narrative structure Archives

AppWizard

April 30, 2025

The Best PC Games of 2025 So Far (Spring Edition)

Spring 2025 has seen the release of several notable PC games, including: - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33: Released on April 24, 2025, by Sandfall Interactive, it sold over 1 million copies in three days and features a blend of French art nouveau aesthetics and JRPG combat mechanics. - Monster Hunter Wilds: Released on February 28, 2025, by Capcom, it introduces full narrative integration and dynamic monster interactions. - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered: Released on April 22, 2025, by Bethesda Game Studios, it attracted over 4 million players shortly after launch and features enhanced visuals and gameplay updates. Other early 2025 releases include: - Blue Prince (April 10, 2025) - Split Fiction (March 6, 2025) - Atomfall (March 27, 2025) - Assassin’s Creed Shadows (March 20, 2025) - Two Point Museum (March 5, 2025) - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (January 23, 2025) - Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist (January 22, 2025) - Ninja Gaiden II Black (January 23, 2025) - The Talos Principle: Reawakened (April 10, 2025) Highly anticipated titles for later in 2025 include: - Grand Theft Auto VI (Late 2025) - Doom: The Dark Ages (May 15, 2025) - Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (August 28, 2025) - The Outer Worlds 2 (Expected 2025) - Borderlands 4 (September 12, 2025) - Marvel’s Blade (TBA 2025) - Hades II (Full Release later 2025) - Frostpunk 2 (Summer 2025) - Slay the Spire 2 (Early Access Expected 2025) - Anno 117: Pax Romana (Expected 2025) - Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 (October 2025) - Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Expected 2025) - Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl (Expected 2025) In 2024, top-rated PC games included: 1. Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree 2. Metaphor: ReFantazio 3. UFO 50 4. Tekken 8 5. Caves of Qud 6. Animal Well 7. Satisfactory 8. Balatro 9. Thank Goodness You’re Here! 10. The Last of Us Part II Remastered The PC gaming landscape in 2024 was characterized by significant hardware advancements, improved game integration and compatibility, and thriving online communities.

AppWizard

April 20, 2025

Stop Watching and Start Memeing at ‘A Minecraft Movie’

A Minecraft Movie has been released, blending gaming and cinema, and appeals to both nostalgic fans of the game and new audiences. The film features a classic narrative with a villainous duo, Malgosha and Chungus, and includes humor and clever dialogue. Jennifer Coolidge plays Vice Principal Marlene, while Jack Black and Jason Momoa portray Steve and Garrett, respectively. The film includes comedic scenes, such as a product placement moment with Coolidge's character hitting a villager with her Jeep Cherokee. The audience, including fans and families, reacted positively, and the film is seen as a potential cultural touchstone for Gen Alpha.

AppWizard

April 17, 2025

Jared Hess Is Still a Sundance Guy: Why the Smash Hit ‘Minecraft Movie’ Feels a Little Like an Indie Film

Jared Hess, director of “A Minecraft Movie,” admires Robert Eggers’ reinterpretation of “Nosferatu” for its distinct personality and unexpected storytelling elements. Hess gained recognition with “Napoleon Dynamite” at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, which became successful through word-of-mouth. “A Minecraft Movie” has earned over million at the box office after three weekends, significantly surpassing “Napoleon Dynamite's” total earnings. Hess's children served as unofficial consultants during the film's development, contributing to its personal touch. Adapting “Minecraft” posed challenges due to its lack of a traditional narrative, but it also allowed for creative freedom, particularly with the character of Steve. The film was primarily shot in Auckland, New Zealand, and Hess emphasized collaboration with game developers to balance fidelity to the source material with innovative storytelling. Despite mixed critical reception, Hess maintains his comedic style focused on character and story, and he hopes for broader opportunities in Hollywood.

AppWizard

April 4, 2025

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered review

The Last of Us Part 2 features a narrative that explores themes of vengeance and the moral dilemmas of violence, focusing on characters Abby and Ellie who are caught in a cycle of revenge amidst conflicts involving the military junta FEDRA, the Washington Liberation Front, and the Seraphites. The game introduces several enhancements in its recent PC release, including ultrawide support, HDR, enhanced graphics options, improved accessibility settings, and a new “speech to vibrations” feature. It also includes new gameplay modes such as a guitar-playing feature for Ellie and a roguelite mode called No Return, which emphasizes strategic resource management in randomized combat encounters. Despite its rich audiovisual presentation and engaging combat, the game has faced performance issues on PC, particularly with an RTX 3060 Ti, and its narrative has been criticized for being clichéd and for its handling of violence and power dynamics. A day-one patch is expected to address some of these performance concerns.