Tips

TF2 Trading: Improvement

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Mei Satsuki

Competitive mode has been out for quite some time now and Team Fortress 2 players encounter some problems with regards to being able to compete properly in the new mode. For sure, any casual player like me who thinks more about TF2 trading, gets surprised on how to play competitively despite of the good performance we do in the casual quick play games. So yeah, competitive mode is a whole new arena for us and self-doubt is inevitable.

TF2 Trading: How to Improve

It all starts with the drive to improve. If you don’t have any of that, you will never survive or even enjoy the times you go into competitive play. First step is to accept you are not doing good then afterwards would be searching ways on how to improve. One way to search on how to improve is by asking people (or anyone really) for tips and tricks. Like this guy in Reddit, hajjr6 asked the TF2 Reddit on how he can improve his play with spy and engineer:

My best classes are shit (spy and engi) and anytime I play another class I do awful. I don’t know what to do, and I’m so fed up. Whenever I play Engi or spy in casual, I do extremely well.

Fortunately, someone answered him properly by commenting this:

As spy start working on revolver aim, stock revolver can do a decent 35-40 or so damage at mid range, and crits for 120. the big earner is one of the better sidegrades for its quick speed and combined with the deadringer can get you in to stab and out in no time at all. also, practice on baiting people with the deadringer, keep them distracted finding you and learn ammo locations to keep it up consistently, try for 3-4 deadrings every life or more

For engineer practice shotgun aim, shotgun spread is rather tight and with fast shot speed can do rather well close range on people whom might not notice you. running gunslinger is almost a must, for added health to survive and fast mini sentries for extra DPS. stock pistol for long range

With this, hajjr6 is on his way to improvement. How about you, do you need to improve? TF2 items will do nothing for you. Be like hajjr6. Ask away!

TF2 Market: Team Composition

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Mei Satsuki

Now that there is a competitive mode in Team Fortress 2, the game’s play or meta changes. Team Fortress 2 was more of a casual game but now that competitive mode is one of the game’s mode, players should be more aware on how to cope with other players thus the importance of team composition. There were games that our team had no medic in them and caused the loss because noon was healing damaged teammate and it was frustrating. I was so frustrated that a cheap guy like me looked into the TF2 market and thought of buying something to relieve the stress. What more in a more serious mode in competitive mode. That’s why I am here to share with you guys on how to setup an optimal team by having a great team composition.

TF2 Market: According to Wiki

So I looked up for some write-ups on the proper team composition on competitive Team Fortress 2, because honestly I haven’t set foot in the mode in fear of getting frustrated again. Good thing TF2 Wiki provided some info on team composition:

The standard competitive lineup is made up of the following team composition:

1 Medic
1 Demoman
1 Pocket, usually a Soldier
1 Roamer, also usually a Soldier
2 Utilities, usually both Scouts

The Medic and Demoman almost never change classes within a game. Depending on the map, either or both utilities might spend more time as other classes, especially on asymmetrical maps like Gravel Pit or Badwater. Soldiers most commonly remain Soldiers throughout the entire game, though the pocket sometimes switches to a Heavy, and other switches are not unheard of.

The combination of the Medic and at least one of his partners (generally a Soldier and a Demoman) is referred to as “The Combo”. The Combo will usually receive the Medic’s Übercharge, and represents a team’s location in a map. The Roamer and Situational classes will move around and look to gain picks, back-cap, or force the enemy medic to deploy an Übercharge to save himself.

Trade TF2 for another game isn’t a good idea now since the addition of fresh content / new modes.

We will go further on this topic on my next article. Do you think this is the right team composition in the game? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Steam Keys Esports: State of Overwatch Pro Scene

Posted on July 15, 2016 by Richard Griever

The video above contains a few criticisms on the Overwatch pro scene. With Overwatch being hugely successful as of late and its momentum has showed no signs of stopping yet, as well as it getting better and better with each timely patch, folks wonder how it will fair as an e-sport.

It’s plenty obvious that the game, at its very core, is highly competitive and highly rewarding. It’s got great gameplay mechanics, superb characters in both playability and uniqueness, and it’s got some of the most interesting ideas ever to be introduced in a team-based FPS.

