Bargain Thread 2017

Strategy & Tactics: Dark Ages (thread here) is on sale on Steam for 40% off ($9). However, if that’s still too much, you can buy the bundle that includes it and three other games you’ll never play for $7.64. If it’s too little, you can spend an extra 70 cents and get this other bundle which includes it and another game (which is actually 3 games bundled itself), plus 2 DLC.

Steam bundles! They make no sense, but we love them! Or hate them. Whatever.

I was thinking that too, but then I read some of the reviews and discovered that the majority of the negative ones complain about difficulty. Those complaints existed for the first one too, and I liked the difficulty there. I really really doubt it’s more difficult than the first. So, if you liked the first, you’ll probably like the second. I’m still haven’t pulled the trigger yet though.

I haven’t played the first at all. James Allen from Out of Eight seemed to like both and said the second is an improvement of the first.

I kinda wish it also had the 3 click swing method as an option to fall back on. Sometimes real time swing methods in golf games (controller stick or mouse swing) can be a bit janky or tough to feel if your not pulling back straight.

Many years ago I had one of those infrared golf clubs that you’d actually swing which was pretty cool, but didn’t work that great.

I’m worrying that the “difficulty” here is related to messed up physics in the ground/short game. I mean, I can deal with fast greens, slow greens, whatever. But…if there’s engine problems that produce weirdly inconsistent results when the ball impacts the green, that’s something else entirely. And that seems to be the issue explained by many current owners.

Y’all have 5 days to sell me on this. I want it so much to be good.

Nice Down Under Bundle live at Humble.

The “Pay What You Want” tier is a ridiculously good deal with :

  • Warlock of Firetop Mountain
  • Screencheat
  • Hand of Fate
  • Satellite Reign

https://www.humblebundle.com/down-under-bundle

Thanks! I’ve had Hand of Fate on my wishlist forever.

@Reemul or @Kelan you guys own the game. I’d like to know too. I’m particularly interested in how it compares to the first game. If the physics are basically the same, then I’m in.

I thought the first was ok but I always struggled with the putting, it really needs a lot of time to get good at. I was hoping the second was going to be a real upgrade but instead it seems a bit of a mish mash.

There are 3 different types of difficulty with each level needing a more accurate tempo swing. If you managed this you get more distance and control but get it wrong and the final result is less forgiving. as you up the difficulty.

I still find the putting hit or miss, hitting the green in 2 and 4 putting becomes less than enjoyable, it is not a game you can pick up and play for a while, it does need constant practice and fine tuning.

The importing of all the clubs from 1 is a mare, clogged up with mostly poor and crappy designed course. It’s a real dig through to find decent courses and you are almost just using the courses from the first game re imported in to this version instead of getting new versions made using the stuff available to improve it.

The career mode is crap, poorly done and really a waste of time. The career mode was what I really wanted.

Online play is stupid, if you play match play the person you play against is really playing stroke play. It’s like you play stroke play and your opponent plays stroke play but they call it match play. As if playing match play is anywhere like playing stroke play. This is mainly what is driving the poor reviews, the fact online play is borked outside of stroke play.

I think at times it looks great and tee to green works pretty well but after than i’m useless. I tried it again on Monday and started with a 8 and a 7 and gave up. If you can give it the time needed you may enjoy it.

However at £12 i would say it’s worth picking up and getting in a few rounds before the 2 hours is up and see if you like it, it is better than 1 and similar just not improved in the areas it needed to be.

I actually still play TW2014 on the 360 (which kicked the bucket this week as well) and is a far better game especially when you dial the difficulty up.

Also if you get it I would be happy to have a game or 2 and get slapped about.

@AStott @triggercut

I gave The Golf Club 2 a try. Figured I’d check it out within the 2 hour time period. I have to say it gave a pretty good first impression. I’m using the standard golf clubs, which are the most forgiving. I’m playing with a 360 controller. Like Reemul says, getting to the green isn’t that difficult. I’ve gotten on in regulation or better probably 95% of the time (I’ve played 3 rounds so far).

The short game is more difficult, but I didn’t find it crazy difficult. If I get on the green - say 30 feet of the pin I will usually 2 putt with some 3 putts. When there is an aggressive slope, it wasn’t unusual for me to 3 putt - occasionally 4 and 5 putting. That was pretty rare though. Out of my 3 rounds, I’d say that I had maybe 6 holes that I putt really badly because the slope affected my much more than I was thinking. Even some short putts can be difficult and hard to read exactly how much the putt will break when the slope is big.

I never played the first game, so I don’t know how much has changed. I’d say if you’re looking for a golf game, this is worth checking out.

