I'm wrapping up on my Steam Sale-athon with some hidden gems I've come across. Haven't played them yet, but thought they'd be of interest. Prices in sad Canadian dollars.
Song of the Deep - $4.99 - An underwater metroidvania from the creators of Ratchet and Clank. People complain that it's a bit too easy, but I'm getting it for my daughter.
I'm going to recommend two of my favourite games of all time because they're extremely cheap and they aren't overly popular, based on Steam Reviews.
The first game is Evil Genius. This is basically a bond-supervillain version of Dungeon Keeper. You manage an underground Volcano Lair by placing traps, building rools, recruiting minions and henchmen and ultimately trying to take over the world, while the world's superpowers try to stop you.
This one is a bit harder to describe. There really isn't anything out there that does the same idea quite like it does. Startopia is a Space-station management game, sort of like Hospital Tycoon in a way. You have to build rooms, structures, furnishings etc to keep visitors happy and the station profitable. There are 3 floors - the first is maintenance and production, second is commercial and leisure, and the top floor is the garden zone to plant trees and grow things. It's not overly complicated (other than just recruiting visitors as staff you don't really directly interact with them) but i think it's a great game, especially for the price. It has a sort of hitchhikers guide to the galaxy type of humour as well. Art style still holds up pretty well considering it's from over 15 years ago.
Aight, not more bullshit, I'm gonna try and post some more recommendations, mainly games I played this year up til now. Now if only I can get the wording right...
A first person shooter based on the Darkness comic series. I myself hadn't gotten around to reading them, and while Darkness 1 never released on PC, I still managed to enjoy this, as the plot is stand alone and you are given a recap of the events of the first game.
As for the gameplay, I personally like to think of it as a 'slower' Doom 2016; there is no major reliance on cover and you need to move around while battling enemies.
You can dual wield the various firearms in the game, but where the game shines are in the usage of your Darkness powers which allow you to damage enemies with melee attacks or grab stuff from the environment and flinging them at enemies. It's always fun to grab a car door and fling at enemies slicing them in half~
Defeating enemies earns you EXP points of sorts which you spend to upgrade your Darkness powers and weapons.
The game isn't that long, clocking at around 6ish hours if you play the main story mode on Normal, but there are online modes too to play against or along with other players.
Telltale take their own spin on the Batman mythos and IMHO, they crafted a pretty good setting. The game can be approached either as Bruce Wayne or Batman inc ertain parts of the story, and I personally liked approaching things as Bruce Wayne, esp. as in this game, he is committed to fixing Gotham, not just as Batman.
Telltale also reinvision a few Batman characters such as Penguin, which I really liked in this game.
Sadly the Telltale jankiness is still apparent and if you couldn't stand it in their older games you may not like it here as well, but if you look past it, you'll get to experience an interesting take on the Caped Crusader.
It's a simple PnC adventure game about a little girl who must save her brother who was kidnapped by a red scarf. She eventually finds a pair of goggles that bestow upon her a very useful ability that she must use to progress further and find her brother.
The controls are very simplistic as you merely click on the screen or tap to perform actions where possible, and There is a button to indicate interacable objects in case one is stuck.
There is minimal dialog as it is just Lilly progressing through screens to catch up to her brother and save him.
This is a nice 2-3 hour game, with the biggest issue being that due to the animations the game will feel slow to progress since you can't skip movement or action animations like in older PnC games.
AKIBA'S TRIP: Undead & Undressed is an Action game with RPG elements where you go around Stripping clothes off people in Akiba to expose the vampires among the populace that seek to take over the mecca of nerd-dom!
Gameplay-wise its combat is pretty repetitive and on Normal and higher difficulties, battle sbecome pretty difficult as enemies can overpower you if you're not strong enough to damage their clothings.
The game does have a well done localization which had some pretty hilarious moments in it
So if you are going to get it (pref when it's pretty cheap) make sure to play on Easy to make battles flow faster, in case you just want to read the story and character interactions. Make sure to also use this handy mod to have the game run at 60 FPS https://steamcommunity.com/app/333980/discussions/0/458604254462038126/
The Dark Eye Point n' Click duology
These are a set of 2 games set in the Dark Eye universe. I've not played any other games from the franchise but did get some enjoyment from these 2 games.
