(This used to be called PC Games I'm Playing, but I figure this sounds better)
Currently playing MarZ, Trident's Wake, and Train Mechanic Simulator (2017).
MarZ: Tactical Base Defense has a somewhat new concept... Zombies on Mars! Apparently they were the victims of an older Soviet secret experiment in the 1960's! Now that humans have landed on Mars, the zombies are coming back out for blood! You are limited in the way your base is setup, as your central base can only support so many "hubs", and each hub can only support so many structures which includes mines and turrets. And you will have to ugpradea LOT to survive. What's really intriguing is the level editor though. I've just finished level 3 after having to learn a new tactic. I'll give it another run in an hour or so.
Trident's Wake is an isometric shooter where you try to reconquer humanity's last hope, the Trident, after the Phage took over Earth, yet when Trident launched, it was immediately hijacked by other aliens. Now, the Sentinel, bot bodies inhabited by digitized beings known as ECHOs, must team up and form strike teams to retake the Trident, bit by bit, and retake the ship, or Humanity would be ended. In practice, the shooter, is extremely stingy on ammo, and is designed as a 4p coop shooter, with NO bot support. The weapons don't seem to match the type of enemies we're fighting, and all in all just feels clunky, the sentinels don't feel that different, If you have a group, it may be worth trying. But there are better shooters out there. Not recommended.
Train Mechanic Simulator 2017 is from PlayWay, the folks who had previously brought all the other mechanic sims like car mechanic, plane mechanic, even tank mechanic. You repair trains, diesel, electric, or steam, with plenty of different parts to dismantle and reinstall. What's different here: you also get to go out into the world and basically play in someone's model train setup, where you have to drive around and look for disabled train, sometimes even off the track, which you have to retrieve with your crane and put back on the track, and take it back to the right depot (one each for diesel, steam, and electric) so you can conduct repairs. The interface is both strange and familiar. The standard way of using "rust" or "dirt" to represent a damage part is here, but was a bit too subtle to be instantly recognizable. And it's obvious this is a set, not a real-world, since none of the pieces aside from the player's train actually ever move, and the time never changes. And tracks have elevation changes that would never exist on a real train track. It can only be a model train set, but it is still fun! Recommended.
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Other games I've played in the past
Battletech (with all three DLCs, and at least one mod) -- the best Battletech experience so far. It's not perfect, but it's intriguing nonetheless. Build up your mercenary team after the entire planet was betrayed, and participate in the reconquest, while being employed by anyone and everyone... if you care to accept their contract... yes, even pirates. But don't burn your bridges... You may need access to black market later... Add random events like flashpoints, crew decisions, and plenty of battles against enemies plus occasional surprises, and dozens of mechs of all classes, including the ECM platform Raven, and more, and each mech can be customized with weapons and armor to fit your mechwarrior's fighting style, even as you take damage and crew get killed or wounded in battle, the company must go on... Highly recommended if you like turn-based tactical combat.
Unheard -- a very interesting audio detective game where you need to solve a case and a new technology was able to reconstruct sound from ANYWHERE within the structure, so you can listen to everybody's dialog. But are they lying, or telling the truth? And there are several different cases, from sabotage to bombing. The game was originally NOT in English, but the sound talent is excellent. I haven't finished all the cases yet, and I really need to get back to it. There's a free extra case, and some extra Chinese content available as well.
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon (no longer on Steam?) A VERY pretty turn and turn aerial combat game with a TON of aircraft available, with a storyline by a well-known technothriller author, this is NOT a sim by any means, but it is VERY pretty and loads of fun to play, if a little frustrating at first.
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Will probably continue with MarZ, Train Mechanic, and probably go back to Unheard, then starton Detective Di.
