The Steam Deals Thread v10

[Detruire]

New Thread:

This thread has been replaced by TSDT v11. 

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.)

• Amazon
• Green Man Gaming
• GamersGate

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

• Humble Bundle/Weekly/Store Megathread
• Groupees (Be Mine/Build a Bundle)
• Bundle Stars
• IndieRoyale
• Indie Gala
• IndieGameStand

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:

• v1 thread (Nov 2010-July 2011)
• v2 thread (July 2011-Feb 2012)
• v3 thread (Feb 2012-July 2012)
• v4 thread (July 2012-August 2012)
• v5 thread (August 2012-December 2012)
• v6 thread (December 2012-March 2013)
• v7 thread (March 2013-May 2013)
• v8 thread (May 2013-July 2013)
• v9 thread (July 2013-November 2013)

 

[akmgmer]

I really enjoyed Max Payne 3 because I wanted to know what happened to Max after the second game.  I thought the story was decent enough and the shooting was solid.  

If you don't like the way the game plays, then you may just not want to play it but for me it was still a fun and interesting game.  The shooting and diving doesn't really change from the beginning but I find the story becomes more interesting after the opening sequence.

 

[juanjava]

I loved MP3. The story was great and the gameplay awesome. Also, MP lines were epic, they implemented the "old and tired" sarcasm really good, they do really nice quotes. Add the different locations...

 

[CheapLikeAFox]

Monday morning discussion point: is Max Payne 3 actually worth playing?

I played a level and a half of it over the weekend and I was just bored by it. I'm sure diving around and doing that bullet-time trick was fun some time ago, but is that it? It has me working as a bodyguard for people I'd rather see dead, there's lens flare/fancy camera angle stuff going on and it nearly have me a headache.

Oh, and those cutscenes. It's no exaggeration to say that half of my playtime was spent watching cutscenes (w/ aforementioned "special" effects).

I'm tempted to delete it and reclaim that 30g of HD space.

What say ye?

Have you ever played Max Payne 1? The story in that one grabs you from the beginning and sort of endears you to Max Payne. MP3 starts out with what I could see being a not so compelling story for people unfamiliar with the first two games.

 

[Flowette]

I haven't played MP1 or MP2 so there's no goodwill for me with MP3.

I suspect I'll give it another hour and see how I get on. Nothing or lose, I guess.

Thanks for your opinions chaps.

 

[travathian]

I suspect I'll give it another hour and see how I get on. Nothing or lose, I guess.

That could be an hour of playing Bad Rats.

 

[Motoki]

Holy crap, a soundtrack CD AND making of DVD? I might have to grab it myself if it ends up being Steamworks.

I thought you were being sarcastic for a moment there, but then I remembered some people actually care about those things.

FWIW the digital deluxe version of Deadfall Adventures has those things too, just not on disc. I'd imagine if this activates to Steam as the CE (there's an entry for it in the Steamdb) then I'll get a digital copy of the soundtrack and making of video as well. I'll report back tomorrow with findings.

I don't want to hear it.

Really, I don't.

My desk doesn't have the right shape for a wheel. I need to tell myself that a controller is just as good. Let me have my illusions.

And no, Rockstar still has not put the DRM-free versions back up on their website.

MysterD rant in 3, 2, 1...

Have you ever played Max Payne 1? The story in that one grabs you from the beginning and sort of endears you to Max Payne. MP3 starts out with what I could see being a not so compelling story for people unfamiliar with the first two games.

I really should play the MP games starting from the beginning someday. That and 1500 or so other Steam games, and god only know how many from bundles, Big Fish, GG etc.

The old ones don't look like they aged very well though, at least in screenshots

 

[pasports31]

Have you ever played Max Payne 1? The story in that one grabs you from the beginning and sort of endears you to Max Payne. MP3 starts out with what I could see being a not so compelling story for people unfamiliar with the first two games.

This^

I haven't played MP1 or MP2 so there's no goodwill for me with MP3.

I suspect I'll give it another hour and see how I get on. Nothing or lose, I guess.

Thanks for your opinions chaps.

Max Payne 1 is fantastic, and should be played. I played it about 3 weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised. It holds up extremely well for a game over a decade old, and is loads of fun. Plus it's only about 8 hours long or so, so it's easy to knock out. Definitely worth a play.

 

[warreni]

This^

Max Payne 1 is fantastic, and should be played. I played it about 3 weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised. It holds up extremely well for a game over a decade old, and is loads of fun. Plus it's only about 8 hours long or so, so it's easy to knock out. Definitely worth a play.

I agree that it's a good idea to play MP just because it did "bullet time" before it was cool. Having said that, it's one of those games that relies mostly on gameplay and atmosphere to get by, because the story in the Mark Wahlberg movie almost made more sense than the ones in MP1 and 2 combined.

 

[INMATEofARKHAM]

What say ye?

Never played the original, or its sequel, but I loved Max Payne 3 on the console..

Replaying it for collectables and whatnot is sort of a "Payne" due to those cut scenes... but honestly. I found it pretty darn engaging. (Its not an easy game even on normal. I ended up having to play it like a cover shooter. I also found the MP to be pretty damn good though it ended up dying way too quickly on the 360.)

