The Steam Deal Thread V2 - Dig into those holiday games. V3 thread coming soon!

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Welcome to the Steam Deal Thread V2! You can find the V1 thread (2010-July 2011) here. Read post #2 of this thread for Steam FAQs and more.

This is a Wiki post. Please read this
We appreciate you helping keep this thread up to date. The sales change virtually every day so no one person has the time to update them all. If you notice a game is no longer on sale, feel free to delete its line from the sale list. Of course, if you see a game is on sale, add it to the list. Make sure your changes match the thread's format! For example, every game that's on sale is part of an unordered list. When adding a game to the list, copy an existing line and update the link, title, and prices. That way, the format stays correct. Do not list percentages off! We list the original price and the sale price here. If you have any suggestions for major changes to the post/thread, PM me (EastX) about them.
for instructions on updating the thread.

Steam Games and DLC on Sale - Updated 2/12

Preorder Deals - Updated 2/12

Group Buys - Updated 07/23

Several multiplayer Steam games are available in 2-packs or 4-packs. These packs offer a discount over buying multiple copies of a game separately. We also maintain group buy trade threads for several games, so please use those threads if you're interested in setting up a group buy.

Free Stuff


There are several free games and mods on Steam. These are a few choice ones; you can find a full list here. Note that 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 Special Sales


Visit www.steamgamesales.com to check previous sale prices on Steam games. We do keep track of some older sales here though:
Steam Retail Key List

What is a CD key and where can I find it?

The CD Key is a serial number with a combination of 13, 18, or 25 letters and numbers - it can be found on a sticker inside your game's case or printed on the game's quick reference card.
The CD Key acts as your proof of purchase for the game - Steam Support may ask for it if you need to establish your ownership of an account. It is recommended that you keep your CD Key in a safe place to ensure the security of your account.

Which retail CD Keys are accepted on Steam?





All retail Valve games and a number of third-party games can be registered to your Steam account. All of the following games can be registered through Steam:
  • Valve CD Keys in this format: ####-#####-####
  • Valve CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Valve CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7
  • AI War CD Keys in various formats
  • Aliens vs. Predator (2010 Release) CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Alpha Prime CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Audiosurf CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • BRINK CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is not accepted on Steam
  • Cities in Motion CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Civilization V CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Commander: Conquest of the Americas CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Cricket Revolution CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Dark Messiah CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Dark Messiah Multiplayer CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Dark Messiah CD Keys may also have been printed incorrectly, please see the Dark Messiah article
  • Darksiders CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Note: The number 2 and letter Z may look very similar.
  • Dawn of War II CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Dawn of War II - Retribution CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7
  • Defense Grid CD Keys in this format (Direct2Drive only): 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Duke Nukem Forever CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Dungeons and Dragons: Daggerdale in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7
  • Empire: Total War CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-DDEFGH3-IJK4L-MNOPQ-RST56
  • F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • F.E.A.R. 3 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7
  • Fallout: New Vegas CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Football Manager 2009 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2CD3FGH456I7JK8LMNOP9Q
  • Football Manager 2010 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2CD3FGH456I7JK8LMNOP9Q
  • Football Manager 2011 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Front Mission Evolved CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Global Agenda CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Note: Keys purchased directly from the Global Agenda website cannot be registered on Steam.
  • GTI Racing CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • GTR Evolution CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Homefront CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7
  • Humble Indie Bundle in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Humble Indie Bundle 2 in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Humble Indie Bundle 3 in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7
  • IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Just Cause 2 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Note: Please input all O's and 0's as Q's for Just Cause 2
  • Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Killing Floor CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • King Arthur - The Role-playing Wargame CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Lara Croft Guardian of Light CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • The Last Remnant CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Lionheart: Kings' Crusade CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Lost Planet: Extreme Condition CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Lost Planet: Colonies Edition CD Keys are not accepted on Steam
  • Mafia 2 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Magicka CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Metro 2033 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • MLB Front Office Manager CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Mount & Blade CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Mount & Blade: Warband CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Mount & Blade: With Fire and Sword CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7
  • NBA 2K9 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Napoleon: Total War CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Order of War CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Prey CD Keys in this format: AAB1BB2C345CDD6E E7
  • R.U.S.E. CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Note: R.U.S.E. keys from Ubisoft's Digital River service are not accepted on Steam
  • RACE - the WTCC Game CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • RACE 07 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Ragdoll Kung Fu CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Railworks CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Red Orchestra CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Rogue Warrior CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • SiN Episodes: Emergence CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Saint's Row 2 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Serious Sam HD CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Shattered Horizon CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • The Ship CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Ship Simulator Extremes CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Silent Hill Homecoming CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Sniper: Ghost Warrior CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Space Trader CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Speedball 2 - Tournament in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Star Trek: D-A-C CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • STCC - The Game CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Super Meat Boy CD keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Supreme Commander 2 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Torchlight CD Keys in this format: 1ABC-D3FG-4567-JK8L
  • Note: Only keys purchased directly from Runic Games or Perfect World prior to May 19th, 2010 can be registered on Steam.
  • Total War: SHOGUN 2 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Unreal Tournament 3 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2-3FGH-456I-K8LM
  • Velvet Assassin CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings in this format: AB-1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM
  • Worldwide Soccer Manager 2009 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
  • X3: Terran Conflict CD Keys in this format: 1ABC-D3FG-4567-JK8L
  • Zeno Clash CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
Opposing Force CD-keys cannot be registered through Steam. Opposing Force was included in a retail Half-Life package. The Half-Life CD-key included in the package will unlock all of the games in that package, including Opposing Force.
Note: Only the retail games listed above can be registered through Steam. No other retail games can be registered and downloaded using Steam.

