The Onward March of the Bundles [Join group for full coverage]

[alms]

Classic plan it´s a great offer, but looking back I see I have barely touched any of the games I´ve been getting, so, is it worth it no matter how cheap it is?

Ironically, true subscription systems don’t suffer from backlog fatigue, what with losing access to the whole deal the moment one stops paying.

The many magic tricks of advanced capitalism!

[Sarfrin]

Ironically, true subscription systems don’t suffer from backlog fatigue, what with losing access to the whole deal the moment one stops paying.

You can also lose access to things that get removed from the service even while you’re still paying.

[alms]

In spite of that, it’s common to assess the quality of a subscription service, in terms of “did I get my money’s worth”, even though it often involves forcing oneself to consume content in order to feel like the money hasn’t been wasted.

That, however, is not to minimize how, over the course of 2020, Choice may have increasingly been failing to hit the right notes, when it comes to delivering even that single one, highly desirable title, capable of producing the glow effect, which washes away every other consideration, especially the less positive ones.

If people get a game they really, really want, for an absolutely reasonable price, they will just play that (or savor the sense of ownership) and may even forget about the rest of the bundle entirely.

I do feel like the root cuase of the problem is largely to be attributed by the rise of gaming subscription and streaming services.

These subs are all operated by companies with hugely deep pockets that can act as loss leaders. Humble is but a fry in comparison.

If indeed attractive pay-out schemes operated by the likes of Amazon, Microsoft, Google, EA, and even Epic, have swayed developers and publishers and Humble is left with the crumbles, they might be struggling to stay on the same course as before.

On the other hand, finding a less competitive niche that is still equally profitable as their previous model might also prove hard.

[Sarfrin]

If people get a game they really, really want, for an absolutely reasonable price, they will just play that (or savor the sense of ownership) and may even forget about the rest of the bundle entirely.

Every monthly I bought was basically decided on the headliner, with a couple of decent indies as a bonus.

[BillButNotBen]

Speaking of, microsoft seems to be doing 3 months of xbox game pass ultimate for $1 at the moment. I think it’s only for new subscribers, but people who have the xbox gold thing can do it.

Buy Xbox Game Pass Ultimate - Microsoft Store

May depend on region.

[alms]

Speaking of, microsoft

We must all duly do our bit to usher in the Bundle Endtimes

[alms]

Every monthly I bought was basically decided on the headliner, with a couple of decent indies as a bonus

For Monthly, the safe strategy was indeed to decide based on the headliners. Of course, since you didn’t know what you were getting in advance, it was possible for a bundle to be very, very good, and not offer anything that was up a person’ particular alley.

The point I was trying to make was centered on what appears to be a growing difficulty in selecting games that buyers truly “yearn” for, so to speak.

[alms]

This Monday: Quarto Cookbooks; Seven GOG Freebie

Humble Bundle

Humble Freebie: Seven: Enhanced Edition - until 17/05/2020

Go to Deal

• Link your Humble and GOG accounts to receive.
• Seven: Enhanced Edition (GOG)

Humble Book: Quarto Cookbooks - until 28/12/2020

Go to Deal

• PWYW, €1 minimum:
  • Fish
  • Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails & Tonics
  • Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook
  • Homemade Doughnuts
  • Simply Bento
• Pay €6.72+:
  • Biscuit Head
  • How to Build a Better Pie
  • The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet, revised and updated
  • Sally’s Candy Addiction
  • The Geeky Chef Drinks
  • Simply Ramen
• Pay €12.60+:
  • The Daily Cocktail
  • The Craft Cocktail Compendium
  • Epic Air Fryer Cookbook
  • The Taco Tuesday Cookbook
  • The Japanese Larder
  • How to Roast a Pig
  • Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites
  • Wicked Good Burgers
  • Sally’s Cookie Addiction
• Pay €15.12+:
  • The Essential Cook’s Kitchen
  • The Geeky Chef Strikes Back
  • The 150 Healthiest Comfort Foods on Earth
  • Wicked Good Barbecue
  • Pitmaster
  • Southern Smoke
  • Simply Pho
  • Sally’s Baking Addiction
  • The Nightmare Before Dinner
  • The Geeky Chef Cookbook

[Sarfrin]

The point I was trying to make was centered on what appears to be a growing difficulty in selecting games that buyers truly “yearn” for, so to speak.

