Winter 2016 has come and with it, Steam's Winter Sale kicks off with 3 days to spare until Christmas! I've found myself listing recommendations on twitter for games I think are a steal, but I decided to list them all in one place this time around! Dust off your wallets, and have a happy holiday!- The Elder Scrolls Online ($14.99 at 50% off): ESO has received a lot of shit due to having a bad launch, but after quite a few updates, new content, balance changes, and subtle details, the game has turned in to a welcome addition that maintains its Elder Scolls roots, but still manages to nail what makes MMORPGs popular. It walks a limbo in between Skyrim and World of Warcraft, with a bit of Guild Wars 2 thrown in. Overall, at just $15, I can't NOT recommend one of my favorite time sinks.
- Elte: Dangerous ($20.09 at 33% off): The fourth installment of the Elite series of Space Sims currently stands at the top of my games list on Steam with over 1000 hours invested in it. While the content expansion Horizons will run you another $20 on top of the base game, even just the base has tons of content for people willing to devote some time to learning the game and some imagination in to justifying the seemingly dull nature. Once you get over the "im just grinding" hump that a lot of people fail to overcome, Elite turns in to a spectacular and extremely unique game that nails the majesty of what Space Sims can be.
- DOOM 2016 ($19.79 at 67% off): This doesn't even need much of a description. Do you like killing demons? Do you like guns? Do you like gore? Do you like killing demons with guns and leaving puddles of gore? You'll love DOOM, and it's less than twenty bucks.
- Warhammer 40k: Eternal Crusade ($19.99 at 60% off): Like Elder Scrolls Online, Eternal Crusade has received a lot of shit for a bad launch, and really the launch wasn't even that bad. The issue was that the game was very transparent about it's development and so when features that were talked about early on didn't make it in to the end product, people felt lied to and cheated. All that aside, and taken as what it is, Eternal Crusade is a solid, third person arena shooter set in the 40k universe. Gunplay and Melee is fluid and fun, progression opens up a wide array of customizations and combat options, the class-based loadout system covers a wide variety of player roles, and matches are intense, fun and emphasize team strategy. For $20, it's WELL worth it.
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ($19.99 at 50% off): A challenging RPG with many ways to approach gameplay, hundreds of hours of content and loads of replay value to try new builds and make different story choices, and DLC that could be entirely new games all by themselves, Witcher 3 is a masterpiece and one of the best games to come out in the Action/Adventure RPG genre. Worth far more than the $20 you can grab it for right now.
- The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind ($7.49 at 50% off): Graphics-wise, the third installment of the Elder Scrolls series is outdated. It looks old, feels old...but by god is it still an amazing game. Much more open-ended than Skyrim in terms of possible player builds, much more challenging (and frustrating) in terms of combat, and dungeon design is far more complex and thoughtful, and there are no quest markers. You find your way around the good old fashioned way and find your quests by talking with random people. For less than $8, a game that I've sunk hundreds of hours in to as a kid, and still holds up in every aspect aside from visually is worth it.
- Dark Souls ($10.99 at 45% off): YOU WILL WANT A USB CONTROLLER FOR THIS. TRUST ME. If it's nearly 2017 and you still haven't played the dark, intense, challenging quest of despair and "fuck you, player" that inspired a cult following, 2 sequels, and an endless supply of top-quality memes? Then git gud and buy it so I can invade you.
- Dragon Age: Origins ($7.49 at 75% off): Not as visually stunning or open-ended as Dragon Age: Inquisition, Origins still manages to capture the world of Thedas in a complex and thrilling RPG. My Blood Mage was one of my favorite characters I've ever played in an RPG and the story, while stagnant at times, was still one that kept me engaged and interested in moving forward.
- No Man's Sky ($35.99 at 40% off): BET YOU NEVER THOUGHT YOU'D HEAR THIS ONE, HUH?! To be honest, while I am disappointed with No Man's Sky, I can't deny that I had fun with it, even before the latest update which brought in quite a lot of content and new mechanics. It's like the exploration aspect of Elite: Dangerous, one of my favorite aspects of the game, released as it's own thing. On top of that, there's also been 2 new modes of play added, one that's essentially god-mode and lets you fly around and build whatever for free and just explore, as well as a hard-core survival mode that people have described as a brutal nightmare. Honestly, I think it should come down in price a bit more, but at less than $40 I think it's nearing the price that it should stay at. It's not worth $60, but it's definitely worth playing if you like exploring for the sake of exploring.
- Space Hulk: Deathwing ($33.99 at 15% off): A fun, creepy left4dead style FPS taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe and following the traditions of the original tabletop game, Space Hulk. It doesn't have much replayability beyond going back for higher difficulties and 100%ing the game, but the story, the environment, and just the feeling of walking around ancient derelicts clad in Terminator armor and wielding Stormbolters made me want to stand up on top of my house and scream praises to the God Emperor. It's a new release with some bugs, but if you're a 40k fanatic then you'll enjoy this simply for how well it nails the aesthetic.
- Battleborn ($14.99 at 75% off): THEY. WERE. NOT. COPYING. OVERWATCH. SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP. Battleborn came out at a bad time and got overwhelmed by the launch of Overwatch, and of course fanatics had to shit on the game that they didn't decide would be the grace of God almighty years before its release, and so Battleborn got shat on. Hard. But it doesn't deserve it. It's a fun, zany, unique combination between arena FPS and MOBA that nails the fun aspects of both. It includes a storyline and tons of unlockables and achievements to keep things interesting. Overall, I had WAY More fun with Battleborn than I ever did with Overwatch, and would love to see more people playing the game. At just $14.99 it's well, WELL worth it.
- Dead Space 1 & 2 (Bundle for $8.74, at 75% off): Less than $10 to get BOTH the first (and best) Dead Space games is a steal. Dead Space was what got me in to survival Horror, and while it seems pretty cliche in hindsight, it can't be denied that Dead Space is an iconic franchise that EA can go fuck themselves for turning in to an action shooter and then dropping because people didn't like that their Horror game was being turned in to the next Battlefield. Dead Space and Dead Space 2 are amazing games that should be enjoyed by anybody who's a fan of Survival Horror.
- Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords ($2.49 at 75% off): Another blast from the past, KOTOR2 was my favorite Star Wars game ever. I loved the story and the much more mature and dark tone of the dialogue over KOTOR1. Games that give me ancient secrets and lore to uncover are always among my favorites and KOTOR2 is no exception. The game might not be up to standard graphics-wise, but less than $3 for a game like this is a steal.
- Thief: Deadly Shadows ($2.24 at 75% off): The game that made me love Stealth in pretty much any other game that allows it (and also left me with a phobia of abandoned insane asylums that persists in to adulthood), Deadly Shadows is a dark, mysterious, and surprisingly advanced stealth game that offers plenty of challenge, and for pocket change? GET. IT. Fuck the Shalebridge Cradle level, though. Just...just fuck that place.
There's tons of other games out there that are on sale for dirt cheap, but of my library, these are the ones that I just can't say no to. I might add some more as I find some, but for now enjoy this list of games I think everybody should pick up during the steam winter sale! Happy holidays, and happy shopping!
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