I have a budget, and the STEAM SALE is coming up.

[MacLovin]

Hello SF

Let's keep this simple.

Also, please note if there's any expansion packs worth getting please.

-$50 Budget.

-PC Specs - Intel I3 motherboard, 4 gigs of memory, and a geforce210 video card.

My general idea is to pick two (Or just one+DLC) of the first tier, 2 (or all) of the second, and 1-2 of the third

Oh and I don't have a gamepad of any kind.

List.

Big name expensive ones.

Endless Legends

Age of Wonders 3

Divinity:Dragon Commander(Idk, honestly)

Grey Goo(Idk, I'm questioning this one due to the reviews)

Seriously considering-

Skulls of the Shogun

Chroma Squad

Heroes of Might and Magic 3 HD Edition vs The GoG.com Complete.

I couldn't pick up the GoG.com one on sale, and the HD edition might as well tide me over anyways.

IRONCLAD TACTICS

Need further opinions and feedback.

Apotheon

Age of Mythology

Agarest Warrrrs

Freedom Force vs 3rd Reich

Transistor

STARTOPIA

WARLOCK 2

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN

Sid Meier's Pirates vs Sid Meier's Ace patrol

Tropico 4-Complete

Invisible Inc.

Command and Conquer:Red Alert 3

Planetary Annihilation

Castlestorm (idk)

Age of Empires 2/3 (which steam edition?)

[Magical CC]

Endless Legends: great but it requires a good system to play. The dlc are good and the developers are cool. Worth getting if you ask me. But honestly, I dont have any dlc, you are on your own here.

Age of Wonders 3: great too. From my experience, the dlc are great, new races, campaigns and features, not just some pointless dlc. The developers are cool too. It's a tough choice between this and EL since both games are kinda similar. The Eternal Lords is a good dlc, new features, class and campaign. If you want to buy AoW3 then you should buy The Eternal Lordst too. The great part about AoW3 and EL are they keep pumping out new update and new good dlc, it's rare to see that nowadays.

Divinity:Dragon Commander(Idk, honestly) : Nah. It's not bad but compared to the other games on the list? Not worth buying. Honestly, you will regret getting it. I know, since I got it...it's the kind of game that you play once and forget. I got bored even before beating the game.

Grey Goo: dont know.

Skulls of the Shogun: dont know

Chroma Squad: dont know

Heroes of Might and Magic 3 HD Edition vs The GoG.com Complete : GOG complete edition is way better. I made a topic complaining about HD Edition if you want to know. If you choose HD Edition then pray God that they will release the HD Edition for the dlc since they didnt include the dlc. You basically lose a lot of things without the dlc.

IRONCLAD TACTICS: I dont know

Apotheon: not bad, but for a platform game, I want more. It's honestly not even as fun as the metroid games on gba. Only get it if you want a full screen megaman game with weird control system on your pc.

Age of Mythology: the new edition? If you havent played it before then it's worth getting it. After all, it is a cult classic. Honestly, get it if it is in sale.

Agarest Warrrrs: Nooooooooooooooooooo. Worse than FE Awakening or any FE ever. Only get them if you want boring, repeating and grinding gameplay in your dating sim (The girls are beautiful, the only positive point of the whole franchise)

Freedom Force vs 3rd Reich: Pretty good. But are you into cheesy 80s super heroes stuff? If you are, then yes. If you are not, then no. I repeat, this game is super cheesy.

Transistor: dont know.

STARTOPIA: good old game. I played it and loved it when I was young....great memory.

WARLOCK 2: dont know.

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN: dont know

Sid Meier's Pirates vs Sid Meier's Ace patrol: Pirates rule! Probably the best pirate sim ever.

Tropico 4-Complete: dont know

Invisible Inc.: Pretty good. If you are into 80s spy movie then yes, get it.

Command and Conquer:Red Alert 3: Really? That's a cult classic and a good game. But you certainly dont want to waste your budget on such an old game especially when Empires 2 is also on your list.

