Steam Summer Sale 2012 - Deals and News here

[Der Trihs]

Today's sales are up, and the lower right corner box is "We're sorry, this game is not available in your region" for me. Something I've never seen before actually. Out of curiosity, is there anyone in a region who can see it and say what it is?

EDIT: Never mind; I refreshed it again and the games are all in other positions (so you couldn't have told me, must be random), and now whatever-it-was IS "available in my region". Store is getting overloaded and buggy.

[SenorBeef]

Daily sales:
Borderlands Franchise 75% off - GOTY edition $7.50
Two Worlds $7.50 (75%)
Dead Island $10.20 (66%)
Frozen Synapse $5 (80%)
Orcs Must Die $3.75 (75%)
Skyrim $30 (50%)
Tropico 4 $7.50 (75%)
Dirt Showdown $25 (50%)
Bundle: Bit.Trip Beat, Braid, Bunch of Heroes, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, Runespell: Overture $10

Current flash deals:
Star Wars: KOTOR $2.50 (75%)
Telltale's Sam & Max $12.50 (75%)
Ys Origin $8 (60%)
Brink $5 (75%)

And the community choice:

Plants vs Zombies $2.50 (75%)


Skyrim is very dissapointing - they already did a 50% off sale a few months ago. Same with Dead Island - I want to buy the game but not for that much, and they've been doing $10 sales a few times.

Orcs must die is awesome and well worth that price.

[Jules Andre]

The Skyrim price is really disappointing. That's the one I was waiting for and I'm not sure I'll get it now. I have it for 360, so I'm not really missing out... I just never feel like playing it there.

The funny thing is that even though Skyrim dropped in price today, the Bethesda pack is still the same price. They still even advertise it as "72% off!" even though in their own rundown it's now only 45% off.

[wolfman]

Originally Posted by SenorBeef

Daily sales:

Two Worlds $7.50 (75%)

It's actually Two Worlds II. The "box cover" is designed stupidly and confusingly.

Is anybody familiar with it?I am interested, but I can't get a good sense from reviews of if it primarily single player or multiplayer. I would get it if it is solid in Single player, but seven fitty outside of my take-a-gamble range.

[SenorBeef]

Yeah, the packs never change, nor do they necesarily have to tie in with any of the games individually on sale.

Other people I talked to seem to think that Skyrim was $40 in an earlier sale, and I'm misremembering it already being $30, so maybe it is a progressive discount. I can't really blame them since it still sells well but it's an easy decision to wait for me at that price point.

You are missing out, though, by having it on the 360 - the mod community for Elder Scrolls games is amongst the biggest and most diverse and brings a ton of added value to the game, ignoring the other factors.

[Jophiel]

I thought it only hit 33% on Steam but I bought it during a flash-style sale from GMG for 50% back in February. I didn't think it'd go cheaper than 50% this time around and all those people who were expecting 75% would be disappointed.

Someone on the CAG Forums gave his brief impressions of Two Worlds here. Note that for $9.99 you can get the version with the DLC bundled. By his description it sounds about in league with Divinity II which was entertaining enough for the $5.99 I spent on it but nothing you'd run out and recommend to all your friends.

[Max the Immortal]

Skyrim is probably as cheap as it's going to get for a while. It's been able to defy expected price drops like no other game. Because it's very, very good.

I like Tropico 4, but be warned that it's pretty much just Tropico 3 with its expansion pack and another expansion pack's worth of stuff added (well, and a different campaign). It looks like you can get the Modern Times expansion for five dollars; if you already have and like Tropico 4, then Modern Times is well worth it at that price. The other DLC (also on sale) can either be useless or handy, depending on your play style. The quick-dry cement factory can be handy in your first few years, but not so much later. The bunker is okay, but the description is incorrect (it houses 4 or 6 soldiers, who do need generals). Plantations are nice in the base game, but will effectively go obsolete almost immediately in any Modern Times mission. Each mini-DLC also comes with its own mission; each is pretty fun, and even sillier than normal for Tropico 4.

[wolfman]

Stoooopid weekend people using the internet download to slow, want borderlands now.

[Headrush042]

Originally Posted by wolfman

It's actually Two Worlds II. The "box cover" is designed stupidly and confusingly.

