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

[Giaddon]

I'm surprised, the actual game looks much much better than every single screenshot I've seen of it.

So it's basically like Terraria but better?

(AVWW I mean)

Not... really. A huge amount of the appeal of Terraria is from the fully deformable terrain and the ability to construct your own structures and whatever with it. A Valley Without Wind has none of that.

[internetonsetadd]

I played through most of Book 1 and found it to be extremely enjoyable. Eventually I stopped when it started feeling repetitive, but Eschalon is definitely my favorite of the old-school indie RPGs. I'd like to pick it back up and try 2 at some point. Your impression of the Spiderweb games isn't far off from my own.

[vinraith]

I'm fairly convinced that they have a set pool of deals and they're rotating them through the Daily, Community and Flash slots so that we don't have to wait until the last day to get the best bargains (which is actually quite cool if it's true).

That does mean that as the sale goes on we'll see more and more repeats - in theory, by halfway (tomorrowish) we'll have seen almost everything they have to offer - certainly 'flash' deals should start to contain earlier Community and Daily deals if that's true.

3 of today's dailies (not counting the indie bundle) are deals we haven't seen before. The remaining 4 are reruns of previous flash or vote sales. I think you're basically right, and I'd say specifically that there's a laid out set of dailies, and the vote/flash sales are just being pulled from that existing pool. That is, we aren't really getting any more unique sales than we would if it were just the daily sales, like it's been in the past, it's just that we're getting additional opportunities at those deals.

[Smashbox]

No Gods and Kings in the Civ V pack?!

[Sakkura]

No Gods and Kings in the Civ V pack?!
It's too new for that.

[Smashbox]

It's too new for that.

Im gettin' too old fer this shit.

[FriendlyFire]

I may be a tad late, but I can add to the Mirror's Edge praise. Yes, it has its flaws, but it's a unique game that's most definitely worth playing. The first few sections might be the best bits of the game, where it's still rather open ended and bright with little to no gunfighting.

The first person perspective makes a lot of "trivial" things in games like PoP quite tricky, but there's an even greater satisfaction in pulling them off. There's a sense of physicality that few games have, like you're actually Faith and not a disembodied camera with a gun.

Yes, the gunplay is frustrating, yes, the repetition can get annoying, but there's a certain addictive nature to the thing that indeed makes the comparison to a racing game valid: you want to shave off that one tenth of a second off your current time!

I'd also like noting that the game has a piece of DLC. It seems extremely contrived to get through Steam, but apparently it's doable. You need to grab the DLC on Origin (yes, I know) for $5 (or whatever your conversion happens to be) and then use this:

http://on-mirrors-edge.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=3964

to make it work with the Steam version. $5 is a bit steep when the game itself costs the same, but from what I know the DLC is pretty much the best of Mirror's Edge distilled. It's a map pack featuring extremely stylish abstract areas for you to run around in. Fairly large, open, with lots of places to flex your virtual muscles.

(Disclaimer: I own the PS3 version, which gets that DLC for free, but I haven't gotten around to playing it)

[Wheelz]

can someone confirm what the current flash deals are? I can only see three (Civ V, EU3, Pendula Studio's pack)

[sabrage]

can someone confirm what the current flash deals are? I can only see three (Civ V, EU3, Pendula Studio's pack)
In addition to those, I see Dungeon Siege 3.

[vinraith]

can someone confirm what the current flash deals are? I can only see three (Civ V, EU3, Pendula Studio's pack)

The other one is Dungeon Siege 3 at 75% off.

[Anthile]

That's strange. It's displayed as not available in my region yet when I search for it, the flash deal is there.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/901638/?snr=1_7_suggest__13

[squirrelfanatic]

That's curious. Dungeon Siege III is also missing for me. "Not available in your region". I am absolutely sure that it was there before the sale started.

[Velko]

Dungeon Siege III is missing for me too...

[Leopig]

Something weird. The Witcher 2 is currently in the community vote, but if you click the link for it, it is already selling at the discounted price.... is this a bug? so maybe a chance to pick it up and if it dont win the vote (which i dont think it will against batman) you can still get it cheaper.

[KauhuK]

I'm seeing Dungeon Siege III in the flash sales.

[Velko]

I'm seeing Dungeon Siege III in the flash sales.

Yeah, it's up now.

[internetonsetadd]

Something weird. The Witcher 2 is currently in the community vote, but if you click the link for it, it is already selling at the discounted price.... is this a bug? so maybe a chance to pick it up and if it dont win the vote (which i dont think it will against batman) you can still get it cheaper.

Not a bug. There are games on sale all over Steam through July 22, and they get deeper discounts when they make it to the Daily, Flash, or Community Choice sections.

Edit: forgot why I came here. Amazon's July sale is just floundering. I didn't expect it to really compete with the summer sale, but I figured they would at least maintain some momentum from the July 1-14 sales.

[Juan Carlo]

Another thing I enjoy during sales is taking a peek at what people on my friends list have been buying.

One title which keeps cropping-up are the Eschalon RPGs (Books 1 and 2) - I was initially wary as I'm not really a fan of old-school RPGs but I decided to give the demo of Book 1 and try and 2 hours later I can't say I didn't enjoy it.

It's sort-of what I expected of the Spiderweb games - but the thing I can't get away with on those is the VAST areas every room covers. I'm in a dungeon or a catacomb and it's a toss-up whether I play football or lease the space for 747 storage - that and the slightly po-faced writing is offputting to me (tho I'm persevering with Avadon on the iPad which feels a bit better for some reason).

Anyway - Escalon seems similar in style (perhaps even more old-school than even the latest Spiderweb titles) but I found myself more hooked from the off for some reason.

Anyone else tried these and care to tell me that 2 hours in the whole thing goes to shit? :)

In my experience, if you hate Spiderweb games you'll hate Eschalon even more. I like that Eschalon has a random character generator (which is a nice touch) and its skill/stat system is slightly more complex than your typical spiderweb game, but overall it's writing and general world design is nowhere near as good as your typical Spiderweb game (especially the Geneforges, which blow Eschalon out of the water in just about every area). And I'd say that it's gameplay isn't as good either--as Eschalon gets pretty trash mobby and repetitive as the game wears on (although this is also a criticism that can be leveled at certain spiderweb games--especially later games in the Avernum series).

All that said, though, I did like Eschalon over all. So I wouldn't discourage anyone from buying them. I do think, however, that if you have a hankering for an old school RPG there's really no reason to play Eschalon first if you still haven't played the Geneforges (Geneforge 4 and 5 are some of the best RPGs I've ever played. Especially 5, which I'm playing for the first time right now and it's every bit as good as "Fallout 2" or any of the great RPGs from the late 1990s).

[StormTrigger]

Just a quick tip, don't buy any games unless you see it for sale. Then buy all the games you wanted that didn't go on the super discounted sale on the 22nd.

Just what I have learned over the years.

[neema_t]

Just a quick tip, don't buy any games unless you see it for sale. Then buy all the games you wanted that didn't go on the super discounted sale on the 22nd.

Just what I have learned over the years.

I've been buying games that aren't in featured sales that have been 75% off because I can't imagine they'd get any cheaper, and also because they're old, obscure and incompatible enough (i.e. may require effort to make work) to not be featured. The games I'm talking about are DCS: Black Shark (which I can't play because I don't have a Pause/Break key!), Myst (which I regret as it really didn't work, I had been led to believe it could be made to) and Riven. You're right for the most part but I think if a game is 75% off outside of the front page sales there's not much chance it'll get cheaper.

[Juan Carlo]

It's six hours of that starting chase scene from The Matrix.

That's a good way of characterizing "Mirror's Edge."

I've always described it as "Run Lola Run: the video game," but your description makes more sense.

[Drake Sigar]

Mirror's Edge is very much a platform game, and a finicky one at that. Timing must be perfect, wrong steps mean starting over, missing a button press means starting over, the game thinking you missed a button press means starting over. The aesthetics are interesting, the idea is interesting, but the execution will lead people that aren't particularly inclined towards precision twitch gameplay to pull their hair out.
Don't listen to Vinrath. I don't lean towards that type of gameplay either, but he is old and has the reflexes of a Psyduck. By day 2 up on that rooftop I was a Ninja, my kung fu was strong.


Speaking of Arx Fatalis, doesn't it need a patch of some sort to run on modern computers or something? I vaguely remember hearing something about that.
The base game certainly does, but I thought online services like GoG and Steam tweaked old games to work on modern systems anyway.

[Tritagonist]

The base game certainly does, but I thought online services like GoG and Steam tweaked old games to work on modern systems anyway.

In the case of older games it's always advisable to check the forums for that particular game, to see if there are some prevalent problems that you might expect to run into on your system. Unfortunately you can't assume that an older game will simply work, not on Steam and perhaps not even on GOG (though those guys are usually very good, and I personally have never had a problem to get anything to work).

[Battle Programmer Spike]

The base game certainly does, but I thought online services like GoG and Steam tweaked old games to work on modern systems anyway.

Word of warning: besides including dosbox and automated launch .cfg/bat for the game they are doing this with, Valve/Steam doesn't bother tweaking old games. Unless the developer itself does so or asks GoG to give em the modified exe. Gog.com does tweak the game code to run on modern system, most of the times, fortunately. There are some games that are still tricky to run properly even if tweaked, but eh, shit happens I guess.

[Leopig]

Mirrors edge sucks.

I would say vote for Risen 2, but at 33% off I still wouldnt pay that much for it especially after hearing so many bad things. I voted The Witcher 2 even though the first is on my most hated list ever but many people have said it is very different from the first (like Asscred II is way different from 1)

[Heliocentric]

Mirrors edge sucks.

To quote my 5 year old "I throw fire in your eyes" good sir.

[Leopig]

lol I love that quote. I amg oing to steal that and use it in CS:GO

[Heliocentric]

Im gettin' too old fer this shit.

You are only 2 weeks from retirement?

[The JG Man]

I'm inclined to believe Crysis 2 will not be going any further on sale, be it now or later on. Despite it just returning to Steam, it's hardly a new game and I can't see it logically happening. Currently 70% off. Thoughts? It's the first game on sale that I actually had in my list to purchase (that and Mirror's Edge, but I can never pull the trigger on double dipping it).

