TechRaptor's 2016 Steam Summer Sale Recommendation Guide

Published: June 24, 2016 8:21 PM /

By:


Steam Logo

The 2016 Steam Summer Sale has begun! So before anything else, here's a short funny video about it that I just really wanted an excuse to post.

https://youtu.be/QJW_ML5aE9E

Okay, with that out of the way, let's talk sale now. Much like the past few Steam Sales, there are no "daily" or "flash" or "community choice" sales again, so if you see something on sale that you really want you can feel free to grab it at any point. You can earn trading cards, up to three a day, by going through your discovery queue, which is now customizable and a good way to find new games. These cards will only be around until the sale ends on Monday, July 4th, so make sure you either craft them into badges or sell them before then.

So there's no crazy games or features to this sale, but there is a ton of games that are cheap. So what do you buy? I asked the team for some recommendations and here's what we came up with.

Samuel Guglielmo

Metro Redux Bundle: Containing Metro 2033 Redux (which I consider one of the best games ever made) and Metro: Last Light Redux, this bundle has two of the highest quality FPSes on the market. Anyone who's a fan of FPSes should strongly consider this one. Also, a great book series too, if that's more your thing. (Our Metro 2033 Redux Review) (Our Metro: Last Light Redux Review)

The Stronghold Collection: I will admit I don't entirely know the quality of all the games in this bundle, I've never played Stronghold 2 or Stronghold Legends, but this is the cheapest way to get Stronghold, Stronghold Crusaders, and Stronghold Crusaders Extreme. This is one of the most entertaining castle building sims/RTS hybrids and it comes with its much-improved expansion and a fun updated version of the expansion.

Call of Duty: Black Ops: While I am a Call of Duty fan at heart, I'm going to specifically recommend Black Ops here. Of all the Call of Duty games, I feel this one has the best and most entertaining campaign of the bunch and is well worth playing.

Don Parsons

Gothic Universe Edition: The Gothic games are classic western RPGs that show an open-world style building in a loving handcrafted setting with each one. The Gothic series is an ARPG series that was ahead of its time and made by Piranha Bytes with some unique concepts within it. While Gothic 2 is the absolute best of the bunch being an all time classic, Gothic 1 is very good if you can handle the interface and Gothic 3 has a lot of content although it lacks the same polish.
 
Fallout Classic Collection: If you haven't played these games somehow yet, you need to play the original Fallouts to understand what some of the best in RPGs is. At $5 each for the base games and then a cheap toss in of the tactics spinoff, this bundle lets you get 2 of the defining RPGs of all time. If Fallout 4 felt hollow to you, or you're wondering why people complained about it, or you just want some great RPG goodness, you should pick this up.
 
Divinity Anthology: While Larian Studios got greater notability with Divinity: Original Sin they have a backlog of games in that series. The Divinity Anthology has the first 3 games in the series and they can show you the roots of this studio that looks more and more like it will be a big presence in the years to come. Divine Divinity is a fine Diablo-esq game with hacking and slashing around and some skills, with some solid work all around which make it a good game. Divinity 2 though is the game I'm more familiar with, and it is essentially at this point the game and its expansion which tell a single story but are a bit different in execution. Ego Draconis, the original release's subtitle and that for the first half, is an Action RPG style with exploring, Larian rumor, dragon transforming, and lots of monster slaying. Flames of Vengeance is the more ambitious half, picking up after a cliffhanger ending of Ego Dragonis it features a focus on a single city with the same character brought over and a wide variety of side quests and missions that you can do. In this, you get the updated Divinity 2 Developer's Cut which has fixed up the game a lot over the years and the whole package is well worth your time.
 
Renowned Explorers: International Society: Yes, I'm going to hawk this game some more as it is absolutely great and one of the best indie games released last year. A perfect match of storytelling, strategic combat, exploration, and whimsy make this a game you really need to check out. (Our Review)
 
This War of Mine: This is a different type of war game where it's about surviving the war in a desperate situation. It is different from the tons of survival games with its city atmosphere and war themes that make the atmosphere of the game constantly tense as you fight just to survive one more day. If you want to see a game that uses its mechanics to reinforce and tell it's story this is one of the ones you have to play. (Our Review)
 
Valkyria Chronicles: A really interesting take on combat mixing real-time and turn-based play Valkyria Chronicles is also a game that presents a well told and timeless story that will evoke many different real world situations (Our Review)
 
Primordia: A criminally underrated Point and Click adventure game, Primordia is a brilliant game developed by Wormwood Studios and published by Wadjet Eye Games that has excellent puzzles that are challenging but not unfair with tools to help you, with excellent story and characters.
 
Anton Hill
 
Binding of Issac: Rebirth: I was late on the BoI bandwagon when it first came out and so couldn't bring myself to purchase Rebirth. But I loved the idea of the unending, randomly generated paranoia I'd experienced on the original. From the music to the updated visuals, I'd be set for the whole minute or two of blood-pumping action before I'd inevitably get slaughtered.
 
Jack Jacobs
 
Game Dev Tycoon: It's a great simulator for knowing what gets put into a game. Not only that, but it also accurately follows real life events of the games industry.
 
Stardew Valley: Ever play Harvest Moon? Well, this is everything you wanted in Harvest Moon and more. Stardew Valley offers so much variety in what you can do in a day that you're never left bored. (Our Review)
 
Nick Maillet
 
Hacknet: It makes me feel like I know what I'm doing with a computer.
 
Firewatch: Pure eye candy (Our Review)
 
Reagan Cox
 
Arma 3, Insurgency and Rainbow Six Siege can all be had at a great price and will give you many hours of gameplay to scratch your tactical shooter itch. (Our Rainbow Six Siege Review)
 
Robert N. Adams
 
Receiver: An excellent roguelike FPS with realistic gun mechanics. The gun is the game - manage your magazines, aim carefully, and don't forget to turn the safety off!
 
Besiege: Build giant war machines to conquer the land in creative ways! Face interesting puzzles such as "Steal this pile of ore!" and "How could I possibly grind all of these birds into a fine pulp?"!
 
Robert Grosso
 
Robert said he was too busy finishing up a game to review to write, but that if he had time he would write something for Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition, a game which continues the original Fallout's story and tradition.
 
Alex Santa Maria
 
Alex was also too busy editing to write, but he said he would have done something for Undertale. In the meantime, you can read his 10/10 review for the game instead.
 
Travis Williams and Andrew Otton
 
Both Travis and Andrew were also too busy to write, but they both agreed on two games quickly: Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. You can read our review of Dragon's Dogma and Andrew's 10/10 review of The Witcher 3 to find out why.
 
What do you think of this year's summer sale? Do you like the removal of Flash Sales or despise it? Share your thoughts, and your recommendations in the comments below!

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


Samuel Guglielmo TechRaptor
| Reviews Editor

I'm Sam. I have been playing video games since my parents brought home a PlayStation whenever that came out. Started writing for TechRaptor for 2016 and,… More about Samuel