So, this should be the last day of the sale. Which is good, because while I haven't taken as large of a hit financially as I did during the last sale, I'll be happy to take a break for a while.
Buy:
Bastion - This is a must buy. A great rpg type game that I put 10 hours into. Artistic style, gameplay, all excellent, and the narrator is one of my favorite parts of the game. $3.74 today.
Bioshock - Really good first person shooter. The first one was amazing, though the second one, while it did have a lot of changes that I enjoyed such as the ability to dual wield or new big daddies to fight, just wasn't up to the same par. Still, $9.98 gets you both, and I'd recommend it.
Unknown:
Jagged Alliance - Another tactical strategy game. Honestly, I'm focused on Frozen Synapse right now, so I will pass for now, even through it is $9.99 today.
Operation Flashpoint - Not sure about this one, but I am burned out on modern era shooters at the momement, so I think it's a pass as well. $13.74 for two games.
SPAZ - Played this a little bit during the winter sale, as it was one of the achievement games. Build ships, make friends or enemies, and explore different solar systems. I'll probably get back around to it at some point, but I didn't put it on my "play right away" list. $2.49.
Splinter Cell - All kinds of different bundles for this one. I got a "complete" splinter cell pack a year or two ago (and it didn't include pandora tomorrow), but only played through the first two. Stealth generally isn't my style, but I was able to make it work. Though, I did sample the first 10 minutes or so of conviction, and despite all the issues with ubisoft and drm, the game looked damned cool, though a departure from it's roots. You can get four games for $11.49.
Double Fine Pack - I should probably have put this in the buy section, since it is double fine, but I haven't played these yet myself. Includes costume quest, psychonauts, and stacking, for $7.49.
Football Manager - Most definitely not my type of game. It's $7.49 as well.
Indie Bundle XI (Hydrophobia, Orion Dino Beatdown, Star Ruler, Waveform, World of Goo) - I've played world of goo a couple of times, and it's a great construction/physics sim. The rest I do not know about.
Limited Sales:
Galactic Cilizations II - Makes a reappearance, as do all the flash sales at the time of this writing, today as the community choice. $4.99.
Dead Island - $10.19.
The Witcher 2 - $15.99.
Portal 2 - $4.99.
Trine 2 - $3.74.
Well, that was an interesting sale. Not sure I like all the time limited deals. Still, I managed to get a couple games: Trine 2, Alan Wake collection, Frozen Synapse DLC, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, FEAR 3, Dear Ester, QUBE, Avadon, Vessel, Dungeons of Dredmor, The Witcher 2, Fallout New Vegas complete, Krater, Botanicula, Swords and Soldiers DLC, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, Penumbra: Black Plague, Zen Bound 2, and with a trade for an Orcs Must Die 2 preorder from the 2 pack, Quantum Conundrum and Puzzle Agent. Now I just need some way of finding more time so I can play all of them!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
LIMBO
Today I take you on a trip into the dark world of Limbo, where shadowy human figures flee your every step, giant spiders seek your death, and color is a thing of dreams.
 |
| Now that fits in nicely. |
Limbo is a fairly recent platform/puzzle/action game. There
is no story, but the desire to find what lies just to the right of the screen
drives you ever onward. That, and things like giant spiders that want nothing
more than to impale the small boy protagonist on one of their spindle like
legs.
The puzzles, or levels if you will, are pretty good, and the
game flows seamlessly from one to the next.
At first your most difficult task will be things like trying to figure
out how to cross a lake, run away from a boulder that is coming to crush you
Indiana Jones style, or take on a spider with very sharp legs. Later you
progress from the forest to more industrial areas, and the dangers shift to
mine carts on electrified rails, machine guns, and changes in gravity that will
fling you so hard against a wall, you'll become a pancake. While everything
does scale in difficulty very well, I'll admit to being stuck once or twice and
having to look around for a hint to get me beyond my predicament, usually
finding out I had the right idea, but hadn't pushed that platform far enough,
or jumped too soon, etc.
 |
| Gruesome death is part of the game. The black blob is the protagonist's head. |
While the gameplay is good, and a fun way to spend some
time, it isn't the best part of the game. Rather, it's the atmosphere of the
game, the combination of visuals, background sound, lighting, etc, where this
game really shines though. You almost need to play through the game a second
time with that it mind, and just take some time, when you're not dodging
machine guns or trying to outrun rising flood waters, and just consider what is
going on around you. Creeping through the woods you'll notice the grass
swishing as you walk through it, trees and other things start to blur the
further away from them you get, the whisper of the wind overshadowed by the
impact of your feet, which brings up a little puff of dust. Or in the, I shall
call them sewers, the roar of falling water, or the occasional drip of just a
little bit, or the ripples as you move through a particularly wet area. My
favorite though is in the city, out on some roofs where you can hear the pitter
patter of rain falling on glass and sheet metal. There is no background music
or vocals in the game to distract from the environment, just the occasional
noise an enemy or item makes.