For what it's worth, the first two Crysis games are also 70% off and I can heartily endorse them. I'm one of those weird people who enjoyed all of Crysis, not just the first half, but it's a great sandbox game with some satisfying shooting and control. Warhead is very much a refinement of what there is in 1.

[fiddlesticks]

You are only 2 weeks from retirement?
Don't say that, he'll be killed!

Any opinions on Dungeon Siege 3? I'm tempted to pick it up because it's an Obsidian game, but from what I've heard it doesn't really have any of the characteristics of one, which is to say stellar writing and a ton of bugs. Is it still worth it for the gameplay?

[Kiril]

Don't say that, he'll be killed!

Any opinions on Dungeon Siege 3? I'm tempted to pick it up because it's an Obsidian game, but from what I've heard it doesn't really have any of the characteristics of one, which is to say stellar writing and a ton of bugs. Is it still worth it for the gameplay?

I find it fun, its not the greatest action game, but its worth the asking price. The story is decent, not stellar, and so far has been bug free for me. I do have a problem in that some of the bosses are a huge spike in difficulty, but other than that its good.

Also it looks great, which is a plus.

[airtekh]

I'm inclined to believe Crysis 2 will not be going any further on sale, be it now or later on. Despite it just returning to Steam, it's hardly a new game and I can't see it logically happening. Currently 70% off. Thoughts? It's the first game on sale that I actually had in my list to purchase (that and Mirror's Edge, but I can never pull the trigger on double dipping it).

I liked Crysis 2. It's not the greatest shooter in the world, but it's decent enough.

Don't buy it expecting Crysis 1 though, it's a bit different. For starters, it's a lot more linear - which is a downside. You do get 'Tactical Options' from time to time, which give you a bit more choice about your firefights.

What I really appreciated about Crysis 2 though was that the suit is far more fun to use. The suit energy drains much slower, and you can spend more time cloaked and repositioning to flank enemies. Later upgrades to the suit allow you to remain cloaked almost indefinitely, and for it to recharge almost instantaneously, so you're never out of options.

It has been said by a lot of people that this makes the game too easy, but personally I'd take that over reloading saved games dozens of times.

Also, the ability to kick cars at people should be in every game.

Didn't try the mulitplayer, so I can't comment on that.

[Leopig]

I preferred Crysis 2 to the first (which i still not have finished yet). It is just a much more refined experience, jungles are overrated.

[Velko]

I just bought Crysis 1, so let's see...

[postinternetsyndrome]

I preferred Crysis 2 to the first (which i still not have finished yet). It is just a much more refined experience, jungles are overrated.While I do agree that jungles are overrated, Crysis itself is not. Crysis 2 didn't utilize its milieu in a smart way. A grand cityscape where you are free to plan your own routes and complete secondary objectives at your leisure - that would have been something. As it stands, it's a decent, competent shooter with extra bells and whistles. Not a worthy successor, but enjoyable in it's own right.

[alms]

Not... really. A huge amount of the appeal of Terraria is from the fully deformable terrain and the ability to construct your own structures and whatever with it. A Valley Without Wind has none of that.

I'll be honest with you and say I never really understood what the real appeal in Terraria is. I mean I bought it because of some strange fixation I had about it but it never quite gelled with me for whatever reason. I'm getting a good vibe off AVWW though, I should play it more in case it gets discounted into my range.

On an unrelated the Pendulo Studios Pack looks really like a great deal. I'm not talking about the quality of the games themselves (I never played myself and I know a lot of people hated them), rather their price: Yesterday and The Next Big Thing full price tag is a shocking 29.99 €.

So it's five games for the price of the one of them 50% off, and Yesterday has pretty decent reviews overall.

Too bad I can't get myself to put my money where my mouth is.

[Revisor]

On an unrelated the Pendulo Studios Pack looks really like a great deal. I'm not talking about the quality of the games themselves (I never played myself and I know a lot of people hated them), rather their price: Yesterday and The Next Big Thing full price tag is a shocking 29.99 €.

So it's five games for the price of the one of them 50% off, and Yesterday has pretty decent reviews overall.

As a sidenote on a PC forum, Yesterday is available for the iPad for 4 Eur.

[alms]

I don't have an iPad but thanks for bringing that up. I hate these double standards.

[deano2099]

I don't have an iPad but thanks for bringing that up. I hate these double standards.

That's a fairer price for Yesterday. It's a decent game but only 3-4 hours long.

[LTK]

Any opinions on Dungeon Siege 3? I'm tempted to pick it up because it's an Obsidian game, but from what I've heard it doesn't really have any of the characteristics of one, which is to say stellar writing and a ton of bugs. Is it still worth it for the gameplay?
There's a demo, you should try that and see if it does anything for you. Personally, I thought it was too ARPG and not enough tactical RPG, or in other words, too Diablo and not enough Dragon Age.

[vinraith]

Don't listen to Vinrath. I don't lean towards that type of gameplay either, but he is old and has the reflexes of a Psyduck. By day 2 up on that rooftop I was a Ninja, my kung fu was strong.


The "What are you playing?" thread at the moment tells the story of how Mirror's Edge actually plays better than I could.



I'll be honest with you and say I never really understood what the real appeal in Terraria is. I mean I bought it because of some strange fixation I had about it but it never quite gelled with me for whatever reason. I'm getting a good vibe off AVWW though, I should play it more in case it gets discounted into my range.

Well for what it's worth I bounced clean off Terraria too, but really enjoy AVWW. Hell, I think it's the only "metroidvania" thing I've ever really enjoyed, for all that I couldn't easily characterize why.


There's a demo, you should try that and see if it does anything for you. Personally, I thought it was too ARPG and not enough tactical RPG, or in other words, too Diablo and not enough Dragon Age.

I've heard that it's more Dark Alliance/Champions of Norrath than it is Diablo, even, and that the co-op is kind of borked (something about being locked onto the same screen, for example). That last part is the real dealbreaker, and not something I can test in the demo, so if anyone has info I'd appreciate it.

[fiddlesticks]

There's a demo, you should try that and see if it does anything for you.
Thanks, I didn't even notice that. So rare for a game to have a demo these days.

In unrelated news, the Double Fine Bundle just became a flash deal. Go on and buy it everyone. Psychonauts alone is worth ten times its asking price and the other two games are a joy to play as well.

[The JG Man]

New flash deals are up, as well as the Batman franchise as the community vote. The new flashes are Double Fine stuff, which although I haven't played Costume Quest and Stacking (although I have Psychonauts) the internet reliably tells me that if you like nice things, you should probably get it. Also, Psychonauts is worth that price of admission alone. Psychonauts is great and you should buy it.

The other flash is Sniper Elite V2. Crysis and Dungeon Siege 3 remain on sale for 2 more hours, but'll probably re-appear as dailies later on.

I'm reaching into your mind and telling you to buy Psychonauts.

[F. Lynx Pardinus]

Re the Double Fine deal. I've enjoyed Costume Quest and Psychonauts, is Stacking fun to play?

[Tikey]

Stacking is lovely. It's a puzzle-adventure game. It's very light on the difficulty but it's so charming that you can forgive any flaw you could find.

[LTK]

Re the Double Fine deal. I've enjoyed Costume Quest and Psychonauts, is Stacking fun to play?
I found that the puzzles became a bit tedious towards the end. I reached the final level but never completed it. It's a puzzle adventure, through and through, no action about it, so it's very different from Psychonauts. I can't compare it to Costume Quest, haven't played that.

[Smashbox]

When the heck is Trenched (aka Iron Brigade) going to come out on PC, already?!

[The JG Man]

I don't know, but I picture that if we keep giving money to Double Fine, it'll magically happen.

Why haven't you all bought Psychonauts yet?

[TechnoJellyfish]

Re the Double Fine deal. I've enjoyed Costume Quest and Psychonauts, is Stacking fun to play?

The gameplay mechanics wear a bit thin by the time you reach the last third. Also, the puzzles aren't so much about combining all different kind of dolls, often it is more a case of finding the right kind. And I think the game is capped at 30 fps ...

That said, it is absolutely charming! I'd recommend it for the unique setting alone (especially at that price).

[Oshada]

Everyone should buy Stacking, especially now that they've made it possible to disable the projector film flickery effect. It's just great to play on either gamepad or KB/M.

[SirKicksalot]

Why haven't you all bought Psychonauts yet?

I bought it and played it for like 10 minutes. Felt like Tim Burton masturbating all over my screen. The bad Tim Burton, not the Batman/Big Fish/Sweeney Todd one. Instant hate.
I was interested in Stacking and Brutal Legend but Psychonauts made me stop caring. If this is what everyone praises about Double Fine, then their games are not for me.

[TailSwallower]

RE: Dungeon Siege III, I'd recommend getting the pack with the DLC. I felt like the base game lacked a little something, and I have a feeling that that something might be the enchanting and such that they included in the DLC.

Co-op features some godawful design decisions (everyone is locked to the one screen, and only Player 1's character is persistent), but in single-player it's quite an enjoyable way to kill a few hours.

[vinraith]

only Player 1's character is persistent

Wow. 123456

[Smashbox]

That does seem pretty boneheaded.

[alms]

First 90% off I spot in this sale.

[Leopig]

Wooohoioo Train Simulator. I am all over that. Glad to see Spec ops on sale, but not discounted enough for me to buy. Whats the 9th game that is not available in the UK?

[alms]

They should be giving the base game away for free, the DLCs grand total is over 750 € after discount -.-

[Protoman]

Wooohoioo Train Simulator. I am all over that. Glad to see Spec ops on sale, but not discounted enough for me to buy. Whats the 9th game that is not available in the UK?
Spec ops was on sale for -50% on amazon about a week ago, so it's kind of stupid that it's only -33% now.
The 9th game isn't in the US either, so it's probably just a screw-up.

[Smashbox]

Stronghold 3 ... I haven't played it.

What say you?

[alms]

The 9th game isn't in the US either, so it's probably just a screw-up.

It's just the daily indie bundle.

[Subatomic]

Wooohoioo Train Simulator. I am all over that. Glad to see Spec ops on sale, but not discounted enough for me to buy. Whats the 9th game that is not available in the UK?

The games for today are
-Limbo
-Stronghold 3
-Wargame: European Escalation
-Spec Ops: The Line
-CoD: Black Ops
-GTA IV
-Company of Heroes
-Train Simulator
-Indie Bundle VI

[Track]

GTA IV Complete is on for $7.50. Based on what i've hard about the DLC, I figure that I should buy the whole set instead of just the base game?

