The Steam Deals Thread v10

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Daily Deal:
Please check the Steam homepage.

Weeklong Deals:
Steam usually has week-long deals that change on Mondays at 6PM UTC. They mostly feature indie games, and may not run every week.

Sale summary lists:

Key:
⤷ indicates DLC, — specifies part of a pack, + shows alternative versions, ⚠ highlights things worth knowing, ♫ is obvious, and ... denotes a multi-pack.

Holiday Sale 2013 | 19/12/13 through 3/1/14:
Days 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12, 13-14.

Spring/Autumn Sale 2013 | 27/11/13 through 3/12/13:
All days.

Steam deals on other stores: (Related threads on CAG.)

Indie* bundle threads: (*Not always indie, nor always a bundle.)

Free stuff:
There are quite a few free games (mostly Free to Play) and mods available via the Steam platform, a comprehensive list of which can be found in this thread on the SPUF.
(NOTE: free games are not permanently attached to your Steam account like actual purchases would be. You'll need to manually download a game again from the website if you uninstall it.)

Past Steam Deals Threads:

 
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You know...

Most people hate awards host because they seem like dishonest schills that just got paid to be there.

Joel McHale seemed like he wished was paid not to be there. 

And I don't think it came off any better.

You cannot host an awards show and come off as doing it well.

It's just an impossible proposition.

 
Cheaplikeafox 3.0 said:
Bad Rats just won 2015 GOTY!
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MysterD went to jjail afteer kick the antiamerican govt betraying us in 2015 he damn hero sadly he jail neuro is married to jenna haze i dont know how why but he is. I stole Celestee Bonin from that loser that she was married. Eldrepe has new company calll im bitch coh yeahah jk.. MNS has taken over activison and Pasports has take ea over and rebuild it. so ya

 
Neuro5i5 said:
As long as they keep those first parts solid, it sounds good to me. I don't need (nor really want) any Witcher or Mass Effect storytelling, as to me, it just wouldn't fit. BL1 was certainly weak plot-wise (which I'm still fine with) and BL2 was a nice step up, but sometimes I just want to play a game, just to play a game, without the story getting in the way too much. Borderlands is that game for me. Though, I'm probably in the minority with that thought. I mean, I actually enjoy the looting and grinding aspects.
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Yeah, I really should've been clearer in what I was arguing for... because the last thing I'd want is to have to sit through some long-winded dialogue in Borderlands. Heck, it annoys the hell out of me that I can't skip the intro cutscene. And most of the time I play Borderlands with my headphones sitting on my desk.

The gist of what I was saying is that they need better character writing (Mordecai was atrocious, for example); and keep improving the overall story arc (BL bad, BL2 better, hoping to see more improvement with BL3).

 
Syntax Error said:
Magicka on PS4 is so fuckin' awesome your mind will literally blow out of the back of your head when you see it.
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I'm guessing you've never had a serious go at playing Magika with a controller... it's like eating soup with a fork.

Syntax Error said:
I get the impression sometimes that there's people out there defending Borderlands' story because they don't want to admit that they just like shooting crap and getting loot and the grind. Gotta class that act up with some "Oh no, I think the plot-based humor was really well done in its way..." nonsense.
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It does the minimum necessarry job of giving me the answers to the eternal questions:

Why am I here?

Why the fuck am I fighting this?!?

MrNinjaSquirrel said:
Sometimes = more often than not.:guns:
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Yeah... mostly when I'm breathing.

imac2much said:
Speaking of story telling getting in the way, I've been playing DuckTales Remastered tonight and I think the added "plot" and voiced dialogue completely get in the way of the actual game. I wish there was a way to speed up the text, but as it is I just skip nearly all the cutscenes as they add little value and take forever. I appreciate that they brought back the original VA for these, but since there's so little substance per line, they should have just let people speed read. Otherwise I figure they placed unskippable cutscenes every 5 minutes so we wouldn't beat the game on easy in 30 minutes. Oh well.
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Hmm... thanks for that! I know I'll buy it eventually, I haven't played it in ~20 years... that replay can wait a little longer. ...and speaking of story getting in the way... =D

 
Everyone has differing opinions on games (just like everything else out there), which I have no issue with at all. In fact, different opinions is why there are so many types of games for us to play or experience in the first place (good or bad). Also, it's how I've come to even find some awesome gems out there. So... KEEP RESPECTFULLY DISAGREEING! ;)

I thought Borderlands 1 was good fun overall, loved the different visual style, loved killing things, loved looting, grinding, and I progressed through the story willingly several times (although not terribly satisfied). Borderlands 2 improved upon all aspects of the original while still keeping the core of what makes a Borderlands game fun. Hey that works for me, time well spent.

