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Xbox Live Indie Games price drop
A while back Microsoft restructured the pricing of the indie games. Where it used to be 800/400/200, it is now 400/240/80. When the price restructure happened, they said that all 200 point games would eventually revert to 80, unless the developer decided to bump it up to 240, and that has just happened.
This means a bunch of games previously available for 200 are now only 80 points.
Here are some games which are now 80 points that you might want to check out:
Alien Ambush
Being
Bullet Trap
Halfbrick Echoes
Johnny Platform's Biscuit Romp
Lines
Miner Dig Deep
Organon
ZP2K9
And then as well as that lot, there is the phenomenal Groov. By far my favourite game on the service, for 80 MS Points it is an absolute must have. I don't want to spoil the surprise, but it i a very well made dual stick shooter with an emphasis on synaesthesia. If you get only one Xbox Live Indie game, make it this one.
If there are any newly reduced Indie Games I've missed, then please point them out to me.
Uncharted 2: Amongst Theives, PS3 - £29.99
Uncharted 2: Amongst Theives, PS3 - £29.99 delivered
Thanks to everyone who sent me the tip to this, there was a lot of you. Never heard of this site before myself, can anyone vouch for them?
Pro Evolution Soccer, Xbox 360/PS3 - £29.18
Pro Evolution Soccer, Xbox 360/PS3 - £29.18
It's £29.71 on both formats in Asda, and £34.99 at PC World, so get it for this price via PC World's pricematch policy.
Wet - Review
Review by Will Templeton (continueorquit.com)
In movies, the best characters are those with which the viewer can sympathise; a character that, while flawed, can be enjoyed and identified with by the viewer. Considering that Wet draws so heavily from cinema, to the extent of running it as a motif throughout the game, it seems somewhat out of place that the protagonist is as blank a slate as she is. Rubi is a humourless, callous bitch, an outcast with only the pursuit of money on her mind and nothing interesting to say, and I simply do not identify with her, nor do I want to.
It seems that the characters in Wet are torn directly from a film-makers’ archetype handbook, with a broad smattering of accents and each one firmly in the roles you’d expect from a movie of its type – the old crime syndicate boss struggling to keep up with today’s business, the wisecracking but streetsmart contact with his ear to the ground, or the slightly crazed henchmen who specialises in one particular brand of combat to the point of excellence. It’s all here, and it brings to mind the thought that Wet perhaps wants to be a film more than it does a game.
A case in point - the idea of quicktime events is to allow a cinematic sequence to be interacted with in some way, to allow the player to have some element of control over something that ordinarily they would not be able to do. The car chase sequence, present early on in the game and in the demo, is a great example of how QTEs can work in this context, with free aiming and combat around a core mechanic that is nothing more than the game being on rails with the odd button prompt. It’s exciting, cinematic, and skill requires concentration and skill in order to pass the sequence. Later in the game, however, there’s a transitional cutscene in which Rubi shoots a window in order to jump through, with no controller input at all. It’s not as if the action is even far out of reach of the usual mechanics in the game, either – it appears perfectly possible for the player to be able to shoot the glass and leap through on their own, but one many occasions Artificial Mind and Movement have opted for the non-interactive, film-like approach.
This motif of film and of traditional cinema underscores every aspect of Wet, from the film grain running over the visuals at every point to loading screens ripped straight from pre-screening lobby advertisements - after one particularly bloody sequence, the player may be invited to hop to the concession stand and grab a Chilly Dilly: "No muss, no fuss; the ideal snack for all of us!" - a constant reminder that Wet is aware of its own ridiculousness, that it's intended to be tongue-in-cheek and that some of its more elementary missteps should be forgiven. It's hard, however, to write off certain aspects of the game as intentional missteps. The fact that the voice acting, while excellently performed, never quite matches up with the animation of the characters on screen is distracting, and that the combat system and collision allows for an unexpected fall from a ledge during combat more often than can be blamed on the player.
It's unfortunate, because otherwise, Wet's combat system is its crowning jewel. In many ways, the game seems to be constructed to allow bridging points between combat arenas, locked-off warehouses or courtyards where enemies stream at Rubi continuously until their entrance doorways are blocked. At all points in Wet, killing enemies provides a points multiplier, but in these areas, managing this multiplier is critical to survival - the higher the multiplier, the faster Rubi's health will regenerate, and therefore the most efficient way to ensure survival is through flamboyant, acrobatic and consistently violent play. As the game progresses, and the player comes across more complicated and challenging combat arenas, unlocks for both Rubi's weapons and abilities become available, which slowly moves the bar from simple jumping and firing in slow-motion into (for example) a slide, to wall-running, strafing along the wall, leaping off to a horizontal pole and chaining two swings together, constantly firing the whole time and landing gracefully on a platform with destruction behind you.
Nothing is quite so satisfying in Wet as these perfectly-executed moments of fluidity, especially when using the incredibly well-chosen soundtrack as a backdrop, but they're infuriatingly hard to accomplish due to the aforementioned unforgiving control - there are far too many moments in which a planned run through a room will fail multiple times through no apparent fault of the player. One particularly consistent frustration is Rubi wall-running horizontally because the wall was approached at anything less than a 90-degree angle, ruining any route that was planned and invariably dropping the character into the middle of three enemies she was trying to shoot. It's a problem that could be overcome with any other mechanic than the aforementioned kills-to-multipliers-to-health scenario - without the perfect run, Rubi dies almost immediately due to the lack of opportunity to learn multipliers in slow motion acrobatics, but with a well-executed performance throughout a run the player loses very little health and as a consequence the room seems far too easy. There's very little middle ground, which leads to an odd set of difficulty spikes, in which any given area's difficulty relates directly to whether or not the game interprets the player's actions as expected or not, which ultimately leads to irritation.
