A little observation today that might give those of you who have missed out on a game you want that was up during a Flash Sale or didn't get voted for the rotating 8 hour sale, a bit of a relief - games are starting to appear in more than one spot. For example, Half-Life 2 was part of the Flash Sale yesterday, but then was also a choice earlier today (it lost out to Left 4 Dead). Alan Wake is in pretty much the same boat, going from flash sale last night/this morning to one of the current choices, and for exactly the same discount. Conversely, the Witcher 2, which lost out to Saint's Row 3 on Thursday, is 60% as of this writing. So there is hope that a game you missed will still come around at that great price, though I buy into the conspiracy that these time games Valve is playing is all just evilness to get you to download their mobile app. Thankfully I bought a smart phone a few months ago, and this sale is definitely keeping me logged into steam, so maybe this vile plan is working after all.
Okay, the games!
Buy:
Orcs Must Die! - A MUST have. You can see both my video and written reviews for this one. Do make sure to pick up the game of the year edition, which is $5.
Borderlands - It's pretty much a classic at this point, but if you don't already have it, it is a combination of rpg elements, notably a gratuitous loot system, and fps. Spent over 100 hours in it, including the DLCs, which you should get. The game of the year edition is only $7.49, more than worth it.
Frozen Synapse - I've heard it described as in the same vein as as the old XCOM games, or some other tactical games, and I've generally heard really good things about it. An important thing to note is that it is actually cheaper than the $5 price tag would lead you to believe, mostly because you get two copies of the game, so find someone to strike a deal with.
Pass:
Skyrim - Right now you're thinking I'm crazy, but I've got a good reason, or several. First, the game is still nearly $30 after discount, which is a lot. Second, there is at least one DLC on the way, and considering how the last 2 fallout games have gone, Bethesda has probably got a couple more planned. Third, there will be a game of the year edition that will package all that stuff up for less than you could get it for now. And fourth, if you're missing any other recent Bethesda games, just buy the Bethesda collection instead, which includes Fallout New Vegas and all it's DLCs, Brink, and Hunted, for only $50.
Unknown:
Two Worlds II - $7.49 This one I'm debating picking up, because looking over my list of recently played games, I notice it has been a long time since I've enjoyed a serious RPG.
Dirt Showdown - $24.99
Dead Island - $10.19 or $16.98. Personally, I'm a little burned out on zombies right now, so even though I'm interested in this one, I'm hanging off until this winter when I have less of a backlog of games I'd like to get through, and the price is even lower.
Tropicco 4 - $7.49 for just the game, or $16.22 for the bundle with DLCs.
Indie Bundle III (Braid, BIT.TRIP BEAT, Runespell: Overture, Bunch of Heroes, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet) - I've actually played Braid, a bit of Bit, and Bunch of Heroes. Braid is excellent, Bunch of Heroes isn't, and Bit is a bit different. Shadow Planet looks good, and has been added to my wishlist, but Runespell seems like its a stretch to combine odd game elements (in this case, an rpg and poker). It worked for Gyromancer (bejeweled meets pokemen, square style), but I'm not so sure here. Overall, the pack is a toss up at $10, especially since if you've been following the humble indie bundles, or purchased any other indie bundle off of steam in the past, you're likely to already have one or two titles, as has so far been my case with all of these packs.
Limited Sales
Left 4 Dead - This actually beat out Portal and Half-Life to be the current community choice. It is a great game to play with friends, and I logged plenty of hours (115 in 1, 15 in 2, yet I paid full price for both :-( ) under that scenario. Not as good if you're doing it solo, and going online with randoms is always a gamble. Still $7.49 for the series isn't bad.
Renegade Ops - $3.74 (You will really want to play this with some kind of controller. I did it with a 360 controller, and couldn't imagine doing it without.)
Sam and Max - $12.49
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic - $2.49
The Witcher 2 - $15.99
Currently, you're choices for the next community choice discount are Amnesia, Alan Wake, and L.A. Noire. They are, respectively, and from my experience and what I've heard, a scary ass game where I've left my character hiding behind a pig carcass for the last few months, a port of an older game that is supposed to still be very good, and a supposedly poor port of another good game. It'll be interesting to see what wins this round, though my money is on Amnesia.
I'm not a particularly big fan of Bethesda myself, mostly after their attitude towards Scrolls and Fallout Online. If I do get Skyrim, it's going to be in a year or two, when I can get the full game for under $15.
ReplyDeleteStarted playing Frozen Synapse last night, and I don't think I'll ever get around to reviewing it because I'll probably never be able to complete it. Must have tried 10 times just to beat the third mission - the first time you have to protect a civilian. But I did jump on the DLC, and the soundtrack.
So far I haven't bought nearly as much as I did during the Christmas sale, but that is fine by me right now. Still, there are a lot of DLCs and some indie games I'm looking forward to picking up when their day rolls around, since the indie bundles were leaked earlier this week.
A bit further in, and I must say that I'm enjoying the game. It's becoming apparent that I'm picking up on more of the subtleties of the game, trying to get squadmates to work together, one flushing out an enemy with a grenade while another sits at the exit with a shot gun.
ReplyDeleteThough, there's been twice I've been undone by the lack of accuracy in the simulation. Once showed my sniper running away from an incoming rocket, but when I played it out instead he stayed where he was, and killed the enemy. The other involved a situation where I launched a grenade, and positioned another character outside the blast radius. Come actual execution, that was not the case, and my machine gunner was just another red spot on the floor.