David’s Steam Winter Sale 2020 Recommendations

As Andy Williams once famously put it, “it’s the most wonderful time of the year.” At least, it’s the most wonderful time that a perpetual garbage fire of a year like 2020 is capable of producing. Mercifully, it’s almost time for this 365-day-long nightmare to reach its conclusion. On top of that, as you gleaned from the title of this piece, the Steam Winter Sale is once again at hand. These, I would argue, are two significant reasons to rejoice.

To that end, I’m electing to continue my biannual tradition of presenting to you a roundup of my personal game recommendations that I think you should check out and consider picking up before the sale ends on the morning of Tuesday, January 5th, 2021. Before we cut to the chase, however, I’m obligated to get the usual caveats and disclaimers out of the way. Firstly, this list will operate in the exact same manner as all my other Steam sale suggestion series have done.

By that, I mean to say there won’t be a single game on this list that I haven’t played. Furthermore, I’ll do my best to avoid recycling games I’ve included on any previous lists such as this without what I consider to be solid justification for doing so. Essentially, if a game I’ve recommended before hasn’t received a particularly significant update or piece of DLC since its original time in the limelight, you won’t see it here.

Additionally, I should mention that all prices listed here are in USD. Finally, the games in this article are presented in no particular order. This whole structure is and has always been basically nothing more than a question of the order in which I saw each included title while browsing through my library and thought, “Ooh! I’ll put that on the list!”. With all of those declarations made, all I ask of you at this point is to make yourself a cup of your hot beverage of choice, get comfortable, and relax. Let’s get on with it.

Coffee Talk – Discount: 25% – Sale Price: $9.74

Speaking of making yourself a cup of your preferred warm drink, I thought I would start things off by recommending an exceptionally relaxed game. In Coffee Talk, you’re tasked with brewing beverages for various fantastical customers at your very own hole-in-the-wall coffee shop. In a futuristic, yet modern version of Seattle Washington, you play as the sole barista of the titular shop. Your customers will often ask you and one another for advice about their troubles and woes, though I personally think this is a more typical experience for a bartender than a barista.

I say your customers are “fantastical” because it just so happens that they aren’t all entirely human. Throughout your tenure as the proprietor of your shop, you’ll serve various types of caffeinated beverages to such exotic clientele as fairies, elves, orcs, succubi, werewolves, and vampires. That’s all just during your first in-game week. Coffee Talk’s introductory cutscene will explain how this is possible more efficiently than I ever could.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this entry, Coffee Talk is one of the most relaxed and generally “chill” games I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing. Yes, you can screw up when it comes to serving a customer some type of beverage other than what they ordered. However, that’s just about the absolute worst thing you can do and you’re hardly even punished in any way for doing so.

Even then, in most cases, you’d have to be trying to serve the wrong drink. Not only is the customer’s exact order pinned to the top left corner of your screen before and during the brewing process, but every recipe you know is also conveniently listed in an easily-accessed app on your character’s phone.

This means you have virtually no way to forget what your customer has ordered or how to make it just the way they like it. There’s a tiny bit of a learning curve, but due to the factors I’ve just mentioned, you’ll get the hang of most aspects of running the shop quite easily and quickly.

It may seem like I don’t have much to say about Coffee Talk, but that’s only because I had much more to say about it in my recently-published review. If for whatever reason, you don’t have the time to read that article because you have to make a split-second decision about whether to buy the game, I’ll just say this: I adore Coffee Talk because it has managed to dethrone Stardew Valley as the most laid-back, relaxing, and immersive game I’ve played. That’s a considerable feat and it’s one significant reason why I’m so eager to give Coffee Talk my blessing.

Destroy All Humans! – Discount: 34% – Sale Price: $19.79

Alright, I admit it. Nostalgia is a huge factor as to why the newest version of 2005’s Destroy All Humans! is present on this list. That’s also part, but most assuredly not all, of the reason I chose this title as my 2020 Game of the Year. Call it a cop-out if you will, but let me plead my case for making that designation. When the remake (or remaster, or whatever you want to call it) of Destroy All Humans! was initially announced, I knew it was more than likely something worth looking forward to because of my experiences with the original PlayStation 2 version of the game.