[gundato]

GTA IV Complete is on for $7.50. Based on what i've hard about the DLC, I figure that I should buy the whole set instead of just the base game?

Definitely.

[SirKicksalot]

Amazon had better prices than Steam for pretty much everything.

[vinraith]

Now that is one dead sales day. Not only is there nothing I want to buy, there's nothing there I already own that I'd recommend either (well, except SpaceChem, but that's part of a pack with a pile of mediocrity).

[Giaddon]

[Regarding Dungeon Siege 3] only Player 1's character is persistent

This isn't true, actually.

Basically, characters are stuck in the campaigns they are created in -- they can't move between different campaigns.

If two players start a campaign together, then save, quit, and come back later, both player's characters will be the same. If either player plays a new campaign, they won't be able to access the characters in the other game. Whoever is hosting the game can continue it on his own, if he wants, but then the AI will control the other character.

It's definitely not an ideal system, but two players playing together absolutely can grow their characters together. They just have to keep playing the same campaign.

[vinraith]

Thanks for the clarification, Giaddon. That's not great, but it's not the deal-breaker that no second player persistence would be.

[alms]

Not only is there nothing I want to buy

There's a little Sheldon inside me trying to make me get Railworks, but I'm gonna MTFU.

[field_studies]

Stronghold 3 ... I haven't played it.
What say you?

I was wondering the same thing, but it's been sitting on my wishlist for so long that at that price I just bit. Hopefully all the patches I've heard about have fixed a lot of the launch issues.

Any Wargame: European Escalation fans here that want to extol its virtues to us on-the-fence folk?

[hariseldon]

Bad day for me, an impressively awful day for my wallet. I'm thoroughly ashamed of myself!

[Smashbox]

Can you lay out track in Railworks? Or just drive trains?


I was wondering the same thing, but it's been sitting on my wishlist for so long that at that price I just bit. Hopefully all the patches I've heard about have fixed a lot of the launch issues.

Good luck - let me know your thoughts!

[thegooseking]

GTA IV Complete is on for $7.50. Based on what i've hard about the DLC, I figure that I should buy the whole set instead of just the base game?

The base game costs the same as the collection anyway, at least here in the UK.

[vinraith]

I was wondering the same thing, but it's been sitting on my wishlist for so long that at that price I just bit. Hopefully all the patches I've heard about have fixed a lot of the launch issues.


Let us know how that turns out. My impression from word of mouth and reviews was that some of the problems with that game were design-deep and couldn't really be fixed with patching.

[Tritagonist]

It's not a daily, rather a flash sale starting at the same time, but Binary Domain has a pretty good price (€13,60) considering it was released in late April this year. It didn't get very favourable reviews, and there was much said about its lacking port to PC, but more recently I've seen quite a lot of positive responses from actual players who've said that while it's not a classic, it's definitely good fun. Probably something to look at if the general genre and theme appeal to you - there's a demo as well.

[Faldrath]

Now that is one dead sales day. Not only is there nothing I want to buy, there's nothing there I already own that I'd recommend either (well, except SpaceChem, but that's part of a pack with a pile of mediocrity).

Actually, from what I've read Ticket to Ride is pretty good. Shame it's not discounted separately.

[vinraith]

Actually, from what I've read Ticket to Ride is pretty good. Shame it's not discounted separately.

Personally I hate the board game, so while it may be a good translation to PC it's still nothing I'd want.

[Giaddon]

I was wondering the same thing, but it's been sitting on my wishlist for so long that at that price I just bit. Hopefully all the patches I've heard about have fixed a lot of the launch issues.

Any Wargame: European Escalation fans here that want to extol its virtues to us on-the-fence folk?

Definitely let us know how S3 is. For $10 I probably would have gotten it.

Wargame is good. I would recommend both Ruse and Supreme Commander 2 over it, however, and those are cheaper. If you really want to be enabled I'm happy to post more good things about Wargame.

[alms]

Can you lay out track in Railworks? Or just drive trains?

There's a world editor tool that you can lay down tracksw with, but I have no idea how easy to use it is.

[Leopig]

Can you lay out track in Railworks? Or just drive trains?




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrod6b9H_NI

Yep, seems to be a full editor included.

[Henke]

Ticket to Ride is a lot of fun when played with friends on an iPad. Not sure if it translates well to PC. And Binary Domain is a damn fine shooter (though I admittedly played the 360 version, not sure about the PC port).

[hariseldon]

Can you lay out track in Railworks? Or just drive trains?


Just drive trains. Bought it on a whim on a previous sale before anyone asks. I'm not a trainspotter, honest!

[field_studies]

(re: Stronghold 3)
Good luck - let me know your thoughts!


I regrettably likely won't have time to play until the sale price has passed, but if I manage to I'll be certain to report back... with the caveat that I really enjoyed Stronghold 2, which may discredit my opinion, I realize ;-)

[hariseldon]

Stronghold 3 ... I haven't played it.

What say you?

I had a blast with Stronghold 3, lots of people hated it, maybe I'm just weird?

[field_studies]

Incidentally, there must be some conjecture about today's background image... what are the munchkins up to? Or, per Tom Waits, what are they building in there?

[Rauten]

Incidentally, there must be some conjecture about today's background image... what are the munchkins up to? Or, per Tom Waits, what are they building in there?

Clearly, they're in charge of the coding for the Linux version.

[fiddlesticks]

I bought it and played it for like 10 minutes. Felt like Tim Burton masturbating all over my screen. The bad Tim Burton, not the Batman/Big Fish/Sweeney Todd one. Instant hate.
There's bad Tim Burton films?

From today's deals I'd like to recommend Limbo, which is short and linear but has very unique visuals and great atmosphere. It's well worth the sales price. And I'd like to anti-recommend Duke Nukem Forever. Don't buy this game. Just don't.

[renhoelder]

C'mooon Krater for "Comminuty Choice", if not, it'll probably pop up as a Daily Deal somewhere along the way, right?

[Finicky]

Krater is a pretty bad game.
It plays sort of like an mmo (tank, heal, stun) , the dungeons are boring and generic looking, the overworld has random encounters which are tedious and pointless, the crafting is lame, the items are generic and boring.

Can't think of a single redeeming feature about this game. I guess the nordic english accents are good for a chuckle once or twice...

[LTK]

For a game that's not good but interesting I'd much rather get EYE: Divine Cybermancy. Enough people already seemed to disagree with my picks for DE:HR and the Witcher 2, so I'm not counting on it.

[renhoelder]

Krater is a pretty bad game.
It plays sort of like an mmo (tank, heal, stun) , the dungeons are boring and generic looking, the overworld has random encounters which are tedious and pointless, the crafting is lame, the items are generic and boring.

Can't think of a single redeeming feature about this game. I guess the nordic english accents are good for a chuckle once or twice...

Better or worse than Dungeon Siege III? These 2 games have intrigued me for a while but I never seem to make myself buy them, DSIII at least, as it was only a couple of $ during the holiday sale on amazon.


I'm guessing the deal on Community Choice, Daily Deals and Flash sales all cycle so it's likely to see a game that was on Daily Deal at the same price point later on as Community Choice or a Flash Deal, seems to me at least.

[Drake Sigar]

There's bad Tim Burton films?


Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Planet of the Apes...

[Smashbox]

He made Planet of the Apes!?

[Nalano]

There's bad Tim Burton films?

Needs more Michael Keaton and a lot less Johnny Depp.

[Leopig]

If it wasn't for Tm Burton, Helena Carter would be on the dole.

Can't think of even one film of his that I enjoyed. Guy just tries to be cooky for cooky's sake.

[Finicky]

Better or worse than Dungeon Siege III? These 2 games have intrigued me for a while but I never seem to make myself buy them, DSIII at least, as it was only a couple of $ during the holiday sale on amazon.


I'm guessing the deal on Community Choice, Daily Deals and Flash sales all cycle so it's likely to see a game that was on Daily Deal at the same price point later on as Community Choice or a Flash Deal, seems to me at least.

Far worse, DS3 at least has fairly pretty graphics and the gameplay is much less tedious (though the controls with m/k in dungeon siege are really really bad)

[Smashbox]

1583

tenmorecharacters

[SirKicksalot]

He made Planet of the Apes!?

Yeah the one with Michael Jackson as the love interest and Charlton Heston as an ape.

[Nalano]

If it wasn't for Tm Burton, Helena Carter would be on the dole.

Can't think of even one film of his that I enjoyed. Guy just tries to be cooky for cooky's sake.

Beetlejuice. Batman. Edward Scissorhands. The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Even Mars Attacks! is legitimately funny.

[Loki_MGF]

Should I get Metro:2033? Can't decide!

[fiddlesticks]

Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Planet of the Apes...
Fair enough. I haven't seen Alice but the other two were pretty bad, though mostly because they were based on much better films.


Beetlejuice. Batman. Edward Scissorhands. The Nightmare Before Christmas.
To be fair, Nightmare before Christmas was directed by Henry Selick. Although Burton's influence on the film is undeniable.

Edit: Which reminds me, while Tim Burton is a good director, his films owe a lot to Danny Elfman's fantastic music.

[alms]

Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

I actually liked these 2. Alice more than Charlie. Why are these regarded as bad Tim Burton?

[neema_t]

Should I get Metro:2033? Can't decide!

Yes, almost immediately!

[Kodeen]

I never understood why The Joker was such a big Prince fan. I would have pegged him for a Janis Joplin type.

[alms]

To be fair, Nightmare before Christmas was directed by Henry Selick.

That's because it's made in stop motion. Even the Corpse Bride has a 'co-director' who's a stop motion specialist.

[Smashbox]

Should I get Metro:2033? Can't decide!

If you don't have anything to say about Tim Burton, don't say anything at all!

[internetonsetadd]

Tim Burton gave my mom oral in a scary cornfield under a menacing moon.

That out of the way, I only ever played through GTA3, so the GTA complete pack is looking somewhat tempting at $12.49. That's a fair number of games I haven't played for the cost of one sale-priced SR3.

[SirKicksalot]

San Andreas + downloaded 100% save => best GTA experience.
Tim Burton and Keaton agree.

[zookeeper]

Tim Burton strangled my puppy, stuffed him, then turned him into a marionette.

ahem.

Any thoughts on the Arkham City DLC? I enjoyed the first game, but I haven't been following this one so I really know nothing about it.

