original game Archives

AppWizard

December 2, 2025

Attention survival game sickos: you can be among the first to playtest the sequel to one of my favorite survival RPGs

Outward 2, the sequel to the 2019 title Outward developed by Nine Dots Studio, is set to expand the game's world. An alpha playtest will occur from December 9 to December 15, allowing participants to explore the city of Haboob and the Bellowgale region. The full game is expected to be released in 2026.

AppWizard

December 1, 2025

Inside the GTA mod that was so well-written its creators axed it to make their own game—and then returned to finish the job due to public demand

A duo of modders, Blue & Blood, is creating a total conversion mod for Grand Theft Auto that shifts the narrative focus from a young gangster to a police officer dealing with corruption. The project is led by modder Cascavel and software engineer giacobbe. Their inspiration came from a game called Schedule I, which demonstrated the potential of a single developer to create a resonant world. They are also developing GTA Palmline, a reimagining of Vice City that incorporates mechanics from San Andreas. The modders are managing multiple projects, including a secret indie project influenced by various games. They aim to maintain a high level of polish in their work while balancing their ambitions with achievable goals.

AppWizard

November 29, 2025

This Half-Life mod reimagines the game as a boomer shooter—yes, even boomier than the original

Half-Life: Element 64 is a new mod that launched its demo on Steam, focusing on fast-paced gameplay similar to earlier classics like Quake. The mod features new levels and music while retaining some elements from the original game. Players can engage in combat against head crabs and vortigaunts in a level-select hub. The developer, Dark Vector, is working on hotfixes for the demo and has plans to unveil Half-Life Arena in two weeks, which is a deathmatch overhaul inspired by the PS2 version of Half-Life. A release date for the complete mod is not yet announced.

AppWizard

November 29, 2025

A new Half-Life game has just launched a demo on Steam, but Valve’s not involved

Half-Life: Element 64 is a community-driven mod developed by Dark Vector, which has released a demo on Steam. Players need to own a copy of the original Half-Life to access the mod, which takes place in the Black Mesa Research facility and features gameplay inspired by classic first-person shooters like Doom and Quake. The mod consists of four episodes, beginning with players fighting through medical bays and research facilities overrun by alien invaders and zombified staff. The demo is available for free on Steam, and while a full release date has not been announced, it captures the essence of the original Half-Life game from 1998.

AppWizard

November 29, 2025

Hytale Will Launch in Early Access in January 2026 as Creators Ressurrect Minecraft-Like MMO

Hytale, a Minecraft-inspired MMO, began development in 2015 with Riot Games as an early investor and later acquired Hypixel Studios. The game was canceled in June 2025, leading to the disbandment of Hypixel Studios. Simon Collins-Laflamme, the original creator, has repurchased the rights from Riot and plans to revive development, with an early access release date set for January 13, 2026. The team has rehired over 40 members, bringing the total workforce to 50. Collins-Laflamme has advised potential players to manage their expectations regarding the game's unfinished state during early access. The team is returning to the original game version, merging over 300 GitHub branches into a single working branch to prepare for the launch. Hytale and Hypixel Studios are now independent again, with a commitment to realizing the original vision from the 2018 trailer.

AppWizard

November 27, 2025

Bloodlines 2’s disastrous $37 million write-down “lies fully” with Paradox, says its CEO, as the controversial VTM game flops

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 has a 56% lifetime rating on Steam and has sold approximately 121,500 copies, generating around million in net revenue. Paradox Interactive will not develop a sequel, Bloodlines 3, and has written down SEK 355 million on the game's development costs. The game has been criticized for lacking a coherent sequel experience, a compelling narrative, and suffering from technical glitches and chaotic combat mechanics. Paradox's CEO acknowledged miscalculations in sales expectations, stating the game is outside their core areas. Despite setbacks, two DLCs, Loose Cannon and The Flower and The Flame, are planned for release in 2026. The World of Darkness franchise has struggled with recent video game adaptations, with few achieving notable success.

AppWizard

November 25, 2025

Chinese Room co-founder wanted Paradox to drop the ‘Bloodlines 2’ name, because “no one would be happy” with the final game

Many players are disappointed with Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 due to performance issues, a lack of meaningful stakes, and disengaging RPG systems. The sequel does not maintain continuity with the original game, offering only scattered lore snippets. Dan Pinchbeck, co-founder of The Chinese Room, revealed that he advocated for a title change during development discussions with Paradox to reduce comparisons with the original game. He aimed to take over the development of Bloodlines 2 but noted the team wanted to infuse their own storytelling rather than simply finish Hardsuit Labs' work. Pinchbeck recognized the challenges of creating a true sequel within time and budget constraints and suggested aiming for a focused experience similar to Dishonored. He acknowledged the complexities of collaborative game development and the enduring legacy of the original Bloodlines game, which continues to overshadow its sequel.

AppWizard

November 22, 2025

A former Valve dev revealed how, while a VR version of Half-Life 2 was being made, a single metro cop’s toe created a ‘time-travelling’ bug that softlocked all versions of the game

Half-Life 2's physics engine experienced a notable bug during the development of its VR version in 2013, where players became softlocked due to a door not opening as intended. This issue was traced back to an NPC, a metro cop, standing too close to the door, causing a collision that prevented it from opening. The problem was found to exist in both the VR build and the original game. The root cause was linked to floating-point calculation discrepancies between the newer SSE instruction set used for the VR tests and the older x87 set used in the original game. In the x87 version, the guard's toe moved out of the way, allowing the door to open, while in the SSE version, the guard remained in the way, causing the door to bounce back and trap players.

BetaBeacon

November 19, 2025

AYANEO Pocket Vert is like a modern Game Boy with a 3.5 inch, 1600 x 1440 display and Android-based OS

The AYANEO Pocket Vert is an upcoming Android handheld device that resembles a futuristic version of the classic Nintendo Game Boy. It features a high-res IPS LCD display panel with 1600 x 1400 pixels and 615 pixels per inch. The device also includes a 6,000 mAh battery, stereo speakers, a USB-C port, and a unique "MagicSwitch" key for special functions. The handheld has an "invisible" touchpad below the action buttons, customizable mapping for the action buttons, and shoulder buttons for ergonomic design. It will be available in black, white, or red color options.

AppWizard

November 18, 2025

Mass Effect 3 redeemed to glory as modder puts its ME1-style elevator back in

The Mass Effect series, particularly its third installment released in 2012, sparked intense discussions about its endings and player choice impact. A mod called Glorious Elevators (LE3), developed by Linkenski, aims to restore the elevator experience from the original Mass Effect, which was cut from Mass Effect 3 due to technical limitations of the PS3 and Xbox 360. The mod allows players to experience the Normandy's lifts in real time, enhancing gameplay and rekindling nostalgia. Linkenski claims it improves upon the original elevators and adds to the seamlessness of Mass Effect 3.