Of course, when it comes to updated versions of classic games, there’s always the risk that the new port will be lackluster. There’s always the chance that the remaster won’t live up to the hype or the expectations of players who are intimately familiar with the original game. That is precisely why I am ever so overjoyed to report to you, dear reader, that THQ Nordic and Black Forest Games have done an outstanding job remastering Destroy All Humans! in my personal opinion.

The one solitary gripe I have with this new PC port of the game is the fact that controlling Cryptosporidium-137’s flying saucer with my mouse felt a bit unnatural until I grew accustomed to it. That’s genuinely my only complaint and it’s a minor one to be sure. Everything else about the game, from the graphical fidelity to Richard Steven Horvitz’s exceptional voice acting as he reprises his role as your direct superior Orthopox 13, is just the way I think it should be.

As I said in my first impressions of the Destroy All Humans! demo earlier this year, I was initially worried by the fact that the game presented itself as a “near-identical clone” of the original 2005 title. However, the more I’ve played this new version, the more I’ve realized that fretting so much over a small detail like that is silly on my part. I haven’t noticed a single alteration from the original game in the time I’ve spent with THQ Nordic and Black Forest Games’ new joint venture.

Folks, I cannot stress this enough. I really think you owe it to yourself to play this new version of Destroy All Humans!. If you played the original on the PlayStation 2 back in the day and liked it anywhere near as much as I do, this is your chance to fall in love with it all over again. If you didn’t get the chance to play the original, I wholeheartedly believe you have no excuse for not playing the Steam port so that you can see what all the fuss is about. Just play it, for Furon’s sake!

Space Crew – Discount: 30% – Sale Price: $13.99

The legendary English actor Tim Curry, while in-character as Soviet Premier Anatoly Cherdenko in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, once referred to space as “the one place that hasn’t been corrupted by capitalism.” In all honesty, the only reason I bring that up is that I can’t think of any other humorous ways to begin a short monologue about Curve Digital and Runner Duck Games’ recent joint effort, Space Crew. I’ve already exhausted my favorite space-related reference in my review of this title, after all.

In any case, perhaps you’re familiar with the game to which Space Crew is a direct sequel. That’s a game that was also created by the dynamic duo of Runner Duck and Curve Digital known as Bomber Crew. Within the earlier of the two titles, you’re tasked with expertly managing the crew of a bomber-style aircraft under the command of either the British Royal Air Force or the United States Air Force to ultimately help the Allied powers win the Second World War.

By contrast, in Space Crew, you and the crew you command are all members of what’s known as the United Defense Force. It’s your job to essentially keep the peace within our solar system and fend off any extraterrestrial invaders who would seek to conquer any local planets. Your commanders will send you on missions that will take you to all corners of the solar system and beyond to accomplish all sorts of objectives.

Your tasks can and frequently will range from clearing out a few squadrons of enemies near the Martian moon Phobos to rescuing an astronomer trapped at a heavily damaged, soon-to-explode research station near Saturn just in the nick of time. It’s all in a day’s work for a crew under the banner of the United Defense Force.

If you take nothing else away from this entry, dear reader, take away the fact that I enjoy Space Crew as thoroughly as I do for two main reasons. The first of those reasons is simply the game’s similarities to both its predecessor and FTL: Faster Than Light, another space-faring title which I personally hold in high regard.

Secondly, as I said in my review of Space Crew, I think this title manages to build upon the foundation set in place by its predecessor in such a way that it kept me engaged for quite some time when I first started playing. That’s due primarily to the new mechanics present in Space Crew compared to Bomber Crew. Of these, the primary mechanic in my opinion is the greatly expanded variety in terms of in-game missions with which you and your crew can be tasked.