Oh yes, that’s definitely been my experience recently.

[alms]

This Wednesday: GameDev Map & Level; Pathfinder Monsters; Drizzly Days; Werkstatt

Click for group version

Humble Bundle

Humble Game Dev Map & Level Creator - until 30/12/2020

Go to Deal

• PWYW, €1 minimum:
  • Egyptian Tileset
  • World Map Pixel Art Tileset
  • Super Pixel Dungeon
  • Fantasy Map
  • Night City Game Level Kit
  • Tropical Island 2d game Tileset
  • Desert Tileset
  • Fantasy Village
• BTA, €11.86, currently:
  • Game Level Map Set Kit
  • Fantasy Jungle Pixel Art Tileset
  • House Interiors Tileset Pack
  • City Street Tileset Pack
  • WiraWiri Game Level Map Builder
  • Misty Forest Ground Tiles
  • 595 Medieval 2D Game Asset Pack
  • Platformer Game Tile Set 3
  • Simple RPG Tileset
  • Platformer Game Tile Set 1
  • Super Pixel Ice Cavern Tileset
• Pay €21.07+:
  • Cartoon Platformer TilesetPack
  • Mega Factory Scene Creation Pack
  • Pixel Art Tileset Collection
  • Game Level Map - 9 Different Worlds
  • Underwater Tile Set
  • Isometric Forest
  • Wolfsong Tilesets
  • Top Down Tileset Interior
  • 16 Jump Vertical Game Backgrounds
  • 2D Isometric Starter Style Kit
  • The Dungeon Top Down Tileset
  • Game Level Map Pack Side Scrolling
  • Top Down Tileset Forest
  • Mega Castle & Dungeon Pack
  • Game Level Map Creator For Water Levels
  • Landscape Constructor Set
  • Woodlands Level Map Creator
  • Green Greens Forest Platformer Tileset

Humble RPG Book: Pathfinder Monster Lore by Paizo - until 04/01/2021

Go to Deal

• Pay €4.21+:
  • Classic Horrors Revisited Pathfinder First Edition
  • Undead Revisited Pathfinder First Edition
  • Demons Revisited Pathfinder First Edition
  • Undead Unleashed Pathfinder First Edition
  • Hell Unleashed Pathfinder First Edition
  • Demon Hunter’s Handbook Pathfinder First Edition
  • Undead Slayer’s Handbook Pathfinder First Edition
• Pay €8.42+:
  • Classic Monsters Revisited Pathfinder First Edition
  • Dragons Revisited Pathfinder First Edition
  • Dungeon Denizens Revisited Pathfinder First Edition
  • Mythical Monsters Revisited Pathfinder First Edition
  • Giants Revisited Pathfinder First Edition
  • Dragons Unleashed Pathfinder First Edition
  • Legacy of Dragons Pathfinder First Edition
  • Dragonslayer’s Handbook Pathfinder First Edition
  • Monster Hunter’s Handbook Pathfinder First Edition
  • Giant Hunter’s Handbook Pathfinder First Edition
• Pay €15.17+:
  • Book of the Damned Pathfinder First Edition
  • Monster Summoner’s Handbook Pathfinder First Edition
  • Heaven Unleashed Pathfinder First Edition
  • Inner Sea Bestiary Pathfinder First Edition
  • Inner Sea Monster Codex Pathfinder First Edition
  • Mystery Monsters Revisited Pathfinder First Edition
  • Fey Revisited Pathfinder First Edition
  • Darklands Revisited Pathfinder First Edition
  • Misfit Monsters Redeemed Pathfinder First Edition
  • Occult Bestiary Pathfinder First Edition
  • Animal Archive Pathfinder First Edition
  • Familiar Folio Pathfinder First Edition
  • Cohorts & Companions Pathfinder First Edition