Every now and again, these combat arenas are altered slightly, providing a cel-shaded, viscerally themed stage for Rubi to rip apart enemy after enemy in a blood-fuelled rage. These moments could easily become tedious were they over-used, but they’re placed in such a way that they are a relief and a pleasure to unwind with after a particularly lengthy platforming section or gunfight. The simplicity of the environment and colour scheme lends itself very well to enabling the fluidity and constant motion that Wet relies on, to such an extent that every rage-triggered scene rides that edge of difficulty and cinema almost perfectly. It’s unfortunate, then, that there doesn’t seem to be any way of replaying these sections after completing the game, because they seem ideally suited to speed runs.
That's not to say that the game's difficulty is entirely scattershot, however. As the game progresses, Rubi is introduced to various different archetypes of enemies to fight, such as the swordsman who can block bullets, or the bullet sponge with a minigun, and in order to combat each of these, the player has access to an upgrade system. The points that are earned for stylish kills and kill chains can be spent on new acrobatic moves and health for Rubi, or for upgrades to damage and clip size for each of the four weapons available - unlimited pistol, SMG, shotgun and crossbow. While leaping through the air and landing on an enemy sword-first is visceral and appealing, the practicality of it is that once Rubi has the ability to shoot from anything she's moving across, the combination of acrobatics and pistol is adequate for most situations, even without augmenting the damage or capacity of the gun. It’s just another thing in Wet that seems like a nice idea, but not quite well-rounded enough to be of any use.
That’s Wet in a nutshell - a game that seems to have missed its potential due to good ideas implemented without enough thought about the whole experience. At its best, it can be a game that just works, a rhapsody of violence and acrobatics, and at worst, its clunky controls and inconsistencies in plot and difficulty will drive you to frustration or confusion. At its core, Wet wants you to enjoy it, and it’s clear that there is something there to enjoy, but struggling through the interface to get to one of those rare moments of bliss almost isn’t worth the effort.
The Red Star, PS2 - £3.33
The Red Star, PS2 - £3.33 delivered
I plug this whenever it is available for cheap. It is a very kickass game, great coop too.
Possible SavyGamer downtime
I'm doing some complicated behind the scenes stuff that may result in some downtime at some point in the near future. If I do go away, it won't be for too long (hopefully). You can just fill your time by buying some games at RRP or something. <3
Edit: Right, that should be it, went down for a little while, but we're back in business now.
Also, Some of you who tried to email me might have noticed my email being broken, should be fixed now.
£3 off £35 at Zavvi mark 2
Update: I've reposted this with a bunch of great new deals added.
There is currently a £3 off £35 code for Zavvi, add promo code "ZWalk" to any order totalling £35 or more to receive your discount.
Here are some games which you might want to consider getting with this discount:
Xbox 360
LEGO Rock Band - £32.95
Borderlands - £29.95
Dark Void - £28.95
Dead Rising 2 - £27.95
Red Faction: Guerilla - £17.95
2,100 MS Points - £15.95
Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena - £15.95
Tomb Raider: Underworld - £8.95
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames - £8.95
Skate - £5.95
Stuntman: Ignition - £4.95
PS3
LEGO Rock Band - £32.95
Borderlands - £29.95
Dark Void - £28.95
£20 PSN Card - £15.95
Disgaea 3: Absence Of Justice - £14.95
Fuel - £12.95
First Encounter Assault Recon 2: Project Origin - £11.95
Overlord 2 - £11.95
Wii
LEGO Rock Band - £27.95
MadWorld - £11.95
House of the Dead: Overkill - £9.95
House of the Dead: Overkill Hand Cannon - £8.95
Minon: Everyday Hero - £7.95
PC
World of Warcaft: Cataclysm - £24.95
Dark Void - £23.95
Batman: Arkham Asylum - £23.95
Resident Evil 5 - £17.95
Tropico 3 - £17.95
Ghostbusters - £17.95
ARMA 2 - £15.95
X3 Gold Edition - £12.95
Dead Space - £7.95
Civilization IV: Complete (Missing Colonization) - £7.95
Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor - £7.65
S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Clear Sky - £5.95
Crysis - £5.95
Blacksite - £3.95
PSP
Gran Tourismo - £17.95
Motorstorm: Arctic Edge - £17.95
Dissidia: Final Fantasy - £17.95
Little Big Planet - £17.95
Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny - £16.95
MGS: Portable Ops/Silent Hill Origins - £14.95
Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters - £7.95
Killzone: Liberation - £6.95
Every Extend Extra - £4.95
DS
Phantasy Star Zero - £24.95
Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days - £17.95
Space Invaders Extreme 2 - £12.95
Lock's Quest - £8.95
New International Track and Field - £5.95
Dawn of War Shenanigans on Steam
In case anyone is thinking of buying the Dawn of War complete pack on Steam, I'd suggest you take pause for a moment.
The pack costs £32.46, and comes with DOW1: Gold Edition, Dark Crusade, Soulstorm and DOW2.
The individual components bought separately cost:
DOW1: Platinum Edition (Gold + Dark Crusade) - £8.49
Soulstorm - £8.49
Dawn of War 2 - £9.99
A total of £26.97, a whole £5.49 cheaper than buying the package deal.
I think THQ need to hire a new person to be responsible for their Steam pricing. Cheers to @Driaden for the tip off on this.
Fallout 3, GOTY Edition, PS3 - £28.99
Fallout 3, GOTY Edition, PS3 - £28.99 delivered
This includes all 5 pieces of DLC, which cost roughly £30 separately. I can vouch for at least 3 of the 5 being great (Operation Anchorage is only OK, and I've not played Mothership Zeta).
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - £34.73
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - £34.73 delivered
Apply code "HWalk" to get £3 off.
