player reactions Archives

AppWizard

April 8, 2025

Half-Life 2’s 2003 beta reveals the mystery behind a City 17 river that once led players to the foot of the Citadel

Various unfinished iterations of Half-Life 2 have emerged over the years, showcasing the evolution of Valve's vision for the game. A recent video by YouTuber CMDR RileySV explores the 2003 beta, focusing on the "City 17 river," which was originally intended to play a significant role in the gameplay. In the beta, players would navigate through canals leading to the Citadel, promising a striking visual reveal. Although remnants of these elements exist in the final version, the canal section was repurposed, leading to mixed player reactions. A comment from user @FlintExp highlights that the city layout of City 17 draws inspiration from New York City, with specific coordinates matching real locations. The river was once a crucial aspect of the journey through City 17, guiding players toward the Citadel. The 2003 beta closely resembles the retail version, with notable differences reflecting Valve's editing process before release.

AppWizard

March 1, 2025

Monster Hunter Wilds PC players make Steam reviews their 15th weapon as Capcom’s RE Engine delivers another Dragon’s Dogma 2-sized disaster: “Very immersive game. You can cook a well-done steak on your GPU”

Monster Hunter Wilds has received a mixed rating on Steam, with players expressing significant frustration over its performance issues. Many reviews highlight the game's optimization problems, with players noting that achieving 60fps requires frame generation, which should not be necessary. Capcom has offered tips to improve the gaming experience but has not alleviated player concerns. The game is built on the RE Engine, which has performed well in other titles, but struggles in open-world settings like Monster Hunter Wilds. The critical feedback primarily focuses on the game's performance, indicating a pressing need for improvements.

AppWizard

October 30, 2024

Gearbox has removed Denuvo from Homeworld 3

Gearbox has removed the Denuvo anti-tamper technology from Homeworld 3, which was launched on PC in May 2024, about five to six months after its release. Despite this removal, the game has a "Mostly Negative" rating on Steam, with players praising the graphics but expressing dissatisfaction with other aspects. The addition of Denuvo was a last-minute decision that frustrated many players. Other publishers, including KRAFTON and NEOWIZ, have also removed Denuvo from their titles. Notable games that have shed Denuvo include Wolfenstein Youngblood, Ghostwire: Tokyo, Doom Eternal, Mortal Kombat 11, Tekken 7, and various titles from Square Enix such as The Diofield Chronicle and Forspoken. Homeworld 3 peaked at 9,000 concurrent players but has recently seen a decline to only 60 active players in the last 24 hours.

AppWizard

September 22, 2024

Homeworld 3 will get two of its DLC packs this November rather than in 2025

Blackbird Interactive has announced a revised release schedule for Homeworld 3, moving the launch date to November 2023 instead of early 2025. The update will include three free updates and two fleet packs for the War Games mode, aiming to enhance skirmish gameplay and complete features for the "Year One Pass." Player reactions are mixed, with some excited about the changes while others worry about potential reduced support after November. The game currently has a 38% positive user review rating on Steam, with criticism focused on its lack of strategic depth compared to earlier titles in the series. Fraser Brown from PC Gamer noted that while Homeworld 3 tries to innovate, it does not fully capture the essence of its predecessors.

AppWizard

September 20, 2024

Frostpunk 2 May Break Steam Record Set by the First Part. Paid Early Access to Survival Strategy With Surprisingly Large Number of Players

Frostpunk 2 officially launches today after a brief early access period for Deluxe edition preorders. It peaked at over 16,000 simultaneous players, significantly higher than its predecessor's typical peak of 3,000 to 6,000, although the first game had a peak of 29,000. Players have expressed mixed reactions, with some enjoying the new features while others report bugs and optimization issues. The game's difficulty has also been a point of contention, with many finding it steep. The Deluxe edition is priced at .49, and the standard version at .99, leading to debates about the game's value. Frostpunk 2 is available on PC and PC Game Pass, with plans for future releases on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

AppWizard

August 29, 2024

Just over a year after it launched on PC, Warner Bros is shutting down Harry Potter: Magic Awakened

Warner Bros has announced the shutdown of Harry Potter: Magic Awakened in the Americas, Europe, and Oceania, effective October 29, just over a year after its global launch in July 2023. The game will remain accessible in Asia, including the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and select territories in MENA. It has been removed from the App Store and Google Play, and in-game purchases have been halted. Players can continue to play until the servers go offline. There are challenges for players considering transitioning to NetEase servers, as this would result in a loss of progress. The closure contrasts with the success of Hogwarts Legacy, which was noted as the best-selling game of the year in early 2024. Warner Bros aims to focus on mobile and multi-platform free-to-play games, but the quick closure raises questions about this strategy.

AppWizard

August 28, 2024

Deadlock players are learning they can pause the match for the entire lobby, and some are using it for evil

The pause feature in Deadlock, a new game from Valve, has generated mixed reactions among players. Popular Twitch streamer ohnePixel used the pause to engage in real-life gambling, referring to it as "mental warfare." While some players find humor in this, others raise concerns about the feature's impact on gameplay integrity and momentum. Discussions within the community suggest a need for moderation, with some advocating for limiting pauses to one per game per player, especially given the game's early access status. The effectiveness of reporting misuse of the pause feature has also been questioned, as it may undermine legitimate pauses.