backlog Archives

AppWizard

May 10, 2025

Weekend PC Game Deals: Paradox specials, Xbox and bullet hell bundles, and much more

Humble has released an updated Choice bundle for May, featuring eight titles: The Thaumaturge, Amnesia: The Bunker, Evil West, Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, STAR WARS: Bounty Hunter, Ultros, and Corpse Keeper, available until June 3. Humble has also partnered with Microsoft to offer a bundle with two tiers, including games like Sunset Overdrive and Wasteland 3. Additionally, there is a 9-game collection focused on bullet hell games, priced at . The Epic Games Store is offering Deadtime Defenders and Touch Type Tale for free until May 15. Various discounts are available from publishers like Paradox and the GOG store, featuring DRM-free games. Availability and pricing may vary by region.

AppWizard

May 7, 2025

I pride myself on keeping up with Steam’s under-the-radar gems, but April was packed with enough new games to keep me busy for the rest of 2025

In April 2025, over 100 games launched, with notable titles including Blue Prince and Clair Obscur, the latter receiving significant attention. Clair Obscur was released on April 22nd and has a 94% rating from 39 reviews. Maliki: Poison Of The Past, inspired by a French comic, was released on April 20th. Mythical Concept Starnaut, a narrative-driven game, was released on April 28th with a 97% rating from 45 reviews. Bionic Bay, a stylish platformer, was released on April 17th and has a 90% rating from 264 reviews. Asura The Striker, released on April 23rd, has a 93% rating from 49 reviews. Traveler's Refrain, an action RPG, was released on April 11th with a 92% rating from 26 reviews. Voidborn, a low-fi shooter, was released on April 7th with a 90% rating from 262 reviews. I, Robot, a reimagining of an arcade classic, was released on April 17th and has a 95% rating from 20 reviews. Lab Rat, a dystopian comedy, was released on April 15th with a 97% rating from 188 reviews. Peppered: An Existential Platformer, released on April 7th, has a 95% rating from 266 reviews. Repose, a workplace horror game, was released on April 14th and has a 90% rating from 74 reviews.

AppWizard

April 28, 2025

‘Stories are our bread and butter’: Larian is building a special team to lay out the plot of its games years in advance

Larian Studios is developing two new projects simultaneously, with a focus on storytelling. CEO Swen Vincke stated that they are creating a backlog of stories for future games. The studio is working on a new role-playing game codenamed "Excalibur" and has established a dedicated storytelling team. Their previous titles, particularly Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Baldur's Gate 3, received critical acclaim for their character-driven narratives.

AppWizard

April 28, 2025

Oblivion reigns over PC games this week, but there is still time for football, space cats and ghastly mansions

This week in gaming features several new titles: - On April 28th, "Icaria," a programmable robot block-building game, will be released. - April 29th is noted as an unremarkable day for gaming. - On April 30th, two games will launch: "Moroi," a Slavic horror narrative, and "Skin Deep," an immersive sim. - May 1st will see the release of "Despelote," an Ecuadorian soccer adventure, and "The Horror At Highrook," a Lovecraftian mystery. - On May 2nd, "Sirocco," a no-roles naval MOBA, will be introduced. Additionally, discussions about the Oblivion remaster, a beloved RPG from 2006, are expected to continue, alongside a deeper exploration of "Skin Deep" and "The Horror At Highrook."

AppWizard

April 18, 2025

I just spent $6 on this Steam app that compresses PC games — and it’s already saved me 100GB

The acquisition of the Steam application CompressorX allows gamers to compress game files, maximizing existing storage without needing hardware upgrades. Modern games like The Last of Us Part II Remastered (150GB), Monster Hunter Wilds (75GB), and Cyberpunk 2077 with its Phantom Liberty expansion (100GB) contribute to high storage demands. External SSDs and hard drives provide additional space, but CompressorX offers a quick solution for optimizing current storage. While it has some quirks, such as a confusing automation feature and variable compression times, it helps gamers maintain their game libraries without deleting titles.

AppWizard

March 22, 2025

Weekend PC Game Deals: City building to try, dinosaurs to manage, and heroines to bundle

Humble has launched two gaming bundles: the Humble Heroines Bundle, featuring titles like Pseudoregalia, Thief of Thieves, and Kill the Crows, and a second tier including Control Ultimate Edition, Beyond: Two Souls, Darksiders III, and Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - Enhanced Edition. Additionally, the Earth Defense Force Collection bundle offers three games and various DLC across three pricing tiers. The Epic Games Store is giving away Jurassic World Evolution 2 for free until March 27, alongside two mystery giveaways. This weekend features a free event for Cities: Skylines, which is available to play for free on Steam. The GOG store has launched a DRM-free spring sale with various highlights. Availability and pricing for these deals may vary by region.

