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What are the best single player & first person PC games with a focus on storytelling and plot?

11

Options
Considered

113

User
Recs.

Mar 3, 2022

Last
Updated

11 Games Considered

Best single player & first person PC games with a focus on storytelling and plot	Price	Steam Rating	Platforms
80 Portal 2	$19.99	Overwhelmingly Positive	-
71 Half-Life 2 (and episodes)	-	Overwhelmingly Positive	Linux
70 Bioshock Infinite	-	Very Positive	Windows, Mac, Linux, Xbox 360, PS3
-- Firewatch	-	Very Positive	-
-- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim	-	-	Windows, Xbox, PS, Nintendo Switch

Portal 2

Top Pro

Witty and funny character driven story

Four major characters drive the single player campaign and they are amazing. Three of which have explosive personalities, bring humor, suspense, sadness, and empathy, the other being Chell who doesn’t speak but her interactions with the rest of the cast make her all the more mysterious and interesting. Most of the time you don’t even see or directly interact with the characters but that just shows how great they are. See More

Top Con

Main co-op campaign is short

The co-op campaign in Portal 2 is about 4 hours long for experienced players, meaning it could be beaten in a weekend. With almost zero replayability, this makes the game feel incredibly short. Luckily, hundreds of hours worth of user-generated content is available. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Top Pro

Great female leads (GlaDOS and Chell)

While one is silent and the other never stops talking these two leading ladies are ridiculously awesome! See More

Top Con

Steep co-op learning curve

Although the single-player campaign features a gradual learning curve, co-op gives no mercy. The puzzles start off hard and only get harder. It is highly recommended that you play through single-player first if you are not familiar with Portal's mechanics. See More

Top Pro

Humorous voice acting by Stephen Merchant

Stephen Merchant (Extras, The Office UK, Life's Too Short) voices the character of Wheatley the robot in humorous fashion. See More

Top Con

At times can drag due to the longer running time

The first game can be completed in a few hours and was paced very nicely. Due to the longer running time on Portal 2 there can be a few instances where the game drags. See More

Top Pro

Fun with portals and goop!

Expanding on the awesome gameplay of portals from the first game Valve went above and beyond with Portal 2. Bringing in great mechanics with colored goop to solve puzzles with extreme speed and bouncy jumps makes your time at Aperture Science more thoughtful and kinematic. See More

Top Pro

Co-op storyline

If you don’t want to be alone there is a full co-op campaign with specifically designed puzzles to test the wits of you and your friends. See More

Top Pro

Hundreds of hours of user-generated content

Full support to create mods to make awesome new levels, guns, or even an entirely new campaign. The game has more than 60,000 co-op puzzles created by users through the Steam Workshop and through mods. Because it is user-generated content, the quality and size of these puzzles vary widely, including everything from simple, one-off chambers to full-fledged expansions with high-quality stories, voice-overs, and new gameplay elements (for example, Mel). See More

Top Pro

Well implemented tools that improve teamwork

In a game that requires perfect timing and teamwork, Portal 2 features many tools to facilitate teamwork. One of the most helpful is a 3-second countdown timer that can be initiated and shown to both players to ensure you launch that portal or jump at the perfect time. In addition, there is a marker that you can place on certain objects for your teammate to see as well as a setting that shows your partner's view super-imposed on the corner of your screen. See More

Top Pro

Co-op allows for harmless trolling

While Portal 2 requires focus and logic, it does not punish players for causing a bit of mischief. The instant respawn system means trolling your friend will affect almost nothing in the game. Except maybe your friendship. See More

Top Pro

Unique co-op levels with co-op specific tools

In Portal 2, co-op is a completely different set of puzzles than the single player campaign. Almost all puzzles require a high level of teamwork that will leave you feeling proud of what you have accomplished. See More

Top Pro

Both online co-op and local co-op

It is possible to play a multiplayer game for free online using the Steam servers, as well as locally on your machine using split-screen (the second player must use a gamepad controller if playing locally). See More

Half-Life 2 (and episodes)

Top Pro

Great Sci-Fi story

Aliens, portals to other dimensions, oppressive regimes, oh my! This game brings a great flavor of dystopian sci-fi as you fight part of the rebel cause to deliver justice with your Gravity Gun to the many species afflicted by the evil Combine. Also Half Life ties in somehow with the Portal series which makes it even more awesome. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Top Pro

