The sequels also got way too bloated imo. If I wanted to collect 50 feathers or whatever I’ll go play a Ubisoft game.

I can’t really say exactly what made the 2013 reboot special but it felt unique. Its sequels feel like any other open world game these days.

So, I’ll just go through my Steam favourites and list the ones that fit the bill.

I recently played I Am Your Beast and absolutely loved it. Not really a story focused game, but it’s it has some of it, the voice actors are better than you would expect and the gameplay is top notch.

Pretty much all Call of Juarez games (well, maybe not The Cartel), but start with Gunslinger. The others are old and clunky, but Gunslinger still holds up and is one of my favourite arcady shooters.

Mirror’s Edge is a classic, if you haven’t played it, you definitely should. You can skip the sequel, Catalyst. That one added open world and was mediocre at best anyway.

Speaking of classics, Dishonored is probably one of the best stealth games out there, in my opinion at least. I would consider the first one fairly linear, altho the game does expect you to explore the individual levels quite a bit.

Mafia 2 (I honestly recommend you play the classic edition, you get it when you buy the definitive. It just runs better and isn’t as buggy. The remaster barely improves anything anyway) and the remake of Mafia 1. Yes, they are open world, but only by technicality. The story is very linear and you barely need to interact with said open world. The games never expect you to explore or collect stuff and there’s fuckall to do on the map besides drive around anyway.

If you like Ace combat, Project Wingman would be right up your alley. I’m not sure if I would call it simple per se, but it’s linear, level based and great.

Tactical Breach Wizards is another recent favourite of mine. It’s slightly x-com-y altho more of a puzzle than a strategy game with some pretty decent humour.

Gunpoint is another indie puzzle game with great humour. It’s by the same guy as Tactical Breach Wizards.

Since you said you like Uncharted, I imagine you might enjoy the older Tomb Raider games, before the 2013 reboot when they went open world. Legend is my favourite of them altho I know it’s a bit clunky by modern standards.

Last but not least, SUPERHOT. You probably know it, but in case you don’t, play it. It’s short, it’s simple and it’s great.

Another day older and deeper in debt

I admit my mistake, I just quickly looked up the cheapest HDDs on google and saw some for 40 USD but it looks like they aren’t for sale anymore or something. Still, a WD Red goes for 70 bucks, which is half the price of a SSD of that size while also being more than good enough for movies.

HDDs are even cheaper and you really don’t need an SSD for movies. You can get a 4tb HDD for less than 50 bucks and that will hold more than enough movies/shows for the majority of people.