You know that money you don’t have? You should spend it. On some sort of oversized-hat with flashing lights and propellers, ideally. Anything that’s left should go on one of the below videogames, kindly selected for us as always by that pioneer of price-grabbing, Savygamer’s LewieP. Oh – additionally, goodly reader Judd dropped us a line noting that the controversially expensive Blood Bowl can be had by Americanly types for a reasonable $28 – boxed edition, and only valid for the next 65 hours.. That’s better, eh?
GRID – £7.49/€9.99/$14.99
I’ve revealed in previous bargain buckets that I don’t really like racing games, in general. There are some exceptions, but GRID is not one of them. I tell you what though, the demo gave me the impression that it is stylish as hell. The general presentation, in particular the HUD are pretty slick, and the idea of introducing the Sands of Time into a racing game is crazy enough that it just could work. Alec and Jim know what they are talking about far more than me here, and demo here.
BrainPipe – £8.79/€10.79/$11.99
You know how in films, particularly from the 80s and early 90s, whenever you see a character playing a fictitious game, it always involves flying along a path with brightly coloured lights, doing stuff (see here, 5:30 onwards). Well, BrainPipe is a bit like that. If that doesn’t get your attention, it also won this year’s Excellence In Audio award at the IGF, deservedly so. It has a creepy as hell menu, and the whole game has a bit of a Jeff Minter vibe to it, and is probably a good game to get massively stoned to. Demo here.
Titan Quest: Gold Edition – £8.99/€9.99/$9.99
A Diablo clone in an ancient mythological setting, this pack includes the original game and the ‘Immortal Throne’ expansion. Sadly developer Iron Lore (also behind Dawn of War: Soulstorm) shut down in 2008, but that doesn’t stop their game from being fun! The game supports up to 6 players at the same time, and I bet if you go and make a thread in the RPS forums you can find some folk to go questing with. Demo here.
Peggle – 50% off
Peggle Peggle Peggle! It’s Peggle! The painfully/gloriously addictive game about firing a ball at pegs. If you’ve not even given any of the version of Peggle a try yet, you are running the risk of being a narrow-minded ‘takes games too seriously’ PC gamer. Best remedy that now. Peggle, Peggle Nights, and the pack containing both are now half price, and there is also the recently released Peggle WOW edition as a free download. PopCap give you your first hit for free, knowing full well that you will be back for more. Giddy RPS coverage here. Demo here. Peggle!
Deal of the Week
LucasArts games – Cheap!
I have a theory. I think LucasArts have put their games on Steam with an ulterior motive. I reckon that they wanted to conduct some market research on their old titles, to see which ones to revive, and it was more cost effective (and indeed profitable) to just stick them all up on Steam for cheap, and then just track the sales data. Whatever the reason, it’s great that a bunch of classics are being offered for cheap. Of the current selection, I’d say The Dig is definitely worth checking out. The prequel to Boom Blox, it’s a pretty kickass sci-fi pointy clicky adventure. It also costs next to nothing, which is a nice bonus.
Also of note:
20% off TopWare games at GOG
If that lot’s not enough for you, do check out SavyGamer.co.uk for constantly-updated bargains across all formats.
Related Stories:
I’ve never heard of GoGamer – I thought Blood Bowl wasn’t being released in the US until September. I wouldn’t be questioning this if it wasn’t for the whole mess with the keys from other sites, but just want to make sure before I drop $30 on it. Very tempting – thanks in advance.
Picked up Dig from Steam – awesome so far. I really miss these LucasArts games. Here’s hoping for Full Throttle being re-released soon.
Yeah Dig is a classic. That one really takes me back.
I’ve been a GoGamer customer for several years. The 48 hour Madness sales they have are some of the best bargains available before these digital distribution weekend sales started popping up. Their dirt cheap shipping price is exactly that and arrives very quickly.
They used to give out random goodies (Gogamer slinkies, CD cases, mousepad, etc.) as well but sadly stopped these past couple of years.
The (I) by the title means this is the import/international version. 99% of the time it’s identical to the North American version and since this game was developed and published offshore anyways it’s a non-issue. Plus, you’re getting an actual physical box copy and not just some pilfered CD-key.
Maybe lewie p is busy but there is some misinformation on his site, it claims you can get the 3 red faction games cheaper in boxes than digitally. Whereas gamersgate.com(not co.uk) is actually cheaper (25 rather than the sum 30, but if you just want the new one retail does win). I am actually excited for this title, am i right to be?
