Steam Winter Sale 12-31-13

Abbreviated post again today folks. Should be back to normal tomorrow, assuming I survive the night's festivities.

Main Sale

Half Life 2 - A great but sadly still incomplete shooter. If for some reason you don't have it and you like fps games, I highly recommend it at $2.49.

Scribblenauts Unmasked - The DC comics version of the game is $14.99 today.

Planetary Annihilation - Early access of the latest game in the vein of Total Annihilation and Supreme Commander. It's  $40.19.

XCOM - The first game is a pretty good strategy game that I can recommend buying at today's $9.99. If you want the expansion pack as well, go to Amazon where you can get both games for $5 less than on Steam.

Mark of the Ninja - Low steam price of $2.99. There is a 5 game bundle on Amazon that's been $10 before, but as of this writing it was unavailable, so double check before you buy in case it's back.

Castlevania - $10.19.

Grid 2 - $12.49.

Magic 2013 - $3.39.

Company of Heroes - All titles 66% off. That's $13.59 for the latest, $3.39 for the original, and $6.79 each for the expansion packs. The original is a great RTS, even if the price is higher now than it's been before.

Flash Sales

Super Meat Boy - Ultra hard platformer for $2.99.

King Arthur's Gold - $6.69.

Don't Starve - Back again for $5.09.

LA Noire - Typical $4.99.

Previously Dark Souls for $5.99, The Dead Linger for $13.39, Legend of Dungeon for $1.49, Transformers for $14.99, Sang Froid for $3.74, Poker Night 2 for $.99, Deadly Premonition for $9.99, and The Witcher 2 for $4.99.

Community's Choice

Ys I - $3.74.

Previously Age of Empires II for $4.99 and Another World for $2.49.

***

That's it for now. Also give Humble one last look, because it's the last day of the sale.

Steam Winter Sale 12-30-13

Making this one short. I'll just list the games and their prices, then give a brief recommend or no.

Main Sale

Alan Wake - Reviewed! $3.99 for the franchise. The game was okay, but repetitive. An acceptable buy at this price but not something to buy first.

Rising Storm - Unknown, but $4.99.

Kerbel - Early access space craft building sim. Tried the demo and thought it was okay, though I've been told its excellent. $16.14.

Farming Simulator 2013 - $14.99.

Metro - Both the original and Last Light are on sale. $3.74 and $13.59, respectively. The franchise is $18.69. Not a bad buy on the first game, cost wise.

GTA - Frankly I thought four was a bit boring, and I quit playing after only a few hours. $4.99 for the base, $7.49 for the full, and $12.49 for the franchise.

Game Dev Tycoon - $4.99.

Injustice - $24.99.

Outlast - $6.79.

Flash Sales

Shadow Warrior - $9.99.

Limbo - Reviewed! A great buy at $2.49.

Space Base DF9 - $12.49.

Tropico - $5.99. Seems like an okay city/country building game where politics matters.

Previously Wizardy for $2.29, BioShock for $9.99, Broken Sword for $16.74, The Stanley Parable for $8.99, Borderlands 2 for $7.49, Grid 2 for $12.49, Agarest for $6.79 and Contrast for $7.49.

Community's Choice

Nihilumbra - $2.99.

Previously ARMA III for $35.99 and Remember Me for $12.49.

***

That's keeping it short. More of keeping track of prices than giving mini reviews of games due to the frustration of dealing with a phone keyboard. See you tomorrow.

Steam Winter Sale 12-29-13

This one, as well as the next few postings will be a bit brief, because I'll be doing this on a screen keyboard, and I really don't want to type out an essay like that. This will also be my excuse if I miss any flash/community choice deals.

First, mandatory advisory note: You should of course check out Amazon, Green Man Gaming, Gamers Gate, and The Humble Store for some other deals as well to see if something you really want is on discount there.

Main Sale

Fallout New Vegas - $2.49 or $6.79 for the ultimate edition. You should probnably go for the later. It's supposed to be pretty good, but I haven't played it yet, despite owning it for some time.

Risk of Rain - The game looks strange, though somewhat like Spelunky, in that it's a one life, then the level is redone type game. Roguelike in that way I think. $6.69.

Mass Effect - I played the first game and thought it was okay. Pretty typical bioware morality stuff. Haven't tried the second one yet. Best option is $9.99 for the series, and I would recommend it at that price.

Euro Truck Simulator 2 - $6.24

Deadlight - Reviewed! The game wasn't great at all, and even at $2.99, I'd probably say avoid it, though that is one of the lower prices I've see for it, outside of a 5 game Amazon bundle for $10, which I believe you can get right now.

Spelunky - Again, a pretty fun looking roguelike game. I'll be getting this in a trade deal today.

HeroesVI - $7.49.

The Swapper - It is critcally aclaimed, but that doesn't mean too much to me these days (Deadlight was too) It's $5.09.

Total War Rome II - Previously on sale. $29.97 for this game.


Flash Sales

Trine - Reviewed! Recommended this at the same $2.49 for the franchise before. A must buy.

Prototype - Really enjoyed the first open world sandbox RPG game. Haven't tried the second one yet, but the first one is a fair buy at $4.99. The second is $9.99.

Sniper 2 Ghost Warrior - Tried the demo of this before, and while pretty, the game was very lame and lackluster. Would recommend you try the demo before spending $7.49.

Assetto Corsa - $29.99

Earlier you'd find Gas Guzzlers Extreme for $8.49, Far Cry 3 for $7.49, Spec Ops The Line for $7.49, State of Decay for $9.99, Long Live the Queen for $4.99, Beatbuddy for $1.40, Starpoint Gemini 2 for $16.09, and Alice Madness Returns for $4.99.


Community's Choice

Pixel Junk Eden  - No idea, but it's $0.99.

Previously it was Injustice for $24.99 and Titan Quest for $2.99.

 ***

Yep, that's brief for me. Really I just recommend Trine, avoiding Deadlight, and maybe risking it on some of the other games. Prototype is a fair buy as well, while Sniper 2 should probably be avoided. I'll be back (briefly) tomorrow, I hope.

Steam Winter Sale 12-28-13

Only a few more days left in this sale. Hopefully you've seen the title you want by now, though there have been a large number of smaller indie and early access games that have been featured, so there is the possibility you may have not yet.

You should of course check out Amazon, Green Man Gaming, Gamers Gate, and The Humble Store for some other deals as well to see if something you really want is on discount there.

Main Sale

Torchlight - Reviewed!Picked up this fun ARPG just over a year ago now, and found it to be an excellent game. The almost comic visuals make for some truly spectacular scenes, particularly when you use a massive fire damage ability and watch the whole screen lite up. I took my about 20 hours to make it through the first play through, and then I went through again just to level up so more. The game has changed some since I played it, but that's largely due to mod support, since you can worth through steam for some mods, such as one that resets your talent points, a feature that was sorely lacking original. It's a must buy at $4.99.

Sim City 4 -Let's see, this would be the last good Sim City, right? Well, it's $4.99 today.

Saints Row IV -The comic over the top GTA like franchise's latest incarnation. I haven't tried this one out yet, mostly because it's still $19.99, but it does look like a pretty funny game.

Dust An Elysian Tail -I just picked this up a few weeks ago (either at the beginning of this sale or during the last one), so I haven't given it a shot yet. Still, it's supposed to have a pretty dark story, which contrasts with the Disney's Bambi like visuals. It's currently tied for the all time low of $3.74.

Deadpool -Another comically irreverent game to go along with Saints Row. It's $19.99 today.

Garry's Mod - One of those eternally on sale games, and also one that owuld fall into the comical category. It's basically a sandbox where you can mess around with models from various valve games, rig up cameras to fly through levels that you'll use to make a movie later, etc. It's the usual $2.49 today.

Sins of a Solar Empire Rebellion -This one is supposed to be pretty good, as it expands on Trinity (the previous game) bad adding 3 new factions. While it's $9.99, if you're really favoring some strategy games, you might want to try the Stardock pack for $44.99, since that has plenty of options in it.