Fallout 3, GOTY Edition, PC - £17.48
Fallout 3, GOTY Edition, PC - £17.48 delivered
This includes all 5 pieces of DLC, which cost roughly £30 seperately. I can vouch for at least 3 of the 5 being great (Operation Anchorage is only OK, and I've not played Mothership Zeta).
Maths with THQ
Red Faction Guerilla is this week's weekend special on Steam. This game normally costs £34.99/€49.99/$39.99 on steam, but the weekend special has brought the price of Red Faction Guerilla down by 25%. It is now £26.24/€37.49/$29.99. The UK and EU price of the game is still higher when it is on weekend special than the standard USA price.
To add insult to injury, Saints Row 2, a game by not only the same publisher, but the same developer, is priced much more sensibly at £14.99/€19.99/$29.99.
This table shows the prices for the two THQ/Volition games on Steam in the three regions and three currencies:
The astronomical inconsistency in international pricing between these two games is certainly frustrating. You have to assume that THQ have chosen this pricing strategy simply because it will make them more money. It is essentially price discrimination, the equivalent of looking at customers walk into a shop, and gauging how much to charge them based on how rich they appear.
I don't know exactly what we should be doing here. How steam used to work, where everyone paid in dollars exchanged into their currency at the exchange rate when the transaction occurs seems like it might be better for most people outside of the USA, although as SR2 proves this is not always the case.
How steam currently works is that the publisher sets a specific price for each region. These prices are generally roughly comparable to each other based on exchange rates at the time, however, if the publisher wants to charge more in one region, they are completely allowed to do so.
Were it up to me, I would still allow this practise, however, I would also regulate it a bit more. I would say some kind of rule where no game was allowed to be sold for (say) 10% +/- the price of the same game in another region, and could be reviewed monthly with regard to currency fluctuations. This would give publishers a margin for error, but prevent them gouging different regions just because they can.
Perhaps the whole thing is academic anyway, since RFG is far cheaper to get at retail:
Red Faction: Guerilla, PC - £17.99 delivered
Xbox 360 Elite, Pure, LEGO Batman & an extra controller - £127.02
Xbox 360 Elite, Wireless Controller, Pure, LEGO Batman - £127.02 delivered
Add the Xbox 360 Elite and Wireless Entertainment Pack to your basket, and at checkout, the price will resolve to £127.02.
I believe the reason this happens is because the site is coded to deduct the price of the Entertainment Pack from the price of the console, but the Pack has been mispriced. As retailers aren't required to honour misprices, this order is likely to be cancelled. Undoubtedly worth it if it isn't, though.
In light of the postal strike affecting the UK within the next week, I advise anyone who hasn't already signed up for the free trial of Amazon Prime that they offer at checkout to do so, or to pay for faster shipping in addition to the console price in order to ensure reliable delivery. If you do sign up for Prime, ensure that you've unchecked the rebilling option in the settings, or after the trial is up you'll automatically be billed.
- Will Templeton
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, PC - £4.13
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, PC - £4.13 delivered
Amazon have dropped the £5 minimum spend for free P&P, now all items get free super saver delivery.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, PC - £1.66
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, PC - £1.66 delivered
Amazon have dropped the £5 minimum spend for free P&P, now all items get free super saver delivery.
Alone in the Dark, Xbox 360 - £3
Alone in the Dark, Xbox 360 - £3 Preowned in GAME
It wasn't this price on the system, but it was stickered at this price. Not sure if this is nationwide or not.
Picross DS, DS - £6.99
Picross DS, DS - £6.99 delivered
Excellent little puzzle game this, bizarrely addictive.
Civilization IV [Complete], PC - £12.49
Civilization IV [Complete], PC - £12.49
This includes all three expansions. Part of THQ's week of special offers on Steam.
Weapon of Choice, Xbox 360 - 240 MS Points
Weapon of Choice, Xbox 360 - 240 MS Points
Permanent price drop from 400 MS Points.
World of Goo, PC/Mac/Linux - $Whatever you want
World of Goo, PC/Mac/Linux - $Whatever you want
I just got it for $0.01 (It's not that I'm cheap, I already own it on the Wii and on Steam, but now I can get the Linux version too)
One of the best games in a very long time. My review here.
Mirror's Edge, Dead Space + Mercenaries 2, PC - Free
Mirror's Edge, Dead Space + Mercenaries 2, PC - Free
Seems like there is a problem with EA Store at the minute. Add these three games to your basket, and it should come up free.
Mirror's Edge
Dead Space
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
In my experimentation, I can find only these games that work, let me know if you find any more. Enjoy, the first two I can vouch for being excellent games.
I'd download and activate them as soon as possible, who knows if EA will revoke them.
Update: Just in case anyone from outside of the UK is trying this, it appears to be only working in the UK store.
Update2: Seems that the download for Mirror's Edge includes the soundtrack too.
First Encounter Assault Recon 2: Project Origin, PS3 - £9.99
First Encounter Assault Recon 2: Project Origin, PS3 - £9.99 delivered
Atomhex, Xbox 360 - Review
Atomhex, Xbox 360 - 80MS Points
Review by LewieP
Dual Stick shooters have seen a bit of a wonderful resurgence in the last few years, and you can very easily track it back to the release of Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved on the Xbox Live Arcade.
A guy called Marco Incitti decided to make a clone of Retro Evolved for the PC, and make a freely downloadable title on his web site. I played it, and it was pretty damn good. Whilst at a cursory glance it did look feel and play in a very similar fashion to Retro Evolved, there was actually a lot more to it, with new and different mechanics that massively change how you play the game.
Then, quite possibly since there was a PC port of Retro Evolved in the pipeline, Bizarre contacted him saying:
"We're beginning to feel the effects of the Geometry Wars clones on our sales via Microsoft now and are beginning a process to begin to more robustly protect our copyright and intellectual property.
Therefore, I'd like to ask you in an amicable fashion to stop infringing our IP and pull the game 'Grid Wars' from the internet for download.
