Welcome to The Cheapskate's Corner! Take a deep breath and prepare your wallets because this issue comes loaded with bundles and sales on which to spend your money -- sparingly, of course. :P
But before leaping on the ongoind deals, let's take a look back at the sales that are no more:
· IndieGameStand's Paranautical Activity sale ended last Sunday having sold nearly 1.5k copies and grossing more than $2.8k. Not an outstanding amount, but it still surely helped Code Avarice forget their Greenlight pains. As usual Linux gamers paid more than anyone else and also @gamingonlinux was one of the top 10 contributors. :)
· This week's Humble Weekly Sale: 11 bit studios has just ended, selling more than 45k bundles for a total amount of more than $140k. It's been the first all-Linux and all-DRM-free weekly sale and it's brought the Linux debut of Anomaly Warzone Earth: Mobile Campaign, Sleepwalker's Journey, Funky Smugglers and Anomaly Korea. It goes without saying that the average contribution among Linux users was also the highest here.
Luckily for our weary fingers all of last week's ongoing sales and bundles are still live, so we're going to summarize them next. For a more complete description, please refer to last week's column.
Amazon's Indie Games section opening celebration is still going on. There's an awful lot of discounted games available in the form of a Steam key, but these discounts will only last until this Sunday apparently so get them now before you forget! Please check the sales page for a complete list.
As we reported in our previous two articles, there are also some game bundles with a varying Linux presence in them. They are the Indie Quintet (The Cave, Little Inferno, Stealth Bastard Deluxe and the coming-soon-to-Linux Strike Suit Zero), the Oh So Fine and Dandy Bundle (The Cave, Costume Quest, Stacking, Psychonauts and Brütal Legend) and the Indie Combat Pack (Dungeon Hearts, Guns of Icarus Online and SpaceChem). All the bundles cost $9.99 and it's not clear until when they'll be available, so just in case don't leave their purchase until tomorrow...
And remember that for any purchase of an indie game you'll get 3 other games for free. The games in question change every three days, so check the current offer before buying anything! Unlike the other deals, this one will stand through July 17.
Another deal with no confirmed ending date is Charlie's Games' Charlie's Games MegaBundle Pack, where you can get Irukandji, Bullet Candy (2013 update) and Bullet Candy Perfect for $1 min. Paying $9.99 or more will unlock Scoregasm. If asked to the developer, you can get Steam and Desura keys for any game available on those platforms.
Among Indiebundle.org's live bundles, there are a pair of them with Linux titles on them:
· The Perilous Puzzle Bundle includes Hairy Tales and the soon-to-come-to-Linux Great Permutator for $5. Pay $7 will also get you Wyv and Keep.
· The Deadly Dungeons Bundle includes Dungeon Fray, Knytt Underground (its Linux version currently being at the beta stage) and Dwarf Quest (which could come to Linux someday) for $5.
The Race Against Time Gamer Bundle is in its final days and offers you the chance to get Dungeon Hearts for $1. But as we said last week, you may want to get it at the Amazon's Indie Sale for $1.50 to probably support more the developer this way.
UPDATE: As it turns out, this bundle included another Linux game. Although it wasn't obvious at first sight, you can get a Steam key for Waveform if you beat the average (currently around $2.50) and reach out to StackSocial, the bundle's provider:
So now our advice depends on whether you want both games or only Dungeon Hearts. If the former, get them here; if the latter, go to Amazon.
UPDATE: Never mind the above update. There must have been an onslaught of GOL readers buying the bundle and asking for Waveform Steam keys, because shortly after we published that update they removed the reminder note.
The Bundle Stars' Atomic Indie Bundle includes SpaceChem, which can be yours for about £3.75/$5.00/4.50€. But again you may want to (probably) further support the developer and get the game on Amazon for the same price.
UPDATE: You can forget about this bundle, we've found a better place to get SpaceChem. The new SGC Indie Sale 2013 (go to the end of the article for more details) includes it for the same price and provides a DRM-free version besides a Steam key. So it's a no-brainer now, if you're after this game you know where to get it!
