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PC GAMES FROM 2012 TO 2014

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Picture Title Genre Description Where To Buy
Alan Wake PC Bundle Alan Wake Bundle Action Adventure / Horror It's not going to scare a horror game vet (it IS rated T for Teen, after all), but it is a good starter game for someone looking to get more into the genre. You play as an author who finds pages of a horror novel he's writing come to life. Very atmospheric. Collectibles kill the immersion a bit. Also a cameo appearance by Max Motherfucking Payne. Once you play it you'll realize that the developers have put a lot of effort into this game (they better, it took 10 years to develop).

American Nightmare is a stand alone spin-off game and, while not quite as great, is still worth checking out.

Was removed from digital stores around May of 2017 due to music licensing being expired, but a year later, around October, both Alan Wake and its DLCs were brought back, so you might wanna get this game before 2023.

Steam

Alan Wake Franchise

GOG
Alan Wake Alan Wake's American Nightmare

Brothers a Tale of Two Sons cover Brothers - a Tale of Two Sons Adventure An Isometric "puzzle" game that follows the travels of two brothers with a strong sense of teamwork. It's short, and fun once you get a hang of the controls, but is not challenging in the slightest. Also, you can save a suicidal homeless person. Attention: The game requires a (360) gamepad! You actually play each of the brothers with one of your thumbsticks. GOG
Cognition An Erica Reed Thriller cover PC Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller Adventure Point and click adventure game with comic-style visuals. You play as an FBI agent with psychic powers. It's being released episodically with 3 episodes released and 1 additional coming soon. The story gets dark as FUCK later. Dev Store
Steam
CV-LoS-PC Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Ultimate Edition Action Adventure A reboot of the franchise. While it might alienate veterans of the franchise for borrowing quite a bit of its mechanics from other games (a little God of War and a little Shadow of the Colossus to name a couple), it does so in a very good way. Overall it's a very good action game with beautiful graphics, polished gameplay and a good story. Ultimate Edition includes all the DLC from the console versions

Oh, and did we mention Patrick Stewart narrates the entire game and voices one of the main characters? Hideo Kojima of Metal Gear fame also lend a helping hand as well, so that's cool.

The PC port lacks the foliage animation and the Solid Snake outfit from the console versions, but at the very least, this version can run at 120+ frames per second, so that's good.

Steam
Cook Serve Delicious cover PC Cook, Serve, Delicious! Restaurant Simulator What do you get when you take Warioware and Diner Dash, throw them into a blender, and set it on puree? A mess, for starters, but you'd also get something similar to Cook, Serve, Delicious! You start out with a basic 1-star restaurant, and gain notoriety through new recopies, challenges, and so on. Memorizing the correct order to make food is key, and you will likely curse at your computer when you mess up the layers of a lasagna. Free updates have brought weekly challenges and competitions as well, so if you prefer just making food over owning a restaurant, you can do that too. Steam
CrimzonCloverWI Crimzon Clover: World Ignition Shoot 'em Up A maniac shooter with everything you expect: lots of bullets, explosions and bright neon colors. GOG
Crusader Kings II box art Crusader Kings II Grand Strategy Crusader Kings II lets you play as a historic European Dynasty and lead them from the Norman conquest of England in 1066 to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Through war, strategic marriages, incest, intrigue, and crusades you will expand your demesne and secure your Dynasty's future in the tumultuous Medieval Era. CK II has many pieces of DLC but the 4 major expansions are Sword of Islam (Allows playable Muslims), Legacy of Rome (Makes the Byzantium Empire much more unique to play as), The Republic (playable Merchant Republics and new trade mechanics) and The Old Gods (Adds a new 867 start date, playable pagans, and numerous game play mechanics like the ability to raid). Steam
Dark Souls Prepare To Die Edition cover PC Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition Action RPG Spiritual successor to Demon Souls. It improves over every aspect of its predecessor, being at least twice as big and featuring a fully streamlined world, scarcer resources (no more carrying 99 of each grass). The tendency system gave way to a new faction system, with each of the 9 covenants having it's own mission and thus expanding a lot the way the multiplayer system works. A world of both frustrating and rewarding challenges awaits as you fight your way through tons of incredibly atmospheric dungeons. And you will die in every one of them, multiple times. And you will like it. A lot.

