Games on Steam for £2?

[DoPo]

Well, I've got some money in my Steam wallet, £2.02, to be precise, and I want to use them responsibly. That is, get something with them while the sale lasts. I can afford 1 or maybe 2 games with this fortune, and I've chosen you to help me with the choice. As a reference, here [http://steamdb.info/sales/?displayOnly=Game&cc=uk] you can find all games under £2 (sort by price), so you can have a look and come up with suggestions but I did take a look and noted some games, any feedback on them would be great

Avernum 4/5/6 - £1.99, I dunno, is it worth picking just one? And if yes, which one?

They Bleed Pixels - £1.74 and it looks 2D-action-platformer-y or something. Don't know much about it but it seems a bit like Super Meat Boy but with fighting. Is it really good? Bad? Neither? I'm not much into jumping-platformery games, so it has to be exceptional or I would likely not bother

No Time to Explain - £1.74 I've been eyeing this game for a while. Yeah, it's 2D-platformer-y but I laughed my ass off when Total Biscuit did a WTF is... [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXi5tA4VVm0] on it, so I'll most definitely get it. I'll probably go for it, if nothing else looks more appealing.

Terraria - £1.49, it's a 2D Minecraft from what I know. Is it worth picking up? I already have Minecraft, I'm not sure I need more Minecraft.

Rock of Ages - £1.39, it looks pretty funny, I'd like more opinions, though.

Dungeons of Dredmor - £0.87, the game looks really interesting. I'm almost tempted to get it at that price, however, I can get game + 2 DLC for £1.74, so I'd like to know, is the DLC good?

Space Trader: Merchant Marine - £0.87, the premise is appealing - you're a space trader, I would most probably get it along with Dungeons of Dredmor above if the DLC isn't needed.

DLC Quest - £0.67, eh dunno, looks OK. But I don't see myself playing it more than once just for the novelty, even then, it's not doing much Flash games haven't already done (see Achievement Unlocked series, for example). Is there any reason to play than instead of just Flash games?

EDIT
Another question though - Alan Wake? It's 90% off for the next two days, so £2.29, which I can stomach - I can just sell a card or two to get the extra 20p. But should I? 90% is one steep price cut, is it good enough?

 

[Tom_green_day]

I've heard Rock of Ages is good, but the only one of those I've played is Terraria. It's adequately not like Minecraft... in fact, it's nothing like Minecraft. I didn't enjoy it, but maybe if you want something unlike Minecraft you'd enjoy it.

 

[purf]

Terraria - £1.49, it's a 2D Minecraft from what I know. Is it worth picking up? I already have Minecraft, I'm not sure I need more Minecraft.

Only this: When I tried it some time ago, I quickly dismissed it as, you said it, 2D Minecraft and for lacking at being such a thing. Which was me missing the point. I re-installed it recently and found that it's more like Spelunky and this kind of games with a big focus on crafting and exploring your way to badassery. Recommended.

 

[DOOM GUY]

I have only played Terraria out of all of those, but it's a very good game. Though it may seem like a side-scrolling Minecraft, it's actually more of a Metroidvania type of game, with a big focus on fighting and has lots of bosses, but also has randomly generated worlds, crafting, and building.

 

[omega 616]

Terraria - £1.49, it's a 2D Minecraft from what I know. Is it worth picking up? I already have Minecraft, I'm not sure I need more Minecraft.

Nothing like minecraft, it's forgivable mistake 'cos they came out within a few months of each other and terraria does have a minecraft look to it.

Thing is minecraft is a sandbox, you make your pretty little buildings and cities but other than fend off the odd creeper, spider or zombie (I know there are other baddies) there is nothing to do.

Terraria is game, you level up in a weird way ... you don't put +1 to strength but you mine materials to deck yourself in copper, then iron, then silver, then gold etc. There are a host of weapons, armors (each with there own effects, such as increased melee speed or reduced mana cost) there are plenty of spells and potions (one potion is called graviton, it changes your gravity, so instead of jumping you flip upside down and rocket towards the sky. Another lets you see in the dark, another makes ore glow in the darkness).