Main Sites

IndieGala Drizzly Days - until 30/12/2020

X-Ray View - Go to Deal

• $2.99 minimum:
• Mini Gal4Xy
• Frost
• Knight’s Retreat
• Daylife in Japan - Pixel Art Jigsaw Puzzle
• Flatland Vol.2
• Girabox
• Monty Kong
• Server is Down

Non-Game Bundles

Groupees Werkstatt Recordings 3 - until 30/12/2020

Go to Deal

• Tier 1, $3 minimum:
  • Music: GEOMETRY COMBAT - Reactor EP by Werkstatt Recordings
  • Music: TEKC 909 - Heart Compressor by Werkstatt Recordings
  • Music: PHAZER AXE - Synths & Tapes by Werkstatt Recordings
  • Music: LIEGE VIPER - Furious Stampede by Werkstatt Recordings
  • Music: AFTERTOUCH INFUSION - Strange Energies by Werkstatt Recordings
  • Music: MEGAFORCE HELLION - Fantasy Synth by Werkstatt Recordings
• Tier 2, $6 minimum:
  • Music: VANITY DRUM - Recreation by Werkstatt Recordings
  • Music: METAL DISCO - Sex, Drugs & Hardware by Werkstatt Recordings
  • Music: ATOMIC MESSIAH - Phantoms Of War by Werkstatt Recordings
  • Music: BEATBOX MACHINERY - Workout Attraction by Werkstatt Recordings
  • Music: NEO-SATAN - Black Metal Witchcraft by Werkstatt Recordings
  • Music: COSMO COCKTAIL - Time Navigators by Werkstatt Recordings
• Tier 3, $10 minimum:
  • Music: Complete First Werkstatt Recordings Bundle by Werkstatt Recordings
• Bonus:
  • Music: JON BENDERR - Observer by Werkstatt Recordings
  • Mystery

[alms]

This Thursday: Fanatical Holiday BYOB; Groupees Eroge 7

Click for group version

Main Sites

Fanatical Holiday BYOB - until ?

X-Ray View - Go to Deal

• 1 Euro for 1 key; 2.99 Euros for 5; 4.99 Euros for 10.
• XIII - Classic
• Pure Chess Grandmaster Edition
• Elden: Path of the Forgotten
• The Spectrum Retreat
• Pure Chess Grandmaster Edition
• The Testament of Sherlock Holmes
• The Slater
• Assault Suit Leynos
• System Crash
• Rain of Reflections: Set Free
• Mana Spark
• Alchemy Garden
• Outpost Zero
• Pinstripe
• Stunt Kite Party
• Precipice
• Table Top Racing: World Tour
• Furious Angels
• Among the Sleep - Enhanced Edition
• The Adventure Pals
• SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell
• Unity of Command: Stalingrad Campaign
• Remnants of Naezith
• Streets of Red : Devil’s Dare Deluxe
• Mytheon

[NSFW] Groupees Eroge 7 - until 31/12/2020

Go to Deal

• $6.99 minimum:
• The Interview: You Know What You’ve Got to Do to Get the Job
• Detective Masochist2 - The Case of the Tortured Servant -
• BEE WAR
• GIRLS DEFENCE
• Demon’s Sword Snakes
• Domination Quest: Kuro & the Naughty Monster Girls

[Sarfrin]

The Spectrum Retreat is easily worth a euro if you like first person puzzlers.

[Kiril]

Rain of Reflections: Set Free

Is worth the €1 aswell. decent adventure game with turn based battles, very short though, the rest of the series might never appear so the story ends on a cliffhanger.

[alms]

Rain of Reflections is part of PWYW tier of the latest Humble, so for those who only want that out of the BYOB, Humble may have a better deal.

There’s a few decent titles in that Fanatical, but sure as hell they fill these bundles with landmines, and most of the better rated are 70s on Metacritic.

Doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, if you ask me.

Nevertheless, Unity of Command: Stalingrad, Pinstripe, System Crash, Precipice, The Adventure Pals, Mana Spark, Rain of Reflections, possibly Alchemy Garden, would be my candidates for a pick 5.

