Steam sale now .... Off

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I am going to pick up the master chief collection, mass effect legendary, all the half life games I don't own and both portal games.

These seem like the biggest bargains available this sale. Is there any other games that have had big reductions that shouldn't be ignored?
 
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I am going to pick up the master chief collection, mass effect legendary, all the half life games I don't own and both portal games.

These seem like the biggest bargains available this sale. Is there any other games that have had big reductions that shouldn't be ignored?
Anything EA so Battlefield, Star Wars, NFS etc have big reductions
 
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Zero Sievert, looks like this could develop into a stonking game. A top down 2D pixelart version of Stalker
War Tales
Final Fantasy XIII, had on PS3 on release, but wanted to complete my collection on PC
Celeste
Some Warhammer Gladius faction DLC
 
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Can anyone recommend me a game, I want to buy 1 nice game this sale and nowt more.

My wishlist is going all directions, but I have a few specific requirements:

- I wish to play on my TV via steam link on shield, must have no bugs related to streaming, like game engines being linked to framerate (Like Fallout 4 with its stupid long loading times when limited to 60 fps). Will be playing from couch mainly with PS5/Xbox/Stadia controllers.



I have the following on my wishlist (tho I'm unsure which is good):

- Elden ring (unsure about the grind)
- Monster hunter world ( unsure, unfamilliar with the series, but everybody is so positive and it loosk cheap)
- Last of us pt. 1 (hesitant because of negative exp. with Horizon zero dawn)
- Uncharted legacy of thieves collection (hesitant because of negative exp. with Horizon zero dawn)
- Baldurs gate 3 (expensive & unfamilliar with the series or D&D)
- Diablo 4 (reviews seem hit and miss but seems optimized well now for steam & controller play)
- Hi-fi Rush
- final Fantasy (which one, I've never played anything in the series)

I must add, I usually do not like grind... Or hard games, I prefer easier games that are story/atmosphere rich. Or can be played without excessive investment or thinking. Or RPG's that are overly complex with inventory mgmt (Skyrim and Fallout series are already a small tad to complex for my liking, but acceptable as you don't need to parttake in everything, God of war felt overwhelming in the beginning but later on just about right). Witcher 3 is a tad to complex, but again, you can ignore most of it and just continue with the awesome story/missions. Action games like Hades are perfect imho, not too much inventory management of knowlege required.

My top games I played in recent 2-3 years:

- God of War ( such a stunning and nice surprise)
- Cyberpunk (felt meh initially, but now I'm very very surprised, it plays so well on controller, it feels smooth, i like both the gameplay and the story/atmosphere).
- Witcher 3 (only feel the controls feel a bit cluncky compared to god of war, but damn, the game is good, finished main story and first DLC, still busy with 2nd DLC)
- Fallout 4 ( despite poor experience with streaming and controller, I just used mouse+kb and pc instead)
- Hades (this was surprising, I bought it because of ecstatic reviews, I never played games like this before, but it was so addicting and plays so nice, still play it once in a while for a quick session)
- Stardew Valley
- Civ6
- Tranpsort fever 2
- Aoe2
- Cities Skylines ( 1 and 2)
- South park stick of truth

I did not really like:

- Horizon: zero dawn ( felt grindey, generic and boring-ish, overwhelming inventory and leveling system with stupid icons you have to learn) I have force-played it for about 4 hours now and still feels like a chore to play it, also feels a bit hard quite early in game ( I die to often))
- South park fractured but whole: I got annoyed at the difficulty of the fighting system: takes to long/felt to grindy.
- Recent Assasins creed games: also felt to generic, boring and grindey.

I have enjoyed action games like Devil may cry 4 in the past (still have yet to try 5 which I already have in my library).

I am not bothered by linear play, but also enjoy open world games. God of War did this well, perfect mix of semi-open world and linear experience for the story. At the same time I love it when exploration gets rewarded. Hell I play Bully:Scolarship edition now and it also feels rewarding enough to do anything. GTA5 and RDR2 are games which reward exploration to little, but of course, the main story of GTA5 is awesome and I have finished it more than once. Skyrim exploration was awesome because of unique worlds/dungeons/places. Fallout 4 is still ok but already feels less rewarding and more generic ( too much copy paste inside buildings, enemies, etc).

I am commited to Steam as platform as contemplating buying a Steam Deck and I already have 600+ games in my library. I am tempted for Diablo 4/Baldurs gate 3 because peopel say controlling the character with a controller feels nice, I'm sure it can't be compared to a roguelike action like Hades, but I love walking around a world with top dowj view with a controller.
 
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Soldato
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@snowdog Nier automata is a good one for pure action(warning a lot of backtracking and reused maps), decent story (replicant is before it but I guarantee you will be bored to tears for 20hours before the game starts)
I imagine ratchet and clank will be pure action with story too.
Elden ring is a lot of action with some story, you grind your levels up though. Fights can be unforgiving until you overlevel/get used to combat. No hand holding. Open world.
BG3 will suck up your time, bit of grind at the start to get to decent levels. Not really a complex game and your choices matter. It's turn based and has all the typical rpg game elements.
Refuse to play uncharted because I haven't played the other titles in the series, why would i drop in mid way??? Same with GOW?? wth?
Hifi rush looks super interesting and different, hesitant to try it.
So much choice with final fantasy and a reccomendation would come based off if you like linear or open world, old or new, turn based or realtime action.
Last of us looks like a visual novel walking sim to me so haven't tried it at its current price yet, plus im waiting for the other parts on pc.

Sorry not much help but I'm paralysed by choice right now, nothing grabbing me, really struggling to find something to play.
edit: I thought the new tomb raider series was quite good, haven't played the latest on though (shadow)
For pure story you can't go wrong with any of the quantic dreams games but they do seem to be very buggy for some people, I had an issue with detroit become human, was years before I could play it.
Can't go wrong with mass effect legendary edition for £5.
Spiderman should be story/action without much grinding.
 