As of May 9th of 2018, Scamco Bamco pulled the game from the Steam Store (page is still up, but no way to purchase) to make room for the "Remastered" version (said to run at full 60fps instead of requiring third-party apps like DSFix). If you missed out on getting the original, wait for sales to drop prices below $20USD, as owners of the original will get a 50% discount.

Steam

Steam (Remastered)

DishonoredDefinitiveEdition
Dishonored - Definitive Edition Stealth Play as an assassin in a fictional, industrial city. Basically, a spiritual successor to the Thief franchise. This game gives you a lot of freedom, and the way you handle situations affect the ending. Steam
Divekick Divekick Fighting A fighting game simplified to it's most essentials, where everything is done with only two buttons and no joystick movement. A very deep and fun game despite it's simplicity. Steam
Drunken Robot Pornography cover PC Drunken Robot Pornography FPS Get your jetpack and laser blaster ready: you made the mistake of giving free will to your robot bartender and the son of a bitch built an army of giant robots to destroy the city! Unique indie mix of FPS and bullet hell, perhaps a bit "fluff" but still very fun. Quite unique in the FPS genre for having extremely vertical stages. Sadly, it in fact does not contain any pornography. From the creators of AaAaAA!!!. Humble
Steam
Dust An Elysian Tail cover Dust: An Elysian Tail Platformer / Action-RPG A mysterious warrior wanders a fantasy land with a magical talking sword and a little flying sprite companion, trying to regain his own memories. Man, that's one fuckin' beautiful furry-themed indie 2D platformer with RPG and beat 'em up elements. Stunning painted backgrounds, top notch animation, solid voice acting. GOG
Steam
Dustforce cover PC Dustforce Platformer Very challenging and lesser-known platformer that draws obvious Super Meat Boy parallels with its wall-sliding action, online replay feature, and focus on speedrunning. This time there's dust on every surface, dust on rabid wild animals, and you've got to clean that shit up. Doing so while getting the highest rank in each level is crazy hard and technical. Don't miss out on the amazing sprite art or music, either. GOG
EndlessLegend Endless Legend Strategy 4X A brilliant game for 4X fans. Its like mixing together Age of Wonders and Civ, but in a good way. With 9 different victory conditions and many unique races/cultures with their own storylane, easy to learn, logical research circles and non linear development. Simple diplomacy and easy to modify troops. Also, the terrain has impact on the gameplay, and weather too. Outstanding art, and cool worldbuilding. Sigh, if you are into 4x games and "one more turn" at 4 AM, you will love it. Don't miss the chance to buy dlcs too, they are worth it. Humble
Steam
Final Fantasy III PC Final Fantasy III RPG A fully 3D remake of Final Fantasy III, which was previously never officially released outside of Japan. Unlike the NES version, the orphans have a bit of individual background this time, and there's bonus content; however, most you have to unlock by filling up the bestiary. As usual, there are many classes to choose from and to level up, but choose wisely. If you haven't played it yet, now is the time to do so. Also available on the Nintendo DS with MogNet and on iOS which is the exact same thing, only with touch controls instead of controller or keyboard controls. Steam
Final Fantasy IV PC Final Fantasy IV RPG A fully 3D remake of the SNES game. Includes decent voice-acted cut scenes and a new ability system designed to offer a modicum of customization in the least-customizable FF game to date. Also of note is the increased difficulty over previous ports of the game. The Nintendo DS version is virtually the same as this one but generally better, get that if you have a Nintendo DS. Additional alterations, additions, and omissions noted here. Steam
Freedom Planet PC cover Freedom Planet Platformer Glorious indie old-school 2D mascot platformer, with the sort of level design, physics, graphics and music you'd expect from the very best Mega Drive games. GOG
Humble
Steam
Gabriel Knight 20th Anniversary cover Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers — 20th Anniversary Edition Adventure A series of voodoo-themed murders haunts New Orleans. A local writer investigates them, meaning to use that as the basis for his new novel, unaware that the crimes involve his own family's dark legacy. The original version was one of most remarkable titles from the golden age of adventure games, exploring mature themes in a realistic setting; the remake adds vastly upgraded graphics and reorchestrated soundtrack, as well as a hint system to give a hand with the most obtuse elements of the original.

