Apologies for the delay, would like to say a big thanks for all these people for posting thoughts on this very busy month for Steam;
Dr Dogg, More_Badass, Ozium, ANuclearError, jshackles, Divius, Uzzy, Hugstable and BinaryPork2737. Thread from now on will
take two posts due to recommendations of the month - so don't post yet
Enjoy!
Farming Simulator 15 - BinaryPork2737
The newest entry in the Farming Simulator series, FS 15 features a Nordic setting with a brand new engine to really give the series a
new fresh look, along with better physics. New equipment is available in this entry, especially in regards to the new activity, logging.
Unlike other less notable sim games, this has actual brands of machinery to use, including New Holland and Lamborghini, . Plus there's
the online multiplayer mode and of course the coming mods that will eventually allow for even more variety, which is always good.
The Evil Within - Hugstable
The Evil Within: Being released in less than 2 weeks on October 14, 2014, just in time for Holloween, one of the great Survival Horror
game developers is unleashing his newest creation unto the world. The Evil Within has me hyped as it seems to be a return to the
classic Survival Horror style of having to conserve ammo and observe your current situations and the best way to go about getting
past the monsters. The game seems to build upon Mikami's past efforts and alot of the footage we've seen so far has alot of
interesting side stuff along with the shooting. It's going to be interesting to see how the game turns out since many of us have been
waiting for Shinji Mikami to return to a true Resident Evil style game.
Legend of Korra - Uzzy
The Legend of Korra is a character action game set in an Asian inspired fantasy/steampunk world, where the manipulation of the
elements of earth, fire, air and water are commonplace. You play as the Avatar Korra, who uniquely has the ability to control all four
of those elements. After an encounter with a villain with the ability to remove Korra's powers, Korra must fight her way through various
locations around the world in order to regain her powers and defeat the villains plans.
Given the fairly poor history of earlier titles in the Avatar series, normally a licensed game like this wouldn't get recommended by me.
But the big difference here is that it's being developed by Platinum Games, masters of the character action genre who are able to
craft some of the very finest combat mechanics around. Combat sees you swapping between each of your elemental powers to
unleash combos on your enemies, with each element offering unique light, heavy and special attacks, useful for different situations
and types of enemies. Finally, the game really looks and sounds faithful to the show, with the show's writers involved with the plot,
full voice acting from the original cast and an artstyle highly reminiscent of the show's animation. That, mixed with Platinum's mastery
of combat mechanics, should make the game a treat for fans of the show and of the character action genre.
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition - MRORANGE
For anyone who has still yet to experience this fan favorite better snatch this game as in entails the base game with the
extensive and comically clothing DLC and extra missions. The game focuses on Wei Shen, a undercover cop who has infiltrated
the triads. It is up to Wei Shen to take down these bosses while protecting his cover from being blown, but as Wei delves deeper into
the triad culture his loyaltiesare pushed to the limit and lines begin to blur between cop and gangster. Sleeping Dogs is a fantastic
game and gives a breath of fresh air in a genre dominated by sadnbox games based in US cities, SD manages to carve it's own unique
niche and gameplay while remaining true to it's roots in Hong Kong cinema and martial arts.
Ryse: Son of Rome - Dr Dogg
Reading through Ryse's plot has my head doing circles regards to the lack of historical accuracy but hey let's just roll with it because
Vidya Gaems! So Ryse is coming to PC after making its debut on Xbox One at launch last year. Coming with it are all the DLC packs
(4 in total, mainly multiplayer) but it leaves the microtransations behind. Being handled by Crytek themselves, the port promises to have
lots of options to scale across as broad range of hardware as well as take advantage of high end systems with up to 3840x2160
resolutions supported, various anti-aliasing options and more than I can list here.
Encounters seem to have a rhythm to them where you can't just mash on the attack button and have to not only time your strikes and
blocks well but also mix up your attacks to avoid the enemy blocking your onslaught. The Execution finisher system is deeper than first
thought as well. Once you have whittled down an enemy to a certain degree you can perform a finisher that while reward you the more
accurate your timing is. The rewards aren't just XP but can be selected by the user from either replenish Marius' health, amplify his
damage, refill the focus meter for special attack or gain additional XP. I haven't seen too much of the multiplayer but there were some
fans in the OT here. One thing is certain though and Ryse on PC looks set to be a graphical show stopper and will hopefully take
advantage of hardware today and into the future also.
Alien: Isolation - Divius
Over the years there have been quite a few games based on the popular Alien franchise, with its most recent addition - Aliens:
Colonial Marines - being a low point in the series that left fans with a bad taste in their mouth and put a damper on the franchise name.
