The Steam Deal Thread V6. We're all pumped for CAG 3.0!

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Welcome to the Steam Deal Thread V6! You can find link to past threads at the bottom of this post. Read post #2 of this thread for Steam FAQs and more.

With the V6 Thread, we're trying a slight formatting change. We used to list every possible Steam deal in the OP, but they change too frequently for anyone to keep up with (even in the Wiki format). So now, we'll leave regular minor sales out of the OP. This post will keep track of major sales (Winter sale, etc.), Steam deals available through other sellers (like Amazon), Preorder deals, and Group Buys.

I would still greatly appreciate help from you folks at home in keeping this smaller-scale OP up-to-date. This is a Wiki post so anyone can contribute. Wiki instructions:
Thanks for your help! If you notice a sale has ended, feel free to delete its line from the sale list. Of course, if you see something does need to be added, then kindly 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.

Steam Sales - Updated 1/22


CAG Threads Featuring Steam Games on Sale Elsewhere - Updated 1/9


Preorder Deals - Updated 1/10
Group Buy Deals - Updated 1/9/13
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 - List needs updating with F2P games!
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.


Steam around CAG

If you are interested in joining the Steam CAG Community or participating in a trade or group buy with fellow Cheap Ass Gamers, please do so in the dedicated threads and not in the deal discussion thread. In the dedicated threads you will find CAGers with the same specialized interest who will be much quicker (and happier) to respond than in the Deals thread.

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?

Steam's explanation and list of Steam-activatable keys

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.

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

  • The Ball (bought @D2D, tested by voken)
  • Supreme Commander Forged Alliance (gives both FA and original, bought @amazon, tested by vism)

Indie Bundles thread on Steam forums (link)

Past CAG Steam Deal Threads
 
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[quote name='Neuro5i5']I have an idea. In the spirit of holiday avatars, for the new year everyone should make a Mission Runway avatar!

No...

Anybody here?


I'll show myself out...[/QUOTE]

Buying it right now...

And according to my friends list, Motoki and Palinn already own it. I stuck it on my girlfriend's account.
 
[quote name='EliotAndrews']I hate to be a complainer, but these Sonic deals are absolutely underwhelming.[/QUOTE]

Steam must be trying hard for Winter Fail because SEGA is normally on board with 75% of just about anything. 50% off is just... sad.

Funny enough I almost instinctively put some of those games in my cart and then I realized what I was doing. They went on the wishlist instead.

[quote name='Motoki']I agree 100%. I would also add that the Steam Workshop is still relatively new and is somewhat of a work in progress. There already have been a number of changes (for the better imho) since its inception and if modders are finding parts of it they don't like I think they should try and share that feedback with Valve rather than taking their toys to another sandbox.

Then again there are always going to be some modders who tend towards divaism. There has been so much drama in the ES modding community over the years it is not even funny.[/QUOTE]

While I don't have any knowledge of the inner workings of Steam Workshop, I have worked with modders (from a PR perspective) for the last 14 years. While most of them are positively starving to get word out on their hard work, there are a handful of them that are stubborn to the point of stupidity. I can absolutely see how some of them would cut off their own noses to spite their faces.
 
[quote name='Luriden']Buy Alan Wake if you haven't. I've played through it several times on Xbox 360, it's definitely my favorite game of this generation, that's not a stretch. I'm considering getting it on Steam just to play through it again and enjoy the feeling of getting achievements for it again.[/QUOTE]

Aaand I did just that. I just got the franchise pack even though I have both games on Xbox 360 already. I have no way to justify my purchase other than it comes with the soundtrack, has better graphics that my PC probably can't handle, and I really, really effing love this game.
 
[quote name='Luriden']Aaand I did just that. I just got the franchise pack even though I have both games on Xbox 360 already. I have no way to justify my purchase other than it comes with the soundtrack, has better graphics that my PC probably can't handle, and I really, really effing love this game.[/QUOTE]


You'll have to upgrade someday.
 