[BillButNotBen]

Rain of Reflections is part of PWYW tier of the latest Humble, so for those who only want that out of the BYOB, Humble may have a better deal.

Huh. I missed that because, well, it’s hardly an Explore and Expand type game.
I remember it coming up in this thread a while back and being similarly cautiously interested.
Not sure if the rest of the PWYW bundle particularly appeals though… especially as I’ve gotten about 5 versions of Sins of a Solar empire over the years… either free or bundled or dirt cheap.

[alms]

Not sure if the rest of the PWYW bundle particularly appeals though

If only buying Rain of Reflections from Fanatical (not the 5/10 keys tiers, IOW), it will likely cost a little less on Humble. And it comes with two extra keys that can be givem away or.

Halcyon 6 is worth checking out, BTW. And Humble also has sliders.

That’s the reasoning.

[disconnect]

3 more books have been added to the Storybundle bonus tier:

• A Slow Year by Ian Bogost
• How to Do Things With Videogames by Ian Bogost
• How to Talk About Videogames by Ian Bogost

[alms]

This Tuesday: Quebec Indies; Infrastructure & Ops; Holiday Helpings 7

Click for group version

My personal take

The latest outing by Humble might not be exactly the strongest bundle ever to make it to the front page, however it makes up for that, by being one of the most intriguing I’ve seen in a while.

Humble returns to roots, showcasing a thematic selection of indie games, and secondly, it does so while avoiding the pitfall of repeating too many Humble Monthly or Choice games.

If like me, you had Castle Story on your wishlist, during the heyday of the indie wave, you might be surprised to see it headlining: and it’s a very pleasant surprise, even though last time I checked, the story of Castle Story didn’t quite pan out, and its ratings were quite low, something that doesn’t seem to have improved substantially.

Top tier also comes with Tales of Candlekeep (freebie alert), former Choice Mages of Mystralia and Speed Brawl, previously only in the COVID19 Charity Bundle. This isn’t a bad quartet, but also not one that will make believers, however it is redeemed by an unusually low price, $9.

BTA, yours for only about 5 bucks, is fatter thanks to new-to-bundles Light Fall, Crew 167 and Epic Manager, as well as bundle veterans Jotun: Valhalla Edition (freebie alert) and Knight Squad.

Finally, buck tier comes with roguelite Leap of Fate, and two local co-op party games, Aeolis Tournament and Toto Temple Deluxe.

Circling back to our opening conundrum, it’s not the most persuasive assembly of games out of Humble’s gates, although one I would rate as having plenty that’s interesting, and quite a few not never-before-bundled or lightly bundled games, to make it worth a second look for the indie aficionado.

This Humble is consciously priced, and will not break the bank: with some luck you might find the unacquired are in sufficient numbers to make the deal one worth hitting the Pay button for.

Humble Bundle

Humble Québec Indies - until 29/12/2020

X-Ray View - Go to Deal

• PWYW, €1 minimum:
  • Leap of Fate
  • Aeolis Tournament
  • Toto Temple Deluxe
• BTA, €4.72, currently:
  • Light Fall
  • Jotun: Valhalla Edition
  • Crew 167: The Grand Block Odyssey
  • Epic Manager - Create Your Own Adventuring Agency!
  • Knight Squad
• Pay €8.53+:
  • Castle Story
  • Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation
  • Mages of Mystralia
  • Speed Brawl

Humble Book: Infrastructure & Ops by O’Reilly - until 04/01/2021

Go to Deal

• PWYW, €1 minimum:
  • Database Reliability Engineering
  • Puppet Best Practices
  • Learning Kali Linux
  • Prometheus: Up & Running
  • Jenkins 2: Up and Running
• Pay €6.67+:
  • 97 Things Every Scrum Practitioner Should Know 2nd Edition
  • Terraform: Up & Running
  • Learning Apache OpenWhisk
  • Cybersecurity Ops with bash
  • Seeking SRE
• Pay €12.52+:
  • Migrating to AWS: A Manager’s Guide 1st Edition
  • Programming AWS Lambda 2nd Edition
  • Dynamic Reteaming
  • Kubernetes Best Practices