 

[CarnivalMadness]

GetGamesGo is having a Serious Sam Sale (80-90% off)

Games on sale include

• Serious Sam: The First Encounter (Original) - $0.99
• Serious Sam: The Second Encounter (Original) - $0.99
• Serious Sam 2 - $1.99
• Serious Sam: The First Encounter (HD) - $2.24
• Serious Sam: The Second Encounter (HD) - $2.99
• Serious Sam: The Second Encounter (HD) - Legend of the Beast DLC pack - $0.99
• Serious Sam 3: BFE -$5.99
• Serious Sam 3: BFE Seroiusly Digital Ed. - $7.49
• Serious Sam 3: BFE - Jewel of the Nile DLC - $1.99
• Serious Sam Complete Pack - $9.49
• Serious Sam: Double D - $1.59
• Serious Sam: The Random Encounter - $0.99

All activate on Steam, EXCEPT SS:The First Encounter Original, SS:The Second Encounter Original, and SS: The Random Encounter, which are DRM Free.

Also Daily Deal - Football Manager 2014 - $16.99 (66% off) (Steam)

 

[Motoki]

Oh my god I've been waiting so long for a Serious Sam sale because it never goes on sale. I was starting to get worried and beginning to think they would never reduce the price.

 

[INMATEofARKHAM]

I don't want to hear it.

Really, I don't.

My desk doesn't have the right shape for a wheel. I need to tell myself that a controller is just as good. Let me have my illusions.

Yeah, I hate my new desk... I cannot really use my orbweaver as my keyboard is just slightly too long for the roll out keyboard bench (it also doesn't lock in the out place... wtf.) So I'm actually in a market for a really nice short keyboard so I cannot even fathom a wheel...

Oh, I forgot to mention I have to give up a nearly a foot square spot for a cat bed... The "kitten" is more dog than cat in allot of ways (she plays fetch, never owned a dog who would do that) and she very loyal and always by my feet... So she needs a place to lay down while I'm on the computer.

 

[BrownDerby]

Vanguard Princess out on Steam today (fighting game by former Capcom sprite designer). It was a bonus game in Groupees Let's Build a Doujin 2. Unlike some other devs they're not being stingy with the keys.

From http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/updates/187111395/1393856288 --

Valve issued out Steam Keys for Amazon and Gamersgate customers, however they won't be available at the same time the Vanguard Princess launches on Steam.


When Steam Keys are issued, the recipient company issues them out on their own accord.

We'll let you guys know when they go live on their sites. They're very supportive Vanguard Princess on Steam and want to issue out the Steam Key as soon as possible.

We're currently working on getting Groupees Steam Keys issued as well.

 

[Syntax Error]

Someone bought me a copy of Rust the other day so I spent a day and a half on that.  For anyone unfamiliar, it's a multiplayer survival game (still Alpha; early access) where you start naked with a rock, two bandages and a torch and go from there.  You gather resources, hunt, need to make or find shelter and all that and then someone else wanders along with a gun and kills you for your pants.  You're persistent and when you log out, your guy "sleeps" where you left him so unless you're very well hidden or have secure shelter you shouldn't expect to have your stuff when you wake up.

The idea is compelling and it's interesting to see where some people have banded together and made little walled towns and stuff but for more individual play it's annoying to play the "two steps forward, three steps back" game as people kill you for your scant possessions (or you get eaten by a bear).  Even if you build a house, people can break into it and loot it while you're logged out.  It's interesting and I want to like it but I think the "futility" aspect of it will overtake the "One more ore and I can make a hatchet" aspect.  There are a bunch of private servers including non-PvP ones but, perversely, that seems too far from the core game to me.  I just think it's the sort of game that, unless you're going to devote yourself fully to it (joining clans, raiding, etc) there's no much point in playing it except to be fodder for the die-hards.  I might spend some time on a non-PvP though just to dork around with construction and get a feel for the other exploration and research aspects of the game.

 

[CheapLikeAFox]

Yeah, I hate my new desk... I cannot really use my orbweaver as my keyboard is just slightly too long for the roll out keyboard bench (it also doesn't lock in the out place... wtf.) So I'm actually in a market for a really nice short keyboard so I cannot even fathom a wheel...

Oh, I forgot to mention I have to give up a nearly a foot square spot for a cat bed... The "kitten" is more dog than cat in allot of ways (she plays fetch, never owned a dog who would do that) and she very loyal and always by my feet... So she needs a place to lay down while I'm on the computer.

What's your new desk? I'm looking to order a rolling type desk thing for my PC so I can roll it into the closet to keep the thing out of sight when we have guests. Apparently it doesn't match the decor of any of our rooms.

 

[Syntax Error]

Apparently it doesn't match the decor of any of our rooms.

Add some purple and green LED strobe fan lights to the case. Then it'll look great in any setting.

 

[CheapLikeAFox]

Someone bought me a copy of Rust the other day so I spent a day and a half on that. For anyone unfamiliar, it's a multiplayer survival game (still Alpha; early access) where you start naked with a rock, two bandages and a torch and go from there. You gather resources, hunt, need to make or find shelter and all that and then someone else wanders along with a gun and kills you for your pants. You're persistent and when you log out, your guy "sleeps" where you left him so unless you're very well hidden or have secure shelter you shouldn't expect to have your stuff when you wake up.

