Tag Archives: Steam

5 Demos to check out on PC/Steam Jan 2024

January 5, 2024 Jeremy Say Leave a comment

As we move into 2024, what better way than to start the first weekend with some new games.

For those who want to save on some cash after the festive sales, exploring demos on steam is the perfect solution. Besides, this is a perfect way to try out new games and different genres to see if the vibes match.

In this article we will be listing 5 entertaining and diverse game demos on steam that you should check out. If we miss any great demos on Steam do feel free to write in the comments below.

Backpack Battles

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Prepare to fight off other players in this Tetris style fantasy inventory management autobattler game. Similar in mechanics to Backpack Hero, you will be buying items and strategically place them in your back to fight other real players to climb the ladder. With different styles of plays and heroes, this demo is constantly being tweaked and updated. A nice little strategy game to fill up your weekend.

Bopl Battle

Recently released Nov, 2023, Bopl is a fun couch/online battler similarish to Smash Bros. Have fun with changing the environment you can manipulate to literally crush your foes. Choose to attach rockets to fly islands away or set things on fire. The choices are many and they are all yours as you find new combos to use with or against your friends. There are no bots so bring a friend to play, Bopl supports up to 4 players.

Bread & Fred

Released earlier last year in May, 2023, Bread & Fred is a cute co-op platformer game. Playing as two penguins, your goal is to help navigate them up the top of the snowy summit. You will be timing your jumps and swinging each other across gaps hoping not to fall down the mountain. This game is great for playing with your significant partner or potential partner as the New Year starts off.

If you don’t have anyone to play with, there is a single player mode available. You get to play with Jeff, a pet rock. Only issue is you can’t blame Jeff if you fall, this climb is all on you.

dotAGE

Released recently in Oct, 2023, dotAGE is a fun survival roguelite turn based city builder. For those who love board games and resource management, this game should be right up your alley. Take on the role of the villager elder as you navigate and plan around Doom and Prophecies of the Apocalypse to save your village. As a bonus this works well on Steam Deck and has an active single developer happy to fix bugs in this game of passion 9 years into the making.

TEKKEN 8

Releasing soon on 26 Jan, 2024, TEKKEN 8 will soon be fighting it out with Street Fighter 6 for the attention of all fighter game players. In the demo you will be able to test out Story Mode, Arcade Quest, Super Ghost Battle, Player vs. Player, Player vs CPU, and Gallery Mode. You will have access to 3 stages, Urban Square (Evening), Yakushima, and Sanctum while playing with popular characters Paul Phoenix, Jin Kazama, Lazuya Mishima, and Nina Williams. Also there has been talks on the web that is might be possible to unlock the other characters to try out on the PC version of the demo.

Gaming, News

Square Enix Unveils The Next SaGa Game – SaGa Emerald Beyond

December 19, 2023 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

Square Enix recently hosted the SaGa Glimmerfest 2023 34th Anniversary Livestream. During the livestream, the publisher surprised everyone with the announcement of the next game in the series – SaGa Emerald Beyond. The latest instalment of the SaGa franchise is set to launch on April 25, 2024, on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC (Steam), and iOS and Android devices.

SaGa Emerald Beyond follows two protagonists in search of answers. The first, Tsunanori Mido, hails from the esteemed Mido family and stands out with a unique ability to control kugutsu puppets. He joins the Cathedral Project, a group exploring other worlds, with the goal of repairing his city’s weakening barrier and recovering lost spiritual energy.

SaGa Emerald Beyond – Tsunanori Mido Character Trailer

The other, Ameya Aisling, operates under the pseudonym Yumeha Izumi. She is a Miyako City schoolgirl with a hidden identity. Originating from Pulchra, she is in search of her lost mana. She follows the mysterious emerald waves in search of it. The two characters are just the tip of the iceberg as long-time SaGa players will know. The game will undoubtedly feature many other characters for us to fall in love with.

SaGa Emerald Beyond – Ameya Aisling Character Trailer

The new game will also be introducing new mechanics. The new Glimmer system is a unique take on the traditional JRPG battle styles. It will incorporate turn-based combat for those wanting a more vanilla JRPG. Players will need to level up their characters to learn new moves as they take down new enemies. You can also use powerful United Attacks with the right skills, tactics and Formation.

