From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action


It's time for more HumbleChoice games... or "Make The Number Go Up By
Eight" day, as I call it. Recent HumbleChoice selections have been
very disappointing; what will this month hold for us? Will I finally
feel we've gotten good value for money?


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* Tempest Rising
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1486920/Tempest_Rising/
Oooh, this is a good start. Although, to be fair, there's
nothing really special about "Tempest Rising"; it's a fairly
bog-standard real-time strategy game of the classic mold.
It's the store version of "Command & Conquer" made for 2026.
But it's been so long since we've had a game like this that
alone makes it stand out, and it's not a bad game of its type
either. It's just not special. Still, I'm happy to add this
one to my collection.


* Chants of Sennaar https://store.steampowered.com/app/1931770/Chants_of_Sennaar/
I'm not familiar with this game. It seems to be a puzzle-
adventure game, sort of along the lines of "7th Guest", albeit
with cell-shaded graphics and a third-person isometric
interface for moving about. It's not really a genre I'm into
that much, but it's the sort of game I'm at least willing to
give a chance. The reviews are promising, so there's that too.


* Sworn
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1763250/SWORN/
Another game I am unfamiliar with. This one appears to be a
top-down rogue-like action RPG; e.g. a Diablo-clone. It's
major hook seems to be that its loosely based on the Arthurian
mythos. Other than that, it looks fairly generic. I can't get
all that excited about this one.


* Etrian Odyssey III HD https://store.steampowered.com/app/1810820/Etrian_Odyssey_III_HD/
Humble selected the first two games of this series in
previous months, so no surprise to see the third here too.
It's a JRPG originally made for Nintendo handhelds;
although featuring updated visuals, there's little about
the series that intrigues me.


* Bread & Fred
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1607680/Bread__Fred/
Another Indie platformer. Meh. I guess maybe if you
really like penguins.


* Zero Hour
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1359090/Zero_Hour/
A tactical FPS; e.g., a "Counterstrike" clone. Its hook
is (was?) that its maps were loosely based on locales in
Bangladesh, which is unusual enough to make the game
somewhat interesting. But beyond that it doesn't really do
anything special, and this multiplayer game is currently
unsupported by its devs (and its tiny player-base has all
but evaporated). A few years ago this might have been a game
to get excited about, but now it's just library-filler.


* Smalland: Survive the Wild https://store.steampowered.com/app/768200/Smalland_Survive_the_Wilds/
When I saw this game, the first thing I thought was, "Hey, a
game for Ant!" It's another in the recently burgeoning genre
of "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" themed games, where you're
miniaturized and have to survive in a world filled with oversized
plants and insect. But beyond that, it's mostly just another
open-world survival/crafting game. Not really my thing, but I might
take a look just to see the bugs.


* Hard West II
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1282410/Hard_West_2/
A top-down tactical/strategy game. Think XCOM with cowboys
and monsters. The first game was interesting; this one has
the bones of a good concept too, but the execution is flawed.
You're limited in options and the story isn't as engaging.
It's fine, but mostly seems aimed at fans of the first game.


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So that's this month's selection. It's still not GREAT but it's better
than past offerings; "Tempest Rising" is really the only game I really
care about, but there are a handful of others I don't mind adding to
the library. There's also some fluff I know I'll never bother to play.
But it doesn't make me wonder if I should just skip the month
entirely.

Whether you feel HumbleChoice is worth it or not, do any of the games
listed intrigue you?


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