# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/41 "2011-12-20T21:24:11Z")
Fire up the [Can you run it?](http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/) feature on this website and you can find out if that computer will run any game listed in their pull down menu (and they have a ton). You’ll have to install a browser addon first and it may not work on all browsers, but I’ve used them for years to quickly find out what my computer can or can’t handle. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/42 "2011-12-20T21:31:07Z")
Thanks!! ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/43 "2011-12-20T21:42:47Z")
Ugh. I bought Witcher, and only _then_ realised that Steam won’t work on my university provided internet. That’s $2.50 down the drain. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/44 "2011-12-20T23:29:59Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Fire up the [Can you run it?](http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/) feature on this website and you can find out if that computer will run any game listed in their pull down menu (and they have a ton). You’ll have to install a browser addon first and it may not work on all browsers, but I’ve used them for years to quickly find out what my computer can or can’t handle. That site is notoriously inaccurate, shouldn’t really be necessary either; a quick cross reference with the recommended specs of a game should tell you what you need to know. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/45 "2011-12-21T01:01:49Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > That site is notoriously inaccurate, shouldn’t really be necessary either; a quick cross reference with the recommended specs of a game should tell you what you need to know. I’ve never had issues with it or heard of any, so I apologize if I’ve mislead anyone. ---
**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 21, 2011, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/46 "2011-12-21T01:30:05Z")
Any site that just compares your hardware to the listed system requirements isn’t going to be accurate. The problem is that listed requirements are never accurate. If you crush the recommended, then you can almost certainly run the game though. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/47 "2011-12-21T01:41:54Z")
The problem is that no games seem to say if you can run them with integrated graphics on a laptop. The only reliable way I’ve found is to try the demo if it’s available, but from what I can tell from the games I’ve tried to play _Can you Run It?_ has been spot on. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/48 "2011-12-21T06:04:32Z")
DemiGods looks fun too. Anyone know anything about it? ---
**Author:** ![Stowed\_Bob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stowed_bob/32/3312_2.png) [@Stowed\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stowed_Bob)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/49 "2011-12-21T07:19:54Z")
> [@Palooka](#): > > Dredmor is a roguelike with a non-terrible interface, semi-decent jokes, and on the easier side of the roguelike spectrum. Roguelikes are basically puzzle games disguised as RPGs, where you need to use the game’s mechanics to their fullest to overcome the insane difficulty. They usually have lots of options for replayability, like varied classes and random generation. The nice part of Dredmor is you can disable perma-death, whereas most rogue-likes force you to save scum (manually make copies of your save file because as soon as you die, the game deletes the character). ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/50 "2011-12-21T08:44:37Z")
According to that wiki page, the free to play games that fulfil objectives are: Spiral Knights Champions Online CrimeCraft GangWars Rise of Immortals Team Fortress 2 Has anyone played any of these that would recommend them? The two that sound most interesting are CrimeCraft GangWars and Rise of Immortals. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/51 "2011-12-21T09:58:28Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > DemiGods looks fun too. Anyone know anything about it? If I remember correctly, this is a Dota-style game, and I have recalled several sever issues that hampers the game. You can check it out in some [articles](http://kotaku.com/5260950/what-went-wrong-with-demigod). I have no idea how its server population is like. An alternative to DemiGod is [League of Legends](http://lol.garena.com/), which is quite active and was created by some members of the original Dota team. ---
**Author:** ![badlyburnttoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ad7895/32.png) [@badlyburnttoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badlyburnttoast)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/52 "2011-12-21T10:03:08Z")
> [@Stowed\_Bob](#): > > The nice part of Dredmor is you can disable perma-death, whereas most rogue-likes force you to save scum (manually make copies of your save file because as soon as you die, the game deletes the character). On the other hand, playing 10 games on going rouge with permadeath on and dying 5 minutes in on each one has a certain sort of charm to it too. I highly recommend it, it’s fun has a great sense of humor, and the difficulty levels + optional permadeath means everyone can have a good time with it even if they don’t like a traditional roguelike. Plus it has lutefisk. ---
