The early access Black Friday sale started today on the Xbox store, and it couldn’t come at a better time. All week, we’ve been plagued with the bad news about EA, and as many people are clamoring for refunds, they’ll soon find their biggest problem:
What do they play over Thanksgiving break, now?
That’s where these early deals are a saving grace. It’s really a boon for all gamers, but especially those who have to be quite picky about their gaming. The folks who don’t always have the scratch or the time to really pump into a game, and are looking for something to enjoy in the fleeting moments.
You folks are my target audience.
I know what it’s like to only have the one free day off to put into a game, or having to stretch your time, an hour a day here and there. So I’m going to be reviewing games that are on sale or have dropped in price, and I’ll be focusing on how much you can really get out of a short burst of game, and whether it’s worth the time in the long run.
And for this first article, I will be doing a bit of a round up of a few Black Friday games, arranged by price, to give you a little idea of what you can look forward to. The prices on here are for folks with the Gold Xbox Live membership. The deals start for them on November 17, while all access begins on the 23, and the sale will run until the 27, so there is a little time to weigh options and get some time to play. My PS4 pals are not getting as great of a deal up front, as the PS Plus early deals are pretty much only newer release titles (only one of which I will touch on here), but more deals are to come for you folks starting the 21, however the list isn’t officially out yet.
The Best Bang for Your Buck (and a New Release):
*South Park: The Fractured But Whole-$40.19 Xbone, $42 PS4:
Look, if you like South Park, this game is worth a buy. For those who played the Stick of Truth and enjoyed it, it’s worth a buy. For those who need convincing, it’s a fun turn-based RPG, with some tactical block movement based combat. I clocked in a good 18 hours and got all collectibles and whatnot. For me, with the amount of enjoyment and largely a lack of issues, I found it to be worth it.
The action is not grounded in reality like Stick of Truth, as superheroes your character will now shoot lasers and all manner of wacky shit. But you get a good collection of characters to pick as party members, and get a decent variety in abilities among team members. There is a character sheet that gets filled throughout the game that features things like sexual orientation and religion, that while being fun jumping off points for South Park-y jokes, are also pretty deep customization tools if taken in a role playing mind set. Which is how I play pretty much every game, really.
The action is quick, and though the encounters are mostly random, you can see them coming. This made it pretty easy to put good time in via short bursts of playing, and the load times were never rough enough to feel like I was wasting valuable time. Putting in a six-hour chunk wasn’t too painful either, as they bosses throughout the campaign are decently varied, and I enjoyed the combat enough that it didn’t feel stale.
All in all, if you’re looking to get a current game, and have a little more dough to blow, I’d get on it.
*Telltale Games Collection-$44 or $6.25 for each game’s season:
This is the priciest thing on the list, but for me was worth it. Telltale Games is a team of dudes who used to work in the old point and click industry in the 90s, and they’ve essentially brought the tried and true formula to the modern age. The collection features The Walking Dead seasons 1 and 2, The Wolf Among Us, Tales from the Borderlands, and Game of Thrones, so you’re getting a nice chunk of storytelling.
Each game is broken up into episodes, and play out a like TV shows with “Previously on…” stingers and the like. I really enjoy the set up. And each episode usually averages around two or so hours with each game, and include decent autosave points, so you really can break up the action if needed. Each game plays similarly, focusing on character conversations, featuring the ability to respond as the player character in different ways. The responses affect how characters perceive you, and can affect story outcomes. It’s a fun formula, and does allow for some creative choose-your-own-adventure action. These moments are broken up by mild puzzle solving and item gathering, and some quick time events for moments of combat and the like.
The big difference between the games here is the subject matter. The Walking Dead games are based on the Robert Kirkman comic book universe, and the graphics style looks like the pages come to life. It runs parallel to the Rick Grimes story, and even has you running into a few familiar faces (even for the TV audience), which was a fun experience.
The Wolf Among Us is based on a comic series by Bill Willingham called Fables, about the characters from childhood fairy tales being driven from their homes to New York City, where they have hidden through magic until modern times, and have a thriving community. You play as Bigby Wolf (guess who he is), as the sheriff of this community, and you must work to solve a series of grisly murders. It’s seriously rad.
Tales from the Borderlands is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a story taking place in the Borderlands video game series. It’s more of a comedy than its Telltale predecessors, being set in a goofier universe, which is a nice charming contrast. You play as both a wily con artist named Fiona, and a corporate suit named Rhys, played by Chris Hardwick of the Nerdist. They both want glory, and neither wants the other to have any, it’s a fun buddy comedy romp.
Finally, the Game of Thrones game. I honestly did not put much time into this one, as I am actually not a Game of Thrones fan. I know, I know, but that’s a debate for another day. I can say that the change in graphics didn’t work quite as well as it looks in still pictures. They animate a bit strangely, and I think the way that cell shading can blur the edges, might have hid some of this in the previous games. Despite this, it is the familiar gameplay, and has you playing as different members of House Forrester as they deal with their own issues brought up by the War. So if you are super into the Thrones world, as most people are, it might be a fun perspective on the universe. Either way, the price for a package of games like these, is one I would choose in a timed conversation event, if you know what I’m saying.
*Witcher 3 Complete Edition- $20:
This is one of the few games on the list that I would say, if you can only afford one game until next year, this is the one to get. Holy shit, for $20 there is so much content on here, it’s almost gross. Like, gluttonous. Projekt Red, the team behind the game, has said there is potentially two hundred hours of gameplay, with people averaging out at seventy-five hours. You could almost learn a language in that time. That’s why I play the game in its native Polish.