Godus - An early access god game that's $9.99 today. While it does look somewhat interesting, kind of like a 3D version of Reus, I'll be holding off until it's actually done.

Brothers  -Alright, this one looks pretty cool. You do need a controller because, if I understand it correctly, you control two characters at the same time. It's been highly rated elsewhere, mostly by others that I have a slight amount of faith in, which is to say, much more than Massive Reviewers Inc. (is that a real thing? I might have just committed slander there if it is...). It's $4.49 today.



Flash Sale

Rage - Reviewed! The short story is don't buy this game. Just don't. Even at $4.99, this game suffers from a large amount of problems, ranging from technical issues that plagued the game from launch (and weren't repaired by the time I played it a year later), to the lack luster game play and the overwhelming feeling that you're playing maybe half of a game. Unless you're absolutely desperate, just skip this one.

Evoland - It's a little game about the evolution of the adventure game. Not really a normal game, but only $2.49.

Gunpoint  - I tried the demo for this back when it was released, and I was impressed for a couple of reasons. First, the simple gameplay was enjoyable, as you try to overcome obstacles by thinking of things like turning out the lights, the connecting that switch to an outlet right next to it, so that when the guard walks in and flips the switch, he electrocutes himself too. Second, the humor, found in the quality of the writing, was very good, and I'm a sucker for anything that leads to a good time. My only concern is the game is a bit short, as the demo took you through 4/20 levels. There is user created content, but I'm a bit iffy on that one. At $3.39 it's not a bad buy, but I'd really like to see it hit $2.49 some day.

Shelter -So this game is a little bit different. It's kind of a survival game, but that's because you're a mother badger that is trying to protect and feed your young. It is supposed to be short, coming in at under 2 hours. Heck, at $2.49, maybe I'll get this one and then review it really quickly. It'll actually take more time to write about it than it takes to play.

You may have missed Guacamelee for $3.74, Castle Storm for $3.39, Metro Last Light for $13.59, Doom 3 for $4.99, Dirt 3 for $6.24, Adventure Time for $27.99, Magicka for $2.49, and Giana Sisters Twisted Dreams for $1.79.



Community's Choice

Snow - Since this is an early access title, you'll see that it comes in a variety of packages, from $11.24 for the Starter Pack, to $44.99 for the Founders pack. It's $7.50.

Past winners were Civilization V for $12.49 and World of Goo for $0.99.

***

Okay, so not too much today. Torchlight is the one game that's a must buy, but I'm pretty confident in Dust, Gunpoint, and Brothers as games that could turn out really well.

Steam Winter Sale 12-27-13

Here we are entering the final week of the Steam Winter Sale for 2013/14. Hopefully we'll see plenty more games on sale.

You should of course check out Amazon, Green Man Gaming, Gamers Gate, and The Humble Store for some other deals as well to see if something you really want is on discount there.

Main Sale

Portal - Reviewed! An "always on sale at $4.99 or $6.24 for the bundle" game. I found the first one to be ground breaking and enjoyable, while the second, though with a much higher investment for comedy, time, etc., to miss the mark on the puzzles themselves. Still, at this price, I do recommend you pick up both games and give them a shot. A pretty fun time that's worth the cost.

Orcs Must Die! - Reviewed! Despite having preordered the second game mid-2012, I've yet to give that one a go. However, I did manage to cover the initial game, which also got a rare video review. A fantastic action tower defense game that you should absolutely get. I expect the second one to be much the same, though the coop should be an interesting feature. Price is a bit tricky as for some reason not everything made it on sale (the franchise bundle costs $34.99, while you can buy the games individually for $15.93). For the first game you'll want the base game for $4.99 and the two DLCs for $1.99 and $1.49. While the second game is actually cheaper because it's $3.74 for the base game or $6.24 for the complete pack. Something is screwy with the Steam pricing today because...

Don't Starve - ...this survival sim was actually 92% off shortly after the new prices came out today, meaning I picked it up for $1.20. It's been on my wishlist for a while because a trusted friend told me it was a very fun game, and at that price there was no way I was going to pass it up. Glad I jumped on it then, because now it's back up to $5.09.

Hitman Absolution - This game hits an all time low at $4.99 today (previously $6.24). There are a few other purchasing options, such as the professional edition for $5.99, the franchise pack for $22.49, and several DLCs for a total of $2.09 if you by them separately, versus $6.49 for the DLC collection item. It always pays (or, at least you don't) to check out these things.

Black Ops II - I went on a bit of a CoD rant a few days ago when Ghosts was on sale. Now I have another opportunity to talk about why it's more than a bit screwed up that a game that's 13 months old and the off year rotation of an annualized release that people only end up buying for the zombie mode is still $29.99 when it's 50% off. However, I think I'll play nice and not mention anything like that today. Merry Christmas Activision!

Assassin's Creed - Reviewed! Though I'm way back in the series now, having only gotten through the second game, which  oddly enough puts me 4 games behind, because, you know, people can't count in a straight series anymore. IV comes in a variety of editions, ranging from $44.99 to $59.99. The Season pass isn't on sale either. Of the previous titles, III is $7.49, which is pretty low, Revelations is $7.49/$4.99, Brotherhood is $4.99, II is $4.99, and the original is $4.99. Frankly I thought the first game was pretty bad, but the second was a miraculous improvement. Beyond that I couldn't tell you.

Resident Evil - Multiple games on sale here. 6 is $11.99, with a complete pack that's $14.99, 5 isn't actually on sale, and Revelations is $14.99. The last time I played a game in full was 2, back on the N64, though I did play a bit of the original and 0 on the Gamecube, as well as a few of the railshooters on Wii. But really, all that is is a bit of fill so when you're quickly scanning down the list f games it doesn't like like I had nothing to say about these titles.

Prison Architect - An early access game that's still in alpha. While I'm extremely excited for this game, mainly because I like what else the dev's have done, I'm more than a bit apprehensive about chipping into a still in development game, particularly because I don't see my self playing it over and over again as updates come out, because then I'd probably be pretty bored by the final release. Multiple packages at different price points, ranging from the standard access at $14.99 to getting your name in the game at $33.49.

Lego Lord of the Rings - It's $7.49 today.



Flash Sale

Skullgirls - A very strange looking fighting game. It's $7.49.

Fallen Enchantress - A 4x strategy game that I have yet to try. It's $9.99 today.

Morrowind - This ones quite a bit older than Skyrim now, so it's only $4.99. Note that this is the only title that's on sale. Oblivion and Skyrim are not discounted the same 75%.

Blood Dragon - The stand alone Far Cry 3 futuristic scifi shooter looks like it'd be a great time. Seeing as it's only $5.09, it's tough not to buy it.

Just in cased you missed it, you could also find Call of Juarez Gunslinger for $5.09, Test Drive Unlimited 2 for $4.99, Galactic Civilizations II for $9.99, Star Wars Battle Front for $4.99, Rise of Flight for $12.49, Dawn of War II for $7.49, Sanctum 2 for $3.74, and Insurgency for $4.99.


Community's Choice

Steam Marines - Another early access title, this one's $2.49.

Previous you'd find Spelunky for $3.74 and Dream for $7.49.

***

 That's it for today. The only thing I'd highly recommend is Orcs Must Die!. Portal's not a bad buy either, but I'm not sure it's a great one either. Guess I just have too many issues with the screwy puzzles of the second one. Hopefully you were able to catch Don't Starve on super sale too. Okay, until tomorrow then!

Steam Winter Sale 12-26-13

Hello once again. Since we're back to a pretty much normal day today, I think I'll do a pretty much normal write up of each game on sale - that is to say that I'll either point out the games I've reviewed, fall back to hearsay for some others, and try to keep from making too much stuff up for the other games.

You should of course check out Amazon, Green Man Gaming, Gamers Gate, and The Humble Store for some other deals, because you'll never know what you'll find. For instance, last night Amazon had Tomb Raider for $5, and still has a larger discount on some Warframe packs than Steam.

