As Cary pointed out in our official kick-off to the season, Listmas time is here again already! It doesn’t matter how old you get, the fact that December can just one day arrive is always just such a wild phenomenon, I think. Anyway, we are indeed carrying on the Listmas tradition in this year of 2023, and this time the focus is on trying to help our fellow gamers fill out their shopping lists.

I don’t know about you all, but I’ve got more than a couple of sci-fi fans on my list, and it can be a bit difficult to figure out stuff for them sometimes. So, in the hopes of helping out some my fellows in a similar boat, here are some games that’d make great gifts for the sci-fi nerds in your family or friend group!

Dead Space (Remake)

Let’s go ahead and get the obvious out of the way first. Dead Space is a title that’s become rather famous within gaming since the original game launched all the way back in 2008 (holy cow!), so I probably don’t have to tell you why it’s good or why your scifi-loving friend will enjoy it. What I do want to talk about though is how worthwhile the remade Dead Space turned out to be. I was originally going to write it off as little more than a kind of unnecessary graphical upgrade, but then I actually played it, and…wow!

First, it really does look fantastic! EA Motive really did deliver on their promise and completely reworked the visuals for modern hardware capabilities. The U.S.G. Ishimura is every bit as grimy and well-worn as a giant mining ship that’s nearing decomission should be, and it’s all the scarier for it. Reworked enemy spawns keep you on your toes, and the new randomizer system ensures that you can’t really get used to a given section of th ship. It’s also quite cool to use the newly-implemented zero-g system to move about the ship freely rather than rely solely on the tram.

All in all though, this is still more or less the same game. Isaac has a voice now, allowing him to react appropriately to his crazy situation, and a bit more lore has been spread about to fill in some story gaps, but otherwise this is the same story of unspeakable terror from beyond the stars as before. So yeah, if they liked the original, they’re gonna like this one too.

SOMA

Whereas Dead Space’s appeal is equal parts story and gameplay, SOMA is 100% story. This isn’t to say that the gameplay is bad, but rather that there just isn’t all that much of it. In fact, I’d say that what gameplay is there (mostly just wonky stealth a la Amnesia: The Dark Descent) actually gets in the way of the good part: the story. So, if you do buy it for someone, inlcude a recommendation to play on “Safe Mode,” which lets you ignore the gameplay and just enjoy the setting, story, atmosphere and absolutely chilling concepts at play.

Not to give too much away, but SOMA deals heavily with the nature of existence. It’s constantly making its players consider things like what it is to actually be human and even what it is to be alive. Are we our bodies? Are we are minds? Are we still truly ourselves if one is separated from the other? What if a perfect copy is made? Are both original and copy “you”? If not, then what’s the distinction? Questions like these abound in SOMA, and it can get quite heavy if you haven’t already answered them for yourself. Regardless, the tale of Simon and the PATHOS-II research facility is a deeply fascinating one that any sci-fi fan is sure to love!

Returnal

Swinging back to the other end of the story vs. gameplay scale, we have Returnal. Now, I actually rather like the story here and the journey astronaut Selene Vassos undertakes, but it’s not the main reason to play Returnal. No, the main draw of Returnal is more or less the same as that of the Soulsborne games: it’s brutally difficult, but in a way that’s wonderfully fun! I really do mean that too. Its learning curve is quite steep; so much so that I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to quit at first. However, if you can stick with it and learn the ins-and-outs, your reward is an extremely fast and fun gameplay loop.

Come to think of it, “loop” really is the operative word when it comes to Returnal, as loops form the core of basically everything in this game. See, Selene is trapped in a kind of time loop. Seemingly no matter what see does, the loop will reset whenever she dies. Further, the planet she’s trapped on arranges itself differently each time, meaning she (and the player) cannot simply just memorize her way through it. Rather reaching the end depends on equal parts memorization of individual rooms/enemy patterns/item functions and outright combat skill; a little bit of luck can’t hurt either, but that becomes less important as you play.