As a disappointing downside, they lost the original voice files and had to use different actors. So, no more Tim Curry, Mark Hamill, or Michael Dorn. Trailer

Developer's Store
GOG
Steam
Giana Sisters Twisted Dreams Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams Platformer Two little sisters get transported into a dream land full of demon-owls, and it's up to one of them to rescue the other. A great Euro-style 2D platformer with some incredible visuals and a soundtrack to match. Do not be misled by the cuteness, it can get very challenging, especially the bosses. GOG

Steam

Gunman Clive PC cover Gunman Clive Platformer Similar to Mega Man but with a western theme. Very cool visual style and fun gameplay with three different, unique characters to choose from (the third one is unlockable). It's a steal at $2.00. Steam
Ikaruga poster Ikaruga Shooter A small nation unearths an artifact that grants them unlimited power, which they use to conquer the world. A shooter with stunning stylized visuals, bombass soundtrack, and an unique puzzle-ish "polarity system": enemies and their fire are either light or dark, and the player changes his ship's polarity at will. Bullets of different polarity kill you, but bullets of equal polarity are absorbed. The challenge is serious, you need to go full zen to survive. An absolute must-have for anyone who likes shooters. Especially if your monitor has a rotating stand. Steam
Jet Set Radio PC cover Jet Set Radio 3D trick platformer Recruit stylish young people and rollerskate through sprawling, colorful urban environments pulling off tricks and tagging spots with graffiti to fight the creativity-repressing establishment! An incredibly cool-looking game with great cel-shaded graphics and an even better soundtrack. Fair level of challenge. Fun if you can get over the sluggish controls. Humble
Steam
KOFXIII The King of Fighters XIII Fighting The latest in SNK's interminable fighting game series makes a surprise appearance on PC with an unexpectedly good port. The (slightly) improved netcode mixed with Steam/GOG matchmaking (not GFWL, thankfully) and all the DLC characters included for free essentially makes this the definitive version of the game. Steam
GOG
Knock knock PC cover Knock-knock! Surreal Horror The latest game from Russian Studio Ice Pick Lodge, and unfortunately also the most poorly reviewed. This is the most accessible release in their library, but this does not detract from their trademark commitment to crafting avant-garde atmospheres with varying degrees of realism and a uniquely Russian sensibility. Steam
Lamulana homepage pic La-Mulana Action/adventure Freeware classic gone from MSX-style to remade for modern PC, and remastered to the max. Features better controls, better laptop, more settings, MUCH smoother animations and action, a rearranged soundtrack, and even some new story additions. Some puzzles, traps, and bosses have been modified, sometimes to be easier or harder. Bosses are generally more challenging though. If you never played the original, that's fine. There's enough differences to warrant giving both a go. For those not in the know, it's a mostly non-linear platforming adventure game. Dungeons are full of danger and riddles and require some non-lateral thinking and possibly note-taking to figure out. Playism

GOG

LoHTitSPC Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (series) RPG Amazing trilogy of story-driven RPGs by Falcom of Ys fame, they play like your standard console RPG in maps and battles are done is more of a grid based sRPG/cRPG style than a traditional console RPG, with tons of sidequests that increase your rank in order to get items. They were later followed by Trails of Cold Steel. 1st Chapter