As for BioShock, I've loved all three quite a bit because (to quote Ken Levine) "They take place in a world that is both fantastic and ridiculous." To me all three BioShocks were appealing and AAA gaming is all about escapism and entertainment. Gameplay elements can really sway the love/hate meter one way or the other, but I tend to not be as critical if the story/writing is very strong and gameplay is average (or vise versa for that matter). But again it's debatable and it comes down to everyone's own personal opinion or preference.

To each their own really. Unless one thinks bitching/whining about something is the only way to get their point across. ;)  [Edit: I haven't come across that CAG yet thankfully. Unless we count that one person in the Amazon thread the other day.]

 
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When that crazy ass fool says they invented all this new sparkly crap and new heads and shit for Tomb Raider does he mean they're just added the PC features into the PS4 version or this stuff is not even present in the PC version? If they don't give me that extra shit for free I'm gonna strip their flesh.

 
Deuterium7 said:
To each their own really. Unless one thinks bitching/whining about something is the only way to get their point across. ;)
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Y IS EVRY1'S OPENONION RONG! U NO NOTHIN!

But seriously, I agree with what you said. I can certainly except others differing stances on games if they do the same, it's those that seem to think they are the only ones that are right and refuse to see both sides of an argument that I find unbearable. I realize I rant quite a bit, so I'd just like to say I don't mean to come off as thinking my opinion is somehow better than anyone else's. I love debating games but that I love and hate, so don't take it personally if I sound like I'm attacking you. Honestly I love to hear the reasons why others like the games I don't, even if I likely disagree with them, as it gives me a new perspective on things I might have passed poor judgement on.

I don't really know where I'm going with this at such a late hour, so I guess just keep the rants/raves coming, I find them rather entertaining to say the least ^_^

 
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Solid-Snake-Eyes said:
When that crazy ass fool says they invented all this new sparkly crap and new heads and shit for Tomb Raider does he mean they're just added the PC features into the PS4 version or this stuff is not even present in the PC version? If they don't give me that extra shit for free I'm gonna strip their flesh.
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FWIW, no Tomb Raider game has ever been superior on consoles, in fact some of them have been worse. Tomb Raider Anniversary had framerate issues on 360 and PS3, but ran perfectly on PC. Tomb Raider Legend had framerate issues on 360 if you ran it in HD, had no framerate issues on PS3 but the colors were all washed out.. but ran great on PC (although you have to disable DEP to make it not crash).

A Tomb Raider game being superior on a console hasn't happened.. yet.

 
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Forgot to post earlier, but like many others, I got my Grid 2 code this morning. Waited until 2:40 to click, got 2:49 in the end.

So what game did end up winning best RPG? I think that and Best Portable Game were the only categories where I'd actually played anything applicable. And no, I can't Google it. My Google key is broken.

pasports31 said:
FTR citizen kane sucks
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It's truly the Lost Planet of the Silver Screen.

 
spoderman said:
FWIW, no Tomb Raider game has ever been superior on consoles, in fact some of them have been worse. Tomb Raider Anniversary had framerate issues on 360 and PS3, but ran perfectly on PC. Tomb Raider Legend had framerate issues on 360 if you ran it in HD, had no framerate issues on PS3 but the colors were all washed out.. but ran great on PC (although you have to disable DEP to make it not crash).

A Tomb Raider game being superior on a console hasn't happened.. yet.
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Tomb Raider Underworld on PC is missing certain effects that are present in the console versions.

*Weird, I read about this before and it was kind of a big deal, but I can't find any evidence of it now, via googling.

 
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Solid-Snake-Eyes said:
Tomb Raider Underworld on PC is missing certain effects that are present in the console versions.

*Weird, I read about this before and it was kind of a big deal, but I can't find any evidence of it now, via googling.
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Yeah.. I was going to ask you what effects you're talking about, because I've never heard of the PC version having effects missing. The 360 version does have one advantage though.. it has exclusive DLC which finishes the story. PC version is better visually. I think all versions are flawed though, they all have bugs.

 
MrNinjaSquirrel said:
Y IS EVRY1'S OPENONION RONG! U NO NOTHIN!

But seriously, I agree with what you said. I can certainly except others differing stances on games if they do the same, it's those that seem to think they are the only ones that are right and refuse to see both sides of an argument that I find unbearable. I realize I rant quite a bit, so I'd just like to say I don't mean to come off as thinking my opinion is somehow better than anyone else's. I love debating games but that I love and hate, so don't take it personally if I sound like I'm attacking you. Honestly I love to hear the reasons why others like the games I don't, even if I likely disagree with them, as it gives me a new perspective on things I might have passed poor judgement on.