If this is your cuppa tea, you can now add SaGa Emerald Beyond to your wishlist on the Nintendo Switch store, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Steam. Pre-order details will be unveiled at a later date.

Feature, Gaming, Promos

FTW: Games Free This Week – 13 Sept 2023

September 17, 2023 Joey T Leave a comment

Everyone loves things that are free. The gamers here at techENT are no exception when it comes to free games. If you’re looking for a special game to snag or love hoarding games (we’re guilty as charged) to add to your library, check out our new FTW (free this week) series to ensure you don’t miss out on the freebies!

911 Operator (Free on Epic Games till 21 September)

In 911 Operator, you play as an emergency dispatcher responsible for answering phone calls and dispatching emergency services where they are needed. Manage police, fire department and paramedic units across over a thousand cities around the world as you handle requests from distressed callers and other adversaries.

Find 911 Operator on the Epic Games store.

We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip (Free on Steam until 13 October)

Adventuring is no fun alone. But you know what’s fun? Co-op puzzle challenges that have you combining wits with a friend! Work together and test your friendship as you find yourself on an uninhabited island with an amusement park. Just like the original We Were Here series, you’ll have to navigate unique scenarios where the only way out is through communication, trust, and teamwork.

Find We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip on the Steam store.

Don’t miss out on these free games and be sure to grab them while they’re still available. Want more FTW? Keep an eye out for the next update!

Feature, Gaming

Need Some Mystery and Intrigue? These Games Will Scratch that Itch

September 16, 2023 Sharifah Hanani Leave a comment

Missing something? Seeking excitement at home? Look no further than these Detective Games.

1. The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Developer: SEGA
Platform: Microsoft Windows, MacOS
Price: Free to play

If you’re a fan of Sonic The Hedgehog then this is the game for you!

It is Amy’s birthday party! Things are swell and dandy until her beloved Sonic is murdered! From there it’s up to Tails and Amy to investigate this train murder-mystery theme party gone wrong and who’s the culprit among the guest. Look for clues, interrogate familiar faces, and piece together what has happened to find out who is the murderer.

This interactive novel, point-and-click mystery game is filled with many comical, suspenseful moments, and clues that will make you scratch your head. It’s bound to keep you busy as you venture forth in the game.

The best part of it all? It’s free! The game is free with no in-cost and if you are a Sonic fan it puts a twist to the normal platform with a fun twist.

Available on: Steam

2. Sherlock Holmes The Awakened

Developer: Frogwares
Platform: PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S
Price: PC: RM 139, PlayStation: RM169, Xbox: RM156

Want something with more action and suspense then why not go for a classic with some monstrous additions?

Frogwares’s take on Sherlock Holmes isn’t like any other. It’s a bone-chilling game that will puzzle you as you delve deep into Lovecraftian lore. Play as Sherlock and his sidekick to investigate mysterious cases of missing people plaguing Europe and the United States with the horrifying Cthulhu at the core of it all.

This game is story-rich with a horrifying twist and suspenseful revelations at every corner. The amazing graphics will have you on the edge of your seat.

Available on: Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox

3. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy

Developer: Capcom
Platform Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Android, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, Steam
Price: PCRM 69, PlayStation: RM 129, Google Play: RM 59.90

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Doesn’t any of this sound good to you? If you like Law and Order and other shows about lawyers, you’ll like this game

This is a visual novel series that fans of colourful characters and dramatic courtroom scenarios won’t want to miss out on! Play as Phoenix Wright and appear in court to advocate on behalf of your clients. But before that, make sure you know the case through and through as what you do and say could affect your outcomes.

Play all 14 episodes spanning the 3 games and become the best lawyer in court! With quirky characters and fun and exciting scenes, each one is more intense, and dramatic and will put your problem-solving skills to the test.

Available on: Steam, Nintendo Switch, Google Play, PlayStation

Gaming, Lifestyle, News

Gaming Tesla – Coming Soon with Steam

July 18, 2022 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

When you think electric car, you think Tesla. When you think gaming, you do not really think Tesla. You think PCs, you think gaming consoles, you think Steam. But gaming and Tesla has a place in the same sentence.

The Tesla is not really a technological marvel. It is a step in the right direction for the automotive industry. They are currently still the largest electric automaker in the world. Traditional automakers like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and even Porsche have been working overtime mostly to play catch up for now. At least that is the case on the surface.

We are not talking about other automakers though. We are talking about Tesla. We are also talking about gaming.