Is anybody familiar with it?I am interested, but I can't get a good sense from reviews of if it primarily single player or multiplayer. I would get it if it is solid in Single player, but seven fitty outside of my take-a-gamble range.

It's a single-player semi-open-world first-person fantasy RPG. I say semi-open-world because the quest/story corrals you into appropriate areas as you go. The graphics and sound design are pretty good, not amazing, the game mechanics (combat, leveling, gearing) is pretty standard. In all, fairly mediocre or slightly above-average for the genre. Not terrible. I used it as a filler while I was waiting for Skyrim to release. I think there's multiplayer deathmatch? Not sure if I'm remembering right. The ending is awful. 40 hours leveling, gearing, and tweaking my build to a playstyle I wanted and the final boss fight is fucking vehicle based.

[Love Rhombus]

Is Dead Island any good?

[Bosstone]

Welp, I hadn't bought anything the first few days, but I don't own any of the Indie Bundle games except for Braid and they all look good (I understand Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is worth $10 on its own), Orcs Must Die has gotten good reviews even if I'm not big on tower defense, and the Sam & Max flash deal looks like it's pretty good. There goes some cash.

[Ferret Herder]

Originally Posted by Bosstone

Welp, I hadn't bought anything the first few days, but I don't own any of the Indie Bundle games except for Braid and they all look good (I understand Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is worth $10 on its own), Orcs Must Die has gotten good reviews even if I'm not big on tower defense, and the Sam & Max flash deal looks like it's pretty good. There goes some cash.

Yeah, those all grabbed me as well. Well played, Steam.

[Uosdwis R. Dewoh]

Originally Posted by Love Rhombus

Is Dead Island any good?

If you're looking for a true survival horror game, you're going to be disappointed. The game is a pretty standard first person RPG in a zombie setting. You go around doing missions for NPCs, killing zombies and level up.

The game is melee heavy and you get to build all kinds of outlandish weapons like electrified pickaxes and flaming baseball bats. The combat, of which there is a lot, is visceral and fun. It isn't a true open world game, but the levels are big and there's much to explore.

The plot is a big ball of stupid, but doesn't really get in the way. The missions are pretty dull for the most part; go there to retrieve that so you can go get something else from some other guy somewhere else.

It's a pretty enjoyable zombie smasher RPG if you have a friend to play the campaign in co-op. The game loses a lot if you play it solo IMO. I played the entire campaign with a friend and we had a lot of fun.

score:

Solo 7/10
with a friend 8/10

[Left Hand of Dorkness]

Skyrim for $30...dammit. I've got $32 left in my brother's birthday gift. I'm thinking soon I'll have $2 left, because from what I hear, I'll get more joy out of $30 worth of Skyrim than out of six other games at $5 each.

Still, dammit.

[thelurkinghorror]

Until you have to blow $20 more on Dawnguard... get it if you like the genre/TES. I've got to lay off on buying ones that "look cool," even if they are all <$3.

[Left Hand of Dorkness]

Originally Posted by thelurkinghorror

Until you have to blow $20 more on Dawnguard... get it if you like the genre/TES. I've got to lay off on buying ones that "look cool," even if they are all <$3.

I flippin' love the genre, and I loved Oblivion except found it fatally flawed (and by the time I'd spent hours patching it with various mods, I'd kind of lost interest). I hear Skyrim fixes the problems I had with Oblivion, so I've been wanting to play it since it came out, and I was hoping it would go on a ridiculous steam sale. Looks like it won't, but I suppose half-off is pretty good.

[thelurkinghorror]

I didn't like parts of Oblivion because it was basically dumbed down Morrowind. Skyrim is still simpler than Morrowind, but much more refined. I asked because I know some people don't like TES, but for you I don't see how you couldn't like it then.

See you in a few months!

[Mahaloth]

:sigh:

I still can't get Fallout 3(game of the year) for less than 11.99 or whatever their current sale is. Dude, they real way to move this product is $5, easily.

[Jophiel]

Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition for $16? Yes, please.

Yes, I know that Brazilian site is selling it for $10 but I'd rather have the extra confidence $6 will buy me from dealing with a company I know.

[SenorBeef]

Wrong thread.