As far as Steam Workshop for Skyrim. I'm a long time Nexus user and I've dropped my Nexus usage almost entirely since Steam Workshop picked up Skyrim. They've streamlined a TON, handle the updates, and everything. No muss, no fuss. No wailing because things don't work after an update.

Just my opinion. Now I don't MOD so I can't tell you. I'm more of a player than a designer.

(I've got about 40 mods right now and my Skyrim is B-E-A-UTIFUL)
 
[quote name='Broken Cage']Buying it right now...

And according to my friends list, Motoki and Palinn already own it. I stuck it on my girlfriend's account.[/QUOTE]

Smart, very smart. :applause:
 
[quote name='Broken Cage']Buying it right now...

And according to my friends list, Motoki and Palinn already own it. I stuck it on my girlfriend's account.[/QUOTE]

Oh it's on your 'girlfriend's' account. I see... ;)
 
[quote name='Fell Open Ian']Ah ok, so then the publishers are taking losses for Steam keys.(?)[/QUOTE]
I guess they decide what's a "loss". Once you've made back development costs, it's all gravy to issue more keys. And Steam doesn't charge to generate keys or take a cut from each key -- they pretty much get their action by having the item on their storefront which makes it the most obvious place to buy it from.

Still though, Amazon charges me tax whereas GMG and Steam do not so whenever they (Amazon) price match it's ultimately costing me more. They have to beat them enough to negate the tax before I'll bite.
Click to expand...
That may be true for you but it's certainly not universal (I'm not paying tax) and I'd imagine that in many instances Amazon's -75% with tax still beats Steam's -50% without.

[quote name='Neuro5i5']It was 91% off at GG... :whistle2:#[/QUOTE]
No Dawnguard though. Weakest sale ever.
 
[quote name='Neuro5i5']It was 91% off at GG... :whistle2:#[/QUOTE]

Which is all well and good (and I bought two copies) but doesn't answer the question.

Because if it was 66% off in thanksgiving, it probably will be as a daily deal again, which means the DLC will probably be cheaper than it is now.
 
[quote name='hal']Steam must be trying hard for Winter Fail because SEGA is normally on board with 75% of just about anything. 50% off is just... sad.

Funny enough I almost instinctively put some of those games in my cart and then I realized what I was doing. They went on the wishlist instead.[/QUOTE]
I was hoping there would be bigger discounts on the individual titles, but it seems the Daily Deal is simply for the "Sonic Franchise" bundle.

I may still consider Sonic Adventure 2 at $5, but I know the other non-Retro offerings could be much cheaper. (Although, if SEGA Classics had its own entry, I would have grabbed it for any sub-$5 price.)
 
[quote name='Broken Cage']It's bad enough Pet Dogz 2 is permanently attached to my Steam account.[/QUOTE]

You know, once you have a game that says in its description that you play a woman who gets fed succulent fruits by brawny gents it's kind of hard to get embarrassed by any other game on Steam.

Just sayin'.
 
WTF Steam. What a shitty deal for sonic generations. It used to be $7.25. What a horrible winter sale steam. The Summer Sale was leagues better.
 
[quote name='Fell Open Ian']Ah ok, so then the publishers are taking losses for Steam keys.(?)

Still though, Amazon charges me tax whereas GMG and Steam do not so whenever they (Amazon) price match it's ultimately costing me more. They have to beat them enough to negate the tax before I'll bite.[/QUOTE]

My pet theory on the pricing of DD PC games. Won't be useful to most folks so probably worth skipping:
I think video games are operating the same as e-books were, which was an agency model. This is pure speculation and if someone who works in the industry wants to chime in that would be awesome.

In the agency model, the publisher sets the price along with input from the retailer and the retailer receives a percentage of that price. So really it's Ubisoft, EA, etc that sets the price for these sales and Steam, like the publisher, makes up the non-sale commission through volume. This is why so many publishers are pushing their own DD but charging the same or greater price, they want to keep the market price the same but also get all the commission they are paying out to a third party like Steam or Amazon.

So why the variances in price? One explanation is, especially clear after the ebook settlement, the retailer is free to take that publisher set price and add an additional discount on top of it. Probably then the retailer is sacrificing some or all of its commission. Also, there could be price mistakes, like what happened with GMG. But if the retailer pisses off the publisher by driving down the market price too low, the publisher might pull its catalog.

Another possible explanation is that the publishers play favorites among the retailers, with the goal of one retailer (presently Steam) not dominating the market like Apple does with MP3s. So, they'll give, or allow, Steam's competitors to sell the same games at less in the hopes that Steam's marketshare goes down and the publishers have the power to dictate terms on commissions, promotions, etc.

But all of this is pure speculation. Probably there are contracts that layout
 
[quote name='Syntax Error']I have Mission Runway installed and ready to roll!

I noticed there's no way on Steam to track who you've gifted stuff to at checkout.[/QUOTE]


Oh, I misunderstood your post.


Also, upon further investigation, I gifted Portal 2 to my girlfriend twice, and she was able to redeem it twice.
 
[quote name='Syntax Error']On Mission Runway? :whistle2:s[/QUOTE]

Devs can think of all sorts of unique ways to use tech. I was hoping for a unique experience...


Yeah. I'm actually just being a smartass.
 
[quote name='Broken Cage']Oh, I misunderstood your post.


Also, upon further investigation, I gifted Portal 2 to my girlfriend twice, and she was able to redeem it twice.[/QUOTE]
No, you nailed it. That was exactly what I needed. Thank you.
 
I missed the Sonic Complain Train but come one Steam. I wanted Generations at 7.50 like the Summer sale, but now it's a no-buy. Also Steam needs to put Dark Souls up tomorrow at $15 or I'll be heading over to Amazon.
 
Any chance ARMA 2 goes cheaper than $15? I want to get the DayZ mod, and I have no intention of ever playing ARMA 2 so I'm kinda hoping it'd drop below $10.
 
[quote name='Taren Fox']Any chance ARMA 2 goes cheaper than $15? I want to get the DayZ mod, and I have no intention of ever playing ARMA 2 so I'm kinda hoping it'd drop below $10.[/QUOTE]

Waiting for $10 as well.
 
[quote name='nategator']My pet theory on the pricing of DD PC games. Won't be useful to most folks so probably worth skipping:
I think video games are operating the same as e-books were, which was an agency model. This is pure speculation and if someone who works in the industry wants to chime in that would be awesome.

In the agency model, the publisher sets the price along with input from the retailer and the retailer receives a percentage of that price. So really it's Ubisoft, EA, etc that sets the price for these sales and Steam, like the publisher, makes up the non-sale commission through volume. This is why so many publishers are pushing their own DD but charging the same or greater price, they want to keep the market price the same but also get all the commission they are paying out to a third party like Steam or Amazon.

So why the variances in price? One explanation is, especially clear after the ebook settlement, the retailer is free to take that publisher set price and add an additional discount on top of it. Probably then the retailer is sacrificing some or all of its commission. Also, there could be price mistakes, like what happened with GMG. But if the retailer pisses off the publisher by driving down the market price too low, the publisher might pull its catalog.

Another possible explanation is that the publishers play favorites among the retailers, with the goal of one retailer (presently Steam) not dominating the market like Apple does with MP3s. So, they'll give, or allow, Steam's competitors to sell the same games at less in the hopes that Steam's marketshare goes down and the publishers have the power to dictate terms on commissions, promotions, etc.

But all of this is pure speculation. Probably there are contracts that layout
[/QUOTE]

Very interesting. I understand the industry not wanting Steam going unchallenged but as long as they are doing this pricing stuff with Steam keys then the players still remain in the Steam ecosystem which is the biggest boon to Valve.

Any time that I make a digital purchase on PSN or XBLA or various other non-Steam/non-Desura services I am quickly reminded how much of a time-saver it is to have the most current version of a game download all patched and ready to go as an 'image' rather than the absolute clusterfuck of something like PSN. (download 3GB game only to have it need to be installed and then patched with a conveniently sized 3GB patch)

That's why I seek out Steam and Desura keys because I'm lazy and spoiled and not in the mood to hunt down patches or re-download entire games due to an update. (which can still happen on Steam and Desura depending on how the game is structured)

I'm not loyal; I'm lazy.;)
 
Anyone know what's in the Sega Classic pack in the Sonic bundle? I already have Sonic Generations and Sonic CD, so the bundle is a no go for me. I am interested in getting a copy of Sonic1-3 + Knuckles and Sonic Adventures 2 someday though.
 
I keep telling myself that $14 for a bottle of Grey Goose is a better buy than Mission Runway, and I need to stay away from all computers on New Year's Eve and the day after to prevent myself from getting it.
 
[quote name='ral1121']Waiting for $10 as well.[/QUOTE]

I guess it's possible but I doubt it. They already knocked the price down $2 for a flash sale and it's selling very well.
 
[quote name='Fell Open Ian']Very interesting. I understand the industry not wanting Steam going unchallenged but as long as they are doing this pricing stuff with Steam keys then the players still remain in the Steam ecosystem which is the biggest boon to Valve.

Any time that I make a digital purchase on PSN or XBLA or various other non-Steam/non-Desura services I am quickly reminded how much of a time-saver it is to have the most current version of a game download all patched and ready to go as an 'image' rather than the absolute clusterfuck of something like PSN. (download 3GB game only to have it need to be installed and then patched with a conveniently sized 3GB patch)

That's why I seek out Steam and Desura keys because I'm lazy and spoiled and not in the mood to hunt down patches or re-download entire games due to an update. (which can still happen on Steam and Desura depending on how the game is structured)

I'm not loyal; I'm lazy.;)[/QUOTE]

I am surprised Steam allows competitors to undercut its pricing, frankly. A different company would have never let its competitors be able to issue codes piggybacking on its service.

My best guess of the reason why is (a) Valve as a privately held company actually believes in providing the gaming community the best possible experience even though they sacrifice some short-term profit and/or (b) Valve is dedicated to playing the long game of eventually becoming a near-console with its Linux and Big Picture projects, thus owning the PC gaming industry. This would allow Valve to not only dictate PC DD standards as it does now (ex: Origin & Uplay) but also PC hardware standards, for the benefit of us all as our benevolent master.
 
I just realized I could have bought the family pack for $5.00 and gotten Mission Runway with Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader, Dr. Daisy Pet Vet, and Hot Dish. I'm a fail CAG.

Also, I'm half hoping that Valve/ValuSoft sees a slight upswing in sales for Mission Runway and make it into a daily/flash sale. That would make my Christmas.


Edit: I keep wanting to call it Project Runway.
 
[quote name='Blade']I keep telling myself that $14 for a bottle of Grey Goose is a better buy than Mission Runway, and I need to stay away from all computers on New Year's Eve and the day after to prevent myself from getting it.[/QUOTE]

I'm still working on a 1.75L bottle of Absolute from last week. Treats me well :D Not a fan of the Grey Goose.

Back on topic, I've used Nexus (started back on Fallout 3, New Vegas and then Skyrim), but haven't used Steamworks yet. I have tons of graphics mods for Skyrim through Nexus...if I get Steamworks mods....is that gonna compatiblity issues? Or should I stick with Nexus mods or Steamworks...
 
[quote name='nategator']I am surprised Steam allows competitors to undercut its pricing, frankly. A different company would have never let its competitors be able to issue codes piggybacking on its service.
[/QUOTE]

Isn't that a bit like saying that Walmart can't have sales/discounts on Amazon or Best Buy (etc.) gift cards? The Steam Store (not the DRM aspect) is just another retailer.
 
[quote name='ral1121']Waiting for $10 as well.[/QUOTE]
Bah. I hate buying a game just so I can play a mod. D: Probably gonna bite the bullet.
 
[quote name='starscream1101']I'm still working on a 1.75L bottle of Absolute from last week. Treats me well :D Not a fan of the Grey Goose.

Back on topic, I've used Nexus (started back on Fallout 3, New Vegas and then Skyrim), but haven't used Steamworks yet. I have tons of graphics mods for Skyrim through Nexus...if I get Steamworks mods....is that gonna compatiblity issues? Or should I stick with Nexus mods or Steamworks...[/QUOTE]

You can mix and match just fine. I do.

The graphic mods pretty much have to be Nexus because they are HUGE. Also they don't really interfere with much. They just replace textures is all.
 
[quote name='momouchi']I missed the Sonic Complain Train but come one Steam. I wanted Generations at 7.50 like the Summer sale, but now it's a no-buy. Also Steam needs to put Dark Souls up tomorrow at $15 or I'll be heading over to Amazon.[/QUOTE]
Don't worry, my friend - The Sonic Complain Train is out of the station, but you can still hop on; $14.99 is an abysmal sale price compared to the countless times Sonic Generations has been $7.49.

[quote name='juanjava']One of my kids is a Sonic fan... he loves Sonic Adventure DX... is Sonic Adventure 2 good? How is the port? Is the DLC worth?[/QUOTE]
This is the only thing I'd like to know before taking the plunge - If the port is as bad as Sonic Adventure DX, then I'd rather dig out my Dreamcast. If it's at least the same level of quality as Jet Set Radio, then I'm sold.

[quote name='Teeheehee']Anyone know what's in the Sega Classic pack in the Sonic bundle? I already have Sonic Generations and Sonic CD, so the bundle is a no go for me. I am interested in getting a copy of Sonic1-3 + Knuckles and Sonic Adventures 2 someday though.[/QUOTE]
I don't think it matters anymore, since the SEGA Classics entry has, after about 3 hours of being advertised as part of the bundle, vanished.
 
[quote name='starscream1101']
Back on topic, I've used Nexus (started back on Fallout 3, New Vegas and then Skyrim), but haven't used Steamworks yet. I have tons of graphics mods for Skyrim through Nexus...if I get Steamworks mods....is that gonna compatiblity issues? Or should I stick with Nexus mods or Steamworks...[/QUOTE]

I use both and all is well. As long as you have the load order set properly and observe any noted conflicts you should be fine mixing and matching.
 
[quote name='Neuro5i5']Isn't that a bit like saying that Walmart can't have sales/discounts on Amazon or Best Buy (etc.) gift cards? The Steam Store (not the DRM aspect) is just another retailer.[/QUOTE]

Best analogy I can make is when Apple owned the digital music DRM and prohibited competitors from using the same.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FairPlay#Harmony:_RealPlayer_Music_on_the_iPod

It took music companies abandoning DRM in order for anyone else to get market share. And apple still pretty much owns digital music.

I think that's how most companies act in a similar circumstance. For example, Microsoft owns the .doc standard and made it difficult for any other word processing competitors to create .doc files or open .doc files perfectly, locking in most customers and charging them massively more than what the software was worth.

Valve is kinda like Google with search. Google gives away Android even though they are probably losing some short-term revenue in order to own search.
 
[quote name='Dalrint']Which is all well and good (and I bought two copies) but doesn't answer the question.

Because if it was 66% off in thanksgiving, it probably will be as a daily deal again, which means the DLC will probably be cheaper than it is now.[/QUOTE]


There are three price trackers in my sig. Make sure you check the DLC specifically, sometimes the base goes on sale but the DLC does not.
 
[quote name='EliotAndrews']Don't worry, my friend - The Sonic Complain Train is out of the station, but you can still hop on; $14.99 is an abysmal sale price compared to the countless times Sonic Generations has been $7.49.[/QUOTE]

Makes me glad I grabbed one of those AMD Brazil Facebook codes, otherwise I'd be right there with you on that Sonic Complain Train.
 
[quote name='asheskitty']There are three price trackers in my sig. Make sure you check the DLC specifically, sometimes the base goes on sale but the DLC does not.[/QUOTE]

People need to bookmark your sig. lol
 
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