100°

Steam Sale 29/12/12

Ryan Archer from The Nerd Cabinet summarizes the Steam Christmas Sale deals for the 29th December.

"We’re midway through the Steam Christmas sale now, and whilst some have been disappointed with Valves discounted offerings, another 6 games have been given the limelight with huge savings to be had."

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thenerdcabinet.com
Enmson4129d ago

the steam sales are great and all, only if they let me buy these games without giving me an error all the time -_-

Mintyrebel4129d ago

I honestly think Green Man Gaming have had better deals this year, perhaps a sign of Valve getting complacent?

Griffin48714129d ago

I just wish Steam had more JRPGs!

akiraburn4129d ago

While I loved the Steam, GreenManGaming, and Amazon sales this year, and I definitely ended up with quite a lot more games, I was admittedly a bit disappointed with the prices on some things, such as the best discounted price for Skyrim was at $30, given that the game is now over a year old and Borderlands 2, a game released just a few months ago is also at $30 on sale (even cheaper a few days back on GMG). Its not a huge deal, but there were enough situations where I didn't buy a game because it was $5 or $10 more expensive than I felt it should be, or looked to Amazon/GreenManGaming for a better deal.

I was also disappointed that Valve/Steam didn't hold the "presents" promotion that drew so much attention and many additional users like they did last year. The presents were a very cool promotion to get people trying, buying, and playing a lot more games. I don't know why it wasn't continued, but I hope it returns next year.

DomceM4129d ago

the presents promotion wasnt continued because people abused the hell out of it and ruined it for the rest of us.

akiraburn4128d ago

That's a shame. I knew some people had been creating additional accounts and abusing the Free to Play and $1 game's presents and all, however I didn't think it was a very significant amount of folks doing that.

Even so, I would think that rather than cancel the presents idea, they could change their approach. There are a lot of ways it could be refined to improve on it and/or decrease the likelihood of someone abusing the system. In any case, I hope they've received a lot of feedback and try to find a better balance and variety for prices and promo ideas in the next big sale.

DomceM4128d ago

first of all... awesome avatar. Deus ex is the awesome..

And i agree with you. They should change it. But i can see why they dont. Its just a bonus for us gamers that they were giving free games. There is no benefit for valve to organize these events and then have to scrutinize it to make sure its not getting abused.

why bother? People are animals when you treat them nice this is what you get back. =/

akiraburn4127d ago

Thanks man, I've been a huge fan of Deus Ex since probably 12+ years ago now, before the game was released even. I played the demo of the original game that came in an issue of PC Gamer Magazine and was hooked. I remember actually playing the demo over a dozen times, haha.

Anyway, yeah I hear what you're saying. I can see why they don't bring it back, however I would also think though that the presents could encourage two things: more purchases of games for people who are achievement hunters or gift hunters trying to the max amount of achievements, and potential for a large growth in user-base. I say that there is potential for growth because I remember how huge the sale was for them last year.

If I recall correctly, their average user-base (not just new accounts people created to exploit the presents system) went up by a pretty drastic amount. I think the potential for free and discounted games drew in a lot of interested people, and it sure helped that tons of games were heavily discounted at the time anyway.

That's my thoughts though, and maybe due to the reaction they've received this time around, they'll plan out next year a little different. I know I'd like to see better spacing for the sales. I don't remember them having a "Fall Sale" prior to this year (though I could just be absent minded), and while I'm not complaining about that, I think maybe Summer Sale started a bit late this year too. So overall it felt like we had three big sales real close together, and for more than the first half of the year there was no event that I can recall like these.

iamgoatman4129d ago

They've been a bit lackluster this year. Same old stuff that's always on sale and everyone owns. Some 'sales' can hardly be called sales anyway when they've been at that price or lower for some months from other retailers. It's starting to look like stores like Amazon and GMG are finally bringing the fight to Steam, and in a lot of cases coming out with the better deals.

The only thing I've bought is Bastion so far, which is pretty shocking.