[Universal Hamster]

Not-one mounting the defence for Tim Burton mentioned Ed Wood.

Ridiculous!

[Smashbox]

San Andreas + downloaded 100% save => best GTA experience.


Wow good idea. I'm going to do that for Red Faction Guerrilla.

Also Tim Burton made a movie through my bedroom window. The only thing you can hear is the sound of his laughter.

Like a coughing cartoon dog.

[gundato]

Tim Burton strangled my puppy, stuffed him, then turned him into a marionette.

ahem.

Any thoughts on the Arkham City DLC? I enjoyed the first game, but I haven't been following this one so I really know nothing about it.


The costumes: No real benefit, outside of a bit of variety while going after Riddler Trophies
Catwoman DLC: If you don't have it, you'll miss out on plot and junk
Harley Quinn's Revenge: It is weak, but it is totally worth it for the continued story. Nothing groundbreaking, but it is more of the good.

[Smashbox]

I might be a sucker, but I find Frank Miller old Batman compelling. Tim Burton should have made a movie of that book.

ALSO:

http://i.imgur.com/mOsC8.jpg

[vinraith]

What Catwoman DLC? I own the base game, and it regularly forces you to play as catwoman all on its own. It's one of many reasons I'm not really a fan of the game, actually.


I might be a sucker, but I find Frank Miller old Batman compelling. Tim Burton should have made a movie of that book.

The Dark Night Returns. It's one of the few comics I've ever enjoyed reading, and I agree wholeheartedly that a proper movie treatment would be a beautiful thing. As an added bonus, they couldn't possibly miscast Christian Bale as Batman (again) for it either.

[gundato]

What Catwoman DLC? I own the base game, and it regularly forces you to play as catwoman all on its own. It's one of many reasons I'm not really a fan of the game, actually.
Technically, Catwoman is DLC (at least, on the consoles). It is just the on-disc variety that Capcom says is the same thing and totally worth our money.

Catwoman was used to discourage people from buying the game used. I have it on the PS3 so I have a code I entered, I don't know how PC handled it.

[sabrage]

The Dark Night Returns. It's one of the few comics I've ever enjoyed reading, and I agree wholeheartedly that a proper movie treatment would be a beautiful thing. As an added bonus, they couldn't possibly miscast Christian Bale as Batman (again) for it either.
I know it's not exactly what you mean (http://screenrant.com/dark-knight-returns-movie-cast-sandy-174006/), but Peter Weller is a far better Batman than Bale (but whether he beats out Conroy remains to be seen.)

Anways, Tim Burton's film career needs to end, now that he's so far up the remake tree that he's doing his own movies now.

(I'd say something about the sale here, but even misguided obligation can't make today's offerings interesting)

[Revisor]

Never played Company of Heroes, don't like strategy games very much but I'm willing to give it a try.
What game from the CoH series is the best?

[vinraith]

Technically, Catwoman is DLC (at least, on the consoles). It is just the on-disc variety that Capcom says is the same thing and totally worth our money.

Catwoman was used to discourage people from buying the game used. I have it on the PS3 so I have a code I entered, I don't know how PC handled it.

Hmm, if she's DLC does that mean there's some way to turn her off? Seriously, I really hate being ripped out of my nice open world batman romp to play her.


I know it's not exactly what you mean (http://screenrant.com/dark-knight-returns-movie-cast-sandy-174006/), but Peter Weller is a far better Batman than Bale (but whether he beats out Conroy remains to be seen.)


We're about a mile off topic but that's pretty cool, thanks for linking it.

[Smashbox]

We're about a mile off topic but that's pretty cool, thanks for linking it.

Holy shit how did I not know about these movies!? Are they for children?

[rsherhod]

The first one was best.

Opposing Fronts is pretty good though. Although it annoys me that they call the British paratroopers 'commandos'. I seem to remember the German campaign was pretty good too, although the fact that they never even mention the word 'Nazi' becomes more obvious.

I didn't rate Tales of Valor.

[Heliocentric]

Never played Company of Heroes, don't like strategy games very much but I'm willing to give it a try.
What game from the CoH series is the best?

The core game is the best SP experience, the other camnpaigns were very much "here something to play when you are very familiar with coh", not bad, but not a good place for a new player to start.

[vinraith]

Holy shit how did I not know about these movies!? Are they for children?

Surely not, how could you even make a version of DKR for children?

[Revisor]

The first one was best.

The core game is the best SP experience
Thank you, the first one it is then.

[Giaddon]

Vinraith, I seem to recall you bought Patrician 4 a while ago. What did you think of it?

[vinraith]

Vinraith, I seem to recall you bought Patrician 4 a while ago. What did you think of it?

Good memory, that was during the Xmas sale over on GG. You know what's sad? I honestly haven't gotten around to playing it.

[internetonsetadd]

I know it's not exactly what you mean (http://screenrant.com/dark-knight-returns-movie-cast-sandy-174006/), but Peter Weller is a far better Batman than Bale (but whether he beats out Conroy remains to be seen.)

Weller? Yuck. Conroy should voice Batman until he dies.

[Smashbox]

Vinraith, I seem to recall you bought Patrician 4 a while ago. What did you think of it?

Good memory, that was during the Xmas sale over on GG. You know what's sad? I honestly haven't gotten around to playing it.

I played it this spring and really enjoyed it. It's fun to build a little trading empire.

It was one of those play-non-stop-for-a-few-days games. I haven't felt compelled to do another run-through. Some really cool ideas in there, and most of the interface is very clever. Stands out as a pretty unique game in my game history.

EDIT
Regarding stability: It worked fine for me. Win 7 64bit.

[jnx]

I bought Patrician IV some time ago from Gamersgate and for some reason it's constantly crashing on my system. Otherwise a nice game if you like such things, the appeal is a bit niche though.

[Loki_MGF]

Yes, almost immediately!

good enough for me!

Next question: just saw Tim Burton standing on a bridge, should I push him off it?

Happy Smashbox?

[trjp]

Ah - my first disappointment of the Summer Sale. After many years of ignoring it I finally picked-up Cave Story+ but much as I love the idea, any game which - should you die on a boss or similar encounter - throws you back halfway through the previous platformy bit can GET TO FUCK.

Seriously, if it was discovered that making games like that gave you cancer I'd be pleased - when did it become OK for game developers to despise their customers again? :)

[Kodeen]

any game which - should you die on a boss or similar encounter - throws you back halfway through the previous platformy bit can GET TO FUCK.

when did it become OK for game developers to despise their customers again? :)

Nineteen eighty .... two? Eighty three maybe.

[Leopig]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3N6EFlZMtg

lol this is one funny video that is really convincing me to buy it.

[sabrage]

Holy shit how did I not know about these movies!? Are they for children?
Many of the Batman animateds, particularly Under the Red Hood and Mask of the Phantasm, are decidedly not for children. They just adapted Year One which is apparently pretty good, though I haven't seen it myself. They got Cranston to play Commissioner Gordon for that one.

[gundato]

Many of the Batman animateds, particularly Under the Red Hood and Mask of the Phantasm, are decidedly not for children. They just adapted Year One which is apparently pretty good, though I haven't seen it myself. They got Cranston to play Commissioner Gordon for that one.

Yeah, don't show your kids Under the Red Hood or Mask of the Phantasm. Hell, the only child-friendly (to the extent TAS was child-friendly) one is Sub-Zero, and that was probably the weakest.

Year One is good, but it doesn't adapt to a film all that well. Felt more like an arc for a TV show than a movie.

[trjp]

lol this is one funny video that is really convincing me to buy it.

I ended-up with a copy a while back thanks to a mate (who isn't on Steam and doesn't play games) wanting to do some Machinima.

After he'd done his thing, I spent a while playing this and it's fun in a "you have to read the instructions" sort of way.

There's not really a game in there unless precision time-keeping and speed-limit management is your thing - but it offers much fun (esp that silly Halloween mod they did).

[vinraith]

Many of the Batman animateds, particularly Under the Red Hood and Mask of the Phantasm, are decidedly not for children. They just adapted Year One which is apparently pretty good, though I haven't seen it myself. They got Cranston to play Commissioner Gordon for that one.

This probably ought to be its own topic in the "other stuff" subforum, but I'd be really interested in recommendations as to which ones are best out of that catalog of stuff, suggested viewing order etc.

[alms]

There's not really a game in there unless precision time-keeping and speed-limit management is your thing - but it offers much fun (esp that silly Halloween mod they did).

If you have the deluxe version there is a mountain DLC which, as far as I've gathered, offers quite a bit of a challenge because of the changes in slope and tricky curves.

Actually I'm thinking about getting the Haulin' Ass version and I need someone to talk me out of it.

[Smashbox]

Also, I would say Mask of the Phantasm is a kids movie, though I do like it.

Is Year One less ... kiddy... than that?

I like my Batman scary and punching bones to pieces. Also getting badly cut, legbroken or burned. Also it's nice when crooks are all like, "Oh shit. We're screwed"

[Leopig]

The thing with Railworks is I only want the UK stuff. Looking through all the DLC there is like £600 of DLC there to pick from. I just want to be able to pretty much pick any UK journey.

[gundato]

Also, I would say Mask of the Phantasm is a kids movie, though I do like it.

Is Year One less ... kiddy... than that?

I like my Batman scary and punching bones to pieces. Also getting badly cut, legbroken or burned. Also it's nice when crooks are all like, "Oh shit. We're screwed"

Yeah, should probably go to a different thread.

And Year One's "villain" is crime itself, and a huge part of the plot is Jim Gordon's affair.
Mask of the Phantasm dealt with vengeance and lost love, and also doesn't really have a true villain in the sense that the core plot is about Bruce and Andrea (when The Joker gets upstaged by plot, you know it is a good story :p).

And vin:
(DCAU movies. So the stuff that is basically in the same continuity as TAS and Justice League)
Phantasm is basically "Year One" with respect to the DCAU. So that one would be "before TAS" as it were.
Sub-Zero is (timeline wise) in the timeskip before Tim Drake became Robin (good as a Victor Fries story, but kind of meh overall)
Mystery of the Batwoman (kind of skippable, is one of the weakest movies). This one's timeline is not 100% obvious, but probably after the aforementioned timeskip.
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (my favorite Bat-movie because it truly shows Terry becoming Batman, and Bruce stepping down. comes after Batman Beyond)

Other Movies
Under the Red Hood (technically this might come after Young Justice becuase it is the same guy voicing Bats, but this is really on its own. Pretty much ties with Phantasm as my second favorite Bat-movie)
Year One (this is the Batman origin story)

[Nalano]

The thing with Railworks is I only want the UK stuff.