I don't really know where I'm going with this at such a late hour, so I guess just keep the rants/raves coming, I find them rather entertaining to say the least ^_^
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Naw, you're good. The part about bitching/whining wasn't directed at anyone here on CAG. So no worries at all. I don't take anything anyone says personally if their opinion objects with my own. It's bad business to take things personal. It was just a blanket statement that probably should've been clarified better with more winks, smiles and some wit that my half asleep brain couldn't muster up at the moment.

Yes, I find those same hardheaded people unbearable too, unwilling to compromise and stand their ground even if they were on a sinking ship. Now sarcasm is a different beast, I can be fairly sacarstic at times and it's easy to spot. Some of the funniest posts can be riddled with sarcasm. It's good to laugh.

I actually dig all the reviews and game input given on the CAG threads I follow. Especially your Steam reviews, in which I find myself agreeing with most of them at a high rate. It's good to hear different views on games, like you, it gives some new perspective I might not have realized before. The more the merrier. :D

 
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spoderman said:
Yeah.. I was going to ask you what effects you're talking about, because I've never heard of the PC version having effects missing. The 360 version does have one advantage though.. it has exclusive DLC which finishes the story. PC version is better visually. I think all versions are flawed though, they all have bugs.
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Huh. I remember viewing screenshots that showed the difference in the first temple area with the giant octopus.

I remember Legend had some weird Next Gen Content setting that made the game worse, so then they left it out of Anniversary. Maybe I'm confusing things...

Hey I just read that Ubisoft was polling people on their interest in a pirate game separate from Assasin's Creed. That would be great, I'd been thinking that AC4 could have easily been its own Pirate franchise. I'll buy them all, gold editions.

 
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Hey I just read that Ubisoft was polling people on their interest in a pirate game separate from Assasin's Creed. That would be great, I'd been thinking that AC4 could have easily been its own Pirate franchise. I'll buy them all, gold editions.

 
DPsycho said:
So what game did end up winning best RPG?
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  • Best PC game: Gone Home <-- wha?
  • Best Nintendo game: Super Mario 3D World
  • Best Xbox game: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
  • Best PlayStation game: The Last of Us
  • Best Handheld game: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
  • Best Indie game: Gone Home
  • Best Casual Game: Animal Crossing: New Leaf
  • Best Action/Adventure: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
  • Best Sports game: NBA 2K14
  • Best Mobile Game: Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time
  • Best Shooter: BioShock Infinite <-- pew pew!
  • Best Driving Game: Forza Motorsport 5
  • Best RPG: Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch <-- rpg
  • Best Fighting Game: Injustice: Gods Among Us
  • Best DLC: Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon <-- DLC?
  • Best Voice Actor: Troy Baker as Joel (Last of Us)
  • Best Voice Actress: Ashley Johnson as Ellie (Last of Us)
  • Studio of the Year: Naughty Dog
  • Character of the year: The Lutece Twins (BioShock Infinite)
  • Best soundtrack: GTAV
  • Best Song in a game: "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" (BioShock Infinite)
  • Most Anticipated game: Titanfall
 
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In the last third of my time with BL2, I was much less focused on the loot (dunno why I even bother with golden keys any longer) compared to looking forward to the next storyline. I haven't played as many Diablo-cloned loot simulators as the next gamer, but since that's the basis of BL's gameplay it was totally refreshing to (a) get something other than a high-fantasy-themed clickfest and (b) play something that doesn't take itself so seriously and successfully bends/breaks the fourth wall for laughs.

BL1's ending was the worst non-mechanics piece of the game, and the main characters are totally flat (hal, Brick has about 3 fewer dimensions than Mordecai, and he didn't get any better in BL2) but the supporting cast is phenomenal (Zed, Scooter, Moxxi, Tannis—I don't have an issue with Claptrap but sure he's a huge love/hate figure) and it got even better in the sequel. The DLC all felt shoe-horned in, but Gen Knoxx (as a character) was golden. And given the way 3/4 of the story for both games is advanced through the narrative device of coms and recordings (all voiced too), it could've been a hell of a lot worse.