Other Keys that can be redeemed on Steam (CAG tested & verified)
5.gif

The Ball (bought @D2D and tested by voken)
 
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[quote name='JP']It says you get giftable but when you get to the checkout it says you wont. I already own the first 3 but I was going to give the extra to a buddy. I don't want to spend the extra 4 bucks and get screwed.[/QUOTE]


I just bit on the Flatout Complete Pack, having previously bought part 1 and Ultimate Carnage. I received giftable copies of both in my inventory.
 
[quote name='JP']It says you get giftable but when you get to the checkout it says you wont. I already own the first 3 but I was going to give the extra to a buddy. I don't want to spend the extra 4 bucks and get screwed.[/QUOTE]

Nevermind. answered above.
 
I picked up Painkiller: Black last time it was on sale as I'd heard a lot about it; Yahtzee raves about it quite a bit, too.

I hadn't played it before, so there wasn't any great nostalgia to it for me, and honestly it just felt a bit... "meh". Shoot loads of stuff, next area, shoot loads of stuff more, next area. Repeat. I'm probably doing it a great disservice but I just didn't feel like playing it for more than one level. It's on my list of "gamestorevisitandgiveasecondchanceoncei'mbored" but I'm not in a hurry.

Your experience may vary, but I just felt quite ambivalent towards it. I should probably point out that I'm not a massive FPS fan, mind :)
 
[quote name='BigSpoonyBard']Flatout: I haven't played all of them, but I can tell you that Ultimate Carnage is a good amount of fun. $6.79 seems a bit much for it, I think. The complete pack seems like a decent deal, but I get the feeling you'd only play the newest one.

In any case, nothing for me today.[/QUOTE]

The reviews for the newest one are really bad, which is a shame because i absolutely enjoyed Flatout 2. I got it years ago not knowing what to expect and ended up playing every race.
 
[quote name='Motoki']Dustforce is up. Only 10% off though at $8.99.

Curse you Indie bundles for making me afraid to spend full price on Indie games. *sigh*

I want it though, so I might just cave.[/QUOTE]

GET IT! GET IT!

It's amazing! I've probably spent an hour now on the first level just trying to get under 20 seconds. Finally did it and was at last check #27 on the leader board with 18.933 seconds. Tip: Use dash and rebind the quick restart key.