Direct2drive has Oblivion GOTY Deluxe for half price : http://www.direct2drive.com/3/8203/product/Buy-The-Elder-Scrolls-4:-Oblivion-Deluxe-Game-of-the-Year-Edition-Download
@Heliocentric – so long as they don’t flub the PC port (the porting itself is outsourced to a third-party studio, but apparently they’re not actually changing any part of the game) you have every reason to be excited about RF:G. It’s a ton of fun.
I do have some gripes – once you’ve cleared out an area, it’s just there on the map, able for you to go back to but otherwise devoid of enemies and buildings (as you’ve likely levelled them all). While it is impressive that every tiny bit of structural damage is persistent, and if you put a hole in the wall of a house, it’ll still be there ten hours later, I would kill for a ‘reset’ button which lets me play around with all the endgame weapons and enemies, but with a restocked world.
That only really applies after you’ve beaten it, though, and getting there is a ton of fun.
I’ll update that blogpost tomorrow morning, hangover be damned. RFG is pretty kickass.
Brainpipe is actually a dollar cheaper from the developers website. Plus then you don’t have to deal with Steam for those who don’t like that. If you happened to be on their mailing list (like me), you got a further 4.something% off too!
All their other games are on sale, too.
http://www.shrapnelgames.com/
Grid is growing on me. Alot. Been playing it quite a bit today and I’m now starting to win some major races. One of the main drawbacks at first is that it is frustratingly hard to win anything but you get used to the handling after a while and realise that you can make some strategic use of the rewind feature to correct some mistakes on the last lap and sneak past into first place. The game can be brutal, but brutal in all the right ways. I like this.
£7.50 well spent, I reckon.
Just a warning that the Direct2Drive version of Oblivion is not compatible with OBSE, and perhaps other mods.
(D2D’s mod unfriendliness is the main reason I’ve never bought anything from them.)
P.
@JimmyJames: GoGamer are totally reliable. On the other hand, if the issues with the other sites end with the developers banning keys that are outside their expected regions, the GoGamer import copies would presumably be as caught up in that as any of the others.
Also, the dirt cheap shipping is a little longer for me than HeyMon — about a week, usually, sometimes a little longer. Also be warned that it’s USPS, so if you live in an area they don’t deliver to you’ll have to be a bit creative to slip your PO Box number past GoGamer’s “no P.O. Boxes” checker.
But everything I’ve ever bought from them over the last decade or so has been fine. Sometimes if you order a whole load of things at a time some of them will have been stripped of their boxes to fit in the shipping box, but nowadays it’s always cheapest (shipping-wise) to purchase two games at a time anyway.
Oh awesome, thanks for the heads up RPS! I’ve been drooling for Bloodbowl for a while now, but resigned myself to waiting until Sept. when the price goes down. I snagged myself a copy just in time; GoGamer is out of stock!
Another one: World of Goo is availiable in a box from Amazon.co.uk for £10, with free shipping. It’s eluded me for too long, that one. No longer!
I bought the titan Quest pack the last time it was on sale and had a good time with it. I never managed to beat Typhon, because my Wanderer as such a wimp. The game does allow you to respend your skill points, but I didn’t realize how badly I’d upgraded him until I’d taken the one-way trip to Olympus. :(
And if anyone’s still on the fence about picking up The Dig, just take a look at this clip on Youtube.
GoGamer is out of stock re: Bloodbowl. lolololololol
@ Dominic White – I’ve got the very same HOMM box sat on my shelf right now, although I paid £27 thanks to the wonders of staff discount.
*shameface*
However, Mass Effect only set me back £15! Plus it was ace!
*gladface!*
About grid. Is it worth getting a pad for it, or is the keyboard workable? How easy is it? I don’t want a game that’s too easy. About the rewinding time feature: does the game rely on it? What I mean is, if you’re playing a racing game, and you come second, it’s usually not the end of the world. Does grid -demand- you come first in every race, or can you play it without the rewind time mechanic and take the not-first-places without getting GAME OVER.
I’m looking at buying it, especially at that price, but I tend to just buy PS2 racing games (I like the pad) so I’m ignorant.
You don’t need to come first, but if you’re totally OCD about such things as I am, you’ll end up using it all the time :). I haven’t tried with a keyboard but I wouldn’t think it’s the most suitable control method. Also, it’s accessible without being too easy – the Le Mans 24 hour race (not actually 24h) can be quite a challenge. You’ve gotta keep up the pace constantly when you’re ahead, you’ve always got cars ready to overtake.