2nd Chapter
3rd Chapter

Lego LOTR LEGO The Lord of the Rings Action/adventure Collect lego pieces, fight lego orcs, control over 90 lego LOTR characters, you know the deal...While the formula ins´t really that new, its fucking LOTR and its irresistible charm mixes up with the one from the Lego series, making this a VERY good game. Play this even if you dont like Lego, seriously. The goal here isn't, of course, beating the game, but to 100% it, which can be quite challenging , so dont rush through the game: EXPLORE EVERYTHING. PC version is recommended for better visuals and a more convenient price tag. Do NOT get the handheld versions. Steam
Lisa LISA RPG A side-scrolling RPG where you play as a middle-aged martial artist called Brad on his quest to rescue his kidnapped adopted daughter in a brutal post-apocalypse where women have become extinct. The story starts dark and quickly descends into a tale of human misery. Notable for having up to 30 characters that can be recruited into the party, plus containing horrible moral choices. Also has a DLC ending called LISA the Joyful which essentially concludes the story. Steam
Mercenary Kings cover Mercenary Kings Action/RPG While the Paul Robertson pixel art and the chiptune music may scream "Metal Slug successor" to you, this game is actually more like Monster Hunter Lite. You take on a variety of missions in the form of Mega Man-esque platformers, and collect materials and money to create better guns and stuff. Multiplayer is fun, too. Only caveat is that it is definitely as difficult as Monster Hunter. Prepare for a LOT of trial and error when it comes to gameplay. Steam
Metal Gear Solid V Ground Zeroes cover Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes Tactical Espionage Action The semi-demo "prologue" to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Invade a U.S./Cuban base to save your friends. Additional missions use the same map, but change it so you have to assassinate soldiers/obtain enemy intelligence/save Hideo Kojima, allowing you to play in different ways. Many people complained about the incredibly short playtime of the game (around an hour for the main mission), so try to get it on a Steam sale if you can. Steam
Nights Into Dreams cover v2 NiGHTS into dreams... Action/adventure Wizeman the Wicked seeks to conquer both the dream world and the real world, by having his Nightmaren lackeys steal "ideyia", the spiritual energies of the visiting human dreamers. Too bad the fool made one Nightmaren too smart and independent, and willing to join forces with two young dreamers to gain freedom.

Now this is one of the most unique and surreal games ever. It's even hard to describe it... a platformer without platforms, maybe? The hero flies around, collecting ideyia chips to fight the Nightmaren in charge of each dream; no lifebar except the timer, and while it is easy to rush through the game, you have to exploit it hard to score top rank and get the true ending.

From the same creators of Sonic the Hedgehog. Absolutely beautiful, immensely fun, hugely improved over the Saturn original. Includes most extras from Christmas Nights too! A must play, just be sure to have a good gamepad.

Humble
Steam
Oniken Oniken Platformer Control ninja badass and Kenshiro-lookalike Zaku as he slices and dices terrorist cyborgs in this challenging Brazilian platformer inspired by the NES Ninja Gaiden titles. GOG
Papers Please PC cover Papers, Please Dystopian Document Thriller You are the immigrations inspector for Arstotzka, a Eurasian totalitarian shithole. It is your job to inspect the papers of everyone trying to enter the country, turning away any and all who do not qualify.

A lot more engrossing than it sounds. Seriously, play this.

Steam
Roguelegacy Rogue Legacy Metroidvania/Roguelike Often referred to as a "Rogue-Lite", which combines Metroidvania-like exploration with a randomly-generated castle which changes every time you die. Whenever you die, you pick the next in a line of descendants which comes with it's own particular traits. Not only you'll die A LOT but you're also expected to, since all money you collect goes to the next character, allowing to upgrade your home castle and granting permanent upgrades. GOG
Shadowrun Returns PC cover Shadowrun
(series)
Tactical RPG A cool indie (kickstarted) tactical RPG series based on the popular sci-fi / fantasy tabletop game. In a not very distant future, magic has returned to the world. Humans now live alongside elves, trolls, orks, and dwarves - and all struggle under the power of the megacorporations.

The add-ons are actually stand-alone, and if you have no time to spare it's safe to skip the first part for it's mediocre campaign.

GOG
Humble
Steam
Shadow Warrior PC cover Shadow Warrior FPS A bodyguard / henchman / hired killer is sent to acquire a very special sword, but when a horde of demons gets in the way and slaughters everyone before he has a chance to, he realizes there's something weird about his corporate overlords.

Remember the 90s classic? Lo Wang was a sort of oriental Duke Nukem, but unlike the notorious DNF, this one is actually a good game... a fast-paced, damn fun, insanely over the top, ultraviolent romp. From the same team of the also excellent Hard Reset.

GOG
Humble
Steam
Shovelknight-cover Shovel Knight Platformer Despite the clear Mega Man inspiration this game has its own identity. You play as the titular Shovel Knight and must travel the land fighting other knights to learn what happened with your beloved.

Now includes Battletoads!