But if you don’t like fantasy, or naked breasts, you’re shit out of luck. This game is some pretty dark fantasy, with an interesting lore. The world is based on a Polish book series, by author Andrzej Sapkowski, and is (obviously) the third in a series of games that began on the PC. The story follows a Witcher, Geralt of Rivia, whose job is to hunt monsters (but not witches, oddly) and who is searching for a fellow run away Witcher, while hunting bounties and chasing a mystical ghost type group known as the Wild Hunt. Jesus, that was a lot for one sentence, but we’re past it, so I’m moving on.
The set up allows for a ton of exploration of an absolutely massive world. You travel through swamps and forests, to small villages via your trusty horse Roach. Each town has a bounty board featuring new monsters to kill, villagers to rescue, and even little flavor notes for town-to-town lore. It helps build a bigger picture to the day to day of this world, and is fun to see NPCs react to seeing a Witcher for the first time. The game looks very nice, with lush environments and gross ass creatures.
And of course lovely ladies. Geralt is quite a ladies man, and you can meet many women who would like to get to know him. It’s a fun addition to the world building and has been a big part of the franchise since the card collecting side quest of the first game. It’s a truly adult fantasy in many ways, with political strife, disease, racism, it builds a real, suffering world. And allows for many different play types, with magic, close combat, and ranged weapons to choose from. The combat isn’t always as tight as it should be, but this game is so enjoyable for the adult RPG enthusiast, I think it’s worth very dime.
*Borderlands Handsome Collection- $19.80
The Borderlands series is one I hold close to my heart. I have been a massive fan since the very beginning, through some rough early day glitches, and heartbreaking story points. This collection features Borderlands 2 and the Borderlands Pre-Sequel. Both games have been graphically improved from their original releases, and are as lovely and bright as ever.
The games follow a collection of misfit “Vault Hunters” who, for various reasons, are searching for fame, glory, and guns. They play like if Diablo were a first person shooter, with RPG character progression, class based special attacks, and tons of loot. Enemies burst with guns and money at a nearly alarming rate. Its great fun, but dangerous for the hoarder types out there.
The stand out thing for me is the couch co-op. I don’t want to rant, but I hate how little we have of couch co-op anymore. Cuphead and a few other rare examples are keeping it alive, but many shooters and even racing games these days don’t have it. It’s a whole thing. Anyway, for the dough, this two pack is definitely worth grabbing, especially if you have a pal or family member you want to frag with this holiday season.
Mortal Kombat X- $8, Kombat Pack 2-$10
What can I say about this one? It’s Mortal Kombat, it’s as gorgeous and gross as ever. It’s cheap as hell. That’s it, go buy it and punch a loved one.
I guess I can also say that the game features a pretty neat story mode. I completed (kompleted?) it in about five and a half hours, so it’s a good day off kind of jam. It tells a story of both characters we know from the old series, and their children, all grown up and ripping spines too. You rotate characters, playing as the main roster, giving you a nice way to see who you’re really comfortable with, especially nice given the new cast members.
It also features the usual Krypt mode, to unlock art and new costumes, the Versus mode to punch your friends, a faction mode, rewarding you for punching other people, and the old school tower punch-a-bunch-of-computer-characters mode. You can’t go wrong. Only one hunk of DLC is currently on sale, and features Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw massacre and the Xenomorph from Aliens, as well as a couple of other characters. If you want Jason or the Predator, you’ll have to go full price. But still, a good grab for any fighter fans. Relieve that stress of thanksgiving dinner, by eviscerating grandma!
Quickies!
+Fallout 4 GOTY- $30: I am a massive Fallout fan, talking since the original. I did not, love this one. Though the story is too linear, the mods, now available on console, can help give you a freer post-apocalyptic playground. A big game, for the price tag, quicksaves available, beware of glitchies.
+GTA V-$30: It’s GTA V, just get it already. It’s got first person now, it’s pretty, story is fun (little Pete is in it), and it has online if that matters to you. Just get it already, damn.
~Under $20~
+FarCry 4- $16: Another big one for the price. Great first person shooter, lots of customizing guns, neat story, you can ride elephants.
+Just Cause 3 XL- $16.90: My other “if you can only get one game,” candidate. Story is super loose, but it’s all about exploring, and blowing shit up. Massive map, plenty of vehicles, endless stunt possibilities. Why buy it? Just ‘cause.
+Mass Effect: Andromeda- $16: Not as tight of a story as the original trilogy, but feels a bit more free. All about exploring new worlds, car is back but doesn’t blow, combat adds jetpack boosters, fun cast of characters. A decent, mostly pretty, Sci-Fi RPG experience.
~Under $10~
+Rise of the Tomb Raider- $9.90: Laura’s got her groove back. Actually features tombs to raid, has really fun movement controls, and decent puzzles. Looks lovely, all the snow. Just a fun ride, for under ten bucks.
+State of Decay Year one Edition- $7.50: Also has an absolutely massive amount of stuff. Really feels like zombies, slow mostly, but rough in groups. More about actually securing yourselves than just mowing down monsters. Features exploration, supply management, and some mild tower defense. Very tense, and has the joy that is permadeath.
Well, I know that this was a hefty ass post, but I hope it can help you figure out something to please your gaming needs. There are still plenty on sale, that I haven’t had the pleasure of putting the obligatory six hours into, including Forza Horizon 3, which looks awesome. My original review this week was going to be of Horizon 2, and I’ll just say I loved it. You can see me swerve on a Mixer video I posted to the Freshly Baked Podcast facebook page, and if 3 is even half as fun as 2, I would say get it. It’s in Australia, this time! Anyhoo, watch that facebook page, and check out freshlybakednetwork.com for more essays, and times that I will be streaming on mixer.com/eBoneSteak420.
Until then, play away.