[PacifistPorcupine]

Dammit Steam! I had promised I would only get ARMA II this time around. I wake up and what do I see? Civilization III, IV and V plus a ton of DLC for $25. It was an offer I couldn't refuse. I'll pick up Gods and Kings next time around.

[Jophiel]

ArmA II: CO is $20 at Amazon now. For those who were waiting for a better deal than 20% off.

It might be a Steam daily yet but I doubt it'll go deeper than the 33% on sale here.

[appleciders]

Dungeon Defenders is up for the Community Choice voting, and if you've got no dog in the fight otherwise, do me a favor and vote for it. It's a first-person-shooter/tower defense combo in the style of Orcs Must Die, and it includes a sizable multiplayer element. It'd make a great co-op game to play around here, too.

Orcs Must Die is on sale for 75% off, too, and it's a steal at that price. Tons of fun.

[Love Rhombus]

Some of the Star Wars games look awfully tempting.

Is KOTOR still good?

[PacifistPorcupine]

I tried voting for Dungeon Defenders but it won't let me vote. I've tried both on my PC and my phone, and in both cases the screen just reloads without a vote cast.

[Ferret Herder]

Love Rhombus, I definitely loved KotOR and think it should hold up pretty well.

PacifistPorcupine, I'm having the same problem. Edit: Wait, it finally worked on my iPhone.

[choie]

I know people said to wait for daily deals, but I ended up buying the Bethesda pack and now I'm not feeling too bad. A fuckton of Fallout:NV DLC, Brink and all its DLC (though I'm strictly single player, and I guess Brink is co-op only?), a game I'd never heard of called Hunted: Demon's Edge, and of course Skyrim, for $50. Seems like a good deal if I end up liking Hunted and all the DLC for Fallout, not to mention Skyrim. Since I'm only just dipping a toe into RPGs (that's what F:NV was for), maybe it was premature to grab Skyrim, but what the heck.

Steam sales really do bizarre things to my memory. I was looking at my games list earlier (which is not very big, I'm not a huge gamer and I tend to stick only with certain genres) and discovered at some point I apparently purchased F.E.A.R. and its follow-ups, along with Red Factor: Guerilla, but I literally have no memory of getting those games.

As an aside, I finally have a computer that'll run Crysis (thank you, drachillax!) and I see it's at $9.99. Should I wait to see if it's a flash sale or is this a good price? I'd love to see a Crysis pack but haven't spotted one yet.

(Only disappointment I've had from a Steam sale is grabbing Mass Effect 2, after many many recommendations for that to be my first RPG. It might be the best thing ever, but unfortunately the game seems borked on my system. I can't even get past the first five minutes since ol' Shep doesn't seem able to push some button to get her suit on, or whatever the heck it is she's supposed to do to get out of that lab. I've looked around and this seems to be a common bug, but haven't found any real solutions yet. Sigh.)

[SenorBeef]

Packs are okay to buy, if you want all the games, because the packs won't be any cheaper. If you only want a few games from a pack, it's better to wait to see if those go on sale individually cheap.

Wait on Crysis.

[choie]

Cool, thanks for the advice, SenorBeef. I'll hold off and see what happens with Crysis.

I was psyched about the F:NV DLC and Skyrim, and I think I got Brink confused with Bulletstorm (any other Simpsons fans think of this as Bonestorm?), which is why I grabbed the pack. Still, even if Brink is a washout and Hunted turns out to suck, I at least got five DLCs for a game i truly enjoyed at $4.99 each, plus Skyrim, so I think the price for the package was at least reasonable considering Skyrim's sale price turned out to be $30.

[MsWhatsit]

Originally Posted by Mahaloth

:sigh:

I still can't get Fallout 3(game of the year) for less than 11.99 or whatever their current sale is. Dude, they real way to move this product is $5, easily.

Ditto.

Re Dungeon Defenders, I already have it and agree that it's a great game and would be good for for co-op multiplayer.