GOG
Skullgirls cover Skullgirls Fighting I hope you brought a pillow to bite, because this game is about to push your shit in. Skullgirls is an indie fighting game that uses the lag-reducing GGPO-netcode, so now even Brazilians can laugh at you. It features an ever-growing roster of playable characters, a unique art-style and some of the most hardcore gameplay since Guilty Gear. If you ever get tired of having to wipe your pussy-ass tears after every match, there's always a Skullgirls General on /vg/. Steam
SASRT Cover Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Racing A fun as hell arcade racing game whose main selling points that differ it from Mario Kart (apart from the Sega characters) are that the vehicles transform between car, boat and plane modes at specific points on the track, and that the track itself can change per lap. Also, exclusive to the PC version are racers based on the Total War series, Company of Heroes, Football Manager and Team Fortress 2 (for whatever reason). Humble
Steam
Spec Ops The Line cover Spec Ops: The Line TPS In a near future, Dubai was annihilated by a series of freak sand storms. Months later, a radio transmission indicates that there might be survivors there after all. You lead a Delta Force team sent to investigate, but when you get there, you find there's some real crazy shit going on. The gameplay itself is frequently described as lackluster, but the story does make up for it! Humble
Steam
Strider PC cover Strider Action-adventure Reboot of one of the coolest platformer series ever. A mysterious alien dictator has taken over the world, and it's up to futuristic ninja Hiryu and his trusty laser sword plasma tonfa to slice through his hordes. Quite a departure from the original games, but the action remains fast and intense. Steam
Alltynex-Box-art Tale of Alltynex Shoot 'em Up A master compilation including the three chapters of the Alltynex trilogy: Kamui, RefleX and Alltynex Second. Steam
AVGN Adventures cover The Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures Platformer Set your TV to channel 3, grab your Zapper, and get ready to curse like a sailor! A very fun and brutally difficult indie 2D platformer that pays homage to eternal classics like Megaman, Castlevania, and Beat 'Em & Eat 'Em. Humble
Steam
Bannersaga The Banner Saga RPG/Strategy/Visual Novel A beautiful game set on a dying land whose gods are long gone and it's inhabitants as they struggle to survive. This game plays heavily on character decisions, which influence the overarching plot. GOG
The Binding of Isaac Rebirth cover The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth Roguelike Play as a naked kid, shooting his tears at various monsters to kill them. Hard as balls, and the insane amount of items and characters doesn't help either. Ignore the dlcs. Steam
The Stanley Parable PC cover The Stanley Parable First-person adventure The tale of a guy named Stanley who works for a company, pressing buttons, until one day everything changes. Very stripped down gameplay (WASD, mouse, and E), but focuses on story. A self-aware deconstruction of video games, but can seem pretentious. Multiple endings, short playtime, but worth checking out for the story.

There are two versions: a free HL2 mod with 6 endings, and the more advanced commercial release with 18. Play the free one first to see if you like it.

Free: ModDB
Paid: Steam
Toybox Turbo art Toybox Turbos Racing Remember Micro Machines? Well, this is a modern Micro Machines, only without the license. From the same developer, even. If you liked it back in the day, look into this one. Pretty damn fun, very good graphics. Up to 4 players, local or online. Steam
Transformice Transformice MMO platformer You play as mice trying to get cheese into their hole. However, stages are hell-bent on killing you. Luckily, the Shaman player will help (i.e. troll) you with magic. Steam
Volgarr-art1 Volgarr the Viking Platformer A platformer like the classic ones: one character, one sword, instant death, no save, balls hard difficulty! Very obviously inspired by the classic quarter-muncher Rastan. GOG
Wasteland 2 Directors Cut cover Wasteland 2: Director's Cut RPG From the producer of the original Fallout, this is what a modern Fallout would be if they made it for the old fans instead of casuals: a top-down, turn-based tactical RPG with a fuckton of possibilities and immense room for customization. GOG
Humble
Steam
XCOM Enemy Unknown Coverart XCOM: Enemy Unknown Turn-Based Strategy Official remake of the PC classic, XCOM is all about managing a worldwide secret project to combat a very nasty alien invasion wrecking Earth's shit. Basically, the game is split between actually organizing XCOM's base, which involves things like choosing when to hire new soldiers or construct facilities and fighting aliens with squads of 4 to 6 members in quite tactical battles. Each of the 14 countries backing up the XCOM project has a "Panic Gauge", which increases according to the aliens' actions and, if any of them hit level 5 by the end of the month, said country will stop supporting the whole thing. If that happens eight times, it's game over. Steam