PC Gaming

So I looked at the top 100 best rated games released on Steam during 2024, and I saw some interesting trends.

First, only two games were AAA titles. They were Black Myth: Wukong and SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS. And even then, I'm being a little bit charitable by calling the latter title an AAA game.

As for everything else? Budget title indies. Most titles were priced under $30. And 22 of them were free -- not "free with in-app purchases", but simply free.

The other trend is that few of these games got press attention even though, in a lot of cases, they had a large playerbase.

Case in point: the highest rated game on Steam is MiSide which has a 97% positive rating based on 87,019 reviews. I checked news archives and MiSide hardly got any mentions from the gaming press. No mentions on GameSpot, IGN, or PC Gamer. How did gaming journalists miss out on the highest rated game of 2024?

But the most surprising trend is that the bulk of the 100 highest rated games on Steam are PC exclusives. As much as people say we are living in a post-platform world this is simply not the case. For instance, only 2 of the top 10 Steam games of 2024 got a multi-platform release -- Balatro and Black Myth: Wukong.

You would think a beloved game like Satisfactory would already arrive on PS5 or Xbox Series X|S, but after six years of development, it is still PC-only. Now to be fair, Satisfactory is supposed to arrive on consoles. But that game has been on Early Access for PC since 2019 -- and there's no firm release date for console versions.

There are three takeaways here: price does not indicate quality, don't believe the hype, and exclusives still matter.

https://steamdb.info/stats/gameratings/2024/?displayOnly=Game&sort=rating_desc

TYPE TO KILL in this survival horror adventure. Alone or with friends, explore a sprawling cursed film studio as its horror movies bleed into reality. Choose from a roster of characters then plan your escape from this bloody homage to old school horror. But remember... death is just a typo away.

I'm about to play Back 4 Blood, the "spiritual successor" to Left 4 Dead.

This game has mixed reviews. And based on comments, it looks like the online co-op and PvP is dead.

Now whenever I see blowback on games like this, I wonder if it's because Back 4 Blood is simply not exactly like Left 4 Dead even though it was made by the same developers. It's what I like to call the Yooka-Laylee Phenomenon.

Or is this more like the Mighty No. 9 Phenomenon where, it's not so much the spiritual successor isn't exactly like the original, but nowhere near as good as the original?

Hard to say without playing.

I do notice that, for whatever reason, Steam reviewers tend to privilege indie releases over AAA titles. So that might be something to do with it too.

I don't know. This is all conjecture from someone who's yet to play it yet. However, last Steam sale, I bought this for C$3.99 -- which was 95% off. So how bad can it really be?

Well, you know what they say -- YOLO!

@pcgaming@lemmy.ca

Cabernet is a 2D narrative RPG set in a 19th century Eastern European inspired world, with a modern twist. Guide Liza, a young vampire in her new unlife among the unsuspecting townsfolk. Will you retain your humanity or descend further into the horror you have become?

I just wanted to let you know that some people from r/Tribes created a community on lemmy at !tribes@lemmy.world 👋

Compete to create the most perfect ecosystem in the award-winning board game journey!

Build your fleet and face the alien terror from the deep! Now it’s up to you alone to stop an alien invasion from the depths of the ocean in this legendary, home computer era shoot ‘em up dredged up and faithfully rebuilt for modern platforms – X-Out: Resurfaced!

Cinnabunny is a cozy life simulator game where you play as a bunny who runs a bakery. Unlock new recipes, go birdwatching, collect mushrooms, and charm your community. Save up enough carrots to help your family move.

Gear up, sling cards, roll dice and power through the endless doors of a deeply unhinged Purgatory in Doors of Insanity: ReOpened!

Venomous is a 2D action-adventure game where you play as a skilled hero wielding web-slinging, slashing, and shuriken abilities to explore handcrafted levels, defeat unique enemies, and conquer epic boss battles.

Embark on a journey through a land of darkness to save your lost shadow. With the help of a mysterious beast’s shadow, master new abilities, outsmart enemies, and uncover hidden truths in your quest to reclaim what’s been taken.

So the most interesting part is the Nvidia vs Asus responses/communication and microcenter pricing starting at 13:30