But that doesn’t mean jack-squat if it can’t hold up against the modern e-sports greats like Dota or CS:GO. The biggest fear folks have here is the watchability of it. In other words, if it can be a spectator sport or not. You’ll find all the arguments in the video above, so I’m just going to focus on my counter arguments instead. Or you could just go judge it for yourself even if you don’t have any Steam redeem code of it.

Steam Keys: Getting it Out of the Way

To cut it short, I completely disagree with the video about the current state of Overwatch pro gaming; Overwatch is a fine spectator sport. But, frankly, aside from the level of pro players right now really not being up to par with Envyus, it’s the cameraman that has the real responsibility for it. I’ve seen a ton of matches where the guy controlling the camera simply knew where, when, and who to focus on at key moments of a clash. That makes all the difference in the world and you can easily bypass the hundred other things happening on screen so long as the cameraman knows what to do and what to focus on, either by getting into the perspective of a player or going for a bird’s eye view.

I’ve also seen a lot of the opposite where the cameraman had apparently no freaking idea what to do. I see a Roadhog ult about to quad environmental kill from a pivotal situation and then, suddenly, camera tracks some Reaper coming back to the fight from the spawn room. Quality camerawork at its finest.

There really isn’t any other issue with its watchability other than that. The pro teams will, eventually, get good enough to take down Envyus and we’ll see a more balanced assortment of teams in the competitive meta without a single team dominating everybody. For now, it’s still pretty amazing and I suggest you all try and watch Overwatch pro games, Steam keys or not, and judge for yourself with an open mind.

Dead by Daylight Review Part 1 – Steam Codes Spotlight

Posted on July 12, 2016 by Richard Griever

The 80’s horror thematic has been relatively untouched in recent years save for a few games like Until Dawn on consoles. While it’s an amazing game, it, sadly, has no Steam codes to speak of, so we connoisseurs of this relatively campy genre had to wait for a good long while. And, who would have thought that we’d be getting two of these at the same time? While Friday the 13th is backed by a gloriously powerful IP, Dead by Daylight is no slouch at all with a very unique multiplayer experience that still retains the essence of dread and terror we felt from those very same 80’s movies.

Steam Codes: Dead by Daylight in a Nutshell

The game, at its core, is very simple: It’s essentially Evolve in reverse. A player controlled serial killer hunts down 4 other players who take on the role of prey and/or victims as the latter attempt to outmaneuver, outwit, and escape the former. In a map, there are basically five generators that the teens must activate in order to open up the exit doors, enabling them to claim victory over the serial killer. But this does take a lot of time and skill, as well as taking on the numerous quick time events that come along with starting a generator. Failing to do a couple of QTEs will blow a fuse in the generator, making it even more difficult for survivors to escape. In fact, this even alerts the serial killer player to their location and can make it much more impossible to start said generators in peace.

What about the serial killer? Well, all he has to do is, uh, kill them. It’s a wee bit more complicated than it sounds because the players that play the killer have their own mechanics and rules to follow, as if they were playing a different game all entirely. In true 80’s horror fashion, the killer is, of course, unkillable, and has the odd ability to chase down healthy survivors with ease despite the essentially permanent dread walk from the likes of Jason and other noteworthy antagonists. However, just like Jason and other antagonists, killers have a lot of trouble navigating small and narrow spaces like windows, corridors, and is easily stopped by simple, makeshift blockages in paths. Killers also have to play in the first person, unlike the prey who play in third person, giving the former a narrower field of view. Killing a survivor isn’t as simple as lopping off their heads, but killers must rely on a “bleed out” mechanic in order to fully eliminate a player. They can either wait for it where they struck down the survivor or hang them by a meat hook in your “safe” space, but will essentially have to wait it out. They can be rescued at any point if they’re not too careful, putting them back into the game.

