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Half-Life 2

Retiring Valve programmer says 'at least one' of the studio's beloved game modes was made in secret to avoid pushback from peers
AppWizard
July 18, 2026

Retiring Valve programmer says ‘at least one’ of the studio’s beloved game modes was made in secret to avoid pushback from peers

Programmer Christopher Green has had a long career in the gaming industry, working on titles such as Amiga's Flight Simulators, Ultima Underworld, and Magic: The Gathering Online. He has worked at Valve for a total of 16 years, during which he contributed to projects like both Source engines, Day of Defeat: Source, The Orange Box, and both Portal games. Green retired from Valve for the second time recently, having returned in 2023 after a six-year hiatus. He shared insights from his career in a blog post and hosted AMAs on Reddit. Green previously worked at Leaping Lizard Software, where he helped develop Magic: The Gathering Online. He noted that Valve's work culture allows for personal projects, but newcomers may face challenges if their ideas deviate from mainstream expectations. His retirement announcement included details about his home office setup, which features advanced technology, and he expressed enthusiasm for pursuing personal projects, likely to be shared on GitHub.
As a PC Gamer Who Hasn’t Bought a Disc in a Decade, I Think PlayStation All-Digital Future Was a Long Time Coming – but There Are Still Reasons To Be Wary
AppWizard
July 17, 2026

As a PC Gamer Who Hasn’t Bought a Disc in a Decade, I Think PlayStation All-Digital Future Was a Long Time Coming – but There Are Still Reasons To Be Wary

Rockstar has decided not to release a physical version of its upcoming game, GTA 6, while Sony plans to stop producing discs for PlayStation consoles by January 2028. The gaming community has reacted strongly, but it is unlikely that either company will change its decision. The transition to a discless future is seen as inevitable. In the PC gaming sector, physical discs have largely become obsolete, with platforms like Steam dominating the market. The initial skepticism towards Steam has shifted as it became a reliable digital marketplace, leading to a decline in physical media. The absence of physical discs raises concerns about consumer autonomy, pricing, and game preservation, as digital ownership is often limited to licenses rather than full ownership. The shift away from physical media has been ongoing, with modern gaming increasingly reliant on digital downloads and updates.
This week in PC games: vert-ramping trains, a retold murder mystery, and Cthulhu’s new gig as an AI Director
AppWizard
July 13, 2026

This week in PC games: vert-ramping trains, a retold murder mystery, and Cthulhu’s new gig as an AI Director

Edwin is currently sidelined by an illness following TennoCon, and he is expected to submit stories on Soulframe and Warframe: Tau before fully resting. New PC games being released this week include: - Ascend to Zero: A sci-fi action-roguelike with temporal manipulation. - Forensics: Crime Scene Detective: A game focused on managing fingerprint and bullet comparisons. - Soulforge Lost Path: A Survivorslike/bullet heaven game with limited inventory management. - D-Topia: A puzzle adventure about maintaining an AI-managed society. - The Incident at Galley House: A visual novel remake of a murder mystery text adventure. - Happy's Humble Burger Cult: A cooking horror game for 1-4 players. - Moss: The Forgotten Relic: A 3D platformer available for non-VR PC players. - Storebound: A cooperative horror puzzler launching into version 1.0. - Wreck Runners: A multiplayer game set in a haunted Bermuda Triangle. - Fogpiercer: A tactical roguelike deckbuilder focused on defending a train. - Frozen Ship: A first-person survival game launching in early access on the 17th. Additionally, today marks RPS’s 19th birthday, and the team will be scattered in the coming days for various events and holidays.
This 28-year-old open-source Windows alternative can finally run Half-Life 2
Winsage
July 7, 2026

