Nintendo Archives

AppWizard

June 28, 2025

4 classic PC games that prove just how well pixel art can age

Pixel graphics emerged as a limitation of hardware capabilities but have been embraced as an artistic choice, especially in indie games. A criterion of at least ten years since release is used to define "retro" games. Papers, Please: Players act as a border checkpoint officer in a totalitarian state, balancing duty and family needs. The game utilizes pixel art for its static user interface and characters, maintaining its unique visual identity over a decade later. Platform: Steam. RollerCoaster Tycoon: Known for its iconic pixel art, the game features vibrant landscapes that complement its amusement park theme. Its late-90s aesthetic remains impressive even two decades after release. Shovel Knight: Launched over a decade ago, it pays homage to retro 2D platformers with an 8-bit-inspired aesthetic. The game blends nostalgia with originality, featuring backgrounds that enhance gameplay. Backyard Baseball: A late '90s arcade-style baseball simulation known for its distinctive art style and memorable characters. The pixelated character models are well-defined, showcasing impressive pixel artistry. Platforms: Steam, Nintendo Switch. PC games may not always match the pixel artistry of console games from the 80s and 90s, but there are many iconic pixel art games from that era and the early 2010s.

AppWizard

June 26, 2025

Newzoo: Top 20 PC/Console Games of May 2025 by Revenue and MAU

In May, three new titles entered the revenue rankings: Elden Ring Nightreign (4th place), DOOM: The Dark Ages (9th), and FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time (20th). Elden Ring Nightreign sold over 3.5 million copies across six markets. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 returned to the top 10, while Destiny 2 jumped 30 positions to 11th place due to pre-orders for its expansion. On PlayStation, F1 25 debuted at 15th place, and on Xbox, RoadCraft entered at 18th. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was not listed on Xbox due to Game Pass availability. On PC, Helldivers II returned to the top 20 at 19th place after an update. For Nintendo Switch, FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time was the only newcomer, with ten Nintendo titles remaining in the top 20. In MAU rankings, DOOM: The Dark Ages reached 16th place, and Elden Ring Nightreign appeared in the top 20 on PC. Star Wars: Battlefront II re-entered the top 20 due to promotional discounts, and Helldivers II climbed to 14th place in MAU rankings.

AppWizard

June 26, 2025

Steam Summer Sale 2025 start time: Here’s when huge PC games go on sale as first discounts arrive

The Steam Summer Sale is set to begin at 6 PM BST. Discounts during the sale can reach up to 95%. Gamers can use the Steam app on mobile devices to add games to their collection or curate wishlists before the sale starts. Popular titles currently discounted include EA FC 25, Horizon Forbidden West, and various Far Cry games. Historical trends indicate that major releases like Assassin's Creed Shadows, Monster Hunter Wilds, DOOM: The Dark Ages, and Kingdom Come Deliverance II will also be discounted during the sale.

AppWizard

June 25, 2025

Gloomy Eyes, a Tim Burton-esque Cozy Horror Adventure Game, Announced for PC and Consoles

Gloomy Eyes is a cozy horror game developed by Fishing Cactus, featuring two main characters: Gloomy, a gentle zombie boy, and Nena, a playful human girl. The game is set in a dark world where the living and undead are in conflict, and the characters embark on a quest to restore daylight. Players alternate between controlling Gloomy and Nena, solving puzzles that test creativity and problem-solving skills. The game features intricately designed diorama levels and a unique soundtrack. Gloomy Eyes will be released on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch later this year, and is available for wishlisting on Steam.

AppWizard

June 25, 2025

King of Meat’s dungeon maker mode won’t offer the Minecraft-esque freedom, says Glowmade co-founders: ‘Sometimes the best creativity comes from having limitations’

Glowmade's co-founders discussed the creative framework of their upcoming game, King of Meat, particularly its Create mode, which features intentional design limitations to enhance players' creative learning experiences. The game does not provide a completely freeform environment but instead offers a structured approach that simplifies the creative process. Players can tweak various behaviors within the game to encourage experimentation while focusing on creating enjoyable content. The development team aims to communicate the nuances of fun gameplay through visual language and tools. King of Meat is in development for multiple platforms, including PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Nintendo Switch, but does not have an official release date yet.

