darkslayer101
Member
How's Blackwake??
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Steam Summer Sale 2017 |OT| The Weather's Hot and the Deals are Not
- Thread starter Tizoc
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hardcastlemccormick
Banned
I attempt to find a balance between buying games Day One and building a sale backlog.
I think at this point there's literally no justification for buying another game, in my case. In any genre I have, across multiple consoles and handhelds, enough games in every genre to saciate every want.
If I can really pinpoint exactly what I want from a game I will often also wait for the next sale to pick it up. That's been working ok, though I could still do better at just randomly buying stuff for no reason other than "on sale and I might want to play it." It's not even FOMO of the game as much as the discount, which is just gross in retrospect.
Quick edit: I will say that I actually end up playing games that I bought on sale more often than Day One or preorders. The latter tend to be impulse "I'm bored" buys. But if instead I take the time to comb my steam library, I'll usually find something I want to play more and have a good time.
I know that XCOM 2 had the reputation of being a complete technical mess on release so I'm happy to be getting a solid 60fps during gameplay with all settings maxed out but man those 30fps capped cutscenes sure are a big bummer... Especially considering that the game was a PC exclusive originally...
arts&crafts
Member
and the craft summer badge
PixyJunket
Member
Naturally. Thanks for the confirmation.
Last night recommendation for Dungeonmans
Thread here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1238545
Game is one of my favorite roguelikes, has a stellar soundtrack, and is approachable by newbies due to some persistent progression mechanics. Give it a try.
Thread here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1238545
Game is one of my favorite roguelikes, has a stellar soundtrack, and is approachable by newbies due to some persistent progression mechanics. Give it a try.
Kurt Russell
Member
I liked what I played of it. Be wary though, most ships sport offensive names, and you need to play it with voice chat (at the very least you need to be able to hear what your captain says, if you play as a crew member)
someguyinahat
Member
What's this, someguyinahat? Not reviewing a hidden-object game? Stranger things have happened! Here we go with my impressions for Kathy Rain: A Detective is Born.
The story: You play the titular character, a "bad girl" (She smokes cigarettes! She's committed crimes! She's had an abortion!) second-year journalism student (but apparently age 21, so maybe she took some years off?) who seems to have a good heart and some sense of justice. Her dormmate Eileen, a "good girl" prim-and-proper Christian of unspecified denomination, but with the occasional impish streak, informs Kathy of her estranged grandfather's death and essentially forces her to go to the funeral. Kathy goes back to Conwell Springs, a small-town America Twin Peaks-type place, and finds her estranged grandmother, only to discover that her grandfather had become vegetative under mysterious circumstances several years prior to his death. Kathy's main objective is to figure out what really happened to her grandfather, but there's the subtext of making peace with her family and with her past.
There are bits where it gets weird, and despite the weirdness it's a bit predictable, but on the whole it's a cohesive story. It also keeps the characters in check with the adventure game thing: being a "bad girl" explains and justifies some of the criminal-type acts she does, being a journalism student works with trying to solve the mystery, etc. There's only a bit of anachronism (I really doubt software would be that advanced in 1995,) but it wasn't that big a deal.
The post-credits ending was kinda lame. I kinda hoped that if there are any sequels she'd be able to put the events of the first game behind her, but it looks like no.
The gameplay and puzzles: Not many puzzles at all. There was one poem-based puzzle about 3/4 of the way into the game that was a bit tougher, but you're given hints all the way through it so you could brute force it. The game actually comes close to being a visual novel, with just enough inventory puzzles to classify it as "point-and-click."
They did their homework in terms of point-and-clicks though: when you're given a phone, what's the first thing you attempt in a game? Dial 911. Kathy immediately hangs up and says she's not that childish. You got me, game. Also, apparently I have a sick mind for wanting to use the stun gun on grandma. Sue me.
Oh, almost forgot: there's a tape player in the game, so I decided to screw around with that a bit. While you never used the "record" button, you could play, pause, rewind and fast forward normally with it. Most point-and-clicks would just have you play the whole message automatically. I thought that was a nice touch.
