james8470

So, this is actually going to be first in a series of four Metroid reviews I plan to write. They could easily be my all-time favorite games, and are a significant component of my childhood. Before I get into it, be warned of spoilers. There will be a section clearly marked "Story" on each review, so if you plan on playing one of these games just skip reading it. You also might want to avoid looking at some of the pictures. Especially at the end of this review.
This game was actually an official re-make the the original Metroid game, however I haven't played the original one all the way though, so I don't feel like doing a review for it.
 
Game Name: Metroid: Zero Mission
 
Platform: Gameboy Advance/Gameboy Advance SP/Nintendo Gamecube/Nintendo DS
 
Time Spent: Countless hours, maybe a couple hundred?
Do you recommend?
 
If you like cool sci-fi action/adventure games, you'll LOVE this game.
I easily recommended it to anyone who is even loosely interested in these genres.
 
What you rate the game: 9/10
 
Initial Thoughts:
 
Well, I first played this game about five years ago when I bought my first GBA, it was actually a Gameboy Advance SP. I got it at a garage sale which was being set up in my own home for only 5$ (an excellent deal, although I had to buy a charger online). Inside, was a GBA cartridge which was Metroid: Zero Mission. Until then, I had never heard of the series whatsoever.
 
I actually had some GBA cartridges already which I played on a Nintendo Gamecube, but when I booted it up that night and played Metroid for the first time, I was immediately addicted. The graphics of the game (I'll abbreviate it to MZM from now on) and the feeling of being in a highly motile power suit on a strange alien planet with absolutely no explanation other than the very brief opening sequence of the game "Emergency order: destroy all Metroids and space pirate leader Mother Brain" quickly sucked me in. This game had the best graphics of any video game I'd played at the time, and I'd never played a game with this kind of violence (the closed I'd come to on both accounts would be Super Mario Brothers 3 believe it or not).
Just compare these pictures to see what I mean.

 

 
Gameplay:
 
Anyways, following the "Emergency order" introduction sequence, you can start a new save file (you may have up to three which is kinda nice, especially for speed-runs). You start the game in an underground cavern not online the one depicted above. And thats it, no hand-holding or anything. So, you quickly figure out your innate abilities: summersault-jump in a Ironman-like power suit, crouch, fire a small and short-range beam, and move around.
 
The feel of playing the charter, Samas, is also very enjoyable. It feels very acrobatic, as if it takes real skill to master her true abilities (which it actually does, as I'll get into later) however it's also simple and easy to learn for new players.
You basically spend the game collecting upgrades at ancient statues which also restore your health, exploring new areas and building up your minimap, running into dead-ends which you often unlock much later in the game, and fighting bosses.
 
The game may feel very non-linnerar because you have to explore everything to figure out where to go in order to advance, but it's actually secretly linear. The game does a truly outstanding job of giving the illusion of choice, therefore both capturing both perks of linear and open-world gameplay. You do, in fact, need to explore off-course hidden areas in order to increase your missile, super missile, and power bomb capacity if you have any hope of getting past some of the bosses.
 
As far as enemies and bosses go, they're all either native species of the planet MZM takes place on which are either passive or actively attack you, or are space pirate generals or troopers. They're all uniquely designed and truly make you wonder what they're abilities are when you first run into them. Indeed, you need to know exactly what the creatures of planet Zebes do if you want to survive. The game isn't easy, and requires caution and a "shoot-first" mindset in order to get though.
What's great about the bosses, is how you literally stumble across them and suddenly they pop out of nowhere and one of the amazing boss-fight musics starts playing. They're design and abilities strike terror into your heart and require you to be light on your feet. You also need to learn their weaknesses, as often they are only vulnerable in the eyes, mouth, abdomen, or other specific locations.
The picture below is an excellent example.
[spoiler=Example Boss]

Karid, one of the space pirate generals who attacks with slashing, boomerang-fingernails, and giant claws which shoot out of his stomach.
 
