Dhruin
SasqWatch
Not as generous as the other titles but it is a new, AAA game. Nikus points out Dragon Age is currently $37.49 on Steam, or the Digital Deluxe version for $48.74.
More information.
More information.
Dragon Age - Steam Sale
- Thread starter Dhruin
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Zloth
I smell a... wumpus!?
The whole Steam sales thing is turning into a pretty big story, IMHO. It's really changed how I buy games.
I used to just look at a game when it came out and decide if it was worth the price. If it was, I got it. If it wasn't, I forgot about it. But now I'm giving games a second look because Steam will put them up for sale at half price or even less. Something like Assassin's Creed, which reviews said was fairly good but got really repetitive, suddenly becomes worth buying when it only costs $10. Who cares if it gets repetitive? I'll just quit when it does. ("Bargain bins" at stores have provided this kind of service, too, but most of the time they really are bins. Good luck finding a fun game in them amongst all the "Wii Cheer" and "Deer Hunter 23" games.)
I don't know who gets paid what when a game goes on sale for 75% off but I do know that I've gotten to play games I normally wouldn't have seen and, even though I paid a lot less, at least I did pay something for them. It's certainly a good thing all around in the short term. I wonder if it will lead to a deflation-like attitude, though, where people refuse to buy games?
I used to just look at a game when it came out and decide if it was worth the price. If it was, I got it. If it wasn't, I forgot about it. But now I'm giving games a second look because Steam will put them up for sale at half price or even less. Something like Assassin's Creed, which reviews said was fairly good but got really repetitive, suddenly becomes worth buying when it only costs $10. Who cares if it gets repetitive? I'll just quit when it does. ("Bargain bins" at stores have provided this kind of service, too, but most of the time they really are bins. Good luck finding a fun game in them amongst all the "Wii Cheer" and "Deer Hunter 23" games.)
I don't know who gets paid what when a game goes on sale for 75% off but I do know that I've gotten to play games I normally wouldn't have seen and, even though I paid a lot less, at least I did pay something for them. It's certainly a good thing all around in the short term. I wonder if it will lead to a deflation-like attitude, though, where people refuse to buy games?
txa1265
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Beyond that the whole digital download sales thing has been amazing this fall - D2D's $5 sales, now Steam's mega sales and D2D's 24 days of Christmas and reasonable deals at Impulse and GamersGate ... sweet stuff. I have bought loads of stuff just to not deal with disks.
... now I wish Sony would learn and have a nice PSN sale ...
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NA gamers can get the boxed version for $34.90 at GoGamer.com over the next 5 days.
http://www.gogamer.com/Dragon-Age-O...VproductId61665833VVcatId444792VVviewprod.htm
http://www.gogamer.com/Dragon-Age-O...VproductId61665833VVcatId444792VVviewprod.htm
yeah, it's unreal how many games ive scored the last couple weeks. Try em out, if you dont like it well youve lost 5 or 10 bucks.
I'm looking at games on the store shelves, and telling people "hey, you know you can get that from d2d right now for 5 bucks..."
I'm looking at games on the store shelves, and telling people "hey, you know you can get that from d2d right now for 5 bucks..."
zakhal
SasqWatch
Sounds like companies are trying to squeeze last dollars out of a bad year. But whatever the case it has changed the way I buy games. Im definetly going to buy more digital games in future now. They are easier to install and play, they dont take any space or collect dust and now they are cheaper too. And with my soon-to-be 100/5 internet connection I dont have to worry about slow downloads either.
Im currently making steam a catalog of my installed games. Im adding all games into its list even the non-steam ones. It works better than any "games"-folder I tried to use previously.
Im currently making steam a catalog of my installed games. Im adding all games into its list even the non-steam ones. It works better than any "games"-folder I tried to use previously.
Can't believe intelligent people voluntary use ring0 DRM bloatware like Steam on their machines…
I installed Steam only once (when HL2 came out), saw what it did, RMAed HL2, reinstalled a backup and never looked back.
Digital distribution is the devil of gaming and if it will be the dominant way of buying games I will convert to another hobby (or play s.th. from my 320+ collection of boxed games). I only bought some games online (NWN1 premium modules that weren't released on CD and Mysteries of Westgate), only because they were not available boxed.
All good games are rereleased in chepo boxed versions or are available for a few bucks at ebay or third party sellers at Amazon in their original form.
There is NO excuse to buy games online and destroy the culture of games. Where did the culture of music go, after itunes (nearly as bad as steam) appeared? Yes, down the drain - no more interesting cover art, cool booklets etc… All gone for good. Thank you Apple, thank you Valve.
Good night.
I installed Steam only once (when HL2 came out), saw what it did, RMAed HL2, reinstalled a backup and never looked back.
