Wanting some Steam (sale) titles, what to buy? (Thinking ~$200 max, <4 games >$30)

[PianoPlayer88Key]

TL;DR:

• Been out of the loop for some time on games
• (and also hadn't had much $ to spend,
• or had abysmal gaming PCs).
• Looking to spend as much as ~$200,
• no more than ~4 titles >$30,
• but budget isn't quite set in stone.
• (Definitely NOT buying the entire spreadsheet list though!)
• Have a list of titles I'm considering, any particular ones stand out as good or bad?
• (For bad ones, any good alternatives?)
• Have 2 PCs I can play on,
• laptop with an i3-6100, 8GB RAM & GTX 970M,
• or desktop with 4790K, 32GB RAM & iGPU
• (considering future $250-400 Pascal/Polaris GPU for desktop).
• Besides modern popular games, I'm also considering a few classics, as well as some casual games, and other non-game software.
• I am also, otoh, trying to be careful not to get TOO re-addicted to gaming.
• (Thinking maybe a few hours a day on average.  Some days maybe more, also sometimes going multiple consecutive days without touching any games.)
• (Sorry if I missed any pertinent info in this tl;dr, or the main post below.)

 

 

 

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Hi all...

 

So the Steam sale is going on right now, and I'm trying to figure out what are some good games to get.  I have a spreadsheet of like 250 game/software ideas, if you want to take a look.

 

It's currently sorted alphabetically, also there are columns for price (and sale, % off), reviews, release date, link to the steam store page, etc.  The numbers on the far left are a "default" sort column.  In the names highlighted blue, those are ones my brother owns that I think might also be interesting, maybe.  Also I may have misspelled or duplicated a few titles.

 

I'm initially thinking an approximate maximum around $200, with no more than 3 or 4 games over $25-30 each, but that could change.  I'm definitely NOT spending the ~$2.3k that the spreadsheet would show if I bought every single title, of course!  Hence me coming asking for help narrowing down my list.

 

My initial question regarding the list is:  What titles stand out as either being exceptionally good, or exceptionally bad?

Also what are some particularly popular titles, or ones that are seen in reviews/benchmarks on hardware?

For the exceptionally bad ones, are there any recommended alternatives?

For series with multiple titles, which 1 (or more maybe?) should I concentrate on?

 

 

Looking at the list myself, some I'm particularly considering include:

 

• Archon Classic
• Assassin's Creed (which?)
• Bocce Revolution
• Call of Duty (which?)
• Cities: Skylines
• Commander Keen (& Keen Dreams)
• DiRT (which?)
• Far Cry (which?)
• Final Fantasy (which?)
• Foosball: World Tour
• Golf With Your Friends
• Kerbal Space Program
• Metro (which?)
• Need for Speed (which?)
• Pool Nation (which?)
• Portal 2
• Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 (or another?)
• Civilization V (or another?)
• Stardew Valley
• Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
• Tomb Raider (thinking 2013, but is Rise that much more awesome to justify $38.99?)
• Witcher 3 (others too?)

 

 

I'm also considering some classics & casual games, and some utilities / production programs as well.

Also it's not on Steam, but Crysis's site looks like it has Crysis 3 on sale as well.  And, some friends want me to get Minecraft too, but I don't really want to pay ~$26 or so for it ... but do you think it's worth it?

 

I may have missed a few more-desired titles as I was just looking through my list.

 

I'm maybe not (as much) considering DOOM (and maybe a few others), although it is on the list.  I'm not too much into the "gore/horror/hell" type games, like DOOM & L4D.

 

 

OH... I should probably say what I'll be playing the games on.   I have two Windows 10 Pro PCs:

 

My desktop, with an i7-4790K, ASRock Z97 Extreme6, iGPU, 32GB RAM, 256GB SSD + 12 TB of HDDs, Corsair AX760, Rosewill Thor V2, etc., and

My laptop, with an i3-6100, built in a Clevo P750DM-G, GTX 970M, 8GB RAM, 250GB SSD + 2TB HDD, etc.