Bomber Crew’s early missions can feel a bit repetitive at first until you work your way up to the actual, historical missions like Operation Chariot. I’d like to think I understand why that is, though. There’s only so much a World War II-era aircraft can do when put side by side with an exceptionally-advanced space-faring vessel from 270 or so years in the future. In short, if you enjoy either Bomber Crew or FTL: Faster Than Light to any degree, I wholeheartedly recommend Space Crew to you because it magnificently combines the formulae of these two titles into its own unique experience.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy – Discount: 50% – Sale Price: $14.99 ($22.23 for the “Turnabout Tunes Bundle” with the soundtrack)

I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned this in any work I’ve previously published here on Phenixx Gaming, but some portion of our audience might be interested to know I began my attempt to attain a higher level of education by going to college with the intention of becoming a criminal defense attorney. I originally enrolled in a local community college with Criminal Justice as my declared major. That went swimmingly until my second semester when I was first introduced to everything I would have to memorize to be successful as a lawyer.

I then quickly saw the proverbial writing on the wall and switched majors to Electronic Crime Investigation before my upcoming third semester. I did so partially because I thought the courses involved therein would be more suited to my particular skill set. For the most part, I was right about that. My knowledge of how to build and operate computers came in particularly handy in many of my classes while studying all the various subjects related to my newly declared major.

In retrospect, I think it may have been wiser of me to experience any game in the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney franchise many years earlier than I did. In the interest of transparency, I must confess that over the past few weeks, I’ve used the formation of this very article as an excuse to play a few games I had been meaning to get around to trying out for the first time. The Steam version of the Ace Attorney Trilogy happens to be one of those titles.

Had I played a Phoenix Wright game when any of them originally released on the Nintendo DS in the mid-2000s, I suspect I may have been steered onto a different career path without wasting two and a half years of my life and not even earning a degree to show for it. Despite what a few of my college professors told me, I don’t think I’m cut out to practice law in any respect. That is but one reason I’ve found myself drawn to the adventures of Capcom’s trademark defense attorney, the titular Phoenix Wright.

Thanks to this trio of games, I can experience a version of my initial career goals by living vicariously through a fictional character. What’s more, I can just restart the game if I catastrophically screw up and accidentally condemn an innocent client to a death sentence. Because of that, I like to imagine myself as a younger Saul Goodman of sorts who also happens to have the ability to travel back in time and change fates without causing a paradox.

I don’t know if any of what I’ve just said makes sense. If it doesn’t, I suggest imagining a 2D, anime-style version of L.A. Noire with no repetitive gunfights and the same amount of pressing X to doubt. Ultimately, the main takeaway from this monologue is that I strongly feel that the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy has earned its spot on this list, if only because it resonates with me so deeply.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy – Discount: 50% – Sale Price: $19.99

This one is another inclusion based largely on my own personal nostalgia. I absolutely adored the original Spyro the Dragon on the PlayStation when I was a kid. The only issue was that neither my parents nor I understood back then that I needed a memory card in order to actually save my progress in any games I owned at the time.

All of that is to say that I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve started and restarted the first Spyro title because, as I’ve just established, I had no way of maintaining my progress short of beating the game in a single sitting. Nowadays, I can relive the original Spyro the Dragon and its first two sequels, Ripto’s Rage and Year of the Dragon on my platform of choice anytime I so desire. That is thanks to the joint efforts of Iron Galaxy, Activision, and Toys for Bob which led to the creation of this trilogy.

I’m sure at least some portion of our audience is aware that this same trio was also responsible for the earlier Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, a high-definition remastering of the first three titles in Naughty Dog’s classic platformer franchise. I chose to include the Spyro Reignited Trilogy on this list simply because I’m somewhat more familiar with the adventures of a certain purple dragon than I am with those of an inexplicably-clothed bandicoot.

That certainly isn’t to say I prefer Spyro over Crash in most respects or dislike the latter of the two for any reason, however. I enjoy both trilogies, especially now that they look positively gorgeous and run at a constant, smooth 60 frames per second in my experience. Having said that, I must confess that I was slightly wary of the fate of these trilogies at first when I caught wind of the fact that Iron Galaxy would be involved.

