Tag:

Steam

Infinity Nikki is getting a big update this week, but will that be enough to turn its Steam review rating around?

by admin June 11, 2025

Infinity Nikki, the visually impressive, open-world dress-up game that came out late last year, continues to grow with new updates. The game’s latest, arriving this Friday, June 13, is one of its biggest, kicking off a new seasonal chapter.

The Playful Season transforms the in-game city, and introduces some new story content, new outfits, new puzzles, minigames, and more.

Manage cookie settings

The Playful Season (Version 1.6) sees Infinity Nikki’s protagonists, Nikki and Momo, turned into fairies after encountering a cursed fairy apprentice in need of help. To lift the spell, the pair set off on a quest to explore a storybook-like realm with new challenges.

At the core of this update are three new interactive attractions. There’s a photographable sky path where everyone can float in the air, and a pumpkin-shaped ride that’s made up of elevated, winding tracks. Then there’s the rotund chicken trampoline, which makes different sounds depending on where you bounce on it.

This update will require players to use their heads, too, because there’s a series of seven maze challenges to solve. Your goal in each one is the same: find the petrified animals hidden within to reveal the path forward.

Watch on YouTube

You’ll find five new ability outfits in the Playful Season, too. Enchanted Encounter is a five-star outfit that causes nearby animals to float. There are two four-star outfits here as well: the Comic-Style Prince Outfit, and Cloud-Summoning Outfit. Finally, two more limited-time outfits will make a return from previous seasons, one five-star and the other four.

As far as new decoration items, you’ll find a new rocking horse Nikki can sit on, as well as a potion cauldron that releases plumes of smoke depending on the ingredients you toss into it. While all of that sounds good, it remains to be seen whether it’s going to be enough for players. The game currently sits at a Mostly Negative overall Steam review rating, so there’s clearly a lot that needs to be addressed.

Catch up on Infinity Nikki’s latest batch of codes in our guide, and refresh your memory on where to find all crafting materials in the game at the link.

Source link

June 11, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

A big Civilization 7 update is on the way with ‘large and huge maps,’ Steam Workshop support, and a promise to keep working on it

by admin June 11, 2025

A beefy new update for Civilization 7 is coming soon, featuring “several long-awaited features” including Large and Huge maps, new advanced game options, town specializations, and Steam Workshop support.

The full low-down for those who want to dive deep is up on the Civilization website, but here’s the crash course version:

Large and Huge map sizes, with a note that “bigger maps have bigger hardware demands,” so you may notice slower turn times or performance drops while playing on them
New Advanced Game Options including selectable crisis types, customizable AI difficulty, and the ability to bypass Civ unlocks so you can select from any civilization during age transitions
Steam Workshop support for better mod support, with documentation, “best practices,” and a few example mods made by members of the development team
New Town Specializations will see the addition of a new Resort Town, reworked Urban Center, and “small but meaningful” tweaks to other town types
New City-State Bonuses, Pantheons, and Beliefs: 24 new City-State bonuses, 2 new Pantheons, and a big batch of 14 new Religious Beliefs (across Founder, Reliquary, and Enhancer Beliefs)

Naturally, bug fixes, UI updates, and quality-of-life improvements are also in the works, along with “some surprises”—all will be revealed in the full patch notes, which are “coming soon.”

Firaxis also touched on what’s coming beyond this update, including some features targeted for July, and bigger-picture issues including overly abrupt Age transitions, lack of replayability, and a need to improve the “sense of empire identity and continuity throughout a multi-Age campaign.”

“These are significant areas of the game that are incredibly important to get right, but are more complex to solve,” Firaxis wrote. “Addressing this feedback in a satisfying way will take time, over the course of several updates. That said, you’ll start to see some smaller changes in July focused on end of Age countdowns and improvements to Age Transitions.

“For the longer-term and broader changes, we’ll share more detailed plans here when we’re ready. We’re invested in making these changes and empowering you to enjoy what sets Civ 7 apart.”

Civilization 7 has indeed struggled since its release earlier this year. It remains stuck with a “mixed” user rating on Steam, and user reviews are not currently headed in the right direction. Player numbers are also not where they should be: Civ 7’s concurrent player count on Steam is lagging well behind that of Civ 6 and, more worryingly, Civ 5. Strauss Zelnick, CEO of publisher Take-Two Interactive, said in May that the company is “really happy” with Civilization 7 overall, and that “in the fullness of time, it’ll be just great,” but how much time the company is willing to give it before it decides to move is the big question right now.

(Image credit: SteamDB)

Firaxis said it’s aiming to have the next update for Civ 7—update 1.2.2, if you’re tracking these things—on June 17, but for now that remains subject to change.