The graphics: It looks good for an AGS game. Not the best I've seen (that probably belongs to Technobabylon,) but competent with lots of good facial-expression sprites. My one major complaint is that the game was set in 1995 (a lot of point-and-clicks have to be set earlier to prevent the problem of just solving everything using a smartphone,) but apart from the dorm room full of 90s movie posters, and a couple of early-looking computer systems, nothing really said "90s" to me. Possibly because of the small-town nothing-ever-changes vibe, but there was very little to differentiate it from any other time period. The Samaritan Paradox LOOKED like the early 1980s, for example, especially in the clothing and decor. Maybe just a piece of advice if there's a sequel: immerse me!
The dialogue and voice acting: The smartest decision the developer made for this game was to hire Dave Gilbert from Wadjet Eye to do the voice direction. The voice acting in this was great. It was believable. The actors sounded like they understood the context of the script. Sweet old lady sounds like an old lady, kid sounds a kid and not like a middle-aged woman trying to sound like a kid, and so on. The second smartest decision was to have a translator AND a proofreader for each language (I assume from Swedish.) I detected zero jank. Very well done.
The length: My Steam profile says 6.2 hours, but there was some jerking around looking to get all the achievements as well as alt-tabbing and doing other stuff, so it might be more like 5 1/2 hours. Still a respectable length for a story that doesn't overstay its welcome.
The verdict: While I would have preferred it more puzzly, Kathy Rain is a great little adventure and a terrific job for a solo developer's first game. I for one would like to see Kathy (and especially Eileen) have some more adventures. If you've got three bucks left over from your Steam sale budget, just plunk them down on this puppy and thank me later.
The story: You play the titular character, a "bad girl" (She smokes cigarettes! She's committed crimes! She's had an abortion!) second-year journalism student (but apparently age 21, so maybe she took some years off?) who seems to have a good heart and some sense of justice. Her dormmate Eileen, a "good girl" prim-and-proper Christian of unspecified denomination, but with the occasional impish streak, informs Kathy of her estranged grandfather's death and essentially forces her to go to the funeral. Kathy goes back to Conwell Springs, a small-town America Twin Peaks-type place, and finds her estranged grandmother, only to discover that her grandfather had become vegetative under mysterious circumstances several years prior to his death. Kathy's main objective is to figure out what really happened to her grandfather, but there's the subtext of making peace with her family and with her past.
There are bits where it gets weird, and despite the weirdness it's a bit predictable, but on the whole it's a cohesive story. It also keeps the characters in check with the adventure game thing: being a "bad girl" explains and justifies some of the criminal-type acts she does, being a journalism student works with trying to solve the mystery, etc. There's only a bit of anachronism (I really doubt software would be that advanced in 1995,) but it wasn't that big a deal.
The post-credits ending was kinda lame. I kinda hoped that if there are any sequels she'd be able to put the events of the first game behind her, but it looks like no.
The gameplay and puzzles: Not many puzzles at all. There was one poem-based puzzle about 3/4 of the way into the game that was a bit tougher, but you're given hints all the way through it so you could brute force it. The game actually comes close to being a visual novel, with just enough inventory puzzles to classify it as "point-and-click."
They did their homework in terms of point-and-clicks though: when you're given a phone, what's the first thing you attempt in a game? Dial 911. Kathy immediately hangs up and says she's not that childish. You got me, game. Also, apparently I have a sick mind for wanting to use the stun gun on grandma. Sue me.
Oh, almost forgot: there's a tape player in the game, so I decided to screw around with that a bit. While you never used the "record" button, you could play, pause, rewind and fast forward normally with it. Most point-and-clicks would just have you play the whole message automatically. I thought that was a nice touch.
The graphics: It looks good for an AGS game. Not the best I've seen (that probably belongs to Technobabylon,) but competent with lots of good facial-expression sprites. My one major complaint is that the game was set in 1995 (a lot of point-and-clicks have to be set earlier to prevent the problem of just solving everything using a smartphone,) but apart from the dorm room full of 90s movie posters, and a couple of early-looking computer systems, nothing really said "90s" to me. Possibly because of the small-town nothing-ever-changes vibe, but there was very little to differentiate it from any other time period. The Samaritan Paradox LOOKED like the early 1980s, for example, especially in the clothing and decor. Maybe just a piece of advice if there's a sequel: immerse me!
