We’re already at day five of the Steam Summer Sale, and this is about the time I start running out of jokes. How many ways can I tell you that I’ve spent too much money, or that my wallet is hurting? Besides, you deserve better. So I’m going to take this a different way. “What is the martial art expert’s favorite beverage?” “Kara-tea”…. Ok yeah that was horrible. Let’s pretend this never happened.
Just a reminder, unless the game you want is a daily deal or a flash sale, don’t buy it yet. There’s plenty of time left, and we’re all going to laugh when you buy something that goes on sale for more the next day.
Men Of War: Vietnam – $8.74 – Men Of War does a decent job of invoking the real fear of war as this game is brutally hard and will punish you for the slightest misstep. If you’re willing to work with the steep learning curve and the outdated visuals, there is a lot of fun to be had here. My recommendation is to grab either the original or Red Tide for single player or Assault Squad for the multiplayer while staying the hell away from Vietnam
Assassin’s Creed Revelations – $13.59 – This is going to sound strange, but stay with me. You should buy Assassin’s Creed Revelations for the multiplayer. I know, I’m speaking heresy, but here me out. I’m assuming you’ve played one of the titles along the line. They’re all fantastic games, and you can’t really go wrong with any of them.
Revelations wasn’t a gigantic leap forward for the series outside of great improvements to the multiplayer. I’ve never played a multiplayer game quite like this, the closest I can think of is The Ship. You have to talk to your opponents using all of the tricks you’ve learned throughout the game in order to stay alive. The stealthier your kill, the more points you’ll rack up. It’s really an incredible experience trying to blend in with a crowd knowing that two of the people around you are out for your blood. I haven’t checked in for a while, so I’m not quite sure how the community is right now, but the experience is worth the price of admission. This is a great way to bide your time until Assassin’s Creed 3 hits later this year.
Knights of the Old Republic – $2.49 – One of the all-time great RPGs, Knights of the Old Republic is the yardstick that all other Star Wars games are measured against. The graphics may not have aged gracefully, and there are some mechanics that feel clunky by today’s standards, but anyone willing to look past this will find a stellar title waiting for them. This is definitely worth picking up.
Age Of Empires III – $9.99– Is Age of Empires really 7 years old now? Wow, now I’m a bit depressed. Age of Empires 3 is one of the best made real time strategy games to every grace the PC, however, it hasn’t aged exceptionally well. Everything is well balanced and for being a 7 year old game it plays fantastically. Fans of RTS games in general will find a lot to love here if they’re willing to deal with the dated presentation, but fans new to the genre may be better suited looking for something that plays a bit smoother.
Dear Esther – $2.49– Dear Esther isn’t a game in the traditional sense. Think of it as an interactive story of sorts. The game is extremely short (weighing in at around 1.5 hours) and there isn’t anything in the way of conflict/puzzles or anything else that you would really be used to. As a game, it’s not worth your money. It is, however, completely worth the money as an interactive narrative. It’s a refreshing take on storytelling, and if you look at this as more of a movie you’re going to have a great time with it.
Rage – $9.99 – If you ask ten people about Rage, you’ll get 10 different responses. The bottom line is that the game, while technically proficient, isn’t the greatest FPS of all time. id tried to create a FPS reminiscent of the glory days but it just falls a bit flat. The story never lives up to its full potential, and a lot of the quests are uninspired. The game attempted to be more accessible by almost eliminating the possibility of dying, and without that to strike fear in the players mind it becomes a chore at parts to push through. On the plus side, the game looks absolutely fantastic. In the end though, I’d say pass on this one, there are games more deserving than your money on the way.
Iron Front: Liberation 1944 – $19.99– Yet another game that was birthed as a mod from Arma II, Iron Front: Liberation 1944 is an ultra-realistic World War 2 shooter. Sadly, the game is plagued with bugs and has one of the least intuitive UIs, making this pretty much impossible to recommend to anyone outside of a hardcore Arma II fan. If you’re really looking for an ultra-realistic shooter, wait for Arma II to go on sale later.
Metro 2033 – $4.99 – Metro 2033 is a phenomenal title that never garnered the following it really deserved. The game has an incredible focus on its world, and harkens back to the earlier days of survival games where every fight has weight behind it. There is a really great modding community here to fix a lot of issues that were present at launch. This game is made for hardcore gamers and has a few bugs, but if you’re for a more shooter centric version of Fallout 3 it’s worth looking into. The atmosphere alone makes this game worth every penny of its asking price right now, and I have to recommend it for people looking for a game to get lost in.
Indie Bundle V – $9.99 – This isn’t my favorite bundle we’re going to see during this sale. It’s not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but none of the games here are really must have. AudioSurf is a brilliant music game powered by your own MP3s, but your enjoyment on that will depend on how much you could enjoy a rhythm puzzle game. Greed Corp is a pretty good turn based strategy game that’s worth looking into, and The Tiny Bang Story is a fun little adventure game. The savior of this bundle would have to be Ys: The Oath in Felghana which is a stellar action RPG, although you’d probably want a controller to play it. You can definitely get 10 bucks worth of enjoyment here, and if you’re a big fan of indie games you should definitely pick this up, but you may be better served pocketing it for later.
We’ve been covering all of the flash sales right here. Click the link, keep it bookmarked and check back often as we’ve been updating it regularly to help you get the most out of this sale.
Until tomorrow, folks.