AppWizard

March 14, 2025

Massive Steam sale offering PC games from under $1 — here’s 18 must-buy titles I’d go for

Valve has launched its latest Steam Sale, featuring significant discounts on popular PC games. The sale includes Red Dead Redemption 2 at a 75% discount, Undertale priced at [openai_gpt model="gpt-4o-mini" prompt="Summarize the content and extract only the fact described in the text bellow. The summary shall NOT include a title, introduction and conclusion. Text: Valve has once again captivated the gaming community with the launch of its latest Steam Sale, offering an impressive array of discounts on a multitude of popular PC games. Enthusiasts can find titles at remarkably low prices, with some games available for as little as [cyberseo_openai model="gpt-4o-mini" prompt="Rewrite a news story for a business publication, in a calm style with creativity and flair based on text below, making sure it reads like human-written text in a natural way. The article shall NOT include a title, introduction and conclusion. The article shall NOT start from a title. Response language English. Generate HTML-formatted content using tag for a sub-heading. You can use only , , , , and HTML tags if necessary. Text: Valve returns with its latest Steam Sale, and there are some steep discount on plenty of the biggest PC games going around. And yes, you'll even find some for as low as $0.99.With big titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 getting a 75% discount, indie gems including Undertale being just $0.99 and recent popular games like Wanderstop being 10% off, the Steam Spring Sale has plenty of PC games I'll be putting in my cart.Whether you've just swiped one of the best gaming laptops or plan on gaming on your Steam Deck OLED, it's time to save some cash (or build that backlog); these are the 17 games you'll want to pick up.The Steam Spring Sale is live until March 20, so get buying!Best Steam Spring Sale dealsBest Steam deals right now" temperature="0.3" top_p="1.0" best_of="1" presence_penalty="0.1" ].99. This season's sale features significant markdowns on both blockbuster hits and indie favorites, making it an opportune moment for gamers to expand their libraries. Among the standout deals, Red Dead Redemption 2 boasts a staggering 75% discount, while the beloved indie classic Undertale is now priced at just [cyberseo_openai model="gpt-4o-mini" prompt="Rewrite a news story for a business publication, in a calm style with creativity and flair based on text below, making sure it reads like human-written text in a natural way. The article shall NOT include a title, introduction and conclusion. The article shall NOT start from a title. Response language English. Generate HTML-formatted content using tag for a sub-heading. You can use only , , , , and HTML tags if necessary. Text: Valve returns with its latest Steam Sale, and there are some steep discount on plenty of the biggest PC games going around. And yes, you'll even find some for as low as $0.99.With big titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 getting a 75% discount, indie gems including Undertale being just $0.99 and recent popular games like Wanderstop being 10% off, the Steam Spring Sale has plenty of PC games I'll be putting in my cart.Whether you've just swiped one of the best gaming laptops or plan on gaming on your Steam Deck OLED, it's time to save some cash (or build that backlog); these are the 17 games you'll want to pick up.The Steam Spring Sale is live until March 20, so get buying!Best Steam Spring Sale dealsBest Steam deals right now" temperature="0.3" top_p="1.0" best_of="1" presence_penalty="0.1" ].99. Additionally, recent favorites like Wanderstop are available at a 10% discount, ensuring that there’s something for everyone in this sale. Whether you’ve recently invested in one of the latest gaming laptops or are enjoying your experience on the Steam Deck OLED, now is the perfect time to take advantage of these savings. With the Steam Spring Sale running until March 20, gamers have a limited window to snag these enticing offers. Best Steam Spring Sale deals Red Dead Redemption 2 - 75% off Undertale - [cyberseo_openai model="gpt-4o-mini" prompt="Rewrite a news story for a business publication, in a calm style with creativity and flair based on text below, making sure it reads like human-written text in a natural way. The article shall NOT include a title, introduction and conclusion. The article shall NOT start from a title. Response language English. Generate HTML-formatted content using tag for a sub-heading. You can use only , , , , and HTML tags if necessary. Text: Valve returns with its latest Steam Sale, and there are some steep discount on plenty of the biggest PC games going around. And yes, you'll even find some for as low as $0.99.With big titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 getting a 75% discount, indie gems including Undertale being just $0.99 and recent popular games like Wanderstop being 10% off, the Steam Spring Sale has plenty of PC games I'll be putting in my cart.Whether you've just swiped one of the best gaming laptops or plan on gaming on your Steam Deck OLED, it's time to save some cash (or build that backlog); these are the 17 games you'll want to pick up.The Steam Spring Sale is live until March 20, so get buying!Best Steam Spring Sale dealsBest Steam deals right now" temperature="0.3" top_p="1.0" best_of="1" presence_penalty="0.1" ].99 Wanderstop - 10% off ...and many more! Best Steam deals right now As the sale progresses, it’s clear that the Steam Spring Sale is a treasure trove for gamers looking to enhance their collection without breaking the bank. With a diverse selection of titles, both new and old, this event promises to keep players engaged and entertained for hours on end." max_tokens="3500" temperature="0.3" top_p="1.0" best_of="1" presence_penalty="0.1" frequency_penalty="frequency_penalty"].99, and Wanderstop at a 10% discount. The Steam Spring Sale is active until March 20, offering gamers a chance to purchase a variety of titles at reduced prices.

