Looking for video games recommendations!

[Beorning]

I've been out of the PC gaming loop for over a year... I feel like there's just not enough time for playing games these days. :\ Nevertheless, I've been thinking about PC games lately and I thought that I could ask for some recommendations!

First of all - what good PC games have been released across 2017 and 2018? The last games I bought were: Tides of Numenera, Tyranny, Dishonoured 2 and Resident Evil 7. Still have to play most of these... anyway, what I managed to play of these games, I rather liked. What other new and good games are there, though? Anything you'd recommend? Currently, I'm looking for something with a good story, regardless of genre!

Another question - new games aside, what were the interesting titles of the last few years? Again, I'm looking for something that would really grasp me with its mood, story etc.

Final question (for now) - is it me, or games are becoming... pricey these days? Recently, I saw that a new Tomb Raider game came out. I checked it out, but the price was appalling: about $60 for a standard edition??? Also, Call of Cthulhu will be out - and again, the price is... shocking. Has something changed? The last I was buying games, they costed around $30...

[Oniya]

A lot of people have been streaming 'Seven Days to Die' - a first person zombie survival game that's still technically in alpha.  It's about 30 USD on Steam.  There's a guy on Twitch that's been streaming it every Thursday, and I could link you to his recent videos if you wanted.  Story may be kind of basic, but it really captures the mood.

We Happy Few is one that I saw in pre-release, although it's been fully released recently.  If you ever saw the Dr. Who episode of 'The Happiness Patrol', take that and shake it together with a bit of Clockwork Orange and a twist of Joy.  A bit better on story - also about 60 USD.

[Inkidu]

You live in Poland so I'm not sure about your local markets. Regional pricing is a thing after all, but $59.99 has been the going rate for new releases in the US for twenty or so years now. It's actually neat to see lower price points, though I honestly think they should raise the price a bit on most games, hopefully curtailing this need for monetization. I would rather pay seventy dollars for a game without microtransactions than sixty with them. Though I'm out of the AAA scene for the most part. Last game I bought was Spider-Man (2018).

I'm more interested in the AA/indie scenes. Wish I had some good recommendations, but I've been playing Nioh mostly as it's a really hard game so unless you liked Dark Souls or Bloodborne I'm not sure it's for you.

[Beorning]

Here's a question: are point-and-click adventures games still a thing? I really love games when you get to investigate things...

Regarding prices: I checked and you can buy Tyranny for about 150 PLN here... which translates into about $40. And I think the last games I bought were set at this price level... You say new games in the US are being sold for $60? That's interesting... It seems that the distributors here started charging more, then. It's saddening, as I really hoped to get that new Call of Cthulhu game... I didn't realize it'd cost so much.

[Love And Submission]

You live in Poland so I'm not sure about your local markets. Regional pricing is a thing after all, but $59.99 has been the going rate for new releases in the US for twenty or so years now.

Are you sure about that? I know for a fact the going rate for a new  PS2/ PS3 game was 50 USD  where I lived. I didn't start paying 59.99 until I bought a PS4. It was one of the things that made me hesitant about getting back into consoles.

[Oniya]

If you like poke-around sorts of games, you might want to check out the works of Mateusz Skutnik.  While not 'new', the Submachine and Daymare Town series are incredibly intricate, and the whole set is quite affordable.  (He has other games as well, but those two are his most well known.

[Beorning]

If you like poke-around sorts of games, you might want to check out the works of Mateusz Skutnik.  While not 'new', the Submachine and Daymare Town series are incredibly intricate, and the whole set is quite affordable.  (He has other games as well, but those two are his most well known.

Oh wow. Mateusz Skutnik does *games*?!?  :o  I've known him only as a comic book creator...

[Inkidu]

Are you sure about that? I know for a fact the going rate for a new  PS2/ PS3 game was 50 USD  where I lived. I didn't start paying 59.99 until I bought a PS4. It was one of the things that made me hesitant about getting back into consoles.

Okay, yeah, to be fair it was last gen when that stuff started. But sixty bucks has been the price point since the Xbox 360, at least where non-game retail stores tended to put brand new releases.

[Oniya]

Oh wow. Mateusz Skutnik does *games*?!?  :o  I've known him only as a comic book creator...

