The following games are all on deals, one till Thursday, one till friday, and the rest till monday. The first one Dreamkiller was released only four weeks ago. I almost purchased it, but because I was buying several games at the same time decided to wait till it was on a deal. i didn't ecpect to see it so quickly. If you like the Painkiller series (which were on offer a few weeks ago (that is buy the latest edition to the games with a 10% reduction and get the first two games totally for free, well I couldn't see any difference between the latest one and the originals which are over four years old now. The latest was made by modders of the original game plus a couple of the original developers. Still, if you like Painkiller it's well worth getting, even without the deal. as for Dreamkiller, so far i've played through one section of the game and feel that it's slightly better than Painkiller: Ressurection, but I'm glad I didn't pay full price for it. definitely a budget buy, but worth it if you like the Painkiller series. It's basically the same game, with the original developers returning, but instead od a hell and damnation theme it's a nightmare dreams theme. Great idea IMO. Overall I don't regret buying it reduced, but if you're looking for something with some depth to it don't bother with this one and put your money towards the soon to be released Left 4 Dead 2 (lol). The game reminds me a little of the old serious Sam games where you get waves of monsters attacking you, though I think Serious Sam is better. I was surprised to see that the developers of Serious Sam Croteam have re-released a n updated version of the first title Serious Sam the first encounter. They have Serious Sam 3 in the pipeline, which me and my som have been waiting for for a few years now; it looks like they are ressurecting all the old titles first (Serious Sam first and Second encounters andSerious Sam 2, all of which have a great online community despite the game being several years old. The HD edition has up to date graphics though from the trailers i've checked out it really is th same game as the original which i still have. you can get it via steam for £16.19 (10% off). Well worth it IMO, especially if you like fast action coupled with non stop monster killing, end of level bosses, lots of weapons and loads of ammo plus hidden areas to give the game plenty of replayability, plus single player and multiplayer modes.
Hearts of Iron is a traditional Strategy game based on the old hexagonal war gaming system. It's basically the same as the old games except you don't have to set up your boards and move your carboard counters as it's all done on the computer. I find these games a little over expensive with little graphical content, but if you like the old war gaming strategy games it's probably a bargain. I only have one of this type of game and I've only ever played it once (American Civil War). It was a present from a friend. I kept expecting to see some action, but it never came, lol.
As for the Battlestations titles. i have them both and love hem to bits. They are easy to play and have lots of game play. If you're on a tight budget and can't afford to buy both i'd go for the latest title as it contains more things to do and has better graphics. both games are very similar except for the additional content that you can read about below. (I'd certainly consider one of these titles; they are ideal for the novice gamer as well, with easy game play and several naval style battles)
Finally the All Aspects Warfare and Angle of Attack games. When I first saw these on Steam back in August my initial thoughts were that they looked interesting, but after checking out video footage and playing the demo's I'm certanly glad I didn't buy them at full price. I think they were well overpriced at the time. The games are basially budget titles with an expensive price tag. The playing environments look boring and lack detail that you would expect from games being released in 2009. Take a look at the Videos and you'll see what I mean. The half price tag does make them a little more attractive. I think they been reduced in price so soon after their release (as has Dreamkiller) because I reckon the sales weren't up to much. They are open world (sandbox) style games which IMO is a big plus, and now that the price has been halved for the week I may just buy one of them. :)
Most of the information below about each game has been copied from Steam.
You'll find all of the following deals via the following link. If they aren't immediately obvious, just type the name of the game in the search engine filed to the top left of the page:
http://store.steampowered.com/
I've quoted all prices in pounds sterling. As I always seem to get the dollar prices wrong the following is the approximate exchange rate at the moment:
£ to $ exchange rate is around 1.6 dollars to the pound
I've posted a slideshow of all the images posted below, but in a larger format.
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Dreamkiller:
Check out the video's;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ef0CFJ1OV0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uysdjH3WHSo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvcofDyioGw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93QK7N3ubQ8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQL7PeL21tk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyMY_70cUAk
The game has been reduced from £27.99 to £18.75 till Monday.
Dreamkiller is a shooter that takes players inside the world of dark and twisted nightmares. Gamers take on the role of Alice Drake, a psychologist with the extraordinary ability to enter the minds of her patients and combat the ravenous foes haunting their dreams. Utilizing a host of fantastic weapons and her own special abilities, Alice confronts our common demons only to discover an even deeper menace reigns within. The ultimate showdown becomes inevitable between that which would torment and she who will protect, and only one force will prevail amidst a variety of dreamscapes as varied and bizarre as the human mind itself.
