Humble Monthly Bundle - December 2018 - Review and Discussion Thread . Full Unlock 12/6/18

[RanceJustice]

Whoops! Its a bit late - I didn't realize it didn't properly post earlier in the month, apologies. Next month should be posted much closer to release.!

It's that time again, the next Humble Monthly Bundle is about to arrive! For those unaware of Humble Monthly Bundles, please see my more in-depth introduction here during my first thread from April 2017 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humble-monthly-april-review-and-discussion-thread.1929347 - I'll just get right into it again!

For those interested, here are all my back Humble Monthly reviews..

May - https://hardforum.com/threads/humble-monthly-bundle-may-review-and-discussion-thread.1931795/
June - (Missed writing one)
July - https://hardforum.com/threads/humble-monthly-bundle-july-2017-review-and-discussion-thread.1939318/
August - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...st-2017-review-and-discussion-thread.1941294/
September - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...er-2017-review-and-discussion-thread.1943055/
October - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...er-2017-review-and-discussion-thread.1945470/
November - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...er-2017-review-and-discussion-thread.1947730/
December - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...er-2017-review-and-discussion-thread.1949477/
Jan2018 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...ry-2018-review-and-discussion-thread.1951895/
Feb2018 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...ry-2018-review-and-discussion-thread.1953943/
March 2018 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humble-monthly-bundle-march-2018-review-and-discussion-thread.1956171/
April 2018 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...-release-date-4-6-18.1957941/#post-1043572129
May 2018 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...iscussion-thread-release-date-5-4-18.1959906/
June 2018 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...iscussion-thread-release-date-6-1-18.1961480/
July 2018 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...iscussion-thread-release-date-7-6-18.1963715/
August 2018 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...iscussion-thread-release-date-8-3-18.1965425/
September 2018 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...iscussion-thread-release-date-9-7-18.1966820/
October 2018 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...scussion-thread-release-date-10-5-18.1969171/
November 2018 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...scussion-thread-full-unlock-11-02-18.1970520/

December Early Unlocks

Cities: Skylines + After Dark DLC ($30 + $15 , Win/Mac/Linux) While the SimCity franchise introduced many to the genre it has long been dormant. Thankfully, there have been some great entries to pick up the slack and Cities: Skylines is certainly carries the genre forward! Applauded by both critics and players alike, Cities: Skylines is a traditional city simulation title for the modern era, with many new features. Acting as the mayor, players design and build the city of their dreams, taking into consideration such as zoning, transportation, pollution and other features into account. Improving on older genre staples, elements such as day/night cycles, traffic and infrastructure simulation, and more granular control of policies improve the game and balance challenge alongside fun. Predominantly single player, Cities: Skylines like many sims offers the hallmark mode where they build their city from scratch from an open barren area to a towering megalopolis, but the game offers tutorials for the newer players as well as guided scenarios with particular goals to challenge your city planning and governing skills. The inclusion of Steam Workshop support means extensive modding is also available of both cosmetic and functional varieties.

Cities: Skylines is well supported and has been frequently expanded since its release both with free patches to paid DLC. There is a Deluxe Edition Upgrade, adding a digital art book as well as 5 real world historical monuments to place in your city, for $10. Three free DLC packs add new aesthetics and resources for your city, such as sports stadiums and Chinese inspired features like the Pearl Tower and Panda Zoo. Many of the paid DLC packs add major system/feature elements, such as the Concerts DLC adding everything from venues to simulation of putting on various acts and more; several other DLC packs improve and add the in-game radio stations with new tracks. Larger DLC packs add elements like natural disasters and cleanup, park and green space planning, or comprehensive industries, just to name a few; these range from about $4 for smaller packs to $15 for major expansions, so the game is well supported. It is worth noting that the Humble Monthly includes the $15 "After Dark" DLC which greatly expands the city's day/night cycle and many other features dependent upon it! The developers and publisher could be commended for offering MacOSX and especially Linux support, which is especially welcome in a niche genre such as this one, especially as the game is frequently and well supported! Those looking for city planning will have lots to enjoy in Cities: Skylines!

Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience ($30, Windows) - Doubtless to be one of the signature titles of this month's bundle, we finish the year out with tactical espionage action in Metal Gear Solid V! Fans of Metal Gear know it is a bit difficult to describe in just a short blurb, but MGS V is the latest in a long line of titles starting in the 80's and headed by auteur game developer Hideo Kojima. Each one in the mainline "Metal Gear Solid" series is a 3rd person tactical adventure where a soldier with the code name of "Snake", is set on a covert mission into enemy territory; aside from this, they vary considerably. The overarching storyline blends military/spy thriller with a heavy dose of philosophy, along with what some call "Japanese weirdness", leading to an experience that is far different in feel from the likes of Western titles like Splinter Cell, where superficial similarities give way to a major change below the surface. MGSV can be played by those who do not have previous experience with the series, but those long-time fans will definitely get more out of the story and search for all the hidden pieces of info. Still, even newcomers will likely be taken in by the setting, gameplay, overall mysteries and fun of the game.

"The Definitive Experience" is broken down into several parts and covers all the DLC, similar to a GOTY edition. Most of the DLC is minor items such as costumes for characters during the campaign and various emotes and other features for online mode. "Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes" is the stand-alone first mission of MGSV. Taking place chronologically after MGS Peace Walker, this single mission provides the start of the MGSV storyline and was released long before the rest of the game. Despite being more or less a single mission location, it was a good example of the in depth open world and players could spend a lot of time trying to 100% all the collectibles, unlocks etc and enjoying various modes. Note that your success in Ground Zeroes, including your percentage completion and those you rescue, can be imported into the rest of the game. Definitely play Ground Zeroes first! The majority of the core game comes with Metal Gear Solid V: Peace Walker - which picks up after GZ and goes off from there! The third person stealth action is broken down into many, many missions each set in an impressive open world area. Players can decide for themselves how to complete the objectives and their success will be graded, offering resources for elements like stealth and beyond - ie lack of kills, completion speed, optional secondary objectives etc. Thankfully, players can replay missions to rank up as it will be nigh impossible to 100% some missions the first time you venture. Resources from your missions go into the side quest of building up your base and military outfit - rescuing/recruiting/converting soldiers, adding new features, researching weapons etc... all becomes a significant sidegame and these elements will improve your capability going into the field.

This also touches on the important aspect of the campaign and its relationship to the last component - the multiplayer Metal Gear Online. MGO offers many elements, one of which includes the a ability for you to sneak into bases of other (randomly selected) players and/or defend your own against such an incursion! This is a whole game system in and of itself, but it is worth noting that these are not "raids" where you lose everything when not playing; the system is fairly designed and asymmetric (ie you sneak into a copy of the enemy base ). It is worth noting there is one particular item you can buy to stop other players (NPCs still launch these missions) from intruding, an expensive nuclear missile, but without any spoilers let me say you do NOT want to do this - there a secret cinematic/ending that can only be properly unlocked if the entire active player base on a platform (ie PC ) decides to denuclearize! Before I go another special tip - the game can be played with English voices by default; Kiefer Sutherland voices Snake this time around unlike his long term English VA David Hayter (much to the dismay of many fans), but original Japanese audio is available too , but you can't select it in game. Both for Ground Zeroes and Phantom Pain (MGO launches from within TPP), right click on the game title in Steam Library and select "Properties > Language" and then use the pulldown to pick Japanese. This will grant the audio option, including Snake's long time JP voice actor Akio Otsuka (a legendary VA in the portrayal of "manly" characters throughout his long career. ). No need to worry, subtitles in English or other languages are still available to select in game. MGSV is an incredibly unique cinematic experience and for fans and newcomers alike is well worth playing for those who enjoy stealth action titles; not to be missed!

 

[RanceJustice]

December 2018 Titles - Unlocks December 6th

Mega Man Legacy Collection ($15, Windows) - Perennial platforming favorite Mega Man shows of some of his best classic adventures! The Mega Man Legacy Collection showcases the first 6 Mega Man games, many of which - particularly Mega Man 2 - are considered part of Nintendo history, their original platform. Each game is rendered in the exact 8 bit style of their original launch, but developer Capcom thoughtfully added some HD polish keeping the original sprite while making them look good on modern displays. This visual attention, along with an assortment of other features including history/making of/development artwork , the new Challenge Mode, and in-game leaderboards/replays are fair answers when some will inevitably ask "Why shouldn't I just play these on an emulator instead?". All of the titles still hold up well and I can see the value in a new generation who are growing to appreciate things like "Nintendo hard" tough but fair titles, as well as phenomena like speedrunning and streaming. Definitely a solid collection of Mega Man history and interested players may want to follow up with other similarly packaged Capcom classics like the Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 which covers MegaMan 7 - 10, and the Mega Man X Legacy Collections which reproduce all of the titles in that variation. Make sure to stock an extra energy tank and don't be too angry the next time you end up touching the spikes!