Main Sale

Hotline Miami - Reviewed! I do recommend this game, as it's a rather interesting top down 2D hyper-violent game. The one hit and you're dead gameplay makes for an interesting ballet as you pound through doors, fire off a shot, throw your gun, grab the knife the person with the gun was just hit with, and proceed to slash the next person through the door - in about 3 seconds worth of time. This is the lowest price I've seen it for, at $1.99 today.

Dark Souls - A game that I had high hopes for when I started playing it a few months ago. The reason you haven't seen a review for it is because I stopped after putting in 7 hours. It's lauded as being hard, but it's not so much a difficulty thing as it's a stupid game construction thing. Current;y I've left off on the 4th or 5th boss fight, which takes place in a tiny alley way where you don't have any room to dodge the boss demon's sword, because it's literally as big as the alleyway is wide. There is also 0 guidance in the game, without even an explanation of what your stats are, or what the heck is going on. Frankly, I'm about ready to write this one off as one of the most over hyped games of 2012, particularly since you need to download a couple of mods just to do things like run it in the resolution of your choice, or at something besides 30 FPS. It's a low $5.99, but I would think pretty long and heard about that one.

The Killing Floor - A class based horde survival shooter. It can be fun, but to really play it well you'll need a group of people. It can be a fun game with the right group, but at the same time it's not a lot of fun to play solo, mostly because you'll be focused on one of the large enemies, such as one that will enrage if you deal too much damage too quickly, and not notice the stealthy ones sneaking up behind you. Plenty of options here, for $4.99 for the base game, or $12.49 for the bundle that includes the mostly character skin DLC. You might also want to consider the Tripwire Interactive Bundle at that point, which is $24.99. Not a bad purchase, but one that you might tire of very quickly, particularly if you're not into multiplayer.

Van Helsing - I gave the demo a shot during the last sale, and resolved to pick it up this time. It seems like a pretty typical ARPG, though more in the vein of Torchlight than Diablo, what with an upgradable pet and all. Talents aren't in the form of a tree, but a certain level is required to get deeper down the list. Putting enough points into a certain ability unlocks bonuses, or enough on the same group of abilities will do the same thing. You can also super charge abilities with rage you've built up, adding additional effects. The base game is "classless," but what that means is there is really one class that you can customize in multiple ways. If you go for the full edition, which you should, because it's only $6.79 vs. $5.09, you'll gain two more classes, as well as more abilities for your pet. It looks like a solid game, though something that probably won't be exceptional. Still, I'm buying it and looking forward to reviewing it for you.

Devil May Cry -  It's been a long time since I've played the action adventure game. You actually have three choices here, as you can get DmC: Devil may Cry for $12.49, Devil May Cry 4 for $4.99, or Devil May Cry 3 for $4.99.

Gone Home - I've seen a lot of press on this game (remember what I said about hearsay?), which was a bit suspicious because it made it look like the devs were advertising through some reviews. It looks to be a thematic exploration game along the lines of Dead Ester, which could be pretty good. It's $6.79, so I'll probably wait a bit longer.

Anno 2070 - I avoided this game due to activation limits and other issues it had when it launched (there is a 3 machine limit listed under the supported languages), but supposedly this issue has been handled, though I'm not sure I believe that. You can get the base game for $7.49, or the complete edition for $12.49.

NBA 2K14 - We would all know I was lying if I tried to give any information out about his game aside from this: it's $14.99.

Wargame - A pretty interesting modern-esque strategy game set during the latter years of the cold war, which is why it's intriguing, because of the type of technology involved. You can get the recent Airland Battle for $9.99, the previous European Escalation for $1.99, or both in a pack for $11.00. I think I'll pick up that $2 game...


Flash Sales

The Cave - A fun looking adventure game from Double Fine. It's $3.74.

Lost Planet 3 - The multiplayer game is $12.49 today, though none of the DLCs are on sale.

Unepic - The 2D indie RPG is $3.99 today. Just be aware that it is an early access game.

Bastion - Reviewed! I absolutely recommend this isometric RPG. It's quite a fun game, but you can learn more about that from the written and video reviews. It's a very, very low $2.24 today.

Since the last post you could have purchased Maia for $18.74, Substance Designer for $33.99, Euro Truck Simulator 2 for $6.24, and Cook, Serve, Delicious for $2.49.


Community's Choice

Tower Wars - A cute little tower defense game that seems geared towards multiplayer (solo exists, but it was added later). It's $1.99 for a single copy, though it can be purchased in a bundle to cut your cost.

Previously it was Guacamelee for $3.74.

***

Okay, that's it for today. Really, the only things I find myself advocating are to pick up Hotline Miami and Bastion (if it's still up), as well as to give Van Helsing a shot. You should probably stay away from Dark Souls, and Killing Floor is a maybe depending on if you have people to play it with or not. The first Wargame isn't too bad of a risk either at $2. I'll see you when we do this all again tomorrow.

Steam Winter Sale 12-25-13

Merry Christmas to everyone that celebrates the holiday. I'm going to make this one  brief for that exact weekend, either because you shouldn't have to suffer through longer explanations on a day that you are, again, if you celebrate it, spending with loved ones. That, and I just spent the day doing the same, so I want to knock this out really quickly.

Make sure to check out Amazon, Green Man Gaming, Gamers Gate, and The Humble Store for some other deals.


Main Sale

Football Manager 2014 - No idea on this one, but it's $24.99.

Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 Platinum! - Also an unknown, but $5.99.

Terraria - Reviewed, though that was a few versions back. Still, I highly recommend this 2D indie/platformer/rpg game, which has some incredible depth for something that appears so simple. Get ready to spend hours on the wiki just to learn what you need to craft your next great item. It's $2.49.

Endless Space - A 4X game that isn't too bad, though not exactly something that grabbed me. It has been expaned on several times since I last tried it, when there were only 3 or 4 win coniditions, such as expand your empire to a certain percentage of the galaxy. Add planets to your empire, terraform them into something else, build up your military might, custom build ships. It's a maybe buy, but it's $7.49 for the Emperor Edition and $8.74 for the Gold pack.

Trials Evolution - The 2D racing/trick game looks pretty fun. It's $4.99.

Skyrim - Two years later it's still too expensive for my taste, coming in at $20.39 for the full edition, or $7.49 for the  base game only. Still, it's supposed to be a great single player game, if you're inclined to spend this much.

Europa Universalis IV - Yet another unknown at $19.99.

Deus Ex -  This is another one of those games that pretty much everyone should have tried at some point in time. It's $4.99.

Payday - Four person coop  bank heist game that isn't unlike Left 4 Dead - great with people you trust. It's $1.99 for the original, and $13.49 for the second game, which does have a demo.


Flash Sales

Lego Marvel Super Heroes - $14.99.

Pac-Man Champion Edition DX+ - $6.69.

Duel of Champions - It's Free-to-Play, but has a 20-30% discount on a couple of different packs.

Saints Row IV - $19.99.

You might have missed System Shock 2 for $2.49, Track Mania Stadium for $2.49, War Thunder Ace Advanced Pack DLC for $19.99,  Pinball FX2 Paranormal Table DLC for $0.74, Red Alert 3 for $4.99, How to Survive for $4.49, On The Rain-slick Precipice of Darkness 4 for $1.49, Final Fantasy VII for $7.99,Kingdoms Rise for $10.04, Guncraft for $3.74, The King of Fighters XIII for $10.19, and Dungeon Defenders for $2.24.


Community's Choice

Papers, Please - $4.99 again.

Previously it was Super Hexagon for $0.29, Sacrifice for $1.99,and Shelter for $2.49.

Steam Winter Sale 12-24-13

Why hello there! It’s a new day, with a new set of deals. This is made particularly attractive by some of the things other sites are doing, given the impending holiday, because Steam today is another round of "meh."