**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, 2011, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/53 "2011-12-21T12:39:00Z")
Witcher 1 at $2.50 is a ridiculous deal. Was hoping for $10 on RO2, would’ve snatched it right up. Probably a good idea for them too to build their multiplayer community. I’d grab DNF for $5 just because they remade the original duke3d maps in multiplayer, some of them anyway, but from what I hear MP is completely dead, so blah. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/54 "2011-12-21T13:43:00Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > According to that wiki page, the free to play games that fulfil objectives are: > > … > > Team Fortress 2 > > Has anyone played any of these that would recommend them? Team Fortress 2 is a blast. I don’t even like shooters very much, and I had a lot of fun with it. ---
**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 21, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/55 "2011-12-21T15:04:44Z")
I’m out for lunch today and will be on vacation next week so anyone else who feels inclined to list the daily deals, feel free. Otherwise they are obviously available via Steam a little after noon, Central time. ---
**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, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/56 "2011-12-21T18:07:25Z")
Dailies: Payday: The Heist $10 (50%) Jurrassic Park: The Game $15 (50%) Monday Night Combat $2.50 (75%) F1 2011 $25 (50%) Sherlock Holmes franchise 75% off Mount & Blade Franchise 75% off (Warband $7.50, fire & sword $3.75) STALKER franchise 75% off (again with the weird pricing, original is $5, pripyat is $3.75, clear skies $2.50) Defense Grid: The Awakening $2.50 (75%) Neverwinter Nights 2 Platinum $5 (75%) Swords and Soldiers HD $2.50 (75%) Grotesque Tactics franchise 75% off Batman: Arkham City $25 (50%) Achievements/tickets Join steam holiday group, defense grid, swords and soldiers, payday: the heist, jurrasic park, guardians of graxia The STALKER games are good. I don’t actually know which one to recommend to a new player because I’ve only played the first. Defense grid is a good tower defense game - lots of challenges and modes. Mount and blade warband is a great game. You don’t need the original mount and blade or the complete pack - warband has everything it has, and better. Fire and sword is alright, different era, but Warband is the game to get. Monday Night Combat is actually a pretty good game that doesn’t get played enough, good for that price. Thinking about Payday The Heist. Heard it was sort of like L4D but with cops instead of zombies, but the same 4 man coop type gameplay. Anyone played it? Edit: Payday also comes in a 4 pack, which would be $7.50 each, so if people are interested I could grab it and you can hit me back via paypal. If I decide to get it that is. You can organize your own group buy anyway. ---
**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 21, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/57 "2011-12-21T20:03:37Z")
Every time the question comes up on the Steam Stalker forums, the recommendation is overwhelmingly to start with the first (Shadow of Chernobyl) and to download/install the Complete 2009 mod. The mod doesn’t alter the story line but it updates the graphics, fixes some AI issues and adds some quality of life enhancements. The general feeling though is that the Shadow of Chernobyl is the most atmospheric and has the most impact when you play it so it’s best played “fresh”. Edit" “first” meaning the first released. Chronologically by plot, Clear Sky is first but it’s better played as a prelude when you’re familiar with the world. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/58 "2011-12-21T20:14:32Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > The STALKER games are good. I don’t actually know which one to recommend to a new player because I’ve only played the first. The third is the most polished and new player friendly, but it doesn’t quite have the same oppressive atmosphere of the first game. I’ve heard the second is only worth getting if you feel like you have to play them all. > [@](#): > > Monday Night Combat is actually a pretty good game that doesn’t get played enough, good for that price. Word is that it no longer has any player base to speak of (people on another forum mentioned finding only a single server with any players on it). No doubt it’ll get a bump from the sale, but I wouldn’t expect any long-term value from it. > [@](#): > > Thinking about Payday The Heist. Heard it was sort of like L4D but with cops instead of zombies, but the same 4 man coop type gameplay. Anyone played it? I’ve heard it’s amazing. If I still played multiplayer, I would snatch it up. ---
**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 21, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/59 "2011-12-21T20:37:55Z")
As good as MNC is, don’t bother buying it. The release of the next version is imminent and it’s going to be F2P. The long-term players of it are all in the beta for it, so no one is playing the original. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790/60 "2011-12-21T21:11:21Z")
> [@Palooka](#): > > As good as MNC is, don’t bother buying it. The release of the next version is imminent and it’s going to be F2P. The long-term players of it are all in the beta for it, so no one is playing the original. Oh god damnit, i got to this post literally 2 seconds after purchasing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-christmas-sale-has-started/606790.md?page=4)