There really are only two downsides to this game. The first
is that it is a short game, and all in all it will probably have taken me
longer to prepare this review than it took to play the game, clocking in at
just under 3 hours. The other has to do with controls, and that's because the
game uses the arrow keys and Ctrl, with no option to reassigning them besides,
I hear, going in and editing some text files. Or you could use a gamepad.
Nothing major with those, and the game does play fine with the keyboard, but I
would have been more comfortable with WASD, and sometimes it's the small things
that make a big difference.
 |
| You might notice the lighting, blur on the edge, and so forth, if it weren't for the big spider with a corpse on it's leg entering screen left. |
Normally the game is $10, but it has been on sale a few
times for as low as $2.50. At that price you should jump on it, but don't feel
bad about spending $5 either. In the end, I'd say the gameplay is a 7. It is
good, but not great, and the game is short. The artistic direction however, is
a solid 10, and from that aspect of it I can't think of another game I've
played that comes close. So I think I'll
just average them out, and then round up for the convenience of a solid number,
and to support some indie guys, which makes this game a 9 out of 10.
So, the final breakdown:
Score: 9/10
Suggested Price: $5, has been lower
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Summer Sale 7-21
Well, it looks like today is another day that will consist
of mostly unknown games. But, here we go.
Buy:
Torchlight - It is a really solid action adventure game in
the same style, though much less, um, drab, then the Diablo series. All kinds
of features in there to grab your
attention, like randomized dungeons, the ability to alter your gear's
attributes, pets to serve as mules, etc. You may want to get this as a warm up
to 2, which is supposed to come out later this year. Until then, it's $3.74.
Dawn of War - I never played the original dawn of war games.
Nor have I gotten around to retribution. Instead, my time has been spent on II,
and I love that game. A squad like RTS, cover dynamics, rpg elements, loot.
Yeah, I spent over 27 hours in just that one game. Today, the entire Franchise
is $29.99, with various games for much, much less.
Unknown:
Prince of Persia
- Like so many other games, I got this bundle a while ago, mostly because I
remember wanting it when some of the earlier games came out. However, I have, surprise,
yet to play it. It's $12.24 for 5 games as part of today's sale.
Fable III - This has been on sale a couple of times, and I
have considered getting it, but then I look at the forums and decide it's not
my type of game. If it's yours, it is $12.49 for the base game, and a couple of
bucks extra if you want to pick up the additional DLCs.
ARMA II - Let's face it, this game is on sale for one reason
only - Day Z. If you're interested in the realistic post zombie apocalypse
game, you can pick this up for $17.99.
Arkham City - This
has been on sale before, and returns again today for $10.19. I'll eventually give this a shot, but I think
I should probably play through the Asylum first.
Evochron Mercenary - Brings to mind the X series, which I've
only dabbled in. Potentially very good, but also looks so huge that there is no
way I could tackle it. Today it is $6.24.
Quantum Conundrum - Now I was never clear if it was the sole
creator beyond Portal that left valve and ended up doing this game, or just one
of them. Either way, I've heard many good things, and just got the game myself
today. Hopefully it has a bit more length than portal did, but I guess I'll
find out for the $8.99 it takes to get this game today.
Indie Bundle X (All Zombies Must Die!, Beat Hazard, BIT.TRIP
RUNNER, Eufloria, Machinarium) - Generally, I have to be familiar with 3 games
form an indie bundle to justify advising picking it up, otherwise it's cheaper
to just get the games I know about. Today I'm familiar with Beat Hazard and
Eufloria. Now beat Hazard is one of those games
that uses your music to generate the levels you'll play in. It is an
okay game, being a space shooter like so many arcade games before it, but
something that never really grabbed my attention. Eufloria is a different
matter. It is really an RTS, where unit generation and so many other things
depend on plant generation and planets you colonize. It's hard to explain, but
a game I really liked, and got about 7 hours into, when a harddrive crash
ripped it all away.
Limited Sales:
Age of Empires III - This makes a return today as the Community
Choice deal. It is once again $9.99.
Payday The Heist - Makes a return appearance as well. It is
$4.99.
Dear Ester - You get another shot at this piece of art for
$2.49 today.
Serious Sam 3 BFE - Back as well, for $9.99.
Sandbox Universe - For those of you that would like to
recreate the universe as you see fit. Want to delete the sun? Or add a second
star to our solar system? Pretty much whatever you want to do, you can. Not
your traditional game, but it can be a fun experience if you have the right
motivation. It's $2.49 today.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Summer Sale 7-20
Not such a financial hit for me today, since I already have most of the games, and pretty much everything on today's list has already been on sale.
Buy:
Magicka - On sale again. Read my view if you'd like more. Just make sure to the collection for $7.49, since it includes all the current DLCs.