Guns are varied and interesting

Almost every gun is fun to shoot and is distinct. The crossbow is super awesome for it’s power and the gravity gun offers variety in puzzles and what you can shoot with. Want to hit someone with an explosive barrel? Pick it up and throw it with the gravity gun! See More

Top Pro

Amazing character animation

When Half Life 2 came out it set the bar super high for character animation that still rivals some games today. See More

Top Pro

Very moddable

Entire games have been made from Half Life (such as Counter Strike) and the tradition continues with it’s sequel! In fact there’s a game essentially about making your own things made from a modded Half Life 2 and that game is called Garry’s Mod. See More

Top Pro

Commentaries

Hear from the creators about the making of Half Life 2 Ep1 and 2. Everything from level design to technical details are discussed. More developers need to use this. See More

Bioshock Infinite

Top Pro

Great story

Touching on themes of classism, racism, the power of religion, propaganda, and even delving into the metaphysical, Bioshock Infinite delivers a compelling story that will have you engaged till the very end. See More

Top Con

The ending is very unclear and open to interpretation.

After multiple twists that logically link from one to another, the end doesn't completely follow any reasoning or logic, it seems out of the blue, confusing and open to interpretation. As someone who played the game for the story, a huge disruptive disappointment. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

The world is amazing

A city floating in the sky with quantum physics set in the early 1900s with gear propelled robots and powers brought on by tonics are awaiting you in the city of Columbia. Bright colors and amazing vistas that are populated with floating islands that house full carnival resorts, giant memorial statues, along with deadly enslavement camps and prisons bring Bioshock’s world to life. See More

Top Con

Story and Gameplay can give mixed tones

A high story concept mixed with super bloody battles threw off some people’s experience of the game who site ludonarrative dissonance as the problem. See More

Top Pro

Intense fast-paced gameplay

Continuing the super-powered gameplay from the first two Bioshock’s this installment in the series refines the fun and fast formula. Use tonics to launch fireballs, ravens, or electricty at your foes, or make them fight by your side, as long as you have enough salt that is. Then to liven things up get help from Elizabeth’s “tears” to bring in more guns and tin-men from another time/dimension to aid you in your fight! See More

Top Pro

Great Add-On content

With the main game being so great you just want to keep playing. So Irrational Games came out with four DLC packs: Columbia’s Finest, Clash in the Clouds, Burial at Sea Episode 1 and Episode 2. See More

Firewatch

Top Pro

Fantastic voice acting

There are two leads with each being voice acted in a believable way in how they interact. The relationship presented in the story is given credence due to how well it is acted. See More

Top Con

Ending feels a bit weak

Once the player progresses far enough into the game there are plot thread wrap-ups that seem a bit too convenient and overly rushed. See More

AmiableUgajin's Experience

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Narrative, Adventure, Walking Sim

Top Pro

Adds interaction to the "walking simulator" genre

Unlike many walking simulator game the player is allowed to interact more with the environment than expected. User can repel down ropes, collect caches of items and even adopt a pet. See More

Top Con

Short game

It maxes out at 5 hours of play, which is a bit short, though it is priced fairly for the time one gets. See More

Top Pro

Beautiful graphics

The game impresses with stunning graphics and a beautifully crafted world, overlaid with a neat canvas effect. See More

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Top Pro

Huge variety of mods

Bethesda Softworks has upheld a tradition of releasing their internal content-creation tools to the public since Morrowind (2002). Many modders transition to new Bethesda games as they are released, bringing their experience with them and helping newcomers through forums and wikis. As a result, Skyrim's mod selection is outstanding in both variety and quality. See More

Top Con

Shallow

Focuses on open-world exploration and combat, whereas the story, dialogue, and NPCs are bland. See More

Specs

Genre:Fantasy Role-Playing

Top Pro

The longest-running RPG-FPS franchise, with world lore rivaling classic fantasy literature

The Elder Scrolls series stretches back 20 years and has always focused on providing a rich world to explore. Skyrim inherits the stories and world-building of over half a dozen previous games. See More

Top Con

Buggy and crash prone

Skyrim, like all Bethesda in house game engines (GameBryo) is buggy and prone to crashing. Non modded games have plenty of issues, but to then add mods on top is just asking for a crash or corrupt game save. There are still many community mods for Skyrim that try to make the game more stable by addressing memory issues and general buggynes. While the game is not as buggy as it was upon release, there are still many people that have issues with the game crashing on boot or just randomly which is why these mods are still widely used and still very relevant. See More