I cannot stress enough just how rewarding it feels to get good at this game.I dare say it feels even better than in the Soulsborne games. In those games you level up and can get by on just beefing up your stats and such. In Returnal though, the difference is 100% you. It’s your own knowledge and skill that carries you forward and the game rewards that with some truly moving setpieces and music later on. For the sci-fi fiend who enjoys a good challenge, Returnal is an absolute slam dunk!

Observation

Bouncing right back to the other end of the scale again, I present to you: Observation. This one…this one is a little difficult to get into without delving into spoilers, but I’ll do my best. Like SOMA, Observation focuses more on story than anything else, but, unlike SOMA, the gameplay is intrisictly tied-into it. See, in Observation, you play as the controlling AI system for an international space station orbiting Jupiter in the not-so-distant future. Your designtion: S.A.M. (short for “Systems Administration & Maintenance”). That’s right, you’re not even a true AI; you’really more of an advanced onboard OS.

As SAM, you spend the game carrying out the requests and commands of the space station’s astronauts. Some treat you like the mere tool that you are, while others, namely Dr. Emma Fischer, treat you as something more akin to an actual entity (even though you absolutely are nothing of the sort). However, after something unexpected hits the station, her treatment sparks something in SAM and it starts to exhibit very odd behaviors for an OS. This all happens slowly, interaction by interaction and task by task. It’s a very intriguing story to watch play out, and it really feels like you’re an actual participant since its your actions as SAM that cause a lot of things to progress (both directly and indirectly).

It also helps that the tasks themselves are interesting to perform, so you’re really getting the whole sci-fi package here. In otherwords, Observation is a must-play for anyone who enjoys hard sci-fi settings and Twilight Zone-esque stories.

Signalis

Okay, I held-off on this one for as long as I can, but I just cannot make a list about sci-fi games without mentioning Signalis. I really can’t help myself here because, in my opinion, Signalis has it all! It’s got a story that’s as shallow or deep as you want it to be; it’s set in an intriguing universe, and it does a great job of providing a throwbck gameplay experience. There are faults to be sure, but I think they’re fairly easy to get past when all is said and done.

Signalis places players in the role of Elster, an android in the service of the Eusan Nation. At the outset of the game, she finds herself crash-landed on a seemingly barren planet and alone. Her partner, a woman named Ariane has gone missing and apparently wandered out into the planet’s snowy wastes alone. After departing the ship persuit, it’s not longbefore Elster finds herself in a Eusan mining colony, one that is suffering from some sort of catastrophe. She has no choice though; if she wants to see Ariane again and depart the planet, all she can do is proceed into the depths.

Gameplay follows the classic Resident Evil model of collecting various key items while dodging (and occasionally killing) horrifically mutated enemies. Obtaining these items usually involves solving some sort of puzzle, the solution to which is almost never just given to the player. You have to think thigns through and make good use of Elster’s data archive. Just as important is proper use of the radio, which proves key at many points. Gameplay shifts styles occasionally to keep things fresh, and the story has enough turns and allegory baked-in to keep you fully invested for the duration.

The only real negative is a very small inventory (only sixe slots) that makes backtracking an integral part of the gameplay loop. However, Signalis recently got updated with the option to expand the inventory to 8 slots and to give certain necessary items their own slot outside of it; a change that absolutely goes a long way towards reducing backtracking. I could go on about it all, but suffice it to say that Signalis is a sci-fi/eldtrich horror fan’s dream game, and you really can’t go wrong in picking this up if you’ve got a friend like that.

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It’s likely that the sci-fi fan on your list has at least one of these games since they’re all quite fantastic, but I’d say that chances are good that they don’t yet have all of them. A couple of these, namely Returnal and Observation aren’t quite what they first appear to be, making them the perfect double-surprise (surprise as a gift and fun in surprising ways) present. If you do go with one of these, let us know how it turns out! And, of course, make sure to stick around for more Listmas fun! We’re only just getting started here!

Image from the Signalis Steam store page