By Alec Meer on November 24th, 2010 at 7:43 pm.

It started just a minute ago, and will be updating throughout the week with various mega-wonga-ultro-offers. Also, 30 dudes/dudettes/dude-miscs will be awarded the top 5 games on their wishlists every day, so you should totally load that thing up with the most expensive games you can find.
There’re even bigger discounts, if you’re prepared to collaborate with your fellow human beans.
In terms of the standard sale today, Steam’s offering Prototype (quite good), Shank (not so good), RUSE (ace), Deus Ex collection (50% incredible), Alpha Protocol (divisive), Counter-Strike Source (you know), Borderlands (mostly great), Sam & Max Season 3 (much better than the earlier seasons, I’m told) and the Indie Energy Pack (ludicrously good value for 5 interesting games) for Reduced Monies.
Details and prices here. All pretty good, I’d say, especially the energy pack. In 23 hours, we get brand new ones, with that cycle continuing until the 29th.
There’s also the giftpack sale, wherein you can get multiple copies of different games (Borderlands, Ruse, Deus Ex or Half-Life 2 today – again, all change tomorrow) for even more crazy-cheap. E.g. £40 for 6 copies of Borderlands, or £90 for 6 copies of Ruse. So, I would strongly suggest you lot get together in comments below or on the forum and form into bargain-tribes who can then play with/against each other in said games’ splendid multiplayer modes.
Oh, and that mention of getting something for your ‘nemesis’ on the Steam front page – reckon that’s just a gag, or another Valvian mystery-generator?
You should also totally buy Beyond Good & Evil for £2 from GetGames, or you’re an idiot.



24/11/2010 at 19:46 Walsh says:
cry maybe I should just mail my wallet to Valve.
24/11/2010 at 20:33 WiPa says:
Does anyone know if winning the top 5 games on your wishlist also counts for games that are not yet released? (E.g. Brink)
24/11/2010 at 21:00 Johnny Law says:
Yep: http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?p=18927264#post18927264
24/11/2010 at 21:12 Warskull says:
I would assume it does, considering you can add not yet released games to your wish list.
24/11/2010 at 21:33 Tusque d'Ivoire says:
that is such incredibly wonderful news. my wishlist has grown to WAY more than just super meat boy today! (and i might just get that before the 30th, if i hear good news about it.)
24/11/2010 at 19:47 IncredibleBulk92 says:
WooHoo! Steam Sale time! Alpha Protocol for a fiver you say? Would you fine RPS folks recommend this?
Also the new Sam & Max season is &7.50, well worth that money. (On a related note I just sold my Big Kill in TF2 for 5 hats plus paints, lucky me :D)
24/11/2010 at 19:54 teo says:
No, Alpha Protocol is genuinely terrible in almost every way.
24/11/2010 at 20:00 goatmonkey says:
It hard to recommend but I did enjoy it for the most part, just go in knowing it will be a mess, I got it for free with my green man gaming credit but £5 is the upper limit to what I would say its worth
24/11/2010 at 20:01 Archonsod says:
Yes. It’s one of the better RPG’s of recent times, and one of the only ones not to involve blue aliens or pointy eared elves. As others have said, it’s very reminiscent of Deus Ex. Plus, hard to go wrong for a fiver.
24/11/2010 at 20:13 Markachy says:
Get it. Teo is very wrong. If you like games with a bit of soul and innovation instead of Call of Duty 27: Pink Special Forces (COD: PISFO) then you have to support this sort of game.
It is genuinely very good though. The sorts of people who don’t like it are the sorts of people who took years to realise the brilliance of the likes of Planescape Torment and Vampire Bloodlines
24/11/2010 at 20:20 Kandon Arc says:
Alpha Protocol is a decent game on the whole, though it comes close to being ruined by the atrocious boss fights – stealth is NOT a viable route in this game. I did play it on Xbox so I can’t comment on how well the PC version performs. At £5 I’d recommend it.
24/11/2010 at 20:22 leeder krenon says:
Alpha Protocol is one of the best games I have played this year.
24/11/2010 at 20:22 geldonyetich says:
Alpha Protocol is a great little romp, somewhat Deus Ex like, and most of the bugs have been obliterated by later patches. Granted, once in awhile one will crop up. I ended up finishing an extremely difficult boss fight involving a cocaine-snorting European mobster because he got stuck in the terrain.
24/11/2010 at 20:24 IncredibleBulk92 says:
Hmm well I did buy Call of Duty 27 so… Guess I’ll take the risk. I’m happy to put up with mediocre gunplay if the game still has a great story and some good writing.
It’s only a fiver anyway. I lose more than that when I fall over after leaving bars.
24/11/2010 at 20:26 IncredibleBulk92 says:
I also rebought Deus Ex, years after my original purchase with the hope that I make it past the stealth part of the tutorial this time. I’ve heard such good things about it.
24/11/2010 at 20:27 Eric says:
Agree with Markachy, Teo is speaking from a position of soullessness that makes me sad. :(
Alpha Protocol has some mechanical problems, for sure. But it also has entire missions made of nothing but dialogue, and those missions are actually meaningful to the branching plot of the game. There are a ton of cool ideas in the game and it’s absolutely worth a fiver.
24/11/2010 at 20:29 Arthur Barnhouse says:
Why are you wringing your hands over wheterh it is good? it’s $5. Just buy it. If it isn’t good, you’ve only spent as much as a copy of Poker Night at the Inventory.
24/11/2010 at 20:30 Lobotomist says:
Get Alpha Protocol. Great game from great developer (Obsidian)
But play stealth character. It is all ready established that people that didnt like it, played non-stealth
24/11/2010 at 20:48 jalf says:
It’s pretty unpolished, and apparently, that has made it nearly unplayable for some. It worked without any issues on my system, and the actual *game*, ignoring any technical issues, is great. I loved it.
I just can’t guarantee that it’ll work as well on your system.
24/11/2010 at 21:08 Matzerath says:
I totally bought it! For that price I’ll be happy if it’s terribly great or fantastically awful. I imagine that it must be both.
24/11/2010 at 21:13 Ravenger says:
Pity Alpha Protocol still has the Uniloc DRM. I don’t buy games off Steam with third party DRM.
24/11/2010 at 21:28 Lilliput King says:
The story and writing are actually pretty lacklustre, so don’t go in expecting a Shakespearean masterpiece. It’s good in it’s own way, but I’m not sure how to classify that way. Its story is innovative not because of its content but because of how it was delivered. And I suppose not many RPGs bother to innovate in any fashion, so it’s definitely worth your time if you’re a fan of RPGs, ‘specially for £5.
24/11/2010 at 21:57 MrMud says:
Its genuiniely not great, but its not terrible either. And its definitely worth the asking price.
24/11/2010 at 22:05 sinister agent says:
Seconding MrMud’s comment – I bought it recently for the funsquare for a few quid. It’s worth playing, and for a fiver, worth buying for a bit of slightly unusual chatty/stealthy/upgrade-y shooty fun. Not without its faults.
24/11/2010 at 22:27 Nick says:
I enjoyed Alpha Protocol a lot.
24/11/2010 at 22:46 invisiblejesus says:
Note that Gamersgate has matched Steam’s price on Alpha Protocol, and they reset any and all activation limits by request, no questions asked. If you’re wary about DRM, they’re the way to go. I just snagged it, I’ve heard too many comparisons to Deus Ex and Bloodlines not to give it a try at this price.
24/11/2010 at 23:25 malkav11 says:
Alpha Protocol is one of the best games released all year, and is criminally underrated. Unless you’re one of the few poor souls for whom it doesn’t work properly. But five pounds/$7.50 is cheap enough you’re not out much even if that’s true, and if it does work for you, you just got a hell of a bargain. (I paid $50, when it came out, and count myself as having gotten my money’s worth beyond a doubt.)
24/11/2010 at 23:32 Kelron says:
http://help.sega.com/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=865
Well hidden Alpha Protocol patch, removes DRM.
25/11/2010 at 09:23 phlebas says:
@Lobotomist Are you sure? More of the complaints I heard were about getting to boss fights with a stealth character and finding them impossible and/or tedious without a combat-focussed build.
