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If you are losing steam over work, why not take the chance to de-stress by playing games over the March school holidays? Steam games are video games available to download on the Steam platform, a popular digital distribution service where users can purchase games.
New, high-profile AAA titles on Steam can be pricey. Many of these can cost up to S$100 at launch. But Steam also has cheaper indie games, older titles, and sales that can make it possible to find games at lower prices. In today’s article, we look at some of these sales.
Do note that all of the sales listed below end on 14 March, so you’ll have to act quickly.
1. EA Sports FC 25 (75% off)
EA Sports FC 25 is a football video game by EA Sports. It is the second game in the EA Sports FC series and the 32nd overall instalment of EA Sports’ football simulation games.
New features include FC IQ, an overhaul of the tactical system allowing players to influence team strategies more effectively. It includes modernised team tactics and smarter Artificial Intelligence for teammates, enabling a more dynamic gameplay experience. Players can now emulate the tactics of famous managers, adapting formations fluidly during matches.
The game also introduces distinct player roles, maximising their fit into team strategies. It is designed for characters to be deployed to the best possible use according to their talents.
New gameplay mechanics for goalkeepers have also been added, allowing for more varied styles of play. Goalkeepers have also been given outfield playstyles, augmenting the game.
Buy from S$29.97 at Steam
2. Anno 1800 (90% off)
Anno 1800 is a 2019 city-building strategy video game by Ubisoft. It is the seventh game in the series and returns to using a historical setting, after previous futuristic titles Anno 2070 and Anno 2205. It takes place during the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century.
One of the new additions is the attractiveness rating of Anno 1800. This is related to the impact of industrialisation on the population. With every factory, the city’s attractiveness rating falls and the rating of the precinct around an emerging industrial zone also drops.
Tourists contribute to the economy and will flock to natural land, local celebrations and various decorative ornaments, but detest pollution, unrest, and noisy or pungent places.
The blueprint mode of Anno 1800 is another new addition. It allows the player to plan out their city with silhouetted buildings without instantly spending resources on building them.
Buy from S$7.99 at Steam
3. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint (90% off)
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint is a tactical shooter video game developed and published by Ubisoft. The game is set in an open world called Auroa, a fictional island chain in the Pacific Ocean. The player assumes the role of Lieutenant Colonel Anthony “Nomad” Perryman, a United States Special Operation Forces service member sent to the island to investigate disturbances involving Skell Technology, a military contractor based in Auroa.
The game is played from a third-person perspective with an optional first-person view for aiming weapons. Auroa features a variety of landscapes, and these can be used for tactical advantages. For instance, players can slide down rocky terrain and use mud as camouflage.
The game places a larger emphasis on survival than its predecessor Wildlands. Opponents are more plentiful and the game has more adversary archetypes. The foes have access to many of the same weapons, skills and equipment that are available to the player. Enemies will react more realistically to the player’s actions, amplifying the feeling of precariousness.
Buy from S$7.99 at Steam
4. Far Cry 6 (75% off)
Far Cry 6 is a 2021 first-person shooter game developed and published by Ubisoft. It is the sixth main instalment in the Far Cry franchise and the successor to 2018’s Far Cry 5.
The game is set on the fictional Caribbean island of Yara, controlled as a dictatorship by “El Presidente” Antón Castillo. He is raising his son Diego to follow in his footsteps. Players play the part of guerrilla fighter Dani Rojas, who tries to overthrow Castillo and his regime.
The game focuses on combat and exploration. Players battle enemy soldiers and wildlife using weapons. The game features numerous elements common in role-playing games, such as a levelling-up system and side quests. It also has a cooperative multiplayer mode.
Buy from S$19.97 at Steam
5. Assasin’s Creed Odyssey (80% off)
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is a 2018 action role-playing game developed and published by Ubisoft. It is the eleventh instalment in the Assassin’s Creed franchise and succeeds 2017’s Origins. Like its predecessor, the game has a large open world and adopts elements from the role-playing genre, placing more focus on combat and navigation than furtiveness.
Naval combat from previous titles also plays a prominent role in Odyssey. The game’s plot tells the history of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta from 431 to 422 BC.
Players control a Spartan soldier, who fights on both sides. Odyssey continues the story arc of Layla Hassan, a major character introduced in Origins, who relives the mercenary’s past.