Source link

June 11, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

The Best Steam Next Fest Demos We’ve Played So Far

by admin June 10, 2025

I was shocked that I hadn’t yet heard of Davey X Jones as the games industry’s self-proclaimed number-one pirate aficionado. After roughly 40 minutes with the Davy x Jones demo available during Steam Next Fest, I’m excited to see what the final product looks like, though cautious as well. In Davy x Jones, you play as a beheaded Davy Jones, betrayed by pirate lords across the seven seas and their leader, Edward Teach aka Blackbeard. It’s Teach who is responsible for you not having a head, but fortunately, your lifeless body discovers this head once more and together, this unlikely duo heads off on a quest for revenge.

I like that Davy’s soulless body grunts his name repeatedly, while Davy’s floating skull handles all the talking. But the two also amusingly interact with each other, with some nice voice acting too. Everything going on in this world, from the visuals to the storytelling and more, is great and I’m legitimately excited for more. However, I hope the team can use feedback from this demo and the time between now and its unannounced release date for polish. Of course, this is a demo of an in-development game so it naturally could use work, but so far, the first-person gun-and-swordplay feels a little floaty, lacking the weight I’d expect from the scourge of the seas. It’s not optimized well either, but again, it’s a demo, so I won’t hold developer Parasight’s feet to the fire, err, raging seas over this. Nonetheless, Davy x Jones has lots of promise and I look forward to the final release. – Wesley LeBlanc

Check out the demo and wishlist here.

Source link

June 10, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

There’s A Free Game On Steam For A Limited Time That Lets You Lick Your Friends

by admin June 10, 2025

You can grab What The Pak on Steam right now for free. The game, which sees people playing as little cyclops creatures, is all about multiplayer minigame mayhem. That includes using your avatar’s extremely long tongue to lick your friends and competitors.

What The Pak supports up to eight people and online multiplayer. It’s a Steam Early Access game, usually costing $6. However, from now until June 24, the title is free to pick up. It originally launched on December 6, so has been available for just over half of a year. What The Pak was also part of Steam Next Fest for October 2024.

This is the first game for co-developer Wendigo Games, which is based in Istanbul. The other studio working on What The Pak is Broken Lyre Entertainment, which is known for Wrap House Simulator.

Earlier this month, Borderlands 2 was free on Steam for a small window of time, which is unfortunately over at the time of publishing. However, there is still a franchise sale happening for the looter-shooter series that runs until June 18.

There is also another game on Steam that’s free currently called Hellslave. The dungeon-crawling RPG is available to pick up for a $0 price tag until June 16. For more, check out GameSpot’s 28 best free Steam games to play right now.

Source link

June 10, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

You Can Launch Steam Games From Xbox Ally’s Native Dashboard

by admin June 9, 2025

Earlier today Game Informer visited an invite-only press event to play with the ROG Xbox Ally X, one of two gaming handhelds Microsoft is bringing to market this holiday. The handheld is weighty and ergonomically satisfying, but my favorite discovery is that players can launch Steam games natively from the Xbox dashboard.

The game library, which players may access at any time by pressing its dedicated button on the handheld, features all your titles regardless of which platform you own them on. A discrete label beneath the game’s title denotes which storefronts they belong to. Furthermore, you can quickly access third-party storefronts like Steam and Epic Games Store by pressing the Ally’s Xbox button, which launches the Windows Game Bar, and selecting the desired application just beneath your recently played games.

“Our new aggregated library lets you quickly access all of your games. Because this is Windows, you can launch and play natively, both your games from Xbox as well as other leading PC storefronts,” Roanne Sones, head of Xbox devices, says. “You can also stream your console games through cloud gaming or remote play. So what this means is that your library, including hundreds of Game Pass games and all of your installed games from third-party storefronts, is all in one place for you, ready to play on your Xbox Ally through remote play gaming or natively on the device.”

Many questions remain, including whether Microsoft tracks data to unlock Xbox achievements while playing a game from another storefront like Steam or Epic Games Store. We’ve reached out to an Xbox representative for comment.

Source link

June 9, 2025 0 comments

Analysts forecast Cardano rally to $2 as Ripple and this new AI coin gain momentum

NFT Gaming

Cardano predicted to hit $2; Ripple and trending AI coins gain steam

by admin June 9, 2025

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.

Analysts eye June rebound for altcoins; Ripple to $3.26, Cardano to $2, Unilabs gains on AI investing demand.

Analysts expect a strong rebound this June across select altcoins, with Ripple, Cardano, and Unilabs topping the watchlist. The Ripple price prediction by analyst 589CTO has sparked optimism among investors. The analyst forecasts the Ripple price could surge to $3.26.