Top Pro

Unrestrictive skill-based RPG system

Skyrim has no concept of character classes, and there are no restrictions on what equipment or magic a given character can use or learn. A character's capabilities are defined by skills (e.g. heavy armor, marksman, enchantment) which automatically improve as they are used. Levels are gained by increasing skills, and each level grants one perk -- a passive, secondary effect which further enhances a particular skill -- and increases an attribute of your choice (Magicka, Stamina or Health). See More

Top Con

Immersion can be broken due to game limitations

While the game offers players many choices some of these choices are not reflected in the game accurately. There are instances where NPCs should know who your character is or what classes they belong to but due to the limitations of the tech used in the game it is unable to "remember" these things and so NPC text will often break immersion in the game by saying the wrong things. See More

Top Pro

Moral choices that can affect gameplay

Things like stealing (and getting caught), fighting or killing in towns will change how the game plays as now those people or towns will be angry with the player, which makes things much more difficult. There are also many moral choices in game such as if one should betray the person who gave then their quest by keeping the treasure they were hired to return. All of these things will change how the game plays and how NPC's react to the character making for a simulated real world of consequences. See More

Top Pro

Deep lore rivaling classic fantasy literature

Skyrim inherits the stories and world-building of The Elder Scrolls series, which stretches back 20 years. It has numerous stories surrounding the various races (orcs, elves, lizardmen, demons, etc.), mythical beasts, gods, cataclysmic events, parallel worlds, and just about any fantasy trope you could think off. What's even better you can read the lore in books found in-game, allowing you to immerse yourself for countless hours. See More

Top Pro

Massive sandbox to explore at your own pace

The in-game map is absolutely gigantic. There are so many places to go and so much to do in the world, easily giving you hundreds of hours of content. Exploring the wide range of environments, from the snowy mountains to the richly-detailed towns and cities is such a joy because of how lush and beautiful everything is. Wandering around often surprises you with new side quests to find off the beaten path, with new characters to meet and history to learn about in whichever area you find yourself in. You can get into all sorts of battles with powerful enemies or stumble into hidden dungeons with awesome loot at the end. Or you can sneak around towns at night stealing peoples' stuff while they're asleep to sell everything off for money. And there's just a ton of other intriguing secrets and fun diversions to discover as you adventure throughout the world. See More

Top Pro

Total freedom in how you choose to play through the world's different factions

You can set off to any of Skyrim's different towns and discover new storylines from interesting factions that flesh out the world and the lore, with great characters and their own absorbing narratives to get lost in. There are a good number of these factions, like the scholars at the snowy College of Winterhold, the secretive assassins of the Dark Brotherhood, or the cohort of rogues and bandits of the Thieves Guild. After picking whichever faction you want to learn more about, you can eventually become a Master of the guild and learn new skills for your character. Playing through each of their individual stories lets you really feel like a member of the faction you choose, like with how the Thieves Guild sends you on missions to pick locks and steal valuables without getting caught by the guards. And if you only get through some of the faction's story and decide you don't enjoy it, you can easily go find another one and play through that one instead. There are no limits on how you play through the plot, with Skyrim giving you the flexibility to pick up stories, set them down, and come back to them whenever you feel like it. See More

Borderlands 2

Top Pro

Tons of heavily customized and unique loot

Borderlands 2 makes it feel like Christmas every time you kill an enemy or open chests. Whether it's just ammo and health or a new mod, it makes killing enemies and finding chests much more satisfying than other loot based games through giving the player the potential for a good drop, which is always on the horizon. While many loot based games are based on this mechanic, the overall appeal of new loot is boosted by the randomized look and features of each weapon and mod. The guns (as well as other items) in Borderlands 2 have distinct visual features depending on their attributes. For example, a gun with a plus melee attack might have a blade on it. This is customization that goes beyond pallet swapping (where the same assets are used for different items that differentiate themselves through different colors) which makes you much more attached to the gun than a bunch of polygons should. Which adds to the appeal of discovering new items in the game. You will also find tons and tons of different types of guns. Six different types of guns exist in the game including pistols and sniper rifles. Each with eight different manufactures like Hyperion and Jacobs give an almost unlimited amount of guns you can find in the game. Being that the guns are randomized as they appear, it is difficult to find any two that are exactly alike. With the many different combinations available, you never know what attributes the next gun you will find will have. This also gives an individualistic experience to each player of the game as even if both went to the same areas, they will find wholly different items. See More

