papers Archives

AppWizard

May 4, 2025

Tales of the Shire embraces a ‘clutter-core experience’ with grid-free decorating for your Hobbit house

Tales of the Shire is a life simulation game set to release on July 29, transporting players to the village of Bywater, inspired by Hobbiton. Players can engage in activities such as gardening, fishing, cooking, crafting, and home decorating. The game features a grid-free decorating system, allowing players to arrange items freely, creating personalized spaces that reflect individual tastes. This method is designed to evoke the whimsical interiors seen in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films. Additionally, dynamic camera angles will enhance the decorating experience by providing a top-down view for easier navigation. The game will be available on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch, and is currently open for wishlisting on Steam.

AppWizard

April 21, 2025

If you want to play the next game from the team that made Into the Breach, you’ll need a Playdate

The Playdate is a micro-console that supports innovative game development, with notable contributions from creators like Lucas Pope. Subset Games, known for titles like Into the Breach and FTL: Faster Than Light, is releasing Fulcrum Defender, a crank-operated shoot 'em up, as part of the Playdate's upcoming second season. The new season will feature a total of 12 games, released in pairs, with most titles currently undisclosed. Fulcrum Defender is set to launch on May 29 and aims to offer a fresh gameplay dynamic. The Playdate's design is well-suited for fast-paced, score-driven games, making it a significant platform for creative gaming experiences.

AppWizard

April 16, 2025

Best Single-Player PC Games to Play in 2025

Single-player PC games are thriving in 2025, featuring captivating narratives, intricate gameplay, and stunning visuals. Notable titles include: 1. Blue Prince - An indie roguelike puzzle game with a Metacritic score of 93, set in a shifting manor where players solve interconnected puzzles. 2. Assassin’s Creed Shadows - Set in feudal Japan, this game features two protagonists with distinct playstyles and has been praised for its narrative pacing and environmental design. 3. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - A cinematic first-person adventure focusing on exploration and puzzle-solving, released on PC in late 2024. 4. South of Midnight - A magical adventure following a girl with weaving abilities, notable for its claymation art style and emotional depth. 5. Avowed - A first-person fantasy RPG with choice-driven storytelling, set in the same universe as Pillars of Eternity. Upcoming games include: - Blades of Fire (May 22, 2025) - A Soulslike combat game with a focus on cinematic storytelling. - Cairn (TBA 2025) - A survival climbing simulator emphasizing precision control mechanics. - Hell Is Us (September 4, 2025) - A narrative-driven action game that eschews traditional open-world design. - Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream (Late 2025) - A stealth-adventure game featuring orphans uncovering a conspiracy. The PC platform remains the best for single-player games due to mod support, performance flexibility, a vast library, and indie innovation. The evolution of gaming technology has led to cutting-edge graphics, immersive storytelling, and innovative exploration mechanics, enhancing player engagement.

Winsage

April 5, 2025

Microsoft, Redmond celebrates 50 years of change: From small startup to AI trailblazer

Lisa Dupar owns a restaurant and catering business in Redmond, which she started four decades ago. Initially hesitant about opening in what seemed a remote area, her business thrived after she began delivering food to Microsoft, which was then a startup. Microsoft recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with an event attended by around 1,000 employees, including its three CEOs: Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Satya Nadella. The company has invested a billion dollars to enhance its AI infrastructure and develop new products like “Copilot.” Microsoft is also facing challenges with new tax proposals in Washington state. Redmond Mayor Angela Birney highlighted Microsoft's positive impact on the community, including infrastructure investments. Gates and Paul Allen moved the company from Albuquerque to Redmond in 1979 to attract talent. Dupar employs 250 people and has catered events for high-profile executives, crediting Microsoft for her business's longevity.

AppWizard

March 19, 2025

Google’s Gemini Gets Two of Its Coolest New Features: Canvas and…

Gemini has introduced new features called Canvas and Audio Overviews to enhance user experience and collaboration. Canvas allows users to create and edit documents collaboratively, enabling tasks like drafting speeches from notes and generating coding projects with explanations. Users can access Canvas through the "Canvas" button in the "Ask Gemini" box on the web. Audio Overviews enable users to upload documents and convert them into audio clips, making information accessible in a podcast-like format. Both features are available globally for Gemini and Gemini Advanced subscribers.

