Hello, friends! I hope those who celebrate Thanksgiving are having a wonderful time with friends and/or family, and chilling out before the inevitable chaos consumes us all.
Whilst enjoying your holiday weekend, if you get one, why not bag a bargain? Here are my picks from the Steam sale items this week.
Quantum Break
Starring Shawn Ashmore (X-Men, The Following) and Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones, The Dark Knight Rises), Quantum Break was showcased, and looked amazing, able to rival games like Uncharted 4 and Rise of the Tomb Raider in terms of graphical quality, and you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a live action trailer the first time we saw it at E3 a couple of years ago.
Unfortunately, the feedback wasn’t quite the same as the aforementioned AAA titles this year, though the game did sell very well. Made by Microsoft, it was Xbox and Windows exclusive, and released onto Steam in September. It’s a third-person, action-shooter, with a rather captivating sci-fi storyline. Exploiting time and defeating enemies with it, your aim is to stop time from “breaking”, whatever that means, and facing off against your best friend, which always sucks.
Made by the same people as Alan Wake and the original Max Payne titles, the gameplay is solid and exciting. The visuals are stunning, and it’s a definite go to for fans of these previous titles, and other similar third-person shooters. It’s 25% off this week.
Don’t Starve MEGA PACK
Grab Don’t Starve and all of the add-ons for 66% off. This survival favourite is pretty unique in its storytelling and art design. More like a storybook, or an animated film, Don’t Starve has grown and grown as time has gone on.
Your silent avatar has to survive for as long as possible, making sure all their needs are met, with threats of shadows and unnerving noises following you in the dark. Also, don’t set the forest on fire.
The beauty and fun in Don’t Starve is not just the unique setting, but in the options to play with others, and try the add-ons, with each bring new environments, threats and stories. It’s simplistic looking, compared to your usual survival game, and in a third-person isometric style. If survival is your thing, but you’re bored of the first-person emersion, or dodgy mechanics of other games, give this one a go.
Sonic Adventure DX
SEGA have some classic Dreamcast titles on offer this week, and I’m going to tell you about Sonic Adventure, which has 75% off. This game was one of my favourites as a teenager, and I still love it now. If you can get past the outdated elements, it’s a charmer of a Sonic title, with plenty to come back and replay for.
This 3D action platformer has the real Sonic feel of speed and power, with some great new gameplay elements that have become staples in subsequent Sonic games. I know what you’re thinking; recent Sonic games have been mostly pants, but Sonic Adventure and Adventure 2 got them so right.
Some people have said they are not fans, thanks to the awkward voice acting, annoying characters and dodgy camera and controls – with Big the Cat getting his own special mention – and maybe I’m simply nostalgic, but something about this game screams AWESOME to me. I guess it’s a case of; if you were a fan, buy it!
Jet Set Radio
Another from SEGA’s archive, Jet Set Radio also has 75% off.
Are you RADICAL? Are you STREETSMART? Then Jet Set Radio was made for you. Do tricks and grinds on your blades as you graffiti your way through Tokyo-to. The aim of the game is to stop evil forces being summoned by a vinyl record called “The Devil’s Contract”, and save the city. The power of alternative street culture is in your grasp to help you do this, and we all know how important this was to all of us in the days of the Dreamcast.
You have to complete tasks within a time-limit, whilst evading authorities, but in a breakaway from other games similar (Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, for example), the joy is not so much in the sick skills of bashing buttons for combos, but in the fluid gameplay and smooth transitions between moves on your blades. It’s a classic, and one to enjoy more casually, but be ready to become addicted. The art style could match many a game these days too, so don’t be afraid of it looking like trash.
Special Mention – SEGA Bass Fishing
This game kicks butt. End of. SEGA Bass Fishing, much like the other Dreamcast favourites this week, has 75% off. I think I know what makes it so great. The graphics are brilliant, and the game plays like an arcade favourite. The need to catch more and more fish only increases, and my friends and I almost lost an entire night to it recently. Unlike fishing simulators, SEGA Bass Fishing is fast-paced and exciting. You can’t call this one a simulator. It’s more like going to the funfair.
