I am wrapping up a new pc build for a friend who has 8 and 10 year old boys. They love minecraft, spore, and subnautica, and mom is working on getting the latter two of those right now (they've played them on xbox previously). I was going to try and load up some of the free stuff on steam (or elsewhere!) but I really have no idea what's child appropriate for their age range, and I was hoping some of you gamer parents could weigh in on suggestions? If not free, stuff that's super cheap?
Thanks to @zavian for Art of Gravity!
Thanks to @an_alt for a Steam card for the amount for Forgotten Anne (which may take me a bit to get. Can't buy with wallet funds right now. )!
Thanks to @Polaritie for both Slime Rancher and Valdis Story: Abyssal City!
Thanks to @Dixon who persevered despite national giftwalls and sent me a code for Hypnospace Outlaw!
Very much appreciated, all of you. Thanks for sunnying up my Summer Dale even more!
Thanks to zavian for Art of Gravity!
Thanks to an_alt for a Steam card for the amount for Forgotten Anne (which may take me a bit to get. Can't buy with wallet funds right now. )!
Thanks to Polaritie for both Slime Rancher and Valdis Story: Abyssal City!
Thanks to Dixon who persevered despite national giftwalls and sent me a code for Hypnospace Outlaw!
Very much appreciated, all of you. Thanks for sunnying up my Summer Dale even more!
@Isorn gifted me Zenge! Looks real relaxing. Not sure about the message you wrote though, can't find an anime called "'A Place Further Than The Universe'"
This'll prolly get lost in the shuffle and is off-topic, but for parents of young kids consider the Google Play Pass. Tons of appropriate content if you've got a cheap android tablet laying around, educational stuff for reading and math in game form, etc. I assume same goes for the Apple alternate?
Thanks all - the boys are now proud owners of SteamWorld Dig, Slime Rancher, Burnout Paradise, Freedom Planet, and Terraria. And I've installed Island Saver, Skye, and Chex Quest HD.
And I refuse to support fortnite, the abomination that it is
+19
Dr. ChaosPost nuclear nuisanceRegistered Userregular
edited June 2020
Freedom Planet is really good.
Story and characters are terrible though. Too cutesy for my tastes, especially the voice acting.
Mileage for kids rather than jaded adults who are dead inside like me might vary.
After a flurry of back and forth ties. Florin had had enough. Consumed by a berserker rage he brandished the largest pair of scissors he could find.
After terrorizing the entire city looking for Tactical Headache he came across..
Feeling terrible Florin moped back home, forgetting about the contest entirely. This much anger was not good for his blood pressure.
Tactical Headache emerged once the coast was clear.
So I was working on a bunch of stuff here, and came out of it to find a green envelope... which I promptly forgot about because I was close to passing out from exhaustion yesterday after a long day at the keyboard.
But what's inside it?
Thanks to @Iolo for Moonlighter! I haven't really gotten a chance to do a lot of digging for the Sale yet, and this looks interesting! Many thanks!
Thank you @Iolo for the gift of Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark. I have a love hate relationship with tactical games like this. I love to play them and then get overwhelmed after a while. But this one really looks neat and I think I can play it on my surface (which helps dink hours away). Thank you for your thoughts, I really appreciate them.
I'm going to keep on thanking this thread (and PA) for all the kindness I see on a daily basis. It really keeps me optimistic for the future of this planet.
Threadmind, I need recommendations for RPGs that can be played online with a friend and ideally with non-grimdark aesthetic.
Also ideally not as mechanically complex as something like Divinity:OS. Acton RPG that is not a loot shooter may be the way to go.
I've been looking for something similar. I've been looking at Outward and that seems to have the right vibes for what you're looking at, but might be a little janky. My partner's tolerance for jank is low, so I haven't pulled the trigger yet, but I might pick it up on sale to see if it's worth a shot.
If you find a winner, let us know, since I'm in a similar spot.
You know, I thought we had an understanding here. I don't gift y'all and y'all don't gift me. Iolo thought he knew better, and now my revenge will be swift and merciless.