Digital distribution is the devil of gaming and if it will be the dominant way of buying games I will convert to another hobby (or play s.th. from my 320+ collection of boxed games). I only bought some games online (NWN1 premium modules that weren't released on CD and Mysteries of Westgate), only because they were not available boxed.
All good games are rereleased in chepo boxed versions or are available for a few bucks at ebay or third party sellers at Amazon in their original form.
There is NO excuse to buy games online and destroy the culture of games. Where did the culture of music go, after itunes (nearly as bad as steam) appeared? Yes, down the drain - no more interesting cover art, cool booklets etc… All gone for good. Thank you Apple, thank you Valve.
Good night.
txa1265
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OMG DRM FUD ... ALL DRM R TEH EVILZ ... welcome to 2005!
I thought music was about ... y'know MUSIC? Sorry, but cover art is the same as whether the singer is good looking ... irrelevant.
I thought music was about ... y'know MUSIC? Sorry, but cover art is the same as whether the singer is good looking ... irrelevant.
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Are you fore real?
txa1265
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Actually, as a more serious reply, Steam is NOT a rootkit, and as time has progressed they have made their DRM less and less invasive. This year they did a major revamp to their 'security suite' as well.
Pretty much every physical or digital game uses *some* type of DRM at this point, even the 'benign' DVD-check portion of SecuROM has blocked many from playing their legal copies. It is a sad reality ... but it is one that many of us - even some of the others who are pretty intelligent - have learned to deal with.
Pretty much every physical or digital game uses *some* type of DRM at this point, even the 'benign' DVD-check portion of SecuROM has blocked many from playing their legal copies. It is a sad reality ... but it is one that many of us - even some of the others who are pretty intelligent - have learned to deal with.
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I also much prefer a retail box to a DD version, but I don't have any illusions that DD is some sort of conspiracy.
i can understand the hesitation to accept digital distribution - I was once of that mindset myself. And it does have its advantages / disadvantages, but seriously - the good far far outweighs the bad. If given the chance ill buy something off the shelf, but as time goes on, more and more you have to sign into one service or another anyway like windows live and all that anyway...
The key word here being "distribution". It's just another method to distribute media, that's what it's all about, the songs/games/movies whatever youre trying to get. Not the packaging it comes in!
The key word here being "distribution". It's just another method to distribute media, that's what it's all about, the songs/games/movies whatever youre trying to get. Not the packaging it comes in!
txa1265
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I also much prefer a retail box to a DD version, but I don't have any illusions that DD is some sort of conspiracy.
Sir_Brennus ... revealed!
And yes, I'm just joking around!
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Sorry guys, you are seriously mistaken here.
I don't think DD is a conspiracy, but it IS a customer rip-off. Let me explain in detail why I will never ever sign in a DD service or a payed online game.
(On a sidenote: I'd love to play The last Remnant, because I like both Western and JRPGs, but I cannot, because I have to install Steam to play it. I don't know why the publisher is unable to produce a working, non-inversive authentification tool, like say telefone (Two Worlds) or even online (Mass Effect). I can't sell the game, though, because I'm a collector)
1. Games are about games, like music is about music. Not true. Three years ago there had been an exhibition about record cover art from the 1920s to 1980s in our local Frank Gehry designed Art museum. The exhibition made something perfectly clear: the impact of music as a form of art, as an expression of its time and as a driving force of social development can not be divided from its presentation, e. g. lyrics, cover art, liner notes etc. If you do so, you could also start judging Once upon a Time in America by its dialogues only and not consider image composition or the score.
Retail boxes are an integral part of video and computer games. Destroying them means destroying the art form.
2. Games are cheaper online. Not true. Mostly games are sold for the same price here in Germany, no matter if online or retail. This is massively criticised in the media, but still it stands true.
3. The haptic element is unimportant. Not true. I work with 16 to 25 year old students mostly, who use illegal movie streaming services all the time. I argue with them that they steal copyrighted property and suggest using legal services. They always deny that with one explanation: "Why should I pay for s.th. that I can obtain for free and with no real threat of being punished?" - The interesting fact is that they DO pay for movies at the cinema (nowadays it's even more expansive than buying DVDs), because they get "something more".
The physical copy of a game that I can touch, the box, the manual and the cloth map, the figurine and such, those are "something more" that the industry should focus on, because people are ready to pay for this.
These are the three most important reasons that I could think of and, yes I am for real.
I don't think DD is a conspiracy, but it IS a customer rip-off. Let me explain in detail why I will never ever sign in a DD service or a payed online game.
