Multiplayer

Steam Keys: Quake Champions at Quakecon

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Richard Griever

It’s now official that the original franchise that put the FPS genre on the map is joining the fray of the budding FPS e-sports scene with Quake Champions. It’s invariably a revival of its arena shooter franchise with the twist of the growing popularity of being a team-based shooters like Overwatch and Team Fortress 2.

Despite the hype of hardcore Quake fans, Quake champions had a relatively odd reaction when it was showcased in Quakecon 2016. At this point, it’s clear that the developers have to work on a few more things for its marketing before they can assume Steam keys will fly off virtual shelves upon its release in, presumably, late 2017 or early 2018.

Steam Keys E-Sports: Street Fighter Meets Quake

The first thing Tim Willits, creative director of the game, presented was that it wasn’t at all going to change from how diehards know the franchase. High-speed, technical combat with rocket jumping and all the complications that put Quake on the map were still in the game. With a showcase of the classic weaponry in a new engine and era, the audience simply lapped up everything that was thrown at them – that is, until the developers showcased the heroes usable in-game.

Similar to Mobas like League of Legends and Dota or like other class-based shooters like Overwatch, Quake Champions has its, well, champions do unique things like blinking, acrobatics, flying, and a ton of other stuff that set them apart from other champions, giving them distinct advantages over others. While that sounds great for the common gamer, it wasn’t too well received by the truly diehard Quake fans.

The devs, id Software, hoped that this would be a bit more welcomed by their target audience as they see the champion element of the game more as a supplementary element than anything else, setting itself apart from the likes of Mobas and other team-based shooters by having more focus on individual skill rather than the rock-paper-scissors element these other games have for their class mechanics.

id Software knows exactly that there’s this spot for their classic, high-speed, arena-style game in the industry. However, their biggest fear is ending up making Quake 3 once more, but only with improved visuals. This is the sole reason as to why they want the champions element within the game. But the reaction to it is absolutely mixed at best and quite hostile at worst. There are already tons of comments on the internet that Quake Champions should either have the option to turn off the champion uniqueness and possibly be just as moddable as the previous Quake games. Granted, id Software believes that there is more depth in strategy this way, but they may be forgetting what Quake is famous for: Pure skill.

“Street Fighter Meets Quake,” is what id Software thinks of Quake Champions. It is in the sense that everybody has natural moves like heavy kicks, heavy punches, light kicks and etc., but each character has a certain tinge of uniqueness that sets them apart from one another. However, at the end of the day, no matter what sort of special moves you have, it is always the normal moves (in Quake’s case, normal shooting) is what is going to win you the match. As much as that kind of makes sense, what team-based shooter ISN’T about the shooting? It’s a pretty generic description of what they’re going for, to be completely honest.

There’s going to be a lot more kinks for them to work on if they’re going to want this to be accepted by their loyal fanbase, let alone the casual fanbase that is more likely to get the game e-sports status than any other demographic. I’m feeling quite optimistic about Quake Champions and that it can safely enter the major stage of e-sports, but id Software has a lot of work to do before those Steam keys sell.

Steam Keys Esports: Overwatch Banning and Crazy Whining

Posted on August 2, 2016August 2, 2016 by Richard Griever

The latest banwave from Blizzard happened just on the 1st of July and it’s been glorious. Tons of people have been banned and the servers haven’t felt cleaner. I knew that one Soldier 76 in that one game was just too good to be playing fairly!

But I digress; Blizzard has been doing a fantastic job in maintaining the integrity of the game by quickly taking out these script kiddies before their taint spreads farther unlike Valve with their treatment of Team Fortress 2. While CS:GO has its automated VAC bans, it doesn’t take everything out and, sometimes, a lot of hacks get right through, only banning the hackers when a live moderator steps in. And, even then, they aren’t too aggressive on the matter. Hackers on Steam sure get the full worth of their Steam keys.