The idea is compelling and it's interesting to see where some people have banded together and made little walled towns and stuff but for more individual play it's annoying to play the "two steps forward, three steps back" game as people kill you for your scant possessions (or you get eaten by a bear). Even if you build a house, people can break into it and loot it while you're logged out. It's interesting and I want to like it but I think the "futility" aspect of it will overtake the "One more ore and I can make a hatchet" aspect. There are a bunch of private servers including non-PvP ones but, perversely, that seems too far from the core game to me. I just think it's the sort of game that, unless you're going to devote yourself fully to it (joining clans, raiding, etc) there's no much point in playing it except to be fodder for the die-hards. I might spend some time on a non-PvP though just to dork around with construction and get a feel for the other exploration and research aspects of the game.

Thanks for the thoughts. Those were probably my biggest concerns/fears that have prevented me from Flowetteing the game myself. That and the lack of zombies. But I'm with you. I lack the time or even motivation to get into something I'd have to play everyday in order to have fun. This sounds like Naked and Afraid: The Game.

 

[Syntax Error]

Yeah, it's not bad when it's you and another guy with a rock or a stone axe.  Some dudes are just crazy but usually you'll give each other a wary look and go your separate ways because the odds just aren't there for a fight.  Then you'll be chasing a pig with your stone axe and someone will spray you with bullets from their machine gun and steal your clothes (that they upgraded out of ages ago) just because they can.  The first scenario is interesting and a fun sort of tense.  The second just makes you feel you could be spending your time more productively.

It's alpha now so who knows if they'll try to change the curve somehow as it progresses.

 

[INMATEofARKHAM]

For those of you who absolutely must have GTA 1 & 2 on Steam, Nuuvem has the GTA Complete Pack on sale for $6.57 United States Paypal monies.

Awesome, that was what was needed to inspire Google Translate and me to getting a account... I also picked up the Max Payne bundle that Neuro mentioned the other day.

What's your new desk? I'm looking to order a rolling type desk thing for my PC so I can roll it into the closet to keep the thing out of sight when we have guests. Apparently it doesn't match the decor of any of our rooms.

Not that type of desk... Its got no wheels. (It just has tray for the keyboard/mouse/etc that slides in and out.)

Someone bought me a copy of Rust the other day so I spent a day and a half on that. For anyone unfamiliar, it's a multiplayer survival game (still Alpha; early access) where you start naked with a rock, two bandages and a torch and go from there. You gather resources, hunt, need to make or find shelter and all that and then someone else wanders along with a gun and kills you for your pants. You're persistent and when you log out, your guy "sleeps" where you left him so unless you're very well hidden or have secure shelter you shouldn't expect to have your stuff when you wake up.

I get persistent... but doesn't this type of game (like Dayz) normally remove you from the playing field when you log out...? I honestly don't know, I've never play them (I've only watched Robbaz do so) so that design decision is just a bit much for me.

 

[Motoki]

Someone bought me a copy of Rust the other day

Spoiler

so I spent a day and a half on that. For anyone unfamiliar, it's a multiplayer survival game (still Alpha; early access) where you start naked with a rock, two bandages and a torch and go from there. You gather resources, hunt, need to make or find shelter and all that and then someone else wanders along with a gun and kills you for your pants. You're persistent and when you log out, your guy "sleeps" where you left him so unless you're very well hidden or have secure shelter you shouldn't expect to have your stuff when you wake up.

The idea is compelling and it's interesting to see where some people have banded together and made little walled towns and stuff but for more individual play it's annoying to play the "two steps forward, three steps back" game as people kill you for your scant possessions (or you get eaten by a bear).

Spoiler

Even if you build a house, people can break into it and loot it while you're logged out. It's interesting and I want to like it but I think the "futility" aspect of it will overtake the "One more ore and I can make a hatchet" aspect. There are a bunch of private servers including non-PvP ones but, perversely, that seems too far from the core game to me. I just think it's the sort of game that, unless you're going to devote yourself fully to it (joining clans, raiding, etc) there's no much point in playing it except to be fodder for the die-hards. I might spend some time on a non-PvP though just to dork around with construction and get a feel for the other exploration and research aspects of the game.

It's an interesting idea but I think you articulated pretty well why realism isn't always something that translates to a positive gaming experience.

I learned in the early MMO days that people are generally assholes to each other without the threat of pain, death or incarceration. Even more so among the 'gamer' demographic.

In the early days of Ultima Online the designers were very insistent that the community police itself and they allowed PvP on all servers with the towns being the only safe zones. Basically if you wanted to do anything beyond hang around town all day you either had to venture out as part of a large, experienced guild or you'd continually get killed and robbed (your possessions stayed on your corpse) and have to start all over.

Eventually, enough people complained, a new team came on board and they realized it wasn't fun for many people to play this way so they created PvE (Player Vs Environment; ie PvP disallowed) servers.

