The Steam Winter Sale 2018 proves that the Holidays will be the perfect time to try new experiences for gamers, especially after a few months’ worth of working and saving money. Don’t just buy everything you want, though! If you’re looking for new titles to try, our list of games may be just what you’re looking for.

Steam Winter Sale 2018: Get New Games!

It’s that time of the season again… and another time for our wallets to be empty. Hopefully not. However, if you’re curious in checking out some games you’ll probably love, hang on and read along as we have more recommendations for you. Steam’s Winter Sale 2018 will be lasting from Dec. 20, 2018 to Jan. 3, 2019, so you’ve got a lot of time to choose!

Stardew Valley

If you’ve missed playing Harvest Moon, you might want to try Stardew Valley. Folks from Concerned Ape and publisher Chucklefish brings a unique farming simulator in the form of Stardew Valley. It’s not just a farm simulator, though. It’s also a roleplaying game. The title has vibrantly-colored pixel art, an aesthetic that will definitely be pleasing to the eyes. “Pleasing” will be a word players will use throughout their experience. Despite its pixelated art style, players may be surprised with the kind of depth the game offers in terms of customization. The character creation screen alone offers a lot of hairstyles and outfits to choose from.

The story also has quite the interesting premise. Your character is tired of the city’s fast-paced life, and they will move to the farm they’ve inherited from their grandfather in Stardew Valley. And while the character will have a warm welcome, they will soon realize the farm needs a lot of work to be fully functional.

Like other RPGs, players will spend time getting to know people in the town. They will also do activities such as fishing and mining. Like other simulators, they will need to tend to their farm as well. Perhaps what makes the game pretty on its own is its capacity to actually be a pleasing and casual experience. Like I said, “pleasant” will be an overarching theme in the game. Stardew Valley has colorful scenery and calming music, which makes even the most repetitive of tasks quite therapeutic.

It’s the perfect game for the holiday break if you want to sit back and relax.

Yakuza 0

Yakuza 0 serves as the prequel for SEGA’s popular Yakuza series. Originally made for the PlayStation 4, the game has been ported to the PC and can be purchased on Steam. It’s an action-adventure game set 80’s Japan, and focuses on the life of the Yakuza. According to a review, the depiction of the Yakuza in Yakuza is actually accurate, and this comes from an actual Yakuza member.

In Yakuza 0, players can control two (2) characters: Tokyo-based Kazuma Kiryu, and Osaka-based Goro Majima. Kiryu is an up-and-coming rookie Yakuza, while Majima seeks redemption in hopes of getting back in the ranks of the Yakuza.

Players can expect an open world as they explore the game. Characters can engage in brawls, which helps them learn different styles of fighting. It has a skill-tree system, too, which offers its own diverse set of specializations for players to take.

But as most people who’ve played Yakuza will testify, while the main story is compelling and interesting, most of your in-game time will be spent completing side quests and mini-games. The side-quests consist full of quirky stories, which contains a lot of the game’s fun. Mini-games all around town can be fun enough to go back to, especially karaoke. Nothing is more fun than seeing manly, intimidating underworld mobsters sing their hearts out in earnest like a bunch of popstars. Yakuza 0 is a game with a healthy balance of whacky fun and serious moments.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey serves as the most recent installment of the popular Assassin’s Creed franchise. Ubisoft continues the trend of exploring the ancient past of the assassins in this follow-up to Assassin’s Creed Origins. In this game, we explore a fictional retelling of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. Players will be controlling either a male or female mercenary who will fight for both sides. They will soon discover a sinister plot from a malign cult that they may have to stop once and for all.

The game in itself features a vast open world with magnificent visuals. Sometimes, you can’t help but stop and admire locations and locales, all of which containing the signature attention to detail courtesy of Ubisoft. Odyssey also offers a unique approach to combat, being more of a roleplaying game than the usual straightforward approach in previous games. This aspect of the game remains criticized, as other players said this made the game quite a bit grindy.

Regardless, if you want a blast in the past, this game will definitely be the game to get.

To the Moon

Freebird Games’ To The Moon proves that independent adventure games can really awe and amaze their audiences. Gamers can play the story way back in 2011, but people keep on coming back to relive this amazing tale every so often. The game follows the tale of two doctors in the future as they help a dying man fulfill a last wish through artificial memories.

The game has an interesting take on adventure titles. Players can control both doctors to explore the world, solve puzzles, and continue the narrative. However, the adventure aspect of the game actively involves the plot, as puzzles players solve really do involve the dying man’s wishes.

Other players say the game might be a bit “short” or have an apparent lack of content. However, most if not all players will admit that the title has quite a stunning narrative and music. Its raw emotional power and thematic presentation makes this game quite the worthy story to check out.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Players can consider Batman: Arkham Asylum as admittedly one of the best Batman games of all time. Published by Eidos Interactive and developed by Rocksteady Studios, Batman: Arkham Asylum introduces a novel take on playing Batman.