25/11/2010 at 10:33 latedave says:
Personally I played it as a combat character and thoroughly enjoyed it. However the combat is rather Mass Effect 1, its the story that really drives the game and the multiple paths really work very well. You’ll find yourself wanting to go back just to see the different possibilities and the actings pretty good. Downsides are stealth is not an option, it makes 90% of the game stupidly easy but the boss sections impossible which is a real shame. As mentioned above I only managed to kill the Russian boss disco mobster (not a phrase I thought I’d use often!) because he got stuck in the wall and the second final boss mysteriously grenaded himself, don’t think I could of completed it otherwise.
25/11/2010 at 11:06 innokenti says:
Just get Alpha Protocol. Barring Fallout New Vegas, it’s Game of the Year for me.
Sure, there is some lack of polish, but that is more than made up for the fact that it is incredibly fun to play throughout and has great replay value. £5 is ridiculously cheap for this.
24/11/2010 at 19:48 oceanclub says:
I’m really torn about getting Prototype. It looks like a second-rate Just Cause 2. Since I already have that, have played it to bits but not finished it, should I just play that instead?
P.
24/11/2010 at 20:00 RobF says:
Prototype is a shave or 6 away from being absolutely brilliant. It’s totally wrecked by insane-o difficulty spikes but it has, without a doubt, the best opening 10 minutes of a game ever.
It screams “I AM VIDEOGAME, FEAR ME” and has the balls to back it up.
Unfortunately, it then strips you of all the impressive punchy powers and becomes a bit of a slog after that but it’s fun enough if you can grit your teeth through the stupid-spikey-hard-bits.
24/11/2010 at 20:03 Archonsod says:
It’s a bit more like Assassin’s Creed than Just Cause to my mind. Except with more eating people and less assassination. It’s worth it for the money, and does some interesting things with the open city 3rd person game concept. Really depends on the money, it’s worth eight quid in my book, but it’s not an unmissable bargain by any means.
24/11/2010 at 20:35 Starky says:
Prototype is a good game that falls just short of greatness as said, by a few niggling issues…
Now, that said you can elevate Prototype into full-on greatness if you just swallow your gamer pride and play it on the easiest difficulty setting – not because normal or hard are actually harder – just because easy reduces the stupid cheapness of the enemies lategame – the makers of this game didn’t seem to understand how to make it harder on harder difficulty settings, so they just made enemies cheaper (stunlock, knockdowns, stunning counter attacks, so on).
The game won’t be a challenge, but it will be FUN. You just can’t not enjoy picking up a car and throwing it at a Helicopter.
It is also a game that is just better with a 360 controller plugged in also.
Upgrades you MUST get ASAP if you want to enjoy the game – hunter throw (dirtnap?) and ground spikes (+ upgrades, you get that one at the start) makes fights with hunters much more fun.
24/11/2010 at 20:37 Jockie says:
It’s a game that reaps benefits for the sandbox player, by which I mean the kind of gamer who likes messing around with a bunch of fun tools in a large environment causing havoc. Elbow dropping tanks from the top of skyscrapers, using pedestrians as human surfboards, running up walls etc.
Storyline, characters, missions etc not so great.
So kind of like Just Cause 2, yeah.
24/11/2010 at 20:43 Clovis says:
It sounds like you can’t change the difficulty part way through then? That should be a standard feature on all games.
24/11/2010 at 20:55 Starky says:
It should be yes, but sadly it isn’t.
24/11/2010 at 21:24 Tei says:
For one reason of another, Prototype is on my list of best 5 videogames ever. Is superweird because is not that good, but the science that I use to calculate this has never failed to me. Very recomended game.
24/11/2010 at 21:33 Lilliput King says:
It’s fun! Really fun. The amount of destruction you can cause is absurd, and it just feels right doing it. I can’t remember when I started giggling maniacally (it was either when I summoned dozens of gigantic spikes that tore a street in half and impaled three dozen pedestrians, or when I hurled a car down a street and jumped on the back, surfing the waves of broken limbs and bodies), but I do remember that it took a good five minutes to stop.
It’s probably the best superhero game ever made.
24/11/2010 at 21:54 drewski says:
As others have said, the first ten minutes are possibly the greatest ten minutes in videogaming history. Then they take away all the things that make the game fun, nerf your powers and the game turns into a tedious chore.
If you really, really like beat-em-ups you’ll probably like it, and it does do some nice things, but the difficulty spikes are insane and at the end of the day you’ve played the best bit once you’ve played the intro.
24/11/2010 at 22:15 DrGonzo says:
If you enjoy scaling skyscrapers and punching holes in womens faces then Prototype is the game for you. The actual campaign is a bit odd, and the difficulty is all over the place. But as a 30 minute mess around in a sandbox city, it’s excellent fun.
24/11/2010 at 22:36 d00d3n says:
Prototype is a very flawed game with some fanastic game mechanics. I get the comparisons with Assassins Creed in that both do this maximalist sand box experience where you are essentially a god and the designers have to throw everything at you to make it challenging. Both also have unique basic game mechanics that make it fun to play in the moment despite flaws in level design, mission design and so on.
The most accomplished single aspect of the game that stuck with me was how great traversal across the skyscrapers of New York felt. You run at full speed vertically up the chrysler building and you jump off the top several hundred meters AND THEN you glide for a kilometer or so AND THEN you change direction mid air with the second jump ability and reach another skyscraper to repeat the same thing. Never gets old.
25/11/2010 at 03:05 TheTingler says:
Every time I consider buying Prototype, I think “why?”. It’s such a compelling argument that I don’t.
24/11/2010 at 19:48 Rinox says:
I got Alpha Protocol on the sale. :-) Rest doesn’t interest me much, or not enough at the price they’re at (Protoype, Shank).
Does anyone really have 10 gamer friends left who don’t own HL2 already? Dang! (re: gift pack)
24/11/2010 at 20:11 somini says:
http://steamcommunity.com/id/somini
I don’t have HL2.You can give me…
*shameless plug*
24/11/2010 at 20:43 Rinox says:
Haha, if I didn’t have to buy 10 copies at once to get the discount I might have done so. :-) I came close to saying “‘if another 9 people respond I’ll buy the 10-pack and give them all a copy”, but seeing as I don’t even celebrate Thanksgiving that may have been a bit much!
25/11/2010 at 13:24 megaman says:
Besides, it might be hard to find 9 other people who still don’t own HL2 :D
24/11/2010 at 19:48 Nero says:
Oh my.. I guess I need to get on making a wishlist then. Also, buying games that I have no time to play. Hooray!
24/11/2010 at 19:48 terry says:
Just yoinked Alpha Protocol, which I was on the fence about until the price dropped. Thanks, Valve. Thalve.
24/11/2010 at 20:10 subedii says:
It got a lot of negativity, most of which I felt was unwarranted. People kept complaining about the fact that it didn’t play like an FPS where you could Bullseye every target at 50 feet.
The shooting RPG levelling works more along the lines of Deus Ex, where things start out tough but that’s what forces you to specialise, and eventually you become a devastator with your chosen weapons. Once you’re good with that, it’s fine.
There were also a lot of complaints about bugs, which I can’t say I really ran into so I can’t comment on that.
What I will say is that it’s got a storyline where player decisions can and do have drastic influence on how it plays out, which was pretty impressive. It’s one of those rare games where the ‘evil’ choices aren’t just about the main character drown kittens whilst smiling menacingly. There was rational motives behind whichever approach you could take, and the game played out appropriately. If you wanted Thorton to be a complete psychopath, then you could, but that was just a style of Thorton that “got the job done at all costs”.
I also felt the voice acting was top notch, and certainly, Josh Gilman does a really good job for Mike Thorton. Certainly much better and more subtle than Mark Meer in Mass Effect ever managed. A lot of that probably came down to the fact that the people writing the dialogue were actually sitting in on the voice recording sessions to give direction. I felt it did a lot for the quality of the voicework.