Crispy believes the Cardano price could reach $2. Meanwhile, Unilabs could soar to new highs amid growing demand from investors and the rising need for AI-based investment tools.

Ripple expected to soar as whale buys 999,999 XRP

The Ripple price is under bearish momentum, mirroring the huge decline in the market. According to CoinMarketCap, the Ripple price has fallen by 6.2% in the last week.

The losses are also visible on the biweekly and monthly charts: 9.9% and 2.4%, respectively. On the other hand, whales are accumulating XRP. Brett, a top crypto expert, revealed that a whale bought over 999,999 XRP recently.

589CTO forecasts the price of Ripple could pump to $2.97 and $3.26. Another analyst, BEN_CRYPTOQ, argues that the Ripple price is about to break through a small convergence. They added that there is an increase in buying force, and a golden cross is appearing.

Based on this pattern, CW expects the Ripple price to rise to $4.50. Technically, the relative strength index has dropped below the midline, a sign that the XRP price is under high selling pressure. Currently, the Ripple price has strong support around the 200-SMA ($0.19).

Cardano hits new milestone, analyst forecasts uptrend

Cardano is currently trading between the 50-SMA ($0.72) and 200-SMA ($0.66) as buyers work to maintain its level. Since breaking $0.70 on May 31st, Cardano’s price has fallen in the past several days.

CoinMarketCap data shows the Cardano price has gone down 9.1% in the last week and 1.6% in the past month. Technical analysis indicates the Cardano price is bearish.

The Hull Moving Average (9) and VWMA (10) flash a sell signal, supporting more Cardano price downtrend. On the other hand, on-chain data shows that the Cardano network has surpassed a total of 110 million transactions.

This new record signals high network activity, which could propel the Cardano price up the chart. Crispy said in a recent X post that the Cardano price may rise to $2 by the end of June. Another expert, Crypto Beast says the price of Cardano might soar to $1.5.

Unilabs Finance: The future of AI-guided crypto investing is now live

Unilabs Finance is setting a new benchmark in the DeFi market by integrating AI into crypto portfolio management. Designed for both new and seasoned investors, Unilabs automates complex trading strategies across multiple funds, making smart investing accessible to everyone.

The platform offers three AI-managed funds: one for stable yields, another focused on high-risk/high-reward tokens, and a balanced AI index fund. This fund segmentation allows users to personalize risk while relying on AI for real-time, emotion-free decisions.

According to Statista, global crypto users crossed 562 million in 2024. If just 0.05% of these users adopt Unilabs in the first year, and each holds an average of $300 in investments, the projected market cap could exceed $500 million.

Now in its crypto ICO phase, UNIL tokens are priced at just $0.0051, with over $1.93 million already raised. Investors who join early gain access to staking rewards, referral bonuses, and long-term earning opportunities driven by Unilabs’ AI engine.

Unilabs Finance is different from memecoins like Dogecoin and Shiba Inu, which have no utility. It is an entry into a smarter, data-driven way to grow wealth in crypto. With AI at its core and momentum building, the future is here and early investors are positioned to win big.

Best cryptos to buy this June

As June unfolds, all eyes are on high-potential altcoins like Ripple, Cardano, and Unilabs Finance. With AI integration, unique fund structures, and a thriving presale, Unilabs stands out as a future-focused gem. It could outshine the Ripple price this June based on growing demand. Meanwhile, Unilabs Finance is offering a 30% bonus on all deposits using the code “UNIL30.”

To learn more about Unilabs, visit the website and its Telegram.

Disclosure: This content is provided by a third party. crypto.news does not endorse any product mentioned on this page. Users must do their own research before taking any actions related to the company.

Source link

June 9, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

The breakfast-making roguelike Omelet You Cook was just surprise-released on Steam

by admin June 8, 2025

The egg-cooking roguelike Omelet You Cook is officially available for PC via Steam. It was shadow-dropped during the Wholesome Direct livestream, which falls in the middle of Summer Game Fest. This quirky title was first revealed last year, but now we can get our grubby little paws on it.

The game looks like a good combination of chaos and strategy, casting players as a line cook at a middle school cafeteria. There’s a bit of Overcooked here, along with the narrative-focused cooking sim Venba and the sushi minigame part of Dave the Diver. It looks really fun.

It’s not just a chaotic minigame. Players can add and prep ingredients between rounds, and there are rare relics that provide power-ups. There’s even a hungry dog that hoovers up unwanted ingredients.

This is an early access release, so folks should expect updates and changes as the months roll on. Developer SchuBox Games is also working on a football sim that stars chickens called Dicey Birdball, but that one didn’t get a surprise drop today. That team sure does love poultry.