The first game, 'Chains of the Satinav' has you control Geron as he sets on a quest to stop an evil warlock from taking over the world.
The game's art is pretty good although the overall animation is very much like a motion comic. The english voice acting is good but the actual translation from German, leaves much to be desired, and that really affected my enjoyment of the game.
The puzzles aren't that complex as it merely involves interacting with items or objects and using items from your inventory with the right person or object.
The game does get pretty dark by the final hours and there is even a section where
you can either save or leave an NPC to commit suicide
.
The second game, Memoria, takes place some time after the climax of the previous game and has you control 2 characters each with their own story and progression.
If you are a fan of PnC adventure games, I would recommend checking these games out, but I once again want to emphasize that the translation from German isn't the best, it's competent and gets the job done, but it has no 'flair'; think Persona 4's localization but missing EVERYTHING that makes it fun to read through.
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 pits various Capcom and Marvel characters against each other in a colorful fighting game extravaganza. The game has Easy Input mode for those that just want to mash their way to victory, leading to hours of casual fun.
This is a puzzle game where you move a cube in order to clear tiles on the floor. You must clear all tiles by turning them from Red to Blue and then reach the end tile to complete the stage.
More tile types are introduced in later stages leading to some tricky situations.
A PnC Adventure game with pixel art graphics.
As you can tell from the title it involves space. A young cow herder is transported along with her herd of cows into a spaceship, and she must now find a way to defeat the tyranical leader of the ship to save her life.
The controls are pretty simple as you only click to move or interact and you hold the mouse button on items that you want to use with other stuff.
The game has an interesting dialog method- All forms of text be it dialog between characters or interacting with items will be said in rhymes. The rhyming is hit or miss and I found it middling at best, but I give them a B for effort.
It's a pretty short PnC, and can be beaten in under 2 hours.
This is an overhead action adventure game presented as 50s/60s B-movie being released onto DVD and with the original director offering commentary on how the 'movie' was made.
The game has various animations where creatures and enemies animate like Claymation, and has various secrets spread throughout the island and gigantic tower setting that can let you upgrade your weapons and armor.
The overall tone of the game is pretty humorous although the commentary can really get in the way of the gameplay.
There is also a co-op multiplayer mode allowing 2 players to play together and beat the game.
Playdead's duology tackles some very pertinent issues on reality, and they will stay with you for a very long time. Gameplay and puzzles are extremely solid too.
It's very innovative, beautiful and atmospheric. It also uses a fictional horror tale to make a critique o society, and even if you're not interested in that, it's a phenomenal horror title on its own.
Beat Alien Isolation yesterday. Really enjoyed it for the most part but damn did it ever over stay its welcome. It took me 20 hours to beat but felt like 40. I was taking my time with it but turns out the game would drag itself out without my assistance. I was glad when it was over and I could uninstall it. Glad I experienced it but don't think I ever want to play it again.
Fantastic graphics and atmosphere. Great lighting. Well optimized too. I was shocked it ran on my toaster. Sound design is superb. Probably the best thing in the game and reminds me of the good old days when developers paid attention to how their games sounded. They capture the feel of the film quite well. Even have the actors from the movie doing voices. Overall I would recommend it but I just wish it did not drag towards the end. Oops. Posted this in the wrong thread. Oh well.
I am sad I missed that thread. I push Dungeonmans on everyone I can who I think might even be slightly interested. I backed the Kickstarter forever ago and still love picking up the game for a quick run now and again.
I am sad I missed that thread. I push Dungeonmans on everyone I can who I think might even be slightly interested. I backed the Kickstarter forever ago and still love picking up the game for a quick run now and again.
Odd question: do you know if it's possible to pay entirely with a mouse?
It has been on my wishlist for a while, but it seems like the type of game I would enjoy more on a tablet. If it can be played with just the mouse I could stream it.
Odd question: do you know if it's possible to pay entirely with a mouse?
It has been on my wishlist for a while, but it seems like the type of game I would enjoy more on a tablet. If it can be played with just the mouse I could stream it.