TitanUp4129d ago (Edited 4129d ago )

i have liked this sale these are the games i have bought

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Deluxe
Steam Store
Assassin's Creed Revelations - Gold Edition
Steam Store
Sleeping Dogs
Steam Store
Serious Sam 3: Jewel of the Nile
Steam Store
The Cursed Crusade NSCA (Atlus)
Steam Store
Lost Planet 2
Steam Store
Lost Planet Colonies
Steam Store
Onimusha 3
Steam Store
Dead Rising 2: Off the Record Firefighter Skills Pack
Steam Store
Dead Rising 2: Off the Record COSPLAY Skills Pack
Steam Store
Dead Rising 2: Off the Record BBQ Chef Skills Pack
Steam Store
Dead Rising 2: Off the Record Preorder
Steam Store
Dead Rising 2: Off the Record Cyborg Skills Pack
Steam Store
Two Worlds - Epic Edition
Steam Store
Condemned: Criminal Origins
Steam Store
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - EP 1
Steam Store
MX vs ATV Reflex
Steam Store
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - Episode II
Steam Store
Dishonored (ROW)
Steam Store
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Future Soldier - Deluxe
Steam Store
Time of Shadows
Gift/Guest Pass
Spec Ops The Line (ROW)
Steam Store
Borderlands 2 ROW

well other than spec ops fatmangoboom in the forums bought me that.

DOMination-4128d ago (Edited 4128d ago )

It looks like you just bought a load of crap for the sake of it because it was cheap. No offense!

TitanUp4128d ago (Edited 4128d ago )

what do you consider good games then?

70°

Why Are Steam's Recommendations Dogpoop?

Blindfolding myself and clicking a Steam page at random would serve me better recommendations than Steam’s algorithm

Read Full Story >>
thegamer.com
UltimateOwnage9d ago

Hmm, not sure I agree with that. The recommendations I get are usually pretty good, but then again I have pretty large library of games on Steam and hundreds of them in my wish list, along with lots of curators I follow for it to build recommendations off of. On occasion it will throw me a random FIFA game or something I've never bought or shown interest in, but mostly its decent IMO.

80°

5 Best Metroidvania Games on Steam (March 2024)

Dive into the best Metroidvania games on Steam, from hidden gems to top-rated classics, and embark on unforgettable adventures!

jznrpg19d ago

Skul is a metroidvania ? It’s on PS+ soon I’ll check it out. If it’s good I’ll buy a copy physically if they have one

Nacho_Z19d ago

If Pseudoregalia is one of the best I'd hate to see what the worst look like.

330°

Dragon’s Dogma 2 releases to mixed user reviews, as microtransactions criticised

Players can pay to edit their character, resurrect the dead and other actions.

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videogameschronicle.com
AdonisIsBeast28d ago

Who cares as long as it’s optional

phoenixwing28d ago

paying to edit your character is kind of crap as far as microtransactions go

Xristo27d ago (Edited 27d ago )

I hate any/all MTX in a paid game (especially a full-price game)... but know that you can spend in-game currency (RC), which you get from killing mobs, to completely remake your character.

phoenixwing27d ago

@xRisto how much did it change the gameplay though? Changing your character would have probably not cost any rc if they weren't hellbent on getting money by making it inconvenient

koga8827d ago

You can literally edit your character using in-game gold, dropped from monsters or obtained from selling items, as soon as you reach the first main town. You can even use Rift Crystals obtained from other people using your pawn or dropped from monsters to change your entire character or Pawn. It's paying to avoid doing something that is literally in the game.

PRIMORDUS27d ago

They are lucky there using Denuvo or their game and all future DLC etc. would be for free. 🤣

phoenixwing27d ago

@koga you completely missed the point i was making but go ahead and act like i'm being the wrong one

lucian22927d ago

you can pay ingame currency though; why are ya so derp

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 27d ago
Crows9028d ago (Edited 28d ago )

Capcom cares quite a bit....hence why it was kept from reviewers and initial impressions.

As far as optional...yeah...ALL mtx are optional. That's not the problem. The miss the mark entirely.

Heck buying the game is "optional" too.

The fact that they were hiding this is scummy as hell. I was going to buy this day 1 or day 3. Now I'm reconsidering the purchase entirely because as the reviews point out...there are certain design decisions which have not changed but funnily enough seem to be remedied by these mtx...

