I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: If you are a PC gamer, then you’re eating like a king! This is true because so many publishers, such as Sony and Microsoft, have hopped on board the PC express train to Funville.
These two behemoths have no issues porting over their first-party games to the platform and in many cases are making the necessary adjustments to make their games run fantastic on the Steam Deck. So here is another short cream-of-the-crop list that will keep a Mr. Kool-Aid smile on your face during your play sessions.
God of War Ragnarök
When the PC port of this game was announced, many thought there was NO CHANCE this game would be playable on the Steam Deck. Well, thankfully those doubters were proven wrong. Kratos, the dad of war along with BOY! Atreus embarks on a journey to prevent the destruction of the nine realms by Ragnarök events.
This story is a direct continuation of God of War (2018 which is also Steam Deck verified). While I recommend playing the first game, it’s not required since God of War Ragnarök does a great job filling you in on the backstory and key events that took place in the previous game.
The out-of-the-box default settings run around 34-60 FPS. Several performance tweaking options are available for those who like to make custom adjustments. I turn off motion blur in every game that allows me to do so.
God of War Ragnarök is action-packed and tells an engaging story to keep you invested. The best part is you can play this awesome game in the palm of your hand. Make sure you have extra storage space as it’s a hefty 190GB.
Red Dead Redemption
Man oh man. I thought we had a better chance of seeing a human walk on Mars than seeing a PC port of Red Dead Redemption. And no I’m not exaggerating. This Rockstar Games classic was originally released in 2010 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 with zero mention of a PC port. The PC landscape was like the Wild West so I can understand not creating a port that fast. But why wait 14 years?
Hell, GTA San Andreas and Vice City are older Rockstar games released on Steam. They weren’t great ports, but they were still ported. Now I’ve read the files. I’ve seen the discussions stating that this was a difficult game to create and would take time, and money. Of course, more money was needed to produce a quality PC port, but I call SHENANIGANS on it taking 14 years.
But I digress, that was in the past. Currently, we have an outstanding port of a beloved game that runs like a Porsche on a newly paved road. Expect steady 60+ FPS while you travel around the open lands as John Marston to hunt down his former outlaw buddies.
Since it is an older title, this should be expected, but as gamers, you know this is not always the case. So it’s a glorious time when a game we have been waiting for 14 years arrives and performs as it should. It’s also worth mentioning that it only takes up 12GB.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Now I know what you’re saying, HEY! That’s more like a double-A game rather than a triple-A game. But let me tell you that as a longtime fan of the AC franchise, this game compared to other recent releases such as Valhalla and Odyssey feels more like a REAL AC game that we have been clamoring for than said titles. Therefore, I’m bumping it into the AAA status in my book because running around as a Viking raiding didn’t feel like an AC game and was only an AC game by name.
In Mirage, you play as street thief Basim in ninth-century Baghdad. Mirage uses the old-school AC formula, which states that assassination is the key method of dispatching your target. I love this game’s location, lighting, and parkouring around the city rooftops reminiscent of AC1+2. Expect 40+ FPS even when speed running across roofs like the crow and seeing all the buildings off in the distance the game runs smoothly.
A bonus for those who played Mirage on Xbox or PlayStation is the support for cross-progression. AC Mirage will auto-sign you into your Ubi Connect account and if you have your consoles linked to this account you will see your save file and be able to jump back in where you left off. THIS ALONE is a AAA feature I think all games should include. On the storage front, you will need about 40GB of space.
Honorable Mention: Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is one honorable mention worth adding to this list. For those of you from my generation, you already know about this masterpiece. Marvel vs Capcom 2 was an arcade banger and what’s this…the bastard child of the beat ’em up genre THE PUNISHER is also included. Yes, it is and this inclusion alone is worth the pickup. OH, and it’s only 4GB.
Ok, that’s enough reading for now. Play something and have fun.