 
Got my Grid 2 key as well....oh sorry, did I miss that section of the discussion?  I haven't played BioInfinite.  Also Jon Stewart can host an awards show.

 
hal said:
  • Best PC game: Gone Home <-- wha?
  • Best Nintendo game: Super Mario 3D World
  • Best Xbox game: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
  • Best PlayStation game: The Last of Us
  • Best Handheld game: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
  • Best Indie game: Gone Home
  • Best Casual Game: Animal Crossing: New Leaf
  • Best Action/Adventure: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
  • Best Sports game: NBA 2K14
  • Best Mobile Game: Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time
  • Best Shooter: BioShock Infinite <-- pew pew!
  • Best Driving Game: Forza Motorsport 5
  • Best RPG: Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch <-- rpg
  • Best Fighting Game: Injustice: Gods Among Us
  • Best DLC: Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon <-- DLC?
  • Best Voice Actor: Troy Baker as Joel (Last of Us)
  • Best Voice Actress: Ashley Johnson as Ellie (Last of Us)
  • Studio of the Year: Naughty Dog
  • Character of the year: The Lutece Twins (BioShock Infinite)
  • Best soundtrack: GTAV
  • Best Song in a game: "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" (BioShock Infinite)
  • Most Anticipated game: Titanfall
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The predictability of this list is terribly unexciting.

 
Solid-Snake-Eyes said:
Huh. I remember viewing screenshots that showed the difference in the first temple area with the giant octopus.

I remember Legend had some weird Next Gen Content setting that made the game worse, so then they left it out of Anniversary. Maybe I'm confusing things...



Hey I just read that Ubisoft was polling people on their interest in a pirate game separate from Assasin's Creed. That would be great, I'd been thinking that AC4 could have easily been its own Pirate franchise. I'll buy them all, gold editions.
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PC version of Legend is far superior than the console versions.. I did some googling and some people believed that the next gen setting was causing crashing, however I know disabling DEP fixed the crashing for some people. The only issue the PC version has is the crashing, I'm not 100% sure if turning off DEP fixes it completely for everyone. From what I've heard, they didn't leave out the next gen setting in Anniversary.. they built it into later revisions of the engine once they got it working more properly, so it was no longer a "feature".. if that makes sense.

Anyway, I own all of the games on PC, PS3, and 360 and the console versions aren't worth playing if you've got a decent PC. I regret buying them for consoles.
 
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hal said:
  • Best RPG: Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch <-- rpg
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I like Studio Ghibli and I liked some of Level-5's other games, and I wanted to like Ni no Kuni, but that game was hella boring. My faith in this awards thing I wasn't aware of is shattered forever.

 
hal said:
  • Best PC game: Gone Home <-- wha?
  • Best Nintendo game: Super Mario 3D World
  • Best Xbox game: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
  • Best PlayStation game: The Last of Us
  • Best Handheld game: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
  • Best Indie game: Gone Home
  • Best Casual Game: Animal Crossing: New Leaf
  • Best Action/Adventure: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
  • Best Sports game: NBA 2K14
  • Best Mobile Game: Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time
  • Best Shooter: BioShock Infinite <-- pew pew!
  • Best Driving Game: Forza Motorsport 5
  • Best RPG: Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch <-- rpg
  • Best Fighting Game: Injustice: Gods Among Us
  • Best DLC: Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon <-- DLC?
  • Best Voice Actor: Troy Baker as Joel (Last of Us)
  • Best Voice Actress: Ashley Johnson as Ellie (Last of Us)
  • Studio of the Year: Naughty Dog
  • Character of the year: The Lutece Twins (BioShock Infinite)
  • Best soundtrack: GTAV
  • Best Song in a game: "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" (BioShock Infinite)
  • Most Anticipated game: Titanfall
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So largely console crap and a pc game that isn't.

 
tebowdragon15 said:
MysterD went to jjail afteer kick the antiamerican govt betraying us in 2015 he damn hero sadly he jail neuro is married to jenna haze i dont know how why but he is. I stole Celestee Bonin from that loser that she was married. Eldrepe has new company calll im bitch coh yeahah jk.. MNS has taken over activison and Pasports has take ea over and rebuild it. so ya
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With MNS taking over Activision and EA being taking over by Pasports, maybe there'll finally be better business practices from them! :D

I've grown tired of the overpricing on the yearly iterated COD games + their DLC map packs (and how they hardly ever budge in pricing); and EA never releasing Complete Packs for a lot of their games that have lots of DLC's and/or expansions - especially BioWare ones + The Sims games.

Need to get better deals on BioWare Points - or better yet, just get rid of that crap entirely!