It makes for tense games, with on-the-fly decision making and rounds filled with do-or-die moments, each of which gives every game a climactic feel: you either escape or you get horribly killed. There’s an astonishing feeling of dread when you’re being hunted: the killer projects a blood red vision cone showing where they’re looking, and seeing that creep up on you – as well as hearing the the chase theme that suddenly begins to intensify as they get closer – is creepy and unnerving. Willing to purchase the Steam codes or not, Just seeing the killer is enough to spook even experienced players: they move quickly, but are animated as to appear to be doing the Michael Myers walk, looming not running, and their sheer size projects an air of hideous inevitability should you be caught. Bit by bit, this is looking great to get a Steam redeem code for it, isn’t it?

Continued in the next part.

Evolve goes Free to Play for All Steam Account Users

Posted on July 12, 2016 by Richard Griever

Many have forgotten about the kerfuffle Evolve caused when it simply wasn’t up to par with its hype. Abruptly, the massive playerbase of the Evolve at launch went down to an almost staggering insignificance, slowing down matchmaking by a ton for the very few players that decided to stick it out. Just recently, Evolve disappeared from the Steam store and was inaccessible with any Steam account that already had it, only to come back up the next day as in free-to-play format called Evolve: Stage 2. Sounds familiar to most MMO stories of F2P redemption.

There are several new modes, characters, maps, and a whole slew of other unlockables in Stage 2 and will continue the F2P trend in the months to come. Surprisingly, however, Evolve has gone back to its beta phase after it’s already been live for quite some time now. It seems that Turtle Rock is pulling a Realm Reborn with the IP albeit in a more open fashion.

The developers claim that it’s gone back to beta due to their goal of tweaking the user interface, removing certain bugs, and even overhauling some elements of the game drastically.

“When Evolve launched, the reception wasn’t what we expected,” as it is written on the developer’s website, “Sure, there were some good reviews. There were also bad reviews. Yes, there was excitement. There was also disappointment — for players and for us.”

This statement was due to the issue that Evolve put out some very expensive DLC for Steam account users despite the earlier claims of delivering new content for free.

While it was said that founders or loyal players who have paid and played the original Evolve launch would be getting rewards and their content progress to carry over. Unfortunately, some people have experienced that all their work in the previous build of the game were all but erased, leaving them dissatisfied with the transition to F2P. Those may just be anomalous errors on the developer’s part, but if this is true for all other Steam accounts, then the backlash will be monumental.

This is, however, all for the PC version, aka. on Steam. Consoles will be untouched until Turtle Rock finishes their work past the beta phase of stage 2. Until then, console players that are interested in playing the game will still have to buy the launch retail of Evolve for the time being. This certainly might take a while.

Difficult Steam Keys for your Steam Account – Part 2

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Richard Griever

Continued from Part 1!

Steam Keys: The Five Games Continued

Ikaruga

Ikaruga can be defined in two simple words: Bullet Hell. Games in these genres are maddeningly difficult due to the incessant amount of “bullets” flying around your screen as you attempt to avoid them and shoot down enemies in return. There are tons of other games on Steam under this genre, like Jamestown, but Ikaruga sets itself apart from the others with its notorious difficulty and steep learning curve.

Bullet Hells are easy to get the hang of eventually, but Ikaruga’s twist is going to ensure that that is not going to happen with you any time soon. All bullets are either black or white and your ship can switch between black and white. Only bullets of the opposite color can destroy your ship, e.g. you can tank white bullets if your ship is white. In addition, hitting enemies with the opposite color inflicts double damage.

It’s… overwhelming. Give it a try and you’ll get a run for your money.

Super Meat Boy

This game. This freaking game. Super Meat Boy has been the poster child for difficult games for a while now. It starts off simple enough but quickly ramps up the frustration to insane levels, so much so that you can find videos on YouTube of people suffering through the game while screaming their heads off in rage. Yet even so, it’s all strangely addicting.

The fun of Super Meat Boy really comes down to two simple things: 1) the movement is slick and responsive so you know that every mistake was truly your own fault, and 2) the respawn after death is instant, which leaves no time for you to even consider quitting. Success is always just within reach, making it that much more infuriating when you fail.

But it’s a good kind of fury – the kind that floods your veins with endorphins when you finally succeed. And that’s why we play games like this, isn’t it?

D ark Souls

This is the game that revitalized the wonders of the idea of an extremely difficult game. It’s Dark Souls! Which game? Take your pick; there are a couple lying around on Steam that you could buy for a steal. Wait for a flash sale or maybe the next big sale to get them. You certainly will not be disappointed.

