Epic’s free holiday give away is over, but you can still pick up some bargain in the Epic Games Store Holiday Sale.
The Epic Game Store Free Game Holiday Giveaway Event is unfortunately over (Though you can still pick up Dishonored – Definitive Edition and Eximus: Seize the Frontline for free until January 5). But the holiday cheer is far from over at Epic Games. You can still pick up tons of free goodies in games like Fortnite and PUBG, and the Epic Games Holiday Sale is still live for close to a week.
With savings of up to 90% off and a 25% off coupon available when you spend $14.99 or more (It, unfortunately, doesn’t work with pre-purchases. I tried and failed with Dead Island 2), now is a perfect time to load up that Epic cart.
Epic Games Store has an interesting library of titles compared to Steam or GOG. Some are exclusives (Or were), and others aren’t. Here’s my list of 10 of the best deals in the Epic Games Store right now.
10. Dying Light Enhanced Edition
Dying Light 2 has its merits. And given Techland’s track record with how they manage their games in the years after launch, my sentiment might change. But having experienced plenty of both Dying Light and Dying Light 2, I can safely say that the original Dying Light is still the best Dying Light experience.
In Dying Light, you are Kyle Crane. Undercover GRE agent and resident Omega Chad of Harran. What starts as a mission to retrieve a document containing sensitive information that could devastate the world takes a turn when Crane links up with the residents of the Tower. As he grows more attached to them, he becomes more involved in their struggle for survival and attempts to find a cure for the Harran virus.
Combining meaty combat with parkour, Dying Light saw far greater commercial and critical success than its spiritual predecessor, Dead Island. Over the years, Dying Light has earned a reputation as one of the best games in the overarching zombie apocalypse genre.
Dying Light Enhanced Edition includes the base game, expansion pack The Following, and all Season Pass content. Including fan favorites like Be The Zombie and The Bozak Horde. It’s currently on sale for a mere $8.99 and is a worthy investment.
9. Far Cry 3 Standard Edition
Far Cry is a franchise that has worn out its welcome. With stale, repetitive content, and the same predictable story beats, the glory days of Far Cry have long since passed.
But if you ever wanted to revisit those glory days, I couldn’t blame you.
Alongside Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, Far Cry 3 is the peak of the Far Cry series. You are Jason Brody, an obnoxious rich kid on vacation with your brother and friends on the Rook Islands. Your vacation abruptly ends when you run into Vaas, Far Cry’s most iconic villain and resident Rook Islands pirate lord. He takes you and your friends captive.
You manage to escape, but not without loss. Thrust into an impossible situation, you have no choice but to rise to the occasion to save your friends from impending slavery. Your efforts catch the attention of the native Rakyat tribe, who begin to aid you. Over time, Jason Brody starts to become someone else. He becomes something else. As he begins to change, so too does his mission.
Far Cry 3 has all of the trademark gameplay elements of a Far Cry game, but before it started getting stale. I tired quickly of this gameplay loop in Far Cry 5 or 6, but it never gets old in 3.
The Standard Edition of Far Cry 3 is on sale for $5.99.
8. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell & Chaos Theory
The Splinter Cell franchise has become like Tom Clancy products in general. It may still have the name, but it’s not Splinter Cell. Not really.
Despite talk of a remake of the first game, the Splinter Cell franchise has been dormant for a decade. The most recent installments of the franchise suffer from identity issues and are more action-oriented than anything. Franchise protagonist Sam Fisher appears to be going through a Benjamin Button, looking younger with every subsequent appearance.
I’m not holding my breath on those rumors about a remake of Splinter Cell. And I don’t have to since I can already enjoy the original versions of the best games in the series: Splinter Cell and Chaos Theory.
Splinter Cell and Chaos Theory are heavy on stealth. And that’s just the way Splinter Cell should be. Chaos Theory’s Co-Op campaign also never gets old. If you want to experience the best of Splinter Cell, pick these two up. Splinter Cell and Chaos Theory are both on sale for $2.49.
7. STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order Deluxe Edition
If you’re a gamer that uses the Internet, you’ve likely heard people say that Jedi: Fallen Order is one of the best Star Wars products to come out in a long time. And if you haven’t, you’ll hear me say it right now: Jedi: Fallen Order is the best thing to happen to Star Wars since Disney acquired Lucasfilm.
In Fallen Order, you are Cal Kestis, a former Jedi Padawan and one of the few survivors of Order 66. After years of concealing his true identity, Cal’s jig is up after he uses the Force to save one of his friends. The Empire quickly catches wind of his existence, and Cal finds himself forced to confront his past and reestablish his connection to the Force to survive.
Paired with his adorable droid friend BD-1 (Droids are probably the only consistently good thing about the Disney Star Wars era), Cal uses a variety of survival, lightsaber, and Force abilities to overcome his foes. Fallen Order has a nice blend of combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving as you traverse various planets in the galaxy.
With the sequel, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, confirmed for release in March 2023, there’s no better time to catch up on the story of Fallen Order. You can pick up the Deluxe Edition of STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order for $6.99.
6.Titan Quest: Anniversary Edition
Titan Quest is a classic ARPG set in the pre-Roman Ancient World. Explore various iconic locales throughout history, like Babylon, Greece, and Egypt. You are an unnamed hero tasked with stopping the Telkines, lesser Titans seeking to release the imprisoned Titans to wreak havoc on the world.
Hack-n-slash your way through all enemies who stand in your way, completing quests for NPCs and leveling up as one of 28 different classes as you progress through the game’s story.
Titan Quest is pure ARPG fun, light on story, and heavy on action. The Anniversary Edition includes a nifty World Editor for more fun and supports Co-Op play of up to 6 players.
