June 12 marked the 20th anniversary of Obsidian Entertainment, the RPG specialist formed by a clutch of developers from Black Isle Studio. To mark the occasion Obsidian has been showing off its next big project, Avowed, which began as its take on a Skyrim-style RPG before evolving into something that’s more about depth than breadth: which co-founder Feargus Urquhart reckons is “where Obsidian really shines”. Fans of its games would probably agree, and if you’re not one yet then here’s a chance to jump on-board, because Obsidian’s feeling generous.
The studio has discounted almost everything it has for sale on Steam, with the older titles especially now a steal. Let’s start with the absolute jewel in the crown, Fallout: New Vegas, which is probably the best 3D Fallout there is, and no wonder because a lot of the folk who made it worked on Fallout 1 and 2 at Black Isle back in the day. I cannot praise this game highly enough, you’ve probably already played it, but if you haven’t then 75% off ($2.49 / £2.24) means you’re getting a stone-cold classic for pocket change.
Then there’s one of the best Star Wars RPGs ever made, Knights of the Old Republic 2, which is also going for a song at 75% off and the same price. South Park: the Stick of Truth is beloved by fans of the show and, unsurprisingly from this studio, has a deeply satisfying turn-based combat system built around gross-out humour and facile gags: this is also 75% off, so $7.49 / £6.49 to you sir.
How good is Pillars of Eternity? It’s 92% in PC Gamer good. This too has a whopping 75% off, so you can have it for $7.49 / £5.74, and the equally great sequel has the same discount. The choice-mad and excellent Tyranny is also 75% off and, look, all of these games are about as good value-for-money as you’re ever going to see in this vale of tears.
The discounts get slightly less generous on the more recent titles, but are still pretty hefty. The superb Outer Worlds is 34% off and can be had for $19.79 / £16.49, while the Spacer’s Choice edition has the same discount but starts at a considerably higher price. Honey I shrunk the… sorry, Grounded is 40% off, great news if you enjoy being traumatised by giant spiders, and the esoteric and quite unforgettable Pentiment is 33% off ($13.39 / £10.04).
I’m pretty sure that most PC Gamer readers will have played an Obsidian game at some point or another, but here’s the chance to snap up some top tier RPGs at a bargain price. As in the studio’s games, of course, the choice is always yours. Here’s to Fallout: New Vegas anyway, an experience that makes me smile every time I think about it, and to 20 more years of games like this.