Steam Sale Writer’s Picks – 9th February

Steam Sale Writer's Picks

Emily gives her personal picks from the Steam Sale this week

Well, I missed another week again. Things are unstable in my camp, as they have been for a few months. It sucks, but once February is over, I hope to get myself together and able to be a little more active!

The good news is that I have been surprised with a holiday to Spain by my brother and husband, and I go in less than a week. I’m gonna do nothing, and it’s going to be so great. So great. I’m 30 years old on Tuesday. Things really are getting real.

Anyway, enough about me, here are some picks from the sales on Steam this week.

Project CARS

I played Project CARS when it first came out, and I’ll be honest, racing games never really excite me unless I’m in the local arcade. I enjoyed some of the classics back in the Mega Drive/PlayStation/Xbox days, but they all started to look the same. Even the polished F1 titles got boring. However, this title came along, and brought back a love of racing, and I cannot wait to play it again. This week you can get it for a third of its original price.

Writer's Picks

I think it was the community aspects that got me into this one. Sure, Burnout Paradise did that really well too, but the limits were on how much it made me not feel like a racing driver. That’s what I want. I want to feel like I have things at stake; goals and achievements that would make other people jealous. That sort of thing. Project CARS gave me that.

Writer's Picks

The graphics are great, the simulation is good, and the handling is wobbly. Like real cars, you know? Grab your wheel, that’s where the simulation becomes even more. Challenge yourself to get on those leaderboards and take to the track.

Writer's Picks

Alien: Isolation

Alien. Possibly my favourite horror movie besides the John Carpenter remake of The Thing. This game has been widely regarded as the truest Alien game ever, encapsulating the true terror and cinematography of the original film. Get your spooky on for an awesome 75% off Alien: Isolation.

Writer's Picks

Horror is a genre that I can happily watch someone play, and I’m a closet Markiplier fan (not anymore, I guess), but I’m not so good with some mechanics, especially the ones in Alien: Isolation. I try and get to the hiding spots and get all flustered. Or I get to the hiding spot and don’t want to come out again. Either way, I only played a little, and watched someone else do the rest, but I can still safely say that if you haven’t tried it yet, you really should.

Writer's Picks

The set piece is a painstakingly beautiful model of the Nostromo – the ship from the first movie – and it looks amazing. Throughout the game are nods and easter eggs for fans, and the sound design is spot on. Ripley’s daughter Amanda is on a search for answers about what happened to her mother. Years have passed, and the story takes a turn as the horror of the alien is brought in. The tragedy of it is that we know the ending to the initial plot – Amanda would never see her mother again – but Alien: Isolation stands on its own as a masterpiece of canon in the franchise.

Writer's Picks

Prototype

Prototype is a stylish and very grown up action adventure set in an open world, similar to the Crackdown and Infamous titles. You can grab this forgotten gem for a quarter of the usual price.

Writer's Picks

Prototype allows for fast-paced and satisfying action, as you shapeshift your body to become a host of different weapons suited to all sorts of sticky situations. You get around the city better than anyone, thanks to your wall-climbing abilities, and this also makes for some really great and inspiring gameplay. The controls are great, and for a game that’s nearly eight years old, it looks clean and detailed.

Writer's Picks

The story is interesting and engaging, with a unique way of advancing, in that when you “consume” someone, you can see their thoughts and memories, piecing together the mystery of your past.

Writer's Picks

Murder Miners

I know that Minecraft has a Halo pack, but what you’d get if you actually put Minecraft with Halo is Murder Miners. Save 65% on it this week.

Writer's Picks

This multiplayer FPS has all the modes that made Halo versus so utterly brilliant, and the bonus is in the destructible and constructible environments that are easy and simple to create. This one does exactly what it has set out to, and was highly praised on release. It’s a brilliant title to pick up for addictive multiplayer, and the devs still regularly join in to play and host matches. This one is cheap as chips, and so very much worth it.

Writer's Picks

Special Mention: Blue Effect VR

Blue Effect VR is my Special Mention this week thanks to it being an exclusively VR game, and in Early Access. You can try it out and give the developers some feedback for 30% off.

Writer's Picks

VR is really starting to come into its own, and survival horror is the naturally shortlisted reason as to why. Some titles have nailed it, others have not. However, this one seems to be something a little bit special. The atmosphere looks enthralling, and I think it’s evident that the makers of this one have truly thought about every aspect of it.

Writer's Picks

The gameplay is a simple wave survival, but the beauty is in the darkness, and in the weapons you use to defend yourself. Waves of blue light come shooting out of your pistols, and you are given grenades of neon that illuminate the environment. The other aspect that sells this to me is in the sound design. It’s crisp and clear and gorgeous. I can’t wait to give this one a go.

Writer's Picks

We went pretty sci-fi this week, apart from Project CARS – though the idea of me racing any sort of vehicle is pretty sci-fi in itself – and that’s no bad thing. There is plenty to choose from in terms of gameplay and story, or lack thereof, so let’s go nuts!