24/11/2010 at 20:51 jalf says:
Yep, as long as you think of it as a Deus Ex, rather than a Half-Life, it’s a really good game. The combat *isn’t* bad, it’s just not an FPS. It is very similar to Deus Ex, and I don’t recall people raging at Deus Ex having a terrible broken combat system. It’s just based heavily on character skill rather than player skill. Perhaps that’s an old-fashioned design choice, but it worked for Deus Ex, and I felt it worked for Alpha Protocol.
24/11/2010 at 22:55 DrGonzo says:
I bought it earlier. I always prefer playing games that try and fall on their faces than those that are polished but unoriginal.
25/11/2010 at 10:03 terry says:
Thanks for the detailed comments chaps, I’m still downloading it but I’m quite looking forward to giving it a shot. I’m a dialogue fiend so this is definitely up my alley, so to speak.
24/11/2010 at 19:48 KingCathcart says:
Oh bugger. I still haven’t played half the games I bought last year.
24/11/2010 at 19:51 bob_d says:
I still haven’t played 5% of the games that bought in the summer sale…
24/11/2010 at 20:07 Norskov says:
This
24/11/2010 at 19:49 Bas says:
Sweet. Added some stuff to my wishlist now, thanks!
24/11/2010 at 19:51 subedii says:
Also worth mentioning, Direct2Drive are also having a promo going at the moment where 1 in ever 5 orders is completely free.
As in, when you place your order, you have a 1/5 chance that your entire basket will actually be free. Pretty good idea for a competition.
http://www.direct2drive.co.uk/d2d-gives-back-2010/
After being a 1 horse race for so long, the competition between DD sites is finally starting to get interesting.
Destructoid also say that they’re offering to price match with the other major DD sites (Steam, Gamersgate and Gamestop), but I’m not sure I’m seeing that anywhere on the site. Maybe it’s just a default policy now or something?
http://www.destructoid.com/direct2drive-offering-price-matching-1-in-5-orders-free-188354.phtml
24/11/2010 at 20:05 Archonsod says:
Nah, they’ve got a blurb about it near the top of the page. Basically, until the 31st December if you buy a game off them and then find it cheaper on certain rivals they’ll give you back the difference.
24/11/2010 at 19:51 Tusque d'Ivoire says:
my god, I’m going to spend a lot of money this week. which is wrong, because christmas is coming up. i don’t think valve intended it that way. can anyone say anything about the indie pack that is on sale?
will finally yoink CS:S to play with mates.
24/11/2010 at 20:12 mep says:
Only one I know from the list is Galcon Fusion. I picked it up for 2 quid early february and played some 100h so far. It’s that addicting.
24/11/2010 at 20:31 Matt says:
100 hrs? Damn… when each round is about 3 minutes long, that’s really saying something!
24/11/2010 at 19:53 Stu says:
Fuck gifting them, I’m buying the HL2 10-pack and playing them all back-to-back.
24/11/2010 at 19:58 subedii says:
At £1 each, I’m kind of tempted to buy a Deus Ex Giftpack and gift the copies to some friends.
£14 for 10 copies of HL2 is also ridiculous. I’ve still got my spare copy from when I bought the Orange Box.
24/11/2010 at 21:12 CreepingDeath says:
It does make me wonder if there is anyone on Steam that HASN’T got a copy of hl2 yet.
Surely at this stage they should do a portal and give it away for free for a weekend
24/11/2010 at 23:37 DrGonzo says:
They did give away Portal for free, and it wasn’t just a weekend, you got to keep it forever but the offer only lasted a weekend I think.
24/11/2010 at 19:56 John H says:
I’m down if anybody wants to split the price for the 10 pack of the half life 2.. If you can think of a way to do it properly.
24/11/2010 at 19:58 John H says:
(Or if you just mind gifting 1 to me) :P
24/11/2010 at 20:15 Sander Bos says:
John, if you post your (steam account related) email address I can gift it to you….
24/11/2010 at 21:05 John H says:
Hey sorry. Not too sure if i can still get onto that deal, that’d be awesome though, man.
My steam ID is: HuntOOR
24/11/2010 at 21:18 Sander Bos says:
Err, ‘HuntOOR was last online 223 days ago’. Anyway, I think you have to accept me as a friend on Steam and then Christmas can come early…
24/11/2010 at 22:09 John H says:
Mistake there^_^
I’m online daily (off-and-on).
And i don’t have a request so i guess it’s wrong or something.
What is your ID, and i will add you?
24/11/2010 at 20:01 Teronfel says:
Great deals!!! I just bought deus ex and alpha protocol
24/11/2010 at 20:01 Markachy says:
Please everyone get Alpha Protocol. At that price it is an absolute steal. The combat isn’t great, but after a few level-ups (being sensible in what you level up in), its world of fantastic voice-acting, suitably good dialogue and JAW DROPPING amounts of potential story permutations will win you over swiftly.
Its like Deus Ex’s whole “one person’s experience isn’t like another persons experience” taken to a whole new level. Like having the Paul dying/not dying choice happen at pretty much every major plot point. It really didn’t deserve the panning it got from a lot of people.
24/11/2010 at 20:06 frags says:
What are the odds of getting my wishlist fulfilled? 1 in 5,000,000 now? Oh and there’s no Alpha Protocol for my region :(
24/11/2010 at 20:30 lostrootpass says:
The facts:
* 30 winners every day
* 30 million active Steam accounts, according to Valve
So the absolute worst case scenario is 1 in 1,000,000 — five times more optimistic than your estimate.
Now, let’s consider that there are criteria to eligibility:
* Account must be in good standing
* Wishlist must have at least 10 games
I’m willing to bet that a lot of the recent growth burst in Steam activity is due to the recent surge of Steamworks retail titles (MW2, CODBLOPS, FNV, Civ V, etc) and not everyone uses their Steam account to its full potential, instead using it out of requirement/obligation.
Now consider the ones that do. Of them, not all will have 10+ titles in their wishlist. Of the ones that do, not all will have a VAC status of “in good standing”.
Interestingly enough, even though for the competition you only win the top five, it’s only in the smallprint that it’s stated that you have to have at least ten in the wishlist.
My estimate, using science, is that the actual chance of “winning” is approximately 1 in 650,000. And that’s each day. Because winners won’t be selected more than once, your odds improve (not dramatically, but they improve) over the five-day sale period.
24/11/2010 at 22:14 mwoody says:
Whoah, “wishlist must have 10 games” – that’s a big one that I’d missed. Thanks for the heads up.
25/11/2010 at 01:31 MattM says:
I would argue that your odds go down each day since far more people are going to be creating wish-lists than will win the contest and be eliminated each day.
26/11/2010 at 11:54 fallingmagpie says:
Aaaarrrrggghh quick add five more games I thought I only needed five
24/11/2010 at 20:08 Ricc says:
That “nemesis” character has been part of the Steam Community front page since it launched. Anybody found an elegant way to construe an Episode 3 hint out of this yet? :P
24/11/2010 at 20:24 DJ Phantoon says:
Gordon Freeman ends up being the bad guy.
WHAAAT A TWIIIST
24/11/2010 at 20:45 Rinox says:
I always knew the combine were actually trying to save Earth from Gordon Freeman and his henchman the G-Man!
24/11/2010 at 21:26 Tei says:
G-Man is the bad guy, and all you did on all games, was to advance his agenda for total control. He is the big evil, the combine are just a small evile.
25/11/2010 at 01:33 MattM says:
G-Man has always seemed pretty sketchy so I don’t know if it would be a twist or not for him to be the big evil of Half-Life.
25/11/2010 at 05:25 MadTinkerer says:
The G Man himself is not the mystery, but rather who his employers are and who the heck is “bidding” for Freeman’s “services” over the course of Half Life 2 (99% sure it’s not the Resistance).
Is the G Man a Bad Guy? Oh heck yeah: he’s a kidnapper and he has no qualms about offering Freeman’s services to the Combine, at least according to Breen, and at the time Breen had no reason to lie. Plus, I forget where it’s mentioned (might not be strict canon) but the G Man provided the “sample” that caused the Black Mesa Incident, and may well have been responsible for framing Gordon Freeman. Oh, and he’s got no qualms about using hypnosis, on mortally injured young women, to deliver messages.