Dungeon Defenders - Think this was on sale at the same time as Magicka. A good game, but a little slow for my taste. It does suffer from way too many DLCs syndrome. It's $12.49 for the collection.
Civilization - Same pack that was on sale earlier. The collection is $24.99, and if you just want Civ 5, get the game of the year version for half that.
Deus Ex - Need I say more? You can get the collection for $14.99, which I think is less than I paid for just Human Revolution.
Unknown:
Fear - Up again. The collection is $13.50.
Driver San Francisco - $7.49, and there is a Deluxe Edition for just a bit more.
Red Orchestra - Undecided on if I'll go for it or not, but the Franchise Pack is $8.74.
Crysis - Now while the first one was all the rage there for a while, I haven't heard anything good about the second one. The whole collection is $17.49.
Indie Bundle IX (Capsized, Jamestown, Revenge of the Titans, VVVVVV, Zeno Clash) - Capsized is a great 2D platform shooter, set on an alien world with lots of bad guys and bugs to shoot. Jamestown is a top down shooter that takes place on Mars, but incorporates early American history, and has been really good from what I've played. The rest are greek to me.
Limited Sales:
Risen - The other day Risen 2 was on sale. Now you can get the first one as the Community Choice, at least for a little while longer. It's $4.99. I will say however, that they should have flipped the order of that sale.
Farcry - Complete pack is $4.98.
Tales of Monkey Island - Different from The Secret of Monkey Island, this one is $8.74 for the complete pack.
Burnout Paradise - I did like this game, and do recommend it. However, there are some issues. It played a lot better with a 360 controller than it did on a keyboard (curse you joysticks!), but I can't speak about a wheel. Second, it seems EA killed the online store shortly after it went on sale a year and half ago or so, so I don't know if there is anyway to get that content. I just know the last time I tried to connect online with it, I kept getting errors. If you'd rather, there are also three need for speed games in the same sale, all ranging from $4.99 to $2.49.
Braid - An excellent platformer. As the game progresses, you get special abilities. First you can rewind time, then later you get a ghost that executes your last timeline, so you can pull two switches by yourself. It gets challenging, but I wholeheartedly recommend it. Took about 3 hours, and today it's $2.49.
It'll be interesting to see what is on sale for the last two days. Do you have anything in particular you'd like to see?
Buy:
Magicka - On sale again. Read my view if you'd like more. Just make sure to the collection for $7.49, since it includes all the current DLCs.
Dungeon Defenders - Think this was on sale at the same time as Magicka. A good game, but a little slow for my taste. It does suffer from way too many DLCs syndrome. It's $12.49 for the collection.
Civilization - Same pack that was on sale earlier. The collection is $24.99, and if you just want Civ 5, get the game of the year version for half that.
Deus Ex - Need I say more? You can get the collection for $14.99, which I think is less than I paid for just Human Revolution.
Unknown:
Fear - Up again. The collection is $13.50.
Driver San Francisco - $7.49, and there is a Deluxe Edition for just a bit more.
Red Orchestra - Undecided on if I'll go for it or not, but the Franchise Pack is $8.74.
Crysis - Now while the first one was all the rage there for a while, I haven't heard anything good about the second one. The whole collection is $17.49.
Indie Bundle IX (Capsized, Jamestown, Revenge of the Titans, VVVVVV, Zeno Clash) - Capsized is a great 2D platform shooter, set on an alien world with lots of bad guys and bugs to shoot. Jamestown is a top down shooter that takes place on Mars, but incorporates early American history, and has been really good from what I've played. The rest are greek to me.
Limited Sales:
Risen - The other day Risen 2 was on sale. Now you can get the first one as the Community Choice, at least for a little while longer. It's $4.99. I will say however, that they should have flipped the order of that sale.
Farcry - Complete pack is $4.98.
Tales of Monkey Island - Different from The Secret of Monkey Island, this one is $8.74 for the complete pack.
Burnout Paradise - I did like this game, and do recommend it. However, there are some issues. It played a lot better with a 360 controller than it did on a keyboard (curse you joysticks!), but I can't speak about a wheel. Second, it seems EA killed the online store shortly after it went on sale a year and half ago or so, so I don't know if there is anyway to get that content. I just know the last time I tried to connect online with it, I kept getting errors. If you'd rather, there are also three need for speed games in the same sale, all ranging from $4.99 to $2.49.
Braid - An excellent platformer. As the game progresses, you get special abilities. First you can rewind time, then later you get a ghost that executes your last timeline, so you can pull two switches by yourself. It gets challenging, but I wholeheartedly recommend it. Took about 3 hours, and today it's $2.49.
It'll be interesting to see what is on sale for the last two days. Do you have anything in particular you'd like to see?
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Summer Sale 7-19
Lot of good games today, most of which I've just bought, or will be keeping a close eye on for when I have some more time, and pick them up in the future. Still, I figure I'll recommend them, if just for a look.
