EB Games Has Better Deals On Some PC Titles Than Steam

It’s not often that a brick-and-mortar retailer captures your attention in the middle of a gargantuan Steam sale, but that’s how the tide has gone in the last few years. The sales just aren’t as good any more — and the fact that Australians still get slugged in US dollars makes it even less enticing.

But that’s the opportunity EB are taking up right now, with a end of financial year sale. There’s plenty of games that priced at surprisingly reasonable levels.

Image: Supplied

As always, prices quoted below are done using the exchange rate at the time of writing and may change when and if you decide to purchase. Stock levels may vary too. But with that disclaimer out of the way, onto the sales!

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

On Steam: $37.87 ($US27.99)
At EB: $28

If you’re just looking to purchase The Pre-Sequel — which people who already own Borderlands 1 and 2 might be — then going retail is the best choice. If you want the whole series in one hit, however, Steam’s Borderlands bundles are a better way to go. Just under $50 local for all three Borderlands games plus the DLC isn’t a bad offering.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

On Steam: $40.17 ($US29.69)
At EB: $23

There’s a small crowd out there who genuinely enjoys Call of Duty’s single-player campaigns. I’m one of them, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

But PC players — and rightly so — have been thumbing their nose for a few years. And as a result diehard fans who have played every game on PC since the game was a retelling of World War 2 missions have been waiting for good sales to come around.

$23 isn’t a bad price if you just want to play the campaign. There’s still a few thousand people who haven’t moved onto the newer games, although chances are you’ll probably end up in a US server.

Assassin’s Creed: Rogue

On Steam: $17.08 ($US12.62)
At EB: $9

This is a pretty damn good deal for if you’ve suffered Assassin’s Creed fatigue. Rogue deserved better billing than to be the lowly offering to AC fans stuck with a PS3 or Xbox 360; it was certainly more technically competent than Unity at launch.

But now, it’s at a really good price point. $17.08 still isn’t a bad asking price given every AC game has at least 20 hours of gameplay in it, but if you can pick it up for $9 then you’re laughing.

Watch Dogs

On Steam: $17.83 (US$13.18)
At EB: $9

Watch Dogs might be one of Ubisoft’s most wasted opportunities, and a poster child for misleading E3 footage, but you can’t complain about the hour-to-dollar value here. $9. Damn.

Alternatively, you can ignore the discount and Aiden Pearce entirely. Which is a perfectly acceptable stance to take.

Assassin’s Creed: Unity

On Steam: $27.02 ($US19.97)
At EB: $9

Ubisoft really like giving retailers a good deal. Either that or EB overstocked to the hills on Rogue and Unity stock. Either way, $20 is a good chunk cheaper than what it’ll cost you to get both on Steam.

Warcraft 3 Battle Chest

On Battle.net: $49.90
At EB: $15

You know how I mentioned the other day that Warcraft 3 was still one of the best strategy games to pick up for a first-time PC gamer? Well, thanks to EB it’s actually at an affordable price. (Also, I know this technically isn’t Steam, but it’s one of the more egregious examples of crappy online pricing for Australians.)

How come Battle.net doesn’t have a Battle Chest digital download for their classic games, anyway? You can buy the Warcraft AND the StarCraft Battle Chest from EB cheaper than what WC3 and its expansion costs through Battle.net. And don’t forget: Blizzard’s in the middle of patching those classic games for modern computers too.

Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition

On Steam: $17.44 (US$12.89)
At EB: $14.98

Not the biggest discount, but hey — at least you don’t have to spend hours waiting for the initial download. You’ll still have to spend plenty of time patching, but a deal is still a deal.

Homeworld Remastered Collection

On Steam: $23.66 ($US17.49)
At EB: $19

Only a few bucks, but if you’re going on a spending spree those savings will add up.

The Division

On Steam: $62.86 ($US46.46)
At EB: $57

If you grab a copy and play with a friend, you can still get a good 50 or 60 hours out of The Division’s single-player. That’s not a bad deal. And as broken and buggered the multiplayer is on PC, I still enjoyed my time trawling through derelict apartments and bombed out taxis.

DOOM

On Steam: $64.86 ($US47.97)
At EB: $47

No contest.


What other deals have you seen in a store that put digital marketplaces like Steam to shame?


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