Half Magic, Half Terror

One of the few magical times of year is finally here!  Not only is it summer (the most magical time for teachers!) but it's also time for the excitement and wallet-burning fervor that is the Steam Summer Sale.  I always go into Steam Sale week with the mentality that I will be a cautious buyer and not start clicking away like mad.  The sad part is that I always fail--even with the new, much less pressuring format of the modern Steam Sale (the old school countdown timers were my ultimate downfall).

I am enjoying the very cute-sy picnic theme for the sale...happy little popcorn and hot dogs enjoying a multitude of summer activities.  But who cares about stupid cartoon popcorn...we all know it's really the slashed prices on games that matter.  I've picked up a veritable menagerie of games that really don't seem to have any rhyme or reason to them.  The good news is that the most I've spent on one game is $15.  There are some AAA titles on sale, but not discounted enough for my tastes (...plus, there really aren't any triple A games that I'm interested in right now).  The bad news is that I went into this sale feeling like I needed something new to play--a feeling akin to going to the grocery store when you're hungry...everything looks delicious and you wind up buying way more than you intended to.

Here are my purchases so far...(and hopefully for the rest of the sale!  God willing...)

1.) The Banner Saga Bundle (Store Page)....I greatly enjoy turn-based RPG's and have heard that this is a fun one.  Plus, I like vikings and the art style looks awesome.  I've read that it's kind of flawed....but VIKINGS!  The bundle included both the first game and the fairly-newish second game.

2.) The Walking Dead:  Michonne (Store Page)--As a fan of TWD (who is still peeved about the ending of the TV series--but also of the comics) I felt inclined to pick this one up.  I generally try to get TellTale games during sales.  They aren't the kind of thing that you're going to replay for hundreds of hours and not really worth paying full price.  Sure, their formula is pretty tried and true (and some would argue stale) but I enjoy a good story and Michonne is one of the more interesting characters in TWD universe.

Soon to be cruising the roads o' Europe.

3.)  European Truck Simulator Bundle (Store Page)--I don't secretly yearn to drive a big-rig or anything like that, but I've read a lot of good things about the truck simulator games.  There's something peaceful in the thought of hitting the virtual open roads and cruising Europe....and creating a trucking monolith that dominates trade!  Unbeknownst to me (I didn't read the whole description for the bundle) it included the original game too...plus a bunch of other spinoffs...there's a bus game, a tractor-trailer one, and enough DLC paint job packs to keep your trucks looking spiffy.

4.) American Truck Simulator (Store Page)--So, I also couldn't pass up the opportunity to virtually drive trucks in the United States.  Really hoping that I like these games......

5.) Undertale (Store Page)--This one has sat on my wishlist for a long time.  I had heard very good things about it from students, but was hesitant to dive into something that seemed so....trendy.  I'm hoping it's as quirky and fun as I've been told.

6.) Subnautica (Store Page)--I generally give early access games a very wide berth, but I can't help but be intrigued by this game.  It looks really cool...you dive, build things, explore, and probably get eaten by a multitude of sea creatures.  I don't think I've ever played a game that has been set completely underwater.

Yeaaaah....so I've just greatly increased my backlog and have several other regretful purchases reminding me of bad choices in past sales.  As a final note...explore your discovery queue every day and cash in those 3 free trading cards.  The few cents you get for each card can add up over the course of the sale and you might save enough to buy a cheap game.  (On a side note:  My discovery queue is really weird.  There are some RPG's, but I also seem to be getting a lot of anime games--including the weird, boob punching ones.  C'mon Steam...the only anime game I played was Chronicles of Valkyria and it was totally G-rated family fun.  I think they need to adjust their algorithm).

Happy purchasing (and then later, the buyers remorse :P)!

 

Waving Goodbye to the Steam Summer Sale

The last two weeks have been jam packed with monster clicking and wallet crunching as the Steam Summer sale forced us to make critical decisions about games.  I am rather proud of myself this year--I don't feel like I made too many impulsive decisions and I picked up some games that I had been sitting on my wishlist for quite awhile.  I always seem to pick at least one that isn't quite what I wanted it to be.

This pretty much sums up the Steam Summer Sale.

This year I felt like I saw a lot of the same deals I generally see at various times--the XCOM franchise is on sale a lot and could be scooped up during the sale for a song.  So what were the best deals?  My current obsession with everything Witcher related points to being able to buy the first two games for under $10.  They pale in comparison to the third, but they are great games nonetheless.  Many of the newer big titles only saw their prices dipped a small amount so hoping to grab a triple A for cheap didn't happen.

The two games I grabbed that I will be trying out once my Witcher mania fades are Pillars of Eternity and The Talos Principle.  I've been interested in them both but didn't want to pay full price.

Some exciting non-sale related news for fans of Tales From the Borderlands--episode three in the series comes out tomorrow.  I've learned not to stress the releases of Telltale Games, they come out when they come out.  Maybe I'll take a short break from monster slaying and return to the adventures of Rhys and Fiona.

Steam Summer Sale

I thought I would take a break from writing about The Witcher 3 (still playing it and having a blast).  Chances are I will write more about it because it is my main focus at the moment but for now, to other news!

Praise Gabe...bringing us amazing deals!

A couple of days ago there were several news stories about the accidental leak of the dates of the Steam Summer Sale.  Steam sales are a magical time where you can stock your gaming library with some great games for dirt cheap.  It's also a time when you can make your pile o' shame a little higher.  (I'm a sucker for $2 games that usually end up unplayed) The leaked dates are June 11th to June 20th with a two additional "encore days" to pick up any great deals that you missed.

My wishlist has a few games on it that I am hoping to grab on the cheap.  There are several indies that I would like to grab for a few bucks.  I'm intrigued by the Cities:  Skylines game but the simulation genre is one that I have mixed experience with.  One game I am hoping will be a featured sale is Pillars of Eternity.  I read a really great article about it and think a big, gorgeous RPG is perfect for my long summer days.  (Divinity:  Original Sin is one of the stars in my pile o' shame--I'm probably 80% done with it, but just can't make myself finish the rest...it's one of my goals for this summer).

So pool your resources and get prepared for the spending spree that is the Summer Sale.  I know I will be anxiously watching the deals and hoping to check off a few games I have been wanting to play.