Zombie Army Trilogy ($45, Windows) - Co-op fans rejoice! Rebellion is known for their thriving Sniper Elite series, but they also created the Nazi Zombie Army games as something of a side-story. Zombie Army Trilogy is an updated and refined version, arranging all three games into a single campaign and offering many upgrades and benefits. While the Sniper Elite series takes place in semi-realistic World War II settings, the Nazi Zombie Army titles keep the time period but choose a different trope: In a last desperate attempt, Hitler used arcane artifacts to raise the dead! Players are tasked with going against the undead horde, Nazi commanders, and combinations of the two in first/third person shooting.

The game offers several modes including a Horde mode alternative, but the crux of the game is set across 15 multi-part missions in the campaign; Its worth noting that the previous stand alone Nazi Zombie Army and Nazi Zombie Army titles offered the first 5 and second 5 missions respectively, so even a single mission is a lot of content due to their multiple parts and lengths. While players can take on the challenge solo, the real fun comes in multiplayer with up to 4 players at a time in co-op. There are many options for playable characters, including the survivors of Valve's Left4Dead titles as part of a cross-over event. Whomever they pick, the team is thrown against an onslaught of Nazis, zombies, and other eldrich abominations of all types as they pass through each level and take on necessary objectives to progress. There are also secondary collectibles which unlocks goodies, for the thorough. Combat is fierce and players can equip multiple period-appropriate firearms, each with differing stats. Short and mid range combat is done in third person shooter style, but when Zombie Army Trilogy borrows from their Sniper Elite heritage by making sniping a key element. It isn't quite as in depth as the later Sniper Elite games, but depending on your difficulty mode things like breath, bullet drop, and other elements can be quite significant, but it is worth to master them as sniping is one of the best ways to do heavy damage especially against the rarer creatures and bosses. The "X-ray kill cam" is also borrowed from the sister title, where you can watch the bullet penetration through fetid brains and rotted organs on a particularly devastating kill shot. Objectives within stages and boss battles against monstrosities will test your mettle as well. Zombie Army Trilogy is an excellent addition to this month';s titles and makes for a fantastic co-op experience. Enjoy!


Immortal Redneck ($20, Win/Mac/Linux) - Gun racks and mummy wrappings collide in Immortal Redneck! In this innovative FPS-roguelike, a redneck wakes up in Egypt to find he has been mummified and imbued with the power of the gods, yet hunted by all manners of mythological foes! A single player title, the titular redneck is set in various Egyptian mythology themed levels, randomly generated on each playhrough. In roguelike style there is permadeath, but progression continues and a class system and skill tree can be utilized to increase progression on future playthroughs, unlocking not only more power but revealing more of the story and lore surrounding the game. Stereotypical weapons like the double barrel shotgun are only a few of the both mundane and arcane weapons and abilities you can equip, with items, buffs, and unlocks able to be not only found but purchased at a shopkeeper to help with the playthrough. Gameplay is old school, fast paced FPS action perhaps most like the Serious Sam series, with hordes of enemies threatening your progress (not to mention the mythology connections), but there are also special rooms in game where platforming and other tasks are needed for special bonuses. Tons of modifier scrolls are available both with beneficial and detrimental effects and boss fights provide climactic ends to each chapter of a run.

The developers have seen fit to support both MacOSX and more importantly, Linux, which is certainly to be commended. Likewise, they have included a Twitch/streamer mode where players in your chat can vote or otherwise affect the outcome/action of the game, what enemies are spawned, and more. This is certainly an innovative feature if well implemented and gives the game more of an online presence. Sometimes you just want an old-fashioned high octane FPS and Immortal Redneck provides not a ton of baddies to blow up, but keeps it fresh with roguelike mechanics and progression!

Purrfect Date ($10, Windows) - Well, we already had one with birds in Hatoful Boyfriend... Purrfect Date is a curious beast and part of the recent wave of well made dating simulators with a twist, such as the aforementioned Hatoful Boyfriend and Doki Doki Literature Club. Though don't write this off as strictly aimed at anthropomorphic-loving furries, there is more than meets the eye! The player, newly apprenticed to a professor, arrives on Cat Island to find all of the residents have been transformed to anthropomorphic felines! Through a series of dates and other conversations, the player must find out exactly what happened here and peel back the layers of the mystery, maybe making some friends along the way. Developed by BAFTA-winning Bossa Studios, the game is based on the acerbic British-style wit and black humor that makes the adventure all more enjoyable...though it isn't lacking in cat puns either! Advertising side quests, multiple paths, hidden stories, and 18 endings there is a significant amount of content and replay value. Have a laugh, settle in for story telling while you date some cats!

