Steam Summer Sale 2012!

If you're like my friends who haven't fired up Steam for over a month (love that buddylist feature), Valve's infamous Summer Sale has been under way for about a week now. The format isn't quite as charming as last year's summer camp theme, but the hook this time is that a few times a day, we get to vote on what game (out of three) we want massively discounted next. Also, there are some achievements for doing things in Steam itself, but a scaled-back version of the multiple cheevos each day, last Summer.

Personally, I've been rather underwhelmed with the selection so far, but a lot of that has to do with the fact that of all the games that have been on sale this time around, I already own them. Oh, my first-world problems! What have I gotten thus far?

1. Two DLC characters for Dungeon Defenders
2. Trine 2
3. Mount & Blade: Warband - Napoleonic Wars and With Fire & Sword DLC
4. Europa Universalis III: Divine Wind
5. Take on Helicopters and the With Hinds DLC

 There's seventy-six items on my wishlist, so it's not like there's nothing I'm interested in. The one game I'm really hoping to see 75% off is Warlock: Master of the Arcane. Anywho, time to get in some Tribes: Ascend before bed. I never thought of myself as a Tribes-player, but it's grown on me rather quickly.

Blacklight: Retribution first impressions

I'm a sucker for ambiance, especially when it's tied into game mechanics, and BLR really hits that sweet spot for me. The two big mechanics, the augmented reality visors and big, clunky mechs, add just enough spice to the standard game modes to not make the game feel generic (a problem I had with the previous BL game). My only gripe so far is how the menus are constantly reminding you of ways to spend real money in-game. Compared to TF2, it strikes me as the devs and/or publisher not having much respect for the players beyond a revenue stream. Anyway, for the price it's definitely worth checking out. I bought the starter pack when it was on sale, and I'm not regretting it.