# Running digital distribution game sale/special thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** video-games-e-games\ **Created:** [December 18, 2009, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734 "2009-12-18T12:40:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734/1 "2009-12-18T12:40:57Z")
The various digital distribution gaming services (like steam, direct2drive, and impulse) seem to be competing more lately by offering some significant sales on games. When I ran a [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=541436) about Steam’s black friday sales there seemed to be interest, and a lot of people were notified about great deals they otherwise might not have taken. Well, Steam has put at least 2 games on sale per week for around 2 months - and some high quality ones for cheap, too. I saw Mass Effect for $10, I picked up Medieval 2: Total War for $5, and there were some other fairly big titles (along with some obscure ones) for 50% or more off. I know there are a lot of people who purchase from steam who might not check it regularly for new deals, and I myself have never used d2d or impulse, but would jump at the chance of grabbing a good game at a cheap price if it were pointed out to me, so I figured I’d start a running thread that we could subscribe to, and whenever anyone finds a good deal on a digital distribution service, we could notify each other. This weekend on steam, in conjunction with a new content update, there’s a Team Fortress 2 free weekend, with the game being half off ($10). If you don’t own the game, you can download and play the full version until Sunday, and you can buy it at half price through Monday. They also have all “Kalypso media” games at 25-50% off for another day, but the games all seem pretty obscure. Still, you can see a list [here](http://store.steampowered.com/publisher/Kalypso%20Media%20Digital/) to see if you’re interested in any of them. I’ll post news about new Steam deals, and if someone who checks Impulse and D2D and any other digital distributors wants to do the same, that’d be great. Feel free to talk about the games too - maybe an obscure favorite of yours is 75% off somewhere and you want to praise it. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734/2 "2009-12-18T12:50:57Z")
Perusing the direct2drive page, it looks like they’ve got Borderlands at 1/3rd off at $33 for one day, and Deus Ex: Game of the Year edition for $5, which is an old game but a classic. It has the Empire Earth games there for cheap too, but I don’t know anything about it. Stardock’s impulse service ([http://www.impulsedriven.com](http://www.impulsedriven.com)) has Eve Online: Dominion half off, and Europa Universalis 3 Complete for almost 60% off. The latter two services I don’t check on a regular basis, so if anyone else does, and sees a good deal, please post about it. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734/3 "2009-12-18T22:33:24Z")
Direct2drive is running a [24 days of Christmas](http://www.direct2drive.com/holiday/) sale with a new sale every day… unfortunately I wasn’t aware of it until now. Apparently the previous sales have been: Dec. 1 - Mirror’s Edge $4.95 Dec. 2 - The Witcher $19.95 Dec. 3 - Need for Speed Shift $24.95 Dec. 4 - Red Alert 3 bundle $19.95 Dec. 5 - Prototype $19.95 Dec. 6 - Majesty 2 $7.50 Dec. 7 - LOTR: Conquest $9.95 Dec. 8 - Mercenaries 2 $4.95 Dec. 9 - Street Fighter IV $19.95 Dec. 10 - Battlefield 2 Complete Collection $14.95 Dec. 11 - Dragon Age $39.95 Dec. 12 - Sims 3 $29.95 Dec. 13 - Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor $7.50 Dec. 14 - Tiger Woods 08 $9.95 Dec. 15 - NFS: Prostreet $4.95 Dec. 16 - Section 8 $12.50 Dec. 17 - Resident Evil 5 $24.95 Anyway… today’s sale is Trine for $10. Steam already had this deal last month, which is when I bought the game, but if you haven’t picked it up I recommend it. It’s a beautiful platformer with a combination of action and puzzles. I guess it derives from the Lost Vikings platformer where you have 3 characters you can instantly switch between with different abilities. I liked it a lot, and plan to go back through to find all of the secrets and 100% everything. There’s also a demo on Steam (and maybe d2d, don’t know if they do demos, never installed their software) so you can try out the first 2 levels and see if you like it. You have about 20 hours left to snatch it up before it moves on to the next sale. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2009, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734/4 "2009-12-19T00:03:07Z")
Sweet thread Beef, thanks for putting it up! Goold old Games ([gog.com](http://gog.com)) has the heroes of might and magic series for 50% off and they just added Myst and riven for $6 each. ---