 
For me, the boss-battles and soundtrack were the most enjoyable parts of the game. You can listen to the entire game's music on youtube
if you're interested. 
Story & Part 2 of the game:
 
After navigating through the five main sections of planet Zebes (Chozodia, Crateria, Norfair, Kraid, and Ridley) each with their own unique and colorful design, and defeating the main bosses plus mini-bosses in each area and finding all the upgrades to your suit and weapons, you eventually unlock the path to Tourain, which is where the main objective, the leader of the space pirates, Mother Brain, resides along with all the Metroids.
[spoiler=World Map]

 
 
 
I could describe each of the areas in great detail, but I think it'll best be shown though pictures I'll place at the end of this review. However, I will describe the feeling of Tourain. It's truly horrific. As soon as you enter it, creepy music for the map begins playing. The entire game is creepy and mysterious, but this area really had me on edge. Entering each new room, a Metroid or two would pop out of the corner, unseen until you draw need and attack you. They're one of the hardest enemies to defeat, especially when there's two of them attacking you at the same time. Even with your nearly fully-upgraded suit and weapons, they're a serious threat.
The final boss battle against Mother Brain is also very difficult. I mean, just look at this shit!
[spoiler=Final Boss Room]

Oh, and this is after getting though five rooms like this one with heavy doors which regenerate their strength if not attacked quickly and two kinds of cannons firing at you.
 
 
Even after defeating all the Metroids, space pirate leader Mother Brain, and escaping the tense self-desctuct sequence and escaping into space in your ship, and seemingly beating the game, surprise! Space pirates shoot down your ship!
 

 
We're only half-way though the game at this point! This section of the game was NOT in the original version of the game (nor were many of the mini-bosses and suit upgrades) and was one of the most enjoyable parts of the game for me. As the picture describes, you infiltrate the space pirate's mothership with nothing but a slow-charging pistol which merely stuns the pirates when full-charged, and only for literally a second. The music changes once again (as it always does when you enter a new area) but this time it's neither creepy or epic and archaic-sounding, instead it's something out of Mission Impossible.
You spend most of your time abroad the mothership avoiding space pirates, which are EVERYWHERE, so that you don't set of the alarm which locks certain doors and causes pirates to be drawn to you.
 
[spoiler=Inside the Mothership]
You need to hide out and wait in order to deactivate the alarm. That red thing is one of the pirates by the way. They shoot lasers and climb walls, too.
 
 
Eventually, you find your way into the Chozo ruins just outside of the mothership, recover your lost power suit plus a few new extremely powerful upgrades, and become able to 1-shot the space pirates! It doesn't take long at this point to backtrack into the mothership and discover the game's true final boss. Sadly, this boss is the most disappointing fights of the game. Once again, you escape a self-destruct sequence and escape into one of the space pirates fighter ships except this time, you're successful and your mission is complete!
 
Even after the game's official ending, you can replay your old save file and if you're clever enough to try some things with your power bombs and shatter a glass tube, you can reenter an old area of the game with your full-upgraded suit and then access literally any area of the game from there. A very nice feature for those who want to collect all the items which increase missile/super missile/power bomb capacity or just like to explore and have fun with the power-suit like me.
 
Backstory:

So, I said a few things without explaining them or said I'd get to them later. In this section, I will focus purely on the story of the game, almost all of which is not described in-game but instead from other official Nintendo sources. Also, some of this stuff is pretty important to know for when I've written my next three reviews.
In ancient times, an alien race called the Chozo took over the galaxy and spread their technology everywhere. At one point, a deadly parasite called X (which can shape-shift into their prey after killing them) sweeps the galaxy killing everything in it's party. The Chozo create the Metroid species, which drains the life force out of anything, to target the X parasites. The Chozo then mysteriously disappear.
In their absence, the governments of various planets including Earth band together to from the Galactic Federation. Because of this, universal (literally) peace is established, and there are no longer any militaries or armies. However, space pirates begin attacking federation ships and stealing various goods to expand their empire! The federation responds by hiring various bounty hunters and mercenaries including Samas Aran (the charter you play as in-game) to single-handedly destroy all Metroids the space pirates are trying to use in their plot to take over the galaxy and stop their leader, Mother Brain.
 