Unfortunately, for Blizzard’s side, script kiddies certainly get punched in the nuts way before they can start doing stupid crap. But what’s even more hilarious is the fact that these same cheaters have the nerve, gall, balls, or whatever you want to call it, to get angry AT Blizzard for an apparently “unfair” ban.

The failure due to the absence of mind of these people are just astonishing. From CS:GO’s VAC porn reddit page, a certain redditor presented to the public the reactions of people in a unnamed gaming forum where they accept cheating fully. I swear that you will not believe what you’ll be reading. In fact, all the reactions in the photo album of reaction screenshots simply scream “staged” in every sense of the word due to how absolutely baffling the reactions are. Then again, there are stranger things in the world.

You can click on the link above to see the full album of the reactions, but here are a couple down below as a sample of what to expect. Enjoy.

Steam Keys: A Few Samples

Steam Account Value: The Decline of CS:GO

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Richard Griever

There’s been a lot of hubbub surrounding CS:GO, especially concerning the gambling scandal, iffy balance patching by Valve, and a ton of other stuff. The video below explains how things could be worse or better, depending on your view of it.

Steam Account Value: The Gritty Rundown

Without a doubt, CS:GO has been seeing decreasing numbers, not just in viewership, but also in players. While the top teams like SK and Liquid are unaffected, many other players, especially casual players, are making the shift towards Overwatch or other E-sports-worthy games, dismayed by the progress CS:GO is having at the moment. When compared to a juggernaut newbie like Overwatch, CS:GO simply doesn’t have the personality or character of the former.

Surely, the gambling scandal of a few weeks back couldn’t have done it any favors either as that kind of action can be something that folks will be dismayed into taking games seriously. Especially with the prospect of throwing games comes into question for money and not just for skins anymore.

CS:GO certainly could have had a better run, but as things look as of now, it certainly isn’t pretty. Fortunately, the pro scene is still flourishing with large upsets from the latest major tournaments. Folks like Team Liquid certainly has a lot of Steam account value considering the effort they go through in improving. So long as top tier teams like Liquid and SK gaming are functioning well, there won’t be any real danger of the CS:GO e-sports scene dying. Of course, there’s still always the danger of diminished interest from viewers forcing the ESL folks to eventually pull the plug on the scene when it becomes unprofitable for the trouble it is worth. Hopefully, that won’t ever come to pass and CS:GO goes on to live a long and healthy e-sports life. Until then, keep practicing until you get to the pro leagues or your Steam account value goes crazily high due to all your achievements in the game.

Steam Account Drama: CS:GO YouTubers Gambling Scandal

Posted on July 15, 2016 by Richard Griever

There’s been a lot of drama about the illegal online gambling market related to CS:GO’s community and it certainly hasn’t slowed down. Two prominent CS:GO YouTubers, Trevor “TmarTn” and Tom “ProSyndicate” Cassell, are part of all this hubbub. Normally, it would be fine for Valve to just let go of this gambling crap except that these two YouTubers are at the center of it all by being the owners of said gambling sites and not saying anything about the matter at all in any of their vids. Talking about the sites isn’t necessarily punishable, but being at the head of it is clearly another story.

This revelation, of course, breaks all kinds of rules, both written and unspoken (it’s pretty illegal) though the YouTubers both claim that they never hid their involvement with CSGOlotto. However, there has been no mention in any of their videos or video descriptions stating that they are the owners of the site.

Valve’s been trying to get these sites shutdown for the longest time but has still been unsuccessful to this date. The real issue here is that, while it’s being claimed that these slot machine-esque gambling system of the sites via lootboxes is fine because the skin rewards are purely cosmetic in the game and have no real bearing in performance, but the skins can sell for thousands upon thousands of dollars. With that in mind, it’s now, essentially, become real gambling. The legal gambling age in the US is 21. What age is the biggest demographic for shooters in general? Kids. There’s the real problem.

