holiday Archives

AppWizard

August 10, 2025

Minecraft Nerds Unite!

On August 6, 2025, the Shirley Burden Public Library in Hanceville hosted an open house meeting for the Minecraft Nerds Unite! club, which is aimed at homeschool students aged 6 to 12. The club provides a technology-free environment for hands-on, educational activities related to Minecraft. Monthly meetings feature a unique theme, show-and-tell sessions, snacks, and both individual and group activities that promote teamwork and creativity. Each child receives a Minecraft-themed take-home challenge. The club, founded by Amber Dover, encourages minimal parental involvement and celebrates special occasions with themed parties. Interested individuals can find the club on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/minecraftnerdsunitehomeschoolclub.

AppWizard

July 31, 2025

Lego Minecraft 5-In-1 Gift Set Up For Grabs For $45 Exclusively At Walmart

The Lego Minecraft 5-in-1 World Explorer Gift Set is available exclusively at Walmart and includes five distinct playsets, totaling 522 pieces and 15 minifigures. The set features Steve's Desert Expedition, The Armory, The Nether Lava Battle, The Illager Desert Patrol, and The Lush Cave Fight. It is priced at a discount compared to purchasing the individual sets separately, offering a 25% savings. The set includes various buildable mobs, structures, weapons, and accessories, making it suitable for younger fans or collectors. Key components include characters like Steve and Alex, along with environments such as a Desert Hut and Nether Portal.

AppWizard

July 24, 2025

The Outer Worlds 2 will no longer cost $80 as Microsoft backs away from plans to follow Nintendo’s lead

Obsidian Entertainment has adjusted the price of its RPG, The Outer Worlds 2, after public feedback regarding its initial pricing. The studio communicated with fans via their Bluesky account, indicating a commitment to fair pricing and collaboration with partners for the revision. The gaming industry has seen fluctuations in major title prices, with Microsoft maintaining its strategy of keeping full-priced holiday releases consistent. Obsidian's other title, Avowed, launched at a similar price point and was available through Game Pass, while it was discounted during the Steam Summer Sale. Some publishers have opted for lower price points for new titles to attract gamers seeking quality experiences without premium costs.

AppWizard

July 19, 2025

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake will launch ‘very soon,’ Ubisoft exec says, but he also namedropped Splinter Cell for no apparent reason so maybe he’s still just messing with us

Five years have passed since the initial leak of the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake. Ubisoft has not provided concrete updates on the remake or Splinter Cell during its recent Annual General Meeting. Chief Financial Officer Frederick Duguet indicated that the Sands of Time Remake is slated for release in Ubisoft's 2026 fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2026, with speculation suggesting a potential holiday 2025 release.

AppWizard

July 16, 2025

Xbox Insiders Can Now Stream Xbox Console-Only Games On PC

Microsoft has enhanced its "Stream your own game" feature, allowing Xbox Insiders to stream any Xbox game they own directly on PC. This update follows previous rollouts to TVs, browsers, and consoles. The feature is available exclusively to Xbox Insiders who are Game Pass Ultimate members and can be accessed through the Xbox PC app in 28 countries where Xbox Cloud Gaming operates. Players can stream from over 250 supported titles without installation. The game library is expanding, though it currently does not include older Xbox and Xbox 360 titles. Microsoft is also promoting its Xbox Play Anywhere initiative, enabling gamers to purchase titles once and play them across multiple devices, including the upcoming Xbox ROG Ally Windows handhelds.

AppWizard

July 14, 2025

This week in PC games: Stronghold, Destiny and Neverwinter Nights lead a host of drifters, necromancers and Pac-Monsters

The latest PC game releases include factory-themed titles such as "Kaizen: A Factory Story," an automation puzzle game by former Zachtronics developers, and "MoteMancer," which features real-time factory construction across dimensions with generative AI-inspired art. For those preferring different genres, "Arashi Gaiden" offers a turn-based ninja adventure. Notable revivals include "Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition" and "Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition." "Destiny 2" has released the Year Of Prophecy edition with new content. New games also feature "Becoming Saint," a real-time tactics roguelite, "Worship," which explores occult tactics, and "The Necromancer's Tale," an open-world RPG. Other titles include "Fill Up The Hole," a 2D landfill simulator, "Shadow Labyrinth," a horror twist on Pac-Man, and "The Drifter," a pulp adventure game. "Phantom Squad" promises action-packed gameplay.

