The Steam 2012 Summer Sale anticipation thread - Because it is Inevitable

[hariseldon]

Civ, you'll have fun with both tbh, unless you're a hardcore player as they don't seem to like 5 for some reason.

[hamster]

Why can't they sell Shivering Isles by itself? I already have Oblivion.

[Fumarole]

How about the DE:HR DLC, is it worthwhile?

[Tritagonist]

How about the DE:HR DLC, is it worthwhile?

The Missing Link is a mission that I think was cut from the game - because it slots in perfectly between two other locations - but is still good fun. The main complaint here being that the map design requires a fair bit of running back and forth, which isn't always interesting, and makes issues of scripted spawning more obvious. I think it took me between two and three hours to complete this one, which I think isn't worth the regular €11 price, but for €2,74 it's decent enough. It has a separate launcher, so you'll have to manually decide to do this extra mission. To avoid spoilers, I'll summarize by saying that it takes place after you leave on a boat.

The Explosive Mission pack is good; it adds a secondary mission to one of the cities that blends in seamlessly with the rest of the game, and while it's 'more of the same', I thought it was so in a good way.

The Tactical Enhancement pack is a bit pointless. You get two extra weapons and a bit of extra in-game cash. It's nice, but I don't think I'd have missed it if I hadn't also picked this one up in an earlier sale.

[Fumarole]

Thanks for the info, I've yet to play the game so was curious what impact it would have on a first play through.

[Spengbab]

Oh dear. Quantum conundrum AND Arkham city...

Also, get Eufloria from the indie pack, its quite unique

[icupnimpn2]

Was really disappointed that Ticket to Ride wasn't available on sale outside of the indie pack. I already had the other four games in that pack, I think. Didn't make sense... Could either pay $9.99 for TtR alone, or $9.99 for TtR + four games I already had, thus reducing TtR's share of my money but having no other impact on my game library. I paid for neither.

[elephant god]

So today is ARMA day. I wonder why it says on the store frontpage that "this game is not available in [my] country" (that's germany). It's never prevented me from looking at Arma on the rest of the store.

[Faldrath]

So today is ARMA day. I wonder why it says on the store frontpage that "this game is not available in [my] country" (that's germany). It's never prevented me from looking at Arma on the rest of the store.

I'm getting the same thing, and I'm in Brazil.

[The JG Man]

The "Sorry not recognised" is Arma 2: Combined Operations for 40% off. I'd like to claim all the money off people who I told that it'd be on sale on the final day. Thanks!

Torchlight - Good ARPG, a bit repetitive, but otherwise good fun.

Dawn of War - Okay, where to begin. The series as a whole contains some excellent RTS, but depending on what you want depends more on which one you may want to get. If you like big armies, building construction etc. you'll want DoW1, particularly vanilla, Winter Assault and Dark Crusade. If you like more macro-level play, or where the strongest community will be, you'll want DoW2, particularly Retribution. Note that DoW2 and Chaos Rising require both Steam and GFWL. Sufficed to say, the community has mostly moved onto Retribution which does not require it. That being said, the plot is pretty enjoyable, so if you'd be prepared to play through that once, they're still worth a pick-up.

DoW2 also has the Last Stand mode, a sort of horde/wave co-op mode where you control one character in a team of 3 and must fight as long as possible. The further you get, the more xp, the quicker you level, the more goodies you get to customise your character. Competitive MP has a good community in terms of numbers, but as it's over a year since Retribution came out, there are some very skilled players out there. If I had to recommend one DoW game to you, it'd be Retribution. As for DLC, you may want some of the Last Stand stuff (especially the Tau commander). The items you get aren't so much pay-to-win, more giving your character different viable builds. The cosmetic DLC is more for the harder fans of 40K who particularly want to play as them in MP.

Super Meat Boy is in a flash sale and I cannot recommend it enough. Very hard, but very satisfying platformer. Strongly recommended that you play with a controller.

I'm certain today is the last day of new sales, so if there's anything you're interested in that hasn't come up as a community, flash or daily sale, now's the time to buy it...Sims 3, Sonic 4: Ep 2 and maybe Hard Reset get!

[trjp]

Well, I bought Driver:San Francisco when it was going cheap and boy am I regretting it. First of all, the terrible Uplay DRM caused the game to pause every few seconds even in offline mode (only way to fix it was to disconnect from the internet). When I manage to get into the game without freezing I'm confronted with PS2 era graphics (excluding the cutscene faces) and floaty vehicle handling that's reminiscent of the original PS1 Driver game (eg shite). Not impressed at all, it's going straight onto my imaginary shit pile where I will imagine it going up in imaginary flames along with the real money I spent on it. Boo.

Absolute and utter bollocks from soup to nuts...

PS2-era graphics - you need to go to specsavers, quite seriously - you're utterly blind.

Stuttering and pausing - my rig is no firebird (AMD 245 2.9ghz dual core with an HD5670) and it runs smoother than butter with no issues online or offline whatsoever.

Then you nail it - the original PS1 Driver game was EPIC and BRILLIANT - thus I conclude you've no idea what you're talking about. I also conclude that as you bought a game the best example of which you clearly hated - you're a berk...

[Tritagonist]

I can easily get to ArmA through its regular store page and add it to my cart from there - I don't know if it gives an error when checking out, but that might be worth checking.

I agree with The JG Man that today is probably the last day of new sales, but of course there's still the possibility of Flash Deals or Community Vote deals showing up over the next two days.

Can't really comment on today's daily deals, as I don't think I've played any particularly long or often.

[trjp]

I think tomorrow will be a 'greatest hits' days - it is odd that Warlock only ever appeared as a Flash Sale once (in the middle of the night in Europe IIRC?)

[jnx]

Disappointed that Gods and Kings didn't drop below -25%. Well I guess I'll wait for christmas sale, as with GoT RPG and Kingdoms of Alamurmur.

[The JG Man]

It appears I have made an error; the sales end on Monday, not tomorrow, so you can hold off a day. It is possible that tomorrow will be a 'best of' day, so you still have some time.

[DragonOfTime]

I think tomorrow will be a 'greatest hits' days - it is odd that Warlock only ever appeared as a Flash Sale once (in the middle of the night in Europe IIRC?)
It appeared in the community choice as well, but wasn't chosen. Quite sad actually, because I missed it the first time.
I hope for it tomorrow, but I rather doubt it will be there.

[Tritagonist]

It appears I have made an error; the sales end on Monday, not tomorrow, so you can hold off a day. It is possible that tomorrow will be a 'best of' day, so you still have some time.
It says new deals 'through' July 22nd. That always confuses me a bit, but I think it means that there are indeed new sales on Sunday as well.

[Faldrath]

Did Jagged Alliance: Back in Action ever appear in a flash sale? It was featured in a community choice which it lost, so I don't think we've seen the "full" discount on that yet.

[TheDreamlord]

Did Jagged Alliance: Back in Action ever appear in a flash sale? It was featured in a community choice which it lost, so I don't think we've seen the "full" discount on that yet.

No, it has only appeared in a community choice and it did not win.

[TheDreamlord]

I still can't decide if I should get Rayman Origins for £10 or wait till XMas for a hopefully 75% off.

[Kodeen]

So, time to pick up outliers that haven't been a daily/flash sale yet. How is Bard's Tales?

[trjp]

So, time to pick up outliers that haven't been a daily/flash sale yet. How is Bard's Tales?

How well you'll get on with that is ENTIRELY down to whether you get it's sense of humour...

[gundato]

I loved the Bard's Tale (3d one). It isn't the greatest game gameplay wise, but it is hard to not laugh your ass off the entire time. Plus, Cary Elwes

Also, consider giving Evochron a shot. I only played a few releases back (the devs like to release a patch as a new game every other year...), but I loved it. "Realistic" space physics and (the thing I love about it), you can actually go from space to atmosphere. Problem being that there really isn't much to do on most planets, but it is a nice touch that makes me play every so often.

I hear it is fun in multiplayer, but the SP is pretty weak. But for <$7, I might just update to the latest version.

[Finicky]

Absolute and utter bollocks from soup to nuts...

PS2-era graphics - you need to go to specsavers, quite seriously - you're utterly blind.

Stuttering and pausing - my rig is no firebird (AMD 245 2.9ghz dual core with an HD5670) and it runs smoother than butter with no issues online or offline whatsoever.

Then you nail it - the original PS1 Driver game was EPIC and BRILLIANT - thus I conclude you've no idea what you're talking about. I also conclude that as you bought a game the best example of which you clearly hated - you're a berk...

He's not wrong.
The cars are beautifully modeled but the city itself is some san andreas with a bit more modern lighting style shit, at best it's ps 2.5.
It's sort of kind of understandable since you are supposed to be able to zip the camera around the city really fast in a zoomed out view,but even for an open world game it looks really outdated.

The stutter is a Uplay issue, if you had booted up the game yesterday you would have had it too...

The original driver was awesome for a ps1 game and the handling was nice (and unique) , driver SF's handling feels a lot more arcadey in a bad way and less rewarding, I was a huge fan of driver 1 and expected more of SF. Especially san francisco street jumps feel bad in this game (and felt good in driver psx)

[trjp]

He's not wrong.
It's sort of kind of understandable since you are supposed to be able to zip the camera around the city really fast in a zoomed out view,but even for an open world game it looks really outdated.
Another candidate for SpecSavers here I think - if you think this looks REMOTELY like a PS2 game, plug in your PS2 (you still own one right, you're old enough to have owned one?) and you'll see what's what :)

Bringing the CGI faces into the argument - when they're as good as anything I've seen this side of Blizzards work and WAY ahead of what most games are doing - is really showing the need for corrective vision.

and none of that is talking about the game - which is think is about 400% better than anyone expected and offers endless fun and hijinks.

Let's not be that kind of PC gamer who only likes games which "push their rig" - let's not be elitist or otherwise concerned with FPS and detail and shit like that - let's play the damned game and if you can't get any fun out of Driver:SF - I think there's something wrong with you.

[johnki]

WHY?! WHY ARCEN?! WHY IS A VALLEY WITHOUT WIND STILL NOT ON SALE FOR MORE OF A DISCOUNT?!

Seriously, it's like the only indie game that hasn't done its run yet. Even their other offering, AI War is on sale for 75% off.

[deano2099]

No real need for a 'best of' day at the end of the sales as the community choice and flash deals have been offering second chances on a lot of stuff.

[jnx]

I just wish there'd be another sale on GoT RPG. I read that it was on a flash sale but I was sleeping then apparently :(

[trjp]

WHY?! WHY ARCEN?! WHY IS A VALLEY WITHOUT WIND STILL NOT ON SALE FOR MORE OF A DISCOUNT?!

Seriously, it's like the only indie game that hasn't done its run yet. Even their other offering, AI War is on sale for 75% off.
I was hoping for - well at least waiting in-case there was - a bigger discount on that one, but it's not exactly a staggering sum to ask for a game I've almost paid full-price for several times (but I'm still actually playing the demo!!)

I guess they're trying not be devalue it too much just yet - I'm intrigued by this idea they've had of kickstarting a graphical revamp, I'd love to see that happen because

a - I think it's an interesting idea
b - It will shut the moaners up about how it looks (it plays just fine IMO)

Hey ho

[trjp]

No real need for a 'best of' day at the end of the sales as the community choice and flash deals have been offering second chances on a lot of stuff.

The reason we're assuming no more unique sales is that they've run out of Bundles (at least the leaked ones)...

