Games Addict: Bargains noticed in the sales (updated)

I know I have too many unplayed games (and havent even updated the embarrassing list with what I bought the last few months…) but it will be hard to resist to get my hands on games that were on my watchlist they get below £10! I need help :D

This weekend only: Company of Heroes Gold £7.49 Impulse (bought)

Company of Heroes: Gold Edition

This weekend only: Sins of a Solar Empire £10.49 Impulse (already own it)

This weekend only:  Mr. Robot £6.49 Impulse (looks like a fun indie)

Still going:

Planescape Torment,  £9.73 thehut (own the original)

Borderlands, £12.73 , TheHut (not going to resist much longer but resisting as I have yet to even install all my recent purchases)

Demigod, £7.98, Gameplay (bought)

Warhammer Online, £5.98, GAME (I already own it)

Champions Online £9.98 GAME

Silent Hunter IV Wolves of the Pacific $14.99 Steam (bought when it was 9.99)

Red Faction Guerilla, £7.98, Gameplay (compare to $19.99 in the Steam Sale) (tempted…)

Fallout 3, £6.98, Gameplay (bought)

World of Warcraft - Battlechest, £6.98, Gameplay (cheaper than a 30 day sub)

Assassins Creed Directors Cut $9.99 Steam

Defense Grid, $2.49, Steam (now 6.99) (bought)

S.T.A.L.K.E.R $1.99 Steam

Mirror’s Edge $4.98 Steam

Fahrenheit / Indigo Prophecy $3.40 Steam

 

Steam has a huge sale but most titles in it that I checked are cheaper elsewhere, so do check unless you like the steam friends connection - I listed some of the bargains below. Impulse has a sale on older titles, I picked up a few action titles (for example the shadowgrounds set) and Fallen Earth at a bargain price (gone up a little again, but still half RRP), Eve Online is $9.99 as well. Torchlight seems $9.99 everywhere

I managed to buy Fallen Earth twice during the sale, that’s how bad I was!

Gog.com had 30 to 45% off on most of their catalogue - at $3.89 I bought some I already own on original CDs for the convenience of the configuration for Vista/Windows 7 compatibility. Games include: All Might&Magic & HOMM, the Descent series, Ground Control Series, Earth 21.. series, Hostile Waters (a firm favorite of mine), Sacrifice (another favorite), Spellforce (another favorite), Disciples 2 (cheaper than the Steam sale), Giants, tons more . And yes, I bought a few I already own, just for the ease of playing them again, and the soundtrack and other extras.

These are of course biased to games I noted in the past, plenty more bargains out there. Let me know if you find better ones!

 

Demigod bargain

From: https://store.stardock.com/cart/add/ESD-TGN-W293/referer;iphigenie

oooh - @impulsedriven has Demigod at £9.20 - I’ve bought too many unplayed games but… tempted!

Demigod (Digital Download)

Game: Dragon Age

Link: Dragon Age thoughts

From: http://www.brainygamer.com/the_brainy_gamer/2009/11/its-an-rpg-thing.html

Criticizing Dragon Age’s formulaic plot, malleable though it may be, is like shooting fish in a barrel. The demons from the spirit realm, the shadow lord arch-villain, the descent to the netherworld, the errands, the team gathering, the mages, rogues, and warriors - it’s all well-worn territory. Dragon Age elevates it with richer characters, more interesting sidequests, and a dialogue system that can lead to genuinely surprising outcomes; but a revolutionary RPG this is not.

Dragon Age explores well-defined mythic territory, so complaining about its formulaic nature is like whining about all the singing in opera. No, my problem with Dragon Age isn’t about archetypes or storytelling tropes. It’s about the all-too familiar mechanical constraints that have worn out their welcome. As games like Dragon Age grow more ambitious, offering role-playing that feels increasingly flexible and responsive, the rigid niggly stuff seems more out of place than ever.

More about Dragon Age

Game: The Void

The Void review (enthusiatic)

From: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/09/29/wot-i-think-the-void/

This is an article devoted to why The Void is the most important game you are GOING TO FUCKING PLAY. You hear me?

the real opponent is your own ignorance. And that’s the crux of it, really. The most satisfying moments in The Void come from deducing some minute detail of life in this crippled land, and using it to best one of the other inhabitants.

And what inhabitants. So in the Void live Sisters, Brothers and Predators. Or more accurately, Sisters, Brothers, Predators and You. You encounter the Sisters first. They’re all beautiful women who embody the ennui of the Void. Ageless, mercurial, stoic and knowledgeable, they wait out the game in their respective chambers. The more energetic ones might brood, scheme or berate you from the safety of their thrones, or couches, or swing-sets, but they’re ultimately sad figures and unable to turn down your gifts of colour whenever you need something from them.

