6/24-7/4: Christmas in June/July (complete pack sales and one day sale)

[bhodi]

For this round, I'd take shatter, torchlight and the void. Shatter because it's the best breakout game since arkanoid, torchlight because it's awesome, and the void because it's ... well, it's the void. It's cool and worth $5. I already have all but shatter though.

Don't really know about red orchestra, but arma2 is the go-to for realism. Pass on flatout because they removed locational vehicle damage.

[trias_e]

I definitely recommend getting The Void for 5 bucks.  While not for everyone, it's fantastic in my opinion.  If you're impatient/easily frustrated/hate resource  management games/hate anything that could be considered an art game, perhaps don't get it.  Otherwise, buy the damn thing.

[Soulflame]

whoa whoa whoa.  resource management game?

I am intrigued, and would like to hear more about this "Void".

[bhodi]

whoa whoa whoa.  resource management game?

I am intrigued, and would like to hear more about this "Void".

Check out the SA's Let's Play. It's really good. I recommend watching the first ep or two because he shows you a few tips and tricks that makes the game much less confusing.

[Rasix]

Sound intriguing.  I'm tempted to pick up that (The Void) and Red Faction Guerilla, but the RFG forum is awash in complaints about performance.  I'm wary to take chances with that again.

[Paelos]

Sound intriguing.  I'm tempted to pick up that (The Void) and Red Faction Guerilla, but the RFG forum is awash in complaints about performance.  I'm wary to take chances with that again.

Yeah I make it a point now to really scour the forums first for technical issues due to some of my bargain purchases at the beginning of the year. There is a lot of gold out there, but if the front page is soured with "WTF CRASHES" posts, I'm not even wasting $5 to play the CTD Lottery.

[Rishathra]

Red Orchestra?

Any input on this one? I read that it's supposed to be super-realistic, but is it any fun, and will I enjoy it more than say a Battlefield 2?

It has a lot of touches that make it feel realistic, but still a lot of fun.  It's hard to explain, really.  There are many more little things you have to worry about, similar to Arma or WW2OL, but it manages to avoid the cock-punchy feel.  A good example is the feel of the iron sights.  There is a lot more finesse needed to use them compared to other games, where they are often simply a zoom + accuracy boost.  When you succeed with a nice long range shot using them, though, it's that much more satisfying.

My friends and I would grab this game every time they did the 'free weekend' deals, and had a blast for a few days each time.  We were just too lazy/cheap to actually plunk the money down.  It is hands down better than Battlefield 2, as far as infantry combat goes.  No vehicles is the only drawback.

[koro]

I haven't played much of Red Orchestra since it first released on Steam, but I know for a fact the original UT2004 version of RO had tanks and trucks and APCs at least.

It's strange if Ostfront doesn't.

[Engels]

Red Orchestra?

Any input on this one? I read that it's supposed to be super-realistic, but is it any fun, and will I enjoy it more than say a Battlefield 2?

It has a lot of touches that make it feel realistic, but still a lot of fun.  It's hard to explain, really.  There are many more little things you have to worry about, similar to Arma or WW2OL, but it manages to avoid the cock-punchy feel.  A good example is the feel of the iron sights.  There is a lot more finesse needed to use them compared to other games, where they are often simply a zoom + accuracy boost.  When you succeed with a nice long range shot using them, though, it's that much more satisfying.

My friends and I would grab this game every time they did the 'free weekend' deals, and had a blast for a few days each time.  We were just too lazy/cheap to actually plunk the money down.  It is hands down better than Battlefield 2, as far as infantry combat goes.  No vehicles is the only drawback.

How well designed is the multiplayer server browser? Even if it is way better than BC2 or CoD, if it has a sparse server listing and/or horrible filtering controls, I'd think twice about it. I know, sounds like whine, but really, the BC2 browser makes Baby Shiva cry.

[koro]

As far as I remember, Red Orchestra's server browser is no different from a standard Steam one.

Also, if you get RO, you also get a few bonus 'games' as well, like Mare Nostrum, which is essentially a free mod campaign, and is apparently set in North Africa.

One thing to be aware of, though, is that RO's community is really small. The Steam server browser only shows maybe a dozen heavily active RO servers, and no active Mare Nostrum ones.

[Fabricated]

Red Orchestra undeservedly won the Make Something Unreal contest I believe. It's a "realistic" WWII mod focused on Russians Vs. Nazis and the experience can be summed up as running around confused until you suddenly fall over dead.

[Segoris]

Ended up buying Shatter + Red Orchestra + The Void for $10. Really, no reason to not try these out at that price. Hell, $15 if you want those 3 and Red Faction. Today was a good day.

[Kageru]

The EA sale a while back motivated me to finally actually play Mass Effect, which made me realise what a strong game it is and how much I wanted to see what happened in the sequel. So very happy to see the single EA title I want re-appear on the daily sales. 40$ US isn't really an amazing special given inflated prices and retail discounts but damnit, I want.

Still need to finish my infiltrator veteran / paragon and vanguard hardcore play through though... but at least it's sitting ready for me now.

[bhodi]

I played shatter for the first time, it's like.... awesome. If you haven't bought it, you really need to. Right now. I can see why people said that it was the best deal today, by far.

[koro]

Okay yeah Shatter is indeed pretty awesome.

[Teleku]

Holy shit, you guys aren't kidding!  Shatter is fucking great!

[Soulflame]

You guys sold me on Shatter and The Void.  I also bought ME2, because it was there.