Planetary Annihilation: dont know:

Castlestorm (idk): dont know.

Age of Empires 2/3 (which steam edition?): Are you into hardcore rts? Because if you are not then you will not like it. The HD edition of Empires 2 is the best game ever if you are into hardcore rts. The expansion for the HD edition is so-so, only get it if you have extra bucks to spend.

Edited June 8, 2015 by Magical CC

[Sentacotus]

Sid Meir's Pirates is a must if you don't have it already. Also Red Alert 3 is ok I like it but I'd recommend getting Red Alert 2 if you're interested in the series and it should be dirt cheap now.

[Belisarius]

only game(s) ive played on this list are AOE 2 and 3. theyre both excellent games but both very different, with 3 being easier but feels deeper overall, and 2 just being a really great old school rts. i have not played the AOE2 expansion so i cant comment on that.

have you checked out Aarklash: Legacy? its similar to some of the games on your list and im almost positive it will be about $5 when the sale hits. it also has a demo though im not sure how representative of the complete game it is as i have not tried it.

[Bankai]

Confirming Sid Meier Pirate's is a great game. Skull of shoguns really isn't worth it I have it on PS4 and it's pretty boring.

[eclipse]

Agarest (the only one I recognize) - You have to pay attention to the game. . .unlike most of its genre, where you can go on auto-pilot. If you do a completionist run, you'll probably hate yourself. If you screw around, it's a lot more fun.

If you want something cheap, replayable, and really difficult, I'd recommend Faster than Light - it's pretty cheap, and the replay value is insane. I've also heard good things about Long Live the Queen, too.

[Dual Dragons]

Only played Long Live the Queen and liked it. I liked the different ways you can handle a situation and the variances that can happen in a playthrough--but I used a guide to get the exact numbers on the week I want them for obtaining all the achievements. If you get the game and you're going for all achievements, do some research and plan a little. A few of the achievements happen to share each other or their requirements.

Overall a fun and unique title.

[MacLovin]

Endless Legends: great but it requires a good system to play. The dlc are good and the developers are cool. Worth getting if you ask me. But honestly, I dont have any dlc, you are on your own here.

Can my PC meet the minimum at least?

Age of Wonders 3: great too. From my experience, the dlc are great, new races, campaigns and features, not just some pointless dlc. The developers are cool too. It's a tough choice between this and EL since both games are kinda similar. The Eternal Lords is a good dlc, new features, class and campaign. If you want to buy AoW3 then you should buy The Eternal Lordst too. The great part about AoW3 and EL are they keep pumping out new update and new good dlc, it's rare to see that nowadays.

Which game gives me more variety in units and turn based battle stuff.

Divinity:Dragon Commander(Idk, honestly) : Nah. It's not bad but compared to the other games on the list? Not worth buying. Honestly, you will regret getting it. I know, since I got it...it's the kind of game that you play once and forget. I got bored even before beating the game.

I'll sit on this for a long time

Grey Goo: dont know.

Skulls of the Shogun: dont know

Chroma Squad: dont know

Heroes of Might and Magic 3 HD Edition vs The GoG.com Complete : GOG complete edition is way better. I made a topic complaining about HD Edition if you want to know. If you choose HD Edition then pray God that they will release the HD Edition for the dlc since they didnt include the dlc. You basically lose a lot of things without the dlc.

yeah but is the HD edition worth getting if I don't have the 7 bucks left in my budget?

IRONCLAD TACTICS: I dont know

Apotheon: not bad, but for a platform game, I want more. It's honestly not even as fun as the metroid games on gba. Only get it if you want a full screen megaman game with weird control system on your pc.

define wierd controls?

Age of Mythology: the new edition? If you havent played it before then it's worth getting it. After all, it is a cult classic. Honestly, get it if it is in sale.