My biggest gripe with the game right now though is that it doesn't have "native" 360 controller support as in you'll have to bind the key to the controller manually and you can't "hotswitch" between keyboard and controller.

The music by Robot Science is fantastic.

At $8.99 I'd buy it now and even if eventually does go in a bundle you can always gift the code to a friend and share the love. :D
 
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[quote name='Flowette']I picked up Painkiller: Black last time it was on sale as I'd heard a lot about it; Yahtzee raves about it quite a bit, too.[/QUOTE]"It has a gun that shoots shirukens and lightning....it could only be more awesome if it had t*ts and was on fire."

Yahtzee rules.
 
[quote name='hungree7']Argument invalid because Ubisoft produces and develops one of the most elaborated game franchises as of this moment.

Let's try it this way: I want to compare Assassin's Creed 2 with Limbo and Minecraft .. yeah, all enjoyable right? But there's NO WAY the indie games are gonna have the same amount of awesome as a big AAA game (the ones that still do it right).
For example, Bastion (what's most, it's not even entirely an "indie" game itself) has a superb soundtrack and environment design. The problem? really really decent/mediocre combat, questionable story-telling and a very short life span (lenght)[/QUOTE]
But see, an excess of staff/budget/time doesn't make a better game, it only provides more ways to enable a good design to be implemented. Good design exists regardless of how it ends up being implemented, and I'd argue, being forced to overcome limitations that being independent presents makes for some better games than you'd get normally. Don't believe me? Think about the original Star Wars: independently made and financed, and technical challenges forced them to be creative filmmakers and work with what they had. The rest is history. Art through adversity can be quite a real thing, and people can be their most creative when they're forced to overcome an obstacle or limitation they face (such as being independent.)

So yeah, the graphical fidelity may be better in AAA games, but that doesn't stop games like MW3 from having piss poor design, AI, or "story." Those are the result of poor or unimaginative design.
 
[quote name='JawnMan']The reviews for the newest one are really bad, which is a shame because i absolutely enjoyed Flatout 2. I got it years ago not knowing what to expect and ended up playing every race.[/QUOTE]

Flatout 3 wasn't made by the original Flatout company which is probably why the difference in review opinions.

And also yes Ultimate Carnage is fun. Although I think I got it for something like $2 a year ago or something.
 
I'm on the fence about the painkiller pack. I have a 50% off Nordic Games coupon lying around though and I don't think there's anything else interesting enough to spend it on.

Anyone got opinions?
 
[quote name='KaOTiK']The Kingdoms of Amalur demo is up on Steam now (as well as preorder, hats as a bonus no surprise there)[/QUOTE]

Hmm, I was wondering if EA would pull some Steam shenanigans on this one too but I guess it won't be selling in game DLC microtransactions exclusively from EA like the Bioware stuff.

Anyway, I'll check it out, though TF2 hats at a pre-order bonus in general are pretty meh to me. I know you can trade them, but only certain ones are worth anything and I don't feel like going to the trouble.
 
[quote name='NeoGutsman']Until we get a new thread, here's an interesting question for each of you:

Which Steam games give the best frequent returns on achievements toward goodies? Off the top of my head I can think of a few (below), and these would be good to own on the cheap to maximize your 'chieve earning time and again:

  • Audiosurf
  • And Yet It Moves
  • Team Fortress 2
  • Flight Control HD
  • Magicka
  • The Polynomial
  • Beat Hazard
[/QUOTE]
If you mean just straight-up Steam achievements, I can think of a few that give you 10-20 achievements for a few hours of gameplay.


  • Osmosis
  • L4D1&2
But if you mean "goodies" in the more generic sense, I have to say that I've been playing PAYDAY: The Heist for the past few nights and I love the in-game perk system. The perks are broken into three classes (assault, sharpshooter, support), and there are about 50 perks in each category. At any point in time, you can choose which class tree you're ascending. You gain Experience Points (in this game, measured as "cash"), and when you level up, you get the next perk in the tree you've selected.