It's mostly UK stuff, which I find funny considering how tiny your country is.

[Smashbox]

I just noticed the Diamond Jubilee expansion pack, in which the queen is aboard the train!

I'm not even joking.

[neema_t]

there is like £600 of DLC there to pick from.

Holy serious actual crap, you weren't exaggerating, nearly £650 and that's at half price!

[alms]

I'm having blood-freezing visions of myself ordering a USB train controller from Amazon.

[trjp]

It's mostly UK stuff, which I find funny considering how tiny your country is.

We invented the train - that might explain it?

We actually created the entire Industrial Revolution with (as Brian Cox keeps reminding people) far less investment than the Banks got just to avoid going bust... (His actual line is "they received more money than science has received since JESUS") :)

[alms]

Any comments on Shoot Many Robots?

[trjp]

The thing with Railworks is I only want the UK stuff. Looking through all the DLC there is like £600 of DLC there to pick from. I just want to be able to pretty much pick any UK journey.

It doesn't work like that - sadly - you get a 'route' with some variations but you can't just start in Devon and end in Northern Scotland by glueing together DLCs (at least you couldn't when I last checked).

Each DLC/route is a universe in it's own right...

[Leopig]

Thats a shame. Would have been nice to visit stations I know.

[trjp]

Any comments on Shoot Many Robots?

It really, really, really needs to be played in Co-Op because it is (or at least the 360 version was at launch) just about impossible in places for a single player.

I didn't like it's graphical style much but it's effectively Borderlands in 2D without the flair or detail of something like Metal Slug - sadly...

[Protoman]

Any comments on Shoot Many Robots?
I'd like an opinion on this as well, it's kind of silly that they don't give us a demo, list a forum link or even link to a metacritic score to give us an idea of what the game is about...
But if it's pretty good I may go for the 4-pack.

Edit:

It really, really, really needs to be played in Co-Op because it is (or at least the 360 version was at launch) just about impossible in places for a single player.

I didn't like it's graphical style much but it's effectively Borderlands in 2D without the flair or detail of something like Metal Slug - sadly...
So you played it on console? I'd still like to know about the PC port.
More specifically, this isn't Uplay is it?

[trjp]

WOO - the community picked Sanctum, a game which has been on sale more than the sofas in DFS

It's at times like this I'm reminded that the majority of the human race are retarded...

[neema_t]

WOO - the community picked Sanctum, a game which has been on sale more than the sofas in DFS

It's at times like this I'm reminded that the majority of the human race are retarded...

Thanks, I voted for it! Mainly because I think anyone who doesn't have it yet really should just take the damn hint and buy it, it's really good. Not sure about Krater though.

[Nalano]

We invented the train - that might explain it?

And we superceded you in ten years. Hell, you're not even the top ten (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_rail_transport_network_size). :P

Just teasing, anyway: I have the East Coast Corridor DLC that runs along the Amtrak line from NYC to Philadelphia on Train Simulator 2012. IT'S A HUNDRED MILES IN A STRAIGHT LINE. Just an endless line of warehouses and parking lots, 'cuz New Jersey is fuckin' ugly.

[LTK]

Any comments on Shoot Many Robots?
According to Total Biscuit, it's Exactly What It Says On The Tin. Not more, not less.

[trjp]

Thats a shame. Would have been nice to visit stations I know.
From what I've seen, major stations (terminii, if you like) are well modelled - as are some major things en-route (the 'Nuclear Power Station' he mentions would be Didcot Power Station I guess??) but otherwise it's a collection of assets such as bridges, trees, houses etc. with 'cookie cutter' stations with roughly the right number of platforms etc. etc.

The core of the game is 'accurate' train driving but there's some scenery aspect to it - if you're more of a 'train set' person then you need Trainz which is more about layouts than it is about driving the trains (tho you can do that).

[Leopig]

I was hoping on Krater for my ARPG needs until TL2 came out. Yeah I agree, the steam community have no taste what so ever.

[trjp]

And we superceded you in ten years. Hell, you're not even the top ten (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_rail_transport_network_size).

So you agree with Mr Zynga that it's not inventing the thing - it's doing it on a big scale which matters? :)

In fairness, we could have tried to keep-up with the USA or France or Germany but as they're fundamentally much, much bigger places, it might have gotten a bit crowded :)

I suspect we outdo every other country on earth COMBINED in trainspotter numbers tho - if they had their way there'd be a Steam Engine to every town and a Deltic in every driveway... ;)

[Leopig]

From what I've seen, major stations (terminii, if you like) are well modelled - as are some major things en-route (the 'Nuclear Power Station' he mentions would be Didcot Power Station I guess??) but otherwise it's a collection of assets such as bridges, trees, houses etc. with 'cookie cutter' stations with roughly the right number of platforms etc. etc.

The core of the game is 'accurate' train driving but there's some scenery aspect to it - if you're more of a 'train set' person then you need Trainz which is more about layouts than it is about driving the trains (tho you can do that).

I just had a quick 20 minute play about with it and it does seem fun. Did the first tutorial then preceded to dump my whole train in the Weir (or Tyne).

[Oak]

You know, I bought Railworks out of sheer curiosity during the Christmas sale and, despite not being part of the target audience, came to enjoy it a lot. Without irony. You're always busy, even on a relatively simple drive, monitoring your speed, making tiny adjustments, thinking three miles ahead, as it were. Moving a rectangle forward in a straight line takes a lot of work.

[trjp]

Thanks, I voted for it! Mainly because I think anyone who doesn't have it yet really should just take the damn hint and buy it, it's really good. Not sure about Krater though.

I should just straight-out apologise for that because I do that with almost every single community vote - "BUY THIS ONE YOU FOOOOOOLS" I keep yelling, but do they listen?

Nope...

[LTK]

I was hoping on Krater for my ARPG needs until TL2 came out. Yeah I agree, the steam community have no taste what so ever.
Don't be so dramatic, the votes were almost exactly split 1/3, 1/3, 1/3. I would rather have had EYE, but Sanctum got lucky.

[Leopig]

Won't somebody please think of the children????

[alms]

I didn't like it's graphical style much but it's effectively Borderlands in 2D without the flair or detail of something like Metal Slug - sadly...

Thanks, I was hoping for something Metal Slug-gish, really.


list a forum link or even link to a metacritic score to give us an idea of what the game is about...


If you feel like reading, these two were linked by RPS in their brief coverage of SMR:

http://www.destructoid.com/review-shoot-many-robots-223839.phtml
http://uk.xboxlive.ign.com/articles/122/1220801p1.html

The first is an 8, the second a 4.5.


Thanks, I voted for it! Mainly because I think anyone who doesn't have it yet really should just take the damn hint and buy it, it's really good. Not sure about Krater though.

Yeah me too, because Krater is not a good game ATM and Sanctum is, so I thought, well here's a chance for anybody who's still missing some piece of DLC or something.

[postinternetsyndrome]

Was hoping for Krater too. Still a chance for it being a daily though.

[Gasmask Hero]

It's mostly UK stuff, which I find funny considering how tiny your country is.

Railsimulator is a UK firm, so their bias is sort of understandable.

[trjp]

Don't be so dramatic, the votes were almost exactly split 1/3, 1/3, 1/3. I would rather have had EYE, but Sanctum got lucky.
I bought EYE in the last sale (gunning for cheevos and tickets or whatever) and I cannot understate the entertainment I got from EYE - sadly almost entirely from being astonished someone would release it as a game without a sense of irony.

It's insanely unplayable, requires a magnifying glass for most of the text, it's designs are all nicked from other sources and - it's just hard to summarize it in 1 word really...

[vinraith]

Was hoping for Krater too. Still a chance for it being a daily though.

Not just "a chance," it pretty certainly will be a daily. I'm pretty much convinced at this point that all the vote sales, and all the flash sales, are just dailies being offered at an extra time.

[trjp]

Thanks, I was hoping for something Metal Slug-gish, really.

Apart from not having the fantastic graphical fidelity/detail of an MS game - it also lacks that feeling of "I died but it was all my fault". There are times when you simply get mobbed - there are times when you just have to run around like a maniac and hope - it's easy to make the wrong choice of weapons and get flattened etc. etc.

I'm not saying it's terrible, because it's far from it - but I suspect single-player isn't really viable for all but the most dedicated player so buy it only if you have a posse who can share the pain :)

[gundato]

I bought EYE in the last sale (gunning for cheevos and tickets or whatever) and I cannot understate the entertainment I got from EYE - sadly almost entirely from being astonished someone would release it as a game without a sense of irony.

It's insanely unplayable, requires a magnifying glass for most of the text, it's designs are all nicked from other sources and - it's just hard to summarize it in 1 word really...

1 word, I can't think of

2 words: Stupidly Entertaining

The voice acting and dialogue and plot are all horrifyingly bad, but they manage to get into that "b-movie" range. But the gunplay is just fun. Some people complain about enemies spawning so close to you: I think it is brilliant. Pretty much from the moment I enter a dangerous area until I leave, it is endless shooting and killing. Its a shame that I think recent patches toned that down (I may have to crank up the difficulty when I next give it a go).

[trjp]

Not just "a chance," it pretty certainly will be a daily. I'm pretty much convinced at this point that all the vote sales, and all the flash sales, are just dailies being offered at an extra time.
Absolutely - there is no chance whatsoever that an 'offer' the community doesn't choose, won't then appear later.

As a developer, would you pin your chance of some sale income on the Steam Community? Hell no - you want your game on-sale on the front-page for a day at least OR you don't offer the phat discount (and just leave it with a smaller discount for the whole sale).

That said, some developers are so mean as to have already offered a small discount and then removed it (Ridge Racer UnboundedMeanness - I'm talking to YOU)

[mnemnoch]

Yeah me too, because Krater is not a good game ATM and Sanctum is, so I thought, well here's a chance for anybody who's still missing some piece of DLC or something.

For me, Its good now, they fix a bunch of stuff. Added some community request like boot camp (leveling of char), selling of your old line up, bug fixing etc.