Daymare Town is a lot closer in art style to his comics (Blaki and his 'cousins' show up in a few places).  Submachine is all clean lines and machinery - still a very distinctive look, though.  There's a ton of lore scattered through both series.

[Beorning]

Okay, yeah, to be fair it was last gen when that stuff started. But sixty bucks has been the price point since the Xbox 360, at least where non-game retail stores tended to put brand new releases.

Note that I'm talking about PC games here. Until recently, they were noticeably cheaper here than the console games.

Daymare Town is a lot closer in art style to his comics (Blaki and his 'cousins' show up in a few places).  Submachine is all clean lines and machinery - still a very distinctive look, though.  There's a ton of lore scattered through both series.

Very interesting... thanks for bringing this to my attention!

[Inkidu]

Note that I'm talking about PC games here. Until recently, they were noticeably cheaper here than the console games.

Very interesting... thanks for bringing this to my attention!

I'm just saying that the price point has been that way since the last console generation. In America $60 is the price you pay for a new game. A lot of companies are currently subverting this. Lots of companies set the price lower. Nioh was around 40 new, but if you're looking at Shadow of the Tomb Raider and you didn't catch the 33% off Steam sale on the game you're paying $60 in America. *shrugs*

Prices of games have not gone up, and they probably should, but that's why all these alternate monetization efforts are rearing up.

[TotesRider]

Maybe a little weird of a recommendation. But Lethal League Blaze is something i'll always recommend no matter what.
Basically think of it like a hybrid of Smash Bros, Pong, Dodgeball with the music and aesthetic of Jet Set Radio.

[Beorning]

Thanks! :) But I don't think it's my style of game... Still, thanks for a recommendation :)

Are there any fighting games for PC these days? Something like Mortal Kombat?

[kasumine]

I can't answer on the fighting games for PC as its not my area of expertise. Though if you want a sillier style of fighting game, I love Slap City personally. It's a lot of fun with friends, imo, but it does have a rather cartoon-y style so I'd watch some videos on it first.

Outside of fighting games, there are a few smaller and lower-priced games that have wonderful stories. Ones that come to mind are:

• Oxenfree (Night School Studio, 2016, $19.99; supernatural thriller where choices do matter; plus they're coming out with a new game called Afterparty in 2019)
• Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall, 2017; $19.99; I haven't played this myself but have heard wonderful things about it. Definitely on my TO BUY list; also seems to be a choice-heavy visual novel game like Oxenfree above)
• Detention (RedCandleGames, 2017; $11.99; note that this is a horror game with disturbing visuals; set in 1960s Taiwan under martial law)
• Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight (Bombservice, 2016; $9.99; 2D platformer with charming pixel graphics; fantasy-style game!)
• WILL: A Wonderful World (WMY Studio, 2017; $14.99; casual visual novel that is puzzle-heavy... you act as a god that rearranges sentences in people's letters to change their lives)
• Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines (Troika Games, 2004; $19.99; this is an older game, so graphics are about as good as you expect for 2004, but it seems to have a cult following! it's a 1st-person action RPG where you play as a newly-turned vampire... and of course, choices matter!)
• VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action (Subekan Games, 2016; $14.99; visual-novel style game set in a post-dystopia world where you're a bartender for people with troubles)
• SINNER: Sacrifice for Redemption (DARK STAR, 2018; available on Discord Nitro for free but worldwide release coming in February; boss-battle RPG kind of like Dark Souls but has a "level-down" progression system where you have to sacrifice a strength after each victory)

These are just a few games that I've heard wonderful things about or have personally enjoyed (Night in the Woods & SINNER are the only two I haven't gotten to play myself yet). They come at a good price and deliver a story while sometimes making you scratch your head. I tried to put in a few different genres here, so I hope you find something you like.   :-)

[Beorning]

Thanks, I'll look into these :)

On another note: would you guys have anything to recommend in the area of... how to put it... games that just leave you awe-struck? Anything new that would make my job drop when it comes to graphics, story etc.?

As I said, I have Resident Evil 7 and I was really impressed by the visual aspect. I didn't play much of the game, but what I managed to see was beautiful. Any other games like that?