I hope you understand and are able to do this without us having to take further steps."
Which was a pretty big mistake in my opinion. They were right to defend their IP, but they missed an opportunity by not offering him a job.
Marco did the right thing and took Grid Wars down (but if you interested, I bet you can find it somewhere in the internet's shadier corners), and set to work making his own completely original game. Atomhex is the end product.
It is a pretty crowded market place, and to stand out you need to have a least one major unique selling point. Atomhex has several, but quite possibly it being only 80 MS Points is the biggest. Frankly I think Atomhex is largely under priced. 240 would still be an excellent price for it.
It's a thinking persons dual stick shooter, which is essentially code for meaning "Shooting everything is not the best route to success".
The gameplay is about as complicated to describe as it is to play. There are several types of "enemies" all with very specific behaviour.
Firstly, there are atoms, these are innocuous floating things that if you touch, bounce off you. You get a few points for shooting one of these. If two of them touch, they will transform into a nasty enemy which will (temporarily) remove your ability to shoot if it gets you, then set a trap.
Then there are Hex. These are coloured dots with a small force field. If you shoot its force field, you can then absorb it for points, and it will also change your bullets to be the same colour as it. If a Hex absorbs an atom, it will then emit enemies.
The more atoms a hex absorbs, the nastier the enemies is shoots out. A hex that has absorbed at least one atom is only vulnerable to bullets the same colour as it.
Also - when a hex absorbs 6 atoms, the whole screen is cleared, and you zoom in to it for sort of a boss battle, called going "subatomic".
That lot all sounds fairly convoluted, because it is. I've not even touched on the powerups, chaining, or multipliers.
Don't take that as a complaint though. It's a solidly made shooter that does take time to learn how to play, but the important thing is that it is still fun to play even as a dumb shooter. You could switch off the mathsy high score calculating part of your brain and still have a lot of fun with Atomhex.
It is pretty, sounds great and costs 80ms points. I swear if I see anyone with Avatar clothing they have paid for who has not bought this I'll probably cry.
It's everything the Xbox indie games should be. Original ideas, well executed, and lots of personality. Give the demo a go at least I think.
Civilization IV [Complete], PC - £7.73
Civilization IV [Complete], PC - £7.73 delivered
Comes with Warlords and Beyond the Sword, but not Colonization.
FIFA 2010, PS3/Xbox 360 - £23.47
FIFA 2010, PS3/Xbox 360 - £23.47
Tesco are selling it for £24.97, PC World are selling it for £39.99. Get it for this price using PC Worlds price match policy.
Update: Currys should do it too.
Update2: Asda and Toys R Us are selling it for £24.97 and £24.95 respectively in case your local Tesco is out of stock.
Fable II: Episode 1, Xbox 360 - Free
Fable II: Episode 1, Xbox 360 - Free
The first episode of Fable II has just gone up on Live. Essentially you get a portion of the game as an extended demo, and you can buy the additional episodes a la carte from inside the game. Note that this is no different to the disc version of Fable II.
If you like the free episode, the cheapest price for the disc version is £15.91 here, which works out a lot cheaper than buying each episode individually.
The Shivah, PC - Free
The Shivah, PC - Free
Enter code "FreeShivah" to get this game for free, and pick "credit card" at the checkout (the price will be £0.00, so it won't even ask for credit card details).
Cheers to Martin for the tip off.
Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner, PS2 - £14.95
Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner, PS2 - £14.95 delivered
20% off at Impulse
Using the coupon "SURVEY-2009" you can get 20% off any purchase (minimum order of £4.91) at Impulse.
Here are some bargains I'd recommend:
AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! - A Reckless Disregard for Gravity - £7.34
AI War: Fleet Command - £9.82
And yet it moves - £6.39
Braid - £7.34
Bullet Candy - £1.96 (need to buy something else to bump it over £4.91)
Capitalism 2 - £3.43 (need to buy something else to bump it over £4.91)
Caster - £2.45 (need to buy something else to bump it over £4.91)
Chains - £3.93
Children of the Nile: Complete - £12.27
Democracy 2 - £11.27
Fairy Tales - Three Heroes - £9.82
GalCiv 2: Ultimate Edition - £19.62
Gratuitous Space Battles - £9.80
Kudos 2 - £7.34
Majesty 2 - £23.99
Scrapland - £3.43
Sins of a Solar Empire bundle - £17.17
The Spirit Engine 2 - £7.36
Let me know if I have missed anything particularly essential, and cheers to Alex for the tip off. Not sure if it is one time use of not, but it seems to let you put a ton of items in your basket and get 20% off all of them, so maybe get anything you might want in the future now. Not sure if/when it will expire either.
PlayTV, PS3 - £39.99
Space Invaders Extreme 2, DS - £12.95
Space Invaders Extreme 2, DS - £12.95 delivered
£12.95 for the sequel to one of last years best DS games? Yes please.
Cheap Rock Band Drums
It seems with the release of Beatles: Rock Band, you can get Rock Band drums for cheap!
I just picked up a set of Xbox 360 drums from Tesco for £17.87. They weren't priced up at that price, but scanned at that when I took them to the till.
I've also just seen Wii and PS3/PS2 drums for £20 in my Local GAME.
The 360 and PS3/PS3 drums will work with all Rock Band/Guitar Hero games that support drums, but the Wii drums won't work with GH:WT (not sure about other GH games), but work with both Rock Band 1, 2 and Beatles.
Batman: Arkham Asylum, PS3 - £26.79
Batman: Arkham Asylum, PS3 - £26.79
It is £27.99 in store at GAME, and £39.99 at PC World, so you can get it for this price at PC World via their price match policy.
Direct2Drive £5 game sale: Week 3
The next round of games are up on D2D, this week it's RPGs.
There are a few classic RPGs available. Like Grand Theft Auto 3 and Penumbra...