In UO though I think there was a fair amount more to do with just PvE, but maybe playing Rust without PvP could be akin to a Minecraft or Terraria style sandbox without the retro graphics. For that though I think Planet Explorers already does a good job of balancing the sandbox with actually having a storyline, quests, npcs and so forth.

 

[Syntax Error]

I get persistent... but doesn't this type of game (like Dayz) normally remove you from the playing field when you log out...? I honestly don't know, I've never play them (I've only watched Robbaz do so) so that design decision is just a bit much for me.

Can't speak for DayZ but Rust's default is "Sleeper" servers. When you log out, your dude just lies where you left him for anyone to come along and bludgeon you with a rock and steal your stuff. There's private servers with "Sleeper" turned off and I assume you log out 'normally' there like in an MMORPG. I suppose the idea is to add realism but it makes it hard to get started since you can't log out until you've built some secure shelter with a door or found some ace hiding place (but the worlds aren't huge so I wouldn't assume no one will trip over you). Unfortunately, even houses can be broken into, using hatchets to break through wooden doors, walls or roofs so there's no real sense of security. The other counter to the "realism" claim is that I doubt anyone would sleep through someone chopping through his house with an axe and then snooze through getting battered to death.

Interesting concept but I think it suffers a "No country for old men" thing here. I can't spend three hours a night gathering and building just to spend the next sixteen hours sleeping/working/etc and worrying about whether or not my gains were all looted in my absence

 

[gilby]

What does a dog toy have to do with the discussion?

I tried to order one of those from Microsoft recently. They were really cheap and, of course, out of stock. I'd also need to get a wireless receiver, though.

Vanguard Princess out on Steam today (fighting game by former Capcom sprite designer). It was a bonus game in Groupees Let's Build a Doujin 2. Unlike some other devs they're not being stingy with the keys.

From http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/updates/187111395/1393856288 --

Of course the bundle I snoozed on is getting without trouble.

 

[CarnivalMadness]

Can't speak for DayZ but Rust's default is "Sleeper" servers. When you log out, your dude just lies where you left him for anyone to come along and bludgeon you with a rock and steal your stuff. There's private servers with "Sleeper" turned off and I assume you log out 'normally' there like in an MMORPG. I suppose the idea is to add realism but it makes it hard to get started since you can't log out until you've built some secure shelter with a door or found some ace hiding place (but the worlds aren't huge so I wouldn't assume no one will trip over you). Unfortunately, even houses can be broken into, using hatchets to break through wooden doors, walls or roofs so there's no real sense of security. The other counter to the "realism" claim is that I doubt anyone would sleep through someone chopping through his house with an axe and then snooze through getting battered to death.

Interesting concept but I think it suffers a "No country for old men" thing here. I can't spend three hours a night gathering and building just to spend the next sixteen hours sleeping/working/etc and worrying about whether or not my gains were all looted in my absence

Kind of reminds me of State of Decay's dynamic progression, with the NPCs doing their own thing while you're logged out. I think they patched out the NPC's dying while you're away, but they still use up all the supplies and get sick, depressed, angry, etc. After a while it felt like you had to spend more time babysitting instead of dealing with the zombies. Still a fun survival game though. If it had multiplayer, I can imagine logging in after a few hours only to find everybody at your base dead and completely ransacked by other players.

 

[warreni]

Can't speak for DayZ but Rust's default is "Sleeper" servers. When you log out, your dude just lies where you left him for anyone to come along and bludgeon you with a rock and steal your stuff. There's private servers with "Sleeper" turned off and I assume you log out 'normally' there like in an MMORPG. I suppose the idea is to add realism but it makes it hard to get started since you can't log out until you've built some secure shelter with a door or found some ace hiding place (but the worlds aren't huge so I wouldn't assume no one will trip over you). Unfortunately, even houses can be broken into, using hatchets to break through wooden doors, walls or roofs so there's no real sense of security. The other counter to the "realism" claim is that I doubt anyone would sleep through someone chopping through his house with an axe and then snooze through getting battered to death.

Interesting concept but I think it suffers a "No country for old men" thing here. I can't spend three hours a night gathering and building just to spend the next sixteen hours sleeping/working/etc and worrying about whether or not my gains were all looted in my absence

Solution: quit your job, develop a meth addiction and play Rust all day every day.

I don't know, maybe that's what the devs really intended but it seems stupid and Facebook gamey to me. My wife used to play this game on Facebook called Kingdoms of Camelot. If you left your stuff alone for more than a few days, people assumed you weren't actively playing anymore and attacked you and took all of your resources. Even an active player who wasn't in the top tier of alliances runs the routine risk of having a random person attack and raze his holdings, potentially on a routine basis (this is known as "farming" and is akin to the type of spawn-camping you'd see in real MMOs that Motoki was talking about). People in the alliances that were in the top 10 on the leaderboards had wars and people who attacked continuously because the internet. Weirdly, Facebook is known as the home of casual gamers but I've never seen any community that took a game more deadly seriously than these people and some of them spent obscene amounts of real-world money on in-game purchases.

 

[Motoki]

What does a dog toy have to do with the discussion?

I tried to order one of those from Microsoft recently. They were really cheap and, of course, out of stock. I'd also need to get a wireless receiver, though.