[johnki]

I was hoping for - well at least waiting in-case there was - a bigger discount on that one, but it's not exactly a staggering sum to ask for a game I've almost paid full-price for several times (but I'm still actually playing the demo!!)

I guess they're trying not be devalue it too much just yet - I'm intrigued by this idea they've had of kickstarting a graphical revamp, I'd love to see that happen because

a - I think it's an interesting idea
b - It will shut the moaners up about how it looks (it plays just fine IMO)

Hey ho
I know it's not a high asking price to begin with, but it's a sale, and I just can't pay that price and feel cost efficient. I paid $7.50 for Shogun 2. It's a $30 game normally. It's the second most expensive purchase I've made this sale. I need more of a discount. :/

[trjp]

I know it's not a high asking price to begin with, but it's a sale, and I just can't pay that price and feel cost efficient. I paid $7.50 for Shogun 2. It's a $30 game normally. It's the second most expensive purchase I've made this sale. I need more of a discount. :/

I know EXACTLY what you're thinking - but sometimes you have to be a bit practical. Sooner or later, every game will me <£4 and you can wait for that if you like - but it just takes a lot longer with some than others.

I paid only a tiny bit more for Batman: AC, and less for LA Noire - but then I paid about the same for YS:Origin and that's probably a lesser experience in time terms (hell, I've had more than £6 of entertainment from AVWW's DEMO!)

In fact, if you've not played-the-hell out of the demo - there's something to do whilst the game drops in price :)

[zookeeper]

I just wish there'd be another sale on GoT RPG. I read that it was on a flash sale but I was sleeping then apparently :(

I was all excited to pick it up. Then I spent 45 minutes with it and haven't touched it again. One of the worst camera systems I've ever seen. Maybe I'll get past that.

[Smashbox]

I'm disappointed Jagged Alliance didn't win the vote. Here's hoping it appears soon, somewhere.

[Protoman]

Is Arma II worth it at that price?
My friends want me to get it for day Z, but... their grand sale is $18. And they're obviously just playing the Day Z card and whoring for money, considering I swear to god in the last summer sale/christmas sale (one of them, if not both) the game was on sale for $5, and they actually have a disclaimer to tell you that Day Z requires combined operations. That seems like a really dick move by the developer- yes, it's a selling point.
It's the equivalent of if, when the free source garry's mod came out, valve had doubled the price on every source game. And then said that you needed half-life 2 and all half-life 2 episodes to run source mods.

But I've heard Day Z is going to go stand-alone soon?

[internetonsetadd]

Thanks JG Man for DoW insight. Very helpful.

I'm still hoping to see Shogun 2 one more time. I think it was a daily or flash and then lost a community vote, so I'm guessing it isn't likely to appear again.

At some point in my life I'd also like to play the HL2 expansions. I own a hard copy of the base game, but somewhere in the mid-2000s lost access to my original Steam account (long-lost e-mail and password).


But I've heard Day Z is going to go stand-alone soon?

I don't know how soon soon is, but it may use a Minecraft-style funding model, which sort of makes soon sooner. I'm undecided on this one as well. I sort of feel that by the time standalone DayZ is released, I'll be playing The Dead Linger instead. And I'm not sure that I want ArmaII just for a mod to play during its development prior to a standalone release that I'd have to pay for again.

[LTK]

It's the equivalent of if, when the free source garry's mod came out, valve had doubled the price on every source game. And then said that you needed half-life 2 and all half-life 2 episodes to run source mods.

Hold on, that's not true. Many Half-Life 2 mods require the main game installed, or Episode 2, but never all three games. That wouldn't make any sense, because no modder is going to use assets from three different but similar games.

Regarding Combined Ops, I'm curious to see where Day Z is headed before deciding to buy this, because yeah, Bohemia knows people will buy this regardless of its discount. I might too.

[zookeeper]

Is Arma II worth it at that price?
My friends want me to get it for day Z, but... their grand sale is $18. And they're obviously just playing the Day Z card and whoring for money, considering I swear to god in the last summer sale/christmas sale (one of them, if not both) the game was on sale for $5, and they actually have a disclaimer to tell you that Day Z requires combined operations. That seems like a really dick move by the developer- yes, it's a selling point.
It's the equivalent of if, when the free source garry's mod came out, valve had doubled the price on every source game. And then said that you needed half-life 2 and all half-life 2 episodes to run source mods.
I'm not sure this is entirely accurate or fair. It's not like they're raising the price because of increased demand, they're just not discounting it as much as they may have otherwise. Those are very different things. If they know that people will by it at x% off, then why would they discount it to 2x% off? That doesn't make sense.

[johnki]

In fact, if you've not played-the-hell out of the demo - there's something to do whilst the game drops in price :)
My only problem with that, really the only one, is that it doesn't have multiplayer. Otherwise, I'd give it a go no problem.

[gundato]

Is Arma II worth it at that price?
My friends want me to get it for day Z, but... their grand sale is $18. And they're obviously just playing the Day Z card and whoring for money, considering I swear to god in the last summer sale/christmas sale (one of them, if not both) the game was on sale for $5, and they actually have a disclaimer to tell you that Day Z requires combined operations. That seems like a really dick move by the developer- yes, it's a selling point.
It's the equivalent of if, when the free source garry's mod came out, valve had doubled the price on every source game. And then said that you needed half-life 2 and all half-life 2 episodes to run source mods.

But I've heard Day Z is going to go stand-alone soon?


Aww, look. Somebody's an entitled little jerk.

Look, Bohemia Interactive made a wonderful game. Then a modder made a very interesting mod, and people who would otherwise not have ever touched ArmA are now buying it in droves (and have been for a few months now). Bohemia are currently preparing to launch two new titles (ArmA 3 and Carrier Command). There is no logical reason for them to do a huge discount: People have been perfectly willing to pay "full price" for the past few months. So they do enough of a sale to encourage purchasers, but they aren't going to give it away.

Now, now, I know. You are gonna say "Oh my gawd! Those whores! How dare they try and get my money! THeir game is garbage! They are just trying to make money off of Day Z!". And honestly, you are partially right. Except for the following:

Day Z is a mod for ArmA, yes. But it is HEAVILY inspired by an OFP mission (many consider it one of the best) where you are basically alone on an island full of Russian soldiers. And I believe BiS recently recreated that with one of the DLCs or patches (I haven't played much of the DLC/Patch campaigns. I spend way too much time in the mission maker).
Yeah, they want money. There is ArmA free for people who want to try the game but not pay. Blame the Day Z dev for not targeting that platform. (maybe, GASP, he likes ArmA too!)

Now, what could you be right on? I mean, you seem to be a horribly incorrect jerk in every other regard. Here, I'll tell you:
They are making money off of Day Z. At this point in ArmA 2's lifecycle, just about everyone who is going to buy it (for the product they made) has bought it. ArmA 3 is coming down the pipe soon, and it looks glorious. So yeah, this sale is for the DayZ people. And considering those people are highly unlikely to touch the core game (and probably will be buying the Standalone in the future), it really isn't in Bohemia's interests to make it a great experience for you guys. They reserve that kind of stuff for their actual fans and supporters (which is why every DLC has had a free version built into the game, and a premium version that is higher res and has a few SP missions).

[Sketch]

I remember that mission in OFP. I just set time acceleration to max and ran about 20km off course and came at my goal from the side. It worked!

[Leopig]

Arma II worth the discounted price? Not even if you halved it again. Terrible game on a terrible engine.

[johnki]

Aww, look. Somebody's an entitled little jerk.

Look, Bohemia Interactive made a wonderful game. Then a modder made a very interesting mod, and people who would otherwise not have ever touched ArmA are now buying it in droves (and have been for a few months now). Bohemia are currently preparing to launch two new titles (ArmA 3 and Carrier Command). There is no logical reason for them to do a huge discount: People have been perfectly willing to pay "full price" for the past few months. So they do enough of a sale to encourage purchasers, but they aren't going to give it away.

Now, now, I know. You are gonna say "Oh my gawd! Those whores! How dare they try and get my money! THeir game is garbage! They are just trying to make money off of Day Z!".I, as well, am a bit insulted that they're only discounting the game up to 40% off, considering the game's expansion pack just passed it's second birthday.

At the same time though, anyone who puts that kind of effort into making a military simulator with any amount of accuracy, and includes the amount of vehicles that ArmA does, as well, deserves the money.

Just like I deserve to say that I still can't afford it.

[gundato]

I, as well, am a bit insulted that they're only discounting the game up to 40% off, considering the game's expansion pack just passed it's second birthday.

At the same time though, anyone who puts that kind of effort into making a military simulator with any amount of accuracy, and includes the amount of vehicles that ArmA does, as well, deserves the money.

Just like I deserve to say that I still can't afford it.

You get the game and the expansion for 18 bucks (usually 30). Maybe it isn't the best bargain during the sale, but it is a pretty good discount.

But yeah, if you can't afford it, that's fine (sucks, but is fine). I just get pissed off at the jerks who basically call the developers whores for wanting to make money on their game because the jerk wants to play a mod without paying.

Especially because BiS have basically been almost everything people ask for in PC developers. They are making innovative games in a non-over saturated genre, they avoid overly restrictive DRMs (the DLCs used GOO, I have no idea what the core game used), they make damned sure to patch just about every bug (admittedly, the games are a bit buggy at launch :p), and they have shown loyalty to the platform that made them who they are today.

[zookeeper]

I, as well, am a bit insulted that they're only discounting the game up to 40% off, considering the game's expansion pack just passed it's second birthday.

I understand it may not be the price you'd like, but that's business. I don't know how it's "insulting". By comparison, modern warfare is 5 years old and it's only 25% off of it's $20 pricetag.

[vinraith]

So, err, how does Fable 3's co-op work then? I've got a very generous, well meaning, and (at the moment) cold-medicine-addled friend that just gifted me a copy so we could play it together. I'm appreciative but skeptical.

[deano2099]

Arma is now more valuable as a game because of Day-Z, hence it's fair enough to charge people more for it, or not discount it as much. Seems reasonable.

Games are odd in that they're one of few mediums where the game can get significantly better because of mods or free patches, and yet gamers still expect games to have a constantly downwards price gradient like most other things.

[Drake Sigar]

Especially because BiS have basically been almost everything people ask for in PC developers. They are making innovative games in a non-over saturated genre, they avoid overly restrictive DRMs (the DLCs used GOO, I have no idea what the core game used), they make damned sure to patch just about every bug (admittedly, the games are a bit buggy at launch :p), and they have shown loyalty to the platform that made them who they are today.They certainly have my respect there.

[trjp]

I'm not sure this is entirely accurate or fair. It's not like they're raising the price because of increased demand, they're just not discounting it as much as they may have otherwise. Those are very different things. If they know that people will by it at x% off, then why would they discount it to 2x% off? That doesn't make sense.

This is a Steam Sale - it's not an Impulse sale (which is barely distinguishable from regular prices) or even a GamersGate sale (90% filler) - it's a STEAM SALE. If you're taking part, you're giving away your granny for pennies or you're marked for life as the developer who was too-mean to join in.

ARMA is a TERRIBLE game, anyone paying £15 just to play DayZ makes me laugh :)

[johnki]

ARMA is a TERRIBLE game, anyone paying £15 just to play DayZ makes me laugh :)
Having played ArmA Free, I don't get the people that say this at all. It's a military simulator. It's not the most well optimized of them, but that's what it is. It's a hardcore, team-based, tactical shooter that requires quite a bit of skill, and I get that people don't like these kind of games, but ArmA is an example of shining greatness in its genre. Personally, it wasn't quite for me, but I still acknowledge that it is a great sim. I'm more in the "sort of interested in Day Z" camp, but not interested enough for that price.