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Soldato
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You sound similar to me. I loved Hades and that surprised me, but don't like feeling like I'm wasting time or grinding.

Elden Ring was utterly unbelievable imo, and I don't usually love hard games. Strongly recommended.

Edit: that said, I'd recommend Mass Effect over it if you've not played it before!

Edit 2: Hi Fi Rush is a lot of fun, but I played a few hours and didn't feel the need to keep going
 
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I have had problems with getting into Mass effect over the years, I have tried it up to three times but never get past the first 1-5 hrs of the game.
But I always played it on my pc with mouse+kb, perhaps the game is more suited to controller style play.

It felt a bit slow though.
@snowdog I haven't played the other titles in the series, why would i drop in mid way??? Same with GOW?? wth?
GoW is very forgiving that way, I've never played any of the previous games on ps2 etc but loved it, very suitable as a first game you ever play in the series.
I cannot recommend GoW enough, it was fine to just play as a linear movie, it was later rewarding to go exploring the lake.And the game keeps adding new ways to play until the endgame. All whist enjoying a great story, world, visuals, audio, voice, etc... Controls are very forgiving for someone who has been a mouse+kb gamer all his life and only recently started using gamepad.

2023 was the first year I have used the gamepad more than mouse+kb, simply because I like gaming from couch and from bed, instead of at desk.
assasins creed games
I liked the first game, the one from 16 years (?) ago, but the newer ones felt boring and generic.
you grind your levels up though. Fights can be unforgiving until you overlevel/get used to combat.
I guess my question is does it have an easy/easiest mode that will make it playable for me?
Elden Ring was utterly unbelievable imo, and I don't usually love hard games. Strongly recommended.

...

Edit 2: Hi Fi Rush is a lot of fun, but I played a few hours and didn't feel the need to keep going

Hi-Fi rush often comes up in recommended steam deck games which makes me think it : A runs well and B: plays nice on gamepad.

I am mainly tempted between Elden Ring en Baldurs gate 3 to be honest.
I am not sure why Mass effect never tempted me to much, just felt so slow and also grindy imho.

Compared to TW3 and Cyberp, and GoW I thought the story/cinematics in Mass Effect and graphics/atmosphere were a bit meh too. I need the story, atmosphere, world/visuals to grab in the first 60 minutes. Skyrim, Fallout, Witcher, Cyberpunk, they all do that so much better.
In that area I think Skyrim and Fallout New Vegas of 4 has a much better atmosphere as well. I guess I am a sucker for nice colorful visuals, audio (the Music in Fallout carries it a lot, but the Skyrim OST is also superb) and worlds (Whole of Skyrim and Witcher and Cyberpunk come to mind) as well.


I don't know what it is, but when I think of MAss effect I think of tedious slow combat, a main character I cannot remember, non memorable music and sfx, a boring greyish, reddish-orange brownish ish color palette (non vibrant) in the first world and messing about to progress. Then you get onto some kind of spaceship and I was lost what to do after that. Not enough hand holding perhaps? God of War does this very well for the first few hrs of gameplay.
 
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Soldato
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I've read a lot of reviews about the new GOW aswell as comments and quite a few people mention lore would explain the reasoning and backstory behind some of the stuff in the new one which is what put me off.

There's no easy mode in elden ring, making it easier involves grinding. If the combat is fun for you then you won't mind.
Some people found BG3 difficult but not as bad as elden ring. You have to grind a bit in Act 1 which involves visiting all of the areas with some backtracking to easier ones until you can do the harder ones. BG3 is probably more gripping story wise.

Control is a fun action fps with a somewhat interesting story too, has a little tie in with alan wake.

I want to play dead space/resident evils but I'm just not feeling an urge to play horror right now. I hate the fact my gaming habits are mood driven :(
 
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If the combat is fun for you then you won't mind.
I find this hard to say.

Combat:

I loved:
In W3 an Cybp I never got tired of the fighting.
In GoW I loved the fights.
In Hades I love the (pretty similar) fights.
Devil May Cry 4

Meh combat:
Red dead Redemption 2: Felt OTT endless stream of bodies to kill
Combat overall in Fallout 4 and Skyrim is great, but the same draugr deathlords every dungeon or the same raiders/supermutants/ghouls in every building gets tedious.
First South park game ( stick of truth)
Far Cry 3?
Bioshock series (but the story and atmosphere carried it)
GTA 5, Mafia series up to 2
Assasins creed ( first)

Poor combat:
Mass effect springs to mind, nothing enjoyable about it so far.
South park 2nd game, Fractutred but whole, has a turn based combat system that bored me to death.
Horizon Zero dawn: Felt bad, eitehr to much was happening, or it was not forgiving enough for mistakes, plus aiming with gamepad was a chore. Unlike God of War which felt much nicer.
Mafia 3
Sleeping dogs : I find the combat to tedious, even though I want to like the game I just don't like the controls)
Dishonored
Tomb Raider series
Later assiasins creeds
 
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See I thought Cyberpunk combat and witcher 3 was incredibly boring combat wise. Former I just ugpraded all my hack skills and walked into areas hacking everyone to death (though I understand this has changed now?) and witcher 3 just didn't feel great when I got hits in or dodged. Maybe I need to revisit it on controller instead of kb/m, I put a decent amount of time into W3 but never finished it.
 
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Interesting - I found Skyrim especially boring, and FO3 not much better. I generally find Bethesda worlds pretty bland. ME's combat isn't great, but the storyline is exceptional. The first game is a bit slow, but the second and third are fantastic.

I bounced off W3 first time around, but have since persevered and it's also very good.
 
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