You could always try one of those cheapo Asian knock off receivers but it's kind of a YMMV thing. I remember we had a little discussion about them a while back and some people noted certain ones seemed to work better than others.

Of course you'd need to get the actual controller first.

 

[BernardoOne]

You can always join a Build/PVE server instead.

 

[Syntax Error]

You can always join a Build/PVE server instead.

Yeah, I mentioned those. It's too bad that the decision is so binary: either get shotgun-molested while you're holding your rock or else eliminate any player risk at all. I had fun when the opposition was more equal to me even when I'd wind up dying. But getting blasted from across a field and your stuff looted isn't much fun at all.

 

[tebowdragon15]

A webcam work better.

but nsa will spied on u mns u want nsa to see u too and i dobut neuro want to nsa to spied on him and his figure

 

[Palinn]

Has anyone played the Sims 3: Island Paradise expansion and can recommend it?  Also can you register Steam versions on Origin or do you have to pick a purchase path and stick with it?  I have the base game through Origin.

 

[glennfrank]

As a short (unexpectedly long) aside - I've been playing Remember Me (when I'm not in Warframe) a bit the past couple of days.  I'm enjoying it a lot so far.  I think I am about half-way through.  I really enjoy the aesthetic and the way they built the world.  Combat could be better, but it isn't bad.  

The combo system sounds like it could be really interesting - you basically build your own combo using buttons from different 'button pools' that you unlock.  I am playing with a gamepad (which works well in the game) and I can choose what I want a combo to do.  If I choose X from one pool it will do more damage, from another it will heal me slightly, from another it will lower the cool-downs on my super moves, etc.  Unfortunately, they determine what buttons go where & you have to conform your combo to that.  For example: The first "combo" you get is X-X-X, then comes Y-X-Y-X-Y, followed by X-Y-Y-X-Y-Y.  You can put whatever "type" of X  or Y you want in there, but you can't make your own series of button presses up.  I feel like they missed an opportunity here - the game's combat could be made easier or harder based on what the player chose to put where.  If someone isn't used to brawlers, but wanted to experience the (very decent) cyberpunk neo-paris storyline they could, while more experienced players could mix it up a bit for more of a challenge.  Oh, and I hate the combat music.. like... a lot.

I, also, like the fact that the main character is female - and of mixed race origins.  I think this is a good step forward for the gaming community in general.  Especially since the mixed-race part isn't even brought up during gameplay (at least so far).  I DO have a problem with some of the taunts the bad guys have in one of the levels I've played through so far.  Playing as a female character I didn't enjoy hearing "you and I are going to dance all night".  I am not naive  or anything, but I didn't enjoy the rape-y vibe at the beginning of Tomb Raider 2013 (even though it probably is my GotY for last year) and I don't enjoy it in this game either.  I find it to be a very cheap way of eliciting emotion on the part of the player.  It is also used way to often with female characters in video games.  Funny how the aliens in Halo don't say things like that to Master Chief.  I realize it's just a throw-away taunt, but it's is a reminder of the kind of things wrong in the real-world that I play games to get away from(and yes, I realize the fact that many of the games I play are violent, and that this doesn't really jive well with my last statement).   I'll just say, if it bothers me as a male in his late 30s I can only imagine it would bother females even more.

Wow, I typed more than I expected there -

tldnr - I like the game, combat mechanics are  just ok, story/world building are good.

The game is definitely worth your time if you picked it up (like me) during the winter sale, or if you happen to have gotten it free through PSPlus.

 

[Motoki]

Has anyone played the Sims 3: Island Paradise expansion and can recommend it? Also can you register Steam versions on Origin or do you have to pick a purchase path and stick with it? I have the base game through Origin.

I have it but I haven't really messed around with the IP stuff yet. I know, owning something but not playing it, a real shocker.

You can take the key you get for it and in turn activate it to sims3.com which will populate over to your Origin account but you will need to own the base on Steam in order to do that since Steam won't let you add a DLC to your account if you don't own the base there.

Also, the Steam key for Sims can always activate to Origin (via sims3.com) but the reverse is never true. Any Sims games you got somewhere other than Steam cannot be activated to Steam. They didn't even issue Steam keys for it when it was in the Humble Bundle.

 

[warreni]

Has anyone played the Sims 3: Island Paradise expansion and can recommend it? Also can you register Steam versions on Origin or do you have to pick a purchase path and stick with it? I have the base game through Origin.

I haven't played it but it looks like a pretty good expansion. If you're going to jump into it, there's a CAG named HotDawg (I think) selling Origin keys for $5 on the trade thread. At least he was a few days ago. i was tempted to pick one up myself but I'm not sold on the idea that I'm going to spend enough time playing The Sims 3 before EA closes the servers after 4 is released to justify buying expansions. I also suspect that once 4 is out, EA will start having blowout sales on Sims 3 stuff because they probably already have plans in place to close the servers in < 1 yr (I'm speculating here a lot but it makes sense).

 

[CheapLikeAFox]

Solution: quit your job, develop a meth addiction and play Rust all day every day.

