GOG Releases “No-DRM” Summer Sale amid heighten awareness from gamers

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If there’s a silver lining in the Xbox One DRM controversy (now happily reversed due to mounting pressure from gamers), it’s that the DRM debate is now on a bigger stage for the gaming public. Digital retailer GOG is taking advantage of the anti-DRM fever by pointedly titling their latest sale as the “2013 #NoDRM Summer Sale” – with 50% off over 500 games. (As an aside, GOG has always sold DRM-free titles). The sale started out with a bang earlier this week with free copies of Torchlight for 48 hours. If you missed out on the freebie offer, there’s still plenty of wallet-friendly deals being rolled out daily.

Say what you will about the mixed reviews on Aliens: Colonial Marines, but when it costs $0… you might suddenly have time to play through it. Today NewEgg dropped the PC DVD price down from $49.99 to $19.99 instantly. On top of that, there’s a $15 mail-in-rebate. Add a $4.99 coupon code, and you’ve effectively made the game $0.00 with free shipping.

It’s relatively common to see Best Buy host a “Buy 2, Get 1 Free” sale on used video games, but it is rare to see that sale on new video games. This week Best Buy’s 3-for-2 sale is on a selection of 80 brand new Xbox 360 games. The titles are not just on no-name games. Many are notable recent releases like Dark Souls, Portal 2, BioShock 2, and Gears of War 3.

The highly anticipated Company of Heroes 2 is set to release on Tuesday of next week, June 25th. Despite hitting a snag with THQ’s bankruptcy earlier this year, SEGA acquired the game back in January, and we’re finally ready for some Eastern Front WWII gaming. Green Man Gaming has a 25% off coupon code dropping the price from $60 to $45. It’s possible the preorder coupon will get extended, but as of right now their coupon code is set to expire tomorrow at 10AM Eastern, so you may have to act fast to save $15. Preorder copies also come with a Theatre of War mini-campaign, two vehicle skins packs, and two new commanders.

Hot deals

Aliens: Colonial Marines (PC DVD) — Free at NewEgg after rebate. For all the hype Aliens: Colonial Marines received it was a huge disappointment to many critics, who complained about bad AI and otherwise mediocre gameplay. Nevertheless, there’ve been some patches, and not everyone thought it was the worst game since E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Plus, you can’t really complain about a freebie – mail-in-rebate or not.

Buy 2 Xbox 360 Games, Get 1 Game FREE — at Best Buy. A pretty sizable selection of 80 decent Xbox 360 games. If you bought Dark Souls, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and Gears of War 3 this way you’d pay $40 instead of the usual $60.

June 25: Company of Heroes 2 (PC Download) — $45 at Green Man Gaming after coupon. Elsewhere $60. If you’re intrigued but skeptical, the open beta has been extended and is live until June 23rd.

GOG Summer Sale

2013 #NoDRM Summer Sale — at GOG.com.
The sale will run from now until July 5th. Every 24 hours at 6AM Pacific, new deals with discounts greater than 50% will appear.

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Might and Magic Megapack (PC Download) — $8.45 at GOG.com. Five Might and Magic games, one of which is really six games in one. So, ten games for under $10. List is $34.
 

FTL: Faster Than Light (PC Download) — $4.99 at GOG.com. Save the galaxy in your spaceship while surmounting randomly generated obstacles and challenges.
 

Hotline Miami (PC Download) — $4.99 at GOG.com. A 2D top-down game with surrealist elements drawing from 80s culture. Perhaps that description was redundant. Next best is $10 at GameStop.
 

SimCity 2000 (PC Download) — $2.99 at GOG.com. The classic. And unlike more recent simulation games, there’s no need to worry about underprovisioned servers or belated apologies. List is $6.

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Theme Hospital (PC Download) — $2.99 at GOG.com. Abandonware game that’s quirky but incredibly well-reviewed by players. One of our favorite classic simulation/economy game.

