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BloodRayne and Psychonauts Added to Steam Library
eToyChest is reporting that Majesco (and thus Double Fine) have inked a deal with Valve to feature some of their hit games on the digital download service. BloodRayne 1 and 2, as well as Advent Rising, are already available on the service. The cult favorite Psychonauts will be coming next month. From the article: "BloodRayne 2 and Advent Rising are available now via Steam for $19.99 while the first BloodRayne costs $9.99. Those who purchase any of the titles during the first two weeks of availability will receive a 10% discount." They're a little pricier than I'd like, but it's interesting to see titles from a variety of publishers on the service.
I know some people have had problems with steam, and the biggest complaint seems to be offline game play. I was under the impression that it had been fixed, but I have no problems playing "online" even in single player mode, so I can't comment too much on that issue.
However, I love the idea, and the implementation of steam. The fact that I can preload a game, before its available, and with the click of a few buttons and a few minutes for it to be decrypted, means I can play a game literally minutes after its released.
I'm not tied down by physical media. If I build a new box, I only need install steam, log in, and it will reinstall all my games for me. Friends means I don't need something like Xfire to find my buddies and play. All in all, I have no complaints about Steam, and would prefer all my games come through it
Plus I don't like quitting games part way through.
Me neither. That is why I was infuriated when I discovered that I do not possess the twitch skills to finish the Meat Circus. It's the f*cking very last level! The rest of the game is very cool, and I enjoyed it immensely; even I, with my weak skills, could get through each and every level without too much troubles, even getting almost all dream figments. It was so cool, actually, that I played through the first 90% twice. But the endgame is just incredibly frustrating. Had the ending been playable, Psychonauts would be among my games top-20 at least. As it is, it's somewhere around "mediocre", sharing a seat with KotOR 2 (of which the endgame was playable, but sucked to no end).
Interesting side note regarding Steam... here in Australia the boxed copy of HL2 is AU$110 in EB Games, while on Steam it's a lot cheaper. The Source Premier Pack is US$60, which includes HL2, Episode 1, Lost Coast, Day of Defeat and a bunch of other stuff, while there's a minimal HL2 Pack for US$30. With the exchange rate the way it is, US$60 ~ AU$80, which makes things significantly cheaper.
It blows my mind that the boxed HL2 is still so expensive here... but at least there's another option. Steam and other systems of its ilk could become increasingly popular if local prices are ridiculous. The only downside is the massive download for the game, which sucks doubly in a country like Australia with its download limits. Ugh.