Steam Summer Sale Day 1: Which games should you buy?

The Steam Summer Sale is once again upon us! We've got a guide on how to get the best deals out of the sale as a whole, and what you should be buying today.

The best rule to follow is that you shouldn't buy any single game you want that isn't a daily deal, unless it's the last day of the sale. Yes, even if it's discounted. For example, ARMA II: Combined Operations, which many people will be wanting to pick up this year for the DayZ mod, is discounted 20% for the duration of the sale. However, it's possible - maybe even likely - that it will become a daily deal at some point during the sale and be discounted up to 75%.

If there's a daily deal you're interested in, snag it right away. It ain't gonna get cheaper than that. And if a game is discounted 70%-80%, that's as low as it's going to go anyway.


Daily deals

Portal 2 - US$4.99 (NZ$6.30): If you haven't yet played Portal 2, it's a fantastic puzzle game - we gave it 4.5 stars (out of 5) when we reviewed it last year. It has two campaigns to play through, one single-player, one co-op, plus modability. It's great on PC. And it's five (US) bucks!

Crusader Kings II - US$9.99 (NZ$12.60): Crusader Kings II is a strategy game that's been pretty well-received by critics and players alike. It's drawn comparisons to Civilization and Sim City. There’s even a fan-made mod available that pays homage to HBO series Game of Thrones.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - US$49.99 (NZ$63.30): Modern Warfare 3 is on the more expensive end of the Steam Sale spectrum, but the fact is, Activision almost never discounts its games. Getting the most recently released Call of Duty title at a US$50 price is a steal.

Terraria - US$2.49 (NZ$3.15): If you only have a couple bucks, we'd recommend Terraria. Like Minecraft? Like Metroid? This game combines the two, but then takes it a bit further and becomes a solid, addictive game in its own right.


Bundles

Frankly, every bundle in every Steam sale is a great deal, so long as you want all or nearly all of the games in the pack. If you just want one or two games, it's probably going to be cheaper to wait for a daily deal or buy the game individually from the pack, as games in pack deals are often heavily discounted anyway (Deus Ex: Human Revolution is now US$8!)

Here's a list of the bundles and their prices. Note: To see all the games available for each pack, you'll have to visit the Steam Summer Sale Collections page.

Square Enix Hit Collection - US$49.99 (NZ$63.30)
TellTale Collection - US$49.99 (NZ$63.30)
Ubisoft Collection - US$49.99 (NZ$63.30)
PopCap Complete Pack - US$49.99 (NZ$63.30)
Star Wars Collection - US$49.99 (NZ$63.30)
1C Company - US$49.99 (NZ$63.30)
Nordic Hit Collection - US$49.99 (NZ$63.30)
Railworks 3 Collection - US$49.99 (NZ$63.30)
Valve Complete Pack - US$49.99 (NZ$63.30)
Paradox Collection - US$49.99 (NZ$63.30)
2K Collection - US$69.99 (NZ$88.50)
THQ Collection - US$74.99 (NZ$94.90)
Kalypso Collection - US$49.99 (NZ$63.30)
MumboJumbo Collection - US$34.99 (NZ$44.30)
Cyan Complete Pack - US$14.99 (NZ$19.00)
Sega Hit Collection - US$49.99 (NZ$63.30)
Strategy First Collection - US$49.99 (NZ$63.30)
Super id Software Pack - US$49.99 (NZ$63.30)
Focus Hit Collection - US$49.99 (NZ$63.30)
Rockstar Hit Collection - US$79.99 (NZ$101.30)