[Malakili]

Red Faction Guerrilla is pretty fun, definitely worth the 5 bucks.  The story I could do with or without, but roaming around razing buildings is worth the price of admission.  No crashes so far or anything, runs smooth and stable on my machine.

[Threash]

The entire first page of my gmail account is now officially nothing but "thank you for your purchase" messages from steam.

[Segoris]

Get out the wallets again, it's a new day!  In other words, OP updated.

[Stormwaltz]

Galaxies for $5? I'll bite.

Also, I'm glad I held off on buying Tropico 3 earlier in the week.

[Fabricated]

Galaxies for $5? I'll take it.

...oh wait, you mean *I* have to pay $5. Nevermind.

[Segoris]

I'm in for Madballs ($2), Star Wars Galaxies ($5, hello emulator), Dragon Age Awakenings ($24, cheaper than during the EA sale ),

I'm contemplating X3: Gold ($10) and Misadventures of PB Winterbottom ($2.50).

[Rasix]

Hmm. X3 deal.  I think I've already bought enough shit I'll never play.

[Malakili]

Only thing I'm really considering today is Tropico, but I'm not sold on it yet.   I've actually shown pretty good self control through this whole thing so far, and I'm trying not to buy things I won't play, or won't play more than once. 

[WayAbvPar]

Hmm. X3 deal.  I think I've already bought enough shit I'll never play.

I bought it last time it went on sale. It is pretty fun, and something you can definitely leave and pick up again at your leisure.

[bhodi]

hahaha galaxies. I already own X3, tropico, titan quest on steam, but I'd recommend those.

This go around, it's thief for me, since I never played it and it apparently has one of the best / most scary levels ever created.

[caladein]

Are there any horror stories with GTA: San Andreas on PC?  I've been eying it all this sale as I've never played it, but didn't think to see if it actually worked .

As for the rest: $54 for Dragon Age Origins DDE and Awakening is a bit hard to recommend the day after $30 less bought you Mass Effect 2 (and I played the pants off Dragon Age when it came out).  If you are thinking about getting Dragon Age, do spring for the Digital Deluxe Edition for $6 more as that gets you Warden's Keep (which is quite good) for basically a dollar less than the DLC price.

Awakenings was good, if constantly disappointing, but $24... yeah.  I'd only get it if you've already been waiting for it to go on sale.

Titan Quest Gold is an easy recommendation at $5 if you dig Diablo II-clones.  I wouldn't recommend it over Torchlight, but they're different enough that I like keeping both around.

[Malakili]

Hmm. X3 deal.  I think I've already bought enough shit I'll never play.

I bought it last time it went on sale. It is pretty fun, and something you can definitely leave and pick up again at your leisure.

See, that sounds good on paper, but my problem is that I tend to get totally engrossed in one or two games that eat all my time, and then when I get sick of those, rather than going back to those games I've got sitting around, i get something new to play all the time.  It leaves me precious little time for games I won't play much.  Of course, if theres a single player game I can knock off in a day or two and then shelf it and say  "that was worth 5 bucks" thats the sort of thing I've been trying to pick up on this sale generally.

Maybe not the most rational way to determine what to buy, but it works for me.

[Ard]

Only thing I'm really considering today is Tropico, but I'm not sold on it yet.   I've actually shown pretty good self control through this whole thing so far, and I'm trying not to buy things I won't play, or won't play more than once. 

Well, there's a demo for Tropico if you're balking on it, but it's been one of my favorite sim type games since the first one came out, just for bringing something a tiny bit different to the table.  Executing one's political rivals never gets old, dammit.

[Rasix]

Are there any horror stories with GTA: San Andreas on PC?  I've been eying it all this sale as I've never played it, but didn't think to see if it actually worked .

It worked when I tried it. Looks terrible but cranked as high as it can go it's not too bad.  The PC controls are kind of bad, but weren't too bad to get used to.

Update on my return: it went through but Steam said basically, "this is a one time deal, we won't do it again."

Hmm. X3 deal.  I think I've already bought enough shit I'll never play.

I bought it last time it went on sale. It is pretty fun, and something you can definitely leave and pick up again at your leisure.

Sounds good.  However, in less than a month my life is going to get owned by Starcraft II.  For how long, who knows.  Then Cata's coming up.  GAH. Fuck you, Blizzard.

edit: It'd be rad if Blizzard titles went to Steam at some point.  The prices for some of their older games that I've lost disks (SC, WC3) for are quite outrageous.

[Bunk]

This is getting addictive. Grabbed Red Faction and Flatout ($2 and ragdoll physics crash games are funny) yesterday. Grabbed Titan Quest Today.

[Trippy]

edit: It'd be rad if Blizzard titles went to Steam at some point.  The prices for some of their older games that I've lost disks (SC, WC3) for are quite outrageous.

If you still have the keys you can register them on the new B.Net and then download the games.

[Malakili]

edit: It'd be rad if Blizzard titles went to Steam at some point.  The prices for some of their older games that I've lost disks (SC, WC3) for are quite outrageous.

Tell me about it.  A few years back I couldn't find me D2 disks and I actually went as far as buying the battlechest.  Of course, a year after that I found the originals.

[Tebonas]

My brother-in-law sure is glad he married my sister right now. I used these Steam sales to convert as many games as possible to digital format via steam and gog (some are old enough to already have data errors as I realized with Bards Tale 3 a year ago), and he gets all the boxed versions from me. 14 right now and counting. Damn you Steam!