**Author:** ![MJinks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@MJinks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MJinks)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2009, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734/5 "2009-12-19T00:12:01Z")
It’s hidden in the news story but Torchlight is 50% off (£7.49) on Steam until Monday. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734/6 "2009-12-20T02:03:20Z")
Today’s D2D sale is Civ 4 complete (game + 3 expansions) for $16 [here.](http://www.direct2drive.com/4/8042/product/Buy-Civilization-4:-The-Complete-Edition-Download) That’s: Sid Meier’s Civilization IV Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Warlords Expansion Pack Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword Expansion Pack Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Colonization ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734/7 "2009-12-21T01:59:44Z")
Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734/8 "2009-12-21T02:57:32Z")
You have me curious. Today’s D2D game is Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War 2 for $20 (half off). Ooh, and good call on Torchlight at half on steam. Is it really good? I just got Titan Quest as part of the THQ pack and I’m not sure I’m interesting in doing 2 D2 clones. Is it better? ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734/9 "2009-12-21T18:12:08Z")
[Gog.com](http://Gog.com) is having a xmas sale. The sale ends January 3rd. Check it out at [http://www.gog.com/en/page/xmas09](http://www.gog.com/en/page/xmas09) Games I recommend: Fallout $3.89 Fallout 2 $3.89 Freespace 2 $3.8 Heroes of Might and Magic 3: Complete $6.99 Beyond Good and Evil $6.99 Painkiller Black Edition $6.99 Jagged Alliance 2 $5.99 Psychonauts $7.49 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time $6.99 ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734/10 "2009-12-23T03:26:20Z")
Apparently steam and the publishers were happy with what happened with the steam 5 day black friday [sale](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=541436), because they’re coming back with something even bigger. Details on their [main page](http://store.steampowered.com/). It looks like it’s a combination of deals that run through January 3rd in conjunction with temporary 1 day sales that change every day. Today’s 1 day sales are Defense Grid: The Awakening (I hear it’s a very good tower defense game, never played) Mirror’s edge $5 (repeat sale from last time, easily worth it) GTA 4 $7.50. (It’s worth it if they made it work without hassle - did they?) S.T.A.L.K.E.R. $2 (easily worth it) Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising $20 (mixed feelings on this one - has a lot of elements of a very good game, but horribly shitty multiplayer and the default campaign is very short - however I haven’t looked at what the fan made content has come out with) This time around there are so many “complete packs” with all games for developers, like the THQ packs last time. The [Eidos pack](http://store.steampowered.com/sub/2687/) includes 20 games, including Batman: Arkham asylum, the Deus Ex games, the Hitman games, Thief: Deadly Shadows, some recent Tomb Raider games and others for $50. All [2k](http://store.steampowered.com/publisher/2K%20Games/) games are 33% off. Not available as part of a package, but lots of good games including Borderlands, Civ 4 complete, all x-com games, bioshock, a bunch of civ meiers games, and others. You can get all the unreal games as a package for $14. That’s the original Unreal, UT99, UT 2004, and UT3. Are any of those still popular? I might grab that. [Ubisoft’s entire catalog](http://store.steampowered.com/publisher/Ubisoft/) is 50% off. You can get their [WW2](http://store.steampowered.com/sub/2656/) collection for $25, which includes all the IL-2:sturmovik games (the 1946 edition comes with all previous games, including pacific fighters and various expansions) - best combat flight sim around. The Silent Hunter games are excellent. I haven’t played the Brothers in Arms games but they have a good meta rating. No idea about Blazing Angels. Also in that pack are a bunch of Splinter Cell games for $5, World in Conflict/Expansion for $10 each, a bunch of Prince of Persia, all the Tom Clancy games, … and more. There are dozens here. All of the games THQ makes are significantly discounted - they bumped the actual THQ collection up to $75 (was $50 during the last sale), but now you can buy the games individually for cheap. You can get all the [Rock Star](http://store.steampowered.com/sub/1360/) games for $47. Braid is $2.50 - heard it’s a great, innovative platformer and it has a 90 metascore. Evil Genius is only $2, and that’s a fun game. [LucasArts adventure pack](http://store.steampowered.com/sub/2102/) with 4 of their classics is only $2.50. All [Atari](http://store.steampowered.com/publisher/Atari/) games are 2/3rds off. There’s lots more that I didn’t mention. This sale is so massive that I’m going to have to digest it for a while before I make recommendations. Check it out though. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734/11 "2009-12-23T04:23:06Z")