For the sake of those of you who might not know why I felt that way, allow me to elaborate. You see, Iron Galaxy was the development studio to which the initial, widely-disliked PC port of Batman: Arkham Knight was outsourced back in 2015. However, considering how well both Spyro Reignited and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy perform on my computer and factoring in their positive Steam reviews, I would go so far as to say Iron Galaxy as a studio has redeemed itself since then.

Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced – Discount: 33% – Sale Price: $20.09

Ah, Borderlands. The franchise that popularized the “looter-shooter” genre and introduced some version of the nonsensical phrase “bazillions of guns” into the popular lexicon. You may recall that I included in a previous Steam sale recommendation roundup the so-called “Handsome Collection,” which includes Borderlands 2, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and all their respective pieces of DLC in one neat package. So, this time around, I felt compelled to go back to the game that started it all.

Let me begin by clearly emphasizing that I do greatly enjoy Borderlands, especially this specific version of it which contains every piece of the game’s downloadable content. However, what sticks out in my mind is that the game can admittedly start to feel repetitive if you’re playing alone and consequently don’t have anyone to talk to and work alongside while you loot and shoot.

The Escapist’s Yahtzee Croshaw has neatly summarized situations like this by referring to them as games that have you do little (if anything) more than “go to the place and shoot the lads.” I have a feeling that this may be why there’s so much variety in the weapon types, manufacturers, and effects of the aforementioned “bazillions of guns.”

After all, if you can switch in a matter of seconds from firing a sub-machine gun that shoots corrosive acid when it critically hits, to a rocket launcher that can also electrocute your foes, that’s probably going to help stave off the sense of monotony for at least a little while. Having said all that, Borderlands’ nature as a multiplayer game greatly helps make it more fun so long as you have at least one other person to join you. As an example of what I mean by that, the classes and skill trees of the four playable characters can greatly complement one another in various ways.

I’d like to conclude this entry by paraphrasing the chorus of the Cage the Elephant song that plays throughout Borderlands’ introductory cutscene. Money may not grow on trees, but it could potentially appear in toilets when you least expect it to. You can then use that toilet-money to buy any of the bazillions of guns present on the planet known as Pandora and subsequently use those guns to shoot some lads once you’ve gone to a place where there are lads to shoot. Just remember to bring a few friends along for the ride.

PC Building Simulator – Discount: 50% – Sale Price: $9.99 ($47.56 for the “Maxed Out Edition” with all DLC)

I’ve always been fascinated by computers and how their various components fit together to make increasingly powerful machines. That fascination runs so deep, in fact, that things once reached the point at which I decided to dedicate a few years of my life to learning how to build my own gaming PCs. I’d like to think I was fairly skilled at that until my disability (which affects my body in various ways due to its nature as a neurological condition) eventually stripped me of most of my ability to work with my hands.

That’s why my interest was immediately piqued when I first caught wind of the existence of a game like The Irregular Corporation’s PC Building Simulator. I figured that, since I already know the vast majority of the ins and outs of building a PC, perhaps a title like this would allow me to relive the memories of when I could actually whip up a new rig in the real world. I’m pleased to report that PC Building Simulator has thus far exceeded every expectation I had going into it.

The primary focus of my time spent in this title so far has been its career mode. Within this mode, you inherit a badly-run PC repair shop from your retiring Uncle Tim, who expects you to succeed where he failed by actually running the shop profitably. Your uncle presumably gave you his shop because he learned the hard way that people are less likely to pay you for your work on their PC (and more likely to sue you for damages) if you habitually forget to apply thermal paste to their CPU.

In PC Building Simulator’s career mode, you receive computer repair and upgrade requests from customers via your email app on your work PC. Upon accepting any new jobs, each customer who emailed you will drop off their rig to your shop first thing in the morning on the next in-game day. This is also the case for any new computer components you order from the in-game shop (which is amusingly called “Bits & PCs”).