Top Con

Boring bulletsponge enemies

A lot of the enemies, and especially bosses, are just bulletsponges that require no different tactics in place to beat them. See More

Eric Waters's Experience

Look, it's an alright game, but it doesn't belong on a list of story-driven single player games. The story's thin, and the focus for the game is definitely multiplayer. Sure, you can play single player (I always do, because I hate people), but excellent storytelling it ain't. See More

Specs

Genre:Action RPG

Co-Op:4 Player Online / 4 Player LAN / 2 Player Couch

Top Pro

Enjoyable co-op play that focuses on teamwork

The varying classes and play styles are designed to work together and promote co-op play. One player may be a tank, with large guns and long lasting armor, while another may have medic abilities with a long range sniper rifle. This makes for a scenario where each class compliments each other, which is a fun way to work as a team when playing co-op. See More

Top Con

Tedious to check gun stats

You are hit with a ton of different weapons throughout the game that checking the stats on each can become tedious. This can be a pro to some but to others it can be an quite an annoyance. See More

Top Pro

Humorous writing in a game with a serious tone

Despite being an in-your-face action game with an generally serious plot, Borderlands 2 features an interesting yet slightly cliche sense of humor. This is even exaggerated in the side quests, which at times feature the funniest and most creative parts of the writing. This way the player can dive into the main plot and get an enjoyable action plot, while also being given the choice to go on side-quests that feature a break from the more serious overtones through an expanded sense of humor. Often the humor is meme based or low brow, which should appeal to a wide array of sense of humor. See More

Top Con

Gameplay can become repetitive

Many battles can be cheesed by running away, taking cover, shooting, and repeating. The AI doesn't do much to pursue you which gives the player the advantage of using the same technique for most fights, which can become boring with time. See More

Top Pro

Allows for multiple playstyles

Borderlands 2 is all about options. With hundreds of weapon options and 4 classes, you can have multiple play-throughs that will play completely different each time. Along with each class, there are multiple skill trees meaning you can tweak your character to exactly how you want to play. Even if playing the same class on multiple playthroughs, you can equip completely different skills which will make the experience much different from the last. This all adds up to a game that can be bent to the wants of the player, something that is highly configurable which makes for a gaming experience that is difficult to beat in customizability. See More

Top Con

Limited visual customization of characters

As a game that is full of choices, it is somehow lacking in visual customization options. Borderlands 2 only features the ability to change your character's basic skins through different colored outfits. There is no way to customize the characters faces or body style. This can make for online games that often have the exact same looking characters, which can not only get confusing but does not allow for any sense of originality concerning each player's character. See More

Top Pro

Great comic book art style

Using solid black outlines and bright colors, this game looks great. It has memorable looks to it that makes it stand apart from other first person games. Very similar in style to comic books, the art is clean and bright taking advantage of a palette not often found in modern (brown and grey) shooters. See More

Top Con

Lost loot due to sharing

The unfortunate downside to all of the loot is that it is anyone's game. Loot isn't reserved for each individual player when playing co-op and can be taken by anyone. So that means the first person to get to the loot can basically take all of it. this can lead to contention between co-op players, which basically goes against the idea of cooperative play. See More

Top Pro

A ton of post-game content

Gearbox just loves to make content for Borderlands, they never seem to stop! See More

Top Pro

Memorable Characters

Great characters such as Tiny Tina, the foul mouthed and deadly 13 year old, and Mr. Torgue the biggest badass to live, breathe life into the wasteland of Pandora. See More

Top Pro

Variety of co-op options

Borderlands 2 offers 4 player online co-op as well as 2 player split screen local co-op. There is even a way for two player local split-screen to play online with others. See More

Top Pro

Works on different OS's: Linux/Mac/Win

Borderlands 2 is a co-op multiplayer game, so cross platform support means you can play with your friends no matter what OS they use. See More

Prey (2017)

