It’s here, it’s here, it’s finally here! Christmas in the summer is officially upon us. The annual Steam Summer Sale has kicked off this morning, and there are a few new changes to the format this year. For the first time ever, players will be allowed to vote for what goes on sale, as well the inclusion of Flash Sales, which put up some killer deals with a shorter time limit. The sale will be running through July 22nd, so there’s plenty of time to pick find what you’re looking for.
As always, unless the game you want is one of Today’s Deals you may want to hold off. There’s a general rule of Steam Sales, the moment you buy a game it will be discounted even more the next day. We don’t know how Flash Sales will play into this formula, so use your best judgment.
Now, let’s take a look at today’s sales, shall we?
Modern Warfare 3 – $29.99 – There’s nothing I can say that will sell you on Modern Warfare 3 if you’re not a fan, nor could I every turn a hardcore fan away. Modern Warfare 3 certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any stretch of the imagination, but it continues to offer a polished product. The multiplayer is tight and offers a very heavy run and gun approach that fans of the series love. When it first launched there were issues to be had with the multiplayer matchmaking, but the vast majority of these issues have been smoothed over, leaving a polished product behind. This will probably be the lowest this game goes before Black Ops II is released in November.
Portal 2 – $4.99 – There is no excuse to not have played Portal 2 at this point. This game was easily worth the full price of $49.99 when it came out, and it’s an absolute steal here. Titles such as Quantum Conundrum have tried to bottle up the formula, but nothing manages to stand alone quite like the original. While it is a puzzle game, the voice acting and story work made this one of the top titles of the year. Pick this one up immediately if you have any interest in puzzle games.
Terraria – $2.49 – Terraria has been called the bastard child of Minecraft and Metroid, but certainly stands out as more than just the sum of its parts. While developer Re-Logic has sadly stated that there will be no further upgrades for the title, Terraria decidedly stands out as a deep title. The massive focus on exploring and combat parlayed with the fantastic aesthetics make this a killer go-to title. Add in the fantastic multiplayer where you and a few friends can build up your castle before hunting down some of the end game monsters, and you have a title that everyone can get enjoy. $2.49 seems to be the go to price point for the title now, so if you don’t buy it now it’s safe to assume you’ll find it for this again soon.
Total War: Shogun 2 – $7.50 – When Shogun 2 hit $7.50 for the winter sale, I was shocked to see a new title have such a drastic price cut and claimed that it was a must buy for fans of the series. Now that we’re seven months out, the price itself isn’t that awe inspiring, however the game surely is. Shogun stands as a prime launching point for newcomers looking to get into the series, and the streamlined mechanics do a fantastic job of alleviating many of the complaints from veteran players without dumbing down the game. This is worth picking up.
Crusader Kings II – $9.99 – When I was tasked with reviewing Crusader Kings back in February, I was astounded at how much I enjoyed the title. Even with the massive learning curve, I found myself unable to turn off the game until I finished up one more battle or started one more war. This is definitely not a game for everyone; it has a massive learning curve and does nothing new to convert gamers who hate strategy games. For those of you who are willing to put a bit of work in, you can easily lose hundreds of hours to this title.
Heroes of Might and Magic – The Heroes franchise has been a staple of PC gaming for almost as long as I can remember. The fantasy strategy game captivated my friends back in highschool, and anyone who fires up the title for a few minutes can see why. I’ve always thought that Heroes games are better with a group of friends taking turns at the computer and secretly conspiring behind each other’s backs. If you’ve got a few shady friends and a few hours to kill, you can’t really go wrong with any of the titles in the franchise.
Legend of Grimrock – $5.99 – Grimrock is an old-school dungeon crawler that isn’t afraid to murder you and your family. It plays out as a homage to everything that was great about PC gaming while updating some of the mechanics to open it up to the modern markets. The title plays out in real time while adding in a bit of a point and click atmosphere. If you’re a hardcore PC gamer, you have to pick this one up.
Ridge Racer Unbounded – $24.99 – Unbounded is an arcade racing title that has you tearing up the city, literally. With destructible elements and some fantastic crash physics, Unbounded is closer to a Burnout title than anything else. I have not put my hands on this, but from what I’ve heard it’s a fairly decent title, albeit one that you can pass on fairly easily. If you’ve got some experience with the title, leave your thoughts in the comments and I’ll feature your words!
Indie Bundle 1 – $9.99 – Anomaly: Warzone Earth, Cave Story+, EDGE, Lone Survivor, and The Baconing. We broke the news to you about the Indie Bundles last week, and it’s great to see them in action. This is arguable one of the stronger bundles on sale with every title standing capable of standing on it’s own. Cave Story+ is easily one of the best games made in the past 15 years, and I gave Warzone Earth high marks for everything outside of its narrative and length. The Baconing is the third in the Deathspank comedy games, while Lone Survivor can only be described as a pixelated Silent Hill/Amnesia mashup. The price is exceptional for what you’re getting from here, and there’s really no good reason why not to buy in.
(Special thanks to Reddit user Aegeus for pointing out my mistake)
As a reminder, we will be bringing you constant updates with all of the Flash Deals right here. Remember to book mark this page and check back often.
So that’s what’s on the market for day one. What has you the most excited? And more importantly, what can we do to better help you navigate these deals?