The STEAM Sales and Releases Thread - WINTER SALE 2024

[Admiral jimbob]

It's worth playing, yeah. It's a bit tougher and there's more weapon variety, though overall I found the first a lot more charming.

Anyone got any opinions on Interceptor? It looks pretty interesting, but tends to get overshadowed by people screaming in horror about Enforcer.

 

[Gragt]

Is it not as good as the first then, even if its pretty much the same?

It is just as good as the first, because it's pretty much the first game with a different coat of paint over it. There is no real reason to play it if you already got the first game, unless you prefer the aquatic setting.

Is it really harder by the way? I know many people saw a difference back then because TFTD had the difficulty bug fixed, but how does it compare to X-COM on the same level without the bug?

 

[Mortmal]

I confirm on king arthur, its quite good at this price. its a medieval total war clone with a few good ideas and more roleplay elements, dont expects a true rpg but its nice enough to check , nice art style and plots. Some friend told me medieval total war 2 kingdom with third age mod is way better but i havent tested it yet.

 

[Lyric Suite]

I just saw Street Fighter IV for 10$, down from 40$. I'm not sure i understand why this game would warrant such a steep price tag. Isn't it just Street Fighter all over again with shitty 3d graphics?

 

[Achilles]

Anyone got any opinions on Interceptor? It looks pretty interesting, but tends to get overshadowed by people screaming in horror about Enforcer.

Honestly, Interceptor is not bad, I don't really know why people hate it so much (unless it's about the franchise rape, in which case I understand). In fact, it's quite enjoyable if you don't mind the switch from turn-based battles to space combat. The game has retained the 'global strategy' aspect, so you still build bases, do research, manufacture etc. The space combat part is quite hard, enemy ships are moving very fast and I would definately recommend using a joystick. Space combat is way below Freespace standards but it has it's moments. I say give it a try.

 

[Shagnak]

So far I've picked up:

GTA IV Episodes (daily deal 50% off)
Resident Evil 5 (daily deal 75% off or thereabouts)
Majesty 2 DLC (Kingmaker)

None of which I'l get to soon, but I'm buying for the future.

 

[Tenhi]

Space Rangers 2 seems heavily flawed. It's a mix of things, but none of the mixers are any good. RTS? Everyone knows how bad it is. Text adventures? Amusing, but hardly enough. Fedex? Haha.

It did keep me entertained for a while, but...

 

[Zed]

Majesty 2 DLC (Kingmaker)

Does it add randomized maps/skirmish?

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

Sorta. Base Majesty 2 got it added in the latest patch as well. The maps aren't randomized, but loot and monster spawns are. Still nowhere near up to snuff with the original but it's a welcome addition.

 

[Zed]

Hmmmm.

Might just try it then.

 

[Metro]

I've actually been waiting to see if Majesty/Majesty 2 goes on a daily sale. As far as today's deals go Guild 2 looks fairly interesting and involved, although I'm not as big a fan of daily grind/building simulators as I used to be and Civ 5 is coming out in a couple of months. A tip, though, for people who might be interested: you only need the Pirates version as it includes the base game so the bundle is just a shameless money grab.

Void also looks neat but from the videos of seen the game play mechanics can get extremely tedious at times and apparently only has about 10+ hours of game play. The hurp durp in me is leaning towards Red Faction.

 

[Zed]

The Guild 2 is shit. Nothing like the original masterpiece. Buggy and retarded and the only good thing is the community/mods, and that's if you're german.

The Void is shit as well. Pretentious shit with asshole gameplay.

I'm grabbing the Majesty 2 demo now. After reading the paradox forums I changed my mind about purchasing it tonight.

 

[Metro]

Red Faction it is then! And yeah there have been a lot of complaints about Majesty 2 versus the original which is why I'm holding off until it's dirt cheap.

 

[Silellak]

They have every fucking Star Wars game ever made except the X-Wing series.

 

[Tenhi]

They have every fucking Star Wars game ever made except the X-Wing series.

Get kotor.

 

[kingcomrade]

Hey sweet the new red faction is there for 5 bucks

I also snatched up the Abe's pack. I have never gotten to play them and one thing I like about Steam is that their games actually work on modern platforms without all sorts of fix patches required. 2.50 is also nothing.

 

[Admiral jimbob]

I'm holding out for that Oddbox collection that's coming out in a few months, has both the old Oddworld games and that Xbox one that never got ported to PC.

 

[Tenhi]

and that Xbox one that never got ported to PC.

Nevermind, I think I misunderstood.

But the Xbox one ain't worth waiting for.

 

[Gragt]

Void also looks neat but from the videos of seen the game play mechanics can get extremely tedious at times and apparently only has about 10+ hours of game play

It depends what you look for. If you want a mindless action game, then The Void won't do it. If you want a game that may provide you with something a tad deeper than the typical fare and that will make you thing, it might be the right thing.