Plus he’s deliberately creepy and likely not even human.
So pretty much all signs point to the G Man being the bad guy.
24/11/2010 at 20:08 Christopher M. says:
Gah. I have $20 to spend, and I’m torn between snapping up the first things I like that come on sale, and waiting for the really good deals…
24/11/2010 at 22:07 Heliosicle says:
Always the tough choice. I’m taking a chance and not buying anything today.
24/11/2010 at 20:09 Simon Dufour says:
I’d also like to know what’s the indy pack.
25/11/2010 at 05:32 MadTinkerer says:
Brainpipe (fun trippy corridor-flying game)
Galcon Fusion (arcade 4X, not unlike Eufloria on crack BEWARE: will eat your free time)
Protogalaxy (fun shoot-em-up)
Gridrunner Revolution (fun surreal shoot-em-up by the maker of Llamatron, Space Giraffe, Tempest, & Tempest 2000)
Quantz (fun puzzler)
24/11/2010 at 20:13 Mark says:
This is exactly the price drop I was waiting for and expecting to come on Steam, with regards to AP. At the time I couldn’t justify checking out the game just for the sake of curiosity, but at £5 that’s much more acceptable.
Also, Shank is good and worth the price. Played it on the 360, so I’m not sure how it would work with a keyboard (probably badly). There are some slight kinks, but on the whole it’s visually polished, intelligently designed brawler. Prototype is also fun, but more of the dumb kind, though.
24/11/2010 at 20:16 orangedragon10 says:
Filled up my wish list, bought Alpha Protocol for myself, and bought Super Meat Boy for a friend. A good day’s work!
24/11/2010 at 20:21 Unaco says:
Oh dear. I kind of hope I don’t get paid on Thursday now. I have enough games to keep me going ’til at least early next year… but if I have shekels, I’ll likely pick something up. I hope I can actually resist ’til they do something similar over Christmas.
24/11/2010 at 20:22 noobnob says:
What the dickens, no Alpha Protocol on Steam, but it’s available on GamersGate for me. I don’t get these regional restrictions…
Can anyone vouch for the Indie Energy Pack? Are the games any good?
25/11/2010 at 06:25 TeeJay says:
Well I’ve just been trying to play ProtoGalaxy but I am getting frustrated by the wierd menu lay-out and non-existent? hotkeys – for example I just got stuck in editor mode with no obvious way of exiting and ended up having to kill the process. The few posts over on the Source Studio forums seem very technical but I can’t yet find some very basic and simple instructions of how to get into the single player game (I just keep getting sent back to the basic tutorial (although I think you can exit this one using the ‘return’ key), either that or something about going online.
I’m sure here is a good game under the lid, if I can figure out a way in…
24/11/2010 at 20:24 Caleb367 says:
Great they will get more titles on each day, since they’ve managed to nail exactly the ones i’m least interested in. ‘cept Prototype which is awesome. Also already in my possession.
24/11/2010 at 20:24 coldwave says:
Ok, don’t laugh, I just bought Deus Ex.
24/11/2010 at 21:02 noobnob says:
When Paul asks you which weapon you want, make sure to get the GEP gun for silent takedowns.
Have fun!
24/11/2010 at 21:57 MD says:
Stick with the prod! Prod with the prod! Just in case though, we’re police.
24/11/2010 at 22:46 D says:
A non-lethal takedown is always the most silent taked…
25/11/2010 at 00:04 mpk says:
I got bored of Deus Ex halfway through. Never completed it.
25/11/2010 at 00:40 Bubbscience says:
What a shame.
25/11/2010 at 02:07 panther says:
Just bought deus ex. Remember when I was much younger I asked my dad to buy it for me and he came home with daikatana.
25/11/2010 at 11:22 Malibu Stacey says:
John Romero really did make you his bitch.
25/11/2010 at 11:48 Caleb367 says:
There’s a black helicopter watching your home now.
24/11/2010 at 20:28 Gotem says:
be aware that the wishlist must have at least 10 entries to be elegible for the contest
Edit: you are right
*ehem* the number of items shall be five, and five is the number of items. ten is right off!
24/11/2010 at 20:31 orangedragon10 says:
Shhhh, the less competition, the better! :P
24/11/2010 at 20:30 Frosty says:
Gods how I hope Bioshock 2 ends up in this sale at some point.
24/11/2010 at 22:06 MrTambourineMan says:
I bet it actually will (it was on sale on GFWL last weekend as well).
24/11/2010 at 23:46 MrLongHair says:
I didn’t enjoy Bioshock 2 at all.. just a warning. Loved the first one and felt the second was a dull re-hash. Just MHO tho.
24/11/2010 at 20:31 Lars Westergren says:
Note that you must have at least 10 games on your wishlist to be in the lottery…
24/11/2010 at 20:33 Matt W says:
Sir, sir, can I be excused sir, I already own three copies of BG&E.
24/11/2010 at 22:38 Little Tohya says:
I started it on PS2, got a couple of hours in, didn’t think much of it, not interested in spending £2 on it.
Prototype however, currently downloading.
24/11/2010 at 20:34 Kloreep says:
Another sale folks might want to hear about: Dragon Age Ultimate Edition for $25 at Impulse.
http://www.impulsedriven.com/daultimate
24/11/2010 at 21:38 Delusibeta says:
“Sorry, this item is not available in your region”.
Nope.
25/11/2010 at 04:52 dc says:
Only North America :-/ And here I was hoping that my zavvifail would be covered by this offer ;-) Ah well…
24/11/2010 at 20:35 President Weasel says:
The RPS Thumb-o-tron said “FOUR THUMBS UP” for RUSE so I bought it. I’m hoping our “we would play civ 5 if the mupltiplayer wasn’t irksomely buggy” group can get some enjoyment out of it.
Is it too early to give the gift of games as a Christmas present? What are the rules on that; is there a Christmas present demilitarised zone I’m not aware of?
24/11/2010 at 20:35 OldRat says:
Well, I now have a wishlist. It is, indeed, loaded with expensive, new, shiny games. Of course, I will never, ever win anything, but hey.
24/11/2010 at 20:40 Mccy_McFlinn says:
I LOVE STEAM SALES!!!!!!
24/11/2010 at 20:40 Tally Lassiter says:
Shank, not so good? Rubbish. I loved the game and still do. I worked out a not so bad keyboard setup too but now I have a controller so me and my roommate or me and my girl can play together and it’s excellent fun. I already have most of what interests me from this sale, though. I’m only going to get SM[eat]B I think.
24/11/2010 at 21:14 andy clementson says:
Seconded. Shank is ace. (soz, didnt see post before posting)
25/11/2010 at 01:18 puked says:
Shank looks like some stylish bastard child of Final Fight and Metal Slug, at $10 I pretty much have to try it.
25/11/2010 at 10:09 bonjovi says:
shank is well worth its full price. on sale? – must have.
if you like fighting side scrollers that is (if you don’t then you’re weird :P )
24/11/2010 at 20:45 Casimir's Blake says:
Hang on, is this still RPS, the bastion of gaming journalism we’ve come to know and love?
You should also totally buy Beyond Good & Evil for £2 from GetGames, or you’re an idiot.
For the same reasons I never bought Psychonauts? Or most of the games in this sale and previous Steam sales… there’s not enough time in the day? None of the games are that compelling? I’ve got enough to do in my life when I’m not working, writing an album, and staving off a Minecrack addiction?
Alec, are you taking over where Kieron’s pushy, offputting machismo left off? At least Quintin qualified his reasons for disliking New Vegas…
24/11/2010 at 20:53 Alec Meer says:
I know you’ve put a lot of effort into finding an excuse to turn playfulness into a fight, but I don’t want one. Byeeeeee!
24/11/2010 at 21:02 Unaco says:
I think that retort is possibly better than many of the games on today’s sale. It’s getting added to my collection of “Wonderful Things People Have Said on the Internet”. I tip my hat to you Mr Meer.
24/11/2010 at 21:06 Matzerath says:
No slacking off! Get back to work on that album!
