first-person shooters Archives

AppWizard

May 22, 2025

Over 25 Years Ago, This Lemmings-Esque Puzzler Was Sent Out To Die – Its Fans Had Other Plans

Monolith Productions announced its closure earlier this year, prompting tributes to its 30-year legacy. One notable title from the studio is Gruntz, a puzzle strategy game released for PCs in 1999, which has maintained an active community despite its initial rocky launch. The game was designed by Nick Newhard, who aimed to create a game that his wife would enjoy, blending real-time strategy elements with puzzles. After Newhard's departure from the project due to internal disagreements, Kevin Lambert took over development, infusing humor and personality into the characters. Gruntz received mixed reviews upon release, but found a favorable reception in Europe. The game's inclusion of level editing tools led to a dedicated fan community, with ongoing projects like Dizgruntled and Gruntz Unityverse. The community currently has over 368 accounts, showcasing the game's lasting appeal.

AppWizard

April 16, 2025

Best Single-Player PC Games to Play in 2025

Single-player PC games are thriving in 2025, featuring captivating narratives, intricate gameplay, and stunning visuals. Notable titles include: 1. Blue Prince - An indie roguelike puzzle game with a Metacritic score of 93, set in a shifting manor where players solve interconnected puzzles. 2. Assassin’s Creed Shadows - Set in feudal Japan, this game features two protagonists with distinct playstyles and has been praised for its narrative pacing and environmental design. 3. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - A cinematic first-person adventure focusing on exploration and puzzle-solving, released on PC in late 2024. 4. South of Midnight - A magical adventure following a girl with weaving abilities, notable for its claymation art style and emotional depth. 5. Avowed - A first-person fantasy RPG with choice-driven storytelling, set in the same universe as Pillars of Eternity. Upcoming games include: - Blades of Fire (May 22, 2025) - A Soulslike combat game with a focus on cinematic storytelling. - Cairn (TBA 2025) - A survival climbing simulator emphasizing precision control mechanics. - Hell Is Us (September 4, 2025) - A narrative-driven action game that eschews traditional open-world design. - Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream (Late 2025) - A stealth-adventure game featuring orphans uncovering a conspiracy. The PC platform remains the best for single-player games due to mod support, performance flexibility, a vast library, and indie innovation. The evolution of gaming technology has led to cutting-edge graphics, immersive storytelling, and innovative exploration mechanics, enhancing player engagement.

BetaBeacon

April 11, 2025

Razer PC Remote Play finally launches, will let gamers stream PC games to iOS, Android, and Windows mobile devices

Razer PC Remote Play allows users to stream PC games to their mobile devices while using the Razer Kishi Ultra Controller. The platform has been updated with features such as automatic optimization for resolution and refresh rate, support for the AV1 video codec, and compatibility with iOS, Android, and Windows devices. Users can also take advantage of keyboard, mouse, and trackpad functionality on iPads for a more versatile gaming experience. The Razer Nexus app allows users to browse, configure, and launch PC games directly from their mobile devices. Setting up Razer PC Remote Play requires installing the necessary apps, enabling Remote Play via Razer Cortex on the PC, and signing in with a Razer ID.

AppWizard

April 4, 2025

The Best PC Games to Play Right Now (Spring 2025)

PC gaming in 2025 features advanced GPUs enabling ray tracing and AI-enhanced upscaling, with tools like Unreal Engine 5 facilitating diverse game development. Platforms such as Steam and Epic Games Store host tens of thousands of titles, with over 13,000 new games launched on Steam in 2024. Notable games include Baldur’s Gate 3, Elden Ring, Disco Elysium: The Final Cut, Cyberpunk 2077, Valorant, Overwatch 2, Dota 2, League of Legends, Warframe, and Apex Legends. Key trends include cross-platform compatibility, free-to-play models, and game subscription services. Optimal gaming setups typically require a mid-range processor, a GTX 1070 or better graphics card, and at least 16GB of RAM. Popular multiplayer games include Valorant and Apex Legends, while highly rated titles include Baldur’s Gate 3, Elden Ring, and Disco Elysium. Classics worth playing today include The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Portal 2.

