the game was remade for the PS3. Of course, that’s all we’ve seen from Square Enix on an actual HD remake of the game. While they’ve been happy to remaster several of the earlier games, the company doesn’t seem too interested in this one. Thankfully a better-looking version of the game does actually exist.

There are a number of mods for the PC version of the game floating around. Some of them good, others not so great. However, a program called Bootleg will allow you to see what the game will look like with a variety of the mods, and once you’ve found the look you want, it will let you know where to download them.

Sure, it’s still a poor substitute for an actual remake of the game, but it’s the best we’ve got. Personally, I’m still holding out for an official release. Though at this point, I wonder if it would be on the PS3 at all.

A student in the mechatronics division of Penn State recently created a fully-operational Portal turret replica. This life-size replica can actually track targets and fire projectiles at them. And for a little touch, it even has a pre-recorded turret voice to welcome and warn targets.

The video below shows the student as he demonstrates his prowess and creation. The turret uses an IP web camera along with coding to track any individual who is wearing a pink shirt. Once the target is acquired, the turret then unleashes a volley of Nerf darts into their frail little body.

Right now the frame is exposed, but a body is currently on the table in the works. I think it’s pretty impressive build, and I’m looking forward to seeing it completed. The sooner it’s finished, the sooner the student can sell the plans and have the turret mass-produced. You know you’ll be ordering one.

It’s interesting to watch the development of graphics in video games over the years. A brand new game will come out and wow you with the most realistic details you’ve ever seen. Then, when you revisit it a decade later, you almost wonder how you could have been impressed. That’s exactly why some companies go through and make HD releases for older titles. However, when they don’t, it’s up to modders to do that for the rest of us.

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to replay Grand Theft Auto III with updated graphics, you’re in luck. Thanks to the GTA III Rage Team, you can see a short clip of their latest work. Their dream is to recreate the entire game using the Rage engine, which is the one used in GTA IV.

What’s really cool is that since they are using the new engine, the game won’t just look like the newer installment, but should play like it as well. No word on when this mod will be released, but I’m definitely looking forward to it. HD Hot Coffee, anyone?

Have you ever been playing through Minecraft and thought, “Man, I just wanna shoot something!” Well, now you can with Exato Games’ Guncraft. The game can be described in two ways: it’s either Minecraft with guns or Call of Duty with cubes. Either way it’s pretty awesome.

Exato Games has been working on this little gem for a little while now, and so far it looks pretty fun. The main concept of the game is that every aspect of the environment can be destroyed. Exato speaks about the game on their Kickstarter page, “Voxel engines allow us complete and total environment destruction.” In order to help get the game off the ground, Exato is asking to raise $16,000 in donations.

Guncraft is setting up for a PC beta this coming March, and it’s set to launch fully in June. Eventually, the developer wants to launch the game on Xbox Live as well. Let’s hope it makes its Kickstarter goal, and you can help make that a reality by heading to the page. Check out the game’s trailer below.

In the land of Skyrim, there’s always something to do. You can pick flowers, hunt beasts, metalwork, and even explore the vast lands about you. But once you’ve had your fill of all that, what’s left? Well, how about being witness to one of the most epic battles of all time?!

Youtube user Tyrannicon uploaded such a battle in a video, and it serves its title proudly. The name of the video is “The Great Battle of Skyrim,” and it’s just that. In the video Tyrannicon pits 500 Draugr and 200 Skeletons up against 500 Dwarven Warriors, and even throws in a dragon. What ensues is legendary, and the skills of good are put to the test.

The video looks amazing, and Tyrannicon really did a great job editing all of the footage together. You’ll be doing yourself a service by watching it, for it tells an epic story of a conquest for power. Good job, Tyrannicon. Keep these gems coming.

Ever since we saw the Skyrim Creation Kit go live, it’s been a non-stop free-for-all making new mods. Whether it’s My Little Pony dragons, Nyan Cat sabre cats, or Zoidberg spiders, there have been plenty of hilarious things to be seen. However, there haven’t been many things that can be heard coming to the forefront. Well, until now that is.