The perks are very measurable, like a bigger ammo clip or better weapons (assault class), improved accuracy and less recoil (sharpshooter), and better gizmos and armor (support). These aren't Steam achievements, but they have an instant and measurable reward effect that is very gratifying.

Additionally, there are challenges, like shooting 100 people with a particular weapon, taking 10 security guards hostage, not shooting civilians, picking up your teammates 10 times, tagging special enemies, etc. These help you gain Exp, so you level more quickly. You don't necessarily have to do anything special to get most of them, just play. But the effect is that you're always "just... one... more... round..." away from completing one challenge or another, and getting that boost.

If only the game's subject material wasn't so offensive. I do not like being the bad guy and shooting at cops. But it's a very polished system and a very good cooperative experience.
 
[quote name='gcorlett']If you mean just straight-up Steam achievements, I can think of a few that give you 10-20 achievements for a few hours of gameplay.


  • Osmosis
  • L4D1&2
But if you mean "goodies" in the more generic sense, I have to say that I've been playing PAYDAY: The Heist for the past few nights and I love the in-game perk system. The perks are broken into three classes (assault, sharpshooter, support), and there are about 50 perks in each category. At any point in time, you can choose which class tree you're ascending. You gain Experience Points (in this game, measured as "cash"), and when you level up, you get the next perk in the tree you've selected.

The perks are very measurable, like a bigger ammo clip or better weapons (assault class), improved accuracy and less recoil (sharpshooter), and better gizmos and armor (support). These aren't Steam achievements, but they have an instant and measurable reward effect that is very gratifying.

Additionally, there are challenges, like shooting 100 people with a particular weapon, taking 10 security guards hostage, not shooting civilians, picking up your teammates 10 times, tagging special enemies, etc. These help you gain Exp, so you level more quickly. You don't necessarily have to do anything special to get most of them, just play. But the effect is that you're always "just... one... more... round..." away from completing one challenge or another, and getting that boost.

If only the game's subject material wasn't so offensive. I do not like being the bad guy and shooting at cops. But it's a very polished system and a very good cooperative experience.[/QUOTE]While that was quite the good sell for Payday, I believe what NeoGustman was asking is what games typically show up during the sales (Summer, Holiday, etc.) that have achievements resulting in coupons, gifts, or whatever.
 
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[quote name='Z-Saber']While that was quite the good sell for Payday, I believe what Motoki was asking is what games typically show up during the sales (Summer, Holiday, etc.) that have achievements resulting in coupons, gifts, or whatever.[/QUOTE]

That was me and yes, that's what I originally meant in my post earlier. I should have been more specific :D However, gcorlett's post about that game made me consider it more, so I'll probably put it on my wishlist now. Sounds cool!
 
Damn disappointed there's no demo for Dustforce. Probably could have been an instant buy if there was just a demo.

[quote name='JustYourAverageJoe']But see, an excess of staff/budget/time doesn't make a better game, it only provides more ways to enable a good design to be implemented. Good design exists regardless of how it ends up being implemented, and I'd argue, being forced to overcome limitations that being independent presents makes for some better games than you'd get normally. Don't believe me? Think about the original Star Wars: independently made and financed, and technical challenges forced them to be creative filmmakers and work with what they had. The rest is history. Art through adversity can be quite a real thing, and people can be their most creative when they're forced to overcome an obstacle or limitation they face (such as being independent.)

So yeah, the graphical fidelity may be better in AAA games, but that doesn't stop games like MW3 from having piss poor design, AI, or "story." Those are the result of poor or unimaginative design.[/QUOTE]

I'm okay with ignoring the snide backhands but hearing you laugh off the notion that all indie games are inferior but then turn around and peddle that their indie-ness can lead to superior games is just silly. Every genre, every medium, there are always great examples and poor examples of each. Competition, stress, limited resources, as evolutionary traits these tend to breed better specimens but just measuring the whole of their output, for every alpha male there are dozens of starved corpses. With game design, you see the same thing. Rushed games, cut sloppily in some cases or creatively in others. With a disturbing number of indie games, you just see half-finished concepts put out for sale rather than full-fledged games.