Feel free to look over my current steam library, if it helps give any ideas.

 

I've basically been out of the loop for quite a while on getting games.  From around early 2012 to early 2015, I didn't even have a PC that could run steam (well technically my dad's now-8-year-old laptop, but I wasn't gonna install it on there).  Also before that, I either didn't have much money to spend on games, or the computers I had to play them on were, even for their time, pretty abysmal for gaming.  (I remember playing Team Fortress Classic, and getting like 10-20 fps at 320x240 at lowest settings, within the first couple years after it came out!)

 

Also, I DO want to be careful, and not get TOO hardcore into gaming.  I want to allow time for doing other more productive things, etc.   I might play a couple hours a day, but am thinking not much more than that.  Some days I might play more, and then sometimes I might go several days in a row without playing at all.

 

I find I do more of my gaming on the desktop, even though the laptop has the better GPU by far.  (go figure!) Of course, I'll game some on the laptop too.

 

I eventually plan to get a GTX 1070, RX 480, or if announced/released/reviewed, a GTX 1060 or RX 490, depending on reviews, hopefully sometime later in fall (between Halloween & early December).

 

I think it's a bit early right now, though, for me to get a GPU for the desktop.  Also once I do get it, I anticipate keeping it at least 3-5 years.  As for the laptop GPU, if I ever replace it, I'll probably wait at least 2-4 generations, depending on improvements and pricing.  (And if it's close to laptop replacement time anyway, I probably won't get another GPU for it.)

 

 

Soooo .... Anyone have any particular recommendations that stand out to them as really good, or are there titles you see on the list that I should avoid like the plague?

[PlayStation 2]

An i3-6100 sitting in a laptop, interesting.

One game I've always suggested is Driver San Francisco. Sure it needs Uplay but you can run it off of the iGPU if you wanted to and still maintain 1080p60 more than likely.

[HPWebcamAble]

2 minutes ago, PianoPlayer88Key said:

My desktop, with an i7-4790K, ASRock Z97 Extreme6, iGPU, 32GB RAM, 256GB SSD + 12 TB of HDDs, Corsair AX760

You dropped that much on a desktop but didn't get a GPU 

 

Anyways, my favorites are Kerbal Space Program, Portal 2, and Factorio

[dizmo]

Doom's on sale 40% off I'd grab that.

City Skylines is ok.

Do you like RTS? Company of Heroes 2 is only $16.

I believe the 2033 is the better Metro game.

Witcher 3 is amazing. One of my dads favorite games.

I have Civ 5, it's ok but the games take forever. Gets a little boring.

 

[Cela1]

If you have not played Portal before, it is a must IMO. It is my favourite game like ever. And I agree that (maybe) you should get Doom.

[PianoPlayer88Key]

Thanks for the ideas so far.   Also, I forgot to mention that I'm also considering CS:GO.

I'd also like a few racing games as well.  Back in the day I've played a couple titles from Need for Speed, Test Drive, also Wacky Wheels and Whiplash, plus a couple ancient ones as well.   (Hopefully I can do my racing on computer games, and not on the interstate, and can keep it down to ~80 at least in California. )

Also, what might be some decent army-style games as well?  My dad was in the service in the early 1970s, although he wasn't deployed overseas.  My late paternal grandpa served in WWII, and I have other older (in their 60s & up) friends that have been in the service at various times, some stationed overseas.

 

 

@Dan Castellaneta:  Yes, the laptop has an LGA1151 socket.   (I'm eventually planning to upgrade to a Kaby Lake or hopefully Cannonlake i7-K, but I'm waiting until the next generation after comes out so I know what's the last compatible one, and for a Black Friday sale at Newegg or Micro Center.)

Also I'm not sure if I want to use things like Uplay, but if there's no monthly fee (and my only cost would be the initial purchase of the game, not counting optional in-game content), I might consider it.  Driver SF does look interesting.