If you’ve no idea how this game plays as, think of Monster Hunter meets Warhammer; a vestige of high, dark fantasy that’s been near non-existent in modern times with a dead simple control system. Fight gigantic monsters, undead humans, and a whole bunch of other stuff in this medieval, post-apocalyptic world. Every encounter, even with just grunts, can be an absolutely brutal experience. Dark Souls isn’t the first in its name though as it is only the spiritual successor of the game, Demons’ Souls released on the Playstation 3, though both are still from the same developer, Fromsoftware.

Don’t mind the accusations of overhyping; the Steam keys are damned well worth the price tag. Which Dark Souls? Take your pick; you won’t be disappointed.

Difficult Steam Keys for your Steam Account – Part 1

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Richard Griever

If trends indicate anything, the success of the Dark Souls series proves that hard games aren’t at all a niche market. Throw in some Flappy Bird in there and you will understand what I mean. This is because difficult games feel so rewarding when completed even though there really isn’t a physical component involved. When was the last time you felt the rush of adrenaline and the rewarding feel of endorphins after you’ve conquered a particularly difficult level or boss?

Oddly enough, however, the mainstream market tended to run the way of the casual and difficult games are notoriously *ahem* difficult to find. We looked for a couple of very hard games you can get for your Steam account so that you don’t lap up your sweat before the hard part comes along.

Steam Account: The Five Games

Super Hexagon [$3]

Super Hexagon is a masochistic game. It’s the sort of game that will challenge your own notion of thinking you have decent hand-eye coordination that’s better than the average gamer. When you play this game, you’ll realize how much you actually suck.

The premise of the game is pretty simple: you’re trapped inside a sequence of concentric, collapsing hexagons and the point of the game is to avoid the solid walls that collapse into the center by moving the cursor in the middle to the empt parts. If you’ve ever played the Brawler’s Guild in World of Warcraft, this is pretty much Hexos without the high fantasy trappings.

Borrowing from Dark Souls from a bit; Prepare to die.

VVVVVV [$5]

Remember how hard Super Mario was when you were a kid? What about Contra? Prince of Persia? Or maybe even Metal Slug?

Now imagine if those games didn’t have a jump button. VVVVVV is an odd ball platformer with retro graphics akin to the ones mentioned above that will have you almost punching your screen due to sheer frustration. It’s one of the best platformers ever developed and would be a shame if you didn’t take the plunge into maniacal difficulty.

Again, you can’t jump in the game, but, instead, reverse gravity in a stage to get you through some of the obstacles within its stages. It’s not as easy as it sounds and certainly not so easy to play. This is one hell of a difficult gem of a game that will give you your money’s worth.

Continued in the next part.

10 Bundles to Get in the Steam Summer Sale Part 2 – Redeem Code

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Richard Griever

The continuation of our 10 Bundles guide for the Steam Summer Sale!

6. Assassin’s Creed Bundle Redeem Code

Ubisoft is Ubisoft; sometimes they’re evil and other times… they’re as evil as EA. But the Assassin’s Creed franchise is undeniably one of the best IPs in modern gaming. These games don’t always go on sale, so if you get a chance or are even remotely interested in picking up the series, I suggest that you go for the Assassin’s Creed bundle that goes for a meager $62.96 considering the amount of content in it. Don’t worry; Unity’s mostly fixed now, so go nuts and get to know the assassins of yore through this redeem code.

7. Serious Sam Franchise Redeem Codes

Like, holy crap, $10 for the Serious Sam complete pack. Serious Sam is a solid FPS classic that should not be ignored by the shooter aficionado. Furious first-person shooting, relatively fast paced movement, and tons of crazy enemies make this IP old but still gold. This bundle has EVERYTHING you would possibly ever want or need from the Serious Sam franchise. With a jaw-dropping 90% discount, I’m not even sure why you still even want to mull over if you are buying this classic or not.

8. Borderlands Steam Keys!

Borderlands. Enough said. Also, redeem code.

