Video game sales update thread

[Mike Dunn]

Its the same for me and Europa Universalis 3. I went to you tube for a tutorial. I found one in which the first 15 episodes covered the interface, and the tutor hadn't even started playing! It collects virtual dust now also.

I decided to pass on the CK2 deal. But the Paradox forums probably have ideas on how to get started. Its a lot to learn, but probably great fun.

[Apollos]

Does anyone have any thoughts on Crusader Kings 2? I am specifically interested in the Game of Thrones mod. I missed the sale but I may buck up if it is good.

I can't give you any information on the Game of Thrones mod - though I hadn't heard about that and it does sound interesting - but I spent a solid month really engrossed in CK2 when it came out earlier this year so I can definitely prvoide some feedback there.

First off, the game is great. This was my first paradox game and as John said previously, they're known for their complexity, but the reason I always held off from buying them was the set periods of time you have to work in as everything is era-based (for some reason that annoys me, I don't like games that have to end on a certain date). I was actually surprised by how intuitive I found everything to be in the game. There are a handful of tutorials that are short, but do give you a general idea of how the primary game mechanics work. I found them to be helpful, albeit abbreviated. After that, it was mostly trial and error with a healthy dose of reading the paradox forums sprinkled in to get me going. Within 5-6 hours I think I was playing the game full steam ahead, so I wouldn't say the learning curve is incredibly steep on this one.

The idea is pretty straightforward - start as a feudal lord (count, baron, king, etc) and grow your empire by whatever means possible/necessary. Gameplanning arranged marriages, state intrigue, and military conquest are all fair game. The mechanics of each of these are pretty eloquent and based on my limited knowledge of feudal Europe, paradox seems to have done an excellent job modeling it all. It's great fun to build up your family and marry them off for strategic alliances, plan successions in your dynasty, or sit and wait while years of scheming comes to fruition as your plans to take neighboring empires succeed through espionage.

The game is extremely deep from an immersion standpoint - I think almost every time I fired up a new game I had a handful of events I'd never seen previously. Though it can drag in parts - unless you're going Total War style and taking out everything/everyone who stands in your way - I think one of the points newcomers need to learn is how to simply work on your dynasty without doing too much, too quickly, as the first few years can be rough.

Hopefully that gives you guys a little bit of perspective. I thought it was a tremendous game, one of my favorite cpu games of all time in fact, but I also played the hell out of it and haven't picked it up in a couple months because I just burned myself out as I'm prone to doing . If you guys have any more specific questions, I'd be happy to field them, but I strongly encourage folks to pick this one up and try it. Even at the regular price of $40, I think it's a steal.

[Denra44]

Also seems like multiplayer would be a blast

[Zephyrs]

Thanks for the response Brian. I will give it some more thought.

[John]

Here's a deal for you. Have a GOG.com account? No? Then get one and enjoy two FREE games! GOG.com and Electronic Arts have teamed up to give you free access to two oldies but goodies: 1990's Ultima: The Savage Empire and 1991's Ultima: Worlds of Adventure 2: Martian Dreams. These were a couple of oddball extensions of the famous Ultima series that thrilled gamers during 80s and 90s. If you missed them back in the day, now's your chance to try them out free of charge. They're perfect for tablet gaming, too! Just log into GOG.com or create a new GOG account and get your two free games!

[Mike Dunn]

GoG's extras in the Martian Dreams edition are great. They includes some fascinating design documents for the game. Here are just a couple of snippets:

There's also a clue book.

They're perfect for tablet gaming, too!

Tablet gaming? How can you play a PC-DOS game on your tablet?

[John]

How can you play a PC-DOS game on your tablet?

I heard some people talking about playing GOG games on tablets, so I assumed it was possible. I probably shouldn't assume though, since I don't own a tablet of my own (but maybe before too long!).

[Mike Dunn]

The Unofficial Guide. Not sure if its complete. Spoiler warning.

[Hitmen]

Steams summer sales begin today. Check every day for new insane deals! Take advantage while you can!

[Mark D]

I think that the history of games also starts with "Mario Brothers". I saw in the admin post, something about the pleasure of playing worms ( some of the very first editions ). Well i must say we all grew with those games, and being nostalgic is what makes us humans after all.

[John]

GOG is offering a 20% pre-order discount on an interesting-sounding game: Inquisitor. This one doesn’t sound like it will be for the squeamish. You play a member of the Inquisition, bringing heretics and unbelievers into the light… even if it’s kicking and screaming. There are fantastical elements like magic and the action portion of the gameplay looks similar in style to Diablo, but what makes Inquisitor interesting is the depth of the story. The game’s script is purported be around 5,000 pages long, with different story elements for each of the three classes you can choose to play.