You can then spend as long as you desire working on clients’ PCs each day since you have the ability to decide when each workday and workweek begins and ends. You’ll start out restricted to fairly simple jobs, like replacing broken parts and removing any nasty viruses your clients may have downloaded. These jobs typically don’t pay much, but so long as you earn enough cash to pay your rent and the shop’s electricity bill, you’ll be fine for a while.

A couple of weeks into your new career, however, you’ll get an email from good old Uncle Tim in which he alerts you to your shop’s rating on an in-game website that shows you customer feedback and star ratings of your performance. This game mechanic essentially dictates that if you want to be offered better-paying, but simultaneously more skill-intensive and complex jobs, you’ll have to do well with the more routine tasks that require a lower rating in order to eventually become a five-star computer repair facility. The higher your star rating on this site, the more potential customers will trust you.

All of that is to say that I think PC Building Simulator is more intended for an audience composed of people who already know how to build computers. I say that because the process of working on PCs in the game is fairly simplified compared to building a computer for real. I want to emphasize, though, that I don’t consider this a bad thing.

The game’s career mode will show you where each part and each cable is meant to go, but it doesn’t really explain why things fit together the way they do. If you don’t already know why applying the proper amount of thermal paste to a CPU is important, you probably won’t learn precisely why that is just from playing PC Building Simulator. However, I emphasized a moment ago that I don’t consider this a bad thing because playing the game may inspire curiosity.

In other words, I strongly suspect that playing PC Building Simulator may cause some members of its audience to want to learn how to actually build real computers in the same way that playing Guitar Hero has inspired many people to pick up and learn to play a real guitar. In my opinion, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a scenario like that. Just don’t forget the thermal paste!

Untitled Goose Game – Discount: 25% – Sale Price: $14.99

Let me emphasize something before we go any further, folks. Due to the subject matter and the notoriety of the game listed in this entry, I don’t think it’s possible for me to adequately express just how tempted I am to write and include a parody of the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood opening theme about a certain, particularly problematic specimen of waterfowl. However, in the interest of preventing Phenixx Gaming from landing in any sort of hot water if I were to do that, I’ll refrain.

I shall instead begin this entry by recounting the internal conversation I had with myself right before I bought the game. “It’s a lovely morning in the village and you are a horrible goose,” declared Untitled Goose Game’s Steam store page. “Sold,” said I. Thus began my adventures in that tranquil village.

In all honesty folks, I haven’t played much of what I personally consider to be House House’s magnum opus. However, I do believe I’ve played enough of it thus far to justify granting it a position on this list of recommendations. I say that because it has proven itself to be a game I can turn to when I’m having a bad day and want to take that out in a way that isn’t overtly violent or chaotic. That is, when I’m upset and I don’t want to cause some mayhem in a Grand Theft Auto game, for example, I can just assume the role of a horrible goose and watch as my troubles melt away.

Some of our readers might be aware that I’ve written in the past about how gaming has helped me cope with a couple of my diagnosed mental illnesses, namely severe anxiety and clinical depression. Despite the rather bleak and violent natures of many of the games I discussed in those articles, I do greatly enjoy more lighthearted adventures much of the time when I feel my depression and/or anxiety have gotten the better of me.

Untitled Goose Game is most assuredly a title I can turn to when my depression flares up. Due to that, the least I can do is recommend it to you, too. I sincerely hope that those among our audience who may struggle with internal battles similar to my own can find solace in assuming the guise of an awful goose. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must return to attempting to honk to the exact tune of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger.”

SoulCalibur VI – Discount: 84% – Sale Price: $9.59 ($22.49 for the Deluxe Edition with all DLC)

My consistent adoration for the SoulCalibur franchise of fighting games can be traced all the way back to the GameCube port of its third mainline entry. Despite that though, I honestly didn’t initially have such high hopes when the announcement came that SoulCalibur VI would be the first title in the series to make its way to PC. To elaborate on that, a certain portion of our readers may know that I’ve become somewhat wary over the years of PC ports of particularly prominent fighting games.