I really like the concept. Shame Rise of Legends isn't availible anywhere though

Agarest Warrrrs: Nooooooooooooooooooo. Worse than FE Awakening or any FE ever. Only get them if you want boring, repeating and grinding gameplay in your dating sim (The girls are beautiful, the only positive point of the whole franchise)

I don't mind it as long as it's not one of those games that takes forever to play

Freedom Force vs 3rd Reich: Pretty good. But are you into cheesy 80s super heroes stuff? If you are, then yes. If you are not, then no. I repeat, this game is super cheesy.

HELL YES.

ARE THERE GORILLAS?

Transistor: dont know.

STARTOPIA: good old game. I played it and loved it when I was young....great memory.

WARLOCK 2: dont know.

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN: dont know

Sid Meier's Pirates vs Sid Meier's Ace patrol: Pirates rule! Probably the best pirate sim ever.

Tropico 4-Complete: dont know

Invisible Inc.: Pretty good. If you are into 80s spy movie then yes, get it.

YES

Command and Conquer:Red Alert 3: Really? That's a cult classic and a good game. But you certainly dont want to waste your budget on such an old game especially when Empires 2 is also on your list.

I DON'T REALLY MIND, IT'S NOT THAT OLD.

Planetary Annihilation: dont know:

Castlestorm (idk): dont know.

Age of Empires 2/3 (which steam edition?): Are you into hardcore rts? Because if you are not then you will not like it. The HD edition of Empires 2 is the best game ever if you are into hardcore rts. The expansion for the HD edition is so-so, only get it if you have extra bucks to spend.

OH POO.

I'm also looking at

Kings Quest Crossroads

XCom:Enemy Unknown

Massive Chalice.

Defcon

Galactic Civ. 2/3

Supreme Commander Series.

Sorceror King.

Homeworld:Remastered

are these worth it in any manner.

Oh and city building games on steam/gog (Caeser 3, . (Except for Cities Skyline/Simcity. The former's really good and the latter's lackluster atm.)

I'm thinking of looking at getting the gog HOMM/city builder bundle if it's on sale this weekend.

Edited June 9, 2015 by Starfox

[Magical CC]

Endless Legends: great but it requires a good system to play. The dlc are good and the developers are cool. Worth getting if you ask me. But honestly, I dont have any dlc, you are on your own here.

Can my PC meet the minimum at least?

Answer: the system requirements are on steam. It's less demanding than Rome 2 for sure.

Age of Wonders 3: great too. From my experience, the dlc are great, new races, campaigns and features, not just some pointless dlc. The developers are cool too. It's a tough choice between this and EL since both games are kinda similar. The Eternal Lords is a good dlc, new features, class and campaign. If you want to buy AoW3 then you should buy The Eternal Lordst too. The great part about AoW3 and EL are they keep pumping out new update and new good dlc, it's rare to see that nowadays.

Which game gives me more variety in units and turn based battle stuff.

Answer: AoW3, I believe.

Divinity:Dragon Commander(Idk, honestly) : Nah. It's not bad but compared to the other games on the list? Not worth buying. Honestly, you will regret getting it. I know, since I got it...it's the kind of game that you play once and forget. I got bored even before beating the game.

I'll sit on this for a long time

Answer: yeah

Heroes of Might and Magic 3 HD Edition vs The GoG.com Complete : GOG complete edition is way better. I made a topic complaining about HD Edition if you want to know. If you choose HD Edition then pray God that they will release the HD Edition for the dlc since they didnt include the dlc. You basically lose a lot of things without the dlc.

yeah but is the HD edition worth getting if I don't have the 7 bucks left in my budget?

Answer: actually no. The HD edition did a good job with full screen resolution but the changes are not that much. You can barely recognize the different unless you open both games at the same time from 2 monitors and look really hard.

Apotheon: not bad, but for a platform game, I want more. It's honestly not even as fun as the metroid games on gba. Only get it if you want a full screen megaman game with weird control system on your pc.

define wierd controls?

