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.

Steam Autumn Sale 12-1-13

It's getting late in the sale, so let's get right to it then.

Green Man Gaming had Papo & Yo for $3.74/$4.24, Sonic All Stars Racing Transformed for $4.99, Medieval II: Total War Collection for $4.99, NBA 2K14 for $14.99, and Scania Truck Driving Simulator for $7.49. Then there was Euro Truck Simulator 2 for 75% off, Empure Total War for 75% off, Aliens vs Predator for $3.74, and Company of Heroes (the first one) for $2.49, with Bindings of Isaac at 66% off as a bonus. Next up was Guardians of Middle Earth at 75% off ($4.99 for the regular game it seems), Grid 2 for $12.49, a Legacy of Kain pack for $4.19, a Dawn of War complete pack (includes DoW 1 and associated games, and DoW 2 and associated DLC) for $34.99, with 75% off games from Surprise Attack as the bonus.Then came the set that pops up while I sleep, which was followed by Magrunner for $9.99, Marlow Brigs and the Mask of Death for $7.49, Sid Meier's Ace Patrol for $1.24, Sid Meier's Ace Patrol Pacific Skies for $2.49,and Kerbel Space Program for $16.19. As of this writing you'll find Shank for $2.49, Port Royale 3 for $10.19, Giana Sisters Twisted Dreams for $2.99, Stronghold 3 for $10.19, and Memoria for $13.39.

Amazon has rolled the Black Friday deals into a Cyber Monday sale, but the games seem to remain the same.

GamersGate has a new collection of daily deals up, including the Mount and Blade collection and Fallout New Vegas Ultimate Edition for the lowest price I've seen yet.

The Humble Store remains unchanged since yesterday, but still has a few days left.

Good Old Games joined the sales fray late yesterday. It's offering 70% off 65 different titles. The one that really caught my eye was The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena for $4.99.


Main Sale

Metro - A franchise that's been on my to play list for quite a long time, mostly because 2033 looks really cool, and I kind of like post apocalyptic shooters. The recently released Last Light is probably what you're interested in, which can be had for $13.59. If you like, you can get the first game for only $3.74, or bundle up both games and two DLCs for Last Light for a total of $18.69.

Godus - Today's early access game, which is just one way of saying I haven't played it. Actually, the only thing I'm somewhat certain about in this game is that the guy who cracked the box in a recent experiment put on by one of the devs gets some kind of special God powers, though he can effectively be toppled. I might know more when the game actually gets released, rather than it's current paid beta access state.Only $9.99 today.

Portal - Reviewed! While I greatly enjoyed the original for the ground breaking game it was, I've found that the second title just hasn't held the same enjoyment, even though new mechanics like gels that let you bounce or pick up huge speed are interesting, some of the puzzles seemed far too narrow for my liking. The story for the second one is fantastic though, mostly because it gave the world Cave Johnson. Either $2.49 for the first game and $4.99 for the second (normal sale prices by the way), or $6.24 for the bundle.

Civilization - Reviewed! I played Civ 5 a while back, and logged a not insubstantial amount of time. However, I found that I never really cared for the game that much, something about how everything always fell to war, or how some UI would complain to me about building so close to one of his cities when in fact he had raced across the map to settle right next to my first city. Some really frustrating bugs too, like when everything locks up when it isn't your turn, or the map would continuously scroll by. While I admit to not having played other titles in the series, after reading a bit about what's been done before (Diplomats, Spies, Fanatics, etc.) I feel this game is a step back from what I've learned of the other games. Civ 5 is $7.49 for the base game, $12.49 for the Gold Edition, and an additional $10.19 for the Brave New World expansion, because that's not included in the gold edition. Other titles in the series are on sale as well, such as Civ 4, which is either $4.99 for the base game or $7.49 for the complete edition.

The Wolf Among Us - Telltale's latest outing where they try and create a really dramatic, story driven game, like what they did with The Walking Dead. I'm steering clear for now due to the episodic nature of the game, and my general inability to wait patiently. Still I have high hopes for this, and consider this a must buy in time title. It's $16.74 right now.

Payday - I've only dabbled in the first game, which, even though it isn't advertised on the main page, is 90% off at $1.99 today. The game is a co-op bank heist game where you most accomplish your goal in stages (take hostages, crack the vault, etc.) it's a fairly deep game mechanics wise, but unforunately, as is the case with some many games like, it just does not handle single player very well. Still, for $1.99, that a heck of a deal. The newer Payday is $13.49.

Fez - So this is certainly an interesting twist on 2d platforming. I do own the game, thanks to a recent Humble Bundle, but haven't gotten around to playing it yet. It is at an all time low price (outside of that bundle) if you're interested, though at the same time I'm a bit torn because the creator is kind of a jerk, to put it mildly,

Torchlight - Reviewed! Absolute most buy if you're at all into ARPGs. Heck, even if you're not, this is a great one to try, given the more cartoony, over the top spell effects, generally doesn't take itself too seriously gameplay. I've put a ton of time into it, logging around 50 hours, which is more than enough to beat the story a few times through, as well as give some of the other classes a go with friends in online mutliplayer. When I got it this time last year it was $10 if you bought a 4 pack, but today the game is only $4.99, and the original can be had for $3.74.

Far Cry - I've really only tried the first game in the series, which was many, many years ago, when it was touted as being a great non linear game. This game seems to be a, ahem, far cry from the original, with the inclusion of, if I understand things correctly, a bit of an RPG tint, what with crafting and all. Still a game where there is plenty to do. FC 3 is $7.49 for the base game, or $9.99 for the Deluxe Edition. You can also get Blood Dragon for $5.09, which doesn't require FC3 to play. Both the original and FC2 can be had for $4.99, which isn't nearly the deal you can get on the latest title.


Flash Sales

Just Cause - Something I still need to play, especially since it's always on sale and I say the same things about how this somewhat over the top open world sandbox game looks really cool, because I mean, who wouldn't want to ride a fighter jet? The original is $2.79, while the sequel is $2.99. You may want to consider the Just Cause Collection, which includes both games and a ton of DLC for $5.99.

NBA 2K14 - Um, it's $14.99?

Darksiders - Reviewed the first one, which I would recommend if you like action adventure games, like Zelda, because that's pretty much how it plays. The first game is $3.99, while the second is $9.99. That is a bit unforunate, because while the title is 80% off, it doesn't include any DLC. Glad I picked up the complete pack as THQ was going under about this time last year.

Rocksmith - I've been hearing about this a lot lately, considering the substantial media campaign. It's supposed to be a learn to play the guitar game, but it does require an electric guitar that you can plug into the PC to work. That does add to $40.19 purchasing price quite a bit.

And in case you missed it, Deadlight was $2.99, Castlevania Lords of Shadow Ultimate Edition was $10.19, Lego Lord of the Rings was $7.49, Castle Crashers was $3.74, which was followed by a set of games I forgot to take down, and didn't realize until I got to this very point of my post. Thankfully this thing is almost done.


***

Hmm, today's not as good as yesterday. In fact, the only game I can overwhelming recommend you get is Torchlight 2. Others have their merits and would generally be good additions to any gaming library, such as Darksiders, Payday, and Just Cause. And I could probably gamble and come out ahead with Far Cry, The Wolf Among Us, and Metro Last Light. Honestly, what today really does is remind me how many unplayed games I have statshed away in my library.