AppWizard

July 11, 2025

Zero Caliber 2 Highlights PC VR Upgrades And Launch Window

XREAL Games unveiled new gameplay footage for Zero Caliber 2 during the UploadVR Summer Showcase and announced a projected release window for its PC VR version on Steam, set for Q3 2025. The game, initially launched on Quest, is being adapted for PC VR with enhancements including advanced enemy AI, improved ragdoll physics, dynamic shadows, enhanced explosion and weapon effects, refined environments and lighting, and smoother vehicle animations. Several missions are being rebuilt, and character models are receiving further refinement. Additionally, Zero Caliber 1 is targeting a Q3 2025 launch on PlayStation VR2, with plans for Zero Caliber 2 on the same platform contingent on the performance of Zero Caliber VR. Currently, Zero Caliber 2 is available on Quest.

AppWizard

July 7, 2025

‘Lilo & Stitch’ Passes ‘Minecraft’ as Hollywood’s Highest-Grossing Film of 2025

Disney's live-action remake of “Lilo & Stitch” has surpassed Warner Bros./Legendary’s “A Minecraft Movie” in global theatrical earnings, reaching a total of 8.5 million in the U.S. and 7.7 million worldwide. “A Minecraft Movie” concluded its run with a global tally of 4 million. “Lilo & Stitch” is on track to potentially become the first film to cross the billion-dollar mark since “Ne Zha 2.” Disney's first half of 2025 faced challenges, with “Mufasa” earning million globally, and Marvel films “Captain America: Brave New World” and “Thunderbolts” earning million and million, respectively. Pixar’s “Elio” grossed only .8 million globally over three weekends. Upcoming releases include “Zootopia 2,” “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” and “The Fantastic 4: First Steps,” which is projected to open with over 0 million.

AppWizard

July 5, 2025

Just days after joining Game Pass, the Xbox PC edition of Call of Duty: WW2 is taken offline for “an issue”

The PC version of Call of Duty: WWII has been taken offline due to security concerns related to remote code execution (RCE) hacks that allow unauthorized code execution on players' PCs. This issue has led to fears of malware installation and data breaches. The game's removal from online access has caused frustration among players, who criticize the lack of transparency from the Call of Duty team regarding the vulnerabilities. While the game is still available for installation on Xbox PC and the Microsoft Store, it is currently not accessible online. The Xbox version remains available, and concerns persist about the potential for similar vulnerabilities in other older titles.

AppWizard

July 4, 2025

Live Action ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Beats ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ Now Highest Grossing Film Worldwide in 2025

The live-action adaptation of "Lilo & Stitch" is the highest-grossing film of 2025 globally, with a worldwide gross of 7.6 million and an international take of 3.9 million. It surpassed the previous records held by "A Minecraft Movie," which grossed 4.9 million worldwide and 0.9 million internationally. "A Minecraft Movie" retains the U.S. domestic box office record for 2025, with a gross of 3.9 million. "Lilo & Stitch" is still in its sixth week of release, having debuted on May 23, and has contributed to making 2025 the most lucrative Memorial Day weekend in history for cinemas. It achieved the second-largest opening for any four-day holiday weekend, following "Black Panther" in 2018. The film ranks among the top films in markets such as Brazil and Mexico, helping Disney amass a total of 1.1 billion in 2025. Significant changes were made to the original narrative, including the omission of Captain Gantu and a twist ending where Nani relinquishes custody of Lilo. A live-action sequel, "Lilo & Stitch 2," is currently in development.