If the ongoing deals that we've just reviewed were not enough, there's a whole lot more of new ones. We review them next:
Our joke prediction from last week has come true: there's a new Humble Android Bundle going on! :P It's the Humble Bundle with Android 6, where you can pay whatever you want ($1 min for Steam keys, as usual) and get Aquaria, Fractal: Make Blooms Not War (Linux debut), Organ Trail: Director's Cut and Stealth Bastard Deluxe (available DRM-free on Linux for the first time):
Pay more than the average (currenty around $4.75) and also get Frozen Synapse and Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - The Director's Cut (Linux debut):
The bundle also includes the Android-only game Pulse, so more bang for your buck if you own an Android device. It will last for 12 more days and a couple of extra bonus games are to be expected during its second week, so stay tuned because we may be having news by next Tuesday or so.
PS: The launch of this new bundle was duly covered by GOL and an interesting debate on Humble Bundle's different brands and their commitment to cross-platform and DRM-free games ensued in the comments section.
As we mentioned in an update to last week's column, there really was a Groupees' Build a Bundle coming. The Build a Bundle 6 started yesterday and so far (there's still a bonus to uncover, probably more) it features 3 Linux games. They are Spectraball (DRM-free + Steam key), Aeon Command (DRM-free + Desura key) and Dynamite Jack (DRM-free + Steam key):
All these games have already appeared in other bundles or deals (and we own them all), so it's not like the most interesting bundle in the world. However, there's a jack in the pack: Freedom Fall, a game available for Windows and Mac on Desura that's being ported to Linux.
The deal will last for another 5 days more and it works as any other Build a Bundle does: pick at least 2 games and pay a minimum of $0.75 each (so the minimum purchase is $1.50).
gog.com makes its debut on The Cheapskate's Corner with the 2013 #NoDRM Summer Sale. More than 500 games, old and new, on sale until 5 July. Amongst them, we've found a bunch that are playable on Linux with the help of a variety of installers, open-source clients and the like. Check the sales page for details on the appropriate tool for each game. We won't enumerate all the games we've found, so here's a gallery with all of them:
Of course we might've missed a lot of games that can actually be played natively on Linux and there's allegedly new deals each day, so if you spot any new one please let us now or submit it to us!
Every cheapskate's wettest dream: commercial games becoming free (as in free beer) for whatever reason (who cares? :P) It's not a common occurrence, but it happened twice (!) during the last 7 days. Rejoice and go get Reprisal and Incredipede if you still haven't:
Reprisal has become free for everyone a year after its release as a sort of present from its developers who are now concentrated on their next game, Battle Keep. On the other hand Incredipede has become only free for Linux, and the reason for that is "just because". :)You only need a browser with Flash v11.2 to play it, but you need to use the Chrome web browser with a special flag to enable prettier graphics and better performance (see instructions here).
A Humble Weekly Sale finished today and a new one has just started. Fortune smiled upon us again and brought a new fully DRM-free/Linux weekly sale: the Humble Weekly Sale: Rochard. Pay what you want and get Rochard Special Edition, which includes the Hard Times DLC (available DRM-free for the first time), the game's OST and a 130-page digital artbook:
Like all weekly sales it will be live for a week, so you can think about getting this deal until next Tuesday. But what's there to think about?
With so much going on it's hard to think about what else could come in the following days. Out of the top of our heads we can only think of one thing: the current IndieGameStand deal ends tonight and there's a good chance for the new one to be a title with some level of Linux support. According to the new let-the-community-decide approach they use, the next game must be one of these:
· The Cat Lady: as you know, it can be played natively using the AGS Linux port.
· Constant C: it's allegedly being ported to Linux.
· Pitman: the IndieGameStand crew list it as a Linux game but there's no trace of Linux on its IndieDB page, so we don't really know what to think...
