Archived News:
Wednesday, Apr 24, 2024
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord Next Month [7:42 pm ET] – Share – 16 Comments
Digital Eclipse announces May 23rd as the official release date for Wizardry:
Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, the update of SirTech's classic 1981
dungeon-crawling RPG. The 3D remaster is currently in Early Access on
GOG.com* and
Steam, and the full launch will also come to PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch.
While this is a graphics remake, word is this uses the same underlying code as
the original:
Digital Eclipse's Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord revival is built directly on top of the original Apple II game's code, preserving the appeal of the classic while also incorporating modern graphics and improved party management, navigation, spellcasting, and combat.*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item. Continue here to read the full story.
While the remake may look, sound, and feel completely new, the original Apple II game is under the hood -- you can even view the original interface while you're playing.Craft your own party of adventurers and head into the labyrinth at the behest of the mad overlord Trebor, in search of the amulet stolen by the evil wizard Werdna. Battle challenging monsters, avoid hidden traps, and find your way through the dungeon for the ultimate showdown with Werdna himself.
World of Warcraft Companion App Retiring [7:42 pm ET] – Share – 2 Comments
Blizzard announces the World of Warcraft mobile companion app is
retiring. Please don't ask it to do anything after the next patch, it will just
be relaxing and enjoying its hobbies:
With the release of The War Within™ pre-expansion content update, we will no longer support the WoW Companion App. After this date, players will not be able to update, download, or use the companion app and its features.
We want to thank everyone who has used the app as their companion for their adventures over the years!
Sand Land Reviews [7:42 pm ET] – Share – 4 Comments
Anakin Skywalker famously disliked sand. So how would he have felt about Sand
Land? We may never know that, but we can learn how everyone else feels about
the manga adaptation thanks to the conclusion of its review embargo. Here are
evaluations of the open-world action/RPG before it sand lands tomorrow:
- Sand Land review- An explosive ride through an Akira Toriyama classic - Dot Esports.
- Sand Land Review - Devil’s In The Details - Game Informer.
- Sand Land Review - Tanks A Lot - GameSpot.
- Sand Land review – Are you thirsty for an adventure? — GAMINGTREND.
- Sand Land Review - IGN.
- 'Sand Land' review - Mashable.
- 'Sand Land' review- a charming adaptation of Akira Toriyama's manga - NME.
- Sand Land review - PC Gamer.
- Sand Land review: a boring Mad Max lite that should have been very exciting - Rock Paper Shotgun.
- Sand Land review: A beat of its own - Shacknews.
- Sand Land Review- Well, So It Goes! - TheGamer.
- Sand Land review - a delightful tribute - VideoGamer.
- Sand Land Review – Enticing Toriyama Tribute - Wccftech.
Another Crab's Treasure Reviews [7:42 pm ET] – Share – 2 Comments
Another Crab's Treasure launches tomorrow, and to pave the way, here's a
roundup of reviews of the crustacean action/adventure:
- Another Crab's Treasure review- an approachable Soulslike - Digital Trends.
- Another Crab's Treasure Brings a Charming Yet Shallow Undersea Journey - Escapist.
- Another Crab's Treasure Review - Undercooked Adventure - Game Informer.
- Another Crab’s Treasure - GameRant.
- Another Crab's Treasure review - PC Gamer.
- Another Crab's Treasure review - Crustaceans and patience - PC Invasion.
- Another Crab’s Treasure Review - PCMag.
- Another Crab's Treasure review- a playful Soulslike for everyone, especially if you like crabs - Rock Paper Shotgun.
- Another Crab's Treasure review: A shellacious journey - Shacknews.
- Another Crab’s Treasure review: a cheery, accessible take on Dark Souls - The Verge.
- Another Crab's Treasure is another Game Pass Pleasure - Windows Central.