Seven: The Days Long Gone ($30, Windows) - Fans of Cyberpunk hang onto your gear and take a look at Seven: The Days Long Gone! This ambitious independent project offers an open world adventure pictured from an insometric perspective. In this single player title, players take the role of master thief Teriel, sent to the prison isle of Peh by happenstance and advised by a daemonic entity within his head, players will help decide his fate The cyberpunk setting painted in a nearly cell-shaded style and real-time combat make for an interesting world where you can decide how to progress. Your use of stealth versus open violence, choices you make, and those you help all change the path and outcome of your journey. As you dive deeper into the narrative the various individuals and factions are revealed and clues to a larger mystery present themselves. While the game is currently Windows only, it is worth noting the developers offered a poll on Steam Forums asking where they should go next, with other PC OSes such as Linux garnering lots of attention. With luck there will be a port soon. Seven: The Days Long Gone fills out the month with a title that fans of cyberpunk intrigue, stealth combat, and open world adventure will want to check out!

NeuroVoider ($14 , Win/Mac/Linux ) - Robot rampage to a pounding techno soundtrack! NeuroVoider is a twin-stick shooter set in a world where AI have taken over the Earth, with only few humans remaining as "brains in jars". Not comfortable with the status quo, players take control of one of these brains on their quest for freedom ,busting out and equipping themselves with tons of mechanical weaponry! Levels, loot, enemies, buffs, and more come with abundance thanks to procedural generation which keeps the game fresh; certain roguelike elements allow for continued progression, retaining your expanded equipment and other unlocks for future runs. Each battle against the technological hordes takes the role of a level filled with enemies offering "bullet hell" style attacks of various power and density, set against your reflexes, chassis/body style, and weapons. Boss fights bring even more to the table as one would expect. NeuroVoider need not be a solo experience and offers co-op play for up to 4 players, with challenges scaling up to even the most adept teams of brain-powered blasters. While it is local co-op only (likely thanks to the indie budget plus the fast paced action of the title), thankfully there are decent options to allow local-only games to be played over the Internet with friends - Parsec, Moonlight/NVStream, or SteamLink streaming itself with a little fiddling. Fans of titles like "Enter the Gungeon" and other roguelike shooters should find lots to enjoy here!

Forager Sneak Peek ($??, Windows, Humble Sneak Peek) Long term Humble Monthly fans may remember how a little title called "Hollow Knight" once included a "sneak peek" in a Monthly long ago and it seems this month continues the tradition with Forager. Forager is an upcoming 2D open world title that melds together gameplay dynamics from The Legend of Zelda style adventures, plus Terreria/Starbound/Stardew Valley style crafting, survival, and building, all wrapped up in a retro-homage aesthetic. Get a look at it now and (most likely) interested parties will be able to pick it up at discount when the full game releases!

Cut and Run ($??, Windows, Humble Original) This month's Humble Original is Cut and Run, a charmingly preposterous little game. Gifted a sword that grows bigger every time it cuts something by a frog scientist, the player must travel through the low-poly style world cutting up the city in order to bolster his sword. Soon, a great meteor is heading for the city and so the player is the only hope to cut it apart... if they're up to the task! Fans of Katamari Damacy, The Wonderful End of the World, and Donut County will appreciate this kind of weirdness I am sure. Get slicing!


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Don't forget that aside from each month's games, you also are granted a global 10% discount (that even stacks with other discounts!) in the Humble Store , access to the Humble Trove of downloadable titles , and extras like discount coupon If you enjoyed any of this and wish to subscribe , feel free to use my Recruit-A-Friend link and discount/credit-sharing code to lock in the savings - https://www.humblebundle.com/monthly?refc=02L8o8 . There is also another coupon that can be used for 10% off everything on Humble Store for a month, but unlike the RAF it can only be used once per month - PM if you're interested in that (note: I do not think it stacks with Humble Monthly Discounts; its a new program version after all) Don't forget you can always "pause" your subscription for a month too before the unlock day, if you don't think you'll want what's upcoming. Enjoy!