Welcome all, to the blog post that will add to the pile of games you bought for cheap, and still haven’t got time to play. Yes, it’s the weekly whiff of all things bargainous, as tracked down by the sale-snout of the splendid LewieP, chief bloodhound of the Savygamer kennels. Go visit his site, it’s packed with more ways to spend save money.
Men Of War. MEN OF WAR. Men Of War is cheap on Steam, £6.25 or $7.50 or €7. The RPS team love this multi-faceted strategy from the Eastern Front, and this is cheap. (And I’m going to butt in at this point and say, just buy it, please – Jim.)
Space/Kings Quest Collection – £7.49/€7.49/$14.99
I remember playing the demo of one of the Kings Quest games (possibly 2 or 3) over and over again on the Amiga. It was an adventure game, I washed up on a beach, and there was a prices, a ribbon, a tree and a bird. I had fun toying with the player character. I would make him walk into the water, and then he would die. Fun times. A friend of mine grew up on the Space Quest games, and he swears by them. Is he a nostalgia blinded fool, or are they good?
Dawn of War II – £14.95 or $24.95
Actually a better deal to get it retail in the UK, and you can stick the serial into Steam and it will get added to your Steam account. It’s the video game version of those little toy soldiers you can buy from Games Workshop that you have to paint yourself. Alec had these words to say about it. Demo here and RPS coverage here.
Aces of The Galaxy – £7.49/€7.49/$7.49
Loved the demo of this on the 360, but didn’t even know it existed on the PC till just now. It’s a bit like a modern take on Starwings. In fact, it is a lot like a modern take on Starwings. Good enough concept for me. Check out the demo here. Activision are really on form when it comes to regional gouging, in just one week they have managed to say that £7.49 = €7.49 = $7.49, £7.49 = €14.99 = $14.99 and £7.49 = €7.49 = $14.99. Bravo.
Children of the Nile: Complete – £7.87/€9.15/$12.95
Also available as part of the similarly discounted Tilted Mill Complete bundle, this includes Children of the Nile and the Alexandria expansion. I don’t know much about these Egyptian strategy/sims, but they certainly sound neat, and I love me a bit of Egyptian history. How are they anyone? Demo here.
Deal of the week
Paradox games 50% off
You can get them in Steam, Impulse and GamerGate flavour, so take your pick. Prices are roughly the same across all three, but there is some variation, although GamersGate has the biggest selection. Obvious highlights for me include Mount & Blade, Sword of the Stars, Elven Legacy and King’s Bounty: The Legend, but there is tonnes of great games to be had for cheap. RPS coverage on their games here.
Also of note:
50% off THQ games at D2D UK/USA
Some racing games or something at GOG
You might want to take a look at this if you use Steam a lot too.
If that lot’s not enough for you, do check out SavyGamer.co.uk for constantly-updated bargains across all formats.
Related Stories:
@jonfitt & Railick
since this is a bargains thread I should share some savey type info. If you are at all interested in TrackIR but put off by the extortionate price (£150?), have a look at free-track.net.
Its a free system that works in a similar fashion to TrackIR but uses a normal USB webcam and a homebrew LED style array on your head. I made mine with an unused PS2 Eyetoy, some photographice film negatives, 3 IR LEDS, a cap, and 2 AA batteries. cost for things i didnt already have = about £5!!!!! bargain! even with a budget (supported) webcam thrown in it shouldnt cost more than 15 quid, but some wiring assembly is required.
and it can interface with trackir supported games (even Black shark – with a ‘fix’ since they’ve started encrypting trackir support now)
plus if you are after a joystick, i bought the thrustmaster t-flight hotas X for 33 quid on amazon, and its PS3 compatible too. Seems to be a lot of ’stick for a low price.
Anyone on this side of the pond (The Colonies) up for some Men of War multi?
Well under recommended specs but have been considering buying this for some time, so will do so now (especially as Jim’s insisting again!).
Just d/l the demo on steam to make sure it runs ok and so far so good, although I suspect with a AMD XP3000+ 1GB 7800GS it may struggle on the larger levels.