Tech Optimizer

March 11, 2025

What’s in Store for pg_probackup 3

Pg_probackup is a backup solution for PostgreSQL that debuted in 2016 and has evolved significantly, with the latest version being 2.5.15 available on GitHub and version 2.8.6 included in the Postgres Pro product suite. It supports 14 platforms and offers three types of incremental backups, features like merging backups, quick replica restoration, and integration with S3 and CFS. Users can access community support via a dedicated Telegram chat. The versions of Pg_probackup include: - 2.5.15 Community: Open-source, available on GitHub with critical bug fixes. - 2.8.6 STD: Closed-source, optimized for large datasets, included with Postgres Pro Standard. - 2.8.6 ENT: Closed-source, similar to STD but adds CFS and S3 support. - 3 and above: Closed-source overhaul aimed at improved speed and efficiency. Pg_probackup 3 was developed to address client requests and internal ideas, leading to a modular architecture with three components: a DB core extension, LibProbackup3 (a core library for database connection), and the backup application itself. Libprobackup3 is written in C++, providing a C interface for integration with various programming languages and managing archival file streams and backup logic. Pg_probackup 3 introduces a custom communication protocol for optimized data handling and supports multiple backup modes: FULL, DELTA, PTRACK, and PAGE. The recovery feature includes FUSE capability for direct data restoration from backups without full unpacking, enhancing recovery options for selective restoration of databases and WAL files. Performance testing showed that while version 2.8.6 excelled in single-threaded scenarios, pg_probackup 3.0.0 outperformed it in multi-threaded environments, especially in PRO mode for PTRACK incrementals. The roadmap for pg_probackup 3 includes releasing the current version, preparing an open-source variant, optimizing multi-threading, and implementing additional features in pg_probackup 3.1.

AppWizard

March 1, 2025

Weekend PC Game Deals: Ubisoft specials, a massive charity bundle, and more

The Epic Games Store is offering a free copy of Mages of Mystralia until March 6, after which Them's Fightin' Herds will be the next free title. Itch.io has launched the California Fire Relief Bundle, featuring over 400 games for wildfire relief, including notable titles like Tunic and Octodad: Dadliest Catch. The Humble Store is promoting the Indie Allies 2025 bundle, which includes ten games for a minimum price. Split Gate 2 is currently in an open alpha test, and Expeditions: A MudRunner Game supports cooperative play for up to four players. The GOG store is running DRM-free sales with discounts on Disney publisher titles and stealth games. Availability and pricing may vary by region.

AppWizard

February 22, 2025

Weekend PC Game Deals: Warhammer specials, Batman hits, houses to flip, and more

This week, the Epic Games Store is offering a double giveaway featuring World War Z: Aftermath and Garden Story, both available for free until February 27. World War Z: Aftermath is a four-player cooperative shooter with enhanced features, while Garden Story is an indie game focused on exploration and community management. Additionally, Humble has launched the House Flipper & Friends bundle, which includes various games and DLCs across different pricing tiers. This weekend's discounts include promotions for Quebec-made games, a Deckbuilding Carnival, a Sonic franchise sale, and special offers for Batman's birthday. Availability and pricing may vary by region.