There simply is no reason assume that a smaller studio with limited resources is a net positive. There are real differences in style between them, limited focus vs. committee design, but each approach provides good and bad for all sorts of reasons. But to state that, say, original Star Wars was good because of that adversity sells short so much else that went into that movie, and would do just as much a disservice to most games.
 
Dustforce is amazing. I knew it was a day one buy ever since I played the demo a while back. I'm sorry Super Meatboy, a new game has taken your place in my heart.
 
Big love for Payday, though I actually hate the leveling system for precisely how much it locks. You don't get the third gun for a while so your first two or three heists, you have no ammo. Locking REAL mega upgrades behind the grind wall annoys me, but it DOES give a good reason to come back. Not like the game needed it though, it's excellent.

Unlike Dustforce, Kingdom of Amalur actually HAS a demo. So now I can see what these people keep pimping as though it were the next big thing.

[quote name='Flowette']I hadn't played it before, so there wasn't any great nostalgia to it for me, and honestly it just felt a bit... "meh". Shoot loads of stuff, next area, shoot loads of stuff more, next area. Repeat. I'm probably doing it a great disservice but I just didn't feel like playing it for more than one level. It's on my list of "gamestorevisitandgiveasecondchanceoncei'mbored" but I'm not in a hurry.

Your experience may vary, but I just felt quite ambivalent towards it. I should probably point out that I'm not a massive FPS fan, mind :)[/QUOTE]

You have it pretty much right, though the first couple of levels, especially just the first level, are just awful. The game never got good enough to hold my attention, but once you have the stake gun launcher and get some better level design the game opens up a bit. It's worth trying to crack a little bit deeper than that lousy beginning, but, it just never branches beyond Serious Sam mindlessness, and without SS's enemy variety, there's almost no point.

The shurikens and lightning gun actually is the worst in Painkiller.
 
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Did anyone else happen to get Flatout 3 today by chance? I picked it up because I have enjoyed the series, but I can not get this damn game to run at all. I have completely deleted and redownloaded it 2 times now and still nothing. All I get is the preparing to launch box for a couple of seconds and then nothing.
Any ideas?

I have also tried the validate cache route as well and still nothing.
 
[quote name='Flowette']
Your experience may vary, but I just felt quite ambivalent towards it. I should probably point out that I'm not a massive FPS fan, mind :)[/QUOTE]
Painkiller is like a love-letter to FPS fans, so that may explain things a bit. It's pretty much straightforward shoot and run which, if you like that sort of thing, PK does very well.

Exploding Stake Gun, Shuriken/Lightning Gun, Shredding/Laser Painkiller Gun... holy crap... how can that not be fun?
 
[quote name='hal']Painkiller is like a love-letter to FPS fans, so that may explain things a bit. It's pretty much straightforward shoot and run which, if you like that sort of thing, PK does very well.

Exploding Stake Gun, Shuriken/Lightning Gun, Shredding/Laser Painkiller Gun... holy crap... how can that not be fun?[/QUOTE]Tried all three of the demos. Seems like despite years between them, they all run on the same engine and feature nearly identical gameplay. As mentioned, it's basically Serious Sam style mindless waves. The demos bored me, so I'll pass for sure.
 
Painkiller Black is the only one to buy as the others are merely more or less cheap fan-made mods released as a cash-in by an unscrupulous publisher. But you've tried all the demos and must've played PK Black, so what can I say? Everyone has an opinion.

By the way, for those that don't know, PK Black is by People Can Fly (Bulletstorm).

'Tis a sad day when there's no love to be found for the original PK. :(
 
[quote name='hal']Painkiller Black is the only one to buy as the others are merely more or less cheap fan-made mods released as a cash-in by an unscrupulous publisher. But you've tried all the demos and must've played PK Black, so what can I say? Everyone has an opinion.