Just because it's not your style doesn't mean it's terrible. And yes, yes, it's an opinion, but ArmA is another of those games that both sides seem to throw down their opinion as fact.

[trjp]

Just because it's not your style doesn't mean it's terrible. And yes, yes, it's an opinion, but ArmA is another of those games that both sides seem to throw down their opinion as fact.

I'm really just throwing my opinion of the whole thing - technical quality, gameplay, community - ARMA II was a fairly big disaster in that respect - that it has forged a tiny niche isn't because it's a great game which is misunderstood :)

DayZ is a minor phenomenon but £15 is WAY more than it's worth - maybe all those takers will improve the ARMA II community a bit tho - who knows. It's a barking price to pay JUST to play DayZ tho.

[trjp]

Can I just say

"50% of the community chose Age of Empires III"

WHAT!?

[gundato]

I'm really just throwing my opinion of the whole thing - technical quality, gameplay, community - ARMA II was a fairly big disaster in that respect - that it has forged a tiny niche isn't because it's a great game which is misunderstood :)

DayZ is a minor phenomenon but £15 is WAY more than it's worth - maybe all those takers will improve the ARMA II community a bit tho - who knows. It's a barking price to pay JUST to play DayZ tho.

Actually, community is probably what wins it the most for ArmA. Seriously, that is one of the nicest and most mature communities out there. Largely because the games have a very steep curve (initially) so most people bounce off.

[trjp]

Actually, community is probably what wins it the most for ArmA. Seriously, that is one of the nicest and most mature communities out there. Largely because the games have a very steep curve (initially) so most people bounce off.
I can't tell you how many games where I've hoped that would happen - but practical experience seldom leads to it.

It seems there are always a group of people who - even if they can't play the game - exist to spoil the fun of others. Even money doesn't bar them - they're in every MMO launch and every full-price FPS too.

DayZ cannot have helped matters there surely? :(

[sabrage]

Leopig disliking something is just about the highest praise he can give it, as far as I'm concerned.

[gundato]

I can't tell you how many games where I've hoped that would happen - but practical experience seldom leads to it.

It seems there are always a group of people who - even if they can't play the game - exist to spoil the fun of others. Even money doesn't bar them - they're in every MMO launch and every full-price FPS too.

DayZ cannot have helped matters there surely? :(

Well, there are always going to be a few idiots. I have just found that ArmA has very low numbers. Admittedly, DayZ did result in a higher number, but most of them will never do anything other than DayZ, so we are okay.

But moreso, it is very easy to get into scheduled games/wars that still have a very casual atmosphere.

[johnki]

Does anyone have any opinions on Evochron Mercenary? I saw it has co-op, and it's a sandbox, and that it's slowly going up the charts on Steam. That might be enough for $6.25

[internetonsetadd]

Does anyone have any opinions on Evochron Mercenary? I saw it has co-op, and it's a sandbox, and that it's slowly going up the charts on Steam. That might be enough for $6.25

I would have purchased it at that price if I hadn't... uh... sampled it first. I was looking for something after finishing Freelancer, but I didn't play for more than an hour or so. It's just a bit bewildering. IIRC, the first mission suggests that you might want to go to some planet or station, but after flying around the local system and checking through nav possibilities, I couldn't even find where this place was. The game seems well populated with activity, which is actually saying a lot because many of these indie space sims are pretty devoid of life. If you're looking for a complex space trade game rather than combat, 6 bucks isn't a huge risk. It certainly wasn't totally repellent; I just moved on from the genre and lost interest.

Edit: I just remembered, hazily, that during my short time with the game I mistakenly hyper-jumped (or whatever) into a planet and died. I could have that slightly wrong, but it's a pretty cool game that lets you kill yourself through carelessness instead of putting walls around everything.

[Moraven]

DayZ is like Countstrike. I bought and many others bought Half Life just for CS. Eventually got into the single player and other mods.

[Finicky]

DayZ is like Countstrike. I bought and many others bought Half Life just for CS. Eventually got into the single player and other mods.
Pretty much, tons of people also bought bf1942 just for Desert combat.

Saying buying a game 'just for a mod' is stupid is something I never thought I'd hear out of the mouth of a pc gamer.
Guess we are now getting to the turnaround point where there are kids who don't even remember late 90s/early 2000s mod communities.

On topic: Which of the red alert games is the best? I loved ra2 and yuri's revenge back in the day, are any of the modern red alerts as much fun? Ra2 was my favorite LAN game by far.

[Finicky]

Another candidate for SpecSavers here I think - if you think this looks REMOTELY like a PS2 game, plug in your PS2 (you still own one right, you're old enough to have owned one?) and you'll see what's what :)

Bringing the CGI faces into the argument - when they're as good as anything I've seen this side of Blizzards work and WAY ahead of what most games are doing - is really showing the need for corrective vision.

and none of that is talking about the game - which is think is about 400% better than anyone expected and offers endless fun and hijinks.

Let's not be that kind of PC gamer who only likes games which "push their rig" - let's not be elitist or otherwise concerned with FPS and detail and shit like that - let's play the damned game and if you can't get any fun out of Driver:SF - I think there's something wrong with you.
20/20 vision and a superb CRT monitor tyvm.

And yes I owned a ps2 (sold it to add funds for a new gaming pc in 2002) , I owned a psx before that, a sega genesis before that, an NES before that as well as a 386-2X.

I said ps2.5, I never mentioned the faces and I did compliment the zooming out to birds eye view mechanic, you can be condescending all you want but it is you who has a problem with comprehensive reading it seems.

As I said, the cars look good and it's cool that you can zoom out and move about the city so fast without problems, but it's obvious they had to add water to the wine in the graphics department to achieve that.

It's a direct console port graphically so let's not kid ourselves here.

Compared to a game like hot pursuit (which also has large tracks) it looks very primitive texture/environment/effects wise.
http://www.abload.de/img/8xqaa8xsgssaa_0x004010cg5f.png
http://www.abload.de/img/nfs11_2012_06_16_23_29odmd.png
http://www.abload.de/img/nfs11_2012_06_16_23_3uvesk.png
It looks closer to nfs:most wanted , a game from 2005.

Semantics of ps2 comparisons aside, driver SF looks primitive (cars aside), full stop, no arguing about that.


I put more hours in it and some of the later cars you get are more enjoyable to drive and the missions are more interesting and more like driver (and most wanted/the old hot pursuit), the cars you get in the first 2-3 hours are super borng to drive , plenty fast but with terrible physics.

[Faldrath]

Driver has one thing that NFS:HP doesn't, though: cockpit view. Wish I had known that before buying NFS :(

[Finicky]

Yeah, NFS HP has a ton of problems of its own... 30 fps lock (can be removed at least), more cutscenes/score screens/loading screens than gameplay, 4 hours long, no cockpit and also no force feedback just like in driver SF...

Current console games (and ports) missing either splitscreen multiplayer , wheel support or 60 fps and usually a combination of those is fucking ridiculous, they aren't made for racing fans AT ALL.

[vinraith]

I really can't fathom why so many console racing games these days lack even basic split screen multiplayer. It's honestly a major reason I haven't even bothered to buy a current gen console. The whole point of a console, to my thinking, is to play games with someone in the same room.

[johnki]

I really can't fathom why so many console racing games these days lack even basic split screen multiplayer. It's honestly a major reason I haven't even bothered to buy a current gen console. The whole point of a console, to my thinking, is to play games with someone in the same room.
The really sad thing is that it's not JUST console racing games. Pretty much 90% of multiplayer console games that aren't on the Wii or Kinect lack any sort of same-console multiplayer.

EDIT: Games that pissed me off by not having split-screen co-op: Binary Domain, Dragon's Dogma. I was seriously hyped for Dragon's Dogma. Then it didn't end up having split-screen co-op. To be fair, it didn't have ANY multiplayer, but considering everyone was talking pretty heavily about the co-op, I ended up not caring after I heard it wasn't going to have it.

[Fumarole]

Which of the red alert games is the best? I loved ra2 and yuri's revenge back in the day, are any of the modern red alerts as much fun? Ra2 was my favorite LAN game by far.I wouldn't say RA3 is necessarily the best, but it does have a co-op campaign, which not many RTS' do. Keep in mind the expansion drops co-op support if you do decide to grab it.

[johnki]

Wellp, looks like the Counter-Strike: Source + Garry's Mod pack at 75% off is the closest we'll come to a Counter-Strike 75% off sale.

[Leopig]

Leopig disliking something is just about the highest praise he can give it, as far as I'm concerned.

lol for some reason you seem to have a hard on for me. Its cute :)

[internetonsetadd]

lol for some reason you seem to have a hard on for me. Its cute :)

The hard-on itself?

[Leopig]

The hard-on itself?

I wouldn't know about that.

[Drake Sigar]

Actually, community is probably what wins it the most for ArmA. Seriously, that is one of the nicest and most mature communities out there. Largely because the games have a very steep curve (initially) so most people bounce off.

Yeah, Day Z was still a good place to be before the non-Arma members started showing up in droves. A lot of them were nice, and a lot of them were from places like 4Chan.

[Winged Nazgul]

This is a Steam Sale - it's not an Impulse sale (which is barely distinguishable from regular prices) or even a GamersGate sale (90% filler) - it's a STEAM SALE. If you're taking part, you're giving away your granny for pennies or you're marked for life as the developer who was too-mean to join in.

ARMA is a TERRIBLE game, anyone paying £15 just to play DayZ makes me laugh :)

I'm not currently buying ARMAII CO at that price either but that's due to having too much at the plate ATM and being unsure exactly how much I'd really enjoy DayZ.

The fact that ARMA II CO is #1 on the top seller list during this sale and has been in the list for many days shows the lie to your statements.

[Leopig]

Or it shows Valve are being paid to keep it showing on the front page.

[LTK]

How strange that you seem to persist in that delusion. The sale bumped it from number 2 in the top sellers to number 1, I guess you believe Valve put it there as well?

[Heliocentric]

Valve are indeed being paid to keep it on the front page. By zeitgeist chasing customers.

I additionally want Arma 2: CO to get play the Project Reality Arma 2 mod.

[Drake Sigar]

Damn LA Noir to hell. Every time I start the game it takes five minutes to synchronise, then it check for updates without my permission, then I had to sign up for an account FOR A SINGLE-PLAYER GAME. I made an exception this once because it was going for pennies in the Steam sale. Never again.

[cowthief skank]

Was Galactic Civilisations 2 at 75% off in any of the flash sales or was it in a daily sale? I don't remember seeing it. Like Vinraith I don't really want to reinstall Impulse, but would prefer to pay less than a fiver for the convenience of having a game I haven't played in years anyway...

[Rossignol]

Leopig has been banned for one month. Everyone else should remember that I will ban for any infraction of the rules.

[Heliocentric]

Leopig has been banned for one month. Everyone else should remember that I will ban for any infraction of the rules.

It did seem necessary. Thank you for prompt action.

[Revisor]

I thank you as well, his tone didn't fit the nice and constructive community here and earned him a spot in my ignore list.

Back on topic - "through July 22nd" means this is probably the last day of new sales and tonight (European time) starts the last day repeating the bestsellers, right?

