Steam Summer Sale 6-24-14

Well, for me the good news was that my “team” won today, which accounts for nothing since I wasn’t one of the 30 people that received the top 3 games on my wishlist. Darn, I had some good, high priced titles on there. Anyways…

Main Sale

Torchlight – Reviewed! While I’ve only played a handful of ARPGs in my life, this one is hands down my favorite. The cartooniness and stunning visuals combine to make a highly enjoyable experience. The gameplay is fun, largely because smashing out a ring of fire with your monkey wrench hammer while your gun bot protects you is really, really, cool. There are also all kinds of mods available through Steam, if you want to go that route. The original is $3.74, while the second game is $4.99.

Metro – I still haven’t gotten around to playing the original, but can definitely approve of the second being only $6.79. I may hold off just to see if it hits $5 even later this year, but it sounds like this would be a solid buy.

Brothers – The thing about this game is you control two characters separately, which is why you are required to use a controller. It’s supposed to be this kind of heart wrenching journey where you play the bond that keeps the two brothers together. I was convinced enough to pick it up during the winter sale, which is somewhat of a shame, considering I didn’t even get around to installing it until last night. Still, a much better buy at $2.99 today than what I paid for it.

Age of Wonders III – This one wasn't even on my radar before today, which is a shame, because it seems like a massive fantasy strategy game that's akin to 4X titles like Civ and Endless Space, but with far more depth due to the RPG elements. Yeah, I think I'll be keeping a close eye on this one. It's $19.99 today.

Splinter Cell – While each title in the series that Steam has (the second, Pandora Tomorrow, isn’t available) is on sale, it’s the latest, Blacklist, which received the biggest discount. While I’m currently partway through the series, I do know enough about this game to know it ruffled a few feathers. One reason is the change in voice actors, as the original guy (Michael Ironsides, I do believe), had become a pretty iconic voice. Another issue is the pursuit of the more actiony game play, rather than the traditional stealth, which started with the previous title. Probably not a bad game, but not something you should kill yourself getting. It’s $7.49.

Blackguards – Another title that I hadn't been aware of. This fantasy strategy game is available in several packs ranging from $13.59 to $35.99.

Call of Duty Ghosts – I’ve gone on rants about the quality and cost of CoD titles before, as in during every sale. I could speak at length about how bad they are now (and sound like an elitist jerk in the process). However, I’ll just point out that the game is $29.99 after 6 months of release, and that that is probably the best price you’ll see for it on Steam for another year or two, and even then it’ll be $20.

Murdered Soul Suspect – I've been aware of this game for some time, though I've not seriously looked into it. It could be an interesting game, kind of a dark detective game (Alan Wake meets The Dresden Files Ghost Story, perhaps?), but at $33.49, it'll be a while before I find out

Flash Sales

Nidhogg – This is just one of those games where you watch the trailer, say "huh?" and either move along or buy it. It's $5.09 today.

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 $7.99 or $9.99.

Darksiders – Reviewed! It just went away, and now it’s back again. A recommended buy at $11.99 for the franchise.

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, since it's $2.50, I figure it's worth a shot.

Community Choice

The Blackwell Legacy – No idea on this one, but at $0.49, it’s really not much of  gamble.

Kentucky Route Zero – So this is one I’ve seen a lot of lately, and that certainly is something I’ll pick up in time. However, I have a general prohibition on episodic games, so it’ll be a while. It’s $12.49 right now.

realMYST – No idea on this, because I didn't get into PC gaming in time to try the Myst games (yes, I am aware that technically I could get those older games up and running, but there is so much stuff that I have that I won't get around to it). $8.99 today.

Syberia – Another low invest risk game at $1.49.

And in case you missed it, Scribblenauts Unlimited for $4.99, Gone Home for $2.99, Spec Ops The Line for $5.99, Rising Storm for $4.99, Rise Franchise Pack for $9.99, Just Cause 2 for $2.99, Wasteland 2 for $40.19, Planet Explorers for $14.99, Guacamelee! for $2.99, Starforge for $4.99, Sonic All Starts Racing for $4.99, Dirt 3 for $6.24, Kerbel Space Program for $16.19, Sim City 4 for $4.99, Game Dev Tycoon for $3.99, and Garry's Mod for $2.49.

***

Okay, so that's today's sale. The clear winner is Torchlight, but I'd consider giving Brother sand Metro a shot as well. The rest are either too much or something that might be too risky.