Now who says Origin doesn’t have sales like Steam?  And right after EA decides to give away free games to SimCity players too — which might leave a nasty aftertaste to those looking forward to compensation for the headaches that SimCity launched with.

The Player Appreciation sale starts today and has over 200 titles up to 70 percent off for a week.

The sale includes digitally distributed games for PC and Mac, as well as physical goods for consoles, PC and Mac.

Checkout the Player Appreciation Sale and prepare your wallet.

[spoiler intro=’Press Release’]ORIGIN KICKS OFF PLAYER APPRECIATION SALE
Up to 70% Off More Than 200 Titles Worldwide For One Week Only

On March 19, Origin™ is launching a wide-reaching sale to say “thank you” to its 40 million registered users worldwide. The first-ever Origin Player Appreciation Sale features more than 200 of the most popular titles at prices up 70% off, and is now live on Origin.com and within the Origin application for PC and Mac®.

The Origin Player Appreciation Sale is available to fans worldwide* for just one week from March 19 at 10:00 a.m. PT until March 26 at 10:00 a.m. PT, and spans PC & Mac downloadable titles and add-on content, as well as packaged goods for PC, Mac, Xbox 360®, PlayStation®3, Wii™ and Wii U™ titles.

Top titles from EA and other developers at are on sale at exceptionally low prices. Many of EA’s blockbuster titles are 50% off, including Battlefield 3™ Premium, Crysis®3, Dead Space™3, The Sims™3, Need for Speed™ Most Wanted, FIFA 13, and Madden NFL 13. From casual fun to intense action, from shooters to sports to RPGs, there will be something for every gamer as Origin says “thanks” to players all around the world.

Origin offers more than 500 titles from EA and publishing partners around the globe, and is designed to offer a more dynamic and valuable play experience for the gamer. In addition to fast and safe game downloads, Origin also offers cloud saves that let gamers save and continue games from any computer, free-to-play games, and convenient in-game features. For more information, or to download today, please visit www.origin.com. For the very latest news and offers from Origin, follow @OriginInsider on Twitter or head to www.facebook.com/OriginInsider.

For more information on EA and assets including images, please visit http://info.ea.com.

* THIS OFFER IS BEING ISSUED TO YOU FOR PROMOTIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A CREDIT, CHARGE, DEBIT OR GIFT CARD. OFFER EXPIRES MARCH 26, 2013 AT 10:00 AM PDT. VALID FOR NEW PURCHASES OF SELECT PRODUCTS (“PRODUCT(S)”) ONLY FROM THE DEAL CENTER ON THE ORIGIN STORE AT WWW.ORIGIN.COM AND THE ORIGIN CLIENT SOFTWARE (WWW.ORIGIN.COM/ABOUT). OFFER MAY NOT BE SUBSTITUTED, EXCHANGED, SOLD OR REDEEMED FOR CASH OR OTHER GOODS OR SERVICES. MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITH GIFT CARD, REBATE OR OTHER DISCOUNT COUPONS. CUSTOMERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SHIPPING, HANDLING AND APPLICABLE SALES TAX. RETAILERS, DISTRIBUTORS AND EMPLOYEES OF ELECTRONIC ARTS INC. AND THEIR AGENCIES/AFFILIATES ARE NOT ELIGIBLE. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED, TAXED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. SEE APPLICABLE END USER LICENSE AGREEMENTS AND DISCLOSURES ON WWW.EA.COM.[/spoiler]