Zeus
Cipher
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2008
- Messages
- 1,523
Who needs Steam when you can not-buy games at not-costly prices like these?
Update (2012-04-10) : Since there's no point in keeping an expired PvZ sale as the first post, I'm turning this into a quickie guide for non-Steam purchases. It's stuff 99% of stuff Brodexians already know, but someone might find it useful, so here goes.
A Quick Guide to Non-Steam Deals
Where to Find Sales
Good Old Games
Hail to the king, baby. If you lived through the 90s, this is a nostalgia rush every bit as satisfying as hopping in a time machine and making out with pre-Hep-C Pamela Anderson. Good old Games titles are 100% DRM free and rejiggered to play nice with Windows 7. Best of all, they only want $6 for most of the classics, including -- ahem -- Master of Magic.
Pros: Offers nearly everything from the 90s worth playing. Gives away free games fairly regularly (the latest being Fallout). Games come with loads of freebies, from soundtracks to strategy guides to AIM AVATAR ICONZEZ.
Cons: GOG doesn't have the strong-arm Walmart "insane deal" tactics of the other guys, so you won't find many "80 games for $5!" type deals. A few of the games have NOT been made to work with modern systems, including Blood and some others. A few games, like Master of Orion 2, are pre-patched with fan patches, presumably by Atari and not GOG, since you literally can't buy a new non-patched MOO2 anywhere.
DRM 100% DRM-Free goodness. No serial numbers, online activations, install limits, nothing. For that reason alone, if money is no object, GOG is always the best place to buy a title. There's a downloader, but you can just download titles from your web browser, and once you have the installation file, you can archive it and install it twenty years from now, after the Spider Mechanoids have enslaved humanity.
http://af.gog.com/?as=1649904300
Gamers Gate
With Direct2Drive absorbed by the GameStop blob, Gamers Gate is the best place to find mainstream titles and the aforementioned insane deals. Most recently, the 1C Complete Pack went for a measley $20.
Pros You get blue coins for buying games, which can be exchanged for titles. You also get them for reviewing games, so cheapskate writers like me can whore out their talents for free games. (Thanks, LundB!). Last time I checked, game patches are separate, so purists who want to stick to version 1.0 of a game can choose not to update the titles. If you buy a bundle containing games you already have, you can gift them to others.
Cons: They make you download games using a downloader, a form of DRM only required for installation.
DRM: Many titles have no DRM, even ones that used to (Space Ragers, etc.). Be warned that some older titles still carry the dreaded STARFORCEVIRUS legit anti-piracy measure. Lookin' at you, Fantasy Wars. You need the Gamers Gate Downloader to log in, download and install your games, but after that no client is required, and the Downloader leaves behind temp installation files you can burn to disc and archive.
http://www.gamersgate.com/
Okay, I am lazy, more to come.
Corrections? PM me!
Original Post:
Plants vs Zombies: Game of the Year Edition is on sale for $3 at Big Fish Games.
Just enter the coupon code: sdzombie
http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-ga ... index.html
Yes, this is the version with Disco Stu replacing Michael Jackson. But the original retail release is a friggin' collectors item.
Update (2012-04-10) : Since there's no point in keeping an expired PvZ sale as the first post, I'm turning this into a quickie guide for non-Steam purchases. It's stuff 99% of stuff Brodexians already know, but someone might find it useful, so here goes.
A Quick Guide to Non-Steam Deals
Where to Find Sales
- IsThereAnyDeal - A recent favorite, at the top you'll find a countdown list of current bundles on sale.
- SavyGamer - This is the site cited by Rock, Paper, Shotgun for their weekly Bargain Bucket article.
- Deals4Downloads - Suggested by Bruticis a few posts down. You can make a wishlist of watched games and check it every morning. I am in love. <3
- Didimatic - Another digital sale aggregation service. Neato.
- Slickdeals - Lots of mainstream/casual titles, but they mention the rare killer deals.
- Indie Game Bundles - A new site that promises to hunt down deals on bundles.
- /r/GameDeals - The Game Deals subreddit.
- Right here, ya ingrate!
Good Old Games
Hail to the king, baby. If you lived through the 90s, this is a nostalgia rush every bit as satisfying as hopping in a time machine and making out with pre-Hep-C Pamela Anderson. Good old Games titles are 100% DRM free and rejiggered to play nice with Windows 7. Best of all, they only want $6 for most of the classics, including -- ahem -- Master of Magic.
Pros: Offers nearly everything from the 90s worth playing. Gives away free games fairly regularly (the latest being Fallout). Games come with loads of freebies, from soundtracks to strategy guides to AIM AVATAR ICONZEZ.
Cons: GOG doesn't have the strong-arm Walmart "insane deal" tactics of the other guys, so you won't find many "80 games for $5!" type deals. A few of the games have NOT been made to work with modern systems, including Blood and some others. A few games, like Master of Orion 2, are pre-patched with fan patches, presumably by Atari and not GOG, since you literally can't buy a new non-patched MOO2 anywhere.
DRM 100% DRM-Free goodness. No serial numbers, online activations, install limits, nothing. For that reason alone, if money is no object, GOG is always the best place to buy a title. There's a downloader, but you can just download titles from your web browser, and once you have the installation file, you can archive it and install it twenty years from now, after the Spider Mechanoids have enslaved humanity.
http://af.gog.com/?as=1649904300
Gamers Gate
With Direct2Drive absorbed by the GameStop blob, Gamers Gate is the best place to find mainstream titles and the aforementioned insane deals. Most recently, the 1C Complete Pack went for a measley $20.
Pros You get blue coins for buying games, which can be exchanged for titles. You also get them for reviewing games, so cheapskate writers like me can whore out their talents for free games. (Thanks, LundB!). Last time I checked, game patches are separate, so purists who want to stick to version 1.0 of a game can choose not to update the titles. If you buy a bundle containing games you already have, you can gift them to others.
Cons: They make you download games using a downloader, a form of DRM only required for installation.
DRM: Many titles have no DRM, even ones that used to (Space Ragers, etc.). Be warned that some older titles still carry the dreaded STARFORCE
http://www.gamersgate.com/
Okay, I am lazy, more to come.
Corrections? PM me!
Original Post:
Plants vs Zombies: Game of the Year Edition is on sale for $3 at Big Fish Games.
Just enter the coupon code: sdzombie
http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-ga ... index.html
Yes, this is the version with Disco Stu replacing Michael Jackson. But the original retail release is a friggin' collectors item.