so steam kicked off its summer sale today... theres a lot on sale, but frankly not a lot worth buying. im going to go through them all and pick out the gems so you dont have to. disclaimer: these are listed aphabetically, not by my personal preference. you probably wont agree with some of my mini-reviews. thats fine. go make your own list :)

  • 688i Hunter Killer ($7) (UPDATED: this $7 includes 688i, sub command, and fleet command... a GREAT deal. for $3 more you can upgrade to a package that has all those plus "dangerous waters" which can import missions from 688i and sub command, allowing you to play with an updated engine. an AWESOME deal!) probably the best sub sim ive ever played. the slow, methodical pace (and the fact you never see your enemy - subs dont have windows) may be a turn-off, but the tension of playing cat and mouse underwater cant be beat.

  • Alien Shooter 2 ($5) not on sale, but still... this is one of my all time favorite games. lots of mindless fun killing hoards of bad guys. LOVE this game.

  • Borderlands ($23) 276 hours logged. nuff said.

  • Civ 4 complete ($30) who doesnt already have this? that said, it might be better to wait for the release of civ 5 later this year. its sure to get cheaper then...

  • Darkstar One ($3) great space combat adventure game. like wing commander, but with free roaming and an RPG element to how you develop your ship's capabilities. one of my favorite games, but be warned, its got an absolutely BALL BREAKING turret-shooter sequence that totally breaks the flow of the game and will drive you batshit insane trying to get past. its worth it though. even though it happens not once but TWICE. someone should be smacked for allowing that shit into an otherwise perfect game.

  • Introversion Complete Pack ($5) worth getting the pack for Darwinia alone. darwinia is one of those should not be missed kind of games.

  • Defense Grid ($5) best tower defense game ever. period. even if you dont like tower defense, youre going to like this game. its just... perfect. for $5 it is a CRIME to not play this game.

  • Evil Genius ($5) be your own dr evil. build a secret lair, train your minions, and conquer the world, all with a funky 60s spy movie motif. great fun, and funny to boot...

  • flatout ($3) the flatout games are probably my favorite arcade racing games. if you only get one, make it flatout 2, thats the best of the bunch.

  • flatout 2 ($3) buy this one. the others are optional.

  • flatout ultimate carnage ($7) near as i can tell, this game is identical to flatout 2 with the addition of online leaderboards. pass on it and get the above.

  • flotilla ($5) fun, quirky little game in the vein of Strange Adventures in Infinite Space

  • freedom force ($4) im not a fan, but lots of people like it, so...

  • fuel ($5) mainly notable for its procedurally generated terrain engine... this game is seriously huge.

  • grand theft auto: san andreas ($11) the only GTA game worth having, in my opinion. very fun, and hours and hours of mayhem to be had.

  • hospital tycoon ($3) if you like tycoon games youll prolly like this one. this is my favorite one.

  • jagged alliance 2 ($7) the best turn-based tactical strategy game ever made. period.

  • kings bounty ($3) a heroes of might and magic style game that is in my opinion better than anything since HOMM 3.

  • kings bounty: armored princess ($7.5) sequel to kings bounty. more of the same, which is a good thing.

  • larva mortus ($2.5) play the demo first. weird game, but i like it for some reason.

  • majesty gold ($5) one of my all-time favorite games. its hard to explain... its a strategy game where you dont actually control any of the units. as the regent, by placing reward flags on objectives, you hope to entice heroes to accomplish your objectives. notable also for having a fully-realized economy. you build shops and research items, which heroes buy with money they earn from your rewards, which you subsequently tax to set more rewards...

  • majesty 2 ($15) modern sequel to majesty. prettier, a little shallower, but still just as fun.

  • MDK pack ($7.5) this nets you both MDK and MDK2, two very weird, very funny third-person shooters. two of the most bizarre games ive ever played, and a bucketload of fun.

  • overlord pack ($4.5) why is being an evil overlord with hoards of goofy minions so much fun? i dont know. but it is.

  • prince of persia: the sands of time ($7) the only PoP game worth a damn. this one is a must-play... but dont be fooled by the others. theyre all ass.

  • puzzle kingdoms ($1) this is what you get when you cross bejewelled with a strategy game. not as good as puzzle quest, but fun and only a buck.

  • sacred gold ($3) one of the very few diablo clones worth owning. absolutely HUGE game world.

  • shadowgrounds ($2.5) OMFG if you didnt buy this earlier this week for $5, you HAVE to buy it now for $2.50. i mean, good god, you cant get a cup of coffee for that anymore. seriously, just GO BUY IT.

  • shadowgrounds survivor ($4) sequel to shadowgrounds. good game, but i like the first better i think. still, its CRAZY CHEAP. totally worth $4.

  • slamit pinball ($2) DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. i include it in this list just in case you might accidentally see it and think, hey, i love pinball, im gonna buy that! dont do it. its the shittiest pinball game ive ever played. just... dont.

  • space rangers 2 ($5) a roguelike in space. what more is there to say? its great. play it.

  • spellforce platinum ($7.5) an interesting hybrid RTS/RPG. another of my favorite games, this includes all the expansions as well.

  • sword of the stars complete ($15) the best civ-in-space game since master of orion 2. see my review in the archive for why you should stop reading right now and go buy this game.

  • tank universal ($2.5) ever wanted to drive a tron tank and blow the shit out of stuff? heres your chance. fun game worth 2 bucks.

  • cronicles of riddick ($7) yeah, the movie sucked ass, fortunately the game isnt based on the movie. killer fun, stealth-based first-person-sneaker game... and even better, its actually TWO full games, you get the first one free rereleased with the second one.

  • the witcher ($7) i thought this game was total shit, but lots of people like it so...

  • ghost recon advanced warfighter ($7) the GRAW games are the best military fps games ive ever played. and OMFG are they hard. you WILL stay tactical or youll be dead. and youll die. a lot. and not even know where it came from. a single well placed bullet will ruin your day, and i guarantee youll have a new respect for infantrymen after playing this game.

  • GRAW 2 ($13) more of what made the first GRAW great. highly recommended... or, you could just get:

  • ghost recon pack ($27) ALL the ghost recon games, including the two above. buy them. theyre seriously great.

  • tropico ($3) be "el presidente" of your own carribean island in this sim game. try to stay in power while keeping your people happy (or oppressed) and attracting tourism and industry.

  • uplink ($5) part of the introversion pack listed elsewhere here, this is the best hacker sim ive ever played. ok, its the only hacker sim ive ever played, but still...

  • vegas: make it big ($2) a sim/tycoon game set in vegas. build your own resort and attractions, and also custom design your casino. manage limits, security, amenities, games, house edge, the works... all while competing against other rivals on the strip for customers.

  • world in conflict ($13) my favorite RTS game, using current and near-future military tech youll repel a hostile invasion by soviet forces on the west coast. probably the only RTS ive ever played that actually has a compelling storyline and top-notch writing.

  • x-com ($4) the original and still the best. if you havent played this game by now, i hearby revoke your gamer's card.

thats pretty much the best of the bunch. there are also special one-day deals running throughout the sale, youre on your own there...