Samas's own backstory begins when she was a little girl. Her family was killed on a ship during a space pirate invasion, she was the lone survivor. A mysterious Chozo, which had long thought to be extinct, finds the ship and basically abducts her and takes her back to their home world, planet Zebes, where he infuses her DNA with Chozo DNA and grants her a highly-advance Chozo power-suit in order to survive the harsh conditions of Zebes. She would move on to become a bounty hunter, often volunteering for jobs against the space pirates.
 
Unlockable Features:
 
Another great part of the game is that it actually contains the original version of Metroid as well, and you can play it from the "options" section in the main menu after having beat MZM.

 
Pros: (At least 2 reasons)
 
- Amazing soundtrack
- Cool upgrades
- Thrilling and horrific atmosphere and bosses
- Well-desinged graphics and creatures
- Compelling story
 
Cons: (At least 2 reasons)
 
- Lack of handholding/general guidance leads to the player being unaware of things which shouldn't really be secret, such as being able to access old areas after (or even technically before) beating the game when you've got you're fully-powered suit.
- Often, it is very difficult to figure out where you're supposed to be and even if you happen to find the right room to be in, there's often a hidden passage way or certain blocks you have to randomly decide to try to break in order to advance. However, it's not too bad, although it is a time-investment.
 
Final Thoughts:
 
I don't have much to say which hasn't already been said.
If you like having freedom in a game but still having a linear objective, feeling like a super-powerd badass in a completely unknown and creepy planet, then you'll love this game. As you become better at the game, you may find some cool tricks you can do even from the very start of the game such as wall-jumping and bomb-bouncing. These tricks require some skill with the controls, which is a nice feature for advanced players.
I've posted some pictures with captions below as well, they can tell you a lot more about the game then my words can!
If you're interested in playing this game, you can download a GBA emulator for Windows/Mac here and play for free on your computer (you'll have to find the ROM for MZM on their database and download it in addition to the emulator).
DISCLAIMER: This is technically illegal, as it is an emulator of an official Nintendo game, even if it's no longer in production & sale. I am not responsible for your actions should you use one of these emulators or ROMs.
 
[spoiler=A bunch of screenshots of maps, bosses, and upgrades]
The first area of the game, Brinstar
 

The second area of the game, Norfair
 

Another part of Norfair
 

The third area of the game, Crateria
This area is actually the only area on the surface of the planet
 

The firth area of the game, Kraid's Lair
 

The sixth area of the game, Ridley's Lair along with the Ridley space-pirate commander boss-fight about to begin
 

The seventh area of the game, Tourian while being attacked by a bunch of Metroids
 

The sixth area of the game, Chozodia, after having exited the space pirate mothership and entered the Chozo Ruins to recover your power suit
 

Immago, an example of one of the mini-bosses
 

Deorem, an example of one of the mini-bosses
 

The game's final boss
 

The upgrade panel as it appears when all upgrades are collected after restoring your suit in the Chozo Ruins

Name: Interesting
Meaning: For comments that seem very interesting and informative. Comments that reveal something that wasnt known or again is just very interesting to know.
Rating: Neutral

s e x y b o n d a g e t i m e

FREDDY BENSON

It may be your birthday, but your face says "I wish I weren't born"

Yes, I will be sure to have "a ice day"

unDERSTANDAble haᵥₑ ₐ ₙᵢcₑ daY.

Skittles or riot.

Fun dip is alright too I guess.

Well this was a stupid idea. :unsure: :S
Thanks for pointing this out Aegean.
 
Counting the cut steam takes, you'll only save 2.4% of a 200$ purchase.
Who would go out of their way that badly just to save 4-5$?
:rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip:

THANKS EVERYONE WHO CAME IT WAS REALLY FUN :D.
For those who left early we watched episodes 1-5.
 
I will continue this event in the future so look forward to this :D
 
Next show time I'm hoping for next one to be in three weeks due to me moving so internet set up D:
 
Hoping for the same time and day.
Thanks again for coming :D

Hai Everyone!
 
Unfortunately I am going to be stepping down from my position as admin and member. Sorry. It's a lot of work, and people don't really respect admins in the TF2 division (by people I mean players on our servers). I think it is my time to step down and move on. Thanks for being such great friends, I luff yew all. Feel free to join me whenever you want, Im not going to change my name c:<3 :duckiijr:

That being said, since we all agreed on unbanning him, I'll unban him.
 
- closed

I guess it did look like i was hacking since the map was surf crzyfrog, and if a player stands close enough to a thin wall, you can see their shadows through the wall because of the glitchy light engine. Also, I didn't protest this earlier because before I played tf2 I played minecraft and on small pvp servers, i always got banned for "hacking" so i had this mentality in my head that I wouldn't get anywhere if I appealed.

These are the donator perks available for our Team Fortress 2 servers. Please note that this is a one-time purchase; we do not have subscriptions. If you wish to upgrade your tier, you only have to pay the difference. For example, if you want to upgrade to Upgraded from Basic, you would only pay 10 USD. Please be sure that you add our division leaders on steam, or message them on the forums, and provide them with a receipt so they can verify your donator. If you are upgrading, you need to provide the original receipt and the new receipt. We no longer accept keys as payment. All donations must be made through the donation tab (PayPal or Stripe).
 
After your payment has been accepted, please contact the following through either forums or steam. You may have to provide a receipt of your donation.
 
Steam Community :: xG:DL Tekk or @Tekk
Steam Community :: xG:CM virr or @virr
 
When donating to xG, you get perks across all divisions that have donator tiers, not just TF2!
 
Custom Titles
A custom title is 2 USD. Upon purchasing a custom title, you get to pick the following:
 
Name (Can not be inappropriate or offensive) and Color.
Price. (1000 - 100,000 Credits)
Buyable for everyone or just yourself. (Giftable to up to 3 people)
Changes can be made to the title within 24 hours of purchase. Changing the title to something new after that point is 1 USD
 
Basic Donator:
Basic donator is 10 USD and comes with the following commands:
 
!colorme (Used to change your color.)
!rocketme (Launches you in the air, like a rocket.)
!stunme (Stuns yourself)
!gtstunme (Same as above, but as if you were spooked)
!bonkme (Stuns as if hit by Sandman)
!buildinghats (Toggles hats on Engy buildings)
!rerollhat (Allows you to roll for different Engy building hats. 30 second cooldown)
!footprints / !footsteps (Allows you to select halloween spells that give you footprints).
!rainbowme (Applies a rainbow outline around you)
!defaultdance (Do the Fortnite Default Dance. Exclusive to TGH).
 
Upgraded Donator:
Upgraded Donator is 20 USD and comes with the following commands (and all previous tiers):
 
Advertisment Immunity
!ks (Activates Killstreak effects)
!skeleton (Sniper only)
!robot(Turns you into a robot)
!resizemyhead (Changes the size of your head)
!resizeme (Changes your whole size)
!resizeresetme (Resets any resize changes)
!voice (Allows you to change the pitch of your voice from 50-200)
!trailgun (Opens a menu to set up a custom trailgun. Must be equipping a flaregun to use)
 
Super Donator:
Super Donator is 35 USD and comes with the following commands (and all previous tiers):
 