Top Pro

Rewarding exploration

Throughout each level, there are several items to pick up in Prey, in order to save them to recycle into more useful items. There are also computers for the player to browse and read descriptive emails and data logs with new information, or electrical flames acting as obstacles that the player can extinguish with special tools. Environments are dense, telling a story all their own that adds to the intrigue of the main plot. As Morgan levels up, he or she can also unlock new ways to explore earlier locations, such as a feature to glide across locations to reach inaccessible areas, opening up new possibilities to discover. See More

Top Con

Inconsistent graphics

Prey's environments and lighting effects are beautiful, with polished surfaces and fizzling bits of electricity coming from broken wires, but the human models in the game are decidedly average in comparison, their skin looking somewhat bloated or blotched at times that don't seem intentional. Thankfully, the humans in the game aren't as much of a focus as the environments are. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:First-Person Shooter, Immersive Sim

Top Pro

Morality system is well-implemented

Prey has a strong focus on the protagonist Morgan's actions to determine his or her morality, The choices in the game deal with choosing to kill a group of mind-controlled enemies or finding a way to save them. spending limited resources to go out of your way to fight enemies who pose a threat to the space station, or even saving groups of people who don't like you and won't appreciate your sacrifice. It's up to you to weigh the pros and cons and do what best reflects your own morals. These types of choices come up throughout the game, and they feel well-executed and implemented in ways that serve as an example for other morality-based titles to follow. See More

Top Con

Weak stealth options

Because the player isn't forced to choose a dedicated playstyle from the onset, stealth or shooting, it's clear that having both forced the stealth option to suffer, with the primary mechanic being tiptoeing around enemies and hoping that they don't notice. With the dozens of options to mod Morgan's gun and inspire different uses for his or her weapon, the stealth painfully lacks in comparison. See More

Top Pro

Strong opening

The introduction to Prey's story and setting is intriguing, messing with the player's head and forcing them to question if what they had just experienced was real. There's an unsettling air of sterility and complacency where certain factors of the game expect the player, as the protagonist Morgan, to obliviously go along with the proceedings as if nothing is wrong. These events are ultimately more interesting than the rest of the story, but Prey nonetheless has an unforgettable hook that will keep players invested from the get-go. See More

Top Con

Overuse of jump scares

The blob-like, ink-black mimics that appear throughout the space station often sneak up on the player by way of jump scares that gradually overstay their welcome, becoming more of an annoyance than anything, especially for players who dislike horror mechanics. The first few instances of this happening can be a complete turn-off, discouraging those who might have enjoyed the game without this particular design decision. See More

Top Pro

Options to stealth or shoot

Although the effectiveness of the stealth option leaves a lot to be desired, Prey at least gives the player the opportunity to either focus on straightforward combat or sneaking around enemies instead. Much like in the Deus Ex games, not being locked to either playstyle opens up a lot of freedom for exploration and taking on foes. See More

Fallout 4

Top Pro

Great storyline that is expanded by sidequests

The main storyline is well written featuring the main character looking for redemption and their lost son. Expanding on that is the many side quests available that flush out the world that is Boston in this post apocalyptic future. See More

Top Con

Pipboy UI feels unpleasant to use

When you open your Pipboy (a personal computer that manages your quests, inventory, character data, etc) the screen containing the useful information only covers about a fourth of the entire screen. As a result some of the elements are too crammed, requiring a lot of scrolling. This can be really annoying if you're trying to find something in a list of 100 items. See More

Specs

Genre:Action RPG

Co-Op:Single Player

Top Pro

Heavily moddable

Users can find all sorts of mods at Nexus Mods, which will help expand and change the gameplay making for an infinitely playable game due to the vast amount of options available. See More

Top Con

The dialogue choices are limited and non-meaningful

In a lot of the cases the choices you make when talking to people don't actually impact what happens. There are some exceptions, but Fallout 4 is more about telling a story to the player than being able to do things your own way. See More

Top Pro

Solid gunplay

Fallout has typically used a slowed down time based gun mechanic called VATS, which works as an assisted shooting and aiming mechanic that allows one to pick the body parts of an enemy to target in slowed down time. This system is present in Fallout 4, but the first/third person gunplay has been improved so much over previous titles that it is not as necessary to use anymore (as it once was). Basically the gunplay works so well in this game that players can run and gun with ease, though the VATs system is still there for those that prefer it. Either way, the gunplay feels and plays well, no matter the system used, which makes for a varied design that feels solid and enjoyable. See More

