This week on Gaming On a Budget, we are having a Bioware week. Some of the greatest sci-fi roleplaying titles of all time are now incredibly cheap.
Now we know that we have done these first two before, but they’re now part of a collection on Steam and honestly, is just too good a deal to pass up.
Mass Effect is a game that is considered somewhat of a spiritual successor to the astounding Knights of The old Republic series. Created by the same development team, it bore a sci-fi storytelling style similar to “Kotor” but with a more action-oriented feel. It put you in the shoes of an elite soldier who stumbles onto the greatest secret within human and alien history. The reapers—a sentient machine race are coming, but why? Shepard must track down a rogue council agent, witnessing the aftermath of all the atrocities he commits to finding out the ghastly truth lurking behind the future of the human race and perhaps the galaxy itself? This game is now part of a collection that includes the next game on this week’s list.
The sequel to Mass Effect starts with an incredible feat. Commander Shepard—possibly the only human that manages to survive death, is tasked by a shadowy organisation with helping them find the whereabouts of missing human colonists. Thousands of humans are disappearing from outlying colonist planets without a trace, and no-one knows why. Flying under the radar, away from the Alliance Navy, Shepard’s on her own in this one, though she does have access to a surprising amount of resources benevolently gifted to her by this Illusive man. Does he want to help discover what is happening to mankind, or does he have an ulterior motive? Mass Effect 2 improved upon the first in every way, making the inventory system far easier and making decisions more relevant than anyone has ever had to make in their life. Both Mass Effect 1 and 2 are available on Steam for only $8.74 as part of the Mass Effect Collection.
The next game is undoubtedly Bioware’s magnum opus, and it’s easy to see where a lot of the ideas for Mass Effect came from, in a storytelling and artistic aspect. Knights of the Old Republic—aka “Kotor” puts you in the shoes of a Jedi pupil suffering from amnesia. The pupil shows much promise in the ways of the force. However, the council seems reluctant to train them properly. You will go from being a young Padawan to a fully fledged Jedi. From learning the ways of the force to helping uphold the tenets of the Jedi council and building your lightsaber from scratch, you’ll do it all in this exciting sci RPG set in the Star Wars universe. With a system somewhat borrowed from Dungeons & Dragons, and unlike Mass Effect, Kotor is a turn based role playing game, which forces you to make vital life-giving or taking decisions. It’s currently on sale on Steam for only $2.99. Every sci-fi fan needs to own it, that and its sequel.
Knights of the Old Republic II draws on what was discovered in the previous game. You play as an exile—a Jedi Padawan that has been shunned by the Jedi Council. In dire need of her help, due to the rapidly dwindling numbers of Jedi at the Sith’s hands, the Jedi Council enlists the Exile’s help to track down a powerful Sith Lord. There’s just one issue. She’s lost her connection to the Force. They set out to retrain her and rebuild her connection to the force little by little until she is powerful enough to face the dark lord. Her mentor Kreia teaches her than the force is not always so black or white, and this is what makes the game so great. Knights of the Old Republic II explores the grey side of being a Jedi—questioning whether they are the good guys or not. It was the first game to blur the lines and make one question their existence as a Jedi Knight. Truly a treat and probably my favourite Obsidian title.
We hope you guys enjoy this weeks sci-fi plethora of fabulous titles. There’re over 180 hours worth of gameplay there guys. Dig in and follow us on Twitter for our deals next week!
