It’s been a while since I’ve posted on Giantbomb, so I thought I’d write a bit about the games I’ve purchased recently. I’ve gone on something of a shopping spree, and now face the problem(?) of deciding which of my newly acquired games I’m going to dedicate my time to. While Far Cry 4 has been fantastic so far, I’ve got quite a few other games to tackle.

First is The Long Dark, which has gone above and beyond my expectations so far: an expertly crafted, accessible survival game with a great art-style. So far, I haven’t made much progress, with my best run being a meager two days or so, but I hope to jump back in soon. The game is one of the most immersive I’ve played in quite some time, and the fact it takes place in the Canadian wilderness is only icing on the cake. Sure, I’m a bit of a sucker for snowy environments, but I firmly believe The Long Dark is a step in the right direction for survival games, offering significant threat in wildlife and nothing else. The game makes me somewhat curious about other recent survival games, namely The Forest. I’m not entirely sure my computer can run it though, so I guess I’ll stick with The Long Dark for a while longer. Don’t Starve is another option, and one that could no doubt run on my computer. I’ve heard mixed things about the game, but it’s current low price point is certainly appealing.

I’m expecting to play Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes tonight, which I got for a steal at seven dollars. The game is now infamous for it’s short length, but seeing as I didn’t pay much for it; this doesn’t really bother me. The focus on gameplay as opposed to cutscenes is also intriguing for me. While I’ve always enjoyed the insane nature of the MGS narrative, the fairly substantial gameplay changes in Ground Zeroes make me more excited for that aspect of the game. Unfortunately the ending has been ruined for me, but I doubt this will impede on my enjoyment of the game much. It’s been a while since I’ve played a brand new, big-budget stealth game, so Ground Zeroes will be a treat.

I also bought Age of Empires II: HD Edition, a game which I have little nostalgia for, but have heard great things about. I’m always game for a fantastic RTS, and AoE II is legendary in this regard. My only worry is that the game’s age may limit my enjoyment, but normally this problem vanishes as I spend more time with the game in question. I’ve played more Age of Mythologies than Empires, but hopefully my familiarity with one game will translate over to the other. In any case, I’m excited to jump in and get addicted!

My last recent purchase was Saints Row 2, of all things. My reasoning behind this was a combination of love for the third game, hearing great things about the second, and the fact it only cost me two dollars. In fact, from what I can tell reading forums, many people prefer 2 to 3, which I wasn’t expecting. It was a bit of a headache to get the game working on PC, but after fiddling with some notepad files the game became playable. I haven’t played much so far, but I’ve had a lot of fun with this crazy, and fairly strange game. The focus on pure entertainment as opposed to realism is very appealing to me, setting the game apart from it’s contemporaries (and perhaps even beating them outright).

Those are all the games I’ve bought recently, feel free to comment if you have anything to say about them.