Top Con

Buggy gameplay

There are bugs in the game that users will run into. While most are not game breaking, it can detract from the experience. See More

Top Pro

Huge world with a lot to discover

The Fallout world is massive and even outside of the main campaign there are so many things going on that the world feels real and alive. Lots of the buildings are actually enter-able and usually have something unique and interesting to discover. See More

Top Con

Pipboy UI is hard to use

The default UI does not make it easy to manage your items and there are a lot of inconsistencies such as escape and tab both being used inconsistently to exit in-game features. See More

Top Pro

Unique loot

There is quite a lot of loot to be found in the game. Weapons and armor are scattered all over the wasteland map as well as contained in many dungeons. Unique and legendary loot can be found by defeating certain types of enemies as well. Overall this gives a good incentive to keep exploring and defeating bad guys, all in the search of getting that better piece of gear. See More

Top Pro

Base building mechanic that makes for a solid distraction to the main story

Base building is a way that the player can collect components in the world to then use them to make their own base for equipment and supplies. There is also an interesting aspect where the player can attract NPCs in the game to their base in order to create a settlement (basically a small town of people). This can only be done in particular spaces in the game though. The rest of the base building mechanics can be used anywhere the player wants and in any style they like. If you want to build a floating base that only you can access, this can be done. Want to build a giant towering structure that goes as high as you like, you can do that too. Really there is very little limiting the player from creating anything they imagine for their base. This can make for a solid distraction from the main story of the game as the player can sink as much or as little time into it as they like. See More

Top Pro

Companions can help make the game a little easier

There are a bunch of companions to find in the game, starting with a dog. Each companion has their own skills that can help the player in the game, such as the dog can find hidden items in the world and retrieve them. As the player progresses in the game, more companions can be found, though only one can be used at a time. They can be easily swapped out for those that would like to see what each offers easily. Even better is the player does not have to use one if they do not like, which may make the game a little more tough, but some may enjoy that challenge. See More

Top Pro

Challenging and diverse enemy types

There are quite a lot of different enemies found in the game, ranging from Super Mutants to Feral Zombies to Blood Bugs. Each has their own weakness and strength, which asks the player to constantly adjust their fighting style due to what is being thrown at them at the time. See More

Top Pro

Deep perk/skill system

The perk/skill system is presented as a large grid of perks the player can pick from. As the player levels up, they earn skill points which can then be used to gain perks in this large grid. The choices are pretty vast with seven different areas that perks can be picked from. This is called the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system, standing for Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck. Each of these seven skills have their own row of perks, of which those perks cost a certain amount of skill points to use. A total of 70 perks give the player a lot of choice and customization to their character. If you want to make a character centered around being a sharp shooter, there are perks for that, if you want to focus on creating a tank of a character that can plow through enemies with little damage, there are perks for that too. This way anyone can create a very original character on each playthrough. See More

Top Pro

Weapons and armor can be improved by adding mods

Add a scope, change the barrel or ammo clip, add a stock to turn it into a rifle or remove it to turn it into a pistol. A lot of awesome weapons are to be made. Same goes for armor. Leather lining or metal painting, padding or extra pockets. Then there's all sorts of menacing melee weapons too! See More

Spec Ops: The Line

Top Pro

Gameplay keeps one on their toes

The gameplay is constantly changing with environmental effects to new enemies and weapons that they use. This keeps the player constantly learning and adjusting their playstyle in order to be successful. See More

Top Con

Little player agency

Almost an on-the-rails shooter means it reduces some of the impact of the points it makes. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Top Pro

A dark exploration of whether the player has a choice

It is up to the user on how they take in the meaning of the content of the game. There are no cutscenes, everything is portrayed by gameplay, which makes the interpretation somewhat personal. This type of presentation also explores whether the player has any choice in what they are doing in the game, which can be liberating while also weirdly strict. See More

Grand Theft Auto V

Top Pro

Great story wrapped around in biting and relevant social commentary

Grand Theft Auto V is a smart, comical but biting social commentary on contemporary relevant matters. It satirizes almost anything that has to do with the current pop culture. Millennials, celebrities, the right, the left, the middle class, the upper class, the media and even the video game industry itself. The story and the world in which it takes place are fictional, but the social commentary and the problems it raises and things it satirizes are real -- corruption, greed, hypocrisy, the abuse of power -- are all real and relevant in today's world. See More