· Reperfection: no Linux support present or future that we are aware of.
Apart from that, we don't know what else we can expect. But if there's something we've learnt since we do this weekly column is that there's always something totally unexpected that appears out of nowhere to delight us with more cheap Linux games. Expect an update whenever one of these happy occurences presents itself. Bye!
Well, we didn't have to wait much until more sales came knocking on our door:
This one we were expecting, although the specific game is not on the list we mentioned in the previous section. Looks like they've moved onto the second batch of games or maybe they're mixing them both... Anyway, IndieGameStand's current deal is 8-Bit Commando:
Pay what you want for it ($1 min. if you want a Desura key) during the next 4 days. The deal also includes a pair of beat-the-average bonus games but neither of them has a Linux version, so we're not bothering to mention them. :P
And this other one clearly falls into the something-totally-unexpected-that-appears-out-of-nowhere-to-delight-us-with-more-cheap-Linux-games category. :D Although not as big as their previous one, ShinyLoot is having another indie sale offering many games at 50% off. The Linux titles included in this sale are Caster (DRM-free + Steam key), Gravi[ (DRM-free + Desura key), Rijn the Specpyre in... Manor of the Damned! (DRM-free + Desura key) and SpaceChem (DRM-free + Steam key):
Looks like this is a 2-week sale, so if you forget about it we'll be remembering you in the next issue of The Cheapskate's Corner, don't worry! We'll stay tuned for any new Linux games added to this sale.
. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
But before leaping on the ongoind deals, let's take a look back at the sales that are no more:
· IndieGameStand's Paranautical Activity sale ended last Sunday having sold nearly 1.5k copies and grossing more than $2.8k. Not an outstanding amount, but it still surely helped Code Avarice forget their Greenlight pains. As usual Linux gamers paid more than anyone else and also @gamingonlinux was one of the top 10 contributors. :)
· This week's Humble Weekly Sale: 11 bit studios has just ended, selling more than 45k bundles for a total amount of more than $140k. It's been the first all-Linux and all-DRM-free weekly sale and it's brought the Linux debut of Anomaly Warzone Earth: Mobile Campaign, Sleepwalker's Journey, Funky Smugglers and Anomaly Korea. It goes without saying that the average contribution among Linux users was also the highest here.
Luckily for our weary fingers all of last week's ongoing sales and bundles are still live, so we're going to summarize them next. For a more complete description, please refer to last week's column.
Amazon's Indie Games section opening celebration is still going on. There's an awful lot of discounted games available in the form of a Steam key, but these discounts will only last until this Sunday apparently so get them now before you forget! Please check the sales page for a complete list.
As we reported in our previous two articles, there are also some game bundles with a varying Linux presence in them. They are the Indie Quintet (The Cave, Little Inferno, Stealth Bastard Deluxe and the coming-soon-to-Linux Strike Suit Zero), the Oh So Fine and Dandy Bundle (The Cave, Costume Quest, Stacking, Psychonauts and Brütal Legend) and the Indie Combat Pack (Dungeon Hearts, Guns of Icarus Online and SpaceChem). All the bundles cost $9.99 and it's not clear until when they'll be available, so just in case don't leave their purchase until tomorrow...
And remember that for any purchase of an indie game you'll get 3 other games for free. The games in question change every three days, so check the current offer before buying anything! Unlike the other deals, this one will stand through July 17.
Another deal with no confirmed ending date is Charlie's Games' Charlie's Games Mega
Among Indiebundle.org's live bundles, there are a pair of them with Linux titles on them:
· The Perilous Puzzle Bundle includes Hairy Tales and the soon-to-come-to-Linux Great Permutator for $5. Pay $7 will also get you Wyv and Keep.
· The Deadly Dungeons Bundle includes Dungeon Fray, Knytt Underground (its Linux version currently being at the beta stage) and Dwarf Quest (which could come to Linux someday) for $5.