The world of dreams and nightmares allows for each level to be a completely different environment with different sets of enemies
In each dream world players can enter a secondary level of the subconscious – a world within a world – and encounter new enemies, weapons and power-ups
Players can use Alice's teleportation powers to quickly zoom around rooms to dodge enemies and achieve a tactical advantage over enemies
Alice’s weapons are massive and fierce, each featuring two unique attacks and outlandish ammunition including lightning bolts, lasers, sticky grenades and even "Happy Thoughts."
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
Minimum:
OS: Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7 (Does not support Windows 95/98/ME/2000/NT)
Processor: 2.4 GHz Dual Core Processor (Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon X2)
Memory: XP – 1 GB RAM, Vista – 2 GB RAM
Graphics: 3D Hardware Accelerator Card Required – 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible 256 MB Video Memory with Shader 3.0 support | ATI: Radeon HD 2600 | Nvidia: Geforce 7600
DirectX®:
Hard Drive: 10.1 GB + 1 GB Swap File
Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
Supported Video Cards:
ATI RADEON HD 2600
ATI RADEON HD 2900
ATI RADEON HD 3850
ATI RADEON HD 3870
ATI RADEON HD 4850
ATI RADEON HD 4870
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7600
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7800
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7900
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8600
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9600
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9800
NVIDIA GEFORCE 260
NVIDIA GEFORCE 280
There seems to be no demo available at this time. The game was released four weeks ago, so maybe there will be one soon.
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Hearts of Iron III
The game has been reduced from £24.99 to £12.49 till Friday.
Watch the following videos to get a good idea about the game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt5VyxT8S7w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PcbwN6xT3o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuu9iI1TRLI
What the reviews say
"offers a challenge to most strategy die-hards"
— Dreamstation
"Paradox has done a tremendous job of making this complex design relatively easy to get into."
— Gamespot
"With incredible flexibility, freedom, and depth, this is a history buffs dream and should not be passed up if you are a fan of the genre."
— PCgameworld
"Serious wargamers are in for a real treat as the hardcore franchise returns for another go at the world's most terrible war."
— Gamespy
"Featuring a fully integrated combat model, a wide range of strategic and diplomatic options for your country, and an intuitive AI system, Hearts of Iron III is shaping up to be the best game in the series yet."
— Strategy Informer
Hearts of Iron III lets you play the most engaging conflict in world history, World War 2, on all fronts as any country and through multiple different scenarios. Guide your nation to glory between 1936 and 1948 and wage war, conduct diplomacy and build your industry in the most detailed World War 2 game ever made.
Features:
Play as any nation from 1936 to 1948, more than 150 countries to choose from.
Control the oceans with aircraft carriers, submarines and battleships and use your air force to defend your skies, support your naval and ground forces, and to bomb your enemies
Thousands of historically accurate real-world military commanders and politicians.
Realistic military command AI with unprecedented levels of interaction
In-depth diplomatic and political system.
Historical accuracy combined with an unparalleled level of freedom of choice
More than 10,000 land provinces makes the game five times more detailed than HoI2 and the most detailed depiction of World War 2 ever made.
Customize your divisions in detail with more than 20 types of brigades
New economic system makes it possible to buy weapons from abroad.
Mobilization and reserves gives the option of surprise attacks, Blitzkrieg made real.
Government-in-exile makes it possible to continue to struggle from abroad with underground movements and uprisings against the oppressing power.
Strategic warfare system makes it more important to defend the skies and oceans against foreign attacks; leaving cities open to enemy bombing will now be devastating.
A completely new intelligence system, with several types of intelligence sources, makes it possible to get information about enemy reserves and troop movements.
Assign troops to "theatres" on the map to fight two-front wars more successfully.
The new AI system and more detailed map will allow for more strategic decisions.
Flexible technology system with hundreds of categories, where major powers get their own unique attributes.
