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).

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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...