!vote (Toggles a vote in the servers. Necessary for spawning and becoming bosses)
!unusual (Unusual effects on weapons)
!raffle (Activate a raffle)
!raffle_assign (Add someone to the raffle)
!raffle_remove (Remove someone from the raffle)
!raffle_cancel (Cancel the raffle)
!raffle_list (List everyone in current raffle)
Spawning bosses (Look below for full list of commands)
Slaying bosses (Look below for full list of commands)
!resizemyhands (Resizes your hands)
!resizemytorso (Resizes your torso)
!betheghost (Be a ghost)
!tauntem (Taunt with any taunt)
!tauntem_list (Lists the available taunts)
!dsp (Change and modify your voice)
!ball (Simply put, spawn a ball)
!cleanballs (Remove spawned balls)
 
Uber Donator:
Uber Donator is 50 USD and comes with the following commands (and all previous tiers):
 
!noclip (Toggles noclip)
!makemegift (Turns you into a present)
!fakegift (Fake present)
!bemerasmus (Turns you into Merasmus)
!behhh (Turns you into HHH)
!bedeflector (Turns you into The Deflector Heavy from MvM)
!hsay (Server Message)
!tsay (Server Message)
!csay (Server Message)
!gravity (Give your self low or high gravity!)
!buildinghateffect (Choose an unusual effect for your Engy buildings)
!buddha (Godmode with knockback)
!god (Godmode without knockback)
!kartme (Puts you in a bumber kart)
!unkartme (Removes bumper kart)
!gimme (Allows you to give yourself any weapon in the game - You need to look up tf2 item ids.)
!proj (Put models and effects on your projectiles)
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Donator Rules and Guidebook:
 
General Guidelines: If you want to do anything that affects gameplay or other people on the server, make a vote for it first and only proceed if the vote passes with 70% or more Yes votes (some examples are things like using !gimme to give yourself valve weapons or the HHHH and killing people with it) Follow this template while calling a vote: !vote "question" "No" "Yes". On Jailbreak, if you're using something that prevents you from being eligible for LR, slay yourself when it's down to you and the guy that should be getting LR. Don't delay any round using donator powers Boss Spawning Use !vote before spawning any of the bosses. The vote must have 70% wanting the boss to be spawned. When you are making a vote for things such as boss spawning, make No the first option and Yes the second option. (/vote "Spawn the HHH?" no yes) Boss Spawning Commands: !hatman - Spawns a Horseman. !eyeboss - Spawns a Monoculus. !eyeboss_red - Spawns a red variant of the Monoculus. !eyeboss_blue - Spawns a blue variant of the Monoculus. !merasmus - Spawns Merasmus. !skelegreen - Spawns a green variant of a Skeleton. !skelered - Spawns a red variant of a Skeleton. !skeleblue - Spawns a blue variant of a Skeleton. !skeleking - Spawns The Skeleton King. !ghost - Spawn the Ghost. Boss Slaying Commands: !slayhatman - Slays all Horseman bosses on the map. !slayeyeboss - Slays all Monoculus bosses on the map. !slayeyeboss_red - Slays all variants of red Monoculus bosses on the map. !slayeyeboss_blue - Slays all variants of blue Monoculus bosses on the map. !slaymerasmus - Slays Merasmus. !slayskelegreen - Slays all variants of green Skeletons on the map. !slayskelered - Slays all variants of red Skeletons on the map. !slayskeleblue - Slays all variants of blue Skeletons on the map. !slayskeleking - Slays The Skeleton King. !slayghost - Slay the Ghost. Chats (!hsay !tsay !csay !msay) Follow the regular chat rules when using these or you might get kicked/banned. !gimme & !tauntem Don't give yourself anything that is normally not allowed on a server or that gives you an unfair advantage Only give yourself weapons that are normally for the class you are(no rocket jumping sniper so you can get to a nice sniping ledge) Don't abuse this to get ammo Weapon ID's can be found here. Noclip Do not use this unless you are on a trade server, Mann vs Machine or Jailbreak. Slay yourself after using this if you wish to start killing people, otherwise it's considered abusing even if you turn off noclip. Noclipping to the skybox with intent to build there or cause any harm (sapping buildings, building, killing etc) is forbidden. !raffle You do not have to have a staff member present before doing these, but it is advised Resizing (!resizeheadme !resizeme !resizemyhands !resizermytorso) Don't resize and rebel or attack people. !rocketme Don't use while dead or it will kill the person you're spectating. DO NOT do this... even if they broke a rule, you are not staff and using this to "slay" a rulebreaker is STILL ABUSE. Stuns (!stunme !gstunme !bonkme) Don't spam these. Turning into bosses (!bemerasmus @me !behhh !bedeflector) Don't rebel or attack people while using these unless you go through a vote Custom Projectiles (!proj) Do not use models on syringes, this can create a lot of lag and can really clutter peoples screens. Robot & Skeleton Do not use these if you are fighting other people. Kartify Always be in !friendly mode to avoid dealing damage to enemy players when using this.  
Abusing any of your powers will result in the following punishment system:
Warn -> Kick -> Day Ban -> Warn -> Week Ban + Removal Of Powers.
 