There's an English and a German sprite pack available as an extra download at a cost of £1.59
System Requirements:
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® 2000/XP/Vista
Processor: Intel Pentium IV 2.4 GHz or AMD 3500+ (quad core)
Memory: 2 GB of RAM
Hard Disk Space: 2 GB
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 or ATI Radeon X1900 videocard
Sound: Direct X-compatible sound card
DirectX®: Direct X 9.0
You can download a demo (615Mb) from the following link:
http://news.bigdownload.com/2009/08/04/download-hearts-of-iron-3-demo/
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Battlestations Midway:
The game has been reduced from £13.99 to £6.99
You can watch the following videos to get an idea what the game looks like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m68bG_DBGgs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL8b04QnV8c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEIgznUFFTI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qIeWwMOP64
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDHHpOwVIG8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc8jqo4uWb0
Includes the all-new Iowa Mission Pack: two new epic battles + new ships and planes!
BattleStations: Midway is an immense action game that drops players into massive air, sea, and undersea battles from Pearl Harbor to Midway. Players command massive fleet attacks and take direct, real-time, control of every plane, battleship, and submarine in the battle.
Battlestations: Midway's blends intense 3rd-person action with epic, large-scale naval combat and brings to life the great Pacific battles of the World War II. From the chaos of Pearl Harbor, through the Philippines, Java and the Coral Sea all the way to the epic Battle of Midway.
Innovative gameplay lets players take direct control of over 60 different warships, planes and submarines from a 3rd-person perspective. Players can instantly switch to and control nearly every vehicle in the battle.
The Single Player mode features 11 large-scale campaigns with 12 bonus challenge missions. The online multi-player combat offers an entirely new online battle experience and features head-to-head and co-operative fleet battles featuring over 60 Allied and Japanese units.
Revolutionary gameplay: Experience epic WWII combat from multiple perspectives as you jump between dozens of units, playing as a pilot, a gunner, a submarine captain or even carrier fleet commander.
Massive air, sea, and undersea battlefields: Every battle takes place simultaneously in the air, on and under the sea. Movement of your fleet and the individual efforts of any one vehicle is critical to success.
Sixty warships: Features the Wildcat and Zero Fighter planes, the Dauntless Divebombers, the B17 and B24 bombers, the USS Lexington and USS Yorktown carriers, and Japan's infamous super battleship, The Yamato.
Realism: Cutting-edge graphics bring the Pacific oceans and island chains alive with lush real-world environments, dynamic weather effects and incredibly detailed vehicles and weaponry.
Deep single player mode: Featuring 11 massive campaigns with 12 bonus challenge missions and an immersive storyline.
Innovative online multiplayer mode: Huge multi-unit online battles with up to 8 players. The largest battle involves 100 units. New levels and ships to be released. Xbox Live and online (Gamespy hosting)
NEW Challenge your naval strategy with the new Iowa Mission Pack! Includes two historical bonus battles—The Battle of Sibuyan Sea, a new multiplayer experience and The Raid on Truk, a single-player battle—plus a new set of unique air, sea and underwater vehicles: the P-38 Lightning, Nakijima J1N1 Gekko, USS Iowa (BB-61), IJN Shimakaza and the Type A mini-sub.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
Minimum:
(640x480, detail reduced), Windows XP Home, Pro, 64bit edition, Windows Vista, Intel Pentium 4 2Ghz or AMD Athlon XP 1800+, 512 MB RAM, 64MB RAM DirectX 9.0c compatible video card supporting Pixel shader 1.3 (GeForce4 series (not including MX cards) or Radeon 9000), DirectX 9 compatible, 6GB of Hard Drive Space, 100% Windows 2000/XP compatible mouse and keyboard
Recommended:
(Up to 1280x960, all features on), Windows XP Home, Pro, 64bit edition, Windows Vista, Intel Pentium 4 2.5Ghz or AMD Athlon XP 2400+, 1 GB RAM, 128MB RAM DirectX 9.0c compatible video card supporting Pixel & Vertex shader 2.0 (nVidia 6800 Series or Radeon X800), 6GB of Hard Drive Space
Optimum: (1600x1200, all features on), Windows XP Home, Pro, 64bit edition, Windows Vista, Intel Pentium 4 3Ghz or AMD Athlon XP 3000+, 2 GB RAM, 256MB RAM DirectX 9.0c compatible video card supporting Pixel & Vertex shader 3.0 (nVidia 7800 Series or Radeon X1800), 6GB of Hard Drive Space
You can download a demo of Battlestations Midway (571Mb) via the following link:
http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/battlestationsmidway/demo/11293.html
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Battlestations Pacific:
Down from £19.99 to £9.99 (This was only released back in May 09) This was sold over on Direct 2 Drive as part of their fifth year anniversary for only $5 last month.
