Steam Spring Sale 2024 - cheap games worth buying if you use mods
Some of games discounted during Steam Spring Sale 2024 games would be hard to recommend on their own, but the situation changes when we add mods into the equation.
The spring sale is currently underway on Steam. We have already published several reviews on our site recommending discounted games from various categories. Today I want to do something different - I will recommend to you a set of five promoted titles that are worth buying mainly for mods.
Duke Nukem Forever for 3,99 USD (mod: DNF Enhanced)
Duke Nukem Forever is one of the most disappointing games ever made. The successor to the legendary Duke Nukem 3D was a spectacular failure, debuting on the market in a clearly unfinished form. The standard version of this FPS is not worth buying, even at a reduced price of 3,99 USD on sale. However, the situation changes if you install the Duke Nukem Forever: Enhanced mod.
The author of the project has done a titanic job trying to save this game. The gameplay has been thoroughly improved, changing the weapon limit, AI of enemies, weapon balance and improving movement mechanics. The graphics were also heavily refreshed, implementing, among other things, a dynamic lighting system.
No mod will ever turn DNF into an outstanding production, but the improvements offered by Duke Nukem Forever: Enhanced are big enough that at this price we can safely recommend this game as a fun FPS with a few problems.
Uplink for 1,99 USD (mod: Uplink OS)
For less than 2 dollars you can currently buy Uplink on Steam. This is the game that pretty much jumpstarted the hacking games genre. In the 23 years that have passed since the release of this title, a whole bunch of games of this type have been made. None, however, has been a comparable success. This is because, unlike most of its successors, Uplink does not overcomplicate the gameplay itself, and has a surprisingly good storyline, an element that can’t be found in most games of this type.
Uplink's problem is its age. It's a title that pretends to present you with computer interface, and after more than two decades it has aged badly, and what's more, it's just not suited to modern monitors. Fortunately, all these problems disappear with the Uplink OS mod.
The modification thoroughly reworks the look and functionality of the game. It introduces a completely new interface, improves graphics, and adds compatibility with widescreen resolutions. The mod also allows the engine to generate multiple independent windows, just like in modern operating systems. The gameplay is also heavily improved. All in all, with this mod, Uplink is still by far the best hacking game on the market.
Commandos 2 for 2,49 USD (mod: Destination Paris)
Commandos 2 is a classic, so you may wonder what it's doing on this list. The reason is the existence of a remaster in the form of Commandos 2: HD Remaster. This refreshed version is not without its flaws (mainly players are annoyed by the censorship of the game, which included the removal of all Nazi symbols), but most gamers who want to play the second part of the series will just buy the remaster, especially since it offers controllers support (and as a result, you can play it on Steam Deck). However, there is one good reason to buy the 2001 original- a mod called Commandos 2: Destination Paris.
The project offers 28 new fan-developed missions, as well as refreshed and more difficult versions of all missions from the basic version of Commandos 2: Men of Courage as well as from the first part of the series and the add-on.
Commandos 2: Men of Courage on Steam
Deus Ex: Invisible War for 0,97 USD (mod: Visible Upgrade)
Upon its release, Deus Ex: Invisible War turned out to be a gigantic disappointment. The game itself was not complete trash, but the first part of the series is considered one of the most important PC titles ever, and the sequel was simply much, much weaker.
So why do I recommend buying Deus Ex: Invisible War? Because despite its flaws, for less than a dollar it's a fun game for fans of the immersive sim genre, and on top of that some of its most serious problems can be fixed with the Visible Upgrade mod.
Just as the title suggests, the modification focuses on improving the game's graphics. It replaces most of the textures with new ones and removes a nasty filter that made us feel like we were watching the game world through greased glasses. It also increases the width of the field of view, so that we no longer get claustrophobic while playing, as well as improves the interface. In addition, it corrects a number of technical bugs, especially those that appear on modern PCs, as well as adding support for high widescreen resolutions.
The modding capabilities of Deus Ex: Invisible War are unfortunately quite limited, so the authors didn't manage to completely transform the game (the way Sneaky Upgrade did with Thief 3), but overall Visible Upgrade makes a big difference and makes the second installment of the series quite fun to play today. This is all the more appealing given that the Embracer group recently canelled the new Deus Ex game, so for a long time, revisiting old installments of the series is all that fans of the brand will have to look forward to.
Deus Ex: Invisible War on Steam
Dungeon Keeper for 2 USD (mod: KeeperFX)
The 1997 classic Dungeon Keeper only hit Steam less than two weeks ago. Now in the spring sale its price has been reduced by 60% to a mere two dollars.
This is an old game, which in terms of gameplay, has aged really well, and to this day no imitator has managed to fully recreate the charm of the original. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the graphics, and the low resolution severely hinders play. However, we don't have to agonize, because there is the Keeper FX mod.
The project is wildly ambitious and in practice is closer to a remaster than a simple modification. It ports the project to a new engine, providing full compatibility with modern PCs as well support for high widescreen resolutions. The mod also improves gameplay, fixes bugs left by the original developers and adds several new campaigns.