[trjp]

There is one thing I need to grumble about here - for some reason (presumably load-related) they've changed the Wishlist page to NOT show the price/discounts of games on the list.

Thanks fellas - the easy way to check to see what I fancy is on-sale no longer works - very, very clever (they even changed the App version of Steam not to show it).

4.5M users hammering the system for deals and you change the Wishlist page!?

Oh - and someone tell them that the Indie Bundles don't show on the App either :)

[alms]

buy it only if you have a posse who can share the pain :)

I don't, then again I bought L4D2 and Dungeon Defenders nonetheless. Sometimes I just don't understand myself. Guess I'll pass on this one though, there's another 5 full days of summer sale to live through.


Hell no - you want your game on-sale on the front-page for a day at least OR you don't offer the phat discount

If you look at it in those terms, every game that is featured in community polls is having front page time regardless of their being chosen. And I'm sure even if we all are smart and rational agents, this alone is enough to boost sales at less discounted price points.

TL;DR I'm babbling as usual.

[neema_t]

There is one thing I need to grumble about here - for some reason (presumably load-related) they've changed the Wishlist page to NOT show the price/discounts of games on the list.

Thanks fellas - the easy way to check to see what I fancy is on-sale no longer works - very, very clever (they even changed the App version of Steam not to show it).

4.5M users hammering the system for deals and you change the Wishlist page!?

Oh - and someone tell them that the Indie Bundles don't show on the App either :)

Surely that'll just increase the traffic, what fresh hell is this? This also adds fuel to my 'Gabe has a DDoS fetish' theory. Oh but! If you sort the wishlist by price the prices come crawling back.

[alms]

There is one thing I need to grumble about here - for some reason (presumably load-related) they've changed the Wishlist page to NOT show the price/discounts of games on the list.

Not quite, sometimes they show, sometimes they don't... bug or feature, don't ask me. I think it does that even outside the summer sale, maybe it's a load related, go figure.

edit:


Oh but! If you sort the wishlist by price the prices come crawling back.

That isn't working for me right now.

[postinternetsyndrome]

My wishlist has not been changed. Probably not an intentional change. It's true about the bundles not showing on the mobile site though.

EDIT: ...and 5 seconds later when I check again the price info has indeed been expunged from my wishlist. Ooops.

[Leopig]

Cool, been waiting for dungeon defenders to come back on. I think this will conclude my sales now too. Got 6 games, thats plenty and seems they are being tight asses with Spec Ops nothing else I want.

Everyone vote Far Cry 2, Oblivion sucks and I already have Torchlight 1 and 2.

[Ravelle]

Ugh, Community Vote was Sanctum, I wanted Krater. ;(

[trjp]

Massive kudos to the 'sort by price fixes the Wishlist' tip :)

[Heliocentric]

Everyone vote Far Cry 2, Oblivion sucks and I already have Torchlight 1 and 2.
Voted Oblivion, mainly as I want to get Morrowind Complete

[Scumbag]

1 word, I can't think of

2 words: Stupidly Entertaining

The voice acting and dialogue and plot are all horrifyingly bad, but they manage to get into that "b-movie" range. But the gunplay is just fun. Some people complain about enemies spawning so close to you: I think it is brilliant. Pretty much from the moment I enter a dangerous area until I leave, it is endless shooting and killing. Its a shame that I think recent patches toned that down (I may have to crank up the difficulty when I next give it a go).

Thats one nice thing people kinda miss. In the options menu on the far right there is a tab for the AI where you can customize how it functions from its reaction speed, how aggressive it is and (the one most people enjoy) how far it can see. For such a mess the game has got a lot of tweaking without the need to mod it.

On the opinion of EYE, I find the following applies:
1: Its really is one of the most interesting, deep and oddly compelling games of the past few years. Its as if some people took a bunch of ideas and just DID IT rather then debate over if it was a great idea or not. Well worth the sod all that it goes on offer for when it does.
2: This game is not bad, no. Saying it is bad is a complement. This is possibly one of the worst games ever ever EVER EVER EVER EVER (repeat as needed). This is not just buggy, its not just broken, its the embodiment of how Valve just take any old crap so long as it uses Source and will sell it despite its just a HL2 mod made by idiots. HATE HATE HATE!!!
3: Middle ground. You have no idea what to think or what to say. It is... something.

[vinraith]

Ah, now there's something I can endorse. Sanctum is freaking brilliant, IMO, absolutely the best action tower defense title I've ever played. The reason being that while the shooting is important it doesn't forget it's a tower defense game, maze construction and turret layout is the defining element between success and failure, you just help them along from the ground.

Edit: And yes, you want the DLC, it adds some very nice maps and options.

[Leopig]

Ok, is there a must have DLC for dungeon defenders or is sanctum better? Can either be played solo?

[alms]

Sanctum can be played solo no probs, DD is more difficult if you don't co-op.

As for DD the lost eternia shards DLCs are effectively the continuation of the game for high level characters IIRC.

[Heliocentric]

Ok, is there a must have DLC for dungeon defenders or is sanctum better? Can either be played solo?

I despise dungeon defenders, its a banal grindemup with cynical DLC, Sanctum is a smart if slight RSI inducing tower defence action hybrid with DLC you will be glad you have, but the gold medal goes to Orcs Must Die to me, its DLC is 2 part, one is essentially hard mode and one part toys to play with.

[SMiD]

If you don't have Sanctum, you need to pick it up. There's really no excuse at this price. Everything about this TD/FPS hybrid is excellent, and it offers incredible amounts of fun in both SP and MP. And get the DLC; they are worth it.

[trjp]

Ok, is there a must have DLC for dungeon defenders or is sanctum better? Can either be played solo?

Both can be played Solo

DD will get VERY hard solo tho - there are levels, even in the vanilla game, that you'll find nigh-on-impossible to complete solo. If you intend to play with 'the community' then you really need a lot of the DLC maps because they tend to get a LOT of play (esp the never-discounts Eternia Shards levels which are really where they've made all their money!!)

Sanctum is more solo friendly in my experience.

They're quite different experiences so to be clear tho - DD is a light ARPG where you have access to some 'towers' to support you wheras Sanctum is classic TD (with maze building) where you can shoot stuff during the 'action' phase.

[neema_t]

Man, I hope Far Cry 2 doesn't win this next vote. Not that it's a bad game (it's far from flawless though), but Oblivion at 75% off is something I'd buy and not something I've seen on offer much.

Also, yes, Sanctum; buy it so quickly if you haven't already.

[Leopig]

I got Sanctum in the end with DLC. Already have Orc Must Die but not fond of co-op games so thats why I didnt go with DD. Cheers all for opions, and that wraps up my Summer sales.......


maybe

[johnki]

Dungeon Defenders is fun up until level 30, which is around, I'd say anywhere from 10-20 hours in, depending on how many alts you make. Right at level 30-ish, though, you run out of new levels that you're able to win at easily and start having to grind older levels.

The variety on playstyles between all the classes also means that if you're going to play with only 2-3 people, at least one of them has to be either a Squire (the warrior one, couldn't remember the name off the top of my head), a Countess, or a Series EV, and it's bright idea to have one of the others be an Apprentice/female-version-of-apprentice.

Sanctum on the other hand, has none of that persistent level crap, is very entertaining, plays a whole different angle, as your character can't even die, you can't lose the currency used, you can actually affect the path that the enemies take, and overall, the challenge factor, while higher, feels a whole lot more fair.

[neema_t]

and that wraps up my Summer sales.......


maybe

Aren't there like five days left? I wonder if anyone here could survive those five days without buying anything (through choice, might I add, lack of money is a different (and tragic, and approaching) matter). Five days like this though and I wouldn't even break a sweat.

[trjp]

Oh - one other thing about Shoot Many Robots, and this should appeal to the PC Hardcore here - as it was made by a company who port games to PC (Mass Effect, Borderlands, Brothers in Arms at least) they did a thorough job of the port.

As well as not bothering to port than mandatory XBOX demo, they also removed controller support from the game. Yup, a 2D shooter where they decided the keyboard and mouse was not only better, but simply removed the need for the controller that they made the game for on other platforms!!

That's thorough eh? :)

[F. Lynx Pardinus]

and that wraps up my Summer sales.......
Ya, I think I'm about done too. I spent $103 on Steam on 7 games, and now have enough stuff to easily occupy me for the rest of the year. The one change I made from last year's sale is I didn't buy a bunch of <$5 games, because I ended up barely playing last year's bunch. The only thing I'm still looking for is a copy of Mass Effect 3, but I'm not going to find that on Steam.

[alms]

Aren't there like five days left? I wonder if anyone here could survive those five days without buying anything

Yeahhhh all looks fine and you won't buy anything else, then a Railworks 3 90% off pops up and all the plans go poof. Choo Choooooooooooo

[neema_t]

then a Railworks 3 90% off pops up

On the one hand, I spent enough time on the train today to not want to come home to play on a simulator of that very same thing (even though I'm sure driving it is slightly less boring than attempting to avoid eye contact with everyone for an hour and a half in the morning then an hour and a half in the evening). On the other, however, it is 90% off... I need to get away from Steam for a bit I think. That zombies DLC, though, if there's a more ingenious commentary on the prevalence of zombies in games I'll eat my three hats (I own no hats).

[thegooseking]

Man, I hope Far Cry 2 doesn't win this next vote. Not that it's a bad game (it's far from flawless though), but Oblivion at 75% off is something I'd buy and not something I've seen on offer much.

Also, yes, Sanctum; buy it so quickly if you haven't already.

Yeah, I voted for Oblivion. I already have it on Steam, but I had a hard time finding it for cheap (I would only buy it cheap because I already had it on Xbox), so I figured people would want that. Far Cry 2, on the other hand, is cheap all the time. I also already have that. In fact, I don't already have Torchlight, but I'm not planning on buying it, either.

[internetonsetadd]

On the opinion of EYE, I find the following applies:
1: Its really is one of the most interesting, deep and oddly compelling games of the past few years. Its as if some people took a bunch of ideas and just DID IT rather then debate over if it was a great idea or not. Well worth the sod all that it goes on offer for when it does.
2: This game is not bad, no. Saying it is bad is a complement. This is possibly one of the worst games ever ever EVER EVER EVER EVER (repeat as needed). This is not just buggy, its not just broken, its the embodiment of how Valve just take any old crap so long as it uses Source and will sell it despite its just a HL2 mod made by idiots. HATE HATE HATE!!!
3: Middle ground. You have no idea what to think or what to say. It is... something.