 

 

@HPWebcamAble:   Haha yes.   I was getting quite a bit of storage, due to also being into content creation.  And I'm running low on HDD space, so getting another drive or two is also under consideration.  (The budget for that is separate from my gaming budget though.)  Also, at the time of desktop purchase, I wasn't as much into gaming, and what I was, I'm willing to turn the settings way down if necessary.  (An example is my playing TFC back in the day with 10-20fps at 320x240 on low...OH! That was, also, on dial-up!)

My brother really likes KSP too, so I'm definitely considering that, as well as Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance (which I've heard is like a modern Total Annihilation, another game I used to play a lot back in the day).  Portal 2 maybe, hadn't heard of Factorio.  (Doesn't look like one I'd be interested in though.)

 

@dizmo:  Well, I'm not really into the super-blood/gore/hell/horror type games, so I'm not really considering doom right now.  If it was like $10, it might be different.

Can you think of a better one than Cities: Skylines?  (I've heard it's kind-of like a modern Sim City.)

I haven't been much into RTS recently, but for the past, is Total Annihilation one? If so, I used to love that game, and would like to try more modern similar games.  Also I see CoH2 for $8.74 (US).

Also, I was leaning toward Last Light due to seeing it used in benchmarks, and not 2033 quite as much.

Your dad is awesome. My dad actually isn't really into 3D gaming / 1st-person shooters at all afaik, although in the past he's played a couple puzzle games like Jezzball.  My mom's more into card games, and things like that.  (I think they do need a new PC though, their 8-year-old laptop with XP, besides having XP, takes forever to do things.  I think an SSD would only go so far in it.  I also think if the GPU is capable of even *RUNNING* something like Wolfenstein 3D at all, it'd probably be too powerful for them as far as gaming is concerned )

Yeah, I'm considering Witcher 3 as well ... or what about Crysis 3?  Or are both good?

Got a better alternative to Civ 5?

 

@Cela1:  I have portal 1, but haven't played it in quite a while.  I think I remember I liked it though, so Portal 2 is definitely under consideration.

OTOH, I already voiced my opinion above on DOOM.  (Unless I could get like a German (but in English) or other toned-down version?)

 

 

OH ... also, in case it matters for a future GPU upgrade, I'm currently using a 1080p 60 Hz monitor on the desktop.  I eventually want to get a 4K (probably 60 Hz) monitor, but I'm waiting for prices on the good ones to come down.  (I'd prefer 4K or higher, as I'm also wanting to get into producing 4K videos; which would be another reason to add a GPU to the desktop eventually.)  Also I was doing some Googling recently, and apparently Japan Display has at least demonstrated an 8K 120Hz 17.3" display, but I think it'll be a long time before anything like that is in my league.

 

Speaking of that currently-insane display, it does get me thinking ... what currrent GPU (or multi GPU, if any) would run games like Witcher 3 at 144+fps, maxed-out settings on a theoretical 21:9 display that's as high as a 2-story wall (some houses have these) and has the dpi of the Sony Z5 Premium phone?   (Doing a little math, I'm guessing said ultra-insane display would have a resolution of 252,000 x 172,800.  This is done by taking the ~800 ppi of the Z5, and multiplying by 18 ft by 42 ft, assuming 18 ft is the height of the wall.)  Of course I can't afford said GPU anytime in the next 20 years probably lol

[Cela1]

I would not recommend getting CS:GO if you are trying to not get addicted to gaming like you said originally

 

If you want a WW1 inspired game there is Verdun or there is going to be Battlefield 1 soon, although that is not on Steam.

[HPWebcamAble]

8 hours ago, PianoPlayer88Key said:

I was getting quite a bit of storage, due to also being into content creation.  And I'm running low on HDD space

Uh, what are you storing? Like 1200 4k movies (@100 TB each) or something? 12 TB is A LOT of space!

 

9 hours ago, PianoPlayer88Key said:

hadn't heard of Factorio.  (Doesn't look like one I'd be interested in though.)

I find it really fun, it's a bit like Minecraft. Kind of an explore/build/expand/upgrade kinda thing.