Answer: hmm...like, how you move, how you fight, how you aim, ect. Also, my right hand felt tired just after 2 hours playing this game while I can play point&click games like Diablo 2 or shooting mania like Borderlands 2 for a whole day without feeling tired.

Age of Mythology: the new edition? If you havent played it before then it's worth getting it. After all, it is a cult classic. Honestly, get it if it is in sale.

I really like the concept. Shame Rise of Legends isn't availible anywhere though

Answer: Yeah, the concept is cool. The gameplay is too since it's similar to Empires 2.

Agarest Warrrrs: Nooooooooooooooooooo. Worse than FE Awakening or any FE ever. Only get them if you want boring, repeating and grinding gameplay in your dating sim (The girls are beautiful, the only positive point of the whole franchise)

I don't mind it as long as it's not one of those games that takes forever to play

Answer: Well...

Freedom Force vs 3rd Reich: Pretty good. But are you into cheesy 80s super heroes stuff? If you are, then yes. If you are not, then no. I repeat, this game is super cheesy.

HELL YES.

ARE THERE GORILLAS?

Answer: Hmm...there are dinosaurs (T-rex and velociraptor), giant ants, mutant communists and nazi samurai. I dont remember if there are gorillas.

Invisible Inc.: Pretty good. If you are into 80s spy movie then yes, get it.

YES

Answer: well, then get it. The gameplay is actually cool with a mix of RPG, turn base tactics and and stealth.

Command and Conquer:Red Alert 3: Really? That's a cult classic and a good game. But you certainly dont want to waste your budget on such an old game especially when Empires 2 is also on your list.

I DON'T REALLY MIND, IT'S NOT THAT OLD.

Answer: really? It's up to you then.

Kings Quest Crossroads - dont know

XCom:Enemy Unknown - a really good game. The DLC Enemy within is a must if you want to buy this game since they added a lot of cool stuff. 8/10.

Massive Chalice. - dont know

Defcon - dont know

Galactic Civ. 2/3 - Arg, the second game is good but Endless Space is just better. Dont know about the third one. 7/10

Supreme Commander Series - I played the first game, it's good. Dont know about the second one but all I heard were complains and negative reviews. 7/10

Sorceror King. - dont know

Homeworld:Remastered - a piece of art. One of the best I have ever played. Even if you have already played the old version, any fan of space sim should get this edition. It's truly a remastered game with cool new features. It's truly amazing that they didnt mess it up. 10/10.

Edited June 9, 2015 by Magical CC

[MacLovin]

are there any other games similar to rise of nations/HOMM?

I'm kinda looking for a good sci fi strategy game that isn't too pushy on the video card.

I'm seriously considering C&C Red Alert 3. the game looks and sounds like pure fun.

[DeadGame]

Psychonauts, Brütal Legend (that Jack Black - Heavy Metal game with the sweet RTS elements) and Outcast, these are the games I highly suggest anyone to try. They're that good!

During Steam Sale, they'll probably be like 2$ each!

Btw, there's also a sublime sale going on over at GOG.com and the best part is, it's DRM free so it's yours, all yours!

Edited June 10, 2015 by Ragnar

[Magical CC]

are there any other games similar to rise of nations/HOMM?

I'm kinda looking for a good sci fi strategy game that isn't too pushy on the video card.

I'm seriously considering C&C Red Alert 3. the game looks and sounds like pure fun.

Warhammer 40k: Dark Crusade and Soulstorm. It has similar world map with many regions for you to invade, each has bonus that will make your army stronger. There are heroes you can upgrade. It's a real time sci-fi strategy with: space orcs, space undeads, space elves and space communists. Each faction has a super unit that is super costy but super strong. Unit type matters, you can even choose what kind of weapons your unit gonna use. Honestly, this game is just better than Red Alert 3.

If you want turn based sci-fi strategy, Endless Space and...and..........hmm........Galactic Civ 2?

