jshackles
Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
Welcome to the May 2015 NeoGAF Steam thread! Come for the game talk, stay for the waifus.
- STEAM News Thread - Read rules before posting
- GAF Steam ID List | Request a buddy
- Steam Trading | Games/Cards/Keys/Money/Items
- PC Gaming Threads | A list of PC threads on NeoGAF
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood - Dr Dogg
In the days of DLC this is an oddity, a Standalone Expansion (from Bethesda no less), Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a prequel to last years Wolfenstein: The New Order. It actually features two storys that are in some way interconnected and set in 1946 before the events of The New Order.
The first has B.J. Blazkowicz breaking into Castle Wolfenstein to steal the coordinates to Deathsheads Compound (which is the first location in The New Order) where as the second takes place in Wulfburg where B.J. meets a Nazi archaeologist who seems to have an interest in various artefacts the hold dark and ancient power. There should be plenty of callbacks to the earlier titles in the series and it does sound like some the mysticism and occult elements might make a showing too.
There are also some new weapons as well as some of the old favs, dual wielding possibilities and attachments. Some of the new weapons are the pipe which is used as a melee weapon also pulls double duty in traversal allowing B.J. to scale specific walls and theres also a bolt action rifle, a pistol that fires rockets as well as a few others.
So far from what Ive seen it looks like a good mix of the movement and shooting mechanics of The New Order with a B-Movie aesthetic that the reveal trailer really played up to. I see it as the Wolfensteins version of Undead Nightmare. It doesn't require you to own The New Order and being a prequel telling the events leading up to last years game you don't need any knowledge of that to jump in either.
Magicka 2 - MRORANGE
Magicka was more famous for being a glitch mess when it came out and for being the most discounted game of all time on Steam. However if you were lucky enough to have 3 other friends who also owned a copy you would know why this game has such a underground cult status with gamers. Magical 2 tries to extend that magic by being the first true sequel to this self-parody classic, its kept the gameplay rooted with its fantastic spell casting system with minor new teaks with artefacts that changes play styles as you play each level. The humour that drove the first game is still there with returning characters such as Vlad and self reference humour littered throughout the game. In all respects however, you should only pick up this game if you have friends, this is no knock on the game but its a game that has to be played with friends or its just pointless to own it. Theres nothing like blasting your friend by accident when hes running away from a giant dragon or a friend casting a meteor spell that ultimately spells doom for the whole squad. Im excited for Magicka 2 and co-op gamers should be too.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - zkylon
the latest installment of the witcher series and (possibly -who are you kidding cdpr) the great finale to geralt's story. it promises to deliver once again on the quality and attention to detail we've come to expect from cdpr, this time in a massive open world with all the fancy open world stuff: tons of side quests, improved monster hunting, crafting, exploring and barbering. there's no barbering in skyrim kids, not without mods there isn't.
also it looks gorgeous as all fuck
if you're a newcomer, the witcher games are an action rpg series that follow infamous geralt of rivia, one of the few surviving witchers, monster hunters born out of brutal training and magical mutations, as he goes about in his adventures in the game-of-thrones-like morally corrupt temeria, unraveling conspiracies, killing ugly things and plowing everyone that the game allows you to. plowing is sex btw
it'll probably be an enjoyable game on its own but highly recommended to play the previous games in the series first since plot is so important in the series and savegames carry on for minor differences, but also because they're fantastic. they're pretty long games so don't expect burning through them in a week tho!
Neon Struct - turfster
NEON STRUCT is a magnificent, fun, non-violent stealth game from the creator of Eldritch, only this time instead of a procedurally generated set of dungeons, it's a more structured, narrative experience. Use your wits and your gadgets to get in, get the job done and get out as Jillian Cleary, an ex-spy on the run in a dystopian surveillance state. The game oozes with 80s cyberpunk atmosphere and the design aesthetic fits the core gameplay and the story to a tee. Like most of the best stealth games, there are mulitple paths to success and you get graded at the end of each mission, guaranteeing replayability to get that elusive S rank for every mission.
Axiom Verge - toddhunter
Take Metroid and ... well just take Metroid and call it Axiom Verge and you have a very Metroid like game. Just by looking at a few screens you can tell instantly what this game is about and what it is attempting to deliver. You go left, you go right, you check your map and then you get stuck. Then you ignore what little story there is, find a new weapon and proceed on your journey.