 
MysterD said:
Need to get better deals on BioWare Points - or better yet, just get rid of that crap entirely!
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Indeed, but at least with BW Points, I never actually know (unless I think about it, which I try not to) how much real money I've spent on their damn addictive DLC.
 
hal said:
{VGX Winners List}

  • Best PC game: Gone Home <-- wha?
  • Best Nintendo game: Super Mario 3D World
  • Best Xbox game: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
  • Best PlayStation game: The Last of Us
  • Best Handheld game: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
  • Best Indie game: Gone Home
  • Best Casual Game: Animal Crossing: New Leaf
  • Best Action/Adventure: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
  • Best Sports game: NBA 2K14
  • Best Mobile Game: Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time
  • Best Shooter: BioShock Infinite <-- pew pew!
  • Best Driving Game: Forza Motorsport 5
  • Best RPG: Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch <-- rpg
  • Best Fighting Game: Injustice: Gods Among Us
  • Best DLC: Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon <-- DLC?
  • Best Voice Actor: Troy Baker as Joel (Last of Us)
  • Best Voice Actress: Ashley Johnson as Ellie (Last of Us)
  • Studio of the Year: Naughty Dog
  • Character of the year: The Lutece Twins (BioShock Infinite)
  • Best soundtrack: GTAV
  • Best Song in a game: "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" (BioShock Infinite)
  • Most Anticipated game: Titanfall
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Some of the awards that were given & awards that are lacking here are truly baffling (as w/ many Game Award Lists)...

Ummm - maybe Gone Home could've got say Best PC Exclusive Game?

I know, I know - people love to debate if that's even a "game".

Even though there ain't many puzzles there probably and it's more about exploration, wouldn't this game fit better under say a Best "Pure" Adventure game?

Or maybe inventing a new Best "Exploration" Genre (for games like Gone Home & Dear Esther)?

Even though I ain't played it yet - ummmm, Metro: LL didn't win best Shooter?

At least it was nominated, I guess. {shrug}

I have always said there should be a Hybrid Category - for games that combine genres and are tough to define. BIoshock series have always fit best under that, IMHO.

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon probably would've been better listed for say Best Stand-Alone Expansion Pack - since that's more or less what it is: re-using of engine & tons of old assets (like expansion packs often do from the game's base-game), but making the game work as stand-alone (so you don't need the original game).

Oh, and there probably should be a special category for JRPG's. They're not the typical type of RPG's - as JRPG's often mix smaller-scale strategy elements; sometimes turn-based elements or "pseudo" turn-based elements; and those typical character "upgrading" type of RPG elements. Often, JRPG's just don't involve much decision-making stuff that Fallout series, Witcher series, & BioWare games heavily so rely upon - but they are really are especially good-to-great w/ character development and story-telling.

 
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warreni said:
About that. . . were you able to finish the story on the mobile version? I have about a half-hour invested but I don't want to waste my time if it turns into a P2W scenario. The first few scenarios were surprisingly challenging for this type of game (unless I just suck at everyhing!).
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I'm in the last area.... but I haven't finished it. They have tournament daily/weekly and I end up using my time to play them...

I finally broke down and gave them some money so I could buy a few more character spots... I did unlock my first 19. Now, you certainly don't need that many but sometimes the tournaments want you to have certain characters so I never toss anyone.

So, yeah, I still beleive you don't need to spend any money to enjoy the game... but if you want to win tournaments you likely will half too.

Money, lets you buy xp, lvl abilities, buy new characters (or get a try at it), health BUT none of it is truly needed.

Oh, don't hesitate to spend time getting all 4 rewards for each story encounter... It will help. (Think of it as the RPG XP grind.)

 
hal said:
  • Best PC game: Gone Home <-- wha?
  • Best Nintendo game: Super Mario 3D World
  • Best Xbox game: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
  • Best PlayStation game: The Last of Us
  • Best Handheld game: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
  • Best Indie game: Gone Home
  • Best Casual Game: Animal Crossing: New Leaf
  • Best Action/Adventure: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
  • Best Sports game: NBA 2K14
  • Best Mobile Game: Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time
  • Best Shooter: BioShock Infinite <-- pew pew!
  • Best Driving Game: Forza Motorsport 5
  • Best RPG: Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch <-- rpg
  • Best Fighting Game: Injustice: Gods Among Us
  • Best DLC: Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon <-- DLC?
  • Best Voice Actor: Troy Baker as Joel (Last of Us)
  • Best Voice Actress: Ashley Johnson as Ellie (Last of Us)
  • Studio of the Year: Naughty Dog
  • Character of the year: The Lutece Twins (BioShock Infinite)
  • Best soundtrack: GTAV
  • Best Song in a game: "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" (BioShock Infinite)
  • Most Anticipated game: Titanfall
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Thanks for the summary, hal. I actually agree with many of these choices, with a few exceptions.

Best PC game: Wow, this confounds me. I guess they were saying "best PC exclusive" but as much as I loved Gone Home, I still wouldn't have given it this slot. I probably would have to give it to Gunpoint or Swapper. Heck, if we're not talking about exclusives, I'd rather play Call of Juarez: Gunslinger or Brothers: Tale of Two Sons again than Gone Home.