Fun beat em up action, didn't play the original so maybe some of my minor complaints could be chalked up to holdovers.
The bosses were pretty challenging--until I learned you could stock up on food items during the fights. Best to spend it on something cause ever time you are defeated you BARF up a decent percentage of your funds.
The art by rem is really wonderful and they have some great songs.
Threadmind, I need recommendations for RPGs that can be played online with a friend and ideally with non-grimdark aesthetic.
Also ideally not as mechanically complex as something like Divinity:OS. Acton RPG that is not a loot shooter may be the way to go.
The Waylanders is early access, and looks to me like exactly the right thing. It's less mechanical and slightly more actiony looking than D:OS, but still pauseable. I don't know if it has multiplayer, now that I think about it...
I am really liking Remnant: from the ashes, too. It's ... not a looter shooter? It is shooting, and has loot, but the loot is more focused, not just grinding drops, etc.
Also, thanks a ton @Aistan for Football Manager. This will be the thing I do while I'm on work calls for the foreseeable future.
Since ancient times, people have played some form of rock, paper scissors.
But no more. What would be the point? We've settled once and for all who the RPS champion is.
Or until I get bored in like three years.
The final battle between @Orivon and @tacticalheadache
The last two of countless fighters (24). Even after having been defeated by Iolo in an earlier round Tactical Headache faced death itself, sorry Geth itself, to compete in the finals.
Orivon defeated four competitors in a row with rock after rock after rock, and one more rock.
Below this spoiler, the results of this final confrontation are revealed. And, like, I'm coasting on fumes here. So you get an image, I just never found the right use for.
So keep your expectations low. No....lower.
I think that the internet has been for years on the path to creating what is essentially an electronic Necronomicon: A collection of blasphemous unrealities so perverse that to even glimpse at its contents, if but for a moment, is to irrevocably forfeit a portion of your sanity.
Xbox - PearlBlueS0ul, Steam
If you ever need to talk to someone, feel free to message me. Yes, that includes you.
+16
Werewolf2000adSuckers, I know exactly what went wrong.Registered Userregular
I picked up Shantae and the Seven Sirens today (well, yesterday and it finished installing today), and I just want to take a second to gush; this game is so far doing exactly what I wanted and didn't think to expect from a Shantae game. See, I first got into the series with Risky's Revenge on the DS shop. And I did quite like the game at the time, enough to keep an eye on the series going forward. But the next game was Pirate's Curse, and that just blew everything else in the series out of the water. See, normally, Shantae's new abilities come in the form of animal transformations, and she activates her magic by dancing. You have to basically halt in place and do the dance until it cycles to the one for the animal you want to use, and then you transform and can use their abilities; stuff like climbing on walls as a monkey or doing a ground pound as an elephant. But in Pirate's Curse, Shantae can't use her magic, so she instead collects pirate relics that once belonged to Risky Boots, and those give her new abilities that she can just... use. And those abilities are awesome: a hat acting as a parachute for long jumps, a sword to do a ground pound with a pogo-stick bounce, a cannon for a triple jump, and (my favorite) boots that let you do a speed dash like you were playing Super Metroid. That game felt so much better to play, and I loved the pirate gear way more than I ever liked the transformation dances. So, when Half-Genie Hero came out, I liked it well enough, but going back to the transformations felt like a step back. They did improve how fast you can get to each form, but it did still mean stopping to use basic traversal powers. I was in a weird place with the series; Pirate's Curse was easily my favorite game in the series, but there was no narrative reason for the games to go back to the style I liked.