I don't know, maybe that's what the devs really intended but it seems stupid and Facebook gamey to me. My wife used to play this game on Facebook called Kingdoms of Camelot. If you left your stuff alone for more than a few days, people assumed you weren't actively playing anymore and attacked you and took all of your resources. Even an active player who wasn't in the top tier of alliances runs the routine risk of having a random person attack and raze his holdings, potentially on a routine basis (this is known as "farming" and is akin to the type of spawn-camping you'd see in real MMOs that Motoki was talking about). People in the alliances that were in the top 10 on the leaderboards had wars and people who attacked continuously because the internet. Weirdly, Facebook is known as the home of casual gamers but I've never seen any community that took a game more deadly seriously than these people and some of them spent obscene amounts of real-world money on in-game purchases.

lol. This reminds me of a game my little brother used to play. It was a similar either FB or in browser type game but with spaceships and people spent $100s on ships and also had all out wars that took days and days to play out attacking rival factions. Pretty hardcore stuff.

 

[Syntax Error]

As a short (unexpectedly long) aside - I've been playing Remember Me (when I'm not in Warframe) a bit the past couple of days. I'm enjoying it a lot so far. I think I am about half-way through. I really enjoy the aesthetic and the way they built the world. Combat could be better, but it isn't bad.

Someone on here suggested to change the game language to French and turn on subtitles which was kind of amusing so if you haven't tried that, you should. I think that'll solve the taunts from the grunts as well since I don't think those are subtitled. I didn't care for the game itself but I'm glad someone is enjoying it.

 

[Motoki]

As a short (unexpectedly long) aside - I've been playing Remember Me (when I'm not in Warframe) a bit the past couple of days. I'm enjoying it a lot so far. I think I am about half-way through. I really enjoy the aesthetic and the way they built the world. Combat could be better, but it isn't bad.

Spoiler

The combo system sounds like it could be really interesting - you basically build your own combo using buttons from different 'button pools' that you unlock. I am playing with a gamepad (which works well in the game) and I can choose what I want a combo to do. If I choose X from one pool it will do more damage, from another it will heal me slightly, from another it will lower the cool-downs on my super moves, etc. Unfortunately, they determine what buttons go where & you have to conform your combo to that. For example: The first "combo" you get is X-X-X, then comes Y-X-Y-X-Y, followed by X-Y-Y-X-Y-Y. You can put whatever "type" of X or Y you want in there, but you can't make your own series of button presses up. I feel like they missed an opportunity here - the game's combat could be made easier or harder based on what the player chose to put where. If someone isn't used to brawlers, but wanted to experience the (very decent) cyberpunk neo-paris storyline they could, while more experienced players could mix it up a bit for more of a challenge. Oh, and I hate the combat music.. like... a lot.

I, also, like the fact that the main character is female - and of mixed race origins. I think this is a good step forward for the gaming community in general. Especially since the mixed-race part isn't even brought up during gameplay (at least so far).

Spoiler

I DO have a problem with some of the taunts the bad guys have in one of the levels I've played through so far. Playing as a female character I didn't enjoy hearing "you and I are going to dance all night". I am not naive or anything, but I didn't enjoy the rape-y vibe at the beginning of Tomb Raider 2013 (even though it probably is my GotY for last year) and I don't enjoy it in this game either. I find it to be a very cheap way of eliciting emotion on the part of the player. It is also used way to often with female characters in video games. Funny how the aliens in Halo don't say things like that to Master Chief. I realize it's just a throw-away taunt, but it's is a reminder of the kind of things wrong in the real-world that I play games to get away from(and yes, I realize the fact that many of the games I play are violent, and that this doesn't really jive well with my last statement). I'll just say, if it bothers me as a male in his late 30s I can only imagine it would bother females even more.

Wow, I typed more than I expected there -

tldnr - I like the game, combat mechanics are just ok, story/world building are good.

The game is definitely worth your time if you picked it up (like me) during the winter sale, or if you happen to have gotten it free through PSPlus.

Agreed. I like Remember Me. It seems to be a really polarizing game though. I think some people didn't like it because of the combat, which as you stated could be better but I was okay with that because I didn't consider it to be a focus of the game, and some because I think they wanted a GTA meets Total Recall sort of open world type of game and it didn't meet their expectations.

I think of it as mainly an adventure game with some light combat elements.

While I agree with this and the gaming community certainly could use more diversity, one of the big factors that was continually brought up by publishers when the developers pitched the game was the female protagonist and how they didn't think it would sell. As I understand it, the game did not exactly sell gangbusters so don't expect to see this sort of thing again on a regular basis.

Tomb Raider can get away with a female lead because it's a big name (and even then they changed her character and made her more vulnerable to appeal to males) and Assassin's Creed Liberation can get away with a black female lead because it's a one off side story and not the main game, but on the whole the gaming industry (casual games aside) is still very white male oriented.

I realize this is a hot button issue and saying this could potential start a huge shitstorm. At least every time someone writes an editorial on a gaming site along these lines it creates loads of flames. I'll just state the obvious that this is just my own personal opinion, it's not meant to enrage anyone and of course if others feel differently they are entitled to have their own opposing views.

/flameshield

Someone on here suggested to change the game language to French and turn on subtitles which was kind of amusing so if you haven't tried that, you should. I think that'll solve the taunts from the grunts as well since I don't think those are subtitled. I didn't care for the game itself but I'm glad someone is enjoying it.