Luckily Alien: Isolation is shaping up to wash away that bad taste and hopefully regain the trust of the fans. Where prior games mostly
seemed to pursue the more action-packed approach of the second movie, Alien: Isolation is focusing on the pure terror of the original
1979 movie. It's dark, atmospheric and, above all, scary as hell.
This time you don't have access to Pulse Rifles. You don't get to mow down hordes of aliens. There is just one Alien. One Xenomorph.
It is deadly. It is stronger than you are. It is faster than you are. And it is coming for you. Distant metallic clanks and moving shadows
play games with your senses as you explore the decommissioned trading station Sevastopol and the slightest alteration in the steady
beeping of your Motion Tracker will send your pulse racing. Fans of the series and survival horror can prepare to sit on the edge of
their seat with sweaty palms and an elevated heartbeat. And remember; In space no one can hear you scream.
Costume Quest 2 - jshackles
Costume Quest 2 is the sequel to Double Fine's beloved Halloween hit. The original was a casual RPG that was heavy on humor and
charm, and the sequel looks take things even further. The game revolves around two siblings who venture out on Halloween night to
find materials to make new costumes and collect Treat Cards in their neighborhood. This Halloween, Reynold and Wren must travel in
time to save everyone's favorite spooky holiday from the evil Dentist! Along the way you can expect to see new over-the-top costumes,
new moves and abilities, new allies, and even Creepier Treat Cards to collect. I think these games perfectly capture the spirit of
Halloween - everything seems surreal and larger than life (and a little bit scary) as you are tasked with going forth to collect as much
candy as possible. I know what I'm playing this year on Halloween night.
Borderlands The Pre Sequel - ANuclearError
Handsome Jack is back, and he's recruited a new badass fighting force (Don't ask me how Claptrap managed to sneak into somehow)
with which players will shoot and loot in the new entry to the series from 2K Australia & Gearbox. Pandora's moon is the setting of this
new adventure, and players will be taking advantage of lower gravity, ice & laser weapons and new powers while they try to rush for that
tank of oxygen before suffocating. The series will see the return of the colourful world and it's humour as we see Handsome Jack and his
rise for power.
Cilvization Beyond Earth - ANuclearError
A successor to the acclaimed Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri has been a desire for many Civilization fans, and while Beyond Earth does
not share the name, the spirit certainly will live on in Firaxis' latest entry to the franchise. Players will take their choice of faction and aim to
colonize a new world, facing foes of both human and alien form when exploring the new world. New features include a technology web
built upon three themes (Harmony, Purity, Supremacy) to base research on and the orbital layer where players will build satellite networks
for new directions to enhance economy, science and military. Civilization: Beyond Earth will not only be a new era for mankind, but a new
era of just one more turn.
Cosmochoria - Ozium
An action game set in space starring a little naked boy with a blaster, Cosmochoria sees players running fully around a little planetoid
while fighting off UFOs and other nasty critters. As you defend your planet you are able to plant seeds on it that will birth various exotic
forms of plants, eventually giving way to an atmosphere that helps boost your attacks and offers some defense. Use your jetpack to fly
to other planetoids on your quest to restore and protect the galaxy!
Metrocide - More_Badass
Inspired by GTA and Syndicate, Metrocide is a top-down stealth game set in a cyberpunk dystopia. You play as contract killer Trench,
armed with a variety of weapons and futuristic tools as you assassinate targets and contend with roaming police drones, cameras,
civilians, and other threats.
Final Fantasy XIII - Dr Dogg
Released in 2010 originally on PS3 and 360, Final Fantasy XIII was quite a looker in its day and despite its age this should hopefully
translate nicely to PC even today. Taking place in a futuristic setting where a crisis threatens the Utopian world of Cocoon as a group
of heroes attempt to save their home from chaos brought upon the floating city by something from the Primeval world of Pulse bellow.
The battle system was a big highlight for me. You are only in control of one party member with up to 2 more passive members who
carry out their own actions according to their role. It is a semi real time spin on the Active Time Battle system from previous games.
Summons are also a key part as you'd expect (dubbed Eidolons this time) and are similar to FFX where using the Summon removes
the other party members to team up with the party leader. But this time each charter eventually has their own unique summon.
There's also the Paradigm Shift system which allows you to dynamically switch roles of all party members whilst during battle which
offers quite a lot of tactical flexibility. All these elements really come together in the various Boss battles.
The soundtrack stood out for me as well and themes fit the mood of the various environments you visit. Speaking of environments,
even from the start there are some interesting designs in the various areas you visit along your travels and hopefully can really shine
on PC. This is the first of a trilogy and the other two games, XIII-2 and Lightning Returns, have been confirmed to be coming to PC,
with expected releases sometime in 2015.