Amazon has all kinds of deals right now. Most of the games offered are the same as before, but some now have better/different prices. This includes Batman Arkham Origins for $20, XCOM EU and EW for $20, the Max Payne Franchise for $7, and so on and so forth.

The Humble Store has a new selection, though none of it is new or at a better price than I've seen elsewhere. Still a good place to check if you missed a deal on, say, Crusader Kings II.

Green Man Gaming has a collection of deals if you're willing to click through all the develop specific pages, where you'll find such gems as Company of Heroes 2 for $13.59. You can also use a code to get a bit more off of that.

Gamers Gate doesn't have anything that really stands out to me, but you might as well take a quick glance at it.

Main Sale

FTL – I picked up this game last year right around this time and found the one life, no two play throughs the same game to be quite enjoyable, which you can read all about in the formal review. It’s worth it to pick up both this game and its soundtrack, but just know the $3.39 price tag is a little bit higher than the lowest price it’s been (around $2.50).

Surgeon Simulator – Snagged this one on a whim when it hit $2.49 last month, which is the same price as it is today. I initially thought the game was more of a joke, but it’s actually surprisingly fun to struggle with controlling a hand with 5 keyboard keys and the mouse. There does seem to be a lot of yelling at the computer, things like “No! Don’t stab him in the brain. Great, now he’s bleeding, so get the green vial and stop that. No, don’t touch the needle part…Awesome, now you’re high and can’t see straight…” I guess you could consider me a convert, because I do recommend this game.

The Sims 3 – Everyone knows what to expect from The Sims, so I won’t bother you with it. It’s $7.99 for the base game, with a ton of DLC options that could cost you an additional $199.80.

Call of Duty Ghosts – I of course will not be recommending this, largely because it’s a CoD game and frankly the series has gone downhill fast since CoD4. However, it is worth nothing that the $40.19 price tag is quite generous, considering this is Activision we’re talking about, and they still keep 5 year old games pegged at the $20 price point, unless its Block Ops, which game out 3 years ago, and is still $29.99 on sale. Ouch. So if you’re interested, I wouldn’t count on seeing a better price anytime soon, as last year’s Black Ops 2 is $44.99 still. Otherwise, avoid and go play a good shooter.

State of Decay – An action/RPG zombie survival game. You get multiple characters with different traits you can play. You can go out and find survivors, or bandits, or a bunch of other things. The game doesn’t seem to be too bad (my roommate played in on Xbox before it was released for PC), but it is supposed to be a bit on the short side. It’s $9.99 today.

Baldur’s Gate – This is the revamped version of the classic game, which seems to be a bit of a theme in the items for sale lately. I’ve heard tell of some issues, but I don’t know if those would stop you from buying it. I frankly have no sentimental value attached to it, so that works for me. It’s $7.99 for the first game and $16.74 for the second.

Formula 1 2013 – Racing game that I know nothing about for $16.99.

RPG Maker VX Ace - $17.49.

Rocksmith 2014 – A “game” that teaches you how to play the guitar, which isn’t included. However, the one disclaimer that’s a bit more interesting is how you need to get the “Rocksmith Real Tone Cable” to play. Ah, the disadvantages of digital distribution…

Flash Sales

Dishonored – I covered this in a bit more detail the other day, when the game was part of the main sale. Long story short, the game didn’t live up to my expectations, and turned out to be far more average than I’d like. I’ll actually write a full review, if I ever get around to finishing it rather than quitting from lack of interest. It’s $7.49 for the base game or $13.59 for the GOTY edition.

Rise of the Triad  - Another remake/reimaging of a classic shooter from the Doom days.  It’s only $2.99 today, which isn’t too bad when gambling. Think I’ll give this a go.

Total War – Again, previously on sale. Total War: Rome II is specifically $29.97, while other Total War titles are 50% off, though they were 75% off during the day sale.

Rise of Venice – The somewhat recently released sim/strategy game is $9.99 today.

Before that you could find Display Fusion for $5.99, Ys I & II Chronicls for $3.74, NASCAR The Game 2013 for $9.99, Skyrim for $7.49/$20.39, SteamWorld Dig for $7.40, Outlast for $6.79, The Dark Eye Chains of Satinav for $3.99, and Darkout for $10.04.

Community’s Choice

Gnomoria – This one is another early access game. It’s described as an “sandbox village game” with plenty to do.  It’s $1.99 today.

What you might have missed was Chivlary for $6.24 and Braid for $1.99.

***


That's it for today. Not much that I would say you should get besides FTL and Surgeon Simulator, which will keep your wallet a bit fuller than usual. Rise of the Triad is a maybe, while Dishonored is an okay game if you don't have something else to interest you. Besides that, I'm not seeing anything that great. The poor selection is due in part to two non-games, which should probably be limited to one per day.

Steam Winter Sale 12-23-13

Another day, another set of deals. Today’s group is better than I’ve seen thus far, with some must have games, some probably pretty good games, and only a few totally unknowns.

Make sure to check out Amazon, Green Man Gaming, Gamers Gate, and The Humble Store for some other deals.

Main Sale

Trine – Absolutely a must buy, also, reviewed! You can either get the amazing 2.5 D platformer for $1.99, the most recent release and $0.99 for the original game, or save a bit and get both in a bundle for $2.49. While for more detail you could (and should) read my review for the second title, just know that the games are an extremely fun physics based platformer with plenty of puzzles that involve the creative usage of three distinct characters – a wizard, knight and thief – each with special abilities that allow you to solve puzzles in different ways. There tends to be more than one way to solve things, once you figure it out, and some of the more game breaking solutions involve creative ways to combine things. One of my favorites involves using the thief’s ability to create a low gravity bubble, the wizard’s ability to summon boxes you can jump on within said bubble, and the knight’s ability to uses his shield to glide around, which makes for a creative way to access new places.

Amnesia – Another must buy, though my experience here is limited to the first title, which has been reviewed in both written and video form. It’s a first person survival horror game where you have no weapons, and your greatest enemy isn’t necessarily the creepy mutilated bodies wandering the dark halls with you. I absolutely loved the first game, which is $3.99, and am certain that the second game will be spectacular as well. While that one is $9.99, I think I’ll pick it up right now just to show my appreciation to the devs, even if I probably won’t get to it for a while.

Splinter Cell – Despite the main picture linking you to the latest game, Blacklist, you’ll find that the entire franchise is 50% off. This means you can get a variety of games from $4.99 on up. There is also a pack that includes 4 of the first 5 Splinter Cell games for $19.99. Blacklist is $29.99. Oddly enough there is actually a better deal on a more complete pack over at Gamers Gate, where you can pay $44.20 for the same games and a couple of DLCs. As far as the games themselves, well, I’ve only complete the original and the follow up “Pandora Tomorrow,” which were released back in the Xbox/GameCube/PS2 days, as well as a level or two from some of the more recent, although still years old titles. The earlier games, those before Conviction, were stealth focused, equipping you with only a few rounds and a handful of nonlethal tools to complete a level. Sticking cameras under doors, staying in the dark, and picking locks were all needed to succeed. More recently the series seems to have taken a turn towards action centric gaming. Fun, though sometimes tedious, games to play, but worth it at the $5 for the earlier titles. Paying the $20 for four games in a single pack wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

Borderlands – The original game, which I sunk over 100 hours into, can be had in GOTY form for $7.49. It’s a solid, fun game which melds FPS gameplay with an RPG system that reminds me of ARPGs like Diablo or Torchlight. At one point I had heard that there were over 16 million guns in the game, created by a system that established random stats for different parts of a gun, and then put them together to make something. There’s nothing quite like a highly accurate sniper rifle with explosive damage, after all. The GOTY is certainly the way to go, because 3/4 DLCs added some nice content to the game. As for the more recent Borderlands 2, well, you can get that in regular or GOTY for $7.49 or $14.99, respectively. I haven’t tried this one out yet, mostly as I’ve been waiting for a GOTY or something similar, but it turns out that the GOTY doesn’t include very much, which you’ll notice when you see the GOTY contains 10 items, while there are 44 pieces of DLC alone for this game. Most of those do seem to be just reskinnings and other junk though.