[dizmo]

7 hours ago, PianoPlayer88Key said:

@Dan Castellaneta
@HPWebcamAble

 

@dizmo:  Well, I'm not really into the super-blood/gore/hell/horror type games, so I'm not really considering doom right now.  If it was like $10, it might be different.

Can you think of a better one than Cities: Skylines?  (I've heard it's kind-of like a modern Sim City.)

I haven't been much into RTS recently, but for the past, is Total Annihilation one? If so, I used to love that game, and would like to try more modern similar games.  Also I see CoH2 for $8.74 (US).

Also, I was leaning toward Last Light due to seeing it used in benchmarks, and not 2033 quite as much.

Your dad is awesome. My dad actually isn't really into 3D gaming / 1st-person shooters at all afaik, although in the past he's played a couple puzzle games like Jezzball.  My mom's more into card games, and things like that.  (I think they do need a new PC though, their 8-year-old laptop with XP, besides having XP, takes forever to do things.  I think an SSD would only go so far in it.  I also think if the GPU is capable of even *RUNNING* something like Wolfenstein 3D at all, it'd probably be too powerful for them as far as gaming is concerned )

Yeah, I'm considering Witcher 3 as well ... or what about Crysis 3?  Or are both good?

Got a better alternative to Civ 5?

@Cela1

 

 

 

Never played the original? That was probably the first game I ever played; the nostalgia is real.

I think that's probably the best city builder. Have you tried Tropico? It's supposed to be pretty good as well.

CoH2 is more...personal. They're small units, and you have to find them cover etc; it's not a "build tons of men and rush" type of game. I found it rather refreshing compared to other RTS titles. I'd definitely get the one with all the DLC, I think it's probably only $3US more.

I believe 2033 is considered the better title though. At least according to TB.

Haha, he sure is. He plays way more games than I do. He also has 3 computers, one hooked up to a 55" tv. He likes more puzzle type games, or open world explorers. He loved The Witcher series and Oblivion etc. Tempted to get him No Man's Sky when it comes out; could very well be the last game he'd ever play, with the scope of it!

I can't think of anything that's like Civ, Crysis 3...eh it's a little on the old side now. If it's cheap, sure. Never played it myself. My dad did, said it was your typical shooter, maybe a little nicer looking.

 

Are you eligible for the Windows 10 upgrade? That'd probably help. An SSD, maybe, but it's more likely the whole thing needs an overhaul. Laptops outdate much faster than desktops. You could probably build them a new PC for a few hundred, though a laptop would be more cost effective.

[razor767]

Form your database, I recommend: 

 

Cities: Skylines

Civilization V: Complete Edition

Dirt Rally

Don't Starve

Don't Starve Together

Portal 2

Rainbow Six: Siege

Sonic Generations

SpeedRunners

 

[Delicieuxz]

Assassin's Creed: Black Flag has the best environments and the largest variety things to do, and has great characters.

 

DiRT Rally if you want a challenge, DiRT 3 if you want a more casual arcade racer. I would suggest DiRT 1 over DiRT 3, but D1 it isn't sold on Steam anymore, probably because the car licenses expired.

 

Far Cry 1, if you don't mind the graphics. The others in the series are open-world exploration games, with generic activities that are performed over and over, whereas Far Cry 1 has a progressive, level-based story, with great levels and environments. Installing the 64 bit patch for it is recommended.

 

Civilization V complete. Some people prefer Civilization IV, and it's probably more detailed in its mechanics than Civilization V. I like Civilization III's music the most. But Civilization V is a very refined version of the game concept.

 

Final Fantasy... you'll hear people who say that VI, VII, VIII, IX, or X are their favourite, so it's hard to make a suggestion for another person.

[Delicieuxz]

Btw, there's a Sonic Humble Bundle available right now, that contains all PC Sonic games: https://www.humblebundle.com/sonic-25th-anniversary-bundle

[Delicieuxz]

Also, you can get a 3D Realms games bundle, for Steam, and for $4.39, here: https://www.bundlestars.com/en/bundle/3d-realms-bundle

 

It contains Terminal Velocity and Wacky Wheels, and a lot more.

