PixlBit

A brief rundown of games I've recently bought or played after finally upgrading to Windows 7.

Satellite Reign

A "Syndicate inspired," cyberpunk, real-time strategy game, that really plays closer to the Commandos series of games than Syndicate/Syndicate Wars, hence the quotes. You control a squad of 4 cyber'd out individuals, each with different class specialities, infiltrating, hacking, mind-jacking, cloning, shooting, assassination, and stealthing your way through an isometric open world. Game has a lot of rough edges and frustrating design choices (the guard behavior can be ridiculous and inconsistent sometimes, making stealth a chore, and there are some missing functions - like pausing and aggressiveness settings so you're squaddies aren't just standing around while getting shot at -  for a strategy game such as this in 2015), but I had considerable fun with it. The world is beautifully conceived and rich with neon cyberpunk atmosphere. Level design allows for a lot of different approaches and tactics within missions. You can mindjack civilians or guards and have them do your dirty work for you and/or use them as meat shields. To be honest, I played the Pirate Bay demo because I wasn't sure about the game, but now i want it for sure.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown bundle

Comes with EU and Enemy Within.  I waited to play this until I had Windows updated, so I can try the Long War mod later. I'll get this out of the way: the game doesn't have the amount of variety, detail, depth, or freedom as the original X-Com.  But that game was a masterpiece, so good luck on anyone trying to match it. That's a shame, but this recent iteration is still quite entertaining.  It's satisfying to get those kills and it's just nice to see someone making a mainstream tactics game AND releasing it on major platforms instead of the handheld ghetto. I made the mistake of starting on Classic difficulty, being an X-Com vet. It's unforgiving, but the problem isn't the tactical layer, the combat, but the strategic layer.  You pretty much have to know the proper research route to get what you need as soon as possible. The game puts the pressure on from the jump. You don't have the leeway to experiment that you have on the lower difficulties. So I'm playing on Normal for now. I'll finish the campaign, then go to Enemy Within, then either replay on Classic or Impossible, or play with the Long War mod (also punishing, from what I've read)

Duke Nuke'Em 3D: Megaton Edition

 Shit was a buck 50 guys, come on.  It's a classic of the genre, a huge evolutionary step between DOOM and Half-Life, where environments started becoming less abstract and more specifi/logical, but still sprawling and labyrinthine. Enhanced graphics, three expansions, and the original version. I love how smooth these old FPS play compared to the lumbering movement and weapon sway of today's games that try to simulate movement and mass. Not my favorite "old school" FPS, I still prefer DOOM and Hexen, but like I said, $1.50