The issue is that I think there are Steam bundles that can’t be gifted, such as the Valve pack and that kind of thing. That also makes something like Civ 6 less likely, just because of the DLC bundles. I can also use Fanatical or Humble but frankly the region thing might be an issue.
This guy has played every console-available game under the sun before around 2020. So I’m focusing more on what he’s not likely to have played. He’s more of a soulslike/fighting game guy and I’m more of a simulation and eurojank enjoyer, so the recommendations don’t always carry across.
That said, I’ve been thinking newer games like Animal Well that are sure to be received well, but it’d suck if he already played it on something else. Would be a funny inclusion as well, a 35 megabyte 2D platformer for his new gaming desktop.
Any suggestions?
Man, for a console gamer coming over this thread has a bunch of pretty terrible recommendations. I can’t imagine a better way to send somebody back to console gaming than immediately dumping a bunch of fiddly mods and janky old stuff on them so they can play their OS for a while before having any fun.
I mean, if they’re into competitive, hardcore console stuff they probably will want to decide if they want to go down the rabbit hole of competitive PC gaming. Checking out a couple MOBAs or fast mouse and keyboard shooters is probably a good way to start (for Steam ease of use I suppose DOTA2 and CS2 are the obvious choices). That’s the fighting game equivalent stuff they’re unlikely to have played already. I’d say if they aren’t feeling it, then it’s fine to step away, though.
Depending on how crazy their gaming PC is, it may be fun to go for crazy console-crushing visuals. Path traced games like Indiana Jones or Cyberpunk may be fun to check out even if they’ve played the console versions, if they got a current-gen expensive GPU in there.
There are a couple of genres that are also cross-over but play best on PC, like survival sims and the like. I’m a PC controller player, but I’ll switch to mouse and keyboard for, say, Satisfactory, but that’s less action-packed and timing-based.
And of course there’s upcoming stuff. VF 5 REVO is coming out in January, and that seems like a good chance to jump into a new thing on a gaming PC instead.
I agree. People keep suggesting Factorio, which leads me to believe that they have not actually read the post since his friend is into souls-likes and heavy combat games. Factorio is the antithesis of that! I don’t personally play those games (Factorio is one of my most played games), so I can’t make suggestions aside from Monster Hunter.
They didn’t specifically say it needed to be a souls-like. In fact, if you had read the whole thing, they’re considering including a 2d platformer.
They want new experiences for their friend. They probably don’t want a game that their friend has already played on console.
Deep Rock Galactic
He can get used to mouse and keyboad, while you cover him.
As mentioned before, gift cards are good way to go.
Rock and stone!
DRG is a fantastic place to start with moving from a controller to mouse/keyboard.
I would personally T-up some classics like portal and Half-life 2 for solo “history lessons” after that. Only then would I make some harder recomendations like long RPGs, MOBAs, 4X, and would shy away from MMOs unless you have an organized group to introduce them to.
Portal 2 has coop 👍
Helldivers 2 for similar reasons.
It’s not as elegant, but you might be able to give them some Steam Gift Cards and recommend some games.
https://store.steampowered.com/digitalgiftcards/selectgiftcard
If your friend is new to PC gaming then they might not be aware of how much they can get for free. I just wrote a post (stickied in [email protected]) summarising all the places you can regularly get freebies, could be a good way for them to try out a lot of different things.
Get them a month (or 3) of PC Gamepass so they can play everything and find out what they like.
This is probably the best way to go. You won’t be able to beat the flexibility for the price.
The strength of pc gaming imo comes in the form of modding.
So
- modded multiplayer rimworld
- seamless co op randomizer Elden ring
- Minecraft pokemon or vault hunters
- Slay the spire downfall
Probably forgetting a lot
Outer Wilds is one of my favorite games. If he likes the explorey/other worldly feel of souls games, he might like it, but it certainly doesn’t have any combat.
As for fighting, I’ve recently started replaying Returnal, and I really enjoy that. It’s a well known console game, but I think it came out after 2020. It’s a roguelike format so slightly different from souls, but I love it.
Unfortunately he’s never been able to get into Outer Wilds despite it being one of my favorite games that I always shill. I’ll still push for him to play it.
Teardown is good chill fun
For PC I would go for the avan-garde stuff
e.g. Cold line
Most popular indie titles are already on console as studios will port stuff to increase the sales.
I would go to look for stuff that can’t be sold. Dream like avan-garde surrealism or under 2h experiences on itch.io and newgrounds.com
also RTS require mouse so it could be a fun stuff to get into.
Avant-garde is my jam, it’s just hard to convince people who aren’t into that kind of game to play. I love the Cosmo D games, for example, but I know most of my friends wouldn’t enjoy them if I recommended them.
How powerful is the PC? Is the question more about games optimised for mouse+keyboard, or is it about demanding recent games that allows his new machine to flex its muscles?
Since you say he likes Souls-likes Black Myth Wukong probably checks both boxes - I never ended up playing it (my backlog is too long) but it looked great with stunning visuals and I heard good things about the gameplay.
Cyberpunk with full path tracing is still one of the prettiest games out there and a pretty damn good game too after the patches and expansions.
Finally, something like Fallout: London could be an interesting suggestion as mods of that nature are out of reach of the console crowd. Could give him a whiff of what he’s been missing out on.
Space Marines 2
The best game ever made is Baldur’s Gate 3, so that’s what I’d give if he hasn’t played it. IDC what kind of games he usually plays, that’s what I’d give.
Limiting to PC only games makes things tricky. Most games on PC are available on console as well. Especially soulslike and fighting games.
But my recommendation is Ultrakill. It’s a fast paced FPS with a Devil May Cry style system. It really showcases the benefit of having a mouse and keyboard for shooters.
Edit: another is Black Mesa.
I went with Ultrakill! I might get it myself. I think older style graphics boomer shooters are a core part of the current wave of PC games.
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Games with lots of mods for sure. It may be a generic recommendation but Minecraft with mod packs and gorgeous shaders is an amazing experience for someone who never got around to trying them.
Also if he’s a souls-like fan, I highly recommend Elden Ring’s convergence mod and Dark Souls 3’s convergence mod (they’re by the same team). It adds like a hundred new spells, new weapons and equipment, overhaul of some mechanics like having actual classes with game-changing effects, completely overhauls areas with new geometry, adds new enemies and bosses, etc. It’s a very fun time.
The souls games weren’t on sale, but I’ve passed the message along about the mods. I think he’s taking a break after pushing those games to the absolute limit but I’m glad something like that exists.