Just out of interest can anyone tell me whether the demo level(s?) are a good performance indicator of the full game? ie. they’re not tiny levels compared to the main game?
MoW is a definite. Not 100% sure about Mount and Blade. Is it linked into Steam in any way, as I’m pretty sure it’s still cheaper to get via retail.
Men of war runs fine on Vista 64 for me.
@Rei Mount&Blade is a cult classic, if you haven’t played it you should. It has no multiplayer so I wouldn’t think theres any advantage to the steam version.
Ok so it actually runs a treat and is utterly brilliant. I remember now that I did actually download the demo when Jim posted about it back-a-when. However the file was corrupt. Doh.
Incidentally for anyone interested it runs great on my spec posted a couple of comments up.
Finally the only area I wasn’t happy with was the lack of save, but I noticed Jim answered this question in the RPS demo thread, and you can indeed save at any time.
Buying right now :D
Thanks for this. Just picked up EU3 complete for £12.59 which is a fantastic price (even though i already had the original).
Also noticed that Tropico reloaded is on GamersGate for £14.99 but unfortunately I can only fit 24 hours in a day ;)
10c for 3d ultra golf is the best deal of this week…
people buy it and gift it to others from less fortunate countries.
Gifted two games myself
a person from GOG gifted 11
heh. wonder what will be company’s reaction?
could someone gift me tne cheap golf thing?
sure lewiep. email?
Sword of the Stars Ultimate for $15? Yes please!
@Lukasz: Looks like he has an address listed about half-way down http://savygamer.co.uk, on the right-hand side. Terribly kind of you to support the man who gets the lot of us such great deals!
yeah… not anymore tough. Game is back to original, proper price of ten bucks. so i did not send the game to lewiep.
Picked up the Penumbra pack. I’m surprised you didn’t name it in the ‘Deal of the Week’ selection.
@Lukasz: Oh well, tough luck.
@Crispy: It is the deal of the week, being part of the paradox 50% off sale. It probably didn’t get called out specifically because it had an even better sale on steam one month ago, when it was LewieP’s deal of the week.
Does anyone else find it hard to buy a game on sale when you know it had been on sale for less earlier?
Anyone know anything about Knights of Honor? Is it worth the the $7.50 on Steam?
Definitely worth it, it’s not as complex as a true Paradox game (like Crusader Kings idd) and the tactical parts aren’t as good as those of the Total War series but its campaign is very, very charming and offers something really fresh with the Knights and their classes. It also has some mods and the best medieval music you can find in these kind of games. Simply put, it’ll make you cheer.
Cheers anyway Lucasz
I didn’t realize who you were LewieP. next time ;)
The Demigod demo is coming soon so there may well be a sale when it hits. It’s been $35 at retail online (Newegg and Amazon) since release, and I got it for $20 on Impulse when they did the 50% discount codes for existing players. This game has legs, and it keeps getting better. Go Stardock & GPG!
Strong recommendations for Men of War, Dawn of War 2, King’s Bounty, and Children of the Nile. Tropico remains one of the greatest. I still have yet to really dig into Mount & Blade.
For anyone considering Dawn of War 2 – know that the ‘matchmaking’ is the worst of any game I’ve ever played. I decided to take an average of 10 games and see what it did. i only managed to get 8 in, as I couldn’t connect to a single friend on my friendslist to join them.
Game 1: rank 3(me), rank 1, rank 1 vs. rank 13, rank 36, rank 23.
Game 2: rank 3(me), rank 7, rank 1 vs. rank 56(!!!), rank 35, rank 39.
Game 3: rank 1(me – on my Orc), rank 11, rank 2 vs. rank 25, rank 31, rank 17.
And so on. The closest was 3, 11, 5, vs. 17, 25, 35.
Seriously, unless you have friends who you’re somehow able to connect to for 3v3, I’d definitely play the demo first. In fact, avoid it if you don’t have a tonne of friends who play it.
(I should also mention, the friends I couldn’t connect to that day I’ve played frequently with – the inability to connect is random).