I'm number 2, more or less. Anyone who wishes can find my ragewhining all over any RPS article on EYE under abandonhope. Just look for the really long blocks of text. And don't worry about catching it during the summer sale. I'm sure they'll continue to periodically drop the price to $2 for as long as this game runs on computers.

[internetonsetadd]

Ah, now there's something I can endorse. Sanctum is freaking brilliant, IMO, absolutely the best action tower defense title I've ever played. The reason being that while the shooting is important it doesn't forget it's a tower defense game, maze construction and turret layout is the defining element between success and failure, you just help them along from the ground.

Edit: And yes, you want the DLC, it adds some very nice maps and options.

Sometimes being convinced to buy a game is like really good sex. Any chance you can give it to me a little harder, just to sweeten the experience a little?

[neema_t]

Oh damn, damn damn damn, Take On Helicopters. I had no idea it's already 2.30am, bloody hell, but I'd miss this sale otherwise. Need to make a decision. Valve know I have no wallet control when I'm this tired, those crafty bastards!

Fuck it, I looked at the screenshots for the Hind DLC and tipped me over the edge.

[DragonOfTime]

I'm pondering whether I should get that train simulator. Usually, I would never even look at it twice (if it wasn't because Steam was filled with it's DLC...), but on the other hand, it's 90% off, and one should be open to try new things... So what does people think? Is it worth the price of admission?

[vinraith]

I'm pondering whether I should get that train simulator. Usually, I would never even look at it twice (if it wasn't because Steam was filled with it's DLC...), but on the other hand, it's 90% off, and one should be open to try new things... So what does people think? Is it worth the price of admission?

How many games do you own that you haven't played? Will you really play this one? It sounds a lot like buying a game just because it's cheap, and that's always a bad idea.

[alms]

Yeah you need to feel an attraction proper towards a large, fast, unrelentingly powerful phallic-shaped object made of metal, if you want to buy this game.

Shit, what am I saying? I meant sim, not game. Game are for kids. Sims are for Real Men!

[johnki]

Sims are for Real Men!
And real men pay premium prices (http://www.esimgames.com/purchase.htm) for them!

Note: I have no hopes of ever being able to afford this...sim.

[neema_t]

a large, fast, unrelentingly powerful phallic-shaped object made of metal

You forgot to add that they go in and out of tight, dark tunnels all day too...

[The JG Man]

I'm reading this thread and growing increasingly concerned at the sanity of some of the people posting.

It's a sale, not an asylum!

[PeteC]

I'm a little disappointed that Fate of the World isn't discounted at all. Was one of the niche titles I was looking forward to playing.

[johnki]

I'm a little disappointed that Fate of the World isn't discounted at all. Was one of the niche titles I was looking forward to playing.
That is odd. More so when you consider they jumped on the Indie Royale train early, coming in on the second bundle.

[neema_t]

I'm reading this thread and growing increasingly concerned at the sanity of some of the people posting.

It's a sale, not an asylum!

What, buying more games than one person can play in their lifetime wasn't enough of a warning? But seriously, it's way past my bedtime and I am going a little bit odd, I shall therefore stop posting for now.

[vinraith]

I'm a little disappointed that Fate of the World isn't discounted at all. Was one of the niche titles I was looking forward to playing.

It may yet be a flash/daily. It's a neat little game, certainly, and completely unique. Tough as nails too, but then it kind of should be considering its subject matter.

[Space Indaver]

How many games do you own that you haven't played? Will you really play this one? It sounds a lot like buying a game just because it's cheap, and that's always a bad idea.
I disagree. Buying a game this cheap is perfect for Games ADD. There's no guilt in only playing it for a session or two.

I'm going to get it when I get home, and stream my inevitable failures.

[internetonsetadd]

Community picked TL? Isn't it included for free with a TL2 pre-order? Seems like an odd choice.

[Heliocentric]

Community picked TL? Isn't it included for free with a TL2 pre-order? Seems like an odd choice.

Peoples is stupid.

[Protoman]

Bioshock, whooo.
I never bothered picking it up the other times it was on sale, because it's been on my console backlog for years. But a couple months ago, I picked it up, and I could barely handle five minutes before crying for my keyboard and mouse.

[Heliocentric]

I don't understand the "crying foe kb/m" statement, what are you saying between the lines?

Edit: console, ah. Early morning coffee had not kicked in.

[Wheelz]

Can anyone provide an opinion of Torchlight?

convince me not to buy it!

[Heliocentric]

It's solid, it's well balanced, stable, the graphics are functional, it will run on old hardware quite well.

It is a boiler plate Diablike implemented without error... Or flair, consideration for how things could be improved, acknowledgement of other games developments.

Made by ex-blizzard staff? Couldn't tell.

Edit : Credit where credit is due. The pet going to sell junk was great.

[Scumbag]

Can anyone provide an opinion of Torchlight?

convince me not to buy it!

Diablo but not Diablo with no Multiplayer.
Very nicely made and good fun but really bloody easy.
Fishing.

[Leopig]

Can anyone provide an opinion of Torchlight?

convince me not to buy it!


Sorry, I can't. Many other games I could probably find a negative, the only thing with Torchlight I can pick fault in is no multiplayer (which is of course in the sequel).

But I would go as far to say as but the sequel on pre order and get the first one free.

[Leopig]

Does anyone else find it odd that Arma II manages to stay in the top 3 on the steam top sellers list throughout the sales? Sure it sold a lot for Day z and plenty of people still want it. But when you consider you are probably getting a million or so sales on the deals that would mean Arma II must be selling by the millions daily to stay so high.

I am sure Steam are doing BA a 'favour' (ie being paid by) and keeping Arma II high up to keep sales trickling along. I find it very hard to believe it is keeping up sales with all the other deals which is highly discounted. St Gabe is taking back handers.

[TechnoJellyfish]

It's solid, it's well balanced, stable, the graphics are functional, it will run on old hardware quite well.

It is a boiler plate Diablike implemented without error... Or flair, consideration for how things could be improved, acknowledgement of other games developments.

Made by ex-blizzard staff? Couldn't tell.


Diablo but not Diablo with no Multiplayer.
Very nicely made and good fun but really bloody easy.
Fishing.

What they said. Also, the soundtrack is quite good (small wonder, considering Matt Uelmen's involvement).

[Scumbag]

Unreal Pack on flash sale.
Two of the best Arena multiplayer FPS games ever released (unless you liked Quake more), one not quite as good but competent multiplayer FPS, a great oldschool single player FPS and the Disappointment of the Decade 2003.
Multiplayer is possibly dead, but the bots are great and if you ever end up at a lan game they should be a requirement to enter the room.

[TechnicalBen]

Nah, it's probably just "total purchases". Smaller games may have higher peaks (IE 10,000 over an hour) but Arma would probably have a highest over all (like 15,000 over 2 weeks). Numbers are totally made up there. :P
Most of the other games had shorter sales etc.

Oh, and DayZ has 100,000 players alone now. If another half of that got the game in the sale, that's a big head start over the others (like even Batman, which has probably already sold before the sale started).

[TheDreamlord]

Driver San Francisco, or NFS: Hot Pursuit????

[Leopig]

Hot Pursuit has the really annoying rubber band effect that no matter how fast you go you opponents always catch up. I played online and was 24 seconds against this guy who went afk at the start, by half way through the race he caught up and over took the rest of us. It is just stupid.

never played Driver.

[TheDreamlord]

Hot Pursuit has the really annoying rubber band effect that no matter how fast you go you opponents always catch up. I played online and was 24 seconds against this guy who went afk at the start, by half way through the race he caught up and over took the rest of us. It is just stupid.

Thanks for the info. I really hate that too, that's why I rarely like racing games.

[Heliocentric]

Driver San Francisco is the greatest puzzle game with cars ever.

VOTE VOTE VOTE

You might think that it is a racing game when you start an actual race but you can power slide an oncoming bus or something into your opponents.

Let that sink in for a moment.

It's got no rubber banding, enjoyably varied missions, it's full of fanboy favourite cars, highly destructible cars too. But one of the key features is the greatest incidental dialogue I have ever experienced.

Edit more: It's truly funny without having to lean on swears or crude jokes. It's kid friendliness is inclusive of its ninja fast pedestrians who midtown madness style cannot be hurt.

Occasionally villains cars will get exploded though. ^_^

[TheDreamlord]

Driver San Francisco is the greatest puzzle game with cars ever.

VOTE VOTE VOTE

Ok, I voted it, but explain, please? :)

[Heliocentric]

Ok, I voted it, but explain, please? :)

Check my edit, typing on touchscreens is slow when auto correct is bossy and stupid. :)

[TheDreamlord]

Check my edit, typing on touchscreens is slow when auto correct is bossy and stupid. :)

Thank you!

[Heliocentric]

Oh, and a 360 pad is key to enjoying the game.

[Winged Nazgul]

TB's take on Driver: SF

http://youtu.be/KAOYRwxeVWE

[Anthile]

I'm a little disappointed that Fate of the World isn't discounted at all. Was one of the niche titles I was looking forward to playing.

It is. They merely decided to only discount the complete edition: http://store.steampowered.com/app/901776/

[mnemnoch]

Speaking of Torchlight. An apple game blatantly rips off TL assets.

http://toucharcade.com/2012/07/17/egls-responds-to-torchlight-asset-theft-allegations/

[PeteC]

It is. They merely decided to only discount the complete edition: http://store.steampowered.com/app/901776/

There's no discount on that one either. Showing as £14.99 for me.

[neema_t]

As much as I want Hot Pursuit to win (because I want it and TDU2 (which really shouldn't win) and I already have Driver: SF), I think Driver: SF should probably be the winner. It is ridiculous, so far the story seems to be that you're in a coma and you're trying to solve a crime by taking down an entire gang in your sleep by being able to switch bodies... It's beyond odd, especially as I had been expecting seriousness. The game has a decent enough sense of humour, too, it's no Borderlands but at least it knows it's silly.