You can technically game in a Tesla. The expansive touch sensitive display that is found in Tesla autocars are pretty much its control center. The interface you get from the display is the Tesla’s nerve center, control hub. It is also the entertainment hub for your car. Usually, in a car, you can expect media players and some form of navigation software. In a Tesla you can find games too.

You can play rather traditional simple games like Solitaire and even Chess. You can even find Missile Command and Super Breakout, cult classics that will feature long lines in any arcade. Then there is something that comes from the modern era of gaming; Beach Buggy Racing 2. You even get Sonic the Hedgehog in a Tesla. Tesla, in this case, is not new to gaming.

What will be new though is Steam on a Tesla. This might sound like a surprising bit of news. Thing is, it should not be.

Steam has announced their very own gaming console in the Steam Deck. The console mimics the handling style that is the ever so popular Nintendo Switch, except it is a lot more advanced. It is also obviously heavier, and bulkier too, since it is built to be a gaming PC in a handheld chassis.

The Steam Deck, however much less powerful it will be against regular gaming PC towers, is purpose built for gaming with Steam on board though. That also means that games should run smoothly on the Steam Deck still, as long as they are optimized. How would that work on a Tesla?

Tesla’s center control, its nerve center, is rather powerful. The Tesla Model X and Model S’s center unit runs on AMD’s Ryzen CPU and it also packs a powerful RDNA-2 GPU, the same one you can find on the latest gaming consoles. That means that these cars are practically gaming consoles attached in a car. As long as games are optimized, they should be able to run on a Tesla with acceptable graphics quality at least.

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Of course, there is no confirmation on Whether Steam will find a home in your Tesla. The announcement was made by Elon Musk on his twitter account. He also claims that a demo is coming in the coming month. There are no announcement or confirmations on Steam as well currently. Until then, this could just be rumours.

Computers, Gaming, News

Steam ‘Borealis’ for Chrome OS is Coming! But Which Chromebooks will get them?

February 21, 2022 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Two years ago in 2020, Google and Valve made a small but significant decision that would bring Chrome OS to the next level. With the introduction of Intel’s 10^th generation Core processors, Google says that they are working on bringing Steam on the platform. If you have not known what Steam is yet, they are the largest game library in the known world. When we say game library, they are also an online game store that brought about the revolution of how we play and buy games today. Instead of buying physical copies, Steam brought about the age of digital copies of games; meaning you do not need CDs or DVDs to run your games anymore. That is why plenty of new notebooks and even pre-built PCs does not come with a disk tray anymore.

The announcement was made two years ago though, and we have not seen a single hint of Steam coming to Chrome OS since then. Until 9to5 Google uncovered something, that is. Apparently, things have already been swinging for quite some time now in the works of bringing Steam to Chrome OS and the latest development update came in January 2022. A developer commented on the processes they are working on and a sort of expected timeline for the project.

According to 9to5 Google the changelog that they were going through has introduced a list of supposedly supported Chromebooks and some minimum requirements. Of course, the Chromebooks listed are not named outrightly. From the codenames they have, it can be determined which Chromebooks are supposed to be getting Steam support. Most of them for now comes from Acer and ASUS.

Volta – Acer Chromebook 514 (CB514-1H)
Volet – Acer Chromebook 515
Voxel – Acer Chromebook Spin 713 (CP713-3W)
Delbin – ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 (CX5500)
Drobit – ASUS Chromebook CX9 (CX9400)
Elemi – HP Pro c640 G2 Chromebook
Lindar – Unknown/unreleased Chromebook from Lenovo

The minimum requirement listed on the changelog also mentions that the Chromebook needs to have at least an 11^th Generation Intel Core i5 processor and more than 7GB of RAM. So far, the specs reserved for Steam on Chromebooks are higher-end Chromebooks. But this is also a form of good news for Chrome OS fans.

With the introduction of Steam on top of Chrome OS also means that there will be a new breed of gamers that plays games on Chrome OS. NVIDIA is already working closely with Google and MediaTek to be more present in the development of and for Chrome OS. They are also working on a discrete GPU for Chrome OS, albeit for very specific use cases, for some time now. At the same time, the list of supported hardware is still expanding. There are already evidence showing that even AMD’s newer chips might be on the support list soon. A few of Google’s Chrome OS partners have also revealed that they are working on RGB versions of their Chromebooks. Would we see Steam pre-installed or supported by then? We do not know, only time will tell. But we are looking forward.