[PianoPlayer88Key]

So, I'm going through looking at some of the games, narrowing down the list some.  I feel like I'm making some pretty good progress.  (I'm editing the spreadsheet locally on my own PC, not the online version right now.  The rejects will have a red cell background, and/or be on a separate sheet.)

 

Looks like the sale on Crysis 3 is off (it's now $19.99 for standard and $29.99 for deluxe, instead of $4.99 & $7.49 respectively), so I'm taking that off my list.  Or, if someone can show me someplace where it's still the lower prices (and NOT G2A/etc) until at least July 4 (when Steam sale ends), I would still consider it.  I was waiting to get Crysis 3 until I had decided what all other games I was going to get.

Actually, looking again, it looks like Witcher 3 (a game I'm still considering) is $24.99, right in the middle of the two Crysis 3 prices.  Now the question is ... if I only get one of the two - Crysis or Witcher (both 3), which is more recommended?

 

Also, I was just looking up a few racing games, and ... I'd like to find something similar to Fatal Racing / Whiplash.  I used to have fun doing some of the tricks on that game.   (I also played Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit and Test Drive 2 or 4 back in the day, so I'm thinking of getting at least one NFS game on steam.)  Wacky Wheels was another fun one, and it might be on steam too, I think.

 

 

@Cela1: Well, I have CS:S and the original CS (don't think I have CS:CZ but I don't remember) and I never got addicted to them.  I think I'll be fine with CS:GO.  (I think $14.99 is too much for a game I won't play very much. $7.49 might be a little more palatable.  I might play more with @Slick when he streams than the rest of my CS:GO playtime combined, idk yet.

Also I'm looking at some military games.  Haven't decided on Verdun, but I'm sure Battlefield 1 won't be cheap (besides it's not yet out.)

 

 

@HPWebcamAble: I'm storing videos from my video camera.  At max settings, it records 4K at 100mbps, so about 4 GB every almost 6 minutes.  Also I often record other things as well, like audio from events (usually uncompressed, 4-channel, with a Zoom H2n), among other things.

Some of my friends want me to get Minecraft, but I don't want to pay $26+ for it.  (If it was like $9.99, I'd probably go for it.  $14.99, maybe; $4.99, sure.)

 

 

@dizmo:  I remember playing the original DOOM back in the day on a friend's computer, at least the shareware / limited / free version.  I thought it was kinda okay, but not necessarily one that I'd really get into.  Back then I wasn't in a position to buy games (I was like 12 when it came out), but even if I was, I probably wouldn't have bought it.

Some of the first games I remember playing were Captain Comic, Sopwith 2, Gapper, Alleycat, and others, on my dad's '286-based PC that he bought in January 1989.  Good times.  (I'm seeing a few other games on Steam, like Commander Keen and a few others that I used to play.)

I might have to check out Tropico, looks like it might be interesting.  (I do still have to keep in mind I'm not getting a TON of games, I want to pick the best ones from various categories / series.)

Ahh, interesting, I was kind-of guessing Last Light cause it's one I see showing up more in hardware benchmark reviews/videos.

Now that my dad's retired (as of a few years ago), I wonder if he might consider some lighter games.  I'm pretty sure he wouldn't go for the 1st-person shooters where you mostly blow people up, are the criminal mastermind, etc, like GTA V, for example.

 

Also, I already have Win 10 on both my PCs (they're a lot newer than my parents' laptop.)  My parents have XP, so they're not eligible for the free upgrade.

I too think it'd be better for them to get a new PC (or laptop maybe).  I doubt $300-400 would get them much, especially considering they need peripherals.  (The only thing they have is a mouse and multi-function printer, I think.)  I'm personally thinking a minimum of $900-1000, about what they paid for their laptop.  If they could adjust the ~$1800 they paid for their '286 in 1989 for inflation, that would get them a pretty nice setup, I'd bet.  At any rate, dad tends to keep computers a LONG time, like 6-8 years.  When their new one is 8 years old, I still want it to be relatively decent, kind-of like how an LGA1366-based i7-X, 8-12 GB RAM, a 128-256GB SSD (or 7200rpm HDDs in Raid 0, whatever was equivalent in its day to PCI-E or NVMe SSDs today), a 500GB-1TB HDD for storage, and GTX 280 or similar would fare today for general home / office / non-gaming tasks.

