Steam Holiday Bargains You Shouldn’t Miss
By Kyle Mann | December 27, 2011 | Features | No comments | Share
We’re smack in the middle of Steam’s holiday sales, as thousands of gamers undoubtedly tune in every morning at 10 AM Pacific to see whether their most wanted game will be featured on the daily deals. But underneath all the flashing lights and glamor of Steam’s frontpage, there are dozens of unassuming indie and older games that have hit rock-bottom pricing with little fanfare. As a public service, we’ve decided to compile some of Valve’s best offers that you may not have heard of. Check out the handful of games below, and be sure to drop us a line in the comments if you’ve stumbled upon hidden treasure yourself.
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
The classic platformer Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee is under a buck. In fact, it’s bundled with three other entries in the Oddworld series for only $3.74, so if you’re willing to cough up a few extra bucks you’ll have plenty of platforming to get you through the meager winter months.
Store Page
$0.62
Capsized
Alientrap Games knocked it out of the park with Capsized, a side-scrolling combat-focused game set on a deadly planet. It’s got local co-op built in for your friends to join in the fierce fun as well. This is one of the best indie games of 2011 for a couple of dollars, so jump on it before it jetpacks itself away.
Store Page
$2.50
Inside a Star-Filled Sky
Way too meta for its own good, Inside a Star-Filled Sky is a heady shooter with nearly infinite gameplay. It’s easily worth the original $8 asking price, so at 75% off it’s a no-brainer. Pick this one up if you’re a fan of top-down shooters with a little substance underneath their skin.
Store Page
$2.00
Braid
Anyone who’s followed the indie gaming scene for any amount of time has heard of Braid, but I know I didn’t jump on board until it was old hat. It’s never too late though, so be sure to hit up the massively discounted price while it lasts. Time manipulation, fancy-schmancy art style, and clever puzzle solving make up the bulk of the appeal for this 2D platformer.
Store Page
$2.50
Dungeons of Dredmor
Gaslamp Games brilliantly combined the difficulty and randomization elements of the traditionally inaccessible roguelike genre with the point-and-click ease of dungeon crawlers, flinging the door wide open for all to enjoy. Even if you missed the $1.24 daily deal last week, it’s still simply one of the best gaming values around right now, so don’t miss this one.
Store Page
$2.49
Star Wars: Dark Forces
Alright, so technically this one is a Daily Deal, but it was too good not to mention: groundbreaking Star Wars FPS Dark Forces is just over a dollar today, or you can grab the entire Jedi Knight collection for a pittance. Whether you’d like to reminisce over yesteryear or experience this for the first time, plunk down the buck. You won’t be disappointed.
Store Page
$1.24
The Binding of Isaac
A Zelda-inspired roguelike from half of Team Meat of Super Meat Boy fame, The Binding of Isaac was already a bargain at $5–so there’s no reason not to strongly consider this little gem at half-off throughout the sale. It’s dark and gritty and difficult and worth the two-fifty even for all you cheapskates out there.
Store Page
$2.49
The Commandos Collection
I don’t know that I ever passed the first mission in the debut Commandos game, but I sure had fun trying. The Commandos series is a tough-as-nails tactical strategy that focuses on a hardened group of soliders, each with his own special abilities to help you traverse levels and complete special assignments. For just under four dollars it’s hard to ignore this pack of gaming goodness.
Store Page
$3.74
A Few Tips
Remember, if a game hasn’t hit a Daily Deal yet, it’s entirely possible that Valve has it in store for a future day of the sale. At the same time, the games above are so insanely cheap that you would only be saving a dollar or two if you did manage to hold it until that game’s moment in the spotlight. Long story short, giving some awesome developers an extra buck isn’t going to hurt too much if you end up buying a few hours too early.
Have you found any great deals on Steam or other services’ holiday sales? Be sure to drop us a note below, and stay tuned for more deals as we continue to plumb the depths of Valve’s latest bargain bonanza. Oh, be sure to actually play the games you buy too, so you won’t look forlornly at your list of 100+ Steam games you’ve never touched years from now. It happens to the best of us.
