It’s only day two and I’ve already spent more money that I had budgeted. This means one of two things, really. Either I have no self-control or the deals are just that good. It’s probably a bit of both honestly. Nevertheless, let’s see what’s on the docket today.
As always, if the game isn’t a daily deal or Flash Deal, hold off. It probably will get cheaper.
Payday: The Heist – $4.99 – Payday is easy to write off as a cheap Left 4 Dead clone, but in doing so you’re doing yourself a disservice. The similarities essentially end at the game being a four player co-op FPS. In Payday, you’re tasked with completing a series of crimes, usually high value robberies, and getting away while the police do their best to bring you to justice.
Payday requires much more tact than Left 4 Dead since charging in with your guns blazing is going to end up in you being destroyed. If you’re not willing to work as a team making sure you’ve secured a good location to protect the objective as well as keep an eye on each other, you have no shot of survival. Sadly, this game suffers for some shoddy AI when it comes to bots, so unless you’re willing to play online with either your friends or strangers, there’s no real reason to pick this up. Those of you willing to be a social gamer will have an absolute blast.
Tribes: Ascend Starter Pack – $4.99 – This is an odd one. Tribes: Ascend is a FANTASTIC free to play game harkening back to the glory days of PC gaming. The combat is fast and fluid, and most importantly skill will beat weaponry 99 times out of 100. The Starter Pack offers a permanent XP boost, 2 class unlocks, and an additional 4 additional weapons to start with. Since leveling up in Tribes can be a bit of a grind, I’d recommend picking this up if you’re interested in the title.
Anno 2070– $24.99 – City management games are a hard sale for a lot of people. Anno 2070 got a bad reputation, and rightly so, for its draconian DRM. Not content with just requiring a constant internet connection, Ubisoft has limited the amount of times you can install the game. Frankly, this is unacceptable. If you’re willing to look past all of this, there’s a fairly robust game here. You can find a demo on Ubisoft’s website here.
From Dust – $3.74 – I believe it was Abraham Lincoln who said “Psh, in your dreams broham.” Almost everything about this shoddy PC port was botched when it was first released, and not much was ever actually addressed. Check out the demo if you must, but save your money for later.
Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine – $7.49 – Space Marine is a brawler/third person shooter hybrid that can only be described in one word: visceral. While the plot is fairly mediocre, running through throngs of Orks is an absolute joy. It’s hard to really compare it to anything else really out there honestly. The best I’ve been able to come up with is if Kratos from God of War somehow managed to get himself into Gears of War.
The repetitive gameplay is completely saved by the completely over the top audio and visuals which manage to completely immerse the player in something that should be completely unbelievable. As for multiplayer, there’s really not much to talk about. The co-op survival modes are a blast, but everything else is fairly mediocre. For 8 bucks, you really can’t go wrong here, but I’d advise you to check out the demo first.
Sonic Generations – $10.19 – Sonic Generations is the Sonic game a lot of people were waiting for. The platforming is spot on, the visuals are striking, and Sonic actually feels like Sonic. You’ll get the best of both worlds since half of the game is played out in classic 2D fashion, while the other half is spent with the new 3D Sonic. Each variation plays out like you’d expect, and playing through a 2D version of modern stages with the classic Sonic was an absolute joy. Sadly, there’s not a whole lot of replay value to be had. If you’re a Sonic fan, you’ll absolutely love this title, but more casual platformer fans would do well to check out the demo.
Max Payne 3– $29.99 – When Chad reviewed Max Payne 3 he called it “a must-buy for fans of well-made third-person shooters. It delivers a high-quality, visceral experience, which blends its predecessors’ popular mechanics with some quality improvements.” While I haven’t personally been able to put my hands on the title yet, I have heard nothing but good things from everyone who has. If you’re a fan of the series, this is definitely the time to buy in.
The Binding of Isaac – $1.24 – I’ve logged more hours in The Binding of Isaac that I care to admit. The Binding Of Issac is a cross between a rougelike RPG with a topdown shooter and a bit of The Legend Of Zelda thrown in for good measure. You play as Issac who is fighting for his life as his mother has been told to kill him by God. It’s an insane premise, and the game is absolutely bonkers. This isn’t the type of game you’re going to be able to dominate right off the bat, in fact you’re going to die fairly horribly.
It should be noted that this game can push some buttons. It’s easy to understand that some people will be offended at some of the parts of this game, so if a game where you’re a little boy using urine to kill enemies and possibly make deals with demons makes you uncomfortable, you may want to think twice. That being said, it’s an incredibly fun title and for that price it’s easily the steal of the day.
Indie Bundle II – $9.99 – This is one of the weaker bundles that we’re going to see during the sale, but E.Y.E. Divine Cybermancy and Botanicula should make this worth it for most gamers. Hell, just consider this buying E.Y.E. at full price and getting four bonus games.
Just a reminder, we’re recapping all of the Flash Deals right here so you can always know what’s worth you money. Click here, bookmark the page and check back often.