Titan Quest Anniversary Edition is currently $4.99 and includes the base game and the Immortal Throne expansion pack. Several additional add-ons, Eternal Embers, Atlantis, and Ragnarök, are also on sale but not included.
5. Sifu
Sifu is a classic Kung Fu tale. A group of villains attacked your father’s school and murdered him. After they fail to kill you, thanks to you possessing a talisman that revives those who wield it, you have sworn to take revenge on those who killed your father. And that’s pretty much it for the story.
Where Sifu shines is the combat. I’d say it’s a lot like Sleeping Dogs, except faster-paced and significantly better. Use a variety of martial arts moves and objects in the environment to defeat all those intent on stopping you from taking your revenge.
Oh, and did I mention the art style is gorgeous? Because it is. Sifu is a beautiful game.
Not every game needs to contain the secret meaning of life. Games that are pure fun are A-okay with me, and Sifu fits that bill. We don’t get too many martial arts games these days, but Sifu more than picks up the slack. Scoop it up for $27.99.
4. FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE
There are Final Fantasy fans out there who have sworn not to touch the Final Fantasy 7 remake until Square has released every part. I am not one of them, as I don’t have that patience or willpower. If you’re like me, now’s a good time to dive into part one.
The long-awaited Final Fantasy 7 remake has been out for over a year. There’s still a divide in the community is still divided on both the gameplay and story changes. I’m not saying you’ll necessarily like the changes (Or at least more than what was in the original), but if you call yourself a Final Fantasy 7 fan, you owe it to yourself to try it.
The remake fleshes out a lot of the background characters, improves the characterization of others, and without spoiling anything, I’d argue a lot of these changes ups the attachment I have to some of these characters. Even though I already know the story, the stakes feel higher because I care more.
FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE includes FF7R EPISODE INTERmission, a new episode starring everyone’s favorite Materia thief, Yuffie. It also contains some additional goodies like materia, accessories, armor, and weapons.
You can pick it up right now for $38.89.
3. God of War
Come on, guys. You had to know this was coming.
After singlehandedly annihilating the Gods of Olympus, Kratos has moved on to the realm of Norse Gods. He remarried and had a son named Atreus. Because the wives of Kratos are unluckier than the characters played by Sean Bean, his second wife, Laufey, is dead.
Kratos and his son go on a journey to honor Laufey’s last wish for them to scatter her ashes at the highest peak of the nine realms. And since Kratos is Kratos, he eventually and inevitably gets wrapped into conflict with some of the resident gods of the land.
God of War is God of War. Kratos is probably the best power fantasy creator ever created. If you like action and video games, you’ll probably love this game.
The first God of War of the Norse mythology trilogy graced PCs in January of this year. Ragnarök came out a little over a month ago, but only for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Hopefully, PC gamers won’t have to wait four years like with the first game. But while we wait, feel free to play God of War once or thrice. Or 12 times.
It’s on sale for $29.99.
2. Mass Effect Legendary Edition
BioWare is easily one of the greatest RPG development studios of all time. They’ve had some serious hits over the years: Baldur’s Gate, Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, etc. Picking one franchise as Bioware’s best isn’t easy, but one franchise routinely finds itself in the top spot: Mass Effect.
Released in the late 2000s, Mass Effect is a Sci-Fi epic and one of the greatest franchises of the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 era. Taking on the role of Commander Shepard trying to save the universe from an alien race known as the Reapers, Mass Effect is a series where your choices matter. Like a lot. Just the way I like my RPGs.
An action RPG with heavy technical RPG elements, Mass Effects has a number of character classes, specializations, and skill trees to enjoy. Customization and replayability are very high with this one. Mass Effect also has one of the better/more expansive romance options of games of this era for those who enjoy that kind of roleplaying. Without giving away my favored romance option, I’ll just say blue is my favorite color.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition contains the first three games of the trilogy and the dozens of DLC packs that came with them. I hope you have some time open on your schedule.
Mass Effect 5 is currently in development, though with the trainwreck that was Andromeda, my hopes aren’t all that high for a return to form for the franchise. But if the first three games are the best we’ll see from the Mass Effect series, I’m alright with that.
You can pick up Mass Effect Legendary Edition for $14.99.
1. Red Dead Redemption 2
Topping my list of recommendations is the game that had video game outlets writing articles about shrinking horse balls: Red Dead Redemption 2.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is peak in more ways than one. Red Dead Redemption 2 is peak Western gaming. Red Dead Redemption 2 is peak open-world gaming. Red Dead Redemption 2 is peak Rockstar gaming. I find it nigh-impossible for Rockstar to ever release a game better than Red Dead Redemption 2. It obliterated sales records upon release. It deservedly rests high on every greatest game of all time list worth reading. There aren’t many games I would say are must-plays, regardless of your genre preference. Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of them. Gaming doesn’t get much better than this.
Red Dead Redemption 2 serves as a prequel to Red Dead Redemption. You take on the role of outlaw Arthur Morgan as he deals with the troubles of his life, be they government or rival outlaws. His journey is largely one that you make it, and I’ll leave it at that. You can only play a game for the first time once. I’d rather you experience as much of Red Dead Redemption 2 on your own.
One of the greatest marvels of Red Dead Redemption 2 is that it is easily one of the greatest games ever made, while the accompanying Red Dead Online is easily one of the worst-handled online games ever. It’s an honor it shares with GTA Online and one of the reasons why I think Rockstar can only go down from here.
Even if that’s the case, Rockstar’s legacy is already set in stone, largely thanks to Red Dead Redemption 2. I feel sorry for any developer looking to break into the Western genre. To say they have large cowboy boots to fill is an understatement.
If you want to experience one of the greatest games ever made, you can pick it up right now for $19.79.
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