Source: 9to5 Google

Computers, Gaming, Lifestyle, News

Valve Announces the Steam Deck – Proper PC Gaming in Nintendo Switch-esque Package.

July 16, 2021 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

When Nintendo Switch was first teased, the PC gaming market went a little wild. Independent manufacturers took bold steps and packed all they can into a package that resembles the Nintendo Switch running the Windows platform. Despite the fact that most of these devices packs a notebook PC APU with no discreet GPU, they sold them as handheld gaming devices. To be fair, those were good attempts to squish portable gaming devices (gaming laptops) to an even more portable size. In theory also, you get the best gaming experience that is PC gaming.

Obviously, cramming PC grade hardware into constricted space is no mean feat. Most of the handheld gaming ‘PCs’ are thicker than your college textbooks and are as heavy as a brick. You need to fit cooling fans, thermal management systems, storage, RAM, and whatever else you have on a regular laptop into the small package. On top of all of that, you need to fit the controllers too. We thought that we will never see the day a handheld gaming device that can run PC games looking like a Nintendo Switch anytime soon.

Imagine our surprise then when Valve came out to say they have made a handheld gaming device that runs all your PC games. While it should not be a big surprise, it did catch the world off guard a little bit. Valve is not new in creating console peripherals for the PC gaming industry though. They were also responsible for creating something called the Steam Controller a few years back, we never saw the product ourselves though.

Screenshot 2021 07 16 at 14 36 55 Steam Deck Hardware — Source: Steam Deck

The Steam Deck, they call it. It really looks like a Nintendo Switch that is permanently stuck to two third-party Joy Con controllers. You do not get the funky colours of the Nintendo Switch though. Instead, you get a completely gun metal black finish that gives it a more edgy look.

It is built to run the Steam interface on its 7-inch 720p (1,280 x 800) LCD display with 60Hz refresh rate. It is built to run games on your Steam Library on that exact same display at that resolution too. You can get better displays from smartphone devices today, obviously. The issue with better and faster displays is that it presents a very real bottleneck for modern PC games, so some level of sacrifice would be required on portable handheld devices.

Keeping the display running at full chat is an AMD Zen 2 architecture CPU (four-core, eight thread) that is also paired to RDNA 2 GPU (eight CU) custom APU for the Steam Deck. You get 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM that is non-replaceable. 16GB of RAM is ample though for a gaming PC. They even pack it with up to 512GB in an NVMe PCIe SSD format to keep things trundling along at breakneck speeds.

The controller layout does look a little weird because the D-pad lines up with the joystick. The layout is necessary though to fit the touch pads for a more intuitive navigation for the Steam Deck. The 7-inch display is also a touch sensitive display, if you really cannot figure out the controller navigation.

Source: Steam Deck
Source: Steam Deck
Source: Steam Deck
Source: Steam Deck
Source: Steam Deck
Source: Steam Deck
Source: Steam Deck
Source: Steam Deck
Source: Steam Deck

Obviously, the Steam Deck runs on Steam’s custom interface. However, it is also built as a PC complete with a dock and everything with proper I/O. That also means that you can run it as a PC on a desktop display or a TV if you really want to. It runs on Linux though, so you do not get the Windows experience here. Still, you can run third-party apps on Steam Deck, something you cannot do on any other gaming consoles.

Valve’s Steam Deck comes in three flavours when it is available later in December 2021 and beyond. These are not colour options though, rather three storage options. At the most basic you are getting a 64GB eMMC internal storage. A step above that is a 256GB NVMe SSD. At the top of the food chain is a 512GB storage option. All variants come with a MicroSD expansion slot, so you still can get a MicroSD card for more storage if you need to. Prices start from US$ 399 (MYR 1,676*) for the most basic version and tops out at US$ 649 (MYR 2,727*). Compared to the Nintendo Switch, the entry level price is still more expensive. At the top as well, the Steam Deck is approximately US$ 150 (MYR 630*) more than current generation gaming consoles. You do not get to bring around your Steam Library with you on the other consoles though.

*Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.20 on xe.com as of 16/07/2021

911 Operator (Free on Epic Games till 21 September)

We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip (Free on Steam until 13 October)

1. The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog.

2. Sherlock Holmes The Awakened

3. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy

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