Buy:
Plants vs. Zombies - Popcap's take on tower defense. It is incredible how good such a simple game is. Played this thing for hours earlier in life, almost 47 hours too. For $2.49, that's a great deal.
Amnesia - Was either the flash sale or community choice a few days ago, and I mentioned it them. Highly recommend this, but it is so good, you'll have to do a self assessment of just how scared you can handle being. It's not a one jumpy moment, it's the overwhelming sense of dread that will get you. Again, $4.99
The Witcher 2 - This got mentioned a few days ago as well, and the consensous is that it's a great RPG. Haven't tried it yet myself, for full disclosure, but I will recommend it anyways. $15.99.
Fallout New Vegas - Loved Fallout 3, though I will freely admit that the game felt a little slow paced at times, what with such an expansive world to play in. Despite a rocky start, the game is supposed to have improved greatly, and now you can get the complete version for $9.99. That is why it pays to wait.
Unknown:
Krater - I'm going ahead and picking this up. Seems like a very solid, huge rpg. Hope the crafting system delivers what they talk about in the videos, because if it does, this could become on of my favorite new games. $7.49
Alan Wake - Mentioned this before the other day. Three years later we get the port, but it is supposed to be a great game. Plus, no games for windows live, which is always a plus.
Sniper Elite - This one has been around at least once before too. I will say that the game looks like it's got promise. While the game is $24.99, you may want to consider coughing up a bit more if you're interested, and get the franchise for $28.43.
Gratuitous Tank Battles - I haven't tired the gratuitous games yet, so I don't know what to say. But you can get both for $10.19.
Indie Bundle VIII (Demolition Inc., HOARD, SOL: Exodus, Swords and Soldiers HD, Wings of Prey) - At least I've tried three games today. Demolition Inc. is okay, something that lost my interest after about 2 hours, which is when some of the courses get a little tougher. HOARD has some potential, but was also something I didn't spend too much time on. I've actually completed Swords and Soldiers, which is a fun little strategy game. It feels more like something I should have on a tablet or phone, but nonetheless, I put 6 hours in it. The rest I've got no idea about.
Limited Sales:
Dead Island - A daily sale a few days back, now you get another shot. $16.98 for the collection.
Tribes Ascend - This starter pack makes a return today at $4.99.
Nexuiz - I'll admit, this looks kind of cool. However, I'm not a big one for arena shooters, mostly because they require you to play with others. Still, it's only $2.49. You just may want to drop into the forums for it and find out how alive the online community is if you're serious abou it.
Galactic Civilizations II - I'm a little burned out on anything with civilization in it after putting so much time into Civ 5 lately, but this does have potential. Would be another reason to get the Stardock Collection. $4.99.
Beyond Good and Evil - Classic game. An adventure game in the vien of Zelda. Got about 12 hours out of it. I just really wish they would have come out with a sequel. It never gets lower than the $2.49 it's at today.
Buy:
Plants vs. Zombies - Popcap's take on tower defense. It is incredible how good such a simple game is. Played this thing for hours earlier in life, almost 47 hours too. For $2.49, that's a great deal.
Amnesia - Was either the flash sale or community choice a few days ago, and I mentioned it them. Highly recommend this, but it is so good, you'll have to do a self assessment of just how scared you can handle being. It's not a one jumpy moment, it's the overwhelming sense of dread that will get you. Again, $4.99
The Witcher 2 - This got mentioned a few days ago as well, and the consensous is that it's a great RPG. Haven't tried it yet myself, for full disclosure, but I will recommend it anyways. $15.99.
Fallout New Vegas - Loved Fallout 3, though I will freely admit that the game felt a little slow paced at times, what with such an expansive world to play in. Despite a rocky start, the game is supposed to have improved greatly, and now you can get the complete version for $9.99. That is why it pays to wait.
Unknown:
Krater - I'm going ahead and picking this up. Seems like a very solid, huge rpg. Hope the crafting system delivers what they talk about in the videos, because if it does, this could become on of my favorite new games. $7.49
Alan Wake - Mentioned this before the other day. Three years later we get the port, but it is supposed to be a great game. Plus, no games for windows live, which is always a plus.
Sniper Elite - This one has been around at least once before too. I will say that the game looks like it's got promise. While the game is $24.99, you may want to consider coughing up a bit more if you're interested, and get the franchise for $28.43.
Gratuitous Tank Battles - I haven't tired the gratuitous games yet, so I don't know what to say. But you can get both for $10.19.
Indie Bundle VIII (Demolition Inc., HOARD, SOL: Exodus, Swords and Soldiers HD, Wings of Prey) - At least I've tried three games today. Demolition Inc. is okay, something that lost my interest after about 2 hours, which is when some of the courses get a little tougher. HOARD has some potential, but was also something I didn't spend too much time on. I've actually completed Swords and Soldiers, which is a fun little strategy game. It feels more like something I should have on a tablet or phone, but nonetheless, I put 6 hours in it. The rest I've got no idea about.