Fight a boss, have some laughs and generally get to the end of the game.
Where Axiom Verge stands out is in the quality of its execution. Most things feel "thought out" in that weapons are generally surprising or useful (with only one OP one), the bosses are impressive and put up a good fight and the environments are varied and have plenty of "tricks" that will keep you returning with that new cool tool to find another health upgrade.
It isn't quite the modern Metroid we all want, but it is as probably as close as we are going to get.
Invisible, Inc. - Uzzy
Invisible, Inc. is a turn-based stealth/tactics game, with roguelike elements, developed by Klei Entertainment. Lead your team of secret agents on procedurally generated operations all around the world, and attempt to complete a number of different objectives, such as extracting agents, obtaining new gear and upgrades for your agents, data programs to aid with hacking, stealing cold hard cash or discovering secret information. All to launch one final mission in order to save your agency from dire circumstances that threaten to destroy you in 72 hours. Or die trying.
Klei Entertainment have shown their stealth and roguelike pedigree in their previous titles, the well received Mark of the Ninja and Don't Starve, and from my time spent with Invisible, Inc. so far, it'd appear they've kept up to that high standard. It's turn based nature mixes with stealth genre brilliantly, turning each mission into a battle of wits, tasking you with finding solutions to problems and thinking your way through them, rather than relying on your timing and accuracy. Of course, it being a roguelike, you'll fail often, but you're compensated in the shape of a persistent experience meter, which earns you new variations on agents and gadgets for future attempts. Besides, you always learn from your failures, and each failure should leave you with great stories. The game is very difficult, but fair in it's difficulty. If you fail, it's because you didn't think things through enough, it's never due to random elements outside your control or awareness. The game's also got a lovely cyberpunk espionage aesthetic that I really appreciate.
Not A Hero - r3n4ud
Not A Hero is a "2 1/4D" cover-shooter by Roll7. The game is about the BunnyLord, a time-traveling rabbit who's running for mayor of London on a promise to clean up the city through not-overly-discriminate applications of violence delivered by his campaign manager, Steve. Sounds awesome, right? It is.
Having played the demo, you are able to play a few levels to get a feel for the game. While the early levels are rather short, each level has three objectives you try to meet. If you fail to meet them, you can always restart the level and try again. You start off the game playing as Steve, and as you progress, you unlock new characters that have new weapons. The game is violent, plenty of baddies to kill, and plenty of shootouts to be had in this cover-shooter. This is one game to look forward to this month. And remember, vote BunnyLord!
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years - jshackles
Did you finish Final Fantasy IV wishing for more? Me too, until I played Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. Those were 18 glorious years where I imagined all the great possibilities that existed for one of my favorite cast of Final Fantasy characters. What we actually ended up with is something very strange and difficult to describe. The game takes place after the events that unfolded in Final Fantasy IV - when the moon left orbit and peace returned to the world. Now, the moon is back and it's up to Cecil and the gang, along with their Next Generation counterparts to figure out what's going on and stop it.
The game introduces some new gameplay elements while staying pretty true to it's predecessor. Most notable changes are how the moon phases can affect the physical and magic attacks in battle, and the advent of "Band" attacks which let your heroes team up Chrono Trigger-style for devastating attacks. Where this game differs wildly from the original is that it was first sold episodically, with a new episode being released once a month back in 2008. Although the Steam release includes all of the episodes, the game itself still suffers from having these kind of strange cliffhangers that seem very out of place for a Final Fantasy game.
If you can look past it's flaws such as the characters having really stupid names (I'm looking at you, Ceodore) then there's a decent but not amazing experience to be had here. However I can only recommend this game if you're a huge fan of the Final Fantasy series, loved Final Fantasy IV, and don't mind slogging through a story that's more fan fiction than Final Fantasy.
Anyone can write a recommendation for an upcoming game for next month, just send a a PM of the game you want to write about and your thoughts on why it's good/why people should play it. Please make the sure recommendation is 60+ words at least and try and hand it a few days before the month ends so I can add it to the next thread.
- Do not solicit/trade/sell/beg for games in this thread. Splitting retail packs is fine in this thread.
- Do not spam post your steam stats/games count or post damage lists from sales.
- Examples of good posting behaviour and bad posting behaviour.
- Don't hype pre-order bundles that you have no idea about.
- Steam Support - The place to contact steam if you have a problem with the service.