Hold on! If you dont mind old games then there's Battlecry Warlord 3! It's a real time strategy with open world map you can choose where to go and where to fight. Heroes, generals and units you can carry with you in your campaign. Your main hero can gains skill, spell and equip items. Multiple choices that will affect which races shall be playable. A ton of races and many races have different game mechanics. It's a cool old game that seems to be lost in history.

Edited June 10, 2015 by Magical CC

[MacLovin]

I just found out that my geforce 210 512 MB video card might not work with Age of Wonders 3. :/

(I have issues running Civ 5 even on lowest res and all the extra shit removed.)

thanks for the recs. Anyone know if Tropico 4/5, the Disciples series, and Supreme Commander series are worth it? I'll have to go with games that are lower end :/.

idk how to overclock my gpu though. or if I can do it.

[Magical CC]

I just found out that my geforce 210 512 MB video card might not work with Age of Wonders 3. :/

(I have issues running Civ 5 even on lowest res and all the extra shit removed.)

thanks for the recs. Anyone know if Tropico 4/5, the Disciples series, and Supreme Commander series are worth it? I'll have to go with games that are lower end :/.

idk how to overclock my gpu though. or if I can do it.

Here here here, the Disciples 2 is great. It has only 5 factions but all of the units are well done and unique. Each of unit you use will affect your strategy. You can level them up, let them evolve into new units, learn new skills and all. It's about how many you have but how well you use them. Your heroes can fight in the battle and they are crucial to your team, not because they are strong but because their skills are useful. You can buy units,spells, items from shop in the maps. There are only 2 types of resources, gold and mana and god, you will fight to death to protect them because they are really precious. After each maps, you can choose to keep some heroes, items or units based on your points. Units and buildings are well drawn, actually, really well drawn and the campaigns have good story (but kinda short). It's fun to play but has slow pace compared to Age of Wonders or Heroes. With that said, the spells are cool, up to Age of Wonders cool. You can create forest for your elf units to hide, raise mountains or destroy them, turn the ground to lava for your demonic army.

The disciples 3 is...boring, not good....the disciple 2 is old....well....if your pc cannot even play CIV 5 in lowest setting.....I dont know if you can even play Endless Space. Supreme Commander 1 is also good if you are into sci-fi RTS. Warhammer 40k: Dark Crusade and Soulstorm are both great and you can certainly play them without worrying.

[Captain Karnage]

1. look into the indie section for some super cheap games, seriously they can put out some good ones for like $.50 (get Little Dew is awesome)

2. why the hell did you have to remind me this is coming up, my wallet is still recovering from last year

3 steam summer sale in a nutshell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoGxA48HQ1g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C3mh5O_2nk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=102&v=yr2GdRBDOmU

Edited June 12, 2015 by Captain Karnage

[Magical CC]

Currently, Homeworld Remastered is just 15 bucks. Great deal if you ask me, it is on your list anyway.

Edited June 12, 2015 by Magical CC

[MacLovin]

turns out my pc might not be able to run homeworld remastered. damn video card doesn't meet the lowest specs.

I can't buy things on GoG.com, since I'm not in a place wherein I can buy things with american money.

[MacLovin]

I got AoW3, but it lagged forever. So I requested a refund.

I also got Fallen Enchantress:Legendary Heroes and Eodor, because I want to find one fantasy 4x that can run on my pc.

the warlock games are on sale, but the Warlock 1 demo lags slightly..

guess that means it's time to get DEFCON and a bunch of oldies!

how's Seven Kings 2HD?

Also if I do, which warhammer40K expansion should I get?

Edited June 12, 2015 by Starfox

[Magical CC]

I got AoW3, but it lagged forever. So I requested a refund.

I also got Fallen Enchantress:Legendary Heroes and Eodor, because I want to find one fantasy 4x that can run on my pc.

the warlock games are on sale, but the Warlock 1 demo lags slightly..

guess that means it's time to get DEFCON and a bunch of oldies!

how's Seven Kings 2HD?

Also if I do, which warhammer40K expansion should I get?

Fallen Enchantress is cool little game. It's good but a little too limited for my taste. It's certainly a fun game.