Best Nintendo game: Unfortunately I do not have a Wii U so I can't comment on the majesty of 3D World, but my pick here would definitely be Zelda: Link Between Two Worlds (managed to complete this game on my four airplane trips to China and Korea this past month... so jetlagged)

Best Xbox game: See, while I totally agree with this Brothers: Tale of Two Sons winning this, this is not an Xbox exclusive. This implies that "Best PC game" need not be a PC exclusive either, but I digress...

Best PS game: No argument here, and also glad to see it went to an exclusive.

Best Handheld game: No argument here, with Phoenix Wright Dual Destinies and Guacamelee taking a close second for me :) Those two latter games were the only reason I lugged my Vita or 3DS around on my commute to work for a very long time.

Best Indie game: Eh, I enjoyed Gone Home, but sometimes I feel like journalists place this game on a throne because they love the story behind it and the developers who created it. As a long time listener of Idle Thumbs, I understand the appeal of Steve Gaynor and Chris Remo's music, or the story of how the only good developers who worked on Bioshock 2 (or rather, Minerva's Den) left and formed The Fullbright Company in order to make games that were less AAA and more in tune with their personal goals and motivations. And I did enjoy the game quite a bit ... but I still would say Gunpoint and Swapper were better indie games. Or in my top 30 list that I posted last week, I'd even put games like Brothers and Defender's Quest up here. I don't see how Gone Home is a better game than any of these other than its feel-good story behind its development and developers.

Best Casual Game: How do you even categorize a casual game? Animal Crossing was alright, but I probably enjoyed Ridiculous Fishing and some other iOS games more than AC. Also, it's easier to "casually" play a mobile game since you always carry your phone with you, instead of lugging around a big 3DS in your pocket/backpack.

Best Action/Adventure or Sports game: No comment, as I haven't really played many of these.

Best Mobile Game: PvZ2 is such an uninspired choice. I loved the first incarnation and completed it 3 times (iphone, ipad, pc), but PvZ2 didn't bring much to the table other than iAP and forced grinding to unlock new stages. My contender for best mobile game would be the two Simogo games (Year Walk and Device 6) and The Room. These three games blow PvZ2 out of the water. Heck, Super Hexagon and Boson X are better games too.

Best Shooter: Eh..... Call of Juarez: Gunslinger ;)

Best Driving Game: Driver San Francisco!! Oh wait, 2013? Eh...

Best RPG: Either Fire Emblem Awakening or Penny Arcade 4. Ni no Kuni had such a slow pace I felt I was dragging myself through molasses, and the way the battle system tediously grants you new freedom and mechanics bit by bit reminded me of the drag of playing FF13. Fire Emblem Awakening had an incredibly cliche anime story and character tropes, but I still enjoyed the gameplay quite a bit. But if we're speaking of streamlined RPG mechanics, Penny Arcade 4 probably does this better than any turn based RPG I've played in years. The story is unique if not pretentious, but at least it's not the same anime crap jammed down our throat by the countless Tales and FF games over the years (and this comes from someone who used to love the Tales games).

Best Fighting Game: Injustice? Are you kidding me? I guess 2013 was a slow year for fighting games, but Injustice is so boring and incomplete, even in the FGC. Hardly anyone follows this game competitively, and I didn't find this very fun in a casual sense either. Oh well, I'm glad they didn't pick Divekick, as for some reason everyone was throwing money at Iron Galaxy for a crude inside joke of the FGC.

Best DLC: I agree that Blood Dragon isn't DLC, as you don't need the base game to play it. We actually had some great DLC this year, such as Civ V's Brave New World or XCOM's Enemy Within, but my money goes to ME3's Citadel DLC. I actually can't remember the last time I had such a big dumb grin on my face as when I played this game. It did come off as a bit fanservicey... but somehow in the best possible way, calling back plot points and inside jokes from the all three games that caused me to remember why I loved the characters so much. Man, just writing this makes me want to go install ME3 again just to play through the DLC.

Best VA's: Troy Baker/Nolan North as everyone, Ellen Page for giving her likeness for two games (willingly or unwillingly).

Studio of the Year: I loved the story behind the Last of Us, so I guess this makes sense, but I didn't really like the way it took a step backward from Half Life's "player controlled cutscene." I guess if you want to make a game as cinematic as possible, you are forced to remove control from the player so you can't be teabagging a corpse while a scientist posits the meaning of life and existence in front of you. Still, there's got to be a better way of immersing the player in a good narrative without taking control away every 5-10 minutes.

Character of the Year: Oh come on, we all know it's Athena Cykes!