Non-Game Bundles

Groupees Holiday Helpings 7 - until 04/01/2021

Go to Deal

• Tier 1, $3 minimum:
  • Dungeon Escape
  • Music: Dungeon Escape OST by HateBit
  • Music: Homebound by Caspro
  • Music: Collection - Christmas (Royalty-Free) by Alexander Nakarada
  • Music: Heartbeat EP by Softscape
  • Comic book: Mafiosa
  • Comic book: Sinner
  • Comic book: Red Koi #1
  • Comic book: Popcorn Blast MV
• Tier 2, $5 minimum:
  • Music: SYSTEM HACKED by VHS Glitch
  • Music: Greatest Hits by JT Music
  • Music: Franz by Elay Arson
  • Music: Retro Drive: The Soundtrack by Fantom '87
  • Music: Lavish by Sellorekt/LA Dreams
  • Music: Visual Novel Anime Music Pack (Royalty-Free) by Audio Alchemist
  • Music: Arctic Horror: A Collection by HorrorBabble
  • Comic book: WARUGINIA
  • Comic book: Voidwalker #1
• Bonus:
  • Mystery ($1,000)
  • Mystery ($2,000)
  • Mystery ($3,000)

[alms]

Last Wednesday: Video Creator’s VFX; Image Comics; IndieGala Dark Bone

Humble Bundle

Humble Software: Video Creator’s VFX - until 06/01/2021

Go to Deal

• PWYW, €1 minimum:
  • Dissolve 8
  • Lightning 5
  • Glitch Transition 2
  • Halo 6
  • Horizontal Brush 3
  • Diagonal Tear 2
  • Glitch Overlay 9
  • Motion Element 6
  • Notebook Paper 2
  • Motion Element 2
  • Ground Fire 1
  • Small Fire 19
  • Rising Sparks Close 4
  • Aerial Explosion 10
  • Spark Explosion 10
  • Gas Explosion 1
  • Gun Smoke 3 Front
  • Spark Burst 3
  • Torch Light Wind 4
  • Windy Smoke Plume 2
• BTA, €15.24, currently:
  • Small Fire 12
  • Narrow Window Fire Front 3
  • Big Gas Fire 1
  • AR-15 Angled Automatic 1
  • AR-15 Front Automatic 1
  • 42 Pistol Flashes (Set)
  • Blood Mist Vol. 2 Pack
  • Gun Smoke Vol. 2 Pack
  • Spark Hits Vol. 2 Pack
  • Bullet Hits Pack
  • Horizontal Brush 1
  • X Brush 1
  • Horizontal Brush 17
  • Matte Transition 12
  • Matte Transition 5
  • Matte Transition 25
  • Glitch Transitions Pack
  • Electric & Energy Pack
  • Grunge Overlays Pack
  • Icon: Anamorphic Lens Flares Pack
• Pay €20.71+:
  • Explosion Front 1
  • Exploding Debris Front 3
  • Vertical Pole Side 4
  • Wall Ceiling Fire Front 8
  • Ground Bursts Pack
  • Ground Fire Vol. 1 Pack
  • Gas Explosions Vol. 2 Pack
  • Large Scale Dust Waves Pack
  • Small Scale Smoke Plumes Pack
  • Dirt Blasts Pack
  • Motion Element 16
  • Motion Element 15
  • Pursuit 4
  • Pursuit 8
  • Fluid Ink Mattes Pack
  • Spreading Ink Mattes Pack
  • Glitch Overlays Pack
  • Dissolve: Lens Flare Transitions Pack
  • Paper Transitions Pack
  • Paper Backgrounds Pack