24/11/2010 at 21:13 Casimir's Blake says:
Actually the album’s finished.
Probably also because I didn’t waste money and time on games that will never get played. I continue to read RPS in the hopes that they will mention titles that might be of interest (and for what it’s worth, Protogalaxy looks superb), but being pre-emptively proclaimed an idiot for deciding not to spend money on something?
It’s like I’m reading latter-days PC Format again.
24/11/2010 at 21:22 mcnostril says:
Pushy Offputting Machismo.
I wish I had musical talent so I could make a garage band and name it that.
Then I’m glad I don’t because I would probably be changing band names every 15 minutes and never actually do any music.
24/11/2010 at 21:53 JuJuCam says:
BG&E is like an 8 hour game. Most of which is fairly enjoyable. If you can’t spare 8 hours and two of your fancy British pounds for a game what are you doing reading a gaming website at all?
24/11/2010 at 22:59 DrGonzo says:
BGE is a good game and all, but I wouldn’t say it’s a must play or anything. It’s a better idea for a game than it is an actual game if you get me. It has a lot of potential to be some kind of game about journalism and investigating, but basically just ends up being a lot like Zelda. Like I said, very good, but not a classic.
Now Psychonauts on the other hand, it basically has the best level design I’ve ever seen. Yeah the first 3-5 hours are pretty shite. But it really picks up after that.
24/11/2010 at 23:18 Collic says:
Admit it, you only posted a contentious comment on here so you could pimp your album :P
25/11/2010 at 00:06 mpk says:
I’m with Alec. Calm down dear, it’s only a commercial.
25/11/2010 at 00:10 ceebux says:
+1 for Collic.
Sneaky URL add, there.
25/11/2010 at 02:27 skinlo says:
Silly emotional musician.
25/11/2010 at 02:35 panther says:
listen to meeeee im a musciaannnnn
25/11/2010 at 03:17 invisiblejesus says:
Kieron and machismo in the same sentence? Dude, NO ONE who listens to Kenickie may be referred to as having machismo. NO ONE.
24/11/2010 at 20:49 Arthur Barnhouse says:
$2 for Beyond Good and Evil? I wish I hadn’t already bought it so I could buy it again.
24/11/2010 at 20:49 Clovis says:
Steam should offer a 10 pack of Super Girly Pink Pony Time! or whatever. I bet they’d get quite a few sales from jokesters looking to pretty up their friend’s games lists.
24/11/2010 at 22:07 mwoody says:
This… is actually clever as hell. Wow. Y’know, if that “YOU ARE WINNAR” game was on Steam, for $10 for a 10-pack… They’d probably make more than many actually good games.
24/11/2010 at 21:10 laikapants says:
I don’t know if it is a good or bad thing that I already own most anything I would’ve considered buying in this year’s wallet murder spree. At least AP dropped to an agreeable price.
24/11/2010 at 21:12 andy clementson says:
Why are ppl down on Shank? is there some game killing exploit like rise of the machines 2 in it or something? if so, dont tell me what it is ’cause i think the game rocks.
24/11/2010 at 21:29 Mike says:
I, for one, had a blast playing Shank.
24/11/2010 at 21:33 Samuel Erikson says:
I spent about 20 minutes with it and found the gameplay not to my tastes and the lack of subtitles completely hateful and reprehensible. With subtitles I might have stuck with it, but any game that forces me to listen to its (invariably) mediocre voice acting to get the story is not worth my time.
24/11/2010 at 23:03 DrGonzo says:
I think hateful is probably taking it a little far. I found it to be very entertaining, but way too short.
24/11/2010 at 23:22 Samuel Erikson says:
Perhaps hateful is a little extreme. How about completely ignorant of basic accessibility?
24/11/2010 at 23:43 DrGonzo says:
Yeah that’s perfect actually.
25/11/2010 at 03:24 invisiblejesus says:
I really liked Shank. I’d buy it (or likely would already have bought it) if I hadn’t already grabbed it on my roomate’s PS3 a couple months ago. If it dropped to $5 I’d likely buy it again on Steam just to play with a 360 pad instead of the crappy Sony controller.
25/11/2010 at 13:20 Insidious Rex says:
As someone with deaf relatives I find the lack of subtitles as standard for many games to be a particular bugbear for me. Not to mention the borderline contempt that television treats their subtitles, try to watch The Simpsons on channel 4 with the subtitles and see how many jokes get changed or missed completely by the omission of certain words.
24/11/2010 at 21:24 scardb says:
Does the wishlist giveaway work with pre-orders too by any chance? (You can add games to your wishlist in advance but I want to know if they’ll be honouring that giveaway in several months when a game such as the witcher 2 actually releases). I couldn’t find an answer within the sweepstakes rules.
24/11/2010 at 21:38 Delusibeta says:
AFAIK Valve has posted to say that “if you can add it to your wishlist, you can win it”.
25/11/2010 at 00:14 malkav11 says:
With Steam preorders, you buy it immediately and it goes in your library. Just can’t download it until it comes out. As such it ought to be easy enough for them to give you preorders if you win.
25/11/2010 at 00:54 scardb says:
@Delusibeta and malkav11, thanks for your replies. Got myself a nice little selection now. Gogo miniscule chances of actually winning!
25/11/2010 at 09:32 Maxheadroom says:
Some games (like Warhammer 40k Space Marine for instance) dont have a price so you cant pre buy them, but you can add them to your wishlist. Are those eligible too?
25/11/2010 at 09:40 Maxheadroom says:
*Actually Portal 2 would be a much better example of a pre release game with no option to buy yet
24/11/2010 at 21:35 Vandelay says:
RUSE for £20 still seems a little steep for me at the moment. RUSE for £15 however… Anyone up for doing the 6 pack or needs a 6th person?
Definitely getting Alpha Protocol though. Whether had flaws or not, it still had a unique premise and I really think an RPG that doesn’t have pointy ears of the alien or elfy kind should be encouraged.
24/11/2010 at 22:46 Pesforozo says:
RUSE for £15: http://www.zavvi.com/games/platforms/pc/r.u.s.e/10066798.html
You get a box, and still add it to Steam, no dealing around required.
25/11/2010 at 00:09 Vandelay says:
And I don’t need to rush and get it, giving me time to finish off with other games first. Thanks for the tip off.
24/11/2010 at 21:41 Delusibeta says:
Also, you can cut out Invisible War and go straight to Deus Ex 1 for £1.50.
24/11/2010 at 23:05 DrGonzo says:
I’d really recommend getting IW with it though. Looking back you can see that Deus Ex isn’t quite as good as we all like to remember, and IW is a lot better than people say.
25/11/2010 at 09:32 phlebas says:
But it’s a penny cheaper to buy them separately anyway.
24/11/2010 at 22:02 mwoody says:
‘Dunno if someone has mentioned this yet, but it’s non-obvious and bears repeating: unlike, say, Netflix, if you reorder your Steam wish list, you HAVE to click the tiny “save” button at the bottom of the page for it to remember your changes.
24/11/2010 at 22:02 toni says:
alpha protocoll is awesome and I MAXED stealth and had NO problems at all, unarmed + stealth == ownage
24/11/2010 at 22:04 TooNu says:
BORDERLANDS BOUGHT!
sexy time ooooh
24/11/2010 at 22:08 Vinraith says:
What’s kind of scary is that my backlog of games has reached such epic proportions that I’m finding it difficult to find things to put on the wishlist in the hopes of getting them free. That’s… that’s just wrong…
24/11/2010 at 22:39 Rinox says:
Vin, do like me and put games that aren’t out yet on there – postponing more possible backlog issues!
24/11/2010 at 23:01 Vinraith says:
@Rinox
Yeah, that’s exactly what I ended up doing. Cheers!
25/11/2010 at 06:28 Blackberries says:
Vinraith: I had exactly the same problem. It was a bit worrying.
25/11/2010 at 16:02 Thermal Ions says:
Yes hoping to save some future dollars.
24/11/2010 at 22:11 drewski says:
Alas, I already own both Deus Ex games. Alpha Protocol is US$12.50 in my region, which is just slightly out of my impulse buy territory. Maybe if I could play it right now I would buy it, but this computer won’t run it.