In other words they may have left certain features in the game in order to monetize them. So the mtx affected the development of the game in a negative way.

garos8228d ago

I'm certainly not buying it anymore. It has affected at least one sale from me. I'll pick it up second hand

peppeaccardo27d ago

Very close to buy the game at a discounted price but not anymore.
Bad business practice and hence they do not get my support/money !

warriorcase27d ago

It wasn't kept fromreviewers s though. Twitter reviewers are saying there was mention of mtx's in the reviewers guide

-Foxtrot28d ago (Edited 28d ago )

STOP. USING. THAT. SHITTY. EXCUSE

God damn man

Look how DLC changed after Oblivions horse armour, within 10 years most developers took the absolute p***. What was said then aswell? “It’s only optional who cares?” Now look where we all are.

There’s no half measures with these things, when will people realise this.

jwillj2k427d ago (Edited 27d ago )

Oh it’s gonna get worse. Ng+ locked behind mtx, “cool downs” preventing you from playing for more than 3 hours at a time unless u pay the mtx for unlimited access, main campaign bosses, in-game music, certain dialog, difficulty modes, certain npc interactions, all locked behind mtx, etc.. etc. gonna end up being like the NBA 2k games eventually paying for cross overs and shit… They gon get mid-evil on our asses.

OMGitzThatGuy27d ago

I can guarantee most of the items you can buy with mtx and ingame currency wouldn’t exist in ANY paid form if the main goal wasn't monetization. If the goal is to give idiots who are willing to pay for basic game features as mtx a way to do things faster then the only ones the mtx hurt are the non paying players as you are now locking features behind a grind that you chose to put in the game that you are essentially admitting to creating some type of time sink. I have never heard of a game locking basic character editing behind a ingame paywall, it’s usually just an option.

Chard27d ago

Takes two to tango though - unfortunately people buy this garbage which incentivises the behaviour. It's an inevitable outcome of the profit motive

thorstein28d ago

@Mario

Yes. And so are resurrection "Wakestones." You can find them but they're rare.

victorMaje28d ago

Buying the game is now very optional too. If you don’t know why then you don’t get it.

shinoff218328d ago

Because it's only a door way. That's why we care. We've already seen some shit since Mtx was introduced.

Rimeskeem27d ago

1. DD2 is an ARPG with 8 different playable classes
2. There is no multiplayer aspect to the game
3. You can only have one character (have to pay for more)
4. You cannot delete the character unless you go into the game files
5. The game is $70 dollars upfront

Having to pay for more character slots in a game that *features* 8 playable classes is pretty much not optional for an ARPG.

Angyobangyo27d ago

Judging from steam reviews, gamers care. Not plastic gamers. Why didn’t Itsuno mention such MTX would be available in-game? Why weren’t the MTXs there for review copies?

Kiryu199227d ago

Who cares is how all this started. The many many excuses. Please keep defending these greedy publishers and unfair tactics. We be gamers are the problem

Horse armor

$10 online passes if buying a used copy

Cheat codes gone and are replaced by micro transactions

Unlocking stuff by playing games behind micro transactions and XP boosters

It’s only cosmetic

No one is being forced to spend even though publishers are literally making their games more grindy to force people to play

Full priced games have mobile game type micro transactions

$70 priced games because higher development costs while making record profits and laying off record number of employees

And to play the game early pay us extra $20-30 on top of full price

Release games now and promise to maybe fix them later only to abandon the game

Day one patches that make the games worst

If it’s your favorite game defend the publisher if it’s not hate on another publisher for similar content

SixFrvgz27d ago Show
+ Show (8) more repliesLast reply 27d ago
kenpachi28d ago

Must have picked up some EA crew to put this in the game

robtion27d ago

Yeah these are really bad ones. Directly impacting gameplay too. Super scummy move. I hope nobody buys them.

CrimsonWing6928d ago

Yet Helldivers 2 gets a pass? Y’know a GotY contender by the name of RE4 had them and so does Devil May Cry V. The funny thing is I enjoyed both of those games thoroughly without having to buy a single microtransaction.

What I do consider a valid complaint is not being able to start a new game or being able to edit your character. That’s kind of a seriously baffling decision, but then I think how I played Dragon’s Dogma 1 and I never edited my character and I just did a 100% playthrough on a single file and didn’t start a NG since. So, I don’t think these are really going to impact me, but I can see how it will others.