By the way, for those that don't know, PK Black is by People Can Fly (Bulletstorm).

'Tis a sad day when there's no love to be found for the original PK. :([/QUOTE]Actually, Black was the only one without a demo, so I guess that explains why the others seemed similar. I did notice the People Can Fly logo on the original Painkiller, though I'm not sure about the rest.
 
[quote name='hal']'Tis a sad day when there's no love to be found for the original PK. :([/QUOTE]
VINDICATION.

Seriously though, I wasn't much for PK but the demo level in the graveyard is absolutely wretched by the standards of the rest of the game. It DOES get better than that. I don't think it ever gets better enough to be worth your time though. The hordes are so numerous and jilting as to make even Serious Sam look restrained and thoughtful.

There are demos for Painkiller and Battle Out of Hell outside of Steam. One of those should have a less crummy demo.

For the record: Painkiller + BOoH = Black, which is the only good PK, if even that.
 
[quote name='Z-Saber']While that was quite the good sell for Payday, I believe what NeoGustman was asking is what games typically show up during the sales (Summer, Holiday, etc.) that have achievements resulting in coupons, gifts, or whatever.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='NeoGutsman']That was me and yes, that's what I originally meant in my post earlier. I should have been more specific :D However, gcorlett's post about that game made me consider it more, so I'll probably put it on my wishlist now. Sounds cool![/QUOTE]

Ha. Thanks for that. I couldn't figure out what "for goodies" meant. ;)

So to answer your question, I think SMB has been a regular feature for a while now. Let me think about others. I'm sure we can find the wikis for the past few sales.
 
[quote name='RollingSkull']I'm okay with ignoring the snide backhands[/QUOTE]
If that was implied in something I wrote, I apologize. I wasn't trying to be snarky or condescending or such to you or anyone else, just stating my thoughts. If it's about my statements on MW3, well, I still think it's an awful game. ;)

[quote name='RollingSkull']but hearing you laugh off the notion that all indie games are inferior but then turn around and peddle that their indie-ness can lead to superior games is just silly. Every genre, every medium, there are always great examples and poor examples of each. Competition, stress, limited resources, as evolutionary traits these tend to breed better specimens but just measuring the whole of their output, for every alpha male there are dozens of starved corpses. With game design, you see the same thing. Rushed games, cut sloppily in some cases or creatively in others. With a disturbing number of indie games, you just see half-finished concepts put out for sale rather than full-fledged games.[/QUOTE]
I'm not disagreeing with you per se, just the general assertion he made that indie games can't, or won't, ever be as good as AAA games. As you say yourself, in every genre or medium there are both good and bad specimens, and I'd absolutely agree (AYIM, for example, is awful.) I'm trying to say that such a generalization is wrong, and explain how it can be wrong through what can cause indie games to be good, i.e. the creative design solutions to indie-scale problems. If you absolutely disagree that the limitations or challenges indie games face can or may lead to a better game, well, we'll just have to agree to disagree. But I should clarify I definitely don't think that's always the case, or even the case the majority of the time. I'm just saying that it does, sometimes, happen.
 
[quote name='RollingSkull']Unlike Dustforce, Kingdom of Amalur actually HAS a demo. So now I can see what these people keep pimping as though it were the next big thing.[/QUOTE]
Bad news, I'm afraid. The WoW-cloned graphics and absolutely basic, adequate hack'n'slash gameplay combine to create a rather unimpressive experience. PC owners are better off with Two Worlds II or Risen (or the upcoming Skyrim, perhaps :whistle2:#), while console owners will find that Dark Souls pisses all over it from a great height.

After the intro, you get 45 minutes to mess around in the game world, but I got bored well before the timer expired. I predict plenty of review scores in the 70s. :cold:
 
[quote name='PenguinJim']Bad news, I'm afraid. The WoW-cloned graphics and absolutely basic, adequate hack'n'slash gameplay combine to create a rather unimpressive experience. PC owners are better off with Two Worlds II or Risen (or the upcoming Skyrim, perhaps :whistle2:#), while console owners will find that Dark Souls pisses all over it from a great height.