What’s more, there are a number of websites, like CSGOlotto, set up with the sole intention of promoting gambling where you can use your gun skins as tokens and win bigger and better skins or lose out. Considering the amount of money at stake with these skins, you start to see why it could be a bit of a problem for two YouTubers with a hefty sum of CSGO videos on their channels to promote a website like this and not disclose that they own it.

The Steam Account Drama Continues

Since this CSGO gambling scandal broke, however, Martin has deleted almost everything related to the scandal from his Twitter and YouTube accounts, while Valve have added a huge anti-scam warning to CSGOlotto when you try to log into the site via Steam account. It certainly isn’t a good scandal to have in the game considering that the playerbase is getting splintered due to the advent of Overwatch. Hopefully, everything goes back to normal and stuff like this isn’t on anybody’s Steam account news feed anymore.

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.

Dead by Daylight Review Part 2 – Redeem Code Spotlight

Posted on July 12, 2016 by Richard Griever

Continued from Dead by Daylight Review Part 1 – Steam Codes Spotlight

At its very core, Dead by Daylight is scary as scary can be. With randomly generated maps, teams will be using the environment to their advantage as killers will bypass them completely though their menacing looms and larger-than-life unpredictability. It’s a series of fear-driven encounters that have both sides running frantically to outwit each other. While it’s a great game, this sort of gameplay is weak against developing metas, as with most competitive games. Well, just think about it; you’re playing as a lone killer against a team of well coordinated survivors – you are definitely going to lose.

Right now, the survivors definitely have the greater advantage over the killers. Though, one could also say that killers are underpowered instead, but it still shows that fights against coordinated survivor teams or even just from well-experienced players make the game a bit too one-sided. With the meta of the game right now, the slow movement speed of killers are easily exploited and outclassed by the clear advantages of survivors. Though killers have their own sets of abilities to tip the scales in their favor, it still feels like they are too underpowered for their own good.

Other issues also grate, particularly the fact that at every turn the survivors get second chances, from needing to be hit twice, to (potentially) wriggling free of your grasp when carrying them to a more advantageous spot, to the speed at which the survivors can free others from the meathooks you hang them on to kill them. Visually, it can often appear very muddy and washed out, which isn’t great for spotting or tracking targets (if you’re looking for someone who’s been downed you can forget it).

The progression system in the game could use a little more work as well. Akin to the system in place for Payday, players get some xp and perks after every match, like a slight, but permanent, boost to move speed, but it isn’t so much that it will help a lot in the long run. It’s pretty shallow at the moment but, of course, this could change in the future. The game is great overall and the sense of dread is authentically amazing that you’ll be able to dismiss some of the glaring problems at its core for quite some time. Given a bit more time to develop, this could turn out to be a good staple of gaming like the Left 4 Dead series. Here’s to hoping.

Redeem Codes: Is it Worth it?

So, should you buy it? It’s great but not great enough for you to blow your money on PC redeem code or Xbox redeem code right this instant. It’s more worth it if you just wait for a sale.

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!

Steam Account Value: The Summer Sale – Day 1 and 2

Posted on June 24, 2016June 24, 2016 by Richard Griever

So, this Steam Summer Sale is just as insane as any other Summer Sale, but it may just be the craziest one yet. Late 2015 to early 2016 has been a pretty amazing year for gamers in general with so many good releases like Dark Souls III and a bunch of other games that I really don’t care about. With that said, you know you’re going to hurt your wallet with the tons of games you will want to buy that increases your Steam account value. Past this nifty little vid about how awesome the sale is going on right now is a small list of the first two days of the sale, July 23-24, so that you can plan out your purchases, if any, much better than just rummaging through the Steam store and inadvertently choking the life out of your Steam account with unnecessary purchases.

We’ll be updating this page for every day that there are additional information on the new sales until the very end.

Steam Account Value: Sales on!

Steam Summer Picnic Sale 2016 – Day 1

Sale runs from June 23rd – July 4th.