The Race Against Time Gamer Bundle is in its final days and offers you the chance to get Dungeon Hearts for $1. But as we said last week, you may want to get it at the Amazon's Indie Sale for $1.50 to probably support more the developer this way.
So now our advice depends on whether you want both games or only Dungeon Hearts. If the former, get them here; if the latter, go to Amazon.
UPDATE: Never mind the above update. There must have been an onslaught of GOL readers buying the bundle and asking for Waveform Steam keys, because shortly after we published that update they removed the reminder note.
UPDATE: You can forget about this bundle, we've found a better place to get SpaceChem. The new SGC Indie Sale 2013 (go to the end of the article for more details) includes it for the same price and provides a DRM-free version besides a Steam key. So it's a no-brainer now, if you're after this game you know where to get it!
If the ongoing deals that we've just reviewed were not enough, there's a whole lot more of new ones. We review them next:
Our joke prediction from last week has come true: there's a new Humble Android Bundle going on! :P It's the Humble Bundle with Android 6, where you can pay whatever you want ($1 min for Steam keys, as usual) and get Aquaria, Fractal: Make Blooms Not War (Linux debut), Organ Trail: Director's Cut and Stealth Bastard Deluxe (available DRM-free on Linux for the first time):
Pay more than the average (currenty around $4.75) and also get Frozen Synapse and Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - The Director's Cut (Linux debut):
The bundle also includes the Android-only game Pulse, so more bang for your buck if you own an Android device. It will last for 12 more days and a couple of extra bonus games are to be expected during its second week, so stay tuned because we may be having news by next Tuesday or so.
PS: The launch of this new bundle was duly covered by GOL and an interesting debate on Humble Bundle's different brands and their commitment to cross-platform and DRM-free games ensued in the comments section.
As we mentioned in an update to last week's column, there really was a Groupees' Build a Bundle coming. The Build a Bundle 6 started yesterday and so far (there's still a bonus to uncover, probably more) it features 3 Linux games. They are Spectraball (DRM-free + Steam key), Aeon Command (DRM-free + Desura key) and Dynamite Jack (DRM-free + Steam key):
All these games have already appeared in other bundles or deals (and we own them all), so it's not like the most interesting bundle in the world. However, there's a jack in the pack: Freedom Fall, a game available for Windows and Mac on Desura that's being ported to Linux.
The deal will last for another 5 days more and it works as any other Build a Bundle does: pick at least 2 games and pay a minimum of $0.75 each (so the minimum purchase is $1.50).
gog.com makes its debut on The Cheapskate's Corner with the 2013 #NoDRM Summer Sale. More than 500 games, old and new, on sale until 5 July. Amongst them, we've found a bunch that are playable on Linux with the help of a variety of installers, open-source clients and the like. Check the sales page for details on the appropriate tool for each game. We won't enumerate all the games we've found, so here's a gallery with all of them:
Of course we might've missed a lot of games that can actually be played natively on Linux and there's allegedly new deals each day, so if you spot any new one please let us now or submit it to us!
Every cheapskate's wettest dream: commercial games becoming free (as in free beer) for whatever reason (who cares? :P) It's not a common occurrence, but it happened twice (!) during the last 7 days. Rejoice and go get Reprisal and Incredipede if you still haven't:
Reprisal has become free for everyone a year after its release as a sort of present from its developers who are now concentrated on their next game, Battle Keep. On the other hand Incredipede has become only free for Linux, and the reason for that is "just because". :)You only need a browser with Flash v11.2 to play it, but you need to use the Chrome web browser with a special flag to enable prettier graphics and better performance (see instructions here).
A Humble Weekly Sale finished today and a new one has just started. Fortune smiled upon us again and brought a new fully DRM-free/Linux weekly sale: the Humble Weekly Sale: Rochard. Pay what you want and get Rochard Special Edition, which includes the Hard Times DLC (available DRM-free for the first time), the game's OST and a 130-page digital artbook:
Like all weekly sales it will be live for a week, so you can think about getting this deal until next Tuesday. But what's there to think about?