Yes, you can right click to access whatever functionality you'd need the keyboard for, and the UI has buttons for skills/items etc on the hotbar
e: Actually I think that's basically just 'rest', 'go to this tile' or 'go to up/down stairs.' Everything else is on the UI (click the backpack for equip/inventory, sword&shield for skills, scroll for character sheet). Click anywhere to move one tile at a time/attack, click a skill/item to use it. You can right click inventory items to lock or destroy them, or drag them onto the hotbar.
I think most folks should already be aware of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, but let me make its case for it for those that might not be sold yet. I gave it a try on PS3 through PS+, but I didn't really play it for very long, but it turns out the game is quite good; in fact it's a lot better than it may appear at first glance.
It's an action RPG from a third person perspective. The combat is far more in depth than most in the genre, with dodging, blocking and some rudimentary combos being fundamental concepts that the player must learn to handle the enemy attack patterns. The world is full of optional quests and lots of collectables and loot.
The graphical style lends itself to cartoonier RPGs like Fable or Warcraft, so it's scalable for low end PC's. The noticeable pop-in is a real bummer when you're running at a high resolution, but the character models and some scenery can look very nice.
The plot is nothing too special but the writing and backstory is good enough. The lore of Amalur was going to be the basis for a very ambitious MMO. The story of 38 Studios and their MMO is kind of an unbelievable story in its own right. Rest assured if you buy the game you're not giving money to Shilling and his recent political actions; the funds go to the government of Rhode Island.
It's $5 and there's some story DLC that I bought but haven't played for another $5 on top of that. A very enjoyable and surprisingly underrated action RPG that I'd recommend to everyone.
Yes, you can right click to access whatever functionality you'd need the keyboard for, and the UI has buttons for skills/items etc on the hotbar
e: Actually I think that's basically just 'rest', 'go to this tile' or 'go to up/down stairs.' Everything else is on the UI (click the backpack for equip/inventory, sword&shield for skills, scroll for character sheet). Click anywhere to move one tile at a time/attack, click a skill/item to use it. You can right click inventory items to lock or destroy them, or drag them onto the hotbar.
Two very different angles on the roguelike. The former is turn-based, a more traditional take, with a lot of depth in the combat, interesting classes, and charm. The later is real time, but still tactical and strategic, feels like an evolved iteration of a Brogue, with an unique and excellent approach to dungeon generation, and cool emergent moments through various interweaving systems
Two very different angles on the roguelike. The former is turn-based, a more traditional take, with a lot of depth in the combat, interesting classes, and charm. The later is real time, but still tactical and strategic, feels like an evolved iteration of a Brogue, with an unique and excellent approach to dungeon generation, and cool emergent moments through various interweaving systems
Isometric view, old-school art style, turn-based RPG. There are farming/crafting/building systems and night/day transitions.
All this talk of Divinity: Original Sin reminded me of the first game the developers put out: Divine Divinity. It's on sale for less than a dollar! One of the best action-RPGs I've played. Hack and slash with a working story, dialogue, interesting NPCs and a character system where you can use talents across classes. All with a dose of quirky dark humour. Also the first time I'd ever seen the mouse used (in this type of game) to drag objects around to solve certain puzzles (e.g. Door to a house is locked. Where would the key be normally hidden?)
I saw some people interested in Arx Fatalis. If you do buy it make sure to get the mod Arx Libertatis. http://www.moddb.com/mods/arx-libertatis It won't even run on a modern OS without it. Unlocks framerate and resolution. Fixes a ton of bugs and other improvements. Once again modders doing awesome work.
Divine Divinity is a good game but st that point I would recommend Divinity pack for $3 since that also includes Divine Divinity 2 Directors Cut which is a great game by itself.
Edit: Oh, forgot about Arx Fatalis and Commander Keen. Also, that Dungeonmans writeup completely sold me on that game. Plus I am probably going to get Darkness 2 and Balrum.... and thinking about Neptunia U game but that's probably a mistake.
Gunpoint is full of great stealth gameplay where navigating through levels is its own puzzle while having plenty of charm in its characters. All for $2.49. You should get it.