It’s name is Project P.E.W., and it is here to blow your mind. It’s not going to vastly improve your audio experience of the entire game, so don’t go expecting some big fanfare. However, it does enhance some aspects of the game, and it will definitely be hilarious.

Make sure to turn your speakers up to experience this audio gold at maximum capacity. Any PC gamers can head to the Steam Workshop and click “subscribe” to be a part of Project P.E.W. Make sure to thank YouTube user bigirpall for what will likely make your day.

Last time, on Skyrimball Z… Okay, so that’s not how I am really going to introduce this post, but it’s got a bit of foreshadowing! Ever since the Skyrim Creation Kit released, there have been Skyrim mods running wild all over the place! This time we’re bringing you one that’s sure to deliver a knock-out blow to the anime nerd in all of us.

The mod comes to us from AnimatedSoundWave, and it essentially interchanges some sounds, textures, and character models within the Skyrim world with those from Dragonball Z. What’s being called the “Dragonball Skyrim Overhaul” has a demo reel, and in it we see Krillin and Goku as they take their new forms and powers to new heights.

On the surface the mod does look a bit choppy, but I will admit that it looks pretty interesting. The spells and sounds are all there, and if you keep in mind that the creators were limited to what’s in the Creation Kit, it’s quite impressive. There’s even a Spirit Bomb in there, and for that alone you need to check out the demo reel.

In case you haven’t heard, there is a flash game available on the net that allows you to play as some of your favorite Nintendo characters in the world of Super Mario Bros. The game was brought to life by Jay Pavlina and Exploding Rabbit, and their creation so far has kicked major behind. So what’s the news here? The game now has an updated version, this time with more characters.

I got to play through the first version of the crossover and had tons of fun with it. You can play as Mega Man, Link, Samus, and more. Playing with other characters gives enemies hit points, and each of the playable characters function fully as normal.

In the new version of the game you can now choose to play as Luigi as well as Bass from the Mega Man world. You can also choose from three visual styles in which to play the game: NES, SNES, and Game Boy. The game is great, and the new version is available to play now. To get started, you can head to its official page.

Yesterday, Bethesda released their long-awaited Creation Kit, which gives every owner of Skyrim on the PC access to modding tools. Not just any modding tools, but the same ones used by Bethesda to create the game. If you’ve already messed around with the tools for earlier Bethesda titles, then you should feel right at home here. Otherwise, you might check out their official YouTube channel, where they have already uploaded three tutorials on how to use the kit.

Also released was the Skyrim Workshop. Despite only having been up for less than 24 hours, there are already over 300 mods available. Most notable is one that was designed by Valve. This particular mod involves everyone’s favorite personality core, the Space Core. You will be able to watch him crash land, and listen to him babble on and on about the place he loves the most.

Last but not least, we have Bethesda’s super secret surprise. This one is a real treat. They’ve given us a High-Res Texture Pack. This takes their already beautiful game, and makes it look even better. Just be aware that with higher resolution textures comes greater hardware demands. The company recommends “a minimum of 4GB of system RAM, and a DirectX 9.0c compatible NVIDIA or AMD ATI video card with at least 1 GB of RAM.”

“I am sworn to carry your burdens.” This has to be one of the most annoying lines I’ve ever heard in a video game. Out of context, it doesn’t seem that bad. However, when you’ve heard it a few hundred times, it really starts to get on your nerves. It’s not that I hate hearing repeated phrases mind you. Nor is it simply the sarcastic tone in which she says it. It’s the fact that even if I’m trying to hand her a sweet  new weapon that I’ve traveled the world to find, just for her, she still bitches about carrying my burdens.

There are a few ways to solve this problem. The easiest would be to utter those sweet, three little words that you know she deserves to hear. However, if you’d rather she stay among the living, rather than flying off the mountainside, you could always install the Less Bitchy Lydia mod.

This is one of the most beautifully simple mods that I’ve seen. The only thing it does is change the line “I am sworn to carry your burdens” to “What do you want me to carry?”. The line was already recorded, so it’s in the same voice that you would expect.