Best soundtrack: Well, I played Hotline Miami on vita in 2013, so does that count?

Best song in a game: I don't know, the music levels in Rayman Legends really impacted me... mariachi version of Eye of the Tiger!

Most anticipated game: Half Life 3. Duh.

 
MysterD said:
With MNS taking over Activision and EA being taking over by Pasports, maybe there'll finally be better business practices from them! :D

I've grown tired of the overpricing on the yearly iterated COD games + their DLC map packs (and how they hardly ever budge in pricing); and EA never releasing Complete Packs for a lot of their games that have lots of DLC's and/or expansions - especially BioWare ones + The Sims games.

Need to get better deals on BioWare Points - or better yet, just get rid of that crap entirely!
Click to expand...
Well, MysterD, you need to understand these things take time. However, there is a plan to phase out BioWare Points. Obviously, as a business, we're here to make money - but our philosophy (now that I own this joint) is that the way to do this is to make a connection with the customer. As a fellow gamer, I know that the way to do this is not by charging you out the asshole for everything, but to do everything we can to enhance your experience. As a result, my first order of business is to stay true to the fundamental experiences of what each game calls for.

To show I'm not just all talk, we will be slightly re working Dead Space 3 to better mirror the qualities of 1 and 2. Expect a re-release around May 2014. Additionally, Dragon Age 2 is scrapped - this game is no longer considered canon or part of the Dragon Age franchise. We will be completely redoing DA2 and releasing it in a special bundle option with Dragon Age 3, which will cost $100 in total, or $90 on PC. If you wish to buy the new DA2 separately, it will be on sale for $40, and $30 on PC.

Lastly, I am excited to announce work on an open world Star Wars game. We hope to merge the fun, action packed combat style of the Force Unleashed games with the exploration and freedom of an Elder Scrolls game. There will be a dynamic, malleable game world based upon the actions of your character. Should you choose to go down the righteous, Jedi path, or if you're tempted the promise of power that comes with the Dark Side and the Sith, the characters and the world around you will reflect the importance or these decisions.

I'm very excited to have been given the opportunity to front EA by Tebow. I think soon you'll be excited as well

 
While I agree that Blood Dragon is in a gray area being stand-alone and not dependent on Far Cry 3, I am glad to see it get some sort of recognition - it is, I must say, the greatest game of all time with only a few hundred exceptions.

 
pasports31 said:
EA CEO Pasports31:

Well, MysterD, you need to understand these things take time. However, there is a plan to phase out BioWare Points. Obviously, as a business, we're here to make money - but our philosophy (now that I own this joint) is that the way to do this is to make a connection with the customer. As a fellow gamer, I know that the way to do this is not by charging you out the asshole for everything, but to do everything we can to enhance your experience. As a result, my first order of business is to stay true to the fundamental experiences of what each game calls for.

To show I'm not just all talk, we will be slightly re working Dead Space 3 to better mirror the qualities of 1 and 2. Expect a re-release around May 2014. Additionally, Dragon Age 2 is scrapped - this game is no longer considered canon or part of the Dragon Age franchise. We will be completely redoing DA2 and releasing it in a special bundle option with Dragon Age 3, which will cost $100 in total, or $90 on PC. If you wish to buy the new DA2 separately, it will be on sale for $40, and $30 on PC.

Lastly, I am excited to announce work on an open world Star Wars game. We hope to merge the fun, action packed combat style of the Force Unleashed games with the exploration and freedom of an Elder Scrolls game. There will be a dynamic, malleable game world based upon the actions of your character. Should you choose to go down the righteous, Jedi path, or if you're tempted the promise of power that comes with the Dark Side and the Sith, the characters and the world around you will reflect the importance or these decisions.

I'm very excited to have been given the opportunity to front EA by Tebow. I think soon you'll be excited as well.
Click to expand...
Actually, I liked Dead Space 3 - I just wish it had more touches of horror & more resource management.

About DA2 no longer being canon - ugh. With DA3 reusing characters from DA2 like Varric, I don't know if this is such a good idea. About DA2 re-release - what changes will be made to the game? WIll it be renamed? Maybe Dragon Age 2: Definitive Edition? Will it come w/ all of the DLC? Will combat be more strategic? Will recycled areas be re-done and become more unique?

Open world SW Action game sounds cool - so, who's developing it?

 
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MysterD said:
Actually, I liked Dead Space 3 - I just wish it had more touches of horror & more resource management.

About DA2 no longer being canon - ugh. With DA3 reusing characters from DA2 like Varric, I don't know if this is such a good idea. About DA2 re-release - what changes will be made to the game? WIll it be renamed? Maybe Dragon Age 2: Definitive Edition? Will it come w/ all of the DLC? Will combat be more strategic? Will recycled areas be re-done and become more unique?