Released this week

Past Tuesday: Knights of Pen & Paper: +1 Edition (PC Download) — $7.50 at Green Man Gaming after coupon. List is $10. What’s surprising about this discount is that Green Man Gaming “preorder” coupon code still discounts it post-release date. If GMG coupons are renewed for next week, it’s not likely this game will qualify, so you’ll have to act fast to grab the discount. Activates on Steam.

Past Tuesday: Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara (PC Download) — $12 at Green Man Gaming after coupon. List is $15. Combine the classic D&D: Tower of Doom with D&D: Shadow over Mystara and you get Capcom’s D&D: Chronicles of Mystara. Up to 4 players can co-op in this classic arcade hack-n-slash on PC. Activates on Steam.

Today’s release: Magrunner: Dark Pulse (PC Download) — $16 at Green Man Gaming after coupon. List is $20. A story-driven action/puzzle game from the creators of The Testament of Sherlock Holmes. Activates on Steam.
 

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Today’s release: Pro Cycling Manager 2013 (PC Download) — $30 at Green Man Gaming after coupon. List is $40. Anyone can ride a bike, but not everyone is Lance Armstrong. Manage a pro cycling team and compete in over 180 competitions, including the Tour de France.

Upcoming titles

June 25: Deadpool (Xbox 360, PS3) — $37.50 at ToysRus. Next best is $50 at Amazon. If Spiderman was a wise-ass, he’d resemble Deadpool. The Merc w/ a ‘tude gets his own video game next week Tuesday. Toys ‘R Us has the only known discount on the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions.

June 25: Ride to Hell: Retribution (PC Download) — $22.50 at Green Man Gaming after coupon. This game almost got cancelled, perhaps because it’s about sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll from the perspective of a Vietnam vet biker. List is $30.
 

June 28: Dark (PC Download) — $25.50 at Green Man Gaming after coupon. Play a vampire in this stealth-action RPG. Next best is $34 at GameFly.
 

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July 3: Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition (PC Download) — $22.50 at Green Man Gaming after coupon. Lowest price ever, and includes the Mortal Kombat game and all downloadable content ever released for it. Additionally, North American downloads can get access to a music album and the film from the mid-90s.

July 9: Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection (PS3) — $42.99 at NewEgg after coupon. Six Metal Gear Solid games, additional missions, and two graphic novels previously unreleased in North America. List is $50.

Aug. 6: Dragon’s Crown (PS3) — $44.99 at NewEgg after coupon. Dragons and dungeons meet four-player online co-op. List is $50.

360, PS3, and Wii U deals

Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse (PS3, Xbox 360) — $19.99 plus $3.49 shipping at GameStop. If you’re a Family Guy fan, this is a little like the show combined with GTA with dicier humor thrown in the mix. Next best is $40 at Best Buy.

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Assassin’s Creed 3 (Wii U, Xbox 360, PS3) — $19.99 plus $3.49 shipping at GameStop. Get ready for the upcoming Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag with its predecessor at the lowest price yet, no matter your console affiliation. Next best is $40 at Best Buy.

Uncharted Dual Pack (PS3) — $14.99 plus $3.49 shipping at GameStop. Get Drake’s Fortune and Among Thieves – both excellent games – for less than you’d pay for either game alone at most stores. Next best is $28 at NewEgg.

Max Payne 3 (PS3) — $9.99 at NewEgg after coupon. Lowest price ever on this critically acclaimed dark shooter. Next best is $15 at Amazon.

Value Gaming Laptops

HP Envy 15z with AMD A8-5550M — $479.99 at HP after coupon. The A8 APU is paired with 6GB of RAM plus a Radeon HD 8550G integrated graphics card – powerful enough for light gaming. $10 shipping.

HP Envy 15z with 1080p config — $519.99 at HP after coupon. Only $40 more to upgrade/ the display to Full HD. You can also upgrade to the A10-5750M for another $80 or opt for the Radeon HD 8750M at $70 – though we’ll quickly be passing the “value gaming” price point. $10 shipping.