Saturday, July 13, 2013

Steam Summer Sale 7-13-13

Another day, another collections of games that I can at least claim to know something about. Today also marks the inclusion of software into the sale, so there's that.

Main Sale

Tomb Raider - Just released in March, and here it is 75% off. But then again, Square Enix had a very bad quarter, with lower sales than exceptions, thanks to titles like this and Hitman (which is also on sale right now). It's $12.49 for the base game, $14.49 for the "Survival" edition, or $17.49 for the franchise pack. While I've heard the game is good, I've also heard it's short and seems to consist of moments of action punctuating cut scenes and events where it's simply button mashing. That doesn't preclude a game from being good (see The Walking Dead), but it's enough to make me hold out another 4 months to see what the price will be then.

Mars War Logs - This game could be interesting, I'm not sure.A demo would be nice to see if it's really worth the $10 they are asking today. Maybe it'll be best if I hold off until the next sale, given that I have more than enough games to occupy my time, so if a game doesn't grab me right away, it's usually in my best financial interest to wait a bit longer.

Borderlands 2 - Returns from it's status as a voter's choice today. I'm still waiting for the GOTY edition, given the 34 pieces of DLC, though only a few are major content. Some DLCs are the 66% off,w hile others are only 33%, so you'll need to pick through the list. What's good news is that the season pass is on sale this time, for the same $10.19 as the base game, so you might want to pick both of those up if you're ready to go drop 100 hours into the FPSRPG.

Might & Magic Heroes VI - If you're interested in a bit of strategy today, you might want to check out this game, which, thankfully, does have a demo. A few different buying options here. There is the gold edition for $10.19, which includes two additional DLCs. Then there bis the Complete Edition, which includes everything the gold edition has and one more DLC, but is only discounted 50%, so the price is $24.99. But if you're willing to pay that much, you might just take a look at the franchise pack for $33.29.

Resident Evil 6 - So this is actually supposed to be a good one. I don't know, I haven't played a RE game since 2, unless you count two arcade shooter style games from the Wii. This also just came out  in march and is now 50% off, bringing it to $19.99. If you'd rather, you'll find that Resident Evil 5 is on sale for $4.99, and Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is $7.49. That last one you can play as single player, but it's one of those games that is really meant to be played with multiple people, like Left 4 Dead or Payday.

The Witcher 2 - Lowest price I have ever seen this game at, as it's down to $4.99 today. I still haven't gotten around to it, though I did review Witcher 1 (both written and video) here not too long ago, and it turns out that game is also on sale for the usual $2.49. So you really should pick up both and set yourself up for some good times ahead of Witcher 3.

Sniper Elite Nazi Zombie Army - I'm actually playing Sniper Elite v2 right now ($10.19), which I am enjoying, so I've got faith in these guys. I am a bit worried that it is one of those games where you really need a squad of people you trust to make it fun, but we'll see. Zombie Army is $5.09 today.

Stardrive - It's a 4X strategy game, meaning it's like Civilization or Endless Space. After those two games I've been burned out on the genre, so I will have to pass here. It's $10.19 today.

Age of Empires II HD Edition - This game only is $9.99, but you can get the Legacy Bundle, which includes II: Complete Collection, for just $16.99.

RPG Maker VX - Assuming you've looked through the list and haven't seen anything you like, you might want to give this a try, and use it to make the sort of game you think should be on sale. $23.79 today.

Flash Sales

Blood Bowl Chaos Edition - $7.49

Kinetic Void - Just be aware with this game that it's early access, not a finished product. Purchasing a game ahead of time to fund it's development is one thing, but prepurchasing it at a discount could cause some concern. It's $6.79.

L.A. Noire - One of those games that is always on sale returns for it's normal low of $4.99.

Battlefield Bad Company 2 - I've put some decent time into it, but it's pretty much all been multiplayer. The game is okay, but not great. Mostly vehicular combat, but not quite to the extent of the main line of Battlefield games. Worth considering if you want to do the modern military multiplayer shooter, since it's only $5.99.

Voters Choice

Hitman Absolution - Edged out the compitition this morning. It's $6.24 for the base, $7.49 for the professional edition, $11.24 for the franchise, and $1.49 for a pack that includes 8 of the 11 DLCs, with the other three totaling an addtional $0.72.

Over night there was Farming Simulator 2013 ($9.51), Ys I & II Chronicles ($5.09), Batman Arkham City ($7.49), Garry's Mod ($2.49), and Tropico 4 ($5.99 for the base, $7.99 for the collection).

*****

I'm feeling a bit better about the selection today. A little disappointing that games are already popping up during multiple sales, basically referring to Borderlands 2, but that's to be expected with major titles. I'm personally leaning towards Hitman, Tomb Raider, and the Witcher as winners today, as well as Arkham City if you were able to snag that (it's on sale at Gamersgate, but it's $9 there, and I'm betting it'll come around again). Still, so far It's been a single game a day for me. I might not even get a trading card for spending enough money, which would be extremely shocking.

2 comments:

  1. WAY more indie games in the daily deals this year, in the past those were mostly in the indie bundles.

    Indies are equally as prominent as AAA titles this year.

    Mars War Logs has gotten pretty poor reactions from what I've heard.

    Borderlands 2 looks hilarious. I'll give it that much, I've been linked to some pretty funny stuff from in on YT.

    Kinda curious Hitman would have a DLC pack including 8 of 11 DLC and then skip out on a few worth less then a dollar combined.

    My purchases for myself this sale are still limited to Ys I & II Chronicles. I was gifted Tomb Raider though, and picked up a couple games to giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think part of the reason that there are more indie deals, aside from the lack of any kind of bundle or pack, is that there are 10 main sales everyday, rather then just the 6 or so the last few sales have had.

      Borderlands 2 is certainly a game I will get some day, because I really did enjoy the style and humor of the first game. The thing is, as with all those types of games where you can go back and play it at a higher difficulty to get ever better gear, I play it once, on one character, and then move on. Shortly after Borderlands came out I introduced it to a few people, including family. A few months later, at a family gathering, I was immediately asked how many 50s I had (max level at the time). They were very surprised when I said 0, even though I had had the game for months. Basically, what I'm getting at here is to get the most out of the game you have to be susceptible to grinding for more loot, like in most ARPGs or MMOs. Still a ton of content if you don't do that, but it won't last you the same amount of time.

      I Looked into it a bit more. Turns out those other 3 DLCs are included in a separate DLC, but that one you only get if you buy the Professional Edition, which is kind of lame. Whatever, I just bought the base game and figured I don't need all the disguises and extra guns.

      So far I've done a trade for Antichamber, and then bought Hitman, Sleeping Dogs, Poker Night 2, and System Shock 2. Haven't even spent enough to get a second card yet.

      Delete