The dialogue and voice acting: The smartest decision the developer made for this game was to hire Dave Gilbert from Wadjet Eye to do the voice direction. The voice acting in this was great. It was believable. The actors sounded like they understood the context of the script. Sweet old lady sounds like an old lady, kid sounds a kid and not like a middle-aged woman trying to sound like a kid, and so on. The second smartest decision was to have a translator AND a proofreader for each language (I assume from Swedish.) I detected zero jank. Very well done.
The length: My Steam profile says 6.2 hours, but there was some jerking around looking to get all the achievements as well as alt-tabbing and doing other stuff, so it might be more like 5 1/2 hours. Still a respectable length for a story that doesn't overstay its welcome.
The verdict: While I would have preferred it more puzzly, Kathy Rain is a great little adventure and a terrific job for a solo developer's first game. I for one would like to see Kathy (and especially Eileen) have some more adventures. If you've got three bucks left over from your Steam sale budget, just plunk them down on this puppy and thank me later.
MulderYuffie
Member
when did Silver come to Steam? wow discovery queue is useful! Bought instantly even if it was only 20% off.
arts&crafts
Member
About a month ago, I posted in the Steam thread. That is probably why it doesnt have a huge discount.
darkwing-buck
Member
That moment you find out your best fighter in Darkest Dungeon is an abusive asshole.
Just pulled the trigger.
i got:
Amnesia TDD
Ori and the blind forest
Hyper light drifter
Hollow Knight
Untold Stories
Shardlight
Brutal Legend
Ikaruga
For 48 dollars. Not bad at all. I also bought PUBG, because fuck, all of my friends are playing it, even the ones who rarely game on their PC.
i got:
Amnesia TDD
Ori and the blind forest
Hyper light drifter
Hollow Knight
Untold Stories
Shardlight
Brutal Legend
Ikaruga
For 48 dollars. Not bad at all. I also bought PUBG, because fuck, all of my friends are playing it, even the ones who rarely game on their PC.
HP_Wuvcraft
Banned
That moment you find out your best fighter in Darkest Dungeon is an abusive asshole.
I know those feels.
texhnolyze
Banned
I'd say it's much better and have more depth than Torchlight 2.
The tone is different though, Grim Dawn is more like Diablo 2 while Torchlight 2 is more cartooney.
That's cool, the cartoony style was the only thing from Torchlight that I didn't love.
Getting a post-apocalyptic Dark Tower vibe from the screenshots of Grim Dawn which I dig.
Sold! Thanks.
Dead Cells and Ori are very good choices too, come back in the Winter sale for Hollow!
I've done this for a few years now, but I basically only buy games during sales periods if I am going to play them right away.
NoMoreTrolls
Banned
Same here. Same question
texhnolyze
Banned
wonderfuldays
Member
Just bought Beholder, Bioshock Infinite, Geometry Dash and XCOM2 to fulfill my library. 
here's my suggestion: http://store.steampowered.com/app/560000/Ladykiller_in_a_Bind/
it has really good writing and roleplaying and boobs
Kadin
Member
I would just say use the refund option if it doesn't run how you'd like. Hard to pass on the game if it can run decently.
I just finished Mankind Divided and it still runs like shit. Something about the game's load screens really stressed my comp; managed to get the game running at a pretty stable 60fps with minor stuttering, but still racked up 10+ CTDs over the course of the game - always when loading a new area.
what's tales of symphonia like
i'm trying to test buy something on nuuvem and it's fairly cheap
i'm between that and kathy rain (would love thoughts on that too)
last time i played it tho, dishonored 2 was MUCH worse
i could get 60 fps on mankind divided, even if it wasn't stable
dishonored 2 was like a real shaky 30 and that game does not play great at 30
i'm trying to test buy something on nuuvem and it's fairly cheap
i'm between that and kathy rain (would love thoughts on that too)
i didn't get the crashes but it does run pretty crap
last time i played it tho, dishonored 2 was MUCH worse
i could get 60 fps on mankind divided, even if it wasn't stable
dishonored 2 was like a real shaky 30 and that game does not play great at 30
texhnolyze
Banned
It's like one of the best Tales of games ever (it's my 2nd favorite). Not that it's a hard thing to achieve though, considering the franchise's overall quality. Still, I highly recommend it if you're into JRPG and its usual tropes. At least the combat is good.
