Typically we don't post news on sales here at Neo, but the annual Steam Summer Sale is as much a PC gamer cultural event as a simple sale. Every year gamers congregate to post memes about taking their money, or about their wallets screaming in pain. Games are purchased, millions of trades occur, and that altruistic funny bone is hit and thousands of games are simply given away, just because we're a community united. Yes, the Steam Summer Sale has begun.

Day 1 sales include... ah, damn, it looks like the Store crashed from the tidal wave of nerds. Give me a second, okay there it goes. Day 1 sales include:

• Terraria: $2.50 @ -75%
• Indie Bundle I: $9.99 @ -75%
• Crusader Kings 2: $9.99 @ -75% (franchise sale)
• RidgeRacer: Unbounded: $24.99 @
• Modern Warfare 3: $29.99 @ -50%
• Portal 2: $4.99 @ - 75% (franchise sale)
• Heroes of Might and Magic VI: $24.99 @ -50%
• Legend of Grimrock:  $5.99 @ -60%
• Total War: Shogun 2: $7.49 @ -75%

Then, as if the daily deals weren't enough, there are some of the best bundles we've ever seen from a Steam sale. News on these has been readily available after they leaked last week, but are definitely worth checking out if you haven't heard about them yet.

New this year, Steam is adding two new forms of sales: "Flash Sales" and "The Community's Choice." Flash Sales appear to include smaller or older titles that can't aren't popular enough to make the main daily sales anymore -- or perhaps were just contracted for shorter lengths of time. The Community's Choice is a vote, where the winning product and sale become an instant flash sale.

Here are the current Flash Sales and the poll up currently and whoa, these are awesome:

• Rayman Origins: $14.99 @ -50% off, offer ends in 11 hours
• SpaceChem: $2.49 @ -75%, offer ends in 9 hours
• Mafia II: $7.49 @ -75% off, offer ends in 7 hours
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution: $7.49 @ -75% off, offer ends in 5 hours
• Community Choice: Saints Row: The Third @ -75%, Batman: Arkham City @ -66%, or The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition @ -60%

Man, I can't even describe how awesome of a job Valve has done this year. More sales on ever, the same great library, and these server hickups are literally being fixed immediately. Great work, guys!

Go, my people, and buy games.