There are multiple bosses, starts with the eye of Cthulhu and ends with "the wall of flesh" BUT there is a hard mode to be unlocked and even with the best stuff in the game, it can be a tall order to beat the easiest hard world boss.

TLR, minecraft is a sandbox, terraria is a game.

 

[Weaver]

I would recommend both Terraria and They Bleed Pixels.

BTW I recommend using the steam database to more easily browse the store.
Here, for instance, is a list of games on sale sorted by cheapest to highest in GBP for you:
http://steamdb.info/sales/?displayOnly=Game&cc=uk

 

[DoPo]

I would recommend both Terraria and They Bleed Pixels.

Can you elaborate on what exactly is TBP?

BTW I recommend using the steam database to more easily browse the store.
Here, for instance, is a list of games on sale sorted by cheapest to highest in GBP for you:
http://steamdb.info/sales/?displayOnly=Game&cc=uk

So it's the same as what I have, only I don't have to go through pages. That's actually nice. I just don't like the fact that the website doesn't want to constrain itself to common web width - the on hover pop-up box with the "box art" shows up on the left and it goes a bit off-screen for me. Why the fuck make your main content holder 950px wide when you're going to go over 1200px on a regular basis? And since the main content is centred, already, that extra is even further pushed to the side, so, in effect it's even more than 250+ px.

Ugh, /rant

 

[Launcelot111]

I'm enjoying Dungeons of Dredmor right now. It gets pretty intense even on easy mode, and there's almost too much to process in terms of stats and the sheer amounts of items that get dropped, but it's got a good sense of humor and fun skills, and if you like roguelikes, you'll have a good time. The DLCs mainly just add extra skill trees and enemies plus a couple minor mechanics that are mainly there for fun. Of the two, the Realm of the Diggle Gods is better because it adds 15 extra floors to the dungeon, but they're all super cheap though, so you might as well get both.

Terraria is also a solid choice, with the building part being nowhere as good as Minecraft but with a lot of extra adventuring to make up for it.

I wouldn't suggest Avernum because you can get them all plus some extra stuff for super cheap from the Humble Weekly Sale if you act fast. If you really have to use your Steam wallet, then all Spiderweb Software games (which these are) are solid but not super remarkable games that will scratch your CRPG itch well if you don't feel like playing Planescape for the umpteenth time. I'd take DoD or Terraria over any Avernum.

 

[StupidNincompoop]

Like others said, terraria is much more of a game than minecraft is IMO, by that i mean there's more gameplay to it than just building stuff for the sake of building it. It's also fun to play with friends, and i think at this point most people on steam probably have it so you'll hardly struggle to find people to play it with probably.

The other 2 games i've had experience with there are dungeons of dredmor and DLC quest.

You'd be right in assuming that DLC quest is mostly something you don't really want to play more than once, however i personally enjoyed it quite a bit. It basically is sort of like achievement unlocked but it has more jokes in it. It also has another scenario after you're done with the main one, so i'd say there's probably about 2-4 hours of gameplay there (i can't say how much exactly because it's been a while since i played it and i bought it on desura, so i can't tell how much time i put into it).


Dungeons of dredmor is a game i was personally dissapointed with. It's basically like binding of isaac but with an art style which just looks sort of ugly IMO. The soundtrack isn't really any good either and it's just not really a very interesting game, it's also very complex and has way too many stats which have random names, that aren't really described simply or well enough to tell you what each stat is actually effecting. So you'll end up picking up loads of gear and not having any idea of what the gear actually does or if it's any better than what you have currently. It's also really difficult and you really HAVE to grind and finish the entire floor or else you'll just not be able to do the next floor because you won't be a high enough level. Also because it's a 2D game and you have no way to change the camera angle, the walls will get in the way and you'll not be able to tell if there's anything next to the wall because the wall will be blocking your view of any items, enemies or traps that might be there- so you might end up walking over a trap that you might not be able to see.
I've tried to play the game several times to be able to complete it at least once, but every time i just get bored of it because of the fact that you rarely survive more than the first 2 floors unless you pick a certain skill set, and even if you do survive, the later floors all seem to be not too interesting either anyway. Also, just as a side note, there's some crafting systems in the game where you can create different items using base materials, but this system seems to be pointless as i haven't really found any use for creating items when you get so many different items anyway, and you never seem to actually get any good raw materials either to make any of the worthwhile items with.