It does give it more of a Artsy Fartsy vibe if you do that. Like an AAA Tale of Tales game or something.

 

[louiedog]

Do 99 of you want to split a Luftrausers Air Raid Pack with me? 100 Steam keys + 1 DRM-free download for $749.99.

 

[Syntax Error]

lol. This reminds me of a game my little brother used to play. It was a similar either FB or in browser type game but with spaceships and people spent $100s on ships and also had all out wars that took days and days to play out attacking rival factions. Pretty hardcore stuff.

Reminded me (Warreni's game, not Rust) of that one online Age of Empires knock-off with the "Come Play With Me, My Lord" sexy girl banner ads. It's one of those games where you have to pay money to "lock" your cities for a day so they don't get plundered while you're at work and stuff like that. Basically the game is one giant time sink just waiting to crush you so it can extract more money from you as you try and start over.

 

[Motoki]

I haven't played it but it looks like a pretty good expansion. If you're going to jump into it, there's a CAG named HotDawg (I think) selling Origin keys for $5 on the trade thread. At least he was a few days ago. i was tempted to pick one up myself but I'm not sold on the idea that I'm going to spend enough time playing The Sims 3 before EA closes the servers after 4 is released to justify buying expansions. I also suspect that once 4 is out, EA will start having blowout sales on Sims 3 stuff because they probably already have plans in place to close the servers in < 1 yr (I'm speculating here a lot but it makes sense).

You don't need to be connected to play them. The online portion is more recent and tacked on and you can definitely play Sims 3 without it.

 

[warreni]

lol. This reminds me of a game my little brother used to play. It was a similar either FB or in browser type game but with spaceships and people spent $100s on ships and also had all out wars that took days and days to play out attacking rival factions. Pretty hardcore stuff.

Seriously, some of these folks had no life whatsoever outside of this game. I understand that some people are on disability and are unable to work or in some cases even leave their residences so these games become something with which they can occupy their substantial free time, but some folks just seem to take things a bit too far. I feel like there's a perilously-thin line between this behavior and dead kids.

 

[warreni]

You don't need to be connected to play them. The online portion is more recent and tacked on and you can definitely play Sims 3 without it.

Good to know. My Sims experience is pretty limited, but this gives me a greater incentive to toss a Lincoln toward that seller. IP looks like a pretty big expansion, unlike a lot of the flaky "stuff pack" things floating around.

 

[spoderman]

Do 99 of you want to split a Luftrausers Air Raid Pack with me? 100 Steam keys + 1 DRM-free download for $749.99.

I'm in. $1.50 less for each copy than the Steam discount. Great price!

 

[taylort3]

Do 99 of you want to split a Luftrausers Air Raid Pack with me? 100 Steam keys + 1 DRM-free download for $749.99.

And it comes with one for the D man, how thoughtful.

 

[Syntax Error]

Agreed. I like Remember Me. It seems to be a really polarizing game though. I think some people didn't like it because of the combat, which as you stated could be better but I was okay with that because I didn't consider it to be a focus of the game

Yeah, I didn't care for the combat (especially the boss fights) and found the game very hand-holding in nature ("climb glowing pipe"). I don't want to tear down the previous review with "This is why you're wrong and you should hate the game!" though so I'll just agree that it seems like a love-it-or-hate-it game judging from people's opinions.

I read Alice & Kev a week or two ago which is a blog about a homeless father and daughter in Sims 3. Worth reading whether you care about Sims or not and really made me want to play it although, with a clearer mind, I realize that I'd probably never do anything remotely as interesting and just make my guys pee themselves in the closet or something.

I should mention that I know the blog is dramatized for the sake of narrative and that the author was involved in directing the Sims. Still a better story than anything I'd do.

 

[Motoki]

Good to know. My Sims experience is pretty limited, but this gives me a greater incentive to toss a Lincoln toward that seller. IP looks like a pretty big expansion, unlike a lot of the flaky "stuff pack" things floating around.

The base Sims 3 game came out in 2009 so it pre-dates Origin and all of that. They tried in some later expansions and updates to add some online components but it's really limited. Basically just sharing events to social networks, sending your sim 'On tour' to other people's neighborhoods and trying to sell you microtranactions from the in game store.

I fully expect Sims 4 to be much more online integrated, though I don't know if they will dare to push it as far as always online give them Sim City fiasco and that they actually ended spending development time and money redoing a significant portion of that game's structure to work offline. In any case, it won't be on Steam due to microtransactions and the fact that no recent EA game seems to get a Steam release. (Gee you think they want us to use Origin or something? I can't really tell )

And yes some of those Sims expansions are a bit more superfluous than others but all of the true expansions at least add some new actual game play elements, vs the stuff packs which are all just, well, stuff.

 

[Palinn]

I have it but I haven't really messed around with the IP stuff yet. I know, owning something but not playing it, a real shocker.

You can take the key you get for it and in turn activate it to sims3.com which will populate over to your Origin account but you will need to own the base on Steam in order to do that since Steam won't let you add a DLC to your account if you don't own the base there.