Seven Sirens made a change that I have really been enjoying. The story is introducing new animals that Shantae hasn't seen before, in the form of coins that teach her new transformation magic. And these new animals just act like new moves that you can just use, very similarly to the pirate relics. For example, the first form is called a Dash Newt, and it's activated by hitting R2 anywhere. You hit the button, and Shantae immediately changes form and dashes, without pausing the action. And while there is a form that requires charge time, you can still run and jump while charging (plus the action from that animal moves you extremely fast, so it's still fun). I wasn't expecting them to change the way the transformations work in this way, and it's got me honestly excited to find new upgrades as I go through the story. It's been a lot of fun. And they didn't get rid of the dances, either. Now they're used for extra-powerful magic that feels balanced around needing to stop in place to use them. And they're useful enough that I do want to use them; just not while platforming. Oh, and the action of dancing sucks in nearby items; that's another thing from Pirate's Curse that I wasn't expecting to see return (that game instead had a magic lamp that acted like a vacuum for items).
Really glad I picked this one up. It's been a blast.
Damn what a crazy comeback. From first round loss to RPS Champion! :P
Huge thanks to @akajaybay again for the fun RPS tournament! I received a very generous $100 steam gift card for winning. (had to edit the converted currency for privacy)
edit: this quick shop is too glorious to not be included!
Posts
@Bullhead I'm late to the party, but..
I mean the go to free game for kids that age is Fortnite.
Not free, but cheap(<$5).
Lego games.
Toybox Turbos
Sonic and Allstar Racing
Sonic Generations (cause it's $1 right now)
Castle Crashers
Steam ID: Good Life
Thanks to @zavian for Art of Gravity!
Thanks to @an_alt for a Steam card for the amount for Forgotten Anne (which may take me a bit to get. Can't buy with wallet funds right now. )!
Thanks to @Polaritie for both Slime Rancher and Valdis Story: Abyssal City!
Thanks to @Dixon who persevered despite national giftwalls and sent me a code for Hypnospace Outlaw!
Very much appreciated, all of you. Thanks for sunnying up my Summer Dale even more!
Steam profile.
Getting started with BATTLETECH: Part 1 / Part 2
Steam ID: Good Life
@Malakaius and @destroyah87 decided to hit me at the same time. Sequel to Ori and Code Vein respectively. Thanks a lot you two.
AniList
Thanks all - the boys are now proud owners of SteamWorld Dig, Slime Rancher, Burnout Paradise, Freedom Planet, and Terraria. And I've installed Island Saver, Skye, and Chex Quest HD.
And I refuse to support fortnite, the abomination that it is
Story and characters are terrible though. Too cutesy for my tastes, especially the voice acting.
Mileage for kids rather than jaded adults who are dead inside like me might vary.
Ok @florin VS @tacticalheadache concluded
Feeling terrible Florin moped back home, forgetting about the contest entirely. This much anger was not good for his blood pressure.
Tactical Headache emerged once the coast was clear.
Tactical's rock beats Florin's scissors.
But what's inside it?
Thanks to @Iolo for Moonlighter! I haven't really gotten a chance to do a lot of digging for the Sale yet, and this looks interesting! Many thanks!
I can has cheezburger, yes?
I'm going to keep on thanking this thread (and PA) for all the kindness I see on a daily basis. It really keeps me optimistic for the future of this planet.
Steam: betsuni7
Also ideally not as mechanically complex as something like Divinity:OS. Acton RPG that is not a loot shooter may be the way to go.
Steam Profile
3DS: 3454-0268-5595 Battle.net: SteelAngel#1772
I've been looking for something similar. I've been looking at Outward and that seems to have the right vibes for what you're looking at, but might be a little janky. My partner's tolerance for jank is low, so I haven't pulled the trigger yet, but I might pick it up on sale to see if it's worth a shot.
If you find a winner, let us know, since I'm in a similar spot.
Monster Hunter World
Elder Scrolls Online
Victor Vran
Grim Dawn
Though the latter two are in the Diablo-like hack and loot mentallity, not sure if that's far enough away from the looter shooter.
Edit: Erk and the latter two are both pretty grimdark.
You know, I thought we had an understanding here. I don't gift y'all and y'all don't gift me. Iolo thought he knew better, and now my revenge will be swift and merciless.
(Seriously though, thanks!)
Thank you!
Steam | XBL
Torchlight II
Conan Exiles.