In this game, the Joker traps Batman in Arkham Asylum. With Joker in control of Arkham Asylum, Batman has to find a way out and at the same time face his many adversaries. He’s on a time limit, though, as Joker also aims to detonate hidden bombs around Gotham City.

Arkham Asylum takes Batman’s ingenuity with gadgets and skill in combat in its adventure aspect. The game plays from a third-person perspective, with players focusing on utilizing Batman’s skill for stealth and combat. He has an assortment of gadgets he can use to explore the game world and immobilize opponents. His skill in combat also allows him to fight enemies in a mixture of martial arts and environmental combat.

Asylum marks the first game in the popular Arkham series. Other players may also consider Asylum as proof that one can make a really good superhero game. And this is a feat that shouldn’t be taken lightly, considering Batman can sometimes be a really difficult character to make stories with.  

 

Batman: Arkham City

Batman: Arkham City serves as the second game in the Batman: Arkham series of games. Whereas Asylum marks Batman’s return to the gaming spotlight, Arkham City proves Batman will be there to stay. Released in 2011, Arkham City sets itself in yet another unique Batman tale courtesy of veteran writer Paul Dini along with Sefton Hill and Paul Crocker.

In this game, Batman finds himself incarcerated in Arkham City, which is a huge super-prison that encompasses Gotham City’s urban slums. Batman needs to find out what the mysterious “Protocol 10” is and stop Hugo Strange from fulfilling his plans.

Like Asylum, the game can be played from a third-person perspective. The game still focuses on Batman’s assorted skill set of stealth and combat abilities. His gadgets make a return to allow Batman to traverse the larger Arkham City. He even gets the ability to glide with his cape, which can be very helpful considering the scope of the game’s world.

Despite the similarities with Arkham Asylum, the game did receive critical acclaim. The soundtrack and narrative remain extremely compelling even to this day. Not only that, but character and world designs show both a familiar and new Batman for new and veteran fans alike. Batman’s navigational and combat skills also have a healthy balance of superheroics and realism, making him quite the interesting and versatile character to control.

 

Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator

Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator lies in a category of games we can call… wild. It’s a visual novel created by GameGrumps and stars characters we’ve yet to see in a dating sim before: dads. The game plays akin to an interactive visual novel, where players can “pursue” their chosen character in a variety of romantic gestures. However, like other visual novels, Dream Daddy has an overarching plot that makes pursuing your chosen “daddy” quite worth the while.

Interestingly, aside from the seven (7) variants of daddies you can date, the game also has an assortment of mini-games and multiple endings. The game itself does a good job transitioning from funny moments to serious and romantic segments, which can make it quite a breather during the holidays.

Tomb Raider Series

Our next suggestion comes in the form of Tomb Raider from Crystal Dynamics. This Tomb Raider serves as a reboot of the franchise, introducing a new take on Lara Croft and her adventures. What fans and newcomers will likely notice in this new game will be a newer, more “human” Lara Croft. Showing Lara Croft as a person – vulnerable, but capable of innovating and finding her way to go against the odds – make her quite an inspirational figure. This also made the survival element of the new game quite a thrill for players.

The first game of the series shows Lara’s “progression” on becoming an actual “tomb raider,” which shows in both narrative and gameplay. The fact that players can actually accompany Lara’s journey to being a tomb raider can make the game quite relatable. It also helps players empathize with Lara, and be more invested in making sure she succeeds in her endeavors.

The game plays from a third-person perspective, with Lara being able to traverse various obstacles through her skills and the environment. She can also engage in combat using an assortment of weapons she can find or make throughout the map. This survival approach makes the game quite unique in its gameplay, which makes it all the more worth the while.

Shadow of Mordor

Players who got to experience Shadow of Mordor will agree it’s a unique take on The Lord of the Rings franchise. The game in itself is set in an open world, with the title focusing on action and roleplaying game elements to drive the story forward. The title is set in Tolkien’s legendarium, and timeline-wise is set in between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Players take control of Talion, a ranger that bonds with the wraith of Celebrimbor, an Elf Lord.

The two (2) set out in a quest for vengeance for their loved ones, who were killed by orcs. The player can use Talion’s skill in combat and Celebrimbor’s abilities as a wraith. This opens up a ton of gameplay options for players.

The Nemesis System also marks quite a shift of perspective in games at the time. The Nemesis System touts an immersive AI experience, with orc NPCs being able to “remember” their actions against the player and act accordingly. This means players can have “nemesis” or orc enemies that will come back to fight them. This also makes the visage that orcs appear as though possessing “personalities” of their own. This aspect of the game makes it quite the enjoyable experience.

The game also received critical praise, especially for its Nemesis System, open-world, and combat design. It’s also perhaps the most popular game set in Tolkien’s universe.

 

Steam Winter Sale 2018: Start The New Year With New Games!

We’re only a few days away before the New Year, so you might want to grab some of these games to enjoy during the Holidays! You can also check out our Autumn Sale recommendations, if you’re looking for other games to try and play! If you’ve tried any of these games, or if you have any suggestions, feel free to comment!

The Witcher 3 definitely worth checking out!