 

 

@razor767:  I'm at least considering Cities, Civ 5, Portal from your list.  I think I'd probably go for Dirt 3 instead of Rally, only Don't Starve (not Together, if I get something in that series), others I'm still maybe considering as well.

 

 

@Delicieuxz:  I think I'd probably prefer DiRT 3 of the Dirt games.  Also I'm leaning toward Civ V of the Civ games.  Not as sure about Assasin's Creed or Final Fantasy yet.  I've removed several of each from my list so far.

Not yet sure if I'm into Sonic yet.  The 3D Realms bundle looks to be no longer available, unless I'm looking at the site wrong.  (Also I wouldn't go for all of the games in the bundle.  Even so, I'd still consider a bundle that included games I wouldn't play, if the total cost of the bundle was equal or less than the individual cost of the games I WOULD play. )

 

[HPWebcamAble]

19 hours ago, PianoPlayer88Key said:

I'm storing videos from my video camera.  At max settings, it records 4K at 100mbps, so about 4 GB every almost 6 minutes.

That's about 270 hours to fill 12 TB. Jesus, 4k is freaking expensive. I've got around 250 hours at 1080p and it doesn't even fill 100 GB. Not very good quality, but... they're home movies. (I have my doubts that anyone will watch them within the next 10 years anyway).

 

20 hours ago, PianoPlayer88Key said:

Some of my friends want me to get Minecraft, but I don't want to pay $26+ for it

Well, it's interesting. Now that Microsoft owns it, I wouldn't be surprised to see the price go up in the near future. It is MORE than worth 26 bucks anyway.

 

But it's a different game than Factorio. If you could only get one, I'd say Minecraft since Factorio is still in beta. They're both still really fun though.

 

[PianoPlayer88Key]

@HPWebcamAble:  Yeah, I usually like to have my videos be as good quality as reasonably possible.  (I'd really like uncompressed RAW footage, but that's a bit out of reach for me on multiple levels.)  And that does sound like it'd be pretty low quality for 1080p.  For me, I'd rather turn the resolution down and keep the quality up, assuming the same FPS.  Using gaming as an example, I'd rather run at 960x600 high/ultra 60fps, than 2560x1440 low 60fps, or however the scaling might work.  For video, assuming the same bitrate, I'd rather have near-visually-lossless 480p than significantly-blocky or flat-textured 1080p.  I'd even go to 240p or 144p if I absolutely had to, although I'd prefer not.  (I've seen videos on YouTube of old Team Fortress Classic footage where the textures looked almost solid color, and sometimes I had trouble seeing things on the particular level.  I only recognized the levels because I myself had played them, and even on my dad's old PC back in the day when I only got 15-20fps at 320x240, they still looked a lot better on his PC than in the video.)

Basically, if when I scale high-quality 480p footage up to, say, 1080p, ... if the scaled-up footage looks the same as another low or medium-quality higher-resolution footage, then I'd rather use the lower resolution, higher quality.

 

Ahh, well I'll consider Minecraft then.  Idk when I'll get it though.  (Factorio isn't on my list right now.)  I kinda wish MC had Crysis 3, Witcher 3, etc. quality graphics, or is the blockiness part of the appeal?  Or the fact that if it DID have graphics like that, it wouldn't run on some systems that people play it on?

 

 

 

I'm quite ¶!$$3D that Crysis went off sale before the Steam sale ended.  I was waiting to buy it until I had decided what all I was going to buy on Steam as well.  I never saw any notice saying that the sale went only until June 28 or 29, or whichever day it ended.

Anyone have any idea, based on past history, when Crysis 3 might go on sale again?  I'd like to get it, but not for more than $4.99 which was what it was on sale for.  (I'd consider $7.49 if bundled with other things.  I remember when it was on sale it included Crysis 2, but at full price it doesn't.)