I think it’s worth it at the price, and it’s very stylish and nice to look at. Plus the intro song by UNKLE/Queens of the Stone Age is Aces McWin™
I’m glad I committed to that copy of Blood Bowl around 3 AM. I had a feeling they were going to run out.
I will insist to my dying day that the non-random areas of Titan Quest are a big reason that game is -better- than Diablo II. The randomization really hurt that game for me. (I still enjoyed it, but Titan Quest easily leapfrogged it.)
Indy: Fate of Atlantis is, in my opinion, the finest example of an adventure game ever to be released. So nyah!
Then you should play The Secret of Monkey Island.
Or Last Crusade.
GRID demo is corrupted for me… =(
Can anyone verify that Steam’s version of GRID multiplayer works with the retail version? I’ve never dealt with such things before.
@Paul Moloney : Thanks for the warning, I don’t really know direct2drive, never bought from them, and I was hesitating.
@ ArtyArt
2) LucasArts’ games appearing on Steam makes me sorry for the good folks at gog.com. Somehow I get the feeling that this is a rather hard blow for GOG. Unless they’ll get their LucasArts catalogue as well.
You are so right. I haven’t purchased a single game from GOG, yet I have had an account since they started, because either they don’t have the games I would want to get … i.e. Planescape Torment, Lucas Arts adventures etc, but mainly the biggest reason is that their pricing is off.
When Steam can sell something like the Orange Box or similar for $10 and many games are heavily discounted 50-75%, GOG’s regular 20-25% off does not entice me. We are talking about OLD games here – some are worth the price of $10 sure, but many are so old and have been on the abandonware scene for so long I can’t understand how they can price some of those games for $10.
Then the other issue is they have their lower tier pricing set at $6 – which in my opinion should be $5. Either way it comes down to this for me personally – games I might otherwise pick up I don’t bother because either the discount isn’t pulling enough or I just don’t agree with the games set price.
Now while this is somewhat subjective – if you look at Steam selling far newer games at the same price as many of the relics on GOG – unless it’s a big name title – GOG just can’t get my money.
Steam getting LucasArts adventures is a huge blow for them – I have even less reason to frequent the site now.
That said they still have the odd good/hard to get title, which I will probably pick up sometime in the future – but only on a discount.
@Lighthouse
If you’re saying that games like Giants, Sacrifice, Fallout 1 and 2 or Duke Nukem aren’t worth 6$ you’re way wrong.
@Lighthouse
My thoughts exactly. Games like Tex Murphy – The Pandora Directive from 1994 are priced 9.99$… what the hell? Furthermore I had the feeling that sooner or later they should drop the first G from their name, since some of their games are not so “good” but rather just “old games” (Iron Storm? I mean, seriously, that game is crap and nobody even liked it when it was released.) Their recent announcement (with Empire Earth and Master of Magic) lets me wish that I’m wrong and that one day we’ll see maybe Master of Orion there…
all in all I consider gog.com to be a brilliant idea and a thing worth supporting, but there is a certain danger that it won’t work out and we’ll get our classics from Steam anyway.
Oh yes, and those Interplay classics are well worth their money, of course. Bought them from gog although I already own the boxed versions, just to support the classics.
But apart from that… Neighbours From Hell, Iron Storm, MegaRace 3? The complete Jagged Alliance series for a total of 40$? There’s something wrong there.
The thing with GoG is that they kinda sorta boasted that they had the magical ability to update old games so they would work without a hitch on XP and Vista — and they did do some magic with the initial offerings, particularly Fallout 1, removing some horrible black-out glitches that plagued the game previously. Since then, unfortunately, they have proven to be as hamstrung as Steam or anyone else with old games — their Beyond Good and Evil is as prone to problems as the Steam one, and their Evil Genius has the same strange patch as the Steam version. It seems to me that their initial pitch was that they could make these old games work flawlessly again, but of course that’s something even the original developers seem incapable of doing (I’m watching you, LucasArts!!!)
@Andresito
If you’re saying that games like Giants, Sacrifice, Fallout 1 and 2 or Duke Nukem aren’t worth 6$ you’re way wrong.
Not all of course – those are the exceptions I mentioned – but one could look at it the other way take Heroes of Might and Magic 1 for $9.99 – a game that is so old and has been abandonware for so long, suddenly has a $10 price tag.
Ground Control if I recall correctly was released as freeware a while back, now you need to pay for it?
It’s things like this that annoys me about GOG – I don’t hate them it’s just that there is almost always something that puts me off getting games there.