Reus – A god game where you have to balance helping your people out enough so that they don’t die with helping them out so much they challenge you. I’ll admit it’s an interesting looking indie game, one that I’ve been thinking of picking up for a while. At $2.49, I think it’s a good time to do just that.

ARMA III – The latest incarnation of the hyper realistic military sim. In the past ARMA II has been on sale quite often, but only because it was required to play Day Z, so I’m not exactly sure who this game will appeal to. It’s $35.99 today.

Castle Crashers – This game has been featured in quite a few sales. Though the 2D action adventure game looks mildly intriguing (and pretty in a special way), the four player coop part detracts for me. It’s $3.74 today.

Shadowrun Returns – While I’m not actually old enough to have played the original, I’ll admit to being greatly interested in this RPG/strategy game. It looks like it would be just up my alley, though I’ll wait a bit longer, until the $8.99 price drops a bit lower.

Contagion – A zombie survival game with a few interesting modes, but nothing that really makes me think that this is the zombie survival game that I really must try. While an early access title, the price is knocked down quite a bit, to $3.74 today.

Flash Sales

Dead Space – I’ve reviewed the second game, and played the first. The original title was a solid survival horror game, akin to an Resident Evil title, though without all the puzzles and keys. It does have some serious problems with the controls though, and I could only ever play it well with a 360 controller plugged in. That game is $4.99. For the same price you can pick up the second game, which, as I stated, is something I reviewed. It’s less horror and more action, which just seemed to be a trend the franchise completed with 3. Also a pretty good game, and certainly one in which you can use a mouse and keyboard no problem. Just avoid the Dead Space pack, because it’s actually $0.01 more expensive than buying both games separately, though that is potentially made up for in the time you would spend clicking “add to cart” twice I guess.

Brutal Legend – I’ve not played it, but I did watch a bit on it and the game did seem quite funny. At $1.99, that’s not a bad deal. I think I’ll pick this one up today, and (hopefully) play it in time for the Summer sale.

Castlevania Lords of Shadows – It’s been years since I played a Castlevania game (maybe on the N64?), but you can have this one for $10.19. You might consider going to Green Man Gaming though, as you can get the game for the same price, but use a 20% off discount coupon.

Cities XL Platinum – While Steam has it for $5.99, that’s a lot better than the nearest competitor (Gamers Gate at $10.18).

In case you missed it, previous flash sales had Mount and Blade Collection for $6.99, The Bridge for $1.49, You Don't Know Jack for $4.99, Strike Suit Zero for $4.99, Eldritch for $2.99, Awesomenauts for $2.49, Garry's Mod for $2.49, and Blackguards for $12.49.

Community’s Choice

Solar 2 – It wasn’t a particularly good lot of sales to choose from during this period, so we got Solar 2. It’s a strange game, one that I only played because it was part of the Winter sale contest from 2 years ago, that involves being sun/planet, stealing other planets to grow larger, which allows some to develop like, and so on. Like I said, a strange game, but at $1.99 not too bad of a deal. Just watch the trailer first, because at least that gives a hint as to what you do in this game.

Since the last post, the community picked The Walking Dead for $6.24, followed by the Battlefield 2 Complete Collection for $4.99.

***

Okay, so that's it for today. I hear the good sales for Amazon are supposed to start tomorrow. As for today, I would highly recommend Trine and Amnesia. After that, I'll gamble on Reus and Shadowrun, but also suggest Borderlands and the cheaper Splinter Cell pack for a bit of variety. Follow that up with Dead Space and Brutal Legend, and you get a decent sale today.

Steam Winter Sale 12-22-13

Hello there! Unforunately yesterday wasn't much, either in the way of explanations about what games to buy (sorry, but I was late for an important date), or for deals. Today is a bit better, as it at least hase a few titles that released this year, plus major titles at that. For the rest:

Amazon actually has a few fantastic deals, usually in bundle form. You can get the Max Payne Franchise for $7, the full Max Payne 3 for the same, a few more bundles with Max Payn3 and LA Noire or GTA IV for $8, the new XCOM games (EU and EW) for $20 which actually makes it $5 less than Steam had during a flash sale yesterday, and a couple other packs or deals that make it a great place to check out.

Green Man Gaming has various deals on a couple of publishers and some miscellaneous games, but nothing that really stands out.

Gamers Gate has it's sale, but nothing that strikes me as being a particularly great deal either.

The Humble Store has a new set of games up. The winners there are Hotline Miami for $2.49, Amnesia for $3.99, and possibly Vessel for $2.49


Main Sale


Tomb Raider - Same deal here as the last sale. The game can be had for $9.99 for the base edition, $11.59 for the Survival edition, or as part of a collection for $13.99. The criticism with this game have to deal with it's brevity and reliance on QTE, but I haven't actually given it a shot yet. Honestly, I'm more interested in the Tomb Raider collection for access to some of the classic games.

The Witcher - A franchise that is always on sale, and that I always highly recommend. The original Witcher, which is $2.49 today, is a game that I reviewed and gave a rare 10/10 to. I loved the choice and consequences system of that game, and found that it provided a very good RPG experience, even if the game looks a little dated and it had some issues with the voice actors (see the video review for an example). The Witcher 2, which is $4.99, is supposed to take the choice system up a notch, as well as run on a custom engine that revamped the graphics to a rig melting level. If for some reason you passed on this, rest assured that you'll see it again for the same price in the next sale, as it's become a bit of a staple.

Rogue Legacy - This roguelike game is another one that's been on sale recently. It is cheaper today than a month ago, coming in at $4.94 rather tan $5.09.

Max Payne - Well would you look at that. Steam actually matched Amazon's price, as you can get Max Panye 3 Complete for $6.99, or the same price. The stand alone game is $3.99. The original games can be had for $2.49 each, or $3.74 in a package. The catch is that Amazon has the bundle that comes with all 3 games and the Season Pass for the third, which includes all 10 DLCs. So...Amazon wins, because you can always trade away the CD keys for the other two games. There you go.

Antichamber - A Escher like first person puzzle game that looks really, really, really good. I should probably install in and try it, as I bought it the last time when it was a bit more than today's $4.99. High hopes for this game, as I've enjoyed games like Portal and Quantum Conundrum.

Oblivion - What surprises me about this is that such an older game would be featured as a daily deal. Not to say that Oblivion is good or not, but it's a common sale item, usually as part of a greater Elder Scrolls deal that would include a discount on Morrowind and Skyrim. Unfortunately, this is the only one on sale, at its typical low of $4.99.

Dragon Age - Played this one back when it came out, and I enjoyed the original game. It's typical Bioware, with a morality system, squad based combat where you can pause the game to issue orders. Oh, and romantic relationships. While you can get the game for $4.99, what you really want is the ultimate edition for $7.49, as that includes all the DLCs and the expansion pack that continues the story. Otherwise you'll do what I did, and end up buying it twice. Good, solid game, if slow at points. Expect about 80 hours out of the base game, with additional time from the extra DLCs and the expansion.

Crusader Kings II - A strategy game that is far too in depth for me, though one that seems like it would hold a ton of promise. The base version of the game is $9.99, while the complete collection is $19.99. Really, a game that I am highly tempted to try, even if I feel that I'll fail miserably.

Shadow Warrior - A recent remake/reboot of a classic game, Shadow Warrior is a bit of an over the top FPS, though not in the same way as, say, Serious Sam. I do like what Flying Hog did with Hard Reset, which was the most challeging and fast paced shooter I've played since the dawn of the Modern Combat Field games with their annualized releases. I see myself picking this up, but probably not for today's $9.99 or $12.49.


Flash Sales

Surgeon Simulator 2013 - Bought this last sale and put a fair amount of time into it already. I was very skeptical at first, but have found this game to be incredible entertaining, though some of that is the clumsiness of the controls (five keys for the five fingers, and the mouse of movement, tilt, raise and lower). Oddly fun, and a solid 8/10 buy, especially at this price. So...go get it.

