We may earn a commission when you buy through links in our articles. Learn more.

Steam summer sale day 4: the best deals

STEAMSALE_1

It is Sunday, and for everyone else at PCGN it is a day of rest. But I am the mouse in the darkness, the watcher on the firewalls. And I must warn the people of PC gaming about these wildling Steam deals. Read on for the deals of Day 4.

Kerbal Space Program – £10.79 / $13.79

A6VC6_0

Model rocketry has always seemed like a fun hobby, but I never had the money or brains to get involved with it. Nor have I ever had the spare cash lying around to begin an interplanetary space program, and frankly, you don’t want to be anywhere near a rocket that I’ve had a hand in building. But Kerbal Space Program will let you build spaceships and execute complicated missions to your heart’s content, without any of the consequences.

Steve was rather impressed by the entire thing, and Idle Thumbs did a terrific stream demonstrating the perils and glories of KSP. If you’re all interested in turning space into your sandbox, this seems like a pretty great deal.

Shogun 2 – £6.24 / $7.49

ss_f643f34f4d0954c61c06c111ba534529f84631c2.1920x1080

This is a fine deal for Shogun 2, the best Total War to date. The expansion campaign, Fall of the Samurai, is on sale for the same price. I’d grab them both. The graphics scale beautifully, and between the two games, you have classic Total War medieval combat and then late 19th century rifle and steamship battles. But this deal comes around every Steam sale, so there’s no cause for panic.

The Sims 3 – £14.99 / $14.99

TS3C_HD_SameSim

Look, just read about Alice and Kev and behold one of the most powerful storytelling engines ever made in a commercial, mainstream game. Don’t let the giant expansion sections in your local big box retailer put you off: The Sims became a monster hit because it’s brilliant.

Arma 2 – £2.71 / $4.41

ArmA-2-drag

This isn’t for everyone, but what game is? This is a crazy cheap price for a really fascinating take on the modern military shooter, and a fine way to get up to speed before Arma 3 or the commercial release of DayZ. If you simply accept that you’ll spend a fair bit of time learning controls and the businesslike, unglamorous work of infantry warfare, you might find yourself caught up in some of the most gripping military drama this side of Generation Kill.

Or maybe Road Warrior.

Portal 2 – £3.74 / $4.99

portal-2-review

I’m always bemused by Valve games appearing in Steam sales. Given how often Valve put their games on heavy discount, or bundle them into other offers, they are the Steam collection equivalents of Dota 2 invites. Still, if you haven’t gotten around to Portal 2, it’s a delight. I honestly prefer it to the original, if only because Wheatley adds so much to the humor.

Sanctum 2 – £5.99 / $7.49

Sanctum-2-Screen2

I speak from ignorance here. I liked the first Sanctum quite a bit. More of that would be good. I also saw many reviews commenting on how much the sequel has improved on the original. Consider this cautiously approved.

Hitman: Absolution – £4.99 / $6.24

Hitman-Absolution

Everything I know about Hitman: Absolution comes from Conan O’Brien. But overall, Absolution seems to have been a particular disappointment to series regulars and stealth fans. On the other hand: craaaazy cheap!

Fallout: New Vegas – £2.49 / $2.49

1294333-ma56cv

No game has caused as many battles between my girlfriend and I over who will get to use the gaming rig. This is the modern, 3D Fallout for fans of the original RPGs, and it is packed with fantastic DLC in addition to a great original campaign. I can think of no good reason not to grab the full set here.

Eador: Masters of the Broken World – £8.99 / $11.99

comp4.06

Oh man. I should know about this. It’s got hexes and everything! But I didn’t find time to play it. Our buddy Fraser Brown did, though, and he liked what he saw, though he was frustrated by a lack of polish and lots of crashes. But hopefully time has mitigated those problems, and I do hear that now it’s an interesting fantasy strategy game.

Remember Me – £17.99 / $29.99

Remember-Me-Gets-PC-Requirements-New-Video-with-Enemies-and-Combat-2

Again, I am at sea. I love the look of this game but Jeremy was lukewarm in his preview and reviews have been weak. I think if you wait a little bit, you’ll be able to get this one far cheaper. I hate discouraging people from trying out a new franchise starring a female lead, but first, the game actually has to be good.