hidden gems Archives

AppWizard

December 28, 2024

Amid a tidal wave of new games in 2024, these 10 must-play deep cuts are cheap and will run on almost anything

Many gamers are facing a growing backlog of titles as they enter the new year. Instead of returning to popular games like The Witcher 3 or Persona 5, players are encouraged to explore quirky indie games that offer depth and creativity, are budget-friendly, and suitable for short gaming sessions. Eight standout indie games from the past year and two late entries from 2023 include: 1. Felvidek: Set in the Slovak highlands, featuring a disgraced protagonist investigating supernatural occurrences with a priest, utilizing sepia-toned visuals and retro turn-based combat. 2. Skald: Against the Black Priory: A DOS RPG-inspired game with pixel art and a rich soundtrack, offering modern hardcore CRPG mechanics. 3. Dread Delusion: A low-fi RPG with immersive world-building and exploration, captivating players since early access. 4. Anger Foot: An arcade FPS priced at , combining fast-paced action and humor, reminiscent of "Hotline Miami." 5. Judero: An action-adventure game with a druid protagonist in a whimsical claymation world, featuring surreal dialogues. 6. Mouthwashing: A claustrophobic narrative set on a marooned spaceship, known for its nonlinear storytelling and haunting atmosphere. 7. Straftat: A 1v1 FPS that combines classic map design with humor, serving as a contrast to live service games. 8. The Black Parade: An unofficial expansion for Thief Gold, featuring ten expansive missions that highlight immersive sim design. These indie titles offer a refreshing alternative to mainstream gaming, allowing players to enjoy unique narratives and innovative gameplay.

AppWizard

December 28, 2024

Weekend PC Game Deals: Even more winter sales and daily freebies

The Epic Games Store is offering a free copy of Hot Wheels Unleashed, a racing game developed by Milestone, which features drifting mechanics and a customizable track builder. The giveaway ends at 8 AM PT on December 28. The Steam Winter Sale is ongoing, providing substantial discounts on thousands of titles. The GOG store is also running a winter sale, offering a free copy of The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav along with other discounted games.

Winsage

December 25, 2024

Five lesser known Task Manager features in Windows 11

Windows 11's Task Manager includes several features that enhance productivity and system management: - Users can generate a live kernel or full crash dump to troubleshoot crashes, which can be analyzed for root cause identification. - Holding the CTRL key pauses the Task Manager updates, allowing users to easily locate processes, while the F5 key refreshes values for real-time updates. - The "Efficiency Mode" can be activated by right-clicking on an app or process to limit CPU usage, reducing power consumption and freeing up resources. - The Startup Apps section provides an overview of applications that launch at boot, allowing users to disable unnecessary ones to improve startup time and system performance. - The App History tab shows resource usage by applications since the last shutdown, helping users identify which apps are consuming significant resources.

AppWizard

December 21, 2024

Weekend PC Game Deals: Winter Sales 2024 Edition

Humble is offering the Silent Night Deadly Night Bundle, which includes seven DRM-free games. The first tier features Aragami, They Always Run, Kunai, and Sclash. For a higher price, players can unlock Aragami 2 and Furi, with Slave Zero X available at the final tier. The bundle provides DRM-free GOG keys. The Epic Games Store is hosting a holiday giveaway with daily free games. Today's game is Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles, a roguelike deckbuilder that uses dice. The final Steam sale of 2024 has started, featuring thousands of discounts on popular games without the need for coupons. The GOG store's winter sale includes over 6,000 DRM-free games, with a free game, Chicken Assassin: Reloaded, currently available. Availability and pricing may vary by region.

AppWizard

December 20, 2024

You should definitely grab today’s free Epic Store giveaway: this ‘dicebuilder’ might quietly be the best freebie of the season

Epic Games is offering a selection of free games during the holiday season, including notable titles like Death Stranding and Vampire Survivors. One of the highlighted free games is Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles, a deckbuilding game developed by a small indie team in São Paulo, Brazil. Astrea features a unique gameplay mechanic that replaces cards with dice and includes a system called Virtues, which are character-specific abilities activated by taking Corruption damage. The game has received an 80% review score from PC Gamer and offers a balance of risk and strategy, where players can wager lives for upgrades. Astrea was released on PC in September 2023 and has received updates to enhance replayability, including rebalancing and mod support. It is currently available for free on the Epic Games Store.