Here's a few videos of game play:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23WEAyGLF50
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2Uu_-XX9_4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdVTf8kdf4Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41VfPXVxsJk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayetmAAOs_w
Relive some of the grandest and most critical naval battles of recent history and for the first time, choose to lead your fleet to a completely different ending to the war. With both strategy and action at your command, truly anticipate your opponent's every move and turn the tide of war.
Two epic campaigns to relive or rewrite history
Over 100 air, sea and undersea units
New visual realism that brings the Pacific to life
Massive online battles with 5 new Multiplayer Modes
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
Minimum:
OS: Microsoft Windows XP (admin rights required)/Microsoft Windows Vista (admin rights required)
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 3+GHz or AMD Athlon 2.5+GHz
Memory: 1GB (Windows XP) / 2GB (Windows Vista) system memory
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 6 series 6800GT (or better) / ATI 1800XT (or better)
Hard Drive: 8 GB Free Space
Sound: Direct X 9.0c compatible sound card and drivers
Recommended:
OS: Microsoft Windows XP (admin rights required)/Microsoft Windows Vista (admin rights required)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2 GHz or Athlon 64 X2 4400+
Memory: 2 GB system memory
Graphics: nVidia GeForce 9800 GTX or ATI HD4800
Hard Drive: 8 GB Free Space
Sound: Direct X 9.0c compatible sound card and drivers
Input Devices: Keyboard and mouse / Xbox 360 Controller for Windows
You can download a demo of Battlestations Pacific (1.27Gb) via the following link:
http://news.bigdownload.com/2009/04/30/download-battlestations-pacific-demo/
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All Aspects Warfare:
Down from £28.99 to 14.49 (Released Aug 2009)
Yet more videos to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBYqhEwvIcQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7bJ9g8YB00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYG4WDi9nxQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9CX3ElYiKE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI4tcoeJ-P0
An elite strike team — with a thermo-nuclear weapon. Stranded. On a hostile and near desolate planet. Left for dead. What else could possibly go wrong?
The Terrans have been at war with the Gammulan race for years. Deployed in a distant territory on the other side of the galaxy the Terran Galactic Command (GALCOM) has suffered repeated defeats and unprecedented losses. In an attempt to change the tide of war and take the battle to the enemy GALCOM has launched an all out attack on the Gammulan homeworlds.
After an intense battle, a badly damaged GALCOM ship carrying a devastating 'planet killer' weapon crash landed on a hostile Gammulan planet. The crash survivors, a group of combat veterans, must fight off the enemy while trying to locate and disarm the catastrophic weapon - code named R.A.N.D.O.M. (Random Access Nuclear Destruction of Obsolete Matter) - or get off the planet before it detonates.
GAMEPLAY HIGHLIGHTS
Engaging campaign storyline and several instant action missions.
Six playable character classes with various strengths, weaknesses and restrictions.
Over twenty-four first person weapons varying from pistols and sniper rifles to machine guns and grenades.
Various advanced first person inventory — items such as cloaking devices, shield enhancements, sensor jammers etc as well as various deployable assets such as gun and rocket turrets.
Over thirty playable units including vehicles, gunships, fighters, shuttles and naval units. All units supported in multiplayer with multiuse positions (e.g. driver, gunner, passengers).
Build your own game units such as vehicles and fighters based on Experience Points, rank and other factors.
Fly aerial combat missions while supporting ground troops. Choose among escort, SAD, SEAD and CAP missions.
Full squad command of NPC team members with an intuitive orders interface system.
32 player support and five multiplayer modes including PVP deathmatch and team deathmatch as well as four player co-op against aggressive Gammulan forces. Host and join a game using a single instance or host a dedicated console multiplayer server and invite your friends.
Supports GSC game lobby and voice chat. More information is available at http://getgsc.com/
64 player official ranked servers with stats tracking, integrated lobby and more.