Goodreads
SF&F Reviews blog
Thank you so much @TeeMan ! :heartbeat:
Steam | XBL
@Maguano did a thing and apparently it's all Iolo's fault?
I mean, I can see that.
Thanks for ME:A!
I've actually had something in my cart waiting to send out to you. Unfortunately paypal has me on lockdown for 48 more hours.
Steam ID: Good Life
Much appreciated - A very Happy Steam Sale to you both!
Steam profile.
Getting started with BATTLETECH: Part 1 / Part 2
Also, you're welcome Jazz!
Fun beat em up action, didn't play the original so maybe some of my minor complaints could be chalked up to holdovers.
The bosses were pretty challenging--until I learned you could stock up on food items during the fights. Best to spend it on something cause ever time you are defeated you BARF up a decent percentage of your funds.
The art by rem is really wonderful and they have some great songs.
Thanks again to @Heatwave for the gift
It seems steam has an embargo on Canadians.
Not as fun but you can do the currency conversion and send a gift card.
The Waylanders is early access, and looks to me like exactly the right thing. It's less mechanical and slightly more actiony looking than D:OS, but still pauseable. I don't know if it has multiplayer, now that I think about it...
I am really liking Remnant: from the ashes, too. It's ... not a looter shooter? It is shooting, and has loot, but the loot is more focused, not just grinding drops, etc.
Also, thanks a ton @Aistan for Football Manager. This will be the thing I do while I'm on work calls for the foreseeable future.
@Big Classy is absolutely insane!!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH! THE HYPE IS REAL!
Since ancient times, people have played some form of rock, paper scissors.
But no more. What would be the point? We've settled once and for all who the RPS champion is.
Or until I get bored in like three years.
The final battle between @Orivon and @tacticalheadache
The last two of countless fighters (24). Even after having been defeated by Iolo in an earlier round Tactical Headache faced death itself, sorry Geth itself, to compete in the finals.
Orivon defeated four competitors in a row with rock after rock after rock, and one more rock.
Below this spoiler, the results of this final confrontation are revealed. And, like, I'm coasting on fumes here. So you get an image, I just never found the right use for.
So keep your expectations low. No....lower.
Tactical Headache's Paper Beats Orivon's Rock.
Thank you @TeeMan for Black Closet. I'm really looking forward to trying it out.
If you ever need to talk to someone, feel free to message me. Yes, that includes you.
Thank you very much @Iolo !
EVERYBODY WANTS TO SIT IN THE BIG CHAIR, MEG!
Seven Sirens made a change that I have really been enjoying. The story is introducing new animals that Shantae hasn't seen before, in the form of coins that teach her new transformation magic. And these new animals just act like new moves that you can just use, very similarly to the pirate relics. For example, the first form is called a Dash Newt, and it's activated by hitting R2 anywhere. You hit the button, and Shantae immediately changes form and dashes, without pausing the action. And while there is a form that requires charge time, you can still run and jump while charging (plus the action from that animal moves you extremely fast, so it's still fun). I wasn't expecting them to change the way the transformations work in this way, and it's got me honestly excited to find new upgrades as I go through the story. It's been a lot of fun. And they didn't get rid of the dances, either. Now they're used for extra-powerful magic that feels balanced around needing to stop in place to use them. And they're useful enough that I do want to use them; just not while platforming. Oh, and the action of dancing sucks in nearby items; that's another thing from Pirate's Curse that I wasn't expecting to see return (that game instead had a magic lamp that acted like a vacuum for items).
Really glad I picked this one up. It's been a blast.
Damn what a crazy comeback. From first round loss to RPS Champion! :P
Huge thanks to @akajaybay again for the fun RPS tournament! I received a very generous $100 steam gift card for winning. (had to edit the converted currency for privacy)
edit: this quick shop is too glorious to not be included!
That lady(?) is channeling Gendou Ikari very hard.
@Big Classy is OUT of control.
Holy cow, what a generous gifting.
Sadly, frantically clicking on the "play now" button doesn't allow me to do so. Augh.