That distrust is due in some part to the fairly lackluster quality of such ports of early releases from NetherRealm Studios, such as their 2011 reboot of the Mortal Kombat series. Having said that, I want to emphasize that I don’t mean to point fingers or single out NetherRealm for this. That’s especially true since the Steam versions of their later games have massively improved in my opinion, as you’ll see later on in this list.

In any case, the fact remains that I once had mixed feelings about the prospect of a SoulCalibur title heading to Steam. As a result of both this hesitation and the fact that SoulCalibur VI’s sixty-dollar price tag couldn’t immediately fit into my monthly budget, I elected to let some time pass and read some reviews about the Steam version’s quality before I ultimately picked it up as part of a long-past Humble Monthly bundle.

Imagine my delight then, when I first discovered that the game runs absolutely flawlessly even on my rapidly aging, middle-of-the-road gaming PC. I’m quite pleased to report that as a result of this, SoulCalibur VI‘s outstanding PC port has definitely helped to ease my hesitancy when it comes to fighting games on Steam. Of course, I can only attest to having played it while using a controller; I’ve never played any fighting game using a keyboard, so I have no idea how well the game does on that front.

One thing I’ve noticed that the SoulCalibur franchise has in common with the three most recent entries in the Mortal Kombat series is the inclusion of guest fighters. SoulCalibur VI is certainly no exception, as The Witcher’s Geralt of Rivia makes an appearance as a playable combatant. If you have a certain piece of DLC, you’ll also gain access to a second guest fighter in the form of none other than 2B of NieR: Automata fame.

The Tekken franchise’s eccentric master swordsman, Yoshimitsu, is also present. I honestly almost glossed over that because I’d say his appearance is a given by this point in the franchise, considering the number of SoulCalibur titles in which he has shown up. Considering that the game takes place in the sixteenth century, I must say I think Geralt fits in more naturally as a guest fighter than 2B does. Then again, having said that, this is a series that included Darth Vader and Yoda in its fifth entry. Do with that knowledge what you will.

So, how does SoulCalibur VI actually play? Well, as I said, it runs wonderfully on my PC. Beyond that, however, I’m not quite sure how else to answer that question other than by saying it plays like virtually every other title in the franchise that came before it. I may greatly enjoy most fighting titles like SoulCalibur and Mortal Kombat, but I readily admit that I’m not nearly skilled enough at them to adequately break down what novices and hardcore fighting game fans may like or dislike about this title.

In brief, the combat is still quite fun in my opinion. You can still destroy portions of your opponent’s armor by hitting them hard enough (a concept which, if I’m not mistaken, was introduced in SoulCalibur IV). You can most assuredly still create your own fighters to your heart’s content. The announcer still says ridiculous things such as, “Victory goes to the last one standing.” Finally and perhaps most importantly, Voldo is still really weird and hasn’t yet learned not to run with those scissor-like things he uses as weapons. Perhaps all of that will tempt you to give the game a try.

Red Dead Redemption 2 – Discount: 33% – Sale Price: $40.19 ($59.99 for the Ultimate Edition)

When I write lists of my personal game recommendations like this, I always make an effort to include at least one game in which I’ve gotten quite immersed in recent months. This time around, I’m awarding that designation to Rockstar Games’ massively popular cowboy simulator, Red Dead Redemption 2.

Having said that, however, I want to make clear that I still think Rockstar’s refusal to release the original Red Dead Redemption on PC is a massive shame. That’s probably due to my intrinsic bias as a strict PC-only gamer, but that’s beside the point. Still, I’ll take what I can get. I’m most certainly quite glad to have RDR 2 on Steam at last.

Due to the popularity of the Red Dead franchise, especially that of Red Dead Online, I’m almost willing to bet that the majority of our audience is at least somewhat familiar with this title. Therefore, I honestly don’t think I need to say all that much about why I’ve included it on this list now that I’ve finally spent some quality time with it. Instead, I think I’ll let my esteemed colleague Keiran take things from here as far as the rest of this entry is concerned.