Limited Sales:
Dead Island - A daily sale a few days back, now you get another shot. $16.98 for the collection.
Tribes Ascend - This starter pack makes a return today at $4.99.
Nexuiz - I'll admit, this looks kind of cool. However, I'm not a big one for arena shooters, mostly because they require you to play with others. Still, it's only $2.49. You just may want to drop into the forums for it and find out how alive the online community is if you're serious abou it.
Galactic Civilizations II - I'm a little burned out on anything with civilization in it after putting so much time into Civ 5 lately, but this does have potential. Would be another reason to get the Stardock Collection. $4.99.
Beyond Good and Evil - Classic game. An adventure game in the vien of Zelda. Got about 12 hours out of it. I just really wish they would have come out with a sequel. It never gets lower than the $2.49 it's at today.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Summer Sale 7-18
Pretty much figured out the Flash Sale rotation there yesterday, and after studying it a little more last night, I saw how one sale that started at 8 one morning would roll into one of the ones that started at 10 the following day, making it a 4 day rotation. But none of that really matters, just the part where I listed when games would come on sale, which all seems to be pretty accurate.
Buy:
Super Meat Boy - An extremely hard platformer game. And I seriously emphasize extremely. I only managed to get through 2 or three worlds (40-60 levels, plus the extreme versions of those levels) when I had a hard drive crash early last year. Only get this if you are serious, and can handle spending a long time on any given level, because you pretty much need to have perfect execution to pull it off. Another thing to consider - the game recommends using a controller, but it is not required. $3.74 today.
Unknown:
Stalker - I've heard all good things about this action rpg, but have never gotten around to playing it myself. If you like games like fallout, this would seem to be right up your alley. $11.19 for the whole collection.
Sings of a Solar Empire - Space RTS that does look really, really good. A bit pricey at $29.99, but it is a new game. Though you may want to consider the Stardock pack, which is only $15 more, and covers 4 games total.
Carpe Fulgur - Yeah, no idea about this. Never even heard of it before. $12.43 for 3 games.
Age of Empires Online - Additional stuff for a F2P game. Probably something to get if you play, if not, why bother, even if it's $2.49.
Thief - Talk about a blast from the past with this one. I remember trying to play thief back in the day, and failing miserably because my idea of the best way to trouble shoot a problem is to find the trouble, and shoot it repeatedly. Hiding bodies, sneaking around, etc, just never worked for me. But if you are good at stealth games, i.e., splinter cell or certain playstyles in Dues Ex, it's $6.74 for the series.
L.A. Noire - Talked about this a little the other day, about how it is supposed to be a good game, but a poor port. It has fallen pretty quickly in terms of price, as it was still $50 in December, when it was 75% off at $12.50. Instead, it's only $4.99 today.
Total War - If, this far into the sale, you still find yourself in need of another strategy game, you can get the Total War series for $12.49 today.
Indie Bundle VII (Vessel, QUBE, Zombie Driver, Avadon, Dungeons of Dredmor) - I ended up picking this up today, since I only had one game, and wanted the other four anyways. But, being true to principle, I won't recommend it until I've played through a couple of the games, which hasn't happened with many indie packs yet. You've got Avadon, a hard core rpg. Dungeons of Dredmor is another dungeon crawler that I figured I'd pick up, and give the genre another go, after bad experiences with binding of isaac. QUBE is supposed to be a good puzzle game, akin to portal 1, but without the glados bits. Vessel has promise as a 2d action/puzzle/platformer. Zombie driver I have, and it is interesting as a top down save people from the zombie apocalypse while killing everything from your car game, but it makes my computer whine like it is about to blow up, so I've never played it that much.
Limited Sales:
Sim City 4 - Honestly, I think the last time I played a sim city game was in 2000. I guess I'm more of a destoryer than a builder. Still, just $4.99 today.
Risen 2 - One of a couple of rpgs up today. It's $33.49.
Game of Thrones RPG - And here's another, though between you and me, I'm getting pretty sick of Westeros and George R.R. Martin in general. Why don't you stop screwing around licensing you're IP every which way you can and finish the damn series! Sorry, I'm a bit bitter after the horrible 4th book. Oh, and it's $24.99.
Dead Space - Played both of these, and I do recommend them. The first one has a much slower pace, more akin to a classic Resident Evil game. The second is a bit faster, and feels less like "enter area A, complete objectives until you reach the end of the level, then back track until the begining, so you can go to area B and repeat." The games are more of a jumpy scary than a dread/paranoia that you would get from, say, Amnesia. Mostly just crap jumping out of vents at you. $9.98 for both games, though you may want a controller for the first one, because the keyboard always felt odd there. No issues with the second though.
Terraria - It's back at the $2.49 it was the other day.
Only 4 more days to go. I actually haven't bought as much as I thought I would, but there is still time for that to change. Let's see what tomorrow holds.