Frostpunk Turns 6; Celebrates 5M Sales [7:42 pm ET] – Share – 5 Comments
A
post on Steam celebrates the anniversary of Frostpunk, the chill
survival/strategy game that launched six years
ago today. Among the other factoids this rolls out is that the game has now
sold over five million copies:
Today our beloved Frostpunk is celebrating its 6th anniversary. That means that the game's now old enough to cover its first emergency shift in the coal mine.
Here are 6 facts highlighting those 6 years:
- Around 3% of the players have over 100 hours on their record.
- On average, people play the game for 24 hours.
- More than half managed to save every person in Frostland playing The New Home scenario.
- The most popular track from the Frostpunk OST is "The City Must Survive". It's been played over 6.4 million times on Spotify and over 1.3 million times on YouTube.
- The rarest achievement, unlocked by only 0.6% of Steam players is "Endless slave driver". It's unlocked when you make all other settlements distrustful towards you in Endless Mode.
- Over 5 million copies of Frostpunk across all platforms have been sold so far.
On Sale [7:42 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
- Create, Automate & Manage (pay what you want and help charity).*
- Save 33% on Smalland: Survive the Wilds on Steam.
- Save 90% on The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing on Steam.
- Save 50% on STEINS;GATE 0 on Steam.
- Save 40% on Trepang2 on Steam.
*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item.
Evening Patches [7:42 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition - Update notes for Sept. 27, 2022.
- Smalland: Survive the Wilds - Hotfix #9 and Update regarding Crafting Systems.
- TOTAL WAR: WARHAMMER III – PATCH 5.0: INTRODUCING THE FREE CONTENT.
- World of Warcraft Hotfixes: April 23, 2024.
↑ Official patches. ↓ Unofficial games, patches, and mods.
- MAME 0.265. Thanks Ant.
Evening Multiplex [7:41 pm ET] – Share – 1 Comment
- Baladins - PC Release Date Trailer - Coming May 15th, 2024.
- For Honor: Throwback For The Creed Event.
↑ Official trailers. ↓ Content creator videos.
Evening Previews [7:41 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Evening Legal Briefs [7:41 pm ET] – Share – 1 Comment
- The FCC is set to bring back net neutrality.
- New slate of lawsuits brings video game addiction to the forefront.
- China's Nuctech raided in EU over foreign subsidies concerns. Thanks Max.
- Can the First Amendment Save TikTok (may require registration or subscription)?
- 'We aren't going anywhere,' TikTok CEO says as company vows to fight US ban.
- Every US Senator Using TikTok Who Voted to Ban It.
- Tesla driver using autopilot mode charged with vehicular homicide in death of motorcyclist.
Into the Black [7:41 pm ET] – Share – 5 Comments
Last Link of the Day:
'Shogun' Just Ended. What Do the Creators Say About a Season 2?
Valve Closes Advanced Access Refund Loophole [11:41 am ET] – Share – 14 Comments
Valve announces a Steam Refund Policy Update. Customers can still request
and receive automatic refunds on games they've owned for under 14 days and
played for under two hours. The two-hour limit does not include beta testing,
and for advance purchases, the 14-day refund window does not start until
the game is playable. A recent trend is to offer
Advanced Access to pre-purchase customers, sometimes for pricier
editions, giving access a few days before the standard launch. The change closes
a loophole that did not count this play against the two-hour limit. Now playing
a game in Advanced Access has the same two-hour limit as Early Access and
officially released games. Here's how the relevant section in the
Steam Refunds FAQ
now reads:
REFUNDS ON TITLES PURCHASED PRIOR TO RELEASE DATE
When you purchase a title on Steam prior to the release date, the two-hour playtime limit for refunds will apply (except for beta testing), but the 14-day period for refunds will not start until the release date. For example, if you purchase a game that is in Early Access or Advanced Access, any playtime will count against the two-hour refund limit. If you pre-purchase a title which is not playable prior to the release date, you can request a refund at any time prior to release of that title, and the standard 14-day/two-hour refund period will apply starting on the game’s release date.
Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure Early Access [11:41 am ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Early Access to Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure is now underway on the
Epic Games Store
and
Steam, providing the first chance to play this automation/RTS game for
Windows from Massive Miniteam and HandyGames. And if you're German, this is a
chance to see your tax dollars at work, as word is this is "supported by the
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action with Federal funding
for video games." Here's a new
Things you didn't know about Oddsparks video featuring the developers, and
this post lays out the Early Access roadmap. Read on for
more:
Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure is a blend of Automation and Real Time Strategy for both the die-hard fans of the Automation genre and the Automation-curious. Explore a strange fantasy world, uncover the mysteries of the past, automate your workshops, and go on adventures with your odd & adorable Sparks!Continue here to read the full story.
Oddsparks is a great entry point into automation games but with a fresh spin for those who’ve already played thousands of hours in the genre. You’ll design automated workshops and put your Sparks to work in carrying and crafting everything you could need - including more Sparks!
dev_hell Demo [11:41 am ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Unhinged Studios now offers a playable demo for dev_hell, an upcoming
roguelike deckbuilder set at a tech company. This is
on Steam,
where
this post describes the demo as a final round of job interviews for
applicants hoping to work in dev_hell. Here's a
Demo Trailer along with more on this chance to exercise some
daemons:
Congratulations! You are officially invited to final-round interviews for the job of your dreams! We were impressed by your submissive nature superb ability to navigate tough questions, and believe you would be a great fit for our team.Continue here to read the full story.
During these last steps, we will discuss your work experience, skills, and qualifications in-depth and provide you with more information about both the position and our company. There will also be a demo available to test your practical application skills, which we will be monitoring very closely. No pressure!
Mark of the Deep Announced [11:40 am ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Mad Mimic announces Mark of the Deep, an action/adventure for PC and
consoles inspired by games such as Hollow Knight and Death's Door.
A Steam
Listing is live, showing a 2024 release window and sporting a "Request
Access" button if you want to be a beta tester. We have a first look at gameplay
in
this trailer and the following details:
Mark of the Deep is an epic pirate-themed adventure with a strong narrative and a thrilling mix of Metroidvania and Souls-Like elements. Embark on this journey, explore the mysteries of a cursed island and find your missing pirate crew!Continue here to read the full story.
A pirate ship wrecked on a mystic and cursed island, till then known only by myths n’ tales. In this diversely hostile environment, Marcus “Rookie” Ramsey needs to face a wide variety of dangers to find his lost crew.
House of Golf 2 Announced [11:40 am ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Starlight Games announces House of Golf 2 is coming to PC and consoles
this summer. The
Announcement Trailer shows this off as an indoor version of golf, which can
often be ill-advised. The Windows version will come to the Epic Games Store and
Steam, but it has no listings yet. For a bit of confusion there's a
Steam
Listing for House Of Golf that says the first installment in the series is
both "coming soon" and "no longer available on the Steam store." So there's
that. Here's the description of the announcement trailer:
House of Golf 2 is coming to PS5, Xbox X/S and PC Steam and Epic Summer 2024.Continue here to read the full story.
The new game is developed with Unreal 5, and coming to new consoles for the first time. It takes the fun approach of mini-golf and brings it into the home with over 100 incredible courses, gorgeous visuals, weekly tournaments, and many crazy ways to play.
Ace Attorney Turnabout Collection Delisting [11:40 am ET] – Share – Post a Comment
A
post on Steam announces the
Ace Attorney Turnabout
Collection will no longer be available after the end of next month. It
will remain playable for those who already own it. This is more of a
technicality than a real delisting, as both halves of the collection,
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy and
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles will remain available separately. They
just will no longer be offered with a discount as a bundle. Here's
word:
The Ace Attorney Turnabout Collection bundle (The set SKU of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy and The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles) will be discontinued as of May 31, 2024.
*New downloads of Ace Attorney Turnabout Collection will not be available in the store, but owners will be able to continue to play game.
*Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy and The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles will remain available for purchase.
Morning Patches [11:40 am ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Virtual Reality Check [11:40 am ET] – Share – 20 Comments
- Apple reportedly slashes Vision Pro headset production and cancels updated headset as sales tank in the US. Anything but slashing the price.
- MudRunner VR - Announcement Trailer.
- Homeworld: Vast Reaches on Steam. Previous Meta Quest exclusive arrives this year.
Morning Multiplex [11:40 am ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Morning Esports & Competitions [11:40 am ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Morning Consolidation [11:40 am ET] – Share – Post a Comment
- PS5 System Software Update 24.03-09.20.00 Adds Community Game Help Feature.
- Democracy 4 comes to consoles. Here's the Announcement Trailer.
- May Savings promotion comes to PlayStation Store.
- Get To Know Our Team: Chad - Senior Software Engineer - Xbox Wire. Feels like something from Let's Game It Out.
Morning Metaverse [11:40 am ET] – Share – 9 Comments
- This Is the Beginning of the End of TikTok (may require registration or subscription)?
- TikTok's Creator Economy Stares Into the Abyss (may require registration or subscription).
- J.D. Power- 5G Fixed Wireless Has the Highest Customer Satisfaction. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.
- Google pushes third-party cookie phase-out back to 2025. Final launch date will coincide with the release of A Dream of Spring.
Morning Tech Bits [11:40 am ET] – Share – 8 Comments
Thanks Neutronbeam.
- Noncompetes Are Dead—and Tech Workers Are Free to Roam (may require registration or subscription). And all the Samurai become Ronin.
- Gigabyte confirms Ryzen 9000 branding for Zen 5 processors, preps beta BIOS updates for 500-series motherboards.
- Oracle Is Moving to Nashville, Founder Larry Ellison Says.
- I've used the two best Start menu replacements — here's what I recommend.
- Meet QDEL, the backlight-less display tech that could replace OLED in premium TVs.
- Bad news, Windows 11 users: ads are coming to the Start menu, but there’s something you can do about it. Is it ever good news for Win11 users?
Morning Legal Briefs [11:40 am ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Game Reviews [11:39 am ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Out of the Blue [11:39 am ET] – Share – 18 Comments
Here's a little PC game history, as the
SDL Sopwith GitHub
is celebrating today's 40th anniversary of the launch of
Sopwith, a
side-scrolling flight game for MS-DOS first released on this day in 1984. Based
on source code released to the public by creator David L. Clark, the game is
reportedly still "in development" after all these years: "SDL Sopwith is a port
of the classic biplane shoot ‘em-up 'Sopwith' to run on modern computers and
operating systems. It is named 'SDL Sopwith' as it uses the LibSDL
cross-platform library." A
40 years of
Sopwith page has links to read about the game's history and play it in a
browser. Word is: "For the 40th anniversary, we finally got Sopwith's
multiplayer feature working." It's still a lot of fun and a great reminder of
how much early game programmers did with so little.
Come for the cyan, stay for the magenta!
Obituary: TikToker Eva Evans Found Hanging in Apartment, Left Suicide Note.
Come for the cyan, stay for the magenta!
Obituary: TikToker Eva Evans Found Hanging in Apartment, Left Suicide Note.
Colorful Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.Stories
Thanks RedEye9.
- How close NASA TIMED spacecraft, Russian satellite came to collision.
- How eraser sponges work and where you can use them.
- Centuries-old cherries found hidden in bottles under floor at George Washington’s home. I cannot tell a lie. I did it for the cherries. Thanks Matthew.
Science
Thanks Max.
- Bioplastics as toxic as regular plastics; both need regulation, say researchers.
- Advance in forensic fingerprint research provides new hope for cold cases.
- Why do we move slower the older we get? New study delivers answers.
- Does ejaculating often reduce your risk of prostate cancer?
Media
- Movie Props: Replica and Blank Guns in Movies. Thanks The Flying Penguin.
Follow-up
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