But Odyssey has a larger focus on mythology, and a smaller focus on the conflict between the Assassins and Templars, which is the central story element in most games in the series.
Buy from S$15.98 at Steam
6. Riders Republic (80% off)
Riders Republic is a sports-cum-racing video game developed and published by Ubisoft.
In the game, players can participate in 4 main extreme sports, such as mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding and wingsuit flying, in an open world that convenes several national parks in the United States, including Yosemite, Zion, and Bryce Canyon, in one place.
If you thrive on competition, you will be able to battle over 50 players simultaneously in a massive multi-player zone. Compete in an all-out mass start race—collide, grind and fight your way to victory. Customise your character to show off your personality to your friends.
Travis Northup from IGN says in his review of the game, “Riders Republic is an excellent extreme sports sandbox with bonkers multiplayer events and an impressive open world.”
Buy from S$10.98 at Steam
7. Overcooked! 2 – Gourmet Edition (80% off)
If you enjoy cooking simulator games such as Cooking Mama but prefer a more chaotic version, be sure to get Overcooked 2. The Gourmet edition comes with the base game, Overcooked 2, and 3 downloadable packs, Season Pass, Surf ‘n’ Turf and Too Many Cooks.
Overcooked 2 has new levels, themes, costumes and recipes. Some levels possess moving floors that make it harder to cook. Others transition between settings and recipes, such as one that begins with whipping salads in a hot air balloon and crash lands in a sushi kitchen.
The sequel introduces ingredient tossing, where players can throw uncooked ingredients to another chef or a pot from a distance, and online multiplayer, in which teams can connect across a local wireless network or through online matchmaking. In multiplayer mode, you and up to 4 players will work together (or against each other) to obtain the highest score.
Buy from S$10.30 at Steam
8. Watch Dogs: Legion (85% off)
Watch Dogs: Legion is an action-adventure game developed and published by Ubisoft in 2020. It is the sequel to Watch Dogs 2 and the third instalment in the Watch Dogs series.
Set within the fictionalised world of a futuristic, dystopian London, the game story follows the hacker group DedSec as they try to clear their names after being framed for terrorism.
While searching for the true culprits, DedSec tries to liberate London’s citizens from the control of Albion, a private military firm that has turned the city into a surveillance state.
While the core gameplay that combines shooting, driving, stealth, and hacking missions, is similar to its predecessor, Legion introduces a new multiple-playable character mechanism. This allows players to recruit almost any non-playable character in the game’s open world.
Buy from S$11.98 at Steam
9. South Park: The Fractured But Whole (80% off)
From the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, arrives South Park: The Fractured But Whole, a sequel to 2014’s award-winning South Park: The Stick of Truth.
The narrative occurs 1 day after the events of its predecessor. The game follows the player, also known as the New Kid, who has recently moved to South Park. The player becomes involved when 2 rival superhero groups vie to create their own superhero media franchises.
The clash between the 2 gangs brings the player into conflict with genetically engineered supervillains, the mafia and the police. The good news is that you will not be alone. Join South Park favourites Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman in this new role-playing adventure.
Buy from S$7.98 at Steam
10. The Survivalists (90% off)
If you enjoy playing survival games a must-play is The Survivalists. The Survivalists is a cooperative adventure game by Team 17 set in The Escapists universe. The player wakes up on the beach of a mysterious island and must remain alive through crafting, building, hunting, and fighting. Complete adventures, discover loot, trade and survive together as you and up to 3 fellow castaways explore an island to uncover its secrets.
Stuart Gipp of Nintendo Life, a website which reviews Nintendo games, praised it for its good-natured, breezy gameplay, alongside its simple controls and a clear user interface.
Buy from S$2.90 at Steam
11. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a 2014 action-adventure game developed by Monolith Productions and published by Warner Bros. An original narrative based on the legendarium created by J. R. R. Tolkien, the game takes place between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings film trilogies, making it perfect for fans of the franchise.
The player controls Talion, a Gondorian Ranger who bonds with the ghost of the Elf Lord Celebrimbor, as the duo sets out to avenge the deaths of their loved ones. Players can engage in melee combat and employ spectre abilities to defeat and manipulate their foes.
The game also introduces the Nemesis System, which allows non-playable characters to remember their prior interactions with Talion and react accordingly in future encounters.
Praise was directed at the game’s fight scenes, open-world design and its Nemesis System.
Buy from S$5.80 at Steam
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