Most of the time, I’m an FPS guy: third-person shooters tend to lack the immersive qualities of first-person bang-bang, and the weird over-the-shoulder perspective makes aiming a headache (which I am sure has nothing to do with the fact that I don’t play many TPS games). But every now and then one comes along that’s just too good to ignore, which very circuitously brings us to the point: The new Steam TPS Fest, a week-sale that’s all about disembodied gunplay.
“It’s a fest full of games in the third person,” the TPS Fest page says helpfully. “And those persons are shooters.” And indeed they are, but in terms of specific genre—at least as defined by Steam—there’s quite a range to choose from: 569 action games, 276 adventures, 101 RPGs, 81 “casual” games, 63 strategy, 54 sims, eight sports games, and—somehow–two racing games. (I suspect someone may be playing a little fast-and-loose with some of those designations.)
Anyway, the pick of the litter as far as I’m concerned has to be Control Ultimate Edition, which includes the base game, The Foundation and AWE expansions, and all other additional content for just $4/£3.29/€4—90% off the regular price. That’s a whole lot of videogame for four bucks, and Control really is primo stuff—and, I have to admit, its extremely effective blend of gunplay and powers almost certainly works better in third person than it would as an FPS.
My personal favorite, though, is Max Payne 3, and I mention it specifically because it’s grossly underrated and deserves the love—and if you haven’t played the first two and don’t especially want to, this final part of the trilogy works perfectly well as a standalone game. It’s an incredibly cinematic shooter, very different from Remedy’s take on the character (which is mainly why it tends to be not as well regarded) but easily up to their level. For $6/£5.39/€6, you won’t regret it.
And if you do want to play the first two Max Payne games (and you should), you can also get those on the cheap. Take note, however, that the Max Payne Complete Pack bundle, which includes all three games, actually costs more right now than buying the games separately. I have no idea why and it might be changed at some point, but for now double-check before you push the button.
Helldivers 2, one of the most popular third-person games to come along in years, is actually not on sale right now, but that’s okay because Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint and Ghost Recon Wildlands are, and they’re both a lot of fun, especially if you can jump in with a friend or two.
Breakpoint had an infamously tough start but Ubisoft did a good job of whipping it into shape with post-launch updates, and for $6/£5/€6—90% off—it’s a solid pick. Wildlands is actually 50 cents more than Breakpoint for some reason, and I quite like it too, but honestly you don’t need both. Breakpoint would be my pick, but maybe check to see what your friends are already into if you’re not sure which way to go.
Sniper Elite 5: Maybe you get tired of X-ray nut shots. I do not. $10/£9/€10, 80% off.
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Earth Defense Force 6—I used to work with a guy who was a big fan of the EDF games, and this one is a solid addition to the series. Half-price, $30/£25/€30.
Star Wars Outlaws may not be the most original Star Wars idea, but it’s still a very good game—I’d probably play it myself, except I really don’t like Star Wars. If you do, you can score this one for $31.49/£27/€3149, less than half the regular price. If you’re not sure, there’s a demo so you can get a feel for what it’s all about.
Senior editor Wes Fenlon is a big Risk of Rain fan, and that’s good enough for me: Risk of Rain 2 is 67% off, taking it down to $8.24/6.59/€8.24.
If you like a little survival horror mixed in with your firefights, The Callisto Protocol is down to $9/£7.49/€9, 85% off. It wasn’t a huge hit but it does what it does quite well.
And one more, although there’s a lot more to rifle through than just what I’ve mentioned here: Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is 95% off, taking it to just $3.49/£3/€3.49. And sure, it had problems, was probably a bad idea right from the jump, but if you can’t get three bucks of fun out of this thing, I think we have to consider the possibility that it might be a “you” problem.
So there you have it, even more ways to spend your money on Steam. You’re welcome. Steam’s Third Person Shooter Fest is live now and runs until September 1—after that, you get a week off and then it’s time for the Steam Political Sim Fest. No, I am not kidding.
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