Choice Sister quote: “Nobody cares about anything anymore. And nobody knows why nobody cares.”

More about The Void

Game: Space Rangers 2: Rise of the Dominators

Gameswatch: a Space Rangers 2 review

From: http://computergames.ro/en/games/viewitem/id/3582/name/space-rangers-2-reboot/section/review.html

An interesting type of missions are the planetary battles, at which point the game makes a right turn down RTS lane. Basically, you have an army of faithful robots you need to use in order to capture enemy bases. The enemies are in fact the Dominators, and when all three types meet on the same map, you can be sure they will not be afraid to battle each other.

A mech-warrior-like lab can be used to configure your robots, choosing armor, propulsion and weapon systems (and there’s plenty of those). The way the robots are built is vital, and alongside the terrain, it can decide the outcome of the battle, resulting in a dynamic and furious strategic gameplay. No thanks to the AI, mind you, which is a bit silly, but more likely to the intelligent design of the maps.

Furthermore, we have an interesting (although not completely original) feature: the ability to manually control any robot under your command, at which point the game becomes a true FPS. In it, you can take the enemy head-on, testing your design and adjusting as necessary, in an action-packed sequence that rivals the old Starcraft in terms of strategy and reaction speed.

But perhaps the most exciting type of mission is the so-called adventure. These are nothing but text puzzles which can be solved by selecting the presented course of action. Variety is again the key-word here, and you will need to use logic, mathematics, memory and imagination in order to solve them.

If for example winning a rock competition, with only a few hundred rockadollars to your disposal, or winning a motorcycle race may be somewhat normal, the slightly disturbed imagination of the producers can be observed in other such adventures. Such as the test for a sex-change, where you need to let yourself be transformed into a six-eyed raccoon, and battle your peers. Or cooking a gross-pizza for a hungry Maloq.

Or getting a form stamped (who would have thought the secretary was hiding in the toilet). In a word, each adventure is original and full of funny moments, if you have the patience to fully go through the text. The humor is everywhere and of high-quality, and I wasn’t embarrassed to laugh on my own when I saluted a Maloq prince is a full-force jab, or read a silly question in a press conference (during some presidential elections).

More about Space Rangers 2: Rise of the Dominators

Use-what-you-have-challenge: I need a plan

This refers to Challenge: use what you have but the summary was that:
Each week I will do the following
1) read a book I have owned for more than 1 year. I will alternate fiction (easier) and non fiction
2) play an old game I havent played in 1 year, or ever
3) watch one of my old DVDs
4) spend some time on one of the million web2.0/community sites that I registered for and never did anything, and decide whether to dump it or not

I’m not doing too bad on books and DVDs, but games are tough - I am not playing my existing games and still tempted to buy some of the great games coming out… maybe making this public will make me stick to the challenge…

Games I could revisit:

Descent 2 and Descent 3
Sacrifice
Freespace
Red Faction
Evil Islands (under way)
Might and Magic 6 (under way)
Disciples 2
Sacred
Neverwinter Nights
Arcanum
SWAT 4
Myth
Chaser
Fable
Silverfall
Max Payne
No One Lives Forever 2
Prey
Iwar 2
H&D 2
Armies of Exigo
Europa 1400 & The Guild 2
Hostile Waters
Tortuga Two Treasures
Battle Mages

That’s just a random grab from my list  - I’d welcome suggestions/votes as to which one anyone is interested in my revisiting and writing about

The embarrassing games list (or “why i shouldnt buy any more games”)

This year I have decided to revisit old games, and as a part of this I tried to check how many games I actually have around…
The embarassing things is that there are quite a few I can’t remember playing.
Here’s the list (missing some of the Steam and Impulse games + some casual ones):

 

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Vintage gamers: replaying old games together

I have written before about replaying older games (or playing them for the first time) as something that can both be fun and make one think about games, fun, and the evolution of both.

I’m by far not the only one and there is a group around Brainy Gamer, called “Vintage Game Club” which tries to play and old game as a group (in the way a book club reads a book as a group). I like that idea, might even join if they choose a game I have. the nominations so far look promising It reminds me of the time when I played Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, SWAT3 or Hidden and Dangerous with some of my Alt.Games.Half-Life friends (some of which still read this site, hello!, no i have not gone all new age on you and yes I still play games). I like the idea of playing the same game as others at the same time and being able to rant, help, laugh and discuss it all.

The forum is here

© 2008. All my writing and photos are © Iphigenie - third party images and quoted text from reviews,poems etc. obviously are not mine and just shown as a teaser to going to the link in question