Saturday Morning Gaming: The Steam Sale Is On!
The best video games of the last 10 years have more games in the “five years ago or more” column than in the “in the last five years” column, but that’s a good thing when it comes to getting amazing games on a budget. That game you always meant to play way back when? Well, there’s no time like the present. There are a bunch that are *DEEPLY* discounted (like more than two-thirds off) that are worth checking out.
XCom 2 is 90% off. That’s six bucks. The DLC “War of the Chosen” changes the game entirely and it’s 75% off (ten bucks). For sixteen dollars, you can get one of the most amazing games of 2016. I beat it back in 2017 and *LOVED* it. Played it again last year during lockdown and it hasn’t aged a day.
Stellaris is the inheritor of Master of Orion’s mantle and it’s on sale for 75% off (ten bucks). Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate. Come up with a theory for your home planet. Xenophobic or friendly? Peaceful or warlike? Emphasis on getting new tech via trade or emphasis on research? On top of that, there’s more than a dozen DLC that you can get once you’ve mastered the original and while any given one doesn’t change the game *THAT* much, getting a half dozen of them changes everything. (They’ve recently added Aquatics.)
Doom is 70% off (six bucks). This game captures everything that was fun about the original and gives you an updated story that feels like 1993. It’s *FUN*.
Battletech is 75% off (ten bucks). If you remember playing on a tabletop and wishing that they could make a video game with these mechanics, they finally did it. Turn based, dice based, strategy at its most battletechy and you don’t even have to coordinate schedules.
Portal and Portal 2 are both two bucks each. Portal Reloaded is a *FREE* mod for Portal 2 and it has effectively become Portal 3 (they’ve added time puzzles).
If you’re not looking for a challenge but more just sitting quietly, Stardew Valley is a mere 40% off (nine bucks) but it’s a delightful and relaxing game that rewards the more you play it. Make friends, bake pies, turn an overgrown field into a garden. (I’ve friends who play before bed and they say it helps them dream more pleasantly.)
Something for everybody and, hey, cheap!
So… what are you playing?
(Featured image is “Penny Floor: Hotel Congress” by cobalt123 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
XCOM 2’s Long War of the Chosen (LWOTC) is on its last beta which will basically be the upcoming 1.0 releaseReport
Oh my gosh, I did not know that.
The last I had heard was that Pavonis was not going to do a LWOTC and I wishlisted Terra Invicta and stopped even hoping.
I’m delighted that LWOTC is coming out!Report
Pavonis wasn’t commissioned for the project and so released it to the community. It’s a community mod, feature complete and stable for some time now. Latest is beta 5 and it’s basically what the eventual “1.0” will be (coming soon once the latest 1.23 community highlander is out)Report
Jaybird and I have been chatting about XCOM2 over the past few days. I started another XCOM2 game as a palate-cleanser in between bouts of Gloomhaven. I started on Veteran and decided it was too easy and started again on Commander. I’ve beaten the game on Commander but it was Such. A. Grind. Jaybird can tell you about my whinging and our discussions about why we play video games (for a challenge? To Relax? For fun?), which prompted me to once again delve into the .ini files and make a few tweaks to turn Veteran int “Veteran-plus.”
I’ve got my eye out for a WotC mod that allows me to easily tweak the game to create a more organic difficulty in between Veteran and Commander.Report
There are a lot of great games on sale. Even relatively recent AAA titles can be had for $20-30.
I haven’t played Stellaris – it’s a game I will probably pick up. I am a big fan of Paradox. Hearts of Iron IV is one of my favorites and the new DLC that just came out is very good. The base game is only $10 currently. I also have the new Crusader Kings but am having a hard timing getting into it.
The Dishonored franchise is also very cheap and they are great games.
Fallout 4 is one of the “five years ago or more” games that’s super cheap and well worth getting.
There really are options for everyone.Report
Oh, great, a Steam sale. Today’s when I go to their store and move half a dozen games to my cart. Then for the next three days I’ll talk myself out of them.Report
Oh, I can’t believe I didn’t think to check this: Darkest Dungeon is 85% off. Get it for less than $4.
Don’t get attached to any of your characters. It’s not that kind of game.Report