This has gotten a few mentions already, but I just want to chime in and say this game is the real deal. Dungeon crawling, stat min-maxing goodness. Up there among Falcom's best games like "Ys: The Oath in Felghana" and "Ys: Origin". I ended up playing for two hours last night without even realizing where the time had gone.
can someone give more info on xanadu next?
i grabbed Brandish on my vita awhile ago thinking i'd love it based on word of mouth and screen shots, but was underwhelmed by the lewt [basically, you find a new, fixed, weapon at preset points in the dungeon]. it was alright, but i greatly prefer more lewt.
Divine Divinity is a good game but st that point I would recommend Divinity pack for $3 since that also includes Divine Divinity 2 Directors Cut which is a great game by itself...
Emerge is a 4X-style game at its core, where you spent every turn improving securing your stronghold from the zombie threat and expanding the safe zone; capture enough tiles and you win. But the zombie threat is ever-expanding and improving, and will periodically infest tiles--move to conquer one and you will transition to a real-time line defense game, where you and whatever AI allies shoot at zombies before they destroy the barricade. The whole thing is also pretty RPG-like, with stats, experience, levels, loot, abilities, and events, that affect both sides of the game. It's just really cool, with a huge campaign (themed maps and challenges, basically), tons of unlockables and different ways to start, and an intense kill-or-be-killed kind of survival gameplay, where easy victories can balloon into long wars of attrition due to poor choices, or just a key loss.
can someone give more info on xanadu next?
i grabbed Brandish on my vita awhile ago thinking i'd love it based on word of mouth and screen shots, but was underwhelmed by the lewt [basically, you find a new, fixed, weapon at preset points in the dungeon]. it was alright, but i greatly prefer more lewt.
Enemies drop weapons and weapons all have an unique skill you can use. Using weapons more frequently raises the weapon mastery. At 100% mastery you can freely use those skills (no need to equip the weapon). After 100% weapons will do more damage until its capped at 200%.
So you have a lot more loot which has its use. There's also magic beside the weapon skills, but you have to choose wisely as there are only a select few spots for magic and skills.
Beside the neat little systems the game is a cool dungeoncrawler with a hub and a few shortcuts (a la Souls). At first the story isn't thaf intersesting until it kicks you in the balls near the end.
Of all the games I got this sale, Hacknet is emerging as my favorite. It combines intense hacking puzzles with a well-written and interesting interactive fiction angle as you probe the files and systems of different computers.
Got the expansion as well. From what I've read, it's about as long as the main game and adds a bunch of new tools and such to use, as well as some really cool missions
Of all the games I got this sale, Hacknet is emerging as my favorite. It combines intense hacking puzzles with a well-written and interesting interactive fiction angle as you probe the files and systems of different computers.
Got the expansion as well. From what I've read, it's about as long as the main game and adds a bunch of new tools and such to use, as well as some really cool missions
Alright, I stumbled upon this game during the sale and have had difficulty putting it down:
Emerge: Cities of the Apocalypse ***60% off***
Emerge is a 4X-style game at its core, where you spent every turn improving securing your stronghold from the zombie threat and expanding the safe zone; capture enough tiles and you win. But the zombie threat is ever-expanding and improving, and will periodically infest tiles--move to conquer one and you will transition to a real-time line defense game, where you and whatever AI allies shoot at zombies before they destroy the barricade. The whole thing is also pretty RPG-like, with stats, experience, levels, loot, abilities, and events, that affect both sides of the game. It's just really cool, with a huge campaign (themed maps and challenges, basically), tons of unlockables and different ways to start, and an intense kill-or-be-killed kind of survival gameplay, where easy victories can balloon into long wars of attrition due to poor choices, or just a key loss.
Are you talking a hardcore dungeon crawler like Nocturne or DDS? Or are you looking for social links like Persona?
If Persona, I can't really help you.
If dungeon crawling... hmm. There isn't much like the press turn system, and I can't think of any games with demon fusing. But there are plenty of absolutely fantastic DRPGs that might scratch the itch. There are a lot of recommendations for drpgs in this thread, Might & Magic Legacy X is solid and recent.
If you want something more Japanese, then Stranger of Sword City, maybe? It's a straight DRPG, so not really 'like' SMT, but nothing is really 'like' SMT so it's a hard ask.