This year’s deals will remain at the same price for the entire sale (like the 2015 Winter Sale). You should be safe to buy a game at any discount as it’ll be that price for the entire sale. There will still be a post each day to focus on featured deals.

Highlighted Deals

Title	Disc.	$USD	$CAD	€EUR	£GBP	AU ($USD)	BRL$	Metascore	Platform	Cards	PCGW
NBA 2K16	80%	11.99	15.99	9.99	7.99	13.99	19.98	87	W	No	No
Darkest Dungeon	40%	14.99	16.79	13.79	11.39	14.99	27.59	84	W/M/L	Yes	Yes
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen	33%	20.09	26.79	20.09	16.07	20.09	50.24	81	W	Yes	Yes
Stardew Valley	20%	11.99	13.59	11.19	8.79	11.99	19.99	88	W	Yes	Yes
The Banner Saga 2	20%	15.99	17.59	15.99	11.99	15.99	29.59	83	W/M	Yes	Yes
Ashes of the Singularity	50%	19.99	21.99	19.99	14.99	19.99	36.49	69	W	Yes	Yes
Vanishing Realms™	20%	15.99	17.59	15.99	11.99	15.99	29.59	N/A	W	No	No
PAYDAY 2	75%	5.00	5.50	5.00	3.75	5.00	9.25	79	W/L	Yes	Yes
Stellaris	10%	35.99	39.59	35.99	31.49	35.99	65.69	79	W/M/L	No	Yes
This War of Mine	75%	4.99	5.49	4.74	3.74	4.99	9.24	83	W/M/L	Yes	Yes

More Highlighted Deals

Title	Disc.	$USD	$CAD	€EUR	£GBP	AU ($USD)	BRL$	Metascore	Platform	Cards	PCGW
The Mean Greens – Plastic Warfare	25%	7.49	8.24	7.49	5.24	7.49	14.99	56	W/M/L	Yes	Yes
Grandia® II Anniversary Edition	50%	9.99	10.99	9.99	7.49	9.99	18.49	80	W	Yes	Yes
60 Seconds!	50%	4.99	5.49	4.99	3.49	4.99	9.99	N/A	W/M	Yes	No
War for the Overworld	57%	12.89	14.18	12.03	9.88	12.89	24.07	65	W/M/L	Yes	Yes
Cobalt	65%	6.99	7.69	6.99	5.59	6.99	12.94	69	W	Yes	Yes
Surgeon Simulator 2013	80%	1.99	2.19	1.99	1.39	1.99	3.99	71	W/M/L	Yes	Yes
Game Dev Tycoon	33%	6.69	7.36	6.02	4.68	6.69	13.39	68	W/M/L	Yes	Yes
Kholat	60%	7.99	8.79	7.19	5.99	7.99	11.99	64	W	Yes	Yes
The Solus Project	20%	15.99	17.59	15.19	11.99	15.99	29.59	79	W	Yes	Yes
Orcs Must Die! 2	75%	3.74	4.24	3.74	2.74	3.74	6.99	83	W	Yes	Yes
Gauntlet™ Slayer Edition	75%	4.99	4.99	4.99	3.74	4.99	9.24	68	W	Yes	Yes
Anno 2205™	40%	23.99	29.99	23.99	17.99	27.57	59.99	72	W	Yes	Yes
Banished	66%	6.79	7.47	6.45	5.09	6.79	11.89	73	W	No	Yes
The Jackbox Party Pack 2	65%	8.74	9.79	8.04	6.64	8.74	16.09	N/A	W/M	No	No

Franchise Deals

Item	Disc.
Sonic Franchise	50%
Assassin’s Creed Franchise	35-75%
Call of Duty Franchise	50-67%
ARMA Franchise	20-80%
LEGO Franchise	30-75%
Deus Ex Franchise	75%

