Staff Picks: Favorite Downloadable PC Games

Spawn Kill Staff Picks are back, and this time we’re looking at our favorite downloadable PC games. For this list, we only considered games that are either available only via digital distribution (whether it be Steam, a developer’s website, etc.) or games that were originally only available via this method even if they were later released at retail. As always with these lists, it can be hard to pick just one favorite, so obviously not everything could make the cut. This list includes the gambit from mods-turned full games, to casual games, to obscure indie titles and everything in between. Feel free to sound off in the comments about what your favorites are - and you don’t have to be limited to just one choice!

Before you say anything - yes, I realize the irony in our overly excited gamer pictured above, as he appears to be playing on something other than a PC. But he’s just so happy about it!

Stephanie’s Pick:

Plants vs Zombies

If you’re one of those people looking for that next big fix, that game that’ll tie you down and make you call it daddy. Okay, that’s kind of a more disturbing way to describe Plants vs Zombies, for our readers out there that need a more gruesome way of reading that this game is plain and simply: addictive. It masks the quick-paced strategy with the façade of cute and innocent plantlings at your arsenal. It’s one of those games where you play for so many hours without realizing it, that it’s gone from day to night (or night to day if you’re an anti-Circadian sleeper like me) in the blink of an eye. If you can ration yourself and/or have free time to spare - I recommend this new take on the zombie apocolypse PopCap Games has so geniusly crafted. Plus, the PvZ music video is the cutest song you’ll ever, ever hear from a video game. I guarantee this! (Sort of.)

Dana’s Pick:

Diner Dash

My downloadable PC pick would have to be Diner Dash by Playfirst. I can finish the game all in one sitting if no one interrupts me because it’s just so addictive and well done. Not all of the spin-off titles and sequels have been great, but the original will always have a special place in my heart. I’m also very fond of Cooking Dash, which is a newer spin-off franchise. They’re all upbeat, colorful and well deserving of all the praise they get. And just because it’s called Diner Dash doesn’t mean it’s gender-specific. I know plenty of guys who love the game just as much as I do.

Rebecca’s Pick:

Recettear

I know what you’re thinking: what’s with crazy dog girl and picking games that were just released? I know, I know. I have tons of PC games, and more than a handful of downloadables, ranging anywhere from PopCap Crack to indie gems. However, I decided to go with Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale, because not only do I find it incredibly addicting, it’s a game I will be playing for a long time (unlike some other addictive downloadable PC games I own, which I eventually grew tired of). For those of you who don’t know, Recettear is a Japanese indie game that (thankfully) got localized and is available via Steam. It’s an action RPG, but that is more like second fiddle to the meat of the game: running your own item shop in order to pay off your father’s debt. I know it sounds stupid, and it is incredibly silly, but I just find it fun. And despite its difficulty, it keeps me coming back for just one more attempt. Best of all, once you beat the story mode, you unlock other modes that will keep you playing for a long time afterward. It’s a game I highly recommend, and you can try the demo via Steam to see if it seems like it might be your cup of tea before taking the plunge.

Dave’s Pick:

Trine

My pick for the PC platform downloadable game goes to Trine. I’ve always had this-I suppose you could call it a dream-where I was capable of switching at will between a man, a woman, and a hermaphrodite. Trine almost fulfilled that dream completely, and even threw it into a fantasy setting and gave me nasty weapons to fight off skeletons with. In many ways, despite its oddly complicated gender issues, Trine is a simple game. It’s a platformer that challenges you to make it to the end of a level. That’s really all you have to do. You can pick up collectibles and kill things, but really there is only one goal. Each level is mostly similar, but carries enough variation and the possibility of death to never leave you feeling monotonous. The combat is simple as well; you shoot or slash or create blocks out of thin air. Everything about it is actually as basic as things get, but in the way it’s implemented, it all works wonderfully, and it’s one of the best looking 2D games you’ll probably ever play (both on the PC and on the PS3). With a sequel in the works and the price on this one ever dropping, you should check out Trine as soon as you can, because even if you only play through a few levels, it’s something you’ll remember for a long while.

Eric’s Pick:

Alien Swarm

Kyle‘s Pick:

Counter Strike

Counter-Strike was the first game I ever downloaded for my PC, way back in 1999 when the first Half-Life mod version was released (before it became an actual retail game). To this day I still regard it as one of the best shooters I’ve ever played, and will on occasion fire up version 1.6 for it’s nostalgia value. C.S. introduced me to heart pounding, scream inducing, multi-person, team shooter drama. It taught me that practice does make “perfect” (I was NEVER perfect at Counter-Strike), and showed me that using tactics while playing a shooter actually works (sometimes). It’s the perfect mix of super serious action and depending on the match, super silly hilarity. Any of my former clansmen will attest to how seriously we took our play time and how much the game itself meant to us. If we were asked to describe Counter-Strike to someone who’d never played it before, we’d simply just say “pure fun.”

It’s interesting to consider what Counter-Strike was 11 years ago (nothing more than a fan-mod), and look at what it’s become today with it’s 3 different versions; one of them being on a console. The franchise still continues to be one of the most popular shooters in the world, and a tournament staple. As a Counter-Strike OG the game’s continued success makes me proud.

Fonzi’s Pick:

Cave Story

First off, let me start by saying I’m a big sucker for indie games. Now that that’s out of the way, I’d like to say that not only do I regard Daisuke “Pixel” Amaya’s Cave Story as one of the best indie games of all time, I would argue that it’s one of the best games of all time. Period. The game is the epitome of awesome, and it shows the most heart I have seen since I can remember (honestly). Cave Story is an adventure-platformer with gameplay that is comparable with classics such as Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I can go on forever about how great this game is: Carrying a deep storyline, multiple endings, super-smooth game mechanics, beautiful pixelated graphics, and an excellent soundtrack, there is nothing bad I can say about Cave Story. And here’s the kicker: It’s free. Yes, Daisuke Amaya spent five years making his Cave Story (during his free time), and he released it for free. Do a favor for him and yourself -play it.