AppWizard

June 24, 2025

Mario Kart 64 Has Been Unofficially Ported To PC With Ultrawide Support

Nintendo remains focused on its consoles, while the fan community has ported Mario Kart 64 to PC under the name SpaghettiKart. The Harbour Masters development team reverse-engineered the original game's code, enhancing it with modern graphics options like ultrawide screen support, 4K resolution, and higher frame rates. SpaghettiKart also allows players to create custom race courses and increase CPU difficulty. Harbour Masters has previously developed PC ports for Star Fox 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, using "clean codes" that do not include original Nintendo 64 code. Players need legally sourced ROMs to use these ports. Earlier this year, the community ported Minecraft to Super Mario 64, compatible with PC emulators and original Nintendo 64 consoles. The latest official Mario Kart entry, Mario Kart World, launched for the Nintendo Switch 2.

AppWizard

June 24, 2025

PC gaming figures fall again in Germany, down to just 13.1 million — marking a 20% decline since 2019

PC gaming in Germany has declined by 20% since 2019, with 13.1 million active PC gamers by the end of 2024, a decrease of 400,000 from the previous year. In 2019, there were 16.3 million PC gamers compared to 15.9 million console gamers, but the gap has now widened to over 7 million in favor of consoles, which currently have 20.5 million users. Game sales have decreased by 17% and hardware sales by 10%, while online gaming services have grown by 12%. Factors contributing to the decline in PC gaming may include shortages of new components, particularly GPUs.

AppWizard

June 24, 2025

Mario Kart World just launched with Switch 2, but PC gamers are playing Mario Kart 64 instead thanks to a “many-year” fan project that doesn’t contain Nintendo’s original code

Over two weeks after the launch of the Switch 2 and the latest Mario Kart installment, a fan-made port of Mario Kart 64, called SpaghettiKart, has been released for PC. This port was created by fans who reverse-engineered the original game, ensuring it does not use any code from the Nintendo 64 version to avoid legal issues. SpaghettiKart is available for download on GitHub and is still a work-in-progress, with some features not yet fully supported and a rare crash issue for a small number of users. The project follows the decompilation of the classic game and is part of a trend of retro titles being ported by fans.

AppWizard

June 24, 2025

Mario Kart 64 races onto PC with unofficial port, no emulation necessary

UltraHLE enabled players to run commercial Nintendo 64 games at playable frame rates on Windows 9x. The Harbour Masters collective has developed SpaghettiKart, an unofficial PC port of Mario Kart 64, by decompiling and recompiling the original game code for contemporary platforms, including Windows, Linux (Ubuntu 22), and Nintendo Switch. Players must provide their own Mario Kart 64 ROM and use "Spaghettify.exe" to load the game. SpaghettiKart currently supports only the US version and offers three rendering APIs: DirectX 11 for Windows, Metal for macOS, and OpenGL for other platforms. The port allows for custom assets and mods, although it is still in development and may have occasional crashes. Mario Kart 64 is the second-best-selling title for the Nintendo 64, with nearly 9.87 million copies sold globally. SpaghettiKart utilizes Libultraship, a library that reimplements Nintendo 64 SDK functions on modern machines.

AppWizard

June 24, 2025

Xbox App For PC Now Integrates Your Steam Games

The Xbox App on PC is integrating purchased games from various storefronts, including Steam, currently available only to Xbox Insider program members. This update transforms the Xbox App into a universal launcher for titles from multiple PC gaming storefronts. Microsoft aims to position Xbox as a universal gaming hub in response to competition, with the PlayStation 5 selling 61.7 million units compared to the Xbox Series consoles' 28.3 million units as of September 2024. Microsoft plans a next-generation gaming platform covering consoles, handheld devices, PCs, and cloud gaming. There is speculation about an Xbox-branded Meta Quest 3S headset, and Xbox President Sarah Bond highlighted collaboration between the Xbox division and the Windows team to make Windows the top gaming platform. Future Xbox iterations may resemble gaming PCs, as indicated by the Asus ROG Xbox Ally handheld introduction.