AppWizard

March 17, 2025

Five new Steam games you probably missed (March 17, 2025)

Steam releases approximately a dozen new games daily, making it challenging for gamers to find hidden gems. A selection of engaging PC games currently available includes: - Midnight Murder Club: A job simulator where players act as a doorman in a 1950s dystopia, distinguishing real residents from their doppelgangers. - Outlawed: An urban extraction shooter where three teams of three players dismantle gangs in a crime-ridden city, featuring vehicles, zip lines, and weapon customization. - Aneurism IV: A multiplayer FPS set in a gritty urban dystopia, allowing players to engage in shooting or alternative activities, influencing the city as a Spirit. - Lingo 2: A first-person puzzler focused on geometrical trickery and spatial reasoning, featuring new puzzle mechanics and enhanced exploration through jumping.

AppWizard

March 6, 2025

A demo for a lost videogame based on George Orwell’s 1984 has emerged from the memory hole

In the mid-1990s, MediaX, a US-based studio, conceptualized a video game titled Big Brother, inspired by George Orwell's 1984. Players would assume the role of Eric Blair, navigating a dystopian landscape with government installations to sabotage, across twelve levels filled with puzzles and challenges. The game was initially unveiled at E3 in 1998, with a planned release in September of that year, but faced delays and was ultimately canceled by 1999 or 2000 due to licensing issues. Despite its cancellation, a video showcasing its gameplay has been preserved by the Internet Archive. The game resembled a first-person adventure similar to Myst, with a graphical style like Quake, and included tasks such as locating tools and manipulating environmental elements. Another adaptation of 1984 is currently in development by the Narrative Designer behind games like Subnautica and Talos Principle.

AppWizard

February 23, 2025

Remedy’s Sam Lake and Papers, Please creator Lucas Pope will receive major achievement awards in March

At the 25th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards, Sam Lake will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on titles like Max Payne, Alan Wake, Quantum Break, and Control, having earned over 200 industry accolades. Lucas Pope will be awarded the Pioneer Award for his innovative games, including Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn, both of which won the Grand Prize at the Independent Games Festival Awards. The event recognizes figures who enhance storytelling in gaming, with previous honorees including Todd Howard, John Romero, and Amy Hennig for the Lifetime Achievement Award, and Jordan Mechner, Roberta Williams, and Mabel Addis for the Pioneer Award.

BetaBeacon

February 19, 2025

15 best free Android games with no in app purchases

- AI Factory Limited offers a variety of simple free Android games with no in-app purchases - Alto's Odyssey and Alto's Adventure are free mobile games with in-app purchases that are purely cosmetic - Antiyoy is a turn-based strategy game with simple graphics and rules, featuring multiplayer and no ads or in-app purchases - Crossy Road is a popular free game with in-app purchases that are purely cosmetic - Papers, Please is a simulation game with no in-app purchases available for .99 - Doom and Destiny Advanced is a free JRPG with ads and some limitations, but contains the entire base game - OpenTTD is an open-source version of Transport Tycoon with no in-app purchases - Pathos is a retro roguelike adventure game with no in-app purchases - Pocket City is a city-building simulation game available for .99 with a premium version - Resonance of the Ocean is a short game with no complexity and no in-app purchases - Stardew Valley is a must-play RPG available for .99 without ads or microtransactions - The Spike is a volleyball game sim with optional in-app purchases - Vampire Survivors is a survival RPG with minimal gameplay and optional in-app purchases - Into the Breach is a challenging puzzle/roguelike game available on Netflix Games with no ads or in-app purchases - Vodobanka is a puzzle game where you command a SWAT team with no microtransactions, but a purchase is required after the demo version

Winsage

November 28, 2024

Your next laptop should be a Copilot+ PC (like the Acer Swift 14 AI)

By 2025, it is projected that 80% of customer service teams will use generative AI, contributing USD 4.4 trillion annually to business processes. Generative AI allows for human-like conversations and is reshaping workflows across various sectors. Copilot+ PCs are designed for advanced AI features, requiring modern processors, a minimum of 16 GB of RAM, and at least 256 GB of SSD storage. The Acer Swift 14 AI features a 47 TOPS NPU, 32 GB of RAM, and 1 TB of SSD storage, and boasts a battery life of up to 29 hours. It includes AI-powered applications like User Sensing 2.0, Multi-Screen Assistance, and PurifiedVoice 2.0, enhancing productivity and user experience.