Steam Sale Writer’s Picks – December 14th

Steam Sale Writer's Picks

The tree is up, the lights are lit, the presents are wrapped; now I just need to clean the kitchen from top to bottom, then stock the cupboards and the fridge with salted snacks, mince pies and cheese. I’m so ready for Christmas! Are you? If Christmas isn’t your thing, I hope that you’re feeling the spirit of it at least, but if not, download some games and shut yourself away for a couple more weeks.

Here are my picks for this week for you lovely people.

Mount & Blade

Ever played an awesome RTS and wished you were part of the action? Ever played a hack ‘n’ slash and wished it was a little more open world? Mount & Blade has all of that and more, and you can get the bundle for 70% off, as well as the original game and each of the standalone expansion packs.

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Set in a fantasy land, you take control of the land you own, trying to expand on this by fighting battles, using strategy, and getting right in on it too. There are tonnes of factions to choose to play as, there are horses, there are a stack of different weapons and techniques, and the modding community is huge. There is even a Game of Thrones mod, which is apparently exactly what a GoT game should be.

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Each of the expansions add new forms of gameplay, from original stories to the Napoleonic Wars. I’d recommend getting the whole lot, as each of the packs add more and more, and are totally worth every penny. Grab this one for sure, whether you are a fan of RPGs, fighters, strategy games, fantasy, open world or anything in-between, go for it! Also, the multiplayer is huge, and you may never leave.

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War for the Overworld

Sticking with the theme of strategy, RTS War for the Overworld has 75% off this week. It’s a mix of RTS and God Game, and requires you to be a little more dark. Think Sauron or Hades. Who hasn’t dreamed of being the Lord of the Underworld, or something to that effect?

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War for the Overworld gets you building dungeons and creating minions to do your bidding, all to aid your quest to reclaim the overworld that once banished you. It’s classic Dark Lord stuff, and really quenches that urge to be nothing but evil. Come on, you know you get it. Other Underlords will try and stand in your way to conquer all realms, and your strategy will decide if you can win in battle against them or not.

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There are loads of different modes to play – online, local multiplayer and single player – and it really is a great idea. It’s like when you play as the baddies in other RTS titles, though this time is to claim a whole plane of existence, which is nothing but badass. You can grab this version, or the Underlord Edition for a little extra cash, and that will give you extra story content and skins.

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Company of Heroes

The entire Company of Heroes franchise that is available on Steam is on offer at 75% off. It’s up to you how you see fit to part with your cash on this one. The original game is one of the best loved wartime RTS titles on PC. If you’re not so into the fantasy, or far-history of the previous two titles I have mentioned, then CoH is for you.

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Of course, the chances are that if you are a realtime strategist, you own this already, but this shout out goes towards those who might be looking for something a little different, or were waiting for one or more of the titles to go on offer. They are often reduced in price, but not always as much as a quarter of the usual, and this offer stands until the 19th, so there’s plenty of time to pick up the ones that take your fancy. Why not grab the Franchise Edition? It’s worth it for 75% off.

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Transformers™: War for Cybertron™

This game is worth playing for the closing credits music on its own. The original Transformers soundtrack hero Stan Bush recorded track on an album called Till All Are One, and obvious homage to the franchise and it was used for the game. It does not disappoint. Transformers™: War for Cybertron™ has a cool 75% off this week, and it delivers come really awesome mechanics, and honours the original cartoon franchise, whilst bringing it up to date, much to our generation’s delight.

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You get to experience the story of the war that began the legacy first hand, taking charge of great and unique weaponry, utilising the transform mechanic, and navigating through levels based on the original concepts for Cybertron, and the original Autobots and Decepticons. Of course, Transformers has seen many different universes and timelines, but this game brings the 80s fad into a new age, far better than a lot of other things managed to do (no names).

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In this third-person shooter, you take a stand in the civil war, before the Transformers came to Earth, and before the homeworld was destroyed, and can play as both Decepticons and Autobots. This gives some great replay options, and there are many ways to play multiplayer, both on and offline. The original Peter Cullen returns to voice Optimus Prime, alongside some serious veterans of the business; including Fred Tatasciore, Steven Blum and Nolan North.

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Other Transformers titles are also on offer, so it depends on your budget, and what sort of gameplay you’re after. The sequels to War for Cybertron™ are on offer, but were not received quite as well as the first. If you want a real artistic 80s cartoon throwback, try TRANSFORMERS: Devastation for 80% off. It was released last year, and looks stunning.

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Special Mention: BEEP

BEEP has 76% off, not that it really matters, as the game is under £1/$1 anyway. It gets a special mention, because you can buy it for less than it costs to go to the bathroom at a London train station.

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It’s a cute-looking physics and puzzle platformer, with a hand drawn art style, reminiscent of recent Rayman – albeit basic. The concept is pretty simple, get from one end to the other by using the tools available, but the tools happen to include a gravity manipulation device, which adds variety and interest. It’s a great way to pass some time, and one to enjoy with little ones, or your mum. I know my mum’s gonna love it.

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That’s me for the week folks, but I’ll pop by with some more choices for your Christmas weekend next week. Until then, have a good one, and don’t start on those snacks just yet.