The Testatment of Sherlock Homles - The adventure game can me yours for $4.99.

Ducktales - The reimagining of the class can be yours for $5.99, though I will admit I am a little too you to have played this the first time through.

La-Mulana - I had never heard of this game before, but it appears to be a retro 2D action adventure game. At $1.49, that's not a lot of risk, and it could prove to be an interesting game.

Unfortunately I missed a set of sales yesterday evening, as I wasn't around a computer and apparently the "Save for Offline Reading" function failed. However, the set immediately before the main sales rolled over including Kerbal Space program for $16.19, The Might Quest for Epic Loot for $9.99, Deponia for $1.99, and Sir, You Are Being Hunted for $11.99.


Community's Choice

Machinarium - The indie point and click adventure game is $2.49.

As I stated, I missed the sale, but I do recall that Red Faction Guerilla won out, though not the price. This was followed by Legend of Dungeon for $1.49.


***


Okay, that's it for today. Some winners, some so-so, but nothing that I would absolutely recommend you avoid. Just make sure to get, in order, the Witcher franchise, Surgeon Simulator, Dragon Age, then make your choice between Antichamber, Max Payne, and Tomb Raider. I see myself at least getting Max Payne, but that will probably be from Amazon, which will give me additional CD keys for the first two games. Anyone want to trade?

Steam Winter Sale 12-21-13

Hello again!

Sorry to say it, but I'll have to make this one a bit brief. That's okay though, because everything on sale today has been on sale before for the same/similar price, including during this very sale (I'm looking at you Counter Strike!).


Main Sale

Forced  - Coop arena combat game returns for $7.49.

Sleeping Dogs - Reviewed! At $5, I highly recommend the open world GTA genre sandbox game. The DLCs? Well, there are a few that might be worth while, but most are shirts and things that don't really matter.

Star Wars Kings of the Old Republic II - While it is $4.99, and a classic game, this is actually a terrible price for it, considering it's usually $2.49. Terrible being in terms realative to past sales, not the quality of the game, by the way.

Ace of Spades - Another common sale game, it's $3.74 today.

The Wolf Among Us - A recent eposidic game from Telltale that cements the position they established after The Walking Dead as great story tellers. You're the Big Bad Wolf, as in from the faery tale, so this game should prove interesting. Certainly something I will buy, but I think I'll hold off at least until the series is complete, that way I don't have to wait for installments.

Age of Empires II - Another allways on sale game. It's $4.99 today.

Darksiders - Still not as good of a deal as you could get under THQ last year at this time, when it was $9.99 for the franchise. Now it's the same price for just the most recent game (DLC not included), and another $3.99 for the original, which I have reviewed and would recommend at that price.

Starforge - Now out of alpha! Or, at least that's no longer listed in the title image. The minecraft meets terraria meets halo build and fight sandbox game is still in early  access, but it $9.99 for the baic version, going up to $37.49 for the most expensive one.

Counter Strike - This was a flash sale just the other day. The same rules apply this time - several games at a few different prices, or one bundle for the whole thing.


Flash Sales

Bindings of Isaac - I really didn't care fore this game, which is a dungeon crawler type game with tons of random items and a different experience each time you play. It's $1.24, which isn't much, but frankly not something I would recommend anyways.

XCOM - It's $9.99 today, which is a great price for the base game. Additionally, the just released Enemy Within is 50% off, bringing it to $14.99. Probably one of the better deals.

Craft the World - $10.04.

Deus Ex Human Revolution - It's $4.99, which means you should buy it now.

If you missed it, you could find Blade Symphony for $2.99, Verdun for $4.24, Payday 2 for $13.49, The Secret World for $9.99, Universe Sandbox for $1.99, Eador Mastersof the Broken World for $4.99, Memoria for $9.99, and Papers, Please for $4.99.


Community's Choice

The Pit - $1.39. Talk about an awkward price.

Before that you'd find Risk of Rain for $6.69 and Bulletstorm for $4.99.


***

Okay, sorry to rush through that, but I'm already late. See you guys tomorrow. Oh, and don't forget to check out the other websites, just in case.

Steam Winter Sale 12-20-13

Day 2 of the Steam winter sale. I’ll be completely honest with you – I feel like I’ve been here before. It does seems like all of these games were just on sale for the very same price a few weeks ago, which isn’t giving me much of a reason to pick up new ones. There are a few changes (Hard Rest hit the lowest price I’ve ever seen it on Steam), but generally not much is different.

Green Man Gaming has several games up for sale, as well as a 20% off voucher you can use, but frankly, it’s not that great of sale, particularly compared to this time last year. Though, Batman Arkham Origins for $25 with a 20% off voucher wouldn’t be too bad…

Amazon hasn’t changed much in the last day, and still requires a pretty deep search of what’s out there.

Gamers Gate has its selection of daily deals, though I’ll point out that Assassins Creed Revelations is $4.99 there. Not sure, but that’s either the lowest I’ve seen the game ever, or tied for the lowest I’ve seen it at.

The Humble Store a new set of titles up,  with a couple at the lowest price I’ve ever seen, such as Dear Ester for $1.99 instead of the usual $2.50.

Main Sale:

Omerta City of Gangsters – I tried out the demo for this one back in the summer, having at the time developed a growing interest in turn based strategy games. Granted, I was exposed to only a limited portion of the game, but I was still able to develop the opinion that my time would be better spent elsewhere. The game seems like it’s decent, taking a multi-tiered approach to strategy not unlike XCOM, where there is the basic turned based combat strategy (using energy to power movement, abilities, etc.), character acquisition and development, moving in on certain businesses to provide liquor during prohibition, and a fair chunk more. It looks like it would genuinely offer a deep experience as you play through the story (probably much more than XCOM). It’s $9.99 today.

Final Fantasy VII – The classic RPG that seemed to really bring JRPGs to the forefront in the US. Unfortunately, I wasn’t into PC gaming at the time and did not have a Sony Playstation. That, and I wasn’t into RPGs either. It’s $4.03 today.

Total War – The store page shows Shogun 2 as the game on sale, but if you dig deeper you’ll find that nearly every Total War title is 75% off, which is far too many games to comment on or price out. Collections are available for purchase at various prices, ranging from $12.49 for the Shogun 2 Collection, to $441.24 for the Grand Master Collection.

Fez – The 2D in a 3D world platformer game returns for its usual $2.49 today. I still haven’t gotten around to giving it a try, though it is highly rated.

Chivalry – Another game that is usually featured in these sales makes its return for the typical price of $6.24. This game does seem fun enough, but at the time I tried it out (thank you free weekends) I was actively engaged in a similar medieval war game, specifically War of the Roses. I found that Chivalry, while a fulfilling game on its own, was a little too much insta kill happy than I’d like, appealing more towards the same niche that modern shooters where you drop someone in 2 bullets cover. I personally like the longer, more drawn out battles of parrys, blocks, ripostes, charges, knockdowns, and strategic aiming that Roses offers, so I will not be buying this. It’s also worth noting that the Deadliest Warrior game is on sale for $10.04, though you can get both for $13.99.

Nether – An early access game that was on sale during the last sale. It's a survival FPS mmo type game, set in a post apocolyptic world that thankfully isn't inhabited by zombies. Three teirs of access, which vary from the ability to play the game and use the forums up to extra "Nether Gold," range from $11.99 to $29.99.

Train Simulator 2014 – There are two versions of this train sim game on sale. First is the Steam edition, which is $9.98 and includes 6 items. Then there is the Standard Edition, which is $23.99 and includes 4 items, all of which are found in the Steam Edition. That’s right, you would actually be paying more for the standard edition while receiving less. Awesome.