The donator system/threads were last updated on: December 12th, 2018 by @Kypari. -specified that donator applies to all divisions
 
Credit to: @Ohstopyou @kbraszzz @metalslug53 @Matsi @Liekos @Giraffes @Bello @Egossi @Vexx @Sesh @mrnutty12 @virr @Kypari

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aeo86iOS0QU

Well, MVM isnt really a server we can populate, the only times it is populated is when xG people decide they want to have fun playing MVM.
If thats really the only reason we have the MVM server then we should probably turn it into uberupgrades, its basically mvm on steroids.
In my opinion UberUpgrades is way more fun than MVM just because of how OP you can get.
Also uberupgrades actually attracts players and I see a lot of uberupgrade servers full all of the time.
I dont even know if this is possible but that would be nice.
Is this possible to do?
@Bello @Vexx
 
 
Also for everyone that disagrees please state why you think so!

That explains your choice of profile picture

I was going to rate these "dank meme", but you know, it was removed.
 
Guess I have to say it: dAnK mEme!

MAAAAAAAPPPPS!
 
Hey since the xG tf2 map rotation is fairly dry map development has been going on... Some map have been uploaded to the server for testing very kindly by @Rejects .Please post feedback and suggestions on all maps to help make the community enjoy the maps more.
 
Lilicove City(Development):
 
This map is only exclusively for xG with a security plugin to stop any decompiling... The broadness of the map is from the Safari zone to the outer rocks of lilicove town. Currently the Red spawn is in the safari zone(red circle) and the blue crosses are HP/Ammo pick-ups.
 

BLU spawn is currently near to the sharpedo model so advice for where to place BLU would be great.

Not too much to show currently just progress until all the textures are perfect. Several easter eggs currently implemented however the map will take a while before it's even considered for testing. Currently it's been debated if it's worth keeping the Sharpedo in the water.
 
Azalea Town(Broken):
Was once finished with pkmn3d.net textures however the pack seems to cause so many missing errors when attempting to compile...

 
CTF Area:
 
Thanks to Rejects this map has been testing is will be finally checked by @Bello before being potentially added to the rotation. The map seems to have gone down well with the regulars and many suggestions have been recorded:

Addition of a music room being re-added
Buildings are re-opened to be accessible.
Stretch some textures to make certain areas appear bigger(e.g. centre buildings).
Mirror Banger support



 
Thanks for all the help, suggestions and testing + keep em coming!
Add music suggestions for all Maps(must be pokemon related) below with links to youtube. :)