Warhammer 40k: Soulstorm if you want largest amount of factions. Warhammer 40k: Dark Crusader if you want a more balanced game. However, you can fix anything with a right amount of mods. Warhammer 40k has a healthy mod community so I think you should get Soulstorm.

I tried Seven Kings 2 HD...while I dont really care about graphics, the graphics of this game hurt my eyes. It's even worse than Diablo 2 in the term of graphics. I only test this game for 30 minutes so I cant say anything about except the painful graphics.

Warlock is also as demanding as Beyond Earth (the newest CIV game)...if the demo is lagging then I dont think you can play the game at all. You should upgrade your computer for real. If you have trouble playing CIV5, all of your choices are limited.

Oh look, C&C 3 is on sale, great deal too! All dlc except Uprising are good but Tiberium Wars is the best. Uprising is the worst, it added some really short campaigns and some units and that's all.

Edited June 12, 2015 by Magical CC

[shadowofchaos]

$2.49 is for To the Moon if you like story driven RPG maker engine games.

[Phoenix_Kensai]

Seconding the recommendation of Age of Wonders 3, for anyone thinking of it. It's a lot of fun, and the developers are pretty great and have made great strides towards fixing the issues I had with the game at launch - I used to feel it was a bit lacking compared to Shadow Magic (the previous game in the series), but after all the stuff they've added, I can hardly complain anymore. I do recommend getting all the expansions with it, though, and Shadow Magic is still a great game if you want something cheaper or easier on your computer.

Freedom Force and the Age of Empires games are also pretty great, but be careful about Age of Empires... I've heard complaints about the Steam version of something or other there. I don't know much about them myself, but be sure to look into it first. Maybe they fixed whatever was wrong? I never liked Age of Mythology as much as the Age of Empires series, but it's still worth a look.

Long Live the Queen is also worth your time, if you're into visual novels with a bit of a raising sim mixed into them. A word of warning, though: getting through the game is very much about trial and error. You might well get through the game as a talented warrior only to find that a climactic encounter requires you to be a good decorator too, assuming your lack of skill at economics doesn't get you assassinated first. But that's my only real complaint; it's very good apart from that.

I'm going to toss a recommendation for Anodyne out here, too. It's pretty good if you're looking for something a little out there, something like a cross between Legend of Zelda and Yume Nikki.

[MacLovin]

Thanks SF!

I'm kinda waiting for $25 in steam wallet to come to me. if it happen today or tomorrow, then I'm def. spending half of it on C&C.

I think I'll wait until the day that the THQ stuff is on full blown sale.!

(I'd really like to find a more steampunkish rts, but w/e. Shame there isn't anything list Warlords Battlecry 3 on Steam.)

Dominions 4 sounds fun. the graphics aren't that heavy.

(I'll be getting a newer more mainstream video card around nov-dec. Gimme a break, shit in the Philippines costs hell of alot more than America. I miss Amazon.)

Besides, I think I'm aiming for at least one of the Nvidia 400 series. Maybe a 600 if I can find one at the right price.

I'd love to trade someone here for a C&C game or a THQ RTS, but I've just got one steam key for Blades of Time-Limited Edition and 14 Cars, 11 of which are worth 20-22 gems each.

Edited June 12, 2015 by Starfox

[MoonlitSonata]

Question that's slightly related: if I have a really cruddy laptop but want to play Final Fantasy 7 and 8, am I able to? (No specialized sound card, GFX processor is HD Graphics 3000)

Also, OP, I have Long Live The Queen, and it's a fantastic VN. You'll have to play quite a bit to be able to plan out your runs without a guide, but Steam makes it easier on you by also having achievements for the various ways you can die :D

[MacLovin]

if ff7 doesn't work on a psx emulator, it might not work via steam.

[Viberum]

Huniepop for $4.99 if you can take the puzzle/datin-sim game. I recommend it. Take note that the game gets a little nsfw.