[Anthile]

Back on topic - "through July 22nd" means this is probably the last day of new sales and tonight (European time) starts the last day repeating the bestsellers, right?

Most likely. Considering that some games have already been on sale three times by now I wonder if they really give them a fourth chance, though.

[jnx]

Which Prince of Persia would you suggest for one that hasn't played any since the first one back in the days?

[elephant god]

Was Galactic Civilisations 2 at 75% off in any of the flash sales or was it in a daily sale? I don't remember seeing it. Like Vinraith I don't really want to reinstall Impulse, but would prefer to pay less than a fiver for the convenience of having a game I haven't played in years anyway...

It was a flash sale, I missed it and only noticed it because GalCiv2 was on the top sellers list, when it was already over.
I can't be bothered looking on the last 30 pages of this thread, but someone mentioned that you can get the Ultimate edition (and GalCiv1, if you own it) DRM-free by registering with your impulse account on the Stardock website. the login is all the DRM there is. I tried it, it worked, and now I have one Digital Distribution client less on my computer. ;)

[TechnoJellyfish]

Was Galactic Civilisations 2 at 75% off in any of the flash sales or was it in a daily sale?

Galactic Civilizations II was featured in a flash sale @ 75% off on day 8 (which conveniently took place during my REM sleep phase, tyvm).


Back on topic - "through July 22nd" means this is probably the last day of new sales and tonight (European time) starts the last day repeating the bestsellers, right?

Huh. The Steam front page states that the sales would last until the 23rd ... Also, eleven individual indie bundles have been leaked, which could indicate a fresh batch of daily deals today + a best of tomorrow.

Edit: Now that's interesting ... Setting the language of the Steam store to English, it states "through July 22nd", the German wording is "bis 23. Juli" (until 23rd).

[Revisor]

Which Prince of Persia would you suggest for one that hasn't played any since the first one back in the days?

I would probably recommend the second and/or the last one from the Sands of Time trilogy - Warrior Within and The Two Thrones.
It's been a few years so I can't remember much else than being surprised how each game in the trilogy was better than the previous (all of them being fun).

[Revisor]

Huh. The Steam front page states that the sales would last until the 23rd ... Also, eleven individual indie bundles have been leaked, which could indicate a fresh batch of daily deals today + a best of tomorrow.
Really? It says "22nd" for me on both counts (July 12 - July 22, Through July 22nd).
Guess we'll see in a few hours.

Maybe you get an extra day. :)

[Tritagonist]

I think 'through' means 'until and including', so new deals each day starting July 12th and ending July 22nd, while the German 'bis' means 'until', so: new deals until but not on July 23rd.

[TechnoJellyfish]

I think 'through' means 'until and including', so new deals each day starting July 12th and ending July 22nd, while the German 'bis' means 'until', so: new deals until but not on July 23rd.

Sounds reasonable, considering that a "Steam day" begins at 7 PM over here. I guess we'll know in a few hours ...

[SirKicksalot]

Which Prince of Persia would you suggest for one that hasn't played any since the first one back in the days?

2008. It's a wonderful game IMO. The platforming is based on rhythm rather than precision. You have to go with the flow. Some platforming sequences can last up to a minute or so. I'm not a fan of the combat but it's manageable and rare enough.
It's also the game with the most actually Persian content of all instead of generic Arabian Nights, the story revolving around Zoroastrian concepts.

[thegooseking]

Edit: Now that's interesting ... Setting the language of the Steam store to English, it states "through July 22nd", the German wording is "bis 23. Juli" (until 23rd).

Initially I thought this might be a difference between "bis" and "bis einschließlich", but I think it's more just that Britain gets the American English translation. New sales begin at 10am PST/1pm EST, so they're very much on the 22nd, but they begin at 6pm GMT/7pm CET, so they're really more the following day. (Technically, they're more the following day in EST as well, but only technically.)

Edit: Uh, yeah, what everyone else said.

[cowthief skank]

It was a flash sale, I missed it and only noticed it because GalCiv2 was on the top sellers list, when it was already over.
I can't be bothered looking on the last 30 pages of this thread, but someone mentioned that you can get the Ultimate edition (and GalCiv1, if you own it) DRM-free by registering with your impulse account on the Stardock website. the login is all the DRM there is. I tried it, it worked, and now I have one Digital Distribution client less on my computer. ;)

Did you already own the ultimate version? The way the earlier post read to me at the time was that you could register your ultimate edition and get that, but not if you owned the individual expansions separately. Would be good to know I could do it this way too though if you can confirm?

[elephant god]

2008. It's a wonderful game IMO. The platforming is based on rhythm rather than precision. You have to go with the flow. Some platforming sequences can last up to a minute or so. I'm not a fan of the combat but it's manageable and rare enough.
It's also the game with the most actually Persian content of all instead of generic Arabian Nights, the story revolving around Zoroastrian concepts.

I remember some of that game fondly, too: The slightly steampunky environments, the jumping and climbing, and the prince and princess had even better chemistry than in the Gyllenhaal movie.

owever, i distinctly remember a certain reoccuring quick time event which required me to mash a button at an actually physically impossible frequency. That struck me as a particularly hateful design choice, and completely spoiled the fun I had up to that point.


Did you already own the ultimate version? The way the earlier post read to me at the time was that you could register your ultimate edition and get that, but not if you owned the individual expansions separately. Would be good to know I could do it this way too though if you can confirm?

yeah, no. I once bought the Ultimate version retail somewhere (brick&mortar, old-school y'know) and had it registered to impulse way back when. And I think it was confirmed here that only the ultimate edition is availabe as a DRM-free download via Stardock. must be on a page in the nineties or hundreds of this thread.

[cowthief skank]

yeah, no. I once bought the Ultimate version retail somewhere (brick&mortar, old-school y'know) and had it registered to impulse way back when. And I think it was confirmed here that only the ultimate edition is availabe as a DRM-free download via Stardock. must be on a page in the nineties or hundreds of this thread.

Yeah I thought so. Oh well. Just gotta hope for it to win the vote, I guess.

[postinternetsyndrome]

I'm itching a bit for Prince of Persia 2008 and The Forgotten Sands. Get one? Get the other? Get both? Is the Digital Deluxe version of FS worth it?

[elephant god]

PoP 2008: lots of climbing and jumping, few fights, nicer environments and bigger worlds. completely botched for my by that one QTE.

Forgotten Sands: less climbing, more but good fighting. smaller game, very linear.

[Spider Jerusalem]

gal civ2 is really the only game i was looking to pick up (or arma2:co at an actual discount) and i missed it. how sad.

please vote for it!!!!

[neema_t]

gal civ2 is really the only game i was looking to pick up (or arma2:co at an actual discount) and i missed it. how sad.

please vote for it!!!!

I voted for it merely because I knew I'd seen the other two already, wasn't so sure about GalCiv. Also I can't stand the Crusader Kings II picture, that guy just looks so bored.

I have no idea what it is or what it's like but I just bought Universe Sandbox. I've been curious about it for a while but it's never been cheap enough for me to be interested in it until now. Also on Arma II, if you can look past the multitude of flaws (none of which are game-breaking and I find you grow accustomed to them) there really is nothing else like it out there. It's like Ghost Recon The First on a huge, huge scale, and I loved Ghost Recon. As for Day Z... I can see why people like it, but it's not for me. I do play it from time to time but if it's not exciting, it can get seriously boring. On the plus side however I've started to learn Cherno a little better than I might've done otherwise.

[gundato]

Did you already own the ultimate version? The way the earlier post read to me at the time was that you could register your ultimate edition and get that, but not if you owned the individual expansions separately. Would be good to know I could do it this way too though if you can confirm?

No-hassle wise: Register the Ultimate Edition with your Stardock account, you can download it "DRM-Free". If you have the individual components, it will tell you to download Impulse (ugh).
But Stardock are actually really great guys (pr-whores who have poor quality control, but great guys :p). Just put in a support ticket (I posted on the forums, but the ticket is the nicer way) and request that your individual games be converted to the Ultimate Edition. I know they do that for Sins + expansions -> Sins Trinity.

[trjp]

Anyone "on the shelf" with regards to Universe Sandbox - the developers are still actively developing it and plan a major upgrade (including a new graphics engine and allsorts of other goodies) sometime later this year - which will be free to anyone who's paid for it thusfar!

http://universesandbox.com/forum/index.php/topic,7005.0.html

For details - seems like a no-brainer £1.74 to me :)

[Spider Jerusalem]

galciv won by 1%. tremendous.

[Gorzan]

I'm currently on the fence about Evochron Mercenary, someone convince me one way or the other, please?

[vinraith]

I'm currently on the fence about Evochron Mercenary, someone convince me one way or the other, please?

How many games have you already bought in this sale? Given that, how likely are you to play anything else in the 6 months between now and the Xmas sale?

[Gorzan]

You make a fair point, if I'm in the fence I'm not buying it.

[Henke]

If you're in a fence you have bigger concerns than whether or not to buy a game anyway.

[vinraith]

Back on topic - "through July 22nd" means this is probably the last day of new sales and tonight (European time) starts the last day repeating the bestsellers, right?

All general sale prices show 25 hours left, indicating this is upcoming update is going to be the last set of dailies, period. It may be the traditional "review" day, or it may not, being as the flash sales and vote sales have largely been reruns. We'll see.

[Giaddon]

I'm itching a bit for Prince of Persia 2008 and The Forgotten Sands. Get one? Get the other? Get both? Is the Digital Deluxe version of FS worth it?

If you like acrobatic platformers, get both! It's pretty much the only franchise going, and both 2008 and Forgotten Sands are fantastic. Don't get the deluxe (unless you really want the soundtrack, I guess). Getting them together for $5 is an amazing deal.

[Heliocentric]

If you're in a fence you have bigger concerns than whether or not to buy a game anyway.

Like beef tomatoes or tiny cherry tomatoes.

[Winged Nazgul]

Would someone who doesn't play a lot of 4x games find GalCiv 2 appealing? How noob-friendly is it?

[Hartford688]

Would someone who doesn't play a lot of 4x games find GalCiv 2 appealing? How noob-friendly is it?

I'm a 4X noob. I bought it and am having fun. I'll probably get murdered in a bit, but it costs little and has been very enjoyable.

[vinraith]

Would someone who doesn't play a lot of 4x games find GalCiv 2 appealing? How noob-friendly is it?

It's one of the best games of its genre, but it is going to require some work on your part to learn it. It depends on whether you're interested enough to put in the effort, basically. There are 4X games with stronger world building and narrative hooks, but mechanically GC2 is one of my favorite "empire building" 4X titles.

[trjp]

Jagged Allince BIA - £7.50 mofos

[gundato]

Jagged Alliance BIA is very tempting. Hmm. From what I have read, it has potential. Isn't JA2, but I have 1.13 for that.

And Star Ruler is part of the indie bundle (and on sale for 75% off). I personally feel it is worth it just for this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJJEMmzKzR4

And a heads up: OFP Red River is NOT an ArmA game. It is much closer to the old Delta Force games. So bear that in mind if you hate ArmA/loved OFP/ArmA.

[alms]

Damn LA Noir to hell. Every time I start the game it takes five minutes to synchronise, then it check for updates without my permission, then I had to sign up for an account FOR A SINGLE-PLAYER GAME.

I played through the whole game without any account. It only downloaded one update, the first time I started the game. My 2010 econobox only needed a minute or so to sync, check DLCs and do stuff.

If you're not willing to give the game a fair chance, mind if I ask why you bought it in the first place?