From the Steam sale I definitely recommend: \*Beyond Good and Evil \*2.50 € _Braid_ 2.24 € \*World of Goo \*4.99 € _Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time_ 4.99 € I loved _World of Goo_ and both _Beyond Good and Evil_ and _Prince of Persia_ are on my best games of the 00s list. _Warrior Within_ (4.99€) and _The Two Thrones_ (4.99€), the sequels to _Sands of Time_, are flawed but good. I also recommend the _Splinter Cell_ games. _Chaos Theory_ (4.99€) is very good. Especially the level… in a war torn Seoul ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734/12 "2009-12-23T04:43:22Z")
Btw, before you buy anything, make sure there isn’t a better package deal. Like Titan Quest and the expansion are $7.50 each, which is a good price, but you can get Titan Quest Gold with both for $10. World in Conflict and the expansion are $10 each, or get the complete edition for only $10 total. Etc. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734/13 "2009-12-23T05:15:55Z")
So I bought S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Defense Grid Sniper Elite Because they looked pretty cool. And they are cheap. RS: Vegas 2 is only $5. However my PC isn’t fast enough to run it. I’d have to get it on the 360 if I wanted to play that. The Tom Clancy games are usually pretty good. I’ve got several RS, splinter cell and ghost recon games. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734/14 "2009-12-23T05:20:57Z")
If you can’t run RS: Vegas 2 then STALKER is probably also out. On the other hand, it’s only $2, and some day you can upgrade your computer. Sniper Elite is something I’ll probably get - it’s an older game and I can’t even remember if it’s good, but for $2… I’ll grab defense grid too… tower defense games are surprisingly addictive. ---
**Author:** ![CutterJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@CutterJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CutterJohn)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734/15 "2009-12-23T07:41:04Z")
Wowzers… My cart is filling up fast! I’m going to have games for years at this rate. Some recomendations of my own… [Zombie Shooter 2](http://store.steampowered.com/app/33180/?cc=us) and its [predecessors](http://store.steampowered.com/sub/1645/). These are very brutal games in fashion of something like Crimsonland, with wasd controls and mouse pointer aiming, but there are also RPG elements, gear upgrading, etc. Highly fun, and well worth the couple bucks. Not a a great deal of replay value, unfortunately(no randomized loot or levels), but its a very good showing for an indy game, and hell, can’t argue with the price. also, I discovered [http://www.steamgamesales.com/all/](http://www.steamgamesales.com/all/). No more searching for sales! ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734/16 "2009-12-23T07:42:05Z")
Does anyone know if they ever made the PC version of GTA 4 not suck? I’m tempted to buy it but it isn’t worth the hassle if it’s like what it was at release. ---
**Author:** ![CutterJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@CutterJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CutterJohn)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734/17 "2009-12-23T08:38:41Z")
Reading the steam forums, it seems that its not bad. Hefty requirements, but it works. I purchased it as well, and didn’t even think about that. ---
**Author:** ![Garula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Garula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garula)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734/18 "2009-12-23T10:27:48Z")
Normally I don’t like to demean people for there videogame purchasing habits, but anyone who doesn’t leave this sale owning World of Goo, Braid, and STALKER is stupid and should be spat upon. ---
**Author:** ![lemac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f19dbf/32.png) [@lemac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lemac)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734/19 "2009-12-23T13:45:01Z")
Bought Sanitarium, Divine Divinity and the Might&Magic pack at GOG so far. Thinking of getting The Witcher, Stalker: Clear Sky and the Jedi Knight pack from Steam. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734/20 "2009-12-23T14:25:04Z")
If I was going to get one game to try out the splinter cell series, which should I get? The original, so I can see the beginning of the storyline? (Is that important?) The highest meta-rated one, Chaos Theory? Others? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-digital-distribution-game-sale-special-thread/521734.md?page=2)