Thanks! My guess is that the physics are pretty unchanged from the first one. I’ll probably pick this up too. I got a pretty good amount of play out of the first, playing pretty much only with my Dad, and it doesn’t sound like that experience will really be any worse than in the first one.

Sorry for the delay, @AStott! I got the message on my phone last night, but I was bowling and busy at work today until now.

I played the first The Golf Club religiously for almost a year and worked my way up on the TGCTours competition to a world ranking in the 200s and on The PGA Tour when I quit. I had a very good feel for how all of the physics worked at the time.

However, I was out of practice for quite a few months when The Golf Club 2 came out and I haven’t really given it the time it deserves to make a valid comparison. The top level clubs were very difficult for me with the new Tempo swing system. I use the mouse for making a swing (one of the few in both games) and I have a very pronounced sub-second pause at the top of my backswing that is greatly pronounced in the new swing system. With the most difficult, top-tier clubs, it made the game basically so hard it was unplayable for me. It didn’t feel like the tempo was anywhere near what it is swinging real clubs, to me at least, and not being able to pause for even what felt like 0.1 or 0.2 seconds at the top of my backswing without shanking it in the rough or hazard made it super frustrating. I did play a few rounds trying to force myself to get used to immediately starting my downswing, but I could never get it right and after probably 1000+ rounds doing it my other way, I just gave up trying to train myself to a new way.

However, with all that said, the second difficulty level appeared to be perfectly playable for me, and very similar to what I remembered from The Golf Club. I was really determined to make the top tier work, though, so didn’t spend a lot of time on that skill level.

The putting was different, and probably more detailed overall with the physics, but perfectly playable and I never felt like I was getting robbed in the new system. It was just going to take a few more tweaks to get used to.

Another thing they did with the new version that was talked about a lot in the Pro Tour I was in was that you could no longer dial in perfect yardage with all clubs, nor super loft 2 irons to basically render all but the hardest/fastest conditions laughably easy for the top pros. I don’t recall all of the details, but I believe they restricted the amount you could loft certain clubs, and removed the extra grid lines that allowed you to darn near dial in a yardage before. I liked this change as I was never that great at doing this before and I like the idea of golf being a bit of a feel game as opposed to gaming the system.

I really should give it a shot again and just realize I will never enjoy the top tier clubs and see if I like it with the 2nd skill level.

EDIT: I should probably add I haven’t played since probably the first 2 weeks the game came out, so it is very possible the swing mechanics have been patched in some ways. I haven’t been following it closely.

Thanks, @Kelan

Things clicked for me much more in my 4th round and I managed a 2 under par in that round. I got my first eagle, first chip in, and sunk a putt of 20+ feet.

The excellent indie RPG game Ember is the BundleStars Star Deal today for only $1.49 (85%). This is the best price ever for Ember, and I’d highly recommend picking it up if you’re at all a fan of RPG games.

IndieGala has a new Hump Day Bundle that features 7 Steam games for $3.99 including RocketBirds 2 and it’s DLC.

Just try one fo the top rated courses they use rather than the easy beginner ones, I had 6 under at one stage. It’s when you get the super fast greens with massive slopes that it becomes a mare, putting from 3ft missing and it running off the green kills me.

I must have had a tougher course in my career tournament because I hit the max strokes 4 times because I kept missing putts with big slopes, It was tough to get a handle on how much they were going to break. That one round killed my season. Time for season 2!

Asmodee board game sales on mobile.

I got Splendor free at some point. Decent enough port, but the flavor’s a bit dry.
Small World 2 is fun and worth $2.50.
I’m definitely getting Twilight Struggle. Don’t have any of the others, any recommendations? (particularly interested in Mage; don’t have any experience with the setting beyond flipping through the rulebook, but it always seemed interesting to me.)

Pandemic: The Board Game reg 6.49, now 2.49 iOS: 2.79
Mage the Ascension: Refuge reg 6.49, now 2.49 iOS: 1.99
Jaipur: A Card Game of Duels reg 6.49, now 1.19 iOS: 1.99
Mysterium reg 6.49, now 1.19 iOS: 2.79
Potion Explosion reg 3.89, now 1.19 iOS: 0.99
Twilight Struggle reg 6.49, now 2.49 iOS: 3.99
Abalone reg 3.89, now 1.19 iOS: 1.39
Mr Jack Pocket reg 3.89, now 1.19 iOS: 1.39
Colt Express reg 6.49, now 2.49 iOS: 2.79
Splendor reg 9.49, now 2.49 iOS: 2.79
Small World 2 reg 9.49, now 2.49 iOS: 2.79

Playstation Store has Witcher 3 complete edition for $20 if you have PS+. Great price.

Seems to be the going rate, it’s on GOG, Steam and Xbox Live at that price as well.

I think the Witcher series has been apart of literally every sale the past several years.