The most awesome shoot-and-loot franchise is on a nutter sale at just $21.53. The Borderlands triple pack consists of the original Borderlands and its DLC, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

What’s even crazier than that? The Borderlands “Take over your life” bundle offers all of those above but has the addition of the Tales from the Borderlands from Telltale games. Walking Dead, Wolf Among Us, Game of Thrones – ring any bells? Yes, the solidly fantastic story driven Tales game rounds up your Borderlands experience nicely with only an increased cost of $4.67. In my opinion, it’s the latter that’s more worth it. Tons of content and many different games; can’t go wrong here.

9. Telltale Bundle Redeem Codes

Like I mentioned earlier, Telltale is just amazing at story telling. Don’t like the rest of the Borderlands series but like the storybook gameplay of Tales from the Borderlands? Well, you can skip all that and just get the Telltale bundle redeem code that has all the Telltale classics and modern gems to sate your story pangs.

This bundle isn’t exactly cheap as it’s going for the price of $82.84, but with the crapton of games in it, you will absolutely get your money’s worth – I guarantee it.

10. Homeworld bundle Steam Redeem Code

Okay, this final bundle doesn’t include games with 70-plus percent discounts or massive packaged savings. But Homeworld Remastered and Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak redeem codes are both stellar RTS games worthy of rebooting the legendary PC-centric Homeworld series, and if you buy them as a bundle, Gearbox will knock another 10 percent off the top of the 50 percent discounts being applied to both games. Both can be yours for $38.23 total—a meager price for some top-shelf strategy action. (If you’re looking for even more fine RTS gameplay, Ashes of the Singularity is on sale for 50 percent off during the Summer Sale, too.)

And that’s it! Happy redeem code hunting, everybody!

10 Bundles to Get in the Steam Summer Sale Part 1 – Steam Keys

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Richard Griever

The Steam Summer Sale; a legendary event for gamers all over the world to obtain treasured copies of amazing games at the lowest of prices. Many might have felt turned off over the fact that Valve shied away from Daily Deals and Flash Sales during the Summer Sale as a whole, instead opting for a “what you see is what you get” approach, but it still doesn’t take away from the fact that Steam is the place you’ll only ever find amazing deals on AAA games and their Steam codes.

With that said, to increase your chances of getting the best deals and your money’s worth, we hunted down 10 game bundles that you’ll absolutely love to have. Some of these can be so ridiculous that it might not seem real – but believe us; they’re as real as real can be!

Just as an addendum, these bundles will even discount from the price if you already have a game’s Steam keys found in the bundle. The amount you pay will be even LESS than what it already is. Now, take a gander and get to buying because the sale ends on the 4th of July!

10 Bundles and Their Steam Keys

1. Deus Ex bundle Steam Keys

Made up of the original Deus Ex, Deus Ex: Invisible War, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and Deus Ex: The Fall, the entirety of the Deus Ex bundle is crazily amazing that it hasn’t let up as a strong seller this Summer Sale. This is Deus Ex: One of the best franchises to ever grace the gaming landscape and it’s going for the extremely low price of $8.24. How is this something you are not buying yet? If anything, this is the best time to purchase the franchise if you haven’t gotten into it yet as the next Deus Ex game, Mankind Divided, is coming out in August. Get to know it, now!

2. The Witcher Trilogy Bundle Steam CD Key

The Witcher. Enough said. Well, maybe there’s a bit more to say about it. The original Witcher wasn’t exactly a groundbreaking release from the relatively unknown CD Projekt Red at the time, but it slowly became a household name one Witcher 2 came around, and the finally solidified itself upon the release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Made by an obscure Polish developer, an new IP, and basically a world we’re all not used to, it’s amazing how the Witcher pulled itself through the muck of the unknown and made itself one of the best franchises the world has ever known. If you haven’t caught up with the story of the past game or are interested to get into the world of the Witcher, The Witcher trilogy Steam CD key goes for a meager $26.52 compared to purchasing Wild Hunt alone for $40. Not to mention that there’s this $20 deal for the Witcher 3’s amazing DLC, Blood and Wine, so it’s definitely a no brainer to buy the bundle.

3. Turn-based Strategy Bundle Steam Codes

Steam has also packaged similar games together to create themed bundles around specific genres. Most slip in a full-priced game or two and the occasional stinker, but a couple stand out from the crowd.