Top Con

Population density slider in the options does not make much of a difference

The population density option in the PC version does not make much of a difference in the game, while it does have more people and cars than the console counterparts, the increased number is not by much. See More

Specs

Genre:Action-Adventure

Top Pro

Freedom to explore almost anything

Besides providing players with a huge open world, Grand Theft Auto V also gives them the ability and freedom to explore every corner of the map available to them with any vehicle available to them in the game. See More

Top Con

Forced Rockstar Social Club online registration DRM scheme

Rockstar Social Club is a forced online registration and DRM platform that will not allow one to play the game without first logging in to it. No internet connection, no play. Forget the password to the account three times, get locked out. All hindrances to paying customers that in no way will stop the piracy of this title or effect pirates in any way shape or form. See More

Top Pro

Massive scope

The world of Grand Theft Auto V is extraordinarily massive and filled with details. For example, you can be working to complete a mission which may involve flying a plane, fighting the crew of that plane, crashing it, and finally parachuting out of it only to find an off-road buggy landing. This, in turn may lead you to explore the mountains and wilderness around San Andreas and come across backpackers who will probably be slightly annoyed at you. But this does not even come close to describing the massive scope that GTA V has. It feels like a living world where anything can happen. See More

Top Pro

Online multiplayer

GTA V has included an online multiplayer mode where up to 30 players can play at the same time in the online world. See More

Top Pro

Well optimized

There were many reservations as to how well Rockstar was going to optimize the game for PC, as some of their past games had a lot of trouble in this area. Luckily it looks as though the game has been optimized quite well with the specs being quite reasonable in order to achieve 60FPS in 1080p on the best settings. See More

Top Pro

Game saves can be imported from console versions

Players that have game saves on their console versions can import the save to the PC version, this way they will not have to start the game over from scratch to enjoy it on PC. Rockstar has a support page specifically to transfer the saves. See More

Top Pro

Rockstar editor

The included Rockstar editor allows for user to create their own Machinima and gameplay videos. The tools are very robust allowing for many different day, weather and character options. See More

Top Pro

Supports up to 4K resolutions

GTA V supports resolutions all the way up to 4K on the PC version. See More

Top Pro

First person mode

The entire PC game version has had an engine tweak that allows it to be played in first person view, making for the first time in the series run that this option is available for the full playthrough. See More

Top Pro

Improved graphics over every other version

The PC version of GTA V is the optimal experience when it comes to graphic quality. Improved lighting and antialiasing make a big difference over the games XBox One and PS4 counterparts. See More

Dear Esther

Top Con

One time experience

Dear Esther is like a book, unless some amount of time goes by or you really love the story there’s no major reason to play this game again. See More

Top Pro

Gorgeous, intricately detailed environments

There is no arguing that the scenery and graphics in Dear Esther is jaw dropping gorgeous. Due to how nothing can be interacted with the environment can be rendered in a much more beautiful way as not much needs to change while walking around. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Mostly Positive

Genre:First-Person Exploration

Top Con

Narrator can be long-winded

It’s sometimes easy to drown out what the narrator is saying since he’s the only outside stimulus aside from walking and he talks about everything in the game. See More

Top Pro

Beautiful soundtrack

The soundtrack is hauntingly beautiful which suits the games visual atmosphere quite well. See More

Top Con

Short gameplay

Only about 90 minutes to two hours long which is pretty short for a game and can easily be finished in a single sitting. See More

Top Pro

Pervasive sense of isolation, loneliness, and mystery

The game takes place on an abandoned island, so in a practical sense the player is alone. Add to that that this is a bit of a ghost story and mystery becomes enwrapped within the isolation of the island making for what is as much of an experience as it is a game that makes for a feeling and sense of loneliness and despair that often is only found in real life. See More

Top Pro

Can be relaxing

Just sit back, relax, and spend some time with Dear Esther. The experience isn’t long and there’s no pressure to go past the pace you want to go. While it does have a sense of loneliness and isolation the graphics are beautiful and the music is soothing which also lends a hand in the relaxedness of the title. See More

Top Pro

Narrative driven experience

There are no waypoint markers, no quests, in fact nobody else in this world except the player and the narrator. Hike through the world and discover the inner workings of this person’s mind. See More

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