If I may give you a recommendation..
You get a badge and IIRC you can display the pages on your profile
Haven't played Prey but Automata is an incredible experience and is a must play title imo.
Well, I just picked up DH2 to wash the bad taste of Mankind Divided out of my mouth so...
Lovely.
Rickenslacker
Banned
Having played both, I find Prey better. They even have some similar themes at play, but I found Prey executing on them more proficiently.
Prey is just the game that I can recommend without caveats surrounding it. It's well done all around and something I found to be a standout title that will resonate with me for years. I loved its atmosphere, its level of player freedom, the music, the presentation, the world building, the characters, it's just something I came out of really glowing.
Automata on the otherhand, I still enjoyed quite a bit -- but it's quirky. It's rough around the edges. It has things that can turn you off if you're not invested into wanting to get all you can out of it. The progression structure is atypical, the combat is flashy but mostly an afterthought, the environments are fairly plain, and things can get pretty repetitive. Story-wise it also gets pretty anime, take that as you will.
Can't seem to find a badge that has been unlocked. I have the summer trading card badge though, but that's different right?
Looking for some game recommendations before the end of the sale. Chasing some controller, "arcade" style games. Been playing Nex Machina, Super Meat Boy etc. Not interested in any story epic games (witcher etc.). Just picked up N++, been eyeing off Dead Cells and Hyper Light Drifter
This is the one:
lol I'm an idiot. I was looking at the "in progress" tab of my badge page.
I've been on Steam for 12 years since HL2 came out but I'm only just now exploring all this extra community and profile stuff.
Thanks
hersheyfan
Member
Oh happy day! My refund request for Shadow Warrior 2 came through... in just 1 day! (Dodged a bullet there.)
Immediately bought House in Fata Morgana and Kingdom Rush Frontiers. Good deal!
Immediately bought House in Fata Morgana and Kingdom Rush Frontiers. Good deal!
I grabbed Dead Cells earlier today and it's legit. Put in about 3 hours and didn't want to stop.
My haul so far:
XCOM 2
SPACEPLAN
Hollow Knight
Pillars of Eternity - The White March Expansion Pass
Baldur's Gate 2 Enhanced Edition Steam Store and Retail Key
Dead Cells
STAR WARS - Galactic Battlegrounds Saga
Hollow Knight (I refunded it and then re-bought it lol)
Max Payne 3 (ROW)
Pillars of Eternity - Hero Edition
Europa Universalis IV: Common Sense Collection
Europa Universalis IV: Art of War
Europa Universalis IV: Evangelical Union Unit Pack
Europa Universalis IV: Catholic League Unit Pack
And even after all that... I still feel the urge to buy something else before the end of the sale lol... There's nothing obvious I want but I'm still itching for another purchase lol
I think I have a sickness....
XCOM 2
SPACEPLAN
Hollow Knight
Pillars of Eternity - The White March Expansion Pass
Baldur's Gate 2 Enhanced Edition Steam Store and Retail Key
Dead Cells
STAR WARS - Galactic Battlegrounds Saga
Hollow Knight (I refunded it and then re-bought it lol)
Max Payne 3 (ROW)
Pillars of Eternity - Hero Edition
Europa Universalis IV: Common Sense Collection
Europa Universalis IV: Art of War
Europa Universalis IV: Evangelical Union Unit Pack
Europa Universalis IV: Catholic League Unit Pack
And even after all that... I still feel the urge to buy something else before the end of the sale lol... There's nothing obvious I want but I'm still itching for another purchase lol
I think I have a sickness....
The good kind!
Dylan Sexbang
Banned
Final purchase for the sale, need an opinion. Half-Life complete bundle and Hollow Knight, or HL Bundle and Hyper Light Drifter? Either way, I hope all these can run on my ThinkPad, I won't have a desktop until after the new year. :<
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