Here's the full selection.
We aren't allowed to have Neverwinter Nights 2 or Assassin's Creed, they are only for the USA people.
I've updated the "Games to not buy any time soon" list accordingly.
Pinball FX, XBLA - 400 MS Points
Pinball FX, XBLA - 400 MS Points
This weeks deal of the week, for gold subscribers only.
Batman: Arkham Asylum - I made a silly mistake
Update: I completely misread the gamersgate press release. I thought they were doing a pretty good promotion, instead they are doing a shit one.
Sega Superstar Tennis, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts and Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise, Xbox 360 - £16.99
Sega Superstar Tennis, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts and Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise, Xbox 360 - £16.99 collect in store.
Qubed, Xbox 360 - £17.63
Qubed, Xbox 360 - £17.63 delivered
This is a retail disc that features 3 of Q? Entertainments XBLA games on it. You get Lumines Live!, RezHD and Every Extend Extra Extreme. Lumines Live! also comes with 1,950 MS points worth of DLC included.
The whole package would cost 4,350 MS points if bought from the Live Marketplace, equivalent to around £31, based on 21,00 MS points for £15.
Tales of Monkey Island Episode 1: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal, PC - Free
Tales of Monkey Island Episode 1: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal, PC - Free
Today only, to celebrate International Talk Like A Pirate Day (or Worldwide D&D Game Day, or Rosh Hashanah, or whatever), the first episode of the new Monkey Island series is free to download. Make sure you notice the mailing list opt-out underneath the big 'GET YOUR FREE GAME!' button.
The Secret of Monkey Island SE, iPhone/iPod Touch - £2.39
The Secret of Monkey Island SE, iPhone/iPod Touch - £2.39
Half price for a limited time only. This is almost identical to the version available on Xbox Live Arcade, including full voice acting and both the remastered and original game versions, the only difference being a slight resolution drop.
MAG beta code contest
I have five beta codes for MAG to give away! Simply head over to my website Continue or Quit and follow the instructions.
The contest ends at 6PM on Saturday 19th.
Update: The contest has ended. To see the winning entries, visit the article on Continue or Quit.
Halo 3: ODST, Xbox 360 - £29.85
Halo 3: ODST, Xbox 360 - £29.85 delivered
Technically, this isn't the cheapest price for ODST, by about 20p. However, ShopTo ship their stock via next-day recorded delivery as soon as they get it, and according to reports, they've got stock now. If you order before 5:30pm today, you'll get it tomorrow morning, four full days before the release date of next Tuesday.
You'll also get the code for Johnson in Firefight, so you're not missing out on anything from other retailers. Worth 20p, I feel.
UPDATE: The official word from ShopTo is that they are charging people today but not shipping until tomorrow. People are still getting shipping confirmation emails, however.
The Conduit [Special Edition], Wii - £17.99
The Conduit [Special Edition], Wii - £17.99 delivered
Still not worth it
Dragon Ball: Raging Blast [Limited Edition], Xbox 360 - £32.99
Dragon Ball: Raging Blast [Limited Edition], Xbox 360 - £32.99 delivered
Dragon Ball: Raging Blast [Limited Edition], PS3 - £34.96
Dragon Ball: Raging Blast [Limited Edition], PS3 - £34.96 delivered
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion [GOTY Edition], PS3 - £9.49
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion [GOTY Edition], PS3 - £9.49 delivered
Company Of Heroes: Anthology, PC - £17.99
Company Of Heroes: Anthology, PC - £17.99 delivered
Includes the original game, Opposing Fronts and Tales of Valor.
Broken Sword: The Shadow Of The Templars - Director's Cut, Wii - £14.99
Broken Sword: The Shadow Of The Templars - Director's Cut, Wii - £14.99 delivered
The Last Remnant, PC - £8.79
The Last Remnant, PC - £8.79 delivered
You can add the serial from this to your Steam account too if you like.
Crysis, PC - £6.73
Crysis, PC - £6.73 delivered
Although this is on the "Video games to not buy any time soon" list, as it could be on sale for £5 at D2D.
Motorstorm, PS3 - £4.95
Motorstorm, PS3 - £4.95 delivered
Preowned, and missing the manual.
Just drive forwards, fast preferably.
Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box/Trivial Pursuit, Xbox 360 - £12.95
Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box/Trivial Pursuit, Xbox 360 - £12.95 delivered
Video games to not buy any time soon
I've just spent far too long scouring D2D's games catalogue for games which will possibly be in their £5 sale over the next few weeks. Essentially, games in the categories listed here which are currently more than £5.
My advice: If you are thinking about getting any of these games any time soon, wait to see if they are in the D2D sale, as you will be able to get them for a fiver. I thought I'd do my bit to prevent you buying a game now when it is possibly going to be much cheaper in the near future.
Week beginning 27/9/09 - Indie Games
AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! - A Reckless Disregard for Gravity!
