Where to buy Civilization: Beyond Earth in Australia?

Alien worm: You say you're from Australia, eh? Nom nom nom nom nom nom nom!

Some of you may have noticed that just today the price of Civilization: Beyond Earth on Steam has been increased by a substantial $40 from its starting price of $49.99 to $89.99. So if you happened to purchase the game during that small window of the past few days, good for you! For the rest of us though, we have been once again struck by the "Australia Tax" (i.e. playing extortionate prices just because we live in the Land Down Under). It looks pretty grim with respect to the typical retailers although as always, if you're prepared to shop overseas you can get some good deals. I'm actually a bit hesitant and mistrustful of overseas stores but one particular one I do like is ozgameshop. I've purchased a few games from them in the past (physical copies and codes via email) and they've delivered each time. So let us take a look at the major players (i.e. EB Games, JB Hi-Fi and Steam) and ozgameshop shall we?

Civilization: Beyond Earth
Available on:

• ozgameshop - Code ($47.49)
• ozgameshop - Physical ($51.99)
• JB Hi-Fi ($79.00)
• EB Games ($89.95)
• Steam ($89.99USD)

Includes:

• Exoplanets Map Pack DLC
• Code for Sid Meier's Ace Patrol (when pre-ordered from EB Games)

Verdict:
Unlike some other games (notably games released by EA), Civiliation: Beyond Earth doesn't have any digital deluxe/special editions. Consequently, wherever you're buying the game, provided you pre-order, you'll receive the Exoplanets Map Pack DLC. If you're looking to get the cheapest copy of the game, which also happens to be a Steam key, the best deal out of these stores is ozgameshop for $47.49. If you prefer physical copies of the game, ozgameshop is still the cheapest at $51.99 and you don't need to pay any extra on shipping since they state that orders of $50 or more include free shipping! You may have to wait awhile for the copy to arrive on our shores though.

With respect to "bricks and mortar" stores here in Australia, JB's offer is $10 less than EB's but you get a code for Sid Meier's Ace Patrol included. Personally, I don't think it's really worth the extra $10 though considering Ace Patrol is only $5 USD on Steam anyway, so JB marginally wins in that regard.

Steam at the moment is looking like a no-go as you're able to get a Steam key from ozgameshop for much cheaper (closer to the original price they advertised for the game when it first advertised its price on Steam). If buying off Steam wait until it goes on sale for 50% off.