Edit:
I will say though, despite all of the negative things i just mentioned about DoD, if you can somehow manage to understand it fully and are actually good at it, then it is good value for money as you'll be able to get quite a few hours of enjoyment out of it. Not for me, though.

 

[Weaver]

Can you elaborate on what exactly is TBP?

Sure, essentially, a 2D precision platformer that's basically based on a score attack. Killing enemies gives you score.

When you stand still, your game creates a checkpoint and sets your combo back down to 0.
Thus, the highest scores are achieved by never checkpointing in a level.

It adds a lot of tension and some of the levels can be very long, so never dying (one hit kills in effect) and gaining the most score is very challenging.

I do, however, recommend a controller.

 

[DoPo]

Can you elaborate on what exactly is TBP?

Sure, essentially, a 2D precision platformer that's basically based on a score attack. Killing enemies gives you score.

When you stand still, your game creates a checkpoint and sets your combo back down to 0.
Thus, the highest scores are achieved by never checkpointing in a level.

It adds a lot of tension and some of the levels can be very long, so never dying (one hit kills in effect) and gaining the most score is very challenging.

I do, however, recommend a controller.

Ah, I see. I admit, it does sound fun but it's not my cup of tea, I'm not really into platformers, as I said.

The DLCs mainly just add extra skill trees and enemies plus a couple minor mechanics that are mainly there for fun.

Are the skill trees worth it?

Hmm, seems that I really misjudged Terraria. It might be worth picking up. On the other hand, it's 6 quid normally so I could just pick it up later on. Avernum also seems like something I won't buy now, I'd better get more than just one game. DoD does sound intriguing, I like roguelikes, but I also would like to try Space Trader, I find these kinds of games appealing. Loved Freelancer, where you can really play as a space trader, if you wish, I've also played Spells of Gold which, while not really good, did offer the choice of playing a trader. I think I'm leaning towards these two so far, I can get the DLC later, if needed. Or DoD may get even further reduced, I'll wait and see.

Another question though - Alan Wake? It's 90% off for the next two days, so £2.29, which I can stomach - I can just sell a card or two to get the extra 20p. But should I? 90% is one steep price cut, is it good enough? I'll also edit the OP with this.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Alan Wake is quite good, and I really enjoyed it, despite some pretty annoying flaws. The thing is, it's not going to offer you nearly as much play time as something like Terraria. You'll beat Alan Wake in 10 hours (more or less depending on how good you are, what difficulty you're playing on, and whether you hunt for collectables), but you can spend 50 hours playing Terraria easily.

Anyway, it's up to you, both are great games, and both are DEFINITELY worth the money. Both games are really different though. If you're looking for a good story driven experience Alan Wake is good, but if you are just looking purely at bang for the buck, Terraria is the way to go.

 

[votemarvel]

I found Alan Wake to be a bit dull to be honest. There is no tension to the combat because the camera pans around before each encounter to show you exactly where the enemies are, which is good I suppose because Alan moves like he's got a load in his pants.

There was no excitement to the story for me since the collectables, which you are encouraged to read, tell you exactly what is going to happen next. True you don't have to read them and if you want to enjoy the story, then I'd suggest not doing so.

Graphics outside of the spooky woods are...well lets say the sets of a daytime soap opera have had more care and attention spent on them.

The same is worth such a low price really though. If you end up not liking it, then you've not wasted a lot of money.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

I can personally recommend Dungeons of Dredmor, it's a solid roguelike with a great sense of humor. The DLC adds skill trees and all sorts of other stuff, it's worth it if it's your kind of game.

I liked the original, flash based version of No Time to Explain. It's probably worth a couple pounds.