Acceleration of Suguri
All Aspect Warfare
And Yet It Moves
Aquaria
Armed Seven
Aveyond: Gates of Night
Aveyond: Rhen's Quest
Aztaka
Blackwell Legacy
Blackwell Unbound
Braid
Bridge Construction Set
Buccaneer: The Pursuit of Infamy
CellZenith
Ceville
City Rain: Building Sustainability
Cogs
Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble
Dark Salvation
Darwinia
DEFCON
Defense Grid: The Awakening
Democracy 2
Downfall
DROD RPG: Tendry's Tale
DROD: Journey to Rooted Hold
DROD: The City Beneath
Eschalon: Book I
Gish
Hacker Evolution
Hacker Evolution: Untold
Harvest: Massive Encounter
Helldorado
I-Fluid
Immortal Defense
Iron Grip
Kingdom Elemental
Kivi's Underworld
Kudos Rock Legend
Light of Altair
Make Bouncy Bouncy
Mevo and The Grooveriders
Mount and Blade
Mr. Robot
Multiwinia
Musaic Box
Nation Red
Noitu Love 2: Devolution
Oasis
Obulis
On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two
Osmos
Pe-2: Dive Bomber
Project Aftermath
Puzzle Kingdoms
Qlione
Rise of Flight
Rooms
Shadowgrounds
Shadowgrounds Survivor
Space Giraffe
Space War Commander
Spirits of Metropolis
Stardrone
Starscape
Suguri
Supercharged Robot Vulkaiser
Supple Episode 1: The Promotion
Switchball
The Maw
The Path
The Wonderful End Of The World
Trash
Trine
Ultimate Knight Windom XP
Witch-bot
World of Goo
Zeno Clash
Week beginning 27/9/09 - EA Games
Battleforge
Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 + Uprising
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3: Uprising
Crysis
Crysis: Maximum Edition
Crysis: Warhead
Dead Space
Dragon Age: Origins
Dragon Age: Origins Deluxe Edition
FIFA 08
FIFA 09
FIFA 10
FIFA Manager 09
FIFA Manager 10
Mass Effect
Mass Effect 1 + 2 Bundle
Mass Effect 2
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
Mirror's Edge
MySims
Need for Speed: ProStreet
Need for Speed: Undercover
Need For Speed: Shift
NHL 09
SimCity: Societies
SimCity: Societies and Destinations
SimCity: Societies - Destinations
Spore
Spore Creepy and Cute Parts
Spore Galactic Adventures
Spore Galactic Adventures Bundle
Spore with Creepy and Cute Parts Bundle
The Godfather
The Godfather 2: The Game
The Lord of the Rings: Conquest
The Sims 2 Apartment Life Expansion
The Sims 2 Bon Voyage Expansion
The Sims 2 Double Deluxe
The Sims 2 Free Time Expansion
The Sims 2 IKEA Home Stuff
The Sims 2 Mansion and Garden Stuff
The Sims 2 Teen Style Stuff
The Sims 2 University Life Collection
The Sims 3
The Sims 3 + The Sims 2 Double Deluxe Bundle
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08
Your guess is a good as mine as to which games exactly will be on offer. I'll be sure to post whenever the offers do get posted.
Garry's Mod, PC - £2.99
Garry's Mod, PC - £2.99 delivered
Requires you to already own a Source engine game on steam from the following list:
Left 4 Dead
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2: Episode 1
Half-Life 2: Episode 2
Half-life 2: Deathmatch
Team Fortress 2
Counter-Strike Source
Portal
Day of Defeat Source
Although how anyone would have a steam account and not own at least one of those is beyond me.
Direct2Drive £5 game sale: Week 2
The next round of games are up on D2D, and it's another pretty good selection.
Sadly, USA folks get Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, we don't. We do get Serious Sam Gold and Manhunt though....
Special tip for this week: Saints Row 2 serials can be registered on Steam if you want to avoid using D2D. Also - If you recruit a sympathetic yank, you can just get them to buy it for £3, and give you the serial for Steam, saving you £2, and bypassing 'the man'.
Cheeky lil' GAME scam v2
Update: It appears that it is not the order you add items to your basket that matters, but the item number, IE "339837" for Modern Warfare 2, that matters. The item with the smaller number will receive the £5 off. If MW2 is no good, just look around the site for an item expensive enough that has a bigger number than whatever you are after.
GAME.co.uk have got another £5 off off £50 voucher, this time it is "lastminute09".
Like last time, this can be exploited for nefariousness means.
First, go to GAME.co.uk and pick something that you want to buy, then add it to your basket. It is important you add the item you want first.
Then add a game preorder that pushes the total to above £50 (Modern Warfare 2 will work).
Then go you your basket, and apply the coupon "lastminute09", and you should get £5 off the first item in your basket.
Complete the order.
Then go to your order history, and remove the preorder. You should then have the original item with £5 off, without having to spend a £50 total.
Some suggestions of to good items to get discounted, and the price you'll end up paying:
Xbox 360
2100 MS Points - £11.99
Xbox Live 12 Month Gold Membership - £29.99
Play and Charge kit - £9.99 Black/White
Guitar Hero: World Tour - £14.98
Stranglehold - £2.99
Pure - £4.99
Oblivion and Bioshock - £19.99
Fallout 3 Game of the Year - £24.99
PS3
Guitar Hero: World Tour - £14.98
Killzone 2 - £12.99
Saints Row 2 - £9.99
SOCOM Confrontation - £9.99
Fallout 3 Game of the Year - £24.99
Wii
Opoona - £4.99
Death Jr.: Root of Evil - £4.99
Castlevania: Judgement - £14.99
Crossing: Lets Go to the City - £17.99
DS
Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure - £9.99
Advance Wars: Dark Conflict - £7.99
Ninjatown - £4.98
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars - £9.99
Space Invaders Extreme 2 - £12.99
The Legend of Kage 2 - £12.99
Dragon Quest: The Chapters of the Chosen - £4.99
PSP
Resistance: Retribution - £7.99
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII - £9.99
PC
Left4Dead - £9.99
Empire: Total War - £9.99 (or £14.99 for the Special Forces edition)
Blood Bowl - £19.99
Ghostbusters - £14.99
Penumbra Collection - £12.99
Oblivion and Bioshock - £9.99
Bioshock - £4.99
Thief: The Complete Collection - £4.99
Star Wars Republic Commando - £4.78
2 for £25 (now 2 for £20)
2 for £15 (now 2 for £10)
20% off game preorders from Argos
Argos normally charge RRP or more for games, but they have a promotion on at the minute for 20% off game preorders. Enter code "GAME20" to receive the discount. Argos will take your money when you order, not when they ship the game.