It has a slow pace but that isn't bad because a lot of things happen and may have you revise your current strategy. I wouldn't describe the play mechanics as tedious since the different actions are pretty easy and fast to perform. The start is a bit slow and uneventful but that doesn't last long and you'll soon wish you had more time and ressources. It's also pretty unforgiving and refreshingly doesn't hold you hand — some advice you receive may be good but other, while seemingly good, will hurt you in the long run, and you have to experiment to see what is the best course of action to take.

It is story-driven but the generation of colour is random enough that the mean to achieve the fixed goals will likely change from game to game, which is great, and I definitely got more than 10 hours out of it. The story itself is one of the best I've seen in a video game and one of the most mature (in the real sense of the word), never veering into pretentiousness like some other "games as art" did. But like the rest of the game it is the kind that doesn't give you everything on a silver plate but have you work and think for it.

I see it as one of the greatest accomplishments of video games and a landmark, but it isn't for everyone and not for anytime. It is rather serious and you'll probably get more if you put a lot into it.

 

[Zed]

After playing the Majesty 2 demo I consider buying it. The "defend your castle for as long as you can"-skirmish was quite enjoyable. I will wait for the last day of the Steam sale to see if it's not up for super price before then. 50% off is not bad.

Still haven't played Tropico 3. Bought it and left it for later. Don't know when 'later' will be. I tried the first two X-com games and got raped, hard. Might have to read the X-com LPs and learn what's what.

 

[Annonchinil]

Ok some first impressions on the games I bought.

Star Wolves: The style reminds me of homeworld but with less atmosphere. Unfortunately it does not feel 'smooth' and I decided to hold of.

Gothic II: Seems like there is more quest solutions that Morrowind but worse art. The combat seems boring at the start although the tough enemies make exploration difficult. Overall I do not enjoy these 3D RPGs and this does not look like its going to change my mind. The combat mechanics seem wonky, the world seems 'ok' to explore and the dialogue and quests, while they do have options are not very interesting.

Sacred Gold: I would like to find the manual for the game because its less intuitive than Diablo II. So far great atmosphere and art combined with an open world is making for an addictive Diablo clone.

 

[DefJam101]

RE: Cheap space games of dubious quality, has anyone played Genesis Rising or SpaceForce 2: Rogue Universe? Are they any good?

Both terrible in their own way.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

After playing the Majesty 2 demo I consider buying it. The "defend your castle for as long as you can"-skirmish was quite enjoyable. I will wait for the last day of the Steam sale to see if it's not up for super price before then. 50% off is not bad.

Still haven't played Tropico 3. Bought it and left it for later. Don't know when 'later' will be. I tried the first two X-com games and got raped, hard. Might have to read the X-com LPs and learn what's what.

Majesty 2 isn't entirely terrible, just not as good as the original in most every way. If you've played the hell out of the original and want more it's not entirely horrible for $15.
If you haven't played the original, then Majesty Gold for $5 is excellent.

Sacred Gold: I would like to find the manual for the game because its less intuitive than Diablo II. So far great atmosphere and art combined with an open world is making for an addictive Diablo clone.

Look in the docs folder of the game. Most likely c:\program files\steam\steamapps\common\sacred gold\docs
Most Steam games come with a manual if the game has one, if you don't get a "View player manual" option when you right click it in Steam, it's generally in a folder in the game's installed directory. If it isn't in either of those then go hit http://www.replacementdocs.com/

 

[Gragt]

Gothic II: Seems like there is more quest solutions that Morrowind but worse art. The combat seems boring at the start although the tough enemies make exploration difficult. Overall I do not enjoy these 3D RPGs and this does not look like its going to change my mind. The combat mechanics seem wonky, the world seems 'ok' to explore and the dialogue and quests, while they do have options are not very interesting.

It depends how you define "worse art". It isn't as original and alien as Morrowind but it stays believable — the first game also had a more interesting setting too by taking place in a penal colony. Combat feels clunky at the start mostly because your character sucks at it. Investing in combat skills will unlock some better moves and will let you hit in succession more successfully. That said you can still get trouble moving around during combat or targetting the right enemy. Dialog is also a weak point but it is serviceable.

I'm trying to finish it now — started in December and dropped it when I discovered The Void — and I might actually succeed. Overall I don't like it that much even though it is much better than the first game and the best 3D RPG with a vast world to explore I played so far.

 

[Antihero]

I'll probably have to force myself through The Void out of a sense of masochism, annoying with its Arx Fatalis glyph casting but wasting precious mana Colour if it didn't think you drew it right.

No hand-holding can be a good thing, but would it have killed them to demystify the basic interface a little more at first if they're going to force-demo it to you. Pretentious there at least even though you can figure it out.