(On a sidenote: I'd love to play The last Remnant, because I like both Western and JRPGs, but I cannot, because I have to install Steam to play it. I don't know why the publisher is unable to produce a working, non-inversive authentification tool, like say telefone (Two Worlds) or even online (Mass Effect). I can't sell the game, though, because I'm a collector)
1. Games are about games, like music is about music. Not true. Three years ago there had been an exhibition about record cover art from the 1920s to 1980s in our local Frank Gehry designed Art museum. The exhibition made something perfectly clear: the impact of music as a form of art, as an expression of its time and as a driving force of social development can not be divided from its presentation, e. g. lyrics, cover art, liner notes etc. If you do so, you could also start judging Once upon a Time in America by its dialogues only and not consider image composition or the score.
Retail boxes are an integral part of video and computer games. Destroying them means destroying the art form.
2. Games are cheaper online. Not true. Mostly games are sold for the same price here in Germany, no matter if online or retail. This is massively criticised in the media, but still it stands true.
3. The haptic element is unimportant. Not true. I work with 16 to 25 year old students mostly, who use illegal movie streaming services all the time. I argue with them that they steal copyrighted property and suggest using legal services. They always deny that with one explanation: "Why should I pay for s.th. that I can obtain for free and with no real threat of being punished?" - The interesting fact is that they DO pay for movies at the cinema (nowadays it's even more expansive than buying DVDs), because they get "something more".
The physical copy of a game that I can touch, the box, the manual and the cloth map, the figurine and such, those are "something more" that the industry should focus on, because people are ready to pay for this.
These are the three most important reasons that I could think of and, yes I am for real.
Games are cheaper online, and more readily available. Take it from someone who bought about ten of them this weekend. For example Knights of the Old Republic, 5$ is the going price online right now. Even a boxed copy on Amazon , used, probably without a manual and scratched to hell is gonna be 20.oo by the time everything's said and done. Majesty2 was 7.50 yesterday @ D2D, in brick and mortar stores youre looking at at least 30.00 still.
And not all download services use clients that you have to run to play, STEAM is not the only service out there!
And not all download services use clients that you have to run to play, STEAM is not the only service out there!
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zakhal
SasqWatch
I have two shelves full of boxed games but to play them I need to find the box, open it,
open dvd drive, remove current dvd disk from drive, find its box from somwhere, put the old dvd in it, put the new dvd into the drive, close the drive, close the autopopup from windows, find where I installed the game (som new games dont even put links at all), check if there are new patches, update if there is, click the start button. It takes time.
With DD I browse my list of automatically patched games in Steam and click once what I want to play. So much easier.
Also if the game is old its still mostly guaranteed to work on my new OS, because digital download service takes care of that. With old boxed games though you never know if they work straight away or require extra work to do so.
Then theres of course the cheapness thing. This xmas they are practically giving away DD games.
open dvd drive, remove current dvd disk from drive, find its box from somwhere, put the old dvd in it, put the new dvd into the drive, close the drive, close the autopopup from windows, find where I installed the game (som new games dont even put links at all), check if there are new patches, update if there is, click the start button. It takes time.
With DD I browse my list of automatically patched games in Steam and click once what I want to play. So much easier.
Also if the game is old its still mostly guaranteed to work on my new OS, because digital download service takes care of that. With old boxed games though you never know if they work straight away or require extra work to do so.
Then theres of course the cheapness thing. This xmas they are practically giving away DD games.
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I can understand some of the points sir_brennus make, but frankly points like DD is “evil” is just ridicules. Last month I bought Dragon Age: Origins CE, in the store, because that’s the kind of game I like on my shelve, but I also bought Borderlands over steam, it was cheaper that in the stores, It came out sooner that the stores, and I did not have to drive in to the city to pick it up, so I think that was a nice deal.
Digital Download is also better fore the environment, if that’s something that’s on your mind, it’s 100% Co2 free, if you are downloading, while you are using your computer to something else.
Digital Download is also better fore the environment, if that’s something that’s on your mind, it’s 100% Co2 free, if you are downloading, while you are using your computer to something else.
sorry dude, but "buying used games = piracy"
devs get not a single $ from that.
i love to buy virtual goods, but only if they are EXTREM cheap to have.
Sorry guys, you may not understand the pricing thing here:
To make it clear: In Germany games on STEAM are mostly more expensive than in a retail market. And they are ALWAYS more expensive than an import from GB.
If you don't believe me (and understand a little German) read the comments in this thread:
http://www.gamestar.de/community/gspinboard/showthread.php?t=351284
[EDIT: It's march / april 2009, so it is a current thread. It's a comment thread for an essay that's called "Why are computer games so expensive?"]
To make it clear: In Germany games on STEAM are mostly more expensive than in a retail market. And they are ALWAYS more expensive than an import from GB.
If you don't believe me (and understand a little German) read the comments in this thread:
http://www.gamestar.de/community/gspinboard/showthread.php?t=351284
[EDIT: It's march / april 2009, so it is a current thread. It's a comment thread for an essay that's called "Why are computer games so expensive?"]