Fully integrated in-game document viewer with quick access to game commands, manual and tutorial documents.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
Minimum:
OS: Windows XP or Windows Vista
Processor: Dual Core CPU (Intel Pentium 4 3.4Ghz, AMD Athlon 64 X2 3.0GHz or faster
Memory: 1GB
Graphics: 256MB GPU with Shader Model 3 (nVidia GeForce 7900 / ATI Radeon X1300 or faster)
DirectX®: DirectX 9.0 March 2009 Runtime
Hard Drive: 600MB
Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible (on-board or add-in)
Recommended:
OS: Windows XP or Windows Vista
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 / AMD X2 6000 or faster
Memory: 2GB
Graphics:512MB GPU with Shader Model 3 (nVidia GeForce 8600 GTS / Radeon HD2900 XT or faster)
DirectX®: DirectX 9.0 March 2009 Runtime
Hard Drive: 1 GB
Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible (on-board or add-in)
You can download a demo of the game (242Mb) from the following address:
http://www.bigdownload.com/games/all-aspect-warfare/pc/all-aspect-warfare-demo/
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Angle of Attack:
Down from £17.99 to £8.99
See the videos for All Aspects Warfare as the game is basically the same; it's just an expansion pack with extra content.
The Terrans have been at war with the Gammulan race for years. In an attempt to change the tide of war and take the battle to the enemy the Terran military body, Galactic Command (GALCOM), has launched an all out attack on the Gammulan homeworlds.
The events that take place in Angle Of Attack occur during the final days of the air campaign of the assault on LV-115 - an important planet used by the Gammulans for military purposes and as a staging area for their assault on GALCOM forces.
The GALCOM forces, locked in a lopsided air campaign, made the decision to load the 'planet killer' R.A.N.D.O.M. weapon aboard the GCV-Excalibur for its ill-fated mission.
GAMEPLAY HIGHLIGHTS
No fancy console gimmicks here. Full 3D cockpits, advanced futuristic avionics and weapons delivery systems provide total immersion that air combat jocks have come to expect. Situational Awareness (SA) is the key to survival in a fluid battle for survival in which only your skills — not gimmicks — stand between fun and your will to continue the fight.
Sixteen intense air and ground tactical strike missions in a variety of weather conditions, both day and night. Run each mission individually or in sequence as a single, seamless campaign.
Play the whole campaign and each of the missions using any of the four fighters. Each craft has unique properties and weapon systems, providing exceptional replay value.
Full combat wing command with an intuitive orders-interface system to lead your flight wing.
16 player PVP deathmatch and team deathmatch as well as four player co-op multiplayer. Host and join a game using a single instance.
Fully integrated in-game document viewer with quick access to game commands, manual and tutorial documents.
New aircraft, mission scenarios and maps in upcoming DLC.
TECHNOLOGY HIGHLIGHTS
Advanced SM 3.0 shader based graphics engine with native support for 4:3, 16:9 and 16:10 widescreen ranging from standard 720p (1280x720) and 1080p (1920x1080) resolutions up to 1680x1050. Supports various climate zones, weather conditions, dynamic twenty-four hour time of day variations, realistic day/night lighting and atmospheric conditions as well as real-world cloud layer conditions and effects. All beautifully rendered with full High Dynamic Ranging lighting and various Shader Model 3.0 shader effects.
Large seamless game world covering over 400 sq. km of varying terrain featuring high definition Digital Elevation Maps which look stunning at any altitude.
Advanced planetary terrain engine which uses high definition terrain height maps. Unlike other similar products which feature high-res maps at high altitude while being ugly and blurry at low altitudes, our latest technology is pixel perfect up to 2m/pixel for ground-zero (fps, vehicles) play using advanced geo-morphing techniques while still looking brilliant at medium to high altitudes.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
Minimum:
OS: Windows XP or Windows Vista
Processor: Dual Core CPU (Intel Pentium 4 3.4Ghz, AMD Athlon 64 X2 3.0GHz or faster
Memory: 1 GB
Graphics: 256MB GPU with Shader Model 3 nVidia GeForce 7900 / ATI Radeon X1300 or faster
DirectX®: DirectX 9.0 March 2009 Runtime
Hard Drive: 600 MB
Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible (on-board or add-in)
Recommended:
OS: Windows XP or Windows Vista
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 / AMD X2 6000 or faster
Memory: 2 GB
Graphics: 512MB GPU with Shader Model 3 (nVidia GeForce 8600 GTS / Radeon HD2900 XT or faster)
DirectX®: DirectX 9.0 March 2009 Runtime
Hard Drive: 600 MB
Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible (on-board or add-in)
You can download a demo of angle of Attack (189Mb) via the following link:
http://news.bigdownload.com/2009/08/03/download-angle-of-attack-demo/
You can get both of the above as a All Aspects War Pack for £21.49 reduced from £42.99. The games include single player multiplayer and coop play.
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