Seventh day of the Steam Summer Sale, here we go. This is the end of a week of sales, though it is not the end of the sale, which has enough fuel to keep it going until Sunday. Today you can get your mitts on fantasy RPGs, big trucks and Snake’s bottom, and I’ve whittled down the list to the best of the bunch.
Daily Deals
South Park: The Stick of Truth
With the sequel announced at E3, now would be a good time to take The Stick of Truth for a spin. The writing and gags tend to receive the most praise, but I think that the underlying RPG and exploration mechanics are equally worthy of note.
As an RPG, The Stick of Truth is simple, but it’s fat with gear and stats that work perfectly with the sometimes satirical, always puerile tone of the game and TV show, and it’s blessed with an expansive upgrade system and some light but rewarding Metroidvania style exploration. It’s 66 percent off (£8.15/$13.59)
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
Ground Zeroes is a weird one. It’s like a teaser, a prologue to The Phantom Pain, and it is extremely short. But it’s also great, and the military base that makes up the entire area is really a stealth sandbox. Completing it can take almost no time at all, but uncovering all of its secrets and experimenting increases that considerably.
There’s also the fact that it’s a near flawless PC port. It’s an improvement over the console versions in every way, It’s rich in PC-specific options, it hits 60fps easily at 1080p on a mid-range PC, and it comes with both pieces of bonus DLC from the Xbox and PlayStation versions. It’s 75 percent off (£4.24/$4.99)
What a game. It’s been a great 12 months for RPGs, with the latest being the phenomenal Witcher 3, but even when surrounded by such good company, Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity stands out. It’s got Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale and Planescape Torment DNA all over it, but it charts its own path, not relying on nostalgia.
An expansion was announced at E3, so you might want to pick up the core game. It’s not a particularly big discount, but I’d still recommend it even if it was smaller. It’s 33 percent off (£23.44/$30.14)
Flash Sales
Back before Blizzard got its act together and did an amazing repair job on Diablo III, Torchlight II as the ARPG to get, and it’s still great. It’s sillier than Diablo’s gothic world, and you’ll even be joined by an assortment of pets who can render assistance and conveniently take your loot to the shops so you can stay in the wilderness and dungeons, slaughtering. It’s also got a lively modding scene. It’s 80 percent off (£2.99/$3.99)
All the Stalker games for you to scoff down. Gloomy Eastern European shooting at its best, with a deadly open world, angry factions, plenty of monsters and radiation everywhere. Lots of mods and updates have made them more stable than they were at launch — they were very buggy. The bundle is 66 percent off (£8.39/$15.99)