Well I eventually picked up Men of War after almost everyone reassured me that it would work on a 64 bit OS. In retrospect, it was probably a foregone conclusion that I would have bought it. Such is the effect of this website pimping the game up and down over the past few months. Next on the to-get list is King’s Bounty, which I have previously seen at a lower price than the current 50% discount going around presently, so I’ll wait for an even better deal to come on Steam. I like that these weekend deals have increased my patience when it comes to waiting for a game… instead of buying them impulsively which is what I used to do a few months ago. On the other hand, my credit card bill is steadily increasing from games which I purchase just because they’re on sale… So I wonder if I come out ahead on the whole deal =)
@Erlam:
It’s true that the matchmaking in DoW2 is horrendous. I would recommend playing ‘Public’ so you can create your own lobby and invite/vet the other players or at least even the teams by liberal kicking of unhelpful types. You can also try out compstomps with other players where you just play with human teammates against AI players.
As for playing with friends, you need to join their lobby before the game starts, as it’s not drop-in/drop-out (I don’t know any RTS that is drop-in/drop-out for that matter).
For beginners to the game the following helps a lot:
- Until you get used to the game, it’s best to always retreat a squad when it reaches 50%, as squad members tend to start dying after that. Retreating and reinforcing is cheaper than buying a new squad.
- You take far reduced ranged damage but increased melee damage when retreating. Your retreat speed increases over time to maximum. There are some units that can chase down retreating squads and finish them off so against melee specialists retreat earlier if you don’t have the upper hand.
- Vehicles and walkers are generally pants unless you manage them at all times. They are fun to use but anti-armour can take them out quickly. Shift+click can queue up a sequence of waypoints which helps with vehicle micro.
- Use the hotkeys for your unit selection (1-10). Get used to reassigning your units to the same hotkeys as they spawn. You can double-tap a unit hotkey to switch the camera to their location.
- Click on the minimap to move the camera around quickly.
- Try to stay in the ‘channel’ your HQ is positioned in. I.e. don’t send your forces south if you start at the northernmost HQ.
- There’s a lot of rock-paper-scissors between different unit damage types and armour types. Try watching some of the replays here to get a feel for things: http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showforum=2911
- Failing that take a gander at the new revamped DoW2 Codex: http://dow2.info/
P.S. Penumbra is a gem. I haven’t pooed myself like this while playing a game in ages. I’m only about 15 mins in and I’m scared to go any further. Genuinely draining and ‘proper’ horror (not peek-a-boo frights).
“farther”
(sorry but I couldn’t let that one go)
Either of those are proper usage.
Not buying Men of War! No! I don’t care if it’s ten cents with a happy ending! Well OK, maybe.
Crispy and Grammarnazi,
Quoting my copy of Usage and Abusage: “A rough distinction is this: farther, farthest are applied to distance and nothing else; further, furthest, either to distance or to addition (’a further question’).
Because we’re not talking real world distances here, we’re speaking of intangible distances. Further should be used.
It’s so cute to watch people try and argue that Dawn of War II and Sins of a Solar Empire are bad games. Seriously. Adorable.
Meanwhile, since it dropped to the price of a high-end sub sandwich, I decided it was about time to get in on Men of War. I’d been hesitant, since it a.) comes from a developer I have never ever ever ever ever ever heard of, b.) is saddled with a narcoleptically boring name, and c.) has been getting middling reviews here and there. Then again, Jim Rossignol says jump, and…
I haven’t been playing for long, but I’m definitely not regretting my purchase. Caveat emptor, those of you for whom seven bucks is a strain on your wallet: the control scheme is wonktacular, the voice acting is nothing short of an embarrassment, and it is HARD. Hard hard hard. And I’m not typically THAT bad at RTSeseseses. Playing on Easy mode, no less. There’s a difficulty curve to it, certainly. But so what? It’s a blast. It reminds me of Relic’s lovechildren in a few different ways, especially in how vehicles take damage, how units find cover, et cetera. Mechanically, there’s nothing wrong with the game, and direct unit control is the most fun I’ve had in a LONG time, especially when I can get a hold of some armor.