Still, I shall make sure I check out future days of saleness.
24/11/2010 at 22:11 Wolfox says:
RUSE with a 50% discount would be an instant buy for me. 33%, not so sure.
24/11/2010 at 22:18 Kdansky says:
Do not buy Beyond Good and Evil.
It has stupid copy protection (TAGES) which cannot install itself on a 64bit Win7/Vista. Which isn’t bad, since that is pretty much a root kit anyway. And if you get a decent crack, it still fails to start because the idiots forgot to pack some older DirectX 9 dlls which don’t come with modern systems. Now I’ll have to hunt for those too.
24/11/2010 at 23:14 subedii says:
GOG.com would appear to have you covered on both parts.
Maybe a bit more expensive, but DRM free. I had no issues running it (barring some occasional graphical glitching) so I couldn’t say on that front, but I do know that GOG generally reconfigure games to work on modern systems.
25/11/2010 at 06:30 Arthur Barnhouse says:
Is this something Get Games added? I didn’t have to install any additional DRM when I bought Beyond Goos and Evil earlier this year.
24/11/2010 at 22:20 The Dark One says:
The Nemesis thing is there to remind you that you can gift Numen and Bad Rats to that one guy who tricked you in a TF2 hat trade.
24/11/2010 at 22:33 Vinraith says:
What’s the DRM on Alpha Protocol these days? I remember something about limited installs with a promise to remove them later when it was released, were they ever actually removed? Is there a difference between the retail DRM and the Steam version’s DRM?
Actually, same questions for Prototype as well. Thanks to anyone that knows.
24/11/2010 at 23:03 Delusibeta says:
AFAIK Alpha Protocol uses Unilock (as seen in the recent Football Manager games). AFAIK they said that the DRM would be removed 12 months after release (which hasn’t passed yet).
24/11/2010 at 23:06 M_the_C says:
@Vinraith
Still listed as Uniloc 5 machine activation limit on the Steam page (and also mentioned on Gamersgate). It’s also listed on the Unofficial List of Steam Games with DRM thread:
Which makes it sometime around the end of May 2012.
Nothing on Prototype that I can find.
24/11/2010 at 23:09 M_the_C says:
Whoops, forgot the link.
Unofficial List of Steam Games with DRM
Near the bottom of section two.
24/11/2010 at 23:33 Vinraith says:
Thanks guys! If the time limit isn’t up, I can only call that fair. At this price it’s not a major obstacle.
24/11/2010 at 23:58 Blather Blob says:
Alpha Protocol’s 1.10 patch seems to have quietly released yesterday, which lists among other changes “To resolve activation issues, PC copy protection has been removed.”
No idea if the patch will make it to Steam (you’ve said the 1401 DRM-removal patch didn’t make it, right?), but it exists.
25/11/2010 at 00:11 Vinraith says:
@Blather Blob
I don’t know about Steam, but Gamersgate has the 1.10 patch and has matched Steam’s price ($7.50 in the US) so I got it there.
25/11/2010 at 08:06 Ravenger says:
According to the Steam Forums the patch works on the Steam version too, so I’m getting Alpha Protocol.
24/11/2010 at 22:35 CaptainHairy says:
£8? To encourage 8 of my friends to play Deus Ex?
SOLD
25/11/2010 at 12:13 Sadius says:
If you have one copy you won’t use I’ll be happy to receive it =)
24/11/2010 at 22:43 shinygerbil says:
Why Steam, WHYYYYYYY do you do these things just BEFORE payday?? :(
24/11/2010 at 22:49 squareking says:
I wouldn’t mind a Borderlands if someone was feeling generous.
24/11/2010 at 22:51 day says:
Get BG&E cheap or wait for super shiny HD remake?
(never played it)
24/11/2010 at 22:59 Kdansky says:
Wait. Cheap version does not run due to shitty DRM and old drivers.
24/11/2010 at 23:11 subedii says:
Well if you don’t mind getting it slightly less cheap, the GOG.com version has no DRM.
EDIT: I just realised I responded to you in two different places saying the same thing. Woops.
24/11/2010 at 23:22 DrGonzo says:
Super shiny remake isn’t a remake, it IS the PC version. Or at least that screenshot comparison thread (which I’ve lost, but try google) suggests they are the exact same thing.
25/11/2010 at 09:29 Eclipse says:
@day: HD remake? BG&E for PC is already what console people call “HD”, you can select your preferred resolution…
@Kdansky: there’s no DRM on BG&E…. And if you don’t like getgames or steam it’s also on GOG.
25/11/2010 at 11:28 Malibu Stacey says:
Ah Eclipse you’re one of those stupid people who think HD refers to screen resolutions only.
25/11/2010 at 13:26 CMaster says:
@Eclipse.
Yes there is. And it doesn’t work on 64-bit OSes.
However, I do believe that non of the digital distribution versions have it.
25/11/2010 at 19:26 Kdansky says:
Sorry to disappoint. The 2£ getgames one has TAGES shitcrap.
And it also has issues with my graphics card. Apparently, I should “get the newest drivers”, since mine are outdated.
24/11/2010 at 22:52 Buemba says:
(Excuse this cross post from the RPS Data Smuggling Ring thread on the forums, but I don’t want to miss this opportunity to get AP for such a low price)
Would anybody be willing to help me get Alpha Protocol through Steam during this one day sale? Please PM me.
24/11/2010 at 22:55 Basilicus says:
I’ll be the one to do it. I’ll be the one to recommend Deus Ex: Invisible War.
Is it in the same league as the first? Not at all. Is it still a good game with some ridiculously fun gameplay and decent range of in-game choices? Yes. It lacks the ranginess of approach options to any challenge that its predecessor had, but it’s fun in comparison to Deus Ex in the same way Thief 3 is still fun despite not living up to Thief 1 & 2. For $2.50, Invisible War is well worth the investment.
And if you still haven’t played the first Deus Ex, get on it already.
24/11/2010 at 23:18 Casimir's Blake says:
Leaving aside the unjustified praise for the first game (seriously shocking opening level design and broken stealth and dodgy UI… ugh!), it’s reassuring to see someone else with this opinion of DX2. Sadly I can only base my “experience” of it from watching youtube vids. The game refused to work for me. Does the Steam version have the same issues starting up as the original retail release?
24/11/2010 at 23:21 Nick says:
Unjustified praise of the first game eh? How different of you.
24/11/2010 at 23:25 DrGonzo says:
I enjoyed the second one too, although I like the first one. It should be noted that the second one has huge load screens even now. It actually kicks you back out to the desktop and then seems to load the game again at each load screen. Which is basically going to be at the end of almost every corridor.
24/11/2010 at 23:36 airtekh says:
@Casimir’s Blake
I have the Steam version and it worked fine for me on Windows 7 32-bit. However, I found it a real pain to try and get the widescreen mod working. I ended up playing it in stretch-o-vision on my 1920×1080 monitor.
Also nodding in agreement with regards to the second game. The degree of contempt in which it is held by a lot of people is baffling. It’s a decent game in its own right.
24/11/2010 at 23:48 sebmojo says:
Deus Ex is the worst great game. Almost every part of it is shoddy, clunky and ugly. But it’s still great.
Go figure, as they say.
Incidentally DX2 doesn’t play nice with dual and multicore processors, IIRC – so you’ll need to run the patch that ties it to only one processor.
25/11/2010 at 09:33 Eclipse says:
Agreed, Deus Ex: Invisible War is a great game, on par with Deus Ex, just a different take on the gameplay. Deus Ex 1, even If I love it, didn’t aged so well
25/11/2010 at 13:35 CMaster says:
And I feel the need to chip in the counter to some of the opinions here.
Deus Ex hasn’t aged especially badly at all.
Yes, the first mission throws you in a little at the deep end (it’s actually a level you come to appreciate once you know what you are doing, but is a bit hard and confusing at first – oh, and instagibs you a bit too often on Realistic). But the core gameplay is still as great as it ever was, and the shooting is still its own little RPGey thing.