Humble Comics: Discover Image Comics - until 06/01/2021

Go to Deal

• PWYW, €1 minimum:
  • Elephantmen Vol. 00: Armed Forces
  • Bitter Root Vol. 1: Family Business
  • Moonshine Vol. 1-2
  • Rumble Vol. 1
  • Skyward Vol. 1: My Low-G Life
  • Underwinter Vol. 1: Symphony
• Pay €6.63+:
  • Chew Vol. 1-3
  • Descender Vol. 1-3
  • East of West Vol. 1-3
  • Fear Agent Vol. 1-2
  • Jupiter’s Legacy Vol. 1
  • Rumble Vol. 2-3
  • Skyward Vol. 2
  • Twisted Romance
  • Underwinter Vol. 2: A Field Of Feathers
  • Elephantmen Vols. 1-6
• Pay €12.43+:
  • Chew Vol. 4-6
  • Death or Glory Vol. 1-2
  • Descender Vol. 4-6
  • Exorsisters Vol. 1-2
  • Head Lopper Vol. 1
  • Hedra
  • Kill Six Billion Demons Vol. 1-2
  • Middlewest Vol. 1-2
  • Pride & Joy
  • Rumble Vol. 4-6
  • Savage Dragon Archives Vol. 1-3
  • Skyward Vol. 3: Fix The World
• Pay €16.57+:
  • Ascender Vol. 1: The Haunted Galaxy
  • Bog Bodies OGN
  • Cowboy Ninja Viking Complete Edition
  • East of West Vol. 4-6
  • Fear Agent Vol. 3-4
  • Giant-Size Kung Fu Bible Stories
  • Gideon Falls Vol. 1
  • Mage Vol. 1-2
  • The Old Guard Book One: Opening Fire
  • Savage Dragon Archives Vol. 4-6
  • Severed
  • Undiscovered Country Vol. 1: Destiny
• Pay €20.71+:
  • Bad Weekend
  • Gideon Falls Vol. 2
  • Happy!
  • I Kill Giants
  • IMAGE #1s 2020 SAMPLER
  • Isola Vol. 1
  • Strange Talent of Luther Strode Vol. 1
  • The Complete Multiple Warheads
  • November Vol. 1
  • Plastic
  • Bitch Planet Vol. 1-2
  • Casanova Vol. 1-2
  • Rock Candy Mountain Vol. 1-2

Main Sites

IndieGala Dark Bone - until 30/12/2020

X-Ray View - Go to Deal

• $1.99 minimum:
• Rusty gun
• Bone Marrow
• More dark
• Lord of the click
• Chop is dish
• Dead Dust

[alms]

This Thursday: Humble Winter Indie Mix; Fanatical Nitro

Click for group version

My personal take

We haven’t had a new game Humble on a Thursday for a while, so this is a welcome coming back. On the other hand, Winter Indie Mix is a collection of familiar names from previous bundles, Humble’s in particular.

Let’s begin with buck tier, because it’s such awesome value, regardless if only buying for one or two of the following: Deponia: The Complete Journey, LYNE and Butcher.

BTA, now dropping under the 5 cu mark, adds Cat Quest, Feather and Felix the Reaper.

Top tier is the tougher sell, with only Cryofall and Armello, though this time, too, the price has been lowered to around 8 cu.

Many of these have been pretty affordable in sales, so the value calculation relies almost entirely on what has been acquired already.

No point in dancing around it: this is not a bundle for most dedicated Humble followers, but it’s a pretty decent selection and the price, if not disproportionately attractive, is certainly more than honest.

Humble Bundle

Humble Winter Indie Mix - until 31/12/2020

X-Ray View - Go to Deal

• PWYW, €1 minimum:
  • Deponia: The Complete Journey
  • LYNE
  • Butcher
• BTA, €5.17, currently:
  • Cat Quest
  • Feather
  • Felix The Reaper
• Pay €8.22+:
  • CryoFall
  • Armello

Main Sites

Fanatical Nitro - until ?

X-Ray View - Go to Deal

• €4.95
• GRID - 2019
• Project CARS - Game Of The Year Edition
• TT Isle of Man
• FIA European Truck Racing Championship
• GRIP: Combat Racing
• GRIP: Combat Racing - Artifex Car Pack
• Redout: Enhanced Edition
• Redout - Back to Earth Pack DLC
• Redout - Space Exploration Pack DLC
• Redout - Neptune Pack DLC
• Redout - Mars Pack DLC
• Redout - V.E.R.T.E.X. Pack DLC