Dreamfall Chapters
Dreamfall Chapters is the episodic story following the saga of The Longest Journey. If you were a fan of The Longest Journey and/or enjoy the structure of an episodic game series, you may find that Dreamfall Chapters is right up your street. Throughout the four current episodes that are released and the upcoming fifth episode, Dreamfall Chapters focuses on a driven adventure where choices and consequences play a large part in driving the story forward as you play.
Set in parallel worlds (one is a cyberpunk vision of the future and the other a magical fantasy realm) players will embark on a deep and emotional storyline that gives the more time you put into it. With excellent writing providing stellar conversation and dialogue between characters being matched with a beautiful art style, anyone looking for a story-driven adventure game is sure to enjoy Dreamfall Chapters.
The game currently has very positive reviews from the Steam community and its average critic score over on Metacritic is around the low 70s. Still, the game is worth picking up for a quick blast if you’re looking for something you can pick up and play every so often.
Cities: Skylines
Cities: Skylines is the game that a lot of Sim City fans wanted back when the reboot of the series launched in 2013. With huge areas of terrain available for players to build massive cities, thriving communities, and fully developed infrastructures, Cities: Skylines allows players to go into some serious depth with their virtual cities.
Though the game can be a bit particular over how you should deal with particular issues such as traffic jams, and other seemingly minute issues that can ultimately lead to you undoing a lot of your hard work, nothing is more rewarding than seeing your city thrive. All of those hours of meticulous planning will pay off when you see a city that needs no further input to thrive than your desire to expand and build more and more upon your own success.
Cities: Skylines is a game that rewards you for the amount of time you put into it, and with saying that, we think it’s perfect for this time of the year when the weather outside gives you further justification for staying indoors and playing some games.
Pillars of Eternity
Pillars of Eternity is an isometric fantasy RPG, where players will make certain choices and choose their own path for their characters which will ultimately shape the destiny of their characters. One of Pillars of Eternity’s strongest points is its writing, which combines an engaging story with excellent dialogue to truly bring the characters to life.
Combining this excellent writing with a beautifully diverse world means that Pillars of Eternity has truly become one of this year’s sleeper hits on PC. Its Steam user reviews sing its praise and with its average score on Metacritic sitting on a staggering 92, there’s a strong consensus among players and critics alike that this game is definitely worth your time and money.
The Beginner’s Guide
The Beginner’s Guide made one of our lists recently for overlooked games from 2015 that you should definitely play, and much like we did on that list, we’re not going to say too much about The Beginner’s Guide. Why, you ask? Well, simply put The Beginner’s Guide is very much an interactive story which will see the player doing little more than moving the story along with your WASD keys, mouse, and a couple of left clicks every so often to interact with some aspects of the environment.
While this may not seem particularly entertaining, witnessing the story is worth putting the hour and a half or so in to unravel it for yourself. The Beginner’s Guide will definitely have your mind buzzing with questions and theories and with many fans discussing the game over on its Steam community page, you’ll have somewhere to go to let it all out when you’ve finished playing through. If you’re into story-driven games, The Beginner’s Guide is a great hidden gem for PC gamers this year.
Undertale
Undertale is the definitive must-play PC exclusive of 2015, and yet it’s quite possible that you may have easily missed that it released this year altogether. In Undertale, the player will control a human who falls underground into the world of monsters where you’ll have to get out of danger using the unique battle system. What’s so unique about this battle system? Well, perhaps the fact that you don’t have to battle whatsoever. Instead, you talk and negotiate your way out of danger against a cast of ridiculous and lovable characters.
Undertale’s soundtrack is one that fits hand in hand with the game and its story as it really immerses you the more you progress. Undertale’s enemies may be eccentric and humorous, but the game will also toy with your emotions, leaving you questioning whether you made the right decision on many occasions throughout the game. With an overwhelmingly positive average score on Metacritic of 94 and similarly positive user reviews from the Steam community, Undertale is a must-play for any PC gamer who hasn’t already got this installed.
Heroes of the Storm
Blizzard’s attempt at delving into the MOBA genre has actually resulted in an enjoyable experience full of memorable characters from their library of past releases, from Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo. While the DNA of the traditional MOBA is still present at the core of Heroes of the Storm, Blizzard has attempted to address many of the issues that players have come across in other games in the genre.
Dissuading players from farming AI-controlled enemies by rewarding the player with XP rather than gold that can be used for upgrades brings much of the focus to the key objectives and ultimately results in much more entertaining battles.
While MOBA’s definitely aren’t for every PC player, if you’ve always been interested and have been looking for one, Heroes of the Storm is a great one to jump into. With it being completely Free-to-Play, you’re not going to regret the decision to give it a try if you don’t end up liking it.
Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void
Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void may be an additional, and the final, expansion for the base game but the sheer amount of high-quality content it brings to the table means it’s one of our top exclusive PC picks for 2015. Not only does Legacy of the Void bring a whole new way to keep things fresh for veterans of Starcraft II with the emphasis of micromanaging individual units, but it also provides a less intimidating environment for newcomers to the series to learn the ropes.
All of these changes come packaged in an expansion that includes an incredible new single player campaign that will keep you busy for hours, and an update with some well-needed tweaks to the multiplayer that make it all the more enjoyable to play. If you’ve been keeping an eye on Starcraft II for a while, now is the time to jump in. Legacy of the Void marks the end of the series and rounds it off perfectly.
And there are our top picks of PC exclusives in 2015! Have we missed out your favorite PC exclusive of this year? Let us know in the comments below.
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