This news comes from today’s Wholesome Direct livestream, which coincides with Summer Game Fest. The announcements keep coming in from SGF, so stay on top of things right here.

Source link

June 8, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

SuiPlay0X1 Hands-On Preview: A Steam Deck Rival That Supports Crypto Games

by admin June 7, 2025

In brief

Shipping this summer, the SuiPlay0X1 is looks to rival the Steam Deck by offering crypto integrations.
We played with the device at Token2049, going hands-on and discussing its key features.
Elden Ring plays smoothly on the device without sacrificing graphical quality, and the screen is sharp.

The SuiPlay0X1 is a crypto-fueled handheld console set to ship this summer, attempting to rival the Steam Deck by supporting not only traditional PC games but also blockchain experiences.

At Token2049 in Dubai, we got our hands on the portable console for a brief preview of the soon-to-launch device. Purely as a gaming device, it appears solidly crafted with great specs and an impressive screen—but where it really sets itself apart is, of course, by using crypto.

When you first pick up the device, the display quality immediately jumps out. While OLED panels have become the premium pick for many handheld devices, this 7-inch LCD panel shines, with the bold, no-bezel touchscreen showing excellent color accuracy.

While playing Elden Ring for a short period of time, the SuiPlay0X1 did not struggle to solidly hold 30 frames per second, and felt smooth without needing to sacrifice on graphics. Due to its capacity to play the game at high graphical settings, the screen’s performance really popped with notably vibrant colors and good black levels—experiencing little-to-no backlight bleed.

This smoothness is possible due to its impressive specs, packing an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U CPU, AMD Ryzen 780M graphics card, and 512GB of SSD storage.

The SuiPlay0X1 is touted as a high-end handheld PC at a price point of $599, although pre-orders for the device are sold out. That’s why some may be disappointed by the LCD screen, especially considering that at a lower price point the Steam Deck offers an OLED.

But Adeniyi Abiodun, co-founder and CPO of Mysten Labs, co-creators of the SuiPlay0x1 alongside Playtron, told Decrypt that it is “one of the highest-end LCD screens that you can get.” And as noted, it certainly looked sharp during our time with it.

That said, the device didn’t immediately feel as ergonomic as some rivals. With a mostly flat back, it’s easy to imagine it may cause your hand to cramp if gaming for an extended period of time—such as while traveling. This is especially noticeable when comparing it to the Steam Deck, which fills your hand more naturally. But we’ll need to spend more time with the SuiPlay0X1 to get a better sense of long-term impact.

The console has the range of controls that you should expect from a console like this with two joysticks, a d-pad, four triggers, and four PlayStation-style buttons—as well as some basic function buttons to take you back to the main menu, etc. For the most part, these felt like quality inputs, with the joysticks being a highlight due to their nice grip.

Its main selling point is the Linux-based Playtron operating system, which Abiodun claims can be downloaded on a computer, mobile phone, or other soon-to-be released devices.

“We firmly believe that gaming needs a new operating system,” he told Decrypt. “The idea of being locked into one platform, one app, one console is not going to be forever, and people are calling for more open systems. This is the open system.”

As such, Mysten Labs has created the SuiPlay0X1 as a high-end representation of what the operating system is capable of. In fact, the company wants other developers to use the Playtron OS in their devices to compete with the SuiPlay0X1—either with better specs or ergonomics, or at a cheaper price point.

PlaytronOS is optimized to allow gamers to play titles from the Steam, Epic Games, and GOG stores, as well as games that utilize the Sui network. Abiodun believes this is a major differentiating factor, due to sector leader the Steam Deck requiring an awkward workaround to play non-Steam titles—not to mention Valve’s banning of crypto titles from the platform.

On launch day, the SuiPlay0X1 will natively support seven crypto games, including Xociety, Warped Universe, Panzerdogs, and ONE Fight Arena, all of which are Sui titles.

The device abstracts Sui crypto elements away from the user, only requiring a traditional Web2 login. Once logged on, Mysten Labs said, users are able to engage with crypto-centric games seamlessly via the SuiPlay0X1 Wallet that’s created on the backend. However, Decrypt did not get to playtest a crypto game or related features, due to connectivity issues at the event.

The SuiPlay0X1 Wallet is, as the name suggests, based on the Sui blockchain and is confirmed to support the SUI token as well as the recently announced Game Dollar stablecoin. However, Mysten Labs confirmed that games from other networks will also be available to play on the device, if they’re available in supported storefronts.

