I usually don’t post about games on sales. The sales periods are usually very short and if would post about that then the blog would become more of a sales announcement service than anything else, with probably half of my posts being sales advertisements :) So, as many of you have already noticed I keep sales updated the best I can on the sidebar to the right under “Opportunity! Now on sale”, to keep things a bit cleaner and in the right place.
However this time I think the size and scope of the sales does justifies posting about it. GamersGate is having a special offers campaign that includes many space strategy and overall sci-fi gaming titles. Included are titles like Sword of the Stars II: Lords of Winter and the original Sword of the Stars Complete Collection for 70% off each, the Master of Orion series (I, II and III) at half price each and the Space Rangers Complete Pack at 66% off, among many other sci-fi titles.
I think the Sword of the Stars II sale is a particularly good opportunity judging from the price alone. You have a Sots2 review here. If you haven’t tried the Master of Orion series I think this would be a good opportunity also for you to do so for a residual price (there’s also a cheap Master of Orion I+II bundle available). Although remember that Master of Orion is a bit retro, so don’t expect anything too flashy ;)
Happy buying and gaming everyone.
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I’m so wasted by modern commerce I find myself not buying things if they’re not in a sale or bundle: it feels like the normal prices are inflated and the sale price is what it’s really should cost. It’s so bad now all I see is sales: every game-site/shop is so full with sales the normal stuff gets lost and the perceived price-points get tainted. If everybody chops 50% so easy then was the other 50% just filler? Who’d get that slashed 50% otherwise? The diversity of what’s out there doesn’t help either: with thing ranging from 1 to 60 euros then chopping of huge chunks doesn’t help the consumer experience at all.
I generally agree with you, the “sales” concept is losing its meaning (but this applies to everything, not just games). But that’s why there are services like Space Sector to help you through with the jungle of prices, sales and bundles ;)
It really depends on your taste and wallet. Sometimes a $60 price may be outrageous for some people and at the same time great for another bunch. But for sure there are some games with absolutely ridiculous prices which are an insult for any gamer and consumer.
Bart I think you have to look at it from a business perspective, where digital retailers are trying to gain market share over the traditional retailers. I never see the scope of discounts found on Gamersgate for example to be offered by say Best Buy.
From a digital perspective, there is far less overhead for distribution which is why they can offer deep cuts for a limited time. This strategy has been successful especially in the PC game arena where smaller retails stores have stop carrying them, and only the big retailers offer sometime limited selection. I surmise that consoles will start to offer more titles through digital distribution, as they already do through the likes of Xbox Live.
Another thing to consider Bart is that the $49.99-$69.99 price tags are way below average inflation of prices for pc games when you could buy them at stores like Electronics Boutique, and Egghead Software. Games were about $50 back then as well.
Microprose released F-19 Stealth Fighter back in 1988, and I remember it was about (correct me if I am wrong) $50.00, if adjusted for inflation would cost $90.95 in today dollars. So even though games have gotten more complex and graphic intensive, the price has actually gotten cheaper because you have to take inflation into account.
So keep in mind that digital distributors like Gamersgate throw weekly sales to grab market share, the people who actually develop the games we love need to make a salary as well. Not to mention the cost of rent, equipment, etc…
BTW I took advantage of the great price on Sword of the Stars 2 at $8, trying it now, hoping they fixed some of the major issues.
Good points on inflation and the flexibility of digital distribution over traditional stores.
SotS2 at $8 is indeed an interesting price, even if it wouldn’t get much better than this (which there are good chances it will).