BetaBeacon

December 17, 2024

Millions of Netflix users just got an exclusive freebie that you can download right now

Netflix has unveiled Monument Valley 3, the latest installment in the puzzle game franchise developed by Ustwo Games. The game is available for free to Netflix subscribers through the Netflix Games platform.

BetaBeacon

December 16, 2024

BlueStacks Air is a new Android emulator that natively runs mobile games on Mac

BlueStacks Systems has released BlueStacks Air, a specialized version of the BlueStacks App Player emulator designed for Apple Silicon-powered Mac devices. This new emulator is optimized for Apple's M-series chips, promising swift performance and responsive gameplay for an authentic Android gaming experience on Mac.

Winsage

December 14, 2024

10 features you didn’t know were in the Windows 11 File Explorer

The File Explorer in Windows 11 includes several features to enhance file management: 1. Gallery: A section to view all images stored on the PC and OneDrive, organized by date. 2. Optimize folders: Users can customize folder appearances based on content type through the Properties menu. 3. Change default launch location: Users can set File Explorer to open to This PC or OneDrive instead of the Home folder. 4. Classic context menu: Users can access the traditional context menu by holding the Shift key while right-clicking. 5. Clear File Explorer history: Users can reset the history of visited folders for a fresh start. 6. Managing OneDrive files: Users can manage cloud files directly from File Explorer and identify local versus cloud storage. 7. Selecting multiple files with the keyboard: Users can use arrow keys and Control to select multiple files efficiently. 8. Extracting and creating archives: Users can create and extract various archive formats, including 7z and RAR, without third-party applications. 9. Move files to Android phone: Users can transfer files between a Windows PC and an Android device using Phone Link integration. 10. Rename files in bulk: Users can rename multiple files simultaneously by selecting them and entering a new name with a counter for differentiation.

AppWizard

December 10, 2024

Cyberpunk 2077’s surprise new update lets Keanu ride shotgun through the streets of Night City and makes some PC-specific improvements—and it’s out now

CD Projekt has released the Cyberpunk 2077 2.2 update, which includes new features for vehicle customization and photo mode enhancements. The update introduces a color-changing CrystalCoat system for various vehicles, allowing players to customize their cars. The TwinTone system enables players to scan and save vehicle color schemes. Photo mode improvements include a free drone camera, increased camera range, full collision options, a lock camera feature, precise camera control, custom aspect ratios for PC screenshots, a characters tab for spawning NPCs, adjustable lighting, a depth of field fix, and an effect intensity slider. New character customization options are available, and players are encouraged to explore Night City for hidden secrets. The update also includes quest adjustments, bug fixes, and gameplay tweaks, such as fixes for katana animations and HUD visibility issues. Phantom Liberty-specific updates address various quest-related bugs. Miscellaneous fixes include sound adjustments, voiceover corrections, and ray-traced shadow improvements. PC-specific enhancements allow for key rebinding and performance optimizations.

AppWizard

December 3, 2024

PC Players Can Grab 18 Free Games From Prime Gaming This December

Amazon Prime subscribers can access 18 free PC games through Prime Gaming in December 2024. The games include: - STAR WARS: Bounty Hunter (GOG Code) - December 3 - Tomb Raider: Underworld (GOG Code) - December 3 - Overcooked! 2 (GOG Code) - December 3 - Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (GOG Code) - December 3 - DREDGE (GOG Code) - December 3 - Quake II (GOG Code) - December 5 - Disney•Pixar WALL-E (Amazon Games App) - December 5 - Planet of Lana (GOG Code) - December 12 - Hero's Hour (GOG Code) - December 12 - The Coma: Recut (GOG Code) - December 12 - Electrician Simulator (Epic Games Store) - December 12 - ReDrawn: The Painted Tower Collector's Edition (Amazon Games App) - December 12 - Nine Witches: Family Disruption (Amazon Games App) - December 19 - Predator: Hunting Grounds (Epic Games Store) - December 19 - Aces of the Luftwaffe — Squadron Extended Edition (Amazon Games App) - December 19 - Simulakros (Amazon Games App) - December 19 - Christmas Fables: The Magic Snowflake Collector's Edition (Legacy Games Code) - December 19 - The Town of Light (GOG Code) - December 26 Additionally, subscribers in supported countries can stream games via Amazon Luna, and Amazon is running a Black Friday sale on select games and accessories.