At its core, that crypto gaming functionality is its unique selling point. While there are handheld consoles that are optimized to play video games across the Steam and Epic Games Store, there has yet to be a device that nails crypto integrations and has the power for serious gaming.

Other crypto games like Avalanche shooter Off the Grid will be compatible thanks to the title being on the Epic Games Store, which has become a go-to app for crypto gaming. But something like the Ronin-based Axie Infinity, which isn’t on Epic Games, won’t be playable on the device from the outset.

The Solana Saga mobile phone can play Android games and a relatively small number of Solana-connected titles, but doesn’t have the specs to play powerful PC games. And simpler devices like the Game Boy-style BitBoy One and PSG1 are designed to play casual and retro games, lacking the power to hang with PC-level handhelds.

If the SuiPlay0X1’s crypto integrations are as seamless as promised and cross-chain compatibility is introduced, then the device may carve out its own lane in the industry. But will mainstream gamers take notice, especially during a lull in broader crypto gaming momentum? We’ll find out this summer when the SuiPlay0X1 starts to hit the market.

Edited by Andrew Hayward

GG Newsletter

Get the latest web3 gaming news, hear directly from gaming studios and influencers covering the space, and receive power-ups from our partners.

Source link

June 7, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Steam Deck nested inside an Apple Magic Keyboard transforms into a portable gaming PC

by admin June 7, 2025

Since the console’s release, we have seen some spectacular Steam Deck mods, including the “Steam Brick” and the Steam Deck 32GB RAM mod. Michaelthatsit on Reddit has created another wild mod for the Deck by using the console’s internals to create a makeshift “all-in-one” Steam Deck keyboard called the Bento.

Michael’s Bento mod turns the Steam Deck into a highly mobile SteamOS desktop system with an integrated keyboard. In images on Reddit, Michael demonstrated one way of using the keyboard computer: connecting the Bento to Type-C-powered display glasses (rather than a conventional display).

To make it all work, the modder removed the Deck’s internal motherboard and other necessary components from the console’s original clamshell and placed them in a custom-made 3D-printed chassis to fit underneath an Apple 10-keyless Magic keyboard.

Borderlands 2 is getting review bombed on Steam despite being given away for free

by admin June 6, 2025

Borderlands 2, one of the highest-rated and best-selling games of all time, is getting review bombed on Steam almost 13 years after its original release. And when it’s being given away for free, no less.

Currently, it’s a free pickup on Steam until June 8, 2025, but players are coming back to the Steam page just to give it negative reviews even if they’ve got hundreds of hours in the game.

However, no new content has been added. The last update was years ago, right before Borderlands 3 came out. So, what’s happening here?

Article continues after ad

Due to some changes in Take-Two’s End User License Agreement in regards to how much information they can collect from players, people are rebelling en masse to show their displeasure with them now having their information collected. However, all of this panic may have been over nothing.

Is Borderlands 2 spyware? EULA change explained

What exactly changed in the EULA that has players so mad? Well, Take-Two’s updated agreement applies retroactively to all their games, and has clauses about banning players who implement mods and cheats (something co-op parties often do in BL2), as well as the ways in which your information is collected and used.

Article continues after ad

This has resulted in mass backlash, with almost 5000 recent negative reviews on Steam at the time of writing.

However, Take-Two’s EULA is fairly standard in games industry terms, and the agreement lays out plainly what users’ information is used for:

Business Purposes: Provide the Services and support; fulfill orders and requests; improve the Services and our business; develop new products and services; enhance your experience on the Services; protect the security for our users, employees, facilities, and Services; and develop internal marketing and demographic studies.
Commercial Purposes: Market and advertise our and our business partners’ products and services; send you promotional materials; and administer promotional activities or events.
We also use your information as permitted by law.

This is what the vast majority of companies have outlined in their own EULAs, with the use of user information being fairly standardized in the industry and beyond. For instance, most web browsers have a very similar function, which is how things like AdSense work to send you ads for products you may be interested in.

Article continues after ad

Additionally, Borderlands 2 has no form of anti-cheat or any built-in rules about whether or not you can modify the game or use Cheat Engine and other software to alter it. Even if users could get banned over it, there’s no way for the game to detect it.

Gearbox Software

While this may mean that Borderlands 4 ends up having some sort of anti-cheat and may bar users from using mods in that title, that doesn’t retroactively apply to Borderlands 2 because of these changes.

Article continues after ad

So, despite Steam review bombing, it’s safe to say that Borderlands 2 isn’t spyware. If it, or any other Take-Two games for that matter, were used in that way due to this universal EULA change for several of their titles, they’d have been removed from Steam almost immediately as that’s against the platform’s TOS and also generally illegal.

Source link

June 6, 2025 0 comments