After the intro, you get 45 minutes to mess around in the game world, but I got bored well before the timer expired. I predict plenty of review scores in the 70s. :cold:[/QUOTE]Depends on the person, I heard people loved it and hated it. I tried Risen and Two Worlds II and both of those games really could not hold my interest at all. Hopefully I feel differently about Kingdoms of Amalur.

Dark Souls is great but it's one of those things well I want to play a game to get my ass kicked and I don't always feel that way.
 
You might like Amalur, then - did you like Arx Fatalis? This feels a bit like Arx Fatalis 2, but without the innovation. And it should have been released around 2006. ;)

Although it does sound like maybe you just don't like Fantasy RPGs in general. :)
 
Risen was pretty awful and Two Worlds II was rather meh but had its moments. I actually kind of liked the Kingdoms demo. It's not an AAA game but it's also not competing with Skyrim, it's a different kind of RPG. Actually, the style reminds me of a better Fable, if I had to compare it to something. Could be good, probably not $60 good but this is a far different game type than Skyrim or Dark Souls.
 
Just a heads up, Kingdoms of Amalur is £30 for UK users, as opposed to $60 or €50 for our overseas brethren. If anybody needs a hand with regional pricing, give me a shout :)

Now, as for the game itself, I would've ordinarily given this a miss purely because it's a full-price release. But having read/watched a little about it, I think it might scratch a number of particular itches.

Damn you CAG, helping me to save money by spending money on games I didn't think I ever wanted :lol:
 
Tried the Amalur demo. Meh. It felt a lot like Fable which, while being a big RPG fan, is not one of my favorites. The game really has that on the rails feeling to me as you are hearded along a fairly narrow path and can't get past such obstacles as a small pile of rocks :p

I didn't see an option to save either so I'm guessing they are going with checkpoints. The visuals while not terrible, are nothing to write home about for a 2012 game. It's most definitely a console port. I know that gets said a lot these days for most PC games, but it's blatantly obvious here. With Skyrim if you ignore the UI it does feel like a PC game but there's nothing that feels PC about this game in my opinion.

To be honest all of it felt very average to me. Not a bad game, not amazing, nothing to really stand out and certainly nothing that is making me want to spend $60, or quite frankly, even $30.
 
[quote name='JustYourAverageJoe'](AYIM, for example, is awful.)[/QUOTE]

And as usual, your mileage may vary, because I like "And Yet It Moves" and don't think it is awful at all.
 
I played fable 1 a long time ago. I got 3 or 4 hours into it before I gave up. I was really trying to give it a chance because the game received so much praise. I just didnt get what was so good about it. I want to say that I didnt like that it was too cartoony and kiddy, but I know that diidnt bother me at all in Torchlight. I loved Torchlight. I played Two Worlds 2 for a few hours when it was leaked on torrents before release. It seemed like an ok game except that the item menu was horrendous. Also there were limited video options. Im sure the probably patched the video options, but I think the item menu is still the same. I dont kno why they didnt just make 3 tabs in a character screen where you can equip items and see each item allocated to its body part (like diablo games). The story, voice acting and combat didnt seem bad. But I have better games in my backlog to be playing.
From trailers and gameplay videos Ive seen, Kingdoms of Amalur looks like its going to be good. I wouldnt be too disappointed if the game turned out to be mediocre. Thats just one less game that I have to play.
 
Tried the Kindgoms of Amalur demo. It seems like a love it or hate it type of game because I really enjoyed it. Sure the graphics are a bit WoW like, but I was a WoW player for almost 5 years off and on, so I am used to it.

Can't wait for the full game.
 
I wonder if we'll be able to zoom out the camera when in the full game. I don't really like being so close behind the character at all. I remember older gameplay videos showing it further out if I remember correctly. Otherwise it was pretty good outside of the god damn menus. I shouldn't need to click through more than half a dozen things to go into Weapons (Primary & then Secondary, then Armor and Accessories and then back out).
 