With so much going on it's hard to think about what else could come in the following days. Out of the top of our heads we can only think of one thing: the current IndieGameStand deal ends tonight and there's a good chance for the new one to be a title with some level of Linux support. According to the new let-the-community-decide approach they use, the next game must be one of these:
· The Cat Lady: as you know, it can be played natively using the AGS Linux port.
· Constant C: it's allegedly being ported to Linux.
· Pitman: the IndieGameStand crew list it as a Linux game but there's no trace of Linux on its IndieDB page, so we don't really know what to think...
· Reperfection: no Linux support present or future that we are aware of.
Apart from that, we don't know what else we can expect. But if there's something we've learnt since we do this weekly column is that there's always something totally unexpected that appears out of nowhere to delight us with more cheap Linux games. Expect an update whenever one of these happy occurences presents itself. Bye!
$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ UPDATE $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $
Well, we didn't have to wait much until more sales came knocking on our door:
This one we were expecting, although the specific game is not on the list we mentioned in the previous section. Looks like they've moved onto the second batch of games or maybe they're mixing them both... Anyway, IndieGameStand's current deal is 8-Bit Commando:
Pay what you want for it ($1 min. if you want a Desura key) during the next 4 days. The deal also includes a pair of beat-the-average bonus games but neither of them has a Linux version, so we're not bothering to mention them. :P
And this other one clearly falls into the something-totally-unexpected-that-appears-out-of-nowhere-to-delight-us-with-more-cheap-Linux-games category. :D Although not as big as their previous one, ShinyLoot is having another indie sale offering many games at 50% off. The Linux titles included in this sale are Caster (DRM-free + Steam key), Gravi[ (DRM-free + Desura key), Rijn the Specpyre in... Manor of the Damned! (DRM-free + Desura key) and SpaceChem (DRM-free + Steam key):
Looks like this is a 2-week sale, so if you forget about it we'll be remembering you in the next issue of The Cheapskate's Corner, don't worry! We'll stay tuned for any new Linux games added to this sale.
. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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It says we get links to the DRM-free Win/Mac versions, rather than a Steam key, so perhaps not.
That's what I thought, but now you made me check again I've discovered that you can actually get a Steam key for Waveform! According to one Important Reminder (click Read More and scroll down), you've got to reach out to them to get it. I'm going to update the article to reflect this, thanks!
Yep! Actually, Edward Rudd sent out a tweet about that around the end of May. Pretty happy about that fix, for sure :)
Wow, I never noticed that section in each game description!
I dunno, dude, I just did what you said, and the Important Reminders are clearly different between the two games; in short, I think you were right the first time (or they have changed it!):
Waveform:
Important Reminders!
Dungeon hearts:
Important Reminders!
Looks to me like the only reason Linux is happening at all on many of these bundles is by accidental Steam inclusion :-(
I suppose we ought to raise awareness. I feel like it's a damn shame that these developers expend effort, or contracting funds, to produce high-quality Linux ports that nobody can buy.
WHAT SORCERY IS THIS?!? I swear there was a third bullet point in the Waveform description stating what I reported about getting Steam keys... :O Well, I'll just update the article again -- was gonna do it anyway to add the new IndieGameStand deal and ShinyLoot's new indie sale. :P
Totally agree. I don't see why many sites don't promote the Linux availability of some games in their bundles. It's not like that'd hurt their sales or anything...
On the proselytism front, a couple of weeks ago I got fed up of having to check every single GamersGate offer with signs of Linux support on them so I asked them twice to add a Linux icon to such deals, or to enable a Linux games list. They finally replied that they would look into it, but nothing's changed so far. :(
Thay don't have intention to shell Linux games.
You're right, but they do sell game assets that can be used to play their respective games natively on Linux.
I know that many people dislike GOG for neglecting Linux, myself included. But I'm not going to deliberately ignore any provider just because of that.