Crows9028d ago

Helldivers 2 is a live service game where everything is obtainable in game with incredible ease.

Not sure about re4 or DMC but nobody is giving anyone a pass ...this article is about dragons dogma 2...not those games.

What is valid are in game features made to supposedly force you to think carefully only to have a surprise online store offer solutions to built in problems for more money.

Goosejuice28d ago

Those same things they are selling can be found Ingame as well. U can buy the character editor through merchants with gold. Don't get me wrong..I dislike these mtx they are doing but you don't need to buy them to be able to get them.

CrimsonWing6927d ago (Edited 27d ago )

Oh my bad, I can’t bring up games with microtransactions that nobody had a sh*t fit over. My mistake.

I love how people move the goalpost.

Crows9027d ago

@goose
@crimson

All mtx sucks. I'd rather helldiver's not have them because it makes me wonder if the rate at which you collect materials. That said. The games features are all fully enjoyable and aren't affected by the mtx.

That's not the case with dragons dogma 2...they left in place features that are supposedly part of the challenge of the game only to let you buy your way out very conveniently. I didn't look through all of them but I've heard some are rare but can be purchased with more money now. Even more so in a game about managing weight load there's a tent, I believe, that you can pay more money for that weighs less than your typical tent...not all sure on all the mtx and I'm aware that you can purchase many through in game vendor but they're incredibly useful mtx that are obtained much more slowly in game...or even a limited amount of them.

Instead is selling fast travel...just let us don't for free....or instead of selling cosmetic changes...how about letting us do it for free...

Nothing in helldivers comes close to this abomination

Angyobangyo27d ago

One is a single player game and one is a live service game. One is $40 vs$70. And most importantly, one game is there to spread democracy.

Ironmike27d ago

It's not incredibly easy for certain things in helldivers though u still have grind quite bit but u ate correct in saying u can eventually get enough medals to purchase stuff

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 27d ago
Moegooner28d ago

Read your comment again and maybe, just maybe you might realise how dumb it was.

CrimsonWing6927d ago (Edited 27d ago )

What was dumb about it? That I pointed out the hypocrisy?

garos8228d ago

It was extremely scummy that capcom hid this from reviewers. I have no doubt this game is good but these type of microtransactions don't sit well with me. They've lost a sale from me

Lionsguard28d ago

I was going to pay full price to support this game because I've been waiting for it for forever but I think I'll wait until I get it for free from Epic or a Humblebundle monthly.

Redemption-6428d ago

I am not defending Capcom, as I am not a fan of MTX in single player games. I do however belive they were open to reviewers about having MTX in their game. The reviewers just decided to leave that part out. Which is very disingenuous. There are some companies that get away with these things. Image if this was done by EA, Ubisoft, or even Activision? I am positive those defending Capcom, would have had their pitchforks ready if the companies listed above did this

anast28d ago

That's why reviewers can't be trusted. In fact, they are not reviewers at all. They get free codes to talk about stuff they don't understand nor care about.

Sanctusone27d ago

I mean it was pretty obvious to anyone with eyes...one of the items you get from deluxe edition was in game items.
1500 Rift Crystals - Points to Spend Beyond the Rift (A)
Which honestly I figured they kept a similar mtx system like DMC5 and the optional red orbs.

Lionsguard27d ago

1500 Rift Crystals doesn't mean anything. The first game had Rift crystals too, you just earned them by people hiring your Pawn and you get it from certain quests.

anast27d ago (Edited 27d ago )

A reviewer's job is to point out the obvious of a product as though they were the consumer. This means reviewers, to do their actual job, would need to review the complete game: the edition they are reviewing, how they got the game, technical aspects, story, and monetization scheme. Since, it is obvious that MT's are a part of the game, it would need to be reviewed. This way people can be informed, so they can decide if they want to play this style of game/monetization scheme.

For example, AC Origins was bad with Mt's. I had to farm side missions or pay to advance the story. This was after I already did close to 25 or more side missions. While I was grinding there were constant reminders that I could pay to ease the grind. I would have never bought the game if it were reviewed properly.

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