I've played Terarria, but it's not really my kind of game. A lot of people love it, though.

I'm mainly posting to say /don't buy the Avernum games through Steam/. The company that made them put all of the games that they're currently selling up for the Humble Weekly Bundle. You'll get Steam keys on anything over $1, and the bonus games if you beat the average. Or you could pay a penny and get all but two of the games DRM free. But don't pay $2 each on Steam if you want them.

http://www.humblebundle.com/weekly

 

[porous_shield]

I think Rock of Ages is good quirky fun. There is a lot of humour in that game and it becomes a lot more fun in multiplayer. The game even supports two controllers, strangely enough, so I hooked up my laptop to the big screen and play with my nephews whenever they're over.

Rock of Ages doesn't have the length of a game like Terraria but it was well worth what I paid for it.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

Rock of Ages: If you are at all into history and myths (on the same strain as God of War) and some old humor, get it. Otherwise, I didn't dig the gameplay.

DLC Quest: Again, sort of a novelty thing. The style of it and the constant joking on the video games industry is where most of the game's worth comes from. What makes it better than other Flash games is really only its status as a released game -- fully supported not to bug out, sort of lengthy. Eh.

Terraria: Don't go into this game thinking it's Minecraft. Minecraft is an endless sandbox game with pretty unrefined combat. Terraria is much more of an action game focusing on combat, that happens to have an endless sandbox-y environment. It is much more about finding and creating better tools, then finding more dangerous enemies in deadly environments to beat up with your new tools, then repeating again and again. Mining and building houses is just a way to pace the game--you can't mine into The Corruption unless you have this good of a pickax, you can't get a Demolitions Seller nearby unless you build him a house, you can't go to The Underworld unless you have even better a pickax.

The game is much more about making your own adventure without having someone to give you objectives. If you really enjoyed Minecraft for building shit, then you can stick with Minecraft. If you like Minecraft for loading up on gear and going spelunking, or killing the Ender Dragon, or killing a Wither, then Terraria is much more a game for you. It's nice to play with friends, but it's just as playable without friends.

Go ahead and get Terraria just because it's a game worth trying. The developers are really hellbent about adding a bunch of free content at a really fast pace, good on them. But the game is a mite unforgiving and hard on you in the beginning, regardless of difficulty. I honestly haven't played it for over a year, so I can't tell you what the new updates have changed.

 

[Woodsey]

You won't feel cheated by paying £2 for Wake but it's not overtly interesting. A matter of unfulfilled potential, unfortunately.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well value for money certainly puts Alan Wake at the top, the PC port is especially good, possibly far better then what they did with consoles.

Second comes Terraria, it may remind you of Minecraft but it leans far more towards Metroidvania as the combat is good and varied with thousands of weapons at this point, also thousands of monsters plus a bucket load of bosses, you got merchant/handymen NPCs, a big ability/tool set, a very extensive crafting system, and obviously you can do some building(but in 2D that limits the options compared to Minecraft).
There is also an end game stage where the difficulty ramps up dramatically and you get a whole new set of weapons/monsters/bosses, also a new free expansion in the pipeline as we speak.

 

[The_Great_Galendo]

I can't speak about most of the games on the list, but I'd like to point out that unless you're really strapped for actual cash (or if humblebundle doesn't take British pounds for some reason, I guess...I suppose it might be American-only, or something like that), you probably don't want to spend your money on the Avernum games right this instant, for the simple reason that for the next one day and eleven hours they're part of the current Humble Weekly Sale. For a minimum of $1, you can have a total of 13 games, six of which are Avernum 1-6. The first three don't have Steam codes, but 4/5/6 do, if you really want to play them through Steam.

I just got them myself a day or two ago, so I can't tell you whether or not they're actually good, but you can't argue with the games/money value ratio. Oh, and you can choose how much of your money goes to the devs, how much goes to charity, etc. Humblebundle is probably where I spend most of my gaming-related dollars nowadays. The website's http://www.humblebundle.com/weekly if you're interested.