[byteCrunch]

Would anyone say Alpha Protocol was worth £9? I have been interested in the game for a little while, just wanted some opinions on the game, so I can better gauge as to whether it is worth taking a swing at even at the current price point.

[trjp]

Would anyone say Alpha Protocol was worth £9? I have been interested in the game for a little while, just wanted some opinions on the game, as to whether it is worth taking a swing at even at the current price point.

It's been a LOT cheaper in the past - value is something you'll need to figure out for yourself tho, I cannot really tell you that.

[Giaddon]

Would anyone say Alpha Protocol was worth £9? I have been interested in the game for a little while, just wanted some opinions on the game, as to whether it is worth taking a swing at even at the current price point.

Alpha Protocol is good, but if you don't need it now, I'd wait a bit. It goes on sale fairly often, I've seen it as low as $2.

[gundato]

Would anyone say Alpha Protocol was worth £9? I have been interested in the game for a little while, just wanted some opinions on the game, as to whether it is worth taking a swing at even at the current price point.


It is fun, but really buggy and unpolished. I would say it is worth 10 USD.

[trjp]

And Star Ruler is part of the indie bundle (and on sale for 75% off). I personally feel it is worth it just for this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJJEMmzKzR4

Waveform is also excellent - at least try the demo. The developer is cool too - the DLC was given free to all the pre-order/early purchasers. It's little bits of kindness like that which make me want to say "buy this game" even more!!

[Finicky]

Alpha protocol is very very very janky and the shooting is really bad, but a lot of people seem to like it for its deus ex like freedom/builds. If you loved the first deus ex maybe you'll enjoy alpha protocol if you can look past all the jank.

Obligatory 'worth it?' for these games on sale: (pretend they are 15 euros , not 1-5, as I'm not looking for library filler but genuinly fun games).
And if so, any bollox drm/poor port issues/other big issues one should know of?
-End war
-HAWX 2
-SC: conviction

[gundato]

Alpha protocol is very very very janky and the shooting is really bad, but a lot of people seem to like it for its deus ex like freedom/builds. If you loved the first deus ex maybe you'll enjoy alpha protocol if you can look past all the jank.

Obligatory 'worth it?' for these games on sale: (pretend they are 15 euros , not 1-5, as I'm not looking for library filler but genuinly fun games).
And if so, any bollox drm/poor port issues/other big issues one should know of?
-End war
-HAWX 2
-SC: conviction

Try the HAWX demo. I like it on my PS3, hate it on my PC (it is the style of game).

SC: Conviction. Honestly, that is the most fun I had in a Splinter Cell since Chaos Theory. It isn't "splinter cell" in the sense that Vegas isn't "Rainbow Six" (GRAW for the PC really was Ghost Recon though...), but is still a hell of a lot of fun and fits the style of the books, if not the older games (which is doubly true for Splinter Cell since the games didn't really fit the style of the tie-in books :p).
But be warned, SC: Conviction has always-on DRM and (last I checked) actually streams content as you play. I have played through 4 times and never noticed a hiccup (outside of testing a crack one time), but keep in mind your internet connection and what not.

[gundato]

Also: To those who are unsure if today is the last day of the sale, check on someone who has been going for the "Voted every day" achievement. If they have it later tonight, it is the last day. If not, it isn't.

[alms]

Also: To those who are unsure if today is the last day of the sale, check on someone who has been going for the "Voted every day" achievement. If they have it later tonight, it is the last day. If not, it isn't.

I have it already.

[Faldrath]

Has anyone played the two JA:BIS mission DLC? Are they worth it?

[byteCrunch]

I have it already.

Odd, I have voted every day, and don't have it.

[fiddlesticks]

Would anyone say Alpha Protocol was worth £9? I have been interested in the game for a little while, just wanted some opinions on the game, so I can better gauge as to whether it is worth taking a swing at even at the current price point.
I'd say it's easily worth ten times that, the best RPG since Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines came out. However, I'm a bit hesitant to recommend it to anyone, as it does exactly one thing extremely well and that is choices and consequences. It's the most impressive storyline I've ever seen in a game, not because it's especially deep, but because it strongly reacts to the decisions you make. Each playthrough can feel completely different depending on who you killed or let live, you who ally with for a mission or who you antagonize. It's really a game you have to replay a few times to get the most out of it, because only then do you realize how many different possible outcomes there are. Best of all, no matter what choices you make, the way everything unfolds always feels completely natural. Just thinking about it makes me want to replay it again.

If you don't care about that however, then there's nothing about AP that will appeal to you. The shooting mechanics are mediocre and so is the level design. There are some neat missions every now and again and Gadgets add a bit of variability, but for the most part the levels are something you do as filler between dialogue sequences.

[gundato]

Odd, I have voted every day, and don't have it.

You voted more than 38 minutes ago. So just wait for the next round, vote then, and you'll have it.


Also, if someone somehow doesn't have Bastion yet: BUY IT. One of the best games from the past few years, and a REALLY good story.

[alms]

I wonder if that achievement can be affected by timezone. If not, it's probably just the update taking some time.

[vinraith]

Also, if someone somehow doesn't have Bastion yet: BUY IT. One of the best games from the past few years, and a REALLY good story.

Play the demo first. Personally I found the whole thing utterly charmless and mildly annoying. Clearly it's a matter of taste, but that's what demos are for.

Anyway, dead sale day for me. The only thing I'd personally recommend is Gal Civ 2 if you're interested in a mechanically strong 4X TBS. I'd explicitly encourage people to beware the hype on Bastion and SPAZ, both have demos that give you a very good sense of their gameplay so I'd strongly suggest trying before buying.

[The JG Man]

Also: To those who are unsure if today is the last day of the sale

Easier still, find a random game that hasn't been a daily - all the sales end tomorrow evening, GMT. This is the final 24 hour period, so, like I mistakenly said yesterday, if there's anything you want on general sale, now is the time to do so.

Sonic 4 and Sims 3 get!

[Sketch]

I'd be interested to hear more about Endwar. I know it's not great, but from THAT cheap...maybe I'd just be better off getting RUSE instead.

[Finicky]

Play the demo first. Personally I found the whole thing utterly charmless and mildly annoying. Clearly it's a matter of taste, but that's what demos are for.

Anyway, dead sale day for me. The only thing I'd personally recommend is Gal Civ 2 if you're interested in a mechanically strong 4X TBS. I'd explicitly encourage people to beware the hype on Bastion and SPAZ, both have demos that give you a very good sense of their gameplay so I'd strongly suggest trying before buying.

Yeah, the music was nice and I suppose the narrator would appeal to some people (thought he sounded silly as non-american and they took the whole 'kid' thing and ran with it 'because we already committed can't stop now').
But the gameplay itself was generic stuff and the minigames sucked.

I'd call it overrated but it's more that people tunnelvision on the parts they liked then ignore that it's a game and games should have good gameplay.

[F. Lynx Pardinus]

Easier still, find a random game that hasn't been a daily - all the sales end tomorrow evening, GMT. This is the final 24 hour period, so, like I mistakenly said yesterday, if there's anything you want on general sale, now is the time to do so.

I like adventure games. Are the Adam's Venture or Blackwell series any good?

[vinraith]

Yeah, the music was nice and I suppose the narrator would appeal to some people (thought he sounded silly as non-american and they took the whole 'kid' thing and ran with it 'because we already committed can't stop now').
But the gameplay itself was generic stuff and the minigames sucked.


He sounded silly to this American, too, for what that's worth.




I'd call it overratted but it's more that people tunnelvision on the parts they liked then ignore that it's a game and games should have good gameplay.


I don't make judgements about people liking games I don't, I simply assume stuff that didn't work for me worked for them. Clearly a lot of people liked the art, liked the narrator, and either enjoyed or didn't mind the combat mechanics. Who am I to tell them they're wrong? They didn't work for me, though, and I don't think they'll work for everyone. Again, that's what demos are for.

[internetonsetadd]

Damn LA Noir to hell. Every time I start the game it takes five minutes to synchronise, then it check for updates without my permission, then I had to sign up for an account FOR A SINGLE-PLAYER GAME. I made an exception this once because it was going for pennies in the Steam sale. Never again.

I declined to sign up for that account. Incidentally, I also ran into a couple major problems; namely: it took absolutely forever to get passed the sync screen, and my FPS was in the toilet on all settings. Common issues, apparently, but I've since gotten it perfectly playable with not much effort. Check here: http://support.rockstargames.com/forums/20300756-l-a-noire-pc-technical-support

[Faldrath]

And Star Ruler is part of the indie bundle (and on sale for 75% off). I personally feel it is worth it just for this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJJEMmzKzR4

Any opinions on Star Ruler? RPS's review made it sound "interesting but not quite", but since they mentioned that the developers have been changing the game a lot, I wonder how it stands now.

[vinraith]

Any opinions on Star Ruler? RPS's review made it sound "interesting but not quite", but since they mentioned that the developers have been changing the game a lot, I wonder how it stands now.

I haven't played enough of it to comment about its quality, but it's been updated dozens of times since that review.

Also, Star Ruler by itself is $5, if it's the only thing in the bundle that appeals you'd be better served to pick it up by itself, and give its devs more money while saving yourself some.

[Rauten]

So, JA:BIA, but not just BIA, the whole franchise.

So, for someone who has never, ever laid a finger on a JA game, what should I grab? BIA or 2 Gold?

[vinraith]

So, JA:BIA, but not just BIA, the whole franchise.

So, for someone who has never, ever laid a finger on a JA game, what should I grab? BIA or 2 Gold?

2 Gold with the 1.13 patch, full stop. BIA is just a mediocre real-time remake of a classic, why not buy the classic?

[internetonsetadd]

The last two summer sales were followed with encores, no? The somewhat weak selection today suggests that this might not be the finale.

[gundato]

Yeah, I ended up grabbing the bundle. I haven't had a chance to sit down with Star Ruler yet, but from everything I have heard: It is an interesting 4x game with an absolutely massive scale that lacks heart. Which reminds me enough of Total Annihilation that it is worth having as an alternative to GalCiv 2 when I get into a 4x mood.

[Anthile]

The Blackwell games are incredibly good. A must have for anyone who likes adventure games.

[Kodeen]

The last two summer sales were followed with encores, no? The somewhat weak selection today suggests that this might not be the finale.

Encores have been peppered throughout the sale. This is the last day, if you check any non-daily/flash, which have had the same running counter since the start, the sale ends in about 23 hours.

[alms]

I'd explicitly encourage people to beware the hype on Bastion and SPAZ, both have demos that give you a very good sense of their gameplay so I'd strongly suggest trying before buying.

While I tend to agree with you, SPAZ didn't receive nearly as much hype as Bastion.

[Rauten]

Any hype Bastion received was not enough. (Why yes I love Bastion, how did you know?)

JA2:Gold, last question: is that 1.13 community patch thingy compatible with the steam version?

[Subatomic]

I'd explicitly encourage people to beware the hype on Bastion and SPAZ, both have demos that give you a very good sense of their gameplay so I'd strongly suggest trying before buying.

Though keep in mind SPAZ has been significantly expanded through patches (specialists, bounty hunter faction, several new ships), and I don't think the demo has kept up with that.

[TailSwallower]

Thoughts on SPAZ?

It's in my wishlist, but I can't recall how it ended up there.

ETA: Can't try the demo out for a bit, but at 1.74 squids I'm tempted if people say it's good.