Crysis – Really three different items here. You can get the original Crysis for $4.99, Warhead for $4.99, and Crysis 2 for $7.49. There is a package that puts them all together for $17.49, which is unfortunately more than it would cost to buy them separately. A) Math is hard, and B) That information is at the bottom of every bundle, so it seems like it would be a pretty easy thing for some price setter to realize that the bundle price is broke. Still, the first Crysis was much talked about, but as an enjoyable sci-fi shooter, and as a rig melting test of your computer’s gaming power. There was also a second and third game, but those never garnered the same attention, largely because the environments shifted into a more corridor feel, part of changes made to include consoles.

Far Cry – Speaking of shooters, here’s another classic series. Both 1 and 2 are half off at $4.99, while the third title can be had for $7.49 or $9.99, depending on if you want the Deluxe Edition or not. Additionally, you can pick up the stand alone Blood Dragon game for $7.49. That actually looks to be the most interesting one in the series, but that just may be my overwhelming interest in Sci-Fi talking. That, and I never finished the first game because I found it kind of underwhelming and directionless. Or the second game because I had no idea why I was locked in a closet, blocked by a guy that wouldn’t move, and no ability to interact with him or anything else. But hey, there is always room for improvement, right?

Flash Sales:

Music Creator 6 – It’s $16.99.

Divinity Dragon Commander – A game that is incredible gorgeous. Beyond that, I had never heard of this thing before it was on sale last time at the same price of $19.99.

Project Zomboid – One of the first Greenlit games on Steam, though still not fully released, making this another Early Access game. It’s an isometric zombie survival game that as garnered a bit of attention on the few sites I’ve followed, and it’s certainly something I’m interested in giving a fair shake when it gets to my price point. It has a demo, which will be nice before you decide to spend $11.24.

Eve – The decade old mining/alliance/economic/PvP space MMO is only $1.98 today. I have a friend who has been harping on me pretty bad to try it out lately, though I don’t think it’s my kind of game. Still, the $2 gets you one free month of play, which starts right when you make your purchase. There is a 14 day free trial if you’d rather go that route, but considering this is a flash sale, you don’t have a large amount of time.

The flash sales since the last update were Mirrors Edge for $4.99, Electronic Super Joy for $0.79, Recettear for $4.99, Toki Tori 2 for $2.49, Spore for $4.99, Speed Runners for $3.30, Torchlight II for $4.99, P-51D Mustang for $13.59.

Community’s Choice:

Hard Reset – Reviewed! This one is a pretty solid, fast paced Sci-Fi FPS. I do highly recommend it, though when I reviewed it, it was only half a game. You have two main weapons (energy and bullets), each of which can be upgraded into a total of 5 per weapon, allowing you wall penetrating seeker balls of energy or just a plain old rocket launcher. At $2.24, it’s the only game on today’s list that I can wholeheartedly recommend.

The two Community's Choice games between updates were FTL for $3.39 followed by Alice Madness Returns for $4.99.



***

So I went ahead and looked through my posts from the last sale, just to see how the prices compare. On Far Cry, everything is the same except Blood Dragon, which was $5.09 last time (more now), Chivalry is the same, Total War appears to be similar (with so many titles, I didn't record individual prices), Train Simulator 2014 was the same, Dragon Commander was the same, and Crysis and Fez are (I swear) the same, but I didn't record the price last time for some reason. Really, at the rate this is going, I'm not sure I'll pick anything up. Maybe just Van Helsing (played the demo after it was on sale last time), and Eve is someone can convince me. Anyways, I'll shoot for an earlier update tomorrow. See you then!

Steam Winter Sale 12-19-13

So I’m back again, because more than a few major sales kicked off today. Really, I can’t believe all these things are on discount again, but I guess that was a month ago already. Still, plenty of places for you to check out, though I will of course focus on Steam, which surprisingly had the best deals last time. It is by no means the only place to buy games right now, as Green Man Gaming just launched its sale today, which joins up with Gamers Gate (which never actually stopped selling games at the beginning of this month), The Humble Store has a few games for sale (Natural Selection 2 for $2.49????), as does Amazon, though most of those deals are the same as last time (the Max Payne pack for $7 is not).

This sale is very much like the summer sale 6 months ago. Not only does it have the main sale, flash sale, and community choice (missed during the autumn sale), but it marks the return of trading card stuff. I say that because you gain a trading card for spending $10, voting a set number of times, crafting another badge, trading for them, or buying them. What do you do with these cards? Well, just like before, you can craft them once you have a set and get a badge, unlocking an emoticon and background for your Steam profile and chat. What makes it special this time is the additional item you’ll unlock for one of a number of Free-to-Play games (Dota 2, Path of Exile, Ragnarok II, Realm of the Mad God, Spiral Knights, Star Conflict, Stronghold Kingdoms, Team Fortress 2, War Thunder, and Warframe). Those items can be moved around until they are unboxed, but it might be a nice way to make some cash off of someone desperate for the “unparalleled” rarity items for any of those games.

As usual, I’ll cover the games to the best of my ability, point out best prices, better prices, etc. There might be a few days around the holidays when things are late/missing, but hey, I’m human, and I have family, so I might want to not spend all my time in front of the computer monitor game prices (though much of my time will be in front of the computer playing games). So, without further ado, here is what you can find today.

Main Sale

Batman – There are actually three different games on sale here, being Asylum, City, and Origins. Asylum has been reviewed, and I highly recommend that at $4.99. City is also at its usual sale low of $7.49. Origins is too new for me to have gotten around to playing it yet (I mean, I haven’t even tried City yet, so that should tell you something about my gaming speed vs. buying habits), but it’s $24.99 today. That last one was $19.99 on Amazon during the last sale, and is supposedly going to be that price again from the 24^th-26^th, but I’m not sure I can trust my source 100% yet. Still, this is a fantastic franchise that is worth picking up, and at these low prices, at least get the first 2 games. It does help that both Asylum and City have demos, so you can give this mix of Bat gadgetness, melee combat, and stealth a solid try before you make the purchase, which you really should anyways.

Dishonored – As I noted last time, this seems like it would be a pretty awesome game where you can use a ton of abilities to kill all kinds of steam punk like enemies. Unfortunately, the way things seem and the way they actually are isn’t necessarily the same. Dishonored is okay, and maybe something that I would rate a 6 or 7 at best. That is, assuming I ever get around to actually finishing it, because I just kind of puttered out in the middle there. There are only 5 main abilities, as well as 5 stat altering unlocks that you upgrade with the same items (runes). Further, though very minor, augmentation can be done with bone charms, but unfortunately this game is not something that seems to lend itself to the versatility that would be really nice. Yes, multiple path ways (possess a fish and swim through a gate, stop time and run past enemies, teleport around a roof, or just kill everything, alarms be damned) are much appreciated, and a system that changes your game based on how you’ve been playing previously seems like a great idea. But in the end, the game feels more like it’s a so-so stealth game (my chosen path) meshed with an okay shooter, essentially hobbled by two parts rather than synergizing. It’s not a bad game to pick up for $7.49 ($13.59 for the GOTY), but frankly, it’s not a great game to pick up for that either.

Metal Gear Rising – At $19.99, it’s really not on sale, but that’s okay, considering the game is actually coming out on the 9^th of next month. I know nothing of the Metal Gear universe, mostly since I wasn’t a Sega kid growing up. However, I heard from a friend that this was a pretty fun game, but very, very short, clocking in at around 6 hours. I think I’ll wait for it to be officially released, as well as drop a bit in price, before I jump on this one.

Assetto Corsa – First off, it’s an early access game, which explains the $29.99 price tag at 25% off. It’s supposed to be a racing sim game (vs. a regular, usually over the top, racing game). Frankly, that’s never been my genre, so I’ll be passing on that one, no matter the price.

Dead Island – A couple different deals here. First, you can get the original zombie survival rpg/crafting action game for $4.99, which has been the low for about a year now. Then, you can pick up the sequel, Riptide, for $7.49. Or you can get the franchise pack, which includes some DLCs for the second game, for $12.49. My understanding of the game from everyone I’ve talked to that played it is that they generally had high hopes for the game, but were ultimately let down. I don’t know, even though the game has been on sale for 75% for such a long time, and even though I actually own a copy, I’ve not been motivated to try it after hearing those opinions.