[quote name='dfg']Using AYIM as a poor example is a poor example.[/QUOTE]

I didn't love the game but did get a couple of Steam sale achievements out of it. One suggestion which I have yet to do myself is to switch the keys/buttons for rotation. Many people in this thread mentioned that it makes it more intuitive to rotate the screen, particularly when doing jump rotations.

I will give the game credit for providing reasonable checkpoints. It's a clever game that's not for everyone, particularly the presentation. It's like Fido Dido meets torn textile catalog. :D (Not bad, not great, just... different) I say to each their own with this game because it's nowhere near as polarizing as something like Binding of Isaac.
 
[quote name='Solid-Snake-Eyes']I switched the buttons and still got confused.[/QUOTE]

Based on how often I play this game it's likely that I'll change the controls when the next Steam achievement giveaway promo happens. So... next summer? ;D

Sounds like I'm bashing the game, folks, but I'm really not. People should try it at least once. I got fairly far into it last summer and was impressed by some of the level designs. It's just hampered by some clunky controls.

Back on track, how is Solar 2? It looks intriguing. I'm still waiting for an interstellar game that makes me feel like Jodie Foster in "Contact". Holy crap, I saw that in the theater and I felt like a speck of dust zipping through a gigantic universe. In all seriousness, I am still in sheer awe of those space sequences to this day.
 
I highly recommend Solar 2, although it's been cheaper.

It's very much a sandbox game with optional missions. You take the role of an asteroid, (life) planet, a few phases of stars, and a black hole. You can switch between any stages/phases you've attained at will, so you can float around as a multi-star system for a while and respawn as an asteroid or other saved system you have.
Also, once you get to be a star you'll notice other star systems have their own AI. As in they'll sometimes chase after you.

The missions themselves are pretty fun with some amusing narrative. A couple are a little frustrating, while others make you go "wait, what?" It's really handy to be able to respawn as a saved system after a failed mission or when most of your system gets destroyed.
If you complete all the missions, you get "god mode" options that let you spawn stuff at will and do goofy stuff like this. Add in some physics options like altering gravity on the fly and things get hilarious.

Eventually you'll get bored, but finishing the missions and screwing around with the options for a while still provides a good amount of fun.
 
I got Solar 2 during the winter sale, and I also love it. Kinda like Osmos in a way. but with far more options and ranges. I recommend it. especially if you want a game that's fun without being too intense, or easy to start up and end quickly, but still get stuff accomplished and have fun.

edit: and while not bearing to this thread, it's apparently on XBL indie games for the same price, $5/400 msp.

http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Solar-2/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802585508b4

edit 2: and apparently the first Solar is only on XBLIG, but for only $1/80 msp.

off to the other thread I go...
 
[quote name='Draekon']I wonder if we'll be able to zoom out the camera when in the full game. I don't really like being so close behind the character at all. I remember older gameplay videos showing it further out if I remember correctly. Otherwise it was pretty good outside of the god damn menus. I shouldn't need to click through more than half a dozen things to go into Weapons (Primary & then Secondary, then Armor and Accessories and then back out).[/QUOTE]

I completely agree, these weer the 2 things I disliked the most about it. If the game would have a way for me to zoom out and a better UI for armor and wepon managing, I would be super excited for it.

This UI thing is especially annoying, the fact taht I hit I for inventory then have to click the menu titles so many times to go in and go back and...ugh...
 
[quote name='Glomerate']I completely agree, these weer the 2 things I disliked the most about it. If the game would have a way for me to zoom out and a better UI for armor and wepon managing, I would be super excited for it.

This UI thing is especially annoying, the fact taht I hit I for inventory then have to click the menu titles so many times to go in and go back and...ugh...[/QUOTE]

This has been a disturbing trend lately. It seems that many games are going with a more console friendly inventory management system which equates to absolutely awful management on PC. The most tragic one in my opinion is Dungeon Defenders. Its basically a loot driven mix of an action rpg and tower defense but It is extremely hard just to compare two items side by side.
 
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