[SenorBeef]

New Deals:

Daily:
Saints Row The Third $12.50 (75%) - this time they put the DLC on sale for 75% off too.
Hitman Franchise 75% off ($2.50 each) or $6.24 for a bundle
Cities XL 2012 $10 (75%)
Serious Sam 3: BFE $10 (75%)
The Walking Dead $15 (40%)
Mount & Blade Franchise $8.75 for all, $5 warband, $2.50 fire and sword.
Trine 2 $3.75 (75%)
The Darkness II $12.50 (75%) or 4 pack for $37
Bundle: A Valley Without Wind, Atom Zombie Smasher, Blocks that Matter, Sanctum, Superbrothers: Sword and Sorcery EP $10

Flash sales:
MS Flight DLC Collection $17 (66%)
Killing Floor $5 (75%)
Magicka $2.50 (75%)
Q.U.B.E. $3.75 (75%)

Community Choice: Legends of Grimrock $6 (60%)

I guess you can get repeat sales with the flash sales and community choice.

I highly recommend M&B: Warband if it looks interesting to you. You don't need the original M&B - warband has everything it has but better.

When SR3 had their flash sale, the DLC was only 33% off, but now it's 75% off with the game, so I'm gonna scoop up some of that.

[Max the Immortal]

I feel obligated to repeat my usual "get Warband and only Warband" advice re: Mount & Blade. With Fire & Sword is substantially different (real-world historical setting, many firearms), but I didn't care for it and so won't endorse it.

[SenorBeef]

Fire and Sword is worth trying for $2.50 if you like Warband. It's not as good as warband but it's interesting and definitely different.

Napoleonic Wars is multiplayer only and quite unlike any other multiplayer shooter, but the novelty wears off unless you join an organized group. Worth $2.50 if it looks fun though. I made a video when it first came out.

[Grumman]

Originally Posted by SenorBeef

When SR3 had their flash sale, the DLC was only 33% off, but now it's 75% off with the game, so I'm gonna scoop up some of that.

A word of warning: as I had suspected, it's a significant step backwards from Saints Row 2. There are improvements, such as the addition of Specialists and Brutes that help to further differentiate the factions, but even something as simple as the ability to replay missions has been removed. I get the feeling that when I get to the end of the game and everything's unlocked, there isn't actually going to be anything to do.

[PacifistPorcupine]

I'm kinda disappointed that SR3 and Trine 2 are getting a second chance at a sale and yet ARMA II hasn't gone down further than 20-23%. But I guess since it's been selling so well recently, they done need to cut the price on it any more.

[Jophiel]

I can't imagine why anyone would want a four pack of Darkness II. Yeah, it has a multiplayer game but it's pretty limited and a ghost town. Assuming you have three friends looking to try a new co-operative multiplayer game, go with Payday.

That said, the single player game was a lot of fun, had memorable characters, excellent art and voice work and I found enjoyable... except it's short. It took me maybe six or seven hours total to complete. I didn't get every unlock or secret but I had finished the main game by then and didn't feel any immediate need to go back ad replay it (although you can with your powers unlocked). The original price of $50 was way more than it was worth for the length but $12.49 is a good price for it and it's unlikely to go lower until the publisher lowers the base MSRP since it's 75% off now.

[Jophiel]

Also, this is the last day for Sniper Elite V2 at $14.99 at Amazon. Tomorrow it goes up to a less spectacular sale price of $24.99 (base price $49.99)

I'm hoping Steam has a sale on it this week, not because I think they'll beat the 75% discount (they won't) but because they'll probably discount the Kill Hitler mission DLC.

[zoid]

I really want Q.U.B.E. but is it really worth it to buy the sound track as well? I've only played the demo and don't recall being blown away with the music.

[Snowboarder Bo]

I was looking at Serious Sam 3 and thought the video trailer looked great, but have no idea about the game. Is it worth my $10? Further, is the whole Serious Sam catalog fun and worth the expense of $22?

[Lute Skywatcher]

Originally Posted by Mahaloth

:sigh:

I still can't get Fallout 3(game of the year) for less than 11.99 or whatever their current sale is. Dude, they real way to move this product is $5, easily.

I doubt they'll go lower than the Winter Sale price ($7.49).

[Jules Andre]

Originally Posted by SenorBeef

You are missing out, though, by having it on the 360 - the mod community for Elder Scrolls games is amongst the biggest and most diverse and brings a ton of added value to the game, ignoring the other factors.