This is a Czech-developed game, and as you can imagine, all that text took quite a long time to translate; three years, in fact. But hey, the game has supposedly been in development for ten years, so who’s counting? The lengthy development cycle perhaps explains the mid-aughts look. But with a story this deep, this may be a game that was worth waiting for, and the retro graphics mean that Inquisitor is friendly to old PCs.

Since you’ve waited this long, you shouldn’t mind waiting to complete the game… which you should be prepared to do, since Inquisitor reportedly takes around 150 hours to complete. That’s not even accounting for the different storylines for the three different classes. That’s a heck of a lot of gameplay for just $12, a price that’s good until Inquisitor is released on September 5.

You can read about Inquisitor in this Forbes article, including insight into your torture equipment (rack, strappado, pillory, and Iron Maiden… errr, I mean iron maiden) and word that there will be 1.2 million square meters of exterior space to explore, dozens of spells, and hundreds of monsters and weapons. Visit the Inquisitor home page for more information. You can also watch the official Inquisitor trailer. And word is that it will be coming to Steam, too, so if you absolutely must purchase all your games through Steam, you should soon have that option.

[Mike Dunn]

Tempting, but I'm going to pass for now, thanks for the heads-up. My back log beckons, so I'll wait for reviews. Let us know, John, what you think next week when it releases.

But speaking of Good Old Games, they have just released a little known cult classic that I am tempted to snag for $6. Its called King of Dragon Pass. This is an odd hybrid of RPG and clan-based strategy game. I've heard it described as brilliant. There's an iOS version, but the PC version has never before been available for digital download until this when GoG released it. Before then, CD copies were selling on eBay for big bucks. Lots of reading, probably not for everyone.

[Mike Dunn]

Here's an amazing bargain: Amazon has a mind-boggling Paradox bundle for $9.51 that includes Crusader Kings II, all of its DLC, Warlock: Master of the Arcane and a bunch more stuff. All for less than ten bucks .

Code: Select all

13 Game Downloads in This Bundle
	Customer Review 	Download Size 	If Bought Individually
 
1. Crusader Kings II [Download]
	4.3 out of 5 stars (42) 	700 MB 	$20.00
2. Crusader Kings II: Dynasty Shields DLC Pack [Online Game Code]
	No reviews 		$1.99
3. Crusader Kings II: Mongols DLC Pack [Online Game Code]
	No reviews 		$1.99
4. Crusader Kings II: Ruler Designer DLC [Online Game Code]
	3.5 out of 5 stars (2) 		$4.99
5. Crusader Kings II: Songs of Albion DLC [Online Game Code]
	No reviews 		$1.99
6. Crusader Kings II: Songs of Faith DLC [Online Game Code]
	No reviews 		$1.99
7. Crusader Kings II: Songs of the Holy Land DLC [Online Game Code]
	No reviews 		$1.99
8. Magicka Collection [Download]
	3.1 out of 5 stars (12) 	635 MB 	$10.00
9. Magicka: The Stars Are Left DLC [Online Game Code]
	4.0 out of 5 stars (2) 		$5.99
10. Majesty 2 Collection [Online Game Code]
	No reviews 	4.9 GB 	$10.00
11. Majesty Gold - HD [Online Game Code]
	No reviews 	450.0 MB 	$4.99
12. Victoria II [Online Game Code]
	No reviews 	500.0 MB 	$10.00
13. Warlock: Master of the Arcane [Download]
	3.5 out of 5 stars (14) 	1.26 GB 	$10.00

Total Individual Price: $85.92
Bundle Price: $9.51 

I just bought it mainly for Crusader Kings II. Such a deal .

[John]

Wow, that really is a great deal. Thank you for posting it, Mike! I know we have a lot of Paradox fans here, and you can't shake a stick at that price.

As for Inquisitor, I'm afraid I won't be able to give you a report on it since I won't be purchasing it. Gaming time is sooooo limited right now. I am poking at Guild Wars 2 here and there, but that's the extent of it; all the rest of my "leisure time" is being poured into R&D. But the game sounded so interesting that I figured I'd post the deal here in case someone wanted to take the plunge.

Interesting about King of Dragon Pass... you mention that it was exceedingly rare, Mike, and I wonder how collectors feel about it being available via GOG now. Does this devalue boxed copies? Have collectors lost value on their "investment"? Regardless, it does look like an interesting game; another I would jump on if I just had the time.

[Reg]

Faster Than Light is now on sale on Steam...its quite an addictive game and only costs 8.99. Somewhere else, someone else talked about this game. But a sot of description is that it is a roguelike, space ship simulator.