The $39.82 turn-based strategy bundle, which includes The Banner Saga, Invisible Inc., Hard West, Gremlins Inc., and Thea: The Awakening. That’s a great lineup, and you’ll save 10 percent more than if you purchased the games separately.

4. JRPG bundle Steam Keys

This is a similar bundle for Japanese RPG fans, with Valkyria Chronicles, Tales of Zestria, Disgaea PC, Agarest: Generations of War, and Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 collectively selling for $42.88. Valkyria Chronicles alone makes this a worthwhile bundle due to its status as a modern classic. Throw in there the raunchy Agarest and Hyperdimension Neptunia, along with another modern classic in the form of Disgaea, it’s really hard to go wrong with this.

5. Hotline Miami combo pack Steam CD Key

Hotline Miami is a glorious, pulsing, neon-dripping homage to over the top violence, decked out in retro aesthetics. The mix of brutal, fast-paced action and intoxicating audiovisuals activates something in your monkey brain that compels you to play just… one… more… time—even if the story makes no damned sense.

During the Steam Summer Sale, the Hotline Miami combo pack offers bothHotline Miami and Hotline Miami 2 for just $5. There’s no extra bundle discount in play, but for $5 for two great games, who cares?

Steam Account Value: Steam Summer Sale Tips!

Posted on June 27, 2016June 27, 2016 by Richard Griever

With a huge band, the Steam Summer Sale of 2016 kicked off this June 23rd as it Steam tradition would dictate. Tons of games are up for grabs on sordid discounts. Not even AAA titles are safe from the price slashing.

If you haven’t made it a point to browse the game platform’s wares yet, we suggest that you go take a good look now before your the sale ends on July 4. This may be your biggest chances to buy amazing titles such as the Witcher and the Borderlands series to raise your Steam account value.

There are literally tens of thousands of titles to buy and take advantage of the the Steam summer sale with. This does, however, serve as a problem for the more discerning gamer with specific tastes. Due to the massiveness of the Steam marketplace, it can be hard to sift through the crap to find the few gems hiding beneath the dusty veneer of mediocrity.

We have a couple of tips that just might cinch it for you, saving you precious time and, most of all, money.

Steam Account Value: The Tips and Tricks of the Trade

1. Highlighted Deals

These are normally on the front page of the Steam store and there’s a new one everyday just like on normal days. Always check out the games on highlight as these are the most discounted of any other game, ranging from 50% to 75% discount. Of course, if you don’t find what you like, there’s really nothing we can do there.

2. Steam Smartphone App and Trading Cards

It would be more advantageous to have a better reputation outright due to the 15 day wait before the sale of any unverified trading cards. But selling rare cards or a ton of popular ones in bulk at the start of the sale could yield some interesting profits for you. Remember that you should never buy cards at the start; once the market is saturated with tons of trading cards due to the large influx of games bought and played, that’s when you can go nuts. You’ll most likely get a really good investment with this.

3. Don’t be greedy for more discounts

“What you see is what you get.”

This is a philosophy that Steam’s been adapting more and more with their massive sales like these. Back in the day, you’d get a 33% off sale on a specific game only for it to go even lower a few days later. This time around, the discount found on Steam games in these sales won’t ever go lower until after a few more months, and sometimes, it won’t even go lower. In fact, it can go against you and have a smaller discount compared to the Summer sale by then. Don’t be cheap and just grab a game you like if it’s in the right price range this summer sale.

4. Check the Reviews

So you just found a game that’s only for a dollar. It aesthetically looks good and is your kind of genre. Even for that low price, check the reviews and other third party sources. Take your time before you invest in a game; no matter how cheap it is. Because, if you don’t, you’ll more likely end up with a bunch of crappy games that have no bearing on your Steam account value.

5. Check out Our Latest News on the Summer Sale

Take a look at our own listings on Steam games that are on sale for a specific day and you just might even find recommendations from other users about specific games. But, in the end, nothing’s ever wasted on your Steam account so long as you actually like what you buy. Don’t be shy, but be careful with your purchases. Happy hunting, everyone!