I ended up getting it, but so far I'm pretty upset. The game stutters so badly it gives me motion sickness (which has never happened to me before in my life) and I'm having awful problems with shadows. Right now, I'm thinking I'd rather trade some top end graphic potential and modding for a much more stable game. Hopefully I can find some fixes online.

I also ended up getting Arkham City yesterday. Nothing so far today has drawn my attention though.

[GreasyJack]

Has anyone played around much with the Microsoft Flight reboot thing? I did the free-to-play part and it struck be as really dumbed down from FSX, but then the free airplane is that stupid flying car thing, so maybe the normal airplanes are better?

(Need answer fast-- 1:30 and counting!)

[appleciders]

Originally Posted by Love Rhombus

Some of the Star Wars games look awfully tempting.

Is KOTOR still good?

I liked it. The graphics are no longer cutting edge, but they hold up OK. The game itself is very enjoyable, and while RPGs like that rarely have tons of replayability, you get such a different experience playing through as Jedi or Sith that it's definitely worth it.

[SenorBeef]

Community Choice deal is Bastion for $3.75, which I'd recommend to anyone. Actually, I'd recommend the version that comes with the soundtrack too for $6.25. If you already have the game but not the soundtrack, you can add it on for $2.50.

New flash deals are Vessel - 2d platformer puzzle game that looks interesting for $3.75 and the Telltale remakes of Monkey Island 1 and 2 for $3.75.

[Der Trihs]

Originally Posted by Jules Andre

I ended up getting it, but so far I'm pretty upset. The game stutters so badly it gives me motion sickness (which has never happened to me before in my life) and I'm having awful problems with shadows. Right now, I'm thinking I'd rather trade some top end graphic potential and modding for a much more stable game. Hopefully I can find some fixes online.

Or update your graphics card/drivers maybe? I haven't had problems like that.

[GreasyJack]

Originally Posted by Der Trihs

Or update your graphics card/drivers maybe? I haven't had problems like that.

I remember hearing there have been some stuttering problems in Skyrim with ATI cards. I never heard if there was a definitive solution, but some googling might be in order.

[Jules Andre]

Originally Posted by Der Trihs

Or update your graphics card/drivers maybe? I haven't had problems like that.

I have a pretty good graphics card (HD 6950 2GB) and the drivers were all recently updated. Not top of the line by any means, but within the top 5 tiers on the hierarchy chart. Thanks for the advice though, it's always good to check.

Originally Posted by GreasyJack

I remember hearing there have been some stuttering problems in Skyrim with ATI cards. I never heard if there was a definitive solution, but some googling might be in order.

This might be it. My preliminary check didn't reveal any solutions, just a bunch of home remedy type fixes. I downloaded a mod to play in windowed mode on full screen and that helps a little. I'll eventually get it straightened out enough to play, I'm sure, but it doesn't help my motivation to play at all when I have to spend hours of work beforehand to get the game running right.

[thelurkinghorror]

Originally Posted by SenorBeef

Community Choice deal is Bastion for $3.75, which I'd recommend to anyone. Actually, I'd recommend the version that comes with the soundtrack too for $6.25. If you already have the game but not the soundtrack, you can add it on for $2.50.

New flash deals are Vessel - 2d platformer puzzle game that looks interesting for $3.75 and the Telltale remakes of Monkey Island 1 and 2 for $3.75.

I've been playing the hell out of Bastion since I got it from the previous Humble Bundle. Yes, the soundtrack is pretty good. Only thing I don't like about it is that you can't replay levels AFAIK (there is New Game+, but you still can't choose levels).

Monkey Island is good too. I already have the first one, and even though I haven't really played it I'll get the second right now. I mean, I played them back in the day, just not the SE. Easily one of my "Top 5" series.

[Vicullum]

Originally Posted by Love Rhombus

Some of the Star Wars games look awfully tempting.

Is KOTOR still good?

If you've never played it before, it's worth it. However, the copy I bought ages ago when the game was new refuses to run at all on my rig using my ATI vid card. You've been warned.

[Jules Andre]

I bought the Bethesda pack for Skyrim and Fallout New Vegas, and now that Fallout NV is a flash sale, I ended up paying more than I could have. Oh well, hopefully I'll get $5 of enjoyment out of Brink and whatever other garbage game was included.