It would appear I was correct yesterday when I said that the sales then are going to be hard to match but even so there are some solid deals on today's Steam Sale.
Instead of wasting your time on lengthy introductions let's move straight to my top recommendations for the December 28th Steam Sale:
Its Portal 2! What else do I really need to say. Compared to Portal 1 it has a lot more puzzles, many new mechanics to content with and one of the better scripts I've seen when it comes to games (if you need proof of this go youtube any of Cave Johnson's rants). And if all of that wasn't enough it also has one of the best co-op modes around, good even for people that don't usually play games so if you have someone who you want to get in to gaming, this would be the one to start with. Portal 2 is great and its cheap, you really have no excuse not to get it if you don't own it, and if you have a friend even remotely interested in it make sure you convince him/her to grab a copy as well, the game becomes even better when played together.
If you have never played Bioshock 1 and know very little about it - trust me and go play it as soon as possible. It is one of the best games to experience completely blind because even knowing vague details of what might happen will somewhat ruin it for you. But besides the experience itself Bioshock 1 plays like a fairly standard FPS with some creative abilities thrown in, although its strengths lie not in the gunplay but rather the really cool world the game inhabits.
Bioshock 2 on the other hand I can only really recommend if you liked Bioshock 1 so much that you wanted to play more of it, because that's what Bioshock 2 is. It improves on many elements of the first game (story excluded) but doesn't add enough new things in order to distinguish itself. The end result is a game that plays like an expansion pack. It isn't horrible, just uninspired.
Bioshock Infinite to me is the true Bioshock 1 sequel, it has stronger and more versatile powers as well as far superior gunplay. The world is just as impressive as in Bioshock 1 but the addition of the sky hook which allows you to move across the battlefield at high speeds while raining death from above makes the whole experience feel very unique. On the story front however you will hear a lot of mixed opinions. I personally really enjoyed its twists and turns but many couldn't see past a couple of its plot holes. I can't really discuss this in depth due to spoilers but I still feel Infinite is a great game with a beautiful world and even if you end up in the camp that doesn't like the story you'll probably still find a lot of joy in the game itself, especially for this low of a price.
After Colonial Marines I expected the worst when I heard Alien: Isolation was announced. When it finally released Isolation wasn't as terrible as I expected it would be, it was instead fairly good, excellent even. Its a real accomplishment when a horror game uses a character whose appearance and habits we know in detail and still manages to make them pants-wetting scary. While you have some weapons you can defend yourself with keep in mind that this is still a survival horror game at its core, you aren't going to be able to kick the alien's ass. If you plan on surviving you'll huddle in the shadows and hope it doesn't see you as it shambles past. There is a ton of DLC for the game and I'm afraid I don't know much about it so if you're going for that make sure to do a bit of extra research, or at the very least read the steam reviews for the DLC packs you plan on getting.
Batman: Arkham City GOTY (-75%)
Don't worry, this isn't the broken one, that would be Arkham Knight. That aside, City is my second favorite Batman game in the series, closely following Asylum, something the developers seem to agree with as well given that Asylum isn't even on sale. In any case City is still a great game, just slightly unfocused due to its open world gameplay. The highlight is your ability to traverse a fairly expansive sandbox map filled with faaaaaar too many collectibles and puzzles that need solving, "gameplay carrots" that aren't really for me but I'm fully aware many people love this sort of stuff. What I do enjoy however is the by now classic Batman combat style which somehow translates my panicked button-mashing in to a beautiful dance of kicks, dodges and punches. The GOTY edition comes with a couple of DLC as well, some of which is cosmetic but others add more missions as well as new characters to play with.
This one is another treat for stealth game fans, and what a treat it is. Besides the great visuals (especially when you're in the shadows) it offers you many different ways of tackling a level, with rewards for doing things the hard way. You can either be a maniac and simply slaughter everyone who dares cross your path or you can take the true stealth approach and get through levels without so much as a peep. The best thing is that both of these routes, as well as any combinations of them, are supported by the game's perk system which allows you to customize your ninja with outfits that will help you tailor the game to how you want to play it. If you have even a remote interest in a stylish stealth game I'd say go for it, for this low of a price you really cant' go wrong.
And that is it for today. As I said at the start the deals might have been a little less exciting than yesterday but these are still games well worth your time, if you find them to your liking that is. With that said I will see you tomorrow for the next Steam Sale overview. Have fun!