Tag Archives: Windows

Featured, PC Games

My Favorite Retro PC Games (and how to play them today)

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I’m diving into the Golden Age of PC gaming (Win98/XP) and sharing some of my favorite retro PC games and how to play them today! These games have a timeless appeal and still resonate with players!

GAMES SHOWN:
No One Lives Forever 1 & 2
NOX
Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force 1 & 2
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Father
Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines
Thief 1 & 2

PC gaming in the late ’90s and early 2000s—a time when computers were beige, monitors were deeper than they were wide, and installing a game meant you were probably going to war… not in-game, but with your system’s drivers.

Graphics Cards
You weren’t just a gamer; you were an amateur electrician. Want to play Half-Life? Better make a blood sacrifice to the gods of DirectX and hope your Voodoo2 card doesn’t start smoking. Oh, and if you had a TNT2 or, dare we say, a GeForce—congrats, you were the king of the LAN party (more on that chaos in a sec).

Game Installations
Games came on 4 CDs or, if you were lucky, a single glorious DVD-ROM. You’d click “Install” and then go make a sandwich, take a nap, and maybe grow a beard while the progress bar pretended to move. And woe to you if you lost Disc 2. That game was now just a very shiny coaster.

Internet Gaming
Online multiplayer meant two things: dial-up and lag. You’d be mid-Quake III Arena duel when your mom picked up the phone and boom, connection gone. Entire friendships were lost over 56k modems and someone yelling, “Stop downloading music, I’m trying to play StarCraft!”

Sound Cards
If you heard your game in surround sound, that meant you either had a Sound Blaster Live! or your rich friend did. Everyone else? Enjoyed Duke Nukem through the soothing buzz of mono PC speaker bleeps.

System Requirements
Every game box came with specs written in a language only wizards understood: “Pentium II 266 MHz, 64MB RAM, 3D accelerator required.” You’d read it and think, “I might be able to run this if I close Microsoft Word first.”

Ah, it was messy, it was glitchy, it was wonderful—and somehow, games felt like magic despite everything trying to stop them from running.

Featured, System Reviews, Mobile & Handhelds, PC Games

OneXPlayer G1 Gaming PC – It’s Powerful…but WEIRD

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The OneXPlayer G1 is like a gaming laptop and a Steam Deck had a wild night out and accidentally created a boxy, overpowered handheld that can run Cyberpunk 2077 and give you a forearm workout. It’s the device for people who think, “Sure, I want portability—but I also want all the frames, a full keyboard, and a controller that cramps.” MORE INFO: https://bit.ly/43qnp59

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Digital Decay Of 2000’s PC Game DRM (Tech Tangents)

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I’m tired of modern video games being shut down from pointless server requirements and wanted to help the cause to spread the word that we might be able to do something about it. It also made me wonder, how many of my physical games are now dead? It was a lot more than I thought it would be.

DRM is always annoying…but it was really bad in the early to mid 2000s!

DRM (Digital Rights Management) in video games – the ultimate test of a gamer’s patience and the digital equivalent of a bouncer at an exclusive club. Imagine you’ve bought a brand-new game, full of excitement to dive into its virtual wonders, only to be greeted by DRM, standing there like an overly cautious gatekeeper. It’s as if the game developers invited you to an awesome party, but first, they need to scan your ID, your fingerprints, and your grandma’s recipe for lasagna before letting you in. DRM, designed to thwart pirates, often ends up making honest gamers feel like they’re trying to break into Fort Knox just to enjoy a little digital escapism.

Picture this: You’re ready for an epic gaming session, snacks at the ready, comfy chair perfectly positioned. You click “Start Game” and BAM – you’re hit with a barrage of DRM hurdles. First, it’s the online verification, where your internet connection is questioned more than a suspect in a crime drama. Then there’s the infamous “please insert the original disk” message, despite the game being digitally downloaded. Let’s not forget the DRM that decides it’s a great time for a system update, because nothing screams fun like watching a progress bar. By the time you finally break through the DRM fortress, you’ve burned more calories from sheer frustration than you would have playing the game. In the world of video games, DRM is like that overly cautious friend who checks all the locks three times before leaving the house, while you just want to have some fun.

Featured, System Reviews, PC Games

This Ryzen 5 Mini-PC is CHEAP ($399) & Fast!

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Taking a look at the Ace Magician AMR5-AMD Ryzen 5 mini-PC. This is a cheap and fast Windows computer that can work as a daily driver but also play games pretty well.

The way the prices fluctuate on Amazon is annoying, so use the checkout code on their website “MetalJesus” for 15% Code + $25 Coupon. 👍 Or just wait a week for another Amazon sale 😂

Url: https://www.acemagicians.com/products/amr5-14766159
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Mobile & Handhelds, PC Games

New EmuDeck is Here! Steam Deck Emulation Guide

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EmuDeck was just updated to v2.1, and here is the official guide to get it up and running! We’ll take a look at the new features, show you how to update an existing installation, and how to set the whole thing up from scratch as well. This is your complete guide to seamless retro game emulation on the Steam Deck! Get EmuDeck here: https://www.emudeck.com/

EmuDeck is a cutting-edge software designed specifically for the Steam Deck gaming device, offering an unparalleled emulation experience for gamers. Seamlessly integrating with the Steam Deck’s hardware capabilities, EmuDeck empowers users to play a vast array of classic and retro games from various platforms, recreating the nostalgia of old-school gaming with remarkable precision. The software boasts a user-friendly interface, making it effortless for players to navigate through their favorite titles and customize settings to suit their preferences. EmuDeck’s optimization ensures smooth performance, eliminating lags and glitches commonly associated with emulation, thus guaranteeing a seamless and immersive gameplay experience. With EmuDeck, Steam Deck owners can unlock a treasure trove of timeless gaming classics, relive their fondest memories, and embark on exciting new adventures in the realm of retro gaming.