I’ve been trying out that dynamic campaign generator, too. It seems very well put together, and once you get the serpentine installation out of the way, it’s really simple to use. It seems to–no matter what–always confine me to a mere three units. Maybe it’s just my suckiness at the game talking, but that doesn’t quite seem adequate when I’m charging squads of infantry, being flanked by halftracks, and having Howitzers rain explodey doom on me all the while. Anyone familiar with the DCG: am I doing something wrong?
Addendum: Possess some random schmuck, find an airfield, and try stealing a plane. Glorious. It’s like Grand Theft Eindhoven.
Serious Sam 2 is currently 50% off on GamersGate, for those in the UK, that means a rather nice price of £4.49. In contrast, the US 50% off price is $14.95 =/
Champion, from what I’ve seen so far MoW bears more than a passing resemblance to the Microsoft’s Close Combat series, which provide some of the best wargaming ever (+ the ability to play an entire versus campaign against another friend). If it comes anywhere near that experience it is going to be an awesome game indeed (plus my friend’s already recommended it highly and talked me through a lot of the features, so it’s been on my watchlist for a few weeks).
£2.99 for Freedom Force on Steam sounds suspiciously like something I might purchase.
I folded within hours of MoW coming down to that price. I’m so weak. Played the demo some time ago and fell in love with the game, but couldn’t afford to shell out full price. Now I just need my best mate to finally replace his laptop with a half-decent machine so we can play co-op…
I have been waiting for a mention of a cheap Blood Bowl for the PC for weeks…….DAMN THEIR PRICETAG TO HELL!!
The ‘Clearout’ of PC games is getting quicker and deeper. Fallout 3 is already £14.95 in UK stores and it’s only been out 9 months.
While I understand all the quotes about ‘great bargains’,have a thought for the publishers that are doing this to eek out a little more money from disappointing PC sales.
I just hope it’s not a ‘Closing Down’ sale…..
*Sighs and casts a weary glance at the massive pile o’ games teetering in the corner of his room, both virtual and physical, and buys Men of War, EU: Rome, Elven Legacy, King’s Bounty and Crusader Kings*.
Curse you, LewieP!
@bansama
Yeah, for once the US seems to be on the bad side of the price disparity. It does not feel good. :(
“As for playing with friends, you need to join their lobby before the game starts, as it’s not drop-in/drop-out (I don’t know any RTS that is drop-in/drop-out for that matter).”
That’s what I was trying to do. None of the people on my friendslist (6 at the time) could connect to eachothers games.
The game itself is pretty fun I agree, but the matchmaking and joining of friends games, which is done through GFWL and fails due to it, is frustrating and makes the game irritating to play. And I wont remove blame from Relic, because they chose to use it, and it’s utterly garbage.
Finally DoW2 was cheap enough for me, the play.com deal :) But how can the digital download shops justify asking for more money for a license (which will probably stop working if they close the service) than for a physical product?!
“While I understand all the quotes about ‘great bargains’,have a thought for the publishers that are doing this to eek out a little more money from disappointing PC sales.”
On the other hand, I’ve seen a lot of recent console games for cheaper than the equivalent PC price. For example, Mirror’s Edge on XBox 360 has been available in stores here for around a tenner for a while, but even online was more than that (I waited to get it in the D2D sale).
Where online sales of PC games are concerned, given that the publisher does not have to give a cut to the console manufacturer and all the middle men, even at low prices, it’s possible they get more money per sale.
Obviously hard data on this would be good to have *glowers at Valve*
P.
“how can the digital download shops justify asking for more money for a license than for a physical product”
First, retail sales are just license sales as well. The license you buy on steam is just (much) more limited of course (subscription).
Second, DoW2 is always sold as a Steam license. Even if you buy the box, you will end up with a game on steam.
Third, prices for products depend on consumer demand more than on distribution or production cost. If consumers are willing to pay more for a steam license, than that justifies the price just fine.
I see Braid is $10 ($5 off) on D2D for the rest of this week (including this upcoming weekend). Same as the Impulse weekend sale a week ago.
The D2D version is listed as DRM-free which means that you just get a link to a regular setup.exe with no online activation or anything, but you probably will still have to wait for a D2D-specific patch if/when the promised editor comes out.
Good god I suck at MoW.