Invisible War however (a game that I enjoyed, but didn’t love) on the first playthrough has aged appallingly in my eyes. I’ve been back to try and play it in 2007 and 2009 I think, and both times simply couldn’t stomach it. At launch, it had the strength of being moderatley pretty with being one of the first UE2 games. Now however, horrible decisions like NPCs spending most of their time in reference pose and a badly implement bloom stand out. The UI is genuinley awful and confusing to navigate. The whole thing looks murky and blury. The crosshair is daft. Loading points are constant. And at it’s heart, the game doesn’t commend itself the way DX does. The combat is thoroughly unsatisfying, the multiple options are severely constrained, the level design is lacking. Oh, and the plot struggle to find its own way, eventually just rehasing the ending of the 1st one.
I’m not saying those of you that prefer DX:IW do DX have no right to. I’m just arguing against the “DX:IW would be a great game if not for DX” and “IW has aged better than DX” lines I often see repeated.
I’m also not denying the real improvements that the IW made – the way you used multitools automatically on locked doors, the decisions that persisted between levels and the fact that you weren’t completely impervious to harm by the end.
24/11/2010 at 23:32 Vinraith says:
Looks like Gamersgate matched Steam’s price on Alpha Protocol, so I ended up grabbing it there.
24/11/2010 at 23:46 sebmojo says:
I feel like the zombified crewmembers in SS2 – KILL ME
25/11/2010 at 00:09 Basilicus says:
Oh God. System Shock 2. If they released that today, I’d put everything else to the side and play nothing else. What an incredible and terrifying experience that game was.
25/11/2010 at 12:59 Subject 706 says:
I sometimes (ok, very often) dream of HD remakes of both SS1 and SS2. And a proper SS3. A man can always dream…*sniffle*
25/11/2010 at 00:06 slayniac says:
Deus Ex Collection, 50% incredible. I totally agree. Lets all hope for the 66%.
25/11/2010 at 00:14 ceebux says:
FYI for Australians looking for Alpha Protocol – there’s still some regional price disparity so Gamersgate is the place to buy it; it’s $7.50 as opposed to Steam’s $12.50.
25/11/2010 at 00:23 ROFLGASM says:
ill take a copy of anygame if anyone bought a pack and got an extra :D my id is ROFLGASM and my picture should be of a narwhal
25/11/2010 at 00:47 Flameberge says:
Hey guys, I’m tempted by prototype, but does anyone know if the Steam version comes with GfWL? I know the retail boxed copy did…(according to wikipedia anyway)
25/11/2010 at 00:52 Vinraith says:
If the boxed copy did, the Steam version does.
25/11/2010 at 03:36 Alastayr says:
No version ever did. The game is a Games for Windows title, not Games for Windows Live. The two are not the same.
And Wikipedia doesn’t mention GfWL at all…
25/11/2010 at 01:39 MattM says:
Not my 5 most wanted, but 5 wanted games with high prices.
1. Risen
2. Darksiders
3. Recettear
4. Fallout 3 GOTY
5. Call of Duty: Black Ops
What’s in your top five?
Also why are COD 4, MW 2 and WAW still so expensive? Most contemporary AAA releases are selling for ~ $20 now.
25/11/2010 at 06:43 Arthur Barnhouse says:
Simple, the demand is still significant enough to allow for prices that high, crazy as that may seem.
25/11/2010 at 18:47 mwoody says:
If Recettear is on your wish list, you need to go look at today’s sales…
25/11/2010 at 01:39 ShawnClapper says:
I’ve had an extra copy to gift of Half Life 2 since the game came out and everyone I know already owns the game.
If anyone out there wants it, post your steamid below (only one copy) and I’ll see if I can gift it to you.
25/11/2010 at 01:44 Nic Clapper says:
Me!
25/11/2010 at 01:47 ShawnClapper says:
You bastard Nic.
(It’s still available, that’s just my brother being an ass)
25/11/2010 at 01:55 Sadius says:
I have it already but a friend of mine will be happy to receive it, should he register or can I just put his steam ID?
25/11/2010 at 01:57 ShawnClapper says:
I think posting his steamid should work. In sending gift options I have enter persons e-mail or send directly through steamid.
25/11/2010 at 01:59 ShawnClapper says:
Oh appears when I choose send directly through steam it only shows my friends to choose from. So we will have to be friends first.
My steamid is ShawnJC
25/11/2010 at 01:59 Sadius says:
His id is peiam.ciro, he is online right now unfortunately. But will be surely online tomorrow when I tell about the gift he has received. Thank you very much!
25/11/2010 at 02:09 ROFLGASM says:
dude i want it i have been meaning to get hl2 forever now and couldnt rlly!
STEAMID: ROFLGASM
pm me first! my picture should be of a narwhal
25/11/2010 at 02:37 ShawnClapper says:
Sorry ROFLGASM :). Already gave it away…
25/11/2010 at 02:49 ROFLGASM says:
:( even tho i had it posted above first :’(
25/11/2010 at 01:57 Sadius says:
Deus ex looks like a nice game, anybody who has bought the 8 pack deal has a copy that won’t use ?
25/11/2010 at 03:31 Mistabashi says:
It’s three bloody quid man! That won’t even buy you a pint around here…
Deus Ex is, by the way, one of the greatest games ever (despite being decidedly clunky in places).
25/11/2010 at 02:53 Gabe Kotick says:
I wonder if the TF2 item store will have a sale?
25/11/2010 at 06:21 Vague-rant says:
THEY’RE JUST HATS!
*ahem* I doubt it.
25/11/2010 at 09:45 P7uen says:
THEY’RE
JUSTHATS!Ficksed!
25/11/2010 at 03:45 VinHenry says:
If anyone is getting the Half-Life 2 10-pack and is kind enough to gift me one, I’d really appreciate it. My email is fellmc2@yahoo.com. I’ve never gotten around getting the game…but if someone sends it to me I will gladly gift the person Deux Ex in return.
25/11/2010 at 06:24 taki says:
I’ve sent you my spare copy of Half-Life 2. Looking forward to trying out Deus Ex!!!
25/11/2010 at 06:25 taki says:
PS. I’ve sent it through steam from the steam account “taki_2005″
25/11/2010 at 09:32 VinHenry says:
Thanks man I appreciate it! I’ve sent the gift to your email, so enjoy!
25/11/2010 at 11:13 taki says:
Cheers mate. I’ve had the spare copy for years. Downloading Deus Ex now!! :)
25/11/2010 at 04:00 mcnostril says:
Alpha Protocol is off to a great start.
Not even out of the tutorial and already it is aggravating.
I’m not going to judge until the game proper has started, but I can see why some people would just give up at that point.
25/11/2010 at 08:52 Lilliput King says:
It gets worse. The Saudi missions are atrocious. Gets better after that though.
25/11/2010 at 09:21 Heynes says:
I pretty much gave up on the game after playing through the first Saudi mission where apparently my character was completely invisible to the enemy AI, even when standing right in front of them and shooting them in the face. I’d think that such a major bug would be fixed at this point, but it’s just left such a bad first impression that I shudder at the thought of going back to it.
25/11/2010 at 07:42 Urthman says:
Anyone see how to re-order your wishlist to but the five games you want at the top?
25/11/2010 at 08:51 Lilliput King says:
Just click and drag. The talking reindeer told me.
25/11/2010 at 09:02 Coren says:
I’ve found out the hard way that clicking and dragging only works in the Steam client, not on the Steam website. Maybe that’s the problem you’re having too…
25/11/2010 at 23:15 Devan says:
Also, if you’re logged in at the steam website, the rank textboxes become editable, so you can just type in the new ranks and save them that way.
25/11/2010 at 08:23 Catastrophe says:
Vote this as the new “Games Reviews” method.
“Prototype (quite good), Shank (not so good), RUSE (ace), Deus Ex collection (50% incredible), Alpha Protocol (divisive), Counter-Strike Source (you know), Borderlands (mostly great), Sam & Max Season 3 (much better than the earlier seasons, I’m told) and the Indie Energy Pack (ludicrously good value for 5 interesting games) for Reduced Monies. “
25/11/2010 at 09:08 b_baxter says:
Ooooh, sale!