To do that, however, I’ll need to engage in a bit of a shameless plug. You see, dear reader, Keiran and I have been operating the official Phenixx Gaming YouTube channel for nearly a year now as of the date of this article’s publication. Red Dead Redemption 2 is among the games Keiran has covered on our channel since we launched it. I think his review is quite spot-on in terms of my own personal experiences with the game. If you’re interested, you can check out Keiran’s video review of Red Dead Redemption 2 right here.

Injustice 2 – Discount: 80% – Sale Price: $11.99 ($12.49 for the Standard Edition with no DLC)

I decided to include another of my preferred prominent pugilistic pastimes on this year’s Steam Winter Sale roundup after writing the above entry for SoulCalibur VI. After all, nothing screams “it’s the 2020 holiday season” quite like games that encourage their players to engage in unbridled, super-powered fisticuffs if you ask me. In that case, why not duke it out while controlling legendary DC Comics characters?

That paragraph probably sounds more cynical than I intended, but I suspect there exists some portion of our audience that would agree with such a sentiment after everything we’ve all been forced to endure in the past twelve months. Besides that, I personally think certain aspects of the plot of NetherRealm Studios’ Injustice 2 just seem to mesh eerily well with the entire theme of this accursed year.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the story events of both Injustice titles, I shall do my best to expeditiously bring you up to speed before I explain why the second game in the franchise has appeared on this list. In the original Injustice: Gods Among Us, the stage is set when the Joker begins his day by detonating a nuclear warhead in the heart of Superman’s home turf of Metropolis.

Joker doesn’t stop there, though. After casually killing millions of people without so much as a second thought by setting off that nuke, Joker somehow alters Superman’s state of consciousness to such an extent that he’s able to be tricked into flying his pregnant wife Lois Lane into space. As you might imagine, this massive blunder instantly kills Lois and the couple’s unborn son, along with any hope Clark Kent ever had of becoming Super-Family-Man.

Once Superman realizes the horror and the gravity of what he was duped into doing, he proceeds to immediately and violently execute the Clown Prince of Crime right in front of Batman. Superman then somehow convinces every government on Earth to relinquish its power and authority to him. This is done in exchange for Superman’s ironclad guarantee that he and his goons will ensure the safety of the populace by personally (and brutally) bringing an end to all crime on the planet.

Having accomplished this seemingly insurmountable feat of diplomacy, Superman subsequently declares himself High Councilor of what he calls the “One Earth Regime.” Meanwhile, Batman and a handful of his fellow heroes who haven’t been recruited or killed by Superman or his underlings collectively realize that the One Earth Regime constitutes the current greatest threat to the planet, if not the entire multiverse.

The Caped Crusader and company ultimately form an insurgency in order to defeat the deranged Man of Steel and restore some semblance of sanity to Earth. Without wishing to spoil too much of the original game’s canonical ending, Batman’s insurgency eventually succeeds in toppling the High Councilor. Superman is then imprisoned in a special cell that constantly exposes him to red sunlight. This specific type of starlight renders him completely powerless, thus preventing his escape.

All of that brings us to the plot of Injustice 2. In an effort to keep things short, all I think you need to know is that Batman is eventually forced to break Superman out of his combination prison cell and tanning bed due to the resurgence of a super-intelligent villain known as Brainiac. Brainiac is the extraterrestrial being whose insatiable thirst for knowledge and the preservation thereof led directly to the destruction of Superman’s home planet, Krypton.

Due to Brainiac’s massive technological advances in combat technique and weaponry, only a Kryptonian has the capability to truly defeat him. This, as mentioned, leaves Batman and friends with no choice but to enlist the reluctant aid of a livid and vengeful Man of Steel. In an effort to avoid spoiling the end of this title’s story as well, suffice it to say that Batman and Superman once again ultimately find themselves at each other’s throats over their differing opinions in regards to Brainiac’s final fate.