Music Requests, Here's where I dump my suggestions -
Good musics,
Pokemon
I feel like BW gets no love from anyone, but it was one of my favorite regions in terms of sound and world design, and everyone else seems to have the standout music from other games covered.
-
-
-
-
Other Games
I'm probably going to put mostly Monster Hunter themes here to be honest.
Monster Hunter
- "Reincarnation of Light and Darkness", Gore Magala Theme -
- "Wind of Departure", Ending Credits Theme -
- "Life Burning in the Storm" Amatsumagatsuchi Theme -
(As much as I like this, it would probably become the new "Metal Lance" theme.) - "Illusion of the Dense Forest" Chameleos Theme -
- Any of the Gathering Hall Themes, as they're much more laid back and relaxing -
Cave Story
- Main Theme -
- "Jenka" -
- "Saftey" -
Unrelated
Dank Memes
Neil Cicierega - Daft Mouth -
Neil Cicierega - Pokemon -
I swear to f***ing god Sylux, if you don't freakin' hide "Pokemon" somewhere on the map I might kill a small puppy.

Well this was a stupid idea. :unsure: :S
Thanks for pointing this out Aegean.
 
Counting the cut steam takes, you'll only save 2.4% of a 200$ purchase.
Who would go out of their way that badly just to save 4-5$?
:rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip:

First off, I don't know of this idea is common knowledge or not, so I might just have "come up" with an idea which I somehow never caught wind of from someone else, and now ignorantly think I'm a genius or something.
Anyways, I did some math and compared a few sites which can help you save money on ANY Steam game.
 
So let's say I want to buy an expensive steam game for about 200$.

Rather than pay 200$ outright, if I go to marketplace.tf, buy 200$ in keys, then sell those keys on the steam market, I'll generate a LOT more than 200$ I need for the game. This is because the marketplace.tf prices for keys are way lower than the steam market prices.

 

 
How lower? Only 36-37 cents. However, keep in mind I'm getting an expensive game, so I save 36 cents for EACH key if I buy keys from marketplace.tf, then resell them on the steam market (I'll need to sell about 80 keys on steam market at $2.49 to make $200).
So, how much money would I save on a 200$ game?
Over 35$ is saved in this case (assuming you can sell them all at $2.49). That's 17.5% saved (probably closer to 20% depending on my estimates and if key prices improve, which I'll talk about later).
 
 
Let's try a cheap game as well.

You can either pay 6$ upfront, or buy 2 keys for 4.24 on marketplace.tf and a tour of duty ticket for 0.99, sell them for 6.09 on steam market, and save $0.77 (plus 6 cents left in wallet). That's ~12% saved!
 
Now, something I want to point out before I list some pros and cons of this method is that the key price on marketplace.tf is super high right now. Normally, it's $2.05 or $2.10 at the MOST.
So, this would mean you could probably save closer to $40+ on a $200 game.
 
 
Pros:
Saves up to ~18%-20% on expensive games.
Saves up to ~%10- 12% on cheap games

Cons
Can take 1-2 hours to set up (you'll be on approving a bunch of market listings on your mobile authenticator)
Uses up to 80 - 100 steam market listings (you're only allowed to list 200 items on steam market each year)
No guarantee on exactly how much you'll save (key prices change often)
You'll have to wait 2-3 days to sell all your keys on the market.
 
Notes
This could also work with other sites were you can exchange money for in-game items such as opskins.com
If you have anything to add/point out mistake in my math, please do so! (y)

Well this was a stupid idea. :unsure: :S
Thanks for pointing this out Aegean.
 
Counting the cut steam takes, you'll only save 2.4% of a 200$ purchase.
Who would go out of their way that badly just to save 4-5$?
:rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip::rip:

May I ask where you're going and what you'll be doing? :emoji_wink:
 

 
:wut: wut
 

 
:^)

That does sort of sound like a port forwarding issue, or if someone else on your router is playing a Source game at the same time (and using the same port) it can cause connection issues. Although, if it's only the one server that doesn't make much sense.
Any chance you can run a traceroute or use PingPlotter on the surf IP (192.223.26.26) and maybe another to a server that works (TGH is 64.74.97.69)?