Open world SW Action game sounds cool - so, who's developing it?
Click to expand...
I hear your concerns, MysterD. Let me assure you - Dead Space 3 is NOT an overhaul. When I discuss getting back to the roots, I mean emphasizing horror elements. This means better atmosphere, more scares, and an emphasis on managing resources.

As for your questions about DA2 - although the game is no longer considered canon, the new Dragon Age 2 will bring back many of the characters that were in the game. The big change in the game is that yes, an re-emphasis on strategic gameplay will be brought back. There will not be any recycled areas. The new game we are developing is completely unlike the original DA2.

As for the Star Wars game - this will be developed by Obsidian. We loved what they did with Fallout:New Vegas, and are bringing them in to do something similar (in terms of depth, strong writing, and world building) with Star Wars. We will be sending in a small team from Lucas Arts, who built the Unleashed games, to work with Obsidian and to help develop the gameplay. Keep in mind, this game is extremely ambitious and several years away. Seeing as how Obsidian has a problem with releasing games with bugs, we don't want to rush them. This is a dynamic, living world we are developing. Your actions shape the world, but at the same time, the world will not sit idly by to wait for you to make an impact. You will at times be given quests that can be failed. Say a village is under attack by sand people - this event will not wait for you to get there to be triggered. If you screw around, the sand people will come and decimate the village. This is a very simple example to demonstrate the fluidity of the world - we are building a galaxy with events like these all over the place. Trust me, you will love this game.

 
imac2much said:
Best Casual Game: How do you even categorize a casual game? Animal Crossing was alright
Click to expand...
This is in line with my reaction when I saw Animal Crossing as one of the nominees for the category. In the words of Boromir, one does not simply play Animal Crossing casually. It's a great game, especially when all your friends have it as well, but you're either all in or you're not really playing it. ;)

 
pasports31 said:
As for the Star Wars game - this will be developed by Obsidian. We loved what they did
with Fallout:New Vegas, and are bringing them in to do something similar (in terms of depth, strong writing, and world building) with Star Wars. We will be sending in a small team from Lucas Arts, who built the Unleashed games, to work with Obsidian and to help develop the gameplay. Keep in mind, this game is extremely ambitious and several years away. Seeing as how Obsidian has a problem with releasing games with bugs, we don't want to rush them. This is a dynamic, living world we are developing. Your actions shape the world, but at the same time, the world will not sit idly by to wait for you to make an impact. You will at times be given quests that can be failed. Say a village is under attack by sand people - this event will not wait for you to get there to be triggered. If you screw around, the sand people will come and decimate the village. This is a very simple example to demonstrate the fluidity of the world - we are building a galaxy with events like these all over the place. Trust me, you will love this game.
Click to expand...
It's changing course... the Marketing Department is refusing to market it if it doesn't have: Zombies, Pirates, Irate Fowl, or a Farming Simulator. Preferably at least three of those.

 
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pasports31 said:
{EA CEO PasPorts31}

I hear your concerns, MysterD. Let me assure you - Dead Space 3 is NOT an overhaul. When I discuss getting back to the roots, I mean emphasizing horror elements. This means better atmosphere, more scares, and an emphasis on managing resources.

As for your questions about DA2 - although the game is no longer considered canon, the new Dragon Age 2 will bring back many of the characters that were in the game. The big change in the game is that yes, an re-emphasis on strategic gameplay will be brought back. There will not be any recycled areas. The new game we are developing is completely unlike the original DA2.

As for the Star Wars game - this will be developed by Obsidian. We loved what they did with Fallout:New Vegas, and are bringing them in to do something similar (in terms of depth, strong writing, and world building) with Star Wars. We will be sending in a small team from Lucas Arts, who built the Unleashed games, to work with Obsidian and to help develop the gameplay. Keep in mind, this game is extremely ambitious and several years away. Seeing as how Obsidian has a problem with releasing games with bugs, we don't want to rush them. This is a dynamic, living world we are developing. Your actions shape the world, but at the same time, the world will not sit idly by to wait for you to make an impact. You will at times be given quests that can be failed. Say a village is under attack by sand people - this event will not wait for you to get there to be triggered. If you screw around, the sand people will come and decimate the village. This is a very simple example to demonstrate the fluidity of the world - we are building a galaxy with events like these all over the place. Trust me, you will love this game.
Click to expand...
Sold.

So, will Merrill be in DA: Inquisition?

 
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Can you only play the Grid 2 contest once every two days? I played yesterday morning and it's only giving me the option to practice right now.

 
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