# Steam Christmas Sale has started! **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 20, 2011, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790 "2011-12-20T00:35:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/181 "2011-12-29T21:48:39Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Sword of the Stars 2 $20 (don’t buy) To underline this, word of mouth has been horribly bad for Sword of the Stars 2. They apparently released it missing major functions, and what was there was massively bugged; calling a “beta version” would be a kindness. ---
**Author:** ![pilot141](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e0b2c6/32.png) [@pilot141](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pilot141)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/182 "2011-12-29T22:18:37Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Just wanted to come in and say thanks to **SenorBeef** for listing the daily sale games and offering opinions on what he can. I’ve been checking the thread every day to see if there’s something I might have fun playing. > > Equal thanks, of course, to those of you who have also contributed. This thread has been useful and enlightening. Yeah, I want to thank him as well. Even though I manage to never get to play with him these days he is a good sod. Now just get Flatout 3 so we can try that nonsense! ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/183 "2011-12-29T22:40:23Z")
> [@pilot141](#): > > I did it a couple of days ago, got a gift of DOTA II and now that gift is gone. It showed up once and I’ve never seen it since. It is automatically added to your account if you don’t already have it when you get it as a reward. GOTY 2012. ---
**Author:** ![pilot141](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e0b2c6/32.png) [@pilot141](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pilot141)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/184 "2011-12-29T22:50:15Z")
Doh! You are absolutely right! DOTA 2 is now in my games inventory. Thanks for making me look! ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/185 "2011-12-29T22:51:52Z")
That’s a pretty good price for Shogun 2, considering that it’s fairly new (released mid-March 2011). I picked up most of the DLC for it. Shogun 2 doesn’t seem to have the same replay value as previous Total War titles, but it’s good for a handful of campaigns. I also recommend Napoleon from that series; I also really enjoyed Empire, but that wasn’t as well-received (and the combat is essentially a less refined version of what you’ll find in Napoleon). ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/186 "2011-12-29T22:55:19Z")
These sales always make me feel stupid, as I have little impulse control and will buy a single-player game when first released. Never again! ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/187 "2011-12-29T23:20:50Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > The Binding of Isaac $1.25 The Binding of Isaac is one of the best games I have ever played. It’s also the most horrible game I ever played. It’s ‘horrible’ in the sense that it’s the most horrific, not in the traditional “suspense/horror” genre, but more of a “disturbing documentary” sense. As a game, it is really very good. It’s a short-ish Zelda-esque (LTTP Zelda, not SS Zelda) dungeon crawler (with permadeath), with tons of different items that allow your character to vary wildly both in terms of cosmetics and power. Even once you beat the game, it’s still fun to play through it again. The controls are very smooth (dual-stick shooter style), the difficulty curve is fair (if difficult), and there is a definite sense of progress as you play and lose and play and lose and eventually win. And the atmosphere is thick. The atmosphere is the most complicated part, as the story–all of this told, mind you, in bold, cartoonish visuals–the story\* is about horrific child abuse. All of the items you get will change your character (Isaac) visually as well as give powers: among them, The Wooden Spoon–Speed Up, and also Isaac gets a bunch of spoon-shaped welts, the Max’s Head (a dead dog head), which causes Isaac to shoot bigger tears (bullets) that do more damage, and the Wire Coat Hanger, which increases Tears per Second and is visually represented sticking through Isaac’s head (who is a toddler, did I mention that?). Some of the bosses: the avatar of one wetting one’s self, a pile of necrotic organs, and a fly-choked corpse. \*Technically, the story is literally a modern rendition of the bible story, The Binding of Isaac (in which Abraham is commanded to sacrifice his only son to God to prove his loyalty). The atmosphere is one of horrific child abuse, as one might imagine would happen if someone tried to sacrifice their son to God in modern times. It…it’s one of those arthouse games that tries to tell a message in addition to being a game. And it’s a very good game. If you can handle the story, the game is definitely worth picking up. If you can handle the story. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/188 "2011-12-30T00:30:02Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > I had heard good things about it, and it looked pretty, so I grabbed it. Figured I’d finish the achievement task, then pick it up again later. Instead, I played it straight through to the end. The gameplay reminded me a bit of _Secret of Evermore_, an old SNES favorite of mine, and the whole game–story, graphics, music, and all–was beautifully done. I particularly liked the little narrative touches. Secret of Mana was much better, IMO. SoE was so-so…I got tired of the stupid dog sniffing and sniffing and sniffing, only to go back to a place with ingredients I didn’t need. I want a port of Secret of Mana. And I want it NOW. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/189 "2011-12-30T01:26:27Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > I had heard good things about it, and it looked pretty, so I grabbed it. Figured I’d finish the achievement task, then pick it up again later. Instead, I played it straight through to the end. The gameplay reminded me a bit of _Secret of Evermore_, an old SNES favorite of mine, and the whole game–story, graphics, music, and all–was beautifully done. I particularly liked the little narrative touches. Yesterday a friend told me how awesome it was, so I’ll definitely be looking for it on the last day of the sale. And add my thanks to **Senorbeef** : Steam unaccountably isn’t labeling the games that are on sale, AFAICT, instead just putting a screenshot of the game with a price on it. It’s much easier for me to visit this thread to figure out what they’re selling than to actually look at their sales page. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/190 "2011-12-30T02:19:22Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Secret of Mana was much better, IMO. SoE was so-so…I got tired of the stupid dog sniffing and sniffing and sniffing, only to go back to a place with ingredients I didn’t need. I want a port of Secret of Mana. And I want it NOW. Oh, I liked _Secret of Mana_, too, but I liked the humor in _Evermore_ enough to give it the edge. The gameplay elements that _Bastion_ reminded me of are much the same between them, though. (And _Bastion_ is not what I’d call humorous.) ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/191 "2011-12-30T02:29:32Z")
Not sure if this was posted, but [here’s a guide](http://steamcheeves.com/) to collecting the various achievements. Some of them have save files you can use if you’re so inclined, most are just hints and clarifications on the easiest way to knock them out. I was on vacation away from my computer for the last week so it was nice to bang out some game achievements in a hurry (I only had the basic “put ten items on your wish list” type ones done so far). ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/192 "2011-12-30T04:53:10Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > That’s a pretty good price for Shogun 2, considering that it’s fairly new (released mid-March 2011). I thought so too. My current setup won’t run it, but it does seem pretty cheap. I suspect that it’ll continue to drop, though; it’s dropped so sharply already, I think it might drop more in the next couple sales cycles. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/193 "2011-12-30T06:17:34Z")
> [@Trepa\_Mayfield](#): > > The controls are very smooth (dual-stick shooter style) This is honestly the first time I have heard anyone say anything positive about Isaac’s controls. The lack of controller support is a pretty egregious failing on the part of the game, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/194 "2011-12-30T08:00:11Z")
Oh, and the Shogun 2 DLC is available cheaply, including the “Blood Pack”, which ups the level of gore, blood, and severed limbs for a mere thirty-nine cents. It’s gratuitous, and so I must have it! ---
**Author:** ![Shooby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f475e1/32.png) [@Shooby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shooby)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/195 "2011-12-30T14:35:21Z")
Wow, I’ve bought something almost every day of this sale and was a bit scared to see what the total damage was… $45! _whew_ This is the cheapest spending spree ever, as these 10 or so games have cost me less than a single new AAA game like Skyrim. $2.50 for a game makes for twitchy impulse buying, but thank god that it still doesn’t add up to all that much! ---
**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 30, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/196 "2011-12-30T18:07:46Z")
Fallout New Vegas $5, dlc 75% SpaceChem $2.50 Magic: Duel of the Planeswalkers $4, dlc 60% Super Meat Boy $3.75 Command & Conquer franchise 75% off (most games $5) Puzzle agent $1.25, PA2 $2.50 Universe Sandbox $2.50 Civilization 5 GOTY $17, with no DLC $10, dlc seperately 66% off GTA franchise 75% off. All GTA games (including expansions) $12.50 Deus Ex: Human Revolution $17 Driver: San Francisco $25 Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena $5 (warning, 3rd party DRM) Achievements: DoD: Source Super Meat Boy Universe Sandbox SpaceChem Puzzle Agent 2 Flight Control HD ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/197 "2011-12-30T18:21:47Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Deus Ex: Human Revolution $17 I’m glad I got Deus Ex when it was $10 on Amazon a few days ago. Is the DLC worth picking up? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/198 "2011-12-30T21:08:54Z")
SWEEEEEET! Civ 5 GOTY for $17 is a helluva deal (and the one I’ve been waiting for)! ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/199 "2011-12-30T21:32:09Z")
I must admit as a non-PC gamer who recently bought a 360 controller for my MacBook I’m going a little crazy buying these games so much cheaper than they are on my 360. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/200 "2011-12-31T04:12:29Z")
Damn, I wish that _Universe Sandbox_ had a Mac version. It looks cool as hell, like something I’d play for hours and hours and hours. If anyone gets it, would you please post a review here? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790.md?page=11)