Games for the Masses–Weekend deals 03/22/13

Welcome back to games for the masses, where we help you pay less to play more!  It’s a great week for the gaming proletariat; there are two great sales going on this weekend.  Steam is hosting another one of it’s massive sales, this time focusing on indie games, while Greenman Gaming is offering a huge discount on SEGA products.  What are some of the best deals on this week?

• Bastion ($1.00):  If you still haven’t played Bastion, you’ve got no excuse now.  For a single dollar you can play one of the best games of the last 10 years.  Made by the 8-person team at Supergiant Games, this unforgettable 3rd person action RPG mixes stellar gameplay, amazing music, and some of the best voice acting you’ll ever hear.  You can pay as little as a single dollar, but I’d recommend paying a bit more if you can afford it–Supergiant have earned it,and the rewards are worthwhile.
• Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena ($5.99):  This one is kind of a hidden gem, in that you buy this game for the packed in “Escape from Butcher Bay.”  While Dark Athena is  decidedly average, Butcher Bay is a shooter like none other.  Starring the Vin Diesel character made famous in Pitch Black, Butcher Bay features fascinating characters and some of the best pacing you’ll find in a shooter.
• Total War: Shogun 2 ($7.48):  If you’re looking for value, you’d have trouble beating this one.  I’ve logged over 60 hours in my copy of Shogun 2, and I still feel like I’ve only just started digging into the game.  The standard edition of the game is well balanced, without the passive AI problems that plagued Empire: Total War, but when you get done with the vanilla edition you can spice things up with the numerous mods made by the fantastic community.
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II Gold ($9.99):  Another strategy game, this one trades Shogun 2’s massive scope for a more tighter focus on a small squad of units.  The scope means you’ll be intimately familiar with your units, so it’s a good thing they’re all complete badasses.  The Gold Edition combines the original Dawn of War II and the first expansion pack, Chaos Rising. Get a hold of this on–you’ll be hard pressed to have more fun killing Xenos and Heretics.

Those are just some highlights, but be sure to check out the great sales this weekend.  Until next week, game on comrades!