The Fallout games would be instant purchases – if I didn’t have all on disk already :)
If the remake of Monkey Island 1 is released as speculated at $9.99 on Steam – that would just be another nail into their coffin. Here a remake of a game featuring new graphics, voice overs etc. would be priced at the same price as many really old games.
Still if people buy who can blame them.
GoG gave me my Cannon Fodder back – I forgive them anything else, frankly.
I immediately got Fate of Atlantis, The Dig, and Loom off Steam when they came out, and I think they still hold up well today (although of course I have no idea what they would be like for someone who hadn’t played them before, with all that’s happened in game design since their original release).
GoG don’t seen to care they are not competitive, but they are drm free, so i guess they do have an edge, if i want to play retro games on a laptop i can transport the installer on a usb drive. Without it being piracy gog are the only option with no net access on the target machine.
i don’t get this ‘dig is good’ talk. i just played the first hour and deleted it from my computer – the characters and dialogue are terrible.
Grid is fantastic, and no-one has yet mentioned that you can turn off all the driver assists and it becomes a completely different, much more challenging game. You have to play it with a 360 pad or wheel or whatever though, as you need to use the accelerator/brake in increments or its completely uncontrollable.
Damn you RPS, this will make four games I’ve bought after seeing it in your bargain bucket posts. Leave my wallet alone!
I’m with Little Grilly, more or less. I couldn’t understand what the fuss was about The Dig, and I love LucasArts adventures. Then again, maybe it gets better after the poijnt at which I gave up on it.
Regarding GOG prices: any time someone has a similar discussion regarding Steam prices it’s pointed out that the publisher sets the prices. Isn’t it likely that the same is true of GOG? I agree, some of the games are overpriced, but I doubt that’s GOGs doing.
Anyone else excited about that new daily deal initiative from GamersGate? They had some nice games for 50% off, including Prince of Persia, Europa Universalis III Complete, etc. Today’s deal is Company of Heroes Complete. Still not very cheap with 30 €, but better than paying that alone for Tales of Valor.
If you can’t get into The Dig’s first half, then the second will just offend you even more.
And seriously, play Last Crusade.
@untot
Yeah, it’s pretty fantastic. Gamersgate sales are a large part of the reason I have a giant pile of game I haven’t even had time to touch yet, and this daily deal business is only going to exacerbate the problem.
What frustrates me about Gamersgate deals is that they don’t have a reliable way to check what, exactly, the deals are at the moment. They just kind of randomly load deal links here and there and are by no means necessarily displaying all of them on the front page at any given moment. That and the way they express their deals just as “X 50% off”. Since I don’t know what they were originally charging, I have no idea if 50% off is a crazy deal or if the game’s still, I dunno, $35 because it was ludicrously expensive to begin with.
Yeah, the layout of their site and random presentation of the deals is bad.
But I don’t know what you mean with the original price. On the product page is a crossed list price under the actual price. Besides the fact that counting back from 50 % off is not a very difficult mathematical problem. ;) … Or I misunderstood you.
And if a deal is really good, you only know when you compare it to other sites.
So, I bought Titan’s Quest on Saturday. It’s now Sunday night, and I’m still trying to get it to download and install. Remind me to think twice before listening to any reccomendation for Gamer’s Gate again. Their bandwidth is just unacceptable.
Hmmh. Perhaps some temporary problem? Or they have regional servers which differ in quality. When I downloaded my games some weeks ago, I got 1,8 MB per second, max of my line.
Blood Bowl back in stock at GoGamer for those who missed out. Hurry! Hurry! RUN!
Sixteen hours to download half of Medieval Total War Gold from Gamersgate on a cable modem. It will probably take 2-3 days, all told.
But a Gamersgate employee told me that the game files are “really, really huge”, so that must be it.
@Natus
What actual download speed are you getting? I’ve never had a problem like that on GamersGate before. Most of their servers are overseas so if you’re an American it will be slower than, say, Steam, but I’ve never had a download that was less than 100 kB/s from them.
@Vinraith
I’m an American and it fluctuates constantly from 35-100 kB/s, but I’m appalled that it will take me three days top download this game. It feels like I’m using a dial-up connection.
I’ll stick with Steam and Impulse from now on; never had this issue with them.
@Natus
Really? I’ve had whole weekends where Steam wouldn’t download at all. Impulse has the fastest download system of the bunch, no question, but I really prefer not to be beholden to a client and I’ve never had the problem you’re describing. Make sure you archive the downloaded files, then at least you’ll never have this problem again.