Also, the Steam key for Sims can always activate to Origin (via sims3.com) but the reverse is never true. Any Sims games you got somewhere other than Steam cannot be activated to Steam. They didn't even issue Steam keys for it when it was in the Humble Bundle.

I haven't played it but it looks like a pretty good expansion. If you're going to jump into it, there's a CAG named HotDawg (I think) selling Origin keys for $5 on the trade thread. At least he was a few days ago. i was tempted to pick one up myself but I'm not sold on the idea that I'm going to spend enough time playing The Sims 3 before EA closes the servers after 4 is released to justify buying expansions. I also suspect that once 4 is out, EA will start having blowout sales on Sims 3 stuff because they probably already have plans in place to close the servers in < 1 yr (I'm speculating here a lot but it makes sense).

Thanks for the input/information!

I love that kind of scenery so the expansion drew my attention. I don't generally do MP so don't care about shut-down servers as long as I can still play SP (which I can according to Motoki). I don't own the base game on Steam so I will probably look for HotDawg or wait for an Origin version to go on sale.

 

[Motoki]

re: Remember Me

Yeah, I didn't care for the combat (especially the boss fights) and found the game very hand-holding in nature ("climb glowing pipe"). I don't want to tear down the previous review with "This is why you're wrong and you should hate the game!" though so I'll just agree that it seems like a love-it-or-hate-it game judging from people's opinions.

FWIW I can definitely see where some people may have taken exception to it and found fault with it. I guess that for me I just approached it as a sort of modern Adventure game and I'm not much of a combat oriented gamer anyway (I'm weird ) plus I liked the world and atmosphere it created and the female protagonist so I enjoyed it.

I do feel like it had the potential to be a lot more than it was, but I was also fine with what it was. Then again I play the Sims and old lady hidden object games so take my gaming opinions with a grain of salt.

Thanks for the input/information!

I love that kind of scenery so the expansion drew my attention. I don't generally do MP so don't care about shut-down servers as long as I can still play SP (which I can according to Motoki). I don't own the base game on Steam so I will probably look for HotDawg or wait for an Origin version to go on sale.

It's WAY easier to catch Sims games on sale if you don't need them on Steam and are fine with getting them on Origin. They will activate to Origin no matter where you get it from digital or retail no matter which store so you have a lot of different places you can check and keep an eye out for.

On Steam in contrast they only go on sale rarely, usually just during the big sales and maybe once a year on a weekend or midweek deal.

I'm one of those that wanted to have it on Steam and in some ways the Steam version is less of a PITA since it just does one download and install and you're done, but it's definitely easier and more frequent to get a deal on Sims for Origin.

 

[Syntax Error]

no recent EA game seems to get a Steam release. (Gee you think they want us to use Origin or something? I can't really tell )

As I recall, Steam changed their policy so they won't host games unless the developer agrees to host all the DLC on Steam as well. EA has their dumb Bioware points and crap which they won't give up so they can't agree to Steam's DLC terms. If Steam didn't have that policy, I think EA would sell their core games through Steam (and have you buy the DLC through them) but that ain't how it shakes out.

Blame seems to be six of one, half dozen of the other. Valve was the one who changed their DLC hosting policies and EA is the one who won't drop their terrible "points" system.

 

[glennfrank]

Yeah, I didn't care for the combat (especially the boss fights) and found the game very hand-holding in nature ("climb glowing pipe"). I don't want to tear down the previous review with "This is why you're wrong and you should hate the game!" though so I'll just agree that it seems like a love-it-or-hate-it game judging from people's opinions.

Oh, I don't really disagree about the hand-holding... but sometimes that's just what I'm looking for in a game. I do appreciate the not ripping my mini-review to pieces, and I can see why some people don't like it all that much. I was a little disappointed when the first doors closed behind me & I realized I couldn't go backward - I initially thought it would be more open-world as well.

I also agree with Motoki that combat isn't really the focus of the game for me - for me this one is more about the narrative & I think the narrative & world in general makes this game worth playing.

Oh, and I'll try the french & subtitle thing - thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Motoki]

As I recall, Steam changed their policy so they won't host games unless the developer agrees to host all the DLC on Steam as well. EA has their dumb Bioware points and crap which they won't give up so they can't agree to Steam's DLC terms. If Steam didn't have that policy, I think EA would sell their core games through Steam (and have you buy the DLC through them) but that ain't how it shakes out.

Blame seems to be six of one, half dozen of the other. Valve was the one who changed their DLC hosting policies and EA is the one who won't drop their terrible "points" system.

Right and Sims 3 has EA only in game store DLC / microtransactions out the wazoo but it's an old game that they've kept on life support forever so it's grandfathered in before Valve changed their terms of service.

I'm completely sure EA won't dispense with the microtransactions with Sims 4 and that Valve won't relent on requiring DLC to be sold on Steam, at least for games released after they added those terms.

 

[MrNinjaSquirrel]

Oh my god I've been waiting so long for a Serious Sam sale because it never goes on sale. I was starting to get worried and beginning to think they would never reduce the price.

Thank god max Payne 3 is on sale. It's always full price. Finally!

I was wondering why this sounded familiar k