Summer Sale Special Bundles

Item	Disc.
First-Person Puzzle Bundle	+10%
JRPG Bundle	+15%
Building Bundle	+15%
Point-and-Click Bundle	+10%
Party Games Bundle	+15%
Metroidvania Bundle	+15%
Turn-Based Strategy Bundle	+10%
Survival Bundle	+10%

Hardware Deals and Bundles

Item	Disc.	$USD
Steam Link	30%	$34.99
Steam Controller	30%	$34.99
Steam Controller + Steam Link Bundle	37%	$62.98
Steam Controller + Rocket League Bundle	40%	$41.98
Steam Controller + XCOM 2 Bundle	40%	$65.98
Steam Controller + Grim Dawn Bundle	35%	$48.73
Steam Controller + Civilization VI Bundle	18%	$89.98
Steam Controller + The Talos Principle Bundle	56%	$39.98

Redeem code: Overwatch’s Incoming Competitive Mode

Posted on June 23, 2016June 23, 2016 by Richard Griever

PSN Redeem Code: Blizzard’s Info on Competitive Mode this end of June!

Overwatch’s competitive mode was supposed to be released at the same time with the actual game, but it was then delayed to late June. While it isn’t much of a problem for most folks, it’s been a bone of contention for players that want to take Overwatch to hyper esports levels right off the bat. No matter because it is coming and coming very soon with a lot of reworking, tweaks and rewards.

First of all, the seasons for the competitive mode are expected to last for about three months, lining up properly with the four seasons. Naturally, the first ever season of Overwatch would be the Summer competitive season.

Next, the company plans to tweak the Assault format to cut down on the number of matches going into Overtime. It happens anywhere from 35 to 50 percent of the time, which Blizzard felt was a bit too high.

Blizzard also overhauled the entire progression system of the game and the competitive tiers that people got used to back in beta have been removed completely. In their place is a new system that will feature a matchmaking ranking that is based on a player skill rating from one to 100. Player skill ratings and averages will be shown before and after matches, and you will also be able to see if you are playing against a pre-made group. Xbox redeem code for Overwatch. Blizzard says that this may result in skill ratings occasionally dropping, but the company plans to monitor this system to make sure it is working as intended.

Lastly,Blizzard added some cosmetic incentives to competitive play via golden weapons and various other things. These will include new sprays and player icons that will only be obtainable during each season. A pretty good time to get an Overwatch redeem code then for some esports competitiveness.

Redeem Code: 10 Things Overwatch Players Hate

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Richard Griever

Overwatch has been an undeniable success in the past month and there’s really no sign of it stopping any time soon. As much as we all love Overwatch here at Steambuysell, there are still some things that make us boil uncontrollably with rage as we sail through match after match. Also, redeem code.

Below is a nifty little vid outlining some of the more general things we all tend to hate:

Overwatch: MEI IS NOT BAE

Screw Mei. Seriously. Apart from that, there are only a couple of things I agree with because some of the other issues the creators of the video present are a bit nitpicky and on the “L2P” side of things. But my biggest agreement with the video is that lack of a story campaign. I truly love the multiplayer and esports panache it has, but a lot of the love for this game from fans is their fascination with the characters and world of Overwatch.

We all want to know about Tracer, her history, current well-being, and possibly her dating history. We want to see what really happened with the Shimada brothers in the past and their current relationship, as well as if it’s true that the Shimada’s are the onry ones to contror the dragons. And what about the other heroes that haven’t been in the animated spotlight yet? The hell does Mei actually do? Is she really chubby under that coat? Or does she just have a ridiculous bust size? Why does Zarya look like a random Tumblr girl? Is there something going on between Mercy, Soldier 76, and Reaper? Love triangle, maybe? Did they ever have a threesome? The questions are endless in that regard and, hopefully, Blizzard can answer them soon through either more animated shorts or, even better, a full fledged story mode campaign in the near future.

Overwatch is an amazing game and has even more potential in the future. Let’s hope that Blizzard knows what they’re doing and continue to improve upon this already stellar IP.

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