[F. Lynx Pardinus]

I just watched the Steam preview video for SPAZ. It reminded me for some reason of Solar Winds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_Winds) from Epic Megagames in the 90's, which I enjoyed. Are the two games in any way similar?

[internetonsetadd]

Encores have been peppered throughout the sale. This is the last day, if you check any non-daily/flash, which have had the same running counter since the start, the sale ends in about 23 hours.

Hence the meaning of the word encore.

[F. Lynx Pardinus]

The Blackwell games are incredibly good. A must have for anyone who likes adventure games.
Thanks for the info! Is there any particular game or series that I might be familiar with that you would compare them to in style or play?

[vinraith]

Hence the meaning of the word encore.

It's not going to happen. There's never been an "encore" where the sale-long sales have been suddenly extended. In 22:30 this thing is over.


Thoughts on SPAZ?

It's in my wishlist, but I can't recall how it ended up there.

ETA: Can't try the demo out for a bit, but at 1.74 squids I'm tempted if people say it's good.

Very arcady, very shallow, very repetitive. If you can't try the demo, I'd recommend giving it a pass. It's on sale at that price every sale anyway, what's the rush?

[TailSwallower]

Very arcady, very shallow, very repetitive.

Ok thanks.

I'm really wondering what I read that made me wishlist it in the first place. But yeah, you're right, no point jumping on it now. I like to think my purchasing was fairly subdued this time around, but it's still enough to keep me going for a while.

[Revisor]

I heartily recommend Splinter Cell: Conviction. There's less stealth and more violence but it's great to play Jason Bourne.


2 Gold with the 1.13 patch, full stop. BIA is just a mediocre real-time remake of a classic, why not buy the classic?
It has received extensive patching since the release, though, hasn't it?
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/05/03/jagged-alliance-bia-puts-a-patch-over-your-eyes/

[Finicky]

Btw portal 2 is on flash sale again.
For those who still don't have it... this is the best coop game I have ever played by miles, and probably in my top 10 best SP games ever.

At 5 euros it's ridiculously good value (you'll get about 15-20 really great hours out of it).

If you don't own it and intend to spend any money at all this sale then this is the one game you should not miss.

[Similar]

Thoughts on SPAZ?

It's in my wishlist, but I can't recall how it ended up there.

ETA: Can't try the demo out for a bit, but at 1.74 squids I'm tempted if people say it's good.
I got it in the Christmas sale and played for around 100 hours in about a week, so I definitely enjoyed it.
They keep updating it and there's been major additions since then, but I haven't really seen of them yet (been playing a little again this week).

[gundato]

Any hype Bastion received was not enough. (Why yes I love Bastion, how did you know?)

JA2:Gold, last question: is that 1.13 community patch thingy compatible with the steam version?

Yes, although you may want to wait for a comparable GoG sale (or just get it for a few bucks more) to have a version independent of Steam and the extras (soundtrack and manual)

[johnki]

Last day and still no AVWW. I seriously can't believe it hasn't gone more on sale yet.

[Fumarole]

It has received extensive patching since the release, though, hasn't it?
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/05/03/jagged-alliance-bia-puts-a-patch-over-your-eyes/It has, and they massively improve the game.

[internetonsetadd]

It's not going to happen. There's never been an "encore" where the sale-long sales have been suddenly extended. In 22:30 this thing is over.

Not what I said. What does an extension of sale-long sales have to do with an encore? I'm talking about an extra day where some of the more popular deals are repeated one last time. IIRC, that's when I made all my purchases last year (only because I came late). The Internet seems to corroborate my recollection that this is, indeed, a thing.

[DragonOfTime]

Seems there will be no re-run of Warlock. Sad, but I suppose it's still fine at a smaller discount.

[johnki]

Seems there will be no re-run of Warlock. Sad, but I suppose it's still fine at a smaller discount.
http://www.amazon.com/Pint-Sized-Paradox-Package-Download/dp/B008G0ZXSK

All of them activate on Steam, iirc, or at the very least, Warlock and the CKII stuff do.

[asskicker]

I'm sure it's been asked already (but wow, 121 pages! :O), but what's the verdict on Conviction? Worth my 3.44 or not?

[Giaddon]

I'd be interested to hear more about Endwar. I know it's not great, but from THAT cheap...maybe I'd just be better off getting RUSE instead.

I'm always happy to hype talk about EndWar!

First of all, forget the voice-activated stuff. It's not that relevant for PC. I mean, you can do it, but it's almost always easier to use the mouse.

Here's what EndWar is: a razor-sharply balanced, small-scale, economics-free, tactical RTS. There are only a handful of units - riflemen, engineers, transports, tanks, gunships and artillery, and they are hard counters to each other. You will only be controlling 3-12 units at a time. Where each unit is is extremely important, as it can take time to scoot around the map, and if a tank (for example), get attacked by a gunship, it's over unless you can support it with a transport or some engineers quickly.

The main goal is to capture and hold a set of uplinks (capture points) on the map. The brilliant thing is that once a player has captured more than half of the uplinks (and thus begun the victory timer), the other player can instantly use a WMD. And only once the losing player has used his can the winning player use his own. It's a great mechanic that means every match is very tense. The camera also deserves a mention. It's locked onto whatever unit you are currently controlling (controlling units remains easy thanks to the minimap and HUD icons), which means it can be challenging to scout the enemy. One of the best things about the gunships is that they give you an aerial view. There's also a command unit that cannot fight, but gives you access to a tactical map of the entire level, from which you can coordinate your forces. Useful, but worth the trade off of a unit that can fight? The game is full of great dilemmas like that.

You can also upgrade units and plan your world conquest in the awesome campaign mode... Such a great game.

It's not a fast-paced or action-heavy game, but it is thoughtful, strategic, and very rewarding.

Ruse is also great, but very different. HUGE scale, there's an economy, the ruse cards, etc. If you can swing it, get both. If you can't... look into your heart.

[Giaddon]

I'm sure it's been asked already (but wow, 121 pages! :O), but what's the verdict on Conviction? Worth my 3.44 or not?

Worth it!0

[MommaB]

I'm also temtped with JA BIA but wth is up with that dlc? Equipment packs sound like it's kinda cool and useful stuff that should be in there in the first place, if not why would I buy them... Is it stuff that grants you unfair bonuses, why would I pay for gear that gives me an advantage over AI :? Do you have to purchase it in game or is it just given to you?

Not interested in more missions so those I'm not bothered with.

[Finicky]

Worth it!0

Took a peek at the steam forums and a LOT of people are reporting serious performance issues (powerful gpus like gtx 560ti getting terrible framerates) and no patch has ever been released to fix it.

Decide if you want to roll the dice wether it'll run or not for a ubisoft game...

[DragonOfTime]

http://www.amazon.com/Pint-Sized-Paradox-Package-Download/dp/B008G0ZXSK

All of them activate on Steam, iirc, or at the very least, Warlock and the CKII stuff do.

Had to jump through some hoops, but in the end it worked. Thanks!

[deano2099]

I like adventure games. Are the Adam's Venture or Blackwell series any good?

Blackwell games are terrific.

[Gorzan]

Not what I said. What does an extension of sale-long sales have to do with an encore? I'm talking about an extra day where some of the more popular deals are repeated one last time. IIRC, that's when I made all my purchases last year (only because I came late). The Internet seems to corroborate my recollection that this is, indeed, a thing.
This used to happen on the last day of the sale proper.

[trjp]

This used to happen on the last day of the sale proper.

Since almost everything has been on-sale at least twice - there seems little point repeating things again does there?

As Vinraith said - in 20-odd hours it will all be over - there will be 1-2 more Flash Sale Changes I'd guess but otherwise, buy what you want or wait for the next sale (Thanksgiving?)

[Protoman]

Any good sales that haven't been daily/flash/community sales?
I picked up Cargo - The Quest for Gravity, and Noitu Love 2: Devolution is a fantastic game for $2.50.

[cowthief skank]

I'm always happy to hype talk about EndWar!

Damn you. I had bought everything I wanted already, but you made it sound really interesting, and it's so cheap. Anybody else got similar / different opinions?

[postinternetsyndrome]

I just want to chime in and heartily recommend Bastion. I too thought the narrator sounded a bit silly to begin with, but you get used to it quickly. The game itself is not really innovative in any way, but it has great art, great weapons, really great music, ok story, and so on. Put simply, it's very solid and atmospheric gaming experience, a piece of quality craft. All the parts come together nicely into a very enjoyable whole. And the music is gorgeous.

[internetonsetadd]

This used to happen on the last day of the sale proper.

I stand corrected. I seem to remember that the final/encore day had better offerings in past sales. This is kind of like going out with a whimper, which strikes me as un-Valvey.

[Gorzan]

Yeah, it's quite an underwhelming last day.

[Tei]

Spaz is a space odisey from the outher rings of the galaxy to the centre, while at first your motivation is survival and getting rich, it evolve with the story, plus you are progressively allowed more powerful and bigger ships. The negative aspect of the game is how much grind is needed to progress, you must love the basic mechanic, because you will put lot of hours in it.

[Sketch]

I'm always happy to hype talk about EndWar!





Thanks for the rundown man, I think I may as well get EndWar for that price as well as RUSE. I am going to be poor.

[Fumarole]

I'm also temtped with JA BIA but wth is up with that dlc? Equipment packs sound like it's kinda cool and useful stuff that should be in there in the first place, if not why would I buy them... Is it stuff that grants you unfair bonuses, why would I pay for gear that gives me an advantage over AI :? Do you have to purchase it in game or is it just given to you?

Not interested in more missions so those I'm not bothered with.The equipment is available to your squads shortly after you complete the first mission. It is delivered to the airport the same as other items you would purchase. You don't have to buy it in-game, but having it early does make things easier to start. Of course you'll be able to acquire these items later once you have more resources.

I would recommend the extra missions for the tough challenge they present; they take place outside of the campaign and are standalone encounters.

[vinraith]

Not what I said. What does an extension of sale-long sales have to do with an encore? I'm talking about an extra day where some of the more popular deals are repeated one last time. IIRC, that's when I made all my purchases last year (only because I came late). The Internet seems to corroborate my recollection that this is, indeed, a thing.

The last set of daily sales in several of the older Steam sales were "rerun" days, what you're describing as an "encore." In all of those cases that day was not an extension of the previously determined sale length, all the non-daily sales were set to terminate at the end of the "rerun" day. There's never been an "encore" day in the sense you're describing: a sale day after the sale ends.

[Scumbag]

Lesson learnt this sale: Dont buy full franchises, I just wont play them all.

[TheDreamlord]

As pathetic as it sounds, I am really sad that the 'what's-on-sale-next' anticipation is coming to an end. Having said that, I got a really good haul this time round! More than enough to last till xmas sale!

[TheDreamlord]

Lesson learnt this sale: Dont buy full franchises, I just wont play them all.

Seconded, I follow that rule too!

[mnemnoch]

For the 1st time, I won something in steamgifts! A dawn of war franchise pack to boot.

What an end for a very profitable summer sale!! :D

[MommaB]

The equipment is available to your squads shortly after you complete the first mission. It is delivered to the airport the same as other items you would purchase. You don't have to buy it in-game, but having it early does make things easier to start. Of course you'll be able to acquire these items later once you have more resources.

I would recommend the extra missions for the tough challenge they present; they take place outside of the campaign and are standalone encounters.
Thanks! I think I'll be fine without them though :)

[internetonsetadd]

The last set of daily sales in several of the older Steam sales were "rerun" days, what you're describing as an "encore." In all of those cases that day was not an extension of the previously determined sale length, all the non-daily sales were set to terminate at the end of the "rerun" day. There's never been an "encore" day in the sense you're describing: a sale day after the sale ends.