This 28-year-old open-source Windows alternative can finally run Half-Life 2

ReactOS has successfully run Half-Life 2, following its ability to run the original Half-Life a month prior. This was achieved using a GeForce GTX 960 graphics card with Nvidia's 368.1 legacy driver and Creative Sound Blaster Audigy drivers. The progress was documented by @AotorHibiki. ReactOS is an open-source project aimed at creating a Windows-compatible operating system, currently in alpha state after nearly three decades of development.
You can now play Half-Life 2 right inside your browser at over 100 FPS with save states & console support — Ingenious port recreates the entire game campaign using WebGL 2
AppWizard
July 5, 2026

You can now play Half-Life 2 right inside your browser at over 100 FPS with save states & console support — Ingenious port recreates the entire game campaign using WebGL 2

A fully playable browser version of Half-Life 2 has been released, created by developers Slqnt and 98006 in three months. This version includes the entire main campaign and two episodic DLCs, operating natively on devices without cloud streaming. It utilizes WebGL 2 and WebAssembly to run graphics-intensive tasks and translate C++ code into JavaScript. The port features a Source console for accessing developer commands, though it does not support Steam achievements. Testing on various devices showed the best performance on a Windows PC, achieving over 100 FPS. The future of the port depends on Valve's response, and while copyright issues pose challenges, many classic games are available for free online.
An enthusiast ran Windows 11 on a PC from 2003 with DDR1 and AGP, and played Half-Life 2
Winsage
July 1, 2026

An enthusiast ran Windows 11 on a PC from 2003 with DDR1 and AGP, and played Half-Life 2

A modder demonstrated Windows 11 running on a vintage system with a Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor, DDR1 RAM, and an ATI Radeon HD 4650 AGP graphics card, achieving stable performance with games like Half-Life 2 and Crysis. The setup utilized an ASRock ConRoe865PE motherboard with an Intel i865PE chipset and required some "hacking interventions" for hardware compatibility, including launching the AGP 8X interface and activating H.264 video decoding. The Radeon HD 4650 AGP used Windows 7 64-bit drivers from 2012. The modder noted that Windows 11 officially supports BIOS systems via Windows 11 IoT, contributing to its stability on older hardware. The system's performance was enhanced by a Toshiba THNSNJ512GCSU solid-state drive (SSD). Additionally, another modder doubled the performance of a GeForce GTX 1650 by increasing its VRAM to 8 GB, and a different modder compressed GTA V to 2.5 GB.
silver Android smartphone
AppWizard
June 25, 2026

Grand Theft Auto 6 preorders begin tonight at midnight local time in the US; here’s where to buy — get yours now, it’s in the garage and ready to roll

The preorder pages for Grand Theft Auto VI will go live at midnight local time across the United States. Gamers can choose between the Standard and Ultimate editions, with digital preorders offering a month-long subscription to GTA+. The Ultimate Edition is priced at .99 and includes additional side missions, vehicles, weapons, and outfits for protagonists Jason and Lucia. The game is set to be released on November 19. PC gamers will have to wait another year for the game to run natively on their systems.
'Our game isn't gore porn' says director of game whose trailer features a zombie baby's skull being crushed and someone's eye getting scooped out with a knife
AppWizard
June 23, 2026

‘Our game isn’t gore porn’ says director of game whose trailer features a zombie baby’s skull being crushed and someone’s eye getting scooped out with a knife

A new trailer for the horror game Ill was released earlier this month, featuring graphic visuals such as eye-scoopings and skull stompings. Max Verehin, CEO of developer Team Clout, confirmed that there is a story in the game, inspired by iconic horror moments like the Ravenholm sequence from Half-Life 2. The latest trailer is toned down compared to the initial reveal at the 2025 Summer Game Fest. Verehin expressed confidence in the game's direction and hinted at additional content to be revealed in the future. The game is set to launch in 2027.
Bloober Team's making a Star Trek horror game
AppWizard
June 7, 2026

Bloober Team’s making a Star Trek horror game

Polish horror developer Bloober Team is developing a sci-fi psychological horror game titled Star Trek: Shadow Frontier, featuring Ro Laren, a Bajoran officer from Star Trek: The Next Generation, voiced by actress Michelle Forbes.
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