Space Hulk – This one might be a bit interesting, but then again, I’ve recently had my interest in turn based tactical games peaked by titles like Frozen Synapse and XCOM. Will this be at good as those? Well, I’ll let you know when the price drops below the $10.19 it is today.

Monaco – The four player class based heist game that isn’t Payday. The game does look really good, you know, except for that whole co-op part. Still, it makes for a tempting offer at an all-time low of $2.99. Heck, I’ll probably get it, if only to talk about it next time it’s on sale.

Bioshock – Now here is an example of what a little bit of healthy competition can do. I say that because during the last sale, when Bioshock Inifinite was the same $9.99 it is today, you could spend just $5 more at Amazon and get the first time games as well, when they were $5 each on Steam. Well, guess who thought that might be a nice idea to replicate? Bioshock 1 is a fantastic game that everyone should play. 2 is a little different, and there are some things that don’t make as much sense about it (there are some major holes in the timeline of the story), but some of the mechanics that were changed, such as allowing you to equip both a weapon and a special ability at the same time, made that game much better. I will, in the future, get Infinite, which I’ve heard plenty of good things about, but considering as the DLCs, specifically Burial at Sea, are not on sale, and it would take an additional $19.99 to get everything, I’m content to wait a few more months for the undoubted GOTY edition with everything in a nice little package – and at a discount.

The Stanley Parable – No, I still haven’t tried this greenlit commentary-on-gaming game. It is the same price as before though, at $8.99. Also worth noting, it does have a demo. Or you could try the original source mod, see if you like that, and then decide if it’s worth it for the full game.

Flash Sales

Counter Strike – The always featured CS series makes its expected return. Every title in the series is 75%, which makes it $3.74 for Global Offensive, Condition Zero, and the original, and $4.99 for Source. Or you could get the franchise for $8.72. But really, why is Source, which game out in 2004, more expensive as a base price than Global Offensive, which game out last year?

Divekick – A fitting game where you have only 3 moves, and everyone is taken out in one shot. It’s $2.49 today.

The Typing of the Dead – I played the original House of the Dead Overkill on the Wii a few years ago. It’s a pretty over the top experience, from the excessive swearing on the part of Detective Washington (a character who, if this were ever a movie, would be played by Samuel L. Jackson), to the evil enemy. Aside from the typing to shoot side of things, I’m not sure if there is any difference to the game. It was a pretty fun time, though it isn’t for kids, and the $9.99 price tag is a little high.

Guns of Icarus – This game is on sale quite a bit, so you should have seen it before. It’s $3.74 for the base game, or $4.99 for the collectors edition.

Community Choice

Since no game has been selected yet, you’re choices are FTL ($3.40), Shadowrun ($9.00), and Dust ($3.75).

***

Alright, that's it for today. The best buys would have to be Batman and Bioshock. Dishonored is a "meh," but Monaco is a strong possibility. Hopefully we can really get this sale going soon, though there haven't been many releases lately that I've been that excited about, either main stream or indie, like there was last year...

Steam Autumn Sale 12-2-13

Alright, a new set of deals. Also, most of the competitors are wrapping up, so things will get pretty quiet tomorrow.

Green Man Gaming had Sim City for $29.99, Battlefield 4 for $39.99, Need for Speed Rivals for $39.99, FIFA 14 for $19.99, FIFA Manager 14 for $13.50, and Bionic Dues for $4.99 for one set, Take Down Red Sabre for $7.49, The Walking Dead and DLC for $7.49, The Dark Eye Chains of Satinav for $4.99, Total War titles for up to 75% off, with the bonus being "up to 80% off select great digital games." This was followed up by the climax sale, which seems to have every previous sale up. There are a couple of good ones in there, if you're willing to dig, but it seemed like most of the games available weren't the major ones.

Amazon still has it's Cyber Monday Deals. Like GMG, there are some interesting deals there, but some of the best ones seem to have past.

The Humble Store has reshuffled it's offerings again, and has a few new titles up for grabs.

Good Old Games still has it's sale going on, if you can sneak in before the deadline.


Main Sale:

Tomb Raider - A slight drop in price from what it was during the summer sale at $9.99. No a bad deal, though the game isn't without it's criticisms, mostly in that it's QTE heavy and departs from some of the past titles, which you can actually get as part of the Tomb Raider Collection for $13.99. I myself haven't played Tomb Raider since IV, back when games only came in boxes, so I feel no pressing need to pick this up.

Scribblenauts Unlimited - Actually not a great deal on this game, which was less during last winter's sale (Amazon had it for $3.74 back then), which is despite a new title releasing in the series. I would strongly suggest holding off until next month to see if you can find a better deal elsewhere. It's $9.99 for the Unlimited game, and $19.99 for Unmasked, the new title.

Call of Duty Black Ops II - The game is a year old, is part of an annualized release, and is part of the less half of that release cycle, being the game that people only talk about because of a coop zombie survival mode. And despite all that, it's still $29.99. Yeah, good luck with that.

The Stanley Parable - A recently greenlit game. I'll just put it this way. If you like the *twist* in Bioshock, you'll like this parody/criticism of gaming. While I am eager to try it myself, that'll be when the game is 75% off, instead of the $8.99 it is today.

Garry's Mod - The do anything with valve models sandbox game? It's a weird one that I only picked up because of the ability to create flying cameras to record TF2 level intros. Really not a game in the typical sense. It returns to it's usual $2.49 today.

Shadow Warrior - Recently released, and $9.99 in multiple places. It does look like a pretty interesting game, though I never played the original.

Dust An Elysian Tail - A game which I have been waiting to drop to this price. I got it as payback for a trade a while ago. I looks like a really good 2D action game, albeit with a strange art style. I'll be able to tell you more in the future, but it is $3.74 today, which is probably the lowest price it'll hit.

Europa Universalis IV - I'm not familiar with this one either, but it's $19.99.

Age of Empires II HD Edition - Another game/series that has come up a lot lately during these sales. It's $4.99 today.


Flash Sales:

How to Survive - The just released zombie survival game is $7.49. Seems to have a Diablo-esque ARPGness to it. Might be interesting, but I'd rather spend the money on Van Helsing if I'm going to get an ARPG today.

Endless Space - I played this 4X space game a year or so ago as part of a free weekend. While it was an interesting game, I felt it still needed more, even if it was a better experience than something like Civ 5. Exploration, research, terraforming planets and then dealing with how those planets impact your resources/empire. The game has been updated several times since, so I can't speak to it's current state too well. I'ts $7.49 for the Emperor Edition, or $8.74 to include the one DLC.

Guns of Icarus Online - Another common sale game. It's $3.74 today.

Natural Selection - I tried this back during a free weekend. While I really enjoyed the original HL1 mod when it came out, I didn't find the new take on the asymetrical RTS/FPS hybrid as enjoyable. Still a good game, but multiplayer just doesn't do it for me. However, considering it's $2.49, it's not a bad one to pick up.

And in case you missed it, Poker Night 2 was $0.99, Deadpool was $9.99, Monaco was $2.99,  Mount & Blade was 75% off, Reus for $2.49, Magicka for $2.49, Grid 2 for $29.99, Farming Simulator 2013 Titanium Edition for $13.99, Dragon Age Origins Ultimate Edition for $7.49, Guncraft for $3.74, NASCAR The Game for $9.99, and Brutal Legend for $1.99.


***

 Okay, so today was a terrible game for me. I had to mostly go off of tangential experiences or free weekends. Even then, few of the titles up here garnered much attention when they were fresh. Really, if I had to be a judge, I'd say this is probably the worse day of the sale. Dust is the only thing I got, and while Tomb Raider is something I'll probably try eventually, that won't be for a while. Well, here's to hoping tomorrow's deals are better.