Buy:
Super Meat Boy - An extremely hard platformer game. And I seriously emphasize extremely. I only managed to get through 2 or three worlds (40-60 levels, plus the extreme versions of those levels) when I had a hard drive crash early last year. Only get this if you are serious, and can handle spending a long time on any given level, because you pretty much need to have perfect execution to pull it off. Another thing to consider - the game recommends using a controller, but it is not required. $3.74 today.
Unknown:
Stalker - I've heard all good things about this action rpg, but have never gotten around to playing it myself. If you like games like fallout, this would seem to be right up your alley. $11.19 for the whole collection.
Sings of a Solar Empire - Space RTS that does look really, really good. A bit pricey at $29.99, but it is a new game. Though you may want to consider the Stardock pack, which is only $15 more, and covers 4 games total.
Carpe Fulgur - Yeah, no idea about this. Never even heard of it before. $12.43 for 3 games.
Age of Empires Online - Additional stuff for a F2P game. Probably something to get if you play, if not, why bother, even if it's $2.49.
Thief - Talk about a blast from the past with this one. I remember trying to play thief back in the day, and failing miserably because my idea of the best way to trouble shoot a problem is to find the trouble, and shoot it repeatedly. Hiding bodies, sneaking around, etc, just never worked for me. But if you are good at stealth games, i.e., splinter cell or certain playstyles in Dues Ex, it's $6.74 for the series.
L.A. Noire - Talked about this a little the other day, about how it is supposed to be a good game, but a poor port. It has fallen pretty quickly in terms of price, as it was still $50 in December, when it was 75% off at $12.50. Instead, it's only $4.99 today.
Total War - If, this far into the sale, you still find yourself in need of another strategy game, you can get the Total War series for $12.49 today.
Indie Bundle VII (Vessel, QUBE, Zombie Driver, Avadon, Dungeons of Dredmor) - I ended up picking this up today, since I only had one game, and wanted the other four anyways. But, being true to principle, I won't recommend it until I've played through a couple of the games, which hasn't happened with many indie packs yet. You've got Avadon, a hard core rpg. Dungeons of Dredmor is another dungeon crawler that I figured I'd pick up, and give the genre another go, after bad experiences with binding of isaac. QUBE is supposed to be a good puzzle game, akin to portal 1, but without the glados bits. Vessel has promise as a 2d action/puzzle/platformer. Zombie driver I have, and it is interesting as a top down save people from the zombie apocalypse while killing everything from your car game, but it makes my computer whine like it is about to blow up, so I've never played it that much.
Limited Sales:
Sim City 4 - Honestly, I think the last time I played a sim city game was in 2000. I guess I'm more of a destoryer than a builder. Still, just $4.99 today.
Risen 2 - One of a couple of rpgs up today. It's $33.49.
Game of Thrones RPG - And here's another, though between you and me, I'm getting pretty sick of Westeros and George R.R. Martin in general. Why don't you stop screwing around licensing you're IP every which way you can and finish the damn series! Sorry, I'm a bit bitter after the horrible 4th book. Oh, and it's $24.99.
Dead Space - Played both of these, and I do recommend them. The first one has a much slower pace, more akin to a classic Resident Evil game. The second is a bit faster, and feels less like "enter area A, complete objectives until you reach the end of the level, then back track until the begining, so you can go to area B and repeat." The games are more of a jumpy scary than a dread/paranoia that you would get from, say, Amnesia. Mostly just crap jumping out of vents at you. $9.98 for both games, though you may want a controller for the first one, because the keyboard always felt odd there. No issues with the second though.
Terraria - It's back at the $2.49 it was the other day.
Only 4 more days to go. I actually haven't bought as much as I thought I would, but there is still time for that to change. Let's see what tomorrow holds.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Summer Sale 7-17
First thing first, a little observation I've made while monitoring which games on are sale - the times various deals pop up.
Now, all these times are in pacific, so adjust accordingly.
Main sale - 10 am
Community Choice Sales - Midnight, 8am, and 4pm, with voting ceasing 30 minutes prior
Flash Sales - Slots follow a rotation (uncertain of over night at the moment): Slot 1 8am - 2pm - 8am, Slot 2 8 am - 4 pm - 10 pm, Slot 3 10 am - 6 pm - 12 midnight, Slot 4 10 am - 10 pm.
Now those flash sales my really be on a 2 day rotation, i.e. what went on sale at 10 this morning will change at 8 tomorrow, and I've yet to figure it out. But, in terms of linear time, you can find a sale at these points in the day:
8 am - Two Flash Sales and a Community Choice
10 am - Two Flash Sales and the main sale
2 pm - Flash Sale
4 pm -Flash Sale and a new Community Choice
6 pm - Flash Sale
8 pm - Flash Sale
10 pm - Two Flash Sales
Midnight - Flash Sale and a new Community Choice
I'll update that later if I notice any changes as the night progresses.