Here are the highlights:
Xbox 360
Modern Warfare 2 - £39.19
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 - £29.59
FIFA 2010 - £31.19
LEGO Rock Band - £29.99
Dragon Age - £31.19
Need For Speed: Shift - £31.19
Alpha Protocol - £31.19
Halo 3: ODST - £29.19
GTA Episodes from Liberty City - £21.99
PS3
Modern Warfare 2 - £39.19
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 - £29.59
FIFA 2010 - £31.19
LEGO Rock Band - £29.99
Dragon Age - £31.19
Need For Speed: Shift - £31.19
Alpha Protocol - £31.19
Assassin's Creed 2 - £29.59
Colin McRae: DiRT 2 - £31.19
Wii
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 - £20.79
FIFA 2010 - £27.19
LEGO Rock Band - £21.91
Colin McRae: DiRT 2 - £19.99
Ghostbusters - £20.79
Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles - £20.79
DS
Modern Warfare 2 - £19.59
FIFA 2010 - £22.39
Scribblenauts - £17.19
Assassin's Creed 2 - £17.19
PSP
FIFA 2010 - £22.39
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars - £21.19
Need For Speed: Shift - £22.39
Colin McRae: DiRT 2 - £11.75
PS2
FIFA 2010 - £22.39
Direct2Drive £5 game sale
Direct2Drive have been doing an OK job of selling games via download for 5 years, and to celebrate, they are selling a bunch of games for $5 £5.
I wouldn't mind the fact that they are have a bunch of games that are USA only, and have the gall to charge UK folk roughly 1.67 times as much, but their web site also tells you that the games are $5!
Currency shenanigans aside, some good deals to be had here.
Crysis [Maximum Edition], PC - £11.73
Crysis [Maximum Edition], PC - £11.73 delivered
This includes Crysis, and the expandalone Warhead.
Fable II (version with bundled DLC), Xbox 360 - £19.85
Fable II (version with bundled DLC), Xbox 360 - £19.85 delivered
I'm not calling it the GOTY edition.
Motorstorm: Arctic Edge, PSP - £17.73
Motorstorm: Arctic Edge, PSP - £17.73 delivered
You can get the PS2 version for the same price too.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up, PS2 - £7.95
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up, PS2 - £7.95 delivered
I thought this was a Wii exclusive, but I guess not.
Time Donkey, Crane Wars, Raptor Safari, and Blush, PC - £6.34
Time Donkey, Crane Wars, Raptor Safari, and Blush, PC - £6.34
Details here.
Damnation, Xbox 360 - £4.99
Damnation, Xbox 360 - £4.99 delivered
Thanks to JiggerJay for the tip off
Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Xbox 360 - £14.05
Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Xbox 360 - £14.05 delivered
Sins of a Solar Empire, PC - Free
Update2: Seems that Impulse are deactivating any serials gotten through this, I guess we are all out of luck. Explanation here. Shalom
Update: Looks like they have ran out of serials for Sins of a Solar Empire now. Speedball 2 is still available. Everyone who got it, I hope you enjoy your game, everyone who missed out, commiserations. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for any similar offers in the future.
It appears that CD-Action are giving away free downloads of Sins of a Solar Empire. They are giving out serial numbers which you then put into Impulse.
Head here, click "założyć TUTAJ". Tick the box then hit "Rejestruj". Then enter a username in "użytkownika", password (twice) in "Hasło" and and email in "Adres Email". If you prefer to not get any spam, use a disposable email address.
They will then send you an email for you to activate your forum account. Click on the link in the email, then log in and got to this link. They will send you a serial number for the game, which you enter into Impulse. You need to download Impulse, and enter the serial number into the client. You will need to register for an Impulse account if you do not have one already.
The serial should be in this format:
XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
In Impulse, go to the top left menu icon, then select "Register a product", then hit "Add Registration", and paste the serial number in, and the game will be added to your account.
I can confirm this works, and have done it myself.
Update: Seems like Speedball 2 is available too. That's for Steam.
360 bundle at Amazon
Amazon have got a pretty great bundle on the 360 Elite at the minute.
Xbox 360 Elite + Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box, Trivial Pursuit, Connect 4 (XBLA) + an extra controller. Plus an extra game. For £199.77.
Add these to you basket to get the discount:
Xbox 360 Elite
Wireless entertainment pack
Then pick your extra game:
Assassin's Creed
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2
Far Cry 2
Prince of Persia
Gears of War 2 is in the offer, but seems to be temporarily unavailable. Some of the other games are out of stock too, but they let you order now, and will ship it to you when they get it in stock.
You can swap the Elite out for an Arcade too, then the whole package will cost £139.99, and you'll also get a free copy of Sega Superstar Tennis (included with the console).
Flower Sun and Rain, DS - £4.93
Flower Sun and Rain, DS - £4.93 delivered
Was this price before, but now back in stock.
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire Of The Rift, DS - £7.49
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire Of The Rift, DS - £7.49 delivered
GOG buy one get one free sale
GOG is one year old! To celebrate they are doing a buy one get one free sale on a bunch of games.
See all the games here. Probably the cheapest you will be able to get Fallout 1 + 2 for any time soon.
Cheers to standardman for the tip off.
Gears of War 2 [Limited Edition] + Halo Wars [Limited Edition], Xbox 360 - £39.99
Gears of War 2 [Limited Edition] + Halo Wars [Limited Edition], Xbox 360 - £39.99 delivered
Penny Arcade Episode 2, Xbox 360 - 800 MS Points
Penny Arcade Episode 2, Xbox 360 - 800 MS Points
The XBLA deal of the week, down from 1200. Only for Xbox Live Gold subscribers.
PS3 Slim deals
Here are some of the best available bundles for the PS3 Slim.