Still nothing like SMT, but you might like the Siralim games. You recruit demons, no fusing, level them up, upgrade stuff, get better demons, etc. Actually, Siralim (and 2) is a solid 'Hidden Gem' for many people in this thread, probably.
Alright, I stumbled upon this game during the sale and have had difficulty putting it down:
Emerge: Cities of the Apocalypse ***60% off***
Emerge is a 4X-style game at its core, where you spent every turn improving securing your stronghold from the zombie threat and expanding the safe zone; capture enough tiles and you win. But the zombie threat is ever-expanding and improving, and will periodically infest tiles--move to conquer one and you will transition to a real-time line defense game, where you and whatever AI allies shoot at zombies before they destroy the barricade. The whole thing is also pretty RPG-like, with stats, experience, levels, loot, abilities, and events, that affect both sides of the game. It's just really cool, with a huge campaign (themed maps and challenges, basically), tons of unlockables and different ways to start, and an intense kill-or-be-killed kind of survival gameplay, where easy victories can balloon into long wars of attrition due to poor choices, or just a key loss.
Final Station is a pretty nifty little game. Survival Action Horror kinda thing, but most elements are relatively toned down in favor of story exposition. The game is split in two parts, in one you need to take care of your train and your passengers, in the other, you need to sneak/fight zombies to advance.
The highlight is the world building though, they really had some great ideas for the setting/how to visualize their post apocalypse in pixel style.
Well done, definitely recommended. Currently 60% off on Steam and for PS4.
They absolutely nailed the mood they were going for. That aspect is really wonderful. I found the locations got a bit repetitive towards the end though. Like
always whoever had the code has some reason to wander off, and then a gruesome tale plays out through the environmental storytelling
Rebuild 3 is on Steam, with the deluxe getting you all three games. I bought the regular edition, but haven't played it yet.
And yeah, the similarities are precisely why I got it. Although having now played Emerge, the action aspect is a big part of what makes it work, and AFAIK Rebuild doesn't have that. So we'll see.
I'm happy that Divine Divinity got a recent mention. That game is what...59 cents during this sale? One of my all time favorite CRPGs. I have barely played Divinity II, but that first one is awesome. Beyond Divinity is alright, but more action focused, which was my least favorite part of the first game (it's Diablo-like, sorta).
I just really love isometric games, especially RPGs, and especially RPGs like Divinity and Ultima VII where you can interact with almost anything in the world, like searching for items hidden under someone's pillow. One of my favorite things in games for some odd reason.
I think most folks should already be aware of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, but let me make its case for it for those that might not be sold yet. I gave it a try on PS3 through PS+, but I didn't really play it for very long, but it turns out the game is quite good; in fact it's a lot better than it may appear at first glance.
It's an action RPG from a third person perspective. The combat is far more in depth than most in the genre, with dodging, blocking and some rudimentary combos being fundamental concepts that the player must learn to handle the enemy attack patterns. The world is full of optional quests and lots of collectables and loot.
The graphical style lends itself to cartoonier RPGs like Fable or Warcraft, so it's scalable for low end PC's. The noticeable pop-in is a real bummer when you're running at a high resolution, but the character models and some scenery can look very nice.
The plot is nothing too special but the writing and backstory is good enough. The lore of Amalur was going to be the basis for a very ambitious MMO. The story of 38 Studios and their MMO is kind of an unbelievable story in its own right. Rest assured if you buy the game you're not giving money to Shilling and his recent political actions; the funds go to the government of Rhode Island.
It's $5 and there's some story DLC that I bought but haven't played for another $5 on top of that. A very enjoyable and surprisingly underrated action RPG that I'd recommend to everyone.
I bought the PS3 version pretty cheap years back at Best Buy thanks to a coupon from a magazine, can't remember if this was right before the studio imploded or right after but I think I got it for less than $10 back in 2012. I probably would've paid full price closer to launch had the demo they released not completely turned me off from all the problems it had. I got the platinum trophy but I don't think I ever played the DLC, might as well double dip.
EDIT: Just looked at my trophies, yeah it was almost five years ago, started on July 21st, 2012.