Buy:
Limbo - A great indie platform/puzzle game, with a unique atmosphere to it. The only downside to it is that it is really short, taking me about 2 hours to complete. This is actually the next game I'm going to review, coincidentally. $2.49 is more than a fair price for it, even given it's short length.
Company of Heroes - Of course I mentioned this game yesterday as my favorite WWII rts, so it goes on sale today. I've only played through most of the first game, and have still managed to accumulate about 24 hours. It's a little different in that you don't really worry about unit production, usually reinforcements arrive, etc, though single player is different than multiplayer. Features like tech trees, a cover system, are all interesting additions. If you've played Dawn of War 2 or retribution, you'll see many of the similarities. It's $12.48 for the bundle, or much less for the individual ones if you've already got the base game.
Grand Theft Auto - Not any game in particular, but a classic series that everyone knows about. Not all are neccessaryily great games, but for those of you that like sandbox games, the series is only $12.48.
Indie Bundle VI (Awesome, Defcon, SpaceChem, Ticket to Ride, Trauma) - First indie pack I've recommened, and it's because of Awesome, Defcon, and SpaceChem, since I've got no experience with the other 2. Awesome is a base jump sim I guess, set in the future where buildings float. You pull off expert manuavering through tight corases, finding the best path to score the most points possible. Includes all of A Reckless Disreguard for Gravity, and it took me 12 hours to get through all the levels, except for 2 I cannot possibly do well enough on, with a 4 out of 5 or higher. Defcon is a strategy type game, where you deploy bombers, airfields, subs, etc, in the build up to a nuclear war, with a final scene that reminds you of wargames. SpaceChem is one of the best puzzlers I've ever played, and a damn hard one too. Basically, no matter how complex the problem, you're presented with the same open board each time, and it is entirely up to you to make things work, from scratch. 33 hours just to get through the main game, let alone the seemingly endless user generated content.
Pass:
Call of Duty Block Ops - I've only played the console version, and just to a point. But what I'd really like to comment on is how this game, released in November 2010, already replaced in the franchise with MW3, and soon to be replaced in the series with the upcoming sequel, is STILL $40 when not on sale! Unless you really want to play the zombie mode in multiplayer (which is the only reason to play multiplayer from everyone I've ever talked to about it), wait until the end of this year and see if it drops any lower, though I doubt you'd see it less than $15 then. Hell, it's you're money, if you really want it and can't wait, go for it, at $19.99, because that's the lowest this has ever been.
Unknown:
Spec Ops The Line - I'll admit, I am really interested in this game, what with it's Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness type storyline, seemingly dynamic environment, and many other aspects of it I've seen showcased. I am holding off however, because it's still pricey, there may be more content on the way for it, and I have plenty of other games I've picked up, including many in this sale, that can hold me over until I deem it more affordable than $33.49.
Train Simulator 2012 - If you want to get started on this, it's a whopping 90% off today, making it only $3.49. Just be aware it's one of those games where the main game is cheap, but the addons, if you bought them all, would total a huge amount of money.
Stronghold 3 Gold - Sorry, no experience with this strategy game, which is $13.59 today.
Wargame European Escalation - Strategy game set during the height of the cold war, pitting NATO against the Warsaw pact. Game looks really interesting, as a modern rts. Added to my list of games to get, but holding off for all the same reasons as Spec Ops. It's $19.99 right now.
Limited Sales
Sanctum - Good tower defense game, though I do like Orcs Must Die! a lot more. Has more of a Defense Grid feel to it, from the design of the enemies, etc. $2.49 while it lasts.
Take on Helicopters - Nothing I can say about this sim, which is $16.99.
Duke Nukem Forever - If you really, really, really, want to play it, I doubt it will get any cheaper than this, since it's been this low for the last 6+ months now. Read my review of it, because I did give it a 4 out of 10 and recommend a pass altogether, though advocated the $4.99 price tag.
Dungeon Defenders - Another tower defense game. Pretty good, though a little slow paced for me. I would rate it below Sanctum. Though be forewarned that it's a game like the railworks one, where the base game is cheap, but there are so many DLCs. Actually, the complete pack is $12.49, so I'd go that path if I were you.
Shoot Many Robots - Uh, says 4 player co-op, which is not a selling point for me. Still, if 2D side scrollers are your forte, give it a shot, and tell me if I'm missing out by passing on it at $2.49, will ya?
Now, all these times are in pacific, so adjust accordingly.
Main sale - 10 am
Community Choice Sales - Midnight, 8am, and 4pm, with voting ceasing 30 minutes prior
Flash Sales - Slots follow a rotation (uncertain of over night at the moment): Slot 1 8am - 2pm - 8am, Slot 2 8 am - 4 pm - 10 pm, Slot 3 10 am - 6 pm - 12 midnight, Slot 4 10 am - 10 pm.