Or is Witcher 3 a better game overall?  I was thinking of getting one or the other, or maybe even both while C3 was on sale.  For now, though, I've moved Crysis 3 to the rejects list.  I haven't updated the online list, as I'm editing locally.  (It seems LibreOffice Calc has more formatting capability than Google Sheets, unless I just haven't learned how to use it.)

 

My list is still over $1200 though, which is still way too high.  Right now I have the list sorted by descending price, and am going through all the titles over $10 to see if I can find some favorites.  (It might take a bit, though.)

 

Also, somewhere I've heard it recommended to buy the games one at a time, rather than all at once.  Those saying that cited issues with refunds - like, they wanted to refund a particular game they didn't like, but another game they'd bought in the same transaction had exceeded the refund threshold (2 hours playtime).  For some reason there was no partial refund, only a whole refund.  That doesn't seem right to me though.  When I go to Fry's and buy a bunch of things, or buy a stash online from Newegg, if I want to refund one thing, they always do it as long as I'm within the refund terms for that item.

Is that issue with Steam refunds true?  Or are they like other vendors, where they'll refund something that qualifies, even if other items in the same order aren't refunded or don't qualify?

[Iron couch]

One game that really surprised me positively was Banished. Basically you have a bunch of people stranded in the middle of nowhere and you have to build a village for them. Its basically a city building game but instead of making a huge metropolis your goal is to expand slowly and make sure that the people of your village survive. Its a very relaxing game until something goes wrong and your whole city collapses on itself . I recommend you to check it out, its only around 6 euros now and you can sink plenty of hours into it. Oh and it also has mod support.

[PianoPlayer88Key]

That looks like an interesting one, @Iron couch.  It's still on my list, as are several other similar games with city building, strategy, etc.  (Also there's a couple space ones as well, historical, etc.)  I'm still trying to narrow down the list.  (It's harder than I thought it would be.  And there's also the fear of "what if I entirely missed an amazing game".)

As for pricing, I show it as US$6.79, not 6 euros.

 

I also happen to like games with a lot of replay value, etc.  I played Team Fortress Classic off and on from like 1999 to 2012, and have even played it occasionally in the last year or so.  My steam profile shows I have 2,528 hours on record, and that actually doesn't include anywhere close to all my TFC playtime.  I hope I can get similar value out of whatever new games I get.

 

I don't think my 2.5K+ hours of TFC would quite qualify for me, although it could be close, but ... I was just thinking... Does anyone think they have a particular game they liked so much that they've likely spent more time playing it than all other games combined in their lifetime?  I'd bet CS:GO could qualify for some people. (Btw I was about 17 or 18 when TFC came out, and I had played probably hundreds of other games in the 10 years or so before that when i'd been playing any PC games (my dad bought his first PC a few months before my 8th birthday), as well as some other games (but not as many) since then.)  Now if I expanded it to a few games (or maybe series but I prefer individual titles for this, out of like hundreds of games), then I'd guess I've played more Fortress Forever, Team Fortress Classic, Total Annihilation, Descent, maybe Commander Keen or one or two others I forget at the moment, than everything else combined.

[HPWebcamAble]

2 hours ago, PianoPlayer88Key said:

I kinda wish MC had Crysis 3, Witcher 3, etc. quality graphics, or is the blockiness part of the appeal?  Or the fact that if it DID have graphics like that, it wouldn't run on some systems that people play it on?

It is definitely part of the appeal. You'll see.

 

Good thing too, because it would NOT run well if it had much better graphics. Java is not really designed to make 3D games.

 

A shader can help, it adds better lighting and texture reflections (which IS more demanding on the system, btw). But again, the blockiness is part of the game

[PianoPlayer88Key]

Ahh okay, @HPWebcamAble,

 

I'm still not done narrowing down the list, but here's an update.  I'm not buying a single game though until I've decided all that I will buy.  I don't want to buy one or 2 games now, then find on the final sale day that there was this one game I *really* wanted that I couldn't afford cause I'd already spent too much.