PS3 Slim + Fallout 3, HDMI Cable & Day of the Dead Blu-Ray - £249.73 delivered
PS3 Slim + Bionic Commando, HDMI Cable & Day of the Dead Blu-Ray - £249.73 delivered
PS3 Slim + 007: Quantum Of Solace, HDMI Cable & Basic Instinct Blu-Ray - £249.73 delivered
PS3 Slim + Call of Juarez, HDMI Cable & Basic Instinct Blu-Ray - £249.73 delivered
PS3 Slim + Fuel, Damnation & Dead Space - £249.99 delivered
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, DS - £20.67
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, DS - £20.67 delivered
Pre order price.
Play-Asia 20% off sale
Play-Asia are offering 20% off all purchases when you use a Visa card to pay. The offer excludes new releases (from the last 30 days), or items which are not instock for immediate delivery.
Details here.
Sadly, for some reason, you can't order PS3/PSP stuff from the UK. The prices I have quoted include delivery assuming you were only buying that item, the price you pay will be slightly cheaper if you are buying more than one item.
Xbox 360:
Overlord 2 - £17.27 delivered
Bionic Commando - £14.78 delivered
Race Pro - £14.78 delivered
Wii:
Wii Remote (Black) - £28.12 delivered
Official White Gamecube controller - £19.13 delivered
Classic Controller Pro - £20.68 delivered White/Black
DS:
Blue Dragon Plus - £19.44 delivered
Contra 4 - £14.47 delivered
The Legendary Starfy - £19.44 delivered
Peggle Dual Shot - £19.44 delivered
Rondo of Swords - £19.44 delivered
Front Mission - £14.47 delivered
KORG DS-10 Synthesizer - £14.47 delivered
Knights in the Nightmare - £21.92 delivered
New International Track & Field - £9.51 delivered
Game & Watch Collection [Club Nintendo Limited Edition] (Preowned) - £21.92 delivered
PC:
Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer [Limited Edition] - £8.58 delivered
Retro:
Official Nintendo 64 Joypad - £20.68 delivered
Other:
GP2X Wiz Game System - £102.60 delivered
Official 8mb PS2 Memory card - £8.89 delivered
Let me know if you see any good deals I've missed.
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, DS - £21.95
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, DS - £21.95 delivered
Forza 3, Xbox 360 - £31.97
Forza 3, Xbox 360 - £31.97 delivered
Beware, unlike most retailers, they will charge you when you order, not when the game ships.
Back from Leeds Festival
I'm back from Leeds festival, and had a generally awesome time. Sadly I lost my wallet, but this was offset by managing to befriend a barman who ended up giving me free drinks. Radiohead were exactly as good as I had hoped, and weather wasn't too bad at all.
I also bumped into this guy:
Which was pretty cool.
Back to the bargains!
2100 MS Points - £14.73
2100 MS Points - £14.73 delivered
Apply the code BANK10 to get £1 off the displayed price at checkout. This code is only valid until the end of the Bank Holiday weekend.
If you prefer to get your points delivered immediately by email, you can grab 2100 for £15.80 here.
I'm off to Leeds festival!
Right folks, I'm literally on my way to Leeds festival right now, so I'll not be posting any bargains til at least next Monday. You can give your wallets a rest.
If you're interested in what shenanigans I am getting up to, follow me on twitter.
<3
BG&E2 "On hold", let's take action!
If the word of some dude from Gamersyde on twitter is to be believed, it seems Beyond Good and Evil 2 has been put "on hold".
We, the gamers, should take action, lets coordinate a response to Ubisoft to let them know that we will not accept them cancelling what is a massively anticipated title by gamers around the globe. Let's hit Ubisoft where it hurts!
I propose that we boycott the "Imagine" series on the DS, Wii and PC.
The imagine series had already sold over 1 million by February of this year, no doubt thousands more since then. If we all take a stand and vow to never buy any more Imagine games, Ubisoft will be bound to notice the fall in sales, and maybe consider restarting production on BG&E2.
If you are with me, if you want to play BG&E2, and you vow to boycott the imagine series until Ubisoft have officially stated that work has started on BG&E2 again, then please, comment here in support.
I'll be linking Ubisoft to this post.
GTA IV: The Lost and Damned, Xbox 360 - 1200MSP
For this week only, the Lost and Damned expansion for GTA IV is 1200MSP instead of 1600MSP as a download for Gold members. The cheapest Microsoft Points deal is 2100 for £15.80 here (thanks Helloween).
You can also pre-order the Episodes from Liberty City disc for £24.85 here. This contains both the Lost and Damned expansion and the upcoming Ballad of Gay Tony expansion, and is out on October 9th, the same date as the Ballad of Gay Tony download.
Section 8, Xbox 360 - £17.95
Section 8, Xbox 360 - £17.95 delivered
Could be a misprice, but if so Zavvi have a pretty good track record of honouring them.
Cheers to Razilez for the tip off.
Section 8, PC - £14.95
Section 8, PC - £14.95 delivered
Could be a misprice, but if so Zavvi have a pretty good track record of honouring them.
Cheers to Razilez for the tip off.
Guitar Hero 5 Preorders come with World Tour for free
You can get a free copy of Guitar Hero: World Tour (Game only) when you preorder Guitar Hero 5 + Guitar, across all formats.
Simply add both items to your basket, and the price of World Tour will be automatically deducted.
Guitar Hero 5 + Wireless Guitar, Xbox 360 - £69.99 delivered
Guitar Hero: World Tour, Xbox 360
Guitar Hero 5 + Wireless Guitar, PS3 - £69.99 delivered
Guitar Hero: World Tour, PS3 - Free
Guitar Hero 5 + Wireless Guitar, Wii - £64.99 delivered
Guitar Hero: World Tour, Wii - Free
Guitar Hero 5 + Wireless Guitar, PS2 - £49.99 delivered
Guitar Hero: World Tour, PS2 - Free
Can you say "market saturation"?
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