Why You Can Trust CNET Best PC game deals from the Epic Games Store mega sale
The first big sale for the new storefront has big discounts and big problems.
Epic Store Mega Sale
Epic Games, known best for its Fortnite game, opened its online store for PC games this past December, competing directly with Steam , the leading storefront for computer games. By offering a larger percentage of sales to developers, Epic was able to secure multiple exclusive titles away from Steam.
Then on Friday, the Epic Games Store had its first storewide sale, aptly called the Mega Sale, that lasts until June 13. Select games received a discount, but to add even more value, any games over the price of $14.99 will have $10 automatically deducted from the price. The deal seemed too good to be true and in a way, it was.
Since the sale went live, multiple companies either pulled their games from the sale or adjusted the prices. Gearbox Software and Paradox Interactive pulled the preorders for their upcoming games from the store, Borderlands 3 and Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 respectively. Hades, an upcoming game from critically acclaimed developer Supergiant Games, had a price increase from $17.99 to $24.99 and then decreased again $19.99.
Another issue with the sale stems from the store's anti-fraud measures that will ban people who buy several games one right after another. Those affected took to Twitter about the situation. Epic customer service did remedy the situation after being contacted by the customer.
Still, with those problems during its first sale, there are some great games for a low price. Here are five games to get during the Epic Games Store Mega Sale.
Telltale's award-winning series almost didn't have an ending. Financial problems with the developer caused it to shut down production of its The Walking Dead: The Final Season in late 2018. Luckily for fans, Telltale was able to complete the season before shutting down forever.
The series focuses on Clementine, a now young woman, who experienced the zombie apocalypse adjacent to the events of the TV show and comic book. Priced at $14.99, the game drops down to $4.99 after the $10 discount, making it a steal. Those who haven't played any of Telltale's Walking Dead games can pick up the previous three seasons, and the Michone exclusive season, for $5 each.
The previously mentioned Hades is currently in Early Access, which means it's in development but can be played. Even in its unfinished state, it's worth the $10 price tag, after the $10 discount.
Players control Zagreus, the son of Hades, who wants to escape the Underworld and is helped by other Greek gods. This action role-playing game has randomized dungeons, making each playthrough different, also known as a roguelike. There is no official release date, but players who purchase the game will have access to the content updates provided by the developer.
Vblank Entertainment's second title, Shakedown Hawaii, is similar to its first game, Retro City Rampage. Both are open-world games using retro graphics. Think Grand Theft Auto, but on the SNES. Shakedown Hawaii improves on the graphics of Retro City Rampage and gives players more weapons and stuff to destroy while also letting players build their own criminal empire in the game.
Developer Quantic Dream made games exclusively for the PlayStation platform. It decided to jump to the PC and make the Epic Games Store its home. Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls and Detroit: Become Human will all launch in the fall exclusively, and it's the last of the three that is exceptionally good.
Detroit: Become Human won multiple Game of the Year awards in 2018 for its unique takes on the adventure game genre. Players take the role of multiple androids in the year 2038 when robots do all the jobs for humans but have also become increasingly violent and no one knows why. What makes the game unique is that the decisions made create long, branching paths in the game resulting in extensive differences in storylines as more choices are made.
Metro Exodus is the third game of the franchise from developer 4A Games based on the Russian sci-fi novels, Metro 2033. This latest entry in the video game series is the first to have an open world. Players are free to explore more of the post-apocalyptic Moscow, unlike previous games that were constrained to certain areas.
The game picks up not long after the previous entry, Metro: Last Light, with the protagonist, Atryom, now on the search for other survivors outside of Moscow. He'll have to contend with the monsters of the wasteland as well as the powerful Hansa faction that controls the Moscow subway, known as the Metro, where the previous games took place.