Right. You missed the part where someone already set me straight on this. But thanks!

Edit: Also,"encore" is Valve's word, not mine.

[field_studies]

As pathetic as it sounds, I am really sad that the 'what's-on-sale-next' anticipation is coming to an end. Having said that, I got a really good haul this time round! More than enough to last till xmas sale!

Agreed. And perhaps even more, I've really enjoyed this thread... so many games I'd barely heard of being discussed again. In a world of multiple patches, hearing you guys revisit and reassess games that have substantially changed (or simply aged well) since they were first released and reviewed has been a pleasure... oppened my eyes to a number I'd never heard of or payed attention to.

Thanks!

[Anthile]

SPAZ is not a bad game but the pacing is just terrible. It takes forever to get new weapons or ships and then they're more often than not worse than what you've already got. Combat and missions get repetitive real fast.
It's like a spoon full of delicious marmalade for a whole baguette.

[vinraith]

Right. You missed the part where someone already set me straight on this. But thanks!

Edit: Also,"encore" is Valve's word, not mine.

Yes, yes I did (miss the part where others clarified it, that is). Honestly though, I wish you were right, for the first time in one of these things I missed a couple of sales I wish I hadn't as a result of things I found out later.

[neema_t]

Any good sales that haven't been daily/flash/community sales?
I picked up Cargo - The Quest for Gravity, and Noitu Love 2: Devolution is a fantastic game for $2.50.

I got Cargo too, I fucking love it and I really can't explain why. Other unfeatured sale games I got were DCS: Black Shark, Myst (which didn't work), Riven, RealMyst (because Myst didn't work and I've never played RealMyst) and the STCC and STCC 2 add-ons for Race 07, which is eye-wateringly cheap, £1.74 for a damn good, if a little old and not-so-great looking racing sim. If you do want Race 07, though, and want all the content, it's cheaper to buy Race Injection then add the other stuff on afterwards, but if you just want the best stuff for as cheap as possible just get Race 07, the Retro and GT Power packs and GTR Evo. Race On is ok but I consider those three add-ons to be absolutely essential, GTR Evo in particular.

I'm tempted to get HAWX and the sequel, also tempted by Evochron Mercenary. I tried the demo and got pretty bored but I really didn't give it a chance. I feel like I'm about to become properly into flight sims though so maybe I'd enjoy it more with more appropriate controls (same with HAWX). The thing is I'm already way, waaaaaay over my budget, but now I kind of think 'well, if I've gone this far...' but all three of those games will actually mean I'm over my budget by the amount my budget was in the first place.

[Faldrath]

Well, I've whittled down my wishlist to three games: Torchlight 2, HOMM6 (I'll need a larger discount and/or Uplay removal to bother) and Civ 5 Gods and Kings. Not bad. Of the games I bought, I'm pleasantly surprised by the Game of Thrones RPG, which is more interesting than I thought it would be, and unpleasantly surprised by Borderlands. Does it get better? Because I played a couple of hours, did the first "instance" to kill Nine-Toes, and it's boring me to death with the respawning stuff and tedious gunplay.

[vinraith]

Because I played a couple of hours, did the first "instance" to kill Nine-Toes, and it's boring me to death with the respawning stuff and tedious gunplay.

It sounds like you're playing it solo, which gets boring very quickly. With only one player everything is scaled down to it can be killed by one player, and the result is a mediocre and repetitive FPS. It's a hell of a lot more fun with friends, which scales everything up and requires tactics and cooperation to succeed.

[trjp]

Borderland's biggest problem is that you easily outlevel most of the content and it becomes a tedious slog with minimal challenge.

I can't understand why they don't just scale all the enemies to be X% ahead or behind you (depending on difficulty setting) instead of having 'zones' of enemies - I really do hope they fix that in the sequel.

Also - they can fix the bullshit that requires you to complete the fucking thing TWICE to progress into the DLC.

I still had fun with it - the trick is actually to skip a lot of the content and press on ahead until you get murdered and then backtrack and do some easier stuff perhaps.

Also - beware of mixing co-op and single-player because there are myriad bugs which can leave missions 'locked' or in an invalid state and thus leave you screwed in either mode - keep your co-op and sp chars separate.

[neema_t]

It sounds like you're playing it solo, which gets boring very quickly. With only one player everything is scaled down to it can be killed by one player, and the result is a mediocre and repetitive FPS. It's a hell of a lot more fun with friends, which scales everything up and requires tactics and cooperation to succeed.

Seconded. It's especially fun if you're all playing as Brick, not because you rarely survive a proper fight but because all you can hear and see is huge men screaming and stuff being punched at all times.


Also - they can fix the bullshit that requires you to complete the fucking thing TWICE to progress into the DLC.

I don't recall this being a thing, I've been able to visit the DLC areas with new characters, all you need is to have unlocked fast travel (which takes a few hours). If I remember correctly they warn you that you'll be severely underleveled if you try to do the DLC before reaching the end of your current playthrough (as you can choose whether you want to do the DLC as PT 1 or 2) but you're welcome to try it anyway.

You're right about the levelling thing, though, I never found a good way around that. If you want to do everything then you'll over-level yourself doing it, I think the key is to never take skills that boost XP earnings (pointless waste of skill points anyway) and choose what you do so that you do the more boring-sounding one after you've exceeded an appropriate level so you can breeze through it... Shit solution, though. I found a tool that basically gives you a third playthrough by removing the enemy level cap and making them level with you, but I don't think you can use it until you've done two playthroughs. I'm not sure.

Also: I caved and bought HAWX, HAWX 2, the DLC AND Evochron Mercenary. Don't ask me why because I have absolutely no explanation.

[trjp]

Hmm - flash sales just went a big mental, a sale which had 2 hours to run disappeared and 2 new ones appeared (AssCreedRev and MW3)

I think the odds of anything 'new' appearing in those sales now is about zero - but I did get my 'King on the Treehouse' or whatever is was 'Badge' at least...

[Protoman]

Hmm - flash sales just went a big mental, a sale which had 2 hours to run disappeared and 2 new ones appeared (AssCreedRev and MW3)

I think the odds of anything 'new' appearing in those sales now is about zero - but I did get my 'King on the Treehouse' or whatever is was 'Badge' at least...
Speaking of that, did we ever figure out if those badges do anything besides look pretty?

[Smashbox]

King of the Fort! King of the Fort!

[postinternetsyndrome]

Speaking of that, did we ever figure out if those badges do anything besides look pretty?I'm pretty sure they don't.

[neema_t]

King of the Fort! King of the Fort!

How can you be king of the fort if I'M king of the fort?

Also now that I just spent £13 on stuff I wasn't sure about, why oh why haven't I bought IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946 yet which I know I definitely want? I'm shaking my fist at myself. Edit: Bought it. Just remembered I'm inexplicably getting £100 from my college for bothering to finish my course.

[trjp]

On the Borderlands Levelling - when you choose to play Dr Zed is quite important (I recommend you complete the campaign first) - and the other DLCs basically require near-max-level to progress (at least in Single Player) which equates to almost 2 entire playthroughs (in single player)

Was my point - co-op will be different of course.

Also - play Brick, his berserker stuff will keep you entertained when the guns get dull :)

[The JG Man]

Pffft, Brick is for people who don't enjoy a good old fashioned revolver. Go Mordecai, pick all the pistol buffs and killing skills (fire faster, regain health etc.) and find a Brutal Masher pistol - it's a revolver that fires pellets like a shotgun. Throw every other weapon you pick up away because you just won't need them.

[Smashbox]

So predictable, I know, but the soldier, with his turret, is also rad.

[neema_t]

Pffft, Brick is for people who don't enjoy a good old fashioned revolver. Go Mordecai, pick all the pistol buffs and killing skills (fire faster, regain health etc.) and find a Brutal Masher pistol - it's a revolver that fires pellets like a shotgun. Throw every other weapon you pick up away because you just won't need them.

This is absolutely true, except for one thing; he has a skill that can be levelled up so that every sniper rifle bullet he fires ignores shields, thus one-shotting certain enemies. You can also find fully automatic sniper rifles and a sniper COM that regenerates sniper rifle ammo. These things combined with the crit-boosting skills... Best. Just best, no other words. I realise that was by no means 'one thing'.

[internetonsetadd]

I don't remember voting the first day, but King of the Fort it is. Now, if only I had a Steam friend I could work on becoming a pillar of the community.

[internetonsetadd]

Hmm - flash sales just went a big mental, a sale which had 2 hours to run disappeared and 2 new ones appeared (AssCreedRev and MW3)

I think the odds of anything 'new' appearing in those sales now is about zero - but I did get my 'King on the Treehouse' or whatever is was 'Badge' at least...

Weird. Portal 2 still has a flash sale countdown running even though it isn't currently one of the four. Are they squeezing more in? If so, come on Shogun 2!

[trjp]

Weird. Portal 2 still has a flash sale countdown running even though it isn't currently one of the four. Are they squeezing more in? If so, come on Shogun 2!

Usually they have sales ending (UK Time) Midnight, 2am, 4am and then 2 at 6am - then 2 at 4pm. Portal 2 was due to end at 2am but disappeared from the list when AssCreedRev and MW3 appeared (but as you say, is still on sale).

I reckon anything we get now (2 more Community votes + maybe 4 more flash sales) will be repeats tho...

[cowthief skank]

Also: I caved and bought HAWX, HAWX 2, the DLC AND Evochron Mercenary. Don't ask me why because I have absolutely no explanation.

I might suggest DCS A-10C? If you're enjoying Black Shark, and are getting into flight sims, I can recommend it. Just bought it myself, been learning the systems. Got my start-up procedure almost memorised now. Watching laser-guided bombs impact through the targeting pod - in black and white like you see on the news - brilliant. And the gun...

The first proper flight sim I have bought, and it is way better than I expected. So if you are remotely tempted, I doubt you'd regret it...

[RobF]

Any good sales that haven't been daily/flash/community sales?
I picked up Cargo - The Quest for Gravity, and Noitu Love 2: Devolution is a fantastic game for $2.50.

I've bunged a quick post up earlier of some of the stuff under £2 that's worth a look...

http://retroremakes.com/nostalgia/2012/07/22/steamy-windowsh-its-the-steam-sale/

Obviously I lean more towards things that glow but there's some good stuff there.

[johnki]

Argh, none of the flash deals are new. In fact, it looks like after these burn out in 2 hours, they'll be replaced with some that will last til it ends. Was it seriously too much to ask for an AVWW deal? :/

Oh, and I saw Evochron was selling really really well. Any new opinions?

EDIT: Oh, AND is A10-C worth the $16 compared to the $5 that Black Shark costs? I mean besides being a plane compared to a helicopter (honestly, not my first choice of plane) and having graphics more of the BS2 standard, are there enough differences to justify paying an extra $16?

[internetonsetadd]

Doh. The last thing I was planning to get was some Dawn of War stuff, but exactly what depended on whether something else came up first. With 28 min left on the clock, I go play two rounds of Blacklight:Retribution (~10 min each). Come back, deal expired. Oh well. There's just too much in that franchise to pay anywhere near full price.

