We're currently on Day 5 of the Steam Summer Sale, and if you're hoping the end is near so that your wallet can finally rest, I'm afraid that we're not even half way through just yet.
As before, let's skip the pleasantries and get right down to it by showcasing which games I believe are worth picking up during today's Summer Sale. My recommendations are based on two things, the game's quality and the depth of its discount, while the order of it all is completely and utterly random:
Re-Logic, the folks behind Terraria, are truly a class act. Even though they initially released a fully finished and incredibly enjoyable game, that simply wasn't enough for them, so they spent the next could of years continuously updating and expanding Terraria to the point where the free DLC content now outnumbers the base game! Best of all, the quality has only gone up with each expansion, so if you're looking for a 2D action adventure with plenty of crafting and monster-explosions, then by all means give Terraria a try.
Dragon Age: Origins - Ultimate Edition (-75%)
Unlike most of modern Bioware games, Dragon Age: Origins was designed from the ground up as an homage to the classic RPGs of old, and it manages to do so incredibly well! Its one of my favorite games of all time and it belongs among the very exclusive company of games that I've replayed more than 5 times, its just that good! The characters are well written, the lore is incredible, and the combat can be either be a difficult turn-based affair or a real-time button masher, all depending on your preference. If you're a fan of Bioware's other work, or just RPGs in general, you owe it to yourself to try Dragon Age: Origins, especially since you can get 100 hours of playtime for only €5.
Tales from the Borderlands (-66%)
The Borderland series has always skirted the border of good taste, often crossing over into the land of crappy puns and downright terrible dialogue, but Telltale's Tales from the Borderlands is none of those things. I don't know how they've done it, but the writers have managed to turn Borderland's nonexistent story in to a trilling adventure full of complex characters, unexpected twists, and yes, really bad puns as well. If you've enjoyed Telltale's previous work such as The Walking Dead or The Wolf Among Us, then give Tales from the Borderlands a try as well, it easily just as good as those series, and I don't say that lightly.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor - Game of the Year Edition (-75%)
From the very moment Shadow of Mordor was announced I expected it to be a boring old cash-in that's simply here to piggy-back on the Hobbit's popularity, but much to my surprise it ended up being an enjoyable beat-em-up with some pretty damn unique mechanics. The combat is almost a shameless copy of the one found in modern Batman games, and while some might question the creativity behind such a decision, there's no denying that punching Orcs is an extremely enjoyable experience, especially since you can constantly skirt around their clumsy blows. If you're looking to waste a dozen hours terrorizing Orcs and roleplaying as the Tasmanian Devil in combat, then Shadow of Mordor is the game for you, but just don't go in expecting to see a well written story, because you certainly won't find one.
You might be wondering why I'm recommending Dead Rising 2, a fairly old game, rather than its relatively recent sequel. The reason is simple, I've never played Dead Rising 3 on account of middling reviews and numerous complaints about performance, while I can guarantee that Dead Rising 2 is an excellent game and well worth your attention. So what do you do in Dead Rising 2? You smack around zombies with incredibly stupid weapons you picked up from a random convenience store, or better yet, smack around zombies with even more incredibly stupid weapons you crafted yourself. You can craft lightsabers, flamethrowers, electrified melee weapons, and good lord knows what else! If you just want a game that's all about random chaos, silly moments, and pretty much nonstop action, then give Dead Rising 2 a try, its dirt cheap and more than ready to fulfill those demands.
And there you have it, all of my recommendations for Day 5. If you're interested in finding even more deals I would suggest taking the plunge and exploring the darkest corners of the Steam Store in an effort to find the sort of niche game only you might be interested in, because I can guarantee its out there somewhere, but its just not as heavily advertised as the rest of them. If you'd prefer to slack around and play some Overwatch instead, feel free to stop by tomorrow for Day 6 and another batch of recommendations.