- Steam Trading Cards - Gain money by selling cards or craft them for cosmetic items.
- Add funds to your Steam Wallet - You can also buy gift cards at most major gaming retailers.
- Steam Mobile - Use Steam while away from the PC. Supports iOS and Android and has been recently updated.
- Big Picture Mode - Lets you run Steam on your TV in a more convenient manner.
- Steam Family Sharing - Share your Steam account with family and friends.
- Steam Community - A hub of what other steam users have created or are discussing.
- Steam Workshop - A showcase of Mods for games on Steam. Many are free, but some you now have to pay for.
- Steam Greenlight - Vote for games that want to be on the Steam store.
- Steam Stats - Check stats for the top 100 most played games on Steam.
- So when does the 'Winter/Spring/Summer/Autumn' sale start? Stop asking this question, nobody fucking knows.
- How do I use Modbot?! - Read this tutorial or watch this GIF.
- I changed my GAF email address, but now I'm locked out of my account - PM Stump.
- Can I join the NeoGAF Steam Group? - NeoGaf Steam Group - You must be invited by another member to join.
- Where can I add other gaffers on Steam? - GAF Steam ID List , add yourself to the spreadsheet
- Which game won SteamGAF GOTY 2014? - Divinity: Original Sin, full results here
- Can I register this retail game on steam? - Check here.
- Is there a easy way to manage my Steam categories? - Use depressurizer.
- How can I protect my Steam account? - Read: Account Security Recommendations.
- Store is in another language?! - You used a link that had ?l=blahblah at the end: http://store.steampowered.com/?l=english.
- Community is in another language?!- http://steamcommunity.com/?l=english.
- How do I contact customer support? - Use this link.
- Can I use my steam account on a different computer? - Yes.
- How do I run Steam in offline mode? - Steam Offline Mode Support Page.
- Is steam down? I can't see my Profile/Friends/Chat/Cloud Saves - See if Steam is running maintenance.
- Steam won't start or run? - Refresh your Steam files. If it fails: copy steamapps folder and re-install steam.
- Is using a VPN to get steam games from another region a good idea? - It can result in getting your account banned.
- Using a VPN to unlock games early?- Most people can unlock games early so that seems to be fine.
- How do I buy games outside the Steam Client when there is a sale? - Use Steam Mobile.
- Can I do remote downloading? - Yes, login into the Steam community webpage and select the game to download.
- How do I track how many players are playing a game over time? - Use steamcharts.com.
- One of my grid icons is missing a picture? - Check here to see some artwork Gaf did.
- I want to clean up my Steam folder of re-distributable packages - Use TikiOne-Steam-Cleaner.
- I am running out of space on my HDD, can I move my games? - Use SteamTool Library Manager or Steam Mover.
- Where I can download skins for Steam? - Go here for a mega list, make sure that the skin is safe to use.
- Can I trade games? - If they are in your inventory then yes, you cannot trade games you already own.
- Can I sell inventory items? - You can sell some of your inventory - such as TF2/DOTA/Emoticons/Cards items as long as they're marketable.
- Any other places to trade? - Try: SteamCardExchange / TF2 Outpost / SteamTrades / B/S/T or Steam Trading GAF.
- Sites to compare Steam prices regionally ? - SteamPrices or use Enhanced Steam.
- How do you find info on upcoming releases and updates? - Steam Database is a great tool.
- Is there a list of games no longer on Steam? - Check this list.
- Any extensions to use while using Steam site in a browser? - Enhanced Steam
- Any way to backup games that don't used Steam Cloud? - Use Game Save Manager.
- I want to compare prices to to other DD sites? - isthereanydeal.com
- Is there a SteamGAF Gaming Group to play games with other gaffers? - NeoGAF Games Night.
- How do I get rid of trade dues for cards?- Use this useful site.
- How long will it take me to beat game 'X/Y/Z' ? - Check out How Long To Beat.
- Sites that list Steam profile Stats? - Data about your Steam account | Tells you how much time you spent on steam and for each game
- Warning: Some of the sites have region locked keys that only work in certain regions of the world, please check before buying:
- Green Man Gaming
- Gamers Gate
- Gamestop
- Get Games
- Amazon
- Gamefly
- Groupees
- Nuuvem
- Humble Indie Bundle
- Indie Royale
- Bundle Stars
- Indie Gala
Previous Threads in 2015: