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)
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  • 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='momouchi']System Shock 2 is one of the few games that will be added as a non-steam product on my Steam account.[/QUOTE]

I can be so lazy sometimes, hehe.

For some reason, since I reinstalled it (that was back when Patch 2.24 first came out), I didn't add it as a Non-Steam game.

I added it this morning as Non-Steam game.
 
[quote name='sleeping_lights_on']lol. gog added 1920*1200 to System Shock 2. absolute madness. so very impressive. gog needs to be supported in every way feasible. the company is just dynamite. i'll by 2 copies of system shock and 2 more of cyberpunk. KEEP! it up.[/QUOTE]

In full disclosure, it wasn't GOG (Tho they helped), but Stephen Kick of Night Dive Studios who made it happen.

BTW, is there any advantage of attaching a non-Steam game to Steam? The only thing I saw the one time I tried was that you get the overlay. I was hoping it would keep record of play time, but it didn't.
 
[quote name='TheLongshot']In full disclosure, it wasn't GOG (Tho they helped), but Stephen Kick of Night Dive Studios who made it happen.

BTW, is there any advantage of attaching a non-Steam game to Steam? The only thing I saw the one time I tried was that you get the overlay. I was hoping it would keep record of play time, but it didn't.[/QUOTE]

Was 1900x1200 officially added via Patch 2.4?

About adding a Non-Steam game while on Steam - you can do screenshot-taking on Steam (and add those pics); and Steam-Friends can see what game you're playing (in case you all want to match-make a game; or they want to buy what you're playing; etc).

With Non-Steam games added on Steam - you do NOT get Steam time-tracking; automatic Steam updates; Steam-Cloud support; and all of that Steamworks-related stuff.
 
I've played all the SS2 I need to for a lifetime but it's nice to see it get support for the future. I may get it again when it comes out on Steam. It's a classic.

Also, it's a surprisingly easy game. I always thought Bioshock was harder.
 
The main advantage of setting it up as a shortcut is the overlay. That way you can talk to people without alt tabbing. It's also nice to sort it through Steam if you don't like cluttering your desktop or start menu with thousands of shortcuts.
 
[quote name='sleeping_lights_on']the term "activates on" is another way of saying DRM. i know i know. but it feels SO good. gotta hand it to gog for the TOTALLY drm free stuff. I love taking my files and installing them here, there, everywhere. laptop desktop. etc. its great. counterpoint, i suppose you can do this with steam if you have an internet connection.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='asheskitty']Hate > Knowledge

Desura isn't DRM.

34939766.jpg
[/QUOTE]

[quote name='Bios Element']He'd probably have a heart attack if he realized you could 'activate' a few games on gog too. >.>[/QUOTE]

So... It doesn't activate on Desura, then?
 
[quote name='sleeping_lights_on']lol. gog added 1920*1200 to System Shock 2. absolute madness. so very impressive. gog needs to be supported in every way feasible. the company is just dynamite. i'll by 2 copies of system shock and 2 more of cyberpunk. KEEP! it up.[/QUOTE]
If they could only get the rights to some of the old Star Trek games..... Elite Force,....Armada, ...Bridge Commander
 
[quote name='DukeEdwardI']You're going to be waiting a while. Since the Bioware points deal on Origin back in late 2011 (IIRC) they haven't been on sale. It's extremely irritating.

However, if Hell freezes over and Bioware points DO go on sale, you'll definitely hear about it here.[/QUOTE]

I just don't want to miss it if it happens lol

Really tempted to just go ahead and pick it up but the CAG in me finds these prices insulting.
 
I'm trying to remember who... Geno?

SomeCAG missed the IGS Crazy Machines Bundle since it disappeared before the timer was up last time.

Thanks Seamoss.
[quote name='seamoss']This is a surprise: Galactic Civilizations I: Ultimate Edition added to the BTA level in the current IndieGala bundle.

Also a bunch of new & old GalaStore bundles, starting at $0.99:

http://store.indiegala.com/index.php/active-deals/the-rockin-bundle.html
http://store.indiegala.com/index.php/active-deals/the-crazy-machines-bundle.html
http://store.indiegala.com/index.php/active-deals/the-alter-ego-bundle.html
http://store.indiegala.com/index.php/active-deals/the-cargo-bundle.html[/QUOTE]
 
Sine Mora for $3.39. This should be pennies/bundle fodder by now.

I think the reviewers failed horribly on this one, giving it positive reviews. It's all flash and botches so many of the little things that make the genre good that I can't recommend it but for pennies/bundle fodder you could do a LOT worse. Within the shump genre, you could do a lot better though.
 
[quote name='TheLongshot']In full disclosure, it wasn't GOG (Tho they helped), but Stephen Kick of Night Dive Studios who made it happen.

BTW, is there any advantage of attaching a non-Steam game to Steam? The only thing I saw the one time I tried was that you get the overlay. I was hoping it would keep record of play time, but it didn't.[/QUOTE]

Raptr is the way to go if you want to track playing time. Gives you a summary (though not as accurate as Steam sometimes) and then ranks you based on the entire community and your friends.
 
[quote name='RollingSkull']Sine Mora for $3.39. This should be pennies/bundle fodder by now.

I think the reviewers failed horribly on this one, giving it positive reviews. It's all flash and botches so many of the little things that make the genre good that I can't recommend it but for pennies/bundle fodder you could do a LOT worse. Within the shump genre, you could do a lot better though.[/QUOTE]
I'm glad I held off then - I wasn't sold on the game, despite plenty of talk about it when it was first released. It sounds like I made the right call.
 
[quote name='RollingSkull']Sine Mora for $3.39. This should be pennies/bundle fodder by now.

I think the reviewers failed horribly on this one, giving it positive reviews. It's all flash and botches so many of the little things that make the genre good that I can't recommend it but for pennies/bundle fodder you could do a LOT worse. Within the shump genre, you could do a lot better though.[/QUOTE]

Besides the CAVE games on ios/360, what STG's are you talking about? If you're just playing the role of curmudgeon, that's cool, but if you have some suggestions for pc I would love to hear them [no fan-made stuff or Jamestown suggestions please].
 
Contrarian viewpoint:

I really liked Sine Mora. It was beautiful, offered sufficient challenge and was well worth the £2 or so that I spent on it.

I also suck at shmups which is maybe why I liked it so much. If somebody can find my Steam review they're welcome to C&P it here (I'm on mobile and can't see it).
 
[quote name='mujahid9']Besides the CAVE games on ios/360, what STG's are you talking about? If you're just playing the role of curmudgeon, that's cool, but if you have some suggestions for pc I would love to hear them [no fan-made stuff or Jamestown suggestions please].[/QUOTE]

Do you realize that, quite literally, every modern shump on PC that is not MAME emulated is either fanmade, Sine Mora, or Jamestown? It isn't like Touhou, Ether Vapor, Exceed, Blue Wish, and the Gundemonium games aren't doujin works. Hydorah too. That's like telling me to give you a list of hack and slash action games but then telling me "No fan works or Devil May Cry games please."

If you at ALL like shumps in any meaningful way then you have an Xbox 360 or at least access to one, or you have MAME and are emulating a whole suite of them. If you don't, you still won't like SM because it's gimmicky, slow-paced, poorly balanced crap.

"Just being a curmudgeon" is a good line though. I'll have to save it for the next time people go into a reflexive Call of Duty hatred refrain.

[quote name='Flowette']Contrarian viewpoint:

I really liked Sine Mora. It was beautiful, offered sufficient challenge and was well worth the £2 or so that I spent on it.

I also suck at shmups which is maybe why I liked it so much. If somebody can find my Steam review they're welcome to C&P it here (I'm on mobile and can't see it).[/QUOTE]

I'LL DEAL WITH YOU LATER FLOWETTE.

Granted, if their art guys got behind a shump that had some better design to it, I'd be a much bigger fan.
 
I'll actually throw some support behind RS on this one. Sine Mora is a very pretty well produced game. It can be a somewhat fun and suitably bizarre Grasshopper design experience. What it is not however is a good Shmup. I think it's fully worth the $3.39 it's being sold for, but I also spent $120 on the Pink Sweets/Much Muchi Pork import for the 360 so I may be slightly more forgiving than some for games in the genre.

The problem as I see it first and foremost is random power ups. You can play it as well as it can be played and you can just get hosed by bad drops. "Bad drops" is not something that should ever be in the same world as a proper shmup. The time mechanic is an interesting one, but in part due to the randomized power ups it's not particularly well balanced. These games are high score challenges in their purest form and Sine Mora just doesn't work as one.

This being said it's not a "bad" game, for the average casual shmup fan it's pretty, flahsy, decently challenging and suitably "Japanese" in it's kookiness. Most people don't have the time or desire to build up to a perfect stage run in a Cave/Raizing/Touhou shooter. They don't want to analyze the scoring system to figure just when bombing is acceptable for scoring vs. simply surviving or when you should suicide to reduce your rank. With that mindset Sine Mora is perfectly acceptable and can even be considered a "good" game.

Then again as far as Steam games go, I think Jamestown is horribly overrated for what it is so again, putting that out there for opinion context.
 
It's around now that I should be wheeling out the "it's a good shmup for fans of not-shmups" but I've been to Hogwarts today and I'm knackered.

Other ace games in genres-I'm-not-a-fan-of: Defender's Quest.
 
[quote name='Flowette']It's around now that I should be wheeling out the "it's a good shmup for fans of not-shmups" but I've been to Hogwarts today and I'm knackered.

Other ace games in genres-I'm-not-a-fan-of: Defender's Quest.[/QUOTE]

What is Hogwarts?
 
The Book of Unwritten Tales is tempting at $5, but it seems like bundle material.
 
[quote name='Flowette']It's around now that I should be wheeling out the "it's a good shmup for fans of not-shmups" but I've been to Hogwarts today and I'm knackered.

Other ace games in genres-I'm-not-a-fan-of: Defender's Quest.[/QUOTE]

I quite enjoyed the demo for Defender's Quest myself, but I'm waiting for the inevitable 75% off sale or bundle inclusion.
 
[quote name='imac2much']I quite enjoyed the demo for Defender's Quest myself, but I'm waiting for the inevitable 75% off sale or bundle inclusion.[/QUOTE]

Do you think if an indie game that was universally praised stated publicly that they would never be included in a future indie bundle, that would cause higher sales?

Keep in mind, for this hypothetical I'm talking about FTL levels of praise.
 
[quote name='Eldredpe']Do you think if an indie game that was universally praised stated publicly that they would never be included in a future indie bundle, that would cause higher sales?

Keep in mind, for this hypothetical I'm talking about FTL levels of praise.[/QUOTE]

Possibly. But I'm not sure if people would believe it. I can recall at least one instance where a dev (the guys behind Cubeman) swore up & down that their game would never be in a bundle. Six weeks later it showed up in an Indie Royale.

Though I think it's safe to assume that Defenders Quest will show up in a bundle sooner or later. In fact, I'd call it a lock. The devs have already stated on their website that they were actively trying to get in an Humble or Indie Royale bundle.
 
Indie games have been irreparably devalued due to indie bundles. It's just a fact now and unless bundles are stopped completely it's not going to change. Their best bet is so much critical praise they can sell tons of copies before the eventual bundle.
 
[quote name='CheapLikeAFox']Indie games have been irreparably devalued due to indie bundles. It's just a fact now and unless bundles are stopped completely it's not going to change. Their best bet is so much critical praise they can sell tons of copies before the eventual bundle.[/QUOTE]

I agree for the most part, but games like Baston and Hotline Miami have sold like hotcakes....
 