Now those flash sales my really be on a 2 day rotation, i.e. what went on sale at 10 this morning will change at 8 tomorrow, and I've yet to figure it out. But, in terms of linear time, you can find a sale at these points in the day:
8 am - Two Flash Sales and a Community Choice
10 am - Two Flash Sales and the main sale
2 pm - Flash Sale
4 pm -Flash Sale and a new Community Choice
6 pm - Flash Sale
8 pm - Flash Sale
10 pm - Two Flash Sales
Midnight - Flash Sale and a new Community Choice
I'll update that later if I notice any changes as the night progresses.
Buy:
Limbo - A great indie platform/puzzle game, with a unique atmosphere to it. The only downside to it is that it is really short, taking me about 2 hours to complete. This is actually the next game I'm going to review, coincidentally. $2.49 is more than a fair price for it, even given it's short length.
Company of Heroes - Of course I mentioned this game yesterday as my favorite WWII rts, so it goes on sale today. I've only played through most of the first game, and have still managed to accumulate about 24 hours. It's a little different in that you don't really worry about unit production, usually reinforcements arrive, etc, though single player is different than multiplayer. Features like tech trees, a cover system, are all interesting additions. If you've played Dawn of War 2 or retribution, you'll see many of the similarities. It's $12.48 for the bundle, or much less for the individual ones if you've already got the base game.
Grand Theft Auto - Not any game in particular, but a classic series that everyone knows about. Not all are neccessaryily great games, but for those of you that like sandbox games, the series is only $12.48.
Indie Bundle VI (Awesome, Defcon, SpaceChem, Ticket to Ride, Trauma) - First indie pack I've recommened, and it's because of Awesome, Defcon, and SpaceChem, since I've got no experience with the other 2. Awesome is a base jump sim I guess, set in the future where buildings float. You pull off expert manuavering through tight corases, finding the best path to score the most points possible. Includes all of A Reckless Disreguard for Gravity, and it took me 12 hours to get through all the levels, except for 2 I cannot possibly do well enough on, with a 4 out of 5 or higher. Defcon is a strategy type game, where you deploy bombers, airfields, subs, etc, in the build up to a nuclear war, with a final scene that reminds you of wargames. SpaceChem is one of the best puzzlers I've ever played, and a damn hard one too. Basically, no matter how complex the problem, you're presented with the same open board each time, and it is entirely up to you to make things work, from scratch. 33 hours just to get through the main game, let alone the seemingly endless user generated content.
Pass:
Call of Duty Block Ops - I've only played the console version, and just to a point. But what I'd really like to comment on is how this game, released in November 2010, already replaced in the franchise with MW3, and soon to be replaced in the series with the upcoming sequel, is STILL $40 when not on sale! Unless you really want to play the zombie mode in multiplayer (which is the only reason to play multiplayer from everyone I've ever talked to about it), wait until the end of this year and see if it drops any lower, though I doubt you'd see it less than $15 then. Hell, it's you're money, if you really want it and can't wait, go for it, at $19.99, because that's the lowest this has ever been.
Unknown:
Spec Ops The Line - I'll admit, I am really interested in this game, what with it's Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness type storyline, seemingly dynamic environment, and many other aspects of it I've seen showcased. I am holding off however, because it's still pricey, there may be more content on the way for it, and I have plenty of other games I've picked up, including many in this sale, that can hold me over until I deem it more affordable than $33.49.
Train Simulator 2012 - If you want to get started on this, it's a whopping 90% off today, making it only $3.49. Just be aware it's one of those games where the main game is cheap, but the addons, if you bought them all, would total a huge amount of money.
Stronghold 3 Gold - Sorry, no experience with this strategy game, which is $13.59 today.
Wargame European Escalation - Strategy game set during the height of the cold war, pitting NATO against the Warsaw pact. Game looks really interesting, as a modern rts. Added to my list of games to get, but holding off for all the same reasons as Spec Ops. It's $19.99 right now.
Limited Sales
Sanctum - Good tower defense game, though I do like Orcs Must Die! a lot more. Has more of a Defense Grid feel to it, from the design of the enemies, etc. $2.49 while it lasts.
Take on Helicopters - Nothing I can say about this sim, which is $16.99.
Duke Nukem Forever - If you really, really, really, want to play it, I doubt it will get any cheaper than this, since it's been this low for the last 6+ months now. Read my review of it, because I did give it a 4 out of 10 and recommend a pass altogether, though advocated the $4.99 price tag.
Dungeon Defenders - Another tower defense game. Pretty good, though a little slow paced for me. I would rate it below Sanctum. Though be forewarned that it's a game like the railworks one, where the base game is cheap, but there are so many DLCs. Actually, the complete pack is $12.49, so I'd go that path if I were you.
Shoot Many Robots - Uh, says 4 player co-op, which is not a selling point for me. Still, if 2D side scrollers are your forte, give it a shot, and tell me if I'm missing out by passing on it at $2.49, will ya?
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