Some months the chart is full of exciting new games with new ideas and gameplay, exploring brand new worlds and universes with fun stories. It makes gaming seem new and fresh even after the years I’ve been playing. Other times it’s sequels, remakes, remasters and clones. After last months remaster heavy Steam charts, we can hope for a change.
Bioshock Remastered – Purchase on Steam
Taking the top spot on the charts, it’s time to revisit Rapture in remastered Bioshock. There’s not a lot to say about this release really, the same game with a few texture and lighting upgrades. Unlike the original release there are fewer options to tweak and none of the enhancements from subsequent games such as having a plasmid and weapon at the same time have made it across.
Bioshock 2 Remastered – Purchase on SteamIt’s time to revisit Rapture again in remastered Bioshock 2. There’s not a lot to say about this release either really, the same game with a few texture and lighting upgrades (déjá vu). Unlike the GFWL version all the DLC is included, Minervas Den is no longer lost to the “digital past”, so go play it already.
Stronghold Legends – Purchase on Steam
The ten year old Stronghold Legends finally gets a steam release. An RTS that suffers from dated visuals and only minor changes in gameplay. Even the small amount of historical accuracy in previous entries seem to be lacking. Even with the new content it’s a very dated game.
How to Survive 2 – Purchase on Steam
An indie mix of diablo and Left for Dead, with some survival elements thrown in. You slash and shoot your way to better loot, with friends. The survival elements are so light as to be almost invisible for the most part. Levelling up is where you feel the need to craft as before you can level up you must have an appropriate base.
Battlerite – Purchase on Steam
Battlerite is a team arena based brawler. The focus is clearly online, with various modes available. It has a clear cut style that makes it easy to focus on the action instead of getting lost in the scenery. Indie multiplayer games can be a mixed bag, with huge player dropoffs, At the time of writing there are still more than enough players for this to not be an issue.
NBA 2K17 – Purchase on Steam
Uncanny Valley meets basketball.
Mad Games Tycoon – Purchase on Steam
A business management sim where you make your team create new and increasingly sophisticated games. It’s the next logical step from Game Dev Tycoon as here you can buy different buildings and design the layouts of them instead of just staff management. As with all game business sims you move through the same “eras” of consoles. Not bad, and it’s possible to mod the company names to the real ones.
Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade – Purchase on Steam
Pick one of four factions (Space Marines, Chaos Space Marines, Orks and Eldar) from the warhammer universe in this third Person MMO. At the moment it’s hugely unbalanced and in need of some polish, but being an MMO there is hope that a patch or two will fix things up nicely. At present it’s best to wait and see as even the shared overworld seems to be lacking.
Cossacks 3 – Purchase on Steam
You go ages without a new RTS, then two turn up at once. Set in the 17th and 18th century, Coassacks 3 feels like the developers turned back the clock to a simpler time in terms of gameplay too.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Purchase on Steam
Currently in Early Access, this sequel is aiming to improve everything about the already fantastic Divinity: Original Sin. At the moment there is a single Act and a handful of different modes. How Larian Studios intends to improve on what many regard as a brilliant game remains to be seen, especially with a planned 2017 release.