Shift codes:

14 Feb, Clap Traps Love Machine (not the Loverpalooza shotgun code), still active:
WTC3B-Z5ZWC-HW6JT-JJJBJ-9FWXR

Today:
W3CJJ-BZR5C-ZK6T3-TT3TT-JS6T3


Yes, Sacred Gold is certainly worth the buck. Sacred 2 Gold was getting a lot of Buzz in thread since it just made it onto steam in December (and the expansion was never available in the US, some of us owned the UK version).
 
[quote name='CheapLikeAFox']Their best bet is so much critical praise they can sell tons of copies before the eventual bundle.[/QUOTE]

Hotline Miami and FTL are two shining examples of this. ;)
 
[quote name='Eldredpe']Do you think if an indie game that was universally praised stated publicly that they would never be included in a future indie bundle, that would cause higher sales?

Keep in mind, for this hypothetical I'm talking about FTL levels of praise.[/QUOTE]

It might, I know if I were an indie dev, that's exactly what I would do. If I had 100% guarantee that indie games I have a lot of interest in won't ever be bundled, I'd definitely buy them. It's all down to how much we can trust the devs.
 
[quote name='CheapLikeAFox']Indie games have been irreparably devalued due to indie bundles. It's just a fact now and unless bundles are stopped completely it's not going to change. Their best bet is so much critical praise they can sell tons of copies before the eventual bundle.[/QUOTE]


For the amateur devs certainly. There is however a space in the market for old-hand devs, like Torchlight ][, and Giana Sisters. (I contend TL1's inclusion in that HB right before the TL2 release was well done marketing. I'd also note that TL1 had hit $5 on quite a few sales before that.)
 
I think the CAGs and deal watchers don't really add up to as many people as sometimes we think. I mean, it seems like every other week there's some insane deal on Amazon yet Steam'll put it on a weekend deal and it'll still hit the top sellers despite the fact it was about 1/4 of the price.

I mean, Ace of Spades is pretty big bundle fodder material with an absolutely PUTRID word of mouth and is in the top sellers right now.

Edit: Well, it was, but it's dropped. But even still, a game like Impire, from a company like Paradox that most deal watchers know gets crazy with the sales is the third best seller right now.
 
[quote name='Corpekata']I think the CAGs and deal watchers don't really add up to as many people as sometimes we think. I mean, it seems like every other week there's some insane deal on Amazon yet Steam'll put it on a weekend deal and it'll still hit the top sellers despite the fact it was about 1/4 of the price.

I mean, Ace of Spades is pretty big bundle fodder material with an absolutely PUTRID word of mouth and is in the top 10 sellers right now.[/QUOTE]

But I think that the crossover between people who pay attention to new indie releases and people who are in the know on bundles/deals is quite high.
 
Amazon isn't really a good example for this though. Their deals are poorly advertised and unless you frequent a forum or community with Tony as a member then you might miss out on a lot of their deals.

In the digital world I think Humble Bundle definitely has a higher profile than Amazon even and even if you just consider HiB, I think the crossover is pretty big there.

Some devs can get past the indie bundle devaluation, but even with games like Giana Sisters there's a ton of people waiting for it to be bundled.

I don't think indie games are worthless and I think even the cheapest ass gamer would happily play full price if it's a great game they enjoy, but for those without a strong interest in a game, it's more of a wait and see approach even when it's on sale.
 
[quote name='Eldredpe']
Keep in mind, for this hypothetical I'm talking about FTL levels of praise.[/QUOTE]

Which is odd because I thought FTL was mediocre.

In a sane world, no. Indie games should be bundled and given away with real games like peanuts at a restaurant.

Actually, I'll buy an indie game on release that tickles my fancy. HM was THAT good. Exceed too. Magical Diary I bought too.
 
the vast majority of indie games are not worth having to skim past in your steam library imo

there are exceptions (cave story, amnesia, etc) but i lost faith in the indie scene a long time. too much faux retro aesthetics and chip tunes to cover up tired game mechanics and lazy design.

i will try FTL if it ever gets bundled though.
 
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