BetaBeacon

March 22, 2025

This overkill Android Game Boy is better than my memories of the real thing

The AYANEO Pocket DMG is a luxury, Game Boy-styled handheld device that offers a classic vertical format for enjoying retro games.

AppWizard

March 17, 2025

2011 was an amazing comeback year for PC gaming

In the 1990s, personal computers became popular in homes, leading to a surge in gaming among children, particularly with the rise of CD-ROM technology. The 2000s saw a decline in PC gaming, attributed to piracy concerns, with notable figures expressing skepticism about the platform's future. However, in 2011, the PC Gaming Alliance reported a 15% profit increase in PC gaming, driven by a growing market in China. The open-world genre thrived on PC, with significant releases like Skyrim and Batman: Arkham City, which emphasized exploration and fluid gameplay. RPGs experienced a revival in 2011, highlighted by Skyrim, Fallout: New Vegas, and The Witcher 2, alongside BioWare's Dragon Age 2 and the immersive sim Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Indie games like Bastion and Limbo gained popularity, while strategy games such as Total War: Shogun 2 also performed well. The year 2011 is recognized as a landmark period for PC gaming, marking its resurgence.

AppWizard

March 8, 2025

The best hero shooters on PC

The landscape of PC gaming features a diverse range of genres, with first-person shooters (FPS) being particularly popular. Counter-Strike 2 is a leading title on Steam’s most played games list. Hero shooters, which combine traditional gunplay with RPG elements, gained popularity with Overwatch and have since seen many innovative titles. Many modern hero shooters support cross-platform play, allowing PC players to compete with console gamers. Upcoming PC games are expected to further enhance the hero shooter genre.

AppWizard

February 2, 2025

Game of the Year 2024

PC gaming has evolved from a niche market for mouse and keyboard enthusiasts to a diverse platform that includes a variety of genres and styles, welcoming indie developers and enhancing controller support. The Best PC Game award highlights this transformation, with UFO 50 recognized as a standout title for packaging 51 NES-like games into one collection, offering challenges and a nostalgic experience. Hollowbody is noted as a runner-up for its modern take on survival horror, featuring fixed camera angles and environmental puzzles, while Ara: History Untold stands out in the historical 4X genre by focusing on empire building and cultural development rather than warfare. Other honorable mentions include Frostpunk 2, Mouthwashing, and Satisfactory.

AppWizard

December 25, 2024

8 best free-to-play games on Steam

Steam offers a selection of free-to-play games, including: 1. Counter-Strike 2 - A team-based first-person shooter featuring battles between terrorists and counter-terrorists, enhanced by the Source 2 engine. 2. Marvel Rivals - A team-based PVP game with 6v6 battles featuring 33 Marvel heroes and villains, developed by NetEase Games in collaboration with Marvel. 3. The Sims 4 - A life simulation game where players create characters and design homes, now available for free with optional paid DLCs. 4. Warframe - A fast-paced game where players control biomechanical suits for ranged and melee combat, offering extensive content for free. 5. World of Tanks - A military strategy game focused on armored battles, allowing players to customize tanks from various historical periods. 6. Dota 2 - A popular MOBA game providing a competitive 5v5 experience with unique heroes, entirely free to play. 7. Fishing Planet - A fishing simulator that offers realistic gameplay with attention to detail, including weather conditions and fishing techniques. 8. Sky: Children of the Light - An adventure game emphasizing social gameplay and puzzle-solving in stunning fantasy realms.

AppWizard

December 24, 2024

Best FPS 2024: STRAFTAT

STRAFTAT is a first-person shooter game that features frenetic 1v1 battles, reminiscent of classic arcade-style duels. The gameplay is hypercompetitive, with a mantra of "two players enter, one player leaves," and includes a variety of whimsical level designs, such as navigating mazes or sliding down icy slopes. The game incorporates satisfying weapon mechanics and a quirky art style, creating a unique atmosphere that balances absurdity with skillful gameplay. It offers over 70 diverse maps, fostering a social environment akin to a modern LAN party. The game's slapstick humor and chaotic moments enhance the experience, although the competitive nature may pose a challenge for new players. STRAFTAT emphasizes immediate fun over traditional progression systems, appealing to both nostalgic fans and new players in the FPS genre.