Those plot summaries weren’t quite as brief as I had hoped to be able to keep them. I blame that on my tendency to not know when to shut up once I start talking about DC Comics or anything related to them. In any case, I think I’ve gotten across enough of the story that you won’t be caught completely unawares if you decide to pick up Injustice 2 without having played its predecessor’s story campaign.

However, if you’re still curious about the plots of either game and you don’t yet own them, it just so happens that I’ve fortuitously reviewed both titles in the past. You can check out those articles here and here if you would like to read more of my in-depth thoughts on the Injustice franchise. You might also want to have a look at a video produced by my esteemed colleague Mike and myself if you wish to see the game in action. Having plugged all of that, I can now finally address the question of why I’ve granted Injustice 2 a spot on my Steam Winter Sale recommendation roundup this year.

There are two reasons I wanted to take this opportunity to suggest that you consider checking out Injustice 2. Firstly, you’ll recall that I mentioned earlier that I don’t want to discredit NetherRealm Studios for initially releasing lackluster Windows versions of their games. It’s just that NetherRealm happened to be the first example I could think of for the sake of comparison. As mentioned, I readily acknowledge that the PC ports of 2011’s Mortal Kombat and the original Injustice: Gods Among Us could’ve used some serious optimization work in my experience. There’s no denying that.

However, I believe NetherRealm’s more recent releases, such as Mortal Kombat X, Mortal Kombat 11, and yes, Injustice 2 all collectively serve as particularly strong evidence that NetherRealm is both willing and able to improve the quality of their games based on community feedback. I hate to say it, but it certainly seems to me as though that specific quality is becoming increasingly rare among triple-A game developers and publishers.

Secondly, outside of the more troubling aspects of its story such as Superman’s violently oppressive and authoritarian One Earth Regime, I think Injustice 2 is just plain fun. I personally believe that if you find yourself looking for a way to introduce a younger (yet still age-appropriate) audience to the DC Comics universe or NetherRealm Studios’ list of games, without wanting to expose them to the unadulterated violence of the Mortal Kombat series, Injustice 2 and its predecessor are a sufficient way to do so.

That may sound like a bit of a ridiculous reason to recommend a game considering its subject matter, but I ask that you hear me out. Yes, Injustice 2 is most assuredly still fairly violent. That’s in its nature as a fighting game, especially one developed by many of the people behind one of, if not the most controversial fighting game franchise in the history of video games.

However, NetherRealm made a conscious effort to restrain the violence in the Injustice franchise so that the series could maintain a “Teen” rating from the ESRB. No, the games definitely aren’t made for younger children, but their content isn’t nearly as extreme as I would argue that it could be. Personally, as a lifelong Mortal Kombat fan, a certain part of me wishes NetherRealm hadn’t gone that route since there’s so much they could do with the DC Comics license if they allowed themselves to do what they’re arguably best at. Aside from the fiasco that was Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, of course.

Putting aside my own preferences on that front though, I think the duo of Injustice games are at least somewhat more appropriate for younger audiences, precisely because of their toned-down violence and, for example, a total absence of finishing moves. As I said a moment ago, these games may contain fisticuffs and their stories may be somewhat frightening, but just imagine what may have been if the Injustice franchise had been slapped with a “Mature” or even “Adults Only” rating.

It’s also worth noting that since NetherRealm can apparently get the licensing rights to any character they even slightly want to include in any of their games, Injustice 2 has more of a, shall we say, fantastical element to it. Essentially, if you’ve ever wanted to see the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles beat the snot out of Superman, or pretty much anyone else noteworthy from DC Comics for that matter, this is the game for you. Provided you have the appropriate DLC, of course.

There you have it, my friends! A sufficiently lengthy list of fifteen games (counting the individual titles present in both aforementioned trilogy bundles) that I would recommend you check out before the conclusion of 2020’s Steam Winter Sale. Of course, if there are any games you would suggest that I and/or your fellow readers ought to take a look at while the sale is on, please feel free to mention them in the comments below. In the meantime, I suggest we all prepare to finally say goodbye and good riddance to 2020 and pledge to do everything we can to make 2021 a significantly better year!