A bit off topic, but still sale/steam related – I’ve got two copies of Plain Sight, fab robo space deathmatch game if anyone wants them – just send me a shout over to baxterb183 on Steam and I’ll gift one your way – well worth a play.
Thought I’d clear out my gift passes bit!
25/11/2010 at 09:47 P7uen says:
Ooh me, me!
25/11/2010 at 12:11 Sadius says:
I added you to steam ;)
25/11/2010 at 15:10 b_baxter says:
Shall reward thy addingness once I get home, sometime over the weekend!
25/11/2010 at 09:57 zipdrive says:
So, anyone for a 6-pack of RUSE together? I like to share!
Since RPS has no Reply notification, please contact me at itamar(at sign)hamishakia(dot)co(dot)il.
25/11/2010 at 12:33 Vandelay says:
As someone pointed out to myself a little way up, it is available from Zavvi for the same price without the need to organise 6 people.
25/11/2010 at 10:07 Poppis says:
Man, I wish I could put TF2 hats on my wishlist…
25/11/2010 at 14:46 Sinomatic says:
I caved and bought Alpha Protocol, thinking that if the deus ex-like descriptions were even remotely accurate in any way, I could probably put up with some bugs……and the game doesn’t even run past the launcher.
Tried everything I could see on the steam and the sega forums with no joy.
I am sad bunny.
25/11/2010 at 15:14 Rond says:
Anyone knows if this “wishlist lottery” works for games that haven’t been released yet? As in Steam giving me a free pre-purchase?
25/11/2010 at 15:46 Jp1138 says:
If you can add it to the wishlist, you can get it for free.
25/11/2010 at 15:51 Rond says:
Yeah, I thought the same. I’d love to get Deus Ex:HR and Brink for free.
25/11/2010 at 15:31 Basilicus says:
I’ll review the INDIE ENERGY PACK, from the couple of hours I’ve now had with it. From best to worst:
GALCON FUSION: Great light strategy puzzler. Most rounds are over in 3 minutes or less, but I’ve had some epic matches go 10-15 minutes, and that’s on a mid-range difficulty setting. This pleases me to no end. A lot of different match types should make this well worth the $5 on its own.
PROTOGALAXY: Solid, 2D, roving space shooter with character. Setup feels a bit like Raptor: Call of the Shadows, with lots of different weapons and upgrades. Gameplay has a little more thought involved, though. Feels right where it needs to be. Definitely worth the $5 on its own.
GRIDRUNNER REVOLUTION: One of the weirdest games I’ve played. Combo of Space Invaders and government experiment centered around LSD. While it doesn’t seem difficult, I didn’t last that long in it. It’s not a great game, but I have the strange urge to push on toward new levels. Wouldn’t have bought it on its own, but I am awfully glad I own it now. DO NOT PLAY IF YOU HAVE EPILEPSY. YOU WILL DIE.
QUANTZ: Iffy 3D color-matching puzzler. Its visual design is solid and attractive, but I’ve played it a bunch and there’s not a whole lot of challenge to it. Hopefully it picks up and offers more of a challenge in later levels. For point of reference, I like my puzzlers in the thoughtful World of Goo-to-hairpulling Puzzle Dimensions territory. This doesn’t live up so far. Would not have bought it on its own.
BRAINPIPE: Total waste of time. Fun for about 15 seconds. Soggy controls and not much point to the gameplay for a tunnel navigator. Wouldn’t keep it on my computer for free.
All in all, I think it’s a great value for Galcon Fusion and Protogalaxy on their own. It feels more like I paid $5 for those 2 games and got 3 free ones thrown in.
25/11/2010 at 16:01 ROFLGASM says:
anyone got a copy of half life 2 they would to share? i have been meaning to get it for a while now…
STEAM ID: ROFLGASM
ID PICTURE/AVATAR: NARWHAL
25/11/2010 at 17:43 Anti_ROFLGASM says:
You seem like a douche.
25/11/2010 at 17:55 noobnob says:
Current batch of games of sale will be soon disposed, and a new, fresh one will come soon.
GET YOUR WALLETS READY
25/11/2010 at 18:45 mwoody says:
Holy crapnuggets, I’ve been waiting for Recettear to go on sale, but this is ridiculous! A $20 game as part of a $5 5-game pack!?
25/11/2010 at 19:30 Sinomatic says:
Not sure I can afford this (I have no pennies and there’s more sale to come, I’m being restrained) but blimey, good deal.
Also, holy crapnuggets is my favourite new phrase.
25/11/2010 at 19:30 stahlwerk says:
I feel almost bad for purchasing it for that price :-(
25/11/2010 at 19:30 malkav11 says:
No kidding. And with the possible exception of Jolly Rover, about which I know nothing, all of the other games in the pack are also quality productions. It was an instant buy for me.
25/11/2010 at 19:31 Kdansky says:
Except the other four games are somewhere between bleh (Gish, which I own twice already, and still think it’s bad) and eeewww (anthro dogs). I would really prefer to buy Recettear alone for the same price so their devs get more money.
25/11/2010 at 19:40 stahlwerk says:
Anthro Dogs? Do you mean Jolly Rover? As long as there’s no blatant anthro-dog-nekkidness for the purpose of fur-fan-service involved, I’m okay with it, I guess. You do realize that the concept of a fable is quite a lot older than most internet subcultures?
I just bought the pack, it contains
And Yet it Moves
Gish
Jolly Rover
Puzzle Agent
Recettear
25/11/2010 at 20:34 John Peat says:
KDansky should stop moaning and wait until Recettear gets a multipack offer later in the week.
Then he can buy it and give the copies away to people like ME! :)
25/11/2010 at 20:19 Gotem says:
Is anyone getting the defense grid 10 pack?
25/11/2010 at 20:23 Mccy_McFlinn says:
Details on the indie packs can be found here:
http://savygamer.co.uk/2010/11/25/complete-list-of-steam-sale-indie-bundles-and-gift-packs-leaked/
Some real gems in there.
25/11/2010 at 20:31 noobnob says:
Nice find, looks like I’ll get the clever pack because I was planning to buy VVVVVV anyways.
25/11/2010 at 23:03 Sinomatic says:
Clever pack is the one I’ve got my eye on too, for VVVVVV and Eufloria (which I’ve not played since it was called Dyson). Got goo already, and the other two look like they might be interesting enough to poke about in. Damn good deal all round methinks.
26/11/2010 at 00:42 mwoody says:
Hunh, Gratuitous Space Battles on there, was playing the demo and liking that last night. The weird thing is, though: I’m not sure I want the base game alone, assuming that’s what’s going to be on sale, when there’s so much DLC. And I don’t want to buy the DLC bit by bit for $6 each because you can get it all for $5 when you buy the big everything pack… It’s like the pricing system conspires against itself to make me feel screwed no matter what I do. >.<
25/11/2010 at 23:54 ShawnClapper says:
Guess I have more to give away :).
Checking through my gift passes I noticed an extra copy of World of Goo that I got for a friend a loong time ago who is never going to redeem it.
Anyone who wants my extra World of Goo copy be the first to reply to THIS post….
26/11/2010 at 00:46 Jed says:
FIRST TO REPLY! jed_hubic@yahoo.com :)
26/11/2010 at 01:02 ShawnClapper says:
Posting your e-mail address in public. Are you mad?
Anyway, game sent to that e-mail. Or “resent”. I didn’t see an option to change the gift message so you might get something that doesn’t make sense heh. I honestly can’t remember what I wrote….
26/11/2010 at 01:41 Jed says:
Haha it makes enough sense and I just got it! Thank you very much kind sir. Karma++ for you!!!
26/11/2010 at 06:11 puked says:
Impulse has some really good stuff on sale too right now, like Tropico 3 for $7.50 and a Stalker pack for $10:
http://www.impulsedriven.com/explore/all/onsale
26/11/2010 at 06:14 MD says:
Tropico 3 is $5 on GamersGate :)
Any recommedations at that price? It’s not the gold edition, just the base game.
25/11/2010 at 09:36 phlebas says:
I don’t want your forking shoes.