However, as has been mentioned it's sort of a puzzle, even though that puzzle inevitably boils down to 'shift into a bus or lorry that's far enough away for you to position it before the people you're chasing/racing go past it, place it in their way and reap all the benefits' it's still quite fun. It only really works with a controller though, keyboard and mouse sucks, racing wheel also sucks (hardly surprising). It has enough graphics, enough cars (from the AMC Pacer and Nissan GT-R to classic muscle cars), very arcadey handling, the ability to drift underneath moving articulated lorries which is excellent, there are challenges based on famous car chases in films (so far I've only done the Gone in 60 Seconds one)... All in all, there's loads to do, but it does get a bit samey after a while. Easily worth the £5 it will be if it wins.

As a brief side note, I don't see why Hot Pursuit's rubber banding is bad, it's an arcade game after all and you'd just get bored if your faster car could open up a huge gap and basically spend the entire time leaving the other guy(s) further and further behind. It's a legitimate complaint of a racing sim but you want arcade games to be interesting. That's just how I feel on the subject anyway.

[TechnoJellyfish]

Driver San Francisco is the greatest puzzle game with cars ever.

Highly interested in that one and I'll probably get it at 75 % off (it seems I have a tendency to get mostly sandboxy action games during the summer sales).

Question: Does the content of the Deluxe Edition add significantly to the single-player experience (probably not interested in multiplayer)? The price for the Deluxe Edition is nearly twice the regular edition in the eurozone, so I'm kinda hesitant ...

[Leopig]

Rubber banding is not so bad if it is subtle, HP is not subtle and when you have been ahead all race by quite some distance with no crashes and the chasing car whisks past you at the finish even though he was just 5 seconds behind you feels cheap. I think it is just the Criterion games that are the worst offenders though, never played the shift games.

But I have found my perfect racing game in DiRT 3 though, DiRT 1 was good but 3 is just a joy to play. I know many people don't like it, but I prefer the more casual racer and not really into any one discipline so not really put off by lack of rally.

[TechnoJellyfish]

I think it is just the Criterion games that are the worst offenders though, never played the shift games.

Then again, I would think rubber-banding to be more of a general NfS-thing. Burnout Paradise (developed by Criterion) has no rubber-banding at all (at least not noticeable) and that's as arcadey as it can get.

[The JG Man]

Just Cause 2 as a flash sale for the next 6 and a half hours.

If you like explosions, particularly being the cause of, you should get it.

[Finicky]

snip.

Thank you for the great informative post. The other posts made it sound good but you pointed out some flaws that would have REALLY made me regret buying it. (especially the shitty wheel controls)

About Hot pursuit: Don't forget the fact that you also spend MORE time looking at the scoreboard/battlelog crap and loading screens than you do racing (in what is already a ridiculously short game with no replay value). It was really frustrating and boring to have to put up with that.

[Dentharial]

Unreal Pack on flash sale.
Two of the best Arena multiplayer FPS games ever released (unless you liked Quake more), one not quite as good but competent multiplayer FPS, a great oldschool single player FPS and the Disappointment of the Decade 2003.
Multiplayer is possibly dead, but the bots are great and if you ever end up at a lan game they should be a requirement to enter the room.

Wanted to question you on this. Which games are which in that list? The only Unreal I ever played was Unreal Tournament 2003/4 and I enjoyed that quite a bit. I remember hearing that UT3 was disappointing, but its release date of 2009 seems to mean it can't fit into your 'Disappointment of the Decade' category.

I'm sorely tempted to grab this pack, just because I suspect a lot of people own one or more of the UT games, and the possibilities for some occasional multiplayering seem good. On the other hand, getting enough people together simultaneously for a decent round.... grrr... Decisions.

[thegooseking]

Wanted to question you on this. Which games are which in that list? The only Unreal I ever played was Unreal Tournament 2003/4 and I enjoyed that quite a bit. I remember hearing that UT3 was disappointing, but its release date of 2009 seems to mean it can't fit into your 'Disappointment of the Decade' category.

I think he's saying Unreal II was disappointment of the decade. Which is mental. It wasn't even the disappointment of 2003. Hell, Deus Ex: Invisible War was released in 2003 (in North America).

[Henke]

I know I'm in the minority here, but my favourite of the 3 racing games in the community choice is TDU2. Hot Pursuit just didn't feel right, though I enjoyed Criterions earlier games. Driver:SF was a lot of fun, when you were chasing someone on the highway it was basically like the chase scene in Matrix Reloaded, with you in the place of one of the agents, posessing cars and trucks and trying to smash them into your target. But TDU2's wonderful open landscape is what makes it my favourite. If you want a game for just cruising around in, and going on a roadtrip from one end of the island to the other, there is none finer.

[Gorzan]

So, after watching TB's video on Driver: SF I decided I'm totally buying it if it wins the vote.

[LTK]

The Unreal flash sale is a great opportunity to pick up Unreal Gold for next to nothing. Unlike the Unreal Tournament games, it has an extensive single player campaign with breathtaking locales and atmosphere, a crazy variety of weapons that you know from UT, and top-of-the-line combat AI for its time. You will visit idyllic cliffside valleys, alien medieval castles, crashed spaceships, and entire islands floating in the air. Although it's very light on narrative (the plot: escape from the planet) it ranks highly on my list on solo FPS experiences, very close to the original Half-Life.

[neema_t]

I know I'm in the minority here, but my favourite of the 3 racing games in the community choice is TDU2. Hot Pursuit just didn't feel right, though I enjoyed Criterions earlier games. Driver:SF was a lot of fun, when you were chasing someone on the highway it was basically like the chase scene in Matrix Reloaded, with you in the place of one of the agents, posessing cars and trucks and trying to smash them into your target. But TDU2's wonderful open landscape is what makes it my favourite. If you want a game for just cruising around in, and going on a roadtrip from one end of the island to the other, there is none finer.

You know, I've played TDU2 for 23 hours but all of those hours took place within a few days, so I did get really into it for a while. It's fun, no doubt about that, but I really couldn't recommend it because as a game it is just so, so bad in that the mandatory career mode just makes me want to throw up all over the place. I mean really, it's fucking lamentable but you have to do it to make money to buy cars, right? Also it has a sort of always-on DRM if I recall correctly, in my 23 hours I kept getting kicked off because my internet connection is crap, but I'm not too sure about that so maybe you can confirm or deny? Also if you do want to play it with a wheel, the feedback is like arm wrestling with a dormouse, there's just no resistance at all. When you crash there's a slight twitch, when you're turning the wheel a lot you can just about feel something but the wheel doesn't auto-centre and it's just crap. Maybe I have my wheel set up wrong though, and I'm sure that's not a problem for 90% of the people here but Finicky might like to know at least. Edit: I've since tried a few tips to improve the feedback but it's still terrible!

Oh and there's a bizarre glitch (for me anyway) where if I move my mouse at all the game lags like crazy. Edit: Just fixed this by dropping my polling rate from 500 to 125.

I would've much preferred it if the handling had been realistic because an open world cruising sim hasn't been done before, the physics are authentic but not realistic in the same way BF3 is authentic but not realistic. I never really got involved with anyone online but always saw people cruising around in their Veyrons, then there's me in my little Subaru pootling along...

Funny how this community choice could be viewed as a choice between EA (one of the most hated publishers around), Ubisoft (the biggest proponents of unnecessary DRM) and Atari, who mistreated Eden Games badly enough (mismanagement, laying off half their staff) to make them strike then closed the studio the year after, or so I've heard. I don't really want to support any of these companies but damn it, EA and Ubisoft do fund some games worth playing.

[postinternetsyndrome]

Wanted to question you on this. Which games are which in that list? The only Unreal I ever played was Unreal Tournament 2003/4 and I enjoyed that quite a bit. I remember hearing that UT3 was disappointing, but its release date of 2009 seems to mean it can't fit into your 'Disappointment of the Decade' category.

I'm sorely tempted to grab this pack, just because I suspect a lot of people own one or more of the UT games, and the possibilities for some occasional multiplayering seem good. On the other hand, getting enough people together simultaneously for a decent round.... grrr... Decisions.I think he means that UT and UT2004 are two of the best arena mp fps:es evere (he is right), that UT3 is not quite as good but competent (also true), that the original Unreal is a gread oldschool sp fps (probably true, didn't finish it, but want to try again, it was punted to the side by HL:s release just a few months after) and that Unreal 2 was a huge disappointment (never played it so don't really know, but it got a lot of bad rep to be sure).

Neither UT or UT2004 are completely dead; when I checked last year there were still a handful of populated servers. No huge crowds of course. Don't know how active UT3 is.

[thegooseking]

Funny how this community choice could be viewed as a choice between EA (one of the most hated publishers around), Ubisoft (the biggest proponents of unnecessary DRM) and Atari, who mistreated Eden Games badly enough (mismanagement, laying off half their staff) to make them strike then closed the studio the year after, or so I've heard. I don't really want to support any of these companies but damn it, EA and Ubisoft do fund some games worth playing.

Atari didn't close Eden Games. Eden Games is still going, and even still hiring. Atari was selling Eden Games, which people misreported as shutting it down, but I think Eden's still owned by Atari, so I guess they didn't find a buyer.

[Anthile]

Unreal 2 was a huge disappointment but that didn't really stop gaming magazines from giving it 90%+ ratings, sometimes even up to 96%. You know, the same kind of numbers they would later give Half-Life 2. Ultimately, it was a competent shooter that only really had - for its time - the amazing graphics going for it. There is a good reason nobody talks about it these these days. There is just nothing to say about it.

[Henke]

You know, I've played TDU2 for 23 hours but all of those hours took place within a few days, so I did get really into it for a while. It's fun, no doubt about that, but I really couldn't recommend it because as a game it is just so, so bad in that the mandatory career mode just makes me want to throw up all over the place. I mean really, it's fucking lamentable but you have to do it to make money to buy cars, right? Also it has a sort of always-on DRM if I recall correctly, in my 23 hours I kept getting kicked off because my internet connection is crap, but I'm not too sure about that so maybe you can confirm or deny? Also if you do want to play it with a wheel, the feedback is like arm wrestling with a dormouse, there's just no resistance at all.

Can't say I had any problems with the DRM, or the GFWL, but then again my connection is pretty good. As for controls I used a 360 gamepad, which worked very well. The story in the campaign is indeed silly as hell though.

Honestly, I only played it for a few days as well, iirc I got it in the latest Steam Xmas Sale. Played Driver SF around the same time, but looking back on them now I have fonder memories of TDU2.

[TheDreamlord]

You think Dustforce (http://store.steampowered.com//app/65300) will pop up in a sale? Been meaning to try this for a while.