[internetonsetadd]

Looks like the last of the flash deals, as they are all set to expire with the end of the sale. Notable, I think, is SR3. The game has regularly dropped to $12.49. The three DLC have dropped to $4.99, but this hasn't always coincided with the decrease for the base game. IIRC, the franchise pack has not yet dropped to $13.29, which makes this a pretty good deal. Less than a dollar more for everything extra.

[PeteC]

Is Toy Soldiers any good? I know I'd have to suffer GFWL but if the game is good enough I may be able to look past that.

Also anyone played Spectromancer? It's in my wishlist although I can't remember ever putting it in there. I've never even heard of it.

[cowthief skank]

EDIT: Oh, AND is A10-C worth the $16 compared to the $5 that Black Shark costs? I mean besides being a plane compared to a helicopter (honestly, not my first choice of plane) and having graphics more of the BS2 standard, are there enough differences to justify paying an extra $16?

I think, really, it comes down to whether you want a plane or not. The level of detail is immense, and it is certainly worth the £12 it costs here in my opinion. Plus, for the price, you are getting a game which they are currently active in upgrading - albeit once you input your serial from Steam into their new (free) DCS World and download the A-10C module for it - whereas I suspect the original Black Shark probably will not receive any further patches with the release of Black Shark 2. If that makes any difference to your purchase.

Personally, like I said, I reckon it is easily worth the money. But if you are looking for a cheap, decent flight sim, and are not bothered whether its a plane or a chopper, you might feel different.

I will say it (A-10C) is much more polished than I expected. The training is to a pretty high standard, you get instructions and highlights and it doesn't continue til you do what you are supposed to. There is a lot to teach so the roughly five or six hours of training will probably need to be repeated but it does a much better job than I expected. I remember one old flight sim just had a bunch of videos and then left you to it. I don't know what the training is like in the original Black Shark though.

[DrBee]

Is Toy Soldiers any good? I know I'd have to suffer GFWL but if the game is good enough I may be able to look past that.

I found it completely boring and uninstalled it after three levels.

[Juan Carlo]

I vwent back and forth on Batman:AC and Asscreed: Rev but they only hit 66% off which wasn't cheap enough (once DLC is factored in) for me to bite. Will wait for winter sale when both will most likely be 75% off or the base prices for both games will have dropped.

This sale was kind of disappointing, though. I missed the achievement hunts.

[Gorzan]

Is Delve Deeper fun? it seems like fun and I'm 1,25€ away from having a round number of expenses on this sale, so if it is indeed fun I'll get it.

[jnx]

Is Delve Deeper fun? it seems like fun and I'm 1,25€ away from having a round number of expenses on this sale, so if it is indeed fun I'll get it.

Well it's a very simple game. Plays a lot like a board game. I occasionally play it with missus since it's casual enough for her to enjoy.

[TechnoJellyfish]

This sale was kind of disappointing, though. I missed the achievement hunts.

I don't care much for achievements, but I got to admit that I enjoyed last year's summer sale event quite a bit. A huge amount of games involved, a lot of them in really cool ways (adding new levels, game modes, etc.). I didn't even try to get all the achievements, I just picked the challenges which seemed the most fun to me.

Additionally, it got me quite a few pieces of DLC for free which I wouldn't have got otherwise (all the map packs for Defense Grid, character packs for Killing Floor and whatnot). All in all I'm a little bit disappointed Valve didn't do anything of the like this summer. Oh well ...

[elephant god]

Yes, I was a little disappointed in that the previous few achievement-hunts did get me some fun with games that sat in my library from indie bundles like the hilarious Fate of the World achievement last christmas, which I had completely neglected, and I even got a free game last summer.

However, this year was full of even slightly nicer announcements on valves side around the beginning of the sale. That's Steam Greenlight and the recent progress on Steam of Linux. I'm looking forward to how they might be tied into the upcoming christmas sale.

Also, I still got a ton of great new games, and that's what I'm here for.

[Giaddon]

Is Delve Deeper fun? it seems like fun and I'm 1,25€ away from having a round number of expenses on this sale, so if it is indeed fun I'll get it.

I really like it. You control a team of Dwarfs and mine down into a mountain to get more treasure than other teams. The AI is good and the atmosphere is very charming and fun. The only downside is you can't save during games, so you need to budget around 20 minutes (depending on how many turns you set) to complete a game.

[alms]

With the sale quietly humming towards its closing, I wanted to thank you all of you who partecipated in this thread: it's been a lot of fun!

[neema_t]

With the sale quietly humming towards its closing, I wanted to thank you all of you who partecipated in this thread: it's been a lot of fun!

I certainly laughed, cried and spent loads of money.

[trjp]

I found it completely boring and uninstalled it after three levels.

Toy Soldiers is 80% charm and 20% regular Tower Defense game. It's 'twist' is that you can man your towers personally - but if the charm of the setting doesn't warm your heart, you're just playing another TD title.

It's technical issues may be grist for your mill too - limited resolutions etc. etc.

I think it's so charming I just don't notice things like that tho.

[Cooper]

Must not buy Skyrim.

Must finish writing PhD thesis.

Must not buy Skyrim.

Must finish writing PhD thesis.

Must not buy Skyrim.

Must finish...

[alms]

I certainly laughed, cried and spent loads of money.

Sounds like perfect material for "Indie Game: The Summer Sale: The Movie" !

[laneford]

So the sale is going to end in a few hours right? there's not a whole other 24 hours left because I'm crap at timezones is there?

[alms]

Yes and nope. I guess we're gonna get the usual daily deal in about 2 hours and a half.

[gundato]

So the sale is going to end in a few hours right? there's not a whole other 24 hours left because I'm crap at timezones is there?
If there is, it is completely unannounced.

So go through and grab the stuff you still want, as close as possible to safe in the knowledge that there won't be any more daily deals.

[laneford]

Thank you muchly.

Incidentally, could anyone let me know if any of the Fallout New Vegas DLC is seen as essential (or very good) in the way that Broken Steel and Point Lookout were in Fallout 3.

Cheers!

[Kodeen]

Must not buy Skyrim.

Must finish writing PhD thesis.

Must not buy Skyrim.

Must finish writing PhD thesis.

Must not buy Skyrim.

Must finish...

You could always present your thesis via interpretive dance within Skyrim.

[F. Lynx Pardinus]

With the sale quietly humming towards its closing, I wanted to thank you all of you who partecipated in this thread: it's been a lot of fun!

Definitely! I asked about particular games several times and received very insightful answers--thanks so much everyone!

[mr.doo]

So, the Steam sales end today ?

[Rauten]

Yes, in... 2 hours. So if you want to do some last minute shopping, do it quick.

[trjp]

Yes, in... 2 hours. So if you want to do some last minute shopping, do it quick.

Unless you're my other half, 2 hours is enough to time to do several rounds of shopping surely?

I mean it's not like people need to try on everything in the entire shopping centre before buying the first thing they saw - is it? :)

[F. Lynx Pardinus]

Farewell, Steam sale. See you at the holidays!

[postinternetsyndrome]

Phuew, glad that's over. It was good though!

[johnki]

Oh man, I'm terrible at this. I said I was done a few days ago, but in the end, I came out of the sale with GalCiv2, Just Cause 2, Saints Row the Third and Splinter Cell Conviction.

[Smashbox]

My only (admittedly shocking, stupid, and ridiculous) complaint is that Gods and Kings wasn't cheaper. On the bright side, it will be once I play all the games I bought.

[Mistabashi]

Thank you muchly.

Incidentally, could anyone let me know if any of the Fallout New Vegas DLC is seen as essential (or very good) in the way that Broken Steel and Point Lookout were in Fallout 3.

Cheers!

Well, I'd say that aside from Dead Money (which is okay but frustrating at times), all the DLC for New Vegas is of a much higher standard than those for FO3. The one which most people cite as being the 'best' is Old World Blues, which is quite a kooky comedy setting with a pretty big open area to explore. If you're going to get only one, get that one I'd say, although Honest Hearts and Lonesome Road were both pretty good too. There's a couple of mini DLCs too, ignore the ones that give you extra starting items but consider the Gun Runner's Arsenal if you want a few more weapons to play with.

[byteCrunch]

And so the fun of the Steam Summer sale ends.

[Cheese]

'Tis over. I wonder if their fancy economist will be releasing any thoughts or findings on the sale.

[Velko]

'Tis over. I wonder if their fancy economist will be releasing any thoughts or findings on the sale.

I certainly hope so, his blog has been an interesting read.

[Tritagonist]

Would that be Yanis Varoufakis' blog? Just checking if I've got the right one.

Anyway, thanks for all the great tips, good advice etc. in this thread. Been good fun!

[MoLAoS]

I had to turn off the automatic notification of games on sale from steam and impulse because it is addicting and sucking up all my money. Low will power is ever my curse.

[internetonsetadd]

My only complaint was my own snoozing and losing. Still, my biggest haul yet by quite a lot. My PC is approaching the four year mark, the time in one's relationship with one's rig that one increasingly looks to the past for games. If the sale helped me get two or three more years out of this machine then it was all worthwhile.

[MoLAoS]

If i spent the next 2 years avoiding all the tempting deals on cool old games, I might save enough money to but a computer that can play modern or semi modern games. I bought Achron and sadly its so laggy that I just can't do anything right in the game. 4 year old laptop for the loss.

[gundato]

If i spent the next 2 years avoiding all the tempting deals on cool old games, I might save enough money to but a computer that can play modern or semi modern games. I bought Achron and sadly its so laggy that I just can't do anything right in the game. 4 year old laptop for the loss.

I don't know your income, but it shouldn't be too hard to save up for a decent system. Assuming you already have a monitor, you can pretty easily build a good computer (probably top of the line by last year's standards) for under 500 USD, even without bargain hunting. And if you don't mind taking your time, you can probably go cheaper (or get newer stuff).

[MoLAoS]

I don't know your income, but it shouldn't be too hard to save up for a decent system. Assuming you already have a monitor, you can pretty easily build a good computer (probably top of the line by last year's standards) for under 500 USD, even without bargain hunting. And if you don't mind taking your time, you can probably go cheaper (or get newer stuff).

Well I use a laptop. I am not a fan of desk tops. There is one at my house but its mostly used by my parents and after all these years using a mouse instead of a touchpad confuses me.

I don't have a job, for mental health reasons, so I don't have a lot of free cash. If I ever manage to get and keep one my finances will probably allow me to get a pretty decent new computer.

[thegooseking]

Thanks to whoever suggested skipping Assassin's Creed and going straight to Assassin's Creed 2. I was going to put it off until I finished the first one, but I picked up 2 in the daily, finished it, then got Brotherhood in the flash sale, and I'm having a lot more fun than I ever did in the first one. Probably the best thing from the sale for me.

Though I did pick up one game I've yet to play, and that is GalCiv2, so we'll see how I get on with that.

[MoLAoS]

Thanks to whoever suggested skipping Assassin's Creed and going straight to Assassin's Creed 2. I was going to put it off until I finished the first one, but I picked up 2 in the daily, finished it, then got Brotherhood in the flash sale, and I'm having a lot more fun than I ever did in the first one. Probably the best thing from the sale for me.

Though I did pick up one game I've yet to play, and that is GalCiv2, so we'll see how I get on with that.

Galciv 2 was so amazing when I got it a few years ago. I have like 250 hours played in a month, but then of course I burned out. The ship customization was so fun.

[Scumbag]

All over. No more sale things to concern me wit... Oh! Jade Empire at 75% off right now...

NO! OVER! STOP IT!

[Faldrath]

I'm tempted by Jade Empire as well. Siiiiigh.